Muktikā (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
: मुक्तिका) refers to the
Telugu-language anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...
of a canon of 108
Upaniṣhads.
The date of composition of each is unknown, with the oldest probably from about 800 BCE. The
Principal Upanishads
Principal Upanishads, also known as Mukhya Upanishads, are the most ancient and widely studied Upanishads of Hinduism. Composed between 800 BCE to the start of common era, these texts are connected to the Vedic tradition.
Content
The Principal ...
were composed in the 1st millennium BCE, most Yoga Upanishads composed probably from the 100 BCE to 300 CE period, and seven of the Sannyasa Upanishads composed before the 3rd century CE.
Muktikā refers to the collection of 108 Upanishads available in printed form since 1883 CE in the Telugu language.
The canon is part of a dialogue between
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
and
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
dealing with the inquiry into in the Muktikā Upanishad (108 in the list). The other collections of Upanishads include ''Oupanekhat'', a Persian language anthology of 50 Upanishads; the Colebrooke Collection of 52 Upanishads, and the 52 Upanishad Collection of Nārāyana.
The canon
The canon is part of a dialogue between Lord
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
and
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
. Rama proposes to teach
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, ...
, saying "Even by reading one verse of them
ny Upanishadwith devotion, one gets the status of union with me, which is hard to get even by sages." Hanuman inquires about the different kinds of "liberation" (or ''mukti'', hence the name of the Upanishad), to which Lord Rama answers, "The only real type
f liberationis
Kaivalya."
The list of 108 Upanishads is introduced in verses 26-29:
Most scholars list ten upanishads as principal, or the
Mukhya Upanishads
Principal Upanishads, also known as Mukhya Upanishads, are the most ancient and widely studied Upanishads of Hinduism. Composed between 800 BCE to the start of common era, these texts are connected to the Vedic tradition.
Content
The Principal ...
, while some consider eleven, twelve or thirteen as principal, or the most important Upanishads (highlighted).
[Stephen Phillips (2009), Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia University Press, , pages 28-29][Peter Heehs (2002), Indian Religions, New York University Press, , pages 60-88]
The list of 108 names is given in verses 30–39. They are as follows:
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Isha Upanishad
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Kena Upanishad
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Katha Upanishad
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Prashna Upanishad
The Prashnopanishad ( sa, प्रश्नोपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text, embedded inside Atharva Veda, ascribed to ''Pippalada'' sakha of Vedic scholars. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 4 i ...
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Mundaka Upanishad
The Mundaka Upanishad ( sa, मुण्डक-उपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit Vedic text, embedded inside Atharva Veda. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads of ...
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Mandukya Upanishad
The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad ( sa, माण्डूक्य उपनिषद्, ) is the shortest of all the Upanishads, and is assigned to Atharvaveda. It is listed as number 6 in the Muktikā canon of 108 Upanishads.
It is in prose, c ...
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Taittiriya Upanishad
The Taittirīya Upanishad ( Devanagari: तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद्) is a Vedic era Sanskrit text, embedded as three chapters (''adhyāya'') of the Yajurveda. It is a '' mukhya'' (primary, principal) Upanishad, and lik ...
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Aitareya Upanishad
The Aitareya Upanishad (Sanskrit: ऐतरेय उपनिषद् IAST ') is a Mukhya Upanishad, associated with the Rigveda. It comprises the fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the second book of Aitareya Aranyaka, which is one of the ...
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Chandogya Upanishad
The ''Chandogya Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: , IAST: ''Chāndogyopaniṣad'') is a Sanskrit text embedded in the Chandogya Brahmana of the Sama Veda of Hinduism.Patrick Olivelle (2014), ''The Early Upanishads'', Oxford University Press; , pp. 166- ...
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'' ( sa, बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्, ) is one of the Principal Upanishads and one of the first Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism. A key scripture to various schools of Hinduism, the '' ...
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Brahma Upanishad
''Brahma Upanishad'' ( sa, ब्रह्मोपनिषत्) is an ancient Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the 32 Upanishads attached to the Krishna Yajurveda, and classified as one of the 19 Sannyas ...
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Kaivalya Upanishad
The ''Kaivalya Upanishad'' ( sa, कैवल्य उपनिषत्) is an ancient Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is classified as a Shaiva Upanishad, and survives into modern times in two versions, one atta ...
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Jabala Upanishad
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Shvetashvatara Upanishad
The ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' ( sa, श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् or or , IAST: ' or ') is an ancient Sanskrit text embedded in the Yajurveda. It is listed as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Up ...
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Hamsopanishad
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Aruneya Upanishad
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Garbhopanishad
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Narayanopanishad
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Paramahamsopanishad
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Amritabindu Upanishad
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Amritanada Upanishad
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Atharvashiras Upanishad
The ''Atharvashiras Upanishad'' () is a Sanskrit text that is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the 31 Upanishads associated with the Atharvaveda. It is classified as a Shaiva Upanishad focussed on god Rudra.
