Upanishad 2 by Swami Lokeshwarananda [Hardcover]

The Vedas, the eternal repository of knowledge, contain the essence of that wisdom in Vedanta or the Upanishads. The greatest mystery for human beings is themselves. The Upanishads, fearlessly revealing the true nature of humans, elevate them to their highest glory. The Upanishads declare that every person is, in essence, divine. The true identity of a person, which is far greater and more beautiful than the self-awareness one holds, is hidden beneath the limitations of the body, mind, and intellect. The finite human being is, in reality, infinite. Behind the weak body-mind-intellect lies an eternal being, which is the ultimate reality, permeating all things, present in all beings, with a timeless existence.

The Upanishads grant humanity self-confidence and a sense of unity with the entire universe. Thus, love and strength are central themes in the Upanishadic teachings. Swami Vivekananda regarded the Upanishads as the universal philosophy for the future world, capable of ending all divisions between people. The wisdom of the Upanishads is not the property of any one nation or culture, but is the common heritage of all mankind. Acharya Shankar had re-expressed this wisdom in his extraordinary philosophy in the monastic order, in the ascetic's forest retreat, and Swami Vivekananda, breaking boundaries, sought to spread it into every home. He believed that by applying the teachings of the Upanishads in daily life, a fisherman could become a better fisherman, a lawyer could become a better lawyer, and a teacher could become a better teacher. This is because, in every field of life, the Upanishads awaken the inherent strength within a person and ultimately transform them into a divine human being.

In Upanishad Dwitiyo Bhag (The Second Part of the Upanishads), Swami Lokeshwarananda provides a simple interpretation of the Chandogya Upanishad, based on the commentaries of Shankaracharya and the philosophies of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. This lucid explanation is a manifestation of Vivekananda's vision of making the teachings of the Upanishads accessible to all.