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{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
The Vedas have been divided into four styles of texts – the Samhitas, the Aranyakas, the Brahmanas and the Upanishads.<ref name=":0">A Bhattacharya (2006), Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures and Theology, <nowiki>ISBN 978-0595384556</nowiki>, pages 8-14</ref> The Samhitas are sometimes identified as ''karma-kanda'' (कर्म खण्ड, action/ritual-related section), while the Upanishads are identified as''jnana-kanda'' (ज्ञान खण्ड, knowledge/spirituality-related section).<ref name=":0" /> The Aranyakas and Brahmanas are variously classified, sometimes as the ceremonial ''karma-kanda'', other times (or parts of them) as the ''jnana-kanda''.
Another opinion states: "The ''Samhitas'' and the ''Brahmanas'' form the ''Karma''-''Kanda'' segment of the Vedas. They are apparently concerned with the ceremonial rites and rituals. The ''Aranyakas'' and the Upanishads form the ''Gyan''-''Kanda'' segment of the Vedas. They explicitly focus on the philosophy and spiritualism.<ref><nowiki>http://indianscriptures.50webs.com/partveda.htm</nowiki>, 6th Paragraph</ref>
Dr. Radhakrishnan puts it like this. “While the hymns or Samhitas are the creation of the poets, the Brahmanas are the work of the priests; the Upanishads are the meditations of the philosophers. The flow of thought from the Samhitas to Brahmanas to Aranyakas to Upanishads is the indication of the process of evolution of Hindu religion over the centuries”
Another learned author says: These are four different modes of expressing the same truths, each as a cross check against others so that misrepresentations are avoided, a method used and valid even today.<ref>Insights Into the Taittiriya Upanishad, Dr. K. S. Narayanacharya, Published by Kautilya Institute of National Studies, Mysore, Page 75 (Glossary)</ref>
The '''Upanishads''' ({{lang-sa|{{IAST|Upaniṣad}}}}; {{IPA-sa|ʊpən̪ɪʂəd̪|IPA}}) are a collection of texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts of [[Hinduism]], some of which are shared with [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]].{{sfn|Olivelle|1998|p=xxiii}}{{refn|group=note|These include rebirth, karma, moksha, ascetic techniques and renunciation.{{sfn|Olivelle|1998|p=xxiii}}}}{{refn|group=note|The Upanishadic, Buddhist and Jain renunciation traditions form parallel traditions, which share some common concepts and interests. While [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru]]-[[Panchala]], at the central Ganges Plain, formed the center of the early Upanishadic tradition, [[Kosala]]-[[Magadha]] at the central Ganges Plain formed the center of the other [[shramanic]] traditions.{{sfn|Samuel|2010}}}} The Upanishads are considered by Hindus to contain utterances (''[[śruti]]'') concerning the nature of ultimate reality (''[[brahman]]'') and describing the character of and path to human salvation (''[[mokṣa]]'' or ''mukti'').
The '''Upanishads''' ({{lang-sa|{{IAST|Upaniṣad}}}}; {{IPA-sa|ʊpən̪ɪʂəd̪|IPA}}) are a collection of texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts of [[Hinduism]], some of which are shared with [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]].{{sfn|Olivelle|1998|p=xxiii}}{{refn|group=note|These include rebirth, karma, moksha, ascetic techniques and renunciation.{{sfn|Olivelle|1998|p=xxiii}}}}{{refn|group=note|The Upanishadic, Buddhist and Jain renunciation traditions form parallel traditions, which share some common concepts and interests. While [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru]]-[[Panchala]], at the central Ganges Plain, formed the center of the early Upanishadic tradition, [[Kosala]]-[[Magadha]] at the central Ganges Plain formed the center of the other [[shramanic]] traditions.{{sfn|Samuel|2010}}}} The Upanishads are considered by Hindus to contain utterances (''[[śruti]]'') concerning the nature of ultimate reality (''[[brahman]]'') and describing the character of and path to human salvation (''[[mokṣa]]'' or ''mukti'').