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Books and videos to promote learning in the epics (Itihāsa) for inspirational, spiritual and philosophical studies.
Books and videos to promote learning in the epics (Itihāsa) for inspirational, spiritual and philosophical studies.
Includes the Rāmāyaṇa the Mahābhārata. Click each book and video to view and/or download.
Includes the Rāmāyaṇa the Mahābhārata. Click each book and video to view and/or download.
Rāmāyaṇa
Rāmāyaṇa
Click each book to view and download
Click each book to view and download
is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Mahābhārata. Along with the Mahābhārata, it forms the Hindu Itihasa. The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, prince of the legendary kingdom of Kosala. The story follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across forests in Bharath with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana --the evil king of Lanka, that resulted in war (against evil); and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king amidst jubilation and celebration. This is the culmination point of the epic. It is considered a sacred book, and is read by millions of people every year. (www.wikipedia.org) Also see:
Mahābhārata
Mahābhārata
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Click each book to view and download
is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or puruṣārtha. Among the principal works and stories in the Mahābhārata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, story of Savitri and Satyavan, story of Kacha and Devyani, the story of Ṛṣyasringa and an abbreviated version of the Rāmāyaṇa, often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahābhārata is attributed to Vyāsa. The Mahābhārata is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Its longest version consists of over 100,000 śloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages, at about 1.8 million words in total . (www.wikipedia.org)
Analysis
Analysis
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Click each book to view and download
Classic textual analyses of Ithihasa (Ramayana and Mahabharata) as well as associated dramatic literature. The ancient Sanskrit epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata comprise together the Itihāsa ("Writer has himself witnessed the story") or Mahākāvya ("Great Compositions"), a canon of Hindu scripture. Indeed, the epic form prevailed and verse remained until very recently the preferred form of Hindu literary works. Hero-worship is a central aspect of Indian culture, and thus readily lent itself to a literary tradition that abounded in epic poetry and literature. The Puranas, a massive collection of verse-form histories of India's many Hindu gods and goddesses, followed in this tradition. Itihāsa and Puranas are mentioned in the Atharva Veda and referred to as the fourth Veda. The language of these texts, termed Epic Sanskrit, constitutes the earliest phase of Classical Sanskrit, following the latest stage of Vedic Sanskrit found in the Shrauta Sutras. The Suparṇākhyāna, a late Vedic poem considered to be among the "earliest traces of epic poetry in India," is an older, shorter precursor to the expanded legend of Garuda that is included within the Mahābhārata. (www.wikipedia.org)
Man's Pilgrimage in Realising the Self - Significance of Ramayana
Man's Pilgrimage in Realising the Self - Significance of Ramayana
There is a spiritual background to the entire story of Ramayana. This is the reason why it is so popular. The average man is happy with the story. To the mediocre man, the idealism that Shri Rama stands for is a great education. But even the man of realisation enjoys Ramayana, because he sees in and through the story, the entire Vedantic wisdom, echoing and re-echoing as a melody divine. About the Speaker: Pujya Swami Chinmayananda Ji, hailed as the second Swami Vivekananda, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993) is an orator, writer and leader par excellence, a patriot and spiritual giant, one of the finest representatives of Indian spiritual heritage.
"Ethical Issues in the Mahabharata"
by Trichur S. Rukmani.
"Ethical Issues in the Mahabharata"
by Trichur S. Rukmani.
November 26 2015. Ethics or moral behaviour is concerned with right behaviour i.e the capacity to decide what is right and what is wrong in any given situation and behave accordingly. However the capacity to decide right and wrong in any situation is not an easy task at all times. In difficult situations when faced with moral dilemmas the difficulty of knowing the right conduct has preoccupied moral philosophers at all times. Thus the literature on Moral Philosophy has no closure. Whether morality is something transcendental or empirical or again rooted in an overall ethos of individual societies is something we will never be able to decide. Different cultures have come up with models of behaviour based on their understanding of what it is to be the right behaviour under varied circumstances. In India the ancient Vedic world view developed a theory of dharma and authors like Austin Creel, P.T. Raju and G.C Pande considered a moral life in the Hindu worldview was a life lived in accordance with dharma. Accepting that definition as the best under the circumstances I examine the lives of some of the characters in the Mahabharata to see whether they fulfilled that criterion.
Talk by Bibek Debroy | The relevance of Mahabharata for our times
Talk by Bibek Debroy | The relevance of Mahabharata for our times
The Mahabharata is one of the most legendary books, one which has been etched in the civilisational and cultural history of India. The epic features every possible human emotion as well as all aspects of statecraft and warfare. The conflicts in Mahabharata are intense and innumerable. There are no rules except the rule of ‘Dharma’. This discussion will examine the relevance of Mahabharata for our times: what the contemporary Indian society can learn from the epic; what the key lessons are for governance and statecraft; and how can India’s diplomacy and national security be viewed through the prism of this text.
Part 1 - English Lecture on 'The Philosophy of Ramayana' by Sri.Dushyanth Sridhar
Part 1 - English Lecture on 'The Philosophy of Ramayana' by Sri.Dushyanth Sridhar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OrpPV_CgK4
Part 2 - English Lecture on 'The Philosophy of Ramayana' by Sri.Dushyanth Sridhar
Part 2 - English Lecture on 'The Philosophy of Ramayana' by Sri.Dushyanth Sridhar
Ramayana + Mahabharata = Wisdom | Epified
Ramayana + Mahabharata = Wisdom | Epified
Reading Mahabharat and Ramayana together gives you the best knowledge of Good, Evil, Victory.
Talking Book - Ramayana
Talking Book - Ramayana
Ramayana, the great Indian epic, follows the trials and tribulations of Lord Rama in his princely Avatar and his ultimate conquest.
Talking Book - Mahabharata
Talking Book - Mahabharata
The battle between the Pandavas and Kaurava princes. It finally terminates in Kurukshetra. Mahabharata is a magnum opus for human relations.
Dramas
Dramas
Click each book to view and download
Click each book to view and download
Classical dramatic interpretations of the epics, particularly of Kālidāsa and Bhasa. Kālidāsa was a Classical Sanskrit author and is often considered ancient India's greatest playwright and dramatist. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit, predating Kalidasa. His plays had been lost for centuries until the manuscripts were rediscovered in the early 20th century. Bhāsa had previously only been known from mentions in other works, like the Kavyamimamsa on poetics from 880–920 AD. In the Kavyamimamsa, Rajashekhara attributes the play Swapnavasavadattam to Bhāsa. In the introduction to his first play Malavikagnimitram, Kālidāsa wrote: "Shall we neglect the works of such illustrious authors as Bhāsa, Saumilla, and Kaviputra? Can the audience feel any respect for the work of a modern poet, a Kālidāsa?" (www.wikipedia.org)
Click below to go to the Kids Zone for Amar Chitra Katha, Television and Cartoon versions of the Epics.
Click below to go to the Kids Zone for Amar Chitra Katha, Television and Cartoon versions of the Epics.
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