The Upanishads

Among the oldest of India's spiritual texts, the Upanishads are records of intensive question-and-answer sessions given by illumined sages to their students. Widely featured in philosophy courses, the Upanishads have puzzled and inspired wisdom seekers from Yeats to Schopenhauer. Eknath Easwaran makes this challenging text more accessible by selecting the passages most relevant to readers seeking timeless truths today. His accessible, highly readable translation and lively foreword place the teachings in a contemporary context for students and general readers alike.

Chapter introductions, notes, and the essay "Reading the Upanishads" are by Michael N. Nagler, PhD, who is professor emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley.

Table of Contents Foreword 7 Introduction 13 ISHA 51      The Inner Ruler KATHA 61      Death as Teacher BRIHADARANYAKA 93      The Forest of Wisdom CHANDOGYA 119      Sacred Song SHVETASHVATARA 153      The Faces of God MUNDAKA 179      Modes of Knowing MANDUKYA 197      Consciousness & Its Phases KENA 207      Who Moves the World? PRASHNA 219      The Breath of Life TAITTIRIYA 239      Ascent to Joy AITAREYA 263      The Unity of Life MINOR UPANISHADS  Beads of Wisdom      TEJOBINDU 283      ATMA 286      AMRITABINDU 288      PARAMAHAMSA 291 Afterword 295     A Religion for Modern Times     by Michael N. Nagler Glossary 337 Notes 345 Index 377