Muktikā (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: मुक्तिका) refers to the
Sanskrit-language anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
of a canon of 108
Upaniṣhads.
The date of composition of each is unknown, with the oldest probably from about 800 BCE. The
Principal Upanishads
Principal Upanishads, also known as Mukhya Upanishads, are the most ancient and widely studied Upanishads of Hinduism. Composed between 800 BCE to the start of common era, these texts are connected to the Vedic tradition.
Content
The Principal U ...
were composed in the 1st millennium BCE, most Yoga Upanishads composed probably from the 100 BCE to 300 CE period, and seven of the Sannyasa Upanishads composed before the 3rd century CE.
The canon is part of a dialogue between
Rama
Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
and
Hanuman
Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...
dealing with the inquiry into in the Muktikā Upanishad (108 in the list). The other collections of Upanishads include ''Oupanekhat'', a Persian language anthology of 50 Upanishads; the Colebrooke Collection of 52 Upanishads, and the 52 Upanishad Collection of Nārāyana.
The canon
The canon is part of a dialogue between
Rama
Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
and
Hanuman
Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...
. Rama proposes to teach
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...
, saying "Even by reading one verse of them
ny Upanishadwith devotion, one gets the status of union with me, which is hard to get even by sages." Hanuman inquires about the different kinds of "liberation" (or ''mukti'', hence the name of the Upanishad), to which Rama answers, "The only real type
f liberationis
Kaivalya."
The list of 108 Upanishads is introduced in verses 26-29:
Most scholars list ten upanishads as principal, or the
Mukhya Upanishads, while some consider eleven, twelve or thirteen as principal, or the most important Upanishads (highlighted).
[Stephen Phillips (2009), Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia University Press, , pages 28-29][Peter Heehs (2002), Indian Religions, New York University Press, , pages 60-88]
The list of 108 names is given in verses 30–39. They are as follows:
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Isha Upanishad
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Kena Upanishad
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Katha Upanishad
The ''Katha Upanishad'' (, ), is an ancient Hindu text and one of the '' mukhya'' (primary) Upanishads, embedded in the last eight short sections of the ' school of the Krishna Yajurveda.Paul Deussen. ''Sixty Upanishads of the Veda''. Volume 1 ...
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Prashna Upanishad
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Mundaka Upanishad
The Mundaka Upanishad (, ) is an ancient Sanskrit Vedic text, embedded inside Atharva Veda. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the most widely translat ...
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Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya Upanishad (, ) is the shortest of all the Upanishads, and is assigned to Atharvaveda. It is listed as number 6 in the Muktikā canon of 108 Upanishads.
It is in prose, consisting of twelve short verses, and is associated with a Ri ...
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Taittiriya Upanishad
The Taittiriya Upanishad (, ) is a Vedic era Sanskrit text, embedded as three chapters (''adhyāya'') of the Yajurveda. It is a '' mukhya'' (primary, principal) Upanishad, and likely composed about 6th century BCE.
The Taittirīya Upanishad is ...
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Aitareya Upanishad
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Chandogya Upanishad
The ''Chandogya Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: , IAST: ''Chāndogyopaniṣad'') is a Sanskrit text embedded in the Chandogya Brahmana of the Sama Veda of Hinduism.Patrick Olivelle (2014), ''The Early Upanishads'', Oxford University Press; , pp. 166-1 ...
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'' (, ) is one of the Mukhya Upanishads, Principal Upanishads and one of the first Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism. A key scripture to various schools of Hinduism, the ''Brihadaranyaka Upanisad'' is tenth in the ...
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Brahma Upanishad
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Kaivalya Upanishad
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Jabala Upanishad
The ''Jabala Upanishad'' (, IAST: Jābāla Upaniṣad), also called ''Jabalopanisad'', is a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. The Sanskrit text is one of the 20 Sannyasa Upanishads, and is attached to the Shukla Yajurveda.
The ''Jabala Upanishad'' i ...
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Shvetashvatara Upanishad
The ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' (, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text embedded in the Yajurveda. It is listed as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Upanishad contains 113 mantras or verses in six chapters.Robert Hume (1921)Shveta ...
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Hamsopanishad
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Aruneya Upanishad
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Garbhopanishad
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Narayanopanishad
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Paramahamsopanishad
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Amritabindu Upanishad
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Amritanada Upanishad
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Atharvashiras Upanishad
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Atharvashikha Upanishad
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Maitrayaniya Upanishad
The ''Maitrayaniya Upanishad'' (, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text that is embedded inside the Yajurveda.Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 327-386 It is also known as the ''Maitri Upanishad'' (, ), ...
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Kaushitaki Upanishad
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Brihajjabala Upanishad
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Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad
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Kalagni Rudra Upanishad
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Maitreya Upanishad
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Subala Upanishad
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Kshurika Upanishad
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Mantrika Upanishad
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Sarvasara Upanishad
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Niralamba Upanishad
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Shukarahasya Upanishad
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Vajrasuchi Upanishad
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Tejobindu Upanishad
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Nada Bindu Upanishad
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Dhyanabindu Upanishad
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Brahmavidya Upanishad
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Yogatattva Upanishad
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Atmabodha Upanishad
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Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad
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Trishikhibrahmana Upanishad
The ''Trishikhibrahmana Upanishad'' (Sanskrit:त्रिशिखब्राह्मण उपनिषत्, IAST: Triśikhi-brāhmaṇa Upaniṣad), also known as ''Trisikhibrahmanopanisad'', is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism and ...