The Upanishad i ...
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Atharvashikha Upanishad
The Atharvashikha Upanishad (IAST: ) is a Sanskrit text that is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the 31 Upanishads associated with the Atharvaveda. It is classified as a Shaiva Upanishad, focussing on the destroyer god, Shiva. ...
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Maitrayaniya Upanishad
The ''Maitrayaniya Upanishad'' ( sa, मैत्रायणीय उपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text that is embedded inside the Yajurveda.Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages ...
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Kaushitaki Upanishad
The ''Kaushitaki Upanishad'' ( sa, कौषीतकि उपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text contained inside the Rigveda. It is associated with the ''Kaushitaki'' shakha, but a Sāmānya Upanishad, meaning that it is "common" ...
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Brihajjabala Upanishad
The ''Brihajjabala Upanishad'' ( sa, बृहज्जाबाल उपिनषद, ) is one of the minor Upanishads, written in Sanskrit language. This Hindu text is attached to the ''Atharvaveda'', and is one of 14 Shaiva Upanishads.
...
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Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad
The ''Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad'' (नृसिंह तापनीय उपनिषद्) is a minor Upanishadic text written in Sanskrit. It is one of the 31 Upanishads attached the Atharvaveda, and classified as one of the Vaishnava Upa ...
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Kalagni Rudra Upanishad
The ''Kalagni Rudra Upanishad'' ( sa, कालाग्निरुद्र - उपनिषत्), is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism, written in the Sanskrit language. It is attached to the Krishna Yajurveda. It is one of 14 Shaiv ...
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Maitreya Upanishad
The Maitreya Upanishad (Sanskrit: मैत्रेय उपनिषत्, IAST: Maitreya Upaniṣad) is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit, it is one of the 16 Upanishads that belongs to the Samaveda, is classif ...
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Subala Upanishad
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Kshurika Upanishad
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Mantrika Upanishad
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Sarvasara Upanishad
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Niralamba Upanishad
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Shukarahasya Upanishad
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Vajrasuchi Upanishad
The ''Vajrasuchi Upanishad'' ( sa, वज्रसूची उपनिषत्, IAST: Vajrasūcī Upaniṣad) is an important Sanskrit text and an Upanishad of Hinduism. It is classified as one of the 22 Samanya (general) Upanishads, and ide ...
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Tejobindu Upanishad
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Nada Bindu Upanishad
The ''Nadabindu Upanishad'' ( Sanskrit: नादबिन्दु उपनिषत्, IAST: Nādabindu Upaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Ve ...
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Dhyanabindu Upanishad
The ''Dhyanabindu Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: ध्यानबिन्दू उपनिषत्, IAST: Dhyānabindu Upaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. It is one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Veda ...
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Brahmavidya Upanishad
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Yogatattva Upanishad
The '' Yogatattva Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: योगतत्त्व उपनिषत्, IAST: Yogatattva Upaniṣhad), also called as ''Yogatattvopanishad'' (योगतत्त्वोपनिषत्), is an important Upanishad withi ...
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Atmabodha Upanishad
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Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad
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Trishikhibrahmana Upanishad
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Sita Upanishad
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Yogachudamani Upanishad
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Nirvana Upanishad
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Mandala-brahmana Upanishad
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Dakshinamurti Upanishad
The ''Dakshinamurti Upanishad'' ( sa, दक्षिणामूर्ति उपनिषत्, IAST: Dakṣiṇāmūrti Upaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text and is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is attached to the Krishna Y ...
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Sharabha Upanishad
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Skanda Upanishad
''Skanda Upanishad'' or ''Skandopanishad'' ( sa, स्कंदोपनिषद्) is one of the 108 Upanishads of Hinduism, written in Sanskrit. It is classified as a Samanya (general) Upanishad and is associated with the ''Krishna Yajurv ...
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Mahanarayana Upanishad
The ''Mahanarayana Upanishad'' ( sa, महानारायण उपनिषद्, IAST: Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text, and is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. The text is classified as a Vaishnava Upa ...
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Advayataraka Upanishad
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Rama Rahasya Upanishad
The ''Rama Rahasya Upanishad'' (राम रहस्य उपनिषत्) is a minor Upanishadic text written in Sanskrit. It is one of the 31 Upanishads attached to the Atharvaveda, and classified as one of the 14 Vaishnava Upanishads.
...
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Rama tapaniya Upanishad
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Vasudeva Upanishad
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Mudgala Upanishad
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Shandilya Upanishad
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Paingala Upanishad
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Bhikshuka Upanishad
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Maha Upanishad
The ''Maha Upanishad'' ( sa, महा उपनिषद्, IAST: Mahā Upaniṣad) is a Sanskrit text and is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. The text is classified as a Samanya Upanishad.
The text exists in two versions, one attac ...
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Sariraka Upanishad
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Yogashikha Upanishad
The ''Yogashikha Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: योगशिखा उपनिषत्, IAST: Yogaśikhā Upaniṣad) is a Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Vedas.
