Gods, Demons, and Others PDF Download

Author: R. K. Narayan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226568253
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
Following in the footsteps of the storytellers of his native India, R. K. Narayan has produced his own versions of tales taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabarata. Carefully selecting those stories which include the strongest characters, and omitting the theological or social commentary that would have drawn out the telling, Narayan informs these fascinating myths with his urbane humor and graceful style. "Mr. Narayan gives vitality and an original viewpoint to the most ancient of legends, lacing them with his own blend of satire, pertinent explanation and thoughtful commentary."—Santha Rama Rau, New York Times "Narayan's narrative style is swift, firm, graceful, and lucid . . . thoroughly knowledgeable, skillful, entertaining. One could hardly hope for more."—Rosanne Klass, Times Literary Supplement

Author: Wayne Barlowe
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9781429911139
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The powerful Lord Sargatanas, Brigadier-general in Beelzebub's host, is restless. For millennia Sargatanas has ruled dutifully over an Infernal metropolis, but he has never forgotten what he lost in the Fall. He is sickened by what he has done and what he has become. Now, with a small event—a confrontation with a damned soul—he makes a decision that will reverberate through every being in Hell. Sargatanas decides to attempt the impossible, to rebel, to win his way Home and bring with him anyone who chooses to follow...be they demon or soul. He will stake everything on fighting all the abominable forces of Hell arrayed against him, when the prize is nothing less than redemption. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Author: Michael Parenti
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616143053
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
A noted author and activist brings his critical acumen and rhetorical skills to bear in this polemic against the dark side of religion. Unlike some popular works by stridently outspoken atheists, this is not a blanket condemnation of all believers. Rather the author's focus is the heartless exploitation of faithful followers by those in power, as well as sectarian intolerance, the violence against heretics and nonbelievers, and the reactionary political and economic collusion that has often prevailed between the upper echelons of church and state. Parenti notes the deleterious effects of past theocracies and the threat to our freedoms posed by present-day fundamentalists and theocratic reactionaries. He discusses how socially conscious and egalitarian minded liberal religionists have often been isolated and marginalized by their more conservative (and better financed) coreligionists. Finally, he documents the growing strength of secular freethinkers who are doing battle against the intolerant theocratic usurpers in public life. Historically anchored yet sharply focused on the contemporary scene, this eloquent indictment of religion’s dangers will be welcomed by committed secular laypersons and progressive religionists alike.

Author: Deborah Cassrels
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1460709136
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Behind the tourist veneer of Bali and greater Indonesia: a foreign correspondent's memoir In 2006, journalist Deborah Cassrels embarked on a personal odyssey to the Indonesian island of Bali. She was quickly enchanted by everything that most tourists find - its beauty, easy lifestyle, exotic culture, stunning beaches and striking landscapes. Three years later she moved there and became The Australian newspaper's first Bali-based correspondent, covering events throughout Indonesia. Peeling back the tourist veneer, Cassrels soon found herself caught up in a tapestry of beauty, mystery, power, corruption and violence. From the newly jailed, reeling Bali Nine drug gang and the gruesome executions of their condemned bosses, to stories of shackled people, infamous terrorists, powerful tycoons and lavish royal celebrations, Cassrels reveals a hidden side to the mystical Hindu paradise and vast Indonesian archipelago in which all is not as it seems.

Author: R. K. Narayan
Publisher: Penguin Books India
ISBN: 9780140255645
Category : Epic literature, Indic
Languages : en
Pages : 652

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Book Description
One Of India s Finest Novelists Retells The Two Great Indian Epics As Well As Some Well-Known Tales From Hindu Mythology And Folklore. While The Eleventh Century Tamil Poet Kamban s Version Inspires His Ramayana, Narayan S Mahabharata Is Based On Vyasa S Monumental Work. In Gods, Demons And Others, He Includes Stories From Kalidasa S Sanskrit Classic Abhijnana Shakuntalam, The Tamil Epic Silappadikaram, The Shiv Purana And The Devi Bhagwatam.

