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Condensed in The Poet’s Own Words (Valmiki Ramayana, Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavata)- Set of 3 Books

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Specifications

	Publisher: THE KUPPUSWAMI SASTRI RESEARCH INSTITUTE
	Author: Dr. V. Raghavan,Pandit A.M. Srinivasachariar,P.P.S. Sastri
	Language: Sanskrit Text with English Translation
	Pages: 1412
	Cover: PAPERBACK
	6.5x4.00 inch
	Weight 960 gm
	Edition: 2015
	ISBN: 9788185170398 9788185170381 8185170177
	HAY482

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This Set Consists of 3 Books
1.Valmiki Ramayana
2.The Mahabharata
3.Srimad Bhagavata

This bundle consists of three books. To know more about each individual title, click on the images below:

Condensed in The Poet’s Own Words (Valmiki Ramayana, Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavata)
Valmiki Ramayana	Srimad Bhagavata	The Mahabharata

Srimad Bhagavata

Preface

 

It is a pleasure indeed to bring out again the book “Srimad Bhagavata” condensed in the poet’s own words along with the English translation by Dr.V. Raghavan.

 

Dr. V. Raghavan, the internationally reputed scholar functioned as the founder secretary of the Institute in the name of his revered guru Mm. S. Kuppuswami Sastri, for more than three decades since its inception. He was also responsible for putting the Institute in firm footing. It was thus befitting that the fourth edition revised) of the book was published in 2008 to commemorate the Birth-Centenary of Dr. V. Raghavan, along with his other translated work, the Mahabharata.

 

This book along with the Mahabharata, condensed in the poet’s own words and translated by Dr.V. Raghavan was published seven decades ago by Sri G.A. Natesan in the year 1937. Earlier in 1935, the Ramayana, condensed and translated by Prof. P. P. S. Sastri was also brought out by him. All the three books had seen many editions. All these books once again are published together by the Institute, for the benefit of the public.

 

The condensation of a voluminous work like the Srimad Bhagavata less than 450 pages is no easy task. The easy felicity with which the condensation (in the poet’s own words) reads, proves the editorial capability of Pandit A.M. Srinivasachariar.

 

So also, the translation of the condensed version of Dr. Y. Raghavan stands as a model. As is his practice, he has meticulously made a note about the methodology he has followed while translating the text.

 

The foreword by Sri P.S. Sivaswamy Aiyar a legal luminary, is a fine critical analysis of the Srimad Bhagavata. A fervent reader of the Bhagavata and a devout Hindu, Sri P.S. Sivaswamy Aiyar’s foreword presents a balanced view about the Purana, taking into consideration its value as a sacred literature.

 

With increasing renewed interest in the public to learn more about our culture and heritage, there is a rise in the demand for these books. To cater to the need of the public, the Institute is again bringing out all the three texts together. It is hoped that these great Indian literature would find their way all round the world.

 

Foreword

 

It has been the ambition of Mr. G.A. Natesan to popularise the three most important poems in the sacred literature of India by bringing out abridgements of the original Sanskrit texts with an English translation. He first brought out an abridgement of Valmiki’s Ramayana, the most famous Kavya in the classical literature of India. This was immediately followed by the abridgement of the Mahabharata, the greatest Itihasa. His latest venture is the abridgement of the Srimad Bhagavata which may be justly described as the greatest and most popular of the Puranas.

 

Every Purana has necessarily to deal with a certain number of topics according to traditional conventions, and the manner of treatment of these topics is more or less on similar lines. But each Purana is further intended to serve a special purpose. The Puranas generally contain a strange medley of fables and fairy tales, philosophy and religion, myth and legend. It is not easy for a Western reader to appreciate the teaching and value of our Puranas without a knowledge of the methods employed by the ancient Indian sages for inculcating the principles of ethics or the tenets of religion.

