Both were first composed in verse and, coming down the centuries in the ancient oral tradition, have deeply influenced the history, culture and arts of not only the Indian subcontinent but of most of South-East Asia. The Mahabharata tells of a Great War, and the events that lead upto it. The original Mahabharata in Sankrit is an epic poem of 100,000 couplets seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey together.

    As profound and powerful as this classic text has been for generations of seekers, integrating its lessons into the ordinary patterns of our lives can ultimately seem beyond our reach. Now, in a fascinating series of reflections, anecdotes, stories, and exercises, Ram Dass gives us a unique and accessible road map for experiencing divinity in everyday life. In the engaging, conversational style that has made his teachings so popular for decades, Ram Dass traces our journey of consciousness as it is reflected in one of Hinduism's most sacred texts. The Gita teaches a system of yogas, or "paths for coming to union with God."In Paths to God, Ram Dass brings the heart of that system to light for a Western audience and translates the Gita's principles into the manual for living the yoga of contemporary life.While being a guide to the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, Paths to God is also a template for expanding our definition of ourselves and allowing us to appreciate a new level of meaning in our lives.

    Still an integral part of India's cultural and religious expression, the Ramayana was originally composed by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki around 300 b.c. The epic of Prince Rama's betrayal, exile, and struggle to rescue his faithful wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon and to reclaim his throne has profoundly affected the literature, art, and culture of South and Southeast Asia-an influence most likely unparalleled in the history of world literature, except, possibly, for the Bible. Throughout the centuries, countless versions of the epic have been produced in numerous formats and languages. But previous English versions have been either too short to capture the magnitude of the original; too secular in presenting what is, in effect, scripture; or dry, line-by-line translations. Now novelist Ramesh Menon has rendered the tale in lyrical prose that conveys all the beauty and excitement of the original, while making this spiritual and literary classic accessible to a new generation of readers.

    Little did his family realize that Soordas could often see more than anyone else. He could direct a shepherd to his lost goat and a father to his missing son. He could describe exactly how the idol of his beloved Lord Krishna was dressed in the temple each day. The Mughal emperor Akbar personally came to invite him to his court. The poet Tulsidas visited him. The powerful, the wise and the ordinary flocked to him for his all-seeing wisdom and his soul-stirring songs of devotion.

    Drawing upon his vast knowledge of various cultures and religions and with his background as a Master Pranic Healer, Grand Master Choa Kok Sui reveals in this book the true meaning behind many of the symbols and rituals of Hinduism. Deeply insightful, this book is for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the Hindu religion, helping him appreciate the wisdom inherent in its teachings and symbolism.

    Coomaraswamy was engaged in the world not only as a scholarly expositor of traditional culture and philosophy, but also as a radical critic of contemporary life.

    Step by step the author leads us on the journey towards our own Self. He makes us familiar with the eight main Chakras and their function, and hands us the tools needed to reach our most important goal union with our true Self. An exceptional feature of this Chakra Book is that it also includes a description of the very little known or mentioned Bindu Chakra, which is one of the most mysterious and remarkable energy centres within humans. People very often dream about discovering the "Fountain of Eternal Youth". This fountain of youth, vitality and health can be found in the Bindu Chakra and through special exercises can be made to flow. This book not only imparts theoretical knowledge but, more importantly, guides us towards recognition of the divine truth. If the instructions given are followed, the way to liberation from the cycle of rebirth and death unfolds before us. Hardcover, 17 x 24 cm, 272 pages, with many diagrams and illustrations.

    Certainly, unless one cleanses the augean stables of his mind and expurgates all impurities through selfless and disinterested service while living amid the toil and moil of the world, he will find himself in a fool’s paradise, when he puts on the second orange-coloured garb to follow the path of renunciation. So one has to do Karma Yoga first ceaselessly and untiringly, and develop all noble qualities such as cosmic love, endurance, nobility and Brahmacharya, and thus equip himself for the great ensuing battle royal, and finally come out the victor.The present work, Practice of Karma Yoga, coming as it does, from the inspired and enlightened pen of Swami Sivanandaji, is, as usual, a safe and sound guide to reach the goal in view of the aspirant. Those who have had the good fortune to know of Sri Swami Sivanandaji and his writings—from the biggest volume to the sixteen-page pamphlet distributed free to those who ask and those who do not ask—will agree with us how infallible his writings are, how simple and lucid is the language he employs in order that what he writes may be accessible not only to the university graduate, but also to him or her who has a working knowledge of English, and how sincere and earnest the author is in his unquenchable thirst to be even a ‘particle’ of service to his brethren. Pregnant with the magnetism of a Jivanmukta or liberated sage, they cannot but uplift the seeker after Truth to ineffable heights of spiritual glory, bliss and peace.

