How Urvashi was Won
How Urvashi was Won

Author: Kālidāsa

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2009-09

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0814741118

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One of the three surviving plays by Kali dasa (fifth century), universally acknowledged as the supreme poet in classical Sanskrit, How Urvashi Was Won, like the other two, is a masterpiece of lyricism, subtle characterization, and the working through of a bold theme. How Urvashi Was Won is the story of King Puru ravas and his love for an immortal, the dancer Urvashi, who normally lives in the heaven of the gods but who has come down to earth in order to realize her passion for the alltoo- mortal king. The tragic love of this asymmetrical couple was described already in the ancient "Rig Veda" and later often expanded. Kali dasa has reworked the narrative so as to depict a goddess in the process of becoming fully, and dangerously, human—since only human beings (at their best) are, in Kali dasa’s vision, truly capable of the depths and intricacies of loving. This great work of love, loss, and eventual restoration speaks to the human condition generally in highly nuanced verses, accessible to any modern reader.

Virtual Equality
Virtual Equality

Author: Urvashi Vaid

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2015-11-18

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 1101972343

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A veteran activist tackles urgent questions about where the gay movement should go and what the movement wants with a unique combination of visionary politics and hard-earned pragmatism. "A valuable, encyclopedic compendium of the gay movement’s modern history and challenges." —San Francisco Chronicle Since the decade to lift the ban on gays in the military, the emergence of gay conservatives, and the onslaught of antigay initiatives across America, the gay and lesbian community has been asking itself tough questions. In Virtual Equality, Urvashi Vaid offers wise answers.

Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives (Volume 1)
Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives (Volume 1)

Author: Aryashura

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2017-04-01

Total Pages: 552

ISBN-13: 1479885835

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The Garland of Past Lives is a collection of thirty four stories depicting the miraculous deeds performed by the Buddha in his previous rebirths. Composed in the fourth century C.E. by the Buddhist monk Aryashura, the text’s accomplished artistry led Indian aesthetic theorists to praise its elegant mixture of verse and prose. The twenty stories in this first volume deal primarily with the virtues of giving and morality. Ascetics sacrifice their lives for hungry tigers, kings open their veins for demons to drink their blood, helmsmen steer their crew through perilous seas, and quail chicks quench forest fires by proclaiming words of truth. The experience is intended to arouse astonishment in the audience, inspiring devotion, through the future Buddha’s transcendence of conventional norms in his quest to acquire enlightenment and save the world from suffering. The importance of such stories of past lives in traditional Buddhist culture, throughout Asia and up to today, cannot be overestimated.

No Straight Thing Was Ever Made
No Straight Thing Was Ever Made

Author: Urvashi Bahuguna

Publisher: India Viking

Published: 2021-08

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9780670091591

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From a writer of astonishing talents, No Straight Thing Was Ever Made bravely discusses the many facets of living with mental illness As a person with mood disorders that sprung up in her late teens, Urvashi Bahuguna had to navigate being the first person in her Indian family to admit to and seek help for a mental illness. The changes and challenges which came with this admission and the actions that followed not only impacted who she became as a person but also everything around her-from her interpersonal relationships, both familial and romantic, to the way she walked among her friends and peers and the manner in which she connected with art, literature, popular culture, they all became new and unknown. Through these deeply honest essays that move between personal narratives, anecdotes from conversations and research-driven storytelling, Bahuguna traverses the opportunities and roadblocks that come her way with the tools she has available to her. From a writer of astonishing talents, No Straight ThingWas Ever Made bravely discusses the many facets of living with mental illness.

Leela's Book: A Novel
Leela's Book: A Novel

Author: Alice Albinia

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2012-01-09

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 0393083497

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"Steeped in the tradition of the Indian epic, yet modern and vastly entertaining." —The Times (London) In her fiction debut, Alice Albinia weaves a multithreaded epic tale that encompasses divine saga and familial discord and introduces an unforgettable heroine. Leela—alluring, taciturn, haunted—is moving from New York back to Delhi. Worldly and accomplished, she has been in self-imposed exile from India and her family for decades; twenty-two years earlier, her sister was seduced by the egotistical Vyasa, and the fallout from their relationship drove Leela away. Now an eminent Sanskrit scholar, Vyasa is preparing for his son’s marriage. But when Leela arrives for the wedding, she disrupts the careful choreography of the weekend, with its myriad attendees and their conflicting desires. Gleefully presiding over the drama is Ganesh—divine, elephant-headed scribe of the Mahabharata, India’s great epic. The family may think they have arranged the wedding for their own selfish ends, but according to Ganesh it is he who is directing events—in a bid to save Leela, his beloved heroine, from Vyasa. As the weekend progresses, secret online personas, maternal identities, and poetic authorships are all revealed; boundaries both religious and continental are crossed; and families are ripped apart and brought back together in this vibrant and brilliant celebration of family, love, and storytelling.

