AN EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND BUT LAYERED INTRODUCTION TO LORD RAM AS A GOD AND AS A MAN The Ramcharitmanas is undoubtedly one of the greatest lyrical compositions in Hindi literature. Writing in the sixteenth century, Tulsidas chose to pen verses in Awadhi rather than Sanskrit, thus breaking with literary tradition and importantly making Lord Ram more relatable to the layperson. Pavan K. Varma, author of the best-selling Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker has selected some of the most evocative stanzas—offering a succinct commentary for each—that capture the very core of the original. While centring the philosophical aspect of the Ramcharitmanas—the immutability of the soul over the merely corporeal; the transience of worldly pleasures; the placing of wisdom above knowledge—The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram describes a devoted son, a loving sibling, a committed lover, an ideal ruler and also a human, almost bereft of divinity. Indeed, Ram is a god and a man; he is comprehensible. Tulsidas’s seminal work employs a unique poetic linguistic tool that unravels even the most profound concepts with utmost simplicity, blending philosophy with breath taking verse. Varma’s compelling new selection and commentary achieves this effect by combining the aesthetics, romance and imagery of the original work with the unadulterated spirituality that sparkles through the conduct of a great god.

About the Book A COMPREHENSIVELY RESEARCHED BOOK ON THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF ADI SHANKARACHARYA What is Brahman? What is its relationship to Atman? What is an individual’s place in the cosmos? Is a personalised god and ritualistic worship the only path to attain moksha? Does caste matter when a human is engaging with the metaphysical world? The answers to these perennial questions sparkle with clarity in this seminal account of a man and a saint, who revived Hinduism and gave to Upanishadic insights a rigorously structured and sublimely appealing philosophy. Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya (788–820 CE) was born in Kerala and died in Kedarnath, traversing the length of India in his search for the ultimate truth. In a short life of thirty-two years, Shankaracharya not only revived Hinduism, but also created the organisational structure for its perpetuation through the mathas he established in Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri and Joshimatha. Adi Shankaracharaya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker is a meticulously researched and comprehensive account of his life and philosophy. Highly readable, and including a select anthology of Shankaracharya’s seminal writing, the book also examines the startling endorsement that contemporary science is giving to his ideas today. A must-read for people across the ideological spectrum, this book reminds readers about the remarkable philosophical underpinning of Hinduism, making it one of the most vibrant religions in the world.

"What is the 'Ramcharitmanas'? It is Rama's story, or Rama's conduct, as narrated by Goswami Tulsidas. However, this doesn't quite explain what the word 'manasa' (mind) is doing in the title. The explanation given, in the 'Ramcharitmanas', is that this story was in Shiva's mind and came to Tulsidas via Parvati and Narharidas, Tulsidas's guru. It is no different with this volume by Professor Arun Tiwari. As a text, the 'Ramcharitmanas' is suffused with bhakti, and Rama's story and 'Ramcharitmanas' become what the reader, as a bhakta, take them to be, much more than with any other text. In this case, the bhakta is also a re-teller and re-interpreter, and bhakti is blended with Advaita Vedanta, although labels are best avoided. Goswami Tulsidas composed the 'Ramcharitmanas' rather late in life. Age brings wisdom. Through this book, Arun Tiwari too brings forth the wisdom that he now passes on, especially to the younger generation, in a novel and engaging way. - Bibek Debroy, Eminent author who translated Valmiki Ramayana into English and currently Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and Member, NITI-Aayog, Government of India."Profusely blessed, Prof. Arun Tiwari, the celebrated co-author of 'Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji' with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, has written a modern narrative of the timeless 'Ramcharitmanas' in the language and flair of the youth. God can be seen through the loving eyes of a devotee in the Murti and felt in the service of a Gunantit Guru. A must-read for people in a world overwhelmed by and overloaded with material pleasures and desires. The book provides a guiding path for the devout to connect with the Supreme. Jai Swaminarayan with deepest prayers! - Sadhu Swayamprakashdas (Pujya Dr. Swami), BAPS SWAMINARAYAN SANSTHA.

