As A Daughter Of A Malignant Narcissistic Mother

.....  as my siblings and my mother along with her current Husband and others support this victimization of late, I found this article that states my feelings...


Depth of Narcissistic Abuse is Devastating

by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD


"Victims of narcissistic abuse--spouses, children, siblings--so often feel that they are not being heard despite all they have suffered over many years. I often read and hear the refrain: "They don't get it." They are saying that other people even in their own families do  not understand the depth and malevolent cruelties that have been perpetrated on to them. When the narcissistic mother, father, sister, brother, in-law is in a public venue, even in the family home, he is acting like a prince--very well mannered, at your service, butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. This is the external burnished image that the false self narcissist has perfected. Most people believe that this is the real person. It is definitely not. Behind closed doors when others are not watching, the real monstrous aspects of the core of this personality disorder are revealed. They are horrendous--screaming fits that never stop, intimidation and accusations that set your ears rings, humiliations that make you want to hide in a corner and never leave, threats that are believably horrific "I will leave you with nothing; you will end up on the street. I will ruin you professionally and personally. I am just the person who can and will do this to you." Hearing this and sustaining these bombardments every day is intolerable to the victim.

Never underestimate the psychological, emotional and financial damage a narcissist will do. If you continue to take this abuse, remind yourself that it is wearing you down, that you don't deserve it, that the image of a "perfect family" doesn't mean anything next to the truth----You are being victimized by a seriously disturbed narcissistic personality disorder. Learn to put yourself and your welfare (and that of your children if you have them) first."

You Cannot Trust Your Narcissistic Relatives
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"..when we grow up in a family of narcissists. If you were raised in this type of pathological family constellation, you knew early that your mother, father, siblings, etc. were not on your side. You knew that you would be betrayed if you dared to share confidences with them.

Your siblings were highly competitive against you. These young narcissists saw you as weak and inferior and treated you in kind. There are innumerable life stories of brutal childhoods that the victims of narcissistic family members endure." 

Narcissist's Cycles of Revenge

by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"The world of revenge is dark and murky. It is enmeshed with secrets, of plots to destroy another by revealing private information that will injure another human being, psychologically and emotionally. Narcissistic revenge can become very ugly..."

The narcissist will never change and is likely to continue delusional cycles of revenge until he or she finds another opponent."

Narcissists......Ravenous Exploiters
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD


"Winning is defined as defeating competitors at any cost, discarding those who have fallen on tough times (Narcissists blame those who through no fault of their own have not been able to "make it")  manipulating those who are emotionally vulnerable. Narcissists are seamless performers. They appear to care about you and they are believable with their chronic lying. Their plan is to exploit you and your gifts, contacts and creative ideas. When they have squeezed the most they need for their satisfaction, you are discarded. This occurs whether you have known them for months, years or decades. There is always a time certain when you will be sent into the darkness alone unless you are fulfilling some essential selfish need that they have. Narcissists don't have real relationships. They view you as a commodity and determine your value."


Covert Narcissists....Doing their Dirty Work in Secret

by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"Covert narcissists are very sneaky. They get as much inside personal information they can about

you.. They put this in their back pocket so they can use it on you later when they decide to make a power move and wipe you out. They thread themselves closer and closer into your life. This happens in many romantic relationships. The CV has done some research and realizes quickly that you are a great catch---short or long range--a week, a month or even a marriage. Coverts like to see their plans become successful. This is all done deliberately."

Narcissistic Mother's Corrosive Envy of Their Daughters
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD


"The homes of these daughters become prisons--at times a form of solitary confinement.

