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Upanishad means the inner or mystic teaching. The
term Upanishad is derived from upa (near), ni
(down) and s(h)ad (to sit), i.e.. sitting down
near. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to
learn from him the secret doctrine. In the
quietude of the forest hermitages the Upanishad thinkers
pondered on the problems of deepest concerns and
communicated their knowledge to fit pupils near
them. Samkara derives the word Upanishad as a
substitute from the root sad, 'to loosen'. 'To
reach' or 'to destroy' with Upa and ni as prefixes amd
kvip as termination. If this determination os accepted,
Upanishad means brahma-knowledge by which ignorance is
loosened or destroyed. The treatises that
Vedanta. The different derivations together make
out that the Upanishads give us bothe spiritual vision
and philosophical argument. There is a core of
certainty which is essentially incommunicable except by
a way of life. It is by a strictly personal effort
that one can reach the truth.
The
Upanishads more clearly set forth the prime Vedic
doctrines like Self-realization, yoga and meditation,
karma and reincarnation, which were hidden or kept
veiled under the symbols of the older mystery
religion. The older Upanishads are usually affised
to a particularly Veda,through a Brahmana or Aranyaka.
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