What do you think?
Rate this book
Parashakti
‘GOD IS NOT AN OBJECT OF THE SENSES, BUT THE FEELING OF FEELINGS, THE SOUND OF SILENCE, THE LIGHT OF LIFE, THE ESSENCE OF THE WORLD, THE TASTE OF BLISS.’ — GURUDEV SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR ‘Faith in the Divine Mother is an enormous power that unites millions of hearts… Bhanu-didi’s narration of these beloved stories kindles love while the revelation of the hidden wisdom opens newer dimensions of understanding. Through her words, the Devi and her power are almost tangible!’ — SMRITI Z. IRANI ‘Our ancestors were aware of, and had effectively harnessed, the power of stories to imbibe philosophical ideas into their life. Bhanu-didi follows in that great tradition, using powerful tales and Puranic wisdom to help us rediscover the Divine. Read this book. Enjoy it.’ — AMISH ‘Bhanu-didi’s book is a spiritual awakening of the Shakti in each of us as well as a resurgence of the imagination of India’s ecological civilisation, based not on violent power of domination but on the creative, non-violent power of nature and the feminine.’ — VANDANA SHIVA Parashakti, the sublime energy, pervades all of nature. She is manifest creation, complementing the supreme consciousness Purusha. Beyond space and time, she is the seed of dynamism, beauty, equanimity and nourishment. The Lalita Sahasranama describes her through a thousand different names. As the powerful Durga, she is the destroyer of evil. As the vibrant Kamakshi, she is the source of desire. As the wise Saraswati, she bestows knowledge. As the graceful Lakshmi, she leads a person on the path of their lakshya , or goal in life. As the magnificent Mahakali, she is both infinite time and the present moment. As Chhinnamasta, she represents advaita , the non-dual-self. As Maya Shakti, she is beyond Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Through tales from the Brahmanda Purana, Devi Bhagawatam, Shiva Purana, Srimad Bhagawatam and other texts, this book takes us on a spirited adventure into the world of the Devi. These stories are open secrets. For those who know how to see beyond the words, perceive the formless through the form, the Goddess comes alive with new meanings that are as insightful as they are inspiring.
- GenresSpiritualityNonfiction
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2019
68 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Bhanumathi Narasimhan
11 books36 followersBhanumathi Narasimhan is the younger sister of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Innocently at first, and with joyful awareness later, she has followed her brother, her Master throughout her life. She shares his vision to put a smile on every face on the planet.
Gurudev says,“ Meditation is smiling at yourself.” Bhanumathi is a meditation teacher. Her workshops have brought an experience of deep inner peace to thousands worldwide. The outer expression of this peace is Service to humanity.
Bhanumathi leads the women welfare and child-care initiatives of the Art of Living. From a small free school with 30 children of construction workers, the gift-a-smile project now supports 435 schools with over 58000 underprivileged children.
Trained in her younger days as a Carnatic singer, people across the world wake up to her melodious voice in which she has rendered sacred chants and soulful bhajans through several albums.
She has previously authored two books, Tejasvini and Lalitha that expound the spiritual significance and mystical meaning behind popular Hindu scriptures and practices.
As the chairperson of the International Women’s Conference (IWC), her vision is to make a global connection of responsible women to catalyze positive transformation in society. Over 5000 women from 80 nationalities have participated in these conferences so far.
When asked about how she balances so many roles, she says, “My mother continues to be a great source of inspiration to me. She taught me by her example how to take responsibility for one’s own life. My grandmother taught me to see the smoother and happier side of life. My aunt taught me the value of independence. My husband taught me the value of freedom, my children and grandchildren, the value of innocence, my father, friendliness and my brother, love and compassion towards the whole of humanity. My guru has taught me to combine all these values appropriately and move on joyfully in the journey called life. When you have the right guidance, your life is an ocean of contentment.”
She holds a Masters Degree in Sanskrit Literature from Bangalore University and lives in Bangalore, India.
