Upanishads are a record of human mind's earliest contemplative flights to the Unknown. Many of the anonymous seekers preceded great Masters and Prophets like Lao-Tzu, Confucius, Socrates, Zoroaster, Buddha, Mahavira, Abraham and Jesus, by at least a few centuries. Upanishads are ahead of even modern times. Physicist's concept of Ultimate Reality has progressed from atoms to sub-atomic particles to vibrating strings; and search for a Theory of Everything continues. Upanishads declare that Ultimate Reality - or what we call 'God' is Pure and Absolute Consciousness. Space-time, matter-energy and life-mind are its conditioned and relative manifestations. Human mind is a miniature Cosmic Mind. Everything in the universe is interconnected. Micro and macro-worlds have identical patters. The universe is an embodiment of perfect harmony when viewed in its totality. Upanishads point to interplay of ego and Self as the root cause of evil and good. Every person has a unique ego, which makes him different from all others. Ego helps progress, but it also gives rise to evils like selfishness, possessiveness and intolerance. These are balanced by enhancing our awareness of One Self in all. Knowledge of Self spurs peace. We need both to progress and peace. Upanishads use many captivating dialogues, stories and metaphors to bring out the relationship between man, God and world. Timeless truths are condensed in profound aphorisms. After a few glimpses of Upanishadic texts, their mere presence on a bookshelf inspires thoughts of wisdom. Reviews: "Shri Ram Piparaiya has evidently made a deep study in this area, and has brought together in one volume a useful compendium of original Upanishadic texts and commentaries. I hope serious students of Upanishads and of Hindu philosophy in general will welcome this volume, not only in India but around the world." - Dr. Karan Singh "Shri Ram Piparaiya is evidently gripped by the structure, spirit and purpose of Vedic Upanishads. Allured and inspired by their content and message, he has been impelled to beckon many others to this area of Spiritual Knowledge. May his effort be helpful to many, who admit the role of Knowledge in brining forth excellence." - Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha "Shri Ram Piaraiya has made a sincere effort to trace the contemporary relevance of Vedic Upanishads. It is a monumental effort, reflecting enormous dedicated and unremitting labour over a long period of time." "Mr .Ram Piaraiya's introductions and synopses show a wide sensitivity to the many levls of Consciousness and to the worlds of meaning found in these texts. His book is a sincere effort to make this towering and incredible literature of interest to a broader contemporary audience." - Dr. Klaus G. Witz
|