Swami Purana Paperback – February 1, 1999

Tremendous book for anyone on the spiritual path. Swami Satyananda has chosen several key stories from India's great Puranas as illustrations of spiritual principles, especially the practices of faith, surrender, and truth which can give us strength and ideals to live by in our contemporary quests for the divine. I recommend this book to so many of my spiritual healing clients, and have gifted it to several people over the years. A truly great work which should be part of our personal libraries!

If you have kids and want to read them an easy to follow rendition of many interconnected tales of the Sanatan Dharm, or you just want to learn and enjoy them yourself, this book is excellent! I read these regularly to my older daughter, and now have started with my younger one.It is a nice way to pass on the Tradition.JAI MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

I want to tell prospective readers about the character of this book, because I should never have bought it if I had been able to pick it off a shelf and look inside. The back cover describes it as 'a modern day application of these classical teachings', but apart from that we would not know how debased the style is. Many people will want their introduction to the Puranas to be on some level of grace and dignity. Some quotations follow.Sure, Mohini. That's a wonderful idea. Here's the nectar.... We were tricked, ripped off!... Hey Daksa, do you know who you're talking to? This is not just an ordinary hippie to whom you speak...I will show that Siva, I will fix him!... Uh, uh, He is at Kailasa. He just sent me down to say 'Hello'.... Boooo! what kind of father are you?... Okay, King, be free from pain.... Indra said, 'It will come in handy.'This is the way these ancient and eternal stories are rendered, apparently to attract children raised on Disney and McDonald's. But even here the author is going to fail, because each page is bristling with diacritical marks which only a Sanskrit scholar can interpret. A lot of gross mispronunciation is going to result from the author's hardline Sanskrit notation. Chandra will be pronounced Kandra; Shiva will be pronounced Siva; Satchitananda will be pronounced Satsitananda. It's a odd vision the author has of his ideal readership: a mother versed in Sanskrit, reading aloud to her culturally-challenged child.

The Swami Purana, written and translated with unparalleled erudition and devotion by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, is a brilliant anthology of some of the tales that illustrates the wisdom and classical teachings of the "Sanatana Dharma." This particular collection of folklore is an excellent resource for people from all walks of life, from those who are scholars in the field to those who are looking for an introduction to Hinduism. Swamiji provides us with a handy and clear explanation of Sanskrit pronunciation in all his books, including this one. The stories themselves exist on several layers of meaning. One could read them as mythology or allegory, depending on the context. However one chooses to read the Swami Purana, all will derive great enjoyment and pleasure and will learn much about the vast and rich heritage of Hinduism.