Some books that impressed me recently

[Guest guest]

Namaste. May I share with you some information about the

following nine books which impressed me recently?

 

1. The Bhagavad Gita . Translated and edited by Winthrop

Sargeant. SUNY Press, Albany, NY. 1994. ISBN 0-87395-831-4

 

This has a linear-word-word translation with etymological and

grammatical notes for each word and a vocabulary under each

sloka at the rate of one sloka per page. The original is quoted

both in Roman script and Devanagari, quarter by quarter. Those

who do not have any grounding in Sanskrit will like this book.

Those who know basic Sanskrit would benefit from the grammatical

notes on each page.

 

2. S. Chandrasekhar – The Man behind the Legend. Imperial

College Press, London 1997.

 

This is about the famous Dr. Chandrasekhar, the astrophysicist.

It is a fantastic book. It should be read by all our younger

generation so that they may be motivated to pursue with

dedication what they want to pursue. I think the author is

Walia. It is a must for every library and educated citizen of

the world.

 

3. Truth and Beauty. S. Chandrasekhar.

 

This is highly talked about. But I have not yet read it. I want

to. Of course I have browsed through it and found it has

potential in it for philosophy also.

 

4. Diana Eck: Banaras, City of Light.

I have read this in full, thoroughly enjoyed it. The most

authentic account of Banaras from a knowledgeable westerner. A

book which you cannot expect to be written by an Indian author

because he would not have the western perception to detach

himself from the local sentiments and cultural affiliations. The

book tells exactly what a westerner would feel on seeing Banaras

and what the correct perception is from the Indian point of

view. The latter is presented with such masterliness and

authenticity that you would not believe it is written by a

westerner. The author is a well-known professor of religion in

Harvard.

 

5. The Buddha, a short biography. By John S. Strong, One world.

Publications, Oxford

I love this book because this is the first time I have seen the

Buddha being presented by somebody who has a holistic picture of

the entire Buddhistic religion in its global manifestation.

 

6. Paul Hoffman. The Man who loved only numbers. Hyperion, New

York. 1998 ISBN 0-7868-8406-1

This is a biography of Paul Erdos,, the globe-trotter

mathematician from Hungary, who motivated hundreds of youngsters

to bring out their genius in Mathematics. It is written in a

masterly style accessible even to non-mathematicians. Paul

Hoffman is the publisher of Encylopaedia Brittanica

 

7. Dr. A. Axelrod and Charles Phillips. What every American

should know about American History. 200 events that shaped the

Nation. Adams Media Corp. Massachusetts, 1992.

ISBN 1-55850-309-9

 

I wish the history of every nation is written in this fashion.

I read the whole book in three or four days almost non-stop, as

if I was reading a detective thriller. The focusing of attention

on one single event, using that to go back and forth

historically on that topic, and bringing in the chief actors of

the play, all of this in one or two pages; and doing this

successively for each event – has given the book a masterly

strategy to make history most comfortably readable. I am not

aware of any book of Indian history which has done a similar job

for the Indian subcontinent.

 

8. The Disuniting of America (Reflections on a multicultural

society). Arthur M. Schlesinger, JR. Larger Agenda Series .

Whittle Direct Books. 1991. ISBN 1-879736-00-4

 

The historical concept of the ‘melting pot’ has come under

attack from the protagonists of the federation of ethnic groups.

What does it mean to be an American today? (Of course this book

was published long before 9/11). The ethnic upsurge has had some

healthy consequences, says, Schlesinger – like long overdue

recognition of the achievements of women, blacks, Indians,

Hispanics and Asians. But the cult of ethnicity has its price.

The conflict between the two concepts: “nation composed of

individuals making their own free choices” and the ‘nation

composed of groups more or less indelible in their ethnic

character” - is played out in language, politics, churches and

the system of education and the teaching of history. What is at

stake, says Schlesinger, is the shape of the American future.

And what appealed to me was the conciseness (the book is only 85

pages) with which the points of view have been brought into

sharp focus by the author.

 

9. The Book Wars – What it takes to be educated in America.

James Atlas (Formerly Editor of New York Times Magazine). Larger

Agenda Series. Whittle Direct Books, 1990 ISBN 0-9624745-3-3

 

Atlas explores the sharp divisions among students, teachers,

administrators, best selling authors and even politicians over

which books should be required reading for college students.

One side believes that the Great Books of Western civilization

–Aristotle, Plato, Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, etc. – are a

precious legacy that must not be abandoned. Opponents argue that

such a list is elitist, a scam designed to maintain the status

of a white dominant class. Why should not we read an alternative

list of books, they ask, one that reflects the multicultural

non-European heritage? While Atlas finds merits on both sides,

he concludes that the need for unifying America has never been

greater, given the rapid emergence of an ethnically diverse

population more resistant to assimilation than previous

generations.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

 

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> Namaste. May I share with you some information about the

> following nine books which impressed me recently?

 

Pranaam,

 

May I humbly add a set of books to Prof VK's list :

 

"The Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita" in 3 vols by Swami

Ranganathananda (present Head of Ramakrishna Mission)

 

Amongst the many commentaries on the Gita, this set comes out as a

wonderful work. It is a literal commentary like a satsang class. One

feels that that author is literally 'speaking' his mind to the

reader, verse by verse. Many verses are taken up in detail with

practical present-day examples.

 

Would be enjoyable useful to all....new students as well

as 'veterans' like ProfVK.

 

Regards,

 

Kamal