Swami Vivekananda said " The Upanisads are the religious treatises of the highest importance and their place may be compared with that of the New Testament in the Christian world... and the Veda could be said to be the oldest Indo-European literary monument. Because of its antiquity the Veda stands at the head of Indian literature and hence no one who was not gained an insight into the Vedic literature can understand the spiritual value and culture of the Vedic people".
The present book is an attempt to present a brief outline of twelve Upanisads which contain many hidden treasures, so long transmitted from the Rsis to Gurus and from gurus to their disciples, and is sure to be a comprehensive reference tool for the scholars in Upanisadic and Vedic studies. The author has also tried to trace the history of Vedic literature--Samhitas, Brahmanas and Upanisads in the introduction of the book.
Contents:
- Preface
- Introduction.
- I. Summary of the Upanisads:
- Aitareya Upanisad
- Kausitaki Upanisad
- Kena Upanisad
- Chandogya Upanisad
- Taittiriya Upanisad
- Katha Upanisad
- Svetasvatara Upanisad
- Iso panisad
- Brhadaranyaka Upanisad
- Prasna Upanisad
- Mundaka Upanisad
- Mandukya Upanisad.
- The light of the Upanisads:
- Theory of creation
- Sarira and Atma
- Theory of sorrow
- Niti Bodh
- Upasana (worship)
- Intelligence and inner vision
- Karma-Tattva
- Psychology in Upanisads
- Seed of Samkhya system
- The philosophy of Upanisads
- Conclusion
- Relevance of Upanisad at present
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index.
