Most important text of VedantaOctober 11, 2006 7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Upanishads are the most important text of Vedanta. The Triple Canon of Vedanta (Prasthana Traya) include: (1) the Upanishads, (2) the Bhagavad Gita, and (3) the Brahma Sutras. The Upanishads are considered the revealed scriptures and so referred to as 'Sruti Prasthana'. The Bhagavad Gita is the recollected scripture and hence referred to as 'Smriti Prasthana'. The Brahma Sutras use logic and reasoning to discuss the Sruti and so called 'Nyaya Prasthana'. The best commentary to these three was written by the 7th or 8th century Sage, Swami Adi Sankara. Any serious student of Vedanta should have all these three books with Sankara's commentary.
Adi Sankara selected 11 Upanishads and wrote commentary on them and called them 'the Major Upanishads'. This four volume set contains all the major Upanishads with notes based on Sankara's commentary. Swami Nikhilananda's translation is superb. Rather than literally translate Sankara's commentary, he has chosen to place 'notes' based on Sankara's commentary and this makes the text very readable. He has added explanations to Sankara's commentary, which I feel are essential for modern readers.
Another feature of this 4 volume set is Nikhilananda's extensive introductions on the concept of Brahman as portrayed in Vedic scriptures and also on other aspects of Veda Dharma (i.e., the religion based on the Vedas). The central message of the Upanishads is that Brahman (God) is the only Reality.
As you read through these 4 volumes, you will enjoy among other things: Nachiketa's conversations with Yama on the Supreme Secrets of life and death in Katha Upanishad, profound discussions of the transcendental turiya state in Mandukya Upanishad, beautiful conversations of King Janaka with Sage Yajnavalkya in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and discussions of the five sheaths that 'conceal' the Supreme Reality in Taittiriya Upanishad.
The Section on the short but extremely important Upanishad, Mandukya, also contains Gaudapada's Karika or commentary. (Gaudapada is Sankara's Guru's Guru).
To conclude, this 4 volume edition is the most comprehensive as well as best available English translation of the Major Upanishads with notes based on Sankara's commentary.
Best edition of one of the greatest of all booksMarch 13, 2006 11 out of 11 found this review helpful
There are numerous translations of the Upanishads extant, and each that I have had the privilege to inspect has much to offer. My favorite, however, for overall presentation and scholarship is Nikhilananda's four volume masterpiece published by the Ramakrishna-Vedanta Center of New York beginning in 1949. The first volume contains the Katha, Kena, and Mundaka Upanishads, along with the majestic eighty-one page introductory essay, "Discussion of Brahman in the Upanishads", and a General Introduction to the entire work. The second volume contains the Svetasvatara, Prasna, and Mandukya Upanishads, and another searching and informative introduction embodying a study of Vedic ethics. The third volume contains the Aitareya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishads with another awesome introductory essay discussing the value of rituals and symbols for the contemplation of Brahman. The fourth volume contains the Taittiriya and Chandogya Upanishads and an essay discussing ritual and contemplative worship as steps leading to the knowledge of Brahman. The translation has been decribed by leading authorities in the field over the years as clear, literal, and vigorous - to these observations, I would add radiant and inspiring. Nikhilananda's own commentaries are succinct and incisive. Nikhilananda's translations of Sankara's commentaries are considered definitive. In the words of one academic reviewer, "The special value of the translation lies in the infusion of the author's dual quality - that of a practiced mystic and religious scholar. The use of Sankara's commentaries makes as it were for another dimension - as of a vastly competent Thomas Aquinas winnowing the scriptural chaff from the kernel of reality." If you're considering a multi-volume edition of the Upanishads for your library, check out the Nikhilananda. Although the one-volume Centenary Edition of Radhakrishnan's translation is masterful, great, and deserves honorable mention, I value Nikhilananda's guiding light and incredible introductory essays as among the most useful tools available for understanding the Upanishads in a myriad of ways, and, in the final analysis, I would not want to be without them when approaching this seminal and always challenging text.
The Athoritative TranslationOctober 3, 2001 16 out of 18 found this review helpful
To have a work of this philosophic profoundness translated by someone who was himself steeped in the very same tradition as the work that he is translating is a privelege. Swami Nikhilananda was a genuine Hindu holy man who was also a scholar and he brings to this translation rare insights that can only be found from the actual experience of what he is writing of. Be careful of premature comparisons between the Upanishads and the teachings of Buddhism: While there are similarities between both traditions, they are each distinct and have their own value and integrity as religious systems and both make a decided contribution to the wisdom of the religions of the east.
Volume IV : where the Buddhists Teachings come from...September 29, 2001 6 out of 10 found this review helpful
This volume contains most of the stories told in the Buddhist Teachings. Many examples seen in this volume can also be found in the Teachings of the Buddha Gotama. Brahman is explained through symbols like the "elements" (air, fire,...), objects for meditation, short stories that also appear in the Buddhist literature. However, these examples and stories are explained in a rather crude manner in this volume, compared to what can be found in the Buddhist Teachings. The advantage being that they are presented in a condensed manner here, with the most profound ones in this single volume...
So if your purpose is to try to understand this volume just by itself, there are chances you'll get struck by the depth of its meaning. So please first get into some other medium to advanced books in Hinduism and Buddhism before trying to absorb this volume, because the other previous three volumes are not enough to get across this one...but the essence is there, Gotama relied on the content of this volume for his Teachings, no doubt.
When you'll be done with the four volumes, you'll understand where the Buddhist Teachings come from...these Upanishads constitute the essence of the Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.
Unfortunately, they are probably the most cryptic texts that deal with the Ultimate, the style is so crude that one should not read them nor teach them to people that have not spent many years at studying the basics of the Indo-aryan philosophy (be it Hinduism, Buddhism,...) and are not prepared to approach the Absolute. Find a qualified teacher before reading them, unless you could be mislead and loose more time than if you had learned the basics before. So unless you know what you'll find in there, don't read them. If you feel prepared to it, get into it. If the Vedanta considered them as the secret teachings, it's not for the sake of hiding them, but rather because their use should be restricted to the most advanced scholars. There is no discrimination in this, only a will to prevent misunderstanding and misinterpreting of this difficult topic, nothing else. If you don't trust me, get into it and you'll understand very soon what i'm talking about. It's useless to begin learning a subject with the most advanced textbooks, except making you disgusted of it, so please don't try to catch the Ultimate directly with the Upanishads.
Volume III : "Rituals and sacrifices"September 28, 2001 6 out of 9 found this review helpful
This third volume deals with the relative truth provided by rituals and sacrifices, which objective is to bring conscience about their "unefficiency" at an absolute point of view for bringing knowledge of "Brahman" (the ultimate reality). These rituals and sacrifices are means for realizing it through superimposition, i.e. adding some false semantics over what is to be understood and then invalidating it by showing its inconsistency with what is to be understood. One should hence meditate on them to better dwelve into the difference between the relative and the absolute.
This volume is less abstract than the previous two volumes so people that prefer metaphors and more practical stories will be more at ease with this volume.
