Due to their mystical nature and intense philosophical bent that does away with all ritual and completely embraces principals of One Brahman and the inner Atman, the Upanishads have a universal feel that has led to their explication in numerous manners, giving birth to the three schools of Vedanta.
Vedantin philosopher Adi Shankara summed up all the Upanishad in one phrase "Tat Tvam Asi" (Thou Art That) and said that in the end, the ultimate, formless, inconceivable Brahman is the same as our soul, Atman. We only have to realize it through discrimination and piercing through Maya.
A distinctive quotation that is indicative of the call to self-realization, one that inspired Somerset Maugham in titling a book he wrote on Christopher Isherwood, is as follows:
- Get up! Wake up! Seek the guidance of an
- Illumined teacher and realize the Self.
- Sharp like a razor's edge is the path,
- The sages say, difficult to traverse.
Full Article: Philosophy of the Upanishads
