The Ramayana epic centers around Rama, the crown prince of the city of Ayodhya, providing a profound meditation on the paradox of the hero as both human and divine. After rescuing a sage from persecution by demons. Rama attends a tournament in the neighboring city of Mithila where he wins the prize and the hand of Sita, the princess of Mithila. But a court intrigue involving one of the king's junior wives and a maidservant forces Rama into a fourteen-year banishment to the jungle with his wife, Sita, and his loyal brother Lakshmana. When Sita is abducted by the demon king Ravana, Rama goes to the monkey capital of Kishkindha to seek help in finding her. It is there that he meets Hanuman, the greatest of the monkey heroes. In exchange for the assistance of the monkey troops in discovering where Sita is held captive, Rama has to help Sugriva win the monkey throne over his brother, Valin. In the final book of the set, Hanuman leaps across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka, where he scours the city for the abducted Princess Sita. But when Hanuman reveals himself to the princess and offers to carry her back to Rama, she nevertheless insists that Rama must come himself to avenge the abduction. Included in this set: Ramayana Book I: Boyhood By Valmiki. Translated by Robert Goldman. 424 pages / 978-0-8147-3163-5 Ramayana Book II: Ayodhya By Valmiki. Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock. 652 pages / 978-0-8147-6716-0 Ramayana Book III: The Forest By Valmiki. Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock. 436 pages / 978-0-8147-6722-1 Ramayana Book IV: Kishkindha By Valmiki. Translated by Rosalind Lefeber. 415 pages / 978-0-8147-5207-4 Ramayana Book V: Sundara By Valmiki. Translated by Robert Goldman and Sally Sutherland Goldman. 538 pages / 978-0-8147-3178-9

This set of plays provides an array of Sanskrit drama and satire, with plots that vary from the "strikingly Shakespearian" (as H. H. Wilson described it ) "Little Clay Cart" to a dramatization of and amendment to the "Ramayana" in "Rama's Last Act." In addition to its scope of genre, the set covers a large period of time (the "Three Satires" by Bhallata, Kshemendra, and Nila*kan alone were written over a period of nearly a thousand years) and also includes several works traditionally given less modern attention, such as "Malavika and Agni*mitra" by Kali*dasa, in order to provide a multifaceted view of Sankskrit theater. Included in this set: "The Lady of the Jewel Necklace" & "The Lady who Shows her Love" By Harsha. Translated by Wendy Doniger. 514 pages / 978-0-8147-1996-1 Little Clay Cart By Shudraka. Translated by Diwakar Acharya. Foreword by Partha Chatterjee. 640 pages / 978-0-8147-0729-6 Malavika and Agni*mitra Kali*dasa. Translated by Daniel Balogh and Eszter Somogyi. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-8702-1 Rakshasa's Ring By Vishakha*datta. Translated by Michael Coulson 385 pages / 978-0-8147-1661-8 Rama Beyond Price By Murari. Edited and translated by Judit Toerzsoek. 638 pages / 978-0-8147-8295-8 Rama's Last Act By Bhava*bhuti. Translated by Sheldon Pollock. Foreword by Girish Karnad. 458 pages / 978-0-8147-6733-7 The Recognition of Shakuntala (Kashmir Recension) By Kali*dasa. Edited and translated by Somadeva Vasudeva. 419 pages / 978-0-8147-8815-8 Three Satires By Bhallata, Kshemendra, and Nila*kantha. Edited and translated by Somadeva Vasudeva. 403 pages / 978-0-8147-8814-1

