Upanishads Teachers, Students and Questions
The Upanishads follow a standard pattern. They have a teacher, a student, and the student’s questions. We will explore the Upanishads, teachers, students, and questions for the most important Upanishads.
The Vedas are broken into four parts. Samhitas are the collection of mantras or hymns. Brahmanas explain how to use the mantras in rituals. Aranyakas delve upon the meaning of the mantras and rituals. Finally, the last part, the Upanishads focus on contemplation of the philosophy behind the scriptures. The last part is the “Vedangas” or the Upanishads.
Upanishads form the core of Hindu philosophy. Etymologically, the Sanskrit term breaks down into “u” (at), “pa” (foot), and “nishat” (sitting down). Literally translating to a student sitting down near the teacher while receiving spiritual knowledge.
All Upanishads have the following format – A student goes to a teacher seeking answers to a question. The teacher’s response and dialogue with the student is the content of the Upanishads.
The table below shows the Upanishads, teachers, students, and questions. The Upanishads considered are Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya. and Brahadaranyaka. These ten Upanishads are the most important because Sri Adi Sankara wrote commentaries on each of them. The general purport of the questions is to understand the nature of the Universe, understand the nature of the self, and understand the relationship between the Universe and the self.
Advaitic Vendata focuses heavily on understanding the relationship between the Universe and the self.
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