The Concise Yoga Vasistha a clear, provocative summary of one of the leading texts of Hinduism. Swami Venkatesananda continues the long tradition of elaborating on and clarifying the teachings of the sage Vasistha. It captures the verve of the original text while eliminating needless repetition. For the specialist, this book makes available a handy guide to the original Sanskrit without sacrificing philosophical depth. To the comparative religionist, it provides an occasion for understanding how Hinduism has been able to accommodate seemingly opposite schools of thought without giving way to...

This is a condensed version of a long epic, written between 750 and 500 B.C., consisting of 50,000 lines of Sanskrit verse. Divided into seven Kanor books, it tells the story of Rama from his birth to his death. At regular intervals throughout the text, the chapters being condensed are designated by Kantitles and numbers. Each interval is appropriate in length for a daily reading, and there are 365 intervals.

The cast of characters is provided by a glossary of proper names.