1 h 59 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What remains when possessions, pleasures, and even the body pass away?
The Upanishads, presented by Swami Paramananda, gathers ancient Indian sacred teachings about the self, death, and the reality behind a changing world. Brief teachings and searching conversations ask whether lasting freedom comes from acquiring more or understanding what we truly are. These questions reach beneath ordinary life.
The Isha Upanishad joins enjoyment with renunciation. In the Katha Upanishad, a boy named Nachiketa questions his father's offerings and comes to the dwelling of Yama, the lord of death. The Kena Upanishad asks what enables thought, speech, sight, and hearing, pointing toward Brahman as ultimate reality.
What you’ll discover
- Enjoyment without possession Explore Isha's teaching that people can live and act without treating the world as their possession.
- A boy questions death Follow Nachiketa to Yama's dwelling, where questions about death take a direct and dramatic form.
- Behind thought and speech Consider Kena's question about the power behind the faculties through which we know the world.
- The self beneath change Meet teachings that ask what we truly are when possessions, pleasures, and the body pass away.
- Freedom beyond acquiring more Reflect on whether understanding the self offers a freedom that gathering more possessions cannot provide.
Who will love it
For readers drawn to spiritual inquiry, Hindu philosophy, and direct questions about death and identity, these teachings explore the self and the reality behind the changing world.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The deepest self and the source of existence
- Divine presence joins enjoyment with renunciation
- Nachiketa asks death’s lord for lasting knowledge
- The power behind thought and perception
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 1 h 59 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 2 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Los Upanishads in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Los Upanishads
Nachiketa turns from wealth and pleasure to ask the lord of death what happens after a person dies.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Upanishads, presented by Swami Paramananda, brings together ancient Indian teachings about the self, death, and the reality behind the changing world. Through brief teachings and searching conversations, it asks whether lasting freedom comes from acquiring more or from understanding what we truly are.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The deepest self and the source of existence
The Upanishads begins with a question beneath ordinary life: what remains when possessions, pleasures, and even the body pass away? These teachings belong to the sacred literature of ancient India. They direct attention away from outward success and toward the relation between the deepest self and the source of all existence. Paramananda brings together the Isha, Katha, and Kena Upanishads, each approaching that relation in a different way.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Los Upanishads
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
Which Upanishads are in Swami Paramananda's The Upanishads?
Swami Paramananda's collection contains the Isha, Katha, and Kena Upanishads. They address divine presence in the world, the self and death, and the ultimate source of thought and perception. Together they offer three distinct approaches to closely related spiritual questions.
Who wrote The Upanishads?
The Upanishads are ancient Indian works associated with different sages and teaching traditions, not a single author. Swami Paramananda is the teacher who presents this collection. The underlying works belong to the Vedas, the sacred literature of Hinduism.
What do Atman and Brahman mean?
Atman is the deepest self, rather than a person's changing thoughts, desires, or bodily condition. Brahman is the ultimate reality underlying existence. These Upanishads lead readers toward understanding their relation, rather than treating the individual self as wholly separate from the ground of life.
The author
Swami Paramananda
1884–1940 · Indian Hindu teacher and writer
Swami Paramananda (1884–1940) was an Indian Hindu monk and teacher. He was born in Bengal and moved to the United States in 1906. He founded the Vedanta Centre in Boston in 1909. He wrote books on Vedanta and translated the Upanishads into English. He died in Massachusetts.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
