<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;var(--font-body)&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Why are Hindus so ritualistic? Why do they worship idols? Were Hindus always casteist? Are Hindus supposed to be vegetarian? Why is a Hindu prayer different from a Muslim or Christian prayer? Did the arrival of Muslim invaders a thousand years ago destroy Hindu culture?Answering key questions on Hindu philosophy and associated Indian history in simple, lucid, engaging ways, and exploring the often curious customs and beliefs that are an intrinsic part of the Hindu faith, Devdutt Pattanaik's latest book is a treasure house of information on the complex tenets of Hinduism. For many a curious reader, Faith: 40 Insights into Hinduism will prove to be a delightful and eye-opening introduction to the intricacies of one of the world's most practiced religions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">Artha-shastra is about generating food, i.e. wealth, by creating goods and services; Kama-shastra is about indulging our hungers with this food. Dharma-shastra insists we consider the hunger of others, while Moksha-shastra is about outgrowing our hungers, in order to be detached and generous. Together, these four Hindu shastras provide a framework within which human action, its purposes and consequences, can be defined; together, they validate human existence and give it meaning.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;var(--font-body)&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">In Dharma Artha Kama Moksha, Devdutt Pattanaik uses his unique understanding of mythology to provide an accessible and lucid guide to the Hindu way of thinking, with short essays that are crisp expositions of important concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><section id="shopify-section-template--16768202965284__main" class="shopify-section main-product-section" style="font-family: open_sans; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px;"><div class="product animation animation--product product--has-sticky-scroll is-visible" data-section-id="template--16768202965284__main" data-section-type="product" data-current-product-id="46922031137060" data-product-has-only-default-variant="true" data-enable-sticky-product-details="true" data-gallery-size="large" data-is-full-product="true" style="--swatch-size:48px; max-width: calc(var(--max-width) + calc(var(--space-outer) * 2)); margin-top: 0px; --product-meta-top:-161px;"><div class="product__bottom"><div class="left-side-blocks for-mobile" style="margin-top: 101.781px; padding: 0 var(--space-outer);"><div class="product__description product__block product__block--medium" style="width: 730.219px; margin-bottom: var(--spacing-6);"><div class="rte rte--product ff-body fs-body-100" style="font-weight: var(--font-body-weight); font-style: var(--font-body-style); line-height: var(--line-height-body); letter-spacing: var(--font-body-base-letter-spacing); font-size: 14px !important; text-align: center !important;"><div id="for_mobile_description" style="margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><div class="accordion " style="margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><div class="accordion__inner" data-index="" data-open="true" style="border-top: 1px solid var(--color-border); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--color-border); margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><div class="accordion__content fs-body-100 rte non-page-rte measure" aria-hidden="false" id="accordion-content-description" style="padding-bottom: var(--spacing-6); font-size: var(--font-size-body-100); max-width: var(--max-width-narrow); margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><p style="font-family: var(--font-body); margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: var(--font-body-weight); font-style: var(--font-body-style); line-height: var(--line-height-body); letter-spacing: var(--font-body-base-letter-spacing);"><br></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></section><p><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"></p>

<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">The popular names of many yogic asanas -- from Virbhadra-asana and Hanuman-asana to Matsyendra-asana, Kurma-asana and Ananta-asana -- are based on characters and personages from Indian mythology. Who were these mythological characters, what were their stories, and how are they connected to yogic postures? Devdutt Pattanaiks newest book Yoga Mythology (co-written with international yoga practitioner Matt Rulli) retells the fascinating tales from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain lore that lie behind the yogic asanas the world knows so well; in the process he draws attention to an Indic worldview based on the concepts of eternity, rebirth, liberation and empathy that has nurtured yoga for thousands of years</p><div><br></div>

<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">Why do people worship idols?</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">Why does idol worship stubbornly persist despite many centuries of prejudice, bigotry and violence against it?</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">Can such worship help us find our true purpose in life and ultimately attain peace and prosperity?</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">In Idols, a companion volume to the best-selling Dharma, your favourite cast of fictional characters is back, along with some new ones, to explore the essence and true meaning of idolatry, or idol worship.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">In this insightful book, Amish and Bhavna tackle burning questions about idol worship through simple and astute interpretations of myths and religious texts. They unearth the symbolic essence of Ishta Devata and dive into the benefits of bhakti, to reveal the expansive philosophy behind the practice and how it can lead us to experienceintellectually, ideologically and, most importantly, in our hearts-the Oneness of God, through transformation, acceptance and love.</p>

