Reviews (8)

Most important text of Vedanta
The Upanishads are the most important text of Vedanta. The Triple Canon of Vedanta (Prasthana Traya) include: (1) the Upanishads, (2) the Bhagavad Gita, and (3) the Brahma Sutras. The Upanishads are considered the revealed scriptures and so referred to as 'Sruti Prasthana'. The Bhagavad Gita is the recollected scripture and hence referred to as 'Smriti Prasthana'. The Brahma Sutras use logic and reasoning to discuss the Sruti and so called 'Nyaya Prasthana'. The best commentary to these three was written by the 7th or 8th century Sage, Swami Adi Sankara. Any serious student of Vedanta should have all these three books with Sankara's commentary.
Best edition of one of the greatest of all books
There are numerous translations of the Upanishads extant, and each that I have had the privilege to inspect has much to offer.My favorite, however, for overall presentation and scholarship is Nikhilananda's four volume masterpiece published by the Ramakrishna-Vedanta Center of New York beginning in 1949.The first volume contains the Katha, Kena, and Mundaka Upanishads, along with the majestic eighty-one page introductory essay, "Discussion of Brahman in the Upanishads", and a General Introduction to the entire work.The second volume contains the Svetasvatara, Prasna, and Mandukya Upanishads, and another searching and informative introduction embodying a study of Vedic ethics.The third volume contains the Aitareya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishads with another awesome introductory essay discussing the value of rituals and symbols for the contemplation of Brahman.The fourth volume contains the Taittiriya and Chandogya Upanishads and an essay discussing ritual and contemplative worship as steps leading to the knowledge of Brahman.The translation has been decribed by leading authorities in the field over the years as clear, literal, and vigorous - to these observations, I would add radiant and inspiring.Nikhilananda's own commentaries are succinct and incisive.Nikhilananda's translations of Sankara's commentaries are considered definitive.In the words of one academic reviewer, "The special value of the translation lies in the infusion of the author's dual quality - that of a practiced mystic and religious scholar.The use of Sankara's commentaries makes as it were for another dimension - as of a vastly competent Thomas Aquinas winnowing the scriptural chaff from the kernel of reality."
The Athoritative Translation
To have a work of this philosophic profoundness translated by someone who was himself steeped in the very same tradition as the work that he is translating is a privelege.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. General    3. Religion    4. Hinduism   

Editorial Review

The poetic backbone of Hinduism, the millennia-old Read more

Reviews (7)

Skip the Intro
The Upanishads are beautiful, timeless, and powerful.This translation seems to do them justice, and I have nothing critical to say about that.The included verses have been thoughtfully chosen and are truly classic treasures.
not quite what I had in mind
This book is perhaps a decent introduction to the subject matter, however the number af actual Hindu upanishads would fill a book as thick as the bible.There are a few short upanishad-y anecdotes in this very thin collection.The intro is longer than most of the upanishads within, and gives a decent history.Serious scholars should look for a more voluminous collection.This would be great for the high school student in a comparative religion class.

44 Page Introduction Alone Worth the Cost
For those seeking the eternal, this book's introduction is comfortable and familiar. It is filled with threads of ancient wisdom and clearly tries to tie together the universal element's of the "razor's edge". I recommend the introduction alone to anyone searching for answers to the eternal questions. I am writing this because my Mom inspired (and still inspires) me to do my best and read good books. There is great truth and solace in the words of Saint Teresa: "No sisters, no;our Lord expects works of us". With the foundation most seeking out these texts already posess, I believe this translation of the Upanishads will always bring courage and contentment. I take this one book with me whenever I feel doubtful or uninspired. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. General    3. Hinduism    4. Philosophy    5. Religion    6. Religion / Hinduism    7. Sacred texts   

Editorial Review

Formerly a professor of Victorian literature, Eknath Easwaran discovered the treasures of wisdom in his own native India and began to pursue them with a passion. He has since studied them, practiced them, and moved to America to share them with the Western world. In his translation of Read more

Reviews (13)

A Required Book For Any Collection of Eastern Wisdom
This book, along with its companion translations of the Dhammapada and Bhagavad Gita, also by Eknath Easwaran, should be required for any serious student of Eastern Wisdom. If you can't afford Swami Nikhilanandas multi-volume set of complete translations of every Upanishad, and even if you can, you should also have this volume on your shelf.

Excellent abridged version
On Upanishads:
Excellent translation
The author reaches the heart of the writing. The passages bring a calm, peacefully deep understanding. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Hinduism    3. Philosophy    4. Religion    5. Spirituality - General   

Reviews (9)

Great Resource
This is one of my favorite books on Hindu spirituality. It is easy to follow but meaty enough to give you plenty to think about.

Jnana Yoga
For those who reject standard religious dogma but still recognize the certain spirituality of mankind, this book is for you. Best comprehensive explanation of the Hindu Faith I have ever read! Written for easy comprehension by the western mind.

