Page 156 - Hinduism

as a path to ultimate truth. They also represent a strong reaction against the merely ritual and sacrificial duties on which stress had been laid earlier. The Upanishads are supposed to be 108 or more in number. Twelve of them are generally recognized as the principal units.
The Isa Upanishad begins with the statement that whatever exists in this world is enveloped by the Supreme. It is by renunciation and absence of possessiveness that the soul is saved.
In the Kena Upanishad, the Goddess Uma Haimavati in the form of Supreme Knowledge expounds the doctrine of the Brahman or Supreme Entity.
The Katha Upanishad embodies the aspiration of Nachiketas, who declined his father's offer of property and went into exile, making his way to the region of Yama, the God of Death. Nachiketas, in his dialogue with Yama, declines all the worldly possessions and dignities offered by Yama and asserts that all enjoyments are transient and the boon he asks for is the secret of immortality. In this Upanishad occurs the famous saying "The knowledge of the Supreme is not gained by argument but by the teaching of one who possesses intuition"
In the Mundaka Upanishad occurs the verse which is the germ of the Bhagavad-Gita. People who perform actions and are attached to the world are
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