English: The early Upanishads (Upanisad, Upanisat) are scriptures of Hinduism. Variously dated by scholars to have been composed between 900 BCE to about 200 BCE, these texts are in Sanskrit language and embedded within a layer of the Vedas. They contain a mixture of philosophy and mystical speculations, many set in the form of dialogues or pedagogic style. Their central teachings include the concepts of Atman (soul, self) and Brahman (metaphysical reality).

The above image is one of about 70 surviving leaves of a Brihadaranyaka Upanishad manuscript. It shows verses 1.3.1 – 1.3.4, and about 30% of verse 1.3.5. It opens with salutations to goddess Saraswati and god Ganesha. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is the oldest known Upanishad, dated to between 900 to 600 BCE (pre-Buddhist era).

These manuscripts are preserved at the Lalchand Research Library, Ancient Indian Manuscript Collection, DAV College Digital Library Initiative, Chandigarh India, in association with SP Lohia and Indorama Charitable Trust. The texts are over 2000 years old, the re-copying into this particular manuscript is dated to an 1865 CE (1922 V.S. or Vikram Samvat) reproduction. The manuscript shows decay and damage on the sides and its edges.

Language: Sanskrit

Script: Devanagari

Script style: pre-14th century (Northern / Western)

The photo above is of a 2D artwork of a text that is over 2,000 years old, from a manuscript that was produced decades before 1923. Therefore Wikimedia Commons PD-Art licensing guidelines apply. Any rights I have as a photographer is herewith donated to wikimedia commons under CC 4.0 license.

बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्