After a very long time I decided to post . it is not that I have not been reading. That is quite impossible. But then this book is quite interesting , I would not say unputdownable but something I really wanted to write about.
Jaya - that is the original name for "mahabharata" the epic. For starters I did not know that and I am sure a lot of other people also dont.
What I absolutely liked about the book is the way it picks up stories the interesting , unknown ones from various compilations of mahabharata - the myths in mahabharata kinds (incidentally the other book by this author is Myth = mithya) yet all these stories are told in the chronological order of Mahabharata , and interlinging the various events with the possible causes.
Like Krishna being killed because of a curse by gandhari. So he talks about the curse earlier but then goes back to it when describing krishna's death as to how the curse fructified.
The kauravas all went to heaven while the pandavas have to go to hell, an amazing reason and you have to read this to really understand the true meaning of dharma.
The way the story introduces the Kaliyuga is so amazing that it starkly brings out the difference in the mental make up of the people of different Yugas.
The flow is narrative so it at times gets boring but each is like a two page story you can always stop and start wherever you want.
Do read this if all you have done ever is read abridged translations of mahabharata - it is an eye - opener
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Tibetian Book of Living and Dying
An amazing masterpiece, there are very few books which i would really hold in such a high esteem. This is definitely one of them.
To survive in life there are a few basic skills that you need. Basic eating , hunting for food , protection everyone intutively understands and develops. This book talks about a skill which you dont develop but you need more than the other primariy life skills.
The knowledge in this book is probably more important than primary education. But unfortunately not many people realise this.
Ok I have written more a trailor for the book than a review :)
Well this book teaches you how to live and prepares you for death. Now why do we need to be prepared for death. Because it is the most important thing , it is what we are living for.
Most of us are curious as to what happens to a person when he dies, what he thinks what can he see or hear , anything at all.
Does the person remember forget the life he was in.
All these questions are answered including the true meaning behind some of the rituals that we do when people die.
"If you are not prepared for death, you will be too stunned to handle it when it comes "
To survive in life there are a few basic skills that you need. Basic eating , hunting for food , protection everyone intutively understands and develops. This book talks about a skill which you dont develop but you need more than the other primariy life skills.
The knowledge in this book is probably more important than primary education. But unfortunately not many people realise this.
Ok I have written more a trailor for the book than a review :)
Well this book teaches you how to live and prepares you for death. Now why do we need to be prepared for death. Because it is the most important thing , it is what we are living for.
Most of us are curious as to what happens to a person when he dies, what he thinks what can he see or hear , anything at all.
Does the person remember forget the life he was in.
All these questions are answered including the true meaning behind some of the rituals that we do when people die.
"If you are not prepared for death, you will be too stunned to handle it when it comes "
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The Celestine Prophecy
James Redfield classic.. can it be called a classic I dont know, but yes it is a masterpiece as far as handling the subject goes. A new style Anyone who has read any spiritual treatise would find those books boring drab and harping on the same point over and over again.
This book is refreshing it is an adventure story in the amazon rain forest a total adventure trail but introduces the teachings in form of nine insights.
What i liked about the book is its handling and creating a plot out of this simple teachings, there is nothing unbelievable in the theme or the teachings, a very light read.
I guess this is a good way to introduce youngsters into spiritual teachings.
The follow up book "The experiental guide" is more like a manual to achieve those insights.
The next book "The tenth Insight" is actually quite slow and boring compared to the original classic .
There is another book by teh same author "The secret of Shambala" supposedly talking about the eleventh insight . Interesting read , but very very unbelievable and teh writing style is exactly same as the celestine prophecy . So if you have heard about shangrila or shambala and want to know more then read thsi book else nothing much different from the celestine prophecy.
I primarily picked up the book because of the shangrila thing and the curiosity of what could be teh eleventh insight.
I was pretty unhappy with the tenth insight so was not hoping much from this book but it was better than the tenth insight , but yes it does not make the same impact as celestine prophecy does.
This book is refreshing it is an adventure story in the amazon rain forest a total adventure trail but introduces the teachings in form of nine insights.
What i liked about the book is its handling and creating a plot out of this simple teachings, there is nothing unbelievable in the theme or the teachings, a very light read.
I guess this is a good way to introduce youngsters into spiritual teachings.
The follow up book "The experiental guide" is more like a manual to achieve those insights.
The next book "The tenth Insight" is actually quite slow and boring compared to the original classic .
There is another book by teh same author "The secret of Shambala" supposedly talking about the eleventh insight . Interesting read , but very very unbelievable and teh writing style is exactly same as the celestine prophecy . So if you have heard about shangrila or shambala and want to know more then read thsi book else nothing much different from the celestine prophecy.
I primarily picked up the book because of the shangrila thing and the curiosity of what could be teh eleventh insight.
I was pretty unhappy with the tenth insight so was not hoping much from this book but it was better than the tenth insight , but yes it does not make the same impact as celestine prophecy does.
