Vedānta may be understood as the philosophical flowering of the Upaniṣadic vision. The very name “Vedānta” means “end of the Veda,” pointing both to the textual position of the Upaniṣads as the concluding portion of the Vedic corpus and to their status as the culminating, highest teaching of the Veda. Within this perspective, the Upaniṣads are not merely inspirational texts but the primary scriptural authority and foundation for Vedāntic thought, joined by the Bhagavad Gītā and the Brahma Sūtras as the central triad of sources. The principal Upaniṣads thus provide the original revelations and conceptual seeds from which Vedānta grows.

The core ideas that define Vedānta are drawn directly from Upaniṣadic teaching. Concepts such as Brahman as ultimate reality, Ātman as the innermost Self, and the profound relation between the two stand at the heart of both. The famous mahāvākyas, or “great sayings,” such as “tat tvam asi” (“That thou art”) and “aham brahmāsmi” (“I am Brahman”), become touchstones for Vedāntic reflection. Around these statements gather related themes—Māyā as the illusory or deceptive appearance of the phenomenal world, karma as the law of action and consequence, and mokṣa as liberation from bondage—so that Vedānta can be seen as a systematic unfolding of what the Upaniṣads state more aphoristically.

Over time, different schools of Vedānta emerged as distinct interpretive lineages, each claiming fidelity to the same Upaniṣadic revelation while reading it through a particular lens. Advaita Vedānta emphasizes non-duality and the essential identity of Ātman and Brahman, Viśiṣṭādvaita articulates a qualified non-dualism, and Dvaita maintains a real and enduring distinction between individual selves and Brahman. These are not rejections of the Upaniṣads but attempts to reconcile and organize their sometimes diverse and enigmatic statements into coherent metaphysical frameworks. The Brahma Sūtras play a crucial role here, codifying and arranging Upaniṣadic themes, so that commentaries on them become, in effect, structured interpretations of Upaniṣadic wisdom.

In this way, Vedānta stands in a relationship to the Upaniṣads that is both faithful and creative. It treats the Upaniṣads as the final authority on ultimate reality and the Self, yet does not leave their teachings as scattered intuitions. Through rigorous analysis, debate, and commentary by great teachers such as Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and Madhva, Vedānta seeks to draw out the inner logic of the Upaniṣadic message. The result is a tradition that regards itself as nothing other than the mature, systematized expression of the Upaniṣads’ own insight into Brahman, Ātman, and the path to liberation.