in śankara’s own words

For us, ādi śaṁkarācārya’s words are priceless. None the less, as we strive to learn the saṁskṛt language; as we slowly gain the ability to read his words in their original language – translations are invaluable. So, I previously spent some time looking for translations of his gītā-bhāṣya and upaniṣad-bhāṣyas.

As a student of saṁskṛt, it is painfully obvious that a translation in English can never capture the nuance of the original. It just isn’t possible. So, my requirement was an edition that had both the original bhāṣyam (in devanāgarī script) and the translation side-by-side. Who knew that there would be a dearth of such editions !

There are several great translations, but very few of them include the bhāṣyam. On the gītā, I know of the following editions.

• bhagavad gītā bhāṣya of śrī śaṅkarācārya, by A.G. Krishna Warrier
• gītā in śankara’s own words, by V. Panoli

On the upaniṣads, I know of one single edition – upanishad’s in śankara’s own words by V. Panoli, in 5 volumes:

• Volume 1 – īśa, kena, katha, māṇḍūkya
• Volume 2 – praśna, muṇḍaka, taittirīya, aitareya
• Volume 3 – chāndogya
• Volume 4 – bṛhadāraṇyaka

All of these editions are currently in-print, and available online through various book resellers. I prefer Warrier’s translation of the gītā to Panoli’s. On the upaniṣad’s though, there isn’t any choice. Panoli’s translations are reasonable, but I prefer the translations of authors like svāmī gambhīrānanda. It is a real shame that more English editions don’t include the bhāṣyam.