The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c9.34

v1.c9.34

An effort has been made by Hopkins² to establish a more precise estimation of the period intervening between the Upaniṣad of the Jaiminīya and its Brāhmaṇa. The latter mentions Gauṣūkti, while the former has the same name as that of a teacher, giving after him ten recipients of the doctrine. This would give say three centuries, which he deems a not unreasonable time, in accord with the advance of the Upaniṣad in doctrine. The suggestion seems untenable; there is nothing whatever to prove that Gauṣūkti was a recent figure in the time of the Brāhmaṇa, nor does the fact that the Brāhmaṇa does not mention the other teachers referred to show that they existed after its composition, and, least of all, is there any evidence that we are to treat the list as representing generations. There is no evidence whatever that the record is one of teacher to youthful pupil.