Religion

The Upanishads

The Upanishads

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  • Create Date：2021-08-19 08:53:34
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Eknath Easwaran
  • ISBN：1586380214
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Summary

Among the oldest of India’s spiritual texts， the Upanishads are records of intensive question-and-answer sessions given by illumined sages to their students – in ashrams， at family gatherings， in a royal court， and in the kingdom of Death。 The sages share flashes of insight， extraordinary visions， the results of their investigation into consciousness itself。

The Upanishads have puzzled and inspired wisdom seekers from Yeats to Schopenhauer。 In this best-selling translation， Eknath Easwaran makes these challenging texts more accessible by selecting the passages most relevant to readers seeking timeless truths today。 This book includes an overview of the cultural and historical setting， with chapter introductions， notes， and a Sanskrit glossary。 But it is Easwaran’s understanding of the wisdom of the Upanishads that makes this edition truly outstanding。

Each sage， each Upanishad， appeals in a different way to the reader’s head and heart。 For Easwaran， the Upanishads are part of India’s precious legacy， not just to Hinduism but to humanity， and in that spirit they are offered here。

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Reviews

Greg Williams ，

The Upanishads are a series of lessons that form the basis of Hinduism， written between appropriately 700 and 400 BCE， and are among the most important words of literature in the history of India。 This collection of Upanishads is well-translated for a western audience， which is extraordinarily useful for this American， as Hindu culture has a hundred words for many concepts for which we have only one or at most a handful。The essence of these lessons focus on Brahman （the ultimate reality）， Atman The Upanishads are a series of lessons that form the basis of Hinduism， written between appropriately 700 and 400 BCE， and are among the most important words of literature in the history of India。 This collection of Upanishads is well-translated for a western audience， which is extraordinarily useful for this American， as Hindu culture has a hundred words for many concepts for which we have only one or at most a handful。The essence of these lessons focus on Brahman （the ultimate reality）， Atman （soul or self） and how to attain enhanced self knowledge by going within through meditation。 Of note， German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer considered the Upanishads highly important and profitable。 Beyond that， however， is the realization that there are fundamental truths in these sacred texts so profoundly built into the fabric of one of our world’s most populous civilizations。 So it seemed prudent to me to develop an understanding of it。Through meditation and self-reflection， there are boundless resources within to rectify the majority of our worldly and spiritual concerns。 These sacred texts helped me to recognize the immeasurable value of continued and assiduous investigation into my soul’s purpose， and to elevate and focus my energies on what is truly most important during my days on earth。 。。。more

Myles ，

Recommend a hardcopy so you can keep referring back to points。 It also helps to share with friends that way。 I've taken a lot out of this book and will refer back to its knowledge throughout my life I feel。 Recommend a hardcopy so you can keep referring back to points。 It also helps to share with friends that way。 I've taken a lot out of this book and will refer back to its knowledge throughout my life I feel。 。。。more

Tayylor ，

This and the Bhagavad Gita are two of the greatest spiritual texts I've encountered。 Simple yet complex， they penetrate deeply into the heart of existence。 There is an openness and lack of judgement in these texts - it makes it such a pleasure to read them。 This and the Bhagavad Gita are two of the greatest spiritual texts I've encountered。 Simple yet complex， they penetrate deeply into the heart of existence。 There is an openness and lack of judgement in these texts - it makes it such a pleasure to read them。 。。。more

Abhiraj Dadiyan ，

Okay， this is a great translation， but I think it would have done more if they also explained the context before or after the hymns， instead of in the notes as that kept throwing me off

André ，

É um livro fácil de ler， contendo linguagem simples， sem entrar demasiado em tecnicismos próprios da religião hindu， e， sendo um pequeno conjunto de textos escritos principalmente por poetas， não é de admirar que seja como ler um poema extenso， esteticamente apelativo。

Tim ，

Nästan tillräckligt för att själv övertyga en om metafysisk monism， om inte panpsykism。 Ritualerna är inte lika övertygande， men skulle sakna charm utan; det kan få vara。

jREX 3。0 ，

this following quote is an important excerpt from the afterword in this publication and encapsulates the treasure trove of wisdom contained in the upanishads。————the truly free man or woman is svamin， literally “in full possession of self。” he or she exercises a spontaneous authority over others: not the authority that debases others but that ennobles them， not the authority that distances but that draws to intimacy， not the authority of birth or social advantage but of the ability to forget one this following quote is an important excerpt from the afterword in this publication and encapsulates the treasure trove of wisdom contained in the upanishads。————the truly free man or woman is svamin， literally “in full possession of self。” he or she exercises a spontaneous authority over others: not the authority that debases others but that ennobles them， not the authority that distances but that draws to intimacy， not the authority of birth or social advantage but of the ability to forget oneself in the welfare of others。”— Michael N。 Nagler， A Religion For Modern Times 。。。more

