Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Sanskrit: बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्, romanized: bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad) is one of the Principal Upanishads and one of the first Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism. A key scripture to various schools of Hinduism, the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad is tenth in the Muktikā or "canon of 108 Upanishads".
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad manuscript page (verses 1.3.1 to 1.3.4) | |
| IAST | Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad |
| Date | pre-Buddhist, ~9th to 6th century BCE |
| Author(s) | Yajnavalkya |
| Type | Mukhya Upanishads |
| Linked Veda | Shukla Yajurveda |
| Linked Brahmana | part of Shatapatha Brahmana |
| Linked Aranyaka | Brihad Aranyaka |
| Chapters | Six |
| Philosophy | Ātman, Brahman |
| Commented by | Adi Shankara, Madhvacharya |
| Popular verse | "Aham Brahmasmi" |
| Part of a series on |
| Hindu scriptures and texts |
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The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is estimated to have been composed about 7th–6th century BCE, excluding some parts estimated to have been composed after the Chandogya Upanishad. The Sanskrit language text is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana, which is itself a part of the Shukla Yajur Veda.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is a treatise on Ātman (Self), includes passages on metaphysics, ethics, and a yearning for knowledge that influenced various Indian religions, ancient and medieval scholars, and attracted secondary works such as those by Adi Shankara and Madhvacharya.