Mukhya Upanishads

Part of a series on the Hindu scriptures Upanishads
Rigveda
Aitareya
Yajurveda
Bṛhadāraṇyaka · Īṣa · Taittirīya · Kaṭha
Samaveda
Chāndogya · Kena
Atharvaveda
Muṇḍaka · Māṇḍūkya · Praśna
Other Major Upanishads
Shvetashvatara ·Kaushitaki ·Maitrayaniya

The Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads is headed by 10 Mukhya Upanishads. These are the ten early Upanishads, known to and commented upon by the 8th century scholar Shankara. The adjective mukhya means "principal", "chief", or "primary". Also known as Dashopanishads, these ten Mukhya Upanishads probably all predate the Common Era, and they are accepted as śruti by all Hindus:

1. Īśā (IsUp), White Yajurveda
2. Kena (KeUp), Samaveda
3. Kaṭha (KaUp), Black Yajurveda
4. Praṣna (PrUp), Atharvaveda
5. Muṇḍaka (MuUp), Atharvaveda
6. Māṇḍūkya (MaUp), Atharvaveda
7. Taittirīya (TaiUp), Black Yajurveda
8. Aitareya, (AiUp), Rigveda
9. Chāndogya (ChhUp), Samaveda
10. Bṛhadāraṇyaka (BṛUp), White Yajurveda

Linguistically, the oldest of these (Bṛhadāraṇyaka, Chāndogya) belong to the "Brahmana" period of Vedic Sanskrit, predating Panini. A middle layer (Kaṭha) belongs to the "Sutra" period of late Vedic Sanskrit, roughly contemporary with Panini, and the youngest are in early Classical Sanskrit, approximately contemporary with the Bhagavad Gita (roughly dating to the period from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD).

Nikhilananda (1962) also includes Shvetashvatara Upanishad (ŚvetUp) as eleventh "Principal Upanishad". Robert Hume (1921) in his translation of "Thirteen Principal Upanishads", included Shvetashvatara Upanishad, Kaushitaki Upanishad and Maitri Upanishad.

The Principal Upanishads (1953) by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan gives the text and English translation of a total of eighteen Upanishads, including the 13 listed by Hume (1921), plus Subāla, Jābāla, Paiṅgala, Kaivalya, Vajrasūcikā (Muktika nos. 30, 13, 59, 12 and 36).

See also

• Upanishads
• Muktikā