[Advaita-l] Fwd: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} The meaning of the word 'araṇyam'

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Namaste Subbuji,

In the third ashrama both the brahmanas and the kshatriyas were supposed to go to aranya and so did Pandu in Mahabharata and passed away in forest. But as I understand it means that one has to go to isolation and not be within the hub of the city/town/village life  and pass the last days in quiet solitude with or without wife to accompany. The brahmanas alone are entitled to the fourth Ashrama and not the kshatriyas. Thus the third ashrama  means living in solitude , i.e., away from the grihashthi life, to devote the  third ashrama to do things appropriate for this stage, including studying the aranyakas. The brahmins did not have to give up agni-karma at this stage and the yajnopavita-dhanranam was aslso permiteed at this stage.

Regards,
sunil KB


--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 1/4/17, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

 Subject: [Advaita-l] Fwd: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} The meaning of the word 'araṇyam'
 To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>, "Advaitin" <advaitin at yahoogroups.com>
 Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2017, 2:32 AM
 
 ---------- Forwarded message
 ----------
 From: "V Subrahmanian" <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
 Date: Jan 4, 2017 3:42 PM
 Subject:
 {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्}
 The meaning of the word 'araṇyam'
 To: "BHARATIYA VIDVAT" <bvparishat at googlegroups.com>
 Cc:
 
 Namaste
 
 At the beginning of the bhāṣya to the
 Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣat, Shankaracharya
 says: सेयं षडध्यायी
 अरण्येऽनूच्यमानत्वादारण्यकम् 
 .
 
 What is the meaning of the word 'aranya' here? It is a
 forest? Was/is there
 any tradition of reciting/studying this upaniṣad (or any
 āraṇyaka part of
 any veda) seated in a forest?
 
 Anandagiri says:
 अथारण्यानुवचनादिनियमधीतवेदान्तानामपि....
 
 In the foot note, the editor Vidvan S.Subrahmanya Śastri
 says: अरण्यं
 प्राकृतजनासङ्कीर्णो
 देश: ।
 
 Swami Brahmananda, translating it says: 'The Upaniṣad
 consisting of six
 chapters is called 'Aranyaka' as it was taught in the forest
 (aranya).
 
 I request scholars here to express their thoughts on the
 above
 observations. Is there any story that says this upanishad
 was taught (for
 the first time) in a forest ambiance?
 
 This question was triggered by a recent thread in this forum
 on the
 Mahabharata not to be kept or studied at home.
 
 
 warm regards
 subrahmanian.v
 
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