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Ramayana through the...
Ramayana through the Ages
Rama-Gatha in Different Versions by: Avadhesh Kumar SinghThe tradition of Rama-Katha existed in many folk and oral forms before Adikavi Valmiki wrote the Sanskrit Ramayana. The subsequent centuries witnessed composition of Ramayana in Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Marathi, etc. This volume shares their many similarities and dissimilarites.
$28.00
ISBN: 9788124604168
Year Of Publication: 2007
Edition: 1st
Pages : x, 374 p.
Bibliographic Details : Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 23
Weight: 700
The long and continuous tradition of Rama-Katha existed in many folk and oral forms before Adikavi Valmiki composed it in Sanskrit in written form as the Ramayana, a book of divine harmony . . . a bottomless and shoreless ocean of love, piety and clemency. The subsequent centuries witnessed composition of Ramayana in many Indian languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Kashmiri, Gujarati and Marathi among others. These versions share many similarities and some dissimilarities among them, though their epicentral concerns remain the same.
The present volume comprising more than a dozen articles by distinguished scholars discuss Ramayana in different Indian languages. The volume, it is hoped, would lead to mutual illumination of Rama-Katha in different Indian languages and facilitate greater understanding of its timeless appeal and journey through ages.
Preface
Acknowledgement
1. Rama, his Carita, Manasa and Katha
— Avadhesh Kumar Singh
2. Valmiki Ramayana: The Sanskrit Epic
— Nagindas Sanghavi
3. Valmiki, the Sage and Kamban, the Artist
— D. Gnanasundaram
4. The Ramavatara and the Valmiki Ramayana: A Comparative Study
— Subhash Chander Sachdeva
5. Ranganatha Ramayanam : Telugu Ramayana
— K. Malayavasini
6. The Bengali Ramayana of Krittivasa
— Indra Nath Choudhuri
7. Madhava Kandalis Ramayana and Contemporary Society
–Indira Goswami
8. Jagamohana Ramayana of Balarama Dasa: Inheritance and Innovation
— Sitakant Mahapatra
9. Ezhuthaccans Adhyatma Ramayana and the Ramayana Tradition
— K. Satchidanandan
10. Eknaths Bhavarth Ramayana
— Aruna Dhere
11. Rom-Sitma ni Varta: The Ramayana of the Bhils
— Bhagvandas Patel
12. The Girdhara Ramayana: A Critical Study
— Upendra N. Dave
13. Tulsidasas Rama-carita-manasa: An Overview
— Ambashankar Nagar
14. Rama and His Kathas: The Endless Saga
–Poojya Shri Morari Bapuji
The Contributors
Index
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Aitareya Upanisad $20.00
Yet another masterly piece of Hindu spiritual wisdom, Aitareya essentially reinforces the grand Upanishadic message which is neither a picturesque mythology nor a promise of heaven nor a threat of hell. It is yet another reminder (from the ancient seers) of our cosmic connection showing how this universe, this phenomenal world of ours, and all that is created, whether movable or immovable, are unfolded from one primeval casual Reality: atman, variantly called the Supreme Spirit, Pure Consciousness or Prajnanam Brahma; and how, in turn, atman perceives itself as the one underlying substance of all these phenomena. A distinguished exponent of Vedanta, Swami Muni Narayana Prasad reinterprets this Upanishad, developing refreshing insights into its textual discourse, its meaning, and its message. Also included in this critical commentary are its original Sanskrit text, Romanised transliteration, and verse for verse English translation. Appended to the Rigveda, Aitareya Upanishad comprises three chapters (IV-VI) of the Aitareya-Aranyaka which, in itself, is a continuation of Aitareya Brahmana. And as one of the principal Upanishads is invaluable as much to the discerning readers as to the scholars of Indian philosophy.
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Lalita-Sahasranama A Comprehensive Study of One Thousand Names of Lalita Maha-Tripurasundari (PB) $34.00
In the Hindu sacred literature, Sahasra-namas: the texts embodying literally “the Thousand Names” of a deity, constitute a genre in their own right. And Lalita-Sahasranama (LS) is a veritable classic in the traditional writings of the kind — a classic widely acknowledged for its lucidity, clarity and poetic excellence. A medieval work of unknown authorship eulogising Shakti: the Mother Goddess, this Sahasranama is not just a masterly exposition of Shri Lalita’s cult, but also sets out the deity’s diverse epithets — like, for instance, Kundalini, Nirguna, Saguna, Parashakti or Brahman — which continue to evoke reverence as mantras with ‘mystic powers’. Also included among these names are the goddess’s other panegyric descriptions that have come to have profound, esoteric connotations in tantric practices — epitomizing, thus, the fundamental tenets of tantrashastra. Here is a brilliant critical edition of Lalita-Sahasranama meticulously analysing, for the first time, each of Shri Lalita’s thousand names — by a variety of themes, like the Goddess’s conceptual representations, anthropomorphic forms, disposition, abodes, kinships/consorts, ritualistic worship, and her supremacy in pantheonic hierarchy. Also explaining and interpreting anew these thousand names on the basis of time-honoured commentaries, Dr. Joshi under-scores the high importance of Lalita-Sahasranama in philosophy, tantra, yoga, sahasranama literature, and rituals of various descriptions. The book includes the original Sanskrit text of LS, its romanised transliteration and, additionally, an Appendix listing Sri Lalita’s thousand names in the A-Z sequence.
