Vasudeva Upanishad

Vasudeva Upanishad
Urdhva Pundra
Devanagari	वासुदेव
IAST	Vāsudeva
Title means	Son of Vasudeva or Krishna
Date	2nd-millennium CE
Type	Vaishnava
Linked Veda	Samaveda

Vasudeva Upanishad (Vāsudeva Upaniṣat) (Sanskrit: वासुदेव उपनिषत्, or Vasudevopanishad is one of 108 Upanishadic Hindu texts, written in Sanskrit language. It belongs to the Vaishnava sect, which worships Vishnu and his avatar Krishna, and this late medieval era minor Upanishad is attached to the Samaveda. It is one of the 14 Vaishnava Upanishads dedicated to Vaishnava sacred marks, including the Urdhva Pundra - the Vaishnava tilaka. It is described in a sermon by Krishna to the sage Narada.

The composition date or author of the text is unknown, and is generally regarded as a "late Upanishad", in terms of dating. The use of the word Vasudeva, which is neither found in Samhita layer of Vedic literature nor the Principal Upanishads, states Max Muller, suggests that this text is a relatively modern text.

The sage Narada visited the god Krishna, who is called by his patronymic Vasudeva in the text, and asked Krishna about the rules of Urdhva Pundra, the Vaishnava tilaka. The Upanishad calls the mark Urdhva Tripundra, the upward (Urdhva) three lines.

Vishnu-Krishna is compared to Brahman, who is non-dual and infinite, without a beginning, middle or end. His form is said to be satchidananda, "being, Consciousness, Bliss". Its indestructibility only comprehended by devotion.

...
Wikipedia