About the Author

Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki was Professor of Buddhist Philosophy at the Otani University, Kyoto. He was probably the greatest authority on Buddhist Philosophy and Zen Buddhism.

About the Book

Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism of Dr. Suzuki is one of the finest introductory manuals to date on Mahayana school of Buddhism. As an introductory essays, Dr. Suzuki has endeavored, within the limitations space, to be as comprehensive as is possible: Written in a style that is lucid, transparent and easy to read, the book sets out to present the most intricate and complex Mahayana philosophical doctrines in such a manner that an average reader can grasp them. In this noble mission the author has greatly succeeded.

Introduction

The Mahayana and The Hinayana Buddhism
The terms "Mahayana" and "Hinayana" may sound unfamiliar to most of our readers, perhaps even to those who have devoted some time to the study of Buddhism. They have hitherto been induced to believe that there is but one form of Buddhism, and that there exists no such distinction as Mahayanism and Hinayanism. But, as a matter of fact, there are diverse schools in Buddhism just as in other religious systems. It is said that, within a few hundred years after the demise of Buddha, there were more than twenty different schools, all claiming to be the orthodox teaching of their master. These, however, seem to have vanished into insignificance one after another, when there arose a new school quite different in its general constitution from its predecessors, but far more important in its significance as a religious movement. This new school or rather system made itself so prominent in the mean time as to stand distinctly alone from all the other schools, which later became a class by itself. Essentially, it taught everything that was considered to be Buddhistic, but it was very comprehensive in its principle and method and scope. And, by reason of this, Buddhism was now split into two great systems, Mahayanism and Hinayanism, the latter indiscriminately including all the minor schools which preceded Mahayanism in their formal establishment.

Broadly speaking, the difference between Mahayanism and Hinayanism is this: Mahayanism is more liberal and progressive, but in many respects too metaphysical and full of speculative thoughts that frequently reach a dazzling eminence: Hinayanism, on the other hand, is somewhat conservative and may be considered in many points to be a rationalistic ethical system simply.

Mahayana literally means "great vehicle" and Hinayana "small or inferior vehicle," that is, of salvation. This distinction is recognized only by the followers of Mahayanism, because it was by them that the unwelcome title of Hinayanism was given to their rival brethren, - thinking that they were more progressive and had a more assimilating energy than the latter. The adherents of Hinayanism, as a matter of course, refused to sanction the Mahayanist doctrine as the genuine teaching of Buddha, and insisted that there could not be any other Buddhism than their own, to them naturally the Mahayana system was a sort of heresy.

Geographically, the progressive school of Buddhism found its supporters in Nepal, Tibet, China, Corea, and Japan, while the conservative school established itself in Ceylong, Siam and Burma. Hence the Mahayana and the Hinayana are also known respectively Northern and Southern Buddhism.

En passant, let me remark that this distinction, however, is not quite correct, for we have some schools in China and Japan, whose equivalent or counterpart cannot be found in the so called Northern Buddhism, that is, Buddhism flourishing in Northern India. For instance, we do not have in Nepal or in Tibet anything like the Sukhavati sects of Japan or China. Of course, the general essential ideas of the Sukhavati philosophy are found in the sutra literature as well as in the writings of such authors as Acvaghosa, Asanga, and Nagarjuna. But those ideas were not developed and made into a new sect as they were in the East. Therefore, it may be more proper to divide Buddhism into three, instead of two, geographical sections: Southern, Northern, and Eastern.

From the Jacket:

This voluminous work, a store- house of information about the Epics, Puranas and allied literature, was originally composed and published in Malayalam. It constituted the results of the author's devoted study and research extending over fourteen years. This English version of the same is to meet the growing demand of scholars interested in the study of Puranas. This stupendous work, in the form of an exhaustive descriptive index, covers the vast and varied field of ancient Indian culture in all aspects - history, geography, religion, philosophy, myths, beliefs and practices as depicted in the Epics and Puranas.

The work is planned on scientific lines. The material compiled is arranged systematically. Citations have been inserted in support of stated facts; at places they have been substituted by references. Obsolete and obscure words, denoting objects such as a particular tree or plant have been explained by their scientific or vernacular equivalents. All modern critical apparatus has been utilized in the preparation of this comprehensive work.

Foreword

I feel flattered and consider it to be great privilege to have been asked by Shri Vettam Mani to contribute a foreword to his Puranic Encyclopaedia, a really magnificent literary production, massive in size and rich and invaluable in contents. This is the first attempt in Malayalam and for the matter of that in any Indian or foreign language, so far as I know, to produce a comprehensive and well-nigh exhaustive book of study and reference with regard to episodes, incidents, characters etc. occurring in the many Puranas and such other works in Sanskrit. In the field of mythology, with regard to variety and contents as also sheer bulk, Greece stands first. Egypt comes only next. But Indian mythology-the epics and the puranas-far exceeds and excels both Greek and Egyptian mythologies put together in merit and size. Even the preparation of a complete list of characters mentioned in our epics, puranas etc. will be a stupendous and well-nigh impossible task calling for the combined efforts of a number of scholars. But, fortunately for us, each and every such name, one need not necessarily know or be acquainted with. At the same time there are great names which compel attention and should not escape a proper study. And, such names are legion, and Shri Mani has not omitted mention of even one such name in his great work. I looked up the encyclopaedia for a few such random names, and was really surprised to find detailed treatment of the same in the book. Moreover, with reference to really important names, incidents and episodes connected with them and the whole genealogy are given. Everything is fully documented and quite authoritative. And, deep, extensive and exhaustive study, patient and untiring research and above all absolute dedication to the cause are so very patent on every page of the book. Literally and in effect Shri Mani's is a unique contribution, the first and foremost book, in the magnificent spheres of religion, culture, scholarship and history all put together. As the pioneer in the field he can justly feel happy and proud about his rare achievement, and he deserves in ample measure the unstinted praise and appreciation of all lovers of learning and culture.

Shri Mani has already earned well-deserved reputation as a teacher, especially in Malayalam, and also as a diligent student of literature and author of talent. He evidently possesses a flair for research. All such distinguished talents and attainments of his have been fully and quite successfully commissioned in the preparation of this marvelous encyclopaedia. He has put every lover of learning and knowledge everywhere, under an eternal debt of gratitude by the publication of this noble work.

