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[German Version] I. Veda: Origin, Content, Revelation The Veda dates back to the oldest literate period of Indian religion (widest chronological span of textual productivity from c. 1800 to 200 bce, core phase c. 1500–500 bce). The earliest documents, which are collectively referred to as Veda (“[sacred] knowledge”), mirror the oldest linguistic stages of Old Indic (Vedic), a cognate of Old Iranian. In their – originally only orally – transmitted form, all four Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda) are the result of r…

[German Version] Upaniṣads, generic term for Late Vedic texts, some dating from the pre-Buddhist period. Considered as an independent corpus, the Upaniṣads constitute the latest literary stratum of the Vedic revelation (Śruti; see also Vedas, Vedic and Brahmanic religion), hence Vedānta, “conclusion of the Veda,” later interpreted as the “ultimate objective of the Veda.” The term upa-ni-ṣad has connotations of hidden cosmic relationships and secret meetings regarding them. Historical-critical studies characterize the texts as compilations, redactio…

[German Version] Sāṃkhya, collective term for a complex doctrinal tradition of liberation (Redemption: X) within Hinduism (II, 2; Darśana), no longer fully recoverable historically; it employs rational techniques of expla-¶ nation. It probably originated in the pre-Buddhist period; presystematic speculations are found in the Mahābhārata. Systematic Sāṃkhya is presented in the Sāṃkhya-Kārikā (c. 400 ce) and commentaries on it. The speculative era came to an end around the 7th century ce. After the 15th century, Sāṃkhya experienced a syncretistic revival by inte…