ABSTRACT
The Sanskrit title Upanisads is the plural of Upanisad, which is in itself a very interesting word. Of the one hundred and eight extant Upanisads sixteen were recognized by Samkara as authentic and authoritative. Sri Ramakrsna from his own personal experience of Brahman described the different stages of perception of God: ‘When one attains samadhi then only comes to him the knowledge of Brahman. Endless change without, and at the heart of the change an abiding reality—Brahman. Endless change within, and at the heart of the change an abiding reality—Atman. Of the Hindu identification of Brahman and Atman, Paul Deussen, best known perhaps of all Western students of the Upanisads, has said: ‘It was here for the first time the original thinkers of the Upanisads, to their immortal honour, found God. Knowledge of the Atman, of Brahman, is of course the higher knowledge—paravidya.
