YOGA UPANISHADS
R. Alexander Medin

R. Alexander Medin has written a brief reference to nine of the Yoga Upanishads in hope that they may shed some light on the subtle teachings of yoga and how it effects us in multiple ways. Nāmarūpa will publish three of the Upanishads in this volume and two each in our next four volumes, so that, when completed the full set will be available in Issue 14.

The Yoga Upanishads are a total of seventeen Upanishads that are included in the Muktikā, a collection of 108 Upanishads. The Muktikā includes the ten principle Upanishads as commented upon by Śankarācārya. In addition we find twenty one on common Vedānta, twenty-three on Sannyasa (renunciation), nine on Devī worship, fourteen on Višņu, fourteen on Śiva and finally seventeen on Yoga. The work predates 1656 CE since the Persian Prince Shahzada Dara Shikoh commented upon it and also translated fifty of its Upanishads into Persian.

The Yoga Upanishads feature practical teachings on yoga in order to reach the goal of Vedānta which is an absorption in the divine, freedom from suffering, and a realization of the highest truth. They build upon the principle teachings of yoga and then supersede it with the concepts of Vedānta. The ultimate goal is thus not the cultivation of a clear distinction and separation between Puruśa and Prakŗti, but rather a transcendence of physical appearances in order to realize one’s inherent soul (ātman).

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