The Thirty Two Vidya-s

The Chandogva, Brhadaranyaka, Taitti riya and other Upanisad-s deal with large number of Vidya-s (secret doctrines) for upāsanā (meditation) by which one can attain true knowledge of the self and liberation.

Upāsanā-s can be classified under three heads: karmāngāvabaddhopāsanā meditation on certain element of rituals in the prescribed manner', ahamgrahopāsanā 'meditation on Brahman as the self', and pratīkopāsanā 'meditation on some prescribed objects as Brahman'.

Thirty-two of such Vidya-s are collected and their significance are dealt with by K. Narayanaswami Aiyar in The Thirty-two Vidya-s. Now appears the third reprint of the second edition of the book.

THE subject of this work is rather a very difficult and abstruse one. Only those that have theoretically at least grasped the princi ples of the higher Yoga can follow the teach ings contained in it, for which purpose, the book I have recently published called Yoga: Lower and Higher will be greatly serviceable. Especially when the higher Yoga therein is grasped, it will be easy to follow the trend of ideas herein.

IN the transition from karman to jñāna, upa sana occupies an intermediate position and function. In the Brāhmaṇa-s and Āraṇyaka-s, including the earlier parts of the major Upani şad-s themselves, esoteric or symbolic orienta tion is given to sacrificial and other ritual acts, so that these, instead of being actually per formed, become objects of contemplation, dhyana or upāsanā; e.g. uktha, aśvamedha, udgitha. We are also often told that he attains the results, who performs the act, as also he who knows it in this manner, ya u cainam evam veda.

**Contents and Sample Pages**