By Eknath Easwaran - Essence of the Upanishads (Wisdom of India) Paperback – 2 Sep 2009

I have read many spiritual books in my six decades, but this is the first that put me in my place, giving me a glimpse of how big and how real this endeavour is.And yet the author writes in an appealing, easy to understand way. He shows how this attainment is for the simplest soul to grasp, but the cost is absolute. This path is not for those of us who are just toying with wonderful ideas. It is only entered by living with discipline and total commitment the life that lies in reality, beneath the veil we inhabit: ideas, concepts and language. While we are still attached to these it remains out of reach.As I said, a beautifully written profoundstory full of hope. But one that puts me, at least, firmly in my place: he conveys the vastness of it all so well.

This book is most helpful. It presents the wisdom of India and elucidates the journey of self-discovery in very easy to understand language. It is a book that also needs to be studied or read a couple of times to grasp the concepts and put them into practice.

Easy to read and understand.

Wonderful

Wonderful book. So easy yet so deep. Profound

This review is going to be short,if you have read Eknath Easwarans books on the Bhagavad gita, then you will not be disappointed with this one,understandable,and brilliant.

Excellent

I have been reading a lot on Hinduism for a while now and bought this book mainly due to his version of the The Bhagavad Gita where he was able to explain concepts in simple and understandable way for the western reader unfamiliar with Hinduism.This book likewise was able to explain the concepts of the Upanishads in a modern way and particularly how to apply to those ideas using some great analogies.My favourite book on spirituality is Jnana Yoga by Swami Vivekananda (also free on the net) where it described the logic behind Hinduism with the ideas of Karma, Atman, maya etc which I considered as the theory and this book is the practice.In particular, I especially like the way he illustrated the two paths, Preya is what is pleasant and Shreya is what is beneficial and how our body is like a castle where we should be focusing on what is inside rather than chasing sensual pleasures that are on the outside. Also, the chapter of will and desire was particular inspiring towards motivating ourselves to change for the better.All the ideas really clicked with me right away because I have come across and bought most of the Hinduism concepts already and this took my understanding to another level. I am not sure whether it would make sense to those unfamiliar with Hinduism and not sure whether it would be a good first book to buy but definitely essential for those that would like to explore Hinduism further.