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Is Correlation of Upanishads with the Vedas Justified?
January 3, 2015 – 11:29 am
Blogroll
When we speak of the Vedas it is implied that it comprises of the four Vedas, the
facetsofindianhistory Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. But even a casual reader can find
Sanatana Parishad the diverse nature of the contents and objectives of the said parts of the Vedas.
Thinkerspad
Father H.Heras in his historical introduction to the origin of Indian philosophy and
asceticism in the book Mystic Teachings of the Haridasas of Karnatak writes
Archives –“while studying Indian philosophy and asceticism, the first book that is always
cited as the basis of all Indian philosophy and ascetic talk is the Rig-Veda. And yet
February 2018
there is no book in India so anti-philosophic and so devoid of any ascetical ideals
January 2018
as the Rig-Veda is”.1
October 2017
August 2017 The Rig-Veda consists mainly of hymns dedicated to nature-gods, such as the fire,
June 2017 the sun, the dawn, Indra, the god of rains, etc., and there is sometimes much
May 2017 poetry in them; but the prayers that are contained therein are very simple and often
March 2017 refer to the material needs and comforts of the adorers.2 With regards to the
October 2016 Brahmanas, its chief topic is sacrifice. The Brahmanas foist a superstructure of
June 2016 meaningless ceremonialism upon the hymnology of the Veda, and press into their
January 2016 service passages and texts from the Vedas which they utilize in such a way as to
November 2015
support the not-very-glorious life of the sacrificer. Curious indeed are the ways in
which the Brahmana passages mingle together legends, exegeses, dogmas,
August 2015
philological and philosophical speculations so as to exhibit the efficacy of the
June 2015 Mantras for the practical life of the sacrificer. It is a pitiful phenomenon to notice
February 2015 how at the time of the Brahmanas so much intellect should have been wasted on
January 2015 the formulation of the details of the various sacrificial rites: it only reminds one of
September 2014 the wheels within wheels of the scholastic interpretations of Christian dogma in the
June 2014 middle ages.3 On the other hand the spirit of the Upanishads barring a few
May 2014 exceptions here and there is entirely antagonistic to the sacrificial doctrine of the
April 2014 Brahmanas.4
March 2014
December 2013
Vedas vis-à-vis Upanishads
November 2013
According to R.D.Ranade Rig-Veda is a great hymnology to the personified forces
October 2013 of nature, and thus represents the earliest phase in the evolution of religious
September 2013 consciousness, namely, the objective phase of religion. The Upanishads, on the
August 2013 other hand, mark the subjective phase of religion. There are no hymns to gods or
May 2013 goddesses of nature in the Upanishads, but on the contrary, they contain a
April 2013 scientific search for the Substratum underlying the phenomenal forces of nature.
February 2013
There are neither any offering of prayers to gods in the Upanishads, nor is there
visible, throughout the Upanishadic period, any inordinate fear of the wrath of these
January 2013
natural forces personified as gods. In other words, we may say that as we go from
July 2012
the Vedic period to the Upanishadic period, there is visible at every stage the
January 2010 process of transference of interest from God to Self. When the individual Self has
July 2009 become the universal Self, when, in short, the Atman has been realized, whom and
June 2009 what may anybody fear? For whom and what may any offerings be made? For
May 2009 whom and what may anybody pray to divinity? In a word, we may say, that as we
April 2009 pass from the Vedas to the Upanishads, we pass from prayer to philosophy, from
March 2009 hymnology to reflection, from henotheistic polytheism to monotheistic mysticism.5
February 2009
How Vedas acquired a Scriptural status
October 2008
September 2008

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August 2008 The period in which the Vedas were composed was the childhood of mankind, to
July 2008 whom everything- fire, air, cloud, thunder and storm appeared as veritable gods.
June 2008 Whenever they felt any fear or awe, it soon occupied the whole of their inner being
May 2008
and it was immediately expressed in words. The Veda is nothing but an anthology
of some poems, songs, etc. composed by various gifted poets. But many without
April 2008
ever bothering to read the Veda consider it to be composed by God Brahma. The
March 2008
reason why Vedas has acquired a scriptural status and worshipped by millions of
February 2008 people is due to the belief of the authors of the Vedas that their composition was
possible only due to the divine aid. This was also believed by their fellowmen.
Being the work of God, the Veda can contain no error; it is all truth, all holy and all
illumination. Thus a collection of songs acquired the scriptural status.6 According to
Osho the Vedas are full of prayers. It was written by somebody and addressed to
God. But it cannot be written by God himself because to whom will God pray? “And
prayers for such stupid things that it is simply ridiculous to say that they are written
by God”, he adds.7

