Yogaśikhopaniṣad
By Swami Harshananda
Yogaśikhopaniṣad though classed among the minor Upaniṣads of the Yoga group, this is a fairly long and exhaustive Upanisad. It belongs to the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda. It is in the form of a dialogue between Hiraṇyagarbha[1] and Siva.[2] There are 390 verses in all in the anuṣṭubh metre spread over six adhyāyas or chapters.
First Adhyāya[edit]
It has 178 verses. It deals with a large number of topics. After describing some preliminaries common to Vedāntic scriptures, it deals exhaustively with quite a few topics of Haṭhayoga. The following is a brief list of such topics:
- Purification and refinement of the mind through yoga
- Necessity of approaching a guru or spiritual teacher who is an adept in prāṇāyāma
- Arousing the Kuṇḍalinī power
- Various kinds of prāṇāyāmas and bandhas
- Some yogas like Mantrayoga and Layayoga
- Importance of abhyāsa or continuous practice
- Jīvanmukti or liberation even while living
Second Adhyāya[edit]
It has 22 verses. It deals mainly with Praṇava[3] as the mulamantra.[4] It is interesting to note that devotion to the guru and God are stressed as all-important in attaining the knowledge of the Supreme.
Third Adhyāya[edit]
It has 25 verses. It describes Nādabrahman or Brahman as sound and its four forms. They are:
- Parā
- Paśyanti
- Madhyamā
- Vaikharī
Fourth Adhyāya[edit]
It has 24 verses. It puts forward the usual theories of Advaita Vedānta such as:
- The non-existence of the jīva or individual soul as an independent reality
- The world as unreal as the objects seen in a dream
- The body as a superimposition on the soul due to ajñāna or nescience
Fifth Adhyāya[edit]
It has 62 verses. It describes the body as the residence of Viṣṇu, the all-pervading Supreme Lord. Then follows an account of the six cakras like mulādhāra. Other topics portrayed are:
- Rousing of the Kuṇḍalinī power
- Khecarimudrā
- Meditation on Nārāyaṇa in the sahasrāracakra
- Method of worshiping one’s guru and indifference towards siddhis or yogic powers
Sixth Adhyāya[edit]
It is the last adhyāya having 79 verses. It deals with a few more topics of Haṭhayoga and Jñānayoga. They are:
- Method of meditation on the Kuṇḍalini power
- Description of the suṣumnānāḍī
- Meditations on the forms of Brahmā in the six cakras
- Bondage and liberation depending on the mind being active or still
Epilogue[edit]
The Upaniṣad ends with the warning that jñāna[5] can arise only by practice done according to the instructions of a qualified guru.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore