This is one of the "Upanishads", or the philosophical parts of the "Vedas",he central sacred texts of Hinduism. It addresses a problem of interest toll: what happens after the death of the body. The story tells how Nachiketaeets Yama, the lord of Death. During their discussion, Yama explains thathere are two paths in life. By rejecting the path of the outside world, andhoosing "the path that leads inward", it is possible to achieve immortalityhrough a merging with the Universal Self.;This translation brings out thepiritual message of the "Katha Upanishad". Swami Ambikananda Saraswati seekso weave the poetry of the Sanskrit with her interpretation to convey thishousand-year-old wisdom. The text is illustrated with Indian miniatures fromhe Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

That is full. This is full. From the full, comes the full. Remove the full from the full and what remains? The full. Thus begins the Isha Upanishad, one of the most profound ancient books of faith. Mahatma Gandhi had famously said that if all scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes and only the first verse of the Isha Upanishad was left in our memory, Hinduism would live for ever. But this Upanishad goes beyond all faith, all religion to help all people look within and without themselves to answer the questions that have swirled in and round them since the dawn of civilization. That is the spirit in which Pritish Nandy, renowned poet, painter and filmmaker, has produced this sparkling new translation from the original Sanskrit, and Sunandini Banerjee, accomplished artist and designer, has illustrated it with her unique graphic art. While the text reveals man’s relationship with nature and God, the artworks explore it, alluding to creations both divine and human. Together they manifest the thread that connects all that exists, together they chronicle mankind’s search for the true meaning of life. There is no metaphysics here, no religion. Just pure, simple, deep wisdom.

Aims to serve as a manual of higher sadhana for advanced and initiated aspirants. This title describes the ancient path of Kundalini awakening in its original form before the proliferation of modern Yogic literature.

The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu religion. Each Upanishad, or lesson, takes up a theme ranging from the attainment of spiritual bliss to karma and rebirth, and collectively they are meditations on life, death and immortality. The essence of their teachings is that truth can by reached by faith rather than by thought, and that the spirit of God is within each of us - we need not fear death as we carry within us the promise of eternal life. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.