Brihadaranyaka Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda Podcast By Vedanta Society of New York cover art

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda

By: Vedanta Society of New York
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The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Sanskrit: बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद्, IAST: Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad) is one of the Principal Upanishads and one of the first Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism. A key scripture to various schools of Hinduism, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is tenth in the Muktikā or "canon of 108 Upanishads".

Brihadaranyaka literally means "great wilderness or forest". The Upanishad forms the last part, that is the fourteenth kānda of Śatapatha Brāhmana of "Śhukla Yajurveda". The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has six adhyayas (chapters) in total. It includes three sections: Madhu kānda (the 4th and 5th chapter of the fourteenth kānda of Satapatha Brahmana), Muni kānda (or Yajnavalkya Kanda, the 6th and 7th chapter of 14th kānda of Satapatha Brahmana) and Khila kānda (the 8th and 9th chapter of the fourteenth kānda of Satapatha Brahmana).

The first and second chapters of the Upanishad's Madhu kānda consists of six brahmanas each, with varying number of hymns per brahmana. The first chapter of the Upanishad's Yajnavalkya kānda consists of nine brahmanams, while the second has six brahmanas. The Khila kānda of the Upanishad has fifteen brahmanas in its first chapter, and five brahmanas in the second chapter.

In the fourth brahmana of the Second chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi engage in a dialogue about love and spirituality. Yajnavalkya states that one doesn't connect with and love forms, nor does one connect or love mind, rather one connects with the Self, the Self of one's own and one's beloved. All love is for the sake of one's Self, and the Oneness one realizes in the Self of the beloved. He then asserts that this knowledge of the Self, the Self, and Brahman is what makes one immortal, and the connection is also immortal. All longing is the longing for the Self, as the Self represents the true, the immortal, the real, and infinite bliss.

Reference material:

- Book: https://a.co/d/iQqKCWM

- PDF of the entire Upanishad can be found https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/items/BrahadaranyakaUpanishad-ShankaraBhashya-English-SwamiMadhavaananda/BrahadaranyakaUpanishad-Madhavaananda.pdf.


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Episodes
  • 8. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Mantra 2.4.12 | Swami Sarvapriyananda

    8. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Mantra 2.4.12 | Swami Sarvapriyananda
    Mar 23 2026

    The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the oldest and most foundational Principal Upanishads of Hinduism, is being taught in this lecture series by Swami Sarvapriyananda. Belonging to the Śukla Yajurveda and forming the concluding portion of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, its name means “the great forest.” The text comprises six chapters organized into the Madhu, Yājñavalkya (Muni), and Khila kāṇḍas, and is tenth in the traditional canon of 108 Upanishads. Renowned for its profound nondual philosophy, it includes the celebrated dialogue between Yājñavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, where all love is shown to be ultimately directed toward the Self (Ātman), whose realization as identical with Brahman leads to immortality and infinite bliss. For more information, please visit:


    https://www.vedantany.org/brihadarany...


    Reference material:

    • Book:

    https://a.co/d/iQqKCWM


    • PDF of the entire Upanishad can be found https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/ite....
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 25 mins
  • 7. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Mantra 2.4.11 | Swami Sarvapriyananda

    7. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Mantra 2.4.11 | Swami Sarvapriyananda
    Mar 16 2026
    The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the oldest and most foundational Principal Upanishads of Hinduism, is being taught in this lecture series by Swami Sarvapriyananda. Belonging to the Śukla Yajurveda and forming the concluding portion of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, its name means “the great forest.” The text comprises six chapters organized into the Madhu, Yājñavalkya (Muni), and Khila kāṇḍas, and is tenth in the traditional canon of 108 Upanishads. Renowned for its profound nondual philosophy, it includes the celebrated dialogue between Yājñavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, where all love is shown to be ultimately directed toward the Self (Ātman), whose realization as identical with Brahman leads to immortality and infinite bliss. For more information, please visit:https://www.vedantany.org/brihadarany...Reference material:Book: https://a.co/d/iQqKCWMPDF of the entire Upanishad can be found https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/ite....🙏 Please Support the Vedanta Society of New Yorkhttp://www.vedantany.org/donate🌐 Please Visit UsWebsite: https://vedantany.orgApple & Spotify Podcasts: https://www.vedantany.org/media-channelsYouTube (Main Channel): / @vedantany YouTube (Archives): / @vedantanyarchives Facebook: / vedantany X / Twitter: / vedantany 📙 Books by Swami Sarvapriyanandahttps://www.vedantany.org/swamis-booksLecture Series by Swami Sarvapriyananda📓 Introductory Lectures: https://www.vedantany.org/introductor... 📚 Vedanta Scriptures: https://www.vedantany.org/by-scriptures🧩 Lectures by Topics: https://www.vedantany.org/by-topic💬 AskSwami Q&A: https://www.vedantany.org/ask-swami-qa📖 Scriptures Taught by Swami Sarvapriyananda • Aparokshanubhuti | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Bhagavad Gita | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Brihadaranyaka Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriy... • Dṛg Dṛśya Viveka | Swami Sarvapriyananda • The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna | Swami Sarv... • Isha Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Katha Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Kena Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Mandukya Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Mundaka Upanishad | Swami Sarvapriyananda • Vedantasara of Sadananda | Swami Sarvapriy... 🪔 About VedantaVedanta is among the world’s oldest spiritual philosophies and one of its most inclusive. Rooted in the Vedas, India’s sacred scriptures, Vedanta upholds the unity of all existence, the divinity of the soul, and harmony among religions.
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  • 6. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Mantras 2.4.7 - 2.4.10 | Swami Sarvapriyananda

    6. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Mantras 2.4.7 - 2.4.10 | Swami Sarvapriyananda
    Mar 12 2026

    The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the oldest and most foundational Principal Upanishads of Hinduism, is being taught in this lecture series by Swami Sarvapriyananda. Belonging to the Śukla Yajurveda and forming the concluding portion of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, its name means “the great forest.” The text comprises six chapters organized into the Madhu, Yājñavalkya (Muni), and Khila kāṇḍas, and is tenth in the traditional canon of 108 Upanishads. Renowned for its profound nondual philosophy, it includes the celebrated dialogue between Yājñavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, where all love is shown to be ultimately directed toward the Self (Ātman), whose realization as identical with Brahman leads to immortality and infinite bliss. For more information, please visit:


    https://www.vedantany.org/brihadarany...


    Reference material:

    • Book:

    https://a.co/d/iQqKCWM


    • PDF of the entire Upanishad can be found https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/ite....
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 13 mins
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