II "The Upanishads" II

Source : Complied from various published articles on Upanishads

The Upanishads is a collection of texts that were composed mainly between the 7th and 5th centuries BC. They form the last part of the Vedas, the sacred text of the Aryans, and are called Vedanta (Conclusion of the Veda). But they are very different in content and tone from the earlier vedas.

The Sanskrit term Upanisad derives from upa (near), ni(down) and sad(to sit), i.e. referring to the "sitting down near" a spiritual teacher (guru) in order to receive instruction in the Guru-shishya tradition. In  the Upanishads, philosphical and mystical questionings replace earlic vedic concerns with ritual sacrifice. Rather than invoking external gods, the Upanishads look for a god within, so that the emphasis moves from the acts of sacrifice to the search for the sacred force (brahman) that lives in all things.

The Prime concern of most of the Upnishads is the desire for release (moksha) from transmigration. This was to be gained through editation, yoga nad asceticism, to unite the atma (soul) with the brahman.

Traditionally, there are 108 Upanishads (major), which are as follows:

1. Twelve major Upanishads,

• Aitareya and the Kauhsitaki which belong to Rg Veda
• Chandogya and Kena to Samaveda
• Taittiriya, Katha, Shvetashvatara, Brhadaranyaka and Isha to Yajur Veda
• Prashna, Mundaka and Mandukya to Atharvaveda.

2. Twenty—three samanayayuvedanta Upanishads
3. Twenty Yoga Upanishads
4. Seventeen samnyasa Upanishads
5. Fourteen vaishnava Upanishads
6. Fourteen shaiva Upanishads
7. Eight shakta Upanishads
8. If there are more than 200 texts titled as Upanishads, it is advised to stick to the traditional, specially, to the Vedic Upanishads.

List of traditional Upanishads:

Ishavasya (major)
Kena (major)
Katha (or Kathaka) (major)
Prashna (major)

The language of the Upanishads is Sanskrit. The oldest Upanishads, the Brhadaranyaka and the Chandogya are composed in prose.Later followed a series of Upanishads composed in verse, such as the Isha, Mandukya, Katha, and Shvetashvatara Upanishads.