The origins of the Upanishads, sacred writings of Hinduism, predate recorded history. They are thought of by many as perhaps the greatest of all the books in the history of world religions. Since they were revealed to the Rishis of the Vedic civilisation some 5,000 to 10,000 years ago, many have come to regard them as the kernel of the mystical and philosophical truths that are the basis of understanding religion today. Alan Jacobs has used free modern verse to convey the essential meaning and poetry of the original text, omitting Sanskrit words as much as possible and providing a clear, contemporary commentary.

Content - Invocation, Foreword, Preface, Introduction, The Isa Upanishad, The Kena Upanishad, The Katha Upanishad, The Taitiriya Upanishad, The Aitareya Upanishad, The Mundaka Upanishad, The Mandukya Upanishad, The Prajna Upanishad, The Maitri Upanishad, The Svetasvatara Upanishad, From The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, The Chandogya Upanishad, Appendix I - A metrically rhymed rendering of the Svetasvatara Upanishad,  Appendix II - Books Consulted