Books on Hinduism

Specification:

• Publisher : Vakils Feffer & Simons
  
• by : Chandrika
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2008
  
• Pages : 239
  
• Weight : 450gm.
  
• Size : 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8184620016
  
• ASIN: 8184620012

Description:

Adi Sankara’s Bhaja Govindam is a little collection of thirty-one verses in Sanskrit by the saint and scholar Adi Sankaracharya and his disciples. Also known as Moha Mudgara or The End of Illusion, the verses look at the eternal question of man’s quest for happiness in a world that is transient and filled with delusions. Sankara in clear and lucid language, (probably the simplest Sanskrit text available) speaks of man’s weaknesses – lust, anger, greed and attachment – and the steps needed to overcome them. Our present translation includes stories from the vast repertoire of wisdom literature across a wide spectrum of spiritual traditions. It also contains an exhaustive biography of Adi Sankara himself, his contribution to Hinduism and a chapter on the relevance of Bhaja Govindam today.

Editorial Reviews

"In his short life of thirty-two years Sankara achieved that union of age and saint,of wisdom and kindliness,which characterizes the loftiest type of man produced in India." --Will Durant/American Philosopher "Sri Sankara has packed into the Bhaja Govindam song,the substance of all the Vedantic works that he wrote and he has set the truth of the union of devotion and knowledge to melodious music which delights every year." --Sri C.Rajagopalachari/Author of amazon best sellers like Ramayana&Mahabharata. It is impossible to read Sankara's writings,packed as they are with serious and subtle thinking,without being conscious that one is in contact with a mind of very fine penetration and profound spirituality...The rays of his genius have illumined the dark places of thought and soothed the sorrows of the most forlorn heart.He is a philospher and a poet,a savant and a saint,a mystic and a religious reformer.There have been few minds more universal than this." --Dr.Radhakrishnan Sri Sankara has packed into the Bhaja Govindam song,the substance of all the Vedantic works that he wrote and he has set the truth of the union of devotion and knowledge to melodious music which delights every ear." --Sri C.Rajagopalachari/Author of amazon best sellers like Ramayana&Mahabharata.

In the depths of all of us there is a secret longing,a silent impulse,a soaring ambition to do something beautifully great,spectacularly noble,and surely endearing.This is a divine summon from the deeper pressure in us,to take off from the decaying levels of mediocrity into voiceless heights of spontaneity and perfection.We must hark to these indisputable intimations divine-too sacred to ignore,too cruel,if we should reject." -Swami Chinmayananda. Some are asleep and do not wish to be woken up, Others even though asleep,think or pretend to be awake. Some who really want to wake up from their state of ignorance can be awakened by others. A journey of thousand miles begins with the first step. Once we begin,we shall reach the final destination sooner or later. Most of us only have a problem of starting: Thereafter we are pushed forward, Willingly or unwillingly. Our own thoughts will not allow us tosit quietly. -Swami Tejomayananda. The works of the great Spiritual Masters are a perennial source of knowledge, inspiration and joy.This book falls into the same category. --Inspirations From Great Masters

"Sri Sankara has packed into the Bhaja Govindam song,the substance of all the Vedantic works that he wrote and he has set the truth of the union of devotion and knowledge to melodious music which delights every year." --Sri C.Rajagopalachari/Author of amazon best sellers like Ramayana&Mahabharata.

About the Author

About the Author: The book s translation and commentary is by Chandrika. She is the author of another translation, Srimad Rajchandraji s Atma Siddhi, In Search of the Soul.She is a seeker who believes that in the sacred literature of the world lies the answer to many of the problems that baffle modern man. She writes with humility and faith, hoping that the texts she comments about touches a chord in her reader, with the same resonance with which it has touched her.

Specification:

• Publisher : Zen Publications
  
• by : Jitendra Pant
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2017
  
• Pages : 102
  
• Weight : 500 gm.
  
• Size : 5.6 x 0.2 x 8.1 inches
  
• ISBN-10: 9385902458
  
• ISBN-13: 978-9385902451

Description:

The Guru-disciple relationship is the bedrock of spirituality. For the disciple there is no one higher than the Guru. His attunement with his spiritual mentor is a pressing need; a seamless communion with the Guru the ladder on which he climbs up the path to deeper self-investigation. This connection has to be tenacious as well as flexible, ardent as well as judicious, vibrant but relaxed, pure yet easy. The Guru and disciple are after all one and the same: The entirety of spirituality lies in this realization.

