W.B. Yeats and the Upaniṣads
Book Description
This scholarly exploration reveals how one of Ireland's greatest poets discovered profound spiritual wisdom in ancient Sanskrit texts. When W.B. Yeats collaborated with Indian monk Shree Purohit Swami to translate the Ten Principal Upanishads into English, the project became far more than a literary endeavor—it transformed the poet's understanding of consciousness, creativity, and the nature of reality itself.
Shalini Sikka traces how these timeless Indian scriptures provided Yeats with answers to questions that had long captivated him. The poet found validation for his belief in the soul's immortality, something he had previously sought through séances and occult practices. In the Upanishadic concept of Turiya—a meditative state of bliss and unified consciousness—Yeats recognized a parallel to his own vision of Unity of Being.
The ancient texts also illuminated Yeats's understanding of imagination as a faculty of the deeper Self, capable of creating the symbolic images that seers and poets encounter in transcendent states. This insight led him to view poetry as a form of revelation, where carefully chosen symbols could guide readers into the same transformative experiences the poet had discovered.
Through detailed analysis of how these Sanskrit teachings influenced Yeats's later philosophical work, particularly his esoteric text "A Vision," this study demonstrates how cross-cultural spiritual dialogue can deepen artistic vision and expand consciousness across traditions.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~5 hours)
📄 Length: 176 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore In literature
- ✓ Explore Knowledge
- ✓ Explore timeless philosophical wisdom
- ✓ Explore Yeats, w. b. (william butler), 1865-1939
- ✓ Explore English poetry
- ✓ Explore India, in literature
- ✓ Explore the wisdom of the Upanishads
- ✓ Explore India
