document_title: The Voice (U.S. TV series)

question_text: who has been the coaches on the voice

question_tokens: who has been the coaches on the voice

text: The Voice (U.S. TV series)

text: Conception

text: An adaptation of the Dutch show The Voice of Holland, NBC announced the show under the name The Voice of America in December 2010;[7] its name was soon shortened to The Voice.[8] In each season, the winner receives $100,000 and a record deal with Universal Republic Records (seasons 1 & 2) or later Universal Music Group (season 3–present).

text: Selection process and format

text: Each season begins with the "Blind Auditions," where coaches form their team of artists (8 in season 1, 12 in season 2 and seasons 4-12, and 16 in season 3) whom they mentor through the remainder of the season. The coaches' chairs are faced towards the audience during artists' performances; those interested in an artist press their button, which turns their chair towards the artist and illuminates the bottom of the chair to read "I want you." At the conclusion of the performance, an artist either defaults to the only coach who turned around, or selects his or her coach if more than one coach expresses interest.[9] In the 14th season, a new twist called "Block" is featured, which allows one coach to block another coach from getting a contestants.

text: In the "Battle Rounds," each coach pairs two of his or her team members to perform together, then chooses one to advance in the competition. In each season, coaches are assisted by celebrity advisors that are different each season. In the first season, coaches sit alongside their respective advisors in the battle stage. However, starting with the second season, the advisors no longer join the coaches in the battle stage. A new element was added in season three; coaches were given two "steals", allowing each coach to select two individuals who were eliminated during a battle round by another coach.

text: The Knockout Rounds were also introduced in season three. A pair of artists within a team are selected to sing individual performances in succession. They are not told until a few minutes prior to their performances who their partner is. The artists get to choose their own songs in this round, although they continue to get help and advice from their respective coaches. At the conclusion of the performances, coaches would decide which one of each pair gets to advance to the next round.[9] Just like in the battle rounds, the coaches can steal one eliminated artist from another coach starting with season five.

text: The "Battles, Round 2" were introduced to replace the Knockout Rounds in season six.[9] Similar to the Knockout Rounds, each singer is paired randomly within their team. One celebrity key adviser also assists all four of the coaches and their teams in preparation of these rounds. Coaches give each Battle pairing a list of songs and each pair must agree on which song to sing.[10] Each coach can still decide which of their singers in each pair will advance to the next round. The coaches are also allowed one steal.[11] However, the Knockouts were brought back in season seven.

text: In the final live performance phase of the competition, artists perform in weekly shows, where public voting narrows to a final group of artists and eventually declares a winner.[9] The coaches have the power to save one artist that had not received the public's vote that week. As of season two, these artists would give a last chance performance to win their coach's save. However, in deciding who moves on to the final four phase, the television audience and the coaches have equal say. With one team member remaining for each coach, the contestants compete against each other in the finale, where the outcome is decided solely by public vote. In the first two seasons, one contestant from each team would advance to the final four. Due to the possibility of having multiple potential winners on the same team, eliminations were adjusted in season three to eliminate contestants who earned the lowest number of votes, thus not guaranteeing a coach and a contestant in the (reduced) final three (having reverted to four since season seven).[12]

text: Voting system

text: In a first for a music competition series, NBC and Universal Republic Records offered fans of the show the ability to vote for their favorite artists by purchasing the studio versions of the songs that they perform on the live show each week via the iTunes Store. Alternative methods of voting can be done through toll-free phone calls (until season 8), text messaging, the show's app, and through online votes via NBC.com and Facebook. Each method is limited to ten votes per user. Voting lasts until noon EST the next day.

text: As of the top 12 results show of season three, producers made changes in the voting system with regards to iTunes singles purchases. Previous voting via iTunes purchases of contestant performances had previously only counted singly during the official voting window and only accredited to the live show in concern. If a competitor's performance charts within the Top 10 of the iTunes "Top 200 Singles Chart" during this window, it will be given an iTunes bonus that multiplies iTunes votes made by ten. Starting in season five, the iTunes bonus multiplier is now five for the studio versions of the songs performed by the competitors. The finale's vote count will include a 'Cumulative iTunes Vote Total' of all singles (from top 12 onwards) purchased during and outside of the various voting windows, with iTunes bonuses previously earned.[13]

text: Only the studio recording of the contestants' performances, not the live performance, are available on iTunes. In the first season, the battle rounds were recorded in the studio with both artists in the pairing. However, from season two on, only the winner's version of the song from the battle round is released. Season seven reverted to the old style of both artists. With the introduction of the Knockout Rounds in season three, where each contestant sang a separate song, only the winner's single is released.

text: The "Instant Save" was introduced in season five. During the live elimination episodes, viewers are given a five-minute window to vote for the contestants in danger of elimination by using their Twitter account to decide which contestant will move on to the next show, starting with the Top 12. Home viewers can only vote once per account for one contestant of their choice.

text: Coaches and hosts

text: Coaches

text: CeeLo Green of Gnarls Barkley and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 became the first confirmed coaches in February 2011,[14] followed by Christina Aguilera[15] and Blake Shelton in March.[16] Aguilera and Green did not return for season four and were replaced by Shakira and Usher as substitute coaches.[17] Aguilera and Green then returned for season five, while Shakira and Usher returned for season six.[18][19] In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in February 2014, Green revealed that he would not be returning to The Voice.[20] On March 31, 2014, it was announced that Pharrell Williams would become Green's replacement.[21] On April 19, 2014, it was announced that No Doubt's Gwen Stefani would replace Aguilera in season seven due to her pregnancy.[22] On May 20, 2014, Shakira and Usher confirmed that after season six, they would focus on their music.[23][24] On March 25, 2016, Miley Cyrus confirmed that following her role as key advisor during the tenth season that she would be joining the series once again in its eleventh season as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera.[25] That same day, Alicia Keys was also announced to be joining the series as a coach for the eleventh season.[26] On October 18, 2016, it was announced that Stefani would re-join the coaches' panel for the series' twelfth season, alongside returning coaches Keys, Levine and Shelton; it was also confirmed that Cyrus would return for the thirteenth season.[4]

text: On April 27, 2017, in an interview published by TV Insider, Keys confirmed that the twelfth season would be her last. She stated, "Who knows what the future holds, but I know this one is my final season."[27] On May 10, 2017, NBC announced that Jennifer Hudson would join the coaches lineup for the series' thirteenth season.[28] On May 11, 2017, it was announced that Kelly Clarkson would be a coach in season fourteen in 2018.[29] On October 18, 2017, NBC announced that Alicia Keys will be returning to the series for the upcoming 14th season.[30]

text:
Adam Levine

CeeLo Green (2011–2013)

Christina Aguilera (2011–2016)

Blake Shelton

Shakira (2013–2014)

Usher (2013–2014)

Gwen Stefani (2014–2015, 2017)

Pharrell Williams (2014–2016)

Miley Cyrus (2016–2017)

Alicia Keys (2016–)

Jennifer Hudson (2017)

Kelly Clarkson (2018)

text: Hosts

text: Carson Daly has hosted the series since the inaugural season.[31] Alison Haislip served as the original "backstage, online and social media correspondent"[32] and was replaced by Christina Milian. Milian did not return for season five, at which point Daly assumed her duties as the social media correspondent.[33][34]

text:
Carson Daly

Alison Haislip (2011)

Christina Milian (2012–2013)

text: Coaches' advisors

text: Battle round advisors are first listed; additional advisors and their roles are denoted by superscripts.

text:
Season 1[35]

Team Adam – Adam Blackstone
Team Blake – Reba McEntire
Team CeeLo – Monica
Team Christina – Sia

Season 2[36]

Team Adam – Alanis Morissette, Robin Thicke
Team Blake – Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert
Team CeeLo – Babyface, Ne-Yo
Team Christina – Jewel, Lionel Richie

Season 3[37][38][39]

Team Adam – Mary J. Blige
Team Blake – Michael Bublé, Scott Hendricks1
Team CeeLo – Rob Thomas, Jennifer Hudson1, Bill Withers2, Pat Monahan3
Team Christina – Billie Joe Armstrong, Ron Fair1

Season 4[40][41][42][43]

Team Adam – Hillary Scott4
Team Blake – Sheryl Crow4
Team Shakira – Joel Madden, CeeLo Green4
Team Usher – Pharrell Williams4, Aakomon Jones5, Taylor Swift6

Season 5[44][45]

Team Adam – Ryan Tedder
Team Blake – Cher
Team CeeLo – Miguel
Team Christina – Ed Sheeran

Season 6[46][47][48][49][50]

Team Adam – Aloe Blacc, Graham Nash8, James Valentine9
Team Blake – The Band Perry, Scott Hendricks8, Gwen Sebastian9
Team Shakira – Miranda Lambert, busbee8
Team Usher – Jill Scott, Natural8
Chris Martin7 (all coaches)

Season 7[51][52][53][54][55]

Team Adam – Stevie Nicks, Patrick Stump11
Team Blake – Little Big Town, Colbie Caillat11
Team Gwen – Gavin Rossdale, Christina Aguilera11
Team Pharrell – Alicia Keys, Diana Ross11
Taylor Swift10 (all coaches)

