The Message of the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (Sanskrit Text, Transliteration, English Translation and Commentary )

The Upnisads are a class of literature unique for its theme, which has not been repeated thenceforth in the history of humankind. On the tree of Indian wisdom, says Paul Deussen, there is no fairer flower than the Upanisads, and no finer fruit than the Vedanta philosophy. This system grew out of the teachings of the Upanisads and was brought to its consummate form by the great Sankara. Every other system of thought that blossomed on the Indian soil directly or indirectly drew its inspiration from this eternal spring. It grapples with some of the most bafflings problems confronted by the human mind. The search for the Ultimate Truth reached its critical dimensions in the Upanisads where the human mind was forced to shed the last vestige of its tendency to conceptualize- and then the Truth glowed. From every sentence deep, original, and sublime thoughts arise . In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanisads. It has been the solace of my life, it will be the solace of my death, said Schopenhauer.

Among all the Upanisads, the Brhadaranyaka has a distinctive mark for the vastness and profundity of its approaches to the riddle of life and existence. The most Abstract truth is herein set against a humane backdrop, and a dispassionate and gearless search for its is instituted by brilliant minds. Every zealously guarded belief passes the fire-test of scientific enquiry. And if there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanisad, bursting like a bombshell upon the masses of ignorance, it is the word fearlessness, said Swami Vivekananda. Conforming to this general tune of the Upanisads, in the climactic scene of the Brhadaranyak we find that great sage Yajnavalkya make the Emperor Janaka attain that supreme state of fearlessness. The beauty of this Upanisads lies in its sublime majesty of thought and exhaustiveness, which makes it truly 'The Great Forest Book' unraveling the mystery enshrouding man and his universe, and hence, of timeless relevance.

From the Jacket

The words of the Upanisads are great music, the tunes of Which have the power to fascinate the hearts of all sensitive people, century after century. Every one who studies the Upanisads reverently, and in a seeking mood, will realize for himself or herself the charm of their deep, profound utterances couched in language, direct and deep, poetic and sublime. A spiritual seeker who reads the Upanisads will feet that is very close to his life and destiny, a reality which is in himself as well as in the world outside, the deep pulsations of that reality have been caught up in the beautiful music of the Upanisads.

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