Upanishad

Upa·ni·shad

noun \ü-ˈpä-ni-ˌshäd, yü-ˈpa-nə-ˌshad\

Definition of UPANISHAD

: one of a class of Vedic treatises dealing with broad philosophic problems

— Upa·ni·shad·ic \(ˌ)ü-ˌpä-ni-ˈshä-dik, (ˌ)yü-ˌpa-nə-ˈsha-dik\ adjective

Origin of UPANISHAD

Sanskrit upaniṣad

First Known Use: 1805

Rhymes with UPANISHAD

Ahmadabad, Allahabad, bromeliad, gesneriad, hamadryad, jeremiad, Kaliningrad, Kirovograd, microfarad, olympiad, seminomad

Upanishad

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of 108 speculative texts of the Vedas that contain elaborations in poetry and verse. They are believed to have been composed since 500 BC, based on teachings circulated since 1000 BC. They represent the final stage in the tradition of the Vedas, and the teaching based on them is called Vedanta. Generally the Upanishads are concerned with the nature of reality, the individual soul (atman), and the universal soul (Brahman) and with the theory of the transmigration of souls and the nature of morality.