Gorakhpur’s Gita Press that last week won the Gandhi Peace Prize has been churning out Hindu religious texts for a century. We scanned through its vast online repository for texts both religious and spiritual
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Saintly tales
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If you are comfortable reading in English, Gita Press also has a select range of spirituality texts that you can either download for free or buy. Look Beyond The Veil comprises a collection of articles by the saintly writer Hanumanprasad Poddar, who during his lifetime, wrote under the pen name ‘Siva’. He died on March 22, 1971. He wrote about peace and happiness, developing dispassion, and training the mind. Turn to God, is another volume by Poddar with essays that focus on cultivating faith and love for God, and learning to eradicate the ego.
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
Having published nearly 16.21 crore texts of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, the books in this particular series are one of the more popular offerings of the Gita Press. Comprising discourses by Lord Krishna, it teaches one how to handle knowledge, and also how to get to know oneself and others better. A quick glance through the catalogue showcases a range of books, which while in Hindi mostly, are also available in regional languages.
Kalyana
Of the many texts that are part of Gita Press’ wide roster is Kalyana, a Hindi monthly magazine published since 1927. The magazine, which has approximately 2.5 lakh subscribers, contains articles by old and contemporary saints and scholars. Focusing on betterment of life and well-being, it covers devotion, knowledge, yoga, dharma, detachment, spirituality, meditation, and good thoughts. If you are unsure about subscribing, you can download editions from this year and last, and read them for free. The March edition, for instance, has stories from the Mahabharata and short material for self-upliftment. “A true human being is one who practices humanity,” the opening line reads, in their “Always Remember” section, “Otherwise, there’s no difference between man and animal.”
Balupyogi Pusthak
For parents who are keen on introducing their children to the values of Hinduism and Dharma, there are a number of books to pick from. There’s the Balpothi Samanya series (in Hindi) comprising a wide range of illustrated stories from the Hindu religious texts, to help provide young minds the “right direction”. Another popular children’s book is Balako Ke Kartavya, which through narratives and essays, advises children on the path forward, and the values and etiquette that they need to imbibe.
TO READ OR ORDER: https://www.gitapress.org/