Books

The Bhagavad Gita is a dramatic poem which forms a small part of the great epic, the Mahabharata. The poem is the dialogue through which Arjuna`s doubts are resolved by KrIsna`s teaching about the nature and place of action in the ultimate reality of things. The present translation is supplemented by a commentary; both seek to emphasize how the teaching is rooted in the concrete situation, and how its order and structure reflect the changing condition of the conversant and the purpose of the conversation. Footnotes and notes are included to clarify the Sanskrit, to indicate alternative translations, and to note relevant comments from other commentators and translators.

"Compared to the western epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata are more complete story of Hindu, religious, cultural and social imagination and more exact narration of evolutionary rise of man. In this book, William Buck has succeeded better than anyone else in conveying the spirit of the
original.

The task of presenting a faithful image of the original text, its metaphysical nuances as well as its chronological sequence the world`s largest epic in a small book is a stupendous task.

Mainly as a narration, the version of William Buck will serve as an interesting and complete tale to the English speaking reader. Valmiki was called the Adikavi or ""first poet"" of Sanskrit literature and some of his remarkable talent shines forth in the English rendering. The reader will find pleasure in reading it aloud to himself or the others.

Review:

""To say the Ramayana is one of the great epics of India may be a misleading understatement, for it is of far greater importance to India than the Greek epics are to Western thought... Buck has succeeded better than anyone else in conveying the spirit of the original."" - Choice

""For the purpose of the general reader, the book is flawless: a marvellous tale, told with all the elan of Tolkien, charmingly but unobtrusively illustrated, and with an introduction by a prominent Sanskritist."" - Pacific Affairs

""The Ramayana is simply a fascinating story of courtly intrigue, fierce battles, and sacrifice on an heroic scale... Buck has done a real service in making available to the English-speaking world this imcomparable Indian epic."" - The Virginia Quarterly Review

""The task of presenting a faithful image of the original, though so greatly reduced in size, is here on the whole fulfilled to a truly remarkable degree... To call it inspired is no overstatement."" - The Asian Student

""This is divine storytelling at its finest. When he finished his manuscripts, William Buck wrote, 'Based on the words of ancient songs, I have written books. I tried to make them interesting to read. I don't think you will find many other books like them.' He was absolutely correct."" - Bo Lozoff

""This cannot be called a literal translation of the epic, but a retelling of it in the form of a story. And what a retelling! The language is simple and poetic and will delight both the grown up and the young alike."" - Swami Satyamayananda, Prabuddha Bharata Vol.108, May 2003

""The work is not only a mere translation but stands as a literary work of great significance. The author has full command over the language of his expression and he has accomplished the tough task of rendering it into English with a commendable effort."" - Prof. Ravinder Kaur, Journal of Religions Studies Vol.31, No.122, Spring-Autumn 2000
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"The Oracle of Rama, is perhaps the greatest Oracle of India, as well as one of the simplest and easiest to use. Like the I Ching, it consists of various verses that one can get to answer one's questions. While the I Ching uses the symbolism of the world of Nature for providing its forecasts. The Oracle of Rama uses the symbolism of Lord Rama, a Divine incarnation, and the Yoga of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga) as its symbolism. It condenses the laws of karma into the story of Rama and his noble deeds. Rama's story, the Ramayana, is one of the great classics of world literature. The importance of The Oracle of Rama is that Rama, its central presiding symbol, is a figure of heroic proportions--a perfect man. His life is an example of perfect action under every difficulty and misfortune, overcoming all the forces of evil and ignorance. As such, his Oracle is very safe and reliable, and provides the most wholesome and trustworthy guidance.

Review:

""The Oracle of Rama uses the insights of Tulsidas, one of the greatest seers of the Vedic tradition, to unlock the secrets of the realm of unmanifest intelligence and open up for us all the creative potentials of the universe. The Oracle shows us how we can make karmically appropriate choices so that we can live a life of joy and fulfilment on all levels of our being. Dr. Frawley offers us a beautiful English version of this classic for our everyday use."" - Deepak Chopra, MD, Author of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success."

"The sixth book of the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Yuddhakanda, recounts the final dramatic war between the forces of good led by the exiled prince Rama and the forces of evil commanded by the arch demon Ravana. The hero Rama's primary purpose in the battle is to rescue the abducted princess Sita and destroy the demon king. However, the confrontation also marks the turning point for the divine mission of the Ramavatara, the incarnation of Lord Visnu as a human prince, who will restore righteousness to a world on the brink of chaos. The book ends with the Gods' revelation to Rama of his true divine nature, his emotional reunion with his beloved wife, his long-delayed consecration as king of Kosala, and his restoration of a utopian age. The Yuddhakanda contains some of the most extraordinary events and larger-than-life characters to be found anywhere in world literature..

