Dhammapada (Easwaran translation)

Reviews have appeared in Smith and Novak's Buddhism: A Concise Introduction (2003),^[23] as well as in the Mountain Path,^[24] East West,^[10] Life Positive (India),^[11] the American Theosophist,^[12] Parabola,^[25] Voice of Youth Advocates,^[26] and websites.^[27]

In Buddhism: A Concise Introduction,^[28] influential scholar of religion Huston Smith and his coauthor Philip Novak wrote that "Our favorite translation is Eknath Easwaran's The Dhammapada. His Indian heritage, literary gifts, and spiritual sensibilities... here produce a sublime rendering of the words of the Buddha. Verse after verse shimmers with quiet, confident authority;"^[23]: 222 the introduction is described as "sparkling."^[23]: 222 Elsewhere, the publishers quote Smith as stating that no one else in "modern times" is as qualified as Easwaran to translate the Dhammapada and other Indian spiritual classics.^[29]

In the Mountain Path, P. S. Sundaram wrote that Easwaran:

writes of mysticism not from the outside but as one who seems himself to have undergone the experience through profound... meditation. In his introduction he is less a guide post than a guide offering himself as a companion to the reader, and inviting him to take the plunge into the depths of being.^[24]: 194

Sundaram also stated that in comparison to the Radhakrishnan translation of the Dhammapada, "The present one... by Mr. Easwaran is superior to it in every way, introduction, translation and get-up, except only that it does not have the original [Pali] verses.... we may set Radhakrishnan's [translation] of the very first verse^[30]... beside Easwaran's^[30].... The difference is the difference between a crib and a piece of literature, which is not the less faithful to the original for being a piece of literature."^{[24]: 194–5}

In Life Positive, Suma Varughese wrote that:

Easwaran's Dhammapada has a tone which is easy and contemporary. It is at once energetic and clear as well as mellifluous.... [and] has a limpid clarity that homes right in. As a vehicle of Buddhist thought, the Dhammapada's haunting poetry adds beauty and emotion to what can often seem a rigorously intellectual discipline.^[11]

In Voice of Youth Advocates, Rakow and Capehart wrote that "The Buddha's direct teachings are poetic and arranged by theme... Introductory explanations to each verse will help young adult readers understand the text."^[26]: 15

In other reviews, the translation was described as "exceptionally readable"^[12]: 400 (American Theosophist), or the introduction was described as "clear and lively"^[25] (Parabola), or as "inspiring and comprehensive"^{[10]: 76 [31]} (East West). The review in East West also quoted the introduction's claim that:

[The Dhammapada's] verses can be read and appreciated simply as wise philosophy; as such, they are part of the great literature of the world. But for those who would follow it to the end, the Dhammapada is a sure guide to nothing less than the highest goal life can offer: self-realization.^[10]: 77

In 1989, The Guardian listed the book among the top 5 best-sellers on Buddhism.^[32] In 2009, the Journal of Religious History noted that among Dhammapada translations, Easwaran's had been "very popular."^[33]: 231 It also stated that because Easwaran situated the Dhammapada against the background of the Upanishads, his translation should be seen in the context of Hindu readings.

The book has been published in English, German, and Korean. English-language editions have been published in the US, the UK, and India. In the US, the book has also been issued by its original publisher as part of a series entitled Classics of Indian Spirituality.^[34] The stand-alone US editions are:

• Easwaran, Eknath (2007). The Dhammapada / Introduced & translated by Eknath Easwaran (2nd ed.). Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press. ISBN 978-1-58638-020-5.; ISBN 1-58638-020-6 (275 pages)
• Easwaran, Eknath (1986). The Dhammapada / translated with a general introduction by Eknath Easwaran; with chapter introductions by Stephen Ruppenthal (1st ed.). Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press. ISBN 978-0-915132-37-9.; ISBN 978-0-915132-38-6; ISBN 0-915132-38-9; ISBN 0-915132-37-0 (208 pages)

UK edition:

• Easwaran, Eknath (1986). The Dhammapada (1st ed.). London: Arkana. ISBN 978-1-85063-068-5.; ISBN 1-85063-068-2 (208 pages)

Indian editions:

• Easwaran, Eknath (2009). The Dhammapada (With DVD). Mumbai, India: Jaico. ISBN 978-81-8495-073-1.; ISBN 81-8495-073-X (280 pages); Reprinted in 2010: ISBN 81-8495-092-6, ISBN 978-81-8495-092-2 (275 pages).

• Easwaran, Eknath (1996). The Dhammapada. New Delhi, India: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-019014-4.; ISBN 0-14-019014-7 (208 pages)

German edition:

• Easwaran, Eknath (2006). Dhammapada: Buddhas zentrale Lehren [Dhammapada: Buddha's central teachings]. Peter Kobbe (trans). Munich, Germany: Random House / Goldmann. ISBN 978-3-442-21764-9. OCLC 162462783.; ISBN 3-442-21764-4 (284 pages)

Korean edition:

• 엑나뜨이스와란 [Easwaran, Eknath] (2018). 담마빠다(경전 6) [Dhammapada]. 김병채[Kim Byung Chae] (trans). Korea: 슈리크리슈나다스아쉬람 [Shree Krishna Das Ashram] / www.krishnadass.com. ISBN 978-89-91596-57-3. (online) ISBN 8991596576 (267 pages)