Paramhamsa: A Vedantic Tale

This book is a tale centred on the theme of the philosophic ideals and teachings of Vedanta. With a first-person narrative style, it begins with the narrator's decision to spend the third of the four asramas, the vanaprastha stage of life, in Madurai, the abode of Goddess Meenakshi which has inspired devout scholars and poets for centuries. The tale is an account of the narrator's study of the philosophy of non-dualism or Advaita, as propounded by masters such as Sri Sankara and Ramana Maharshi, under the guidance of his guru Sankara Shastri. It reveals the nature of the Vedanta philosophy and its significance in understanding the meaning of life and the strange nature of human condition, in attaining peace and bliss in one's own being and in contributing to harmony and integration in the country. It discusses aspects of creation of the universe and of life, the world and nature around us and the sufferings and pleasures as experienced by humans from a Vedantic perspective. The story is an interesting account that is not only profoundly philosophical but also touches the emotions of the heart. Readers will be fascinated by this interesting and profound story that conveys the deeply founded truths of Vedanta in a simple manner.