Two versi ...
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Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad
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Brihat-Sannyasa Upanishad
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Paramahamsa Parivrajaka Upanishad
The ''Paramahamsa Parivrajaka Upanishad'' (IAST: sa, परमहम्स परिव्रजक उपनिस्हद्), is a medieval era Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. It is one of the 31 Upanishads attached to the A ...
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Malika Upanishad
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Avyakta Upanishad
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Ekakshara Upanishad
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Annapurna Upanishad
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Surya Upanishad
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Akshi Upanishad
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Adhyatma Upanishad
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Kundika Upanishad
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Savitri Upanishad
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Atma Upanishad
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Pashupatabrahma Upanishad
The ''Pashupatabrahma Upanishad'' (पाशुपतिब्रह्म उपनिषत्), also called ''Pasupathabrahmopanishad'', is a minor Upanishadic text written in Sanskrit.Vedic Literature, Volume 1, , Government of Tamil Nadu, ...
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Parabrahma Upanishad
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Avadhuta Upanishad
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Tripuratapini Upanishad
The ''Tripuratapini Upanishad'' ( sa, त्रिपुरातापिनी उपनिषद्, IAST: Tripurātāpinī Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is classified as one of th ...
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Devi Upanishad
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Tripura Upanishad
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Kathashruti Upanishad
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Bhavana Upanishad
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Rudrahridaya Upanishad
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Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad
The ''Yoga-kundalini Upanishad'' ( Sanskrit: योगकुण्डलिनी उपनिषत् IAST: ), also called Yogakundali Upanishad (Sanskrit: योगकुण्डल्युपनिषत्, IAST: Yogakuṇḍalī Upaniṣ ...
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Bhasma Upanishad
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Rudraksha Upanishad
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Ganapati Upanishad
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
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Darshana Upanishad
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Tarasara Upanishad
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Mahavakya Upanishad
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Pancabrahma Upanishad
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Pranagnihotra Upanishad
The ''Pranagnihotra Upanishad'' ( sa, प्राणाग्निहोत्र उपनिषत्, IAST:Pranagnihotra Upaniṣad) is a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. In the anthology of 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon, narrated by Rama ...
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Gopala Tapani Upanishad
The ''Gopala Tapani Upanishad'' () is a Sanskrit text, and one of the later Upanishads attached to the Atharvaveda. The Gopāla-Tāpanī is one of the four ''Tāpinī'' Upanishads (''Nṛsiṁha'', ''Rāma'', ''Tripurā,'' and ''Gopāla'').
This ...
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Krishna Upanishad
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Yajnavalkya Upanishad
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Varaha Upanishad
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Shatyayaniya Upanishad
The ''Shatyayaniya Upanishad'' ( sa, शाट्यायनीय उपनिषत्, IAST: Śāṭyāyanīya Upaniṣad) is a Sanskrit text, composed about the start of 13th-century, and is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. The text ...
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Hayagriva Upanishad
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Dattatreya Upanishad
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Garuda Upanishad
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Kali-Santarana Upanishad
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Jabali Upanishad
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Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad
The ''Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad'' (सौभाग्य लक्ष्मी उपनिषत्), also called ''Saubhagyalakshmyupanishad'' (सौभाग्यलक्ष्म्युपनिषत्), Saubhagya meaning ''auspicious' ...
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Sarasvati-rahasya Upanishad
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Bahvricha Upanishad
# Muktikā Upanishad (this text)
Transmission
Almost all printed editions of ancient Vedas and Upanishads depend on the late manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years, not on the still-extant and superior oral tradition.
[Quotation of "... almost all printed editions depend on the late manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years, not on the still extant and superior oral tradition" is from: Witzel, M., "Vedas and ", in: .] Michael Witzel
Michael Witzel (born July 18, 1943) is a German-American philologist, comparative mythologist and Indologist. Witzel is the Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University and the editor of the Harvard Oriental Series (volumes 50–80).
Witz ...
explains this oral tradition as follows:
Categories
In this canon,
*10 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only on ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*16 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Samaveda
The Samaveda (, from ' "song" and ' "knowledge"), is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and part of the scriptures of Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a liturgical text which consists of 1,875 verses. A ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*19 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Shukla Yajurveda
The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*32 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Krishna Yajurveda
The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*31 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Atharvaveda
The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
The first 13 are grouped as ''
mukhya'' ("principal"), and 21 are grouped as ''
Sāmānya Vedānta'' ("common
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, ...
"). The remainder are associated with five different schools or sects within
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, 20 with ''
Sannyāsa
''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...
'' (asceticism), 8 with ''
Shaktism
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...
'', 14 with ''
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...
'', 12 with ''
Shaivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
'' and 20 with
Yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
.
References
*Muktika Upanishad, Translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier, Published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai,
*
External links
Muktika Upanishad - Translated by: Dr. A. G. Krishna WarrierThe Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai
108 ''Upanishads'' of the ''Muktika''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muktika
Upanishads