What is the Upanishad and what is its contribution in

psychology?

What are the Upanishads?

• Upanishad, which means “connection”, is one of four genres of
texts that together constitute each of the Vedas, the sacred
scriptures of most Hindu traditions. They deal with ritual
observance & the individual's place in the universe.

• Each of the four Vedas—the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and

Atharvaveda—consists of a Samhita; a liturgical prose exposition
called a Brahmana; and two appendices to the Brahmana—an
Aranyaka (“Book of the Wilderness”), which contains esoteric
doctrines meant to be studied by the initiated in the forest or
some other remote place, and an Upanishad, which speculates
about the ontological connection between humanity and the
cosmos.
(Ontology- Philosophical study of the being)
• Because the Upanishads constitute the concluding portions of the
Vedas, they are called ‘Vedanta’ (“the conclusion of the Vedas”),
and they serve as the foundational texts in the theological
discourses of many Hindu traditions that are also known as
Vedanta.

• One Upanishadic concept had tremendous impact on subsequent

Indian thought. Contrary to the assertion of early Western
scholars, the Sanskrit term Upanishad did not originally mean
“sitting around” or a “session” of students assembled around a
teacher. Rather, it meant “connection” or “equivalence” and was
 used in reference to the homology between aspects of the human
individual and celestial entities or forces that increasingly
became primary features of Indian cosmology.

The Upanishads and their impact

• The word ‘Upanishad’ has been derived from the root Sad (to sit),
to which are added two prefixes: Upa and Ni. The prefix Upa
denotes ‘nearness’ and Ni, ‘totality’, leading to the misconception
that it refers to a group of students sitting devotedly around their
teacher.

• The word in course of time gathered round it the sense of secret

teaching or secret doctrine. If the Samhita is linked to a tree, the
Brahmanas are its flowers and the Aranyakas are its fruit yet not
ripened and, the Upanishads are the ripe fruits.

• The Upanishads are religious and philosophical treatises which

constitute the last phase of the Vedic revelation. They represent
the knowledge of Brahman and ask important questions such as,
“What is this world? Who am I? What becomes of me after
death?”. The Upanishads core ideas are the basis for modern
religion in India, including Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

• The essential theme of the Upanishads is the nature of the world

and God, and the doctrine of true knowledge and salvation are
major subjects of the Upanishadic philosophy. These treatises
 mark the culmination of the earlier line of investigation into the
nature of ultimate reality.

• The Upanishads occupy a unique place in the development of

Indian philosophical thought. They contain the highest authority
on which the various systems of philosophy in India rest. The
chief reason why the Upanishads are called the ‘end of the Veda’
is that they represent the central aim of the Veda and contain the
highest and ultimate goal of the Veda as they deal with Moksha or
Supreme Bliss.

The Mukhya Upanishad

• There are ten Mukhya Upanishads. The adjective ‘Mukhya’ means
“principal” or “chief”. The Mukhya Upanishads are accepted as
the most important scriptures in Hinduism.

• They are called Mukhya because Adi Shankaracharya wrote

commentaries on them and he chose to comment on these ten
Upanishads. And these are the first ten of the 108 Upanishads.

• The ten Upanishads are-

Aitareya, Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Isha, Kena, Katha, Mandukya,
Mundaka, Prashna and Taittiriya.
Soon after, scholars added, Svetasvatara, Maitrayani and Kaushitaki, to
make it thirteen Mukhya Upanishads.
Who is behind the Upanishads?
• The Upanishads’ origin and dating are considered unknown by
some schools of thought but, generally, their composition is dated
to between c. 800 - c. 500 BCE for the first six, with later dates for
the last seven.

• While the Upanishads area scribed to the four Vedas, the authors
of the Samhitas and Brahmanas were not necessarily the authors
of the Upanishads. The major Upanishads in their current form
seem to have originated from various ancient Vedic schools
(sakhas) and teacher traditions. Their fragmentary nature
becomes self-evident when you notice the arrangement of
sections and various verses.

• Since the knowledge of the Upanishads was secret, their

authorship also remained a secret. Tradition recognizes God
Brahma as the source of all Vedic knowledge, including the
Upanishads. We cannot determine the authorship of the
Upanishads. However, in the verses we find references to many
teachers such as Yajnavalkya, Uddalaka Aruni, Svetaketu,
DrptaBalaki, AjataSatru, etc.

