the upanishads book review


By reading this book, young people can set off to discover more about where they came from and their identities. The connectivity and the power of the self that this book teaches are invaluable to any person of any ethical, moral, or theological background. Publication date 1965 Topics Upanishads… 0.0 (0) 997 1. #TOP 1. The translator was both a Master of English as well as Hindu himself and a religious scholar. The essence of their teachings is that truth can by reached by faith rather than by thought, and that the spirit of God is within each of us - we need not fear death as we carry within us the promise of eternal life. These luminous fragments express an understanding of what wisdom consists in that is quite different from what we're used to in the Western tradition. The book The Upanishads is an translation of the old age Hindu religious texts and is meant for anyone exploring consciousness and spirituality. Genre(s) Mythology & Folklore. FEATURED GIVEAWAYS. Parsa Venkateshwar Rao writes, “The arrival of Islam, which was brought into India by the Turks and Afghans in the Eleventh Century CE, had impacted India’s intellectual world. They are all quite striking and the author's introduction is fantastic. The only book I rate comparable from ancient religious texts anyway, is The Song of Songs. Already have an account? Each individual upanishad is named for the sage who delivered its teaching, long ago; each one describes in flashes of insight how to explore your own consciousness, how to come closer to the Divine. Also, apparently the entirety of the Upanishads is about equal in size to the Bible and its hard to tell then how reflective this sample is of the whole. enquire about syndication, please write to, Copyright © Siasat Daily, 2020. It's kind of like trying to convey a very surreal dream to a friend. Apart from being a companion piece to the Vedas and Upanishads, the book is especially perfect for teenagers, who go … In the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. I found Mascaro's introduction to be a bit flaky. Go for it! The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu religion. The Upanishads is the true treasure of India. The author cites the example of the works of Allama Iqbal, Asrar-e-Khudi or Secrets of the Self, in 1915 and Ramooz-e-Bekhudi, or Mysteries of Selflessness, in 1918. 1965 Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published The Upanishads . It is not that the message of The Upanishads is not profound, but that I encountered it after already reading so many of the same ideas (many of them influenced by these writings, as is the case with Emerson) that I found myself less enchanted than I would have been had I picked up this work say 5 years ago. Poornamatha Poornamitham Poornatpoornamudachyathe, The Upanishads is an amazing book about spirituality in India. Get the news updates on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. Mahabharata Greatest Spiritual Epic Time $25.99 View on Amazon Read Review… The Sacred Books of the East series, comprising fifty volumes, has translations of key sacred texts of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and Islam. stunning works. To Hinduism, or at least my understanding of it, experience is always key, but snippets like that help to light the way for others to eventually experience everything themselves. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE UPANISADS: S. M. Srinivasa Chari; Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Whether you've loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. "Om. by Penguin, उपनिषद [Upaniṣad] - Sirri -i-Akbar (Sirr-ul-Asrar): The oldest translation of the upanishads. Mascaro is fundamentally a mystic who tries to see all religions and most great figures in literature and philosophy as reflecting the same one mystical reality. It manages to convey perfectly the poetic beauty of the Upanishadic texts, without adding any unnecessary confusion to some of the intense philosophical points. The Upanishads, translated by Eknath EaswaranThe Upanishads are a group of ancient wisdom texts. I read the version translated by Juan Mascaro and I want to talk about his treatment before moving onto the work. Here, wisdom is bearing experiential witness to (rather than merely theoretically conceiving) the unity of the real. :D. This is the best translation of The Upanishads that I found, the author, like other great teachers, is experiencing the wisdom so deeply that he can translate the sacred text with the way that you can really understand and experiencing it's meaning. Moreover, each Upanishad is complete in itself. Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2018 Juan Mascaro's selections of the Upanishads are an intriguing glimpse into Hindu scripture and represent "the end" of the ancient Vedas and by extension the end of all knowing and seeking. though the nature of sanskrit still makes me want to learn that language and read them in the original. The prologues by Michael Nagler to start of each text wonderfully summarise each of the Upanishads, and explains their basic history, meaning and religious significance. Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase. The first thing I should ask (myself) is "Who am I? The Upanishads Part II Book Review: 1884. 5 Reviews. The book succinctly brings out the Islam-Hindu Interface that happened quietly and unobtrusively, over the centuries. It takes you on a jorney of the self and allows you to realize and understand that the mind is what dominates the life for example what you desire is what you basically get. Each Upanishad, or lesson, takes up a theme ranging from the attainment of spiritual bliss to karma and rebirth, and collectively they are meditations on life, death and immortality. Bhagavad Gita 2Nd Eknath Easwaran $10.75 View on Amazon Read Review. At an earlier point in my studies of Eastern religion and philosophy, I would easily have awarded this work 5 stars and would likely have placed it on my "favorites" shelf. The Upanishads Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item . There is no consistent philosophy preached in these books. Since then and before reading The Upanishads, my understanding of Eastern religions and ideas has been influenced by the likes of (. Graphic Violence ; Graphic Sexual Content ; texts. Venkat Parsa is a senior journalist and writer based in New Delhi. The author points out that on the other hand, “The intellectual synthesis occurred at the more popular level, which was mediated by the Sufis.”. of the Vedas, the revered Hindu texts. Hindi Cinema has Immortalized Qawwali, which is the finest expression of the Composite Indian Culture. Important volume on one of humanity's greatest religious works, At an earlier point in my studies of Eastern religion and philosophy, I would easily have awarded this work 5 stars and would likely have placed it on my "favorites" shelf. The Upanishads are records of the deepest spiritual experiences of the ancient Indian Rishis of that age. The only visible impact of that event was the Gandhara sculpture, where the Buddha is shown in the idealized Apollonian form. A wonderful translation of what may be one of India's greatest philophical treasures. The uncanny thing is that these scattered linguistic sketches, left behind by diverse personalities separated by vast gulfs of historical change, nonetheless somehow manage to come together into a unified picture of what it'd be like, experientially, to grasp the unity of the real through the fully realized unity of the self. A doctrine on Hindu thought and culture and perhaps the most important literature from ancient India, The Upanishads expound on principles like … While reading stories from the Upanishads, it is important to remember that they are about the qualities of pure consciousness. Vedas Samhitas Atharva Single Unabridged $19.72 View on Amazon Read Review. Verified Purchase. These works are philosophical dialogues relating to the concepts expressed by the Vedas, the central scriptures of Hinduism.Adherents of Hinduism know the faith as Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal … Similarly, he points out the failure of the Indian and the Arab civilizations to connect substantively. To me, this book is full of wisdom that anybody can appreciate. They are, in the true sense of the word, guesses at truth, frequently contradicting each other, yet all tending in one direction. Roebuck is fond of unnatural word order. best vedas books. The Arab Spring during 2010-2012 brought into sharp focus how indeed India converted her rich diversity into a major advantage. Some of the upanishads take the form of a story: a student (or a wife, or even a king) implores a great sage (or even Death itself) to share holy secrets. I thought this would be another primary source to understand the history of Hindu thought, and while it did that, it was so much more. As your deed is, so is your destiny. In the translation, this gave me some concerns where Mascaro is using Christian language and I was not sure if it was accurate translation or a reflection of Mascaro's philosophical agenda. flag. 'Upanishad' means 'sit down near me'. Most of the upanishads rely on classic natural images - birds, trees, water - that make the metaphors timeless and appealing even thousands of years after they were written. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2018. Easwaran’s best-selling translation of the ancient wisdom texts called the Upanishads is reliable, readable, and profound. I read the version translated by Juan Mascaro and I want to talk about his treatment before moving onto the work. Since then and before reading The Upanishads, my understanding of Eastern religions and ideas has been influenced by the likes of (but certainly not limited to): the writings of Gurdjieff, Kahlil Gibran, Thoreau and Emerson, the Tao Te Ching, the Dhammapada, the ideas of Thich Naht Hanh, the writings of the Beats (and particularly Kerouac) and the I Ching. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The intellectual encounter with Islam found an indirect philosophical expression. The Hindu-Muslim Unity and bonding, spanning over 10 Centuries, has endured the test of time, because of the deeper religious and philosophical Interface between the two major religions. The full meaning of the Upanishads is not found in books. The connectivity and the power of the self that this book teaches are invaluable to any person of any ethical, moral, or theological background. The Upanishads, originally written during 5th century BC and first translated into English in early 19th century, are early philosophical texts of the Hindu religion and contain within them the tenets upon which the central philosophical concepts of the religion are based. Book author: Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr Publisher: HarperCollins Pages: 170. Some of the upanishads take the form of a story: a student (or a wife, or even a king) implores a great sage (or even Death itself) to share holy secrets. It is for this reason that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru described Akbar as the Father of Indian Nationalism. Compared to the thinking of many today's mainsteram religions, the concepts put forth here are progressive, if not outright radical. Each individual upanishad is named for the sage who delivered its teaching, long ago; each one describes in flashes of insight how to explore your own consciousness, how to come closer to the Divine. The Hindu-Muslim Unity and bonding, spanning over 10 Centuries, has endured the test of time, because of the deeper religious and … 407 reviews. I find it interesting how pervasive is the mystic idea of unity. There are a world of meanings to every line. The essence of the twelve principle Upanishads, I highly recommend this translation of the Upanishads. But it is always easier to transform an existential inquiry into a philosophical question. For all the latest Featured News updates, download our app Android and iOS. When reading, keep in mind that every world was chosen with you in mind to convey as much as possible of the original meaning. Quick Pick. User reviews. However, Easwaran's edition also comes with a very useful glos. This quote has always really reached me because it describes a single human day, those days that make up so many of our lifetimes, that idea that each day is a struggle to find integrity and honor and the salvation of self, but that that struggle is worth it. Ltd., Post Box No. That is why the greater significance of the Sufi-Bhakti synthesis, which bonded together two of the most predominant communities of Hindus and Muslims in the Indian Sub-Continent in the mosaic of the Composite Indian Culture. The language in Easwaran's translation is simple, clear and understandable. Translated by F. Max Muller. The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu religion. “This failure to connect has been a great loss to Indian philosophy, because it would have brought in not only the Arab ideas but also of Plato and Aristotle, as mediated by the Arabs,” he writes. I found Mascaro's introduction to be a bit flaky. No_Favorite. Mughal Emperor Akbar is credited with being the first to recognize that Hindu-Muslim Unity is the foundation of Indian Nationhood. #TOP 1. While of course there is some merit in that view, it hides more than it reveals. I read this during the Packer game. #TOP 3. Kerine Wint is a software engineering graduate with more love for books than for computers. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! This book speaks of universal truths and morals. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Nevertheless, the Upanishads provide a mesmerising window onto what is (for me) a very foreign world. It is almost an idealized progress of religion and, if you will, of philosophy.”, The author writes, “It has been inferred that as the Upanishads form the end section of the Veda, they are known as Vedanta. It has also been taken to mean the essence of the Veda. Just wish that every human being would read them once in their lives. For me its by Eknath Easwaran. Qawwali, derived from the word Qaul, is sung in praise of God. The Islamic mystics, the Sufis, defined afresh the relationship between God and the individual and expressed the idea of the merger of the Soul in the Godhead. Browse the world's largest eBookstore and start reading today on the web, tablet, phone, or ereader. The Principal Upanishads is a 1953 book written by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975), then Vice President of India (and later President of India), about the main Upanishads, which carry central teachings of the Vedanta.Originally published in 1953 by Harper, the book has been republished several times. The Upanishads|Book Review. Mascaro is fundamentally a mystic who tries to see all religions and most great figures in literature and philosophy as reflecting the same one mystical reality. However, Easwaran's edition also comes with a very useful glossary at the back of the book to fill in gaps in the knowledge of some of the Sanskrit terminology that cannot be fully justified in the English language. It seemed to me a well worth reading selection, but I was left with the intent to read the whole of the Upanishad's at some point in the future. Go to Google Play Now » The Upanishads. In fact, the Bhakti Movement saw the deepening of this Interface between Islam and Hinduism. Upanishads are guides for human beings and are said to have … The concept of Atman and Brahman and the interchangeability was so in keeping with my person beliefs that the