Upanishad

American  

[oo-pan-i-shad, oo-pah-ni-shahd] / uˈpæn ɪˌʃæd, uˈpɑ nɪˌʃɑd /

noun

Hinduism.

1. any of a class of speculative prose treatises composed between the 8th and 6th centuries b.c. and first written a.d. c1300: they represent a philosophical development beyond the Vedas, having as their principal message the unity of Brahman and Atman.

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Upanishad British  

/ juː-, -ˌʃæd, uːˈpʌnɪʃəd /

noun

1. Hinduism any of a class of the Sanskrit sacred books probably composed between 400 and 200 _bc and embodying the mystical and esoteric doctrines of ancient Hindu philosophy

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Other Word Forms

• Upanishadic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Upanishad

< Sanskrit upaniṣad, equivalent to upa near + ni- down + -ṣad, sandhi variant of sad- sit ¹

Example Sentences

"In the embrace of his beloved, a man forgets the whole world, everything both within and without," states the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2014

The thunder's single syllable that was interpreted differently by the gods, men and demons in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

From The Guardian • Jul. 30, 2012

He attended sessions for six years and never spoke a word, preferring instead to make drawings of his fellow legislators, which he published in the satirical “Sansad Upanishad: The Scriptures of Parliament.”

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2011

Like Ulysses or the Upanishad, Satanic Verses remains more read about than read.

From Time Magazine Archive

Those, on the other hand, who assume that the pradhâna constitutes a fourth subject discussed in the Upanishad, can point neither to a boon connected with it, nor to a question, nor to an answer.

From The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankaracarya Sacred Books of the East, Volume 1 by Thibaut, George