Though the teachings of Guruji, the Satguru of the author, this book shows how a disciple may commence laying the foundation of this supreme tie and go about the spiritual journey. The teachings, given out through the shabads, are universal yet unique. They are this-worldly yet capable of ushering the sincere practitioner to the arms of the beloved infinite. They establish the grounds of humanity and of its dharma. They show that the Satguru is alone real, the pole star of the disciple, the husbandman and protector of his soul, the truth that the earnest disciple and a misguided humanity seek in varied ways.

This book is a pilgrimage into the sacred territory of the Satguru s Word, a fulfilment in part of Guruji s instruction to his disciple. Guruji s words here are a great benediction, mapping our way to a common realm of love and light. They are the Word made vatic and sacrosanct, empowered by the truth-charge of his great being.

Specification:

• Publisher : Zen Publications
  
• by : Ramesh S. Balsekar
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2008
  
• Pages : 88
  
• Weight : 120 gm.
  
• Size : 8 x 5.5 x 8 inches
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8188071371
  
• ASIN: 8188071374

Description:

The Sage of Arunachala preferred to teach in silence. But when he did use words, he used few and he used them with telling effect. What struck you most about what he said was the authority of knowing that backed each word uttered.

Though all of what Ramana said was rich with meaning, if one has to grasp the very core of his teaching, one needs to sieve and filter, doggedly staying focussed on the very fundamentals of what he taught. Even those who have read many books on Ramana Maharshi’s teachings will find this book different: focussed on the ultimate happiness as one’s very nature.

More importantly, this book bring across points about Ramana Maharshi’s sayings which have not been given adequate attention and significance. To give three instances:

The very thought of God is Divine Favour. It is by God’s grace that a thought of God arises in the mind.

There is absolutely no need to hurry about anything: everything must happen only at the precise time appointed by the Cosmic Law.

The ego of the sage is like the remnants of a burnt rope.

Pointers From Ramana Maharshi brings you the teachings of Advaita Master Adi Shankara as expounded by Ramana Maharshi, distilled to their very quintessential understanding, by an experienced writer like Ramesh Balsekar.

Specification:

• Publisher : Zen Publications
  
• By : Sajohn Daverly
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2012
  
• Pages : 395 
  
• Weight : 120 gm.
  
• Size : 5.8 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  
• ISBN-10 : 8188071978
  
• ISBN-13 : 978-8188071975
  

Description:

Although Pandu’s son Arjuna was widely known as one who in combat could single-handedly fight and defeat 1,000 opposing warriors simultaneously, he was twice traumatized and brought to his knees on the battlefield of  Kurukshetra. The first time was upon seeing countless loved ones eager for bloodshed on both sides of the impending fray. The second was upon discovering that his own charioteer, a bosom friend since adolescence, could not only speak about the experience of awakening to one’s true nature, but could also provide the experience of beholding the infinite form of the one universal Self. Complete with word-for-word transliteration, this new presentation of  India’s timeless spiritual classic illuminates many subtle details which readers may find themselves either relishing for the very first time, or revisiting with a new level of penetration and appreciation.

“More than just beautifully translating the Gita, Sajohn Daverly sublimely transmits the mystery of awakened life in human circumstances. We can read his translation of this ancient, divine text and find it alive in our own hearts, here, today.”
- Gangaji, spiritual teacher and author of The Diamond In Your Pocket
“This Gita is a real gem because it builds a bridge between the traditional approach and the very contemporary one, bringing the ancient teaching to life and making it relevant to the modern reader.”

- Adyashanti, spiritual teacher and author of Falling Into Grace
“Sajohn’s direct knowing and immersion in the unknown gives him the unique authority to explain and clarify in scholarly terms the profound understanding linking the essential truth and alignment between Vedanta and Zen Buddhism.”
- Jon Bernie, contemporary Zen teacher and author of Ordinary Freedom

Specification:

• Publisher : Zen Publications
  
• By : Ramesh S. Balsekar
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : Marathi
  
• Edition : 2012
  
• Pages : 70
  
• Weight : 120 gm.
  
• Size : 8.3 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
  
• ISBN-10 : 8188071943
  
• ISBN-13 : 978-8188071944
  

Description:

Ashtavakra Says: You are not the body which is composed of the five elements. You are that Consciousness which has provided the inert body with the sentience that makes the senses function I regard to their objects. It is sentience which makes the psychosomatic apparatus work as a unit. Anticipating the query from his intelligent disciple, the guru tells him further, You are not the physical organism but Consciousness which works not as someone in charge of the operations of the physical organism but merely as the witness of the operations.

