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Samanya Upanishads or Samanya Vedanta Upanishads are minor Upanishads of Hinduism that are of a generic nature. They were composed later and are classified separate from the thirteen major Principal Upanishads considered to be more ancient and connected to the Vedic tradition.[1]

The Samanya Upanishad as group contrast with other minor Upanishads grouped as the Yoga Upanishads which are related to Yoga, the Sannyasa Upanishads which are related to Hindu renunciation and monastic practice, the Shaiva Upanishads which are related to Shaivism, the Vaishnava Upanishads which are related to Vaishnavism, and the Shakta Upanishads which are related to Shaktism.[1][2]

The Samanya Vedanta Upanishads are variously classified, ranging from a list of 21 to 24.[3][4] The variation in count is based on whether some of the older Principal Upanishads are included as Samanya. Some include three ancient Upanishads as Samanya Upanishads bringing the list to 24: 14. Shvetashvatara Upanishad; 24. Maitrayaniya Upanishad; and 25. Kaushitaki Upanishad. If these three are included as Samanya Upanishads, the list of Principal Upanishads shrinks to ten. Many scholars, however, consider the Principal Upanishads to be thirteen.[5][6][7]

Nomenclature

The term samanya literally means "generic, universal".[8]

Date

The Principal Upanishads are dated to be between eighth and first century BCE, the estimates for the minor Upanishads vary. According to Mahony, the minor Upanishads are approximately dated to be from about 100 BC to 1100 AD.[9]

List of 21 Samanya Upanishads

List of the Samanya Vedanta Upanishads
Title Muktika serial # Attached Veda Period of creation
Garbha Upanishad 17 Krishna Yajurveda
Subala Upanishad 30 Shukla Yajurveda 2nd millennium CE
Mantrika Upanishad 32 Shukla Yajurveda 1st millennium BCE
Sarvasara Upanishad 33 Atharvaveda also Krishna Yajurveda 1st millennium BCE
Niralamba Upanishad 34 Shukla Yajurveda Late medieval text
Shukarahasya Upanishad 35 Krishna Yajurveda
Vajrasuchi Upanishad 36 Samaveda Likely in the 8th-century
Atmabodha Upanishad 42 Rigveda
Skanda Upanishad 51 Krishna Yajurveda
Mudgala Upanishad 57 Rigveda Post-Vedic
Paingala Upanishad 59 Atharvaveda, and Shukla Yajurveda Early medieval era
Maha Upanishad 61 Samaveda also in Atharvaveda
Sariraka Upanishad 62 Krishna Yajurveda
Ekakshara Upanishad 69 Krishna Yajurveda
Surya Upanishad 71 Atharvaveda
Akshi Upanishad 72 Krishna Yajurveda
Adhyatma Upanishad 73 Shukla Yajurveda
Savitri Upanishad 75 Samaveda
Atma Upanishad 76 Atharvaveda
Pranagnihotra Upanishad 94 Atharva Veda
Muktika Upanishad 108 All four Vedas

List of 24 Samanya Upanishads

The list of Samanya Upanishad varies by the scholar. For example, Brahmayogin's list of 24 included Annapurna Upanishad, Maitri Upanishad and Kaushitaki Upanishad as Samanya Upanishads.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b William K. Mahony (1998). The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination. State University of New York Press. p. 271. ISBN 978-0-7914-3579-3.
  2. ^ Moriz Winternitz; V. Srinivasa Sarma (1996). A History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 217–224 with footnotes. ISBN 978-81-208-0264-3.
  3. ^ Rabindranath Tagore (1941). The Visva-bharati Quarterly. p. 97.
  4. ^ Nair 2008.
  5. ^ Hume, Robert Ernest (1921), The Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Edward Fitzpatrick Crangle (1994). The Origin and Development of Early Indian Contemplative Practices. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 8, 12. ISBN 978-3-447-03479-1.
  7. ^ John G. Arapura (2012). Gnosis and the Question of Thought in Vedānta: Dialogue with the Foundations. Springer. p. 57. ISBN 978-94-009-4339-1.; Quote: "These are the Isha, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya and Svetasvatara. To this list is usually added the Kaushitaki and Maitrayaniya or Maitri) to make the thirteen principal Upanishads, a canon which has found favor with most scholars of the present day."
  8. ^ Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  9. ^ Mahony 1998, p. 290.
  10. ^ AL Sastri (1918). Report. Adyar Library.

Bibliography

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