UPANISHAD:
literally "to sit near" or "near sitting." The term can
mean secret; a MYSTICAL doctrine or teaching; or, most commonly, a collection of texts
which since the eighth century B.C. have been known as "the last of the VEDAS."
The content and doctrine of the Upanishads vary considerably from treaties which
promote ATHEISM to devotional THEISM thus representing a wide spectrum of philosophical
schools and outlooks. The thirteen classical Upanishads were composed between the
eighth and fourth centuries B.C. but many later works also use the name some of which are
dated as late as the fifteenth century.