Rare view into Wisdom by a Master
Swami Vivekananda, a major (if not the main) disciple of the famous Ramakrishna, has done both Hinduism and comparative religion a great service by writing several works that address the main types of transformational yoga.Interestingly, Hinduism has constructed a wonderful model that differentiates among and between these seemingly divergent paths up the spiritual mountain (or paths to God for Theists).These include: Karma Yoga (addressing action) and Bhakti Yoga (of devotion) included in one volume; Raja Yoga (of mind, but addressing more psychic development); and Jnana Yoga (of wisdom).The latter is more difficult, IMHO, to find out about.Religions generally specialize in one of these four with additional elements (sometimes only in subsets such as clerics or monks) from some of the other ones.Jnana or Gnani appears to be among the rarest.Thus, having read this book is a great coup in understanding the higher philosophies and theological approaches to Omneity or spiritual development.In Tibetan Buddhism, for example, it would be applicable to Dzogchen and Mahamudra as opposed to the more normal or pervasive Vajrayana practices.IMHO, Jnana (and its equivalents in other religions) is the most profound of teachings.Vivekananda was obviously a Master and has presented a wonderful exposition on this esoteric subject.We are privileged to have the opportunity to read and study it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Diet / Health / Fitness    2. Health & Fitness / Yoga    3. New Age    4. Religion / Hinduism    5. Yoga    6. Hinduism    7. Indian Philosophy    8. Knowledge, Theory of (Hinduism)    9. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    10. New Age / Parapsychology    11. Philosophy    12. Religion    13. Upanishads    14. Vedanta    15. Yoga, Jnana   

Reviews (5)

Enlightening
I just finished this book, and I have learned to appreciate life more, not get mad as easily, be more compassionate and reasonable. I would suggest it to anyone, with any religious beliefs. It definitely helped me get more out of life...

Guide for living
I've read this book three times and am planning to read it again.It's a wonderful book that helps me focus on what's important in life and how I can make choices to live authentically and deliberately.Reading this book helped me to make the decision to quit smoking and live a more healthy lifestyle.I would recommend this book to anyone who's asking the question "What's it all about?".

Learning death to live life more fully
Late Mr. Eknath Eswaran,adherent of spirituality from childhood, has wonderfully written about thea teenager's curiosity about life after death. The book gives numerous examples from modern day life. Drawing fromhis expertise in the English language literature, the author makes thesubject very familiar to the present day readers. He has quoted fromShakespeare to Aldous Huxley and Mahatma Gandhi and shown the thoughtconcesus common to all great philosophers. Though the contents originatefrom one of the most ancient of the Hindu scriptures, every contemporaryhuman being will identify with the life's problems of the modern timesgiven in the book and will be helped plenty in finding many solutions.Thereseems to be a little more stress given on the self sacrifice than othermodalities of spirituality like sense control, breath control andmeditation but overall the book is very readable, language beautiful andwhen I read it I regretted the book was over. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criticism, interpretation, etc    2. General    3. Hinduism    4. Kathopanisad    5. Kaòthopaniòsad    6. Psychology    7. Religion    8. Spiritual life    9. Theology    10. Upanishads    11. Upanishads.   

Reviews (3)

A quote from an authority and a summary
The Upanishads are the principal Hindu scripture dealing with the struggle for liberation from continued rebirths.Klostermeier in A Survey of Hinduism calls this edition "a good English translation".

Exceptional Translation of Upanishads
The book is one of the best English translations of the Upanishads I have read.It thoroughly captures and beautifully preserves the mystical content and meaning of the Upanishad verses.I highly recommend the title toserious students of Hindu mysticism for reading and study. ...Marc

Rhadakrishna's work a good east/west philosophical bridge
The actual text is completely in understandable English and lacks a lot of the more technical terms of sanskrit that put off new comers to Hindu philosophy. There are abundant allusions to classical philosophy including Plato, that make the work of interest to students of philosophy ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criticism, interpretation, etc    2. Hinduism    3. Religion    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Upanishads    6. Sacred texts   

Reviews (3)

Book covers full range of world philosophy
This is a truly excellent work, and I want to defend it againstthe charge of leaving out African philosophy.One can truthfully say,without any disservice to the impressive achievements of African culture, that there is no distinctively African tradition in philosophy, just as there is no distinctively African tradition in chemistry.Philosophy is an art that developed in certain cultures and not others: the Chinese but not the Japanese; the Indians but not the Persians; the Greeks but not the Africans, the Romans, the Germans, or the Celts -- though those cultures that did not develop philosophy made other achievements in other areas.Even if the contention of _Black Athena_ were correct that "western civilization has its roots in Africa" (and that book has been pretty much discredited -- see _Black Athena Revisited_, though I think that book overstates its case in the opposite direction), it would not follow that Africans were responsible for philosophy any more than they were responsible for chemistry.The _Comparative History of World Philosophy_ focuses its attention where it belongs: on the three, and only three, cultures that developed philosophy. Every culture has world views, a wisdom tradition, etc., but philosophy is more than that; it is a specific art of argumentation that emerged in specific places in history.END