• There are references to divinities such as Indra, Varuna, Prajapati,

Yama, and Uma Haimavati. In addition, you will also find
references to several lineages of teachers such as Pautimasya,
Gaupavana, Kausika and, Kaundinya Gautama.
 • Many scholars believe that early Upanishads were interpolated
and expanded over time. The existing texts are believed to be the
work of many authors.

When were the Upanishads made?

• Scholars are uncertain about when the Upanishads were
composed although the older texts were believed to be composed
over a wide expanse of time from about 800 BCE to 500 BCE.

• The ‘Brihadaranyaka’ and the ‘Chandogya’ are the two earliest

Upanishads. They are edited texts, some of whose sources are
much older than others. The two texts are pre-Buddhist; they
may be placed in the 7th to 6th centuries BCE.

• The three other early prose Upanisads—Taittiriya, Aitareya, and

Kausitaki come next; all are probably pre-Buddhist and can be
assigned to the 6th to 5th centuries BCE.

• The Kena is the oldest of the verse Upanisads followed by

probably the Katha, Isa, Svetasvatara, and Mundaka. All these
Upanisads were composed probably in the last few centuries BCE.
According to Olivelle, "All exhibit strong theistic tendencies and
are probably the earliest literary products of the theistic tradition,
whose later literature includes the Bhagavad Gita and the
Puranas.
(A theist is someone who believes in the existence of God/Gods,
especially one who intervenes in the universe)
 • The two late prose Upanisads, the Prasna and the Mandukya,
cannot be much older than the beginning of the common era.

The philosophy of Upanishads

• Ultimate Reality (Brahman): According to the Upanishads,
Brahman is the ultimate, permanent reality. The source, essence,
and substance of the entire universe are thought to be Brahman.
It is frequently referred to as unlimited, immortal, and above all
qualities and restrictions.

• Individual Self (Atman): The Upanishads also present the idea of

Atman, sometimes known as the soul or individual self.
According to the belief that Atman and Brahman are one and the
same, the essential nature of a person's self and the ultimate
reality are similar.

• Unity of Atman and Brahman: The Upanishads ' "Tat Tvam Asi"
or "Thou art That" notion is one of their most important
philosophical insights. The phrase captures the idea that the
individual Atman and the all-pervading Brahman are not two
distinct but rather identical beings. The key to self-realization and
liberation is to recognise this unity.

• Illusion and Reality (Maya): The Upanishads place a strong

emphasis on the Maya, or illusion, nature of the material world. It
conceals the genuine reality of Brahman and is transient and
everchanging. Achieving spiritual enlightenment depends on
realising how illusionary the world is.
 • Samsara (Cycle of rebirth): Samsara represents the cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth. It is the continuous cycle of existence and
represents the process of reincarnation. Samsara is a central
concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and it is deeply
explored in the Upanishads.

• Karma (Law of cause and effect): Karma, the law of cause and
effect, determines one ' s destiny based on their actions.

• Moksha (Liberation): Moksha is the ultimate goal of life in

Upanishadic philosophy. Moksha is a state of eternal bliss,
knowledge, and freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

• Guru- Disciple Relationship: The Upanishads emphasize the

importance of a guru (spiritual teacher) in guiding the disciple on
the path to spiritual realization. The transmission of knowledge
from the guru to the disciple is considered essential for
understanding the subtle truths of existence.

APPLICATION IN TODAY’S CONTEXT

The Upanishads teach the following most importantly-
•Non-attachment
•Mind is more important than the body
•Freedom from fear of death
•Enjoy things through renunciation
RELEVANCE IN TODAY’S CONTEXT
• According to the Upanishads: we are mere human beings
(Atman)

• Upanishads are the most widely used portion of the Vedas in

Hindu theological discourses

• It presents a vision of an interconnected universe with a single,

unifying principle behind the apparent diversity in the cosmos,
an articulation of which is called, ‘Brahman’.

• The latest Upanishad is ‘Muklika’ Upanishad and was recorded by

Dara Shikoh.

• In areas like mathematics and astronomy, the Vedas contain early

techniques that are still used today.
References
https://iep.utm.edu/upanisad/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Upanishad
https://www.worldhistory.org/
https://vedicheritage.gov.in/upanishads/
https://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/the-god-of-creation-who-
is-brahma/
https://www.hinduwebdite.com/
https://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/the-god-of-creation-who-is-
brahma/