Vedas divisions

Each Veda consisted of 2 parts. The first 3/4th of the Veda is Karma Kanda and the last 1/4th is the Gnana Kanda. Karma Kanda deals in detail about the Mantras and the rituals to be performed. While the Gnana Kanda deals with the description of the Supreme God known as the Para Brahman or the Virat Purasha.  Karma kanda has 2 divisions namely Samhita (Mantras) and Brahmanas (ritualistics). And Gnana Kanda has 2 divisions namely Aranyakas (Contemplative) and Upanishads (Highest philosophical thoughts).  Each of the 4 Vedas have its own Upanishads.

   

Upanishads

Upanishads

Upa nishati iti = Upanishad. This means “taking one nearer to the Para Brahman.  “अनन्य विद्यया ब्रह्मम् प्राप्यते ”  “ananya vidyayaa brahmam praapyate” by knowing this Upanishads, one is able to know the Brahman.  Upanishads were said only in the Aranyakaas (forests) and hence also known as Aranyaka.   The first sloka of Brahma sutra starts as …  "अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा"  meaning, “then and thereafter he comes to enquire about Brahman”.  “when and whereafter”?   It is also said “Brahmano nirveda” meaning only after completely practicing the Karma kaanda of the Vedas “कर्म विचारं अनन्तरे”, and after getting fed up with the rituals, one gets the desire to know the Brahman. जिज्ञासा = ज्ञातुमिच्छा.  This subject matter is known as “Mimamsa”.   मीमांसा = पूज्यविषये विचार: Mimamsa is also known as the enquiry into the highest philosophical thoughts.

isavasya upanishad

At the end of every Veda we have Upanishads.  Isavasya Upanishad is at the end of Shukla Yajur Veda. There is a speciality about this Isavasya Upanishad. Normally Upanishads are found only after the Aranyakas. But in this case Eashavasya Upanishad is read along with the Samhita part of the Vedas which are usually Mantras and rituals. The reason why it has been classified under the Upanishads is that, it talks in detail about the Brahman.

Story part of the Upanishads :- Normally an interesting story is always associated with the Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads are in the form of "संवाद:" meaning a conversation between Guru and Sishya.  Following is the interesting story which led to the Eashavasya Upanishad.

We have already seen that Maharishi Veda Vyasa segregated the Vedas into 4 and gave it to his Sishyas for propagation. Yajur Veda was given to Maharishi Vysampayana.  And Vysampayana had many Sishyas namely Yaagnya valkya, his brother Balaka, Bodhayana, Trishanku, Vykhanasa….etc.,  Vysampayanaa’s ashrama was on the outskirts of “Mithila” which was ruled by King Janaka.  One day it so happened that Vysampayana had been invited to attend a meeting (conference) of Maharishis in Meru parvatha. Due to some unavoidable reasons or due to the deiva sankalpa he could not go and attend this meeting and so he had sent his Sishya Trishanku.  On return Trishanku gave the message that all the other Maharishis had come to the meet and his absence was seen as an arrogance by Maharishis Viswamitra and Druvasa. Though Maharishi Vashishta supported Vysampayana, Druvasa became angry and cursed Vysampayana for not coming to the meet that he be afflcted with "ब्रह्महत्ति दोषा" in seven days time. Trishanku also told him that he can get relief from the curse by performing the Chaadraayana Homa. Since the person afflicted with dosha cannot perform the homa, his Sishyaas have to perform it.   Vysampayana accepted it with great sorrow, knowing fully well the he has to kill some one if he should be afflicted with "ब्रह्महत्ति दोषा". In the mean time it was Sishyaa Yaagnyavalkyaas turn to take the daily “mantraakshata prasada” to King Janaka.  On advice from Vysampayana he took his little brother Balaka also with him to the palace.  On reaching the palace they found that the king was not there in the throne.  The little boy Balaka out of mischief snatched the mantraakshata from Yaagnyavalkya, climbed up the throne and placed it on the throne. Since it is a sin for ordinary people to climb the throne a curse was uttered in an echo voice, that the one who climbed the throne will be dead shortly.   When they returned to the ashram, Vysampayana was very angry with Yaagnyavalkya.  Balaka fell on Vysampayana’s feet and begged pardon to say that it is his fault and by accident Vysampayana kicked the boy. The boy fell down and died.  As per the curse he had killed the boy and he was afflicted with Brahma hatti dosha.  Yaagnyavalkya retaliated his guru and said that he alone is qualified to perform the Chaandraayana homa among his Sishyaas.  Guru Vysampayana got more angry and asked him to give back all the Vedas taught to him and leave the ashrama. Yaagnyavalkya with his yogic powers brought out all what he had learnt and threw the Vedas he had learnt in the air.  The other Sishyaas took the form of Thithiri birds and swallowed the Vedas thrown in the air.  The other Sishyaas performed the Chaandraayana homa and relieved their Guru Vysampayana from the dosha.  Yaagnyavalkya who walked out went straight to the Meru parvatha and did Tapas invoking the Sun God. After several years of severe Tapas, Sun God appeared. Yaagnyavalkya asked the Sun God to give him a Veda other than what he had returned to his guru Vysampayana.  The Sun god pleased with his tapas, took the form of Hayagriva…. Man with horse head and gave him the “Shukla Yajur Veda”  This is also known as the “Vaajasaneya Yajur Veda” The one that was given by Veda Vyasa to Vysampayana is known as the “Krishna Yajur Veda”.  Yaagnyavalkya after getting the “Shukla Yajur Veda” propagated it to his sishyaas Kaanva and Tadhyan aatharvana.  Tadhyan aatharvana in turn gave it to his son and Sishya Subodha. At the end of Shukla Yajur Veda is the Isvasya Upanishad.   So the Isvasya Upanishad is a samvaada between Tadhyan aatharvana and Subodha.

