Reading list

The Upanishads

Reading the principal Upaniṣads, and how the great commentators read them.

Intermediate. 6 steps

Begin

Essay in Metanoia
That Thou Art
The Editors
A close reading of one teaching, to see how much a single sentence can carry.

Text
The Upanishads, Part I
tr. F. Max Müller, 1879
Read the sixth book of the Chāndogya, then the Kena, the shortest of the classic Upaniṣads.
Text
The Upanishads, Part II
tr. F. Max Müller, 1884
The Kaṭha’s dialogue with Death, then the Bṛhadāraṇyaka’s “not this, not this”, and the Taittirīya.

Text
The Mândûkyopanishad, with Gaudapâda’s Kârikâs and the Bhâshya of Śankara
Gauḍapāda, tr. Manilal N. Dvivedi, 1894
The Māṇḍūkya and Gauḍapāda’s verses: waking, dream, sleep and the fourth.
Text
The Vedânta-Sûtras, with the Commentary by Sankarâkârya
Śaṅkara, tr. George Thibaut, 1890
Śaṅkara’s systematic reading; start with his introduction on superimposition.

Tradition
Vedānta
See how Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita and Dvaita read the same texts differently.

Cite this entry

Chicago (bibliography): “The Upanishads.” Reading list. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-upanishads.
Chicago (note): “The Upanishads,” reading list, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-upanishads.
MLA: “The Upanishads.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-upanishads.
BibTeX: @misc{reading-lists-the-upanishads, title = {{The Upanishads}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Reading list. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-upanishads} }