उपनिषद्

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ʊp.nɪ.ʂəd̪/, [ʊp.nɪ.ʃɐd̪]

Proper noun

उपनिषद् • (upniṣad) m or f

1. Alternative spelling of उपनिषद (upniṣad)

Declension

Declension of उपनिषद् (sg-only masc cons-stem // fem cons-stem)

	singular
direct	उपनिषद् upniṣad
oblique	उपनिषद् upniṣad
vocative	उपनिषद् upniṣad

Marathi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /up.ni.ʂəd̪/

Proper noun

उपनिषद् • (upniṣad) n

1. Alternative spelling of उपनिषद (upniṣad)

Nepali

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit उपनिषद् (upaniṣad).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [upʌnisʌd̪]
• Phonetic Devanagari: उपनिसद्

Noun

उपनिषद् • (upaniṣad)

1. Upanishad

Declension

Declension of उपनिषद्
	Singular	Plural
nominative	उपनिषद् [upʌnisʌd̪]	उपनिषद्हरू [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾu]
accusative	उपनिषद्लाई [upʌnisʌd̪läi]	उपनिषद्हरूलाई [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾuläi]
instrumental/ergative	उपनिषद्ले [upʌnisʌd̪le]	उपनिषद्हरूले [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾule]
dative	उपनिषद्लाई [upʌnisʌd̪läi]	उपनिषद्हरूलाई [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾuläi]
ablative	उपनिषद्बाट [upʌnisʌd̪̚bäʈʌ]	उपनिषद्हरूबाट [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾubäʈʌ]
genitive	उपनिषद्को [upʌnisʌd̪̚ko]	उपनिषद्हरूको [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾuko]
locative	उपनिषद्मा [upʌnisʌd̪mä]	उपनिषद्हरूमा [upʌnisʌd̪ɦʌɾumä]
Notes: -को (-ko) becomes: -का (-kā) when followed by a plural noun. -की (-kī) when followed by a feminine noun.

Further reading

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1931) “उपनिषद्”, in A comparative and etymological dictionary of the Nepali language, London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• উপনিষদ্ (Assamese script)
• ᬉᬧᬦᬶᬱᬤ᭄ (Balinese script)
• উপনিষদ্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰄𑰢𑰡𑰰𑰬𑰟𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀉𑀧𑀦𑀺𑀱𑀤𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ဥပနိၑဒ် (Burmese script)
• ઉપનિષદ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਉਪਨਿਸ਼ਦ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌉𑌪𑌨𑌿𑌷𑌦𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦈꦥꦤꦶꦰꦢ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂇𑂣𑂢𑂱𑂭𑂠𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಉಪನಿಷದ್ (Kannada script)
• ឧបនិឞទ៑ (Khmer script)
• ອຸປນິຩທ຺ (Lao script)
• ഉപനിഷദ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡠᢒᠠᠨᡳᢢᠠᡩ (Manchu script)
• 𑘄𑘢𑘡𑘱𑘬𑘟𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠤᢒᠠᠨᠢᢔᠠᢑ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦤𑧂𑧁𑧒𑧌𑦿𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐄𑐥𑐣𑐶𑐲𑐡𑑂 (Newa script)
• ଉପନିଷଦ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢆꢦꢥꢶꢰꢣ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆇𑆥𑆤𑆴𑆰𑆢𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖄𑖢𑖡𑖰𑖬𑖟𑖿 (Siddham script)
• උපනිෂද් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑩒𑩰𑩯𑩑𑪀𑩭 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚄𑚞𑚝𑚮𑚛𑚶 (Takri script)
• உபநிஷத்³ (Tamil script)
• ఉపనిషద్ (Telugu script)
• อุปนิษทฺ (Thai script)
• ཨུ་པ་ནི་ཥ་ད྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒅𑒣𑒢𑒱𑒭𑒠𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨀𑨃𑨞𑨝𑨁𑨯𑨛𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From उप- (upa-, “near to, towards”) +‎ नि (ni, “down”) +‎ सद् (sad, “to sit”).

