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The Upanishads
| Title | The Upanishads |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2025-01-03 12:51:58 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Easwaran’s best-selling translation of the ancient wisdom texts called the Upanishads is reliable, enjoyable, and profound.In the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. In extraordinary visions, they experience directly a transcendent Reality which is the essence, or Self, of each created being. They teach that each of us, each Self, is eternal, deathless, one with the power that created the universe.Easwaran’s best-selling translation of selections taken from the principal Upanishads and five others is reliable and accessible. It 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, and their relevance to the modern audience, that makes this edition truly outstanding.Each sage, each Upanishad, appeals in different ways to the listener's head and heart. As Easwaran writes, “The Upanishads belong not just to Hinduism. They are India’s most precious legacy to humanity, and in that spirit they are offered here.”This audiobook is a complete narration of Eknath Easwaran's Foreword, Introduction, and translation, but omits the short chapter introductions and the Afterword by other writers. Read more
Review
This edition is aimed for curious readers that have little or no previous knowledge of the Vedic, Brahmanic, and Hindu traditions. Although, this doesn't mean the scholar, researcher or student won't find something in this book.Indeed this is more of a popularization effort than a scholarly-intended work. Don't worry, this is a great quality. The language used is modern (no "thee", "thou", "ye", German-looking conjugations or weird archaisms you can only find in a scholar dictionary) and Aswaran really drives it home in terms of making sure the reader understands the point regardless of previous knowledge on the subject, but without stripping the text of any linguistic and/or rhetoric beauty. He just makes it understandable, he doesn't dumb it up.Besides, there's a great Introduction from Aswaran himself which sums up the basic points about why the Upanishad are so important and how they contributed in the evolution from Vedism to Brahmanism (I'm studying this theological transition and this book helped me a lot to shore up my data on the matter). This book includes the ten major Upanishads (though a couple of them in abridged versions) and four minor Upanishads. Don't fret about the abridged versions: they are competently shortened to include the most significant and essential sections. No greater meaning is lost.Also, Michael N. Nagler gives short introductions to each Upanishad and a general afterword that round up each text. Add a very pertinent glossary and most relevant notes to the Upanishads, along with a very attractive design, and you have a wonderful mix. (Personally, I don't like having all the notes at the end of the book, but I understand the sweet design didn't allow for footnotes on each page of the text)So, in short, this is a wonderful edition for either the curious or interested reader as well as the beginner or medium scholar on Hinduism. (I'm assuming the advanced scholar masters Sanskrit and has access to complete untranslated editions)This is a great book, make no mistake. You won't regret this purchase.
