The authoritative Upanishad books are those which reflect some aspects of the vedic thought and also are attached to one of the four Vedās namely Rigveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda and Atharvaveda.
We will clarify the sets of the so called ten major Upanishads, the thirteen Upanishads, the eighteen Upanishads, the one hundred and eight Upanishad and finally the collection, “Oupenkhat”, being the translation of fifty Upanishads into Persian. The Latin translation and the German translation of this Persian version introduced the Upanishads to the Westerners.
The earliest available commentary on the Upanishads is due to Sri Shankaracharya and he commented on the ten Upanishads some of whose phrases have been quoted in the famous ancient sūtra text of Bādarāyaņa. They are regarded as the ten major Upanishads named below:
1.Īşha
2.Kena
3.Kaţha
4.Prashna
5.Mundaka
6.Māndūkya
7.Aitereya
8.Taittirīya
9.Chhāndogya
10.ŗahadāraņyaka
The thirteen major Upanishads are made up of the above ten and Shvetāshvatara, Kauşhītaki and Maitrāyaņi. The latter three Upanishads are well known and should be regarded an important as the other ten.
In 1958, V.P. Limaye and R.D. Vadekar published the original texts of eighteen Upanishads. They used several available manuscripts. It was published by the Vaidic Samshodhan Mandala. It contained the above thirteen Upanishads and five more given below:
Bāşhkalamantra
Chhāgaleya
Ārşheya
Shaunaka
Jaiminīya
All of them are archaic and are easily recognized as belonging to an ancient period. It is stated in the text that the manuscripts of the first four Upanishads in the list was discovered recently (1958). The first one, Bāşhkhala mantra is associated with a recension of Rigveda named Bāşhkala which is now lost.
Kena Upanishad, which is one of the 10 major Upanishads is a part of the Jaiminīya Upanishad mentioned above.
In the Hindu tradition, 108 is a sacred number and there was a hunch that there could be a list of 108 Upanishads.
Muktika Upanishad gives the list of 108 Upanishads. It is given as the teaching of the Divine Incarnation Sri Rāma to his devotee Hanumān. It mentions the list in two places. In the first section (khānda) of adhyāya 1, verses 30 - 39, the 108 names are given in a metrical form. In the first adhyāya, second section (khānda), verses 1-5, is given the subsets of these Upanishads associated with the five Vedās namely Rigveda (10), Shukla Yajurveda (19), Krishna Yajurveda (32), Sāmaveda (16) and Atharvaveda (31).
The list of 108 Upanishads is quoted below. The text of Muktika Upanishad can be found in the book, “Sāmānya Vedānta Upanishads” published by Adyar Library, Adyar, Chennai. We omit the first ten major Upanishads quoted earlier.
11 Brahma
12 Kaivalya
13 Jābāla
14 Shvetāshvatara
15 Hamsa
16 Āruņika
17 Garbha
18 Nārāyaņa
19 Paramahamsa
20 Amŗtabindu
21 Amŗtanāda
22 Atharvashiras
23 Atharvashikā
24 Maitrāyani
25 Kauşhītaki
26 Bŗhajjābāla
27 Nŗsimhatāpanīya
28 Kālāgnirudra
29 Maitreya
30 Subālā
31 Kşhurikā
32 Mantrikā
33 Sarvasāra
34 Nirālamba
35 Sukarahasya
36 Vajrasūchi
37 Tejobindu
38 Nādabindu
39 Dhyānabindu
40 Brahmavidyā
41 Yogatattva
42 Ātmabodha
43 Nāradaparivrājaka
44 Trishikhibrāhmaņa
45 Sitā
46 Yogachūdāmaņi
47 Nirvāņa
48 Maņdalabrāhmaņa
49 Dakşhiņāmūrti
50 Sharabha
51 Skanda
