New book by Krishna Dharma

[Guest guest]

PRESS RELEASE FROM MANDLA PUBLISHING

 

Announcing the release of

 

BEAUTY, POWER AND GRACE: The Many Faces of the Goddess

 

Beauty, Power & Grace presents, for the first time, a comprehensive

collection of breathtaking Goddess imagery, from rarely seen village deities

to well recognized icons including many illustrations commissioned

exclusively for its pages. Krishna Dharma recounts the intriguing stories

surrounding such personalities as Kali, Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati,

Draupadi, Subhadra and Sri Radha, while providing insight into the abounding

symbolism of each.

 

In this unprecedented production, the inspired brushstrokes of award-winning

artists B.G. Sharma and Mahaveer Swami elegantly complement Krishna Dharma's

dramatic retelling of stories from India's ancient epics. From the beloved

to the unsung, from the endearing to the scandalous, Beauty, Power & Grace

presents an exquisitely illustrated collection of Goddess legends for the

modern reader.

 

Adapted from Vedic texts, these stories comprise the literary heart of

Hinduism, wherein divinity assumes innumerable forms. Among these, the

portrayal of the Goddess is perhaps the most alluring. In just a few of her

manifestations, she appears as a devoted wife, a master of the arts, a

terrifying demon slayer, a scornful critic, a doting mother and a crafty

lover stealing off into the night. The Vedic tradition views the beauty,

power and grace of the Goddess as one with God, reflecting the universal

truth that male and female are but different expressions of one supreme,

absolute truth.

 

About the author: Krishna Dharma is a Hindu priest and author of the

world's bestselling translations of India's great epics, the Mahabharata and

the Ramayana. His Mahabharata was a finalist for the Benjamin Franklin award

in 2000. In 1986 he established a center of Vedic study in Manchester,

England.

 

About the artists: Mahaveer Swami descends from a family of traditional

Bikaneri, or miniaturist, painters. His remarkable, ethereal colors are

ground by hand from stones and minerals, and he works exclusively on fine

antique papers, many collected by his father from generations past. Mahaveer

has been honored with the National Award (conferred by the President of

India in 1987) and the Sanskriti Award (presented by the Vice President of

India in 1992). B.G. Sharma is recognized as the foremost living painter of

Indian miniatures. Famous throughout India for his originality in

composition, design, and ornamentation, he has influenced and inspired a

generation of artists on the subcontinent. Sharma has been commissioned by

heads of state to create portraits, including former Prime Minister Indira

Gandhi, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

 

AVAILABLE IN US DIRECT FROM MANDALA www.mandala.org, or www.amazon.com, or

at good bookstores

 

AVAILABLE IN UK FROM KRISHNA DHARMA (www.krishnadharma.com),

www.amazon.co.uk, or at good bookshops.