Isavasya Upanishad - Invocation

Isavasya upanishad - Invocation

ॐ पूर्णमद: पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते | पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ||  ॐ शान्ति: शान्ति: शान्ति: ||

Oum- the complete whole:  purnam-perfectly complete: adah-that: purnam-perfectly complete: idam-this phenomenal world: purnaat- from the all perfect: purnam-complete unit: udacyate-is produced: purnasya-of the complete whole: purnam-complete all: aadaaya-having been taken away: purnam-the complete balance: eva-even: avasisyate-is remaining.

The personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes.  Whatever is produced of the complete whole is also complete in itself.  Because he is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from him, he remains the complete balance.  The concept of "Infinity" originated only from this Shanti mantra.

Isavasya Upanishad - Mantra -1

Isavasya upanishad – Mantra -1

ॐ ईशावास्यमिद गुं सर्वं यत् किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् | तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृध: कस्य स्विद् धनम् || १

Isha-by the Lord: aavasyam-controlled: idam-this: sarvam-all: yat kincha-whatever: jagatyaam-within the universe: jagat-all that is animate and inanimate: tena-by Him: tyaktena-set apart quota: bhunjithaah-you should accept: maa-do not: grdhah-endeavour to gain: kasya svit-of anyone else: dhanam-the wealth.

Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord.  One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.

Yes... "I am that.... I am Brahman... " But ... 

Isha Upanishad says.... Ishavasyam idam sarvam... 

we all (animate and inanimate) are creations from him.... 

Thaitriya Upanishad says.... "yato vaacho nivartante, appraapya manasaa sa  ...."   ..... which means ...... that Isha the supreme Brahman is beyond words of description and is also beyond thinking of mind.... 

So we his creation are just a minuscule, insignificant part of that Supreme Lord Brahman, devoid of the powers of Creation, Sustenance & Annihilation.

If one thinks that he himself is Brahman ..... he is endowed with Asuric & Rakshasik qualities and becomes one like Hiranyakasipu, Ravana .... etc., 

Even if one considers that after Liberation / moksha one will merge with Brahman and lose its identity .... Bhagavad gita which is extract of Upanishads says... in chapter-2 Sankya Yoga. 
verse - 23 - The Atman can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor can be burnt by fire, nor moistened by water nor withered by wind. 

Verse -24 - The individual soul is unbreakable, insoluble and can neither be burnt, nor dried. Atman is everlasting, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same. 

In spite of all the teachings of Bhagavan Krishna, if one believes that the Atman will lose its identity ... then it becomes like Buddhist philosophy of "Shoonyavada".  

Isavasya Upanishad - Mantra -2

Isavasya upanishad – Mantra -2

कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छत गुं समा: | एवं त्वयी नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे || २

Kurvan-doing continuously: eva-thus: iha-during this span of life: karmaani-work: jijeevishet-one should desire to live: satam-one hundred: samaah-years: evam-so living: tvayi-unto you: na-no: anyatha-alternative: itah-from this path: asti-there is: na-not: karma-work: lipyate-can be bound: nare-unto a man.

One may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he continuously goes on working in that way, for that sort of work will not bind him to the law of karma. There is no alternative to this way for man.

Sloka 2 says that, having taken the Human life which is one of the highest, one can live up to 100 years. 

But, he has to do his prescribed duties and that work must be performed with sacrifice, which will not bind him to the laws of Karma. There is absolutely no alternative to this.... 

In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krisha says... "Karmanyevadhikaraste, maa phaleshu kadaachana.... meaning to your prescribed duties and leave the results to me..... 

sloka 2 says... one who kills atman will go to the world of devils covered with blinding darkness. 
But, in Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says Atma can never be destroyed.... 

But the Upanishads actually say that one who even thinks that his Atman will get destroyed will go to the world of Devils covered with blinding Darkness....

It is the Buddhist philosophy that believes in Shoonyavaada which says the Atma will go into nothingness ....
And it is also some followers of Advaita philosophy who believe that once they realise Brahman the atman will lose its identity.... both are wrong ....  

In reality we are all just a minuscule insignificant part of that Supreme Lord Brahman, devoid of the powers of Creation, Sustenance and annihilation. 

Isavasya Upanishad - Mantra -3

Isavasya upanishad – Mantra -3

असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसाऽऽवृता: | ता गुं स्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जना: ||

Asuryaah-meant for the asuras: naama-famous by the name: te-those: lOkah-planets: andhena-by ignorance: tamasaa-by darkness: aavrtaah-covered: taan-those planets: te-they: pretya-after death: abhigacchanti-enter into: ye-anyone: ke-everyone: ca-and: aatma hanah-the killers of the soul: janah-persons:

The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.