Yajnavalkya or Yagyavalkya (, IAST: ) is a Hindu Vedic sage prominently mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (c. 700 BCE) and Tattiriya Upanishad., Quote: "Yajnavalkya, a Vedic sage, taught..."Ben-Ami Scharfstein (1998), A comparative history of world philosophy: from the Upanishads to Kant, Albany: State University of New York Press, pp. 9-11 Yajnavalkya proposes and debates metaphysical questions about the nature of existence, consciousness and impermanence, and expounds the epistemic doctrine of neti neti ("not this, not this") to discover the universal Self and Ātman. Texts attributed to him include the Yajnavalkya Smriti, Yoga Yajnavalkya and some texts of the Vedanta school. He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata as well as various Puranas, Brahmanas and Aranyakas.
Name The name Yajnavalkya is derived from yajna, which connotes ritual.
Depiction in texts Yajnavalkya was a pupil of Vaisampayana and the compiler of the Shukla Yajurveda Samhita. Yajnavalkya was the pupil of Uddālaka Āruṇi.
Within both the Sukla Yajur Veda and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, he is depicted as being blunt, provocative and sarcastic. In the first verse of the Yajnavalkya Smriti, Yajnavalkya is described as the "yogesvara: meaning "the king of yogis".
Yajnavalkya plays a central position in a debate known as Bahudakshina Yajna hosted by King Kriti Janaka in Mithila, Videha, where Yajnavalkya defeats philosophers from all around the country. The debate ended with Gargi, a female scholar and one of the nine gems of King Janaka's court, clearly asserting Yajnavalkya as the most superior brahmin of them all.
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, a set of dialogues portrays Yajnavalkya as having two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani. Maitreyi, as opposed to Katyayani, was more intrigued to gain spiritual knowledge. Maitreyi was known as a brahmavadini, a discusser of Brahman. Katyayani is merely described as "striprajna", which translates to "woman-like knowledge;" this can be interpreted as one who is well-versed in traditionally females roles. While Yajnavalkya and Katyayani lived in contented domesticity, Maitreyi studied metaphysics and engaged in theological dialogues with her husband in addition to "making self-inquiries of introspection".John Muir, , page 246–251 In contrast to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the epic Mahabharata states Maitreyi is a young beauty who is an Advaita scholar but never marries.John Muir, , pp. 251–253
Scharfstein considers Yajnavalkya to be one of the earliest philosophers in recorded history. Yajnavalkya is credited by Witzel for coining the term Advaita (non-duality of Atman and Brahman). The ideas attributed to him for renunciation of worldly attachments have been important to Hindu sannyasa traditions.
Scriptural references Yajnavalkya is associated with several major ancient texts in Sanskrit, namely the Shukla Yajurveda, the Shatapatha Brahmana, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the Taittiriya Upanishad, the dharma sastra named Yājñavalkya Smṛti, Vriddha Yajnavalkya, and Brihad Yajnavalkya.I Fisher (1984), Yajnavalkya in the Sruti traditions of the Veda, Acta Orientalia, Volume 45, pages 55–87 He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata, Puranas,Vishwanath Narayan Mandlik, , pages lvi, xlviii–lix as well as in ancient Jainism texts such as the Isibhasiyaim.Hajime Nakamura (1968), Yajnavalkya and other Upanishadic thinkers in a Jain tradition, The Adyar Library Bulletin, Volume 31–32, pages 214–228 In the Jainism text Isibhasiyaim, the sage Yajnavalkya is also known as Jannavakka.
Taittiriya Upanishad Yajnavalkya is referenced within the Taittiriya Upanishad. Once, the guru Vaisampayana got angry with Yajnavalkya, who was one of his leading disciples. He demanded that Yajnavalkya give back all of his knowledge he had learned from him. With such instructions, Yajnavalkya vomited all of the knowledge. The guru then instructed his other disciples to take the form of partridges (i.e., taittiriya birds) and consume what was regurgitated. This story is why the Upanishad was named the Taittiriya Upanishad. The story is meant to show Yajnavalkya's genius. Yajnavalkya was also said to have taken the guru's knowledge and to have added his own insight. Seeing such knowledge, the guru was pleased and instructed his other disciples to learn from Yajnavalkya. When a student has absorbed any knowledge and when he gives it out, it becomes more palatable to the other students who did not understand it directly from the teacher's learned discourse. Seeing that the delivery of Yājñavalkya was masterly, the teacher in appreciation, asked the other students of the class to absorb it like 'sparrows', which they did. A student is encouraged to be active for a thirst of knowledge like Taittiriya birds through this metaphor.
Brihadaranyanka Upanishad The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is dated at c. 700 BCE. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is known for highlighting Yajnavalkya's magnetic personality, focusing on his self-confidence.
Yajnavalkya plays a central position within the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad, which is a part of the Sukla Yajur Veda. The scripture details one of the most famous debates in Hindu texts in the presence of King Janaka in Mithila, Videha, which is in the east of India, where Yajnavalkya defeats philosophers from all around the country.