Season 8[56][57][58][59][60]

Team Adam – Ellie Goulding, Dave Stewart13, Usher14
Team Blake – Meghan Trainor, Scott Hendricks13, CeeLo Green 14
Team Pharrell – Lionel Richie, Ryan Tedder13, Gwen Stefani14
Team Christina – Nick Jonas, Mark Ronson13, Gwen Stefani14
Nate Ruess (all coaches)
Reba McEntire12 (all coaches)

Season 9[61]

Team Adam – John Fogerty
Team Blake – Brad Paisley
Team Gwen – Selena Gomez
Team Pharrell – Missy Elliott
Rihanna (all coaches)
Dolly Parton15 (all coaches)

Season 10[citation needed]

Team Adam – Tori Kelly
Team Blake – Gwen Stefani
Team Pharrell – Diddy
Team Christina – Patti LaBelle
Miley Cyrus (all coaches)
Pink (all coaches)

Season 11[citation needed]

Team Adam – Sammy Hagar
Team Blake – Bette Midler
Team Miley – Joan Jett
Team Alicia – Charlie Puth
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (all coaches)
Garth Brooks (all coaches)

Season 12[citation needed]

Team Adam – John Legend
Team Blake – Luke Bryan
Team Gwen – Celine Dion
Team Alicia – DJ Khaled
Shania Twain (all coaches)

Season 13[citation needed]

Team Adam – Joe Jonas
Team Blake – Rascal Flatts
Team Miley – Billy Ray Cyrus
Team Jennifer – Kelly Rowland
Kelly Clarkson (all coaches)

Season 14[citation needed]

Team Adam – Julia Michaels, Jordan Smith
Team Blake – Trace Adkins, Chloe Kohanski
Team Alicia – Shawn Mendes, Chris Blue
Team Kelly – Hailee Steinfeld, Cassadee Pope

text:
[show]Notes

^1 During the week of the Top 10 performances, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton brought in Jennifer Hudson, Ron Fair and Scott Hendricks respectively to help them coach their teams.

^2 During the week of the Top 8 performances, Cee Lo Green brought in Bill Withers to help coach his contestant Nicholas David on his performance of "Lean on Me".

^3 Due to being sick during the rehearsals of the Top 6 performances, Cee Lo Green brought in Pat Monahan to coach his team for the week. Green did however pick the songs which his team members would sing that week and kept in touch with them by phone.

^4 The mentors of the Battle Rounds reprised their roles during the week of the Top 10 performances except Joel Madden who was working on The Voice in Australia. Shakira instead brought in Cee Lo Green to help coach her team that week.

^5 During the week of the Top 12 performances, Usher brought in his choreographer Aakomon Jones to help coach his team.

^6 During the week of the Top 6 performances, Taylor Swift attended Michelle Chamuel's rehearsal of "I Knew You Were Trouble".

^7 With the replacement of the Knockout Rounds with the "Battles, Round 2" in season 6, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin served as the sole advisor for every team.

^8 During the week of the Top 10 performances, all four coaches brought advisors to help coach their teams. Graham Nash helped Team Adam, busbee helped Team Shakira, Natural helped Team Usher, and Scott Hendricks helped Team Blake.

^9 During the week of the Top 8 performances, Adam Levine brought in fellow band member James Valentine, and Blake Shelton brought in season two contestant Gwen Sebastian to help coach their teams.

^10 With the return of the Knockout Rounds in season seven, Taylor Swift served as the sole advisor for every team.[62]

^11 During the week of the Top 10 performances, all four coaches brought advisors to help coach their teams. Patrick Stump helped Team Adam, Christina Aguilera helped Team Gwen, Diana Ross helped Team Pharrell, and Colbie Caillat helped Team Blake.

^12 During the week of the Top 12 performances, Reba McEntire helped all four coaches coaching the teams.

^13 During the week of the Top 10 performances, all four coaches brought advisors to help coach their teams. Dave Stewart helped Team Adam, Ryan Tedder helped Team Pharrell, Mark Ronson helped Team Christina, and Scott Hendricks helped Team Blake.

^14 During the week of the Top 8 performances, all four coaches brought advisors to help coach their teams. Usher helped Team Adam, Gwen Stefani helped Teams Pharrell and Christina, and CeeLo Green helped Team Blake.

^15 During the week of the semi-final performances, Dolly Parton helped all four coaches coaching the teams.

text: Series overview

text:
Team Adam
     Team Blake
     Team Christina

     Team CeeLo
     Team Shakira
     Team Usher

     Team Pharrell
     Team Gwen
     Team Miley

     Team Alicia
     Team Jennifer
     Team Kelly

text:
Season
First aired
Last aired
Winner
Runner-up
Other finalist(s)
Winning coach
Host(s)
Coaches (chair's order)

Main
Correspondent
1
2
3
4

1
April 26, 2011
June 29, 2011
Javier Colon
Dia Frampton
Vicci Martinez
Adam Levine
Carson Daly
Alison Haislip (backstage)
Adam
CeeLo
Christina
Blake

Beverly McClellan

2
February 5, 2012
May 8, 2012
Jermaine Paul
Juliet Simms
Tony Lucca
Blake Shelton
Christina Milian (backstage)

Chris Mann

3
September 10, 2012
December 18, 2012
Cassadee Pope
Terry McDermott
Nicholas David

4
March 25, 2013
June 18,
2013
Danielle Bradbery
Michelle Chamuel
The Swon Brothers
Shakira
Usher

5
September 23, 2013
December 17, 2013
Tessanne Chin
Jacquie Lee
Will Champlin
Adam Levine
Carson Daly
CeeLo
Christina

6
February 24, 2014
May 20, 2014
Josh Kaufman
Jake Worthington
Christina Grimmie
Usher
Shakira
Usher

7
September 22, 2014
December 16, 2014
Craig Wayne Boyd
Matt McAndrew
Chris Jamison
Blake Shelton
Gwen
Pharrell

Damien

8
February 23, 2015
May 19, 2015
Sawyer Fredericks
Meghan Linsey
Joshua Davis
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell
Christina

Koryn Hawthorne

9
September 21, 2015
December 15, 2015
Jordan Smith
Emily Ann Roberts
Barrett Baber
Adam Levine
Gwen
Pharrell

Jeffery Austin

10
February 29, 2016
May 24, 2016
Alisan Porter
Adam Wakefield
Hannah Huston
Christina Aguilera
Pharrell
Christina

Laith Al-Saadi

11
September 19, 2016
December 13, 2016
Sundance Head
Billy Gilman
Wé McDonald
Blake Shelton
Miley
Alicia

Josh Gallagher

12
February 27, 2017
May 23, 2017
Chris Blue
Lauren Duski
Aliyah Moulden
Alicia Keys
Gwen

Jesse Larson

13
September 25, 2017
December 19, 2017
Chloe Kohanski
Addison Agen
Brooke Simpson
Blake Shelton
Miley
Jennifer

Red Marlow

14
February 26, 2018
TBD
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Alicia
Kelly

text: Season synopses

text: Names in bold type indicate the winner of the season.

text: Season 1

text: The first season of The Voice premiered on April 26, 2011, and concluded on June 29. The coaching panel consisted of Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton. Carson Daly and Alison Haislip respectively appeared as the host and social media correspondent. Contestant auditions were held in Chicago, New York, Miami, Nashville, Minneapolis, Austin, Los Angeles, and Seattle during January and February.[63]

text: It delivered the highest 18–49 rating for a series premiere on a major broadcast network since Undercover Boss debuted after the Super Bowl in February 2010. It became the first new primetime series of the season (from ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox) to increase in adults 18–49 and total viewers from its first week to its second. Owing to the strong performance of the show, NBC offered expanded two-hour live episodes beginning June 7, following America's Got Talent, with an additional results show.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance four top to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team CeeLo
Team Christina
Team Blake

Javier Colon
Vicci Martinez
Beverly McClellan
Dia Frampton

Casey Weston
Nakia
Frenchie Davis
Xenia

Jeff Jenkins
Curtis Grimes
Lily Elise
Jared Blake

Devon Barley
The Thompson Sisters
Raquel Castro
Patrick Thomas

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Javier Colon was announced as the winner of the season, while Dia Frampton was declared the runner-up. Third and fourth places were a draw between Vicci Martinez and Beverly McClellan.

text: Season 2

text: Season two premiered on February 5, 2012 as the lead-out program after Super Bowl XLVI; it concluded on May 8. The original coaching panel remained intact, while Haislip was replaced by Christina Milian as the social media correspondent. Its regular time slot held a 6.7 rating, 17 share in adults 18–49, 17.8 million viewers overall and winning every half-hour in adults 18–49, adults 18–34, adults 25–54 and total viewers versus first-run competition on ABC, CBS, Fox and CW. The shows' continued premiere on Monday delivered NBC's highest 18–49 rating in this time period, excluding Olympics, in nearly eight years (since February 16, 2004) and the network's biggest overall non-Olympic viewership in the slot since January 15, 2007. That season, Kia Motors, Sprint and Starbucks became the official sponsors of The Voice.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance six top to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team CeeLo
Team Christina
Team Blake

