The Upanishads (; Devanagari ) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most forms of Hinduism. The very edifice of Indian religions (Hinduism,Jainism,and Budhism) is built on the strong foundation of the Upanishads.
The Upanishads are mystic or spiritual interpretations on the Vedas, their putative end and essence, and thus known as Vedānta ("the end of the Vedas"). The Sanskrit term derives from upa- (near), ni- (down) and sad (to sit), i.e. referring to the "sitting down near" a spiritual teacher (guru) in order to receive instruction in the Guru-shishya tradition or parampara. The teachers and students appear in a variety of settings (husband answering questions about immortality, a teenage boy being taught by Yama, etc.). Sometimes the sages are women and at times the instructions (or rather inspiration) are sought by kings. Most disciples are men, but not always. A woman disciple, Gargi Vacaknavi, drove the eminent sage Yajnavalkya to fury with her persistent unanswerable questions. The Upanishads have been dated to around 4th century BC. The oldest upanishads, i.e. the brihadaranyaka and chandogya upanishad, have been dated much older around the vedic period.

| Vedas and Upanishads | |
| Next Video | |