"The Upanishads," the sacred writings of Hinduism, predate recorded history. Since they were revealed to the Rishis of the Vedic civilization some 5,000 to 10,000 years ago, many have come to regard them as perhaps the greatest of all the books in the history of world religions: the work that contains the kernel of the mystical and philosophical truths that form the basis of all religious thinking 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.