Bibek Debroy

A compilation of witty verses based on current events, The Book of Limericks by Bibek Debroy is a brilliantly illustrated guide for anyone trying to understand what exactly happened last year.From economic issues to citizen concerns, these hilarious five-liners will take you on a roller coaster ride through the year 2017.

A millennial guide to the Bhagat Gita, the foundational text on dharma. As Arjuna stands on the battlefield of the great War of Kurukshetra, he finds himself surrounded by men he has known for years. He must wound, maim or kill them to earn what the Pandavas deserve. But how can he kill those in whose laps his childhood was spent, those gurus who taught him to hold his bow. As Arjuna faces this dilemma, Krishna, an avatara of Lord Vishnu, appears before him in his universal form. And thus begins a dialogue between them on what is right and what is wrong, on dharma and on the cycle of cause and consequence. One of the core Hindu scriptures, the Bhagat Gita holds important lessons on how we can live our lives and fulfil our duties, but the millennial may consider it too ancient for their use or too complex for their understanding. In this book, bibek Debroy recasts the Bhagat Gita in a simple and cohesive form for millennia, so that its content and deeper meaning are not lost with the generations of our grandparents and parents.

The Mahabharata is one of the greatest stories ever told. Though the basic plot is widely known, there is much more to the epic than the dispute between the Kouravas and Pandavas that led to the battle in Kurukshetra. It has innumerable sub-plots that accommodate fascinating meanderings and digressions, and it has rarely been translated in full, given its formidable length of 80,000 shlokas or couplets. This magnificent 10- volume unabridged translation of the epic is based on the Critical Edition compiled at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Volume 1 consists of most of Adi Parva, in which much happens before the Kouravas and the Pandavas actually arrive on the scene. This volume covers the origins of the Kuru clan; the stories of Poushya, Poulama and Astika; the births of the Kouravas and the Pandavas; the house of lac; the slaying of Hidimba and Baka; Droupadi’s marriage; and ends with the Pandavas obtaining their share of the kingdom. Every conceivable human emotion figures in the Mahabharata, the reason why the epic continues to hold sway over our imagination. In this lucid, nuanced and confident translation, Bibek Debroy makes the Mahabharata marvellouly accessible to contemporary readers.

The Vedas are ancient texts that are sacred in India and reknowned the world over.There are four vedas,known as the Rig Veda,the Yajur Veda,the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda.Vedas teach the three paths to salvation.These paths are jnana(knowledge),bhakti(devotion) and karma(action).The Rig Veda is identified with the path of knowledge,the Yajur veda with the path of action and the Sama veda with the path of devotion. A honest effort has been made in this Book to explain the contents of the Vedas in easy to follow language.

The Greatest Story Ever ToldDispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war between cousins—the Pandavas and the Kouravas—but the Mahabharata is about conflicts of dharma. These conflicts are immense and various, singular and commonplace. Throughout the epic, characters face them with no clear indications of what is right and what is wrong; there are no absolute answers. Thus every possible human emotion features in the Mahabharata, the reason the epic continues to hold sway over our imagination.In this superb and widely acclaimed translation of the complete Mahabharata, Bibek Debroy takes us on a great journey with incredible ease.

The Greatest Story Ever ToldDispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war between cousins—the Pandavas and the Kouravas—but the Mahabharata is about conflicts of dharma. These conflicts are immense and various, singular and commonplace. Throughout the epic, characters face them with no clear indications of what is right and what is wrong; there are no absolute answers. Thus every possible human emotion features in the Mahabharata, the reason the epic continues to hold sway over our imagination.In this superb and widely acclaimed translation of the complete Mahabharata, Bibek Debroy takes us on a great journey with incredible ease.

It is the aftermath of the war in Volume 8. Ashvatthama kills all the remaining Pandavas—with the exception of the five Pandava brothers—and Panchalas. The funeral ceremonies for thedead warriors are performed. Bhishma’s teachings in the Shanti Parva, after Yudhishthira is crowned, is about duties to be followed under different circumstances.

The Puranas are sacred texts of Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, the Markandeya Purana, the Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, the word Purana is used several times. This means that the composers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. The Puranas are thus fairly ancient texts. Fourth in the series is herewith.

