upanishads contains some of the most profound wisdom of hindus. they carry the mystical teachings of knowing your true nature. if you are on the path of self-realization then you must go through these scriptures.
in old times disciples used to sit near the enlightened master and imbibe the spirit and wisdom of the guru. the master was only interested in the inner growth of the disciples and the disciples were only interested in knowing the supreme truth. there was total trust and openness between the master-disciple. in that loving atmosphere, the upanishads were born and passed from generation to generation as an oral teachings.
no one knows who has written them. as in old times, many authors didn’t choose to write their name on books. as truth is nobody monopoly and everyone will attain to it one day.
31 wisdom quotes from upanishads:
- that immortal brahman alone is before, that brahman is behind, that brahman is to the right and left. brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that supreme brahman alone. – mundaka upanishad
- this syllable Om is indeed brahman. this syllable is the highest. whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. – katha upanishad
- Om is the bow; the atman is the arrow; brahman is said to be the mark. it is to be struck by an undistracted mind. then the atman becomes one with brahman, as the arrow with the target. – mundaka upanishad
- the knowing self is not born; it does not die. it has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprung from it. birthless, eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed. – katha upanishad
- the wise man beholds all beings in the self and the self in all
beings; for that reason he does not hate anyone. – isa upanishad - it is indeed the mind that is the cause of men’s bondage and liberation. the mind that is attached to sense-objects leads to bondage, while dissociated from sense-objects it tends to lead to liberation. – amrita-bindu upanishad
- the self that is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great is seated in the heart of every creature. one who is free from desire sees the glory of the self through the tranquillity of the mind and senses and becomes absolved from grief. – katha upanishad
- this atman, resplendent and pure, whom the sinless sannyasins behold residing within the body, is attained by unceasing practice of truthfulness, austerity, right knowledge and continence. – mundaka upanishad
- to the seer, all things have verily become the self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness? – isa upanishad
- dissolve the self in the supreme self as the pot-space is dissolved in infinite space; then, as the infinite be silent for ever, o sage! – adhyatma upanishad
- knowing that great and all-pervading self by which one sees (the objects) both in the sleep and the waking states, the intelligent man grieves no more. – katha upanishad
- fools, dwelling in darkness, but wise in their own conceit and puffed up with vain scholarship, wander about, being afflicted by many ills, like blind men led by the blind. – mundaka upanishad
- liberated from the grip of egoism, like the moon (after the eclipse), full, ever blissful, self-luminous, one attains one’s essence. – adhyatma upanishad
- he who perceives all beings in the self alone, and the self in all beings, does not entertain any hatred on account of that perception. – isavasya upanishad
- that which is consciousness alone which is all-pervading, which is eternal, which is all-full, which is of the form of bliss and which is indestructible, is the only true brahman (infinite consciousness). – varaha upanishad
- whether the body perishes now or lasts the age of moon and stars, what matters it to me having consciousness alone as my body ? what matters it to the sky in the pot, whether it (the pot) is destroyed now or exists for a long time. – varaha upanishad
- bondage is the imagination prompted by the desire for the eight powers. – niralamba upanishad
- man is bound by ‘mine’, but he is released by ‘not mine’. he should abandon all the thoughts relating to externals and so also with references to internals. o ribhu, having given up all thoughts, you should rest content (in your soul) ever.” – varaha upanishad
- like the butter hidden in milk, the pure consciousness resides in every being. that ought to be constantly churned out by the churning rod of the mind. – amrita-bindu upanishad
- being first in a state of changelessness and then thoroughly forgetting (even) that state owing to the cognition of the (true) nature of brahman (infinite consciousness) – this is called samadhi. – tejo-bindu upanishad
- in order to realize the self, renounce everything. having cast off all (objects), assimilate yourself to that which remains. – annapurna upanishad
- when all longings that are in the heart vanish, then a mortal becomes immortal and attains brahman (infinite consciousness) here. – katha upanishad
- those who are clever in arguments about brahman, but are without the action pertaining to brahman (infinite consciousness) and who are greatly attached to the world – those certainly are born again and again (in this world) through their ajnana (ignorance). – tejo-bindu upanishad
- as rivers, flowing down, become indistinguishable on reaching the sea by giving up their names and forms, so also the illumined soul, having become freed from name and form, reaches the self-effulgent supreme self – mundaka upanishad.
- arise! awake! approach the great and learn. like the sharp edge of a razor is that path, so the wise say—hard to tread and difficult to cross. – katha upanishad
- that which cannot be expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed. that alone know as brahman and not that which people here worship. – kena upanishad
- that which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended. that alone know as brahman and not that which people here worship – kena upanishad
- that which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived. that alone know as brahman and not that which people here worship – kena upanishad
- that which cannot he heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived. that alone know as brahman and not that which people here worship. – kena upanishad
- children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: we have accomplished life’s purpose. because these performers of karma do not know the truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery— stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted. – mundaka upanishad
- as flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their names and forms, so a wise man, freed from name and form, attains the purusha, who is greater than the great. – mundaka upanishad