The Vedas and Upanishads for Children
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- Create Date：2023-04-08 06:54:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Roopa Pai
- ISBN：1800751893
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Summary
Three thousand years ago， deep inside the forests of India， a great 'thought revolution' was brewing。
In those forest labs， the brightest thinker-philosophers contemplated the universe， reflected on ancient texts called the Vedas and came up with startling insights into questions we still don't have final answers to， like:
- What is the universe made of？
- How do I know I'm looking at a tree when I see one？
- Who am I？
And where did they put those explosive findings？ In a sprawling body of goosebumpy and fascinating oral literature called the Upanishads！ Intimidated？ Don't be！ For this joyful， fun guide to some of India's longest-lasting secular wisdoms， reinterpreted for first-time explorers by Roopa Pai， is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages。
In those forest labs， the brightest thinker-philosophers contemplated the universe， reflected on ancient texts called the Vedas and came up with startling insights into questions we still don't have final answers to， like:
- What is the universe made of？
- How do I know I'm looking at a tree when I see one？
- Who am I？
And where did they put those explosive findings？ In a sprawling body of goosebumpy and fascinating oral literature called the Upanishads！ Intimidated？ Don't be！ For this joyful， fun guide to some of India's longest-lasting secular wisdoms， reinterpreted for first-time explorers by Roopa Pai， is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages。
Reviews
Shubham
，
As rightly mentioned elsewhere， the book is definitely not just for children。 I am blown away by the writers ability to explain something so vast and complex in such a structured and succinct manner that for a minute it seems like vedas are not so complex after all。 The “matrix reference” and other such modern pop culture references added some colours to make it more interesting。 Such a book should be part of our school curriculum to say at least to empower people to read for themselves the good As rightly mentioned elsewhere， the book is definitely not just for children。 I am blown away by the writers ability to explain something so vast and complex in such a structured and succinct manner that for a minute it seems like vedas are not so complex after all。 The “matrix reference” and other such modern pop culture references added some colours to make it more interesting。 Such a book should be part of our school curriculum to say at least to empower people to read for themselves the good and limitations of our ancient texts， rather than some YouTubers telling us half baked truths。 Either ways， a MUST READ！ 。。。more
Sagar Sumit
，
The book says it's for children （11+ years old）， however， even being 20 years older than those kids， I discovered new understanding， to my delight， about things that I thought I "knew"。 One thing that could have made the book better for all audiences is to have mantras/shlokas in Sanskrit along with English。 The book is in English including the shlokas and mantras。 However， for readers who already know how to read Sanskrit， the feel of reading would have been even more delectable。 The book says it's for children （11+ years old）， however， even being 20 years older than those kids， I discovered new understanding， to my delight， about things that I thought I "knew"。 One thing that could have made the book better for all audiences is to have mantras/shlokas in Sanskrit along with English。 The book is in English including the shlokas and mantras。 However， for readers who already know how to read Sanskrit， the feel of reading would have been even more delectable。 。。。more
Tithiparna sengupta
，
An exhilarating read The author has made the daunting V&U wonderfully accessible to the readers。 Just finished the book and I know that I would keep going back to it from time to time。 The illustrations too are beautiful。
Premchand
，
excellent read， thoroughly enjoyed reading it ， recommend it for whoever interested to know about vedas & upanishads
Charu Jain
，
I would love to read such easy translations for more ancient historical or religious texts。 This book is a good balance of simple philosophy and supporting stories， some of which I had heard while growing up。 Even though the book is for children， it is a very good read for adults as well。 May be now reading "The Principles of Upanishads" by Dr。 Radhakrishnan will be more insightful。 I would love to read such easy translations for more ancient historical or religious texts。 This book is a good balance of simple philosophy and supporting stories， some of which I had heard while growing up。 Even though the book is for children， it is a very good read for adults as well。 May be now reading "The Principles of Upanishads" by Dr。 Radhakrishnan will be more insightful。 。。。more
