Reddit reviews The Upanishads: A New Translation by Vernon Katz and Thomas Egenes (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions)

All translations and commentaries are done from the perspective of the person doing the translation.

One person's best translation is another's worst because of that issue as different spiritual perspectives are sometimes completely opposed to each other.

I'm a fan of Maharishi Mahesh YOgi's Translation and Commentary of the first 6 chapters of the Gita.

Most people hate it because he speaks from the perspective of someone who teaches that TM is the most effective way to become enlgihtened and, while he never made it clear, most meditation practices actually take you in the opposite direction from TM.

His students, Thomas Egenes and Vernon Katz have published translations of the Upanishads and the Yoga Sutras that are based on enlightenment from a TM perspective, and those too will be seen as the worst possible from the perspective of those who promote mindfulness.

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Example:

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Taught by an inferior man this Self cannot be easily known,

even though reflected upon. Unless taught by one

who knows him as none other than his own Self,

there is no way to him, for he is subtler than subtle,

beyond the range of reasoning.



Not by logic can this realization be won. Only when taught

by another, [an enlightened teacher], is it easily known,

dearest friend.

-Katha Upanishad, I.2.8-9

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That [unmanifest] is full; This [manifest] is full.


From fullness fullness comes out.

Taking fullness, from fullness,

what remains is fullness.

-Isha Upanishad (Translation Maharishi Mahesh Yogi)


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https://www.amazon.com/Upanishads-Translation-Tarcher-Cornerstone-Editions/dp/0399174230

https://www.amazon.com/Maharishi-Mahesh-Yogi-Bhagavad-Gita-Translation/dp/0140192476/ref=la_B000AQ4QWC_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526704395&sr=1-1