OR SACRED WRITINGS OF THE HINDUS. 473 



tion is from the verb sad (shacl-lrt), to destroy, to 

 move, or to weary, preceded by the prepositions 

 upa near, and 7ii continually, or nis certainly. 

 The sense, properly deducible from this etymology, 

 according to the different explanations given by- 

 commentators, invariably points to the knowledge 

 of the divine perfections, and to the consequent 

 attainment of beatitude through exemption from 

 passions *. 



The whole of the Indian theology is professedly 

 founded on the Upanishads f . Those, which have 

 been before described, have been shown to be ex- 

 tracts from the Vtda. The rest are also consider- 

 ed as appertaining to the Indian scripture : it does 

 not, however, clearly appear, whether they are 

 detached essays, or have been extracted from a 

 Brdhmajia of the Afharva-xiida. I have not 

 found any of them in the Sanhitd of the Afhar- 

 •vaiia, nor in the Gopafha Brahman'a. 



In the best copies of the fifty-two Upanishads J, 

 the first fifteen are stated to have been taken from 

 the Saimaciyas, whose Sdchd seems to be the prin- 

 cipal one of the Afharva-veda. The remaining 



* Sancara, and Ananda's'RAMA on the Vrihad dran'yaca; 

 as also the commentaries on other Upanishads: especially San- 

 CARA on the Cat'haca. Other authors concur in assigning the 

 same acceptation and etymology, to the word : they vary, only, 

 in the mode of reconciling the derivation with the sense. 



f It is expressly so affirmed in the Vcdanta sdra. v. 3. 



X I possess an excellent copy, which corresponds with one 

 transcribed for Mr. Blaquiere, from a similar collection of 

 Upanishads belonging to the late Sir W. Jonks. In two other 

 copies, which I also obtained at Benares, the arrangement differs, 

 and several Upanishads are inserted, the genuineness of which is 

 questionable ; while otiiers are admitted, which beloog exclu- 

 sively to the Yaiurvtda, 