Pronunciation

for the noun:

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /u.pɐ.ni.ʂɐ́d/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.pɐ.n̪i.ʂɐd̪/

Noun

उपनिषद् • (upaniṣád) stem, f

1. an esoteric or secret doctrine, mystical meaning, words of mystery
2. mystical knowledge or instruction
3. true knowledge regarding the supreme spirit
   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.14.24:

     एवंविधं त्वां सकलात्मनामपि स्वात्मानमात्मात्मतया विचक्षते। गुर्वर्कलब्ध्ओपनिषत्सुचक्षुषा ये ते तरन्तीव भवानृताम्बुधिम्॥

     evaṃvidhaṃ tvāṃ sakalātmanāmapi svātmānamātmātmatayā vicakṣate. gurvarkalabdhopaniṣatsucakṣuṣā ye te tarantīva bhavānṛtāmbudhim.

     Those who have received the clear vision of true knowledge from the sunlike spiritual master, can see you in this way, as the very soul of all souls, the supersoul of everyone’s own self. Thus understanding your original personality, they are able to cross over the ocean of illusory material existence.

   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.87.43:

     इत्यशेषसमाम्नायपुराण्ओपनिषद्रसः। समुद्‍धृतः पूर्वजातैर्व्योमयानैर्महात्मभिः॥

     ityaśeṣasamāmnāyapurāṇopaniṣadrasaḥ. samud‍dhṛtaḥ pūrvajātairvyomayānairmahātmabhiḥ.

     Thus the ancient saints who travel in the upper heavens distilled this nectarean and confidential essence of all the Vedas and Purāṇas.

4. sacred or religious lore
5. secrecy, seclusion
6. a lonely place
7. religious observance
8. meditation

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:ध्यान

Proper noun

उपनिषद् • (upaniṣád) stem, f

1. Upanishad
   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.45.33:

     तयोर्द्विजवरस्तुष्टः शुद्धभावानुवृत्तिभिः। प्रोवाच वेदानखिलान् सङ्ग्ओपनिषदो गुरुः॥

     tayordvijavarastuṣṭaḥ śuddhabhāvānuvṛttibhiḥ. provāca vedānakhilān saṅgopaniṣado guruḥ.

     That best of brāhmaṇas, the spiritual master Sāndīpani, was satisfied with Their submissive behaviour, and thus he taught them the entire Vedas, together with their six corollaries and the Upaniṣads.

2. a Vedic mantra
   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 8.7.29:

     मुखानि पञ्च्ओपनिषदस्तवेश यैस्त्रिंशदष्टोत्तरमन्त्रवर्गः। यत्तच्छिवाख्यं परमात्मतत्त्वं देव स्वयंज्योतिरवस्थितिस्ते॥

     mukhāni pañcopaniṣadastaveśa yaistriṃśadaṣṭottaramantravargaḥ. yattacchivākhyaṃ paramātmatattvaṃ deva svayaṃjyotiravasthitiste.

     O lord, the five important Vedic mantras are represented by your five faces, from which the thirty-eight most celebrated Vedic mantras have been generated. Your Lordship, being celebrated as Lord Śiva, is self-illuminated. You are directly situated as the supreme truth, known as Paramātman.

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀉𑀯𑀡𑀺𑀲𑀆 (uvaṇisaā)
• → Hindustani: upniṣad

  Hindi: उपनिषद

  Urdu: اُپْنِیشَد (upnīśad)

• → Nepali: उपनिषद् (upaniṣad)
• → Old Marathi: upanikheda (semi-learned)

  Devanagari script: उपनिखेद

  Modi script: 𑘄𑘢𑘡𑘱𑘏𑘹𑘟

  • Marathi: उपनिषद (upniṣad)
• → Persian: اپنکهت (opnekhat) (likely through Early New Indo-Aryan with ṣa to kha)
• → Telugu: ఉపనిషత్తు (upaniṣattu)

Root

उपनिषद् • (upaniṣad)

1. to sit down near to
2. to approach

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “उपनिषद्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 201, column 1.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “upaniṣad”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “उपनिषद्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “उपनिषद्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press