Anton Zlatev ，

Думите са беден израз на вечността на Упанишадите。

Kamakshi ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It is indeed a great book， and it takes a lot of time， patience and concentration to understand the concept of 'Upanishads'。 I will have to re-read atleast another 4-5 times to try and understand and implement a few things in my life。 Hinduism is not about blind cultural practices but it's much more of a humanity and spiritual practice one must know and understand。 And every thing is logic based which made me like the essence even more！ "One becomes like that which is in one's mind - this is the It is indeed a great book， and it takes a lot of time， patience and concentration to understand the concept of 'Upanishads'。 I will have to re-read atleast another 4-5 times to try and understand and implement a few things in my life。 Hinduism is not about blind cultural practices but it's much more of a humanity and spiritual practice one must know and understand。 And every thing is logic based which made me like the essence even more！ "One becomes like that which is in one's mind - this is the everlasting secret" 。。。more

Zachary ，

As I don't know Sanskrit， I can't really comment on the accuracy of Olivelle's translation。 What I can say is that this was a very readable translation of texts that are often deliberately cryptic and obscure。 Olivelle's introduction is extremely helpful and includes a substantial bibliography。 His annotations are brief and helpful but annoyingly consigned to the form of endnotes， which is my only complaint。 As I don't know Sanskrit， I can't really comment on the accuracy of Olivelle's translation。 What I can say is that this was a very readable translation of texts that are often deliberately cryptic and obscure。 Olivelle's introduction is extremely helpful and includes a substantial bibliography。 His annotations are brief and helpful but annoyingly consigned to the form of endnotes， which is my only complaint。 。。。more

Lulu ，

700 BCE - ？Chandogya Upanishad• 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。• 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 Upanisa 700 BCE - ？Chandogya Upanishad• 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。• 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。 According to Olivelle， "All exhibit strong theistic tendencies and are probably the earliest literary products of the theistic tradition， whose later literature includes the Bhagavad Gita and the Puranas。"• The two late prose Upanisads， the Prasna and the Mandukya， cannot be much older than the beginning of the common era。 。。。more

Bec Reno ，

This book sits on my shelf and every now and then I open it at a random page and absorb some wisdom which I then digest for a week or two then I go back for more。 It’s like a crack habit but it’s not crack it’s spiritual wisdom and it’s good for my soul 👌

Albert-Jan Jorna ，

Amazing。 Insightful。 Equal the levels of knowledge of all current gurus （Spira， Tolle） in one sitting。 It only takes one book， and it is this one。 Never be surprised or dumbfounded by their insights anymore， for you will understand them all if you have digested this book。 This is it， this is the real deal。 Ancient wisdom。 Do yourself a favor and read it know and discover your inner guru/yoghi/buddha。

Athena ，

A beautiful collection of meditations and reflections on consciousness， divinity， and existence （and a foundational yoga text！）。 I really loved reading these， especially when I spent time outside while reading them。 Unexpectedly humorous at times also--love to see it。

Sebastian Priotese ，

I'm not sure how one is supposed to review a religious text。 I have had a keen interest in Hinduism for a while now and this particular text has brought me an odd sense of relief during the worst time of my life。 It's constructed on heavy repetition， which might make it pretty unpalatable for some people， but it's well worth powering through its faults。 I'm not sure how one is supposed to review a religious text。 I have had a keen interest in Hinduism for a while now and this particular text has brought me an odd sense of relief during the worst time of my life。 It's constructed on heavy repetition， which might make it pretty unpalatable for some people， but it's well worth powering through its faults。 。。。more

Rosco Betunada ，

have had this copy since '69 or so （no， not age siouxante-neuf， the year）。 read it a time or two。 i suppose this is as-accurate a translation as could be hoped for， but this book is 。。。 bland。 yeah， we should all aspire to aspire to infinity （& beyond！） which is the message through-out。 as a scholarly work which may （or may not） give insight into ancient Hindu mysticism this probably has "real" value。 but for a/the "kick in the ass" which might stick for you， as it has for me， try Tao Te Ching a have had this copy since '69 or so （no， not age siouxante-neuf， the year）。 read it a time or two。 i suppose this is as-accurate a translation as could be hoped for， but this book is 。。。 bland。 yeah， we should all aspire to aspire to infinity （& beyond！） which is the message through-out。 as a scholarly work which may （or may not） give insight into ancient Hindu mysticism this probably has "real" value。 but for a/the "kick in the ass" which might stick for you， as it has for me， try Tao Te Ching and Isherwood translation of the 'Gita。 。。。more

