3 Review(s)

The Upanishads form the concluding por tion and contain the essence of the Vedas, which are the Scriptures of the Hindu faith. They re cord the direct and immediate spiritual experi ence of the rishis, the seers of truth, and have been passed down orally through a succession of illumined teachers. They treat of the origin and destiny of the soul, the nature of the uni verse, and the nature of ultimate reality. What are often presented as theological dogmas are in this new translation considered living experi ences available to all. The divinity of the soul, the oneness of humanity, and the indivisibility of the Godhead are discussed not as articles of faith, but as the truths of spiritual experience. Schopenhauer once said: "The Upanishads are the most rewarding and elevating reading pos sible in the world: they have been the solace of my life and will be that of my death."This new translation is both literal and graceful. It has the dignity and flavor of the original. Swami Nikhilananda has based his notes and explanations on the commentaries of Sankaracharya, the great eight-century philoso pher and mystic.Volume II contains the Svetasvatara, Prasna and Mandukya Upanishads, three of the source books of Hinduism. To this volume Swami Nikhilananda has made an especial contribution in the form of a noteworthy essay on Hindu ethics. "Swami Nikhilananda's two volumes of the upanishads are valuable contributions to the study of the Upanishads and can be confidently recommended to those who want to acquaint themselves with these treasures of Indo-Aryan wisdom they often shed new light on old concepts and bring out their significance in the perspective of modern Western thought."