I’ve been really enjoying reading the Bhagavagita ‘walkthrough for westerners’ by Jack Hawley. It’s become a close friend, and is always at my bedside for a few verses before sleep.
The Bhagavagita story has ignited a thirst for more of this kind of read, and I’ve been looking at the Mahabharata. I’ve seen some books of about a thousand pages in length, and there are also versions in sets of eight or so books, but I’m not sure which to buy.
If anyone has any recommendations I would greatly appreciate them!
Also, same goes for upanishads, please let me know your favourite versions for westerners.
I cannot recommend a translation of the Mahabharata as I have never read it. With the Upanishads, it can sometimes be hard to know where to start, as there are so many. Traditionally it is said that there are 108 Upanishads, but some put that number at 112, or 114 if you include the two invisible (or “hidden”) ones mentioned in the Muktika Upanishad.
There are six Upanishads that are often considered to be the most important of these, and I would suggest starting there. These are the most recommended (or most popular) Upanishads (with book summary from ChatGPT):
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
One of the oldest and longest Upanishads. It explores the nature of the Self (Ātman), ultimate reality (Brahman), and includes profound dialogues such as Yājñavalkya’s teachings on non-duality.
Chandogya Upanishad
Famous for the great statement “Tat Tvam Asi” (“That Thou Art”). It teaches the unity of the individual self and the absolute.
Taittiriya Upanishad
Known for the doctrine of the five sheaths (pañca kośa) — layers of human existence from body to bliss.
Aitareya Upanishad
Focuses on creation and consciousness, declaring that pure consciousness is the ultimate reality.
Katha Upanishad
A poetic dialogue between Naciketas and Yama (the Lord of Death) about the nature of the Self and immortality.
Isha Upanishad
A short but powerful text that harmonizes renunciation and worldly action, emphasizing seeing the Divine in everything.
After that, I would suggest reading the Yoga Upanishads. This is a collection of texts on yoga and includes the Kundalini Upanishad and the Kaivalya Upanishad. The Kaivalya Upanishad bridges the advaitic philosophy of Vedanta and devotional Shaivism.
Unfortunately I can’t recommend any specific translations, but every translation I have seen of any of these texts has seemed fine. Some translations are more like summaries of what is in the original text, and they can end up being a bit thin on detail. So, I would suggest line-by-line translations if you can find them.
This translation of the Katha Upanishad is likely to be a good one as it is produced by the Chinmaya International Foundation:
thanks Tristan!