"When daughters of narcissistic mothers grow up and become teenagers and young women, the NM vies for the attention of the young men who come to visit. She may even become seductive with the daughter's male friends and proposition them. In some ugly scenes the young fellow goes along and has a sexual fling with the narcissistic mom. The humiliation and horror of discovering your mother's breach of morality and her complete betrayal of her maternal role is emotionally intolerable. The narcissistic mother has no conscience-"

One Notorious Narcissist... Taking Down Many Lives

by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"It is chilling to watch a narcissistic sociopath rip people's lives apart.and get away with it. This doesn't happen once or twice. It is a way of life for these people. I have never seen them pay for perniciously predatory behavior. In fact some of those who are magnetic sociopaths have devoted followers who want to be just like them. They are enshrined and venerated due to their material success and the level of power they wield in the world---their social and business connections. Everything is fixed for them. They can get anything they want done by making a phone call or sending a text. Some come to their defense and say: "Oh they must be suffering!" Really!!!! That is not possible without conscience, empathy or human decency. They cause hurt and pain to those around them, especially if individuals targeted are highly sensitive and vulnerable individuals." 

Your Finely Tuned Intuition Protects Against the Narcissist
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"Intuition is an instantaneous knowing of the truth. It is faster than rational thought.  You cannot study or analyze the truth that comes from intuition."


Narcissistic Mother's Pernicious Envy of Daughter
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"Daughters who are not chosen are treated very differently. Some are discarded out of hand and neglected---left to fend for themselves from the time they are young.

Some daughters of narcissistic mothers refuse to be forced to play the role that mother has written. These daughters are are often very bright, attractive and have a mind of their own. Narcissistic mothers hold a deep envy of these offspring. They view this daughter as a threat to her power and control. They are obsessively envious of the daughter who can think for herself and is not willing to play the role of clone or discard. This daughter becomes mom's enemy. Mother fears that this child will surpass her. As she becomes older (narcissists are terrified of aging) her daughter develops into a very attractive, intelligent young woman. The narcissistic mother tries every put down, verbal ambush, humiliation in her book of cruelties. Mother starts to call her the "problem daughter" who is unstable and unpredictable, causing the entire family horrific problems. These are mental  inventions on the part of the narcissistic mother's attempt to demean and diminish her daughter's identity."

Narcissistic Siblings - Secret Cruelties - Hair Raising Terrors
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"The psychological pain that can lead to post traumatic stress suffered by those who grow up with narcissistic siblings is often overlooked.  No one will talk about it. 

This imposition of terror by the narcissistic child is not uncommon in these families.

They are treated like inanimate objects or the continuous target of verbal abuse, humiliations, false acquisitions, name calling  and shaming. The narcissistic mother may even join forces and lead the cruel bombardments and threats. This behavior is highly sadistic and many victims of narcissistic sibling abuse suffer from psychological trauma years after these cruelties are perpetrated. The more chronic and violent the verbal and physical abuse is the greater the chance of the scapegoated child for development of post traumatic stress. 


These terrors are perpetrated in secrecy which makes their aftereffects long lasting and deeply etched on the growing psyche."

Children of Narcissists - Exposing their Narcissistic Parent
by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD

"At the end of a very long road there are adult children who finally cannot tolerate the verbal abuse, accusations, emotional coldness and all out rejection and pernicious psychological projection and evil revenge----They must speak the truth. I hear from them and read about it in many blogs." 

No Matter Your Tyranny

I hold His hand
not yours!!

Culpability For What Has Been Done Is Overdue!!

(Excerpts from "For Parchments Sake" and "What Screams." Originally written June 2012)

"On parchment dried and hung for Creed

I stared upon what I thought was.

Not for sake of wonderment;

But, for sake of sane.

Could in a moment:

A Soul?

A Heart?

And what I saw be gone?

Leaving only witness to Decree?

A dipping well with pen which did lap ink,

a thin, long bone, with marrow spared, the feather must have flown.

It tipped the thick and dark-like substance, red ink it seemed once moved.

drawn-up within the thread, blood?

"This Child...."

The words poured,

like the sink I heard no more.

"Where did all that......?

 Where did that young boy go?"

I seemed further from myself

the distance seemed to grow, the farther I seemed to be.

I sank to "KNOW" that I was next:

A wet, a skin-like shawl stopped me.

"A lamp, I'm not"

I screeched!"

~


"It comes to mind and will not line
with anything other than itself.

Exorcisms are one of a kind
so expectations of difference are futile.

It's DARK; My brother is WHERE?
I can barely see a cross.

Laid out upon a table
confusion becomes this label.

So much like:  Yet!  Worlds Apart!
Come hither to gain such sight.