    Rajagopalachari put in his commentary, "When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the heart, it becomes wisdom. When that wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes devotion. Knowledge which has become mature is spoken of as devotion. If it does not get transformed into devotion, such knowledge is useless tinsel." In this prayer, Adi Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of devotion for God as a means to spiritual development and to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The prayer leaves one in no doubt that the renunciation of our egotistical differences and surrender to God makes for salvation. Many scholars hold that this composition encapsulates with both brevity and simplicity the substance of all Vedantic thought found in whatever other works that Adi Shankaracharya wrote: The refrain "Bhaja Govindam" which defines the composition and gives it its name invokes the almighty in the aspect of Vishnu; it is therefore very popular not only with Sri Adi Shankaracharya's immediate followers, the Smarthas, but also with Vaishnavas and others.

    It is a cogent reminder to those who want to start at the end of the spiritual path that there is an essential beginning, the neglect of which portends failure and disappointment. In 224 pages, with full-color Indian art, it explores the traditional foundation of yoga, twenty little-known guidelines on personal ethics, self-control and religious practice, called the yamas and niyamas.pThe yamas and niyamas have been preserved through the centuries as the first and second stage of the eight-staged practice of yoga. They provide the essential foundation to support our yoga practice so that attainments in higher consciousness can be sustained.pThe modern exponent of hatha yoga B.K.S. Iyengar cautioned, "Practice of asanas without the backing of yama and niyama is mere acrobatics. Yama and niyama control the yogi's passions and emotions and keep him in harmony with his fellow man."pThe book begins with a forward by the author's spiritual successor, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, and takes the reader step by step through noninjury, truthfulness, nonstealing, sexual purity, patience, contentment and other facets of virtue. Grounded in a traditional Hindu point of view, yet admirably relevant to us all, the book discusses some of the toughest issues and challenges of modern life, including promiscuity, domestic abuse, child-rearing, overeating, gambling, vegetarianism, violence, injustice and pornography relating them all to progress on the yoga path. It also explores the essential practices, including charity, worship, chanting mantras, austerity and scriptural study.224 pages, full color

    His life enables us to see God face to face. No one can read the story of his life without being convinced that God alone is real and that all else is an illusion.

    Guarded for centuries by saints and ascetics in the forests and mountains of India, the universal principles of Vedanta were deemed too precious to be understood by the masses until Swami Vivekananda first introduced them in the West at the end of the nineteenth century.Today Vedanta's principles of self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-control are available for anyone who wants to enrich their life by following this ancient tradition. Fusing science, philosophy, meditation and contemplation, these timeless teachings encourage spiritual growth by inviting critical inquiry, encouraging honest doubt and providing realistic explanations of the mysteries of spiritual quest.This comprehensive guide examines in detail the tenets of Vedanta, its relationship to other spiritual paths and its applications for your own spiritual journey, such as:Re-establishing Contact with the Ultimate Reality Acting in the Living Present Awakening Spiritual Consciousness Mastering the Restless Mind Grasping the Essentials Liberating the Soul And much more ...

    Numerous anecdotes are the greatest strength of this important book. "He presents the transcultural Good News in culturally understandable ways for the India of the 21st century." -H. Stanley Wood, Center for New Church Development, Columbia Theological Seminary

    Follow the footsteps of a Yogi and experience through his words, as he walks his talk in the jungles, temples, ashrams and hidden [to the uninitiated] places of India. Enrich your life with the secret oral traditions revealed for the first time - mysteries of life, immortality, and Self-Realization. Not since the "Autobiography of a Yogi," written over 60 years ago, has a Master brought the message of Mahavatar Babaji to the world for a new millenium. The author details his remarkable experiences with Babaji, insights on Kriya Yoga, healing, the spiritual hierarchy, supra-conscious states of yoga, meetings with great beings, and his mission. The 3rd edition softcover.

    The idea that Indian society had declined from an earlier Golden Age helped justify the colonial presence. It was said, for example, that modern Buddhism had fallen away from its original identity as a purely rational philosophy that arose in the mythical 5th-century BCE Golden Age unsullied by the religious and cultural practices that surrounded it. In this book Robert DeCaroli seeks to place the formation of Buddhism in its appropriate social and political contexts. It is necessary, he says, to acknowledge that the monks and nuns who embodied early Buddhist ideals shared many beliefs held by the communities in which they were raised. In becoming members of the monastic society these individuals did not abandon their beliefs in the efficacy and the dangers represented by minor deities and spirits of the dead. Their new faith, however, gave them revolutionary new mechanisms with which to engage those supernatural beings. Drawing on fieldwork, textual, and iconographic evidence, DeCaroli offers a comprehensive view of early Indian spirit-religions and their contributions to Buddhism-the first attempt at such a study since Ananda Coomaraswamy's pioneering work was published in 1928. The result is an important contribution to our understanding of early Indian religion and society, and will be of interest to those in the fields of Buddhist studies, Asian history, art history, and anthropology.

    Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, her brother-in-law Rodney Collin, and other spiritual supermen fired Joyce Collin-Smith's imagination from a young age and she literally 'sat at the feet' of many such masters and esoteric teachers.