Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankaracarya, Vol. I [Hardcover]

Swami Gambhirananda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1957

A two-volume set. Volume Two covers the Aitareya, Mundaka, Mandukya, Karika and Prasna Upanishad.

Each verse has the Devanagri Sanskrit, with English translation and commentary, with further commentary by Sankaracarya.

Also included is an Index to texts in Devanagri Sanskrit.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The essence of the knowledge of the Vedas is called Vedanta, which comprises the Upanishads...

Freedom, physical, mental, and spiritual - these are the watchwords of the Upanishads.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 427 pages
• Publisher: Vedanta Press (Advaita Ashrama); 2 edition (September 1, 1957)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8175050160
• ISBN-13: 978-8175050167
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Sanskrit
  • #20 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Upanishads

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lucid Translation, March 14, 2006

By 

Timothy J. Smith (Burdett, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankaracarya, Vol. I (Hardcover)

Of all the translations I've read - and that's quite a few - this translation best reflects the structure, rhythym, and order of meaning as it exists in the original Sanskrit. So many translations "help" the original by straightening out statements, which sometimes makes them easier to understand on first encountering them, but in the end, hides the complexity and subtlety woven into the original. Gambhirananda's language, while not as accessible as some, is the "must have" if you want to study these Upanishads seriously.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and comprehensive, December 2, 2008

By 

Raghu Kundur "RK" (Ashburn VA , USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankaracarya, Vol. I (Hardcover)

I may have missed the description of the product or something but i was surprised it has only 4 Upanishads instead of 8 as the title says.I did not get too far into it yet, but so far it seems to be detailed in explaining every verse.

Some can get confused because the organization is a little awkward. It explains the verse completely in English and then starts again by explaining each sanskrit word and its meaning. I think it would have been better the other way.

I would caution not to make this the first book you read about the Vedic literature.Some back ground is a must because it goes straight into the subject of SELF and without knowing a little background about the Vedic ideology, it can easily overwhelm the reader.May be reading the GITA or some chapters of GITA which deal with this subject would help.

Over all, i like it so far and hope i can gain some knowledge and help me in my life

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Wrong Choice, Only What One is Looking For, November 5, 2011

By 

meow tomcat (British Columbia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankaracarya, Vol. I (Hardcover)

This is the Volume 1 of 2 of the first eight Upanisads. Volume 1 covers the four Upanishads, Isa, Kena, Katha and Taittiriya and is meant for study, rather than easy reading. The fact is, the Upanishads are abstruse. The translator has "tried to be as literal and as true to the spirit and sequence of the sentences, as the English language would permit, without compromising comprehension." This is a verse by verse translation, (1) in Sanskrit (2) in English and (3) followed by Sankara's commentary after each verse.

Let us look at the Katha Upanishad, Part 2, Verse 15
"O Gautama, as pure water poured on pure water becomes verily the same, so also does become the Self of the man of knowledge who is given to deliberation (on the Self)."

Compare this verse to a highly readable version by Swami Prabhavananda, The Upanishads Breath of the Eternal.
"As pure water poured into pure water remains pure, so does the Self remain pure, O Nachiketa, uniting with Brahman."

The Sanskrit student might choose the Gambhirananda version because of the Sanskrit text, faithfulness to the sequence of the sentence and index in Sanskrit, while the rest of us might reach for the Prabhavananda version because it reads more like English literature and doesn't have cumbersome detail. There is no wrong choice, only what one is looking for.