For one was kind
the other FRIGHT.

A dead boy gave no light.
Just the same, his skin I gained
my brother passed out and I might."

To Bare Witness Without Words

"You enthroned a sanctified, privileged lie, a lie believed by everyone to be the truth. That is the seed of the most dangerous delusion. A lie to be known as a half-truth, a lie that an intellectual person accepts as fact, the lie that has been inculcated upon me by you, this lie, your lie, is the most dangerous to contend against." 

Nail The Scope

Where is it?

Did you find?

Your life before?

Or, is this a new one?

When you came,

did you See?

or, did you say, "this just can't be."

To pray for the life of an individual again,

so he may be Crucified for your sin,

should cause distress,

not further this idea of "Blessed."

What a mess!!

Your very Biblical declare,

is nothing more than the idiot having an affair,

by advocating despair.

To condone the Death,

of whom has already died for YOUR sins.

To be deaf to his request,

"Go sin no more."

Seems like his life,

 has become your Chore.

Blind to your own words,

you search for what you have said is absurd,

and against Your Countenance of Biblical Record.

The growth of such stupidity in the hypocrisy of Christianity,

seems counter-productive and so very destructive,

that I am certain your claim is completely Insane.

Stop the Scapegoating of another Human Being!!

Destruction Runs Rampant

As I watch them go on,

to destroy what is strong,

I wonder?

Where on Earth it is I've gone wrong.

Whom will ask the Question?

Why did people die?

I am threatened on the phone,

for this I must not try?

Concerned for myself,

I can only be stealth.

Wise to their words,

I find them absurd.

Lies are abundant,

yet, still they are believed.

Where is the justice,

for those that still need?

Should all I have known,

Died, and I find.

That nobody cares,

for what has been done.

I am certain and with strength,

it is you I am sorry for.

You have turned a blind eye,

to those that still lie.

I ponder the worth of myself,

I bear witness to what was dealt.

Should Men no longer interest themselves in the "Why,"

then I shall contain my continual "CRY."

I shall remain in this body which holds,

the ability to gain even more such control. 

To only ask the Question,

the simplicity of this I state,

"Who's next?"

To Speak Without Thought Requires A Conscious Mind To Work Efficiently

"To collect my thoughts,

to form the Questions,

I would waste my Time,

put my Life in Danger!

To speak my Verse,

stream-my-words,

to Sing away,

albeit perverse.

I'd save myself,

the Pain of looks,

that bring the Shame,

that comes from Books!

I saw what was,

a Dinner of,

confused of such,

they made me touch.

I stared in Horror,

where did He go?

They laughed at me so,

I'd See and Record,

the Sin of their Sword.

An Awakening of sorts.

I know my Man,

my Sir,

my Lord,

the Master of this Chore.

~

I adore Him.

~

I worry,

He listens.

I write,

He reads.

I persist,

He is patient,

waits for this.

I Speak to be HEARD!!

What you have said,

it is simply Absurd.

To proud yourselves on what you've done,

makes me know, 

I should run.

The Authorities that Contract your Knowledge of .....

......have no clue that you Did and Would, do it again.

The smoking of the Men,

lead to Honesty and Truth!

The Fool was Known,

and it 'twas not Me.

For I 've been True,

with the Words from you."

Quotes

“" ... and when one of them meets the other half, the actual half of himself, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other's sight even for a moment...

If Hephaestus, son of Zeus, were to ask the pair; 'do you desire to be wholly one, always day and night to be in one another's company? For if this is what you desire, I am ready to melt you into one and let you grow together, so that being two you shall become one, and after your death in the world beyond you will still be one departed soul instead of two — I ask whether this is what you lovingly desire?' — and there is not a man or woman of them who, when they heard the proposal, would not acknowledge that this melting into one another, this becoming one instead of two, was the very expression of their ancient need. And the reason is that human nature was original one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called love."

~ ~

"Out of the original unity of being there is a fragmentation and dispersal of beings, the last stage being the splitting  of one soul into two. And consequently, love is the search by each half for the other half on earth or in heaven...

