ThrisikhiBraahmanaUpanishad

The 8th Upanishad of sukla yajurveda is the thrisikhi braahmana Upanishad which is a yoga based Upanishad. We all know that Patanjali¡¦s the acharya of the yoga and he compiled the yoga darsana as one among the six darsanas (darsana may be translated as philosophy. But in its original sense darsana means visions).

In yoga darsana ashtaanga yoga has been defined as : yama-niyama - aasana- praanaayaama - prathyaahaara - dhaarana - dhyaana - samaadhee. Details of these are not given in the yoga sutra of Patanjali. The details, particularly on yogaasanaas, dhaarana and dhyaana are given in their practical way in these Upanishads, which may be called as yogopanishads (yoga + Upanishad).

Thrisikhi brahmanopanishad is the first among the 108 Upanishads in which yoga is described as a subject. The Upanishad is described as a discussion between a Brahmana and Lord Soorya (soorya deva). There are two parts for this Upanishad of which the first part is in prose and the second part is hymns /manthras.

The description in the first part starts from the origin of the AWARENESS in the universe, then the creation of pancha bhootha, then the living beings, and in the living beings the ¡¥formation¡¦ of the mind, thinking power, wisdom, intelligence, the pancha praana, and so on. The reasons for the unity and diversity among living beings. The 12 devathas in human bodies, 12 naadees, the functioning of the cells with awareness and consciousness. Here ends the first part

The second part describes the plants as oushadhees, annam (food) the creation of animals with specific design of the body structure (for each animal), the presence of soul in the body, the three states of jaaagrath ¡Vswapna-sushupti, are described. Further explanation goes to ashataaanga yoga focusing mainly on the hata yoga and yoga asana. Yogaasanas explained here are swasthikam, gomukham, veeram, padmam, baddham, kukkutam, utthaanam, dhanu, simharoopam, bhadram, muktham, mayooram, matsyam, matsyapeethakam, paschimautthaanam, sukham (read with aasanam to each of the above word as sukham means sukhaasanam).

The actual praanaayaama vidhi, activating kundalini, activating the naadees, etc are described very systematicall. Finally the dhyaanam, the happiness & pleasure evolved from within while performing the yogacharya are described in the end of the thrisikhi brahmanopanishad.