The Upanishads are ancient Indian treatises of religious and philosophical content, which are the sacred scriptures of Hinduism. It is an addition to the Vedas, which in turn are the most ancient scriptures in Sanskrit, containing mantras and prayers used in rituals. The Upanishads discuss the nature of god, philosophy, meditation, and the character of the self, which is characterized by the knowledge of sacred learning. It is formulated by the etymology of the word, which literally means to sit near, or the student sitting near the teacher. There is an empirical Self and a true Self or atman that observes empirical phenomena and does not die, which formulates the nature of the self.
The first selected book is a series of lectures containing background information on events, culture, and history from which the Upanishads originated. The work of Graham Burns provides the reader with general information about the Upanishads and the history of the origin of the culture associated with them (Burns 3). Graham Burns is a scholar of the Upanishads and various cultures, main points of the meaning and history of the scriptures. The main idea is to reveal the course of basic Indian thoughts, to tell how Indian thinking and, accordingly, beliefs, cultures, and scriptures appeared. The type of evidence includes the use of relevant sources by the author, such as libraries and documentation on the chosen topic. The relevance of the work to the final paper lies in essential and up-to-date information for the paper.
The following work is a collection of texts containing information about the central philosophical issues of Hinduism. Swami Paramananda’s book has the principles of samsara, brahman, atman, karma, dharma, and moksha (Paramananda 5). Moreover, all of the above aspects contain ideas and formulate the core of Hinduism, which was also described in work. The main idea of the book is to disseminate knowledge and information about the Eastern teachings of Hinduism to the Western world. It is argued by the fact that the work is an English translation from the author for maximum dissemination of information. The simplicity of the presentation of the material and the effective demonstration of the main concepts of the self help to better understand this issue. The type of evidence is formed by studying the relevant materials by the author, which formulates the importance for the final work, namely up-to-date information.
The author of the third work claims that all Indian philosophy is a reference to the Upanishads. The book by Parsa Venkateshwar introduces the reader to the main ideas of Indian philosophy and how they intertwine with the Upanishads (Venkateshwar 7). In addition, the author demonstrates the core philosophy of the Upanishads and how it changes and evolves over time. Parsa Venkateshwar is a scholar of Indian cultures and philosophies, including studying the Upanishads. The type of evidence used in work is the study of literature, documentation, and works on the chosen topic. The relevance for the final work lies in the broader view of the Upanishads, namely how it became the nucleus for the birth of various cultures.
The last book is a more global demonstration of the Upanishads’ principles through reflection on life’s spiritual aspects. In the work, Mukunda Rao presents deep reflections and interpretations of hard-to-reach texts such as the Upanishads (Rao 4). Moreover, the author reveals how it is connected with the spiritual part of human life and the basic principles. Mukunda Rao is the author of many works on various topics related to spirituality and scriptures. The relevance of the book for the final work lies primarily in the global perspective of the issue under study.
Works Cited
Burns, Graham. The Upanishads: Stories of the Self with Graham Burns: Neti, Neti; The Search for the Ultimate Principle in the Vedic Upanisads. Wise Studies, 2020.
Paramananda, Swami. The Upanishads. General Press, 2020.
Rao, Mukunda. Belief and Beyond: Adventures in Consciousness from the Upanishads to Modern Times. Harper Collins.
Venkateshwar, Parsa. The Upanishads: An Introduction. Harper Collins, 2020.