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The Upani¿ads are rich and complex Sanskrit Hindu scriptures dating back to the 8th century BCE and are a staple of world religion courses across the globe. Where most survey textbooks present a cursory overview of these texts, Signe Cohen provides a nuanced but accessible exploration of the thirteen Classical Upani¿ads that will benefit both scholars, students, and general readers alike.
List of contents
- A Guide to Pronouncing Sanskrit
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The Historical Context of the Upani¿ads
- 3. Dating and Authorship
- 4. The Classical Upani¿ads
- 5. Social and Political Context
- 6. Central Ideas in the Upani¿ads
- 7. Narrative and Main Characters in the Upani¿ads
- 8. The Canonical Status and Reception of the Upani¿ads
- Glossary of Sanskrit Terms
- Bibliography
About the author
Signe Cohen is an Associate Professor in Religious Studies at the University of Missouri. She received her MA in Sanskrit from the University of Oslo and her PhD in Sanskrit from the University of Pennsylvania. Her publications include
Text and Authority in the Older Upani¿ads (2008), the award-winning edited volume
The Upani¿ads: A Complete Guide (2018), and
Textual Criticism and Sacred Texts: A Comparative Method (2023).
Summary
The Upaniṣads are rich and complex Sanskrit Hindu scriptures dating back to the 8th century BCE and are a staple of world religion courses across the globe. In this volume, Signe Cohen guide readers through on the thirteen "Classical Upaniṣads," those generally regarded as the oldest: Bhadrayaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Isa, Kena, Katha, Mundaka, Svetasvatara, Mandukya, Prasna, Kausitaki, and Maitri Upanisad. Where most survey textbooks present a cursory overview of these texts, The Classical Upaniṣads: A Guide provides a nuanced but accessible exploration of the Upaniṣads that will benefit both scholars, students, and general readers alike.
This volume explores the historical, geographical, and social context of the Classical Upaniṣads and discusses issues of dating, authorship, and transmission of the texts. Cohen also breaks down central ideas in the Upaniṣads, such as atman, brahman, karma, reincarnation, moksa, knowledge, and sacred sounds (mantras). The text also discusses the importance of the Upaniṣads for Hinduism and Indian culture, as well as the reception of the Upaniṣads in the West.
Through exploring these works, their key characters and ideas, and their impact on Hinduism's core beliefs, Cohen provides the reader a thorough but approachable entry into these seminal texts.
