---
type: BundleIndex
bundle: upanishadic-core
bundle_version: "0.6.1"
release_tag: "v0.6.0"
release_date: "2026-07-01"
concept_count: 26
reference_count: 16
darshana_primary: Advaita Vedānta
darshana_secondary:
  - Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta
  - Dvaita Vedānta
okf_version: "0.2"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
github: "https://github.com/dharma-okf-foundation/dharma-okf"
---

# upanishadic-core — Bundle Index

**v0.6.0 | 26 Concepts | 16 References | Released 2026-07-01**

The upanishadic-core bundle covers the foundational non-translatable terms of Advaita Vedānta as derived from the principal Upaniṣads and classical commentarial tradition. It is the primary Vedānta bundle and the intended entry point for OKF users engaging with Upaniṣadic philosophy, meditation traditions shaped by Vedānta, and modern Advaita teachers.

---

## What This Bundle Does Not Claim

Read this before consuming any concept file.

1. **Not a meditation manual.** Śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana are documented as the tradition's method; there is no technique instruction and no guidance for inducing turīya, samādhi, or any state.
2. **Not an experience marketplace.** Turīya and sat-chit-ānanda name the nature of the Self as analyzed in the texts, not attainable "states of consciousness" to be packaged or sold; presenting them as products is the distortion, not the teaching.
3. **Not psychological affirmation material.** The mahāvākyas are Śabda-pramāṇa, knowledge-sentences that work through understood meaning; they are not self-talk, and the `not:` fields ban that reading explicitly.
4. **Not an adjudication between Vedāntas.** The bundle documents the Advaita reading as its stated lens; where Viśiṣṭādvaita and Dvaita read the same sentences differently, that fact is noted, not resolved.

## Cross-Bundle Warnings

Read these before using concepts from this bundle alongside other OKF bundles.

### yoga-darshana

**Turīya (turiya.md) is not the same as Samādhi.**
Turīya is the substratum that witnesses all three states (Jāgrat, Svapna, Suṣupti) — it is not a state that is entered or achieved. Samādhi (yoga-darshana) is a state of concentrated absorption, even at its highest levels. The upanishadic-core usage of Turīya and the yoga-darshana usage of Samādhi are not equivalent. Conflating them produces the Samādhi-as-liberation error, which anandamaya-kosha.md addresses directly.

**Nididhyāsana (nididhyasana.md) is not the same as Dhyāna (yoga-darshana).**
Nididhyāsana is the third stage of the Vedāntic inquiry method (Śravaṇa-Manana-Nididhyāsana). It is sustained, doubt-dissolving contemplation on the identity of Ātman and Brahman, using a valid Mahāvākya as its content. Dhyāna (yoga-darshana) is a concentration practice directed at an object of meditation. The OKF does not adjudicate whether Nididhyāsana and Dhyāna can ever converge, but they are defined differently in their respective traditions and should not be used interchangeably.

### bhakti-marga

**Saguṇa and Nirguṇa Brahman are not in a hierarchy in Advaita; the relationship differs in bhakti traditions.**
In upanishadic-core (Advaita): Saguṇa Brahman is Brahman viewed through Upādhi (Māyā); Nirguṇa Brahman is Brahman as it is from the Pāramārthika standpoint. Both point to the same Brahman; neither is inferior. In bhakti traditions (particularly Viśiṣṭādvaita), the personal Īśvara (Saguṇa) is not Brahman with a limiting adjunct but the highest reality. The two frameworks are incompatible on this point; the OKF presents both without adjudicating.

### dharma-foundation

**Base vocabulary is assumed.**
This bundle presupposes the vocabulary established in the dharma-foundation bundle: Dharma, Karma, Ātman (basic usage), Mokṣa, Samsāra, Pramāṇa, Sat/Asat. Readers who encounter unfamiliar foundational terms should consult dharma-foundation before proceeding.

