2.

Now to come to the second song on the programme. The Upanishads are intuitive revelations derived from the Vedas. The Upanishads have inspired all systems of Indian philosophy and even today guide the spiritual lives of millions of Truth-seekers. God alone knows how many Upanishads once existed, but only 108 have been faithfully preserved. The Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad contains one of India’s most significant and inspiring invocations to God. For centuries, the firmament of India has resounded with this beloved and immortal prayer:

Asato ma sad gamaya...

Lead us from the Unreal to the Real,
Lead us from Darkness unto Light,
Lead us from Death to Immortality.

(From the Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad: I.3.28)