These Two Volumes Of The Book Eminent Women In The Mahabharata By Dr. Mrs. Vanamala Bhawalkar Presents A Complete Picture Of Woman As Depicted In The Mahabharata, Dealing With Her Status, Education, Family Life As Daughter, Wife And Mother, Social And Poloitical Life, Field Of Her Activities And Achievements, Moral Code, House, Dress, Ornaments, Food Etc., And Also The Life Of Woman Of Lower Class. The Present Two Volumes Offer A Complete Study Of Eighteen Eminent Women As Depicted In The Mahabharata. The Noble And Dignified Personality Of Draupadi, Kunti`S Virtues, Patience And Suffering, Gandhari`S Wisdom And Adherence To Moral Code. Damayanti`S Superb Qualities, And Virtues Of Other Characters Like Sudhadra, Satyavati, Devayani, Sarmistha, Sikanya Etc. Will Remain As A Source Of Inspiration To Generations To Come. These Books Can Be Reference Books For Scholars And Students Of Ancient Indian Culture, And Will Also Be Interesting To Ordinary Readers.

In This Book, The Author Presents A Complete Picture Of Woman`S Life In The Mahabharata, Dealing With Her Status, Education, Aims, Fields Of Activity, Marriage, Achievement, Family Life, Social Life, Moral Codes, Economic Condition, Political Life, Style Of Living, Including House, Dress, Food, Etiquettes Etc. The Characters Women In The Epic Reflect The Vision Of The Society About Women. While Draupadi Reveals A Most Sarene And Touching Profile Of Indian Woman, Gandhari And Kunti As Well As Devayani, Savitri And Damayanti Are The Most Inspiring Characters Since They Visualise An Underred Spirit Of Struggle And Preservance. The Book Is Immensely Useful For The Research Scholars, Teachers And Students Of Sanskrit Literature And Ancient Indian Culture. It Will Work As An Encyclopeadia For The Readers Of Woman Studies.

Notwithstanding its renowned comprehensive narrative encapsulation of the Indic culture, the Mahabharata keeps on posing a challenge to its contemporary readers: how do we relate to something over two-millennia old in today’s context without freezing it in time? This volume looks at the problem from diverse periods and standpoints and shows us that this challenge is, in fact, a legacy of the Mahabharata and the responses to this challenge are what makes the text ever-contemporary to different readers of different times and positions. It traces the evolution of the Mahabharata from its inception in the fifth century BCE to twenty-first century, spanning classical Sanskrit tradition, Persian and Bengali adaptations, the Mahabharata as a serialized TV show to more recent graphic narratives. By attempting to analyse this diversity, this volume further delves into how the issues in the Mahabharata resonate across time, from the world of ancient sages to contemporary struggles of women. The essays in this book adopt a dual perspective to appreciate both the Mahabharata’s historical context, its exploration of war, heroes and heroines, gender, psychology, philosophy, and its implications for the future. This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of Indian literature, ancient literature and philosophy, English literature, cultural studies, visual studies, gender studies, and translation studies.

This book presents an analysis of the foundations organised by the Birla family in India. Several generations were involved in the renovation and establishment of sanctuaries, temples and other sacral buildings. As a result, between 1933 and 1998, nineteen Birla Mandirs were established, mainly in northern and central India. All the temples have the capacity to surprise with their various decorative motifs, not seen in other places, which – apart from their aesthetic function – above all bear important symbolic content. Therefore, is it possible to treat the Birla Mandirs as a specific medium – the carrier of a particular message that is not only religious, but with a significance that permeates other layers of social and political discourse. This message, as the authors of the book claim, have a bearing on the socio-political thought of India – supported by the creation and propagation of ideas related to identity and a national art. It also conveys the idea of hierarchical Hindu inclusivism which, although considering all religions as equal, treats Hinduism in a unique way – seeing within it the most perfect form of religion, giving man the opportunity to learn the highest truth. The book also examines whether the temples founded by the Birla family and the religious activities undertaken therein apply the concept of “inventing” tradition, and whether traditions created (or “modernised”) in contemporary times are a way of enhancing the appeal of the message conveyed from temple to society. “The Vastness of Culture” is a series of publications presenting cultural studies and emphasizing the role of comparative research and analyses that reveal similarities, differences and intercultural influences. In our publications, cultures and civilizations are in a state of constant flux, engaging in dialogue, creating new understandings, competing for meaning under the influence of global content, without any clear boundaries, but with a vastness that forces questions to be raised.