As twin souls are so alike to begin with, it seems necessary for them to go their separate ways before they can complete each other. Identity and complementarity are the two driving forces and axes of love... For the complete being there must be a blending of the two."

Even Edgar Cayce, the wonderful "sleeping prophet," spoke about soul mates (twin souls). He explained how in the beginning the "male and female were as in one." In his historical description of Atlantis, Cayce says that as long as several hundred thousands of years ago ... "there lived in this land of Atlantis one Amillius, who had first noted the separations of the beings as inhabited that portion of the earth's sphere or plane of these peoples, into male and female as separate entities or individuals."

~ ~

All of the information described above suggests that the division which resulted in the formation of two, twin soul halves occurred when we originally entered the Earth's 3-dimensional environment at some point in the distant past to "experience and feel" at this level of reality. Since that time we've apparently lost our way in this material world and are trying remember who we really are. When we do, our adventure within the universe can continue where it left off ages go.

When we finally " wake up" and begin the journey Home to our Source, no longer needing experiences and feelings at the Earth's level of existence, corresponding twins will reunite once again. Male and female essence will blend into in one form, perfectly balanced, totally spiritual, with  unconditional love for themselves and others. From that point forward they will remain as one for eternity as they coalesce with other reunited twins to recreate the soul groups they separated from a long time ago. Ultimately, all of us will reunite as the "original One."

~ ~

"To remember yourself, is to know, with purpose, your Why."

~ ~

"When two souls join back together after learning each lesson and/or after experiencing, seeing and understanding every one of those lessons and/or experiences. Knowing that some of you will be forever lost, this is the cost each of you willingly accepts as the price to cure this disease. Those of you that become lost will be cherished by each and every one of us for eternity. As a protection/inoculation from this disease and to impress and stamp urgency on your souls, one of you shall be immortal and the other invincible. This will be written on your soul at the beginning of your journey. You will not know now which stamp you will receive, but this stamp will be you homing device if the other has caught the disease and is dying. Because this disease takes no preference to the victim, the stamp shall be interchangeable between you to ensure that if the disease is contracted by one or the other of you. This is the best and quickest map back to the other before they die.

This journey is perilous and many of you will not return. We do not know the source or cause of this disease, which is why this is being done. On the same note, this means we do not know who will fall victim or why. This journey that you are about to embark on will give us these answers. With that knowledge we can create a cure. We know that when this disease is contracted, some die and others remain sick. However, they continue to pass it on, either knowingly or unknowingly. We are not certain how this works. Knowing that if this disease is contracted, you are either killed by it or you become a carrier is where the strength and conviction each of you have in your matched soul will be your guide.

Those of you that lose your match, you will be protected from any further threat, also you will not continue this journey with the same agenda. The loss of your match will be . . . well, it is felt amongst us now, so you will then embark on a journey of healing yourself. When this journey begins you will then remember all that is now being said, you will be able to draw some strength to continue on towards the next phase of your journey. You will now know that this has been a last effort for a cure. Look around, remember the power that surrounds all of you now. As long as you are able to feel this in your soul, then you will know the battle for the cure has not ended. Knowing this you will leap to you next task, each of you will need signs, reminders and vessels to draw strength from; to remind your soul of all this being said and to remember that it will take only one set of matched souls to end this disease. No matter what the progression or how many it has infected, the two souls that find their match with the knowledge of this disease and how it is being spread, you both will immediately be empowered by the other. This will be the beginning of the end of this disease that is bringing mankind to extinction. The hurt will be unfamiliar because you have not known all of this that is being said, know this and draw your comfort in the knowledge that this will be over for all of us when the first two have the cure. At this moment, we will all win this battle against eternal death for each and every soul. This cure will be the vaccine that enable man to take the next step through time.

You all will be at risk of the unknown and that is why this has all been voluntary. The purity of a matched set of souls is our best defense and also the biggest risk. Should one of you become ill and not die and your matched soul does not get to you soon enough to . . . ; then you will become our biggest threat. Your memories, power and sight will remain with you but you will be filled with sickness. The actual impact is not known to us, so, it will be left up to each of you to decide what to do, compassion shall be your guide. The sight of one of your own soul circle using knowledge, power and sight to destroy not only the weak but if recognized will destroy you without hesitation. Only at that moment will you be filled with the wisdom to act."