From the Jacket:

Upanayana is one of the sixteen samskaras or purificatory rites in which a boy is invested with the sacred thread and thus endowed with second or spiritual birth and qualified to learn the Veda by heart. In this ceremony the boy goes to an Acarya well-versed in the Vedas with a view to be initiated into one of the three twice-born classes. From the day the initiation ceremony takes place, the young celibate commits himself to a life of austerity and abstinence; he chooses to lead a life of austerity and abstinence; he chooses to lead a life rigorously disciplined by vows and disciplinary rules. This is an important samskara in the life of an orthodox Hindu. The book describes the ceremony, the Puja, the mantras to be recited and other relevant details in a scholarly treatment of the subject.

About the Author:

Dr. R.C. Prasad, taught English Literature at Patna University for over forty years, during which he wrote scores of books, including biographies and translations, the most outstanding of which is his prose rendering of the Ramacaritamanasa.

About The Author:

S. M. Srinivasa Chari (b. 1919, Mysore) has a brilliant academic record. He is an M. A. in Philosophy of the University of Mysore and recipient of Ph.D. from the University of Madras. He is a finished Sanskrit scholar trained up by eminent traditional teachers. He was a research Scholar at the University of Madras and a Fellow of Institute of Philosophy at Amalner in Maharashtra.

Dr. Chari joined the Ministry of Education, Government of India, after the completion of his university career. He retired in 1976 as Joint Educational Adviser.

Dr. Chari has traveled widely. He has participated in international conferences abroad, and addressed learned assemblies at University Centres on aspects of Indian philosophy and religion. He is author of Advaita and Visistadvaita and Vaisnavism

Foreword
Visistadvaita is one of the great religio-philosophical systems of the world. There are very few modern critical expositions of it based on the bhasya, supplement by later erudite works.

Dr. Srinivasa Chari has acquired quite a profound knowledge of Visistadvaita from great pundits with whom he studied for years the texts in original. His modern education has endowed him with the capacity to present classical ideas in a lucid and connected way.

Depending on the original texts, in particular on Vedanta Desika's Tattva-mukta-kalapa, Dr. Chari has written an excellent monograph which authoritatively expounds Visistadvaita. Moreover, it attempts to establish that this a system of philosophy in conformity with logic and experience.

From the Jacket:

The doctrine of Visistadvaita, expounded by Ramanuja, was developed into a sound system of philosophy by the most brilliant of his successors, Venkatanatha, 'popularly known as Vedanta Desika.' His chief contribution to the intellectual foundation of the system lay in the composition of the text of Tattva-mukta-kalapa, a treatise of significant philosophical import left for posterity.

In this volume, which is a study of Visistadvaita based on Tattva-mukta-kalapa, the line of arguments advanced by Vedanta Desika is closely followed. The major and important issues related to the philosophy of Visistadvaita are brought within the purview of discussion. The contemporary rival schools represented by Carvakas, Buddhists and Jainas, Nayaya-Vaisesikas, Mimamsakas and the Advaitins, of both orthodox and unorthodox camps, are successfully encountered. In the textual light of Tattva-mukta-kalapa, the notion that Visistadvaita is a theological system is dispelled, and its philosophic core is established beyond doubt.

The author maintains 'the original orthodox style, so characteristic of the ancient Acaryas', in his delineation of topics; yet the exposition remains free from all kinds of scholastic trappings.

The volume is a definitive study of Visistadvaita doctrine, both in their 'philosophical as well as theological aspects'. Its in-depth probe of 'the fundamental epistemological and philosophical issues…common to all schools' both I the East and the West makes its appeal to those interested 'in understanding the basic problems of philosophy'

About the Book:

Otto Schrader in 1916 recommended the Lakshmi Tantra for the study of Pancaratra philosophy. Among the vast number of Pancaratra Agamic text the Laksmi Tantra stands out because it deals almost exclusively with Lakshmi, the divine creative impulse, intelligence, potency, potentiality, power, majesty and speech. The focus of the text is on Pancaratra philosophy (including cosmogony) and the practice of yoga based on it, with its attendant Mantra Sastra. It records the earliest Vaisnava speculation on the paradox of a Supreme God who is totally identified with Brahman, the unique and transcendent Conscious Reality, and is at the same time the creator of a dualistic universe which cannot be related to Him. The key to solving this riddle is the Divine Sakti. By dealing with the role of Sakti in the creation and maintenance of the world, and in the saving of devotees who totally rely on God's mercy and benevolence, the Laksmi Tantra succeeds in overcoming sectarian boundaries.

About the Author:

DR. SANJUKTA GUPTA is a leading authority on the early Pancaratra (Vaisnava) cult and sectarian system. She is also a specialist in Hindu Tantra. She has published extensively on these topics. She began her scholarly career with a study in Advaita Vedanta focused on the great sixteenth-century savant Madhusudana Sarasvati. She taught for almost twenty years at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands), and is now teaching, in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford.

The Book Comprises two parts: Part I deals with the socio-historical aspects of family of the Vedic Seer Bharadvaja, and Part II discusses the significant contribution the family has made to the various fields of Indian culture. Part I is divided into five chapters, each comprising more than one section. The first chapter considers the textual evidences of the Vedic Sazhhitãs, the Brahmaas, the Upaniads and the Ramayaa in regard to the Bharadvãjas. The second chapter traces the birth and parentage, of Bharadvaja, the progenitor, and his relation with the gods, seers, kings and other persons. The third chapter discusses the lives of the descendants of Bharadvaja, namely Suhotra, unahotra, Nara, Garga, jivan, Payu, Rãtri (Kaipa), Vasu, Väsa, Sirirhbitha, Ajamidha and Purumidha. The fourth chapter deals with two other seers Samyu, a brother of Bharadvãja and Vitahavya Angirasa, whose hymns are incorporated in the Book of Bharadvaja in the gveda. The fifth chapter deals with the problem of Divc’dasa, a Bharata Prince, with whom the Uharadvajas were intimately connected as priests.

Part II is divided into two chapters: The chapter six takes the Vedic themes namely, Puan: myth and cult, family hymns of Bharadvajas, Gosukta, the Samans of Bharadvajas and Bharadvaja KalpasUtra. The chapter seven relates to the contribution of the Bharadvãjas to the fields of Politics, Grammar and Phonetics, medicine and philosophy of Pancarãtra. Besides, the two appendices list the Gotras and Pravaras of the Bharadvajas.

A study of the Vedic culture would involve a consideration of number of its aspects viz., its mythology, religion, philosophy, popular beliefs and superstitions, socio-political institutions and so on. All these aspects show their gradual development as the Indo-Aryans (IA) kept on coming into this land in a number of waves of migrations and spread eastward in different settlements. These IA settlers lived in some scattered, even isolated, settle- ments and developed their own distinct family traditions, keeping, however, certain affinities with tradition of other families. This can be gathered from the hymns of the family Mandalas of the RV, which are the earliest production in the world's litera- ture; it is primarily a religious work, containing, of course, some historical traces-particularly in the so-called Danastutis, the references in which to personal names, etc. may be said to be contemporary records of the age.

