The Untold Story of Sita


Book Description

The Untold Story of Sita replaces the traditional narrative of Sita's life as told in the Ramayana with Sita as she truly is -- an incarnation of the great Devi Narayani. Sita comes to Earth to join Sri Ram in setting the foundation for a new civilization at a time when humans are becoming separate from the natural world. She seeks to embed a great love for the forests and rivers, plant and animal life in the hearts and minds of the people, and to share the high spiritual accomplishments of the great women rishis and sages, many of whom you meet along Sita's journey. This is a story of a woman's wisdom, courage and strength, her love for the manifest and unmanifest worlds, and her selfless sacrifices for the welfare of all. So step into Sita's time and see what life was like during a more spiritually more advanced age, when there was an understanding of Dharma, not just as duty but as an alignment with the higher forces of love that make possible the preservation of our world.




The Untold Story of Seeta


Book Description

Reading The Untold Story of Seeta a journey through fields, palaces and forests, is like traversing the journey of Seetas life, the wife of Ram, the legendary king of Kosala. Although the story follows the chronology of events in the famous epic the Ramayana, it is not a retelling of the Ramayana. Neeraja Phatak brings Seeta to life as she - Seeta tells her own story and of her love for Ram. Nagging questions around Seetas personality are viewed from a fresh perspective. Was Seetas greatest quality her ability to suffer in silence? Is it possible that the daughter of the great Janak, and a pupil of the great sage Gargi, had no opinion of her own? How could Ram, considered the best among men, have permitted his wife to go through a trial by fire? Or has Seeta been smothered under a veil of convenience? Nuggets of philosophy woven into every day conversations compel the reader to go within and ponder. For example, when Neeraja writes, Ram said, Happiness is a state of mind, it is subjective, and differs from person to person and is relative to a context... This riveting novel holds the readers attention and curiosity till the very end.




Sita


Book Description

Sita by Bhanumathi-ji is deeply stirring and weaves an intricate tapestry of sensitivity with strength and wisdom as the story unfolds




When the Bright Moon Rises


Book Description

A compelling past-life memoir that will open you to the mysteries and promises of your own spiritual journey When the Bright Moon Rises is first and foremost a love story—love between the sages and the cosmic forces known as the deities, love of the sages for the people, and love between individuals seeking to express this universal force of love that exists within all of us. It is also a study of karma, the cosmic law of cause and effect. This narrative begins in Vedic India, around the 9th century BCE, with the meeting of two people and the seeding of a love that cannot be fulfilled but which comes to fruition nearly 10,000 years later during the Tang Empire in China, where they are reborn as the renowned poet Li Bai and his poet wife. The awakening of her memories of previous births initiates an inner struggle that is only resolved under the guidance of her Daoist Master. This is her story.




My Journey Through Time


Book Description

My Journey Through Time is a spiritual memoir that sheds light on the workings of karma— the law of cause and effect that creates one’s present circumstances and relationships—as we see it unfold through Dena’s vivid memories of her previous births. We travel back in time as Dena learns of a life in early 20th century Russia, ranging from the overthrow of the Czar through Nazi Germany; then it’s back further to a life in early 19th century America in the Deep South, and before that to a time in Africa in the early 18th century. Her lives in the East—in Persia, Japan, and India—go back to the 15th-17th centuries. With each past life, we can see the way in which it has impacted her present life, how it has stemmed from the end of the previous birth, and how it will influence her next life. Dena Merriam is the founder of an interfaith organization, the Global Peace Initiative of Women. A long-time disciplined meditator, Dena’s access to her past lives brings a clearer awareness and purpose to her present life, and also overcomes any fear of death. The memories are triggered when Dena meets a new person or visits a new place in her current life. The memories bring remembrances of past suffering, but also recollections of spiritual teachers and wise guidance. She has not used and does not advocate past-life regressions or hypnosis as a way to prompt memories to return. Dena has decided to share her story, despite being a very private person, in hopes that it can provide comfort and awaken the inner knowing of your own ongoing journey through time.




