What Are The Upanishads?
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The Upanishads, dating largely from the 8th to the 6th centuries BCE, are the “wisdom literature” of the Vedas. Most Upanishads take the form
of dialogues between teachers and students. They turn from the rites of the fire altar that had been the main focus of discussion in the earlier
Vedic literature to the question of the deeper, inner meanings of ritual, especially as it can give insight into the origin, basis,
and support of the universe. The Upanishads and their interpretations are sometimes called Vedanta, literally the “end of the Vedas.”
The Pluralism Project, Harvard University
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The Upaniṣads are ancient texts from India that were composed orally in Sanskrit between about 700 B.C.E. and 300 B.C.E. There are thirteen major Upaniṣads,
many of which were likely composed by multiple authors and are comprised of a variety of styles. As part of a larger group of texts, known as the Vedas,
the Upaniṣads were composed in a ritual context, yet they mark the beginning of a reasoned enquiry into a number of perennial
philosophical questions concerning the nature of being, the nature of the self, the foundation of life, what happens to the self at the time of death,
the good life, and ways of interacting with others…
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Brian Black, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
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The Upanishads are the philosophical-religious texts of Hinduism (also known as Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal Order” or “Eternal Path”)
which develop and explain the fundamental tenets of the religion. The name is translated as to “sit down closely” as one would to listen
attentively to instruction by a teacher or other authority figure.
At the same time, Upanishad has also been interpreted to mean “secret teaching” or “revealing underlying truth”. The truths addressed are the
concepts expressed in the religious texts known as the Vedas which orthodox Hindus consider the revealed knowledge of creation and the operation of
the universe.
Joshua J. Mark, World History Encyclopedia