Abirami
，
I thank the Supreme One for this book。 Some people don’t have gurus…。 They have books！！Thankyou Roopa ma’am。 It’s such a wonderful book。 Like how words or thoughts cannot describe the Supreme One， no words or thoughts can describe how wonderful this book is and how many changes it has brought in my life！！！ This book is not only for children， it’s for adults too！！！
Felix Delong
，
finally somebody mase an introductory book and commentary even I can understand。 also -it's funny。 finally somebody mase an introductory book and commentary even I can understand。 also -it's funny。 。。。more
Ramakrishnan M
，
Good short summary about the Vedas and Upanishads。 I bought the book for my daughter but enjoyed reading it myself
Tarun Krishnaswamy
，
A definite read for folks who have always had the curiosity to know the Vedas。 This is a book that give you a summary and defined path to the structure， content and reasoning behind the different Vedas。One thing to note is that I personally felt while reading is that this is not a casual read。 It's a dedicated book with significant fact and information crammed in the most friendly and elegant way possible。 So when you pick this one up， make sure you pay attention to what station you are at lest， A definite read for folks who have always had the curiosity to know the Vedas。 This is a book that give you a summary and defined path to the structure， content and reasoning behind the different Vedas。One thing to note is that I personally felt while reading is that this is not a casual read。 It's a dedicated book with significant fact and information crammed in the most friendly and elegant way possible。 So when you pick this one up， make sure you pay attention to what station you are at lest， the train might skip your station。Happy reading or hearing （whichever you prefer！） 。。。more
Srini Iyer
，
Relevant for adults as much as childrenIf you feel like a child not knowing what Vedas & Upanishad are even if your are an adult， this book is for you as a primer。 It was for me。
Radhika Rajanesh
，
Very good book
Avinash Matta
，
Best book to get a head start on the Vedas and Upanishads！ Roopa Pai's writing is not only lucid and inspiring， but she peppers the book with various pop-culture references and relatable examples that make reading this book so much more interesting。 Definitely recommend this for anybody willing to partake of the ancient glory and wisdom of Indian scriptures。 Best book to get a head start on the Vedas and Upanishads！ Roopa Pai's writing is not only lucid and inspiring， but she peppers the book with various pop-culture references and relatable examples that make reading this book so much more interesting。 Definitely recommend this for anybody willing to partake of the ancient glory and wisdom of Indian scriptures。 。。。more
Shagun
，
What a treasure！ Simple and yet thought triggering！
Saumyajit Bhaduri
，
The Vedas and UpanishadsRoopa Pai“Three thousand years ago， deep inside the forests of India， a great ‘thought revolution was brewing。 There’s no other way I could have started writing the review of this book without quoting these lines from the book。As a child of the 1990s and growing up in 2000s， I like any other person of my age group never really took an interest in learning about the religious scriptures of my religion。 And I must say that I have been missing so many things for such a long The Vedas and UpanishadsRoopa Pai“Three thousand years ago， deep inside the forests of India， a great ‘thought revolution was brewing。 There’s no other way I could have started writing the review of this book without quoting these lines from the book。As a child of the 1990s and growing up in 2000s， I like any other person of my age group never really took an interest in learning about the religious scriptures of my religion。 And I must say that I have been missing so many things for such a long time。I hold no authority and do not consider myself an expert or a scholar of the Vedas and Upanishads， I feel very blessed that I am being allowed to write a review of the book。 I have had a huge spiritual change in me and my way of seeing things especially after reading this book。 However， I guarantee that my fellow readers will be feeling similar things after reading this， and will get the essence of “Brahman”。 Readers will understand the essence of “Who am I？” “What is my significance “The chapters in the book focus on the Vedas and the Upanishads individually and explain the stories of those chapters。 The stories keep making you guess， completely keeps you engaged。