Consider the following statements: 1. There are no parables in Upanishads. 2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The Upanishads, though primarily philosophical texts dealing with the nature of Brahman and Atman, do contain several parables and allegorical stories — for example, the story of Nachiketa and Yama in the Katha Upanishad, the dialogue of Svetaketu and Uddalaka in the Chandogya Upanishad, and the parable of the salt and water. Hence statement 1 is incorrect. Chronologically, the principal Upanishads were composed roughly between 800–500 BCE during the late Vedic period, whereas the Puranas were composed/compiled much later, roughly from around 300 CE onwards into the medieval period. So statement 2 is correct. Only statement 2 is correct.