A Title To No Post

~~

Dear Truth,

Seems you have been missing from the latest get together?  What is going on?  I believe that you may have dropped out of circulation and at the very least, certainly not in any conversations that I have heard or been a part of.  Although I mention you often and speak on your behalf constantly, I feel as if you are dying.  Are you aware that the General Public doesn't even know that you exist?

The constant reminder that you are never meant to be spoken about has grown to be a "dead subject."  Makes you wonder!! I have grown so exhausted from just defending you, that I have had to retreat, hence the letter and my decision to write.  It seems that the cover-up of people and their subsequent deaths is so "Taboo" that anything we even utter is to be considered as "Threatening."

Your burial is all my family is interested in.  I know that for certain.  Especially after a virtual stranger told me in the most frank of manners, "I work for your Mother.  I am a Private Investigator. "  I have to say and Truth be known, I believe and think it was the only thing I actually believed when he spoke.  Of course I did leave the situation behind and found myself worried again and writing to You.

I will admit, you can be embarrassing on just about every level, but I do not support your cover-up.  I mean we all die eventually, but it is nice to have the last word, so to speak.  So if you are in grave danger and it seems (I am speaking from my Guts) as if you might be, please make sure to write all you can so at least there is a trail to follow should you come up missing!  Mysteriously, of course, you are familiar with, "plausible deniability?"

I realize that you are very matter of fact about this Truth, however, some, that have been paying attention to the random appeal out there, might realize that making a simple phone call to ask you family to stop harassing you, ends in a letter to you, may ask themselves this question, "Why?"

Much love,

K.A.P.

My most favorite guy, James Blunt, had his songs taken off American Radio Stations

The Upanishads, The Mystery of Mankind

The Upanishads
By Subhamoy Das, About.com Guide


The Upanishads form the core of Indian philosophy. They are an amazing collection of writings from original oral transmissions, which have been aptly described by Shri Aurobindo as "the supreme work of the Indian mind". It is here that we find all the fundamental teachings that are central to Hinduism — the concepts of 'karma' (action), 'samsara' (reincarnation), 'moksha' (nirvana), the 'atman' (soul), and the 'Brahman' (Absolute Almighty). They also set forth the prime Vedic doctrines of self-realization, yoga and meditation. The Upanishads are summits of thought on mankind and the universe, designed to push human ideas to their very limit and beyond. They give us both spiritual vision and philosophical argument, and it is by a strictly personal effort that one can reach the truth.

Meaning of 'Upanishad'

The term 'Upanishad' literally means, "sitting down near" or "sitting close to", and implies listening closely to the mystic doctrines of a guru or a spiritual teacher, who has cognized the fundamental truths of the universe. It points to a period in time when groups of pupils sat near the teacher and learnt from him the secret teachings in the quietude of forest 'ashrams' or hermitages. In another sense of the term, 'Upanishad' means 'brahma-knowledge' by which ignorance is annihilated. Some other possible meanings of the compound word 'Upanishad' are "placing side by side" (equivalence or correlation), a "near approach" (to the Absolute Being), "secret wisdom" or even "sitting near the enlightened".

Time of Composition

Historians and Indologists have put the date of composition of the Upanishads from around 800 - 400 B.C., though many of the verse versions may have been written much later. In fact, they were written over a very long period of time and do not represent a coherent body of information or one particular system of belief. However, there is a commonality of thought and approach.

The Main Books

Although there are more than 200 Upanishads, only thirteen have been identified out as presenting the core teachings. They are the Chandogya, Kena, Aitareya, Kaushitaki, Katha, Mundaka, Taittriyaka, Brihadaranyaka, Svetasvatara, Isa, Prasna, Mandukya and the Maitri Upanishads. One of the oldest and longest of the Upanishads, the Brihadaranyaka says:

"From the unreal lead me to the real!
From darkness lead me to light!
From death lead me to immortality!"

The crux of the Upanishads is that this can be achieved by meditating with the awareness that one's soul ('atman') is one with all things, and that 'one' is 'Brahman', which becomes the 'all'.

