Upanishad facts for kids

Hindu texts

Śruti Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Brahmanas Aranyakas Upanishads Smriti Itihasas Mahābhārata Bhagavad Gītā Ramayana Puranas (List) Tantras Sutras (List) Stotras Ashtavakra Gita Gherand Samhita Gita Govinda Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The Upanishads are very old and important sacred books for Hindu people. They are part of a larger collection of holy writings called the Vedas. The Upanishads are found at the very end of the Vedas. They mostly focus on deep knowledge and wisdom.

Because they teach about wisdom, they are sometimes called Jnana-Kanda, which means "knowledge section." Also, since they come at the end of the Vedas, they are known as Vedanta. This word combines veda (meaning "of the Vedas") and anta (meaning "at the end"). The ideas in the Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu religious philosophy. Many scholars believe the Upanishads brought new spiritual ideas to the Vedas. The word "Upanishad" means "to sit down with" a teacher to learn about the soul, called Atman.

The Upanishads were not all written at the same time. The oldest ones, like the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishad, might be from as far back as 800 BC. The newest ones could be from the medieval or even early modern times. More than 300 texts about Upanishads have been found, but only 108 are widely known. The Bhagavad Gita, a very important Hindu religious book, is also considered a great Upanishad.

Images for kids

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  Geography of the Late Vedic Period

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  A page from an Isha Upanishad manuscript

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  Adi Shankara, a famous teacher who wrote about the Upanishads

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  German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer admired the Upanishads, calling them "the production of the highest human wisdom."

See also

In Spanish: Upanishad para niños