<p style="font-family: open_sans; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: var(--spacing-4); margin-left: 0px; line-height: var(--line-height-body); color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">Many historians believe that Jainism and other hermit schools were simply a reaction to Vedic ritualism. But for most Jains, their religion has no origin: it has always been around.</p><p style="font-family: open_sans; margin-top: var(--spacing-4); margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: var(--line-height-body); color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">Jainism was rediscovered by Rishabh-dev, the first Tirthankar of this era.<br>Rishabh's eldest son, Bharat, became Chakravarti, king of kings, and gave the country its name.<br>Bahubali, Bharat's younger brother, renounced violence and followed the Jain path of freedom.<br>Rishabh was followed by twenty-three other Tirthankars. The last of them was Mahavir, who lived around 2,500 years ago.<br>In Bahubali, Devdutt Pattanaik explores the stories, symbols, rituals and ideas associated with one of India's most ancient but lesser-known faiths, and shows us why the tenets of Jainism are still very relevant to all of us even today.</p>

<p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span class="a-text-italic" data-mce-fragment="1">Fire on the Ganges</span><span data-mce-fragment="1">&nbsp;is the first attempt to chronicle the everyday realities of the Doms. It plunges into Banaras's historical past, while narrowing its lens to a few spirited characters from the Dom community. Through their tales of struggle and survival, loss and ambition, betrayal and love, it tells the at-times-heartbreaking, at-times-exhilarating story of a community struggling to find a place beyond that accorded to it by ancient tradition.</span></p><div><span data-mce-fragment="1"><br></span></div>

<p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">In this day and age, money, success and happiness are the mirage that mankind is chasing. The more we chase it, the farther it goes. Even when you achieve a self-set goal, the next goalpost is already in place. In the middle of it all, life goes away without making any noise.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;var(--font-body)&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Today, as we stumble after solutions to our personal crises and stresses, and as we search for peace in our daily lives, we often find that the mind is our worst enemy. But what happens if you have in your hands a manual to show you the way the forward? In A Monk's Almanac, celebrated monk Swami Nityanand Charan Das addresses the most pressing questions life throws at to us, using a unique combination of personally tested tools and ancient knowledge from the scriptures to help readers move forward in their journey through life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><section id="shopify-section-template--16768202965284__main" class="shopify-section main-product-section" style="font-family: open_sans; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px;"><div class="product animation animation--product product--has-sticky-scroll is-visible" data-section-id="template--16768202965284__main" data-section-type="product" data-current-product-id="46865580097828" data-product-has-only-default-variant="true" data-enable-sticky-product-details="true" data-gallery-size="large" data-is-full-product="true" style="--swatch-size:48px; max-width: calc(var(--max-width) + calc(var(--space-outer) * 2)); margin-top: 0px; --product-meta-top:-161px;"><div class="product__bottom"><div class="left-side-blocks for-mobile" style="margin-top: 101.781px; padding: 0 var(--space-outer);"><div class="product__description product__block product__block--medium" style="width: 730.219px; margin-bottom: var(--spacing-6);"><div class="rte rte--product ff-body fs-body-100" style="font-weight: var(--font-body-weight); font-style: var(--font-body-style); line-height: var(--line-height-body); letter-spacing: var(--font-body-base-letter-spacing); font-size: 14px !important; text-align: center !important;"><div id="for_mobile_description" style="margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><div class="accordion " style="margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><div class="accordion__inner" data-index="" data-open="true" style="border-top: 1px solid var(--color-border); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--color-border); margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><div class="accordion__content fs-body-100 rte non-page-rte measure" aria-hidden="false" id="accordion-content-description" style="padding-bottom: var(--spacing-6); font-size: var(--font-size-body-100); max-width: var(--max-width-narrow); margin: var(--spacing-7) 0;"><p style="font-family: var(--font-body); margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: var(--font-body-weight); font-style: var(--font-body-style); line-height: var(--line-height-body); letter-spacing: var(--font-body-base-letter-spacing);"><br></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></section><p><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"></p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">Since the founding of the republic, India has been the largest democracy in the world. In many respects it was considered a model democracy owing to its ideals, such as a non-partisan Election Commission and free dialogue and debate. Its abiding features have been non-discriminatory management of diversity, concern for an equitable and equal society, and a profound reverence towards the country's founding document, the Constitution.</span><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">Over the years, the tussle between historical reality and theoretical idealism ensured that at times the social contract was disrupted, with conflicts obstructing a complete achievement of democracy.</span><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">In India's Experiment with Democracy, former chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi examines key questions that face India today: What foundational principles must be definitive to our ideas of nationhood, citizenship and democracy? How may we enliven our national discourse with a renewed spirit of inquiry and imaginative erudition, and mid-course correction? Ultimately, the underlying thrust of this book is to posit reasoned argumentation, objective enquiry, secularism, civil liberty and compassion as indispensable features of a democracy.</span><br></p>

