The Vedas are books of knowledge. They have two main aspects to it. One is Dharma or details about our individual world of body, feelings, thoughts and the right goals to pursue, the world which is a dynamic moving force that we interact with each day and the other is the creator of the world or Ishwara.
The Vedas talk of the connection between these three—how an individual can pursue his goals and achieve them, what are the actions that can be done and that are prohibited. The results of every action are not just while living in the physical body, but also what happens after the physical structure drops off. The first part of the Vedas is called Karma Kanda.
The latter part, which deals with knowledge and philosophy, is called the Jnana Kanda or Upanishads. It is also called Vedanta or the final knowledge after which there is nothing else to be known. The Upanishads point out to the knower of every object, feeling and thought that is known in the world and once that knowledge is very certain, there is nothing else left to be known. The learning is complete. However, the terminology used in Vedanta may not be so easily understood by all.
Hence, there are quite a few texts called the Prakarana Granthas or those texts that go around the main theme of the Upanishads to clarify the terminology and aid better understanding. Studying them before we enter into Vedanta helps us to understand the Upanishads better.
One such basic book is called the Tathwa Bodha or knowledge of our essential self. This is a prose text composed as question and answers between the Guru and the disciple.
The Sanskrit compositions of great Masters always began with an invocatory prayer. This type of invocation was a must if it had to be accepted as a valid book for reading and study. The Tathwa Bodha also begins with an invocation to the king of all yogis, Vasudeva. Sri Krishna is the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. He is the Guru who bestows knowledge of the self. The word Guru is split into two letters—Gu which means darkness and Ru is the light which removes darkness.
Though it may seem as if Sri Adi Shankaracharya is offering his salutations to Sri Krishna, Masters explain that the name of his Guru is Sri Govinda Bhagavadpada.
Govinda is another name for Sri Krishna and hence the salutations and obeisance before starting the text is offered to both the Master and the deity Sri Krishna.
brni.sharanyachaitanya@gmail.com