Kaivalya

 

Kaivalya Upanishad

The supreme God is Shiva, Shiva is Brahman, Brahman is Atman, 

Know your Atman, Know yourself to be that Brahman,

late 1st millennium BCE minor Upanishad.

a Shaiva Upanishad, in two versions, Krishna Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda.

The Upanishad 

*extols Shiva, aloneness and renunciation, 

*describes the inner state of man in his personal spiritual journey detached from the world. 

presents Shaivism in Vedanta, discussing Atman (Self) and its relation to Brahman, and Self-knowledge as the path to kaivalya (liberation).

The term Upanishad means it is knowledge or "hidden doctrine" text that belongs to the corpus of Vedanta literature collection presenting the philosophical concepts of Hinduism and considered the highest purpose of its scripture, the Vedas.

One of a group of five Upanishads which extol and assert god Shiva as a symbolism for Atman (Self).

These five Upanishads – Atharvashiras, Atharvashikha, Nilarudra, Kalagnirudra and Kaivalya – are ancient, with Nilarudra likely the oldest 

Kaivalya likely composed closer to Shvetashvatara Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad, and Mahanarayana Upanishad.

Structure

Krishna Yajurveda  edition 26 verses, 

Atharvaveda edition has 24 verses with an epilogue.

—-a discourse between the Vedic sage Ashvalayana and  Brahma, who is Sked for Brahma-vidya, that is the knowledge of ultimate reality Brahman.

-embeds key parts of verses from early Principal Upanishads, Mundaka and Shvetashvatara yet building its own message. 

The text presents Shaivism with Vedanta terminology, discussing the relationship of Atman (Self) and Brahman (ultimate Reality), and Self-knowledge as the means to Kaivalya (liberation).

the self-realized man is described as one who 

**"feels himself only as the one divine essence that lives in all", 

**feels his identity and everyone's consciousness with Shiva (the highest Self), 

**has found this highest Self within, in the depths of his heart

Ashvalayana,asks Paramesthi (synonym for Brahma) for Brahmavidya, which he calls "the highest knowledge, always cultivated by the good", one that enables to reach the person who is greater than the great.[

Brahma answers, verse 2 

Seek knowledge with Sraddha-bhakti-dhyana-yogadavehi (faith, devotion, meditation in yoga), not ritual works, not wealth, not offsprings".

Aloneness and renunciation, is the path to the life of eternity.

Shiva,companion of Uma, with three eyes, blue neck, calm wonderful 

imbued with intelligence and bliss, 

Is the source of everything.

It is this supreme lord,one must meditate on, verse 7

This supreme, states is the eternal, the all-pervading, formless, unmanifest, infinite, inconceivable, one without beginning or middle or end, one which is chidananda ("consciousness-bliss").

He is Brahman, Shiva, Indra, Vishnu, Prana (life force, breath), fire and moon (time,lunar calendar).

Eternity is him, all that originated and all that originates is him. 

Know him, find liberation, there is no other way, states verse 9

Meditate on Om: the three states of consciousness (verses 10-15)

see "his Atman (Self) in all beings, and all beings in his Atman" to attain salvation, there is no other way.

verse 11 metaphorically describes how to gain this knowledge.

Making  own Self as the lower fire stick and Om the upper fire stick, rub these together, light up the fire of knowledge, and burn the ties to ignorance.

Jiva (being) immersed in Maya (changing reality, illusive world) craves for worldly greed, 

performs karoti (Sanskrit: करोति, ritual works), 

enjoys bodily pleasures like women, food, drink and pleasures.

This, gives him satisfaction in his wakeful state, 

in dream as he sleeps his Self fashions a dream world of joys and nightmares, but this is all deception.

True bliss comes in the third state of consciousness. It is, the third state, everything comes to rest, in whole, in peace, in bliss. 

Shiva, Brahman is within you (verses 16-17)

the next two verses crystallize the ancient Hindu thought.

Man has an Atman (spirit) identical with the great spirit of the world, repeated in its great Upanishadic saying, "That art thou,"for God is within man.

यत्परं ब्रह्म सर्वात्मा विश्वस्यायतनं महत् |

सूक्ष्मात्सूक्ष्मतरं नित्यं तत्त्वमेव त्वमेव तत् ॥ १६॥

—Kaivalya Upanishad 16

Translation:

Brahman, the supreme Self of all, the great resting place of universe,

The subtlest of the subtle, eternal, you yourself are it, and it's you!

verse 17 of the text repeats, that all three states, experienced when one is awake, when one dreams, when one is in deep dreamless sleep, is illuminated therein.

"Know yourself to be that Brahman", tand experience liberation.

The state of liberation (verses 18-24)

verses 18 to 24 describe the state of liberated renouncer.

blissful, content in all three states of consciousness, feels everything was born in him and abides in him and dissolves in him, that he is Brahman that is in everyone, he is Sadashiva, ancient, diverse, spiritual, with the gift to know eternity.

The liberated renouncer, feels he is the knower, the perceiver, the one to learn the Vedas, to perfect the Vedas, verse 22 

He feels his essence is beyond good and bad, beyond body and mind, beyond merit and demerits, beyond what perishes, 

The liberated man,has found the highest Atman in his heart.

Commentaries 

Sadasiva Brahmendra, 

Upanishad Brahmayogin (c. 1800 CE) 

Osho (1931 – 1990).