Tony Lucca
Juliet Simms
Chris Mann
Jermaine Paul

Katrina Parker
Jamar Rogers
Lindsey Pavao
Erin Willett

Mathai
Cheesa
Ashley de La Rosa
RaeLynn

Pip
James Massone
Jesse Campbell
Jordis Unga

Karla Davis
Erin Martin
Moses Stone
Charlotte Sometimes

Kim Yarbrough
Tony Vincent
Sera Hill
Naia Kete

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Jermaine Paul was announced as the winner of the season, while Juliet Simms, Tony Lucca, and Chris Mann placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 3

text: Season three premiered on September 10, 2012, and concluded on December 18. All personnel returned from the previous season.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance five top to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team CeeLo
Team Christina
Team Blake

Amanda Brown
Nicholas David
Dez Duron
Cassadee Pope

Melanie Martinez
Trevin Hunte
Sylvia Yacoub
Terry McDermott

Bryan Keith
Cody Belew
Adriana Louise
Michaela Paige

Loren Allred
MacKenzie Bourg
De'Borah
Julio Cesar Castillo

Joselyn Rivera
Diego Val
Devyn DeLoera
Liz Davis

text: Three finalists were advanced to the final round. Cassadee Pope was announced as the winner of the season, while Terry McDermott and Nicholas David placed second and third, respectively.

text: Season 4

text: Season four premiered on March 25, 2013, and concluded on June 18. The coaching panel was modified for the first time in the series' history, with Shakira and Usher replacing Aguilera and Green during their hiatuses from the program. Daly and Milian continued appearing for their respective positions. 13.64 million viewers tuned in, up from last season by 1.36 million viewers.

text:
Team Adam
Team Shakira
Team Usher
Team Blake

Amber Carrington
Sasha Allen
Michelle Chamuel
Danielle Bradbery

Judith Hill
Kris Thomas
Josiah Hawley
The Swon Brothers

Sarah Simmons
Garrett Gardner
VEDO
Holly Tucker

Caroline Glaser
Karina Iglesias
Cáthia
Justin Rivers

text: Three finalists were advanced to the final round. Danielle Bradbery was announced as the winner of the season, while Michelle Chamuel and The Swon Brothers placed second and third, respectively.

text: Season 5

text: Season five premiered on September 23, 2013, and concluded on December 18. The original coaching panel was reinstated with the returns of Green and Aguilera which was promoted with an advertisement featuring the coaches' cover version of "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb.[64] However, Milian left her position as the social media correspondent before production began, at which point Daly assumed her former duties.

text:
Team Adam
Team CeeLo
Team Christina
Team Blake

Tessanne Chin
Caroline Pennell
Jacquie Lee
Cole Vosbury

Will Champlin
Kat Robichaud
Matthew Schuler
Ray Boundreaux

James Wolpert
Jonny Gray
Josh Logan
Austin Jenckes

Grey
Tamara Chauniece
Olivia Henken
Nic Hawk

Preston Pohl
Amber Nicole
Stephanie Anne Johnson
Shelbie Z

text: Three finalists were advanced to the final round. Tessanne Chin was announced as the winner of the season, while Jacquie Lee and Will Champlin placed second and third, respectively. This is also the first series in which Shelton did not have an act in the final.

text: Season 6

text: Season six premiered on February 24, 2014, and concluded on May 20, 2014.[65] After four seasons, Green departed the show and Aguilera took a hiatus. Shakira and Usher then returned to join Levine and Shelton as coaches, and Daly returned as host.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance three top to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team Shakira
Team Usher
Team Blake

Christina Grimmie
Kristen Merlin
Josh Kaufman
Jake Worthington

Kat Perkins
Tess Boyer
Bria Kelly
Sisaundra Lewis

Delvin Choice
Dani Moz
T.J. Wilkins
Audra McLaughlin

text: Three finalists were advanced to the final round. Josh Kaufman was announced as the winner of the season, while Jake Worthington and Christina Grimmie placed second and third, respectively.

text: Season 7

text: Season seven premiered on September 22, 2014, and concluded on December 16, 2014.[66] Levine and Shelton returned as coaches, with Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani completing the panel.[21][22] Later that season Nissan became the official sponsor of The Voice, replacing Kia Motors.

text:
Team Adam
Team Gwen
Team Pharrell
Team Blake

Matt McAndrew
Taylor John Williams
DaNica Shirey
Craig Wayne Boyd

Chris Jamison
Ryan Sill
Luke Wade
Reagan James

Damien
Anita Antoinette
Sugar Joans
Jessie Pitts

Mia Pfirrman
Ricky Manning
Jean Kelley
Taylor Brashears

Taylor Phelan
Bryana Salaz
Elyjuh René
James David Carter

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Craig Wayne Boyd was announced as the winner of the season, while Matt McAndrew, Chris Jamison, and Damien placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 8

text: Season eight premiered on February 23, 2015 and concluded on May 19, 2015. Levine and Shelton return as coaches for their eighth season, along with Williams and Aguilera who returns after a two-season break.

text:
Team Adam
Team Pharrell
Team Christina
Team Blake

Joshua Davis
Sawyer Fredericks
India Carney
Meghan Linsey

Deanna Johnson
Koryn Hawthorne
Kimberly Nichole
Hannah Kirby

Brian Johnson
Mia Z
Rob Taylor
Corey Kent White

Tonya Boyd-Cannon
Caitlin Caporale
Lexi Dávila
Brooke Adee

Nathan Hermida
Lowell Oakley
Sonic
Sarah Potenza

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Sawyer Fredericks was announced as the winner of the season, while Meghan Linsey, Joshua Davis, and Koryn Hawthorne placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 9

text: Season nine premiered on September 21, 2015 and concluded on December 15, 2015, with coaches Levine, Shelton, Williams and Stefani.[67]

text: Each coach was allowed to advance five artists to the live shows. For the first time in the show history, the coaches had the chance to bring back four artists who were previously eliminated in the battles or the knockouts rounds. The four bring back artists performed in the live playoffs with the top 20 and had a chance to move on to the live shows along with the top 12:

text: Each coach was allowed to advance five plus one top to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team Gwen
Team Pharrell
Team Blake

Jordan Smith
Jeffery Austin
Madi Davis
Emily Ann Roberts

Shelby Brown
Braiden Sunshine
Evan McKeel
Barrett Baber

Amy Vachal
Korin Bukowski
Mark Hood
Zach Seabaugh

Blaine Mitchell
Viktor Király
Celeste Betton
Ivonne Acero

Chance Peña
Ellie Lawrence
Riley Biederer
Morgan Frazier

Keith Semple
Regina Love
Darius Scott
Nadjah Nicole

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Jordan Smith was announced as the winner of the season, while Emily Ann Roberts, Barrett Baber, and Jeffery Austin placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 10

text: Season ten premiered on February 29, 2016 and concluded on May 24, 2016,[68] with coaches Levine, Shelton, Williams and Aguilera.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance five artists to the live shows. Like the previous season, the coaches had the chance to bring back four artists who were previously eliminated in the battles or the knockouts rounds. The four bring back artists performed in the live playoffs with the top 20 and had a chance to move on to the live shows along with the top 12.

text:
Team Adam
Team Pharrell
Team Christina
Team Blake

Laith Al-Saadi
Hannah Huston
Alisan Porter
Adam Wakefield

Shalyah Fearing
Daniel Passino
Bryan Bautista
Mary Sarah

Owen Danoff
Emily Keener
Nick Hagelin
Paxton Ingram

Caroline Burns
Lacy Mandigo
Ryan Quinn
Katie Basden

Nate Butler
Moushumi
Kata Hay
Joe Maye

Brian Nhira
Caity Peters
Tamar Davis
Justin Whisnant

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Alisan Porter was announced as the winner of the season, while Adam Wakefield, Hannah Huston, and Laith Al-Saadi placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 11

text: Season eleven premiered on September 19, 2016 and concluded on December 13, 2016 with coaches Levine, Shelton, and new coaches Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys.[3][69]

text: Each coach was allowed to advance five to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team Miley
Team Alicia
Team Blake

