Definitions for upanishaduˈpæn ɪˌʃæd, uˈpɑ nɪˌʃɑd

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word upanishad

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Upanishad(noun)

    a later sacred text of Hinduism of a mystical nature dealing with metaphysical questions

    "the Vedanta philosophy developed from the pantheistic views of the Upanishads"


  1. Upanishad(ProperNoun)

    An authorless Hindu religious and philosophical text considered to be an early source of the religion, found mostly as the concluding part of the Brahmanas and in the Aranyakas.


  1. Upanishads

    The Upanishads are a collection of texts which contain some of the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism, some of which are shared with Buddhism and Jainism. The Upanishads are considered by Hindus to contain utterances concerning the nature of ultimate reality and describing the character of and path to human salvation. The Upanishads are commonly referred to as Vedānta, variously interpreted to mean either the "last chapters, parts of the Veda" or "the object, the highest purpose of the Veda". The concepts of Brahman and Ātman are central ideas in all the Upanishads, and "Know your Ātman" their thematic focus. The Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought and its diverse traditions. Of the Vedic corpus, they alone are widely known, and the central ideas of the Upanishads are at the spiritual core of Hindus. More than 200 Upanishads are known, of which the first dozen or so are the oldest and most important and are referred to as the principal or main Upanishads. The mukhya Upanishads are found mostly in the concluding part of the Brahmanas and Aranyakas and were, for centuries, memorized by each generation and passed down verbally.


Find a translation for the upanishad definition in other languages:

Select another language:

Discuss these upanishad definitions with the community:

Word of the Day


Please enter your email address:     


Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:


"upanishad." STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 4 Sep. 2015. <>.

Are we missing a good definition for upanishad? Don't keep it to yourself...

Nearby & related entries:

Alternative searches for upanishad:

Thanks for your vote! We truly appreciate your support.