Product Description

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. 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. 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47085 in Books
• Published on: 1965-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .39" h x .39" w x .39" l, .33 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780140441635
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Amazon.com Review
The poetic backbone of Hinduism, the millennia-old Upanishads transcend time. The selections offered here illuminate a path that is as "narrow as the edge of a razor" but pregnant with freedom and bliss. Through vivid metaphors and timeless prose, learn how the path of yoga leads beyond the treacherous web of karma to the final, blissful union of the personal soul, atman, with the universal soul, Brahman.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)

About the Author
Juan Mascaro was born in Majorca, and later studied modern and oriental languages, Sanskrit, Pali and English at Cambridge University. He died in 1987, and was lauded as a great translator of our time. Juan Mascaro was born in Majorca, and later studied modern and oriental languages, Sanskrit, Pali and English at Cambridge University. He died in 1987, and was lauded as one of the greatest translators of our time.

Customer Reviews

This is a beautiful translation of India's great scripture.
The Upanishads, translated by Juan Mascaro, is a beautiful translation, which, like Mascaro's translation of The Bhagavid Gita, breathes simplicity and purity throughout. The Upanishads are maxims on the spiritual life, and are poetry, scripture, guidance all in one. "The truth is hidden by a circle of gold. Unveil the truth, oh God of light, that I might see!" "It is not for the love of the husband that the husband is dear, but for the soul that is in the husband." "Behold, all that lives and walks on earth. Leaving the transient, take refuge in the eternal, set not your heart on another's possession. Working thus, a man can wish for a life of one hundred years. Only actions done in God, bind not the heart of man." (I paraphrase). This collection is truly wonderful, and should be a part of everyone's spiritual library, along with the major scriptures of all the world's faiths.

Breathtaking!
This is undoubtedly one of the pearls of the world's religious literature. Only a few Upanisads are included, with mere excerpts from the longer ones, but it is still well worth anyone's time. Personal union with all of being is the central theme, which will come as a welcome change from the more presriptory religious teachings of the Vedas and Hebrew Bible.

Life altering philosophies that you already knew, awakened.
Nice to know that some things that you have, or may have, experienced, have been around for over 2,500 years. This mind expanding translation can help one to regain focus and balance in today's much too hectic living. Putting the trivial in perspective, this is one that is not only useful in everyday life, but will stick with you forever; and then some . . .