Explaining the difference between the Vedas8 and Upanishads Swami

Vivekananda said – The Vedas are divided into two portions — the work portion
(Karma Kanda) and the knowledge portion (Jnana Kanda). The work portion
contains ceremonials, rules as to eating, living, doing charitable work, etc. The
knowledge came afterwards and was enunciated by kings. The work portion was
exclusively in the hands of the priests and pertained entirely to the sense life. It
taught to do good works that one might go to heaven and enjoy eternal happiness.
Anything, in fact, that one might want could be provided for him by the work or
ceremonials. It provided for all classes of people good and bad. Nothing could be
obtained through the ceremonials except by the intercession of the priests. So if
one wanted anything, even if it was to have an enemy killed, all he had to do was
to pay the priest; and the priest through these ceremonials would procure the
desired results. It was therefore in the interests of the priests that the ceremonial
portion of the Vedas should be preserved. By it they had their living. They
consequently did all in their power to preserve that portion intact. Many of these
ceremonials were very complicated, and it took years to perform some of them.9

The knowledge portion (Upanishads) came afterwards and was promulgated

exclusively by kings. It was called the Knowledge of Kings and consisted of
knowledge of the God, the soul, the universe, etc. The great kings had no use for
the work portion with all its frauds and superstitions and did all in their power to
destroy it. They pronounced the ceremonials of the priests, their magical works,
etc., as humbug. When the priests came to them for gifts, they questioned the
priests about God, the soul, etc., and as the priests could not answer such
questions they were sent away. The priests went back to their fathers to enquire
about the things the kings asked them, but could learn nothing from them, so they
came back again to the kings and became their disciples.10

Vedas- Concepts of Spiritual Childhood stage

As in our physical body there are different stages of growth like childhood, youth
and maturity, so in the spiritual life there is spiritual childhood, spiritual youth and
spiritual maturity. The first stage of spiritual childhood begins with the worship of
ancestors or departed spirits and moves to the second stage where we find the
worship of phenomena of nature. (For instance worshipping gods like Indra, Agni,
Vayu, Varuna, etc). In the third stage the belief in the existence of a powerful God
(Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva) having control over these nature gods is conceptualized. In
the spiritual youth stage we begin to realize that God is not outside of nature but
He is in nature. He is the soul of the Universe and creates the Universe by pouring
His spiritual influx in nature and starts the evolution of that cosmic energy which is
called prakriti or nature. The individual souls come out of His own being like sparks
coming out of a huge Divine bonfire. This stage gradually leads to the next stage,
that of spiritual maturity stage where we do not think of the world or creation but
rising above all phenomena, we realize the indivisible oneness- that we are not
merely sparks but are something closer to divinity- we are one with God.11 From
the above analysis it is clear that the spiritual concepts of the Vedas are of the
spiritual childhood level whereas the spiritual concepts of the Vedanta
(Upanishads) are of the spiritual maturity level.

Importance of Upanishads in Indian history

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All Indian philosophies are rooted in the teaching of the Upanishad. The
three Acharyas, Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri
Madhvacharya used the Upanishads as the source to formulate their
respective philosophies.
Buddha and Mahavira openly rejected the authority of the Vedas but they did
not spoke a word against the Upanishads.
Basaveshwara the founder of Lingayatism, a religion based on reason and
egalitarianism vehemently protested against the rituals prescribed in the
Vedas and the priest-craft responsible for it; but he accepted the truth
revealed in the Upanishads.12
The appeal of Upanishad philosophy is universal as it considers Reality as
one from which all matter and spirit emanate. People of all races, religions
and regions can adhere to this philosophy without giving up their theological
beliefs.

Why Vedas are still continued to be revered?

