Uparati

Uparati,is aSanskritword and it literally means "cessation, quietism, stopping worldly action".^[1]It is an important concept in Advaita Vedanta pursuit ofmokshaand refers to the ability to achieve "dispassion",^[2]and "discontinuation of religious ceremonies".^[3]

According toAdi ShankaraUparati or Uparama is the strict observance of one's ownDharma.Samais the restraining of the outgoing mental propensities i.e. the curbing of the mind from all objects other than hearing etc., andDamais the restraining of the external sense-organs from all objects other than that. Uparati isPratyahara,the withdrawing of the Self (Vedantasara Slokas18–20). These essentials along withTitikshai.e. endurance of pairs of opposites,Samadhanai.e. constant concentration of the mind,Śraddhāi.e. faith in the truths ofVedanta,which are the six-fold inner-wealth^[4]prepare one eager for liberation to gain the knowledge ofBrahman.^[5]Effort is involved in inculcatingSamaandDamabut the exercise of Uparati requires no efforts. In the state of Uparati, which is total renunciation of actions i.e. enjoined duties, one discovers an inner poise, silence or joy. The mind which is conditioned to fulfil duties is not free to pursue knowledge. It is through renunciation that a few seekers have attained immortality – not through rituals, progeny or wealth – "na karmana na prajya dhanena tyagenaike amrtatvamamasuh" –Kaivalya Upanishad,3. Immortality is the state when becoming and being are one.^[6]

Whereas the fruit ofVairagyaisBodhai.e. spiritual wisdom, the fruit ofBodhaisUparati.^[7]The best Uparati (self-withdrawal) is that condition of the thought waves in which they are free from influences of external objects (Vivekachudamani Slokas23).^[8]Uparati is the abstaining on principle from engaging in any acts and ceremonies enjoined by theShastras;otherwise, it is the state of the mind which is always engaged inSravanaand the rest, without ever diverging from them.^[9]

References

^uparatiSanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
^Eliot Deutsch (1980), Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction, University of Hawaii Press,ISBN 978-0824802714,pages 105-108
^George Thibaut,The Sacred Books of the East: The Vedanta-Sutras, Part 1,p. 12, atGoogle Books,Oxford University Press, Editor: Max Muller, page 12 with footnote 1
^Swami Tejomayananda(2008).Tattva-bodhah of Adi Shankara.Chinmaya Mission.p. 20.ISBN 9788175971851.
^"Vedantasara of Sadananda (translated by Swami Nikhilananda)".
^Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati."Uparati, the abidance of the mind and the sense organs"(PDF).
^The Theosophist - Adhyatma Upanishad of Shukla Yajurveda.2008. p. 623.ISBN 9788175971851.
^Swami Chinmayananda(2006).Vivekchoodamani.Chinmaya Mission. p. 37.ISBN 9788175971400.
^G.R.S.Mead (February 2007).Five Years of Thesophy.Echo Library. p. 210.ISBN 9781406815283.

[1] uparatiSanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany

[eliotdeutsch105-2] Eliot Deutsch (1980), Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction, University of Hawaii Press,ISBN 978-0824802714,pages 105-108

[gthibaut-3] George Thibaut,The Sacred Books of the East: The Vedanta-Sutras, Part 1,p. 12, atGoogle Books,Oxford University Press, Editor: Max Muller, page 12 with footnote 1

[4] Swami Tejomayananda(2008).Tattva-bodhah of Adi Shankara.Chinmaya Mission.p. 20.ISBN 9788175971851.

[5] "Vedantasara of Sadananda (translated by Swami Nikhilananda)".

[6] Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati."Uparati, the abidance of the mind and the sense organs"(PDF).

[7] The Theosophist - Adhyatma Upanishad of Shukla Yajurveda.2008. p. 623.ISBN 9788175971851.

[8] Swami Chinmayananda(2006).Vivekchoodamani.Chinmaya Mission. p. 37.ISBN 9788175971400.

[9] G.R.S.Mead (February 2007).Five Years of Thesophy.Echo Library. p. 210.ISBN 9781406815283.

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