Books/Novels Discussion Thread V1: Literary Gems

jackal_79

jackal_79

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can anyone suggest some author/s whose books are fast paced, page turner and don't want to keep down once you start reading kind?
 
Anorion

Anorion

Sith Lord
Staff member
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Tom Holt books are fast paced page turners, but mostly impossible to film
Snow White and The Seven Samurai is about hacking
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
Any good books on Hinduism? Not religious cr@p like flying airships, but something that analyses our religion, specially the history of our religion in a non biased way. Basically I want to learn the history of Hinduism, no comparison or competitions.
 
jackal_79

jackal_79

Get Digit ized
tkin said:
Any good books on Hinduism? Not religious cr@p like flying airships, but something that analyses our religion, specially the history of our religion in a non biased way. Basically I want to learn the history of Hinduism, no comparison or competitions.
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Yeah, me also interested in those.
 
Anorion

Anorion

Sith Lord
Staff member
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Devdutt Patanaik... If need a reco to start with then go for Jaya
There is one more book on all south asian religions including some obscure and extinct ones. I posted a few pages back, will try to find or remember

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Oh and btw vaimanika shastra is an interesing forgery for it's time

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found it guys, it is called "Mythology of India: Myths and Legends of India, Tibet and Sri Lanka" by Rachel Storm
 
jackal_79

jackal_79

Get Digit ized
I's available on Amazon:
Buy Mythology of India: Myths and Legends of India, Tibet and Sri Lanka Book Online at Low Prices in India | Mythology of India: Myths and Legends of India, Tibet and Sri Lanka Reviews & Ratings - Amazon.in

although, this is not what i was looking for. This is more like a A- Z guide.
 
Anorion

Anorion

Sith Lord
Staff member
Admin
yes, it is like a glossary, but each entry has the historical context, and outsider perspective
what are you looking for?

there is rarely an unbiased version, it is better to read different versions, with the different biases and figure out what is happening. There is also alternative translations to take into account here.
 
Anorion

Anorion

Sith Lord
Staff member
Admin
Read "Thoughts on the Gita" it's a small book written by Swami Vivekanand published by Advaita Ashrama::A Publication Centre of Ramakrishna Math & Mission
I am tempted to type out huge portions of it, but will post this much. Some of this is liable to get you lynched in India in these times, so I am quoting directly instead of writing my own interpretation in short form.

Any one who composed a new Purana was known by the name of Vyasa, like the word Vikramaditya, which was also a general name. Another point is, the book Gita had not been much known to the generality of the people, before Shakaracharya made it famous by writing his great commentary on it. Long before that, there was current, according to many, the commentary on it by Bodhayana. If this could be proved, it would go a long way, no doubt, to establish the antiquity of the Gita and the authorship of Vyasa. Byt the Bodhayana-Bhasya on the Vedanta Sutras -- from which Ramanuja compiled his Shri-Bhasya, which Shankaracharya mentions and even quotes in part here and there in his own commentary, and which was so greatly discussed by the Swami Dayananda - not a copy even of that Bodhayana-Bhasya could I find while travelling throughout India. It is said that even Ramanuja compiled his Bhashya from a worm-eaten manuscript which he happened to find. When even this great Bodhayana-Bhashya on the Vedanta Sutras is so much enshrouded in the darkness of uncertainty, it is simply useless to try to establish the existence of the Bodhayana-Bhasya on the Gita. Some infer that Shankaracharya was the author of the Gita, and that it was he who foisted it into the body of the Mahabharata.
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Now to the third point, bearing on the subject of the Kurukshetra War, no special evidence in support of it can be adduced. But there is no doubt that there was a war fought between the Kurus and Panchalas. Another thing: How could there be so much discussion about Jnana, Bhakti and Yoga on the battlefield, where the huge army stood in battle array ready to fight, just waiting for the last signal? And was any shorthand writer present there to note down every word spoken between Krishna and Arjuna, in the din and turmoil of the battlefield? According to some, this Kurukshetra War is only an allegory. When we sum up its esoteric significance, it means the war which is constantly going on within man between the tendencies of good and evil.
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One thing should be especially remembered here, that there is no connection between these historical researches and our real aim, which is, the knowledge that leads to the acquirement of Dharma. Even if the historicity of the whole thing is proved to be absolutely false today, it will not in the least be any loss to us. "Then what is the use of so much historical research? -- you may ask. It has its use because we have to get at the truth; it will not do for us to remain bound by wrong ideas born of ignorance. In this country people think very little of the importance of such inquiries. Many of the sects believe that in order to preach a good thing which may be beneficial to many, there is no harm in telling an untruth, if that helps such preaching, or in other words, the end justifies the means. Hence, we find many of our Tantras beginning with, "Mahadeva said to Parvati". But our duty should be to convince ourselves of the truth, to believe in truth only. Such is the power of superstition, or faith in old traditions without inquiry into its truth, that it keeps men bound hand and foot, so much so, that even Jesus the Christ, Mohammed, and other great men believed in many such superstitions and could not shake them off. You have to keep your eye always fixed on truth only, and shun all superstitions completely.
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rhitwick

rhitwick

Democracy is a myth
You know what you would also find if you read his biography?

You would know that he told Hindus once used to eat cow meat.
He then went on and adviced to eat it as it makes us strong. In his words we're becoming weak everyday as a race due to poor food habit.
 
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