The Upanishads are a group of ancient Sanskrit texts that form the final layer of the Vedas, which is why the tradition built on them is called Vedanta, meaning the end of the Vedas. Scholars date the older texts to roughly 800 to 500 BCE, with later ones added over the following centuries. They are not a single book but a collection composed by many unnamed teachers, mostly as dialogues between a teacher and a student. Their central concern is the nature of the self. Behind the changing body and mind, the texts point to an unchanging awareness they call Atman, and they identify that inner self with Brahman, the one reality underlying the whole universe. The best-known statement of this idea is the phrase tat tvam asi, "You are that."
This edition is Eknath Easwaran's translation, first published in 1987 and revised in 2007 as part of his Classics of Indian Spirituality series, alongside his versions of the Bhagavad Gita and the Dhammapada. It does not translate every Upanishad. Easwaran selects the principal Upanishads and a few shorter ones, renders them as plain English verse, and adds a long introduction, short introductions to each text, notes, and a Sanskrit glossary. The aim is a version a general reader can follow rather than a complete scholarly edition. Michael N. Nagler, a professor of classics at the University of California, Berkeley, contributes an essay on how to read the texts.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that.
p. 131 · The Chandogya Upanishad, ch. VI ("The Story of Shvetaketu")
First lines
The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all. The Lord is the supreme Reality. Rejoice in him through renunciation. Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord.
Contents
Introduction
The Isha Upanishad
The Katha Upanishad
The Kena Upanishad
The Prashna Upanishad
The Mundaka Upanishad
The Mandukya Upanishad
The Taittiriya Upanishad
The Aitareya Upanishad
The Chandogya Upanishad
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad
Four Minor Upanishads
Reception
Easwaran's translations of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Dhammapada are among the best-selling English editions of these texts, and the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, which publishes them, reports more than two million of his books in print. Readers and reviewers generally describe the translation as clear and readable, and it is often recommended as a first encounter with the texts. Its limits are also widely noted. It is a selection rather than a complete translation, and it renders the Sanskrit as devotional verse with interpretive framing, so it reads smoothly but passes over textual difficulties. Readers who want a complete, heavily annotated scholarly translation are usually directed to Patrick Olivelle's 1998 Oxford edition, which is the standard reference in academic work.
Frequently asked
What are the Upanishads?
They are a group of ancient Sanskrit texts that form the end of the Vedas, which is why the tradition based on them is called Vedanta. Composed by many unnamed teachers between roughly 800 BCE and the early centuries CE, they explore the inner self, called Atman, and its identity with Brahman, the one underlying reality.
Which Upanishads does Easwaran’s translation include?
It is a selection, not a complete set. Easwaran translates the principal Upanishads, including the Isha, Katha, Kena, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka, and Shvetashvatara, along with a few minor ones, and adds an introduction, notes, and a Sanskrit glossary.
Is this a scholarly translation?
No. It is a readable verse translation aimed at general readers, part of Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality series. Readers who want a complete, heavily annotated scholarly edition are usually pointed to Patrick Olivelle's 1998 Oxford translation.