Epic: Maha*bharata The Maha*bharata tells the tale of the epic battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas for the thrown. It begins with the famous game of dice between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, which sets the scene for the war that will lie at the center of the Maha*bharata epic. But even after the war is ostensibly over when the heroic but flawed king of the Kauravas is dishonor ably defeated in battle by his arch enemy, the extended family is still wracked in conflict leaving survivors, victors and vanquished struggling to comprehend their loss. Perhaps the most enigmatic philosophical text from ancient India, the final book in the set, "The Book of Liberation" is presented as the teachings of Bhishma as he lies dying on the bat tlefield in the aftermath of war. Included in this set: Maha*bharata Book II: The Great Hall Translated by Paul Wilmot. 588 pages / 978-0-8147-9406-7 Maha*bharata Book III: The Forest Volume 4 Translated by William Johnson. 374 pages / 978-0-8147-4278-5 Maha*bharata Book IV: Virata Translated by Kathleen Garbutt. 516 pages / 978-0-8147-3183-3 Maha*bharata Book V: Preparations for War Volume 1 Translated by Kathleen Garbutt. Foreword by Gurcharan Das. 720 pages / 978-0-8147-3191-8 Maha*bharata Book V: Preparations for War Volume 2 Translated by Kathleen Garbutt. 760 pages / 978-0-8147-3202-1 Maha*bharata Book VI: Bhishma Translated by Alex Cherniak. Foreword by Ranajit Guha. Volume 1 (Including the "Bhagavad Gita" in Context) 615 pages / 978-0-8147-1696-0 Maha*bharata Book VI: Bhishma Volume 2 Translated by Alex Cherniak. 550 pages / 978-0-8147-1705-9 Maha*bharata Book VII: Drona Volume 1 Translated by Vaughan Pilikian. 473 pages / 978-0-8147-6723-8 Maha*bharata Book VII: Drona Volume 2 Translated by Vaughan Pilikian. 470 pages / 978-0-8147-6776-4 Maha*bharata Book VIII: Karna Volume 1 Translated by Adam Bowles 604 pages / 978-0-8147-9981-9 Maha*bharata Book VIII: Karna Volume 2 Translated by Adam Bowles. 684 pages / 978-0-8147-9995-6 Maha*bharata Book IX: Shalya Volume 1 Translated by Justin Meiland. 371 pages / 978-0-8147-5706-2 Maha*bharata Book IX: Shalya Volume 2 Translated by Justin Meiland. 470 pages / 978-0-8147-5737-6 Maha*bharata Books X & XI: "Dead of the Night" and "The Women" Translated by Kate Crosby. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-1727-1 Maha*bharata Book XII: Peace (Part 2: The Book of Liberation) Volume 3 Translated by Alex Wynne. 540 pages / 978-0-8147-9453-1

Including poetry whose masterful artistry addresses themes such as love, Indian epic and religion with as much aesthetic appeal as thematic, the poetry included in this set contains the poetry of well-known poets such as Vedanta Deshika while giving a voice to the work of other important writers such as Bhanu*datta who have been given less modern attention. Included in this set: Bhatti's Poem: The Death of Ravana By Bhatti. Translated by Oliver Fallon. 550 pages / 978-0-8147-2778-2 The Birth of Kumara By Kali*dasa. Translated by David Smith. 360 pages / 978-0-8147-4008-8 "Bouquet of Rasa" & "River of Rasa" By Bhanu*datta. Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock. 475 pages / 978-0-8147-6755-9 Love Lyrics By Amaru and Bhartri*hari. Translated by Greg Bailey. By Bilhana. Edited and translated by Richard F. Gombrich. 327 pages / 978-0-8147-9938-3 Messenger Poems By Kali*dasa, Dhoyi, and Rupa Go*svamin. Edited and translated by Sir James Mallinson. 293 pages / 978-0-8147-5714-7 Princess Kadambari Volume 1 By Bana. Translated by David Smith. 490 pages / 978-0-8147-4080-4 The Rise of Wisdom Moon Krishna*mishra. Translated by Matthew Kapstein. With a foreword by J. N. Mohanty. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-4838-1 "Self-Surrender," "Peace," "Compassion," and "The Mission of the Goose": Poems and Prayers from South India Appayya Dikshita, Nilakantha Dikshita, and Vedanta Deshika. Translated by Yigal Bronner and David Shulman. With a foreword by Gieve Patel. 316 pages / 978-0-8147-4110-8 Seven Hundred Elegant Verses By Go*vardhana. Translated by Friedhelm Hardy. 360 pages / 978-0-8147-3687-6

Religion A diverse set, the religion set includes works from the biographical narratives of Buddha and stories of his past rebirths, to the lyrical account of love affair between gods, to a play that satirized religions to make a laughingstock of their followers and their tenets. Included in this set: The Epitome of Queen Lilavati By Jina*ratna. Edited and translated by Richard Fynes. Volume 1 543 pages / 978-0-8147-2741-6 The Epitome of Queen Lilavati Volume 2 By Jina*ratna. Edited and translated by Richard Fynes. 650 pages / 978-0-8147-2742-3 Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives Volume 1 By Arya*shura. Translated by Justin Meiland. 550 pages / 978-0-8147-9581-1 Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives Volume 2 By Arya*shura. Translated by Justin Meiland. 543 pages / 978-0-8147-9583-5 Gita*govinda: Love Songs of Radha and Krishna By Jaya*deva. Translated by Lee Siegel. 200 pages / 978-0-8147-4078-1 Handsome Nanda By Ashva*ghosha. Translated by Linda Covill. 392 pages / 978-0-8147-1683-0 Heavenly Exploits: Buddhist Biographies from the Divyavadana Edited and translated by Joel Tatelman. 444 pages / 978-0-8147-8288-0 "How the Nagas Were Pleased" & "The Shattered Thighs" By Harsha and Bhasa. Translated by Andrew Skilton. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-4066-8 Life of the Buddha By Ashva*ghosha. Translated by Patrick Olivelle 561 pages / 978-0-8147-6216-5 Much Ado about Religion By Bhatta Jayanta. Edited and translated by Csaba Dezsoe. 320 pages / 978-0-8147-1979-4