Bøker av Pavan K Varma

About the BookAN EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND BUT LAYERED INTRODUCTION TO LORD RAM AS A GOD AND AS A MANThe Ramcharitmanas is undoubtedly one of the greatest lyrical compositions in Hindi literature. Writing in the sixteenth century, Tulsidas chose to pen verses in Awadhi rather than Sanskrit, thus breaking with literary tradition and importantly making Lord Ram more relatable to the layperson. Pavan K. Varma, author of the best-selling Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker has selected some of the most evocative stanzas-offering a succinct commentary for each-that capture the very core of the original.While centring the philosophical aspect of the Ramcharitmanas-the immutability of the soul over the merely corporeal; the transience of worldly pleasures; the placing of wisdom above knowledge-The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram describes a devoted son, a loving sibling, a committed lover, an ideal ruler and also a human, almost bereft of divinity. Indeed, Ram is a god and a man; he is comprehensible.Tulsidas's seminal work employs a unique poetic linguistic tool that unravels even the most profound concepts with utmost simplicity, blending philosophy with breath taking verse. Varma's compelling new selection and commentary achieves this effect by combining the aesthetics, romance and imagery of the original work with the unadulterated spirituality that sparkles through the conduct of a great god.About the AuthorDiplomat-writer Pavan K. Varma is the author of several best-selling books including The Great Indian Middle Class, Being Indian, Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker and his latest release The Great Hindu Civilisation. He was an MP in the Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2016. Earlier, he was Advisor to the Chief Minister of Bihar, with the rank of Cabinet minister. He was India's Ambassador in several countries including Bhutan, also Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Official Spokesperson of the MEA and Press Secretary to the President of India. He was conferred an Honorary Doctoral Degree for his contribution to the fields of diplomacy, literature, culture and aesthetics by the University of Indianapolis in 2005. He was also conferred the Druk Thuksey, Bhutan's highest civilian award by His Majesty the King of Bhutan in 2012. In 2018, on the instructions of His Holiness the Shankaracharya of Sringeri he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management. He is currently a Distinguished Professor at Symbiosis International University. He is also a well-known columnist and TV personality. Pavan K. Varma lives in Delhi and can be contacted at pavank.pa@ outlook.com and on Twitter @PavanK_Varma.

A SUCCINCT ACCOUNT OF THE PROGRESS OF THE HINDU CIVILISATION AND ITS CURRENT CRISISWhat do we mean by the Hindu civilisation? What are the texts and legacies that moved it forward from one century to another? How much of it has to do with inherited religious beliefs and how has the politicisation of these beliefs changed the prism through which Hindus view themselves and others, especially those identifying with different belief systems?These are the questions the author sets out to answer with this potted history of the Hindu world, in the context of changing empires and leaderships, through colonisation and conquest, leading up to the present challenges presented by the proponents of Hindutva. Direct, hard-hitting and wise, this is an invaluable treatise for our times.About the AuthorPavan K. Varma is a writer-diplomat and was till recently an MP in the Rajya Sabha. He was earlier Advisor to the Chief Minister of Bihar, with the rank of Cabinet minister.He has been India's Ambassador in several countries, also Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, and Press Secretary to the President of India. Author of over a dozen successful books, Pavan K. Varma was conferred an honorary doctoral degree for his contribution to the fields of diplomacy, literature, culture and aesthetics by the University of Indianapolis in 2005. He was also conferred the Druk Thuksey, Bhutan's highest civilian award, in 2012.

About the BookA COMPREHENSIVELY RESEARCHED BOOK ON THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF ADI SHANKARACHARYAWhat is Brahman? What is its relationship to Atman? What is an individual's place in the cosmos? Is a personalised god and ritualistic worship the only path to attain moksha? Does caste matter when a human is engaging with the metaphysical world? The answers to these perennial questions sparkle with clarity in this seminal account of a man and a saint, who revived Hinduism and gave to Upanishadic insights a rigorously structured and sublimely appealing philosophy.Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya (788-820 CE) was born in Kerala and died in Kedarnath, traversing the length of India in his search for the ultimate truth. In a short life of thirty-two years, Shankaracharya not only revived Hinduism, but also created the organisational structure for its perpetuation through the mathas he established in Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri and Joshimatha.Adi Shankaracharaya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker is a meticulously researched and comprehensive account of his life and philosophy. Highly readable, and including a select anthology of Shankaracharya's seminal writing, the book also examines the startling endorsement that contemporary science is giving to his ideas today. A must-read for people across the ideological spectrum, this book reminds readers about the remarkable philosophical underpinning of Hinduism, making it one of the most vibrant religions in the world.About the AuthorPavan K. Varma is a writer-diplomat and was till recently an MP in the Rajya Sabha. He was earlier Advisor to the Chief Minister of Bihar, with the rank of Cabinet Minister. He has been India's Ambassador in several countries, also Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, and Press Secretary to the President of India. Author of over a dozen successful books, Pavan K. Varma was conferred an Honorary Doctoral Degree for his contribution to the fields of diplomacy, literature, culture and aesthetics by the University of Indianapolis in 2005. He was also conferred the Druk Thuksey, Bhutan's highest civilian award, in 2012.