A source for the Teachings of Yoga and Hinduism
In the first chapter of Muktitka Upanishad (verses 30 to 39), there is a list of the main 108 Upanishads, in which Isavasya Upanishad occupies first place, which locates it in an exalted position within Advaita literature. Although the Isopanishad or Isavasya Upanishad is one of the smallest books, having only 18 verses, it is considered to be one of the most authoritative teachings of the Vedic scriptures, or śruti, by some of the most important classical, traditional and orthodox lineages within Hinduism.
We find the Isavasya Upanisad in the last Adhyaya, or final chapter of Sukla Yajur-Veda Samhita. Another name by which this book is known is the Samhitopanishad, because it is part of the Samhita, or the collection of mantras pertaining to the ritualistic section of the Veda or Karma Kanda.
The name of this work, Isa, is derived from its first verse, Isavasyam idam sarvam, which also contains one of its most important messages: although we think that when we die we leave all our belongings, possessions, our achievements and our beloved ones, in fact, we do not leave anything, because absolutely everything belongs only to the Divine, and because besides God, nothing really exists here. It is appropriate to emphasize that this Upanishad also called the Vajasaneyi Upanishad, although small in volume, is essential for the study of Hinduism in general, and particularly for the study of Vedanta. Many of the greatest truths that are pillars of the Advaita Vedanta have come from this most valuable text.