Kandice ，

The poetry of this book， as it conveys deeper truths， will touch your heart and make you see things in a different way。 Truly beautiful！

Ethan Berman ，

Much to the credit of the Upanishads， the concepts within the text itself are greatly enhanced by intertextual reference。 In many works of this nature， the similarities to ideas or structures within other texts detracts from the novelty or enjoyability of the work。 However， The Upanishads' notions of universal unity， sublimated purity， goodness within reality， and emphasis on concentrated thought and meditation via Yoga are best absorbed through whatever comparison works for the reader。 The vers Much to the credit of the Upanishads， the concepts within the text itself are greatly enhanced by intertextual reference。 In many works of this nature， the similarities to ideas or structures within other texts detracts from the novelty or enjoyability of the work。 However， The Upanishads' notions of universal unity， sublimated purity， goodness within reality， and emphasis on concentrated thought and meditation via Yoga are best absorbed through whatever comparison works for the reader。 The verses invite the audience to understand metaphysical notions like the Spirit， Atman and desires， through analogy， forgoing systemization and instead embracing （mostly） beautiful prose and varying stylistic decisions。 There's no wonder why so many worthy thinkers cite The Upanishads as essential reading; do not hesitate to join them。 。。。more

Miss ，

Consider my little brain blown， but l appreciated many of the insights Hinduism provided。

Michael Leonard ，

Excellent

Dave ，

the face of truth remains hidden behind a circle of gold。

Michael Nguyen ，

Fantastic book。 Really puts me in a spiritual and devotional state of mind when thinking about the nature of divinity， life， death， bhakti yoga， consciousness and all other amazing things。 Its jam packed with mysticism and philosophy and I would definitely like to understand the text even further in other translations and in the original sanskrit。

Mona ，

ترجمه متناسب و خوب بود。 تا حدی یاد مرصادالعباد افتادم از نظر فرمی。 قسمت‌های زیادی رو البته نمیتونستم بفهمم。

Suraj ，

Beautifully explained。。。。 Timeless！！！ Our culture was way ahead of its time in their discoveries and findings。。。。

T。J。 ，

JANAKA: When the sun sets， Yajnavalkya， and the moon sets， and the fire goes out， what is the light of man？ YAJNAVALKYA: Then speech is our light， for by that we sit， work， go out， and come back。 Even though we cannot see our own hand in the dark， we can hear what is said and move toward the person speaking。

PuriP ，

Interesting and poetic， but too sophistic for my taste。 It is a must read though for anyone who wants to understand the subtleties of human religious longing。

Mark Taylor ，

eknath easwaran provides some fantastic commentary

Patrick ，

Definitely a more niche read for the typical western seeker compared to the Gita。 A natural next step for those looking to enhance their knowledge on Hindu thought。

Garret Macko ，

Even with all the supplementary material I utilized while reading this， it felt like there was a great deal that escaped me。 Should this really surprise me， though？ I think not。 It is， after all， one of the most enduring and transcendent texts in all of human history。 There are usually a number of reasons why I elect not to rate a book， and with this one in particular， I'm doing so because I don't feel comfortable enough in my understanding of its contents。 While I'll surely never know or master Even with all the supplementary material I utilized while reading this， it felt like there was a great deal that escaped me。 Should this really surprise me， though？ I think not。 It is， after all， one of the most enduring and transcendent texts in all of human history。 There are usually a number of reasons why I elect not to rate a book， and with this one in particular， I'm doing so because I don't feel comfortable enough in my understanding of its contents。 While I'll surely never know or master a text like The Upanishads， I hope to some day wrap my head around it enough to give it an appropriate rating。 。。。more

Murray ，

Superb commentary The date of origin of the Upanishads is unclear as they were initially oral teachings。 This excellent translation gives them in their simple glory。 The beauty and excellence of this edition is the commentary by Juan Mascaro， one who had penetrated the mystery of Brahman and these teachings。 It is from his commentary that the deeper aspects of the timeless wisdom emerges。For a further metaphysical treatment look for the book by Rene Guenon。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Upanishads

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Upanishads&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Upanishads&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0