Product Description

The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu religion. Each Upanishad, or lesson, takes up a theme ranging from the attainment of spiritual bliss to karma and rebirth, and collectively they are meditations on life, death and immortality. The essence of their teachings is that truth can by reached by faith rather than by thought, and that the spirit of God is within each of us - we need not fear death as we carry within us the promise of eternal life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25201 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

About the Author
Juan Mascaro was born in Majorca, and later studied modern and oriental languages, Sanskrit, Pali and English at Cambridge University. He died in 1987, and was lauded as a great translator of our time. Juan Mascaro was born in Majorca, and later studied modern and oriental languages, Sanskrit, Pali and English at Cambridge University. He died in 1987, and was lauded as one of the greatest translators of our time.

Customer Reviews

HOLY BREATH
Of all the translations of the Upanishads I have not read any which compare to the simple clarity and lucidity of this translation of some of the principle works. Juan Mascaro seems to have found a way of rendering these ancient texts in simple, poetic language which resonates across the divide of words. All other translations I have read have perhaps been more academic, but they fall down completely on fluidity and clarity. Too many of them are dry and smack of 'translationese'. Mascaro manages to make you feel that this is exactly the way in which the Upanishads might have been communicated in English.

Anyone interested in spirituality, or who has had a sense of the Divine in ordinary life, should read these works. Their wisdom underlies just about all spirituality since. Someone above mentions that the Upanishads have a similar message to Christianity. This is essentially true, but there is no suffering or concept of sin and self-punishment in the Upanishads. Nevertheless Christianity was a major attempt at conveying as directly as possible the Upanishadic vision - that God resides in us as well as everything else. Christ is the embodiment of Brahmanic Man and shows us how we can all have that experience. This not what we hear that much in Christianity these days, although it was exactly what Christianity started with. Thus the Upanishads teach us how to read the Gospels. Go read!

Good but not as good...
A good introduction but I personally would suggest "The Principal Upanisads" by S.Radhakrishnan for a more indepth text. It may be hard to get hold of, but if you can then it is definatly worth reading.

Spiritual fusion
Juan Mascaro, a Majorcan, was an academic in Ceylon, Barcelona and Cambridge. He had a deep understanding of Catholic Mysticism. His 40 page introduction to this translation of some of the Upanishads is a good way to understand the similarity between Hinduism and Catholicism. This is not apparent on a superficial glance at the religions, and Christians need to read the introduction and then the Upanishads, when it will prove quite a revelation. In fact, it will help in the understanding of Christian mysticism: Brahman (God) is joy and love, too!