In Search Of Sita


Book Description

Sita is one of the defining figures of Indian womanhood, yet there is no single version of her story. Different accounts coexist in myth, literature and folktale. Canonical texts deify Sita while regional variations humanize her. Folk songs and ballads connect her timeless predicament to the daily lives of rural women. Modern-day women continue to see themselves reflected in films, serials and soap operas based on Sita’s narrative. Sacrifice, self denial and unquestioning loyalty are some of the ideals associated with popular perceptions of Sita. But the Janaki who symbolized strength, who could lift Shiva’s mighty bow, who courageously chose to accompany Rama into exile and who refused to follow him back after a second trial, is often forgotten. However she is remembered, revered or written about, Sita continues to exert a powerful influence on the collective Indian psyche. In Search of Sita presents essays, conversations and commentaries that explore different aspects of her life. It revisits mythology, reopening the debate on her birth, her days in exile, her abduction, the test by fire, the birth of her sons and, finally, her return to the earth—offering fresh interpretations of this enigmatic figure and her indelible impact on our everyday lives.




The Liberation of Sita


Book Description

Valmiki's Ramayana is the story of Rama's exile and return to Ayodhya, of a triumphant king who will always do right by his subjects. In Volga's retelling, it is Sita who, after being abandoned by Purushottam Rama, embarks on an arduous journey towards self-realization. Along the way, she meets extraordinary women who have broken free from all that held them back: husbands, sons, and their notions of desire, beauty and chastity. The minor women characters of the epic as we know it -- Surpanakha, Renuka, Urmila and Ahalya -- steer Sita towards an unexpected resolution. Meanwhile, Rama too must reconsider and weigh his roles as the king of Ayodhya and as a man deeply in love with his wife. A powerful subversion of India's most popular tale of morality, choice and sacrifice, The Liberation of Sita opens up new spaces within the old discourse, enabling women to review their lives and experiences afresh. This is Volga at her feminist best.




Sita Under The Crescent Moon


Book Description

In present-day Pakistan, in the far corners of Lyari in Karachi, or Hingol in Balochistan, or Thatta in Sindh, tightly knit groups of women keep alive the folklore, songs and legends of Sati—their name for Sita in the Ramayana. The way they sustain the attendant rituals and practices in a nation state with a fixed idea of what constitutes citizenship and who gets to be a primary citizen is at the heart of this book. In Sita under the Crescent Moon, author Annie Ali Khan travels with women devotees—those without resources, subject to intense violence—who, through the bravest and simplest act, that of a pilgrimage, retrace what they remember of the goddess. Who are these pilgrims? How did this relationship with Sati start, and why is she so significant? How do their oral mytho-histories compare to colonial narratives or mainstream definitions of Sati? Even while retelling the stories of these pilgrims, Sita under the Crescent Moon studies how worship has altered the mores of a land—and how the sacral site, made up of clay and thread and tumble weed, grants a woman power to fight against her circumstances.




Sitayana


Book Description

Countless retellings, translations, and reworkings of the Ramayana's captivating story exist-but none are as vivid, ingenious and powerful as Amit Majmudar's Sitayana. Majmudar tells the story of one of the world's most popular epics through multiple perspectives, presented in rapid sequence-from Hanuman and Ravana, down to even the squirrel helping Rama's army build the bridge. However, above all, Majmudar focuses on the fierce resistance of Sita, letting us hear her voice as we have never heard it before.




Words We Cannot Say


Book Description

Labor and delivery nurse Penelope is an expert at her job but a complete mess when it comes to her personal life. After her boyfriend dumps her in favor of saving his marriage, Penelope discovers she’s pregnant. Now Penelope must face motherhood, her greatest fear, as a single parent or consider the alternative. Jesenia, a first-generation American, made her mark as a model then quit the business in favor of a nine-to-five and wedded bliss. After three years of fertility treatments and pressure from her family, she feels that trying to become a mother is a full-time job. But when her past mistakes threaten her chances, Nia will have to confront her youthful choices and over-involved family’s opinions on bloodlines if she wants to become a mother. If choosing a homebirth and nursing a toddler don’t make Lotus unconventional, growing up in a commune and choosing a polyamorous marriage certainly do. After her grandfather’s unexpected death and the inheritance of his Victorian home, Lotus just wants to run her business, take care of her family, and live in her version of normal. That peace is threatened by her husband’s former lover, the end of his sobriety, and a new love interest, all of which will turn her world upside down. Words We Cannot Say is told through three diverse voices as the women navigate friendship, motherhood, pregnancy, and loss. What happens when women tell the truth about themselves, their desires, and the sacrifices they’re willing—or unwilling—to make?