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Atreyashiksha $32.00
Atreyashiksha is one of the Shiksha texts of the Krishna-Yajurveda, Taittiriya school. This text has been critically edited and translated consulting two palm-leaf manuscripts which are currently the only discovered manuscripts of this text in public libraries. Shiksha texts deal with phonetics and phonology of the Vedas and the method of proper pronunciation and recitation. The Atreyashiksha is well-structured in terms of arranging its topics of discussion.
When compared to the other Shikshas of the Taittiriya school, the Atreyashiksha, in keeping its focus on the discussion on the different methods of Vedic recitation, namely, word-reading (padapatha), sequential reading (kramapatha), tangled reading (jatapatha) and the five varieties of the reading of the phonic sequences (varnakramas), holds a unique position in the corpus of the Shiksha literature. A close reading of the text shows that the main aim of the text is to explain the practical aspects of the different ways of Vedic recitation, in whose connection it describes the theoretical elements of Shiksha too.
The book, therefore, serves as a practical guidebook to Vedic reciters who recite the above-mentioned readings of the Taittiriya Krishna-Yajurveda along with the continuous reading. While describing the methods of recitation, the Atreyashiksha gives enough emphasis on the theoretical nuances. The phonological rules, most of which are expressed in the Taittiriya Pratishakhya, are also illustrated in this text. This book consists of a detailed introduction, the critically edited text in Devanagari script, its Roman transliteration and an authentic English translation. -
Love Songs of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah $32.00
This impressively illustrated volume brings forth the evergreen spirit of a Muslim ruler of Awadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shaw (1822-87), in composing love poetry taking a cue from the amorous Krishna leela and assimilating and practising the same in personal life. A trained Kathak dancer himself and a dedicated patron of poetry, painting and performing arts, Wajid Ali Shah immersed in the rasa of dance, music and drama, and got deeply indulged in the many an expression of shringar, while administering the political affairs of his state.
Recalling the different facets of Nawab Wajid Ali’s life, the book explores the state and fame of Lucknow, of his times, where the Nawab lived a life of refinement and pomp, and attracted the best talents in arts and crafts. It also portrays how were dance and music enjoying pride of place during his reign.
While presenting a penetrating account of Ali Shah’s poetry, the book revisits his musical scholarship, history of his times and presents his poems with English translation. It as well showcases the best paintings centring around his personal and cultural life, and guides one go through the religious and cultural harmony prevailed in Awadh where a lot of factors were at play effecting acculturation between the Hindus and the Muslims, popularly known as the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. -
Ancient Indian Scientific Thought and Modern Theories $20.00
The experiences and knowledge from our past are recorded in manuscripts which have been handed down to us over several thousand years. The Government of India, through the Department of Culture, took note of the importance of this vast tangible heritage and, in order to preserve and conserve as well as to make access to this wealth easy, established the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM). In order to disseminate the knowledge content of manuscripts, the Mission has taken up several programmes such as lectures, seminars and workshops. The Mission has published the proceedings of the above-said programmes under the following series: Samraksika (on conservation), Tattvabodha (comprising lectures based on manuscripts delivered by eminent scholars), Samiksika (research-oriented papers presented in the seminars), Krtibodha (transcribed and edited texts prepared at advanced level manuscriptology workshops conducted by NMM) and Prakasika (publication of rare, unpublished manuscripts).
Ancient Indian Scientific Thought and Modern Theories makes one revisit the development of Indian science and technology in varied fields since the Vedic period, and suggests that we have a living tradition which is vivid and dynamic, inheriting at the same time claiming freedom from the past. It is the proceedings of a three-day seminar held during 25-27 March 2017 in Kolkata, organized by the Sanskrit Sahitya Parishad, Kolkata, and sponsored by NMM. This volume bears testimony to the fact that Indian sages, philosophers and scholars had a grip on all the topics that the modern-day scientists deal with, including complicated surgery and quantum mechanics. Our Vedas, Upanisads and other literary works were the storehouse of scientific wisdom, though the prevailing socio-religious conditions impeded its widespread dissemination.
This volume is expected to invoke keen interest among all who wants to know about a scientific past that Indians inherit, be a scientist or a layman.