THE DEVOTIONAL POEMS OF MIRABAI offers the reader a sober English translation of two hundred of her Padas, based on the interpretative work of Indian scholars that has appeared during the last few decades. Three introductory essays deal with her life, her place in the Bhakti movement and the characteristics of her poetry. Terminal notes explain the mythological references to the non-Hindu reader, indicate some linguistic difficulties and record minor deviations from the fifteenth edition of Parashuram Chaturvedi`s MIRAMBAI KI PADAVALI, the basic text used.

Gitavali is of special significance to a devotee of Lord Rama. The Lord declared both in Ramacharitmanasa (VII.46) and in Srimad Bhagavadgita (IX.14) that by chanting His Glories one attains His Divine Bliss. Tulsi sings of the glory of the Saguna Form of Rama in highest ecstasy. He depicts the entire Creation: birds, beasts, Blossoms, trees, skies, clouds, fragrant breezes, day, night, Sun, Moon and stars paying obeisance to Rama, the Incarnated Lord of the Universe. Tulsi's love for Ayodhya is apparent in Gitavali. He sings of many events from the Deeds of Rama pertaining to Ayodhya. His songs of Holi, Diwali and jhoola (swing) festivals are unique.

About the Author: Shri S.P. Bhadur was born on 19th July 1926. He studied at the La Martinere College Lucknow, Universities of Lucknow and Roorkee. He visited Australia under Columbo Plan and retired as Chief Engineer, Irrigation Department, Uttar Pradesh in 1984. born in a family devoted to the Rama Tradition he received blessings and guidance in studies of Rama theology from his maternal uncle Mahatma Anjaninandan Sharan of Ayodhya, himself the author of exhaustive commentaries in Hindi on all literary works of Tulsidas published by Gita Press.

In this study, the author discusses the sadhana presented by the Bhagavatapurana and this is essentially the bhaktimarga, the way of love. After some preliminary remarks about the Puranas in general and the Bhagavata-purana in particular, the author attempts to describe the sadhaka (man as a pilgrim), the sadhya (God as the Supreme Lover), and the sadhana (bhakti as the universal and the most effective way to attain God). The book then draws the attention of the reader to the possible obstacles he may encounter in his spiritual journey, while at the same time assuring him that the guidance of a good guide, the fellowship of other devotees and some other aids will assist him in his pilgrimage. Love is not only the way, but also the goal (prayojana), and hence the study concludes by presenting moksa as sa-prema-bhakti-yoga, that is a union of loving devotion, between God and man, Bhagavan and his bhakta. Printed Pages:248.

About the Author:

Subhash Anand (b. 1943) is professor of Hindu Philosophy and Religion at Jnanadeep Vidyapeeth, Pune. Besides two books: The Local Church and Inculturation (1985), and Major Hindu Festivals: A Christian Appreciation (1991, rep. 1993), he has published numerous articles in journals.

In My Gita, acclaimed mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik demystifies The Bhagavad Gita for the contemporary reader. His unique approach—thematic rather than verse-by-verse—makes the ancient treatise eminently accessible, combined as it is with his trademark illustrations and simple diagrams.
In a world that seems spellbound by argument over dialogue, vi-vaad over sam-vaad, Devdutt highlights how Krishna nudges Arjuna to understand rather than judge his relationships. This becomes relevant today when we are increasingly indulging and isolating the self (self-improvement, self-actualization, self-realization—even selfies!).We forget that we live in an ecosystem of others, where we can nourish each other with food, love and meaning, even when we fight.
So let My Gita inform your Gita.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Devdutt Pattanaik writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He has written over 500 articles in newspapers, and thirty books, which include Jaya : An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art, 7 Secrets of Shiva, 7 Secrets of Vishnu, 7 Secrets of the Goddess, The Book of Ram, 99 Thoughts on Ganesha, Shikhandi and Other Tales They Don’t Tell You and Myth=Mithya: Decoding Hindu Mythology. He lives in Mumbai. For more information on Devdutt and his books, visit devdutt.com