Billy Gilman
Ali Caldwell
Wé McDonald
Sundance Head

Josh Gallagher
Aaron Gibson
Christian Cuevas
Austin Allsup

Brendan Fletcher
Darby Walker
Sa'Rayah
Courtney Harrell

Riley Elmore
Sophia Urista
Kylie Rothfield
Dana Harper

Simone Gundy
Belle Jewel
Josh Halverson
Jason Warrior

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Sundance Head was announced as the winner of the season, while Billy Gilman, Wé McDonald, and Josh Gallagher placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 12

text: Season twelve premiered on February 27, 2017[70] and concluded on May 23, with Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys returning as coaches alongside Levine and Shelton.[4] Cyrus will be taking a break from the show; however, she will return as coach on the show's thirteenth season.[4]

text:
Team Adam
Team Gwen
Team Alicia
Team Blake

Jesse Larson
Brennley Brown
Chris Blue
Lauren Duski

Mark Isaiah
Hunter Plake
Vanessa Ferguson
Aliyah Moulden

Lilli Passero
Troy Ramey
Stephanie Rice
TSoul

Hanna Eyre
Johnny Gates
Jack Cassidy
Casi Joy

Johnny Hayes
JChosen
Ashley Levin
Aaliyah Rose

Josh West
Quizz Swanigan
Anatalia Villaranda
Felicia Temple

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Chris Blue was announced as the winner of the season, while Lauren Duski, Aliyah Moulden, and Jesse Larson placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 13

text: The thirteenth season premiered on September 25, 2017, with new coach Jennifer Hudson, alongside Levine and Shelton, and returning coach Cyrus.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance three to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team Miley
Team Jennifer
Team Blake

Addison Agen
Brooke Simpson
Noah Mac
Chloe Kohanski

Adam Cunningham
Ashland Craft
Davon Fleming
Red Marlow

Jon Mero
Janice Freeman
Shi'Ann Jones
Keisha Renee

text: Four finalists were advanced to the final round. Chloe Kohanski was announced as the winner of the season, while Addison Agen, Brooke Simpson, and Red Marlow placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.

text: Season 14

text: The fourteenth season premiered on February 26, 2018, with new coach Kelly Clarkson, alongside Levine and Shelton, and returning coach Keys.

text: Each coach was allowed to advance five plus one to to the live shows:

text:
Team Adam
Team Alicia
Team Kelly
Team Blake

Mia Boostrom
Johnny Bliss
Brynn Cartelli
Pryor Baird

Drew Cole
Jackie Foster
Kaleb Lee
Spensha Baker

Jackie Verna
Terrence Cunningham

Austin Giorgio

Christiana Danielle

Kyla Jade

text: La Voz Kids

text: In 2013, American Spanish-language network Telemundo (a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Television Group) introduced a children's version of The Voice in Spanish called La Voz Kids. It featured Spanish-speaking American children from 7 to 15 years of age. Prizes include $50,000 cash for their education and a recording contract with Universal Music Group. The show debuted on May 5, 2013, and is hosted by Jorge Bernal (from ¡Suelta La Sopa!) and Daisy Fuentes. The coaches in season one were Prince Royce, Paulina Rubio, and Roberto Tapia. The first season aired 13 episodes with the season finale airing on July 28, 2013.[71][72]

text: Season two saw Natalia Jiménez replace Paulina Rubio as one of the coaches. The other coaches and hosts remained the same.[73]

text: For the show's third season, Daddy Yankee and Pedro Fernandez took Tapia and Royce's place as the new coaches along with season two veteran Natalia Jiménez.[74]

text: At their 2015 Upfronts, Telemundo announced that La Voz Kids would return for a fourth season, with all three Season 3 coaches returning.[75]

text: Series overview

text:
Team Royce
     Team Paulina
     Team Tapia

     Team Natalia
     Team Yankee
     Team Pedro

text:
Series
Premiere
Finale
Winner
Runners-up
Winning coach
Hosts
Coaches (chair's order)

1
2
3

1
May 5, 2013
July 28, 2013
Paola Guanche
Alanis Gonzáles
Prince Royce
Jorge Bernal
Daisy Fuentes
Prince
Royce
Paulina
Tapia

Alan Ponce

2
March 16, 2014
June 8, 2014
Amanda Mena
Leslie Mendoza
Natalia

Natalia Loya

3
March 15, 2015
June 7, 2015
Jonael Santiago
Shanty Zumaya
Natalia Jiménez
Yankee
Pedro

Franser Pazos

4
April 17, 2016
July 10, 2016
Christopher Rivera
Alejandra Gallardo

Axel Cabrera

text: Reception

text: In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that The Voice "is most popular in North Dakota and least popular in New York. It was behind only Duck Dynasty and Fast N' Loud in its correlation with Trump voters".[76]

text: Awards and nominations

text: Ratings

text: The first season premiered strong at 11.78 million viewers, and actually grew upon that audience through its first season. In the 18–49 demographic, the show constantly found itself in the top 5. For its average season rating, the show landed itself as No. 20 with total viewers at nearly 12 million viewers. In the 18–49 rankings, the show was No. 4 at a 5.4 ranking.

text: The second season premiered on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5, 2012, and for a while managed to keep a 6.0 in the adults 18–49 demographic and 17 million viewers. Partnering The Voice with Smash (NBC's musical drama) helped NBC win the Monday night ratings. However, by Monday, April 9, the ratings had fallen to a 4.0 rating in the adult 18–49 demographic.

text: The third season premiered on Monday, September 10, 2012 to 12.28 million viewers and a 4.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic and has since then grown to a season high 4.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic on October 8, October 15 and 29, 2012 and a 4.9 rating in the finale. The Voice, along with NBC's new drama, Revolution has once again led NBC to win every Monday night of the season so far, just like it did last season. On Tuesdays, comedies Go On and The New Normal have been successful thanks to The Voice, leading NBC to be the only network of the Big 5 to grow in ratings from last season.

text: The fourth season premiered on Monday, March 25, 2013 to a 13.64 million viewer audience, scoring a 4.8 in the 18–49 demographic but fell back to a 12.41 million viewer audience. In the 18–49 demographic, this first episode had a 4.1 score.

text: The fifth season premiered on Monday, September 23, 2013 scoring 14.98 million viewers and a 5.1 in the 18–49 demographic.

text: The sixth season premiered on February 24, 2014 and was watched by 15.74 million viewers with a 4.7 rating in the 18–49 demographic. It was up from last season's premiere by .76 million viewers.

text: The seventh season premiered on September 22, 2014 and was watched by 12.95 million viewers with a 3.9 rating in the 18–49 demographic. It was down from last season's premiere by 2.91 million viewers.

text: The eighth season premiered on February 23, 2015, and was watched by 13.97 million viewers with a 4.1 rating in the 18–49 demographic. It was up from last season's premiere by 1.02 million viewers.

text: The ninth season premiered on September 21, 2015, and was watched by 12.37 million viewers with a 3.5 rating in the 18–49 demographic. It was down from last falls premiere by .48 million viewers.

text: The tenth season premiered on February 29, 2016, and was watched by 13.33 million viewers with a 3.4 rating in the 18–49 demographic. It was up from last season's premiere by .96 million viewers.

text: The eleventh season premiered on September 19, 2016, and was watched by 12.10 million viewers with a 3.3 rating in the 18–49 demographic. It is down from last season's premiere by 1.23 million viewers.

text: The twelfth season premiered on February 27, 2017, and was watched by 13.03 million viewers with a 3.1 in the 18–49 demographic. It was up from last season's premiere by .93 million viewers.

text: The thirteenth season premiered on September 25, 2017, and was watched by 10.57 million viewers with a 2.6 in the 18-49 demographic. It is down from last season's premiere by 2.46 million viewers.

text: The fourteenth season premiered on February 26, 2018, and was watched by 12.31 million viewers with a 2.8 in the 18-49 demographic. It is up from last season's premiere by 1.74 million viewers.

text:
Season
Timeslot (ET)
# Ep.
Premiered
Ended
TV season
Season ranking
Viewers
(in millions)

Date
Premiere viewers
(in millions)
Date
Finale viewers
(in millions)

1

Tuesday 9:00 pm
(eps. 1–2, 7–9, 11)
Tuesday 10:00 pm (eps. 3–6)
Wednesday 8:15 pm (ep. 10)
Wednesday 8:00 pm (finale)

12

April 26, 2011

11.78[77]

June 29, 2011

11.05[78]
2010–11
20
12.33[79]

2

Sunday 10:21 pm
Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 pm

21

February 5, 2012

37.61[80]

May 8, 2012

11.90[81]
2011–12
9
15.76[†][82]

3

Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 pm (ep. 20)

32

September 10, 2012

12.28[83]

December 18, 2012[84]

14.13[85]
2012–13
10
14.24[86]

4

Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 pm

28

March 25, 2013

13.64[87]

June 18, 2013

15.59[88]

5

Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 pm (ep. 15)

27

September 23, 2013

14.98[89]

December 17, 2013

14.01[90]
2013–14
7
14.57[91]

6

Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 pm

26

February 24, 2014

15.86[92]

May 20, 2014

11.69[93]

7
27

September 22, 2014

12.95[94]

December 16, 2014

12.88[95]
2014–15
12
13.80[96]

8
28

February 23, 2015

13.97[97]

May 19, 2015

11.56[98]

9

Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 pm
(eps. 2, 4, 6, 16–27)
Tuesday 9:00 pm
(eps. 8, 10, 12, 14)

27

September 21, 2015

12.37[99]

December 15, 2015

12.69[100]
2015–16
9
13.33[101]

10

Monday 8:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 pm

28

February 29, 2016

13.33[102]

May 24, 2016

10.59[103]

11
26

September 19, 2016

12.10[104]

