The Upanishads

Book Summary

A brilliant introduction to the essence of living Hinduism The thirteen principal Upanisads, Sanskrit texts in the religious traditions of the Vedas, lie at the heart of Hinduism. Devoted to understanding the inner meaning of the religion, they explicate its crucial doctrines-rebirth, the law of karma, the means of conquering death and of achieving detachment, equilibrium and spiritual bliss. They emphasize the perennial search for true knowledge-especially that of the connection between the self and the transcendental Absolute. In this translation, marked by empathy and erudition, Valerie Roebuck approaches the Upanisads as belonging to the tradition of 'sruti', literature which is heard, as distinct from 'smriti', which is remembered. Seeking to reveal the intent of the authors, she attempts to represent what, in fact, constitutes the original text. Care is taken to exclude later accretions of commentaries. The invocations included underline the traditional recitation of these texts, and the literary devices-repetitions, dialogue and word combat, riddles, paradoxes and word play-used by the sages to express their teachings. This accurate and exceptional rendering, while making accessible to the modern reader something of the beauty and variety of the original language, reaffirms the place of the Upanishads as one of the most profound works of world literature. This authentic and nuanced rendering makes accessible to the modern reader something of the beauty and variety of these ancient and rich texts of Hinduism. The Upanisads belong to the tradition of literature that is �heard' rather than �remembered', and in her translation Roebuck seeks to reveal the intent of the authors and arrive at 'the original' text.

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