About the Book A WONDERFULLY CREATIVE INSIGHT INTO THE LEGEND AND SYMBOLISM OF SHIVA AS A GOD AND HIS ROLE IN THE HINDU TRINITY ALONGSIDE VISHNU AND BRAHMA Shiva, ʻthe destroyerʼ among the Hindu Trinity (of gods), is depicted in many contradictory manners. He is an ascetic who wears animal skin, his body smeared with ashes. Contradictory to his wild nature, he is also depicted as having a family, with a beautiful wife and two children. There are many more such varied representations of Shiva, the most prominent of these being the Linga and theNataraja. The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, introduces the readers to these varied aspects and representations and then sets about interpreting them. He explains the different anomalies and conflicts in beliefs, as well as the symbolism, rituals and reasons behind Hindu worship.

About the Book EXAMINING THE DIFFERENT MYTHS AND RITUALS ABOUT LORD VISHNU AND HIS AVATARS, THIS BOOK UNCOVERS THE ANCIENT WISDOM INHERITED OVER GENERATIONS WHICH STILL HOLD RELEVANCE TODAY. For Hindus, Vishnu is God who inspires man to discover humanity by engaging with the world. Artists have visualized him with as curly-haired, dark complexioned man with a smile on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. Draped in yellow silk, garlanded with forest flowers, bedecked with dolphin-shaped earrings, anointed with sandal paste, he reclines on a thousand-hooded serpent that floats on the ocean of milk and rides a golden hawk bearing in his arms a conch-shell, a wheel, a mace and a lotus. Poets say that when he is awake, the world takes shape; when he is asleep, the world ceases to be. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, follows him wherever he goes. To him is made offerings of rich creamy butter. Sometimes, the upright Ram, he is worshipped across India as Balaji, Shreenathji, Jagannath, Ranganath and Badrinath. Locked in the stories, symbols and rituals of Vishnu is the wisdom of the ancestors, transmitted over hundreds of years. This book attempts to unlock seven secrets that are relevant even in modern times.

Chanting the names of Gods and Goddesses invokes a religious fervour in people, and helps them focus on the Almighty. This series has a listing of a thousand names of Gods and Goddesses, whose names and forms are endless and each of which is significant to the devotee.

The hymn Ganesha sahasranama is found in the Ganesha purāna. It is taught to lord Shiva by lord Ganesha himself. The story is given in detail in poorvapeethika that when lord Shiva wanted to destroy the tripurāsura - the demon king with three flying cities, but could not succeed even after enormous efforts, lord Shiva meditated on Ganesha. Then Ganesa appeared before Shiva in his five faced form (panchamukha Ganesha) and initiated lord Shiva with this hymn. This thousand name hymn of ganesha ( ganesha sahasranama ) is one among the powerful hymns on lord Ganesha and it has great importance in the Gānāpatya tradition.Bhāskara rāya mākhin a great shākta scholar and devotee of the mother goddess, a scholar in Vedas, purānas and mantra shāstras had written a wonderful commentary on the hymn. The commentary is called khadyota (that which enlightens the sky) It is named so as it puts light on the deeper meanings of the names of this thousand names hymn (sahasranāma stotra) I have explained every name of this thousand names hymn based on the khadyota commentary and I have also quoted shlokas from the Vedas, purānas and tantras.Some names of the sahasranāma refer to various forms and incarnations of lord Ganesha. I have quoted the dhyāna shloka (verses describing forms of ganesha to be meditated on) of those forms from the tantra and āgama shāstras and also explained their meanings.The sahasranamavali (list of names from the sahasranama) starting with one and ending with namah (salutation) is also given for the perpose of chanting. the book has two indexes first index containing index of all names in the order in which it occurs in the hymn and the second index is alphabetical.

Classical hymn to Lalitā, form of Śakti (Hindu deity)