[oo-pan-i-shad, oo-pah-ni-shahd] 
| any of a class of speculative prose treatises composed between the 8th and 6th centuries b.c. and first written a.d. c1300: they represent a philosophical development beyond the Vedas, having as their principal message the unity of Brahman and Atman. |
| U·pan·i·shad (ōō-pān'ə-shād', ōō-pä'nĭ-shäd') n. Any of a group of philosophical treatises contributing to the theology of ancient Hinduism, elaborating on the earlier Vedas. [Sanskrit upaniṣad : upa, under, near; see upo in Indo-European roots + ni, down + sīdati, sad-, he sits; see sed- in Indo-European roots.] U·pan'i·shad'ic adj. |
ɪˌʃæd