Principal Upanishads
most ancient and widely studied Upanishads of Hinduism
The Principal Upanishads, also known as the Mukhya Upanishads, are the oldest and philosophically most influential texts of the larger Upanishad canon in Hinduism. The Upanishads consist of the concluding portion of the Vedas, referred to as Vedanta ("end of the Vedas"). There are hundreds of texts that claim the title Upanishad, however, classical scholarship prioritize a subset of ten (and sometimes thirteen) primary texts.
Commentaries (bhashyas) composed on the Principal Upanishads, along with the Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutra, are universally accepted to establish classical Indian philosophies. The Principal Upanishads are geared towards internal contemplation versus external rituals, which aid in the formulation of philosophies regarding the ultimate reality (Brahman), the self (atman), morality (karma), rebirth, and ultimate liberation (moksha).
Etymology and overview
The Upanishads are a vast collection of Sanskrit texts and consist of the concluding portions of the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of Hinduism. The Upanishads are also referred to as Vedanta, which translates to "the end of the Vedas." Over time, hundreds of texts claimed the title Upanishad, however, tradition dictates a small group of Principal Upanishads, or Mukhya Upanishads. These select Upanishads are consistently regarded as evolving from the Vedas and accepted across all major schools of Indian philosophy. The Principal Upanishads are separated into three categories: early prose, verse, and late prose.
The Sanskrit term mukhya translates to "principal" or "primary." This term distinguishes the selected Upanishads from the larger corpus of scriptures.
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