Sampāti and Jaṭāyu - brothers bound by blood and separated by fire. The literal fire of the sun that burns them, and the fire of penance that purifies them and provides deliverance - Jatāyu dies in the hands of Rāma and finds deliverance in death while Sampāti in his rebirth.
Śaṅkara sets off on his own towards Kāśi, at the behest of his Guru who tells him to spread the knowledge of the Vedas in Kāśi, because Kāśi is the epicenter of Dharma, the place where Śiva, dwells in every stone, tree, building, air, water, and soil.
Chapter 15 of Śaṅkara Charitam, titled Guru Parampara, takes us through the experience of Śaṅkara taking his leave from his Guru Govinda Bhagavatpāda and embarking on his journey to Kasi. The Guru Parampara, the lineage of the Gurus who preceeded Śaṅkara, is explored.
An analytical look at some of the more controversial actions of Shri Rama, from the lenses of ancient as well as modern thoughts.
Ami Ganatra's book "Ramayana Unravelled" is a brilliant attempt to dispel the inauthentic accounts and imaginary tales floating about under the garb of retellings of Ramayana. It helps those who haven't yet been able to study the original text in detail, to take a deeper look at their notions about different characters, including Shri Rama and Devi Sita, and their actions, motivations and circumstances. It must be read as a stepping stone for the study of the source text to understand and absorb the main epic in a deeper manner.
A deeper dive into some characters and aspects of Mahabharata with the help of Ami Ganatra's book "Mahabharat Unravelled".
Ami Ganatra's book "Mahabharata Unravelled" is going to be revelatory for those who are used to a steady diet of modern, almost fictitious and agenda driven, retellings, or rather remodellings, of dharmik epics. It must be read as a stepping stone for the study of the source text to understand and absorb the main epic in a deeper manner.