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f others, and knowing that they are one in the same that we feel true connection to other beings and understand our true identity as brahman. “One holds beings dear, you see, not out if love for beings; rather, it is out of love for oneself (atman) that one holds beings dear.” [22] The true nature of all beings (regardless of caste or even species) is atman.

This does propose a dualism between the physical body and the true self (atman). This may sound as though physical life is unimportant relative to the true life found in attainment of brahman. That is true to some extent because the ultimate goal is to be released from the cycle of death and rebirth into the physical world (samsara); however, it also recognizes the continuity between all living things. We are all of the same eternal, pure, absolute essence. This understanding of non-physical reality is a crucial element in the inward journey of the Upanisads away from the outward, physical nature of the Vedic sacrifice.

There is an ineffable quality about atman/brahman that the writers of the Upanisads acknowledge. “About this self (atman), one can only say ‘not—, not—.’ He is ungraspable, for he cannot be grasped. He is undecaying, for he is not subject to decay. He has nothing sticking to him, for he does not stick to anything. He is bound; yet he neither trembles in fear nor suffers injury.” [23] There is no mistake that the attainment of brahman is a difficult task. If brahman/atman is not something we can accurately talk about, then release from the cycle of death and rebirth is no simple goal. Nonetheless, it is what the Upanisads urge us to strive for.

The importance of mantra as an expression of reality surfaces again in the Upanisads. In the Vedic ritual, mantra held the underlying power of the sacrifice. The Chandogya Upanisad uses that theme to identify sound with the very ground of reality. The Chandogya Upanisad devotes considerable attention to a discussion of the significance of the syllable OM. “A man who utters this syllable...enters this very syllable, the sound that is immortal and free from fear. As the gods became immortal by entering it, so will he.” [24] Essentially, brahman is found in OM. As in the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, the Chandogya Upanisad finds an allegorical relationship between the words of sacrifice and the truth of reality they express. Again, it is the power of brahman found beneath the words that is of utmost importance.

The Chandogya Upanisad eventually becomes less reliant on analogies to ritual and discusses atman/brahman on it own terms as ultimate reality. In a discussion between a man, Aruni and his son, Svetaketu who had taken up the life of a celibate student, Aruni states, “the finest essence here –that constitutes the self of this whole world: that is the truth; that is the self (atman). And that’s how you are, Svetaketu.” [25]

The atman/brahman concept continued to be the focus of all of these writings. We become increasingly aware that it is only through acknowledging our atman that we will attain ultimate liberation. The Upanisads constantly struggle with how one comes to truly know the self (atman). It is apparent that we are blinded by the material world and it is our ignorance that prevents us from attaining brahman. Knowledge is what will lead us out of the false perception of reality found in the physical world. But how is th