In the moments before a great battle, the dialogue sets out the important lessons Arjuna must learn to change the outcome of the war he is to fight, and culminates in Krishna revealing to the warrior his true cosmic form, counselling him to search for the universal perfection of life. Ranging from instructions on yoga postures to dense moral discussion, the Gita is one of the most important Hindu texts, as well as serving as a practical guide to living well.

     Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati promise nothing short of a grand transformation of humanity with the birthing of a new joy-centered consciousness on Earth at this time. They take us on a grand spiritual journey by weaving new insights into ancient teachings, correcting what has been altered in scriptures by their "male" authors, and revealing new secrets about Buddhas, and Gods and Goddesses who have walked on Earth. Whether it is Eve's original sin or the closing of magnificent Goddess Temples or Sita's Fire Test or Mary Magdalene's depiction as a prostitute, "enlightened women" have been portrayed as sinners by numerous kings, emperors, writers, popes, and other religious heads for millennia. The messages of Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati correct many misconceptions and misrepresentations about the "patriarchal" stories from Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. These profound messages by the two ascended Goddesses will delight you, surprise you, transform you, and even enlighten you.  Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati also reveal new information and intimate secrets about their many incarnations on Earth with Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and other divine beings. They reveal how the transformation of many souls from their ancient tribe created two of the major world religions known as Hinduism and Buddhism.  This book is not only about spirituality, but also about history, philosophy, religion, and psychology. Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati provide new insights on mind, body, soul, chakras, elements, contrast, time, destiny, karma, sensuality, tantra, higher self, heavenly realms, expanding levels of enlightenment, ascension, and of course the author’s favorite – a new way of experiencing the “divine feminine” within oneself.  This is the first book in the Ascended Goddesses Series. Future books in this series will have conversations with Goddesses Parvati, Mother Mary, Kuan Yin and Tara, among others.  JOIN OUR TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS  The Path of Joy Organization is donating 5,000 copies of this book to uplift disempowered girls, women, and mothers, elderly living in old age homes, handicapped people, young adults with challenges, patients in hospitals, and numerous NGOs all over the world. Send an email to join our team of volunteers to distribute the 5000 copies.  The author recently signed an MOU with RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture, and Empower Women - http://renew.org.bt/) to donate 600 copies of this book to their 600 active volunteers, who provide help to the disempowered girls and women in Bhutan.  Another 100 copies of this book were sent to the volunteers and interns of Apne Aap Women Worldwide (http://apneaap.org/), an organization that saves girls and women from sex trafficking and other forms of exploitation.  Even a Buddhist "nunnery" in Punakha founded by the Queen Mother of Bhutan took 120 copies for their 120 resident nuns. The many stories of enlightenment of Eve, Sita, Radha, Yasodhara, Yeshe Tsogyal and other women help in undoing the widely-held Buddhist belief that incarnating as a woman is inferior to incarnating as a man for spiritual attainment.

    Baba Lokenath, through his amazing penance and practice of hathayoga, rajayoga, and the synthesis of Yoga, reached a state of being one with the Divine. To thousands of followers who came to seek succor from the pains of worldly life, Baba showered his boundless grace and miraculous power, healing and redeeming them, and showing the simplest path of Yoga of Action. He never wanted the seekers to leave their home and comforts of life, but be where they are and practice meditation of self-enquiry and the path of devotional surrender to the Higher Reality. He supported Gnana-mishra-bhakti, the path of a balanced blending of Awareness and Love Divine. As you read this book, please know that very little is known about Baba Lokenath’s long life of 160 years, for he was against any propaganda about him or his incomprehensible powers of manifesting miracles. But this book has his presence, for it is his divine grace that made this book possible. Whoever will read this book will feel the aura of his divine presence surrounding them. It is no coincidence that you have this book and you are reading the life of one who could say, ‘In danger, remember me, I will save you’. Please read his promises, his teachings and the lives of those who came in touch with him and the transformations they attained, particularly, his equanimity, his infinite love for animals and his boundless compassion for mankind. When you read this incredible life, Baba’s Divine Presence works in your heart and soul and creates the ground that attracts his miraculous powers to heal you and bring fulfillment of your coveted desires of life. His Presence will cleanse your inner being to allow the awakening and opening of the petals of divine consciousness so that your human life is fulfilled. You are now on a journey to rediscovering yourself and finding your teacher who guides from within to the world of Eternal light and Joy.

