The usually venerated characters of this ancient Indian epic are here subjected to a rational enquiry that places them in context, unravels their hopes and fears, and imbues them with wholly human motives, thereby making their stories relevant and astonishing to contemporary readers. Irawati Karve, thus, presents a delightful collection of essays, scientific in spirit, yet appreciative of the literary tradition of the Mahabharata. She challenges the familiar and formulates refreshingly new interpretations, all the while refusing to judge harshly or venerate blindly.

    

    The geographical region discussed in this book, in addition to what is considered a part of South India, includes parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Goa.In addition to the origins of Dravidian people and their culture, the author has also discussed legends related to South India like those of sage Agastya and Parasurama. The book traces the historical background of the region by talking about various dynasties like the Cholas, Pandyas, Mauryas, and Gangas that ruled different parts of South India during different times. Trade, art, literature, philosophy, and religion have also been emphasised upon in the later parts of the text.The topics covered in this book include the age of the Mauryan empire, the age of the four empires, the empire of Vijayanagar, the Satavahanas and their successors, Aryanization, art and architecture, and social and economic conditions.This fourth edition begins with a Prologue by Rajan Gurukkal, an eminent Indian historian, followed by an Introduction by R. Champakalakshmi, a reputed history professor.A History Of South India 4th Edition contains information that is replete with illustrations, genealogical charts, and maps.

    It is regarded as a comprehensive manual of Advaita Vedanta. This is not an easy book to read for most people. This work is a fourteenth-century Advaita classic by Vidyaranya Swami, on the metaphysics of Vedanta and the methods which lead to the realization of the Supreme Truth. Sanskrit text, English translation and notes based on the Tika of the eighteenth century philosopher Ramakrishna. Introduction by the noted Advaitic scholar T.M.P. Mahadevan. The original text is given in Devanagari script followed by an English rendering which aims to be faithful to the spirit of the original rather than to the letter. Brief explanatory notes have been added whenever the terms and passages seemed obscure. An index to slokas and a glossary are appended at the end.

    While uniquely Indian, these stories reflect the universal themes of world folklore. Contents include: The Beautiful Blue Jay / The King and the Shoemaker / The Crow and the Sparrow / The Lazy Gaardener and the Little Red Man / The Prince and the Demon / The Magic Bottles / Mother's Day / The Milkman and the Monkey / One More Child / The Calm Brahman / The Jackal and the Crocodile / The Clever Children and the Kind Tailor / The Little Bird's Rice / The King's True Children / The Length of Life / The Cartman's Stories / The Impudent Little Mouse / The Rich Man and the Tailor / The Tiny Bird and the King / The Kid and the Tiger / The Cobbler's Deity / The Brave Little Prince / The Golden Skins / The Panditji and the Guavas / The Moon Princess.