Many Upasanas described in the Upanishads comprise various modes of worship and devotional exercises that reach out to the infinite range of individuals with varying levels of perception and understanding, pointed out Sri Mani Dravid Sastrigal in a discourse.
Teaching of the Vedas followed the oral tradition and hence the disciple had to memorise the lessons and then gain access to the import of the texts. In the Sikshavalli section of the Taittiriya Upanishad, the science of phonetics and pronunciation is dealt with. The emphasis is on the practice of ‘Veda adhyayana’ or the recitation of the Vedic texts with accurate pronunciation since the aim is to enable the disciple to commit the entire text to memory.
But the instruction does not stop merely on sabda. It leads the disciple to higher knowledge when sabda is linked with content. It uses the analogy of the grammatical concept of combinations which is familiar to the pupil. A link between two words leads to a new word or concept; likewise with regard to knowledge, the teacher imparts to the disciple the instruction. It is also believed that knowledge becomes realisation in stages. It is to be grasped from a preceptor, and studied independently. It becomes clearer when taught to others and has to be applied in real life as well. In the Chandogya Upanishad, Narada, himself a learned person, seeks self-realisation from Sanatkumara to show that mere empirical knowledge or even proficiency in the Vedas cannot lead to self realisation.
Sanatkumara emphasises the truth that the self is the source of memory, hope, space, light and water as well as power, knowledge and happiness. Much emphasis is placed on personal effort, self-discipline and concentration in the process of realising the self.
