Self-knowledge.

But they differ in the emphasis

they give to different aspects of that message. For instance, the Isha Upanishad says there is a veil
covering the Truth. That veil is so dazzling that we are not able to see what is behind it. It is a warning
lest we be carried away by the appearance of things.

The Katha Upanishad also sounds a note of warning about thinking that we know everything. The
ignorant are compared to blind people going about without knowing where they are going. And they are
so vain that they are not able to see their own folly.

According to the Mundaka Upanishad, ignorance is like a knot that we have to untie. Because of this
knot we are not able to reach the Self in our heart. We have to get rid of this knot by any means.

The Chhandogya Upanishad reminds us that knowledge is power and ignorance is weakness. Knowledge
means Self-knowledge. The Chhandogya also tells us that Brahman alone is real and everything else is
merely a name, a word.

According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, unreality is darkness, a kind of death. The Brihadaranyaka
also defines mayo as a mere semblance, an appearance.

The Pras/ma Upanishad says that the barrier between us and Brahman is our own ignorance. And
because of

our ignorance we tend to be crooked. dishonest, and foolish.

The message of all the Upanishads is the same:

The S/Ivcms/zvatara Upanishad defines God as a mayin, a magician. He casts a spell on us, and as a
result, We take sense pleasures to be real and run after them. lnstead of trying to realize the Truth,
which is the goal of life, we remain enmeshed in the delusions of life. Like other Upanishads, the
Shvelashvatara also preaches nondualism, but it is not fanatical about this. It seems to concede that
there are also other ways of reaching the goal. Some verses are clearly dualistic. Shankara takes great
pains in trying to establish non-dualism in his commentary on this Upanishad, but it is doubtful if he
succeeds.
In a nutshell, the Upanishads tell us that Brahman alone is real, and the phenomenal world we live in
and deal with is not real. It is like a shadow. But there is no shadow unless there is something real. The
world exists because Brahman exists. The goal of life is to realize this and to realize also that the inmost
being-that is, the Self in every thing and in every being-is this Brahman.

Brahman is both saguna, with qualities (or, apara, lower), and nirguna, without qualities (or, para,
higher). Saguna Brahman is Ishvara, the Lord of the universe. Nirguna Brahman is the Absolute. Saguna
Brahman is personal. Nirguna Brahman is impersonal. Saguna Brahman includes both living and non-
living objects. Nirguna Brahman is Existence Absolute. C onsciousness Absolute. Bliss Absolute (Sat +
(711'! + Anamla). All that exists is a manifestation of Nirguna Brahman. [t is the Truth of all truths, the
Reality of all realities. At this point there is only one, and therefore there is no fear. All categories fade in
Nirguna Brahman. It is like rivers merging into the sea. They no longer have an identity of their own.

To know Brahman is to be Brahman. This is liberation.