The RV consists of a thousand and odd hymns which are divided into ten Mandalas based on historical tradition." The Mandalas 2-7 are called Family Books (Kula Mandalas], i.e. collections of the hymns by seers belonging to particular families. These families are: Grtsamada, Visvamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Bharadvaja and Vasistha. The eighth Mandala contains hymns revealed to the members of the Kanva family and the Angirases. The first Mandala, too, is based on the same criterion, but it may be called a collection of the hymns of seers belonging to more than one family, and hence could be called a collection of smaller family books. The 9th and the l0th Mandalas do not fall in the line with these Mandalas....

About The Book :

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, or 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.

About The Author :

Dr. R.C. Prasad translated Shri Ramacharitamanasa into simple and lucid English and Hindi, passed away recently in Patna. He was a University Professor of English in Patna University where he taught for about three decades. He was eminently associated as an author, translator and friend with Motilal Banarsidass and his sad demise has been taken as a personal loss.

Vedic Mathematics or 'Sixteen Simple Mathematical Formulae from the Vedas' was written by His Holiness Jagadguru Sankaracarya Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji Maharaja of Covar- dhana Matha, Puri. It deals mainly with various Vedic mathematical formulae and their applications for carrying out tedious and cumbersome arithmetical operations, and to a very large extent, executing them men- tally. In this field of mental arith- metical operations, the works of the famous mathematicians Trachten- berg and Lester Meyers (High Speed Maths) are elementary compared to that of Jagadguruji.

Some people may find it difficult, at first reading to understand the arithmetical operations although they have been explained very lucidly by Jagadguruji. It is not because the explanations are lacking in any manner but because the methods are totally unconventional. Some people are so deeply rooted in the conven- tional methods that they, probably subconsciously, reject to see the logic in unconventional methods.

The present work describes the material and moral progress which India had achieved during the paramount sovereignty of the Gupta emperors in the fourth and fifth centuries a.d. It traces the origin and rise of the ruling family to Srigupta (240-280 a.d.) and concludes with the reign of Kumaragupta III (543 a.d.). It discusses the spirit of the age and the various trends in the sphere of Religion, Economy, Society, Education, Administration, Art and Architecture. It seeks to bring together all the facts and data derivable from different sources--literary, epigraphic and numismatic, the accounts of foreign visitors, particularly of the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hien who has left a detached and valuable record of India`s civilization during the reign of Chandragupta II. Herein we get an accurate picture of India`s golden age, the growth of her various institutions, her activities of expansion, colonization and her intercourse with Indonesia, China and other countries. The work is divided into sixteen chapters. It has an index of proper names and an addenda on the hoard of new Imperial Gupta coins discovered at Bayana in Bharatpur. The work is very interesting and instructive and is designed to meet the requirements of the academic student of history and the general reader alike.

Preface to First Edition:

This work was written in the last days of my teaching at the Lucknow University and suggested by its needs. Its title indicates its scope and limits. It deals only with imperial Gupta history, and not with that of the later Guptas. It seeks to bring together in a concise and condensed form all the facts and data which are derivable from different sources, literary, epigraphic or numismatic, but are treated in separate specialized works. It will thus be found useful to both students and teachers of its subject, who will find in one handy volume all its materials collected and utilized. A special feature of the work is its account of the moral and material progress of the country achieved in the spacious times of the Gupta Emperors, and of the various institutions, social, economic, and administrative in which that progress was embodied. It gives a picture of India's civilization in some of her best days, the days of national freedom and planning, of the beginnings of her expansion, and intercourse with Indonesia and China. It is hoped that it will thus have a larger and more general appeal beyond the narrow circle of academic students of history. Another special feature of the work is its Illustrations, some of which, especially those of coins, are based on line-drawings to bring out more clearly their details which are somewhat obscure or defaced in the originals. The Illustrations will thus serve as useful aids to the study of the coins. Some of the line-drawings I owe to the distinguished Artists, Messrs. Nanda Lal Bose, Asit Kumar Haldar, and P. Neogy, to whom I am grateful. There have been at places repetitions of the same material where it had to be presented from different points of view, and in its various aspects. Such repetitions have not been ruled out.

The method of transliteration adopted in the work is shown in the following examples: Krishna, Vamsa, Lichchhavi.

The publication has been delayed by the prevailing difficulties of printing, and by my deputation by Government to an FAO Conference at Washington (U.S.A.) in October 1946.

I owe acknowledgements to my following pupils who helped me in copying out my MS for the press: Abinas Srivastava, M.A., M. C. Joshi, M.A., Dina Nath Tandon. M.A., and B. Subba Rao, M.A. My thanks are due to Mr. Raja Ram Jayasval, M.A., for the Index.

I am grateful to my friend, Dr, Benjamin Schwartz, Ph.D., of the Indic Section of the Library of Congress at Washington, D.C., U.S.A., for his kind help in correcting the final proofs of the work at Washington.

Preface to Second Edition:

It is gratifying to the Author to find that a work which is somewhat technical in its character with its necessary documentation, literary, epigraphic and numismatic, should call for a second edition in such a short time. Some necessary additions have been made on the basis of new numismatic material derived from the Bayana hoard of Imperial Gupta gold coins recently found in Bharatpur State.

The Author is greatly indebted to the line drawings and other suggestions made by Sri Sivaramamurti, M.A., Superintendent of Archaeology, Indian Museum, Calcutta, in the preparation of the addendum.

The Author records his deep sorrow at the sad and untimely death of his old pupil Sri Raja Ram Jayaswal, M.A., who prepared the Index which remains unchanged in the Second Edition.

Preface to Third Edition:

That a third edition of the work has been called for is gratifying to the author. My thanks are due to the Publishers for their readiness to meet the demand and for the improved get-up which will now make the book more attractive to its readers.

About the Book:

This is a favourite book of spiritual seekers in India these several centuries. Its special appeal lies in its thoroughly rational approach and in its presentation of Vedanta as a philosophy to bridge the gulf between the secular and the sacred action and contemplation and lofty spirituality.

This monumental scripture is the greatest help to the spiritual awakening and the direct experience of the Truth. This is certain. If this is what you want you are welcome to the Yoga Vasistha.

an oft-recurring expression in this scripture is a crow alights on the coconut palm tree and at that very moment a ripe coconut falls. The two unrelated events thus seem to be related in time and space, though there is no causal relationship.