Description

Even after he has composed the awesome Mahabharata, the Maharishi Vyasa finds no peace. Narada Muni says to him, Ordinary men will be delighted by your work, but what about the Sages of heaven and earth? You have described the human life, its strife and its ends, but you have not yet described the Lord himself. You must turn your great gift to that task; only then will you find peace. Veda Vyasa composes the Bhagavata Purana, in eighteen thousand slokas and twelve kandas. He teaches it to his illumined son Suka, who narrates the Secret Purana to Yudhishtira s heir, King Parikshit, on the banks of the Ganga. The Bhagavata Purana is a living embodiment of the Lord Narayana and claims to bestow moksha merely by being heard. Just before Krishna, the Avatara, leaves the world, Uddhava says to him, leave us a tangible form, Lord, in which we can find you, touch you, and be near you. Krishna enters the Bhagavata Purana with all of his being. This book is a full literary rendering of the Bhagavata Purana, bringing all the wonder, wisdom and grace of the Book of God to the modern reader.

Specification

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : R T H Griffith
• Cover : Hardcover
• Language : English
• Edition : 2002
• Pages : 
• Weight : 750 gm.
• Size : 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• ISBN-10: 8171101364
• ISBN-13: 978-8171101368
• Product Code: BK14276

Description:

The present edition of Yajurveda with English version of Mahidhara and Uvata's commentary by Griffith has become conspicuous with the salient feature, the old usage of English version has been replaced by the corresponding modern usage in order that the contents of the translation may be easily made out even by a layman. For instance, the old pronominal forms like, thy, thou, thee, thine, etc. have been replaced by the corresponding terms in modern English. The old English usage of verbal forms has also been supplanted with the corresponding usage in modern English.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee
• Cover : Hardcover
• Edition : April 26, 2012
• Pages : 220
• Weight : 250 g.
• Size : 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8186117121
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186117125
• Product Code : BK14275

Description:

Yogacharya Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee was invited as the sole representative from India to participate in the Parliament of World Religions held at Val St. Hugon, France in 1997 convened by Dalai Lama and sponsored by UNO, UNESCO, UNCHR. At this Parliament of World Religions, he upheld the tenets of Sanatana yogadharma to the world with a clarion voice. His brilliant exegesis on the subject of love, peace and solidarity one world, one religion, one God, one man at the Parliament of World Religions received tumultous applause. All those present at this Parliament like representatives from all religions; scientists; philosophers; journalists; the audience; being spellbound by his profound wisdom and eloquence, conferred on him paens of praise. French newspapers commented on him to be a “wise worthy dignified sage”; “a seer”; “a visionary”, etc.
A civic reception graced by luminaries from all walks of life was accorded to him on 10 June 1998 in Calcutta.

About the Author

Yogacharya Vacaspati Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee, author of this book was born in 1933 in West Bengal. The sudden demise of his mother when he was away in service intensely agonized him. He grew averse to material pursuits and became spiritually inclined. He received initiation in Kriyayoga in April 1961. He reached the pinnacle of Kriyayoga within a short span. His three Gurus were stalwarts in this discipline. His first Guru was Sri Annada Charan Sastri (Bhattacharya) disciple of Panchanan Bhattacharya, an elevated disciple of Yogiraj Sri Shama Churn Lahiree. After Sastrirji’s demise, Dr. Chatterjee obtained initiation from Sundarlal Lala of Varanasi, disciple of Sri Harinarayan Paladhi. who was the disciple of Yogiraj and later from Sri Satyacharan Lahiri, grandson of Yogiraj. Today Yogacharya Vacaspati Chatterjee is acknowledged as a World Kriyayoga Master.
Being an ardent devotee of Sanatana Dharma's Polestar, Yogiraj Shama Churn Lahiree and to propagate His ideals and tenets before the masses so that they derive the right path, the right enlightenment, he has penned many books in Bengali, illustrating the science of Kriyayoga. Most of his books have been published in Indian languages like Hindi, Oriya, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati. Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese editions are awaiting publication. Purana Purusha Yogiraj Sri Shama Churn Lahiree has been published in French also. His other books (English editions) are also awaiting publication. He has authored quite a number of articles delineating the science hence rationality of Kriyayoga.
He has founded “Yogiraj Shyamacharan Sanatan Mission” and the temple of Yogiraj at Kakdwip, West Bengal, India with the objective that mankind can derive the Kriyayoga revived by Yogiraj. He has organized philanthropic activities through this Mission. To further Yogiraj-consciousness he has travelled throughout India and in many places in the Orient and Occident. People irrespective of caste, creed, colour, nation, language, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, untouchables, renouncers, are all coming under his aegis and are finding in him their haven and panacea for all evils. He has a large following throughout India and abroad like USA, England, France, Spain, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Bangladesh, etc.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Swami Lakshman Joo
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : January 1, 2007
• Pages : 207
• Weight : 360 gm.
• Size : 5.6 x 0.5 x 8.6 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8186569359
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186569351
• Product Code: BK14272