With the realization of the ultimate Truth/Reality the mantras of the Vedas and the
ceremonies/rituals of the Brahmanas should have had become obsolete and
superfluous. But that has not happened and even in the present times we find
traditional schools allotting more time for teaching Vedas (mantras and rituals) in
contrast to the study of Upanishads. This was because-

The Acharyas who formulated their philosophies allowed the continuation of

the ritualistic practices of the Vedas as they felt the common masses will find
it difficult to comprehend the Vedanta philosophy at the first instance itself.
They felt that worship, austerities and rituals would help in purifying their
mind and make them fit for the comprehension of truth. But their followers
instead of moving to the next step of contemplation and meditation as
suggested by the Upanishad for the realization of Truth, continued to follow
the Vedic injunctions as to follow the steps prescribed by the Upanishad
required strenuous mental discipline and personal efforts.
The strong presence of the priestly class which could not easily give up its
income which used to come through performance of ceremonies was
another reason.
The Upanishad prescribed contemplation and meditation for the realization
of truth. But the majority of people did not possess such high ideals in life or
eagerness for realization of Truth nor ready to put personal effort for the
same. They looked forward for simple practices which could fulfill their
materialistic desires. The Vedas prescribed ritualistic worship as a means to
fulfill mundane desires with the assistance of the priest and hence appealed
to the commoners.
A false notion that only by studying the Vedas one can understand the
Upanishads was another reason for the continuation of Vedic tradition. As a
result in traditional schools Upanishad is taught after teaching the Vedas and
Brahmanas. To aid in the study of Vedas the learning of Vedangas
comprising of Shiksha (phonetics), Vyakarna (grammar), Nirukta
(etymology), Chhandas (metrics), Kalpa (rituals) and Jyothishya (astrology)
is also prescribed. For learning the Vedas memorization and faith plays a
dominant role. Hence by the time a student has completed his Vedic studies
he would have lost his reasoning power and would chant mantras and
performs rituals in a mechanical way. When he begins to study the
Upanishads he adopts the same methodology which he had used to study
Vedas and therefore his knowledge of the Upanishads means how to parrot
the contents when required. This is a fact because if a person really grasps
the essence of the Upanishads, he will find the Vedas obsolete.
In Chandogya Upanishad (VII.1.2) it is mentioned that when Narada told
Sanat Kumara that he had mastered the three Vedas, the latter told Narada
that it was just ‘names’ and nothing else.13
According to Swami Abhedananda, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda, the
Vedanta (Upanishads) stands upon the eternal, spiritual laws discovered by
various sages and seers and in order to understand them it is not necessary
to study the Vedas.14

Its impact on Hindu society

The continuation of Vedic rites and rituals resulted in the orthodoxy and
conservatism to gain an upper hand in Hindu society and religion.
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As Vedic rituals required the services of Brahmins and was a costly affair
only the rich and powerful could afford. This led to the exodus of the
commoners to religions like Buddhism and Jainism.
To fulfill their mundane desires, Hindus started worshiping demi-gods and
spirits and whatnot. This resulted in the Hindu society to become highly
superstitious.
As Vedic ceremonies were meant for fulfilling personal desires, Hindus
became self-centered and materialistic.
According to Swami Vivekananda, the idea of God in heaven, sitting upon a
cloud is downright materialism. When babies think this way it may be all
right. But when grown-up men try to teach such things, it is downright
disgusting.15

Today majority of Hindus don’t know the difference between Vedas and
Upanishads and their contents and their objectives. Even followers of Sri
Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Madhvacharya who had
propounded their philosophy based on Upanishads involve themselves in Vedic
rites and rituals. The only change we find is that new gods have replaced Indra,
Varuna, Vayu, etc., the demi gods of Vedas. They are also ignorant of the fact that
Upanishad is antagonistic against these meaningless rituals and ceremonies.16
The main reason for this blunder is due to the appending of Upanishads with the
Vedas.

Upanishads for a rejuvenated Bharath

Eminent German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) had said that the
Upanishads are the products of the highest wisdom and sooner or later it is
destined to become the faith of the people of the world. But by correlating the
Upanishads with the Vedas, Hindus have failed to showcase the wisdom of
Vedanta philosophy to the outside world. For most people Sanatana Dharma
(Hinduism) means polytheism, caste system, superstitions and silly rites and
beliefs; all baggage of the Vedas.

