Outlines of Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Paul Deussen
Publisher: Crest Publishing House

Page 27

SECOND PERIOD * PHILOSOPHY OF THE UPANISHADS
The Upanishads of the Veda
10. If we compare the Veda and the Bible we may say that the Old Testament is represented in the Veda by all the hymns and Brâhmana texts, which serve the purpose of ritual worship. But, and the Old Testament is superseded by the New, so in the Veda all ritual performances with their rewards are declared insufficient and replaced by a higher view of things in those wonderful texts which, forming as a rule the concluding chapters of each Veda, are called Vedânta (end of the Veda) or Upanishads (confidential sitting, secret doctrine). The four Vedas produced different branches or schools, each of which as handed down the common content of the Vedas in a slightly different form . Thus every Vedic school had, besides the Samhita or collection of verses and formulas, a special Brâhmanam as its ritual text-book, and a longer or shorter Upanishad, which forms its dogmatic text-book. Therefore all the Upanishads treat of the same subject, the doctrine of Brahman or Âtman, and vary only in length and manner of treatment. There are about a dozen Upanishads of the three older Vedas and a great number of later treatises of the same name which are corporated in the Atharvaveda. Distinguished by its age, length, and intrinsic importance is, before all, the Brihadâranyaka-Upanishad, and next to it Chândogya- Upanishad.