However, a difference between the two texts is that Atharvashiras never uses the word "Shiva" (instead uses Maheshvara), while Atharvashikha repeatedly uses the word Shiva.
The Atharvashikha Upanishad imitates and repeats some text from other Shaiva Upanishads such as the Atharvashiras Upanishad, while expanding on a few aspects covered by it. The text focuses on OM mantra and its benefits. The Atharvashikha Upanishad is presented in two sections, with Section 1 dealing with what is meant by Om and the significance of its syllables, and Section 2 dealing with the benefits one derives by meditating coupled with reciting the word Om representing the four Vedas. The Atharvashikha Upanishad is, states Parmeshwaranand, a relatively later era composition (still 1st millennium BCE), influenced by the Pashupata Shaivism. Atharvashikha is probably among the later Upanishad in this group, and may be the stage of Hinduism where a transition occurred from Rudra, Ishana and related Vedic deities to one Shiva. Atharvashikha along with the other four Upanishads – Atharvashiras, Nilarudra, Kalagnirudra and Kaivalya – are ancient, with Nilarudra likely the oldest and Kaivalya the relatively later era Upanishad (still BCE) composed closer to the time of Shvetashvatara Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad, and Mahanarayana Upanishad. Chronology ĭeussen states that the text is from the group of five Upanishads which assert god Shiva as a symbolism for Atman in Hinduism. Shikha also means "particular verse or formula" and "a tuft or lock of hair on the crown of the head". The word "Atharvashikha", states Deussen, means the “Tip of the Atharvan”.
The text is also called Atharvashikhopanishad, and is listed at 23 in the Telugu language anthology of 108 Upanishads in Muktika canon. It declares Shiva to be higher than Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, and Ishvara. The text discusses and equates Om symbol to Shiva as the Supreme Being and Brahman, explaining the spirituality behind its chanting and meditation. The text is composed through the voice of the Sage Atharvan, to whom the Atharvaveda is eponymously attributed. It is classified as a Shaiva Upanishad, focussing on the destroyer god, Shiva. It is among the 31 Upanishads associated with the Atharvaveda. The Atharvashikha Upanishad ( IAST: Atharvaśikhā) is a Sanskrit text that is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism.
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