The Vedic Context of Upanishads

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The prayer is directed to the Vedic Gods again showing us the Vedic context of these Upanishads. For modern Hindus for example, our religion has evolved to more of our shape of deities like Krishna and Rama or Rama Krishna. But this was an earlier context where the Vedic gods were seen as powers of that ultimate reality Brahman. So there are assistants looking after different forces of nature and those are the Vedic God. They look after different senses for example in our body, the powers.

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches the Mundaka Upanishad which one of the major Upanishads belonging to the Atharva Veda. Mundaka means ''shaved'' like a shaved head. The teachings revealed in this Upanishad are meant to leave the student clean, or shaved of the veil of ignorance. Indeed, the study of this Upanishad has been traditionally confined to the shaven-heads, or the sannyasins, who have renounced everything and devoted themselves exclusively to contemplation. The book consists of 64 Mantras (verses) split across Mundakas (parts) and Khandas (sections) as follows: Mundaka 1 - Khanda 1 - 9 mantras (1.1.1 - 1.1.9) Mundaka 1 - Khanda 2 - 13 mantras (1.2.1 - 1.2.13) Mundaka 2 - Khanda 1 - 10 mantras (2.1.1 - 2.1.10) Mundaka 2 - Khanda 2 - 11 mantras (2.2.1 - 2.2.11) Mundaka 3 - Khanda 1 - 10 mantras (3.1.1 - 3.1.10) Mundaka 3 - Khanda 2 - 11 mantras (3.2.1 - 3.2.11) Reference books: 1. Mundaka Upanisad translated by Swami Gambhirananda - https://www.vedanta.com/store/mundaka-upanisad-with-the-commentary-of-sankaracarya_moreinfo.html (or) 2. Eight Upanisads Vol. 2 translated by Swami Gambhirananda - https://www.vedanta.com/store/Eight-Upanishads-Commentary-by-Shankara_moreinfo.html