Verse work in praise of Murugan, Hindu deity; retold.

Lord Ganesha is the Favourite Deity of not only the Hindus but also of most people following other religious faiths. He is not only popular in India but also across the globe. The innumerable temples built for this Deity in every village , every town, every city, every state and every country all over the world is a testimony to the growing faith on this Lord amongst people. It’s the traditional faith among the Hindu Community that Lord Ganesha also known as Vinayaka, Ganapati, Vighneshwara etc annihilates any and every obstacle and impediment that may block the path to success in One’s endeavour. Hence it’s common that Vinayaka is propitiated at the beginning of any Initiative, any auspicious Function or ceremony. Unlike other Deities of Hindu Faith, many aspects of Lord Ganapati including His physical appearance kindles intrigue in everyone. He has an abnormally huge human body but from head to neck he resembles an elephant. There are eighteen Mahapuranas and many Upa Puranas and Ganesha Purana is one among them.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is now widely recognised as a scriptural text of worldwide importance. Sri Ramanuja is one of the noted commentators on the Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana and the Bhagavad Gita. This has brought him recognition as one of the greatest exponents of Vedanta from the Vaishnava point of view. Swami Adidevananda, one of the distinguished scholarly monks of the Ramakrishna Order who retained his inherent Sri Vaishnava heritage, has translated the original verses and Sri Ramanuja’s commentary into English. This book is of special importance because it is the only English translation now available with the original Sanskrit commentary as well. The book opens with meditation on the Gita followed by the Gitartha-sangraha of Sri Yamunacharya with English translation. Swami Tapasyananda, who was a scholarly monk with deep devotional temperament and one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order, has written a scholarly introduction to this work.

He was the son of fierce Durga and three-eyed Shiva. He had been born, he had lived, and he would die if need be, for a divine purpose-to kill the Soul Stealer Surapadma's reign of terror flourishes and the fate of all creatures-mortal and immortal-hangs in the balance. Shiva's son, Kartikeya, must destroy several formidable asuras before he can confront the Soul Stealer and salvage the dying, gasping universe. But Kartikeya, whisked away by mysterious forces to live amidst birds and beasts on a bleak mountainside, is ignorant of his destiny, and struggles to find his identity. Not even Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva come to his aid. He can win the final battle only if he can discern his enemy's weakness and his own inner strength. Will Shiva's son rise to the challenge before it is too late? The world waits with bated breath. . .

Historical and sociological perspectives of the worship of Murugan, Hindu deity; transcript of lectures delivered at International Institute of Tamil Studies, Madras, 1980.