Who wrote the Upanishads?

The authors of the Upanishads were many, but they were not solely from the priestly caste. They were poets prone to flashes of spiritual wisdom, and their aim was to guide a few chosen pupils to the point of liberation, which they themselves had attained. According to some scholars, the main figure in the Upanishads is Yajnavalkya, the great sage who propounded the doctrine of 'neti-neti', the view that "truth can be found only through the negation of all thoughts about it". Other important Upanishadic sages are Uddalaka Aruni, Shwetaketu, Shandilya, Aitareya, Pippalada, Sanat Kumara. Many earlier Vedic teachers like Manu, Brihaspati, Ayasya and Narada are also found in the Upanishads.

The human being is the central mystery of the universe holding the key to all other mysteries. Indeed, human beings are our own greatest enigma. As the famous physicist Niels Bohr once said, "We are both spectators and actors in the great drama of existence." Hence the importance of developing of what is known as the "science of human possibilities." It was such a science that India sought and found in the Upanishads in an attempt to unravel the mystery of human beings.

Science of the Self

Today, we see a growing urge in everyone to realize the 'true self'. We are keenly feeling the need to make our knowledge flower into wisdom. A strange yearning to know about the infinite and the eternal disturbs us. It is against this background of modern thought and aspirations that the contributions of the Upanishads to the human cultural legacy become significant.

The purpose of the Vedas was to ensure the true welfare of all beings, worldly as well as spiritually. Before such a synthesis could be achieved, there was a need to penetrate the inner worlds to its depth. This is what the Upanishads did with precision and gave us the science of the self, which helps man leave behind the body, the senses, the ego and all other non-self elements, which are perishable. The Upanishads tell us the great saga of this discovery — of the divine in the heart of man.

The Inside Story!

Very early in the development of the Indian civilization, man became aware of a strange new field of human experience — the within of nature as revealed in man, and in his consciousness and his ego. It gathered volume and power as years rolled on until in the Upanishads it became a deluge issuing in a systematic, objective and scientific pursuit of truth in the depth of experience. It conveys to us an impression of the tremendous fascination that this new field of inquiry held for the contemporary mind.

These Indian thinkers were not satisfied with their intellectual speculations. They discovered that the universe remained a mystery and the mystery only deepened with the advance of such knowledge, and one of the important components of that deepening mystery is the mystery of man himself. The Upanishads became aware of this truth, which modern science now emphasizes.

In the Upanishads we get a glimpse into the workings of the minds of the great Indian thinkers who were unhampered by the tyranny of religious dogma, political authority, pressure of public opinion, seeking truth with single-minded devotion, rare in the history of thought. As Max Muller has pointed out, "None of our philosophers, not accepting Heraclitus, Plato, Kant, or Hegel has ventured to erect such a spire, never frightened by storm or lightnings."

Bertrand Russell rightly said: "Unless men increase in wisdom as much as in knowledge, increase in knowledge will be increase in sorrow." While the Greeks and the others specialized in the subject of man in society, India specialized in man in depth, man as the individual, as Swami Ranganathananda puts it. This was one ruling passion of the Indo-Aryans in the Upanishads. The great sages of the Upanishads were concerned with man above and beyond his political or social dimensions. It was an inquiry, which challenged not only life but also death and resulted in the discovery of the immortal and the divine self of man.
Shaping the Indian Culture

The Upanishads gave a permanent orientation to Indian culture by their emphasis on inner penetration and their wholehearted advocacy of what the Greeks later formulated in the dictum "man, know thyself." All subsequent developments of Indian culture were powerfully conditioned by this Upanishadic legacy.
The Upanishads reveal an age characterized by a remarkable fervent of thought and inspiration. The physical and mental climate that made it possible is the land of plenty that was India. The entire social milieu of the Indo-Aryans was ripe with great potentialities. They had found leisure to think and ask questions. They had the choice to utilize the leisure either to conquer the outer world or the inner. With their mental gifts, they had turned their mental energies to the conquest of the inner world rather than of the world of matter and life at the sensate level.