This sixth volume in the critical edition and translation of the Valmiki Ramayana, includes an extensive introduction, exhaustive notes, and a comprehensive bibliography."

The fifth and most popular book of the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Sundarakanda, recounts the adventures of the monkey hero Hanuman in leaping across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka. Once there, he scours the city for the abducted Princess Sita. The poet vividly describes the opulence of the court of the demon king, Ravana, the beauty of his harem, the splendors of the palace gardens, and the hideous deformity of Sita`s wardresses. After witnessing Sita`s pathetic state and her stern rejection of Ravana`s blandishments, Hanuman reveals himself to the princess and restores her hope of rescue. The great monkey then wreaks havoc on the royal park and fights a series of hair-raising battles with Ravana`s generals. Permitting himself to captured by the warrior Indrajit, Hanuman is led into the presence of Ravana, whom he admonishes for his lechery. His tail is set ableze, but he escapes his bonds and, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, sets fire to the city. Taking leave of Sita, Hanuman once more leaps the ocean to rejoin his monkey companions. Returning in triumph to report the news of Sita`s discovery to Rama, the monkeys pause for an interlude of drunken revelry in the pleasure grove of the monkey king. At last, Hanuman reports on his adventures to Prince Rama. This is the fifth volume translated from the critical edition of the Valmiki Ramayana. It contains an extensive introduction, exhaustive notes, and comprehensive bibliography.

"This is the fourth volume of a translation of India`s most beloved and influential epic tale-the Ramayana of Valmiki. As befits its position at the center of the work, Volume IV presents the hero Rama at the turning point of his fortunes. Having previously lost first his kingship and then his wife , he now forms an alliance with the monkey prince, Sugriva. Rama needs the monkeys to help him find his abducted wife, Sita, and indeed, by the end of this book, they have at least discovered where her abductor has taken her. But first Rama must agree to secure for his new ally the throne of the monkey kingdom by eliminating the reigning king, wh is none other than Sugriva`s detested elder brother, Valin. The tragic rivalry between the two monkey brothers is in sharp contrast to Rama`s affectionate relationship with his own brothers and forms a self-contained episode within the larger story of Rama`s adventures. This volume continues the translation of the critical edition of the Valmiki Ramayana, a version considerably reduced from the vulgate on which all previous translations were based. It is accompanied by extensive notes on the original Sanskrit text and on several untranslated early Sanskrit commentaries.
Contents
List of Abbreviations, Preface, Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation, PART 1: Introduction, Prologue, Synopsis, The Critical Edition, The Commentaries, The Description of the Four Directions, Rama's Allies, The Death of Valin, The Translation and Annotation, PART II. Kiskindhakanda, PART III. Notes, Glossary of Important Sanskrit Words, Proper Nouns, and Epithets, Glossary of Flora and Fauna, Bibliography of Works Cited, Index."

"This is the third volume of a planned seven volume translation of India`s most beloved and influential epic tale-the Ramayana of Valmiki. This third volume carries forward the narrative by following the exiled hero Rama his wife and his brother on their wanderings. The book contains the narrative center of the epic the abduction of Sita by the demon king Ravana. It provides a profound meditaion on the paradox of the hero as both human and divine.
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"This is the second of seven volumes that will present a complete and fully annotated translation of the Valmiki Ramayana of the seven sections of this great Sanskrit epic, the Ayodhyakanda is the most human, and it remains one of the best introductions to the social and political values of traditional India. This readable translation is accompanied by a commentary that elucidates the various problems of the text, whether philological, aesthetic, or cultural. Extensive use is made in the annotations of the numerous commentaries on the Ramayana composed in medieval India. The substantial introduction supplies a historical context for the poem and a critical reading that explores its literary and ideological components. The volumes of this work will present the entire Ramayana, translated here for the first time on the basis of the critical edition (Oriental Institute, baroda), which takes into account manuscripts representing all regional traditions.
Contents
List of Abbreviations, Preface, Guide to sanskrit Pronunciation, PART I. Introduction, Prelude to the Ayodhyakanda, Synopsis of the Ayodhyakanda, The Central Issues, A Problem of Narrative and Its Significance, The Philosophy, Aesthetic and Literary-Historical Considerations, The Characters, The Women of the Ayodhyakanda, Dasaratha, Rama, The Text, Annotations, and Translation, PART II: Ayodhyakanda, PART III. Notes, Glossary of Important Proper Nouns and Epithets, Emendations and Corrections of the Critical Edition Bibliography of Works Consulted, Index."