Author: Bernard Evslin
Publisher: Graymalkin + ORM
ISBN: 1631683624
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
The essential guide to more than 540 supernatural figures of Greek mythology—as well as notable mortals—from Acantha the nymph to Zeus, king of the gods. Do you know the story behind Pandora’s Box, or the difference between Hercules and Heracles? Turn to this alphabetic encyclopedia, with more than 540 entries detailing all the major and minor characters, events, and settings of Greek mythology, from an introduction to the nymph Acantha to a succinct characterization of Zeus, the all-powerful ruler of the gods. This invaluable reference covers all types of heroes, gods, demigods, creatures, demons, and notable mortals, with their classic stories retold in riveting summaries. This comprehensive guide brings Greek mythology to life, and includes a helpful pronunciation key.

Author: Bruce Lincoln
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226035166
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Bruce Lincoln is one of the most prominent advocates within religious studies for an uncompromisingly critical approach to the phenomenon of religion—historians of religions, he believes, should resist the preferred narratives and self-understanding of religions themselves, especially when their stories are endowed with sacred origins and authority. In Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars, Lincoln assembles a collection of essays that both illustrates and reveals the benefits of his methodology, making a case for a critical religious studies that starts with skepticism but is neither cynical nor crude. The book begins with Lincoln’s “Theses on Method” and ends with “The (Un)discipline of Religious Studies,” in which he unsparingly considers the failings of uncritical and nonhistorical approaches to the study of religions. In between, Lincoln presents new examinations of problems in ancient religions and relates these cases to larger comparative themes. While bringing to light important features of the formation of pantheons and the constructions of demons, chaos, and the dead, Lincoln demonstrates that historians of religions should take religious things—inspired scriptures, sacred centers, salvific rites, communities graced by divine favor—as the theories of interested humans that shape perception, community, and experiences. As he shows, it is for their terrestrial influence, and not their sacred origins, that religious phenomena merit consideration by the historian. Tackling many questions central to religious study, Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars will be a touchstone for the history of religions in the twenty-first century.

Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780292707948
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Ancient Mesopotamia was a rich, varied and highly complex culture whose achievements included the invention of writing and the development of sophisticated urban society. This book offers an introductory guide to the beliefs and customs of the ancient Mesopotamians, as revealed in their art and their writings between about 3000 B.C. and the advent of the Christian era. Gods, goddesses, demons, monsters, magic, myths, religious symbolism, ritual, and the spiritual world are all discussed in alphabetical entries ranging from short accounts to extended essays. Names are given in both their Sumerian and Akkadian forms, and all entries are fully cross-referenced. A useful introduction provides historical and geographical background and describes the sources of our knowledge about the religion, mythology and magic of "the cradle of civilisation".

Author: R. K. Narayan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022605747X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
“Narayan makes this treasury of Indian folklore and mythology readily accessible to the general reader . . . he captures the spirit of the narrative.”—Library Journal The Mahabharata tells a story of such violence and tragedy that many people in India refuse to keep the full text in their homes, fearing that doing so would invite a disastrous fate upon their house. Covering everything from creation to destruction, this ancient poem remains an indelible part of Hindu culture and a landmark in ancient literature. Centuries of listeners and readers have been drawn to The Mahabharata, which began as disparate oral ballads and grew into a sprawling epic. The modern version is famously long, and at more than 1.8 million words—seven times the combined lengths of the Iliad and Odyssey—it can be incredibly daunting. But contemporary readers have a much more accessible entry point to this important work, thanks to R. K. Narayan’s masterful, elegant translation and abridgement of the poem. Now with a new foreword by Wendy Doniger, as well as a concise character and place guide and a family tree, The Mahabharata is ready for a new generation of readers. Narayan ably distills a tale that is both traditional and constantly changing. He draws from both scholarly analysis and creative interpretation and vividly fuses the spiritual with the secular. Through this balance he has produced a translation that is not only clear, but graceful, one that stands as its own story as much as an adaptation of a larger work.

Author: Dr. Abraham Kovoor
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
ISBN: 8172242166
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Gods, Demons and Spirits is a worthy successor to the bestseller BEGONE GODMEN. In it, Dr. Abraham Kovoor, the famed rationalist, continues his relentless crusade against charlatans and miraclemen with greater vigour. It is a scathing exposure of the conning methods employed by pseudo-gods, bogus gurus and assorted fakes to entrap their gullible victims.