ABSTRACT

Although the text is often regarded as one of the oldest Upanisads, it is not included in the collection of the "classical" Upanisads on which the eighth century philosopher Sankara wrote elaborate commentaries. The textual transmission of the Kausitaki Upanisad is complicated, and numerous variants exist in manuscripts of this Upanisad. The Kausitaki Upanisad consists of four chapters, mostly in prose, but with a few scattered verses interspersed. As in all the Upanisads, correct knowledge of atman, the self, is essential in the Kausitaki Upanisad. But atman sometimes carries a slightly different meaning here than in other classical Upanisads. Intriguingly, brahman, the cosmic force, is presented both as an abstract principle and as a mythological figure in this Upanisad. Several passages identify brahman with the life breath, and the text claims that all gods bring offerings to the breath that is brahman.