The fascinating story of the network that made modern India The railways brought modernity to India. Its vast network connected the far corners of the subcontinent, making travel, communication and commerce simpler than ever before. Even more importantly, the railways played a large part in the making of the by connecting historically and geographically disparate regions and people, it forever changed the way Indians lived and thought, and eventually made a national identity possible. This engagingly written, anecdotally told history captures the immense power of a business behemoth as well as the romance of train travel; tracing the growth of the railways from the 1830s (when the first plans were made) to Independence, Bibek Debroy and his co-authors recount how the railway network was built in India and how it grew to become a lifeline that still weaves the nation together. This latest volume in The Story of Indian Business series will delight anyone interested in finding out more about the Indian Railways.

The Shiva Purana is the fifth book in an eighteen-part series on the sacred Hindu texts known collectively as the Puranas. Translated with great rigor and precision, Bibek Debroy recounts the tales of creation and the many myths that surround Lord Shiva in twenty-four thousand shlokas and an introduction that simplifies the myth and history of the Puranas.Brimming with insight and clarity, this translation presents readers with an opportunity to truly understand classical Indian texts. Previous translations by Bibek Debroy include the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.

The Puranas are sacred texts of Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, the Markandeya Purana, the Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, the word Purana is used several times. This means that the composers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. The Puranas are thus fairly ancient texts. Here is the third in the series.

‘Devi’s constant presence motivated the book. She is the one who made me write it. She is the one who will make you read it or ignore it. Ya Devi sarvagrantheshu. Nothing more remains to be said.’Who is Devi? What are her mantras? What are her stories? What are her rituals? The roots of Devi worship are deeply embedded in Indian society. Archaeological excavations, going back a few thousand years, show traces of Devi worship. Devi’s stories feature in the Puranas and Devi Gita (part of Devi Bhagavata Purana), which is a beautiful amalgamation of Vedanta and tantra.Directed at young readers, Devi for Millennials demystifies Devi’s mantras, tantra, yantras and worship, often perceived to be esoteric. It narrates the stories of Devi and describes in a simple manner the Shakti Peethas and their significance. It also includes translations of verses both familiar and obscure across a wide spectrum of texts, one of them being the Devi Gita.Remaining close and faithful to original Sanskrit texts and without any distortion or interpretation, it is a primer, an introduction to worshipping Devi, who is always with us.

The Puranas are sacred texts of Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, the Markandeya Purana, the Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, the word Purana is used several times. This means that the composers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. The Puranas are thus fairly ancient texts. Here is the second part.

The Puranas are sacred texts of Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, the Markandeya Purana, the Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, the word Purana is used several times. This means that the composers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. The Puranas are thus fairly ancient texts. Here is the seventeenth part in the series.

The eighteen Puranas are counted among the foundational texts of Hinduism. The holy trinity of Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the preserver and Shiva as the destroyer play a central deities of the Puranas and feature in the narratives. The Puranas where creation themes feature prominently are identified with Brahma (Brahma, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya). Puranas where Vishnu features prominently are identified as Vaishnava Puranas (Bhagavata, Garuda, Kurma, Matysa, Narada, Padma, Vamana, Varaha, Vishnu). Puranas where Shiva features prominently are identified as Shaiva Puranas (Agni, Lings, Shiva, Skanda, Vayu).The Brahma Purana is so named because it was originally recounted by Brahma. It is described as Adi Purana in several Purana texts, underlining its importance. Odisha and the temples in that region are a key component of the text.

The Puranas are sacred texts of Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, the Markandeya Purana, the Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, the word Purana is used several times. This means that the composers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. The Puranas are thus fairly ancient texts. Herewith is the thirteenth part in the series.

The word veda literally means knowledge. The root word is vid, meaning to know. The Vedas are thus texts that provide knowledge. You may be aware that they are held to be most sacred. There are four Vedas, known as the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda. Many years ago, the Vedas were referred to as trayi, meaning three. There must have been some point of time when there were only three Vedas. These are acknowledged to have been the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Sama Veda. The Atharva Veda is believed to have been a later addition to the sacred canon. Presented herewith, the fourth part.