 

The Bhagavata shares the defects of Puranas generally. It is full of incredible stories and miracles, and embodies divergent philosophical doctrines, diverse cults, stories intended to exalt some particular incarnation or manifestation of the Deity and stories which do not hesitate to attribute faults of character to God or which may appear to the reader to have an immoral tendency. It is not free from the bias of sectarianism. Its literary merit is not uniform and is so uneven in substance and in style that we may reasonably suspect many interpolations and the work of more hands than one. The style is often harsh and rugged, involving highly artificial combinations of words. It has got its peculiar terminology. In this respect it compares unfavourably with the Ramayana. In spite of these defects, the Bhagavata has acquired a wonderful hold upon the minds of Hindus. It has a fascination even for the minds of those who, like myself, are keenly alive to its defects.

 

What is the secret of the appeal that the Bhagavata makes even to the mind of the educated Hindu? The main theme of the Bhagavata is the importance of Haribhakti or devotion to God, especially in His manifestation as Krishna. It is generally said that the Bhagavata is par excellence the Purana which emphasises the value of bhakti (devotion) and virakti (detachment). Attractive stories are a vehicle employed by the Hindu sages for teaching morality and religion. The author of the Bhagavata has largely availed himself of this method.

The sage Vyasa who had edited the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata did not attain serenity or happiness in spite of the completion of his labours and his immersion in philosophy and religion. If there was any philosopher who could have appreciated the truth of the Vedanta philosophy and enjoyed intimacy with the form- less Absolute (Nirguna Brahman), it was Vyasa. He was told by Narada that he could attain peace of mind and happiness only by dwelling upon the incarnations of Lord Vasudeva and singing his glory.

 

The stories of the Deity and His miraculous intervention to help His votaries often read like fairy tales. They are not, however, accepted by the thoughtful at their face value. It is pointed out by Sri Sankaracharya that the object of myth and legend in the Vedas is merely to lure the mind to the truths of religion. The stories are treated as mere arthavada (eulogistic) and not as facts. If, notwithstanding the progress of knowledge, educated people still listen with delight to these stories, it is because even they have not outgrown the credulity of childhood. What appeals to the childhood of the human race appeals even to grown-up individuals in civilised societies. Bemard Shaw has remarked that there is evidence for a law of conservation of credulity. Our appetite for the marvellous still persists in the hidden recesses of the mind. Stories of miracles are to be found in the Bible and in the literature of most religions. It is these defects which first strike the superficial observer who is unable to separate the pearls of truth and wisdom from the shells in which they are imbedded. Macaulay made fun of the history and geography of the Hindus, “of history abounding with kings thirty feet high and reigns thirty thousand years long, and geography made up of seas of treacle and seas of butter”. But no educated Hindu takes these descriptions for history or geography.

 

Contents

 

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION	iii
FOREWORD	vii
TRANSLATOR’S NOTE	xx
PUBLISHER’S NOTE	xxii
NOTE ON THE BHAGAVATA	xxiii
SRIMAD BHAGAVATA
GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA	1
VARAHA AVATARA	22
KAPILA AVATARA	30
THE STORY OF DHRUVA	44
PRITHU AVATARA	61
THE STORY OF PRACHINABARHIS	69
THE STORY OF PRIYAVRATA	75
RISHABA AVATARA	77
THE STORY OF JADABHARATA	83
THE STORY OF AJAMILA	103
THE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA	117
THE STORY OF PRAHLADA	133
THE STORY OF ELEPHANT -KING	170
KURMA AVATARA	178
VAMANA - TRIVIKRAMA AVATARA	195
MATSYA AVATARA	217
RAMA AVATARA	225
PARASURAMA AVATARA	231
KRISHNA AVATARA	241
The Killing of Putana	261
The Shattering of Sakata	263
The Killing of Trinavarta	265
The Sacrament of Naming	267
Showing Visvarupa to His Mother	270
The Binding of Krishna	272
The Uprooting of the Arjuna Trees	275
Killing of Vatsa	277
Killing of Baka	279
Killing of Agha	281
The Carrying A way of the Calves	285
The Killing of Dhenuka	291
The Subduing of the Serpent Kaliya	293
The Killing of Pralamba	296
Stealing the Garments of the Gopis	299
Lifting the Govardhana Mountain	303
The Sport of Dance	308
The Killing of Arishta	315
Preparations for the Bow-Festival	317
The Arrival of Akrura	320
The Entry of the Lord into Mathura	326
The Killing of Kamsa	330
The Installation of Ugrasena as King	336
Life with the Teacher	338
Message to Gokula through Uddhava	339
Krishna Marrying Rukmini	345
The Killing of Narakasura	354
A Love-Quarrel with Rukmini	356
Marriage of Aniruddha and Usha	362
Krishna’s Household Life	366
The Killing of Jarasandha	369
The Killing of Sisupala	377
The Story of Kuchela	380
Advice to Uddhava	390
The Passage of the Lord	406
KALKI AVATARA	409
THE SALVATION OF PARIKSHIT	411
INDEX TO PROPER NAMES	417