    Here she reveals how her ability to see and communicate with Spirit has helped her to pass on Spirit messages to thousands of people from around the world, sharing her understanding of what it’s really like in the Spirit world.Gaynor has answered questions about Spirit and the Afterlife in her usual honest and down to earth way.What happens when we die?Is there really such thing as life after death?Where is Heaven?Are our Spirit loved ones happy?Do we meet our pets in Heaven?Do angels exist?Is Heaven a real place?This book will give you the answers to these questions and many more, along with a guided view of life after death and a clearer understanding of the place some call Heaven.

    Written in a style that is simple and engaging, it explores the history of Buddhism, its philosophies, and its relevance in today’s society. The book provides numerous meditative exercises that will allow you to experience the wondrous teachings of this ancient wisdom. Inside you will read about... ✓ A Brief History of Buddhism ✓ The Spread of Buddhism ✓ The Servant or the Master: Which One are You? ✓ Self-Identification with the Mind and Body ✓ Meditation ✓ The Presence of Mindfulness ✓ The Principle of Karma ✓ Dualistic versus Non-Dualistic Perspectives ✓ The Principle of Non-Substantiality ✓ One’s Life and the Environment ✓ Sentient and Non-Sentient Beings ✓ Attachment ✓ The Ten Worlds The author explains how Buddhism is more than a religion; it’s an internal science. Rather than relying on dogma or sacred texts, Buddhism teaches us to look inward and challenge our most deep-seated beliefs for the purpose liberating ourselves from our minds.

    He is Lord Rama’s most trusted ally who embodies the virtues of a sincere devotee, the fearless fighter who sets the city of Lanka ablaze with his burning tail, the humble messenger who informs Mother Sita of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the noble fellow warrior who uproots Dronagiri, a mountain of herbs, to save Lakshmana’s life. Above all, he is a perfect blend of intelligence and humility. The Chronicles of Hanuman, an engaging and inspiring bildungsroman of the Monkey God, is also replete with interesting folk tales, local lore about Hanuman temples across India and Hanuman prayers, making this book a reader’s delight.

    His charioteer, Krishna, expounds the eternal dharma for him. This exposition between two armies is the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindus Bible.BLUE GOD cuts back to Krishnas birth, and back again to the battlefield, and so on, chapter by chapter, until both narratives flow together near the books end. Never before have Krishnas sacred Gita and his colorful personality and life been put together in the same book, certainly not in English by a modern novelist for a modern audience.

    She claimed the police had inserted a stick inside her… Swaranpreet realised that she had been cruelly violated; He spoke a single sentence but repeated it twice in chaste Punjabi: ‘Please give me a turban? I want nothing else…’ These are voices begging for deliverance in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination in October-November 1984 in which 2,733 Sikhs were killed, burnt and exterminated by lumpens in the country. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay walks us through one of the most shameful episodes of sectarian violence in post Independent India and highlights the apathy of subsequent governments towards Sikhs who paid a price for what was clearly a state-sponsored riot. Poignant, raw and most importantly, macabre, the personal histories in the book reveal how even after three decades, a community continues to battle for its identity in its own country.