Gurudev says,“ Meditation is smiling at yourself.” Bhanumathi is a meditation teacher. Her workshops have brought an experience of deep inner peace to thousands worldwide. The outer expression of this peace is Service to humanity.
Bhanumathi leads the women welfare and child-care initiatives of the Art of Living. From a small free school with 30 children of construction workers, the gift-a-smile project now supports 435 schools with over 58000 underprivileged children.
Trained in her younger days as a Carnatic singer, people across the world wake up to her melodious voice in which she has rendered sacred chants and soulful bhajans through several albums.
She has previously authored two books, Tejasvini and Lalitha that expound the spiritual significance and mystical meaning behind popular Hindu scriptures and practices.
As the chairperson of the International Women’s Conference (IWC), her vision is to make a global connection of responsible women to catalyze positive transformation in society. Over 5000 women from 80 nationalities have participated in these conferences so far.
When asked about how she balances so many roles, she says, “My mother continues to be a great source of inspiration to me. She taught me by her example how to take responsibility for one’s own life. My grandmother taught me to see the smoother and happier side of life. My aunt taught me the value of independence. My husband taught me the value of freedom, my children and grandchildren, the value of innocence, my father, friendliness and my brother, love and compassion towards the whole of humanity. My guru has taught me to combine all these values appropriately and move on joyfully in the journey called life. When you have the right guidance, your life is an ocean of contentment.”
She holds a Masters Degree in Sanskrit Literature from Bangalore University and lives in Bangalore, India.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 8, 2020
Writings on the spiritual genre have always glued me to the pages. I'm always left in awe after completing each one of them, for speculating the acuity of Hinduism to its ultimate core. 'Parashakti by Bhanumathi Narasimhan' is one such fine piece.
Hailing from the family of 'Sri Sri Ravi Shankar — Art of Living', the author (his sister) expresses her high dexterity in Hindu fables. She effectuates a simplistic style of language, to render the highly complex narratives from Brahmanda Purana, Devi Bhagawatam, Shiva Purana and Srimad Bhagawatam, even for novices.
The book first explains to us, 'What we are made of and Where are we'. Then we are transported to various timelines, from the conception of the Trinity — Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the creation of the Universe and the shortened stories of various forms of the Mother Goddess — NavaDurga, DasaMahavidya and such.
My Comments
✸ The beauty of this book lies in covering almost all gods of Hinduism, whereas a few other books stick to a particular character and portray the rest as useless craps. By elevating the other characters, we can see the extremely high echelon of the Divine Mother. This approach of the author blissfully appeals that the Mother Goddess Parashakti isn't different from each one of them. She is absolutely everything!
✸ This is a pure work of the 'SHATKA canon', while there's nothing against Vaishnava or Shaiva. But, certain tales are totally different from what I've heard previously, like the tale of Maa Brahmacharini.
✸ There could have been a little more clarity on the different Koshas of our body, rather than merely enumerating them. Death by Sadhguru had nailed on this particular section.
✸ I personally loved the Lalita Sahasranama chapter, for my familiarity with that holy hymn for the past 10+ years. Bhanumathi ji has simplified the 1000 quintessential names of the Mother Goddess and made it elementary. Her version was so lovely that during my chanting routines this version will also run along in my mind.
✸ As the title suggests, 'Chintamani — The crown jewel', this chapter dwells as the crown jewel of those 200+ pages.
✸ The author has prudently handled the discords between multiple scriptures and produced an easy to imbibe script for the readers.
Though all those parables were very much familiar to me, ever since my childhood, this retelling rendition was a soothing experience. Spirituality seekers and lovers should give this one a try.
My Rating — 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hailing from the family of 'Sri Sri Ravi Shankar — Art of Living', the author (his sister) expresses her high dexterity in Hindu fables. She effectuates a simplistic style of language, to render the highly complex narratives from Brahmanda Purana, Devi Bhagawatam, Shiva Purana and Srimad Bhagawatam, even for novices.
