3. The Meaning of the Term Upaniṣad

The etymological meaning of the term ‘Upaniṣad’ is to sit close by devotedly; and is indicative of the manner in which the doctrines embodied in the Upaniṣads are learnt at first by pupils in small conclaves sitting near their respective teachers.^[1] The aim of the Upaniṣads is made clear in the Taittirīyā Saṃbandabhāṣya of Śrī Śankara who says that the Brahmasākṣara exists on what is known as the Upaniṣad.^[2] The word ‘Upaniṣad’ is derived from the root ‘sad’ which has the three meanings, destruction [viśaraṇa], going [gati] and religious treatment [avasādana]. Thus the dhātupatha of Pānini gives the meaning of the root as: ṣadṛl [ṣadḷ] viśaraṇagatyavasādaneṣu.^[3]

The term ‘Upaniṣad’ has been defined as follows:-

upaniṣadayati sarvānarthakarasaṃsāraṃvināśayati, saṃsārakāraṇabhūtāmavidyāṃ ca śithilayati, brahma ca gamayatiitiupaniṣat || ^[4]

The two prefixes ‘upa’ and ‘ni’ are added to this root for the coinage of the term Upaniṣad. The prefix ‘upa’ means nearness and ‘ni’ means both nearness and affirmation.^[5] The three parts combined together form the term Upaniṣad. Each part of the term can be interpreted thus: ‘upa’ means that the disciple should always be with the teacher and should move with him in every action, ‘ni’ means the disciple, while moving with the tutor should have a goal fixed in his mind pledged to reach the same and ‘sad’ the main part of the term shall be interpreted in viśaraṇa, gati and avasādana. Thus the word Upaniṣad means secret knowledge -nigūḍatatva- as referred to in the Ṛgveda.^[6] Etymologically the word suggests “sitting down near”, that is, at the feet of an illumined teacher in an intimate session of spiritual instructions to his aspirants. Often the teacher is one who is expected to be one who is retired from worldly life to an aśraṃ or ‘forest academy’ alone along the banks of the upper Ganges to live with students (and often with a life) as family, teaching in question and answer session and by following the example in daily living.

The meaning of the term ‘Upaniṣad’ as commented by Śrī Śanakra in the Kaṭhopaniṣad is:

kena punarrthayogenopaniṣad śabdena vidyocyate, ityucyate | ye mumukṣavo dṛṣṭānuśravikaviṣayavitṛṣṇaḥ santaḥ upaniṣadśabdavācyam vakṣyamāṇalakṣaṇāṃ vidyāṃmupasadya upagamya tanniṣṭatayā niścayena śilayanti, teṣāṃ avidyādeḥ saṃsārabījasya viśaraṇāddhimsanāt, vināśānātyanena arthayogena vidyā upaniṣadityucyate || ^[7]

It is said to be:

“By what etymological process does the term Upaniṣad rest on knowledge? This is now explained. Those who seek liberation, being endowed with the spirit of dispassion towards all sense objects, seen or heard of, and, approaching this knowledge indicated by the term Upaniṣad presently to be explained, devote themselves to it with one-pointed determination of such people, this knowledge removes, shatters, or destroys the avidhyā (ignorance or spiritual blindness), which is the seed of all relative existence or worldliness. By these etymological connections, Upaniṣads is said to mean knowledge”.^[8]

“The history and the genus of the Sanskrit language leave little doubt that Upaniṣad meant originally a session consisting of pupils, assembled at a respected distance round the teacher”.^[9]

The word ‘Upaniṣad’ is usually explained by the Indian scholars as rahasya. In the early Upaniṣads it is mentioned as guhyādeśa [guhyādeśaḥ]^[10] and paramaṃ guhyam.^[11] The Upaniṣads teach the philosophy of absolute unity; they could be imparted only to those who are competent to receive and benefit by them. The meaning of the ‘secret’ came to be attached to the term ‘Upaniṣad’; and it is in this sense that we find the expression used in the Upaniṣads themselves. Thus the Upaniṣads dominate the idea about the final emancipation which can be attained only by the knowledge of Brahman.

The word Upaniṣad as described in the Saṃbandhabhāṣyavārtika is:-

upopasaṃsargaḥ sāmīpye tatpratītiḥ samātyate ||
nihantyavadhyāṃ tajjāṃtasmādupaniṣad bhajediti || ^[12]

In the dhyānaśloka of Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā., the Upaniṣads are compared to the cows and the Bhagavd Gīta to the milk.

sarvopaniṣado gāvodogdhāgopālanandanaḥ |
pārtho valsa sudhīrbhoktādugdhaṃgītāmṛtaṃ mahat || ^[13]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vedāntasāra of Sadānanda, P-66

[2]:

upaniṣaṇṇaṃ vā asyāṃ paraṃ śreya iti || TaittirīyaSaṃbandabhāṣyaṃ

[3]:

Vedāntasāra of Sadānanda -P-74 (Bhattoji-V.S.K. Bālamanoramāvyāhkyā)

[4]:

Upaniṣads on Sankara’s Own Words- V. Panoli, Introduction

[5]:

Brahmasūtra of Bādarāyaṇa -2.4.5-6

[6]:

Ṛgveda-1.3.7

[7]:

Kaṭhopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya-Upodghātaḥ

[8]:

Ranganathananda Swami., The Message of the Upanishad, P-12

[9]:

Max Muller-Translation of Upaniṣads.Vol.I, P-XXXIII

[10]:

Ch. Up. -III.5.2

[11]:

Ka. Up. -III.17

[12]:

Saṃbandabhāṣyavārtika-1-4

[13]:

Bhagavad Gītā, Dhyānaśloka-4