I wish the book didn’t have the subtitle of ‘For Children’ because I completely feel it’s not for children only but adults like us， helps us bring out the child in us as the author as explained the stories in a very simple manner。 She has managed to explain such complex scriptures in such a simple manner。 The book even has quotes that help readers compare the situation mentioned in the book with the present-day scenario， and the use of modern lingo from time to time helps to keep the readers engaged as well。 The amount of work she and the team have put into writing the script， the illustrations， and the small funny jokes in between make it even better。 But on a personal note， I feel it would have been great if some more illustrations were added。 I hope the author keeps this in mind and adds it next time。I would recommend this book to my fellow readers， it would be a must-read for those who are interested in ancient “Indic civilization” and wanting to start reading the ancient scriptures in a much simpler form。 Must read irrespective of your age。 。。。more
Dorum
，
Pretty good introduction to the Vedas and especially to the Upanishads。
Deepak Jaisinghani
，
The first part of the book， which deals with Vedas， was top-notch。 As you might expect from the title， the author does not actually copy-paste the Vedas here and then explain their meaning。 She just summarizes their teachings and only writes about the essence of Vedas。 This author-ly prerogative was risky， since some readers may actually want to read Vedas in their original form and expect her to clarify its meaning。 It does not backfire however。 Instead， it works wonderfully。 Because what she h The first part of the book， which deals with Vedas， was top-notch。 As you might expect from the title， the author does not actually copy-paste the Vedas here and then explain their meaning。 She just summarizes their teachings and only writes about the essence of Vedas。 This author-ly prerogative was risky， since some readers may actually want to read Vedas in their original form and expect her to clarify its meaning。 It does not backfire however。 Instead， it works wonderfully。 Because what she has chose to put her focus on in not just the content of Vedas， but the background， the history of Vedas in India and a whole lot of trivia surrounding the subject。 For example， I didn't know the word 'Hindu' was never meant to denote people of a certain religion。 It was just a word used by the ancient Greeks and Persians to describe people and the land beyond the River Sindhu， which， in Persian， was pronounced 'Hindu'！ Even in Vedas and Upanishads， the word 'Hindu' is never used！ You might come across more of such surprises while perusing the text。So far， so good。 You are content with the book you have chose to give your time and attention to。 The problem lies with the 'Upanishads' section。 Again， she follows the same formula here， introducing Upanishads to under-informed readers and then proceeding to reinforce it with some mind-numbing details。 The book should have ended there。 Yes， it should have said 'thank you' and just finished there。 But。。。Unlike the section on Vedas， this time， the author somehow decides to stretch beyond。 She painstakingly went on to write about the 10 Principal Upanishads in detail， spanning some 200 odd pages， which ultimately are just a bunch of spiritual mumbo-jumbo。 The idea that 'Man is God' or the concept of 'Brahman' gets repeated so many times I wanted to close the book and just abandon it。 The unending conversations between disciples and their gurus are complete nonsense。 The mind is this， the mind is that， Brahman this， Brahman that， blah blah blah blah blah。。。 I would've hated the book but for the fact that the author seemed to have sensed my doubts。 In the 'Acknowledgements' section， she says that if we agree with some ideas and disagree with others， it's irresponsible of us to completely disregard the book in its entirety because of some bits and pieces which are not to our personal liking。 True。 。。。more
Sanjay Singh
，
Thank you Roopa jee for another wonderful book！This book is not only CHILDREN， but also for grown ups。 Very excelleant introduction to The Vedas and Upnishads。 I am enlightened by knowing such a accurate， beautiful， and true Indian philosophy about finding our innerself。 I came to know about how Knowledges of Upanishads help us to live joyful life。असतो मा सद्गमय ।तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।मृत्योर्माऽमृतं गमय ॥ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥asato mā sadgamaya，tamaso mā jyotirgamaya，mṛtyormā'mṛtaṃ gamaya。o Thank you Roopa jee for another wonderful book！This book is not only CHILDREN， but also for grown ups。 Very excelleant introduction to The Vedas and Upnishads。 I am enlightened by knowing such a accurate， beautiful， and true Indian philosophy about finding our innerself。 I came to know about how Knowledges of Upanishads help us to live joyful life。असतो मा सद्गमय ।तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।मृत्योर्माऽमृतं गमय ॥ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥asato mā sadgamaya，tamaso mā jyotirgamaya，mṛtyormā'mṛtaṃ gamaya。om shanti shanti shanti。Lead me from the asat to the sat。Lead me from darkness to light。Lead me from death to immortalityOm Peace Peace Peace。 。。。more