The Google Story
I had read this book quite a while back but never came around to blog about . Finally i decided to write a few lines.
While you would find extensive review about this book all over the web and most of them saying such an astonishing book this is.
Well it is a smooth read i wont say unputdownable but definitely not very dragging. But yes it is not for people who dont like technology or for people who dont understand teh very reason why people would give up everything to be an enterpreuner.
It does not have good amount of technical stuff or jargon but yes the book story etc revolves around search it helps if you know a little bit about search. I guess a non search person would really not appreciate the big deal about a page ranking algorithm.
This book is a must read by anyone who is starting something on his own, it has that motivational element , teh zeal to succeed against all odds.
I guess if these sililcon valley founders were MBAs they would probably have never made it so big, You try to build a company against all odds when all your financial projections, business models etc says better close shop there is this something within them that urges them to go on and it through this sheer persistence that stars are born
While you would find extensive review about this book all over the web and most of them saying such an astonishing book this is.
Well it is a smooth read i wont say unputdownable but definitely not very dragging. But yes it is not for people who dont like technology or for people who dont understand teh very reason why people would give up everything to be an enterpreuner.
It does not have good amount of technical stuff or jargon but yes the book story etc revolves around search it helps if you know a little bit about search. I guess a non search person would really not appreciate the big deal about a page ranking algorithm.
This book is a must read by anyone who is starting something on his own, it has that motivational element , teh zeal to succeed against all odds.
I guess if these sililcon valley founders were MBAs they would probably have never made it so big, You try to build a company against all odds when all your financial projections, business models etc says better close shop there is this something within them that urges them to go on and it through this sheer persistence that stars are born
Sunday, June 25, 2006
A search in secret India by Paul Brunton
I read this book pretty recently and was really impressed. Not by the depth of spirituality but by the honest description of the author and his open admission to ignorance and if course his curiosity.
Over time i have increasingly noticed that non indians write better about india probably because they are not clouted by their own baggage of what is right and wrong to be written about india.
The story is overtly simple about a guy in his search for truth , he wanders in india and meets many mystics and finally finds what he is looking for with Ramana Maharshi. The interesting part is teh simplicity of narration and the innocence of his description of what he saw.
The book is primarily written for the western audience who according to him has a more distorted view of india , but i think even indians have a pretty distorted view and for that matter they form an opinion of stuff based on the slice of life they are exposed to.
But definitely a good interesting read.
Over time i have increasingly noticed that non indians write better about india probably because they are not clouted by their own baggage of what is right and wrong to be written about india.
The story is overtly simple about a guy in his search for truth , he wanders in india and meets many mystics and finally finds what he is looking for with Ramana Maharshi. The interesting part is teh simplicity of narration and the innocence of his description of what he saw.
The book is primarily written for the western audience who according to him has a more distorted view of india , but i think even indians have a pretty distorted view and for that matter they form an opinion of stuff based on the slice of life they are exposed to.
But definitely a good interesting read.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Five point someone ... and One night at the call centre
Two books at the first go.. well because these two books are inseparable, But why Chetan bhagat (the author), well simply because i like five point someone.. not because it is about IIT.. it is not even about IIT bombay. But yes the culture, the way they behave and the thinking definitely clicks.
I liked five point someone because of its simplicity of narration (though i still find the story hard to swallow). But yes i could relate to it, imagine places in my institute in similar settings. So i finished the book in one go. I dont know how much non iitians will like it. I am hoping to get some feedback from some non iitian friends of what they think about this book?
So afetr five point someone i liked teh writing style so picked up one night at the call centre. I knew it was some story about a call centre and a phone call .. some people i spoke to had told me it is not so great .. but the brave soul i am i went ahad and read it.
Well I did not like it.. it was very much put downable (i hate to leave a book midway !!!) so i braced myself and finished it hoping there would be something in the book, but alas it was below my expectations - or maybe had i set my expectations too high???
I liked five point someone because of its simplicity of narration (though i still find the story hard to swallow). But yes i could relate to it, imagine places in my institute in similar settings. So i finished the book in one go. I dont know how much non iitians will like it. I am hoping to get some feedback from some non iitian friends of what they think about this book?
So afetr five point someone i liked teh writing style so picked up one night at the call centre. I knew it was some story about a call centre and a phone call .. some people i spoke to had told me it is not so great .. but the brave soul i am i went ahad and read it.
Well I did not like it.. it was very much put downable (i hate to leave a book midway !!!) so i braced myself and finished it hoping there would be something in the book, but alas it was below my expectations - or maybe had i set my expectations too high???
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Reviews
Often when I hear about a new book I wonder should I pick it up and invest a few hours of my prime time to read it.
I am hoping that I would be able to ask and share about books so that others and myself can decide what to read and what not to :)
I am hoping that I would be able to ask and share about books so that others and myself can decide what to read and what not to :)
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