Such is life. Such is creation But the mind caught up in its own trap of logic questions why invents a why and a wherefore to satisfy itself, conveniently ignoring the inconvenient question that still haunt an intelligent mind.

Vasistha demands direct observation of the mind its motion its notion its reasoning the assumed cause and the projected result and even the observer.

About The Author
SWAMI VENKATESANANDA, who has. been working untiringly for decades to spread the life-giving message of Yoga and Vedanta in East and West, has done a great service to spiritual seekers far and wide by bringing out this translation of the Yoga Vasistha.

The Swami has arranged the verses of the book in such a way as to convert them into arosary of daily thoughts throughout the year, on the lines of his two other books published, namely The Srimad Bhagavatam or Book of God, and The Bhagavad Gita Or The Song of God.

In this book, Swami Venkatesananda has masterfully translated the Yoga Vasistha, the well-known Vedanta treatise in Sanskrit so that it is understood not only by scholars but by laymen as well.

Foreword

The book, The Supreme Yoga, is a translation into English accompanied by brief expositions, by Swami Venkatesananda of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India, of the well-known Vedanta treatise in Sanskrit, The Yoga Vasistha.

The Swami has arranged- the verses of the book in such a way as to convert them into a rosary of daily thoughts throughout the year, on the lines of his two other books published, namely The Srimad Bhagavatam. or Book of God, and The Bhagavad Gita or The Song of God.

The Yoga Vasistha has been a favourite book of spiritual seekers in India these several centuries. Its special appeal lies in its thoroughly rational approach, and in its presentation of Vedanta as a philosophy which dares, like the Bhagavad Gita, to bridge the gulf between the secular and the sacred, action and contemplation, in human life, through a comprehensive and lofty spirituality. The reader will come across passages such as the verse entry for 31 st January, highlighting the importance of reason:

'The remark of even a child is to be accepted, if it is in accordance with reason; but the remark of even Brahma Himself, the creator of the world, is to be rejected like a piece of straw, if it does not accord with reason:

It is this philosophy of a comprehensive spirituality, rational and practical, that man in the modern age needs to rescue himself from his stagnation of worldliness and put him on the high road of creative living and fulfilment.

Swami Venkatesananda, who has been working untiringly for decades to spread the life-giving message of Yoga and Vedanta in East and West, has done a great service to spiritual seekers far and wide by bringing out this translation of The Yoga Vasistha in the wake of his translation of the other two great books.

The Chiltern Yoga Trust of Elgin, South Africa, deserves the silent thanks of readers for publishing these three books of the Swami and helping to broadcast far and wide the life-giving, purifying, and inspiring ideas of Eternal India, Amar Bharat, in her Vedanta.

About the Book

Siva Sutras are considered to be a revealed book of the Yoga : supreme identity of the individual self with the Divine.

Dr. Jaideva Singh has studied the book with the help of his guru Swami Laksmana Joo, the sole surviving exponent of this system in Kashmir and has provided an English translation of the Sutras together with the commentary of Ksemaraja.

The subject matter is arranged as under:
Each Sutra is given in Devanagari as well as in Roman Script. Then the meaning of every word of the Sutra is given in English, followed by a translation of the whole Sutra. This is followed by the Vimarsini Commentary in Sanskrit and its English translation, copious notes on important and technical words and a running exposition of the main ideas of the Sutra.

A long introduction, together with an abstract of each Sutra, throws a flood of light on the entire system of Saiva Yoga. A glossary of technical terms and index are appended for the convenience of the reader.

Introduction

THE MAIN SOURCES OF THE NON-DUALISTIC SAIVA SYSTEM OF PHILOSOPHY AND YOGA
The Saiva system of Philosophy and Yoga is generally known as Agama. The word Agama means a traditional doctrine or system which commands faith.

The Saiva system,. in general, is known as Siva-sasana or Sivagama, The non-dualistic Saiva system of Kashmir is known as Trika-Sasana or Trika-sastra or Rahasya-sampradaya. The words sasana and sastra are very significant. Both contain the root sasa which means discipline. Sasana or Sastra means teaching containing rules for discipline. A Sastra or Sasana in India never meant merely an intellectual exposition of a particular system. It certainly expounded the fundamental principles of reality but at the same time laid down on the basis of the principles certain rules, certain norms of conduct which had to be observed by those who studied the particular Sastra. A Sastra was not simply a way of thought but also a way of life. The Saiva philosophy of Kashmir is generally called 'Trika Sastra, because it is philosophy of the triad - (1) Siva (2) Sakti (3) Nara- the bound soul or (1) para - the highest (2) parapara - identity in difference and (3) apara - difference.

The literature of the Trika system of Kashmir falls into three categories, viz., (1) the Agama Sastra, (2) the Spanda Sastra and (3) the Pratyabhijna Sastra.

Agama Sastra :

Agama Sastra is considered to be revelation by Siva. It lays down both the principles and practices of the system. Among the works belonging to the Agama category may be mentioned the following Tantras.

Malinivijaya or Malinivijayottara, Svacchanda, Vijnana Bhairava, Mrgendra, Netra, Rudra- Yamala, Siva-Sutras, etc. Most of these taught generally the dualistic doctrine. The most important Agama of the Trika system was known as the Siva-Sutras.

The importance of this work consists in the fact that it was revealed to counter the effects of dualism. It is generally known as Sivopanisat-sangraha - a compendium containing the secret doctrine revealed by Siva. This was revealed to Vasugupta.

There are three theories regarding the revelation of the Siva- Sutras to Vasugupta.

1. Kallata in the Spanda-vrtti says that Siva taught the Siva- Sutras in a dream to Vasugupta who was living on Mahadeva mountain in the valley of the Harvan stream behind the Shalimar garden near Srinagara.
2. Bhaskara says in his Varttika on the Siva-Sutras that they were revealed to Vasugupta in a dream by a Siddha - a perfected semi-divine being.
3. Ksemaraja, in his commentary Vimarsini, maintains that Siva appeared to Vasugupta in a dream and said, "On the Mahadeva mountain, the secret doctrines are inscribed on a piece of stone. Collecting the doctrines from there, teach them to those who deserve grace." On waking up, Vasugupta went to the place and by a mere touch the particular stone turned up and he found the Siva-Sutras inscribed on it.

The particular rock is still called Samkaropala, and it is said that the Sutras were inscribed on it. (See the plate No. I). The rock is there, but there is no trace of the sutras.

