The Treasure — Glorious Glimpses of the Life and Times of Swami Ramanuja by Sudarshan Chakravarthy is a tribute to Saint Ramanuja, whose birth anniversary falls on May 9. A pictorial tribute — the Thanjavur paintings are a huge asset — the book traces the life and main incidents in his life. A strength is the crisp extracts in bold letters, which would be comfortable for all age groups. Storytelling in pithy style always sustains attention.
The narrative flows fluently in lucid and simple English without missing any link — from Ramanuja’s birth and his studies to meeting preceptors, accepting disciples, the role of wife Thanjamambal, his enemies, the debates he wins and how he is always protected by Divine Grace. Even philosophy becomes easy to grasp. For instance, the Six Axioms through which Lord Varadaraja clarifies the doubts of Ramanuja.
The handy volume, priced at ₹950 is a collector’s item, published by Sanathana Dharma unLimited. Address: 2-B, No.1, 4th Cross Street, Hindu Colony, Nanganallur, Chennai 600061. Contact 9444495270. Email: sanathanadharma@outlook.com
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Dubai-based Sudarshan Chakravarthy, an IIM alumnus, has a deep interest in the subjects of spirituality, puranas, music, drama, philosophy, etc., and is well-known for his speeches on the Bhagavad Gita. This book is one of his efforts to spread Hindu scriptures and the author succeeds in capturing a big slice of history with all the spiritual layers and high philosophy, scaled down to reader-friendly size.