The number of minor Upanishads varies from fifty to ninety
eight (mentioned in Muktika Upanishad) and even more than two hundred. The
Adyar Library has published all the 108 Upanishads. Some other minor Upanishads
were published by Schrader under the heading Unpublished Upanishads (Adyar
Library).
The Ten Main Upanishads
The 10 principal Upanishads are Isha Upanishad, Kena
Upanishad, Katha Upanishad, Prashna Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya
Upanishad, Taittiriya Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad, Aitareya Upanishad and
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Adi Shankaracharya has written commentaries on them.
The minor Upanishads find mention in Shankaracharya’s
commentary on Upanishads. Svetasvatara Upanishad, Kaushtaki Upanishad, Maitri
Upanishad and Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad are mentioned by Adi Shankaracharya
but he has not written commentary on them.
Six Volumes Of Minor Upanishads
The six volumes of minor Upanishads, on the basis on the subject
matter, which the Adyar Library has published are:
- Samanya Vedanta Upanishad
- Shaiva Upanishad
- Shakta Upanishad
- Vaishnava Upanishad
- Yoga Upanishad
- Sannyasa Upanishad
Muktika
Upanishad is the last among the 108 Upanishads; it gives a list of all
Upanishads, classifying them under different Vedas and giving proper Shanti
Mantras (peace hymns).
Samanya Vedanta Upanishads
There are 24 Upanishads under this category and were
published with the Advaitic commentary of the Upanishad Brahmayogin of Kanchi
Kamakoti Matha in 1921 CE (Adyar Library). An English translation by A.G.
Krishna Warrier was published in 1991 CE.
Kaushitaki Brahmana Upanishad, forming the concluding
portion of Kaushtaki Brahmana, is the earliest among Samanya Vedanta Upanishads.
It excels in the delineation of prana (vital air) as the prime mover of the
universe, which is ultimately identified with the higher subjective reality. Indra
reveals this doctrine to Pratardana. As Long as breath tarries in this body, so
long the life stays. Through the breath, one attains immortality in the world
beyond and through knowledge, one attains fulfillment of his wish. Pure
consciousness and simple consciousness filled with objective content are to be
discriminated. Pure consciousness is the name as the Brahman or atman.
Many of the Upanishads included in the volume are post
Vedic. Though falling in the category of Samanya Vedanta Upanishad they are heterogeneous
in nature. Akshi Upanishad discusses the form of the innermost self and
describes the eternal verity of Narayana.
Garbha Upanishad deals with the development of the embryo in
the mother’s womb and the self within.
Vajra Suchi Upanishad discusses the question as to who is a
true Brahmin. This Upanishad is sometimes ascribed to Ashvaghosha. It has a
pro-Buddhist commentary on it. Maha Upanishad in six chapters describes the
creation of the world with 25 categories by Narayana. Knowledge of the Brahman
is praised through the dialogue between Shuka and Janaka, and the distinction
between consciousness and inert objects and the nature of one who is liberated
while alive in the body is explained with a dialogue between Nidagha and Ribhu.
Sannyasa Upanishad
Sannyasa Upanishads deals with the characteristics,
qualifications, life and other particulars concerning the ascetic. The types of
anchorites vary from the mendicant monk, who has outwardly cast away the trappings
of the world, to the supremely realized, free of all sense of differences. The
latter are classified into those in the stages of a hut dweller, one who is in
a holy place of sacred waters, one free from all sense of difference, the realized
self, even while alive, one who has transcended the fourth stage and one who
has cast off all sense of ego.
There are 17 upanishads dealing with this group. Avadhuta
Upanishad discusses the nature and conduct of the avadhuta ascetic.
Arunya Upanishad says that a householder who wants to be an
ascetic should transform the ritual fires into a matter of internal
contemplation of fire. His duties consist of celibacy, non-injury,
non-possession, and truthfulness. The procedure for renunciation is also given.
Kundika Upanishad gives the duties of one prior to his renunciation
of the world and the necessity of yoga for self realization and attainment of
liberation.
Jabala Upanishad advocates adoration of Shiva in the form of
Avimukta (the liberator). The need for renouncing all motivated action is
stressed.
Turiyatita Upanishad is in the form of a dialogue between
Vishnu and Brahma, expounding the way of life led by Turiyatita (one who has
transcended the fourth stage) as ascetic.
Naradapari Vrajaka Upanishad discusses the six stages of
asceticism, ending with the avadhuta. It is one of the long Upanishads in this
group.
Nirvana Upanishad describes the progress of paramahamsa
khechari mudra. Parabrahma Upanishad expounds the greatness of selfless action.
Paramahamsa Parivrajaka Upanishad enjoins the qualification of renunciation.
Brahma Upanishad, Maitreya Upanishad and Yajnavalkya Upanishad deal with
different aspects of the ascetic life. “The mind alone is the cause of bondage
and liberation,” says Satyayana Upanishad. Sannyasa Upanishad expounds the
rules of renunciation and points to the sins that tempt the ascetic.
Shakta Upanishad
Shakta Upanishads devoted to the Goddess as reality, are
sectarian in form like the Vaishnava and Shaiva Upanishads. Bhavana Upanishad
(which has a commentary by Bhaskaracharya), Satchakra Upanishad, Tripura Tapini
Upanishad and Devi Upanishad are Shakta in nature.
The Kaula school of Tantra is considered anti Vedic, and the
excesses associated with it are criticized by Lakshmidhara, commentator on
Saundarya Lahari, a text often ascribed to Shankara and used by both the Kaula
and Samaya Schools. What is considered proper by the Samaya School is the
worship of the mother and father of the Universe in the sahasrara
(thousand-petalled lotus) above the ajna chakra, the mystic center between the eyebrows.
Most Shakta Upanishads seem to be later than
Saundaryalahari. The commentator Lakshmidhara does not quote from them.
According to Upanishad Brahma Yogin, Shakta Upanishads set forth the main
doctrines of Advaita Vedanta in a colorful garb.
The Advaitic distinction between the qualified Brahman and the
undifferentiated Absolute (saguna Brahman and nirguna Brahman, respectively)
are found in these Upanishads. Even Gaudapada’s ajativada has been incorporated
in one of the Upanishads.
Bhavana Upanishad symbolically identifies the human body
with the Sri Chakra, suggesting that the human body is the temple of God. The total
number of Shakta Upanishads is eight.
Yoga Upanishads
There are eighteen Upanishads under this category and the
most important among them is the Varaha Upanishad.
Shaiva Upanishad
Shaiva Upanishads are fifteen in number. Akshamalika
Upanishad deals with the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.
Ganapati Upanishad deals with Ganapati and his worship.
Jabala Upanishad deals with the use of holy ash for realizing truth.
Dakshinamurti Upanishad concentrates on the worship of Dakshinamurti.
Pancha Brahma Upanishad deals with the five forms of Shiva –
Sadyojata, Aghora, Vamadeva, Tatpurusha and Ishana. Brihajjabala Upanishad
deals with the vibhuti (holy ash), rudraksha (holy beads), etc.
Vaishnava Upanishad
Vaishnava Upanishad are 15 in number. The Vaishnava
literature assumed to have taken the character of Upanishads. Apart from
Narayana, Varaha, Narasimha, Rama, Vasudeva, Krishna and even Sita are
described as various forms of Brahman in these Upanishads.
Kali Santarana Upanishad mentions the popular Hare Rama,
Hare Krishna mantra.