    Drawing from the Hindu sacred text the Shiva Mahapurana--said to be written by Shiva himself--Vanamali selects the essential stories of Shiva, both those from his dark wild side and those from his benevolent peaceful side. Vanamali discusses Shiva’s many avatars such as Shambunatha and Bhola, as well as Dakshinamurti who taught the shastras and tantras to the rishis. She explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Examining Shiva’s acceptance of outsiders, Vanamali explains why ghosts and ghouls are his attendants and why his greatest devotees are demon kings, like Ravana. She includes famous Shiva stories such as the Descent of the River Ganga and Churning the Milky Ocean as well as those that reveal the origin of the festival of lights, Diwali; his creation of the cosmic couple, or hierogamos; and how Shiva and Parvati taught the world the secrets of Kundalini Shakti. The author also draws upon Shaivite teachings to illustrate the differences between Western science and Vedic science and their explanations for the origins of consciousness. Integrating Shiva’s two sides, the fierce and the peaceful, Vanamali reveals that Shiva’s form depends on the needs of the devotee. Understanding his teachings allows one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life, for Shiva is the wielder of maya who does not fall under its spell. While Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles, Shiva is the remover of tears.

    They have won 11 World Series titles and some of the most famousplayers in the history of the game have worn the storied “Birds on the Bat”uniform.While thaton-field success has been well documented, IntentionalWalk is the first book which goes beyond the story of what happens on thefield to take an in-depth look at the men inside the Cardinal uniforms, andexamine how their strong Christian faith is one of the driving forces behindtheir success.Intentional Walk features the stories of AdamWainwright, David Freese, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, JasonMotte and other members of the 2012 Cardinals, written as those players and therest of the team tried to repeat the 2011 world championship. The book talksabout how they became Christians and offers their testimony about what it meansfor them to have God play such a prominent role in their lives.Playing forfirst-year manager Mike Matheny, a strong Christian as well, these men talkabout their success and failure, about the challenges that come from playingbaseball at the highest level, and how thankful and blessed they are to havethat God-given ability. In the end, however, what is far more important to themis their life-long relationship they have established with Jesus Christ.

    Neither of those works, however, undertakes to give a detailed account of the great Anarchy that marked the conclusion of the eighteenth century, the dark time that came before the dawn of British power in the land of the Moghul.

    Yet—startling as this is— the instrument as we know it is only a century old. T.M. Krishna investigates the history of the mrdangam and meets the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mrdangam makers.The making process is an intellectually, aesthetically and physically taxing one. From acquiring the skins for the circular membranes and straps to the wood for the drum, from curing the material to the final construction, and at the end of it all, making sure that it has the tone that the mrdangam player wants, mrdangam-making is also a highly nuanced operation at every stage.While several artists have been credited with the evolution of the instrument, including the stalwart Palghat Mani Iyer, none of them had knowledge of a fundamental aspect of the making: hide. The quality of the hide and how it is cured, cut, stretched, bound and braided impacts the tone, timbre and sound of the instrument. This requires a highly tuned ear and an ability to translate abstract ideas expressed by musicians into the corporeal reality of a mrdangam. Yet, their contribution to the art of the mrdangam is dismissed as labour and repair—when it is spoken of at all.There are legendary mrdangam players, yes; there are also distinguished mrdangam makers, many of them from Dalit Christian communities, who remain on the fringes of the Karnatik community. Sebastian and Sons explores the world of these artists, their history, lore and lived experience to arrive at a more organic and holistic understanding of the music that the mrdangam makes.

    This book is a compilation of the fourth year of Weekly Knowledge from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual teacher and founder of the Art of Living Foundation. The Weekly Knowledge is sent around the world with precious words of wisdom for practical daily living.

    But no modern translation has yet captured the essential thrust of Lao Tzu's work as a practical guide to living an awakened life. Now William Martin, whose acclaimed previous reinterpretations of the Tao (for parents, couples, and elders) have introduced or reacquainted this classic text to thousands of readers, strikingly translates the Tao's eighty-one chapters to uniquely address someone on a Tao—or path—with a practice. Martin frames his new translation with two illuminating, groundbreaking sections: "A Path," which introduces the Tao's nonlinear construction and explains how it works its themes; and "A Practice," which provides practical guidance for readers exploring each of the Tao's themes in depth. Martin's genius in this new translation uncovers how directly the Tao speaks to readers on or about to embark on a spiritual journey.