# Upanishads: Meaning, Key Teachings & Connection to Mantra > A gentle introduction to the Upanishads: what the word means, their key teachings in plain words, their link to the Gita, and mantras from them you can chant. - **Published:** 2026-10-09 - **Author:** Mahakatha - **Category:** practice-lifestyle - **Canonical URL:** https://mahakatha.com/blog/upanishads-meaning-and-teachings/ Some of the most familiar chants in the world, Om, Asato Ma Sadgamaya, Om Purnamadah, come from a set of very old texts called the Upanishads. You may have sung them in a yoga class or heard them at the start of a puja without ever knowing where they came from. The Upanishads are some of humanity's oldest attempts to answer the big questions. Who am I, really? What is this world made of? What remains when everything changes? This guide is a gentle introduction to what the Upanishads are, a few of their central teachings, and the mantras from them you can chant and listen to today. ## What does "Upanishad" mean? The word is often explained as upa (near), ni (down) and shad (to sit): to sit down near. It points to a student sitting close to a teacher, listening. That's how these teachings were first shared: in quiet conversations, passed from person to person, long before they were written down. The Upanishads come at the end of each of the four Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of India. That's why they're also called Vedanta, "the end of the Vedas". The name has a second meaning: their teachings are seen as the Vedas' highest point. ## How many Upanishads are there? Over two hundred texts carry the name. A traditional list counts 108. But about ten to thirteen are considered the principal Upanishads, the ones great teachers like Adi Shankaracharya wrote commentaries on. They include: - **Isha**, very short, on seeing the divine in everything - **Kena**, on what lies behind the senses and the mind - **Katha**, the story of the boy Nachiketa, who questions Yama, the lord of death - **Mundaka** and **Mandukya**, the second of which is all about Om - **Taittiriya**, **Chandogya** and **Brihadaranyaka**, longer texts full of stories and dialogues The oldest, such as the Brihadaranyaka and Chandogya, are generally dated to well over two and a half thousand years ago. ## The key teachings, in plain words The Upanishads aren't a single book with a single argument. They're many voices, many conversations. But a few ideas come up again and again. ### Brahman: the one reality behind everything The Upanishads speak of Brahman: the one reality underneath everything that exists. Not a god sitting somewhere, but the ground of being itself, in the trees, the stars, the people around you and you. It's often described by what it isn't. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad's famous phrase is "neti, neti": not this, not this. Whatever you can point to, Brahman is more. ### Atman: your deepest self The Upanishads also speak of the Atman, your innermost self. Not your body, your thoughts or your moods, which all change, but the quiet awareness that notices them. ### The great insight: they are one The boldest teaching of the Upanishads is that these two are not separate. The deepest self in you and the reality behind the universe are the same. Four short phrases, known as the mahavakyas or "great sayings", express this: - **Tat tvam asi:** "You are that." (Chandogya Upanishad) - **Aham brahmasmi:** "I am Brahman." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad) - **Ayam atma brahma:** "This self is Brahman." (Mandukya Upanishad) - **Prajnanam brahma:** "Consciousness is Brahman." (Aitareya Upanishad) These aren't meant as beliefs to accept, but as invitations to look within and see for yourself. ### Om: the sound of everything The Mandukya Upanishad, only twelve verses long, is entirely about Om. It describes Om as standing for all that is, and reads its three sounds, A, U and M, as waking, dreaming and deep sleep. The silence after the sound points to a fourth state beyond all three. You can listen to a slow [Om chant](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/om-chant/) on our site. ### Nachiketa and the question of death In the Katha Upanishad, a boy named Nachiketa ends up at the door of Yama, the lord of death. Granted three wishes, he uses the last to ask what happens after we die. Yama tries to tempt him away with riches and long life. Nachiketa refuses. So Yama teaches him that the true self is never born and never dies. If that sounds familiar, it may be because the Bhagavad Gita echoes it. Compare it with [Bhagavad Gita 2.20](https://mahakatha.com/bhagavad-gita/bg-2-20/). ## The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita is often described as the essence of the Upanishads. A traditional verse sung before reading the Gita pictures it this way: the Upanishads are cows, Krishna milks them, Arjuna is the calf, and the Gita is the milk. Many of the Gita's ideas, about