Description:

The Vijnana Bhairava is one of the most important Tantras of Kashmir Shaivism as far as the practical aspect of yoga of this school is concerned. It teaches 112 dharanas or ways of centring awareness and entering divine consciousness, which include ordinary and extraordinary experiences, as well as Tantric methods of spiritual practice such as kundalini, mantra and mudra. This ancient text is of great relevanee for a spirituality of our times which has to integrate all aspects of life.
The present edition, translation and commentary is unique since it contains the oral teaching of the last great master of the Kashmir Shaiva tradition, Swami Lakshman Job. In his explanation of the dharanas he gives the deep significance and practical application of various methods of yoga which give direct access to states of higher consciousness.


About the Author

Swami Lakshman Joo (1907-91), also called Swami Lakshmanji Raina or Ishvara Svarupa, was a great yogi from an early age. He embodied a rare unity of a mystic and a pandit, being well-versed in Sanskrit and in the texts of the non-dualistic tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. He was also called the Abhinavagupta of the twentieth century, being the last authority of Kashmir Shaivism, who was teaching scholars and guiding seekers on the spiritual path. He edited several Sanskrit texts and published Hindi translations and commentaries, such as Abhinavagupta’s Gitarthasamgraha Sambapanchashika, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, Abhinavagupta’s Paratrishika Vivarana and others. Some of his teachings and lectures have been published in English: Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme, The Awakening of Supreme Consciousness, Self Realization in Kashmir Saivism, and in Hindi: Trikashastra-Rahasya Prakriya. His commentary on the Shiva Sutras has already been published.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Jagmohan Mahajan
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : May 30, 2008
• Pages : 90
• Weight : 1600 g.
• Size : 17.3 x 11.4 x 0.6 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8186569715
• ISBN-1 3: 978-8186569719
• Product Code : BK14271

Description:

Form the Jacket

One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and the holiest in India. Varanasi has attracted pilgrims from all over India for over 2500 years. No account of the travels of Indian visitors and pilgrims to the city, however, is available because of the non-existence of the tradition of recording impressions of such visits by Indians

Nor is there any record of foreign travelers visiting Varanasi until four centuries ago. It was then that travelers form the West started visiting Varanasi on a regular basis, and left animated accounts their visit. Later a number of landscape artists, almost entirely from Britain, began coming to India towards the end of the eighteenth century, and made superb sketches of Varanasi when they visited the city.

The views of Varanasi by the visiting landscape artists gave not only the outside word but also the Indians themselves the first ever visual impression of the scenic splendours of the holy city,. Until then so such visual record existed because of the lack of the genre of landscape painting in an otherwise rich Indian art.

Assembled from public and private art collections in India and abroad, these views are now being published together, along with a short survey of travelers;' accounts of their visit to Varanasi, for the first time.

About the Author

Jagmohan Mahajan has written extensively on British landscape artists in India as also on Ganga. His publications include Picturesque India: Sketches and Travels of Thomas and William Daniell. The Raj Landscape: British Views of Indian Cities and the Ganga Trail: Foreign Accounts of the River Scene.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Rana P.B Singh
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : January 1, 2011
• Pages : 221
• Weight : 300 gm.
• Size : 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8186569308
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186569306
• Product Code : BK14270

Description:

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (1947-76) was one of the best minds that India has produced in the twentieth century. Son of a Tamil father and an English mother, his life was a living example on how to build bridges between Eastern and Western cultures.
By profession an art critic and a museum curator, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy was also a masterful exponent of metaphysics. As much at home with Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas as with Shankara and the other Vedic commentators, familiar with the Scriptures of all the main religions and proficient in many languages, he used to teach metaphysical principles by explaining the symbolism of traditional works. In his writings Coomaraswamy never displays his vast knowledge for the sake of mere erudition, but rather uses his amazing scholarship for a well-crafted plan: to show that below the endless variety of art forms and traditional beliefs a common thread runs deep — the acceptance of the sacred as the ultimate means to validate the multiplicity of everyday experience.
This book is a compilation of quotations from his works and letters, and it constitutes a good introduction to his thought. His theories are here applied to concrete situations, related to the problems of modern India, and could still suggest a third way to avoid both the traps of modern technocracy and the temptation of fundamentalism. It should not surprise us that his views are still relevant to the present situation: his opinions are rooted in truths that are neither political nor historical, neither ideological, or simply religious, nor even merely intellectual. They are rather related to that inner wisdom that embraces, without crushing it, all the distinctiveness of human experience.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
  
