The Creative Vision of the Early Upanisads: Udgitha Adityasya the exhalted song of the sun

The following book is meant as a radical departure from the general stream of literature on the Upanishads. Its concern is with the older, more symbolic and neglected portions of them, aiming at their original poetic and creative vision. It is a movement towards a new re-evaluation of the Upanishads in light of the earlier Veda and its vast and creative spiritual vision, as directed to a new, free and creative spiritual age for mankind that is struggling to emerge now. It is not to put the intellectual burden of ancient teachings upon anyone but to give us a sense of the creative freedom at their roots that we might discover it for ourselves and in our own lives for the spiritual renewal of our own culture. It is to point us back to that sunlight of direct perception, the unconditioned Life, the creative Reality of the Brahman. In that it is not the worship of the past but the revelation of the spiritual truth at the heart of all life, at the heart of our own life and perception.

Personally one would prefer to present these interpretations in a purely intuitive way without considering the complex details of method of translation, comparisons of terms and other interpretations. which can be endless. But it was thought that without such a detailed exposition, atleast in part in the beginning, there would not be acceptance of these intuitive meanings that often depart far from what is generally considered for these passages. In all this it should be remembered that what has been explained and systematised has come down from an intuitive basis that is its real import. It is hoped thus that those of more intuitive insight, who might find such an approach cumbersome, will look beyond it for its original intuitive vision.

This work is part of an extensive study and re-evaluation of the — earlier Vedas along the same lines. It has included the Rig Veda, most of the White Yajur Veda and parts of the Atharva Veda, again aiming at uncovering that original direct and creative vision of truth hidden in the mantras by which all these Vedic teachings breathe the eternal and the cosmic Life.

Any communication, help or criticism in this endeavor is welcomed. It is the purpose here to reopen this field for deeper study, not to set forth rigid conclusions. The views expressed herein are still developing and may change with time. In fact aspects of it now appear too speculative and one must apologise for that, though they may be of help in that they trace the line of this development. While details may be wrong or not always give the deepest or the clearest truth of the teaching, there can be no doubt about the validity of the basic direction. There is much more to these symbolic passages of Veda and Upanishad than mere ritual; and if it is of any importance at all to know the original and native truth of these teachings, this fact must be reckoned with and its consequences considered. Yet it is not a matter of some definitive philosophical view but, rather, of a creative openness that allows a free and wide approach to truth, allowing and integrating many different visions and perceptions.