From then on, the entire history of Indian Religions changed radically. The impact of this mission was that the the name name Isa and Iswaran came to be equivalent to God all through later Indian scriptures. This Upanishad expresses the concept of Isa as Paran (Lord Yesu Paran = Jesus is Lord = Iswaran). However with the coming of Thomas, the concept of God changed radically – the concept of a Supreme God. The Three major religions of India at that time were Vedic (who were nature worshippers), Buddhist and Jain (who were atheists). The basic impact of Thomas in India was the radical change in the concept of God. Considering the impact of the ministry of other Apostles in Africa, Middle East and Europe, we cannot doubt the tremendous impact that the Ministry of Apostle Thomas Dydymus had in the Indian continent. His ministry extended from Taxila in the North to the Malabar Coast in the southern tip of India covering the entire subcontinent of India. 52 and had a twenty year old ministry all through India until his martyrdom in Mylapore, Madras, Tamil Nadu, India in A.D.72. Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, came to India in A.D. Upanishads came into existence only after the ministry of Apostle Thomas in India. It is important to note also that all scholars agree that Isa is one of the earliest Upanishads. Since Sanskrit as a language came into existence only in the second century AD, the Upanishad itself must be placed after that period. The Samhitâ of the White Yajur-veda is generally acknowledged to be of later origin than the Rig Veda and is written in Sanskrit. Upanishads - hence its importance in the History of Indian Religions. Scholars agree that this Upanishad mark the beginning of Monotheism in the 2 It is at the the end of these we have the Isa Upanishad! It is written in poetry form indicating that it was supposed to be taught and memorized through generations. The sacrifice of the creator himself in order to give life to the people and his resurrection are symbolized in most of these Levitical type rituals.
The ceremony evokes the mythical sacrifice of Purusha, the "Cosmic Man", and the officiating Brahman recites the Purusha sukta (RV 10.90 = AVS 5.19.6 = VS 31.1–16) indicating the continuous process of recreation of man in Isa. The Purusha Medha is an enactment of the sacrifice of (Isa) Purusha that leads to creation and recreation. The Purusha Sukta describes the process of creation of man from the cosmic Purusha (Person of Isa) who is described as a human. This re-enacts the creation of a new class of people dedicated to Prajapati. Prajapati literally means means Lord of Hosts.
These verses describes people from all classes and of of all descriptions tied to a wooden stake (cross) and offered offered to Prajapati.
These T hese are the contents of the forty chapters: 1-2: New and Full Moon sacrifices 3: Agnihotra (Fire Sacrifice) 4-8: Somayajna (Drink Sacrifice) 9-10: Vajapeya and Rajasuya, two modifications of the Soma sacrifice 11-18: Details regarding construction of altars and hearths, especially the Agnicayana 19.-21.: Sautramani, a ritual originally counteracting the effects of excessive Soma-drinking 1Ģ2.-25.: Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) 26.-29.: supplementary formulas for various rituals 30.-31.: Purushamedha (Sacrifice of Person Prajapathi – The T he Lord of Hosts) 32.-34.: Sarvamedha (All Sacrifice) 35.: Pitriyajna (Sacrifice to honor those who are dead) 36.-39.: Pravargya (Sacrifice associated with the restoration of the head of Prajapathi after he being beheaded beheaded by Rudra – The resurrection ) 40.: Isha Upanishad The Purushamedha described in the Yajurveda (VS 30–31) is of particular interest. The earlier 39 chapters refer to liturgies and procedures associated with rituals in detail. White Yajurveda has two branches: vajasaneyi madhyandina (VSM), vajasaneyi kanva (VSK) and the Isa Upanishad appear in both with some variation. Unlike the other Upanishads, it is directly included in the Samhita itself as its final chapter, rather than as a separate section. The Vajasaneya Samhita consists of forty chapters and Isa Upanishad is the last of it.
This Upanishad belongs to the Vajasaneyi School of the Yajur Veda – White Yajur Veda. ISA UPANISHAD or ISAVASYA UPANISHAD THE DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENCE OF JESUS