Reading Upanishads without preparation

There is now-a-days a tendency to bypass the karmas such as Yajnas or study of the Vedas in the traditional way (Adhyayana) but to go straight to the study of the Upanishads. As a result, many people are becoming familiar with the contents of the Upanishads and are even able to discuss them at length at an intellectual level. However, this has not produced anyone who has a peace of mind, is free from passions, or has in practice realized the Truth about the Self or Atman. Why is this so?The reason is that the preliminary preparation in the shape of complying with the Vedic injunctions regarding Yajnas and worship has been ignored and the mind and body have not been disciplined. Hence, to omit to study the Vedas and perform the Karmas and straightway try to imbibe the truth in the Upanishads is as wrong as performing only the rituals, taking their meaning literally and not proceeding further to understand what the Upanishads say.



Kanchi Paramacharya