In the first story of the Brihadaranyak Upanisad, King Janaka hosts a sacrifice known as Bahudakshina Yajna, where he is willing to donate one thousand cows with gold horns to the best brahmin called as Brahmistha. Yajnavalkya immediately orders his disciple Samasrava to take the cows to his home. This causes an uproar in the palace amongst the other sages, led by Asvala, who wondered why Yajnavalkya proclaimed himself as the greatest. Yajnavalkya responds saying that he does not claim himself to be the greatest Brahmistha and whoever the greatest Brahmistha is should indeed be honoured. Yajnavalkya says he merely just wanted the cows. This leads to a philosophical debate amongst the sages, in which Yajnavalkya defeats each opponent who faces him by rightly answering their questions. Some of the key participants of the debate include Asvala, Uddalaka Aruni, Bhujyu, Sakalya, Artabhaga, Ushasta, Kahola and others, many who are well known within other Hindu literature.
Gargi later appears in two sections of the debate in sections 3.6 and 3.8 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad. Gargi was a female scholar and she was one of the nine gems of King Janaka's court. In 3.6, Gargi successively asks about what is the support or cause of different elements in the world, setting up a hierarchical ordering of the world. Gargi finally asks about the support of Brahman. Yajnavalkya responds, "Do not, O Gargi, question too much, lest your head should fall off. You are questioning too much about a deity whom we should not ask too much."
Yajnavalkya threatens Gargi not to ask what is beyond Brahman. Gargi becomes silent. Yajnavalkya intended to explain that one cannot question who is the support of that which is the support of everything. Yajnavalkya's threat is not produced out coercion to halt the asking of complex questions, but to end a discussion that had become finite, which Gargi had not realized yet.
In 3.8, Gargi asks a final series of questions to Yajnavalkya proclaiming that if he can answer these questions, no other brahmin could beat him in this debate. This time, it is seen that Gargi's rhetoric has shifted; rather than asking questions impetuously or over-eagerly like that in 3.6, Gargi's questioning becomes more pointed and focused at reaching the pinnacle of the debate through a final test. She first asks, "That which is above the sky, that which is below earth, that which is between the sky and earth, and that which people call the past, present, and future – [what is the support of this all]?" Yajnavalkya responds by saying that the support of this is space. Gargi then asks what is the support of space. Yajnavalkya responds by discussing the metaphysical element known as Akshar (Brihadaryanka Upanishad 3.8.8-9), or that which is imperishable. Yajnavalkya says, "This imperishable, Gargi, is the seer but isn't seen; is the hearer, but isn't heard; is the thinker, but isn't thought of; is the perceiver, but isn't perceived. Other than this, there is no seer. Other than this, there is no hearer. Other than this, there is no thinker. Other than this, there is no perceiver."
Gargi's scholarship is depicted through the fact that she is the first person in the entire debate to discuss the concept of Brahman. The debate ends when Gargi, a female scholar, clearly asserts Yajnavalkya as the most superior of them all.
In the fourth chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad, Yajnavalkya decides to renounce and leave his family. At that time, Yajnavalkya's wife, Maitreyi, inquires about the concept of the soul to Yajnavalkya. Maitreiyi, was also very wise and scholarly. She had once asked Yajnavalkya if she would become immortal with all the wealth in the world, in which Yajnavalkya responded with a denial. She then preaches, "What should I do with that by which I do not become immortal?"
The Brihadaranyaka Upanisad is one of the first texts to depict women in religious debate. Both Gargi and Maitreyi discuss the deepest spiritual topics of the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad, namely about Brahman and the atman, showing their knowledge and curiosity.
Works
Sukla Yajur Veda Yajnavalkya was the seer of who received the Shukla Yajurveda from the Divine. Thus, he is known as the founder of the Sukla Yujurveda tradition. Yajnavalkya himself mentions, "Anyone who desires to master yoga should know the Aranyaka that I received from the sun as well as the yoga treatise that I proclaimed." (Yajnavalkya Smriti 3.110).
Yajnavalkya Smriti The Yagnavalkya Smriti provides instructions to people of all walks of life, including brahmins. It is written as a discourse from Yajnavalka to his sagely disciples about the laws or dharmas of society. The scripture is broken into three sections discussing: (1) achara (i.e., behavior), (2) vyavahara (i.e., legal procedure), and (3) prayascita (i.e., atonement). In the second section, Yagnavalkya breaks down the entire court process into four steps: plaint, plea, evidence and verdict. In the third section, Yajnavalkya claims that through prayascita, the soul and the world are pleased. (Yajnavalkya Smriti 3.20).
The Yajnavalkya Smriti is often comparable to a priorly written dharma sastra, the Manu Smriti. Both the Manu Smriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti are considered the ultimate sources of Hindu Law, however, Yagnavalkya's smriti was considered more authoritative than that of Manu's. Although both works are similar, Yajnavalkya places less emphasis on rigidity and more focus on practicality. Yajnavalkya's smriti is also more precise and organized than that of Manu's. The British also considered the Yajnavalkya Smriti the basis of what they called "the Hindu Law".
The Yajnavalkya Smriti became even more well-known through a commentary written on it by Vijnaneshvara called the Mitakshara in the mid-twelfth century.
Yoga Yajnavalkya The Yoga Yajnavalkya is a commentary by Yajnavalkya on the knowledge of Yoga.
The actual author of Yoga Yajnavalkya text was probably someone who lived many centuries after the Vedic sage Yajnavalkya. Ian Whicher, a professor of Religion at the University of Manitoba, states that the author of Yoga Yajnavalkya may be an ancient Yajnavalkya, but this Yajnavalkya is not to be confused with the Vedic-era Yajnavalkya "who is revered in Hinduism for Brihadaranyaka Upanishad".Ian Whicher (1999), The Integrity of the Yoga Darsana: A Reconsideration of Classical Yoga, State University of New York Press, , pages 27, 315–316 with notes