The Upanishads: Volume 1

by Nikhilananda (Translator)

Swami Nikhilananda's English translation of four of the major Upanishads - Katha, Isa, Kena, and Mundaka - offers a scholarly, yet readable version of the sacred texts of ancient India. The Upanishads form the foundation of the Hindu religion and describe the ultimate objective of life - the liberation of the soul from the bondage of the phenomenal world. Swami Nikhilananda's clear and insightful writing combined with notes and explanation based on the commentary of Sankaracharya, the great eighth-century philosopher and mystic of India, will help the spiritual seeker delve into the meaning of these spiritual treasures. This first of four volumes also contains an introduction with a general outline of the metaphysics and philosophy of Hinduism.

Genres: Religion, Hinduism

319 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1986

About the author

Swami Nikhilananda (1895–1973), born Dinesh Chandra Das Gupta was a direct disciple of Sri Sarada Devi. In 1933, he founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, a branch of Ramakrishna Mission, and remained its head until his death in 1973. An accomplished writer and thinker, Nikhilananda's greatest contribution was the translation of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita from Bengali into English, published under the title The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942).

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been studying yoga (classes and home practice) for over 10 years, and have always found the "philosophy" espoused by yoga teachers to be a bit of a confused mash-up: some dualism (Samkhya), more non-dual perspective, a little Buddhism,...Reading this volume, I came to understand that the (overwhelmingly) main underlying philosophy is Advaita Vedanta.
I have read volume I, purchased/skimmed volumes II and III, and intend to read all four. There are much cheaper editions of the Upanishads, but I find these volumes' clarity and explanations well worth the expenditure. And I'm continually discovering the sources of yoga invocations and chants I've long been reciting.

[Eric Villalobos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The translation was enjoyable and the commentary and notes provided an excellent view into Non-Dualist Vedanta Philosophy. The only issue I had is that the commentary was sometimes repetitive, though I do see why that would come about. Other than that, the commentary was very useful and I found that I seldomly disagreed with their interpretation of the text.

[Sridhar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of Upanishad is timeless then, now or in 5000 years from now. The author is an erudite - but felt he assumed that the reader is already knowledgeable. The explanations are hectic without clear advocacy.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

contains the katha, isa, kena and mundaka, nikhilananda's translation is excellent, and his extremely in-depth introductory material, commentary from sankaracharya, and general exegesis makes this the ideal scholarly read of these texts. will eventually get through all four volumes

[Dan-Andes Bekkering-Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words needed to describe this work. Those who are in the know already know. Those who are ignorant won't pick this book up or understand it.