The book first explains to us, 'What we are made of and Where are we'. Then we are transported to various timelines, from the conception of the Trinity — Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the creation of the Universe and the shortened stories of various forms of the Mother Goddess — NavaDurga, DasaMahavidya and such.
My Comments
✸ The beauty of this book lies in covering almost all gods of Hinduism, whereas a few other books stick to a particular character and portray the rest as useless craps. By elevating the other characters, we can see the extremely high echelon of the Divine Mother. This approach of the author blissfully appeals that the Mother Goddess Parashakti isn't different from each one of them. She is absolutely everything!
✸ This is a pure work of the 'SHATKA canon', while there's nothing against Vaishnava or Shaiva. But, certain tales are totally different from what I've heard previously, like the tale of Maa Brahmacharini.
✸ There could have been a little more clarity on the different Koshas of our body, rather than merely enumerating them. Death by Sadhguru had nailed on this particular section.
✸ I personally loved the Lalita Sahasranama chapter, for my familiarity with that holy hymn for the past 10+ years. Bhanumathi ji has simplified the 1000 quintessential names of the Mother Goddess and made it elementary. Her version was so lovely that during my chanting routines this version will also run along in my mind.
✸ As the title suggests, 'Chintamani — The crown jewel', this chapter dwells as the crown jewel of those 200+ pages.
✸ The author has prudently handled the discords between multiple scriptures and produced an easy to imbibe script for the readers.
Though all those parables were very much familiar to me, ever since my childhood, this retelling rendition was a soothing experience. Spirituality seekers and lovers should give this one a try.
My Rating — 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 23, 2020
Parashakti is the divine female energy of the cosmos . She is the eternal baricentre of transcendental power and activity . Bhanumati Narasimhan Ji , the disciple of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the author of this book that beautifully expands and explains the legends of the Mother Goddess in context of ancient Hindu philosophy .
She picks up stories of the Mother Goddess and elucidates the philosophy behind them . Dashamahavidyas , Saptamatrikas and various names of the Goddess are explained in thorough detail . Bhanuji takes great effort in simplifying the complex ideas of Sanatana Dharma , however it might not be palatable for the general audience . Such complex ideas are made accesible to everyone with a prologue which explains several rituals and the logic behind them . I enjoyed this book throughly as I am a huge fan of philosophy , however if you're not acquainted with the Hindu Dharma philosophy , you might not enjoy it . It was almost like a self - help read for me!
She picks up stories of the Mother Goddess and elucidates the philosophy behind them . Dashamahavidyas , Saptamatrikas and various names of the Goddess are explained in thorough detail . Bhanuji takes great effort in simplifying the complex ideas of Sanatana Dharma , however it might not be palatable for the general audience . Such complex ideas are made accesible to everyone with a prologue which explains several rituals and the logic behind them . I enjoyed this book throughly as I am a huge fan of philosophy , however if you're not acquainted with the Hindu Dharma philosophy , you might not enjoy it . It was almost like a self - help read for me!
June 20, 2021
Each page of this book has new knowledge to share. In addition to learning so many fascinating details, the reader also gets inspired to live a better life at another level. Parashakti is filled with numerous insightful stories.
If your curiosity revolves around the enigmatic ways of the divine energies, you need to read this book! The author's writing style is simple and engaging and keeps the reader wanting more right till the last page of the book.
If your curiosity revolves around the enigmatic ways of the divine energies, you need to read this book! The author's writing style is simple and engaging and keeps the reader wanting more right till the last page of the book.
February 22, 2021
Here's why. The book's subtext on the cover says 'Magical Stories of the Divine Mother' and there isn't even 5% of the book that is the story. It's more of a 'Philosophical & Metaphoric view of the Divine Mother'. Aah. See! That is the right title for the book. With the present title, this book is really irritating. It's got no stories and no explanations of the root behind every form of the Devi. There is an explanation of what that form represents but why it exists or what is the story behind it? Now that's missing. The book has a lot of philosophy to teach you and that's good. But it doesn't adhere to its subtext.