An insightful and rich account, beautifully written
This is a truly remarkable presentation of an unusual perspective of the history of philosophy, one that most writers are so conveniently ignorant of. Scharfstein proceeds under the premise that the accepted Westernparadigm of reading the history of philosophy within the boundaries of asingle tradition can simply be replaced by a comparative tripartiteparadigm with an equal claim for authenticity. The effect is strikinglysimilar to changing lenses in a camera, from zoom to wide-angle: somefeatures are inevitably lost, but so much more can now be seen. Contrary towhat we usually find in the bulk of contemporary works in the history ofphilosophy, Scharfstein is ultimately concerned with understanding theall-too-human activity of philosophizing. As he so beautifully puts it, thephilosopher can-or perhaps, should-be seen as an artist, whose medium isabstract thought. Here the historian and the philosopher converge, but in away very different from the cases of Hegel or Heidegger, for example.Scharfstein shows how to engage in the history of philosophy without beingparasitic on philosophy, on the one hand, but also without being overlymanipulative, on the other. The book hovers, so to speak, over itssubject-matter, posing historical and philosophical questions, and thentrying to answer them in the author's own voice, with a kind of mixture ofsympathetic attention and mature intellectual detachedness that is commonlyreserved only to the expert anthropologist. This is clearly one of the mostremarkable characteristics, and perhaps one of the greatest achievements ofthis book. Scharfstein's discussion is expansive yet rich, clear-headed,insightful and fully aware of the historian's responsibility for accuracywhile never losing sight of the philosopher's quest for truth or of theartist's quest for creation. It is also written in the kind of beautifulprose that has become so rare in contemporary scholarly writing. I stronglybelieve that many instructors would find this book very useful in introclasses in philosophy as well as in the humanities in general. The neat andelegant summaries that Scharfstein produced for each philosopher hediscusses are inevitably incomplete and cannot replace-nor were they evermeant to replace-a careful reading of the philosophical texts. But to thebest of my knowledge, none of the available historical texts can do thatparticular trick. Those of you who are willing to overcome the academicallyentrenched philosophical xenophobia, and to admit Chuang-tzu, Nagarjuna,and Vasubandhu, among others, in their classes alongside with stalwarttexts of the European tradition, would find that Scharfstein's historyenhances and enriches any reading of these texts with a rewardingly broadphilosophical and cultural context that may prompt fruitful discussions ofthat great human adventure called philosophy.

The text is good but not fully representative of world phi
A Comparative History of world philosophy is a tour de force in the presentation of world philosophy.The text goes beyond the usual depiction of Western philosophy as the main and only available philosophy in theworld.However, A Comparative History of World Philosophy, in its attemptto overcome the marginalizing exposition of the West, erases or Africanphilosophy from world philosophy.I do not want to raise the bete noire ofphilosophical discussion here, that is, the authenticity of Africanphilosophy.If there is any philosophy at all, there must be Africanphilosophy; and if there is a text on world philosophy, that text mustcontain a section on African Philosophy.As the author may very well know(see Black Athena), western civilization has its roots in Africa.I havemade this remarks that the author may reconsider his exposition in the nextedition of the text because he/she will actually help professors who wantto teach world philosophy with a more global bent than the Eastern andWestern. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy, Comparative   

Reviews (6)

Reality
The Atman is the Soul. It is our real Self, God residing within us. We are to submerge the ego, and discover the Atman (Self).Uncovering the Self leads to nirvana, or enlightenment. This is the essence of this book. We will differentiate between what is Real (unchanging)and what is illusory (changeable). And as Jesus said, the Truth will set you free ...

Good
I used to think that for reason Upanishads were huge texts, but author explained that upanishads are found in the end of vedas. It is beauty piece of work. when they are not sure, they will have a footnote and tell you that what could the other translation could have meant. It only happened 2-3 times. They are very enlightening. Brahman (God) is everywhere, literally. =)

Not All Translations the Same
Years ago I picked up a translation of the Upanishads because I wanted to understand Vedanta. I read that translation and struggled through it. It wasn't particularly interesting and was often confusing. The commentaries were long, painful and boring. I felt disappointed. I thought the Upanishads and the Great Vedanta would be more powerful than this. I pursued other teachings. Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Hinduism    4. Literature: Classics    5. Religion - World Religions    6. Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (2)

Enlightening Commentaryand Spiritual Revelations
Enlightening commentary on all 3 ancient Indian scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita) in one book. Sri Chinmoy transcends mere commentary by providing us with spiritual illumination on the inner meaningof these important works. Sri Chinmoy is a fully realised spiritual master(who conducts meditation for the United Nations), and his very wordsprovide us with direct spiritual inspiration/enlightenment.