<p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">On an evening in the late 1990s, when Abdul Karim Telgi spent more than Rs 80 lakh, an amount enough to buy twenty kilograms of gold at that time, on a dancer in a Mumbai dance bar, the police, politicians and the underworld immediately took notice. Who was this person? What business did he own? How had a man who was selling peanuts on a railway station a few years ago become so rich?</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">In 2001, when Telgi was arrested by Mumbai Police, his fake stamp paper scam was arguably the biggest in Indian history, at an estimated Rs 30,000 crore. As Sanjay Singh, then a young</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">reporter with NDTV-who eventually exposed the scam in 2003-discovered, there was more to it than just the mindboggling numbers. The quality of the stamp papers, which were printed on 'obsolete' machines reportedly obtained from the government's closely guarded security press in Nashik, was so good that it was difficult to tell them apart from the real ones.</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">Crafty and resourceful, Telgi kept the racket flourishing for more than a decade by involving not just government officials but also management executives who 'professionally'</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">expanded his network.</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">A result of deep investigative work, in-person interviews and confidential case documents, Telgi: A Reporter's Diary is the thrilling account of a man who built an extensive counterfeit</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);"><span data-mce-fragment="1">empire worth thousands of crores, and masterminded a scam of unimaginable proportions.</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.7px; background-color: rgb(255, 254, 251);">&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">This is the first book in the Indian Lives series, edited and curated by Ramachandra Guha.</span><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">Ashoka, the last great Mauryan emperor, is one of the most iconic figures in Indian history. Under his rule (268-232 BCE) the Mauryan empire extended across almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. Apart from his effective reign over his vast kingdom, Ashoka is well known for his renunciation of war, his development of the concept of dhamma, his patronage of Buddhism, and his promotion of religious harmony.</span><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: open_sans; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">A</span>shoka has been imagined, and reimagined, many times over. It has been said that there are at least two Ashokas: the historical Ashoka (whom we know mainly through his inscriptions), and the legendary Ashoka, who is largely a construct of the popular imagination. The distinguished scholar Patrick Olivelle's new book resists the temptation to blend the two-a temptation that many writers have succumbed to-as it seeks to gain an insight into the emperor's world. Based primarily on the inscriptions (which is where Ashoka 'speaks for himself'), Olivelle constructs a fascinating portrait of India's first great ruler, where the figu<span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">shoka has been imagined, and reimagined, many times over. It has been said that there are at least two Ashokas: the historical Ashoka (whom we know mainly through his inscriptions), and the legendary Ashoka, who is largely a construct of the popular imagination. The distinguished scholar Patrick Olivelle's new book resists the temptation to blend the two-a temptation that many writers have succumbed to-as it seeks to gain an insight into the emperor's world. Based primarily on the inscriptions (which is where Ashoka 'speaks for himself'), Olivelle constructs a fascinating portrait of India's first great ruler, where the figu</span><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: open_sans; font-size: 16.5492px; text-align: center;">re of Ashoka comes vividly alive notwithstanding the elusiveness and fragmentary nature of the sources.</span><br></p>