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The Upanisads are the central scriptures of Hinduism. They represent some of the most important literary products in the history of Indian culture and religion, both because they played a critical role in the development of religious ideas in India and because they are our greatest source for the religious, social, and intellectual history of ancient India. Composed at a time of great social, economic, and religious change, the Upanisads document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions. The first major English translation of the ancient Upanisads for over half a century, Olivelle's work incorporates the most recent historical and philological scholarship. The introduction and detailed notes make this edition ideal for the non-specialist as well as for students of Indian religions.
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First Sentence
1 THE head of the sacrificial horse, clearly, is the dawnits sight is the sun; its breath is the wind; and its gaping mouth is the fire common to all men. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
1 THE head of the sacrificial horse, clearly, is the dawnits sight is the sun; its breath is the wind; and its gaping mouth is the fire common to all men. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Make of this what you will.
Ambivalent, ambiguous and contradictory the Upanishads are - but only ambiguous because they say one thing and then another; up for grabs, open for diverse and conflicting interpretations so far as coherence goes, if you have a bag for coherence.
I'd previously read the Radhakrishnan and Hume versions of the major texts. Both authors have difficulty bringing the texts around, because they try to; I guess those Victorian gentlemen couldn't help but have some sort of predilection toward coherence and liked to persuade a little consistency, in favour with their own preferences. Olivelle doesn't bother with this. He claims he has avoided personal and interpretive input, suggesting his job is merely to give us the raw texts, as they might have been at the time of writing, ignoring the mass of interpretation and smoothing readings that have intervened, sticking to an orthodox, archaeological understanding of what the understandings might have been at the time - as if that itself were no interpretation. I've never believed this self-effacement in translation - or anything, once some thing is preferred to another! ;] - this transcendence of conditioning which yet remains in the relative world. However, apart from this fatal disavowal of the workings of karma in his own production; it is quite refreshing when someone at least tries! He does let the bricks of the edifice stand by themselves, however higgledy-piggledy, without trying to hone them or trowel some mortar in. So, I reckon, this is probably as literal a transcription as you're going to get.
One minute the texts laud duality, the next they return to non-duality. One moment monism, the next god-knows-what. One moment a transatlantic manifestation of non-difference, the next; division into heaven and earth. So, make of them what you will, it is your self you're reading.
Ambivalent, ambiguous and contradictory the Upanishads are - but only ambiguous because they say one thing and then another; up for grabs, open for diverse and conflicting interpretations so far as coherence goes, if you have a bag for coherence.
I'd previously read the Radhakrishnan and Hume versions of the major texts. Both authors have difficulty bringing the texts around, because they try to; I guess those Victorian gentlemen couldn't help but have some sort of predilection toward coherence and liked to persuade a little consistency, in favour with their own preferences. Olivelle doesn't bother with this. He claims he has avoided personal and interpretive input, suggesting his job is merely to give us the raw texts, as they might have been at the time of writing, ignoring the mass of interpretation and smoothing readings that have intervened, sticking to an orthodox, archaeological understanding of what the understandings might have been at the time - as if that itself were no interpretation. I've never believed this self-effacement in translation - or anything, once some thing is preferred to another! ;] - this transcendence of conditioning which yet remains in the relative world. However, apart from this fatal disavowal of the workings of karma in his own production; it is quite refreshing when someone at least tries! He does let the bricks of the edifice stand by themselves, however higgledy-piggledy, without trying to hone them or trowel some mortar in. So, I reckon, this is probably as literal a transcription as you're going to get.
One minute the texts laud duality, the next they return to non-duality. One moment monism, the next god-knows-what. One moment a transatlantic manifestation of non-difference, the next; division into heaven and earth. So, make of them what you will, it is your self you're reading.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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15 reviews
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful
In No Way Challenged by Roebuck's Newer Penguin Translation
26 Jan 2008
Format:Paperback
After some Sanskrit studies years ago, I decided I'd like to read the principal Upanishads in an accurate (so not the laughably loose Mascaro version) but readable (so not the painfully literal and commentary-heavy tome of Radhakrishnan) English version. It soon became apparent that the choice was between Olivelle (the volume reviewed here) and Valerie Roebuck's Penguin Classics edition of 2000/2003. The academic book reviews were quite ambivalent, so I got the two rivals out from the library and made my own comparison.
I was surprised to find the Oxford superior in every way. Most importantly, Olivelle's translation (while plenty literal) is simply in much more natural English. Roebuck is fond of unnatural word order. Her version includes many footnotes on each page, without which her text would sometimes make no sense; Olivelle manages to translate just as literally, but so that you don't NEED to consult his equally voluminous notes in the back. Looking at the Sanskrit text in cases of notable differences, I found that I was almost always more satisfied with Olivelle's version as scrupulously & clearly reflecting the original, too. (In any case, there's no question that Olivelle is the more authoritative scholar; Roebuck needs to cite several of his books in her bibliography and apologize for the "temerity" of offering a new version, but there is no important scholarly work of Roebuck's that Olivelle can cite in his extensive bibliography.)