 

Exposed to his bewildered gaze, the mystery of Nature had l tired the religious imagination and aesthetic sense of the early Aryan. To him, Nature was dreadful and yet beautiful. The Rgveda is the earliest available chronicle of this exhilarating human experience.

Dr. B, B. Chaubey’s "Treatment of Nature in the Rgveda” is an honest attempt to reproduce the glory that the Rgveda is- a repository of ancient religion and unblemished poetry. In the Introduction, Dr. Chaubey proposes an assessment of the wealth of critical acumen and hard labour that scholars, both ancient and modern, have brought to bear upon the study of the Vedas, especially the Rgveda, The chapters are well-balanced and evenly distributed, that, stroke by stroke bring to the fore the heart of the Rgveda. The conclusion is a denouement of all. The style is lucid and yet forceful and convincing.

The work is strongly recommended to the scholarly world as to the general intelligent readers interested in the golden heritage of India.

The Rgveda as the most ancient literary monument of the Aryan race, nay, of the whole world, is the most authoritative source of the religion, philosophy and poetry. For acquiring knowledge of the history of Indian religion, philosophy and poetry, its study is most essential. No investigation into the nature and origin of the gods of Indian theology, is possible without the help of the Rgveda, Therefore, it is lit and proper for the seeker of the knowledge of Indian religion and poetry to go to the Rgveda.

Ours is the age of science. The Vedas are not now the special possessions of any class or sect. They are open to all scientific minds; "The Treatment of Nature in the Rgveda" is an attempt to solve on modern lines the mystery of Nature which the Rgvedic seers had visualized.

From a critical study of the Rgveda it becomes obvious that Nature was the vital source of inspiration for the Vedic seers. The religious and the philosophic conceptions, which they developed, were the outcome of the observation of the various physical phenomena of Nature. The beauty and sublimity of these phenomena inspired the feelings which found expression in the form of beautiful lyrics, addressed to Gods and Goddesses, which, in reality were deeply emotional descriptions of the various phenomena of Nature.

The present work "Treatment of Nature in the “Rgveda" is inter alia, an endeavour to give a clearer idea of how the Rgvedic seers visualised Nature. Mainly there are two angles of visualising Nature, one religious and the other poetic, Accordingly, the work is divided into two parts-Religious Approach to Nature and Poetic Approach to Nature. Part I consists of live chapters, Chapter first deals with what the Rgvedic poets meant by Nature, and what terminology they had invented to designate the totality of the physical phenomena, The second chapter fully discusses the part Nature has played in the Formation of Vedic religion together with some observations on, and the examination of the different theories about the origin of religion in general and the Rgvedic religion in particular. The third chapter mainly consists of an answer to the question ‘who are these Gods? The view that Vedic Gods are living human beings or psychic powers does not give us a correct idea of the spirit of the Rgveda. Hence, I have criticised these views and established that Rgvedic Gods are nothing but personifications of the physical phenomena of Nature, In the fourth chapter, various theories proposed by oriental as well as occidental scholars to explain the myths of the Rgveda have been detailed and explained. In the conclusion of this chapter, I have expressed my definite view that the myths connected with the various gods can best be explained and understood, in the light of the regional classification of Vedic deities as proposed by the Nairuktas, In the fifth chapter, various modes of worship and the objects of worship in Nature are discussed. The most important among the latter, viz., the Sky the Sun and Agni are selected for individual treatment.

