PREVIEW OF THE BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD
 (Consists of:  3 Parts or Kandas, 6 Chapters or adhyayas, 47 Sections or brahmanas, 427 Verses or mantras or kandikas)
(Figures in brackets indicate the number of mantras)
Part1 - MADHU-KANDA (146)

SANTI MANTRA
CHAPTER I (80)

SECTION I      ASVAMEDHA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Sacrificial Horse as the Cosmic Person, Hiranyagarbha

SECTION II    AGNI-BRAHMANA
Creation and Evolution of the Universe—The Concepts of Death and Sacrifice

SECTION III   UDGITHA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Vital Force—Allegory of the Warfare between the Celestials and the Demons

SECTION IV   PURUSHAVIDHA-BRAHMANA
The Saga of Creation

SECTION V     SAPTANNA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Seven Forms of Food, the Objects of Desires, Manifestations of the Supreme

SECTION VI   UKTHA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Names, Forms and Actions as the Manifestations of Hiranyagarbha

CHAPTER II (66)

SECTION I      AJATASATRU-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Lower and Higher Levels of Consciousness

SECTION II    SISU-BRAHMANA
Meditation on Prana—Analogy of the New-born Calf

SECTION III   MURTA-AMURTA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Gross and Subtle Manifestations of Reality

SECTION IV   MAITREYI-BRAHMANA
Instruction on the Supreme by Sage Yajnavalkya to his Wife Maitreyi—All Love rooted in the Self—The Universe is Non-different from the Self before its Manifestation, during its Existence and after its Disappearance

SECTION V     MADHU-BRAHMANA
Mutual Relationship of Everything with Everything Else—Story of Sage Dadhyang Atharvan

SECTION VI   VAMSA-BRAHMANA
Line of Teachers and Disciples of this Knowledge contained in the First Two Chapters
Part 2 - YAJNAVALKYA-KANDA (176)
CHAPTER III (85)

SECTION I      ASVALA-BRAHMANA
How to overcome the Defects in the Sacrificial Rites and their Results—Meditation combined with Rituals, the Means

SECTION II    ARTABHAGA-BRAHMANA
The Senses and Their Objects—The Supreme Being as Death of Death

SECTION III   BHUJYU-BRAHMANA
The Goal of Performing the Horse Sacrifice—Some Hints on Cosmic Geography

SECTION IV   USHASTA-BRAHMANA
Brahman, The Supreme—Direct and Immediate—Unknowable through the Individual Intellect

SECTION V     KAHOLA-BRAHMANA
Renunciation, the Means of Liberation—The Three Kinds of Desires—Balya, Panditya and Mauna

SECTION VI   GARGI-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Conditioned Brahman

SECTION VII ANTARYAMI-BRAHMANA OR  UDDALAKA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Inner Controller

SECTION VIII AKSHARA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Supreme Unconditioned Brahman

SECTION IX   SAKALYA-BRAHMANA
The Number of Gods—Meditation on the Eight Persons and Their Corresponding Deities—Meditation on the Five Directions with Their Deities and Supports—Meditation on the Essence of the Vital Force—Comparison of Man with a Tree—Source of Rebirth or Creation Established as the Supreme Brahman

CHAPTER IV (91)

SECTION I      SHADACHARYA-BRAHMANA
Defects of the Meditation on Parts—Instruction on the Meditation on the Whole

SECTION II    KURCHA-BRAHMANA
A Short Analytical Study of the Three States of Waking, Dreaming and Deep Sleep

SECTION III   JYOTIR-BRAHMANA
Meditation on The Supreme as The Light of Lights—Further Detailed Analysis of the States of Waking, Dream and Deep Sleep

SECTION IV   SARIRIKA-BRAHMANA
What becomes of the Ignorant Jiva, and of the Knower of Brahman, after the Fall of the Body.

SECTION V     MAITREYI-BRAHMANA
A Restatement of Section IV of Chapter II

SECTION VI   VAMSA-BRAHMANA
Line of Teachers and Disciples for the Knowledge in, Chapters III and IV

Part 3 - KHILA-KANDA (105)

CHAPTER V (30)

SECTION I      OM KHAM BRAHMA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on Brahman as The Whole, The Plenum

SECTION II    PRAJAPATYA-BRAHMANA
Prajapati’s Instruction to Celestials, Demons and Men—Three Main Virtues of Self-control, Compassion and Charity

SECTION III   HRIDAYA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Heart as Brahman

SECTION IV   SATYA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on Truth as Brahman

SECTION V     SATYA-BRAHMA-SAMSTHANA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Three Syllables of the Word ‘Satya’—Meditation on the Sun and on the Right Eye

SECTION VI   MANOMAYA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Cosmic Mind and the Individual Mind as Brahman

SECTION VII VIDYUT-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the lightning as Brahman

SECTION VIII VAGDHENU-BRAHMANA
Meditation with the help of the Symbol of Cow for the Veda

Section IX   Vaisvanaragni-Brahmana
Meditation on the Universal Prana in the Meditator

SECTION X     GATI-BRAHMANA
The Course of the Soul After Death—The Gradual Ascent of the Soul in Krama-Mukti, Gradual Liberation

SECTION XI   VYAHITA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on Illness, Death etc., as Supreme Austerities

SECTION XII PRATRIDA-BRAHMANA
Meditation based on the Correlation Between Matter and Energy

SECTION XIII UKTHA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Identity of Prana with Uktha, Yajus, Saman and Kshatra

SECTION XIV GAYATRI-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Four Feet of the Gayatri Mantra

SECTION XV  SURYAGNI PRARTHANA-BRAHMANA
Prayer to the Sun God and Fire God at the Time of Death

CHAPTER VI (75)

SECTION I      PRANA SAMVADA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Vital Force—Story of the Conversation between the Organs and the Chief Vital Force

SECTION II    KARMA-VIPAKA-BRAHMANA
Meditation on the Five Fires—Story of Svetaketu and King Pravahana

SECTION III  SRIMANTHA-BRAHMANA
Ritual-cum-Meditation for Attaining Prosperity

SECTION IV   PUTRAMANTHA-BRAHMANA
Ritual-cum-Meditation for Attaining Progeny

SECTION V    VAMSA-BRAHMANA
The Line of Teachers and Disciples for the Knowledge contained in Chapters V and VI, and the Whole Upanishad