![]() The Upanishads that are in prose are considered as the oldest ones and all of them are non-sectarian. To name some of the early Upanishads, the likes of the Aiterya, the Kausitaki, the Taittiriya, the Chandogya, the Brhadaranyaka, and parts of the Kena, can be mentioned. The verses 1-13 of the Kena, and iv, 8-21 of the Brhadaranyaka are considered to form the transition to the metrical Upanishads and they also can be put down as later additions. However, the Kathopanishad is considered as the later one and the elements of the Samkhya and the Yoga systems can be found here. The Kathopanishad also have frequent quotes from the other Upanishads and also from the Bhagavad-Gita. The Mandukya Upanishad is the latest one among the pre-sectarian Upanishads and it contains the elements of both the Samkhya and the Yoga systems. Apart from this, the Atharva-Veda Upanishads are also considered to grow at a later period. Among the other Upanishads, the Svetasvatara is known to be composed at such a period, when a number of philosophical theories were fermenting in India. |