Upanishads
The word "Upanishad" consists
of three words—"Upa" means "near", "ni"
means "down" and "shad" means "be seated".
So, "Upanishad" means, "be seated at the feet of the
Guru to receive the teaching."
The Upanishads constitute what we call the Vedanta (Veda-anta), the
end of the Vedas, not merely because they constitute the last part of
them, but above all because they are their ultimate teachings, reaching
to the highest metaphysical state, beyond which is the realm of Silence.
The most ancient Upanishads are, in fact, part of the Vedas, and are
therefore a part of the Shruti. So they constitute the fundamentals,
the essence of the Hindu philosophy. They are connected to the whole
of Knowledge and contain within them the exposition of the origin of
the Universe, the nature of Brahman and the Atman, the relation between
the mind and matter, etc… therefore, the main topic of the Upanishads
is the ultimate Knowledge: the identity of the Brahman and the Atman—"Tat
tvam asi"—You are That (Chandgogya Upanishad), the quest
for unity in diversity "That by which the whole Universe is known"
(Mundaka Upanishad). The Upanishads are the first scriptures where the
law of Karma first appeared as taught by Yajnavalkya (Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad).
The characteristics of the Upanishads are their universality and the
total absence of any dogmatism. They are the highest philosophy ever
conceived by the human mind.
Traditionally, there are 108 Upanishads (major), which are as follows:
1. Twelve major Upanishads:
• Aitareya, Kauhsitaki belong to Rig Veda
• Chandogya, Kena = Sama Veda
• Taittiriya, Katha, Shvetashvatara, Brhadaranyaka, Isha = Yajur
Veda
• Prashna, Mundaka and Mandukya = Atharva Veda.
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