In a prepared speech to be delivered at the 1936 Annual Conference of the Jat-

Pat-Todak Mandal of Lahore, Babasaheb Ambedkar had said that the Hindu
religion, as contained in the Vedas and the Smritis, is nothing but a mass of
sacrificial, social, political and sanitary rules and regulations, all mixed up. What is
called religion by the Hindus is nothing but a multitude of commands and
prohibitions. If Hinduism has to become a true religion, in the sense of spiritual
principles, truly universal, applicable to all races, to all countries, to all times, it
should have a new doctrinal basis —a basis that will be in consonance with Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity, in short, with Democracy. But I am told that for such
religious principles as will be in consonance with Liberty, Equality and Fraternity it
may not be necessary for you to borrow from foreign sources and that you could
draw for such principles on the Upanishads.

If Bharath (India) has to regain its lost glory and become the leader of the world in
the spiritual field, Sanatanis (Hindus) has to adopt the ideals of Upanishads. In the
words of Swami Vivekananda for the last thousand years Hindus have been
weakened so much that they have become real earthworms crawling at the feet of
everyone who dares to put his feet on them. The tonic to cure this weakness
according to Swami Vivekananda is Upanishads with its watchwords like physical
freedom, mental freedom and spiritual freedom. Vedanta teaches us that we can
do anything and everything as we are the sparks of the infinite, divine fire. In
Upanishads lies strength enough to invigorate the whole world, he adds.

References

1. P.Karmarkar and N.B.Kalamdani- Mystic Teachings of the Haridasas of

Karnatak, Government of Bombay, Kannada Research Grant Publication,
1939, p.IX.
2. Surendranath Dasgupta- Indian Idealism, Cambridge University Press, 1933,
p.1
3. D.Ranade- A Constructive Survey of Upanishadic Philosophy, Oriental Book
Agency, Poona, 1926, p.6
4. Ibid
5. Ibid, pp:2,3

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6. Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya’s English rendering of Haraprasad Sastri’s

Bengali essay on Rig-Veda in Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya- Indian
Philosophy- A Popular Introduction, People’s Publishing House, New Delhi,
pp:206-209
7. Osho- Freedom- The Courage to be Yourself (online version)
8. Veda is defined by the Mimamsakaras as the collection of Mantras and
Brahmanas. Surendranath Dasgupta- History of Indian Philosophy, vol- I,
Cambridge University Press, 1922, p.404
9. A lecture delivered by Swami Vivekananda in San Francisco (U.S.A.) on 24th
May, 1900 (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol 9.)
10. Ibid
11. Swami Abhedananda- Vedanta towards all religions, in Aspects of the
Vedanta, 4th edition, G.A.Natesan & Co, Madras, pp: 38-40.
12. Thipperudraswamy- Basaveshwara, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1991,
p.30
13. Chandogya Upanishad- With the commentary of Shankaracharya.
Translated by Swami Gambhirananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkota, p.505
14. Swami Abhedananda- cit, p.32
15. Is Vedanta the future religion? A lecture delivered by Swami
Vivekananda in San Francisco on April 8, 1900 (Complete Works of Swami
Vivekananda, Vol 8)
16. Take for instance the performance of Shraddha in which rice balls is offered
to paternal ancestors to gratify their souls. The offering of rice balls to the
spirit of the departed souls was probably in vogue in the times of the Vedas
or could have been even a pre-Vedic belief. (V.Kane- History of
Dharmashastra, vol-5, part II, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute,
Poona, 1962, p.1598) The belief in Shraddha requires the spirit of the
ancestors to live in an ethereal body for a long period to enjoy the rice balls
offered by their descendants. This belief is in contradiction to the doctrines of
punarjanma enunciated in the Upanishads (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad-
IV:4:4) and Bhagavad Gita (2:22) which tells us that the spirit leaving one
body enters into another and a new one after death. Moreover Matsya
Purana (19:11:12) and Agni Purana (163:41:42) says that being gratified by
the offerings of rice balls, the ancestors bless their descendants with health,
wealth, heaven and moksha. (P.V.Kane- History of Dharmashastra, vol-4,
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona, 1953, p.335) This belief is
also in contradictory with the theory of karma which says that one reaps
what one sows and it is said that even God do not interfere in the working of
karma except in very rare cases. One cannot get moksha through blessings
but have to strive for it.

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