• By : Mark S.G. Dyczkowski
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition :  2000
• Pages : 58
• Weight : 150 gm.
• Size : 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 818656912X
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186569122
• Product Code: BK14267

Description:

This commentary is by Bhagavadutpala, also known as Utpala Vaisnava, who lived in 10th century Kashmir. It is important both because it is early and especially because it contains copious references to Pancaratra sources - the earliest dateable ones so far recovered.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : November 1, 2000
• Language : English
• Pages : 136
• Weight : 300 g.
• Size : 5.6 x 0.3 x 8.6 inches
• ISBN-10: 8186569170
• ISBN-13: 978-8186569177
• Product Code: BK14265

Description:

The Sanskrit Language by P.S. Filliozat has the rare distinction of being both an introductory book and a new ground-breaking study. It is an introductory book because the reader gets an accurate overview of the language, and it is also a new ground-breaking study because Filliozat’s approach harmonizes two different and complementary stands that often have been at war: the Western historical and comparative approach and the indigenous pandit tradition. Sanskrit is described here from these two points of view: what the native speakers knew and felt about their language, and what the foreign scholars did discover in their historical and comparative quest.
In the Indian branch of the Indo-European family of languages, Sanskrit is unique by its antiquity and stability. It has remained a living language over four milleniums. It owes its quality to the efforts of linguistic awareness of the first poets and the learned who used it in the practice of the Vedic religion. Right from the ancient times the grammarian Panini codified the procedures of formation of Sanskrit words. Some centuries later, his commentator Patanjali codified the procedures of interpretation of text. Sanskrit is properly the language generated and interpreted with such codes. The cultured Sanskrit user or pandit is one who has not only learnt the language, but also knows to use it and to analyse it with the same tools. Thus Sanskrit has always been a powerful instrument of culture and intellectual creation. It has been the learned language of pandits, a link language between the diverse regions of the entire Indian subcontinent, the medium of all scientific and technical knowledge, a language of religious teaching and practice. It has spread over the whole of Asia to the East of Iran.

About Author:

Prof. Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat teaches Sanskrit in Paris and conducts researches in several fields of Indology, Sanskrit grammar, poetry and poetics, history of Indian mathematics, Tantra, especially the Sanskrit Shaivagama literature, history of Indian architecture, etc. He has published books and articles in French, English and Sanskrit, on the Grammar of  Panini, the Mahabhashya of Patanjali, Alamkarashastra, Sanskrit poetry, Shaivagama, temple architecture in Karnataka, etc.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Wallace Slater
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : 2006
• Pages : 
• Weight : 300 gm.
• Size : 
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8170594790
• ISBN-13 : 978-8170594796
• Product Code : BOOK891

Description:

Yoga is the discovery of the Self and the inspiration of the spirit within. Each step in Raja Yoga is intended to assist the student in developing the moral and ethical foundations necessary for yoga: control of the physical body through postures and diet; pranayama, or breathing techniques; control of the emotions and senses; and control of the mind. "Based on the author's experience and deep study, Raja Yoga is a valuable guide to all beginners of yoga. The student is given the opportunity to discover the path within and the guru to guide one to the true Self."

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Osborne
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : 1 December 2011
• Pages : 164
• Weight : 200 g.
• Size : 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-13: 978-9381120002
• ISBN-10: 9381120005
• Product Code: BK14264

Description:

Arthur Osborne found that while academics investigated the causes of historical incidents, their research was limited, for the most part, to obvious physical causes, but they failed to clarify the overarching but hidden principles that, in his eyes, governed actions and made history. In this book he suggests a different approach to history, giving its due importance to spiritual ideas and teachers, and proposing that ideas shape the physical conditions of society more than the other way round. In his own words:
“The purpose of the present book is not so much to suggest any new philosophy or interpretation of history as to draw attention to a rhythm that runs through it, establishing parallels and coincidences large and obvious enough not to be open to dispute. These will be sufficient at least to show that history is not purely haphazard and yet is also not simple progress.”
Arthur Osborne observed that so-called progress was not what it appeared to be and that modern civilization is not necessarily an advance on the discoveries and understanding that ancient civilizations had garnered and demonstrated in their development. He outlined the parallels — not be confused with uniformity — in the different phases through which the great civilizations of mankind passed. In the eighteenth century there was a radical divergence between the West and East, which is being overcome by the surging of a single world civilization.