Misconceptions About India And Indians Abound, Fed By The Stereotypes Created By Foreigners, And The Myths About Themselves Projected By Indians. In Being Indian, Pavan K.Varma Demolishes These Myths And Generalizations As He Turns His Sharply Observant Gaze On His Fellow Countrymen To Examine What Really Makes Indians Tick And What They Have To Offer The World In The 21St Century. Varma S Insightful Analysis Of The Indian Personality And The Culture That Has Created It Reaches Startling New Conclusions On The Paradoxes And Contradictions That Characterize Indian Attitudes Towards Issues Such As Power, Wealth And Spirituality. How, For Example, Does The Appalling Indifference Of Most Indians To The Suffering Of The Poor And The Inequities Of The Caste System Square With Their Enthusiastic Championing Of Parliamentary Democracy? The Book Also Examines India S Future Prospects As An Economic, Military And Technological Power, Providing Valuable Pointers To The Likely Destiny Of A Nation Of One Billion People. Drawing On Sources As Diverse As Ancient Sanskrit Treatises And Bollywood Lyrics, And Illuminating His Examples With A Wealth Of Telling Anecdotes, Pavan Varma Creates A Vivid And Compelling Portrait Of Indians As He Argues That They Will Survive And Flourish In The New Millennium Precisely Because Of What They Are, Warts And All, And Not Because Of What They Think They Are Or Would Like To Be. This Book, Which Will Stimulate Reflection, Discussion And Controversy, Is A Must Read For Both Foreigners Who Wish To Understand Indians And Indians Who Wish To Understand Themselves.

About the Book A SUCCINCT ACCOUNT OF THE PROGRESS OF THE HINDU CIVILISATION AND ITS CURRENT CRISIS What do we mean by the Hindu civilisation? What are the texts and legacies that moved it forward from one century to another? How much of it has to do with inherited religious beliefs and how has the politicisation of these beliefs changed the prism through which Hindus view themselves and others, especially those identifying with different belief systems? These are the questions the author sets out to answer with this potted history of the Hindu world, in the context of changing empires and leaderships, through colonisation and conquest, leading up to the present challenges presented by the proponents of Hindutva. Direct, hard-hitting and wise, this is an invaluable treatise for our times.

The most popular devotional text recounting the adventures of the Hindu god Ram The Ramcharitmanas, composed by the poet-saint Tulsidas in the sixteenth century during a dynamic period of religious reform, was instrumental in making the story of Ram-and his divine feats against Ravan, the demon king of Lanka-widely accessible to the common people for the first time. Prior to that, this tale was exclusively the preserve of the priestly class who could read Valmiki's Sanskrit epic, The Ramayana. By reimagining Valmiki's text in the vernacular language, as a poem to be imbibed through recitation rather than reading, Tulsidas kindled a devotional revolution, forever changing the religious and social landscape of northern India. Rohini Chowdhury's exquisite translation brings Tulsidas's magnum opus vividly to life, and her detailed introduction sheds crucial light on the poet and his work, placing them both in the wider context of Hindi literature.

Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni's quest to retrace the trail of Rama's fabled travels during his years in exile began with their trying to locate Chitrakoot on the map and realizing that they had little idea where it might be. Curious about the places mentioned in the Ramayana, they set off on a journey of their own, following Rama's route from Ayodhya to the Dandakaranya forest and Panchavati (near Nashik) and on to Kishkindhya (close to Hampi), Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka. Along the way they would discover how closely the narrative of the Ramayana is linked to local folklore, and how the stories of the Ramayana and the moral framework that binds them together still speaks to the people who live in the land across which Rama, Sita and Lakshman made their journey. For the armchair traveller as well as the enthusiast for epic tales, this is a wonderful book with which to revisit the world of the Ramayana.

Reflecting on one of Hinduism's most popular prayer for positive energy Acclaimed mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik demystifies the Hanuman Chalisa for the contemporary reader. His unique approach makes the ancient hymn accessible, combined as it is with his trademark illustrations. Every time we experience negativity in the world and within ourselves, every time we encounter jealousy, rage and frustration, manifesting as violation and violence, we hear, or read, the Hanuman Chalisa. Composed over four hundred years ago by Tulsidas, its simple words in Awadhi, a dialect of Hindi and its simple metre, musically and very potently evoke the mythology, history and mystery of Hanuman, the much-loved Hindu deity, through whom Vedic wisdom reached the masses. As verse follows verse, our frightened, crumpled mind begins to expand with knowledge and insight and our faith in humanity, both within and without, is restored.