The Upanishads are diverse in character and outlook. They recognize intuition rather than reason as a path to ultimate truth. They also represent a strong reaction against the merely ritual and sacrificial duties on which stress had been laid earlier. The Upanishads are supposed to be 108 or more in number. Twelve of them are generally recognized as the principal units. The Isa Upanishad begins with the statement that whatever exists in this world is enveloped by the Supreme. It is by renunciation and absence of possessiveness that the soul is saved. In the Kena Upanshad, the Goddess Uma, Haimavati in the form of Supreme Knowledge expounds the doctrine of the Brahman or Supreme Entity. The Katha Upanishad embodies the aspiration of Naciketas, who declined his father’s offer of property and went into exile, making his way to the region of Yama, the God of Death. Naciketas, in his dialogue with Yama, declines all the worldly possessions and dignities offered by Yama and asserts that all enjoyments are transient and the boon he asks for is the secret of immortality. In This Upanishad occurs the famous saying 'The knowledge of the Supreme is not gained by argument but by the teaching of one who possesses intuition'
In the Mundaka Upanishad occurs the verse which is the germ of the Bhagavad-Gita. People who perform actions and are attached to the world are pursuing a futile path, and This Upanishad accordingly declares: 'Let the wise man, having examined the world and perceived the motives and the results of actions, realize that as from a blazing fire sparks proceed, living souls originate from the indestructible Brahman and return to Him. All doubts disappear and the attachment to work subsides when the Supreme Being is cognized.'
These basic doctrines are further expounded in the Taitiriya Upanishad, which contains This famous verse repeated in other Upanishads: ''May we both (teacher and disciple) be protected; may we both obtain sustenance; let both of us at the same time apply (our) energies (for the acquirement of knowledge); may our reading be illustrious; may there be no hatred (amongst us). Peace, peace, peace. In the more recent Svetasvatara Upanishad is found a summary of the main Upanishadic doctrines, and the idea of devotion to a personal God is also developed. The Chandogya Upanishad, one of the earliest, states that the main doctrines of the Upanishads were first expounded by the Kshatriyas and not by the Brahmins. Later, as is evident from the Kausitaki Upanishad, the Brahmins took up the intensive study of philosophy. The contrast which is often drawn between Brahmanism and Hinduism is therefore not based on a right appraisal of the facts.
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