The civilization of the Indian subcontinent is by far the world’s oldest living civilization. A Treasury of Indian Wisdom traces its intellectual and spiritual history over 5000 years.
The anthology begins with Vedic hymns, journeys into the heart of Vedantic philosophy through the Upanishads, and discusses the fundamental truths offered by Buddhist and Jain monks. Presenting the beauty and devotion in the verses of the Bhakti, Sufi and Sikh gurus, it finally evolves into the contemporary ideologies of the moderns like Jawaharlal Nehru, J. Krishnamurti and Osho. In keeping with the spirit of pluralism, the book puts together the wide-ranging wisdom of saints and scholars, thinkers and reformers, poets and leaders.
At a time of great turmoil and transition, Dr Karan Singh’s selections come as a reminder of our timeless secular heritage for a generation seeking its place in the world.
Catagory: Religion
Inner Engineering (Hindi)
Inner Engineering is Sadguru’s new revolutionary book, in which he distills his own experiences with spirituality and yoga and introduces the transformational concept of Inner Engineering. Devoloped by him over several years, this powerful practice serves to align the mind and body with energies around and within, creating a world of limitless power and possibilities.
Life Amazing Secrets (Hindi)/Jeevan ke Adbhut Rahasya/जीवन के अद्भुत रहस्य
आज मनुष्य के जीवन में इतनी आपाधापी और तनाव घर कर गया है कि उसे देखकर ऐसा लगता है, मानो वह जीना ही भूल गया हो। इसका एकमात्र समाधान यह है कि जीवन में संतुलन और उद्देश्य का समावेश किया जाए। अत्यधिक पसंद और फॉलो किए जाने वाले जीवन-प्रशिक्षक गौर गोपाल दास ने अपनी इस पुस्तक में इसके सरल-सहज उपाय बताए हैं और वह रोचक कथाओं के माध्यम से।
The Hidden Rainbow
Kelly Dorji takes you on a spiritual journey through Buddhist symbolism to help find your inner peace. In our busy lives, this book is the perfect oasis.
Godsong
Born in the United States into a secularized Hindu family, Amit Majmudar puzzled over the many religious traditions on offer and found that the Bhagavad-Gita had much to teach him with its “song of multiplicities.” Chief among them is that “its own assertions aren’t as important as the relationships between its characters . . . The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals.” It is, he believes, “the greatest poem of friendship . . . in any language.” His verse translation captures the many tones and strategies Krishna uses with Arjuna-strict and berating, detached and philosophical, tender and personable.
The listener’s guides to each section expand on the main text and what is happening between the lines in accessible terms. Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and-perhaps most important-devotion.
Caste Matters
In this explosive book, Suraj Yengde, a first-generation Dalit scholar educated across continents, challenges deep-seated beliefs about caste and unpacks its many layers. He describes his gut-wrenching experiences of growing up in a Dalit basti, the multiple humiliations suffered by Dalits on a daily basis, and their incredible resilience enabled by love and humour. As he brings to light the immovable glass ceiling that exists for Dalits even in politics, bureaucracy and judiciary, Yengde provides an unflinchingly honest account of divisions within the Dalit community itself-from their internal caste divisions to the conduct of elite Dalits and their tokenized forms of modern-day untouchability-all operating under the inescapable influences of Brahminical doctrines.
This path-breaking book reveals how caste crushes human creativity and is disturbingly similar to other forms of oppression, such as race, class and gender. At once a reflection on inequality and a call to arms, Caste Matters argues that until Dalits lay claim to power and Brahmins join hands against Brahminism to effect real transformation, caste will continue to matter.
Hymns of the Sikh Gurus
The vision of Guru Nanak, the fifteenth-century founder of the Sikh faith, celebrated the oneness of the Divine that both dwells within and transcends the endless diversity of life. Guru Nanak’s immaculate vision inspired the rich and inclusive philosophy of Sikhism, which is reflected in this exquisite and highly acclaimed translation of poems from the religion’s most sacred texts: the Guru Granth Sahib, the principal sacred text of the Sikh religion, which consists of poems and hymns by Guru Nanak, his successors and Hindu and Islamic saints; and the Dasam Granth, a collection of devotional verses composed by the tenth Sikh Guru.
Poetry from these highly revered texts is heard daily and at rites of passage and celebration in Sikh homes and gurudwaras, carrying forward the Sikh belief in the oneness and equality of all humanity.
A Good Wife
At fifteen, Samra Zafar had big dreams for herself. She was going to go to university, and forge her own path. Then with almost no warning, those dreams were pulled away from her when she was suddenly married to a stranger at seventeen and had to leave behind her family in Pakistan to move to Canada. Her new husband and his family promised that the marriage and the move would be a fulfilment of her dream, not a betrayal of it. But as the walls of their home slowly became a prison, Samra realized the promises were empty ones.
In the years that followed she suffered her husband’s emotional and physical abuse that left her feeling isolated, humiliated and assaulted. Desperate to get out, and refusing to give up, she hatched an escape plan for herself and her two daughters. Somehow she found the strength to not only build a new future, but to walk away from her past, ignoring the pleas of her family and risking cultural isolation by divorcing her husband.
But that end was only the beginning for Samra. Through her academic and career achievements, she has gone on to become a mentor and public speaker, connecting with people around the world from isolated women in situations similar to her own, to young schoolgirls in Kenya who never allowed themselves to dream to men making the decisions to save for their daughters’ educations instead of their dowries. A Good Wife tells her harrowing and inspiring story, following her from a young girl with big dreams, through finding strength in the face of oppression and then finally battling through to empowerment.
Endless Song
A dazzling translation of one of the most revered ancient Bhakti poems
The Tiruvaymoli (sacred utterance or sacred truth) is a grand 1102-verse poem, composed in the ninth century by Sathakopan-Nammalvar, the greatest of the alvar poets. Ingeniously weaving a garland of words-where each beginning is also an ending-the poet traces his cyclical quest for union with the supreme lord, Visnu. In this magnificent translation, Archana Venkatesan transports the flavour and cadences of Tamil into English, capturing the different voices and range of emotions through which the poet expresses his enduring desire for release. The scholarly introduction illuminates the poem’s kaleidoscopic brilliance and the traditions of devotional religiosity it inspired.
Not Many, But One Volume I
Sree Narayana Guru (1855-1928) was a spiritual leader and social reformer who led powerful movements to promote social equality. Not Many, But One brings together his work in two rich volumes of translation and interpretation, pieced together for a modern readership.
In Volume 1, we see Sree Narayana Guru’s philosophy of Advaita. He foresees the potential and the need for a new approach to science and technology. As a result, he discovered new dimensions of Advaita and revived it in a manner that suited the most sophisticated developments in physics and modern cosmology. This volume is a study of the works and teachings of Sree Narayana Guru on a spiritual and scientific footing. In his work, one can see a deep-rooted correlation of Advaita and quantum cosmology. The translations, explanations and commentary given are simple and conceivable by ordinary readers who may not be well equipped to grasp the complexities of the intuitional spiritual findings of Advaita and hypothetic conclusions of quantum physics-but without compromising on the authenticity of the works.
Vedic philosophers, physicists, cosmologists and enthusiasts of science and spirituality will appreciate this enterprising effort-though with limitations-in bringing closer two hitherto uncompromising schools of thought. The devotees of Sree Narayana Guru will find an opportunity to delve deeper into his work.