Jules
，
Amazing book， such a good explanation of the scriptures
Kaveri Mishra
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Amazing explanation of everything one of the best books that I have ever read
Kim
，
It’s okay3。5 starsThe Good: I really enjoyed the Upanishads part which was the second half of the book。 The Not-so-great: its long， this can’t actually be for children， teenagers maybe。 The Vedas part I found pretty dull and it took a while to get through。 There are references I definitely didn’t get as a westerner butI forgive that since it’s written for Indian children。 All in all， I think it’s a decent introduction or summary of the Vedas and Upanishads but I don’t know that I’d recommend it It’s okay3。5 starsThe Good: I really enjoyed the Upanishads part which was the second half of the book。 The Not-so-great: its long， this can’t actually be for children， teenagers maybe。 The Vedas part I found pretty dull and it took a while to get through。 There are references I definitely didn’t get as a westerner butI forgive that since it’s written for Indian children。 All in all， I think it’s a decent introduction or summary of the Vedas and Upanishads but I don’t know that I’d recommend it to someone else。 。。。more
Mahesh K Adewar
，
It was always a challenge to grasp religious text and books and most of the time we can't swim through them。 Because， the author generally are people from religious background and they uses the words those are like wushhh for people like me。 This is the best work for new people who wants to get the glimpse of these huge philosophical text ， in simple lucid manner。。。 Excellent work！ It was always a challenge to grasp religious text and books and most of the time we can't swim through them。 Because， the author generally are people from religious background and they uses the words those are like wushhh for people like me。 This is the best work for new people who wants to get the glimpse of these huge philosophical text ， in simple lucid manner。。。 Excellent work！ 。。。more
Amit Patil
，
Very well articulated with content that people of the current generation can relate to。 The explanations are very dramatic and that's what adds to the charm of the book。 Heard it on an Audio book and it's even more exciting。 Recommend it for kids and adults both。 Very well articulated with content that people of the current generation can relate to。 The explanations are very dramatic and that's what adds to the charm of the book。 Heard it on an Audio book and it's even more exciting。 Recommend it for kids and adults both。 。。。more
Pooja Bhaisa
，
It was suggested by one of my friend。 And I believe， this book is for everyone。 Such an insightful one。
Ajay Walia
，
A substandard attempt to explain things ， too many parallels drawn to western examples + Too much emphasis on confusion and contradictions， we are here for clarity not muddle 。 Take a view and tag along。 Book shines at times but lacks coherence。
Yatindra Tawde
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Book title : The Vedas and Upanishads for childrenAuthor : Roopa PaiPublisher: Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt。 Ltd。No。 of pages: 410Let there be no doubt about it， The Vedas and Upanishads are no simple subjects that anyone and everyone can attempt writing about them。 First of all， they are so ancient; second， they are originally written in the ancient language of the Indian subcontinent， Sanskrit。 This language has very few current aficionados。 Third， there are quite a few translations avai Book title : The Vedas and Upanishads for childrenAuthor : Roopa PaiPublisher: Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt。 Ltd。No。 of pages: 410Let there be no doubt about it， The Vedas and Upanishads are no simple subjects that anyone and everyone can attempt writing about them。 First of all， they are so ancient; second， they are originally written in the ancient language of the Indian subcontinent， Sanskrit。 This language has very few current aficionados。 Third， there are quite a few translations available， from the 19th century to quite recent， where， not everyone has managed to capture the true gist of those great works。 However the author， Roopa Pai has studied the best among them like the works of Bibek and Dipavali Debroy， Swami Vivekananda， S。 Radhakrishnan， Sri M and many others。 Please refer to the select bibliography at the end of the book。Studying is only half the battle won。 