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During the grhastha stage (householder), and for the purpose of performing sacrifice and ritual worship the Brāhmanas are utilized. During the next stages, vanprastha (forest dweller) and the sanyasa (stage of the renunciation) the study of Arnayaka (the forest teachings) is required. Aranyakas and Sanyasis have made the transition to a quiet life in the forest in order to seek the Ultimate truth through meditation and contemplation. Therefore these texts are known as Aranayaks and pertain to this stage of life. The Aranayakas—the forest treatises—evolved overtime and became developed into the form of the Upanishads. The Upanishads are the final treatises and also represent the crystallization of the metaphysical and spiritual thoughts of the Vedas. Therefore, the Upanishads considered to be the culmination of Vedic knowledge (Vedanta). It is said in the Chandogya Upanishad (chapter 6 and 7): Even with the study of the Vedas and its different sections, knowledge is incomplete without the study of the wisdom of the Upanishad.
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