What are the Upanishads?

Back to History 8 India Lecture Notes

The Upanishads, literally "connection"*, are a body of sacred texts, thought to be recorded from 1000-600 BCE, which are concerned with important theological doctrines within Hinduism. They contain teachings on the self and cycle of samsara, or rebirth. Moreover, they reveal spiritual experiences and other philosophies. While there are many paths to moksha, the Upanishads focus on "renunciation and asceticism", and are the compilation of Vedic thought and philosophy, conveyed in a collection of concise texts. Considered as some of the oldest texts, there are thirteen principal Upanishads out of the total 108.

* According to Britannica, "Contrary to the assertion of early Western scholars, the Sanskrit term Upaniṣad did not originally mean 'sitting around' or a 'session' of students assembled around a teacher".

Sources:

[1] LM p. 131, 134-5

By Linda Yu