About Author:

Arthur Osborne (1906-70) is best known for his book Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge, one of the first books to make known to the world the south Indian sage Sri Ramana Maharshi, to whom Arthur Osborne devoted the last part of his life. 

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : R. Torella 
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : 1 December 2011
• Pages : 267
• Weight : 500 g.
• Size : 21.6 x 14.2 x 2.3 cm
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8186569960
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186569962
• Product Code : BK14263

Description:

India’s progressive emergence on the world stage, in terms unimaginable just a few decades ago, obliges us to reconsider its image as nurtured by the West for over two thousand years: a prestigious image maybe, but also greatly reductive, as the privileged home of occult knowledge, ecstasy and asceticism, or — quite the opposite — of fabulous riches and voluptuous pleasures. Rather than getting to know India, the West has preferred to dream of it: one result has been that Indian thought, albeit unanimously celebrated as the seat of the highest wisdom, has not been granted even the smallest place on the great stage of the history of philosophy.
This book presents the thought of pre-modern India first and foremost by outlining the cultural parameters within which it arose and developed, and should be read; often associated with religious experience, but also essentially independent of it; sometimes differing in form and outcome, but more often very close to Western thought, and certainly never “alien”.
“This is a marvellous piece of compact insight in all respects: a summary as well as a fresh view of the whole area, always sound and based on first hand experience with the material. I really mean it when I would like to call it the best modern survey of our field at an extraordinary high level of penetration.”
—Prof. Ernst Steinkellner, University of Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences

About Author:

Raffaele Torella is professor of Sanskrit at University of Rome “Sapienza”, where he has also taught for long Indian Philosophy and Religion, and Indology. His preferred fields of research are Kashmir Shaivism, linguistic speculation, Buddhist epistemology and manuscriptology. Among his main publications, there is the first critical edition and annotated English translation of Utpaladeva’s Ishvarapratyabhijna-karika and Vritti, the fundamental theoretical work of Pratyabhijna philosophy and of Hindu Tantrism as a whole (MLBD, Delhi 2002); the Italian translation of the Shivasutra with Kshemaraja’s commentary (Milan 1999); Eros and Emotions in India and Tibet (Einaudi, Turin 2007; in Italian). He has been the scientific responsible and co-author of the section “Science in India” in the multivolume work History of Science (Rome 2002; in Italian). Along with Bettina Bäumer, he has recently organized the first International Workshop on Utpaladeva at Indian Institute for Advanced study in Shimla (2010).

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• H.H. Shankaracharya Swami Swarupananda Sarasvati
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : January 1, 2009
• Pages : 368
• Weight : 650 gm.
• Size : 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 9381120072
• ISBN-13 : 978-9381120071
• Product Code : BK14262

Description:

Swami Karpatri (1907-82), a revered contemporary sannyasin of exceptional personality, was renowned for his deep scriptural knowledge, which he used in his many writings and speeches to light up the Hindu orthodox point of view. The two significant articles presented here deal with the meaning of the Linga and the nature of the Great Goddess. Besides doctrinal and mythological clarifications, we find a sophisticated debate about the nature of Sakti between two traditional schools: Nyaya and Mimamsa, which could be compared with those held in the times of Adi Sankara.
This bilingual edition (Hindi–English) presents a new translation — the fruit of a collective work — besides the original text in Devanagari, in the first book by Svami Karpatri published in English. The notes explain the philosophical parts or reveal misleading interpolations and omissions commited by the first translator of these articles, Alain Daniélou.
Prefaced by His Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracarya of Dvarakapitha and Jyotispitha, Svami Svarupananda Sarasvati, who was a close companion of Svami Karpatri, this book clarifies many fundamental thoughts of Sanatana Dharma related to Siva and Sakti.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : H.H. Shankaracharya Swami Swarupananda Sarasvati
• Cover : Hardcover
• Edition :  2009
• Pages : 368
• Weight : 650 g.
• Size : 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186569887
• ISBN-10 : 818656988X
• Product Code : BK14261

Description:

