Within the circle of the Upanishad literature several periods are clearly distinguishable, though Sanskrit philology possesses no means of rendering them into intelligible dates. The first is that of the As the name indicates, and as it is explained by Kdrydpona in one of his criticisms on the great grammarian this class of Upanishads was studied in the solitude of the forests, apparently be cause it was thought necessary that the mind should divest itself from all contact with the world when meditating on the mysteries of life. These if ran'yaka are more immediately connected with the Brahman 'a than the Upanishads properly so called. The Br'ileni-Aradyaka, for instance, is a part itself of the S'athapatha-Brahman'a of the White Yajurveds; the ran'yaka is added to the Aitareya-I3rahman'a, and the Chhandogya-Upanishad, as wo have seen, though not bearing the name of an Aranyaka, is counted amongst the Brahman'a of the Samavecla. These works combine their speculations with a consider able amount of legendary detail, in the same way as the Brahman 'a them selves ; and they are held in especial respect on account of the obscure allusions in which they abound. A second class is much less burdened with mythological and allegorical detail; it is brief, and addresses itself more to the philosophical mind ; it comprises the greater mass of the Upanishad literature, and is apparently/nor() recent than the Aran'yaka. A third and last category is marked by the tendency it has to reconcile the doctrines of later sects with Vaidik theology; Upanishads belonging to it identify the universal Spirit with one or the other form of the gods of the Trinaflrti, as it appears in sectarian belief. This latter description of Upanishads is chiefly connected with the Atharvaveda. We choose as an instance of the Aran'yaka class the following passages from the Aitareya-Aranya :—" This (world) verily wu before (the creation of the world) soul alone, and nothing else whatsoever active (or non-active). He reflected : ' Let are create the worlds.' He created these worlds, namely, the sphere of water, the sphere of the sun-beams, the sphere of death, and the sphere of the waters. The sphere of water lies above the heavens. the heavens are its resting place; the sphere of the sunbeams is the atmosphere ; the earth the world of death ; the worlds which are beneath it, are the sphere of the waters. Ile reflected : These worlds indeed are created. Let me create the protectors of the world. Taking out from the waters a being of human shape, he formed him. He heated him (by the heat of his meditation). When he was thus heated, the mouth burst out as the egg (of a bird),— from the mouth speech,— from speech fire. The nostrils burst out,—from the nostrils breath,—from breath the wind. The eyes burst out,—from the eyes eight,—from the eight the sun.
The cars burst out,—from the ears hearing.—from hearing the regions of space, &c lie reflected : Those worlds and protectors of the worlds (have been created). Let mo now create food for them. He heated the waters (with the heat of his reflection). From them when heated, a being of organised form sprung forth ; the form which sprung forth is verily food. When created it cried by fear), and tried to floe. Ile (the first-born male) desired to seize it by speech. Ilad ho seized it by speech (all) would be satisfied by pronouncing food.
Ile desired to seize it by breath ; he could not seize it by breathing. Had be taken it by breathing (all) would be satisfied by smelling food, &a.. ... Of what nature is the soul which we worship by the words this soul,' and which of the two (the universal and individual) is the soul 1 (Aro the instruments by which objects are perceived the soul, or the perceiver I No, not the instruments). Is it that by which the soul secs form, by which it hears sound, by which it apprehends smells, by which it expresses speech, by which it distinguishes what is of good, and what is not of good taste 1 The heart and the mind, know ledge about one's self, knowledge about one's power, the knowledge of the sixty-four sciences, the knowledge of what is practicable at this or another time, understanding of instruction, perception, endurance of pain, thinking, independence of mind. sensibility, recollection, deter mination, perseverance, desire, submission—all these are name*, of knowledge (as an attribute of the soul in its modification as life, of the inferior Brahman, not attributes of the supreme Brahman, which is of no form whatsoever). This soul 'is Brahman (the inferior Brahman), this Indra, this Prajapati, this all gods and the five great elements and the light .... All this is brought to existence by knowledge, ie founded on knowledge; the world is brought into existence by knowledge; knowledge itself is the foundation; Brahman is knowledge." (Rover's Translation of the Upan. Bibb Ind.,' vol. xv. p. 23, ff.) In the Beihad-Aran'yaka it is told that Janaka, the king of the Videhas, performed a sacrifice at which many Brahmans were assembled. The king having a great desire to know who among those Brahmans knew best the Vedas, tied a thousand cows in astable, and covered the borne of each of them with ten pada of gold. Ile then said to the pious men : " 0 venerable Brahmans, whoever amongst you is the best knower of Brahman shall drive home these cows." The Brahmans,
