The knowledge of the Muṇḍaka Upanisad was spoken by Angirasa to Śaunaka Rsi long ago, but this knowledge remains up-to-date and relevant, just as other vedic texts. It teaches supreme knowledge.
Thank you for another clear and informative article. Given the Vedic requirements for anyone who wishes to read the Upanishads, I wonder what teachers in your tradition today say about the current situation where publications of the Upanishads are available in bookshops all over the world. What advice do you give people? And how do you view the situation where someone without such qualifications is reading and even teaching on the Upanishads (in universities for example).
I had one other point which is not about the main message of your article but more about your translation of Hinduism into English. You use the word 'sin' and I am uncomfortable with that and believe it is not an accurate translation. Sin is specifically Christian in context and it is a mental and moral fault that human beings are powerless to eliminate themselves. It is a fault that defines their entire life as human beings and it requires redemption by Christ in order to dissolve. Surely this is very unlike the Hindu perspective. In Christianity sin is very real, it is part of a very real force of evil. It is a fundamental blemis on our soul and is the reason so many westerners are brought up not to love and cherish themselves in a healthy way - because at root they are faulty.
The main point in Vaishnava culture is that spiritual knowledge should be received in the paramparā system, or the disciplic succession, instead of by independent thought, which is different from what is commonly practiced nowadays.
The reason for that is that the human intellect is imperfect, and is therefore not the right tool to conceive the perfect of the spiritual platform. One has thus to receive the right conclusions from the spiritual teacher and then study the sacred texts with these conclusions in mind to reach the correct understanding, much like a student of mathematics who practices solving equations for which the correct answer is already defined. Once he practices enough, he may understand the science well enough to create new equations that may solve new problems.
There is no harm in publishing translations and comentaries on sacred texts, on the opposite, this is positive to society, for it allows more people to have access to this knowledge. The thing is that they need to be properly explained, so the book may more or less replace the role of the teacher in giving all the proper explanations to properly understand the text according to the tradition it represents. You can observe that Prabhupada commented his Bhagavad-Gita as It Is in this style, and I try to do the same in my books.
About the word sin, we use it as a translation for the sanskrit "papa". You are right that it doesn't have the same connotation as in the Christian theology, but it is still the english word that comes the closest. Papa comes from violating the universal laws established by a conscious creator, performing actions that are harmful for others or for ourselves.
I will try to write an article elaborating on these points.
Thank you for another clear and informative article. Given the Vedic requirements for anyone who wishes to read the Upanishads, I wonder what teachers in your tradition today say about the current situation where publications of the Upanishads are available in bookshops all over the world. What advice do you give people? And how do you view the situation where someone without such qualifications is reading and even teaching on the Upanishads (in universities for example).
I had one other point which is not about the main message of your article but more about your translation of Hinduism into English. You use the word 'sin' and I am uncomfortable with that and believe it is not an accurate translation. Sin is specifically Christian in context and it is a mental and moral fault that human beings are powerless to eliminate themselves. It is a fault that defines their entire life as human beings and it requires redemption by Christ in order to dissolve. Surely this is very unlike the Hindu perspective. In Christianity sin is very real, it is part of a very real force of evil. It is a fundamental blemis on our soul and is the reason so many westerners are brought up not to love and cherish themselves in a healthy way - because at root they are faulty.
Oh, thank you for this well-thought comment.
The main point in Vaishnava culture is that spiritual knowledge should be received in the paramparā system, or the disciplic succession, instead of by independent thought, which is different from what is commonly practiced nowadays.
The reason for that is that the human intellect is imperfect, and is therefore not the right tool to conceive the perfect of the spiritual platform. One has thus to receive the right conclusions from the spiritual teacher and then study the sacred texts with these conclusions in mind to reach the correct understanding, much like a student of mathematics who practices solving equations for which the correct answer is already defined. Once he practices enough, he may understand the science well enough to create new equations that may solve new problems.
There is no harm in publishing translations and comentaries on sacred texts, on the opposite, this is positive to society, for it allows more people to have access to this knowledge. The thing is that they need to be properly explained, so the book may more or less replace the role of the teacher in giving all the proper explanations to properly understand the text according to the tradition it represents. You can observe that Prabhupada commented his Bhagavad-Gita as It Is in this style, and I try to do the same in my books.
About the word sin, we use it as a translation for the sanskrit "papa". You are right that it doesn't have the same connotation as in the Christian theology, but it is still the english word that comes the closest. Papa comes from violating the universal laws established by a conscious creator, performing actions that are harmful for others or for ourselves.
I will try to write an article elaborating on these points.
It will be published here: https://www.ccdas.net/p/teaching-the-vedas-openly