Swami Karpatri (1907-82), a revered contemporary sannyasin of exceptional personality, was renowned for his deep scriptural knowledge, which he used in his many writings and speeches to light up the Hindu orthodox point of view. The two significant articles presented here deal with the meaning of the Linga and the nature of the Great Goddess. Besides doctrinal and mythological clarifications, we find a sophisticated debate about the nature of Sakti between two traditional schools: Nyaya and Mimamsa, which could be compared with those held in the times of Adi Sankara.
This bilingual edition (Hindi–English) presents a new translation — the fruit of a collective work — besides the original text in Devanagari, in the first book by Svami Karpatri published in English. The notes explain the philosophical parts or reveal misleading interpolations and omissions commited by the first translator of these articles, Alain Daniélou.
Prefaced by His Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracarya of Dvarakapitha and Jyotispitha, Svami Svarupananda Sarasvati, who was a close companion of Svami Karpatri, this book clarifies many fundamental thoughts of Sanatana Dharma related to Siva and Sakti.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : Mahaprabhu Aghoreshwar Baba Bhagwan Ram
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : January 1, 2012
• Pages : 413
• Weight : 450 gm.
• Size : 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 8186569669
• ISBN-13 : 978-8186569665
• Product Code : BK14253

Description:

The Aghoris believe that their tradition was started by Shiva himself, and was propounded further by Jagadguru Dattatreya. Baba Kinaram (1563-1714), a very renowned saint in Banaras, revived the tradition.
The followers of the Aghora path try to cultivate a state of mind and social practice totally non-discriminatory. Seeing the Divine in everything and everybody, they transcend all category distinctions, all prescriptions and proscriptions of the “normal” social structure such as high and low, purity and pollution, pure and impure, or male and female.
In the twentieth century, Aghoreshwar Mahaprabhu Baba Bhagwan Ram (1937-92) was the greatest avadhut in the Aghora tradition. He had an overwhelming spiritual quest ever since his infancy, and attained enlightenment at the age of fourteen or fifteen. He thus became an Aghoreshwar, the highest of all spiritually realized saints in the Aghora tradition, a walking, talking deity, Shiva incarnate. People felt that Baba truly loved everyone who went to him. His life was no longer for his own self; he lived for those who came to him. Hundreds of thousands of devotees, simple villagers, spiritual seekers and high dignitaries would flock around him.
In the holy city of Banaras Baba laid the foundation of Shri Sarveshwari Samooh in 1961, an organization to fight social evils like leprosy, dowry and illiteracy. To fulfil hese goals, Baba started an ashram and a leprosy hospital by the name of Awadhut Bhagwan Ram Kusht Sewa Ashram (The Awadhut Bhagwan Ram Leprosy Service Ashram) at Parao, Varanasi.
Baba’s teachings were imparted more through everyday conversations rather than through sermons. On his advice, his words were compiled into a book that will have the essence of all his messages. Thus was written Aghor Vachan Shastra in Hindi and the present book, its English translation.
Baba Bhagwan Ram is credited to have changed the place that Aughar ascetics occupy in society. While earlier they were regarded as being, literally, on the social fringe, inhabiting cremation grounds, today they have become a part of the mainstream of religious life in Banaras and elsewhere, using the powers of their spiritual practices for social benefit.

Specification:

• Publisher : Indica Books
• By : MARK S.G. (Translated with exposition and notes by) DYCZKOWSKI 
• Cover : Paperback
• Edition : 1998
• Pages : 248
• Weight : 500 gm.
• Size : 
• Language : English
• ISBN-13 : 9788186569078
• Product Code : BK14251

Description:

The Shiva Sutra was revealed to Vasugupta by Shiva in order to counter the effects of dualism. This revelation initiated the hermeneutics of syntheses and exegesis climaxed by the great Abhinavagupta. The Shiva Sutara is the most important scripture in the Trika system of Kashmir Shaivism. As a book on yoga, it explains the nature and cause of bondage and the means to liberation from bondage.
Bhaskara is in the direct lineage of Vasugupta. To Bhaskara’s commentary, Mark Dyczkowski has added his translation of an anonymous commentary as an aid to understanding Bhaskara’s interpretation. This anonymous writer also serves as a bridge between Kshemaraja’s and Bhaskara’s commentaries, drawing from both. The commentary on each sutra is thus in three layers. Bhaskara’s commentary is first, followed by the anonymous commentary; after which Dyczkowski adds his own exposition and compares Bhaskara and Kshemaraja.