When I was seven years old, I was invested with the sacred thread and renamed as Venkatanatha after Vedantha Desika. I have been an avid reader and chanter of his devotional verses ever since. More recently, I have had the good fortune of reading some of his other works in some depth. I was astonished by the range and extent of his literary and philosophical compositions. In due course, the writing instinct in me impelled me to undertake this arduous task of critically analysing his contributions and their relevance to the present day.

The book has 6 chapters dealing with Ramanuja's birth in 1017 AD in Sriperumputhoor near Kancheepuram in Tamilnadu, his early years, his arrival in Srirangam, his multifaceted and ceaseless activity to streamline the affairs and worship of the Srirangam temple, his authoring of Sreebhashyam, a commentary to the Brahma Sutra of Sage Vyasa, his enunciation of the Visishtadvaitha School of Philosophy, his pilgrimage all over India, his flight to Tirunarayanapuram near Melkote in Karnataka to escape from the murderous attempt by the ruling Chola king, his consecration of the Panchanarayana Kshetras in Karnataka during his stay in Tirunarayanapuram and his acceptance into the community of Vaishnavas a. A large number of people were not allowed to enter and worship in Vaishnavite temples. The book also covers his return to Srirangam after the death of the Chola king and his establishment of 74 Simhasanadhipathis to continue his work after his passing away at the end of 120 tumultuous years. A translation of Vedanta Desikan's Yatiraja Sapthathi into English prose is an additional attractive feature of this book.

This is essentially a book which belongs to the genre of anthology of autobiographical narratives of some of the finest products of IIT Madras who have come together of their own accord, at the invitation of their former teacher, on the eve of his 80th birthday. Within its covers one can find situations of common occurrence and interest and different ways in which they are handled by different people. Their collective experiences have resulted in a cross-sectional view of current Indian society, looked at from different perspectives. They are presented in a semi- popular style which holds the attention of the readers riveted to these issues and their solutions. The presentation is fluid and conversational rather than serious and technical. As such it is bound to interest a large number of people who are engaged in various professions and belong to many different strata of Indian society.

When the sun shines on a snow-capped mountain, the layers of snow melt down helplessly. Similarly, when sun-like wisdom shines on a covered entity, layers of ignorance start melting away, thus uncovering The Real You. In this book, you will find a combination of the wisdom of the heart and the wisdom of art. This combined wisdom can make us ponder, wonder and help us overcome the blunder of ignorance which leads to suffering and sorrow. This book is a collection of pearls of wisdom, in the necklace of life, for the beauty of the soul. RADHANATH SWAMI was born in Chicago in 1950. In his teens, he set out to wander the world on a spiritual quest where he eventually discovered the yoga path of devotion. He presently travels in Asia, Europe and America teaching devotional wisdom, but can often be found with his community in Mumbai. For more info, visit www.radhanathswami.com.

Sekkilar's Periya Puranam deals with the lives and times of 63 Naayanmaars who dedicated their lives in the service of alord Shiva and His devotees. The trials and tribulations faced by these saints leaves us wonder-struck. These tales also shows that the Lord is beyong the clutches of caste and creed as these Naayanmaars belonged to various castes and a few were even women. This makes the Puranam's appeal universal. This is rendered in a simple readable English prose form by an engineer turned scholar, Sri. S. Ponnuswamy. This work is sure to introduce the epic to and enthuse the readers of the present day generation to learn more about it.

The Two Incarnations Of Lord DattatreyaThe Dattatreya Sampradaya Has Kept Alive The Eternal Principles Of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Divine Love And Non-Violence In Bharat For Thousands Of Years. It Extends Back In Time To The Very Beginning Of The Human Race And Over Thousands Of Years This Sampradaya Produced Other Sampradayas Like The Shaiva And Vishnu Sampradayas, To Name Only Two. As The Other Sampradyas Kept Increasing In Number, The Dattatreya Sampradya Was Largely Forgottren By The Laity In Virtually The Whole Of Northern Bharat.The Revival Of The Datta Sampradaya, In The Last Millenium Was Largely Due To Sri Sripad Sri Vallabha And Sri Narasimha Saraswati. The Guru Charitra Is The Biography Of These Two Incarnations Of Lord Dattatreya. This Text Has Been Used For The Last 300 Years To Revive Our Lost Vedic Heritage. Besides Many Lost Rituals Were Revived By Sri Narasimha Saraswati And Are Recounted In This Text.

Kularnava Tantra is perhaps the foremost Tantra of the Kaula School and is constantly cited as an authority in Tantric literature. It is worthy of close study by those who would understand the tenets and practice of the tradition of which it is a Sastra. It calls upon man to wake up to the rare privilege that has been given to him, e.g., human birth in which the being becomes conscious of himself and is offered a choice, a choice between stagnation and rapid progression towards his Godhead. He is asked to purify himself and told how to do it. In unambiguous terms he is told that a wine-drinker is different from the drinkers of ecstasy; the union of delight is between the ascending Shakti and the presiding Lord above, and not between man and woman. The Introduction by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) gives a concise outline of the work. Sri M.P. Pandit, who is a keen student of the Tantras and Vedas, has rendered the work in English in eleven chapters. The Readings are free transla-tions with annotations where necessary, omitting technical details but preserving the spirit and essential import of the original in his characteristically lucid style. The complete text is given in Devanagari after being duly edited by Taranatha Vidyaranya for those who wish to study the book in the original Sanskrit..