52 Tripādvibhūti mahānarāyaņa
53 Advayatāraka
54 Rāmarahasya
55 Rāmatāpanīya
56 Vāsudeva
57 Mudgala
58 Shāņdilya
59 Paingala
60 Bhikşhuka
61 Mahā
62 Shārīraka
63 Yogashikhā
64 Turiyātītāvadhūta
65 Samnyāsa
66 Paramahamsa-parivrājaka
67 Akşhamālikā
68 Avyakta
69 Ekākşhara
70 Annapūrņā
71 Sūrya
72 Akşhi
73 Adhyātma
74 Kuņdikā
75 Sāvitrī
76 Ātma
77 Pāshupatabrahma
78 Parabrahma
79 Avadhūta
80 Tripuratāpinī
81 Devī
82 Tripurā
83 Kaţha(rudra)
84 Bhāvanā
85 Rudrahŗdaya
86 Yogakuņdalī
87 Bhasmajābāla
88 Rudrākşhajābāla
89 Gaņapati
90 Darshana
91 Tārasāra
92 Mahāvākya
93 Paňchabrahma
94 Prāņāgnihotra
95 Gopālatāpinī
96 Kŗşhņa
97 Yājňavalkya
98 Varāha
99 Sāţyāyana
100 Hayagrīva
101 Dattātreya
102 Garuda
103 Kalisamtaraņa
104 Jābāli
105 Soubhāgyalakşhmī
106 Sarasvatīrahasya
107 Bahvŗcha
108 Muktikā
In the early part of the nineteenth century, some of these were know only in their Persian- Latin-German translation. Deussen’s Book on Upanishads states that a complete text of the Upanishads was published in 1883 in Telugu script in Chennapuri (Madras or Chennai).
Later it was found out that a complete text of all these Upanishads was available along with a commentary by Sri Upanishad-Brahmayogin, whose real name is Sri Ramachandrendra, belonging to Sri Shankarāchārya Maţha in Kānchi in Tamil Nadu. The entire group is divided into six categories namely Sāmānya Vedānta, Yoga, Sannyāsa, Shiva, Vişhņu and Shakta.
All the Upanishads in the six categories are available as separate books with the original text, the commentary of Upanishad-Brahmayogin and the English translation of some of them published by Adyar Library and Research Centre. They can be obtained in India from their office in Adyar, Chennai-600020 and in U.S. from P.O. Box 270, Wheaton, IL, 60187, USA. The program of publishing these books was started in 1905.
Sāmānya Vedānta Upanishads (24)
Akşhi
Ātmabodha
Nirālamba
Maha
Vajrasūchika
Sūrya
Adhyātma
Ekākşhara
Paingala
Muktika
Sharīraka
Subāla
Annapūrņa
Kaushītakibrahmana
Prāņāgnihotra
Mudgala
Shukarahasya
Sāvitri
Ātma
Garbha
Mantrika
Maitrāyaņi
Sarvasāra
Skanda
Sannyāsa Upanishads (17)Avadhūta
Jābāla
Nirvāņa
Bhikşhuka
Samnyāsa
Āruņi
Turīyātīta
Paramahamsaparivrājaka
Maitreya
Kaţharudra
Naradaparivrājaka
Paramahamsa
Yajňavalkya
Kundika
Parabrahma
Brahma
Şhāţyāyanīya
Shākta Upanishads (8)Tripuratāpini
Saubhagya
Devi
Tripura
Lakşhmi
Sitā
Sarasvati
Bhāvana
Rahasya
Bahvŗcha
Vaishnava Upanishad (14)Avyakta
Gopālatāpinī
Nārāyaņa
Rāmatāpinī
Kalisantaraņa
Tārasāra
Nŗsimhatāpinī
Hayagrīva
Kŗşhna
Tripadvibhutimahānarāyaņa
Rāmarahasya
Garuda
Dattātreya
Vāsudeva
Shaiva Upanishads (15)Akşhamālika
Kaivalya
Panchabrahma
Rudrākşhajābāla
Atharvashikha
Gaņapati
Bŗhajjaābāla
Sharabha
Atharvashira
Jābāla
Basmajābāla
Shvetāshvatara
Kālāgnirudra
Dakşhiņamūrti
Rudrahŗdaya
Yoga Upanishads (20)Advayatāraka
Amŗtanāda
Amŗtabindu
Kşhurika
Tejobindu
Trishikibrāhmaņa
Darshana
Dhyānabindu
Pāshupatabrahma
Nādabindu
Brahmavidya
Mandalabrāhmaņa
Mahāvākya
Yogakundali
Yogachūdāmaņi
Yogatattva
Yogashikha
Varāha
Shāndilya
Hamsa
To get the number 108, some of the Upanishads have been combined. For example consider the texts of Vişhņu Upanishads published by the Adyar Library. In that book, Gopāla Tāpinī is listed as two separate books namely Gopālapūrva Tāpini and Gopāla Uttara Tāpinī. Similarly Rāmatāpini U.
