What are the Upanishads?
The Upanishads are ancient, sacred texts that form the final part of Hindu religious thought. The Sanskrit word ‘Upanishad’ literally means to sit at the feet of a master to receive instruction. Chronologically, they follow the Vedas and are often referred to as the Vedanta (‘veda’, knowledge and ‘anta’, end or conclusion) for this reason. Of the approximately 108 existing Upanishads, twelve are considered to be the core teachings. They take the form of dialogues, with each discoursing on a metaphysical, moral or teleological theme. In brief, the thought in the Upanishads is concerned with the Brahman (universal soul) and the Atman (individual soul) and the relationship between the two. The Brahman is the all encompassing plane of being that acts as the informing principle of all other existence. As with any religious text, exegeses of the Upanishads are many and are informed by differing metaphysical and religious beliefs; the principal commentaries, however, are to be found in the wr
The Upanishads are Hindu scriptures that discuss the nature of God, reality, and the individual soul. The word ‘Upanishad’ literally means ‘sitting down beside,’ referring to the practice of disciples sitting on the ground while the guru (spiritual teacher) imparts his teaching. The Upanishads are the holy books of the Hindus. In their verses lies the spiritual and philosophical backbone of Hinduism. The core philosophy was discovered by sages over a long period of more than 2,500 years. Some call the Upanishads ‘Vedanta’ (literally the ‘end of the Vedas’), which means that the Upanishads represent the ultimate culmination of the Vedas. Who wrote the Upanishads? The Upanishads are anonymous works, written by several sages over many centuries. Since the sages who wrote these works did not seek eternal fame, it is impossible to list the authors. Yet, their works have withstood the test of time, and continue to be read today. What do the Upanishads say? The Upanishads deal with basic ques
” They are a portion of the ancient Aryan literature which this journal has set itself to help lay before theosophists of America, to the end that whatever in them is good and true may be brought out. As Max Muller says, hitherto the Upanishads have not received at the hands of Sanskrit and oriental scholars, that treatment which in the eyes of philosophers and theologians they seem so fully to deserve. He also calls them “ancient theosophic treatises” and declares that his real love for Sanskrit literature was first kindled by them. (1) They have received no treatment at all in the United States, because they are almost absolutely unknown in the original tongue in this country, and in translations, have been but little studied here. Europe and America differ in this, that while in England and Germany nearly all such study is confined to the book-worm or the theologian, here there is such a general diffusion of pretty fair education in the people, that the study of these books, as tran
The Upanishads are those treatises of mystical and speculative philosophy which are part of the Vedas, the most ancient and authoritative scriptures in India (and the world). The word “upanishad” comes from the root word upasana, which means “to draw near,” and is usually considered to mean that which was heard when the student sat near the teacher to learn the eternal truths. The authority of the Vedic scriptures rests not upon those who wrote them down but upon the demonstrable truths they express. They are as self-sufficient and self-evident as the multiplication tables or the Table of Elements. They are simply the complete and unobscured truth. And realization of that Truth alone matters. The Upanishads have long interested students of philosophy in the West. The English philosopher Hume translated some of them into English in the eighteenth century. Later he travelled to America where he taught Sanskrit to Thomas Jefferson and together they studied the Upanishads in their original
