Reimagining Bh¿gavatam: A Book on Ancient Indian Philosophy

Ever since Sir W Jones translated Kalidasa's Shakuntalam into English (1789), many scholars from the West have shown interest in Indian Sanskrit literature. By 1847, 607 works had been translated. Among them, the Gita is one of the most translated works. The Gita and Bhagavatam are the essence of the Vedas, the ancient Indian texts of knowledge. While the 700-sloka Gita is written as a discourse to someone who was finding difficulty to choose between his duty and obligation, the currently available 14094-verse long Bhagavatam is a discourse given to a king who was expecting death suddenly in the next seven days. Translations of the Bhagavatam are not widely available as much as the Gita. This book is written, keeping in mind those who do not look for a religious or literary piece but a useful book that offers a glimpse of ancient Indian wisdom on blending harmoniously personal ethics, politics and morality in life. Bhagavatam, composed in the ancient Sanskrit language probably before CE and contains wisdom of sages and scholars presented in the ancient art of storytelling. This book, divided into two parts, condenses the ancient Indian scripture into eighty invaluable stories along with explanatory notes and a glossary at the end.