The Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad

Study of Vivekacūdạ̄manị, aphoristic work on Vedanta philosophy; includes complete text with translation and commentary.

Charles Johnston's classic translation and commentary on one of the most profound of ancient sacred texts. The book also contains three introductory articles by Johnston, which shed much light on the Upanishads, their place in history, their influence and connection to other spiritual philosophies of the world. "The great Upanishads were compiled as Instructions for disciples preparing for Initiation. They contain philosophical teaching, and also many stories, generally in the form of spirited dialogues, of great beauty and eloquence, or ironical, but always radiant with spiritual wisdom. If we think of what is here translated as a part of these Instructions, we shall have little difficulty in understanding its significance. . . . "A single principle links together the great Upanishads and their diverse parts, like jewels strung on a golden thread: the oneness of the Soul and the Oversoul. When we have found the Soul, our inmost real Self, we have thereby found the Oversoul, the Supreme Self of all Being. This is the goal."-Charles Johnston

A guidebook to the allusions of T.S. Eliot's notorious poem, The Waste Land , Reading The Waste Land from the Bottom Up utilizes the footnotes as a starting point, opening up the poem in unexpected ways. Organized according to Eliot's line numbers and designed for both scholars and students, chapters are free-standing and can be read in any order.

In this new translation, Jayaram V brings out the mystic symbolism and the hidden significance of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, considered one of the most important and voluminous Upanishads of Hinduism, containing some very fundamental concepts that are now an integral part of the Vedanta Philosophy. This edition includes introduction, original Sanskrit verses in transliterated Devanagari script, translation of each verse, explanatory notes, and bibliography. This edition forms part of the translation of the 16 major Upanishads by Jayaram V, Founder President of Hinduwebsite.com. author of 11 other books. He has also translated the Bhagavadgita word to word, with a detailed commentary. His other works include The Awakened Life, Brahman, Introduction to Hinduism, Essays on the Bhagavadgita, Think Success, Chandogya Upanishad and Selected Upanishads.

When there is duality,as it were,then one smells something,one sees something,one speaks something,one thinks something,one knows something(but) when to the knower of brahman everything has become the self,then what should one smell and through what,what should one hear and through what , what should one speakand through what,what should one think and through what,what should know and through what?that owing to which all this is known - through what,o maitreyi should one know the knower?

Lead me from the unreal to real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality: these three profound prayers emerge from the distilled soul of eternal India. They are the quintessence of the Brihadaranyaka (Great Forest Text), that ranks amongst the oldest of the esoteric revelations which constitute the Upanishadic corpus. This pristine work of intuitive wisdom, having at its core the wondrous insight of Yajnavalkya, its pioneer-sage, offers a veritable roadmap, guiding worthy seekers of knowledge on a course of spiritual ascendance and ultimate liberation – with faith, logic and contemplation, as the pilgrims’ wherewithal. Strewn along the path of this great journey of self-discovery, are answers to mankind’s eternal questions on creation, the meaning of existence, karma, transmigration, and finally, attainment of oneness with Brahman – the Ultimate Reality. Apart from Ethics, Psychology and Metaphysics are other high grounds bridged by the Brihadaranyaka. Its in-depth examination of the sense organs and objects; of the propensity of the mind to act on the ‘pleasure principle’; and its incisive analysis of the states of dream and deep sleep; all constitute powerful testimony to the profound psychological insights of the Upanishadic Hrshi. But it is the enunciation of the Vedantic metaphysics of non-dualism, based on neti neti (negation of all empirical reality), that constitutes the deepest philosophical message of this Great Upanishad. This volume presents an innovative transcreation of the Brihadaranyaka in simple, free-flowing verse, supported by an eclectic array of elucidations and commentaries gleaned from the works of many master interpreters. It beckons the modern truth-seeker towards the liberating experience of exploring this font of ancient wisdom (prajnaa puraanee), anew.

Authored by Swami Gambhirananda, who was a scholar-monk of great eminence and the eleventh president of the Ramakrishna Order, this book is one of the authentic biographies on Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. The book presents many interesting facts and incidents of her life gleaned from various authentic sources, both oral and written. Presented in a clear and vivid style, the main narrative is profusely interspersed with conversations of the Holy Mother. The book contains a chronology of the Holy Mother’s life and a genealogy of her family in the appendices. The book is a must-read for all devotees and admirers of the Ramakrishna movement to acquaint themselves with the extraordinary life of the Holy Mother.