Product Description

In the first major English translation of the ancient Upanisads for over half a century, Olivelle's work incorporates the most recent historical and philological scholarship on these central scriptures of Hinduism. Composed at a time of great social, economic, and religious change, the Upanisads document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions. The introduction and detailed notes make this edition ideal for the non-specialist as well as for students of Indian religions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #373418 in Books
• Published on: 1998-11-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Review

"This new edition and translation of twelve choice Upanisads with a biasic Introduction and Bibliography fills a void in the availability of Hindu primary sources for the classroom. Its compactness and clarity of the presentation of the individual Upanisads make it a must for any class on Hinduism or Oriental Religious-Philosophies."--Jose C. Nieto, Juniata College
"With his previous work on the renouncer, there is no better qualified scholar to offer a new translation of the Upanisads. An informative introduction and useful notes frame an outstanding and readable interpretive translation of many of the primary texts."--Carl Olson, Allegheny College
"Olivelle's translation is truly masterful. Anyone who thinks we didn't need another translation of the Upanisads should compare this elegant, scholarly version with any other translation. This is the best, and with it Olivelle takes his place in the pantheon of great translators of the Sanskrit tradition."--Richard Lariviere, University of Texas at Austin
"These lucid translations of the major upanisads, with excellent introduction and useful detailed notes make a great contribution to the study of ancient religions literature. Students of Indian culture will make good use of these up-to-date interpretations."--William J. Jackson, Indiana University
"Easy to follow and well-explained."--L. G. Tewari, Sonoma State University
"Finally! The translation we have been waiting for--a clean, modern, authentic, honorable, and readable rendering of the principal Upanisads. Olivelle's text is a great boon to students and teachers of Hinduism."--Stuart Smithers, University of Puget Sound

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)

About the Author

Patrick Olivelle is the Chair, Department of Asian Studies, and Director, Center for Asian Studies, at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is the Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Religion. Among his recent publications are: The Samnyasa Upanisads: Hindu Scriptures on Ascetism and Renunciation (Oxford, 1992), The Asrama System: History and Hermeneutics of a Religions Institution (Oxford, 1993), Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceteicsm (State University of New York Press, 1994).

Customer Reviews

helps make the Upanishads a little clearer
Some caveats have to apply here. For one, the challenge of rating a book like this with stars is obvious; who am I to pass judgment on such ancient literature? Or the translation, since I don't read the original language? With that in mind, I confine my review to the style in which it is rendered for the novice.

The Upanishads are not an easy read, and I have seen them done in verse format and in paragraph format; the latter is used here. I find it more readable, but others prefer verse. Whether you will like this translation depends largely on your preference in this area.

It does have (parenthesizations) after many words showing the original word, which helps a lot when learning to define terms like 'prana' and 'upanishad'... e.g., "... show me the hidden teaching (upanisad)...". This not only helps the reader to learn the meanings of these difficult-to-render terms, but points up the challenges involved in translation.

I found the foreword helpful in setting up a historical and cultural backdrop for the Upanishads. A good half of the work is taken up by a single Upanishad (the Brhadarayanka), but that was probably inevitable.

What I would have liked to have seen was a little more interpretation. As a novice reader of the Upanishads, it was really a struggle to understand what they meant in context, and I never did make head or tail out of much of it. A section at the end of each chapter (or some well-placed footnotes) would have gone far to make the work accessible to those for whom the cultural reach was a bit lengthy.

In No Way Challenged by Roebuck's Newer Penguin Translation
After some Sanskrit studies years ago, I decided I'd like to read the principal Upanishads in an accurate (so not the laughably loose Mascaro version) but readable (so not the painfully literal and commentary-heavy tome of Radhakrishnan) English version. It soon became apparent that the choice was between Olivelle (the volume reviewed here) and Valerie Roebuck's Penguin Classics edition of 2000/2003. The academic book reviews were quite ambivalent, so I got the two rivals out from the library and made my own comparison.

I was surprised to find the Oxford superior in every way. Most importantly, Olivelle's translation (while plenty literal) is simply in much more natural English. Roebuck is fond of unnatural word order. Her version includes many footnotes on each page, without which her text would sometimes make no sense; Olivelle manages to translate just as literally, but so that you don't NEED to consult his equally voluminous notes in the back. Looking at the Sanskrit text in cases of notable differences, I found that I was almost always more satisfied with Olivelle's version as scrupulously & clearly reflecting the original, too. (In any case, there's no question that Olivelle is the more authoritative scholar; Roebuck needs to cite several of his books in her bibliography and apologize for the "temerity" of offering a new version, but there is no important scholarly work of Roebuck's that Olivelle can cite in his extensive bibliography.)

Publishing is a business. Roebuck freely admits that she relied heavily on Olivelle's version in making her own. The surprise is that she did not manage to stand on his shoulders and make something better in any way. (The reviews and marketing blurbs that suggest Roebuck's version has any more "devotional" value boils down to some pretty superficial and unimportant differences, like including the invocations before and after each upanishad--which are in no sense a part of the actual text or teaching.) In a sane world, there is no need for the Penguin. The chronology is clear: Penguin realized Mascaro was an embarrassment in need of replacement; they contracted Roebuck; while she was working Olivelle's version came out, making hers otiose. Penguin can't let its Mascaro version be totally eclipsed by Oxford, so we have this choice to confuse us. Don't be confused--get this Oxford edition.

Finally, the Oxford volume is much better-designed. The notes are clearly indexed by page numbers at the top; the upanishads themselves have much clearer running head-numbers; the upanishads are usefully prefaced by a short, clear outline; etc.

Great for first-timer
Patrick Olivelle's translation is an excellent insight into Upanisads for a first timer. He has designed this translation in a very easy to follow fashion keeping in mind that most of us are not learned pundits.

The clear introduction gives a comprehensive background of the Vedas. The history of Indian social structure when the Upanisads were written, their authorship, chronology, geography, etc. give the reader a comfortable feel as they go forth with their reading. The reader is also provided with a table dividing the Upanisads into the four Vedas.

I find the paragraph (and the divisions of chapters the author has used) format used in this edition much easier than the verse format. Each chapter is accompanied by extensive notes in the back to the book.

The Upanisads are difficult and sometimes tedious read but this translation makes it much easier for people who have no prior knowledge.