The following are the common points in all the theories regarding the discovery of the Siva-Sutras.
1. There was no human author of the Sutras. They origi- nated from Siva.
2. They were revealed to Vasugupta.

Whether they were revealed to him by Siva in a dream or by a Siddha or they were found on a rock at the instance of Siva are matters which are irrelevant to the main issue of the revela- tion.

We know from Rajatarangini that Kallata flourished in the reign of king Avanti-Varman of Kashmir, Avanti-Varman reigned in the 9th Century A.D. Vasugupta who had discovered the Siva-Sutras was the guru (teacher) of Kallata. He must have flourished either in the last part of the 8th Century or the beginning of the 9th Century A.D. This must have been therefore, the date of the discovery of the Sutras.

This book is a simple introduction to the history and various systems of Psychology. It provides a basic understanding of major systems and theories in psychology in a comprehensive way. It covers in detail the historiecal backgrounds taking plave before the emgergence of each system. As such, it provides a better understanding about the historical emergence of status of psychology and in beginning its separation from philosophical traditions. It covers a lucid discussion with emphasis on the antecednet forces of all the important system of psychology. Besides the traditional systems, it alos includes in separate chapters a discussion on the CONGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, the EXISTENTIAL PSYCHOLOGY, the HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY and the INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. An overview of psychology in India has also been one of the salient features of the book. This will briefly introduce to teachers and students about what the Indian psychologists are doing.

The Yoga-Sutra is a significant landmark in the protracted evolution of the yogic tradition. It formed the foundation text for an extensive commentarial literature stretching from the Yoga-Bhasya of Vyasa to modern traditionalist interpretations in Hindi and other Indic vernaculars as well as various European languages, notably English.

The present volume by Swami Veda Bharati provides a learned commentary on the second chapter of the Yoga-Sutra i.e., Sadhana Pada. This contains the core of Patanjali’s philosophical and meta-psychological framework, and it also defines both the components of kriya-yoga and the first five components of eight limbed astanga-yoga. This chapter demonstrates very clearly that in Yoga, theory and practice form a homogenous whole. The theoretical concepts were largely distilled from practical experience and, in turn, informed further experimentation on the path. How could we hope to travel the path mapped out by Patanjali without recourse to such pregnant concepts as citta, vrtti, pratyaya, samskara, vasana, asaya, nirodha, parinama, guna, pratiprasava? All these ideas were shaped in the intense practice environment of Yoga over many generations.

Swami Veda Bharati brings to his exegesis a singular sensitivity and wonderful comprehension of yogic concepts, which are rooted in his extensive traditional training as a Sanskrit scholar and also his personal yogic practice. This latest contribution to our comprehension of Patanjali’s teachings takes us a lot further than other similar endeavors.

About the Author

Born in a Sanskrit-speaking family in 1933, Swam Veda Bharati started teaching the Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali from 1942, at the age of nine. In 1946 a number of article appeared in the Hindi press proclaiming this child prodigy's exceptional knowledge of the Vedas. He then began to be invited to address crowds of thousand as well as colleges and universities throughout north India.

From February 1947 he travelled worldwide giving discourses and establishing meditation centres. He has, to his credit. 4,000 hours of recorded lectures on history, philosophy and practices of meditation and has written eighteen boo including a 1,500 page commentary on the first two padas of the Yoga-Sutras, a highly scholarly and meticulous work.

Between 1965 and 1967 he obtained all his degree: BA (Honours) London, MA (London), D.Litt. (Holland), and FARS. He has varying degree of depth in seventeen languages.

In 1969 he met his yoga guru Swami Rama of Himalayas (author of Living with Himalayan Masters) who initiated him into the highest path of dhyana-Yoga.

Swami Veda Bharati taught meditation from within the religious. spiritual and literary traditions of different world cultures-from China to Africa to different parts of Europe. In each culture he taught meditation from within that culture, for example, in Italy he taught Dante' Il Paradiso as a text of the experience of divine light in meditation; he was visited by masters of the Sufi orders; and has forty-five hours of recordings of lectures on Christian tradition of meditation.

He has also been engaged in neurological research in meditation and maintains a sophisticated laboratory in his asrama for testing brain waves and other neuro-physiological patterns during meditation.

He run over fifty meditation groups and centres in twenty-five countries; hold the prestigious title of Mahamandalesvara in the community of the Swami Order of monks. He was spiritual guide to two asramas in Rishikesh where seekers from twenty-five countries come to learn meditation and undergo varying periods of guided silence.

Swami Veda Bharati also maintained keen interest in the relationship of science and meditation, run a research laboratory practices of meditation.

In that context, he has been the subject of several experiments in the neurology of meditation in institutions like the Institute of Noetic Sciences, California; in a unique experiment, sitting outside a Faraday Chamber, nine times in a row, proving the power of the volition of consciousness over material energies. The result of this experiments have been published in the Scientific Press.

He spent much of his time travelling worldwide, lecturing and participating in relevant conferences and giving guidance to sixty meditation groups on all continents. Swamiji passed away on July 14th, 2015 in Rishikesh at his asrama.

The book would create a great interest in the study and research in Indology. …the people interested in Upanishadic studies should read this book for getting better insights to the philosophy and philosophical history of Upanishads.
Godabarisha Mishra, Indian Philosophical Annual Vol. 23, 2001-2002

Paul Deussen’s study of the Upanishads is indeed ‘a work of very high ability and of surpassing interest’. …it has been recognized as a standard on the subject and remains so till today.
Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research Vol. 19, No. 2, April-June 2002

Dr. DELJSSEN’S treatise on the Upanishads needs no formal introduction or commendation to students of Indian thought who are familiar with the German language. To others I would fain hope that the translation here presented, winch appears with the author’s sanction, may serve to make known a work of very marked ability and of surpassing interest. As far as my knowledge extends, there is no adequate exposition of the Upanishads available in English. The best was published by Messrs. Trubner more than a quarter of a century ago, and is in many res1jects out of date. As traced here by the master-hand of the author, the teaching of the ancient Indian seers presents itself in clearest light, and claims the sympathetic study of all lovers of truth.

For the English rendering I am alone responsible. And where I may have failed to catch the precise meaning of the original, or adequately to represent the turn of phrase, I can only ask the indulgence of the reader. Dr. Deussen’s style is not easy. And if a more capable hand than mine had been willing to essay the task of translation, I would gladly have resigned my office. With whatsoever care I can hardly hope entirely to have escaped error. But for any indication of oversight or mistake, and any suggestion for improvement, I shall be most grateful. The work has exacted many hours that could be ill spared from a very full life. If however it conduce in any way to a better understanding of the mind and heart of India I shall be amply repaid.

