The Best Upanishads Quotes

THE UPANISHADS
— Overview
— The Greatest Sayings
— Brahman
— Universal Prayer
KATHA UPANISHAD
— Importance of a Guru
— Brahman is Aum
— Nature of Atman
— Realizing Atman
KENA UPANISHAD
— True Goal of Life
ISHA UPANISHAD
— Ignorance
PRASNA UPANISHAD
— Power of Aum
AITAREYA UPANISHAD
— Brahman is Consciousness

MANDUKYA UPANISHAD
— Importance of Aum
Gaudapada Karika
— Understanding Maya
— Non-duality of Atman
— The Nature of Brahman
— Dreaming and Waking
— Reincarnation
— Soul is Immortal
MUNDAKA UPANISHAD
— The Higher Knowledge
— 'Aum is the Bow'
— How to Know Brahman?
SVETASVATARA UPANISHAD
— Practice of Yoga
— Manifestations of Brahman

TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD
— Invocation
— The Knower of Brahman
— Brahman is Bliss (Ananda)
CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD
— Gayatri Mantra
— Everything is a Name
— Brahman is Being (Sat)
BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD
— Prana
— That Thou Art
— Aspects of the Universe
— Self-Realization
— States of Consciousness
— Liberation

The Upanishads — Overview

The Upanishads are part of Vedanta or the last part of the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism created between 1500–1000 BCE.

hindu text Of the 108 Upanishads that have been preserved 12 are considered the principl Upanishads. The Upanishads most of all are the record of what the sages and seers perceived in thought and visions and are not an organized systems of philosophy. They have elucidated the most important questions of human existence: the origin of the universe, purpose of life, God's nature and qualities, karma, rebirth, maya, afterlife and immortality.

guru

Term Upanishad derives from upa- ('nearby'), ni- ('at the proper place, down') and sad ('to sit') and it means: "sitting down near"), or sitting near a teacher to receive the sacred teachings.

Vedas (vid - 'to know' indicates 'knowledge' of the eternal truth) .

Vedanta (anta 'the end' or 'last portion') the essence or culmination of all the knowledge within the Vedas.

One of the most important verses of the Rig Veda (1.164.46) is “Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti” - "The Reality (Truth) is one: the wise call It by various names." All true religions describe the same God but just different paths to find him.

Other important concepts:

Brahman - (brih - 'to grow, to expand' also 'the greatest') the universal Spirit; the ultimate Reality, Pure Consciousness; God the formless; the One existence; the Absolute.

Brahma - Hindu god (deva) of creation (one of the Trimurti ('three forms', Trinity), the others being Vishnu (Preserver) and Shiva (Destroyer)).

The Greatest Sayings of the Upanishads (Mahavakyas)

"That thou art." ("You are the Supreme.") Sanskrit: Tat Tvam Asi. (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7)

"The Self (the Soul) is Brahman." Sanskrit: ayam atma brahma. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5)

"I am Brahman." Sanskrit: aham brahmasmi. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10)

Brahman is Ever-Present, Ever-Conscious, Ever-Blissful

The Vedanta often describes Brahman as Sat-Chit-Ananda. Sat (Existence, Reality, or Being), Chit (Consciousness, or Knowledge), and Ananda (Bliss). Existence, Consciousness and Bliss are not attributes of Brahman but Brahman Itself.

"Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda (ever-present, ever-conscious, ever-blissful)."

SAT (Existence) —

"In the beginning, my dear, this [universe] was Being (Sat) alone, one only without a second." (Chandogya Upanishad 6.2.1 also Aitareya Upanishad 1.1.1)

"All this that we see in the world is Brahman." Sanskrit: sarvam khalv idam brahma. (Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1)

"Brahman is Reality, Knowledge, and Infinity." (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.3)

CHIT (Consciousness) —

"Brahman is Consciousness." Sanskrit: prajnanam brahma. (Aitareya Upanishad 3.1.3)

ANANADA (Bliss) —

"Brahman is bliss (ananda)." (Taittiriya Upanishad 3.6.1)

Universal Prayer for Enlightenment

Aum.
Lead me from unreal to real;
lead me from darkness to light;
lead me from death to immortality.
Aum... peace, peace, peace.

Sanskrit version:
Aum.
Asato ma sad-gamaya;
tamaso ma jyotir-gamaya;
mrtyor-ma amrutam gamaya.
Aum... shanti, shanti shanti.
— Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28

* The excerpts from the Upanishads translated by Swami Nikhilananda.