Yoga Upanishads
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Yoga Upanishads are a group of minor
The Yoga Upanishads deal with the theory and practice of Yogic techniques, with varied emphasis on methodology and meditation, but with some shared ideas.[2] They contrast from other groups of minor Upanishads, such as the Samanya Upanishads which are of a generic nature, the Sannyasa Upanishads which focus on the Hindu renunciation and monastic practice, the Shaiva Upanishads which highlight aspects of Shaivism, the Vaishnava Upanishads which highlight Vaishnavism, and the Shakta Upanishads which highlight Shaktism.[3][4]
Date
While the date of composition of each Yoga Upanishad is unclear, scholars generally date them between 100 BCE and 400 CE.[5][6] According to Mahony, they likely are dated between 100 BC and 1100 AD.[7] However, Gavin Flood dates the Yoga Upanishads to the 100 BCE to 300 CE period.[6] According to James Mallinson, some Yoga Upanishads were revised in the eighteenth century to incorporate the Hatha Yoga ideas of the Hindu Natha sub-tradition.[8] Other scholars state that the Yoga Upanishads, specifically the Yogatattva, contain some of the earliest mentions of Hatha yoga practices.[9][6]
Scope
Yoga Upanishads discuss different aspects and kinds of Yoga, ranging from postures, breath exercises, meditation (dhyana), sound (nada), tantra (kundalini anatomy) and others.
Many texts describe Yoga as consisting of steps or members (angas) and according to
List of 20 Yoga Upanishads
Title | Muktika serial # | Attached Veda | Period of creation |
---|---|---|---|
Hamsa Upanishad | 15 | Shukla Yajurveda
|
|
Amritabindu Upanishad | 20 | Atharvaveda | Final centuries of BCE or early centuries of the CE. |
Nadabindu Upanishad or Amrita Nada Bindu Upanishad | 21 | Rigveda or Atharvaveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Kshurika Upanishad | 31 | Atharvaveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Tejobindu Upanishad | 37 | Atharvaveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Nadabindu Upanishad | 38 | Atharvaveda or Rigveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Dhyanabindu Upanishad | 39 | Atharvaveda and Samaveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Brahmavidya Upanishad | 40 | Atharvaveda and Krishna Yajurveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Yogatattva Upanishad | 41 | Atharvaveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE or about 150 CE or 11th- to 13th-century |
Trishikhibrahmana Upanishad | 44 | Shukla Yajurveda | Early 1st-millennium CE |
Yogachudamani Upanishad | 46 | Samaveda | 14th- to 15th-century CE |
Mandala-brahmana Upanishad | 48 | Shukla Yajurveda | Early 1st-millennium CE |
Advayataraka Upanishad | 53 | Shukla Yajurveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Shandilya Upanishad | 58 | Atharvaveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Yogashikha Upanishad | 63 | Krishna Yajurveda | 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Pashupatabrahma Upanishad | 77 | Atharvaveda | Later era |
Yoga-kundalini Upanishad | 86 | Krishna Yajurveda | Common era text, composed sometime after Yoga Sutras
|
Darshana Upanishad | 90 | Samaveda | Around 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Mahavakya Upanishad | 92 | Atharvaveda | Around 100 BCE to 300 CE |
Varaha Upanishad | 98 | Krishna Yajurveda | Middle of the 2nd millennium CE |
See also
References
- ^ Deussen 1997, p. 556.
- ^ a b Ayyengar, T. R. Shrinivasa (1938). "The Yoga Upanisads". The Adyar Library. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ a b Mahony 1998, p. 271.
- ISBN 978-81-208-0264-3.
- ^ Shearer, Alistair (2020). The Story of Yoga From Ancient India to the Modern West. C. Hurst & Co. p. 30.
- ^ a b c d Flood 1996, p. 96.
- ^ Mahony 1998, p. 290.
- ^ Mallinson 2004, p. 14.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1705-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-691017646.
- ^ Derek 1989, p. 196-197.
- ^ a b Deussen 2010, p. 385-86.
- ^ Sen 1937, p. 25.
Bibliography
- Derek, Coltman (1989). Yoga and the Hindu Tradition. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0543-9.
- Deussen, Paul (1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
- Deussen, Paul (2010). The Philosophy of the Upanishads. Cosimo, Inc. ISBN 978-1-61640-239-6.
- ISBN 978-0521438780
- Mahony, William K. (1998). The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-3579-3.
- ISBN 978-0-9716466-3-6.
- Sen, S.C. (1937). The Mystical Philosophy Of The Upanishads. Cosmo Publications. ISBN 978-81-307-0660-3.