Interpreting it for the target audience， who are the teenagers， and keeping it interesting enough throughout the entire length of the book is a stupendous achievement。 And mind you， this book is not only for teenagers， though written in a language they understand。 Those who have only a cursory knowledge of the Vedas and Upanishads， like yours truly， will find it equally interesting and wonderous。 I mean， those ancient rishis and sages really developed some profound thoughts which acted as guiding principles to innumerable generations。 Like the author says， there might be parts of the Vedas and Upanishads that you will love and others which you don't feel comfortable with。 Just take from them the useful and illuminating lessons and set the rest aside。 Even those ancient sages are not asking you to believe everything they have said but exhorting you to think for yourself。Speaking for myself， I felt those sages certainly had a scientific bent of mind， the way they thought and tried to unravel answers to some very fundamental questions。 They sought to inspire people to seek the truth for themselves。 Of course， the science of those times may not have been so advanced （though many would disagree） that few of those ideas would be relevant in today's age too， but you can't deny that the methodology they employed is still applicable。 You might think I have said something preposterous， but read this book and then form your own opinion。Hats off to Roopa Pai for attempting to communicate in simple language， the very difficult and sometimes confusing world of the Vedas and Upanishads。 She says that the old， old answers of the Upanishads are among the most convincing， for a significant number of people still swear by them。 So grab this book to find out more！Totally recommended。Yatindra Tawde 。。。more
Ram Khetan
，
Wonderful book。Extremely interested and fascinating。You will love ancient India and their great rishis after reading this book。Very simple language used to make it understand to even beginners who have no knowledge about greatness of ancient India。Must read book to know about heritage of India。I was in awe when I was reading this book。This book successfully provides understanding about vedas and Upanishads and clears all doubts。I thank roopa pai for bringing this wonderful work。I also thank sage Wonderful book。Extremely interested and fascinating。You will love ancient India and their great rishis after reading this book。Very simple language used to make it understand to even beginners who have no knowledge about greatness of ancient India。Must read book to know about heritage of India。I was in awe when I was reading this book。This book successfully provides understanding about vedas and Upanishads and clears all doubts。I thank roopa pai for bringing this wonderful work。I also thank sages for sacred wisdom。 。。。more
Piyusha Vir
，
My head is reeling from all the wisdom contained in this book。 If this is a mere fraction of the real thing， can't even begin to imagine what it must be to read the scriptures for themselves。What a fantastic illuminating read this was！Definitely recommend it to those who wish to explore the wealth that's Hindu scriptures but are intimidated by the sheer volume and size of the scriptures。This is in itself no easy read for it makes you ponder and introspect a lot。 But then that's the whole purpose My head is reeling from all the wisdom contained in this book。 If this is a mere fraction of the real thing， can't even begin to imagine what it must be to read the scriptures for themselves。What a fantastic illuminating read this was！Definitely recommend it to those who wish to explore the wealth that's Hindu scriptures but are intimidated by the sheer volume and size of the scriptures。This is in itself no easy read for it makes you ponder and introspect a lot。 But then that's the whole purpose of reading such literature， isn't it？I firmly believe that books should make you question and seek， we know how well our Scriptures make one do that。 But they also provide answers and some wonderful enlightening stories。 Dipping into them even a little bit makes one want to explore more and more。It reminds me of a line from my own book 'Dashavatar-Stories of Lord Vishnu' : 'This way I will keep searching for answers and my thirst for knowledge will never quench。' Little did I know then how apt that line was。Can't wait to explore more books including The Gita by the same author 。 。。。more
Bhakti
，