Part Il deals with the Rgveda as a line specimen of Nature- poetry. It consists of three chapters (numbered in continuation} wherein chapter VI describes and illustrates Nature-poetry in the Rgvedic hymns in general and in the songs addressed to the Maruts, the Sun, Parjanya and Night in particular. Chapter VII describes the Rgvedic concept of Beauty in poetry and Chapter VIII the poetic beauty in the Usas—suktas.

In the Introduction of this book I have given a retrospect of Rgvedic studies in ancient as well as in modern time in India and abroad, There is nothing original here. However, it will be 1 L most useful for the student of the Rgveda anxious for conducting p research in this field.

Much work has been done by oriental as well as occidental scholars on Vedic mythology and religion, viewing Nature as their ground-work; Scholars have also taken pains to evaluate the merit of the Rgvedic poetry from tl1e viewpoints of modern criticism. But in the vast realm of literature written on Vedic mythology, religion and poetry, no work has appeared so far which may be mainly devoted to the part played by Nature in the evolution of Rgvedic religion and poetry, It is for the first time that I have discussed the various modes of Nature—description in the poetry of the Rgveda.

In writing this work I have followed both the critical and the descriptive methods, While discussing the religious approach to Nature I have first given the views of earlier authorities on the subject, and where l have found them deviating from the text of the Rgveda, I have criticised them and given my own judgement `V supported by the Rgvedic texts and the Nirukta of Yaska. For the clear understanding of the subject 1 have given the text of the Rgveda in footnotes with proper accent, and its purport in the body of the book. While quoting the Rgvedic passages I have given Griliitl1’s translation with certain minor modifications. Less reliance has been placed on Sayana’s commentary than on Yaska’s Nirukta, for the former has confined himself only to the ritualistic explanation of the Rgveda.

This work was originally prepared as a thesis, under the supervision of Dr. S. Bhattacharya, and accepted for the degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy, in the department of Sanskrit of the Banaras Hindu University in 1964. While publishing it I have made certain modifications which were found necessary.

I take this opportunity to record my grateful thanks to all the scholars ancient as well as modern, oriental as well as occidental, who have done a lot in this field and whose writings l have consulted in preparing my work, It is my sacred duty to acknowledge my deep debt of gratitude to Dr. S. Bhattacharya, Professor and Head of the Deptt. of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit, Banaras Hindu University, A under whose fostering guidance I completed the thesis within at short period, and who has further added to the kind favours conferred on me by writing a foreword to this book. His personality shall ever be a perennial source of inspiration and guiding light for me, I find no words to express my gratitude to late Dr. H. D. Velankar and Dr. D, C, Bhattacharya (the examiners of my thesis), I can never forget the following kind remarks of Dr. Velankar when he came to take my viva-voce examination: ‘My dear Chaubey, I am very much pleased with your thesis and I have come only to congratulate you." They are virtually, the pronouncement of his blessings on me, It was his keen desire to see this thesis published, But alas! Before the publication of the book, the cruel hands of the death have snatched him away from us.

I am also thankful to Dr. Ram Suresh Tripathi, Head of the Deptt. of Sanskrit, Aligarh Muslim University, and Shri C.G. Kashikar of the Centre of Advanced study in Sanskrit, Poona University, for their appreciation of the book when I showed it to them at the Silver Jubilee Session of All India Oriental Conference at Jadvapur `University, Calcutta. I cannot conclude this note without offering the flower of my reverence to the lotus feet of my Guru ji Maharaja, Pt. Shyamdas Pandey whose blessings have always been bestowed upon me.

My thanks are due to Prof. Jagannath Agrawal, Pt. Bhimdeva Shastri, Shri K, V, Sharma and Shri Jai Narayan Sharma who have helped me by giving many constructive suggestions regarding the publication of the book.

Lastly, my thanks are also due to the authorities and workers of the Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute Press, Hoshiarpur, who have done their best in finishing the printing of this book in time.

In spite of all the pains taken by me to make it free from printing errors, some mistakes may have crept in. For these I crave the indulgence of the intelligent readers.