Besides its epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes, the Mahabharata contains much philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or purusharthas (12.161). Among the principal works and stories that are a part of the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the...

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The Bhagavad Gita is an intensely spiritual work that forms the cornerstone of the Hindu faith, and is also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry. It describes how, at the beginning of a mighty battle between the Pandava and Kaurava armies, the god Krishna gives spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realizes that the true battle is for his own soul.

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes and their successors.

The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata, dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE and is typical of the Hindu synthesis. It is considered to be one of the holy scriptures for Hinduism.

The reading of this Mahabharata destroys all sin and produces virtue; so much so, that the pronunciation of a single shloka is sufficient to wipe away much guilt. This Mahabharata contains the history of the gods, of the Rishis in heaven and those on earth, of the Gandharvas and the Rákshasas. It also contains the life and actions of the one God, holy, immutable, and true, who is Krishna, who is the creator and the ruler of this universe; who is seeking the welfare of his creation by means...

Who is the mystic, and what is the essence of their journey? Across various traditions, the path of the mystic is often described in purposefully veiled language, each with its own unique approach. In the tantric tradition, this is known as the twilight language, designed to protect the sacred mysteries. Similarly, in the Bible, Christ speaks in parables to those not yet privy to the secrets of the kingdom. This veiled language is rich with symbols, requiring careful decoding to unravel th...

Harivamsha or the family of Hari (Srikrishna) is properly speaking a sequel of the great Epic Mahabharata. The work opens with a request made by Sounaka to Souti for an account of the two great clans namely, Vrishnis and Andhakas. He says:—"O son of Lomaharshana, while describing the birth and history of the Kurus you forgot to narrate the history of Vrishnis and Andhakas. It becomes you to relate their history." Chapter I, Sloka 9. The work in which an account of the Kurus is given is und...

The Vedas are a collection of hymns and other ancient religious texts written in India between about 1500 and 1000 BCE. It includes elements such as liturgical material as well as mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered to be sacred by the Vedic religion.According to tradition, Vyasa is the compiler of the Vedas, who arranged the four kinds of mantras into four Samhitas(Collections). There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and th...

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.This is an abridged verse translation of the two longest epic poems in world literature, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Ramayana is an important piece of Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. The characters Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman, and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of the South Asian nations of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the South-East A...

The Master said, 'Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? 2. 'Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?' 3. 'Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?' CHAP. II. 1. The philosopher Yu said, 'They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have been fond of stir...

Bhagavad-gita is the statement of Krishna, and since it is the science of Krishna, it should be understood from Krishna as Arjuna understood it. It should not be received from atheistic persons. The Bhagavad Gita, meaning "Song of the Lord", refers to itself as an 'Upanishad' and is sometimes called Gītopanişad. During the message of the Gita, Krishna proclaims that he is an Avatar, or a Bhagavat, an appearance of the all-embracing God. To help Arjuna believe this, he reveals to him his di...