About the Book

Brahmavaivartapurana figures as the tenth in the traditional list of the Puranas. It is divided into four parts called khandas, comprising 267 chapters. The khandas are: Brahmakhanda: 30 chapters, Prakrtikhanda: 67 chapters, Ganapatikhanda: 46 chapters and Srikrsnajanmakhanda 133 chapters.

It is well known that the Brahmavaivarta is a Vaisnavite Purana and the sole objective of the work is to glorify the life and achievements of Sri Krsna, an incarnation of Visnu and his Sakti Radha. Many episodes and topics have been interwoven to embellish the main theme of the work. In this Purana, Krsna is not simply an incarnation, he is far superior to and even creator of Prakrti. He is God above all gods.

Part I, i.e., Brahmakhanda deals with the creation of the universe including the gods and animate and inanimate beings by Brahman, the creator God, who is, according to this Purana, none other than a manifestation of Krsna and acts under the guidance of the latter.

Part II, i.e., Prahrtikhanda deals with Prakrti, the primordial matter. According to this Purana, Prakrti is not inert as she is conceived by the Sankhya philosophy, but is intelligent; she is the primary goddess of creation. In compliance with Krsna’s desire, she is manifested as the five goddesses, viz., Durga, Radha, Laksmi, Sarasvati, and Savitri. Many stories about these deities have been narrated and rituals for their worship described in this part.

Part III, i.e., Ganapatikhanda narrates many legends about Ganesa, the elephant- headed god, widely worshipped throughout India and even outside. Though named Ganapatikhanda, this part deals with the birth and life of both sons of Siva, viz., Ganesa and Skanda Karttikeya. According to this Purana, Ganesa is also a manifestation of Krsna. Hence, there is no mention of Ganapatya sects who worshipped Ganesa as the Supreme Godhead. The variations in the images of this deity, found in literature and on icons find no mention in the Purana.

Part IV, i.e., Srikrsnajanmakhanda is the most important of all books of this Purana. It deals not only with the birth of Krsna, as signified by the title, but also his whole life, especially his battles and love dalliances with the cowherdesses (gopis), in particular, with Radha. Radha, who is not even mentioned in the major Vaisnava Puranas like Bhagavata, Visnu, and Harivamsa, has risen in this Purana, to a great importance. It is interesting to note that she is depicted here as a married wife of Krsna.

It is believed that the study of the Puranas is beneficial to the knowledge of the vedas. As the Mahabharata states, the veda should be supplemented with the Itihasa and Purana, for the veda is afraid of being hurt by a person who is not well versed (in the mythological and traditional lore). The traditionalists take the word Purana to mean the Puranic texts like Matsya, Kurma, etc. and attach to them great authority and veneration. They hold that the Puranic texts are repositories of very ancient knowledge because they have been referred to in the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad. Modern Scholars dispute this claim and say that not the extant Puranic texts but some parts of the Vedas which preserve very old traditions, alluded to in other places of the vedas, are referred to in the. Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, as the Purana. They quote, in support of their thesis, Sankaracarya’s interpretation of the said passage of the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad: "Mythology, such as "The universe was in the beginning unmanifest etc."

Introduction:

This book is Hindu Canons of Engineering and Architecture though first in the series of my research publications in English is seeing the light of the day after the Vastu Sastra Vol II. Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting had already been presented to the scholarly world more than a year back. Both these Volumes have for their nuclei my Doctoral Theses Ph. D and D. Litt. In this way this Volume may be said to have come out after a long interval.

A study of Bhoja's Samarangana-Sutradhara a treatise on the science of architecture was submitted as my Ph. D thesis some six years back. I was very much encouraged by the glowing tributes to this thesis being acclaimed as a pioneer work vide the reports of the examiners appended at the end of this introduction. I therefore set for myself to extend the study from a single text to at least half a dozen representative texts like Visvakarma-prakasa, Aparajita-prccham and Silparatna. Naturally this very ambitious undertaking needed some more concentrated time the availability of which has been a very distant hope for the last so many years as I have been busy not only with D. Litt. Researches but also with my research publication I Hindi as well, with the then (1954-56) vice-Chancellor of Lucknow University took great fancy in my theses on account of their high merit and higher tributes and recommended their publication to the U. G. C. which sanctioned a grant for Rs. 6000 for the publication of my theses. Prof. Iyer the next Vice-Chancellor also agreed to recommend for some more help towards the completion of work. Hence a further subsidy of Rs. 4000 enabled me to undertake the publication of this volume also. Both these Volumes in a way may be said to complete the grand edifice of Vastu- sastra, which is not only the science of architecture engineering but also that of sculpture and painting. Accordingly all these three broad divisions of Vastu Sastra, namely Vastu, Silpa and Citra have been surveyed in both these Volumes.

The Vastu i.e. architecture being the subject matter of the first Volume and Silpa and Citra that of the second. Further again Vastu I its wider application has at least five principal branches namely Engineering, Town planning, Secular or civil architecture, Palace-architecture and Temple-architecture. It is in accordance with these broad topics of Vastu Sastra that this Volume has been divided into five principal parts namely Introductory, Town-planning, House-architecture and Temple-architecture.

From the Jacket:

Consciousness is the most intimate experience of life, the essence of life itself. Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, one ancient philosophy - Kashmir Shaivism - has explored it completely.

Until now, Kashmir Shaivism was an esoteric field accessible only to a few scholars and other specialist. Here, for the first time, Swami Shankarananda, a self-realised spiritual master, presents the wisdom of this powerful tradition in a form that will delight and inspire all spiritual seekers. He explores the teachings in rich detail, elucidating ideas and meditative practices while drawing upon a vast canvas of many great beings, wisdom tradition and personal experience.

The Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism is a book that will transform you. It is a resource and guide towards investigating and deepening your own Consciousness.

About the Author:

Swami Shankarananda (Swamiji) grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a graduate of both Columbia and New York Universities, began a promising career in English Literature at Indiana University. However, in the late sixties, a dramatic turn of events profoundly altered the direction of his life.

In 1970, he traveled to India in search of a great teacher and a spiritual path. His search culminated in the meeting of the powerful and charismatic Baba Muktananda, under whom he studied for 12 years until Muktananda's death.

Swamiji is author of the Australian best-seller, Happy for No Good Reason, also published in India by Motilal Banarsidass. Other titles by Swamiji include a five-CD lectures series, The Yoga of Gurdjieff, and the audio and video series, Great Beings, including Volume I: The Wisdom of Anandmayi Ma.

