The Classical Upani?adsds A Guide

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. In this volume, Signe Cohen guide readers through on the thirteen "Classical Upani?ads," 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 Upani?ads: A Guide provides a nuanced but accessible exploration of the Upani?ads that will benefit both scholars, students, and general readers alike.

This volume explores the historical, geographical, and social context of the Classical Upani?ads and discusses issues of dating, authorship, and transmission of the texts. Cohen also breaks down central ideas in the Upani?ads, such as atman, brahman, karma, reincarnation, moksa, knowledge, and sacred sounds (mantras). The text also discusses the importance of the Upani?ads for Hinduism and Indian culture, as well as the reception of the Upani?ads 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.

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 Upanisads (2008), the award-winning edited volume The Upanisads: A Complete Guide (2018), and Textual Criticism and Sacred Texts: A Comparative Method (2023).

A Guide to Pronouncing Sanskrit
1. Introduction
2. The Historical Context of the Upanisads
3. Dating and Authorship
4. The Classical Upanisads
5. Social and Political Context
6. Central Ideas in the Upanisads
7. Narrative and Main Characters in the Upanisads
8. The Canonical Status and Reception of the Upanisads
Glossary of Sanskrit Terms
Bibliography