Some problems of the Upaniṣads as a Śruti Literature

Summary

This paper addresses ambiguities in classifying the Upaniṣads as Śruti, the revealed corpus of Vedic literature. After surveying the traditional view that the Vedas, Brāhmaṇas, Āraṇyakas and Upaniṣads together constitute Śruti, the author points out that the term Upaniṣad itself carries multiple meanings: ‘secret’, ‘teaching’ and even ‘magical formula’. Some hymns and prose passages normally called Upaniṣads are actually parts of Brāhmaṇas or Āraṇyakas, and in certain contexts the term denotes political treatises. This fluidity blurs the boundaries between categories of Vedic texts and raises the question of whether all Upaniṣads qualify as revealed literature. The article discusses examples where Upaniṣadic material overlaps with ritual manuals, and it emphasises the lack of a clear principle separating Upaniṣads from Āraṇyakas. By examining early scholarship and modern interpretations, the author suggests that the exalted status of the Upaniṣads rests more on their philosophical depth than on strict textual criteria. The paper thus invites readers to reconsider the historical formation of Śruti literature and to appreciate the diversity within the Vedic canon.