Chaandogyopanishat

Chaandogyopanishat: Originated from saama veda; Considered to be very old. There are eight chapters in it.

1. Greatness of ‘omkaaraa’ is explained in the first chapter called prapaathaka. pranavopaasanaa and praanopaasanaa and ushasti chakrayaama’s story are explained in this part.
2. shaiva udgeeta. This indirectly denounces people who perform karma and practice saama for mundane pleasures. In the second prapathaka the greatness and importance of saama gaana is explained. panchavidha saamopaasana and revatee gaanaa etc are explained here.
3. madhu vidyaa-sooryaaraadhanaa are explained here. Different forms of soorya bhagavaan are elaborately explained along with soorya jnaana. The fundamental mahaavaakya, the essence of four mahaavaakyas and the essence of the teachings of upanishats “सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म​” / sarvamkhalvidam brahma” is given here.
4. brahma jnaana is explained through several stories, teachings and anecdotes like jaana shruti, raikvu,satyakaama jaabaala, pravahana jaibali, and srusti are explained here.

5.The superiority of the praanaa is explained here in the form of a story. Panchaagni vidya is explained here. The teachings of the great mahaavaakya “tatvamasi” is high light of this part of the upanishat. 6.uddaalaka aaruni, the father and the teacher instructs his son and disciple, shetaketu,with several practical examples-9 times that he is that brahma “तत्वमसि श्वेतकेतो”/”tatvamasi svetaketo”. This the upadesha vaakya which identifies jeeva with brahma. brahma alone exits and the whole creation is its appearance only. If moolapadaartha is known, what all has come from that can be known. The upanishat says “vaachaarambhanam vikaaronaamadheyam mruttiketyeva satyam”. Similarly in all the gold ornaments there is gold only. The names and forms are not true. Gold alone is true.

7.sanatkumaara naarada samvaadam: here speaks about brahma vidya. A big list of the branches of education studies by naarada is given here, by which we know what sort of knowledge of different vidyaas we possess. In this section chaandogyopanishat and brudaaranyakopanishat also “bhooma vidyaa” is given. “yovai bhoomaa tadsukham”” naalpe sukhamasti”bhoomaivashukham” “atha yadalpam tanmartyam”. brahmam is only one bhooma and all others are temporary/ anitya is advocated here.7.23.1

8. aatmatatva is verywell explained here.damyata, datta, dvayadhvam, is explained here. prajaapati brahma deva teaches aatma vidyaa to devendra and virochana(daanava), but devendra only gets correct aatmajnaana. virochana leaves with half knowledge that the body is aatmaa. That is why daanavas became mortal and devatas became immortal – Indra vairochanopaakhyaanam.

With all these aatmaa jnaana bodhaa is well explained in this upanishat.