December 13, 2016

12.14[105]
2016–17
13
12.40[106]

12
28

February 27, 2017

13.03[107]

May 23, 2017

9.35[108]

13
27

September 25, 2017

10.57[109]

December 19, 2017

10.91[110]
2017–18
TBA
TBA

14
TBA

February 26, 2018

12.31[111]

May, 2018

TBA

text: †^ Including an episode that aired after a live broadcast of the Super Bowl:[112]

text:
10:19–10:30 = 46.786 million viewers (retention: 76.68% – football game itself reached a peak of 118.355 million viewers)
10:30–10:45 = 39.494 million viewers
10:45–11:00 = 36.310 million viewers
11:00–11:15 = 32.630 million viewers
11:15–11:21 = 31.792 million viewers

text: The Voice Live on Tour

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: In the final episode of the first season, Carson Daly announced a summer concert tour. This tour had six stops across the United States, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Wallingford, and New York. The tour featured the top two finalists from each team, including Javier Colon, Dia Frampton, Vicci Martinez, Beverly McClellan, Xenia, Frenchie Davis, Nakia, and Casey Weston. Out of the six dates, the New York show was a sell-out. However, as overall ticket sales were lackluster, the tour was canceled in subsequent seasons. In 2014, the tour was resumed from June 21, 2014 to August 2, 2014, including the contestants of seasons five and six, and season one contestant Dia Frampton.

text: Video game

text: The Voice: I Want You is a video game based on the television show releasing on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Wii U on October 21, 2014 published by Activision. The game includes a microphone and it has songs from the show including songs performed by the coaches.

text: Broadcast

text: The show premiered in Canada on April 26, 2011 on CTV. In Asia, the series aired on August 21, 2011 on AXN, but later transferred to Star World (now Fox Life) starting Season 11.[113] It premiered in New Zealand on July 16, 2011 on TV2, in Australia on August 9, 2011 on Go!, in South Africa on October 5, 2011 on SABC 3, and on March 31, 2012 in the Philippines on Studio 23 (now S+A).[114]


document_title: Upanishads

question_text: which is a religious text of hinduism that means sitting near a teacher

question_tokens: which is a religious text of hinduism that means sitting near a teacher

root

text: Upanishads

text: Etymology[edit]

text: The Sanskrit term Upaniṣad (from upa "by" and ni-ṣad "sit down")[28] translates to "sitting down near", referring to the student sitting down near the teacher while receiving spiritual knowledge.[29] Other dictionary meanings include "esoteric doctrine" and "secret doctrine". Monier-Williams' Sanskrit Dictionary notes – "According to native authorities, Upanishad means setting to rest ignorance by revealing the knowledge of the supreme spirit."[30]

tag: p

text: Adi Shankaracharya explains in his commentary on the Kaṭha and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad that the word means Ātmavidyā, that is, "knowledge of the self", or Brahmavidyā "knowledge of Brahma". The word appears in the verses of many Upanishads, such as the fourth verse of the 13th volume in first chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. Max Müller as well as Paul Deussen translate the word Upanishad in these verses as "secret doctrine",[31][32] Robert Hume translates it as "mystic meaning",[33] while Patrick Olivelle translates it as "hidden connections".[34]

text: Development[edit]

text: Authorship[edit]

text: The authorship of most Upanishads is uncertain and unknown. Radhakrishnan states, "almost all the early literature of India was anonymous, we do not know the names of the authors of the Upanishads".[35] The ancient Upanishads are embedded in the Vedas, the oldest of Hinduism's religious scriptures, which some traditionally consider to be apauruṣeya, which means "not of a man, superhuman"[36] and "impersonal, authorless".[37][38][39] The Vedic texts assert that they were skillfully created by Rishis (sages), after inspired creativity, just as a carpenter builds a chariot.[40]

text: The various philosophical theories in the early Upanishads have been attributed to famous sages such as Yajnavalkya, Uddalaka Aruni, Shvetaketu, Shandilya, Aitareya, Balaki, Pippalada, and Sanatkumara.[35][41] Women, such as Maitreyi and Gargi participate in the dialogues and are also credited in the early Upanishads.[42] There are some exceptions to the anonymous tradition of the Upanishads. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, for example, includes closing credits to sage Shvetashvatara, and he is considered the author of the Upanishad.[43]

text: Many scholars believe that early Upanishads were interpolated[44] and expanded over time. There are differences within manuscripts of the same Upanishad discovered in different parts of South Asia, differences in non-Sanskrit version of the texts that have survived, and differences within each text in terms of meter,[45] style, grammar and structure.[46][47] The existing texts are believed to be the work of many authors.[48]

text: Chronology[edit]

text: Scholars are uncertain about when the Upanishads were composed.[49] The chronology of the early Upanishads is difficult to resolve, states philosopher and Sanskritist Stephen Phillips,[15] because all opinions rest on scanty evidence and analysis of archaism, style and repetitions across texts, and are driven by assumptions about likely evolution of ideas, and presumptions about which philosophy might have influenced which other Indian philosophies. Indologist Patrick Olivelle says that "in spite of claims made by some, in reality, any dating of these documents [early Upanishads] that attempts a precision closer than a few centuries is as stable as a house of cards".[18] Some scholars have tried to analyse similarities between Hindu Upanishads and Buddhist literature to establish chronology for the Upanishads.[19]

text: Patrick Olivelle gives the following chronology for the early Upanishads, also called the Principal Upanishads:[49][18]

text:
The Brhadaranyaka and the Chandogya are the two earliest Upanishads. They are edited texts, some of whose sources are much older than others. The two texts are pre-Buddhist; they may be placed in the 7th to 6th centuries BCE, give or take a century or so.[50][19]
The three other early prose Upanisads—Taittiriya, Aitareya, and Kausitaki come next; all are probably pre-Buddhist and can be assigned to the 6th to 5th centuries BCE.
The Kena is the oldest of the verse Upanisads followed by probably the Katha, Isa, Svetasvatara, and Mundaka. All these Upanisads were composed probably in the last few centuries BCE.[51]
The two late prose Upanisads, the Prasna and the Mandukya, cannot be much older than the beginning of the common era.[49][18]

tag: ul

text: Stephen Phillips places the early Upanishads in the 800 to 300 BCE range. He summarizes the current Indological opinion to be that the Brhadaranyaka, Chandogya, Isha, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Kena, Katha, Mundaka, and Prasna Upanishads are all pre-Buddhist and pre-Jain, while Svetasvatara and Mandukya overlap with the earliest Buddhist and Jain literature.[15]

text: The later Upanishads, numbering about 95, also called minor Upanishads, are dated from the late 1st-millennium BCE to mid 2nd-millennium CE.[20] Gavin Flood dates many of the twenty Yoga Upanishads to be probably from the 100 BCE to 300 CE period.[21] Patrick Olivelle and other scholars date seven of the twenty Sannyasa Upanishads to likely have been complete sometime between the last centuries of the 1st-millennium BCE to 300 CE.[20] About half of the Sannyasa Upanishads were likely composed in 14th- to 15th-century CE.[20]

text: Geography[edit]

text: The general area of the composition of the early Upanishads is considered as northern India. The region is bounded on the west by the upper Indus valley, on the east by lower Ganges region, on the north by the Himalayan foothills, and on the south by the Vindhya mountain range.[18] Scholars are reasonably sure that the early Upanishads were produced at the geographical center of ancient Brahmanism, comprising the regions of Kuru-Panchala and Kosala-Videha together with the areas immediately to the south and west of these.[52] This region covers modern Bihar, Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, and northern Madhya Pradesh.[18]

text: While significant attempts have been made recently to identify the exact locations of the individual Upanishads, the results are tentative. Witzel identifies the center of activity in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad as the area of Videha, whose king, Janaka, features prominently in the Upanishad.[53] The Chandogya Upanishad was probably composed in a more western than eastern location in the Indian subcontinent, possibly somewhere in the western region of the Kuru-Panchala country.[54]

text: Compared to the Principal Upanishads, the new Upanishads recorded in the Muktikā belong to an entirely different region, probably southern India, and are considerably relatively recent.[55] In the fourth chapter of the Kaushitaki Upanishad, a location named Kashi (modern Varanasi) is mentioned.[18]

text: Classification[edit]

text: Muktika canon: major and minor Upanishads[edit]

text: There are more than 200 known Upanishads, one of which, the Muktikā Upanishad, predates 1656 CE[56] and contains a list of 108 canonical Upanishads,[57] including itself as the last. These are further divided into Upanishads associated with Shaktism (goddess Shakti), Sannyasa (renunciation, monastic life), Shaivism (god Shiva), Vaishnavism (god Vishnu), Yoga, and Sāmānya (general, sometimes referred to as Samanya-Vedanta).[58][59]

text: Some of the Upanishads are categorized as "sectarian" since they present their ideas through a particular god or goddess of a specific Hindu tradition such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, or a combination of these such as the Skanda Upanishad. These traditions sought to link their texts as Vedic, by asserting their texts to be an Upanishad, thereby a Śruti.[60] Most of these sectarian Upanishads, for example the Rudrahridaya Upanishad and the Mahanarayana Upanishad, assert that all the Hindu gods and goddesses are the same, all an aspect and manifestation of Brahman, the Vedic concept for metaphysical ultimate reality before and after the creation of the Universe.[61][62]

text: Mukhya Upanishads[edit]

text: The Mukhya Upanishads can be grouped into periods. Of the early periods are the Brihadaranyaka and the Chandogya, the oldest.[63][note 7]

text:
The Aitareya, Kauṣītaki and Taittirīya Upanishads may date to as early as the mid 1st millennium BCE, while the remnant date from between roughly the 4th to 1st centuries BCE, roughly contemporary with the earliest portions of the Sanskrit epics.
One chronology assumes that the Aitareya, Taittiriya, Kausitaki, Mundaka, Prasna, and Katha Upanishads has Buddha's influence, and is consequently placed after the 5th century BCE, while another proposal questions this assumption and dates it independent of Buddha's date of birth. After these Principal Upanishads are typically placed the Kena, Mandukya and Isa Upanishads, but other scholars date these differently.[19] Not much is known about the authors except for those, like Yajnavalkayva and Uddalaka, mentioned in the texts.[17] A few women discussants, such as Gargi and Maitreyi, the wife of Yajnavalkayva,[65] also feature occasionally.

