Book Category: Indica Books

The Holy Feet of Illumined Souls on Earth

"From dreams awake, from bonds be free.
Know the Truth! Thou art He; thou art She."

The Rishis of India, knowers of Truth, in seeking the ultimate welfare and highest good for all of humanity throughout the ages, pioneered an unprecedented myriad of religious and philosophical systems. These availed the aspiring soul of a copious network of wisdom pathways, opening inwards to the Light of Nondual Reality. Veda, Tantra, Sankhya. Nyaya. Vaishesika, Purva Mimamsa, Vedanta, Yoga, Buddhism, Patanjala (Yoga), Sikhism, Jainism, Vaishnavism. Shaivism, Shaktism. Sourism, Ganapatya — the list goes on and on. This reveals a universal vision the likes of which was never before seen in any country or conceived of by any other race of human beings. Here is not only one holy book, or merely one divine incarnation, or just a single prophet, but dozens to hundreds of each, all supported, maintained, and lovingly transmitted by countless luminaries stretching back millennia B.C.E.

India therefore stands as an exceptional example before the eyes of the world. The main principle which makes her so is realization of and adherence to Truth, as demonstrated and elucidated upon in this book. It is founded upon the natural acceptance of the presence of God as Existence Itself. This Truth was tempered on earth over millennia in the fires of spiritual practice, infusing Vedic philosophy and religion with many important keys concerning the attainment of direct spiritual experience.

The subtitle of this book, "Charting the Timeless Wisdom of Mother India," proves itself through 299 charts, all created to transmit the depth and breadth of India's dharmic teachings, and replete with thorough and in-depth commentaries.

The Holy Feet of Illumined Souls on Earth

Precious few have lived so complete a life as to encompass so many integral parts of our identity as Indians. Fewer still have had the foresight and generosity to document this journey for future generations to learn from.

V. Krishnamurthy is such a unique soul. Hailing from South India, he absorbed the vital essences of the Vedas, Upanishads and sacred Hindu texts from his father at a very young age. This faith and spirituality was foundational in later life as he navigated raising a family, pursuing a PhD with limited means, travelling to- and working in America in the 1960's and playing a pivotal role in the herculean task of creating a world-class educational institution for a burgeoning India as the nation started to come into its own.

For those who find this world fascinating, Krishnamurthy's narrative will give form and colour to what life was like over the last century. A veteran author, his latest work will give the reader a snapshot of his life, trials and time well spent on this earth.

A questioning mind always wants to know the underlying truth in all aspects of our life. It will not stop until it finds a satisfying answer. The desire to know forms the fundamental pursuit of life until the mind discovers the absolute truth, knowing there is nothing more to know. In all objective sciences, the more one knows, the more he recognizes that there is much more to know. Hence, the thirst for knowledge will never end.

In contrast, a Vedantic student approaches a teacher and asks, ‘Sir, Please teach me that knowing which I will know everything.’; The teacher was happy to teach that substratum, that absolute truth that forms the foundation for everything. This book presents a variety of questions asked by seekers of divergent backgrounds on Quora, and the author answers all from the perspective of scientific and absolute truth.

The success of Western powers in the Modern era has enabled the Western civilizational perspective and its self-understanding to present itself to the rest of the world, not as one perspective among others, but as the universal and definitive human perspective and as the culmination of the world’s intellectual and spiritual development according to principles supposedly objective and self-evident. The hegemony of this civilizational perspective makes it imperative that the basic elements of the Western paradigm of thought referenced by Western geopolitical power as the source of its legitimacy be grasped and critiqued. This book, using as its basis a relatively standard sequence of works seen as comprising the ‘Western Canon’, seeks to provide the foundation for such awareness, both to appreciate the wisdom in this intensely contested tradition as well as recognizing its hazards.

Plato's Republic is one of the most widely read philosophical texts in the world today, and yet it is never read as it was in antiquity, but instead through the lens of modern concerns and preconceptions. This book seeks to recover the ancient wisdom of this text about justice in the soul and in the community. This comprehensive book-by-book companion to Plato's text, informed by the ancient Platonic commentary tradition, restores to the Republic its systematic context in the fabric of Platonic thought, its metaphysical significance, and most of all, its profound polytheist piety and mystical insight.

Forever There is a historical fantasy novel set in Varanasi. The protagonists belong to the family of ‘The weavers of the Gods’. The story revolves around their family, who find themselves embroiled in upheavals and wars amid an extremely tumultuous period in Kashi when skirmishes and destruction were the order of the day.

