Mundaka Upanishad

Eunice

19 hours ago

Mundaka Upanishad

Chapter 11 of Valkenberg’s World Religions in Dialogue examines how the Mundaka Upanishad is a primary text regarding knowledge of the divine and spiritual wisdom among Hindus. One phrase that stood out to me was: “From him spring all oceans and hills; from him flow rivers of all types; from him spring all plants and the sap by which he abides in things as their inmost self” (Valkenberg, 2022).

This striking sentence expresses a vision of the divine as the source of all creation. All the things found in nature, such as mountains, rivers and plants, originate from Brahman and keep this presence of divinity. It leads the reader to see that the universe contains divine or sacred elements.

This phrase points out the connection between the divine and the natural world. The word repeated phrase “from him” makes clear that all things, regardless of whether we see them or not, are not independent and all come from a single source. Brahman can be found within living things, present as their most intimate being.

Because of this, people tend to treat nature as part of their faith and not only as a material object. It means we first understand spiritual insight by realizing divinity is present in everything we see. This idea is both humbling and elevating, urging us to look at life with spiritual significance.

This phrase is meaningful because it reshapes my understanding of spirituality and presence. The teachings instruct us to pay attention and respect to the sacred in ordinary life instead of thinking it is far from everything we experience. It helps me notice the holiness in even basic parts of nature, like plants, rivers and hills and encourages me to be kind to them.

Because of this, we are encouraged to be humble and responsible, especially because caring for nature is seen as a requirement by several spiritual traditions. It supports a way of life that is respectful, aware and thankful.