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Sita Upanishad
The ''Sita Upanishad'' () is a medieval era Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. It is attached to the Atharvaveda, Atharva Veda, and is one of the Vaishnava upanishads. It is categorized as a late Upanishad, in which goddess Sita is e ...
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Yogachudamani Upanishad
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Nirvana Upanishad
The ''Nirvana Upanishad'' (, IAST: Nirvāṇa Upaniṣad) is an ancient sutra-style Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. The text is attached to the Rig Veda, and is one of the 20 Sannyasa (renunciation) Upanishads. It is a short text ...
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Mandala-brahmana Upanishad
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Dakshinamurti Upanishad
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Sharabha Upanishad
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Skanda Upanishad
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Mahanarayana Upanishad
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Advayataraka Upanishad
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Rama Rahasya Upanishad
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Rama tapaniya Upanishad
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Vasudeva Upanishad
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Mudgala Upanishad
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Shandilya Upanishad
The ''Shandilya Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: शाण्डिल्य उपनिषत्, IAST: Śāṇḍilya Upaniṣad) is a Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Vedas, and ...
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Paingala Upanishad
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Bhikshuka Upanishad
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Maha Upanishad
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Sariraka Upanishad
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Yogashikha Upanishad
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Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad
The ''Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad'' (, IAST: Turīyatītāvadhūta Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. The text is attached to the Yajurveda, Shukla Yajurveda, and is one of the 20 Sannyasa ( ...
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Brihat-Sannyasa Upanishad
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Paramahamsa Parivrajaka Upanishad
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Malika Upanishad
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Avyakta Upanishad
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Ekakshara Upanishad
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Annapurna Upanishad
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Surya Upanishad
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Akshi Upanishad
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Adhyatma Upanishad
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Kundika Upanishad
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Savitri Upanishad
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Atma Upanishad
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Pashupatabrahma Upanishad
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Parabrahma Upanishad
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Avadhuta Upanishad
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Tripuratapini Upanishad
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Devi Upanishad
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Tripura Upanishad
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Kathashruti Upanishad
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Bhavana Upanishad
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Rudrahridaya Upanishad
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Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad
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Bhasma Upanishad
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Rudraksha Upanishad
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Ganapati Upanishad
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Darshana Upanishad
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Tarasara Upanishad
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Mahavakya Upanishad
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Pancabrahma Upanishad
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Pranagnihotra Upanishad
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Gopala Tapani Upanishad
The ''Gopala Tapani Upanishad'' () is a Sanskrit text, and one of the later Upanishads attached to the Atharvaveda. The Gopāla-Tāpanī is one of the four ''Tāpinī'' Upanishads (''Nṛsiṁha'', ''Rāma'', ''Tripurā,'' and ''Gopāla'').
This ...
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Krishna Upanishad
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Yajnavalkya Upanishad
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Varaha Upanishad
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Shatyayaniya Upanishad
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Hayagriva Upanishad
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Dattatreya Upanishad
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Garuda Upanishad
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Kali-Santarana Upanishad
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Jabali Upanishad
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Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad
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Sarasvati-rahasya Upanishad
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Bahvricha Upanishad
# Muktikā Upanishad (this text)
Transmission
Almost all printed editions of ancient Vedas and Upanishads depend on the late manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years, not on the still-extant and superior oral tradition.
[Quotation of "... almost all printed editions depend on the late manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years, not on the still extant and superior oral tradition" is from: Witzel, M., "Vedas and ", in: .] Michael Witzel
Michael Witzel (born July 18, 1943) is a German-American philologist, comparative mythologist and Indologist. Witzel is the Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University and the editor of the Harvard Oriental Series (volumes 50–100). He ...
explains this oral tradition as follows:
Categories
In this canon,
*10 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*16 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Samaveda
The ''Samaveda'' (, , from '' सामन्'', "song" and ''वेद'', "knowledge"), is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and is one of the sacred scriptures in Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a l ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*19 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Shukla Yajurveda
The ''Yajurveda'' (, , from यजुस्, "worship", and वेद, "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism'' (Edito ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*32 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Krishna Yajurveda'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
*31 ''upaniṣads'' are associated with the ''
Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...
'' and have the ''śānti'' beginning '.
The first 13 are grouped as ''
mukhya
Principal Upanishads, also known as Mukhya Upanishads, are the most ancient and widely studied Upanishads of Hinduism. Composed between 800 BCE to the start of common era, these texts are connected to the Vedic tradition.
Content
The Principal U ...
'' ("principal"), and 21 are grouped as ''
Sāmānya Vedānta'' ("common
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...
"). The remainder are associated with five different schools or sects within
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, 20 with ''
Sannyāsa'' (asceticism), 8 with ''
Shaktism
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...
'', 14 with ''
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
'', 12 with ''
Shaivism
Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...
'' and 20 with
Yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
.
References
*Muktika Upanishad, Translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier, Published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai,
*
External links
Muktika Upanishad - Translated by: Dr. A. G. Krishna WarrierThe Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai
108 ''Upanishads'' of the ''Muktika''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muktika
Books about the Upanishads