The protégés, mere children, join a band of Warrior Monks to help protect the culture of the land. We see history through the eyes of The Four as they transform into warriors – head of the Elite Forces of the Warrior Monks – battle-scarred, wielding weapons of destruction –  feared by the enemy, loved and missed by their family.

Be transported to a period when every day brings new adventures to your doorstep.

The book looks at history anew, even as value systems change and cultural plates shift.

What values must one imbibe? Is diversity positive or negative? Should the world be in only one colour, or should it be in many hues and shades? Do acts of violence upon community and culture destroy the inherent essence of civilisation and culture?

Contemporary, poignant, and engaging, this unputdownable book will set your heart aflutter.

"The author’s conviction comes through every page of his writing. A good part of Vedanta is presented as a book of science. [He] does not hesitate to pick examples from the lives of actors, TV heroes, historical personalities, authors, expositors and stories..."

From the Foreword by Dr. V. Krishnamurthy, former Professor of Mathematics and Dy. Director, BITS, Pilani, India, President of The Indian Mathematical Society, and Asst. Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A collection of stories based on actual historical events as depicted in Padmasri Meenakshi Jain’s seminal book “Flight of Deities”. Inspired by the historical account, various authors have each focused on a unique historical event, clothed it in flesh and bones, and brought it to life through the magic of prose. From Aryavarta to Dakshinatwa, from the holy lands of Ayodha, Vrindavan and many more, the stories pace, digging into the harsh realities of foreign invasions while portraying vividly the efforts undergone by the devout to preserve their culture and faith. Tales of human grit and determination to preserve, prevail, persist in the face of brute force and annihilation – truly any book lover’s delight!

Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamigal (born as Swaminatha Sharma 1894 – siddhi as Kanchi Paramacharya 1994) lectured on Soundaryalahari in the first quarter of the last century. Ra.Ganapathy, one of his ardent students, recorded and published them as a voluminous tome of 700 pages in the sixth volume of ‘Deivathin Kural’. These Tamil lectures have now been condensed, translated into English and published herein. The exposition style here is one where it resembles a direct English lecture by Paramacharya himself. The subject has been dealt in great depth by the Paramacharya and thus requires the reader to approach this translation as a study book rather than one for light reading.

This book offers 150 of the author’s favorite choices from the Ramayana epics of Valmiki, Kamban and Tulsi. Comparative analysis and informative interpretation of the exposition by the three poets make this narration valuable. Illustrations at appropriate points and appendices with ready applications to spiritual life add special value. The result is an enjoyable sojourn through the Ramayana along with a taste of the narrative styles of the three master poets.

She chose the life of a warrior, leading from the front, protecting her ancestral kingdom.

She waded through treacherous destiny. Her uncompromising love restored her husband back to glory.

She lived in a hermitage, chose a king as husband, and challenged his dharma in open sabha- a mother who shaped an emperor who reshaped the civilization.

She watched the play of beauty and destruction from afar. When she took centre stage, she nurtured the future to find its feet.

She was regal and virtuous. She embarked on a divine mission, and chose an incredible destiny and groom for herself.

She, a fisherwoman, rose to rule an empire, navigating challenges and making tough decisions with her steely resolve.

She led her life on her own terms, choosing to stay on the sidelines but shaping life at the centre.

She courageously pursued truth, unafraid to challenge the greatest scholars on metaphysics. An inspiration to seekers of all times.

She was the wind beneath her husband’s wings. When he pursued the ultimate truth, she too walked the unyielding path.

She sought an improbable marriage. Her penance and devotion won her heaven, and for her husband too.

She has many faces, different roles in different times, embodying the essence of a great tradition. She carved a niche, charted her own path but upheld Dharma at all times.

She is Aryaa - the glorious woman of Bharatavarsha - manifestation of the eternally present Shakti.

The Divine Garland is the quintessence of Shree Goda Devi’s (Andal’s) thirty Pasurams of Tiruppavai, with an underlying theme of sharanagati or complete surrender to the Lord as a last resort for salvation, as advocated in Geeta in the sloka, ‘sarvadharmaan parityajya…’.

Shree Kuntimaddi Seshasarma, a well-known scholar in Telugu and Sanskrit, authored Melinomu, an extensive commentary of Tiruppavai, in Telugu, published by TTD. Dr. K. Sadananda, his son, who also published extensively on Vedanta, now with the help of his siblings provided a free translation of this work here, under the title, ‘The Divine Garland’.