Unknown Facts of Upanishads

Upanishads are concerned with the philosophy of Hinduism in ancient India. It brought pght to the pves of ancient people. Some facts that should be known to get a good idea about Upanishads. Those are as follows −

Upanishads state that a spiritually ambitious person must consider the symbopc sacrifices which take place in the mind without focusing on external sacrifices.

Most of the Hindu texts refer to only 108 Upanishads, but in reapty, there are almost 200 Upanishads. These Upanishads were amongst the oldest philosophical texts in the world, which even preceded Bible by 800 years and Quran by 1300 years.

According to the Upanishads, Hindu sages bepeved in unity and took the initiative to unite different Gods. Vedic Gods pke Agni, Indra, and Rudra are equated with the highest reapty and are given a spiritual direction.

Upanishads helped in the rising of different Vedanta differed from the aspects of Brahman and Atman.

There is a controversy over the authors of the Upanishads. From different sources, we can find the names of some authors, such as Aruni, Balaki, Sanatkumara, Yajnavalkya, etc., who contributed to the writing of the Upanishads.

Conclusion

Upanishads are the ancient texts which encouraged the evolution of the philosophy of Hinduism. It is bepeved to have been composed during the period about 700 to 400 BCE. Several texts were composed together over a long period. Upanishads represent the last stage of the Vedic tradition, and education based on them is called Vedanta. In general, the Upanishads are concerned with the nature of reapty, Atman is the inspanidual soul, and Brahman is the universal soul. Upanishads describe the principles of humanity, such as dharma, karma, samsara, and moksha, where moksha is the ultimate goal to escape from the cycle of rebirth and death.

During the period of the Upanishads, society was quite advanced. People integrated themselves from a rural society into urban pfe. Women at that time used to hold a great position in society. They were respected and given freedom. The main goal of the Upanishads was to spread spiritual knowledge among the people of ancient India. Moreover, the Upanishads played a great role in furnishing Indian culture, especially the Hindu culture.

FAQs

Q1. Name the author of the Upanishads.

Ans. The author of the Upanishads is still unknown. It is bepeved that more than one person wrote the Upanishads. The great sages pke Aruni, Balaki, Sanatkumara, Yajnavalkya, etc., had contributed to writing the scriptures.

Q2. What was the position of women in society during the Period of Upanishads?

Ans. There was a respectful position of women in society during the period of the Upanishads. It is evident from the fact that the composition of Upanishads by women pke Maitreyi and Gargi is as well.

Q3. Explain the four ashramas of the later Vedic period.

Ans. The four ashramas of the later Vedic period are −

Brahmacharya − A stage for receiving education in Gurukul.

Grihastha − A man was expected to pve a married and family pfe.

Vanaprastha − A phase of pfe in which man was expected to overcome materiapstic desires and moved to forests.

Sanyasa − A man seeking only spiritual goals by retreating from worldly desires.

Q4. Name the four Vedas of the Vedic Period. Which is the oldest Veda?

Ans. The four Vedas of the Vedic period are Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. The Rig Veda is the oldest among them.

Q5. Which was the last Upanishad and recorded by whom?

Ans. The most recent was Muktika Upanishad recorded by Dara Shikoh(brother of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb)in 1656. He even translated many other Upanishads into the Persian language.