The Upanishads have given us a body of insights that have a universal quality about them and this universality derives from their impersonality. The sages who discovered them had depersonalized themselves in the search for truth. They wanted to go beyond nature and realize the transcendental nature of man. They dared to take up this challenge and the Upanishads are the unique record of the methods they adopted, the struggles they undertook and the victory they achieved in this astonishing adventure of human spirit. And this is conveyed to us in passages of great power and poetic charm. In seeking the immortal, the sages conferred the immortality upon the literature that conveyed it.


The Principal Upanishads

In the Upanishads we can study the graceful conflict of thought with thought, the emergence of more satisfactory thought and the rejection of inadequate ideas. Hypotheses were advanced and rejected on the touchstone of experience and not at the dictate of a creed. Thus thought forged ahead to unravel the mystery of the world in which we live. Let's have a quick look at the 13 principal Upanishads:

Chandogya Upanishad

The Chandogya Upanishad is the Upanishad that belongs to the followers of the Sama Veda. It is actually the last eight chapters of the ten-chapter Chandogya Brahmana, and it emphasizes the importance of chanting the sacred Aum, and recommends a religious life, which constitutes sacrifice, austerity, charity, and the study of the Vedas, while living in the house of a guru. This Upanishad contains the doctrine of reincarnation as an ethical consequence of karma. It also lists and explains the value of human attributes like speech, will, thought, meditation, understanding, strength memory and hope.

Kena Upanishad

The Kena Upanishad derives its name from the word 'Kena', meaning 'by whom'. It has four sections, the first two in verse and the other two in prose. The metrical portion deals with the Supreme Unqualified Brahman, the absolute principle underlying the world of phenomenon, and the prose part deals with the Supreme as God, 'Isvara'. The Kena Upanishad concludes, as Sandersen Beck puts it, that austerity, restraint, and work are the foundation of the mystical doctrine; the Vedas are its limbs, and truth is its home. The one who knows it strikes off evil and becomes established in the most excellent, infinite, heavenly world.

Aitareya Upanishad

The Aitareya Upanishad belongs to the Rig Veda. It is the purpose of this Upanishad to lead the mind of the sacrificer away from the outer ceremonial to its inner meaning. It deals with the genesis of the universe and the creation of life, the senses, the organs and the organisms. It also tries to delve into the identity of the intelligence that allows us to see, speak, smell, hear and know.

Kaushitaki Upanishad

The Kaushitaki Upanishad explores the question whether there is an end to the cycle of reincarnation, and upholds the supremacy of the soul ('atman'), which is ultimately responsible for everything it experiences.

Katha Upanishad

Katha Upanishad, which belongs to the Yajur Veda, consists of two chapters, each of which has three sections. It employs an ancient story from the Rig Veda about a father who gives his son to death (Yama), while bringing out some of the highest teachings of mystical spirituality. There are some passages common to the Gita and Katha Upanishad. Psychology is explained here by using the analogy of a chariot. The soul is the lord of the chariot, which is the body; the intuition is the chariot-driver, the mind the reins, the senses the horses, and the objects of the senses the paths. Those whose minds are undisciplined never reach their goal, and go on to reincarnate. The wise and the disciplined, it says, obtain their goal and are freed from the cycle of rebirth.

Mundaka Upanishad

The Mundaka Upanishad belongs to the Atharva Veda and has three chapters, each of which has two sections. The name is derived from the root 'mund' (to shave) as he that comprehends the teaching of the Upanishad is shaved or liberated from error and ignorance. The Upanishad clearly states the distinction between the higher knowledge of the Supreme Brahman and the lower knowledge of the empirical world — the six 'Vedangas' of phonetics, ritual, grammar, definition, metrics, and astrology. It is by this higher wisdom and not by sacrifices or worship, which are here considered 'unsafe boats', that one can reach the Brahman. Like the Katha, the Mundaka Upanishad warns against "the ignorance of thinking oneself learned and going around deluded like the blind leading the blind". Only an ascetic ('sanyasi') who has given up everything can obtain the highest knowledge.