Oupnek'hat Collection and its Journey to West
This collection of Upanishads was the first to be translated into a non-Indian language namely Persian. This translation was made at Delhi (1656-1657) by Pandits who had been brought together for that purpose by Prince Dārā Shukoh, son of the Mogul Emperor, Shah Jehan. This Persian translation was translated into Latin by Anquetil Duperron and published in 2 volumes of pages 735 and 916 in 1801-1802. Franz Mischel translated this into German in 1882.
It is believed that such a collection was already existent and the translators did not create the order of the Upanishads in the list.
We give below the listing of the fifty Upanishads given in the Deussen book translated by Bedekar and Palsule.
1 Tschehandouk (Chāndogya)
2 Brehdarang (Bŗhadāraņyaka)
3 Mitri (Maitrāyaņīya)
4 Mandata (Mundaka)
5 Ischavasich (Īsha)
6 Sarb (Sarvopanishad)
7 Narain (Nārāyaņa)
8 Tadiw (tadeva=Vāj. Samh. 32, 1-2)
9 Athrbsar (Atharvashiras)
10 Hensnad (Hamsanāda)
11 Sarbsar (Sarvasāra = Aitareya āraņyaka chap. 2. including the Aitareya-Upanishad)
12 Kok'henk (Kauşhītaki)
13 Sataster (Shvetāshvatara)
14 Porsch (Prashna)
15 Dehian band (Dhyānabindu)
16 Maha oupanekhat (Mahā)
17 Ātma pra boudeh (Ātmaprabodha)
18 Kioul (Kaivalya)
19 Schat roundri (Satarudrīyam=Vaj. Samh. abridged as Nīlarudra Up.)
20 Djoj sank'ha (Yogashikhā)
21 Djogtat (Yogatattva)
22 Shiv sanklap (Shiva samkalpa=Vāj. Samh. 34. 1-6)
23 Abrat sak'ha (Ahtarvashikhā)
24 Atma (Ātma)
25 Brahm badia (Brahmavidyā)
26 Anbrat bandeh (amŗtabindu, more correctly Brahmabindu)
27 Tidj bandeh (Tejobindu)
28 Karbheh (Garbha)
29 Djabal (Jābāla)
30 Maha narain (Mahānārāyaņa)
31 Mandouk (Māņdukya)
32 Pank (Paingaļa)
33 Tschchourka (Kāhurikā)
34 Pram hens (Paramahamsa)
35 Arank (Āruņika)
36 Kin (Kena)
37 Kiouni (Kāţhaka)
38 Anandbli (Ānandavalli=Taitt.2)
39 Bharkbli (Bhŗguvalli=Taitt. 3)
40 Bark'he soukt (Purushasūktam=Rigveda 10.90 besides Uttaranārāyaņam, Vājasaneyi Samhita 31)
41 Djounka (Kūlikā)
42 Mrat lankoul (Mŗtyu-lāngala)
43 Anbratnad (Amŗtanāda, better known as amŗtabindu)
44 Baschkl (Vāşhkala)
45 Tschhakli (Chhāgaleya)
46 Tark (Tāraka=tārasāra 2, Telugu printed edition p.745 and Rāmottaratāpanīya 2)
47 Ark'hi (Ārşheya)
48 Pranou (Praņava)
49 Schavank (Shaunaka)
50 Nersing'heb atma (Nŗsimha)
The interesting feature here is that Taittirīya 1 is missing, but Taittirīya 2 and 3 are regarded as two separate Upanishads.
This collection includes four pieces or passages from the Vājasaneyi Samhita, chapters 16, 31, 32, 34 (Nos. 19, 40, 8, 22) of which the Shatarudrīyam (Vaj. Samh. 16) appears among other collections of the Atharva-Upanishads, in an abridged form as Nīlarudra-Upanishad, while the three remaining have not been included, as far as our knowledge goes, in any collection, presumably because they were regarded as being well-known passages in the Vājasaneyi. Samhita.
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