One of the
theoretical works that make up the Vedas' newest layer, the Chandogya Upan
ishad.
Shvetaketu, the son of Uddalaka Aruni and a paradigm for a
seeker of knowledge, is mentioned in the Upanishad.
Shvetaketu's schooling also represents the Upanishads'
understanding of genuine knowledge and how it differs from past understandings.
Shvetaketu is sent away by his father to study the Vedas, and when he returns twelve years later, having mastered all of the Vedas, he wrongly believes himself knowledgeable, according to a narrative in the sixth chapter of the Upanishad.
By asking Shvetaketu questions about the nature of the universe,
Shvetaketu's father shatters his hubris and demonstrates the difference between
memorization and actual understanding.
Shvetaketu recognizes his ignorance and accepts his father's
lesson on the nature of the Self when he is unable to answer these questions
(atman).
