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"That is full. This is full. From the full, comes the full. Remove the full from the full and what remains"?" The full."
Thus begins the Isha Upanishad, one of the most profound ancient books of faith. Mahatma Gandhi had famously said that if all scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes and only the first verse of the Isha Upanishad was left in our memory, Hinduism would live for ever.
But this Upanishad goes beyond all faith, all religion to help all people look within and without themselves to answer the questions that have swirled in and round them since the dawn of civilization. That is the spirit in which Pritish Nandy, renowned poet, painter and filmmaker, has produced this sparkling new translation from the original Sanskrit, and Sunandini Banerjee, accomplished artist and designer, has illustrated it with her unique graphic art. While the text reveals man s relationship with nature and God, the artworks explore it, alluding to creations both divine and human. Together they manifest the thread that connects all that exists, together they chronicle mankind s search for the true meaning of life.There is no metaphysics here, no religion. Just pure, simple, deep wisdom."
About the author
Pritish Nandy is an Indian journalist, poet, painter, filmmaker, and author.
Sunandini Banerjee is an editor, designer, and graphic artist based in Calcutta, India. She has illustrated Thomas Bernhard's
Victor Halfwit and Ivan Vladislavic's
Loss Library and Other Unfinished Stories, both published by Seagull Books.
Summary
One of the shortest collections of texts, consisting of seventeen or eighteen verses, the Isha Upanishad is significant because of its explanation of man's relationship with nature and God. This edition of the Isha Upanishad has been translated in clear and vivid language by a renowned poet, painter, and filmmaker.