text: Each of the principal Upanishads can be associated with one of the schools of exegesis of the four Vedas (shakhas).[66] Many Shakhas are said to have existed, of which only a few remain. The new Upanishads often have little relation to the Vedic corpus and have not been cited or commented upon by any great Vedanta philosopher: their language differs from that of the classic Upanishads, being less subtle and more formalized. As a result, they are not difficult to comprehend for the modern reader.[67]

text:
Veda-Shakha-Upanishad association

Veda
Recension
Shakha
Principal Upanishad

Rig Veda
Only one recension
Shakala
Aitareya

Sama Veda
Only one recension
Kauthuma
Chāndogya

Jaiminiya
Kena

Ranayaniya

Yajur Veda
Krishna Yajur Veda
Katha
Kaṭha

Taittiriya
Taittirīya and Śvetāśvatara[68]

Maitrayani
Maitrāyaṇi

Hiranyakeshi (Kapishthala)

Kathaka

Shukla Yajur Veda
Vajasaneyi Madhyandina
Isha and Bṛhadāraṇyaka

Kanva Shakha

Atharva
Two recensions
Shaunaka
Māṇḍūkya and Muṇḍaka

Paippalada
Prashna Upanishad

tag: table

text: The Kauśītāki and Maitrāyaṇi Upanishads are sometimes added to the list of the mukhya Upanishads.

text: New Upanishads[edit]

text: There is no fixed list of the Upanishads as newer ones, beyond the Muktika anthology of 108 Upanishads, have continued to be discovered and composed.[69] In 1908, for example, four previously unknown Upanishads were discovered in newly found manuscripts, and these were named Bashkala, Chhagaleya, Arsheya, and Saunaka, by Friedrich Schrader,[70] who attributed them to the first prose period of the Upanishads.[71] The text of three of them, namely the Chhagaleya, Arsheya, and Saunaka, were incomplete and inconsistent, likely poorly maintained or corrupted.[71]

text: Ancient Upanishads have long enjoyed a revered position in Hindu traditions, and authors of numerous sectarian texts have tried to benefit from this reputation by naming their texts as Upanishads.[72] These "new Upanishads" number in the hundreds, cover diverse range of topics from physiology[73] to renunciation[74] to sectarian theories.[72] They were composed between the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE through the early modern era (~1600 CE).[72][74] While over two dozen of the minor Upanishads are dated to pre-3rd century CE,[20][21] many of these new texts under the title of "Upanishads" originated in the first half of the 2nd millennium CE,[72] they are not Vedic texts, and some do not deal with themes found in the Vedic Upanishads.[23]

text: The main Shakta Upanishads, for example, mostly discuss doctrinal and interpretative differences between the two principal sects of a major Tantric form of Shaktism called Shri Vidya upasana. The many extant lists of authentic Shakta Upaniṣads vary, reflecting the sect of their compilers, so that they yield no evidence of their "location" in Tantric tradition, impeding correct interpretation. The Tantra content of these texts also weaken its identity as an Upaniṣad for non-Tantrikas. Sectarian texts such as these do not enjoy status as shruti and thus the authority of the new Upanishads as scripture is not accepted in Hinduism.[75]

text: Association with Vedas[edit]

text: All Upanishads are associated with one of the four Vedas—Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda (there are two primary versions or Samhitas of the Yajurveda: Shukla Yajurveda, Krishna Yajurveda), and Atharvaveda.[76] During the modern era, the ancient Upanishads that were embedded texts in the Vedas, were detached from the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of Vedic text, compiled into separate texts and these were then gathered into anthologies of Upanishads.[72] These lists associated each Upanishad with one of the four Vedas, many such lists exist, and these lists are inconsistent across India in terms of which Upanishads are included and how the newer Upanishads are assigned to the ancient Vedas. In south India, the collected list based on Muktika Upanishad,[note 8] and published in Telugu language, became the most common by the 19th-century and this is a list of 108 Upanishads.[72][77] In north India, a list of 52 Upanishads has been most common.[72]

text: The Muktikā Upanishad's list of 108 Upanishads groups the first 13 as mukhya,[78][note 9] 21 as Sāmānya Vedānta, 20 as Sannyāsa,[82] 14 as Vaishnava, 12 as Shaiva, 8 as Shakta, and 20 as Yoga.[83] The 108 Upanishads as recorded in the Muktikā are shown in the table below.[76] The mukhya Upanishads are the most important and highlighted.[80]

text:
Veda-Upanishad association

Veda
Number[76]
Mukhya[78]
Sāmānya
Sannyāsa[82]
Śākta[84]
Vaiṣṇava[85]
Śaiva[86]
Yoga[83]

Ṛigveda
10
Aitareya, Kauśītāki
Ātmabodha, Mudgala
Nirvāṇa
Tripura, Saubhāgya-lakshmi, Bahvṛca
-
Akṣamālika
Nādabindu

Samaveda
16
Chāndogya, Kena
Vajrasūchi, Maha, Sāvitrī
Āruṇi, Maitreya, Brhat-Sannyāsa, Kuṇḍika (Laghu-Sannyāsa)
-
Vāsudeva, Avyakta
Rudrākṣa, Jābāli
Yogachūḍāmaṇi, Darśana

Krishna Yajurveda
32
Taittiriya, Katha, Śvetāśvatara, Maitrāyaṇi[note 10]
Sarvasāra, Śukarahasya, Skanda, Garbha, Śārīraka, Ekākṣara, Akṣi
Brahma, (Laghu, Brhad) Avadhūta, Kaṭhasruti
Sarasvatī-rahasya
Nārāyaṇa, Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa
Kaivalya, Kālāgnirudra, Dakṣiṇāmūrti, Rudrahṛdaya, Pañcabrahma
Amṛtabindu, Tejobindu, Amṛtanāda, Kṣurika, Dhyānabindu, Brahmavidyā, Yogatattva, Yogaśikhā, Yogakuṇḍalini, Varāha

Shukla Yajurveda
19
Bṛhadāraṇyaka, Īśa
Subala, Mantrika, Niralamba, Paingala, Adhyatma, Muktika
Jābāla, Paramahaṃsa, Bhikṣuka, Turīyātītavadhuta, Yājñavalkya, Śāṭyāyaniya
-
Tārasāra
-
Advayatāraka, Haṃsa, Triśikhi, Maṇḍalabrāhmaṇa

Atharvaveda
31
Muṇḍaka, Māṇḍūkya, Praśna
Ātmā, Sūrya, Prāṇāgnihotra[88]
Āśrama, Nārada-parivrājaka, Paramahaṃsa parivrājaka, Parabrahma
Sītā, Devī, Tripurātapini, Bhāvana
Nṛsiṃhatāpanī, Mahānārāyaṇa (Tripād vibhuti), Rāmarahasya, Rāmatāpaṇi, Gopālatāpani, Kṛṣṇa, Hayagrīva, Dattātreya, Gāruḍa
Atharvasiras,[89] Atharvaśikha, Bṛhajjābāla, Śarabha, Bhasma, Gaṇapati
Śāṇḍilya, Pāśupata, Mahāvākya

