Our Puranic Characters (Only 1 Quantity Available)

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Four Vedas, sixteen Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharatha form the basic foundation of Hinduism. They are as ancient as they are modern in their appeal to the young and the old alike. All these have innumerable stories and characters whose experiences cause pleasure as well as pain in the minds of their readers. Billions of times they must have been recited, narrated, played or read. Yet they continue to evoke undying interest in the minds of their audiences and readers. It is because they are so familiar and down to earth in content as well as in expression that everyone who reads or listens to these Puranas is, irrespective of his social or economic status, able to identify himself with one or more of the Puranic characters or to find himself in situations similar to the ones in which the Puranic characters are portrayed. Characters depicted in the Hindu holy texts can be divided into several groups. Good, Evil, Godly, Devilish, Neutral and Unconcerned of what happens around. Destruction of Evil by Good is the main theme of the principal and the sub stories in these holy texts of Hindu religion. Narration of cause of conflict between Good and Evil, course of struggle by Good and its final triumph over Evil in these holy texts is interspersed with moral teachings and guidance for good living, individual and collective. Need to lead a righteous life is emphasized in these holy texts. Language and method of presentation may differ but essence is the same. Righteousness is always desirable because it always wins over wickedness. Precepts and guidance found in them are as effectively applicable to all types of situations today as they were in the past.

"Rayar", as Sri R N Rao is known among his admirers and well wishers like me, has been known to me since October 1986 when I first visited Bangalore on duty from Delhi. Later, I had the privileged pleasure of working with him since January 1987 till August 2004. During my association with him, I noticed him to be keen to do something to keep up Hindu tradition. He used to lament how youngsters were being led astray owing to lack of knowledge about our rich traditions and culture as reflected in our Holy Scriptures. It was Rayar who compelled me to read the English translation of "Parva" by Dr S L Bhyrappa. During our discussions, he pointed out how women, during Puranic days, had to suffer for the follies of their men. I can recollect how he used to sympathize with Urmila, wife of Lakshmana in Ramayana. In those days, when women were not treated kindly by their in laws, Ürmila agreed to stay back in Ayodhya and served her three (not one but three) mothers in law while her sisters enjoyed in the company of their husbands. This type of thinking about our holy texts which is different from the ordinary Rayar to me.

Rayar used to point out that only in Hindu religious texts, a righteous person, howsoever low he may be in social hierarchy, can rebuke and curse even Gods if they commit breach of Dharma. In support of this, Rayar narrated the story of Gauthama, Indira and Ahalya and also that of Sravana and Dasharatha. Rayar also set himself as an example to his friends and colleagues in living a life as enunciated in our Holy Scriptures. Rayar's current book, "Our Puranic Characters" will be cherished in every Hindu home for its descriptive cataloguing of characters in our Puranas, Upanishads and Epics. It will help people who have names after these Puranic characters to appreciate the importance of their names. It pains me to see people abbreviating their names given to them by their parents in honour of some God or celestial personage. For example, the name "Padmanabhan" means one from whose naval lotus blooms. It refers to Lord Vishnu from whose naval cavity lotus booms and on that lotus is seated Brahma, God of Creation and first of the Holy Trinity of Hindu religion. Many people shorten it to "Padddy", "Paddu", "Pad" and so on. This name not only refers to Lord Vishnu but also refers to a person who has his body and soul refined through Yoga and meditation. In Yoga, lotus and naval are closely associated and one can achieve highest form of realization of the Supreme by concentrating his energies around his naval which is the centre of human body.

Merit of Rayar's book is bound to arouse enthusiasm in the minds of its readers and this enthusiasm will encourage them to learn more about these Puranic characters. For example, references to slaying of Hiranyakashipu and Vritrasura by Narasimha and Indira respectively will make the reader to read Mahabharatha in original to learn more about these stories. Similarly, Rayar's delineation of the four Ashramas, Vedangas and various religious ceremonies like Seemantopayana and Chuda Karma will drive young readers to seek more details about these from their elders who are qualified to describe further. It is this characteristic ie making its readers to go in search of more details, which makes "Our Puranic Characters" one of the outstanding contributions to Hindu religion.

I am very confident that this is not going to be the last book by my dear friend Rayer. Knowing him well for the past more than two decades, he will publish more such books and I wish him to do so because the fund of knowledge about Hinduism which he possesses should be made available to public who will certainly benefit from it in their search for peace and solace.