A) Nature and significance of the Upanishads

Origin and background

• Final section of the Vedas, composed in Sanskrit
• 13 major Upanishads- often considered the beginning of philosophy in India
• Root meaning is 'to sit at the feet of' (describes relationship between guru and chela)
• Contains dialogues between teachers and students
• They are esoteric texts that attempt to reach jnana (experiential, not intellectual knowledge)

Teachings of the gurus

• The main concern of the Upanishads is the nature of Brahman and atman
• In the Upanishads, the word Brahman 'has developed to mean the sacred power'
• The main teachings of 'atman' in the upanishads are that it is; the essence of all living beings, permanent and unchanging, one with Brahman and the ultimate reality
• 'About this self (atman), one can only say "not, not" (neti, neti)'- Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
• Many images relating to the nature of Brahman in the Katha and Chandogya Upanishad

Achievement of…