Brahmavidya

Brahmavidya (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मविद्या, romanized: Brahmavidyā, lit. 'knowledge of the Ultimate Reality') is a branch of Hindu scriptural knowledge derived primarily through a study of the Upanishads, the Brahma Sūtras, and the Bhagavad Gita.

In the Puranas, this is divided into two branches, the first one dealing with the Vedic mantras and is called para-vidya or 'former knowledge', and the latter dealing with the study of the Upanishads and is called the apara-vidya or 'latter knowledge'. Both para- and apara-vidya constitute brahma-vidya. The Mundaka Upanishad says that "Brahma-vidya sarva-vidya pratistha", which means "The Knowledge of Brahman is the foundation of all knowledge."