Indian

The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic

Little Krishna

The adventures of young Lord Krishna, enjoyed for centuries by Indian children, now available for Western children.

• Includes 40 detailed illustrations painted in authentic and classic Indian style.

• Stories are entertaining as well as instructive.

• A rich slice of popular Indian lore made accessible for Western children. 

For centuries the children of India have grown up hearing the tales of Lord Krishna's adventures as a boy. Krishna has been the favorite of young and old alike because of his delightfully mischievous nature yet genuine and soulful heart. Now the entertaining and instructive tales of Krishna's youth are available for Western children, who will likewise be enamored of the magical journeys taken by young Krishna in a land full of mysterious gods and unusual animals. 

With a host of characters drawn from the rich breadth of Indian lore, Little Krishna will show children the value of kindness, the importance of preserving what you create, and the boundless nature of wisdom. Accompanied by the richly intricate color illustrations prepared following the traditional canon, each with prescribed geometric and artistic proportions, these stories will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom. In India children are taught that the stories of Krishna will help awaken and develop their own spiritual nature and that they should take to heart the lessons little Krishna learned from his adventures. But they also know this ancient lore provides some great storytelling.

How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva (Classic Indian Stories for Children)

The magical story of how the princess Parvati opens the heart of her eternal husband Shiva

• The courtship story of one of the central couples in Indian lore, Parvati and Shiva, made accessible for Western children ages 6 to 9

• Illustrated throughout with paintings from the classic Indian tradition

In the Hindu pantheon the great mother goddess Adishakti is the heavenly wife of Shiva, Lord of All Gods. Whenever Shiva or Adishakti come to Earth in human form, they are fated to marry each other again--but that’s no guarantee that all will go smoothly with their courtship. In this story Adishakti comes to Earth as the mountain princess Parvati, who has her work cut out for her when she tries to win the affections of Shiva. Shiva spends all his time meditating on a remote mountainside in the Himalayas and has no interest in marriage. Parvati washes his feet, wipes his brow, and lays sixteen offerings before him, but he won’t even look at her. Sage Narada advises her to invoke Shiva’s name--Om Namah Shivaya--over and over again as a mantra. So in the heat of the sun, in the driving rain, in snow up to her neck Parvati sits and repeats her beloved’s name until the focused power of her intent opens his heart and persuades him to ask for her hand in marriage.

Parvati’s timeless story teaches children that with enough love and perseverance even the seemingly impossible can be achieved. Accompanied by rich, color illustrations prepared according to the traditional Hindu canon, How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom.

Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesh

Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization

This book interprets for the Western mind the key motifs of India's legend, myth, and folklore, taken directly from the Sanskrit, and illustrated with seventy plates of Indian art. It is primarily an introduction to image-thinking and picture-reading in Indian art and thought, and it seeks to make the profound Hindu and Buddhist intuitions of the riddles of life and death recognizable not merely as Oriental but as universal elements.

Savitri: A Tale of Ancient India

Siva: The Erotic Ascetic (Galaxy Books)

Originally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human dilemma: the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide
range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama.

How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head

The magical story of how Ganesh, the son of Shiva and Parvati, was brought back to life with the head of an elephant

• The story of one of the most beloved characters in Indian lore, made accessible for Western children ages 6 to 9

• Illustrated throughout with paintings from the classic Indian tradition

Any Indian child can tell you how the beloved god Ganesh got his elephant’s head--now American children can know as well. For centuries Indian children have grown up hearing Ganesh’s story--how his mother, Parvati (an incarnation of the great mother goddess), created a small boy from sandalwood soap and commanded that he guard the palace against all intruders while she took her bath. How her husband, Shiva (the fearsome god of destruction), didn’t take kindly to being barred from his own home. How Shiva beheaded the boy during the cosmic war that followed, but then, when he realized that the balance of the entire universe was at stake, brought the boy back to life by grafting an elephant’s head onto his body and made him the people’s intercessor against the powers of destruction.

Ganesh’s timeless story teaches children about the steadfast power of dedication to duty, the awe-inspiring power of a mother’s love for her child, and the gentle power of compassion, which holds the world together. Accompanied by rich, color illustrations prepared according to the traditional Hindu canon, How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom.

The Birth of the Ganga

A lavishly illustrated mythological story of the origins of the Indian river Ganga and its powerful purifying properties. 

• 46 full-color art reproductions bring to life many of the Indian saints and gods whose names abound in Hindu scripture and history 

• Unique in Indian art, this book's figures are inspired by the high classical style of the Ajanta caves and temple of Khajoraho 

• Includes a description of the ancient technique of silk painting used in creating the illustrations 

Translated for the first time in English, The Birth of the Ganga tells the mythological story of the origins of the river Ganga (known in the West as the Ganges River) and its powerful purifying properties. According to scriptures, Ganga was a goddess residing in heaven but was brought down to earth in the form of a river to provide salvation to the ancestors of King Bhagirath. It is said that not only did Ganga save King Bhagirath's ancestors, but she provided a means of purification for the entire population of human beings on earth. Today pilgrims travel from all over the subcontinent to bathe in the river as an act of worship in the hopes of obtaining her blessings and realizing salvation. 

The Birth of the Ganga will delight readers young and old alike for not only is it a wonderful story of good deeds leading to a just ending, but its 46 illustrations bring to life many of the Indian saints and gods whose names abound in Hindu scripture and history. The original illustrations, hand-painted on silk, are inspired by the high classical style of the Ajanta caves and temples of Khajoraho. Johari has restored this classical art form in accordance with the Hindu canon.

Butter Thief