Upanishads

The Upanishads are ancient Sanskrit texts that explore the self, ultimate reality, and liberation. They form the concluding portions of the Vedas and ground many later schools of Indian philosophy.

Vedas: The Vedas are a collection of ancient Sanskrit texts foundational to Hindu traditions. The Upanishads form the concluding portions of the Vedic corpus.
Śravaṇa: Śravaṇa is the disciplined hearing of teachings from a teacher, especially in Vedanta. Upanishadic instruction often takes the form of a teacher imparting knowledge to a student.
Late Vedic period: The Late Vedic period is the final phase of the Vedic age in ancient South Asian history. The oldest Upanishads took shape during this period, amid changing religious and intellectual practices.
Yajnavalkya: Yajnavalkya is a Vedic sage associated with teachings in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad. His dialogues articulate influential arguments about the self and ultimate reality.
Vedanta: Vedanta is a family of Indian philosophical traditions grounded chiefly in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutras. The Upanishads became Vedanta’s central source for reasoning about reality and liberation.
Ātman: Ātman is the self or innermost essence in Indian philosophical traditions. Many Upanishads investigate whether the self is more than the changing body and mind.
Manana: Manana is reflective reasoning about teachings heard from a teacher. The texts invite inquiry and reasoning rather than mere acceptance of declarations.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad: The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad is one of the oldest and longest Upanishads. It preserves early, expansive discussions of self, reality, and ritual.
Uddalaka Aruni: Uddalaka Aruni is a Vedic teacher who appears in the Chāndogya Upanishad. His instruction to his son Śvetaketu develops a celebrated teaching about reality and self.
Advaita Vedanta: Advaita Vedanta is a nondual school that identifies ultimate reality with Brahman and interprets selfhood accordingly. It builds a major philosophical system from Upanishadic claims about self and Brahman.

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