Perseus Academic: The Upanishads by Eknath Easwaran

In the ancient wisdom texts called the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. They found that there is a changeless Reality underlying the ebb and flow of life, and their discoveries are an expression of what Aldous Huxley calls the Perennial Philosophy.

Easwaran’s translation of these intriguing yet puzzling texts is reliable and readable, the bestselling edition in its field. From fifteen key Upanishads, he has carefully selected passages that have a timeless, universal appeal. The extensive introduction includes an overview of the cultural and historical setting, with chapter introductions, notes, and a Sanskrit glossary.

Each sage, each Upanishad, appeals in different ways to the reader’s head and heart. In the end, Easwaran writes, “The Upanishads belong not just to Hinduism. They are India’s precious legacy to humanity, and in that spirit they are offered here.”

Eknath Easwaran (1919–1999) brings to these volumes a rare blend of credentials: knowledge of Sanskrit and Pali, an intuitive understanding of his Indian spiritual legacy, and a mastery of English. He was chairman of the English department at a major Indian university when he came to the United States on the Fulbright Exchange program in 1959. A gifted teacher who lived for many years in the West, Easwaran explains the concepts underlying the classics of Indian spirituality in fresh, authoritative, and profoundly simple ways.