I was first introduced to author Roopa Pai in her "The Gita for Children"， where I thought her style to be extraordinary， and she hasn't disappointed me in the least。By writing this book， Pai has taken on the herculean task of summarising and giving the background of the 4 Sacred Vedas and the more than 200-or-so Upanishads， and as far as I know （not that I do， in fact 'know'）， she has been successful。She makes it very clear， from the beginning， that the sages of ancient India were highly advanc I was first introduced to author Roopa Pai in her "The Gita for Children"， where I thought her style to be extraordinary， and she hasn't disappointed me in the least。By writing this book， Pai has taken on the herculean task of summarising and giving the background of the 4 Sacred Vedas and the more than 200-or-so Upanishads， and as far as I know （not that I do， in fact 'know'）， she has been successful。She makes it very clear， from the beginning， that the sages of ancient India were highly advanced in their approach to both life and its purpose。 That they not only encouraged people to question what they heard and read， especially in the Vedas， but to also not rest if they were unsatisfied with the answers they got。 "Seek the answers for yourselves！" they urged， "Try and experience what we talk about， talk to the wise， read texts of wisdom- see for yourself！" The amazing thing is that the Upanishads， the very texts that question the Vedas， are revered as some of the greatest philosophical texts and are part of the Vedas themselves。In her own words: "Because， you see， the sages of the Upanishads were never in the business of making other people believe what they themselves knew for a fact。 Instead， they were ardent seekers of the secrets of the universe， and they were on this great quest simply to satisfy their own curiosities。 （Pai， 9）Language-wise， she gives such simple explanations in her signature style that it is almost impossible not to understand （you cannot blame me for the 'almost' in there- it is still the V&U we are talking about， after all！）。 A surprising thing was descriptions。 I always have an eye out for descriptive writing incorporated in the story， and I was shocked when a book about a seemingly dry topic like the Vedas and Upanishads could have had such remarkable descriptions （especially since it isn't a story）。Having already spoiled one of her quotes， I will leave it up to you to decide whether you want to read it or not。。。 but please do！！ 。。。more
Gorab
，
Who am I to say anything on the Vedas and Upanishads？Forget the latter。。。 Who Am I？Book is structured well。 Don't go by "for children" in the title。 Pretty informative on the epics for a beginner。 Loved the Vedas part - 30% of the book。 Upanishads didn't go well - felt like reading a bunch of self help books back to back。 At times， felt irked by the "child tone" voice - Netflix references。Overall - Not very impressive。 Who am I to say anything on the Vedas and Upanishads？Forget the latter。。。 Who Am I？Book is structured well。 Don't go by "for children" in the title。 Pretty informative on the epics for a beginner。 Loved the Vedas part - 30% of the book。 Upanishads didn't go well - felt like reading a bunch of self help books back to back。 At times， felt irked by the "child tone" voice - Netflix references。Overall - Not very impressive。 。。。more
Kapil
，
I want the author to know that her efforts did not go vainI want the author to know that her efforts did not go vain。Many Many Thanks。Keep doing this great work。
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions。 However， I can provide an overview of the book 'The Vedas and Upanishads for Children。' 'The Vedas and Upanishads for Children' is a book that introduces children to the concepts and teachings of the ancient sacred texts of Hinduism。 The book offers simplified versions of the Vedic hymns and Upanishads， along with stories and illustrations to make them more accessible to young readers。 The book is divided into two sections。 The first section introduces children to the Vedas， which are a collection of ancient texts that contain hymns， prayers， and rituals related to Hindu deities。 The second section explores the Upanishads， which are philosophical texts that explore the nature of reality and the human condition。 The book is written in simple language， making it easy for children to understand。 The illustrations and stories help to engage children and make the book more enjoyable to read。 'The Vedas and Upanishads for Children' can be a valuable resource for parents and teachers who want to introduce children to Hinduism and its teachings。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I cannot have a personal opinion。 However， 'The Vedas and Upanishads for Children' is a great book as it provides simplified and age-appropriate explanations of the Vedic and Upanishadic scriptures， making them understandable for children。 It introduces them to the core beliefs of Hinduism， including the concept of karma and reincarnation， and encourages them to think deeply about the purpose of life。 It is a great resource for parents who want to introduce their children to Hinduism and its teachings。
tpg2
，