The essential message of J. Krishnamurti, revered philosopher and spiritual teacher, challenges the limits of ordinary thought. In talks to audiences worldwide, he pointed out the tangled net of ideas, organizational beliefs and psychological mindsets in which humanity is caught, and that truth-the understanding of what is-not effort is the key factor of human liberation.
Commentaries on Living, a three-volume series, records Krishnamurti’s meetings with individual seekers of truth from all walks of life. In these dialogues, he reveals the thought-centred roots of human sorrow and comments on the struggles and issues common to those who strive to break the boundaries of personality and self-limitation. In over fifty essays in each volume, Krishnamurti explores topics as diverse as knowledge, truth, fulfillment, meditation, love, effort, seeking life and death and education.
The series invites readers to take a ‘voyage on an unchartered sea’ with Krishnamurti in his exploration of the conditioning of the mind and its freedom.
Catagory: Health, Family & Personal Development
The Vedic Wedding Book
‘An excellent account of the Vedic wedding […] Amrutur Srinivasan has written a fine book.’ – Prof. Subhash Kak, Louisiana State University
An immensely accessible guide, The Vedic Wedding will take you to the roots of the Hindu wedding ceremony, on a journey of its evolution from the Rig Vedic times to the present day. A.V. Srinivasan brings the best of his experiential wisdom as a Hindu priest and scholar in the US in uniquely accessible explanations of each ritual of the traditional ceremony, along with a wealth of knowledge about their origin, variations and significance. One of its kind, this book will help you understand and appreciate, as well as execute, the traditional Vedic wedding ceremony and get a flavour of India’s wedding culture, its true meaning and significance.
Phoolproof
After being forced to take a sabbatical from work because of her chronic breathing troubles, Jhelum Biswas Bose turned to flowers for solace and healing. Her blossoming connection with flowers deepened her understanding of herself and the world around her. Over the years, she has learnt to recognize and respect the soft energies of blooms with the help of healing therapies such as Bach flower remedies and aromatherapy.
Phoolproof is a complimentary bouquet to flowers, especially Indian flowers, and brings to our plain sight their subtle power and meaning. From the book’s various whorls, Jhelum teaches us how to gainfully use flowers in living spaces, foods, and beauty and healing treatments.
The Little Book of Comfort (collection of comforting thoughts and words of wisdom with illustrations for motivation positivity peace and happiness by Ruskin Bond)
So, do you wish to go out into the night, walke up the hill, discover new things about the night and yourself, and come home refreshed? For just as the night has the moon and the stars, so the darkness of the soul can be lit up by small fireflies – such as these calm and comforting thoughts that Ruskin Bond has jotted down for you in The Little Book of Comfort. This book will give you an opportunity to discover yourself in this post-pandemic world to become more thoughtful and to discover the art of slowing down.
The Beauty of All My Days
So here I am, delving into the past like Monsieur Poirot, not to solve a mystery, but to try to understand some of the events that have helped define the sort of person I have become. Some of it, naturally, is in the genes; but much of it is in the environment, in the circumstances in which we grow up, in the people who come into our lives, even in the air we breathe.
Had I grown up in London or Timbuktu, I would have been a different sort of person, I’m sure. My parents (and those before them) made me. But India made me too. The soil, the air, the wind, the rain, the trees, the grass, the proximity of people-all these things made me . . .
Different things at different times helped to make the individual that is me, just as different things at different times helped to make you, just as they went into making your brothers and sisters, who are very different from you.
‘Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself,’ said Walt Whitman.
Each chapter of this memoir is a remembrance of times past, an attempt to resurrect a person or a period or an episode, a reflection on the unpredictability of life. Some paths lead nowhere; others lead to a spring of pure water. Take any path and hope for the best. At least it will lead you out of the shadows.
The Bhagavadgita
The foundational text on dharma and Hindu philosophy, exquisitely rendered by one of our most eminent Sanskrit translators
As a spiritual guide, the Bhagavadgita is a mesmerizing account of the debate between right and wrong, and the bond between action and consequence. One of the core Hindu scriptures, it is part of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata, and unfolds in the form of a dialogue between Krishna and the Pandava prince, Arjuna.
This beautifully produced bilingual edition is a masterful verse-for-verse translation, providing the original Sanskrit verses alongside the English rendition. Bibek Debroy’s deep familiarity with the text yields a treasure trove of insights that will delight the scholar and the lay reader alike, making this essential reading for anyone with an abiding interest in Indian scriptures.
Pilgrim’s India
More people have embarked on a quest for the sacred in India than anywhere else.
Pilgrim’s India is about all journeys impelled by the idea of the sacred. It brings together essays and poems-from the Katha Upanishad, Fa-Hien, Basavanna and Kabir to Paul Brunton, Richard Lannoy, Amit Chaudhuri, Arun Kolatkar and others-about various aspects of trips undertaken in the name of God. Readers will encounter the watchful reserve of a British journalist in southern India, the vigorous prose of a contemporary Sikh pilgrim, a French author-adventurer’s appraisal of the Ellora caves, a modern-day Zoroastrian’s reflections on Udvada and a woman’s impression of what it means to be Muslim in India.
Mystics, witnesses and wanderers write about the Supreme Being, about journeys and destination, false starts, bottlenecks and blind alleys, about humour, rage and revelation-all of which make this anthology a deeply absorbing and idiosyncratic take on pilgrims and pilgrim trails in India.
Happiness
From the realization of mental peace to the experience of illness, suffering, death, pain, pleasure, desire and contentment, the Dalai Lama opens a window into the attainment of absolute happiness in day to day life.
What To Say And When To Shut Up
What to Say and When to Shut Up is a useful and interactive book on persuasive communication for corporates, students, entrepreneurs, and anybody who is looking to make a lasting impression on their audience. Through a practical AEIOU Xtra E framework and examples from inspiring leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, J.K. Rowling, among others, this book will help you become a persuasive communicator.
Rakesh Godhwani’s invaluable advice includes ways to:
Motivate audiences to action
Nail the interview for your dream job
Make impressive business presentations
Pitch to investors to raise money
Sell a product to a client
Negotiate a win-win
Network professionally and socially
Resolve conflicts
The Suriani Kitchen
Since ancient times, the lure of spices has drawn seafarers and traders to Kerala. Saint Thomas also travelled this spice route, converting several Brahmin families who later intermarried with Syrians settled here. Thus was born the vibrant Syrian Christian community of Kerala. Today, Ayurveda massage resorts and backwater cruises make this scenic land a top tourist destination, and spices still draw both travellers and gourmands to this rich culinary heritage. It is this legacy that The Suriani Kitchen brings us, through 150 delectable recipes and the unforgettable stories that accompany them. Featured here are savoury delights such as Meen Vevichathu (fish curry cooked in a clay pot), Parippu (lentils with coconut milk) and Thiyal (shallots with tamarind and roasted coconut). Equally mouth-watering are a variety of rice preparations such as Puttu (steamed rice cake) and Paalappam (lace-rimmed pancakes), and tempting desserts like Karikku Pudding (tender coconut pudding). Authentic and easy to prepare, these recipes are accompanied by a guide to spices, herbs and equipment, as well as a glossary of food terms. Interwoven with these recipes, in the best tradition of a cookbook memoir, are tales of talking doves, toddy shops, travelling chefs and killer coconuts. Full of beautiful pictures, charming illustrations and lyrical memories of food and family, The Suriani Kitchen is a delicious, memorable read.