/lit/ - Literature

I'm about to start reading it in a couple of hours when things quiet down at work. I've read the Gita and enjoyed it, it wasnt like anything else I have read. Anything I should know?

>Let him meditate on speech as a cow. Her four udders are the words Svâhâ, Vashat, Hanta, and Svadhâ 1. The gods live on two of her udders, the Svâhâ and the Vashat, men on the Hanta, the fathers on the Svadhâ. The bull of that cow is breath (prâna), the calf the mind. -8th Brahmana, Brihadâranyaka Upanishad

wow so concise and beautiful, so much cows and udders, so serene :)

>Now follows the udgîtha of the dogs. Vaka Dâlbhya, or, as he was also called, Glâva Maitreya, went out to repeat the Veda (in a quiet place).
SHLOP

>A white (dog) appeared before him, and other dogs gathering round him, said to him: 'Sir, sing and get us food, we are hungry.'
SHLOP

>The white dog said to them: 'Come to me to-morrow morning.' Vaka Dâlbhya, or, as he was also called, Glâva Maitreya, watched.
SHLOP

>The dogs came on, holding together, each dog keeping the tail of the preceding dog in his mouth, as the priests do when they are going to sing praises with the Vahishpavamâna hymn 2. After they had settled down, they began to say Hiṅ.
SHLOP

>'Om, let us eat! Om, let us drink! Om, may the divine Varuna, Pragâpati, Savitri 3 bring us food! Lord of food, bring hither food, bring it, Om!' -12th Khanda, Chandogya Upanishad
SHLOP

>>14212308
The Yoga Vasistha is sublime

>>14212308
All things ARE yourself. It’s literal. Most people take spiritual truths for granted. Like during the sermon on the mount, when Jesus says the meek shall inherit the earth, he’s not just saying that to comfort people, he really means it.

>>14212308
Pretty good list. Would also include the Puranas, particularly Shiva and Vishnu, and might as well read the Tao Te Ching too.

>>14212370
I personally skipped all the notes. I don't know if that would improve your experience, or even if your version has notes after each individual Upanishads. I felt like I kinda got it but I'm a brainlet, who knows.
>>14212458
I think I understood it's meaning. All there is is that which I am. It's either on it's way to birth or on it's way to death.All things are me, the true self, the silent self behind the ego.

>>14212489
>I think I understood it's meaning.
If you want in-depth explanations of what the Upanishads mean from a traditional Hindu thinker, you can try reading the commentaries on them by Adi Shankara. I really enjoy them although you may not want to read thousands of pages of commentaries on a text that you just read, although you can try a few to see if you like them (pic related is from his Katha Upanishad commentary which is in the first link)

https://estudantedavedanta.net/Eight-Upanisads-Vol-1.pdf
https://estudantedavedanta.net/Eight-Upanisads-vol2.pdf

>>14212489
I typically read notes and introductions if they're present. This one has a lengthy introduction, probably the bulk of my reading time tonight. I think I'm going to skip it and read it when I'm finished, I prefer to form my own understanding about the text before I read outside sources. Reading the same translator's intro before the gita added little to the experience, so I think I'll just dive right in.

>>14212458
>All things ARE yourself

So why can't I have sex?

>>14212521
you tell me. what's stopping you?

>>14212308
>Treat all things as if yourself
that's it? all of that just for this? its literally just the golden rule lmao...