Combining the results from multifold approach with that from flora and fauna, primitive tribes, and a critical study of the Ramayana he came to the conclusion that the Ramayana as it exists today is not old as popularly believed, but also is largely mythical. Ravana was an ordinary human being, as the epic expressly says so. And Lanka was situated in the Vidhyas. Thus Rama had not crossed the Narbada. These old views have now been corroborated archaeologically.
Anthropologist and journalist Blank gives a new perspective to the 3,000-year-old Hindu classic, retelling the ancient tale while following the course of Rama's journey through present-day India and Sri Lanka.
Why do we offer Vishnu butter, but Shiva milk? Why is Krishna offered the chappanbhog—fifty-six items of food—during Annakuta? Do the goddesses not like bhog? Where does the custom of hanging a lemon and seven chillies come from? Is there a legendary male cook among the gods? Anna is called Brahmin, the way bhasha is called Brahmin. Food and the action of eating maintain life. And yet, traditionally the devis remind you that whenever you eat, you’ve killed something, sacrificed someone, even plants which come from farms, decimating forests and rivers. The devi reminds one that to build your civilization—sanskriti—you destroy your nature—prakriti. Feast your mind on intricate details behind how we offer food to the gods, and why certain foods are part of the Indian tradition, in this short, sweet read from Devlok.
Hastinapur, 3100 BC: The Mahabharata war over, Arjuna urges Krishna to destroy the divine astras or weapons used at Kurukshetra. The weapons are instead hidden with their secret keepers handpicked by Emperor Ashoka to safeguard the secret of the astras. Two Professors, from Archaeological Survey of India stumble upon a signboard at one of an Indus Valley Civilization site in 1999, flagging off an adventure where one of them falls prey to a Pakistani terrorist who is caught and lodged in a Punjab jail. Eighteen years later, the terrorist escapes, setting off a sequence of bizarre events where he takes a hostage and blackmails the surviving ASI professor to solve the unfinished mystery of the signboard. The professor delves deep into mythology to find answers, helped by the young scientist son of his dead colleague. Joining the spine-thrilling chase is an American NASA scientist and a plucky army officer, Major Aarti.
An epic fantasy based on the ancient Hindu classic finds young Rama, heir to the throne of Ayodhya, called upon by the legendary mage Vishwamitra when two powerful demons raise an army to defeat the human world. 20,000 first printing.
The Ramayana is an epic poem by the Hindu sage Valmiki, written in ancient Sanskrit sometime after 300 BC. It is an allegorical story that contains important Hindu teachings, and it has had great influence on Indian life and culture over the centuries. Children are often encouraged to emulate the virtues of the two main characters -- Rama and Sita. The Ramayana is frequently performed as theater or dance, and two Indian festivals -- Dussehra and Divali -- celebrate events in the story. This version of The Ramayana is told from the perspective of Sita, the queen. After she, her husband Rama and his brother are exiled from their kingdom, Sita is captured by the proud and arrogant king Ravana and imprisoned in a garden across the ocean. Ravana never stops trying to convince Sita to be his wife, but she steadfastly refuses his advances. Eventually Rama comes to her rescue with the help of the monkey Hanuman and his army. But Rama feels he can't trust Sita again. He forces Sita to undergo an ordeal by fire to prove herself to be true and pure. She is shocked and in grief and anger does so. She emerges unscathed and they return home to their kingdom as king and queen. However, suspicion haunts their relationship, and Sita once more finds herself in the forest, but this time she is pregnant. She has twins and continues to live in the forest with them. The story is exciting and dramatic, with many turns of plot. Magic animals, snakes, divine gods, demons, sorcerers and a vast cast of characters all play a part in the fierce battles fought to win Sita back. And in the process the story explores ideas of right vs. wrong, compassion, loyalty, trust, honor and the terrible price of war.
The Social Conditions Of Ancient India Have To Be Patiently Reconstructed By Gathering Together The Data Available From Archaeology And Literature. It Is Impossible For One Individual, Even In A Lifetime, To Examine Critically All The Information At His Disposal .To The Archaeologist India Presents A Fund Of Sociological Data Covering, At Least, Five Thousand Years. And The Student Of Her Literature Finds More Elaborate And Informative Evidence In Literary Works, The Earliest Of Which Cannot Under Any Circumstances Be Dated Later Than 1000 B.C. A Careful Study Of The Facts So Available Is Absolutely Necessary If We Are To Have A Complete And Reliable Picture Of Ancient Indian Society. It Is For This Purpose That The Sociological Data Of The Ramayana Are Subjected To A Detailed Scrutiny In This Publication.Although The Ramayana Contains Very Valuable Information For The Study Of The Social Conditions Of India, It Had Been For Many Years Overshadowed By The Great Epic, The Mahabharata. There Are Fewer Works Dealing With The Sociological Data Of The Ramayana, Even Though The Scholars Who Worked On The Mahabharata Occasionally Referred To It.In This Publication, An Attempt Has Been Made To Discuss As Many Aspects Of The Ancient Indian Society As Practicable. While The First Chapter Has Been Devoted To Establish The History, The Date And The Historicity Of The Text, Which Is Our Source Book, The Other Eight Chapters Discuss The Evidence, Which Has Been Called From The Ramayana With Meticulous Care After Study Of All Three Recensions, Available Both In Printed Editions And Manuscripts. No Less Than Fifty-Five Different Aspects Are Dealt With In These Ten Chapters Ranging From Geographical Data To Religious And Philosophical Teaching. It Is Gratifying ,States One Of Its Critics, To Note That His Attitude In Respect Of The Problems Discussed By Him Is Quite Reasonable And Non-Dogmatic. The Society Of The Ramayana Contains The Results Of The Researches Conducted By Dr. Ananda Guruge During The Years 1951 And 1952 In Ceylon And India Under The Guidance Of Professor O.H.De A.Wijesekera, Professor Of Sanskrit, University Of Ceylon, Peradeniya. It Was Presented To The University Of Ceylon In 1953 Under The Title Social Conditions Of Ancient India As Reflected In The Ramayana And Was Accepted For The Ph.D. Degree.Since Its Publication In Sri Lanka In 1960, It Has Been Widely Used By Scholars Throughout The World, As Demonstrated By Scholars Throughout The World, As Demonstrated By Numerous References In Monographs And Articles. Referring To The Wealth Of Data In The Ramayana Translation, Describes In 1984 Dr. Guruge S Work As The Elaborate And Useful Treatment. In 1965. It Was Translated Into Tamil, As Ramayana Samudayam Dr. Guruge Is Currently Sri Lanka S Ambassador And Permanent Delegate To Unesco In Paris, France.
In the epic Ramayana, Sage Valmiki mentioned that when Lord Ram was born, the sun was located in Aries, saturn was in Libra, Jupiter & the moon were in Cancer, Venus was seen
Warrior-prince Rama is about to be crowned Young King, when he hears the devastating news that his father, King of Ayodhya, has been tricked into banishing him to the forest. His devoted wife Sita insists on accompanying him in exile, but the evil ten-headed lord Ravana has fallen deeply in love with the beautiful princess and steals her away. Aided by Hanuman, mighty captain of the monkeys, Rama sets out across the world to find her and destroy Ravana in a deadly battle. Rama the Steadfast was composed in the oral tradition in about the fifth century BC and has been retold over the generations ever since. With its fantastical characters ranging from monsters to apes, a very human hero and its profound moral purpose, it is one of the greatest of all Indian tales.
