Bahvricha Upanishad
| Bahvricha Upanishad | |
|---|---|
The Upanishad states the universe began from the feminine | |
| Devanagari | बह्वृच |
| IAST | Bahvṛca |
| Title means | One conversant with Rigveda |
| Date | 12th- to 15th-century CE |
| Type | Shakta |
| Linked Veda | Rigveda |
| Chapters | 1 |
| Verses | 9 |
| Philosophy | Shaktism, Vedanta |
The Bahvricha Upanishad (Sanskrit: बह्वृच उपनिषद्, IAST: Bahvṛca Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is classified as one of the eight Shakta Upanishads and attached to the Rigveda.
The Upanishad is notable for asserting that the Self (soul, Atman) is a Goddess who alone existed before the creation of the universe. She is the supreme power, asserts the text, she is the ultimate reality (Brahman), from her being and because of her the universe was born, she is the knowledge, the consciousness and the soul (Atman) of every being.
The philosophical premises of Bahvricha Upanishad assert the feminine as non-different, non-dual (Advaita) from transcendent reality, she is the primary and the material cause of all existence, and the text belongs to the Shaktadavaitavada tradition (literally, the path of nondualistic Shakti).