Ganesha Goes to Lunch: Classics From Mystic India (Mandala Classics)

King Kubera was the greediest man in the world. Hated and feared by many, he schemed to win the love of the beautiful goddess Parvati . . . but learned an important lesson when he invited her elephant-headed son Ganesha over for lunch one day . . . So goes one of the many delightful tales in this decidedly grown-up book of traditional Indian stories, retold for the modern reader. Author Kamla Kapur is well known in her native India as a poet and playwright, and her connection to these age-old stories is the reverent yet individualistic one we might expect from someone whose introduction tells of her hometown, where naked, dreadlocked holy men speed about on motorbikes. To collect these stories, Kapur relied on ancient sacred texts, modern scholarship, and chance encounters with interesting people who just happened to know a really good one about this time that Vishnu sank into the ocean, was incarnated as a pig, and had a really wonderful time. Like myths around the world, these are teaching stories that offer both a window into a fascinating culture that has endured for thousands of years, and a code for living that can be applied to the modern world.

epics Of Ancient India Rank With The Timeless Myths Of Classical Greece And Rome In The Power Of Their Language And The Underlying Moral Lessons. The ramayana And mahabharata, Both Written In Sanskrit, Contain Vibrant Stories Of Kings And Princes, Sages And Tricksters, Demons And Gods, Damsels In Distress And Mighty Heroes. ganesha Goes To Lunch Collects Some Of The Most Vivid Stories From These And Other Early Indian Folklore And Spiritual Texts Including The Vedas And the Puranas. These Stories Feature The Gods Of India In Their Celestial And Earthly Abodes, Hapless Humans Struggling With Life's Many Problems, And Gods And Humans Interacting. Assembled By Kamla Kapur, These Stories Illustrate The Great Spiritual And Practical Themes Of The Human Condition. Kamla Kapur Brings Her Poet’s Eye And Ear To The Retelling Of These Stories, Recreating And Dramatizing Them To Illuminate Their Relevance To Modern Times.

These are tales of ancient India, some are celebrated and well known, others are small, unnoticed gems, not readily known to Western readers. The stories though often short, encapsulate some of life's essential truths. The gods of India in their abodes, humans struggling with life's problems, and gods and humans interacting, all revealing the essential lessons of life. The collection contains adaptations from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, and Vedas stories, all illustrate the great spiritual and practical themes of the human condition. Kamla Kapur brings her poet's eye and ear to the retelling of these stories recreating and dramatizing them to illuminate their relevance to modern times. Collection of some of the most vivid stories from early Indian folklore and spiritual texts including the Vedas and the Puranas. These stories feature the gods of India in their celestial and earthly abodes, hapless humans struggling with life's many problems, and gods and humans interacting. Assembled by Kamla Kapur, these stories illustrate the great spiritual and practical themes of the human condition. Kamla Kapur brings her poet's eye and ear to the retelling of these stories, recreating and dramatizing them to illuminate their relevance to modern times