Sita Upanishad
Sita Upanishad | |
---|---|
Atharva Veda[2] | |
Chapters | 1 |
Verses | 37 |
Philosophy | Vaishnavism, Vedanta |
The Sita Upanishad (
This Upanishad is notable for asserting that the cosmos is
History
The author and the century in which Sita Upanishad was composed is unknown. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the 12th- and 15th-century CE.[1] Even though this text is of relatively late origin, Sita as goddess is traceable to 1st-millennium BCE Hindu texts and the Epic Ramayana.[8]
Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as Sitopanishad.
Contents
The Upanishad has 37 verses in one chapter and is narrated as a discourse between Prajapati and the gods, the latter eager about "Who is Sita? What is her nature?"[12]
Prajapati describes Sita as primal Prakriti, or primordial nature.
Sita is all of creation, the good and the bad, all the gods and the demons, the cause and the effect, the material and the spiritual, the virtue and the beauty.
Who is Sita?
सा देवी त्रिविधा भवति शक्त्यासना
इच्छाशक्तिः क्रियाशक्तिः साक्षाच्छक्तिरिति
That divine Being is threefold,
through her power, namely,
the power of desire,
the power of action,
the power of knowledge.
Her name Sita, signifies
The text weaves in mythical elements of her origins. She, asserts the text, emerged at the tip of the plough symbolizing her link to
She is Lakshmi, seated as a Yogini on her lion throne.[12] The universe is full of the beautiful, states the Upanishad, and all that beauty is she, she alone.[12][14]
The
Sita, states the text, is the supreme goddess,[4] non-dual Brahman (Ultimate Reality), the Being (Spirituality), and material cause of empirical reality.[5][13]
See also
Reception
David Scott states that the description of Sita in this Upanishad mirrors the description of goddesses in Greek literature and other civilizations.[19] Sita is described in verse 10 of this text, states Scott, as the one with different forms yet same in essence, "she is all" embodied with various attributes and activities, she is who manifests as gods, sages and men.[19] Similarly, adds Scott, Apuleius in section 11.5 of Metamorphoses describes its goddess as, "Though I am worshipped in many aspects, known by countless names and propitiated by all manners of different rites, yet the whole earth venerates me".[19]
References
- ^ a b Cush 2007, p. 740.
- ^ a b Tinoco 1996, p. 88.
- ^ Prasoon 2008, p. 82.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dalal 2014, p. 1069.
- ^ ISBN 978-0791411537, page 113 with note 35
- ^ Mahadevan 1975, p. 239.
- ^ Maharshi, Brunton & Venkataramiah 1984, p. 36.
- ISBN 0-520-06339-2, pages 55-64
- ^ a b Hattangadi 2000.
- ^ Vedic Literature, Volume 1, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, p. PA576, at Google Books, Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, page 576
- ^ Deussen 1997, pp. 556–557.
- ^ a b c d e Johnsen 2002, p. 55.
- ^ a b Mahadevan 1975, pp. 239–240.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Warrier 1967, pp. 85–95.
- ^ ISBN 978-8170990000, page 21
- ^ a b c Nair 2008, p. 581.
- ^ Warrier 1967, pp. 85–95, verses 6-9.
- ^ Aḷkoṇḍavilli Govindāchārya, The Holy Lives of the Azhvârs, p. PA43, at Google Books, Harvard Divinity School, pages 43-44
- ^ a b c David Scott (1998), The Perennial Message of 'the Goddess': Enduring Themes down the Ages in Bactria, East and West, Vol. 48, No. 1/2, page 29, 27-39
Bibliography
- Cush, Denise (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415556231.
- Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- Deussen, Paul (1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
- Hattangadi, Sunder (2000). "सीतोपनिषत् (Sita Upanishad)" (PDF) (in Sanskrit). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- Johnsen, Linda (2002). The Living Goddess. YI Publishers. ISBN 978-0936663289.
- Maharshi, Ramana; Brunton, Paul; Venkataramiah, Mungala (1984). Conscious Immortality: Conversations with Ramana Maharshi. Sri Ramanasramam.
- Mahadevan, T. M. P. (1975). Upaniṣads: Selections from 108 Upaniṣads. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1611-4.
- Nair, Shantha N. (1 January 2008). Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 978-81-223-1020-7.
- Prasoon, Prof.S.K. (1 January 2008). Indian Scriptures. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 978-81-223-1007-8.
- Tinoco, Carlos Alberto (1996). Upanishads. IBRASA. ISBN 978-85-348-0040-2.
- Warrier, AG Krishna (1967). Śākta Upaniṣads. Adyar Library and Research Center. OCLC 2606086.
External links
- Sita Upanishad, Sanskrit text