Getting Familiar with the 13 Vedic Upanishads — The Philosophical and Religious Treatises of Hinduism
Upanishads are the sections of text from the Vedas that explain the concepts of spiritual enlightenment as well as the role of an individual in the great cosmic plan. Despite being the oldest sacred scriptures of Hinduism, the Upanishads are the most recent part of the Vedas. They were the last Vedic texts to be composed and hence are often referred to as Vedanta, which means, “the end of Vedas”. Another reason behind the Upanishads being referred to as Vedanta is that these texts expand upon, explain, and develop the Vedic concepts through narrative dialogues and thus engage the learners on a personal and spiritual level.
Number and Type Of Upanishads
The exact number of Upanishads is a matter of dispute although many people believe it to be between 180 and 200. Of these, 108 Upanishads are known and are divided into the four Vedas in the following manner.
· Rigveda — 10 Upanishads
· Shukla Yajurveda — 19 Upanishads
· Krishna Yajurveda — 32 Upanishads
· Samaveda — 16 Upanishads
· Athravaveda — 31 Upanishads
From among these 108 Upanishads, only ten are considered the most important in the context of Vedic philosophy. These ten are collectively known as “Dashopnishad” and find mention in Muktikopnishad, which also enumerates the other Upanishads. There are also 13 principal Upanishads related to the Vedas, including most of the Dashopnishads.
The 13 Principal Upanishads
Like other Upnisahds, the 13 principal Upanishads are also embedded in the four Vedas and address the core themes and concepts of each Veda. These thirteen Upanishads are explained in brief as follows according to their Vedic relation.
From Rigveda
Aitereya Upanishad: This Upanishad discusses the three philosophical themes of the world and the man being a creation of the atman, the three-fold birth theory of the atman, and the idea of consciousness being the essence of atman. The Upanishad is believed to have been composed during the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
Kaushitaki Upanishad: The key focus area of the Kaushitaki Upanishad is the relationship between Brahma and Brahman. It promotes the unity of existence while also explaining the illusion of individuality that makes people feel separate from one another and God.
From Shukla Yajurveda
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the oldest Upanishads and explains the concept of atman and unity of all reality. It is the largest of all Upanishads and is composed in the form of prose.
Isha Upanishad: The Isha Upanishad is categorized as a poetic Upanishad and is a key scripture of the Vedanta sub-schools. The Upanishad focuses primarily on explaining the concepts of unity and the illusion of duality and the need for individuals to perform their karma according to their dharma.
From Krishna Yajurveda
Taittiriya Upanishad: The Taittiriya Upanishad explains the rules of conduct and the nature of Brahma. It takes the theme of unity forward and stresses the importance of performing the rituals properly until they are completed.
Katha Upanishad: The Katha Upanishad stresses the importance of living in the present without worrying about the past or future. It also explains the concept of atman and moksha and educates learners about how the Vedas encourage it.
Svetasvatara Upanishad: The Svetasvatara Upanishad explores the concept of the main reason behind all existence, its origin, its end, and the role of time, nature, necessity, chance, and the spirit as a part of this reason. It also discusses the relationship between the Atman and Brahman and how self-discipline helps attain self-actualization.
Maitrayaniya Upanishad: The Maitrayaniya Upanishad explains the constitution of the soul and the various causes of suffering of human beings. It also discusses the concept of self-actualization as a means of ending all suffering.
From Samaveda
Chandogya Upanishad: The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the largest Upanishads and is composed in a poetic and chants-focussed form. It explains many aspects of Hindu philosophy including the concepts of Atman-Brahman, Tat Tvam Asi, and dharma.
Kena Upanishad: The Kena Upanishad is renowned as a treatise on “purely conceptual knowledge”. It explains the nature of the highest reality or Brahman and it’s being beyond the scope of our ordinary knowledge.
From Atharvaveda
Mundaka Upanishad: The primary focus of Mundaka Upanishad is on explaining the fact that personal spiritual knowledge is superior to intellectual knowledge. It helps understand the difference between higher knowledge (self-actualization) from lower knowledge.
Mandukya Upanishad: The syllable OM holds great spiritual significance in Hinduism and Manudkya Upanishad explains this concept in detail It also promotes the idea of detachment from the distractions of life as the key to achieving self-actualization.
Prashna Upanishad: The Prashna Upanishad discusses the existential nature of the human condition through six questions and their answers. It highlights the importance of devotion to Brahman as the best way to end the cycle of rebirth and death.
Final Thoughts
From the above discussion, it is clear that the Upanishads have played an important role in the development of Hindu philosophical thoughts and in providing verified and verifiable spiritual insights. It is high time that we preserve those principles, thoughts and most importantly, our ancient legacy in the form of Upanishads.