Bhatti’s Poem: The Death of Ravana
Bhatti’s Poem: The Death of Ravana

Author:

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2016-10-01

Total Pages: 570

ISBN-13: 1479886939

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To the dry bones of grammar Bhatti gave juicy flesh in his poem, telling the greatest Indian story in elegant Sanskrit. Composed in the fourth century CE, in South India, ”Bhatti’s Poem: The Death of Rávana” is both a poetic retelling of Rama’s adventures, and a compendium of grammatical and rhetorical examples for students. Bhatti’s study aid to Pánini’s groundbreaking grammatical treatise, the “Eight Books,” gives examples disguised as the gripping, morally improving “Ramáyana” story. In Bhatti’s own words: “This composition is a lamp to those whose eyes have language as their goal.” Tradition has it that an elephant ambled between Bhatti and his pupils, interrupting their outdoors grammar class. By Hindu law this intrusion canceled class for a year. Lest time be lost, Bhatti composed his poem to teach grammar without textbooks. Ever since, “The Death of Rávana” has been one of the most popular poems in Sanskrit literature.

Words for the Heart
Words for the Heart

Author: Maria Heim

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2022-08-16

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 0691222916

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A richly diverse collection of classical Indian terms for expressing the many moods and subtleties of emotional experience Words for the Heart is a captivating treasury of emotion terms drawn from some of India’s earliest classical languages. Inspired by the traditional Indian genre of a “treasury”—a wordbook or anthology of short texts or poems—this collection features 177 jewel-like entries evoking the kinds of phenomena English speakers have variously referred to as emotions, passions, sentiments, moods, affects, and dispositions. These entries serve as beautiful literary and philosophical vignettes that convey the delightful texture of Indian thought and the sheer multiplicity of conversations about emotions in Indian texts. An indispensable reference, Words for the Heart reveals how Indian ways of interpreting human experience can challenge our assumptions about emotions and enrich our lives. Brings to light a rich lexicon of emotion from ancient IndiaUses the Indian genre of a “treasury,” or wordbook, to explore the contours of classical Indian thought in three of the subcontinent’s earliest languages—Sanskrit, Pali, and PrakritFeatures 177 alphabetical entries, from abhaya (“fearlessness”) to yoga (“the discipline of calm”)Draws on a wealth of literary, religious, and philosophical writings from classical IndiaIncludes synonyms, antonyms, related words, and suggestions for further readingInvites readers to engage in the cross-cultural study of emotionsReveals the many different ways of naming and interpreting human experience

Irresistible Revolution
Irresistible Revolution

Author: Urvashi Vaid

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781936833290

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The LGBT movement is on one of the most active, contested and engaging social movements in the US. This optimistic book challenges advocates for LGBT rights to aspire beyond the narrow framework of equality to a more expansive and inclusive politics. The book’s essays examine the dilemmas of compromise, assimilation, and ideology that face advocates for LGBT rights through accessible, provocative, and personal perspectives derived from the author’s experience as a leader in this movement. Intended for a broad and general audience, the book turns a thoughtful lens into the controversies, rhetoric, and strategic questions that face this social revolution still in progress.

Mega City - Expect The Unexpected
Mega City - Expect The Unexpected

Author: Milind Parab (Mil Par)

Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers

Published: 2022-07-07

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13:

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Sr. Inspector of Mumbai Police Vikram Joglekar, has resolved to investigate the supposed suicide of a rich diamond merchant, but first he must peel off every layer of an intricate web of deceit. Assisted by his trusted aide Ayub Khan, they are exposed to an even larger and sinister conspiracy which could bring down the country’s ethos of democracy. At each step Vikram needs to out think the masterminds, more dangerous than murderers, but with a conscience which believes what they are doing is ‘right’. Does he meet his match in the powerful mastermind, in this cat and mouse game?