The Prasnopanisad is a famous Upanishad that is structured as a question and answer session between sage Pippalada and his 6 disciples, each of whom asks the sage a profound question about the nature of reality. The questions start by examining the outer world that we can perceive with our senses - From where did the Universe spring? What sustains life? Etc. They then turn inwards towards examining the subtle world that lies beyond our perception: What is the Soul and what is its nature? Etc.

This Upanishad has been translated into English from the original Sanskrit by Swami Chinmayananda. Each verse comes with an exhaustive commentary that explains the concepts in an easy to understand manner. The only drawback about this book is that it contains some minor spelling mistakes, which hopefully can be overlooked in order to imbibe the deeper message.

Brief Background of the Upanishads:
There are in total a 108 know Upanishads (many more have been lost in time), that were composed during a period ranging between 2500 BC and 800 BC. The spiritual wisdom contained in the Upanishads is not one that has been arrived at through philosophical arguments, debates or theories; rather it has been realized i.e. seen and witnessed by the sages in the highest states of meditation. All Upanishads are composed in terse Sanskrit verses (similar to a mathematical equation) and therefore a simple literal translation will almost always fail to bring out the immense knowledge hidden behind the concise words. It is as if Einstein's equation E=mc2 is before you, without any explanation of what E or M or C stands for.

It is only when another realized teacher comes along, who can explain the verses (i.e. the equations) because he too has witnessed the same reality as these sages, that we are able to get a true picture of the spiritual wisdom that is outlined in the Upanishads. Out of a total of 108, there are 11 Upanishads that have thus been explained by the illumined teachers of the past, such as Adi Shankaracharya (9th century AD), Ramanuja and others. These Upanishads are therefore referred to as the "Principal Upanishads".

Swami Chinmayananda (May 8, 1916 - Aug 3, 1993) was born Balakrishna Menon (Balan) in Ernakulam, Kerala in a devout Hindu noble family called "Poothampalli". Graduating from Lucknow University, he entered the field of journalism where he felt he could influence political, economic and social reform in India. But his life was changed when he met Swami Sivananda at Rishikesh and became interested in the Hindu spiritual path. [1] Balakrishna Menon took sanyas(monkhood) from Swami Sivananda and was given the name Swami Chinmayananda - the one who is saturated in Bliss and pure Consciousness. Swami Shivananda saw further potential in Swami Chinmayananda and sent him to study under a guru in the Himalayas - Swami Tapovan Maharaj under whom he studied for 8 years. Swami Tapovan maharaj was known for his rigid teaching style, to the point where he told Sw. Chinmayananda that he would only say everything once, and at anytime he would ask questions to him. Even with these extreme terms, Sw. Chinmayananda stayed with Tapovan maharaj until the very end of 8 years. Being a journalist at heart, Sw. Chinmayananda wanted to make this pure knowledge available to all people of all backgrounds, even though Tapovan Maharaj had advised against it. It was then that with Tapovan maharaj's blessings, he left the Himalayas to teach the world the knowledge of Vedanta throughout the world. During his forty years of travelling and teaching, Swami Chinmayananda opened numerous centres and ashrams worldwide, he also built many schools, hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. His interest in helping the villagers with basic necessities lead to the eventual creation of a rural development project, known as the Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development or CORD. It's Naitonal Director, Dr. Kshama Metre was recently awarded the Padma Shree National award in Social Work. Swami Chinmayananda passed away on 3 August 1993 in San Diego, California. His followers regard him as having attained Mahasamadhi at that point. His work has resulted in the creation of an international organization called Chinmaya Mission. This mission serves Swami Chinmayananda's vision of reinvigorating India's rich cultural heritage, and making Vedanta accessible to everybody regardless of age, nationality, or religious background.