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 (upanisad)...". 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.


Great for first-timer   September 8, 2002
 15 out of 17 found this review helpful

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.


stilted and biased   November 6, 2002
 14 out of 34 found this review helpful

This translation pays no attnetion to traditional Upanshadic scholarship in India, is totally Germanic (i.e., indological, colonialist), misrendering terms with a Christian or at least theistic bias, e.g., the Isha Upanishad, where Shankara's long commentary on the first verse is totally ignored.


The gold standard   June 19, 2005
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Professor Olivelle is a great scholar - no doubt one of the most highly respected Sanskritists and prolific translators of our time. As such, it should be no surprise to find that his translation of the Upanisads is the best currently available, and will likely remain so for quite some time. The introduction to the text is extremely informative and helps place the works in their proper context. The text itself is quite meticulously translated - striking an agreeable balance of readability, scholarship and faithfulness to the original Sanskrit. A must for anyone interested in Hinduism.


Best English translation I've seen   May 30, 2000
 8 out of 11 found this review helpful

This is a superb translation of the Upanishads -- the best I've seen by a long shot. Graceful, readable prose informed by modern scholarship, and the price is dirt-cheap. What more could you ask for? This is the edition to buy.