From the Jacket

The Brhadaranyaka, the Great Forest, Upanisad is the revelation of the forest in the forest. For that is the truth about our life, the forest, where we find ourselves lost, with no hope of escape from the labyrinth that it is. We live in death and for death, that condition of our being. Can we ever imagine our life except as linked to death, linked in terms of struggle against it, struggle that we wage in vain? We are because death is, our life is a mere celebration of it. To it are we eternally wedded, to this sleep the eternal. As long as we do not perceive this truth about our life, as long as we do not join this celebration our life remains barren and a choking. And a chaos and confusion. In being this confusion and chaos lies our enlightenment, in being dead in life lies our immortality. This is all this Upanisad teaches us; in its denial of all that we are and know lies the true affirmation of our truth and being.

Volume 5 (in its two parts) brings to conclusion the author's contemplation of the revelatory part of the Prasthanatrayi. It has been a long and absorbing contemplation for him, elevating and ecstatic. It is hoped that the same spirit of elevation and ecstasy will accompany his contemplation of the Bhagavadgita and the Brahmasutras and that thoughtful minds will value that contemplation as they have valued his contemplation of the Upanisads.

Before his retirement in the year 2000, Som Gupta taught English at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi.

Back of the Book

The Word Speaks to the Faustian Man has been acclaimed the world over not only as a masterly exposition and interpretation of the Upanisadic vision but also a work that contains in itself the seeds of a future philosophy. At once a work of thought, insight and experience this work has put a disturbing question mark against many an assumption of modern thought and civilization calling upon modern man to be still and silent instead of being thoughtful and communicative. An incisive critique of modern civilization and culture, the reader will find in the volumes of this work, a critique that has evoked deep appreciation from prominent thinkers and scholars such as Paul Ricoeur, Jean F. Lyotard, Raimundo Panikkar, J.N. Mohanty, Fred Dallmyr, Alex Wayman and other eminent scholars in the field of philosophy and Indology. The work has also received detailed reviews in eminent journals of philosophy like Philosophy East and West, Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research and Revue Philosophique. Interested readers will find excerpts from some of these reviews quoted in the covers of the preceding volumes of this much discussed, provocative and meditative work.

Foreword

The concept of holistic health acknowledges that a human being is-and must be related to as-body, mind, and spirit. This concept has become an increasingly popular topic of conversation in Western culture over the last two decades. I began my personal journey to understand and embody it in the late 1960s and have been involved in public education on the subject since the mid-1970s. What I have noticed over the years is the frequent mistaking of “alternative” healing for “holistic” healing. Alternative simply means a method not ordinarily used in conventional treatment. A doctor may add herbal or vitamin therapy to a patient’s treatment, thereby making it more gentle and less toxic (which is wonderful and needed) but still fail to take into consideration the patient’s state of mind and lifestyle, which are inevitably contributing to the present manifestation of “disease.”

Doctors may, through “alternative” treatment, be able to alter the body’s chemistry and eliminate the symptoms of disease, but have they righted the imbalance in the body, mind, and spirit? It that imbalance is not addressed, we are not aligned with who we really are, and disease in one form or another will manifest once again.

So when we speak about healing or good health, we must look deeper and more fully at ourselves and at our methods of treatment that we generally do in this “make it easy, make it quick, and if at all possible make it something someone else can do for me” society.

The Vedas are the oldest and most complete body of knowledge to address the who, what, and why of human existence. They have covered the “how to” (using the current vernacular) through healing and attunement methods, coming from the understanding that we are body, mind, and spirit, innately and unalterably dependent on the rest of creation.

In Ayurveda: A Life of Balance, Maya introduces the Ayurvedic diet with universal flavor and shows how to awaken ahamkara (the memory of who we really are) through the proper use of wholesome foods. By understanding our individual body types, and by using foods that best support and enhance each type, we are employing a powerful and essential method of attunement.

I am truly grateful to Maya and the handful of other Vedic scholars who continue to devote their lives to sharing this knowledge with the rest of the world-a world that is in great need and that, we hope, may finally be ready.

Ayurveda A Life of Balance

Forced by cancer to reexamine and redirect her life, Maya Tiwari left a highly successful New York design career and returned to her native India to study Ayurvedic medicine. Her book, a profound but practical testament to the healing power of balanced living, shows how Ayurveda’s ancient principles of health can help you achieve the highest levels of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

The traditional form of medicine in India for more than five thousand years, Ayurveda relies primarily on the proper use of foods and herbs to maintain or restore the body’s natural state of balance. While Ayurvedic healing has in recent years become increasingly well known in the West, Maya Tiwari is the first author to provide us with a comprehensive working guide to Ayurveda as a way of life.

She expands the traditional number of body types (and their respective dietary requirements) from seven to ten and discusses the psychospiritual nature of the types-an area that no other Western author addresses. A comprehensive questionnaire enable you to determine your own body type, and extensive charts identify the attributes of specific foods and their place in your diet. Seasonal menus and recipes (all vegetarian) are keyed to each of the body types, allowing you to choose the foods and spices that are ideally suited to your constitution. When we eat seasonal, fresh foods according to Ayurvedic wisdom, we attune with our most essential natures and awaken ahamkara, the memory of who we really are.

Tiwari brings every feature of Ayurveda back to its true source-the health of the spirit. She shows wholesome foods and spiritual practices (known as sadhanas) of the hearth, home, garden, and community connect us with our primal memory of a time when human beings lived in harmony with all of nature. Performed with awareness and gratitude, sadhanas enhance the nourishing and healing properties of food and act as a catalyst to our innate capacity for self-healing.

“A very complete and authoritative manual on the Vedic principles of health and nutrition, written by a well-respected authority in the field. It will be of great benefit to the layperson and professional alike.”

About the Book

Book 'Saturn: The King Maker' unravels the king maker role of Saturn in addition to Saturn's significance in timing various vital events of life. 'Saturn: The King maker', an un parallel work on the mystiques of Saturn so far, contains 14 chapters. First two chapters deal with the introduction of Saturn as a member of the solar system and its astrological connotations. Much dreaded ruthlessness of Saturn is only a one sided picture and a fuller understanding of this Graha requires systemic study. Various information regarding Saturn, its significations, and occupations & diseases etc under Saturn's control are vividly discussed. Saturn in Puranic contexts makes an interesting reading.

Next two chapters describe in detail Saturn's placement in twelve houses and twelve signs. Introducing various dimensions of different houses of birth chart we proceed discussing the appropriate results of Saturn's position in different bhavas at the time of birth. The enigmatic Saturn renders modified results when placed in different signs or Rashis. The impact of Saturn in various signs is carefully studied. How the aspect of various planets on Saturn, and vice versa, change the results to amazing extent and how the malefic Saturn becomes benefic are the subject matter of these two important chapters.