A good book of social and religious meanings.
The story and meaning of the Sacred Tree is related well in this book.The social and religious meanings, as well as symbols, are expounded on.This is a good book for grades 10, 11, & 12. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criticism, interpretation, etc    2. Doctrines    3. Hermeneutics    4. Hinduism    5. Hinduism (Sacred Texts)    6. Religion    7. Religion - World Religions    8. Sacred books    9. Spiritual life    10. Vedas    11. Concordances & commentaries    12. India    13. Mind, body, spirit: thought & practice    14. Religions of Indic & Oriental origin   

Subjects:  1. Commentaries    2. Hinduism    3. Reference    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Sacred books    6. Spiritual life    7. Upanishads    8. Yoga, Kriya   

Reviews (1)

The Lucid Translation
Of all the translations I've read - and that's quite a few - this translation best reflects the structure, rhythym, and order of meaning as it exists in the original Sanskrit.So many translations "help" the original by straightening out statements, which sometimes makes them easier to understand on first encountering them, but in the end, hides the complexity and subtlety woven into the original.Gambhirananda's language, while not as accessible as some, is the "must have" if you want to study these Upanishads seriously. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Philosophy   

Reviews (2)

Higher than the highest peak
I have not read this abridgement - but any version of Nikhilananda's magistral four-volume translation is worth the price and at least the equal of whatever is out there available. What follows is my review of the full, inspired Nikhilanada translation:
The Mountain Top
I own a hard copy of what I believe is the same book--it includes the principal Upanishads by this author.It's one of my favorite books of all time--a keeper: I usually give away books after I've read them.It's not for everyone though.It is very high philosophy--the top of the mountain, not partway up (though there is some variation among the various Upanishads--they are not entirely consistent in level of abstraction).This is great for Myers-Briggs iNtuitives; not so hot for Sensates.And, of course, one needs to step out of his/her own religious upbringing if not a Hindu.It may seem very different from other religious views, but in point of fact, the Brahman (not to be confused with the Hindu Brahma, creator god) is pretty much the same as the Tibetan (both Buddhist and Bon) Dharmakaya or Ground of Being (a la Dzogchen and Mahamudra) or the Jewish Kabbalah's Ein Sof.It's amazing how the highest, esoteric views (Truth's if you will) are consistent across humanity.This is a book of vision, not dogma. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern - General    2. Hinduism    3. Religion    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Philosophy    6. Philosophy / Eastern   

Reviews (4)

Guide to The Life Divine
The 18 verses of Isha Upanishad, which also appear in the Veda, were most dear to Sri Aurobindo in the sense that he has attempted several commentaries upon them in order to break free from the anomalies occuring in the received interpretations. In the process, he has audaciously ventured to disagree with many venerated masters and philosophical doctrines. Now that all these commentaries are available in one single volume, one should relish the delightful arguments and illumining explanations.
Respectfully disagree
This review is limited to the translation only, and on that I must disagree with the other reviewers.The translation, as I understand it by Aurobindo himself, is nearly impenetrable.The syntax and grammar, sentence arrangement and choice of vocablulary are confusing and do not effectively convey the meaning of the text.This became sharply apparent when I read another translation and the profound beauty of the text came through.Try the Juan Mascaro version.

The Best Translation In English
I have not come across any better translation better than this.Anyone interested in the Upanishads... look no further.This one is a polished version of an earlier edition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Hinduism    3. New Age    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Spiritualism - General   

Subjects:  1. Hinduism   

Reviews (1)

Beautiful poetic rendition
Of the many thousands of books that essentially are one of a kind and out of print, few are more worthy of being reissued than this very beautiful rendition of the heart of the Upanishads.World class poet W. B. Yeats, working with Vedic scholar Sri Swami Purohit, retired to Majorca away from the war clouds gathering over Europe in the thirties with the intent of making "a translation that would read as though the original had been written in common English" (p. 8).Here's an exchange between the boy Nachiketas and Death from the Katha Upanishad that gives a sense of just how well Yeats and Purohit succeeded:Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. Literary   

Subjects:  1. Religion    2. Yoga for exercise    3. Yoga, Hatha   

Subjects:  1. Hinduism    2. Isopanisad    3. Religion - World Religions    4. Spiritual life    5. Upanishads    6. Upanishads.    7. åIâsopaniòsad    8. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness   

Subjects:  1. Eastern - General    2. Hinduism    3. Religion    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Religion / Eastern   

Subjects:  1. Hinduism    2. Philosophy, Hindu    3. Religion    4. Religion / Hinduism    5. Upanishads