the undying self, about acting without clinging to results, about seeing the one in the many, have their roots in the Upanishads. Our guide to [the Bhagavad Gita's core teachings](https://mahakatha.com/blog/bhagavad-gita-core-teachings/) is a good next step. The Gita also gives us a short mantra drawn from this world of thought: [Om Tat Sat](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/om-tat-sat-mantra/), three words for the ultimate reality, discussed in the Gita's seventeenth chapter. ## Mantras from the Upanishads you can chant today These mantras come from, or are closely tied to, the Upanishads. Each link opens the full text, meaning and our recording. ### Om Purnamadah: on wholeness Om Purnamadah Purnamidam, Purnat Purnamudachyate, Purnasya Purnamadaya, Purnamevaavashisyate, Om Shaantih, Shaantih, Shaantih ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः "That is whole, this is whole. From the whole, the whole arises. Take the whole from the whole, and the whole remains." This is the peace invocation of the Isha Upanishad and also appears in the Brihadaranyaka. [Om Purnamadah: meaning and audio](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/om-purnamadah/) ### Asato Ma Sadgamaya: from darkness to light Asato Ma Sadgamaya, Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritamgamaya, Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaantihi असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय। मृत्योर्मा अमृतम्गमय। ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥ "Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality." From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. [Asato Ma Sadgamaya: meaning and audio](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/asatoma-sadgamaya/) ### Om Saha Naav Avatu: for learning together Om Saha Naav Avatu, Saha Nau Bhunaktu, Saha Vīryam Karavaavahai, Tejasvi Naav Adheetam Astu, Maa Vidvishaavahai, Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaantihi "May we be protected together. May we be nourished together. May we work together with strength. May our learning be bright. May we not be hostile to each other." Traditionally chanted by teacher and student at the start of study. It's the peace invocation of the Katha and Taittiriya Upanishads. [Om Saha Naav Avatu: meaning and audio](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/yoga/om-saha-naav/) ### So Hum: I am that सो हम् The words "so'ham", "I am that", appear in the Isha Upanishad, and many teachers pair them with the breath: "So" as you breathe in, "Hum" as you breathe out. [So Hum: meaning and audio](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/so-hum-mantra/) ## How to begin exploring the Upanishads 1. **Start small.** The Isha Upanishad is only eighteen verses. The Mandukya is twelve. You can read either in one sitting. 1. **Then try a story.** The Katha Upanishad, with Nachiketa and Yama, is one of the most moving places to begin. 1. **Choose a clear translation.** Many beginners like Eknath Easwaran's translation of the principal Upanishads. Read the text before reading commentaries. 1. **Chant one of the peace mantras before you read.** That's how the tradition begins study, and it helps the mind settle. 1. **Read slowly.** One verse at a time is enough. These were teachings meant to be sat with, not rushed. ## Questions people often ask ### What is the main teaching of the Upanishads? That your deepest self, the Atman, is one with the reality behind everything, Brahman. Most of the rest grows out of that insight. ### Are the Upanishads part of the Vedas? Yes. They come at the end of the Vedas, which is why they're also called Vedanta. ### Which Upanishad should I read first? The Isha or Katha Upanishad. The Isha is very short, and the Katha tells a story that's easy to follow. ### Do I need to know Sanskrit to read them? No. Good translations are widely available. Hearing the Sanskrit chanted, even when you don't follow every word, can add something special. ## A last thought The Upanishads began with a student sitting near a teacher, asking honest questions. You can begin the same way: sit down, get quiet, and let one of these old mantras be the first thing you listen to. "Lead me from darkness to light." It's as good a question to start with today as it was then. ## Related mantras - [Om Purnamadah Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/om-purnamadah/) - [Asatoma Sadgamaya Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/asatoma-sadgamaya/) - [Om Saha Naav Yoga Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/yoga/om-saha-naav/) - [So Hum Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/so-hum-mantra/) - [Soothing Om Chant](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/om-chant/) - [Om Tat Sat Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/universal/om-tat-sat-mantra/) --- Source: https://mahakatha.com/blog/upanishads-meaning-and-teachings/ — Mahakatha, https://mahakatha.com