Total Upanishads
108
13[note 9]
21
19
8
14
13
20

text: Philosophy[edit]

text: The Upanishadic age was characterized by a pluralism of worldviews. While some Upanishads have been deemed 'monistic', others, including the Katha Upanishad, are dualistic.[90] The Maitri is one of the Upanishads that inclines more toward dualism, thus grounding classical Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hinduism, in contrast to the non-dualistic Upanishads at the foundation of its Vedanta school.[91] They contain a plurality of ideas.[92][note 11]

text: Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan states that the Upanishads have dominated Indian philosophy, religion and life ever since their appearance.[93] The Upanishads are respected not because they are considered revealed (Shruti), but because they present spiritual ideas that are inspiring.[94] The Upanishads are treatises on Brahman-knowledge, that is knowledge of Ultimate Hidden Reality, and their presentation of philosophy presumes, "it is by a strictly personal effort that one can reach the truth".[95] In the Upanishads, states Radhakrishnan, knowledge is a means to freedom, and philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom by a way of life.[96]

text: The Upanishads include sections on philosophical theories that have been at the foundation of Indian traditions. For example, the Chandogya Upanishad includes one of the earliest known declaration of Ahimsa (non-violence) as an ethical precept.[97][98] Discussion of other ethical premises such as Damah (temperance, self-restraint), Satya (truthfulness), Dāna (charity), Ārjava (non-hypocrisy), Daya (compassion) and others are found in the oldest Upanishads and many later Upanishads.[99][100] Similarly, the Karma doctrine is presented in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which is the oldest Upanishad.[101]

text: Development of thought[edit]

text:
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text: While the hymns of the Vedas emphasize rituals and the Brahmanas serve as a liturgical manual for those Vedic rituals, the spirit of the Upanishads is inherently opposed to ritual.[102] The older Upanishads launch attacks of increasing intensity on the ritual. Anyone who worships a divinity other than the self is called a domestic animal of the gods in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The Chāndogya Upanishad parodies those who indulge in the acts of sacrifice by comparing them with a procession of dogs chanting Om! Let's eat. Om! Let's drink.[102]

text: The Kaushitaki Upanishad asserts that "external rituals such as Agnihotram offered in the morning and in the evening, must be replaced with inner Agnihotram, the ritual of introspection", and that "not rituals, but knowledge should be one's pursuit".[103] The Mundaka Upanishad declares how man has been called upon, promised benefits for, scared unto and misled into performing sacrifices, oblations and pious works.[104] Mundaka thereafter asserts this is foolish and frail, by those who encourage it and those who follow it, because it makes no difference to man's current life and after-life, it is like blind men leading the blind, it is a mark of conceit and vain knowledge, ignorant inertia like that of children, a futile useless practice.[104][105] The Maitri Upanishad states,[106]

text: The performance of all the sacrifices, described in the Maitrayana-Brahmana, is to lead up in the end to a knowledge of Brahman, to prepare a man for meditation. Therefore, let such man, after he has laid those fires,[107] meditate on the Self, to become complete and perfect.

text: The opposition to the ritual is not explicit in the oldest Upanishads. On occasions, the Upanishads extend the task of the Aranyakas by making the ritual allegorical and giving it a philosophical meaning. For example, the Brihadaranyaka interprets the practice of horse-sacrifice or ashvamedha allegorically. It states that the over-lordship of the earth may be acquired by sacrificing a horse. It then goes on to say that spiritual autonomy can only be achieved by renouncing the universe which is conceived in the image of a horse.[102]

text: In similar fashion, Vedic gods such as the Agni, Aditya, Indra, Rudra, Visnu, Brahma, and others become equated in the Upanishads to the supreme, immortal, and incorporeal Brahman-Atman of the Upanishads, god becomes synonymous with self, and is declared to be everywhere, inmost being of each human being and within every living creature.[110][111][112] The one reality or ekam sat of the Vedas becomes the ekam eva advitiyam or "the one and only and sans a second" in the Upanishads.[102] Brahman-Atman and self-realization develops, in the Upanishad, as the means to moksha (liberation; freedom in this life or after-life).[112][113][114]

text: According to Jayatilleke, the thinkers of Upanishadic texts can be grouped into two categories.[115] One group, which includes early Upanishads along with some middle and late Upanishads, were composed by metaphysicians who used rational arguments and empirical experience to formulate their speculations and philosophical premises. The second group includes many middle and later Upanishads, where their authors professed theories based on yoga and personal experiences.[115] Yoga philosophy and practice, adds Jayatilleke, is "not entirely absent in the Early Upanishads".[115] The development of thought in these Upanishadic theories contrasted with Buddhism, since the Upanishadic inquiry assumed there is a soul (Atman), while Buddhism assumed there is no soul (Anatta), states Jayatilleke.[116]

text: Brahman and Atman[edit]

text: Two concepts that are of paramount importance in the Upanishads are Brahman and Atman.[9] The Brahman is the ultimate reality and the Atman is individual self (soul).[117][118] Brahman is the material, efficient, formal and final cause of all that exists.[119][120][121] It is the pervasive, genderless, infinite, eternal truth and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes.[117][122] Brahman is "the infinite source, fabric, core and destiny of all existence, both manifested and unmanifested, the formless infinite substratum and from which the universe has grown". Brahman in Hinduism, states Paul Deussen, as the "creative principle which lies realized in the whole world".[123]

text: The word Atman means the inner self, the soul, the immortal spirit in an individual, and all living beings including animals and trees.[124][118] Ātman is a central idea in all the Upanishads, and "Know your Ātman" their thematic focus.[10] These texts state that the inmost core of every person is not the body, nor the mind, nor the ego, but Atman – "soul" or "self".[125] Atman is the spiritual essence in all creatures, their real innermost essential being.[126][127] It is eternal, it is ageless. Atman is that which one is at the deepest level of one's existence.

text: Atman is the predominantly discussed topic in the Upanishads, but they express two distinct, somewhat divergent themes. Younger upanishads state that Brahman (Highest Reality, Universal Principle, Being-Consciousness-Bliss) is identical with Atman, while older upanishads state Atman is part of Brahman but not identical.[128][129] The Brahmasutra by Badarayana (~ 100 BCE) synthesized and unified these somewhat conflicting theories. According to Nakamura, the Brahman sutras see Atman an Brahman as both different and not-different, a ponit of view which came to be called bhedabheda in later times.[130] According to Koller, the Brahman sutras state that Atman and Brahman are different in some respects particularly during the state of ignorance, but at the deepest level and in the state of self-realization, Atman and Brahman are identical, non-different.[128] This ancient debate flowered into various dual, non-dual theories in Hinduism.

text: Reality and Maya[edit]

text: Two different types of the non-dual Brahman-Atman are presented in the Upanishads, according to Mahadevan. The one in which the non-dual Brahman-Atman is the all inclusive ground of the universe and another in which empirical, changing reality is an appearance (Maya).[131]

text: The Upanishads describe the universe, and the human experience, as an interplay of Purusha (the eternal, unchanging principles, consciousness) and Prakṛti (the temporary, changing material world, nature).[132] The former manifests itself as Ātman (soul, self), and the latter as Māyā. The Upanishads refer to the knowledge of Atman as "true knowledge" (Vidya), and the knowledge of Maya as "not true knowledge" (Avidya, Nescience, lack of awareness, lack of true knowledge).[133]

text: Hendrick Vroom explains, "the term Maya [in the Upanishads] has been translated as 'illusion,' but then it does not concern normal illusion. Here 'illusion' does not mean that the world is not real and simply a figment of the human imagination. Maya means that the world is not as it seems; the world that one experiences is misleading as far as its true nature is concerned."[134] According to Wendy Doniger, "to say that the universe is an illusion (māyā) is not to say that it is unreal; it is to say, instead, that it is not what it seems to be, that it is something constantly being made. Māyā not only deceives people about the things they think they know; more basically, it limits their knowledge."[135]

text: In the Upanishads, Māyā is the perceived changing reality and it co-exists with Brahman which is the hidden true reality.[136][137] Maya, or "illusion", is an important idea in the Upanishads, because the texts assert that in the human pursuit of blissful and liberating self-knowledge, it is Maya which obscures, confuses and distracts an individual.[138][139]

text: Schools of Vedanta[edit]

text: The Upanishads form one of the three main sources for all schools of Vedanta, together with the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahmasutras.[140] Due to the wide variety of philosophical teachings contained in the Upanishads, various interpretations could be grounded on the Upanishads. The schools of Vedānta seek to answer questions about the relation between atman and Brahman, and the relation between Brahman and the world.[141] The schools of Vedanta are named after the relation they see between atman and Brahman:[142]

text:
According to Advaita Vedanta, there is no difference.[142]
According to Vishishtadvaita the jīvātman is a part of Brahman, and hence is similar, but not identical.
According to Dvaita, all individual souls (jīvātmans) and matter as eternal and mutually separate entities.

