Hymn to Tripurasundarī (Hindu deity).

About the Book A WONDERFULLY CREATIVE INSIGHT INTO THE LEGEND AND SYMBOLISM OF SHIVA AS A GOD AND HIS ROLE IN THE HINDU TRINITY ALONGSIDE VISHNU AND BRAHMA Shiva, ʻthe destroyerʼ among the Hindu Trinity (of gods), is depicted in many contradictory manners. He is an ascetic who wears animal skin, his body smeared with ashes. Contradictory to his wild nature, he is also depicted as having a family, with a beautiful wife and two children. There are many more such varied representations of Shiva, the most prominent of these being the Linga and theNataraja. The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, introduces the readers to these varied aspects and representations and then sets about interpreting them. He explains the different anomalies and conflicts in beliefs, as well as the symbolism, rituals and reasons behind Hindu worship.

This book published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India is an explanation of select verses of Srimad Bhagavata, the great devotional scripture. The focus of the text has been in presenting the episodes connected with Lord Krishna from the Bhagavata, The original text and translation of these select verses has also been given.

This book offers a translation of the seven thousand verses of the second book of the medieval Hindu text, the Ganesa Purana, one of two Puranas dedicated to the important elephant-headed god. In this book the reader is given many narratives about Ganesas ascent to earth in order to kill demonic figures who threaten to overthrow the correct world order. In addition, these narratives contain myths about Ganesa's birth and family as well as some extended and quite humorous myths about ideal devotees of the god.The translation is preceded by a long introduction offering a geographical and historical context for the GanesaPurana. Following the translation are very extensive notes which bring our points of philological interest, but focus mainly on the literary structure of the text and the methods used to present the many myths and narratives in a coherent and fully integrated manner.