The fifth chapter unravels the 'Different positions of Mysterious Saturn' which narrates Saturn in Ascendant and Retrograde profiles as well as brief discussion on the positions of Saturn in 12 houses: as many as 26 states of Saturn are described.

Next three chapters deal broadly with the transit of Saturn. The 6th chapter discusses about proven principles about transit of Saturn which can determine the time of marriage, accurately and exactly. The 7th chapter deals with the 'Nadi principles about Saturn's transit'; expertise in which can make one predict precisely the timing of events. And the 8th chapter 'Saturn the Great Timer' contains detail event-by-event analysis of lives of great personalities and contains various rules with regard to predicting the exact spell of time interspersed with examples to explain the rules propounded.

The chapter on 'Saturn: The King Maker' deals with crux of the theme, the most marvelous and amazing role of Saturn in elevating one to the position of King, minister, head of the state or of the industries. On the contrary, adverse disposition of Saturn brings fall from power, miseries and losses which is the point of discussion in the chapter Saturn in the 10th house: Fall from power.

Next 4 chapters shed light on the relationship of Saturn with other planets such as Sun and Jupiter which play an important role in deciding events related to marriage, progeny and profession. Thus, in totality, the book demystifies the commonly held view about Saturn's enigmatic character and describes at length its constructive role in molding the basic pattern of life. It is a must read to gain comprehensive knowledge about Saturn and to remove the myths about its malfeasance.

About the Author

Mrs. Mridula Trivedi, a Post Graduate from the University of Lacknow, graduated to become a very highly acclaimed astrology of international renown. Honour with ‘Doctor of Astrology’ by the world development Council in 1987, she did not look back in the march of adding further feathers to her cap. She was honoured with the title of ‘Ved Vyas’ by Spiritual and Astrological Research Institute, Lucknow in 2001. She was also awarded ‘the Best Astrologer and Best Writer of the Country’ by planets and forecast in 2007. She is associated Editor.

Mr. T.P. Trivedi, a retired engineer with U.P. Power Corporation Ltd., has dedicated his life to the promotion of excellence in astrology. Awards like 'Best Astrologer of India Award', 'Dr. Manorama Sharma Jyotish Puraskar' by Gopal Das Neeraj foundation are just two stray examples from a rather long list of awardsa bestowed on him. Based on his lifetime achievments, he has also been honoured with the most prestigious awards of uttat pradesh, Yash Bharati in 2015.

About the Book:

The Yajurveda Samhita or the prayer book of the Adhvaryu priest is recorded to have had as many as 101 recensions at the time of the grammarian Patanjali, out of which, only 5 have survived and are available at present, viz., Kathaka, Kapisthala, Maitrayani, Taittiriya, and Vajasaneyi, the first four belonging to the 'Black Yajurveda' and the fifth to what is designated as 'White Yajurveda'. The Vajasaneyi Samhita which takes its name from Yajnavalkya Vajasaneya, the chief teacher of this Veda, has come down in two slightly differing versions known as the Kanva and the Madhyandina Samhitas.

The Chief difference between the texts of the 'Black' and 'White' Yajurveda lies in the fact that the latter contains only the Mantras, i.e. the prayers and sacrificial formulae which the priest has to utter, while the former contains in addition a presentation of the sacrificial rites belonging to them as well as the Brahmana or theological discussion on the same.

The present volume contains the text belonging to the Madhyandina school of the White Yajurveda along with the commentaries of Uvata and Mahidhara well known as the Mantra-Bhasya and the Vedadipa-Bhasya respectively, preceded by a short Introduction in Sanskrit giving besides other things the traditional mythological explanation of the division of the Veda into 'Black' and 'White' etc.

There are the two boys of the title story, locked in their own world of fantasy and make-believe, reaching out to each other to survive the terrible prospect of fatherlessness. ‘House Hunting’ shows us the grim spectacle of a couple whose marriage is in its death throes, and whose search for a happy home is doomed; in another story a couple struggle to overcome the effects of a brutal rape. Elsewhere, a family therapist comes face to face with the dark secret of his childhood, and an American football star down on his luck makes his peace with his father. The collection culminates in a daring and wonderfully baroque horror story ‘In the Black Mill’, which chronicles the terrifying fate that befalls an archaeologist as he uncovers cannibalism and ritual sacrifice in a gloomy Pennsylvanian town. Serious in their subject matter, yet shot through with wit, humour and compassion, these nine short stories demonstrate Chabon’s ability to weave together comedy and tragedy with unforgettable results.

From the Jacket

This contemporary companion to the Bhagavad Gita addresses the heart of human yearning. T offers the possibility of transforming the battle of life into a path to Truth, a living process. Each chapter presents a road toward our inner, universal Self, bringing a deeper and wider perspective along the way. A psychological orientation invites the reader to move from abstract idea to individual insight. As the book proceeds, the relationship between the personal and the eternal gradually unfolds in an ever-expanding process of self-discovery.

Quotes from the great teachers are included in the text to inspire, uplift and help us cross over the sea of illusion.

Naina Lepes has been receiving inspiration and wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita since 1970, and studied Vedanta with Swami Chinmayananda. Her longtime guru is Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Other major influences in her life have been the work of G.I. Gurdjieff and C.G. Jung. Naina is the author of The Cat Guru, and for many years, she worked as a Jungian trained psychotherapist in New York.

Her formal education includes a degree in Music, an M.A. in Psychology, and a Ph. D. in Counseling. She was born in Fall River,

About the Book:

Vaisnavism : Contemporary Scholars Discuss the Gaudiya Tradition focuses on an ancient religious heritage in the light of modern scholarship. Though a series of lively conversations, Steven J. Rosen and twenty-five distinguished academics explore the many sides of Gaudiya Vaisnavism - its literature, historical development, theology and practice. Thoughtful and indeed illuminating perspectives emerge as the scholars reveal insights gained from years of research. In discussing subjects such as the nature of the Absolute, devotional poetry, sacred space, mystical states and sonic theology, the abundant beauty and profundity of this venerable East Indian tradition is brought to light.

"Steven Rosen has brought together an overview of a highly technical subject as interpreted by acknowledged experts in the field, thus informing further the already informed and, it is to be hoped, stimulating the uninformed to inform themselves of a highly rewarding system of thought and instructive slice of religious history."

- from the Foreword by Edward C. Dimock, Jr.,
University of Chicago