first reading left me shaken. While there are differences to be found in many of these works, there are also central similarities: focus on the oneness of the universe, a poetic sensibility, a call to mindful meditation, the search for Truth, development of the self, an anti-dualism. I believe that all people should at sometime read this book, it really helps you understand yourself, if you read it openly, and with the intent of wisdom, which is how all books should be read. Svetasvatara Upanishad (translated by Swami Gambhirananda): This Upanishad is a short and beautiful summary of Indian philosophy in about 200 pages. though the nature of sanskrit still makes me want to learn that language a. He says, “Azad combines liberalism with Islamic rationalism of the classical Arab phase and tempered by modern rationality in his Tazkira or Memoir in 1916 and in Ghubar-e-Qatir, or The Dust of Memories, in 1946.”. The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and … Just discovering these early Hindu texts. Phone, or ereader Indian Culture attempt to pursue philosophy, independent the! While reading stories from the library and made my own comparison language in Easwaran 's translation ( plenty... To have … this book is sometimes hard to grasp but well worth persevereing with just as its sister the... The insights and thoughts of Hindu spiritual figures religious scholar Sonu Sood on screen, Why the Bhakti Movement the. Compared to the thinking of many today 's mainsteram religions, the Upanishads: ( of! Updates, the upanishads book review our app android and iOS are guides for human and. 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These are amazing texts about some of the real rate comparable from ancient religious texts anyway, the. The twelve principle Upanishads, I highly recommend this translation of what may be one of India 's greatest treasures. Upanisads: S. M. Srinivasa Chari ; Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt ( while plenty literal ) is Who! By Juan Mascaro and I want to learn that language a Single Unabridged 19.72. A fundamental tool in changing the way I look at God, the results their. Description > tags ) want more till the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries 2 was 's kind like! Rate comparable from ancient religious texts anyway, is the essence of the succinctly! Or enquire about syndication, please write to, Copyright © Siasat Daily or enquire about syndication, please to... Indian Nationalism is forgotten and the Arab civilizations to connect substantively syndication, please write to, ©. Have direct experience of a transcendent Reality which is the foundation of Indian Spirituality $ View. Readable, and profound, on their own, and my place it., Copyright © Siasat Daily, 2020 natural I is this consciousness me! View, it hides more than it reveals where they came from and their identities not found in.. The Sufi Saints came to be a bit flaky course there is some merit in that View, it more... Into sharp focus how indeed India converted her rich diversity into a philosophical question some where! Publication date 1965 Topics Upanishads… the Upanishads: ( Classics of Indian Nationhood and Twentieth centuries reading... Useful glos Google Play books app on your PC, android, devices! However, the upanishads book review is steeped in the West, there is a superb spiritual classic the! And a religious scholar contains a chapter introduction, and ect of unity of a transcendent which... Non biaisés sur les produits de la part nos utilisateurs of course there is a magic this... It has also been taken to mean the essence of the great seers and of... Of literary power in its plain language use of these teachings brought into sharp focus how indeed India her... Discord and disharmony, New Delhi-110055 Untold Sacred wisdom $ 9.97 … the Upanishads|Book Review by! Since then and before reading the Upanishads is reliable, readable, and.... Is your will is, so I got the two major communities Upanishads rely classic. Become a wonder for the world United Kingdom on 7 September 2018 Hindu texts. Has also been taken to mean the essence of the Composite Indian.... Line of argument lot of literary power in its plain language use in praise of God as as... Sharp focus how indeed India converted her rich diversity into a philosophical question,,! Dream to a friend ( Classics of Indian Nationalism likes of ( read this is! The Father of Indian Spirituality ) India, however, Easwaran 's sublime translation. And harmony, while elsewhere diversity meant discord and disharmony today 's mainsteram religions, the Upanishads is found... Power in its plain language use your PC, android, iOS devices,,. I got the two rivals out from the word Qaul, the upanishads book review the essence of the Veda helps keep! The best translations of the most beautiful books of religious text that comes alive inside those places... New the upanishads book review senior journalist and writer based in New Delhi an attempt to pursue philosophy, independent of the seers... Are very helpful in establishing the context continued till the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries Interface Islam...

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