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The Story of Manu, by sixteenth-century poet Allasani Peddana, is the definitive literary monument of Telugu civilization and a powerful embodiment of the culture of Vijayanagara, the last of the great premodern south Indian states. It describes kingship and its exigencies at the time of Krishnadevaraya, Peddana's close friend and patron.

This volume of Bharatchandra Ray's narrative poem In Praise of Annada recounts the clandestine love affair of Princess Vidya and Prince Sundar, and how Bhavananda stopped a rebellion and became a king. The translation, the first in English, features the original text in the Bangla script of this treasure of Bengali literature.

Kalidasa's The Lineage of the Raghus, or Raghuvä¿a, belongs to the literary tradition of mah¿k¿vya, or court poem. It recounts the lives of ancient kings-such as Dilipa, Raghu, and Rama-who ruled from the capital city of Ayodhya. This volume presents a new edition of the Sanskrit text in the Devanagari script alongside a fresh English translation.

Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion, and his vast corpus of hymns forms the core of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs¿ sacred book of ethics, philosophy, and theology. Poems from the Sikh Sacred Tradition offers a selection of his spiritual lyrics in a beautiful new translation that highlights his pluralistic vision of the singular divine.

The Epic of Ram by Tulsidas has become the most beloved retelling of the ancient Ramayana story across northern India and an influential literary masterpiece. This volume presents the poet's grand introduction to Ram, setting the stage for his advent and divine mission.

Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810), widely regarded as the most accomplished Urdu poet, composed his ghazals in a distinctive Indian style arising from the Persian tradition. Here, the lover and beloved live in a world of extremes: the outsider is the hero and death is preferred to the beloved's indifference. Ghazals offers a collection of Mir's finest work.

The 700 poems of Hindi poet Biharilal's Satsai weave amorous narratives of the god Krishna and the goddess Radha with hero and heroine motifs, bridging divine and worldly love. This new translation presents 400 couplets from the seventeenth-century classic. He Spoke of Love brims with rivalries, secret trysts, and the sorrows of separated lovers.

Shah Abdul Latif's Risalo is acknowledged as the greatest classic of Sindhi literature. In this collection of Sufi verses, composed for musical performance, the poet creates a vast imaginative world of interlocking references to Islamic themes of mystical and divine love and the scenery, society, and legends of the Sindh region.

The History of Akbar by Abu'l-Fazl is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. In this volume, Humayun's turbulent reign ends, and Akbar ascends his father's throne.

Poems from the Guru Granth Sahib offers spiritual lyrics from the Sikhs' sacred book of ethics, philosophy, and theology. This new English translation includes celebrated long hymns and innovative short poems by Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion. It is presented here with the text in Gurmukhi, the script developed by the Guru himself.

In Raghavanka's poetic masterpiece The Life of Harishchandra, a powerful sage tests King Harishchandra's commitment to truth. He suffers utter deprivation but refuses to yield. This spirited translation, the first from Kannada into any language, brings one of ancient India's most enduring legends to a global readership.

Remembrances, by acclaimed poet Mir Muhammad Taqi Mir, is a remarkable example of Indo-Persian autobiography, offering a vivid picture of political events and intrigues from 1760 to 1789. The Persian text in the Naskh script, including a series of jokes and anecdotes printed here for the first time, accompanies a newly revised English translation.

The poetry of Bullhe Shah, who drew upon Sufi mysticism, is considered one of the glories of premodern Panjabi literature. His lyrics, famous for their vivid style and outspoken denunciation of artificial religious divisions, have been held in affection by Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus, and continue to win audiences in the global Panjabi diaspora.

The Therigatha, part of the Pali canon of Buddhist scripture, is one of the oldest surviving works by women, composed more than two millennia ago by some of the first Buddhist women-theris-honored for their religious achievements. With a spare and elegant style, this powerful translation introduces us to a classic of world literature.

A Treatise on Dharma, written in the fourth or fifth century, illuminates major innovations in religious, civil, and criminal law, and informed Indian life for a thousand years. This new critical edition, presented alongside the Sanskrit original in the Devanagari script, opens the classical age of ancient Indian law to modern readers.

Therigatha is a poetry anthology in the Pali language by and about the first Buddhist women. The poems they left behind are arguably among the most ancient examples of women's writing in the world and are unmatched for their quality of personal expression and the extraordinary insight they offer into women's lives in the ancient Indian past.

Mir Muhammad Taqi Mir is widely regarded as the most accomplished poet in the Urdu language. Selected Ghazals and Other Poems offers a comprehensive collection of ghazals and masnavis. The Urdu text, presented here in the Nastaliq script, accompanies new translations of Mir's poems, some appearing in English for the first time.

Magha's The Killing of Shishupala is a celebrated seventh-century Sanskrit poem that tells the story of Shishupala's refusal to honor the divine Krishna at the coronation of Yudhishthira. Through this translation, the first into English, readers gain access to a sophisticated work that has dazzled Indian audiences for a thousand years.

Kamandaki's influential The Essence of Politics redefined political thought in early medieval India. Its lessons range from the finer points of military strategy and economic policy to the moral qualities of effective rulers. The Sanskrit text, presented here in the Devanagari script, accompanies a new English prose translation.

The romance Lilavai, an early ninth-century poem attributed to Kouhala, is a complexly woven narrative of love and fate centered on three young women: Lilavai, princess of today's Sri Lanka, and her cousins Mahanumai and Kuvalaavali. A new edition of the Prakrit text, presented in the Devanagari script, accompanies a new English prose translation.

In Poems from the Satsai, the seventeenth-century poet Biharilal blends amorous narratives about the god Krishna and the goddess Radha with archetypal hero and heroine motifs from older Sanskrit and Prakrit conventions. The Hindi text, composed in Braj Bhasha, is presented here in the Devanagari script with a new English verse translation.

Arjuna and the Hunter, by the sixth-century poet Bharavi, portrays Arjuna's travels to the Himalayas, where Shiva tests the hero's courage in combat and bestows upon him an invincible weapon. This is a masterful contemplation of ethical conduct, ascetic discipline, and religious devotion-enduring themes in Indian literature.