The Upanishad discourse then made a significant further move. It is maintained that conventional knowledge of brahman was impossible. Realising brahman ‘ was not ordinary intellectual or practical knowledge. To be able to realise brahman, according to the Upanishads the distinction between the subject/ the knower and the object/the known had to disappear! So we see that this Ultimate Knowledge diminished previous knowledge -empirical, philosophical and rational – by making it into lower knowledge or deceptive knowledge.
It is central to realise that the Upanishads established a power discourse – a hierarchy of domination. If this discourse was accepted, society divides into two groups; those few who really knew and the rest, who lived in an illusion of superficial knowledge. This move establishes the Upanishad path of wisdom as a power discourse.
From the European classical writer Pseudo-Origen, who relies on the accounts of Megasthenes, we have clear indications of how this power discourse was acknowledged even across strong cultural barriers. The feelings of superiority among the Brahmins, their claim of monopoly of mystical knowledge and god (both being brahman) came across clearly below:
Exhale, turn to the right, and take hold of Yoga headstand the chair in a way that helps you turn more deeply. Coordinate your actions with your Yoga headstand breath, inhaling as you lengthen your spine and exhaling as you turn farther. Use the rhythm of your breath to coax more movement through your body. To keep your hips and pelvis aligned, pull your left thigh back into the hip socket. This will counteract the normal tendency for the pelvis to turn with the spine. The more strongly you use your arms, the more important it is to retract the shoulders and upper arms to distribute the force of the twist. Return to the center. Prepare to twist to the left by turning to the other side of the chair.