I bought this book blindly wanting to know the stories behind every form of the Devi. Adding to the stories, if there were any explanations to that form, I would have been happy. How every form of Devi needs to be prayed to? Is there any particular mantra for every form? Are there any rules to be followed? There are very few forms that have a back story, mantras, etc. This book is more of a Wikipedia in a book.
There are a few mentions of temples but most are those in Tamil Nadu only with an exception of here and there. Aren't there any Devi temples in other parts of India? It's only then I realized the author is from Tamil Nadu. Of course, what was I expecting? This is very disappointing. The author is Sri Ravi Shankar's sister and this book is below the standards of such personalities.
The book costs Rs. 599 which is more than half the price it should have been. Looking at its content, I would say it's worth Rs. 99. Nothing beyond it makes sense. Very unhappy with this book. Very.
I bought this book blindly wanting to know the stories behind every form of the Devi. Adding to the stories, if there were any explanations to that form, I would have been happy. How every form of Devi needs to be prayed to? Is there any particular mantra for every form? Are there any rules to be followed? There are very few forms that have a back story, mantras, etc. This book is more of a Wikipedia in a book.
There are a few mentions of temples but most are those in Tamil Nadu only with an exception of here and there. Aren't there any Devi temples in other parts of India? It's only then I realized the author is from Tamil Nadu. Of course, what was I expecting? This is very disappointing. The author is Sri Ravi Shankar's sister and this book is below the standards of such personalities.
The book costs Rs. 599 which is more than half the price it should have been. Looking at its content, I would say it's worth Rs. 99. Nothing beyond it makes sense. Very unhappy with this book. Very.
October 20, 2021
This book is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. It captures the ancient stories and descriptions of the various aspects of the Divine Mother. The deeper meaning of the stories is uncovered with a rare understanding. The depth of Bhanumathi Narasimham’s meditation background is very evident here since she is able to convey the subtle, uplifting power of the stories. I read this book again and again and every time I read it I gain new insights.
June 24, 2019
A brilliant all-in-one book for understanding the Devi Shakti. The tales retold in this book brings warmth and wisdom. It's just not the stories, it also explains how our ancient wisdom is structured, why is it important and for generations we have found ways to penetrate this wisdom in our culture. Every story leaves you with a learning and an awe!
November 11, 2019
Recommended to all on path of spirituality !
Very nice introduction to those who want to get familiarized to Devi (Shakti), the entire creation and she managing this universe. The stories are interesting. Overall very nice read.
Very nice introduction to those who want to get familiarized to Devi (Shakti), the entire creation and she managing this universe. The stories are interesting. Overall very nice read.
March 13, 2020
Devotional read on mother divine.
This a beautiful rendition of the stories of Purana's which include mother divine. Beautiful explanation on the various aspects of Sri Lalitasahasranama and description of chintamani griha. Enjoyed reading it.
This a beautiful rendition of the stories of Purana's which include mother divine. Beautiful explanation on the various aspects of Sri Lalitasahasranama and description of chintamani griha. Enjoyed reading it.
October 12, 2019
PARASAKTHI
Parasakthi is powerful. I am inspired by Bharatiyar.
This book tells me a lot about Parasakhi.
Om Parasakthi.
Good vibes.
Parasakthi is powerful. I am inspired by Bharatiyar.
This book tells me a lot about Parasakhi.
Om Parasakthi.
Good vibes.
July 9, 2020
Amazing exquisite beyond words
Loved every page soaking in knowledge and bliss. Must read for the forever Sadhak of the Devi and her creation
Loved every page soaking in knowledge and bliss. Must read for the forever Sadhak of the Devi and her creation
January 22, 2021
One of those books which rejuvenates your love for Indian mythology. Such divine stories of devi told so beautifully and connected with one's self.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews