R C Kotwal
Upanishads means the inner or mystic teaching. The term “Upanishad” is derived from Upa(Near) , ni ( down) and shad (to sit) i.e sitting down near. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrine. The Upanishads are sometimes referred to as Vedanta, variously interpreted to mean the last chapters of the Vedas or the object, the highest purpose of the Veda. The concepts of Brahman (ultimate Reality) and Atman (soul-self) are central ideas in all the Upanishads and “Know your Atman” their thematic focus. Shri Adi Shankara explains in his commentary on the Katha that it means “Knowledge of the self” or “Knowledge of Brahma”.1
The authors of most Upanishads are unknown. Various theories have suggested different names. Scholars are also uncertain about the exact centuries in which Upanishads were composed. The general area of the composition of the early Upanishads was Northern India, on the east of lower Ganga region, on the north by the Himalayan Hills and on the south by the Vindhya mountain range. This region covers Bihar, Nepal, UP, Uttarakhand, HP, Haryana, Eastern Rajasthan and M.P. of present day India.
The exact numbers of the Upanishads are not clearly known. Scholars differ on the total number of Upanishads as well as what constitutes an Upanishad. Some of the Upanishads are very ancient, but some are of recent origin.
The original Upanishads are the end portions of the four Vedas, and thereby came to be identified with “Vedanta” which literally means the end of the Vedas. They dealt with the philosophical aspects of the Vedas and were taught in ancient India to highly qualified and selected individuals. The Upanishadic texts are part of the Shruti literature and are considered to be divine in origin. They are associated with several ancient seers. Some of these lived at least twenty generations before Lord Krishna and probable date of the Mahabharata war. Prominent among these were Yaganavalkya, Uddalaka, Aruni, Shandilya, Aitareya, Pipplapada and Sanatkumara.
Today there are estimated 200-250 Upanishads, some well known and some least known. The Bhagvat Gita is also known as an Upanishads because it contains the essence of many of the Upanishads. I have listed 108 Upanishads as per the list contained in the Muktiupainshad. I have arrange them in four categories according to a particular Veda, to which each of them belong. Out of 108, Upanishads only 10 have been commented upon by several archarayas like Adi Shankaracharya. These are Ishavasya, Kena, Katha, Aithreya, Brihadaranyaka, Prashna, Mandukya, Taittireya, Chandogya and Mundaka. These have been popularized by Swami Vivekananda and others. They all deal with highest degree of philosophy and metaphysics. There are Upanishads which even tells us how to worship a particular god. But majority of them deal with methods of Yoga and Renunciation (Sanyasa).
Basically Upanishads have been written thousands of years back. Some say 4000 BC or so on forth. In western world also many scholars, writers have examined and studied Upanishads and have accepted the level of wisdom, spirituality and Moksha concept by great Hindu sages thousands of years ago. The first introduction of Upanishads to the western world was through a translation into Persian made in 17th century. More than a century late a known French scholar, Anquetill Duperron brought a copy of manuscript from Persia to France and translated it into French and Latin simple, universal.”
The first English translation was made by a learned Hindu, Raja Ram Mohan roy (1775-1833). Basically Upanishads contains the essence of Vedic teachings and have an universal approach. Study of Upanishads gives us insight into the extra ordinary religious thoughts given by great sages.
(The author is Superintendent of Police S K Police Academy Udhampur)
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