Publishing is a business. Roebuck freely admits that she relied heavily on Olivelle's version in making her own. The surprise is that she did not manage to stand on his shoulders and make something better in any way. (The reviews and marketing blurbs that suggest Roebuck's version has any more "devotional" value boils down to some pretty superficial and unimportant differences, like including the invocations before and after each upanishad--which are in no sense a part of the actual text or teaching.) In a sane world, there is no need for the Penguin. The chronology is clear: Penguin realized Mascaro was an embarrassment in need of replacement; they contracted Roebuck; while she was working Olivelle's version came out, making hers otiose. Penguin can't let its Mascaro version be totally eclipsed by Oxford, so we have this choice to confuse us. Don't be confused--get this Oxford edition.
Finally, the Oxford volume is much better-designed. The notes are clearly indexed by page numbers at the top; the upanishads themselves have much clearer running head-numbers; the upanishads are usefully prefaced by a short, clear outline; etc.
I was surprised to find the Oxford superior in every way. Most importantly, Olivelle's translation (while plenty literal) is simply in much more natural English. Roebuck is fond of unnatural word order. Her version includes many footnotes on each page, without which her text would sometimes make no sense; Olivelle manages to translate just as literally, but so that you don't NEED to consult his equally voluminous notes in the back. Looking at the Sanskrit text in cases of notable differences, I found that I was almost always more satisfied with Olivelle's version as scrupulously & clearly reflecting the original, too. (In any case, there's no question that Olivelle is the more authoritative scholar; Roebuck needs to cite several of his books in her bibliography and apologize for the "temerity" of offering a new version, but there is no important scholarly work of Roebuck's that Olivelle can cite in his extensive bibliography.)
Publishing is a business. Roebuck freely admits that she relied heavily on Olivelle's version in making her own. The surprise is that she did not manage to stand on his shoulders and make something better in any way. (The reviews and marketing blurbs that suggest Roebuck's version has any more "devotional" value boils down to some pretty superficial and unimportant differences, like including the invocations before and after each upanishad--which are in no sense a part of the actual text or teaching.) In a sane world, there is no need for the Penguin. The chronology is clear: Penguin realized Mascaro was an embarrassment in need of replacement; they contracted Roebuck; while she was working Olivelle's version came out, making hers otiose. Penguin can't let its Mascaro version be totally eclipsed by Oxford, so we have this choice to confuse us. Don't be confused--get this Oxford edition.
Finally, the Oxford volume is much better-designed. The notes are clearly indexed by page numbers at the top; the upanishads themselves have much clearer running head-numbers; the upanishads are usefully prefaced by a short, clear outline; etc.
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful
helps make the Upanishads a little clearer
12 April 2000
Format:Paperback
Some caveats have to apply here. For one, the challenge of rating a book like this with stars is obvious; who am I to pass judgment on such ancient literature? Or the translation, since I don't read the original language? With that in mind, I confine my review to the style in which it is rendered for the novice.
The Upanishads are not an easy read, and I have seen them done in verse format and in paragraph format; the latter is used here. I find it more readable, but others prefer verse. Whether you will like this translation depends largely on your preference in this area.
It does have (parenthesizations) after many words showing the original word, which helps a lot when learning to define terms like 'prana' and 'upanishad'... e.g., "... show me the hidden teaching (<i>upanisad</i>)...". This not only helps the reader to learn the meanings of these difficult-to-render terms, but points up the challenges involved in translation.
I found the foreword helpful in setting up a historical and cultural backdrop for the Upanishads. A good half of the work is taken up by a single Upanishad (the Brhadarayanka), but that was probably inevitable.
What I would have liked to have seen was a little more interpretation. As a novice reader of the Upanishads, it was really a struggle to understand what they meant in context, and I never did make head or tail out of much of it. A section at the end of each chapter (or some well-placed footnotes) would have gone far to make the work accessible to those for whom the cultural reach was a bit lengthy.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Great for first-timer
8 Sep 2002
Format:Paperback
Patrick Olivelle's translation is an excellent insight into Upanisads for a first timer. He has designed this translation in a very easy to follow fashion keeping in mind that most of us are not learned pundits.
The clear introduction gives a comprehensive background of the Vedas. The history of Indian social structure when the Upanisads were written, their authorship, chronology, geography, etc. give the reader a comfortable feel as they go forth with their reading. The reader is also provided with a table dividing the Upanisads into the four Vedas.
I find the paragraph (and the divisions of chapters the author has used) format used in this edition much easier than the verse format. Each chapter is accompanied by extensive notes in the back to the book.
The Upanisads are difficult and sometimes tedious read but this translation makes it much easier for people who have no prior knowledge.
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