Among the oldest of India’s spiritual texts, the Upanishads are records of intensive question-and-answer sessions given by illumined sages to their students. Widely featured in philosophy courses, the Upanishads have puzzled and inspired wisdom seekers from Yeats to Schopenhauer. Eknath Easwaran makes this challenging text more accessible by selecting the passages most relevant to readers seeking timeless truths today. His accessible, highly readable translation and lively foreword place the teachings in a contemporary context for students and general readers alike.

These Eight Upanishads, translated from the original Sanskrit by Swam Premananda during the years between 1941 and 1970, comprise the core of the teachings of advaita vedanta, or Absolute Monism. They beautifully interpret the history of Indo-Aryan philosophy, the purpose of scripture, the universal appeal and transcendental meaning of the Upanishads, and the concepts regarding symbol, meditation and realization. Although each Upanishad stands in its own sovereign light and may be read independent of the rest, all have been arranged in a specific order to serve the reader.

The field of `science and religion' is exploding in popularity among both academics and the reading public. This is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the debate, written by the leading experts yet accessible to the general reader.

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