Question

What were the questions the Upanishadic thinkers wanted to answer?

Answer 1

Hint: Upanishadic thinkers were the followers of the Upanishads, they are a collection of ancient Vedic Sanskritic texts of religious teachings and ideas, they are to this day respected and revered in Hinduism.

Complete answer: The main questions which the Upanishadic thinkers wanted to answer were:-
a. What happens after death?
The Upanishadic concept which tries to explain death says that an individual’s goal in life should be to attain self-actualization or complete awareness so that after death they can return home (to the Brahma) to complete their union with the source of all life.
b. Is there any life after death?
Upanishadic thinkers talk about reincarnation or the cycle of birth and rebirth, according to this theory the aim of a soul is to complete its dharma or deed in a lifetime, if it fails to do so then it has to take birth again. When the soul finally can complete its dharma, it attains moksha or complete salvation and is reunited with its origin, the Brahma.
c. Why should sacrifices be performed?
Ritual sacrifice has a symbolic meaning in the Upanishadic philosophy or school of thought, rituals consisting of sacrifices are considered sacred as they are an offering to god and your ancestors. However, with the rise of asceticism, the importance of rituals has decreased.
d. Is there anything permanent in the universe, which lasts even after death?
According to the Upanishadic thinkers, nothing is permanent in the universe other than Brahma, the creator or source of life or the ultimate reality.

Note: There are close to 200 Upanishads but the best known are the 13 which are embedded in the four Vedas known as Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharva Veda. The most well known Upanishad is the Chandogya Upanishad.