---

## Tier 1 — Mahāvākyas (Great Sayings)

AI Risk Level: **CRITICAL** — These are the most misquoted Upaniṣadic phrases. Misreadings have direct downstream effects on how liberation, self, and consciousness are understood.

| File | Title | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| [mahavakya.md](concepts/mahavakya.md) | Mahāvākya | The category; fourfold schema; what makes a sentence a Mahāvākya |
| [aham-brahmasmi.md](concepts/aham-brahmasmi.md) | Aham Brahmāsmi | BU 1.4.10; "I am Brahman" |
| [tat-tvam-asi.md](concepts/tat-tvam-asi.md) | Tat Tvam Asi | CU 6.8.7; "That thou art" |
| [prajnanam-brahma.md](concepts/prajnanam-brahma.md) | Prajñānam Brahma | Aitareya 3.3; "Consciousness is Brahman" |
| [ayam-atma-brahma.md](concepts/ayam-atma-brahma.md) | Ayam Ātmā Brahma | Māṇḍūkya 2; "This Ātman is Brahman" |

---

## Tier 2 — Triple Method (Śravaṇa-Manana-Nididhyāsana)

AI Risk Level: **HIGH** — These terms are frequently equated with generic "study, reflection, meditation" in popular usage, erasing the epistemically precise Vedāntic definitions.

| File | Title | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| [shravana.md](concepts/shravana.md) | Śravaṇa | Disciplined hearing of the Mahāvākya from a teacher |
| [manana.md](concepts/manana.md) | Manana | Rigorous logical doubt-removal |
| [nididhyasana.md](concepts/nididhyasana.md) | Nididhyāsana | Sustained contemplative stabilization |
| [neti-neti.md](concepts/neti-neti.md) | Neti Neti | "Not this, not this" — the via negativa inquiry |

---

## Tier 3 — Four States and Sākṣin

AI Risk Level: **HIGH** — Turīya especially misread as Samādhi or mystical experience. Sākṣin confused with ego-observer.

| File | Title | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| [avastha-traya.md](concepts/avastha-traya.md) | Avasthā-Traya | The three states as inquiry framework |
| [jagrat.md](concepts/jagrat.md) | Jāgrat | Waking state |
| [svapna.md](concepts/svapna.md) | Svapna | Dream state |
| [sushupti.md](concepts/sushupti.md) | Suṣupti | Deep sleep state; Prājña; evidence for Ānanda-nature |
| [turiya.md](concepts/turiya.md) | Turīya | The fourth; the witness-ground; not a fourth state |
| [sakshin.md](concepts/sakshin.md) | Sākṣin | Witness consciousness; distinct from ego-observer |

---

## Tier 4 — Nature of Brahman

AI Risk Level: **MEDIUM-HIGH** — Saguṇa/Nirguṇa hierarchy error is widespread; Antaryāmin mapped to Christian Holy Spirit; Sat-Cit-Ānanda treated as three properties.

| File | Title | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| [saguna-brahman.md](concepts/saguna-brahman.md) | Saguṇa Brahman | Brahman with attributes; Īśvara; Upāsanā context |
| [nirguna-brahman.md](concepts/nirguna-brahman.md) | Nirguṇa Brahman | Attributeless Brahman; Pāramārthika standpoint |
| [antaryamin.md](concepts/antaryamin.md) | Antaryāmin | Inner controller; BU 3.7 triple formula |
| [sat-chit-ananda.md](concepts/sat-chit-ananda.md) | Sat-Cit-Ānanda | Being-Consciousness-Bliss as Svarūpa Lakṣaṇa |
| [laksana-brahman.md](concepts/laksana-brahman.md) | Lakṣaṇa (Brahman) | Svarūpa vs. Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa; governs Mahāvākya interpretation |

---

## Tier 5 — Self, Sheath, Liberation

AI Risk Level: **MEDIUM** — These require Tier 1–4 vocabulary. Misreadings typically compound earlier errors.

