How Many Upanishads Are There in Atharvaveda?

The One-Line Answer

According to the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads, the Atharvaveda has 31 Upanishads — including the principal Prashna, Mundaka, and Mandukya Upanishads — which is fewer than the original 50 Shakhas (branches) of the Atharvaveda, most of which have been lost over time.

In one line: Atharvaveda has 31 surviving Upanishads out of an original 50.

Key points:

• The Atharvaveda originally had 50 Shakhas (branches)
• Only 31 Upanishads from these branches survive today
• Three principal Upanishads from Atharvaveda: Prashna, Mundaka, and Mandukya
• Most Atharvaveda Upanishads are later texts, contemporaneous with the Puranas
• Many fall into sectarian categories: Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakta, and Sannyasa

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The 31 Upanishads of Atharvaveda

According to the Muktika canon, the Upanishads belonging to the Atharvaveda are:

#	Upanishad	Category
1	Prashna*	Principal (Mukhya)
2	Mundaka*	Principal (Mukhya)
3	Mandukya*	Principal (Mukhya)
4	Atharvasira (also called Atharvashira)	Shaiva
5	Atharvasikha	Shaiva
6	Brihajjabala	Shaiva
7	Nrisimhatapini (also called Nrisimhapurvatapini)	Vaishnava
8	Naradaparivrajaka	Sannyasa
9	Sita	Shakta
10	Sharabha	Shaiva
11	Tripadvibhutimahanarayana	Vaishnava
12	Ramarahasya	Vaishnava
13	Ramatapini (also called Ramapurvatapini)	Vaishnava
14	Sandilya	Yoga
15	Paramahamsaparivrajaka	Sannyasa
16	Annapurna	Shakta
17	Surya	General (Saura)
18	Atma	General Vedanta
19	Pasupatabrahma	Shaiva
20	Parabrahma	Sannyasa
21	Tripuratapini	Shakta
22	Devi	Shakta
23	Bhavana	Shakta
24	Bhasmajabala (also called Bhasma)	Shaiva
25	Rudrakshajabala	Shaiva
26	Ganapati	Shaiva
27	Mahavakya	General Vedanta
28	Gopalatapini (also called Gopalapurvatapini)	Vaishnava
29	Krishna	Vaishnava
30	Hayagriva	Vaishnava
31	Dattatreya	Vaishnava

*The principal (Mukhya) Upanishads are marked with an asterisk.

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The Original 50 Shakhas (Branches)

According to the Muktika Upanishad, the Atharvaveda originally had 50 Shakhas (branches or recensions). Each Shakha had its own associated Upanishad. However, most of these branches have been lost over time.

Veda	Original Shakhas	Surviving Upanishads
Rigveda	21	10
Krishna Yajurveda	85	32
Shukla Yajurveda	17	19
Samaveda	1000	16
Atharvaveda	50	31

These numbers come from the dialogue between Sri Rama and Hanuman in the Muktika Upanishad.

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The Three Principal Upanishads of Atharvaveda

Prashna Upanishad

The Prashna Upanishad (meaning “Question” Upanishad) contains six questions asked by six students to the sage Pippalada. Key teachings include:

• The nature of the life-force (Prana)
• The meditation on OM
• The relationship between the individual self and the Supreme Self

Mundaka Upanishad

The Mundaka Upanishad (named for the “shaved” or “tonsured” ascetics who study it) contains one of the most famous distinctions in Vedanta:

• Para Vidya (Higher Knowledge): Knowledge of Brahman, the imperishable
• Apara Vidya (Lower Knowledge): All other knowledge (Vedas, grammar, arts, sciences)

The Mundaka Upanishad also contains the famous analogy of the spider and its web.

Mandukya Upanishad

The Mandukya Upanishad is the shortest of all principal Upanishads (only 12 verses). It analyzes the sacred syllable OM (AUM) and the four states of consciousness:

• A (ah): Waking state (Vaishvanara)
• U (oo): Dreaming state (Taijasa)
• M (mmm): Deep sleep state (Prajna)
• Silence: Fourth state (Turiya) — pure, non-dual consciousness

The Muktika Upanishad declares that “The Mandukya alone is sufficient for the deliverance of the aspirant”.

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Why Are There Only 31 Upanishads Instead of 50?

The original 50 Atharvavedic Shakhas were oral traditions transmitted over thousands of years. The loss is attributed to:

• Historical disruptions
• Decline of oral traditions
• Lack of written preservation in early periods

The Muktika canon (itself an Upanishad from the Shukla Yajurveda) lists the surviving 108 Upanishads that were still extant at the time of its composition.

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The Late Origin of Most Atharvaveda Upanishads

Unlike the Upanishads of the Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda, most Upanishads of the Atharvaveda are of late origin, contemporaneous with the Puranas. As one scholar notes:

“The older Upanishads which belong to the first three Vedas were… the dogmatic text-books of actual Vedic schools. The Upanishads of the Atharva-veda, on the other hand, are with few exceptions like the Māṇḍūkya and the Jābāla, no longer connected with Vedic schools, but derive their names from their subject-matter or some other circumstance”.

The three oldest and most important Atharvaveda Upanishads are the Mundaka, Prashna, and Mandukya. They are the only original and legitimate Upanishads of the Atharvaveda in terms of early dating.

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Thematic Categories within Atharvaveda Upanishads

The 31 Upanishads of the Atharvaveda can be grouped by theme:

Category	Upanishads
Principal (Mukhya)	Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya
Shaiva (Shiva-centered)	Atharvasira, Atharvasikha, Brihajjabala, Sharabha, Pasupatabrahma, Bhasmajabala, Rudrakshajabala, Ganapati
Vaishnava (Vishnu-centered)	Nrisimhatapini, Tripadvibhutimahanarayana, Ramarahasya, Ramatapini, Gopalatapini, Krishna, Hayagriva, Dattatreya
Shakta (Goddess-centered)	Sita, Tripuratapini, Devi, Bhavana, Annapurna
Sannyasa (Renunciation)	Naradaparivrajaka, Paramahamsaparivrajaka, Parabrahma
General Vedanta	Atma, Mahavakya, Sandilya (Yoga), Surya (Saura)

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Comparison with Other Vedas

Veda	Original Shakhas	Surviving Upanishads	Principal Upanishads
Rigveda	21	10	Aitareya, Kaushitaki
Shukla Yajurveda	17	19	Isha, Brihadaranyaka
Krishna Yajurveda	85	32	Katha, Taittiriya, Shvetashvatara
Samaveda	1000	16	Kena, Chandogya
Atharvaveda	50	31	Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya
Total	1180+	108	12-13

This data follows the Muktika canon.

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Common Questions

How many Upanishads are in Atharvaveda?
The Atharvaveda has 31 Upanishads according to the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads.

What are the main Upanishads of Atharvaveda?
The Prashna, Mundaka, and Mandukya Upanishads are the principal (Mukhya) Upanishads of the Atharvaveda.

Which is the most important Upanishad of Atharvaveda?
The Mandukya Upanishad is considered by the Muktika Upanishad to be sufficient alone for liberation.

Why are most Atharvaveda Upanishads considered late?
Unlike Upanishads of the first three Vedas, most Atharvaveda Upanishads were no longer connected to Vedic schools and were composed later, contemporaneously with the Puranas.

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One-Line Summary

The Atharvaveda has 31 Upanishads according to the Muktika canon — including the principal Prashna, Mundaka, and Mandukya Upanishads — which is fewer than the original 50 Shakhas (branches) of the Atharvaveda, most of which have been lost over time.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.