This is the first of seven volumes that will present a complete and fully annotated translation of the Valmiki Ramayana. This great sanskrit epic of ancient India has profoundly affected the literature, art, religions, and culture of countless millions of people in South and Southest Asia-an influence that is perhaps unparalleled in the history of world literature. For the first time it has here been translated on the basis of the critical edition which is based on manuscripts representing all recensional traditions. In this first volume Robert P. Goldman, general editor of the translation, has written a major scholarly introduction and, in collaboration with Sally J. Sutherland, assistant editor, has given copious annotations dealing with the poem`s numerous textual and exigetial problems, drawing on the contributions of generations of Sanskrit commentators.

"SHRI RAMACHARITAMANASA of Tulasidasa is the single most popular book of the Hindus, which, for over four centuries, has greatly appealed equally to the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the old and the young, and the scholar and the common man.

Its popularity is by no means limited to India, nor are the Hindus its only readers. The message of the RAMACHARITAMANASA is all the more relevant today as it reiterates man’s faith in the soundness of moral order that sustain the world. Dark and evil forces may, and will, on occasions, threaten to disrupt that order but divine intervention will ultimately chasten and subdue those forces.

Keeping in mind people’s ever-increasing quest for the epic, this unique edition of the RAMACHARITAMANASA with verse to verse Hindi and English translation along with Tulasidasa’s original text has been prepared. The translation rendered by an accomplished scholar maintains the intrinsic richness of the original. Special care has been taken for making it useful to the Indian brethren living abroad to whom the dialect of Tulasidasa’s original may be somewhat incomprehensible. There has been a long-standing demand from the vast Indian community settled abroad for a standard and authentic edition of the RAMACHARITAMANASA. The present edition has been designed to meet their requirement by using the most modern printing and processing techniques to make it a work of international standard.

A special feature of this edition is the inclusion of Lavakushakanda, Shri Hanumanchalisa and Shri Ramashalaka Prashnavali. The mode of its recitation is given as a separate appendix. Adding to its uniqueness is the important section containing Indian, and European and American Scholar’s criticisms on Tulasidasa’s RAMACHARITAMANASA . A glossary of important proper nouns and epithets is given at the end.

Dr. R.C. Prasad translated SHRI RAMACHARITAMANASA into simple and lucid English and Hindi. He was a University Professor of English in Patna University where he taught for about three decades. He was an eminent author, translator and editor. He had a good number of books to his credit.

Review:

""Now we have an excellent rendering of the original into simple Hindi and English with its two disputed chapter in the appendices along with opinions of scholars both Indian and European"" - Kushwant Singh, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, December 10 , 198"

"Sankara, the eighth-century Indian philosopher, is generally regarded as the greatest thinker in the long history of Indian philosophy as well as in the metaphysical tradition known as Vedanta. Advaita Vedanta, the school or system founded by him, stresses the Advaita or nondualist approach to the problem of existence and ultimate reality, and has been the main current of thought in India for hundreds of years. Most of Sankara`s works are commentaries on other classics of Indian thought, like Upanisads, the Bhagavadgita, and the Brahmasutra. The Upadesasahasri, or "" A Thousand Teachings, ""here critically edited and translated into English, is, however, the only independent and non-commentary work that can safely be attributed to him; the other independent writings traditionally ascribed to him are all probably spurious.
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The Upanisads from the concluding of the Vedas and are, therefore, called the Vedanta or the end of the Veda. The number of the Upanisads is not fixed. The collection of Upanisads translated by Darashikoh into Persian contained 50 Upanisads. The Muktika Upanisads gives a list of 108 Upanisads. There are about 112 Upanisads published by Nirnaya Sagar Press. But only ten Upanisads which were commented upon by Sankaracarya are taken to be genuine and most authoritative.

The Upanisads, which teach that life and death are only different forms of one and the same being and which aim at the release from mundane existence by the merging of the individual soul in the world soul through correct knowledge, have been hailed as the inspired utterances of the mystics for centuries. In them the whole of the later philosophy of the Indians is rooted.

 

The Vedanta Sutras of philosopher-poet Narayana Guru has 24
beautiful-fluent sutras revealing the essential message of the Vedanta. The
highly-perceptive commentary by Seami Narayana Prasad elucidates the guru`s
interpretation of the Vedantic concept.

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