Composition of the Upanishads

Name: Composition of the Upanishads
Start: -800
End: -500

Type Event Region India Time c. -800–-500

Between roughly 800 and 500 BCE, Brahmin scholars on the Indian subcontinent composed the Upanishads within the late Vedic tradition, transcending ri…

Timeline

c. -800–-650Ganges Plain · IndiaEarly texts such as the Chandogya Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explore in dialogue form the relationship between Brahman and Atman, marking a shift in Vedic literature from sacrificial ritual to philosophical speculation.
c. -650–-500Brahmin schools of northern India · IndiaMore Upanishads were composed over time, systematically expounding the concepts of karma, samsara, and moksha, providing intellectual sources for Samkhya, Yoga, and the six orthodox schools of later philosophy.

Sources

The Principal Upanishads — Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1953)
A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 — Surendranath Dasgupta (1922)