text: Other schools of Vedanta include Nimbarka's Dvaitadvaita, Vallabha's Suddhadvaita and Chaitanya's Acintya Bhedabheda.[143] The philosopher Adi Sankara has provided commentaries on 11 mukhya Upanishads.[144]

text: Advaita Vedanta[edit]

text: Advaita literally means non-duality, and it is a monistic system of thought.[145] It deals with the non-dual nature of Brahman and Atman. Advaita is considered the most influential sub-school of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.[145] Gaudapada was the first person to expound the basic principles of the Advaita philosophy in a commentary on the conflicting statements of the Upanishads.[146] Gaudapada's Advaita ideas were further developed by Shankara (8th century CE).[147][148] King states that Gaudapada's main work, Māṇḍukya Kārikā, is infused with philosophical terminology of Buddhism, and uses Buddhist arguments and analogies.[149] King also suggests that there are clear differences between Shankara's writings and the Brahmasutra,[147][148] and many ideas of Shankara are at odds with those in the Upanishads.[150] Radhakrishnan, on the other hand, suggests that Shankara's views of Advaita were straightforward developments of the Upanishads and the Brahmasutra,[151] and many ideas of Shankara derive from the Upanishads.[152]

text: Shankara in his discussions of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy referred to the early Upanishads to explain the key difference between Hinduism and Buddhism, stating that Hinduism asserts that Atman (soul, self) exists, whereas Buddhism asserts that there is no soul, no self.[153][154][155]

text: The Upanishads contain four sentences, the Mahāvākyas (Great Sayings), which were used by Shankara to establish the identity of Atman and Brahman as scriptural truth:

text:
"Prajñānam brahma" - "Consciousness is Brahman" (Aitareya Upanishad)[156]
"Aham brahmāsmi" - "I am Brahman" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)[157]
"Tat tvam asi" - "That Thou art" (Chandogya Upanishad)[158]
"Ayamātmā brahma" - "This Atman is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad)[159]

text: Although there are a wide variety of philosophical positions propounded in the Upanishads, commentators since Adi Shankara have usually followed him in seeing idealist monism as the dominant force.[160][note 12]

text: Vishishtadvaita[edit]

text: The second school of Vedanta is the Vishishtadvaita, which was founded by Sri Ramanuja (1017–1137 CE). Sri Ramanuja disagreed with Adi Shankara and the Advaita school.[161] Visistadvaita is a synthetic philosophy bridging the monistic Advaita and theistic Dvaita systems of Vedanta.[162] Sri Ramanuja frequently cited the Upanishads, and stated that Vishishtadvaita is grounded in the Upanishads.[163][164]

text: Sri Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita interpretation of the Upanishad is a qualified monism.[165][166] Sri Ramanuja interprets the Upanishadic literature to be teaching a body-soul theory, states Jeaneane Fowler – a professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, where the Brahman is the dweller in all things, yet also distinct and beyond all things, as the soul, the inner controller, the immortal.[164] The Upanishads, according to the Vishishtadvaita school, teach individual souls to be of the same quality as the Brahman, but quantitatively they are distinct.[167][168][169]

text: In the Vishishtadvaita school, the Upanishads are interpreted to be teaching an Ishwar (Vishnu), which is the seat of all auspicious qualities, with all of the empirically perceived world as the body of God who dwells in everything.[164] The school recommends a devotion to godliness and constant remembrance of the beauty and love of personal god. This ultimately leads one to the oneness with abstract Brahman.[170][171][172] The Brahman in the Upanishads is a living reality, states Fowler, and "the Atman of all things and all beings" in Sri Ramanuja's interpretation.[164]

text: Dvaita[edit]

text: The third school of Vedanta called the Dvaita school was founded by Madhvacharya (1199–1278 CE).[173] It is regarded as a strongly theistic philosophic exposition of Upanishads.[162] Madhvacharya, much like Adi Shankara claims for Advaita, and Sri Ramanuja claims for Vishishtadvaita, states that his theistic Dvaita Vedanta is grounded in the Upanishads.[163]

text: According to the Dvaita school, states Fowler, the "Upanishads that speak of the soul as Brahman, speak of resemblance and not identity".[174] Madhvacharya interprets the Upanishadic teachings of the self becoming one with Brahman, as "entering into Brahman", just like a drop enters an ocean. This to the Dvaita school implies duality and dependence, where Brahman and Atman are different realities. Brahman is a separate, independent and supreme reality in the Upanishads, Atman only resembles the Brahman in limited, inferior, dependent manner according to Madhvacharya.[174][175][176]

text: Sri Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita school and Shankara's Advaita school are both nondualism Vedanta schools,[170] both are premised on the assumption that all souls can hope for and achieve the state of blissful liberation; in contrast, Madhvacharya believed that some souls are eternally doomed and damned.[177][178]

text: Similarities with Platonic thought[edit]

text: Several scholars have recognised parallels between the philosophy of Pythagoras and Plato and that of the Upanishads, including their ideas on sources of knowledge, concept of justice and path to salvation, and Plato's allegory of the cave. Platonic psychology with its divisions of reason, spirit and appetite, also bears resemblance to the three gunas in the Indian philosophy of Samkhya.[179][180][note 13]

text: Various mechanisms for such a transmission of knowledge have been conjectured including Pythagoras traveling as far as India; Indian philosophers visiting Athens and meeting Socrates; Plato encountering the ideas when in exile in Syracuse; or, intermediated through Persia.[179][182]

text: However, other scholars, such as Arthur Berriedale Keith, J. Burnet and A. R. Wadia, believe that the two systems developed independently. They note that there is no historical evidence of the philosophers of the two schools meeting, and point out significant differences in the stage of development, orientation and goals of the two philosophical systems. Wadia writes that Plato's metaphysics were rooted in this life and his primary aim was to develop an ideal state.[180] In contrast, Upanishadic focus was the individual, the self (atman, soul), self-knowledge, and the means of an individual's moksha (freedom, liberation in this life or after-life).[183][11][184]

text: Translations[edit]

text: The Upanishads have been translated into various languages including Persian, Italian, Urdu, French, Latin, German, English, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Spanish and Russian.[185] The Moghul Emperor Akbar's reign (1556–1586) saw the first translations of the Upanishads into Persian.[186][187] His great-grandson, Sultan Mohammed Dara Shikoh, produced a collection called Oupanekhat in 1656, wherein 50 Upanishads were translated from Sanskrit into Persian.[188]

text: Anquetil Duperron, a French Orientalist received a manuscript of the Oupanekhat and translated the Persian version into French and Latin, publishing the Latin translation in two volumes in 1801–1802 as Oupneck'hat.[188][186] The French translation was never published.[189] The Latin version was the initial introduction of Upanishadic thought to Western scholars.[190] However, according to Deussen, the Persian translators took great liberties in translating the text and at times changed the meaning.[191]

text: The first Sanskrit to English translation of the Aitareya Upanishad was made by Colebrooke,[192] in 1805 and the first English translation of the Kena Upanishad was made by Rammohun Roy in 1816.[193][194]

text: The first German translation appeared in 1832 and Roer's English version appeared in 1853. However, Max Mueller's 1879 and 1884 editions were the first systematic English treatment to include the 12 Principal Upanishads.[185] Other major translations of the Upanishads have been by Robert Ernest Hume (13 Principal Upanishads),[195] Paul Deussen (60 Upanishads),[196] Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (18 Upanishads),[197] and Patrick Olivelle (32 Upanishads in two books).[198][160]

text: Reception in the West[edit]

text: The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer read the Latin translation and praised the Upanishads in his main work, The World as Will and Representation (1819), as well as in his Parerga and Paralipomena (1851).[199] He found his own philosophy was in accord with the Upanishads, which taught that the individual is a manifestation of the one basis of reality. For Schopenhauer, that fundamentally real underlying unity is what we know in ourselves as "will". Schopenhauer used to keep a copy of the Latin Oupnekhet by his side and commented,

text: It has been the solace of my life, it will be the solace of my death.[200]

text: Another German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, praised the ideas in the Upanishads,[201] as did others.[202] In the United States, the group known as the Transcendentalists were influenced by the German idealists. Americans, such as Emerson and Thoreau embraced Schelling's interpretation of Kant's Transcendental idealism, as well as his celebration of the romantic, exotic, mystical aspect of the Upanishads. As a result of the influence of these writers, the Upanishads gained renown in Western countries.[203]

text: The poet T. S. Eliot, inspired by his reading of the Upanishads, based the final portion of his famous poem The Waste Land (1922) upon one of its verses.[204] According to Eknath Easwaran, the Upanishads are snapshots of towering peaks of consciousness.[205]

text: Juan Mascaró, a professor at the University of Barcelona and a translator of the Upanishads, states that the Upanishads represents for the Hindu approximately what the New Testament represents for the Christian, and that the message of the Upanishads can be summarized in the words, "the kingdom of God is within you".[206]

text: Paul Deussen in his review of the Upanishads, states that the texts emphasize Brahman-Atman as something that can be experienced, but not defined.[207] This view of the soul and self are similar, states Deussen, to those found in the dialogues of Plato and elsewhere. The Upanishads insisted on oneness of soul, excluded all plurality, and therefore, all proximity in space, all succession in time, all interdependence as cause and effect, and all opposition as subject and object.[207] Max Müller, in his review of the Upanishads, summarizes the lack of systematic philosophy and the central theme in the Upanishads as follows,

text: There is not what could be called a philosophical system in these Upanishads. They are, in the true sense of the word, guesses at truth, frequently contradicting each other, yet all tending in one direction. The key-note of the old Upanishads is "know thyself," but with a much deeper meaning than that of the γνῶθι σεαυτόν of the Delphic Oracle. The "know thyself" of the Upanishads means, know thy true self, that which underlines thine Ego, and find it and know it in the highest, the eternal Self, the One without a second, which underlies the whole world.