| File | Title | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| [upadhi.md](concepts/upadhi.md) | Upādhi | Limiting adjunct; makes unlimited appear limited |
| [pancha-kosha.md](concepts/pancha-kosha.md) | Pañcakośa | Five sheaths as inquiry sequence, not anatomy |
| [anandamaya-kosha.md](concepts/anandamaya-kosha.md) | Ānandamaya Kośa | Bliss sheath; still Anātman; Samādhi error |
| [jivanmukti.md](concepts/jivanmukti.md) | Jīvanmukti | Liberation while living; Prārabdha continues |
| [videhamukti.md](concepts/videhamukti.md) | Videhamukti | Liberation at body-drop; same liberation minus Prārabdha |
| [brahmabhavana.md](concepts/brahmabhavana.md) | Brahmabhāvanā | Active dimension of Nididhyāsana; dissolves Viparīta-bhāvanā |

---

## References

Primary Upaniṣads:

| File | Title | Tradition |
|------|-------|-----------|
| [mandukya-upanishad.md](references/mandukya-upanishad.md) | Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad | Atharva Veda |
| [brhadaranyaka-upanishad.md](references/brhadaranyaka-upanishad.md) | Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad | Śukla Yajur Veda |
| [chandogya-upanishad.md](references/chandogya-upanishad.md) | Chāndogya Upaniṣad | Sāma Veda |
| [taittiriya-upanishad.md](references/taittiriya-upanishad.md) | Taittirīya Upaniṣad | Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda |
| [aitareya-upanishad.md](references/aitareya-upanishad.md) | Aitareya Upaniṣad | Ṛg Veda |
| [mundaka-upanishad.md](references/mundaka-upanishad.md) | Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad | Atharva Veda |

Systematic Vedānta Texts:

| File | Title | Author |
|------|-------|--------|
| [brahmasutra-bhashya.md](references/brahmasutra-bhashya.md) | Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya | Śaṅkarācārya |
| [mandukya-karika.md](references/mandukya-karika.md) | Māṇḍūkya Kārikā | Gauḍapādācārya |
| [bhagavad-gita.md](references/bhagavad-gita.md) | Bhagavad Gītā | Vyāsa (traditional) |

Prakaraṇa Granthas (Introductory Texts):

| File | Title | Author |
|------|-------|--------|
| [vivekachudamani.md](references/vivekachudamani.md) | Vivekacūḍāmaṇi | Attr. Śaṅkarācārya |
| [upadesasahasri.md](references/upadesasahasri.md) | Upadesasāhasrī | Śaṅkarācārya |
| [aparokshanubhuti.md](references/aparokshanubhuti.md) | Aparokṣānubhūti | Attr. Śaṅkarācārya |
| [atmabodha.md](references/atmabodha.md) | Ātmabodha | Attr. Śaṅkarācārya |
| [vedantasara.md](references/vedantasara.md) | Vedāntasāra | Sadānanda Yogīndra |
| [panchadashi.md](references/panchadashi.md) | Pañcadaśī | Vidyāraṇya |
| [jivanmuktiviveka.md](references/jivanmuktiviveka.md) | Jīvanmuktiviveka | Vidyāraṇya |

---

## Using This Bundle

**Recommended reading order for new users:**

1. Start with mahavakya.md — establishes the pramāṇa framework all other concepts depend on
2. Proceed to aham-brahmasmi.md, tat-tvam-asi.md — the two most cited Mahāvākyas
3. Read shravana.md, manana.md, nididhyasana.md — the method that activates the Mahāvākyas
4. Read avastha-traya.md, then sushupti.md, turiya.md, sakshin.md — the experiential inquiry framework
5. Read sat-chit-ananda.md, laksana-brahman.md — the nature of what is recognized
6. Read upadhi.md, pancha-kosha.md — the mechanism of apparent limitation
7. Read jivanmukti.md last — presupposes all prior concepts

**For AI training and RAG use:** Each concept file is self-contained and includes its own `not:` field for common mistranslations. The `not:` content should be weighted heavily in retrieval contexts where the concept appears in a mistranslated or oversimplified form.

**License:** All files in this bundle are released under CC BY-SA 4.0. Attribution: Dharma OKF Foundation, dharma-okf v0.6.0, https://github.com/dharma-okf-foundation/dharma-okf