Mahabharata, The (translation) by Debroy, Bibek

The Puranas are sacred texts of Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, the Markandeya Purana, the Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, the word Purana is used several times. This means that the composers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. The Puranas are thus fairly ancient texts. Presented herewith is the sixteenth part.

The word Upanishad is derived from the Sanskrit verb 'sad,' which means to sit, and two prepositions, 'upa' (under) and 'ni' (at). The sense is thus of sitting for instruction at the feet of a teacher. The Upanishads are sacred treatises, spiritual and philosophical in nature. Vedic literature is divided into two broad groups. The first is known as karma kanda, the section that deals with rituals and rites. This has the samhitas, that is, compilations of mantras or hymns. The four samhitas are the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda The mantras require commentaries as explanations. These are the brahmanas. The samhitas and the brahmanas are together known as karma kanda. The second section of Vedic literature is Jnana kanda, the part that deals with knowledge. This segment is the spiritual and philosophical part and consists of the aranyakas and the Upanishads. The earliest Upanishads were probably composed between the years 800 B.C. and 400 B.C. The major Upanishads are ten or eleven in number. This is based on the fact that Shankaracharya (800 A.D.) wrote his celebrated commentaries of ten of the Upanishads. The eleven major Upanishads listed are fairly short. It is of course possible that the text that is now available does not constitute the entirety of the original Upanishad. This, for example, seems to have happened with the Mandukya Upanishad Two Upanishads are however fairly long. These are the Chandogya and the Brihadaranyaka. It is now impossible to establish the chronological order in which the Upanishads were composed. But the most likely order seems to be Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Kena, Katha, Isha, Mundaka, Prashna, Mandukya, Shvetashvatara and Aitareya. The teachings of the Upanishads, together with that of the Bhagavad Gita, form the basis of Vedanta philosophy. CONTENTS Copyright Information Introduction The Isha Upanishad The Kena Upanishad The Katha Upanishad The Prashna Upanishad The Mundaka Upanishad The Mandukya Upanishad The Taittiriya Upanishad The Aitareya Upanishad The Shvetashvatara Upanishad The Chandogya Upanishad The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Glossary

The most recognized dog in Indian myth is the dog in the Mahabharata that accompanied the Pandavasnot actually a dog but Dharma in disguise. There are, however, several more references to dogs in the classical texts. Mentioned for the first time in the Rg Veda, the eponymous Sarama is the dog of the gods and the ancestor of all dogs. In Sarama and Her Children, the evolution of the Indian attitude towards dogs is traced through the vedas, epics, puranas, dharmashastras and niti shastras. The widespread assumption is that dogs have always been looked down upon in Hinduism and a legacy of that attitude persists even now. Tracing the Indian attitude towards dogs in a chronological fashion, beginning with the pre-Vedic Indus Valley civilization, Bibek Debroy discovers that the truth is more complicated. Dogs had a utilitarian role in pre-Vedic and Vedic times. There were herd dogs, watchdogs and hunting dogs, and dogs were used as beasts of burden. But by the time of the Mahabharata, negative associations had begun to creep in. Debroy argues convincingly that the change in the status of the dog in India has to do with the progressive decline of the traditional Vedic gods Indra, Yama and Rudra (who were associated with dogs), and the accompanying elevation of Vishnu, associated with an increase in brahmana influence. Debroy demonstrates that outside the mainstream caste Hindu influence, as reflected in doctrines associated with Shiva and in Buddhist jataka tales, dogs did not become outcasts or outcastes. Drawing references from high and low literature, folk tales and temple art, Sarama and Her Children dispels some myths and ensures that the Indian dog also has its day.

The Shiva Purana is the fifth book in an eighteen-part series on the sacred Hindu texts known collectively as the Puranas. Translated with great rigor and precision, Bibek Debroy recounts the tales of creation and the many myths that surround Lord Shiva in twenty-four thousand shlokas and an introduction that simplifies the myth and history of the Puranas. Brimming with insight and clarity, this translation presents readers with an opportunity to truly understand classical Indian texts. Previous translations by Bibek Debroy include the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.