Taittiriya Upanishad

The Taittiriya Upanishad is also part of the Yajur Veda. It is divided into three sections: The first deals with the science of phonetics and pronunciation, the second and the third deal with the knowledge of the Supreme Self ('Paramatmajnana'). Once again, here, Aum is emphasized as peace of the soul, and the prayers end with Aum and the chanting of peace ('Shanti') thrice, often preceded by the thought, "May we never hate." There is a debate regarding the relative importance of seeking the truth, going through austerity and studying the Vedas. One teacher says truth is first, another austerity, and a third claims that study and teaching of the Veda is first, because it includes austerity and discipline. Finally, it says that the highest goal is to know the Brahman, for that is truth.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which is generally recognized to be the most important of the Upanishads, consists of three sections ('Kandas'), the Madhu Kanda which expounds the teachings of the basic identity of the individual and the Universal Self, the Muni Kanda which provides the philosophical justification of the teaching and the Khila Kanda, which deals with certain modes of worship and meditation, ('upasana'), hearing the 'upadesha' or the teaching ('sravana'), logical reflection ('manana'), and contemplative meditation ('nididhyasana').

TS Eliot's landmark work The Waste Land ends with the reiteration of the three cardinal virtues from this Upanishad: 'Damyata' (restraint), 'Datta' (charity) and 'Dayadhvam' (compassion) followed by the blessing 'Shantih shantih shantih', that Eliot himself translated as "the peace that passeth understanding."

vetasvatara Upanishad

The Svetasvatara Upanishad derives its name from the sage who taught it. It is theistic in character and identifies the Supreme Brahman with Rudra (Shiva) who is conceived as the author of the world, its protector and guide. The emphasis is not on Brahman the Absolute, whose complete perfection does not admit of any change or evolution, but on the personal 'Isvara', omniscient and omnipotent who is the manifested Brahma. This Upanishad teaches the unity of the souls and world in the one Supreme Reality. It is an attempt to reconcile the different philosophical and religious views, which prevailed at the time of its composition.

Isavasya Upanishad

The Isavasya Upanishad derives its name from the opening word of the text 'Isavasya' or 'Isa', meaning 'Lord' that encloses all that moves in the world. Greatly revered, this short Upanishad is often put at the beginning of the Upanishads, and marks the trend toward monotheism in the Upanishads. Its main purpose is to teach the essential unity of God and the world, being and becoming. It is interested not so much in the Absolute in itself ('Parabrahman') as in the Absolute in relation to the world ('Paramesvara'). It says that renouncing the world and not coveting the possessions of others can bring joy. The Isha Upanishad concludes with a prayer to Surya (sun) and Agni (fire).

Prasna Upanishad

The Prashna Upanishad belongs to the Atharva Veda and has six sections dealing with six questions or 'Prashna' put to a sage by his disciples. The questions are: From where are all the creatures born? How many angels support and illumine a creature and which is supreme? What is the relationship between the life-breath and the soul? What are sleep, waking, and dreams? What is the result of meditating on the word Aum? What are the sixteen parts of the Spirit? This Upanishad answers all these six vital questions.

Mandukya Upanishad

The Mandukya Upanishad belongs to the Atharva Veda and is an exposition of the principle of Aum as consisting of three elements, a, u, m, which may be used to experience the soul itself. It contains twelve verses that delineate four levels of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and a fourth mystical state of being one with the soul. This Upanishad by itself, it is said, is enough to lead one to liberation.

Maitri Upanishad

The Maitri Upanishad is the last of what are known as the principal Upanishads. It recommends meditation upon the soul ('atman') and life ('prana'). It says that the body is like a chariot without intelligence but it is driven by an intelligent being, who is pure, tranquil, breathless, selfless, undying, unborn, steadfast, independent and endless. The charioteer is the mind, the reins are the five organs of perception, the horses are the organs of action, and the soul is unmanifest, imperceptible, incomprehensible, selfless, steadfast, stainless and self-abiding. It also tells the story of a king, Brihadratha, who realized that his body is not eternal, and went into the forest to practice austerity, and sought liberation from reincarnating existence.

Out of the Blue, my cat was returned. His name?

Mouse

A picture from 2003.