however, did not venture to come forward. Then said Yajnavalkya to his student : "Drive home those cows." But the Brahmans became angry, and began to examine the cage as to his knowledge of the Veda. "Then asked him Udddlaka, the son of Arun'a," the legend continues, —"' Yeijnavalkya,' said he, in the country of the :Madras we abode in the house of Pantehala, of the family of Kiwi, for the sake of studying the science of offering. His wife was possessed by a Gandharva. Wo asked him (the Gandharva), Who art thou?' He said,' Kabandlia, the son of Atharvan'a.' He said to Patanchala, of the family of Kapi, and to (us) priests, 0 Kapya, knowest thou that Thread by which this world, and the other world, and all beings are bound together I ' Patanchala, of the family of Kapi, said, I do not know it, 0 Vener able.' He said to Pantanchala, and to (us) priests,—' linowest thou, O Kappa, that Inner Ruler who within rules this world, and the other world, and all beings?' Patanchala said,' I do not know this, 0 Venerable.' Ho said to Patanchala, and to (us) priests,—' 0 Kapya, whoever knows the Thread and the Inner Ruler, knows Brahman, knows the worlds, knows the gods, knows the Vedss, knows the elements, knows the soul,—knows all.' Then (the Gandharva) said (all about the Thread and the Inner Ruler) to them. Therefore do 1 know this. If thou, 0 Yiljnavalkya, ignorant of the Thread and the Inner Ruler, halt taken away the cows (destined for the best knower of Brahman), thy head will certainly drop down.' I know verily, Gautama, the Thread and the Inner Ruler.' Any one may any this, I know, I know, but tell the manlier in which thou knowest.' Ile said, ' The wind, 0 Gautama, is the Thread; by the wind, as by a thread, are this world, the other world, all beings bound together, 0 Gautama. Therefore, 0 Gautama, it is said of a dead man, that his members are relaxed; for by the wind, 0 Gautama, as by a thread, they are hound together.' This is so, 0 Yajnavalkya ; now explain the Inner Ruler.' ' He who dwelling in the earth is within the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body is the earth, who within rules the earth, is thy sonl,—tho Inner Ruler—immortal. Ho who dwelling in the waters is within the waters, whom the waters do not know, whose body nre the waters, who within rules the waters, is thy soul,—the Inner Ruler—immortal. Ho who dwelling in the fire is within the fire, &c he who dwelling in the atmosphere, 3:c ho who dwelling in the wind, &c in the heavens, &o in the sun, &c in the regions of space, in the moon and stars, &e in the ether, &c in the darkness, &c in the light, &c in all elements, in the vital air, &c in speech, &c in the eye, &e in the ear, &c in the mind, &c In the skin, &c in knowledge, &c he who dwelling in the aced is within the seed, whom the seed does not know, whose body is the seed, who from within rules the seed, is thy soul—the Inner Ruler—inunortal. Unseen, he sees ; unheard, ho hears; unminded, he minds ; unknown, he knows. There is none that sees, but he; there is none that hears, but ho; there is none that minds, but he ; there is none that knows, but lie. He is thy soul— the Inner Ruler—immortal. Whatever is different from him is perish able.' " (lb., vol. ii. part iii., p. 199, ff.) An Upanishad of the second class is, for instance, the I's'a-Upanishad, which derives an additional interest from the circumstance that it is the only Upanishad which forms part of a Sanhitit itself, namely, of that of the White Yajurveda, and thus strengthens the proofs.which may be alleged for the later recension of this Veda. It runs as follows : " Whatever exists in this world is to be enveloped by (the thought of) God (the Ruler). By renouncing the world, thou shalt save (thy soul). Do not covet the riches of any one. Performing sacred works, let a man desire to live a hundred years. If thou thus (desirest), 0 man, there is no other manner in which thou art not tainted by work. To the godless worlds, covered with gloomy darkness, go all the people, when departing (from this world), who are slayers of their souls. He (the soul) does not move, is swifter than the mind, not the gods (the senses) did obtain him, he was gone before. Standing, he outstrips all the other (gods, senses), how fast they run. Within him the ruler of the atmosphere upholds the vital actions. He moves, he does not move ; he is far and also near; he is within this all, he is out of this all. Whoever beholds all beings in the soul alone, and the soul in all beings, does hence not look down (on any creature). When a man knows that all beings are even the soul, when he beholds the unity (of the soul), then there is no delusion, no grief. He is all-pervading, brilliant, without body, invulnerable, without muscles, pure, untainted by sin, he is allwise, the Ruler of the mind, above all beings, and self existent. He distributed according to their nature the things for everlasting years. Those who worship ignorance, enter into gloomy darkness, into still greater darkness those who are devoted to know edge. They say, different is the effect of knowledge, different the effect of ignorance ; thus we heard from the sages who explained (both) to us. Whoever knows both, knowledge and ignorance together, over comes death by ignorance, and enjoys immortality by knowledge.