The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad (Sanskrit: बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्) is one of the oldest, mukhya (primary) Upanishads. It is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana (Brahmana is a collection of ancient Indian texts with commentaries on the Vedas.), which is itself a part of Shukla Yajur Veda. Brihad means great. Aryanka (Snskrit) आरण्यक means means pertaining to the forest. Aranyaka in the Upanishadic context refers to a treatise to be read or expounded by anchorites in the quiet of the forest. Shankara in his commentary on Bṛhadāraṇyaka said that it was “composed for the sake of those who wish to liberate themselves from the world, in order that they may acquire the knowledge that the Absolute Brahman and the individual are the same...A knowledge by which the liberation from the cause of the world is accomplished.” Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is estimated to have been composed about 700 BCE.

Aryanka (Snskrit) आरण्यक means means pertaining to the forest. Aranyaka refers to a treatise to be read or expounded by anchorites in the quiet of the forest. Some Upanishads are incorporated inside Aranyakas. The subjects treated by Aranyakas are, in general, liturgical whereas the Upanishads are philosophical. The Aitareya-Aranyaka consists of three Aryankas. The first Aranyaka is purely liturgical, giving description of the Mahavrata ritual. The second and third Aranyankas consist of the Mahaitareya Upanishad, while the Upanishad generally known as Aitareya Upanishad comprises 4th, 5th, and 6th adhyayas of the second Aranyaka. The date of Aitareya Upanishad is not known but has been estimated by scholars to be sometime around 6th or 5th century BCE.

Sometimes referred to as the Hindu Bible, the Bhagavad Gita is the direct teaches of Krishna to Arjuna a faithful follower. In parallel to us, this is God talking and teaching and revealing to us life's cosmic order.