Monday, February 24, 2014

Upanishads

With the last component of the Vedas, the mystically oriented and esoteric texts known as the Upanishads (traditionally and literally “sitting near a teacher” but more commonly understood as “connection” or “equivalence”),

Vedic ritualism and the doctrine of the interconnectedness of separate phenomena were superseded by a new emphasis on knowledge alone—primarily knowledge of the ultimate identity of all phenomena, which merely appeared to be separate.

The beginnings of philosophy and mysticism in Indian religious history occurred during the period of the compilation of the Upanishads, roughly between 700 and 500 bce. Historically, the most important of the Upanishads are the two oldest, the Brihadaranyaka (“Great Forest Text”; c. 10th–5th century bce) and the Chandogya (pertaining to the Chandogas, priests who intone hymns at sacrifices), both of which are compilations that record the traditions of sages (rishis) of the period—notably Yajnavalkya, who was a pioneer of new religious ideas.

Meaning of it --------is to get close --or go near ----to receive wisdom or knowledge etc
Upanishads are supporting texts to the main ''VEDA'S''----so that we can understand it very clearly.

Time of Composition

Historians and Indologists have put the date of composition of the Upanishads from around 800 - 400 B.C., though many of the verse versions may have been written much later. In fact, they were written over a very long period of time and do not represent a coherent body of information or one particular system of belief. However, there is a commonality of thought and approach.