Overview: Pattanaik. Pashu.

Title: Pashu: Animal Tales from Hindu Mythology
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2014

Comment: This is a wonderful book, with illustrations by the author, that is full of mythological animal stories, organized by species.

Bizzell Stacks. There is also a copy available for checkout from the regular Bizzell stacks: BL 1216 .P38 2014 (click to see if it is checked out or not).

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $14 (checked price January 2019); more about Kindles.

Length: two weeks. I've divided the reading into four parts: Part A - Part B (one week of reading), and then Part C - Part D (another week of reading).

WEEK 1:
Reading A:
Pashu
Initially, the Birth of Animals
Brahma and Shatarupa
Yogasanas
Avatars
Rashi
Yoni
Timi's Children, Who Swim
Manu
Panchajanya
Parikshit's Wife
Churning of the Ocean
Adrika
Akupara's Memory
Reading B:
Vinata's Children, Who Fly
Garuda's Liberation
Gunakeshi
Kama and Kamakshi
Jaimini
Shibi
Jatayu Tries to Save Sita
The One-Eyed Crow
Kadru's Children, Who Creep and Crawl
Uttanka's Earrings
Vasuki's Sister
Nahusha
Nrga
Arjuna and the Crocodiles
Rescuing Bhima

WEEK 2:
Reading C:
Surabhi's Children with Hooves
Urvashi's Goats
Raising of the Earth
Fight Over a Boar
Ekavira Heheya
The Ashwini Twins
Ucchaishrava's Tail
Golden Deer
Kamadhenu
Sarama's Children with Paws
Sarama
No Dogs in Heaven
Riksha
Jambavan
Manikantha
Dilip
Gajendra
Rama's Squirrel
The Golden Mongoose
Reading D:
Surasa's Children, Who are Different
Navagunjara
Makaradhvaja
Purushamriga
Sharabha and Gandaberunda
Ganapati
Suka
Tumburu
Hayagriva
Narasimha
Finally, Humans versus Animals
Agastya
Adventures of KRishna-Balarama
Sita
Yudhishthira
Prithu
Khandavaprastha
Takshaka
Bharata
Mandavya
Vadavagni

Overview: Pattanaik. Seven Secrets of Shiva.

Title: Seven Secrets of Shiva
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2011

Comments: This is a fascinating study of Shiva arranged in the form of seven "secrets" along with abundant artwork. You can listen to an audio book in Bizzell for free, and to enjoy the artwork also, I would recommend purchasing the Kindle book, which is just $3.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $2.99 (checked price January 2019); more about Kindles.

Audiobook: You can buy your own Audible copy from Amazon for $12.71 (checked price January 2019).

Length: two weeks. I've divided the reading into four parts: Part A - Part B (one week of reading), and then Part C - Part D (another week of reading).

Part A
1. Lingheswara's Secret
2. Bhairava's Secret (start)

Part B
2. Bhairava's Secret (finish)
3. Shankara's Secret

Part C
4. Bholenath's Secret
5. Ganesha's Secret

Part D
6. Murugan's Secret
7. Nataraja's Secret

Overview: Pattanaik. Ganesha

Title: 99 Thoughts on Ganesha

Author: Devdutt Pattanaik

Year: 2013

Comments: This is a wonderful exploration of the many dimensions of Ganesha and his multiple meanings, with illustrations by the author.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $2.73 (checked price January 2019); more about Kindles.

Length: two weeks. I've divided the reading into four parts: Part A - Part B (one week) and Part C - Part D (second week).

Part A

Part I Creation  

Part II Family

Part B

Part III Representations

Part IV Stories

Part V Symbols 

Part C

Part VI Temples 

Part VII Festivals 

Part VIII Rituals 

Part IX Literature 

Part D

Part X History 

Part XI Spread 

Part XII Wisdom 

Featured Author: Devdutt Pattanaik

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As you can probably guess from the long list of recommended books below, DEVDUTT PATTANAIK is one of my favorite authors! He is a scholar who writes beautifully, and he also does illustrations for his own books. Devdutt is also one of my favorite authors to follow at Twitter: @DevduttMyth (I've embedded his Twitter feed at the bottom of this post). Plus you can check out his website at Devdutt.com for more of his online essays, links to videos, etc.

There are 14 different books that are possible reading options for this class. I am sure you can find something here that would be of interest to you! There are even some lovely videobooks available from the Epified YouTube channel. You can see them all displayed on one page here.

BIZZELL LIBRARY (also available as Kindles)

The Book of Ram
Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
Pashu: Animal Tales from Hindu Mythology  

KINDLES 

My Gita
My Hanuman Chalisa
99 Thoughts on Ganesha
Seven Secrets of Shiva
Shiva to Shankara: Giving Form to the Formless
Leader: 50 Insights from Mythology
Culture: 50 Insights from Mythology
Business Sutra

And here's that Twitter feed as promised:

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Tweets by devduttmyth

Overview: Pattanaik. Shiva to Shankara

Title: Shiva to Shankara: Giving Form to the Formless
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2017

Comments: This is an overview of the whole range of Shiva ideas and stories, with illustrations by the author.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $9.49 (checked price November 2017); more about Kindles.

Length: two weeks. I've divided the reading into four parts: A-B (first week) and C-D (second week).

Part A
Note from the author
Introduction: Phallic, but not fertile
I Isolation of Shiva (up to Shiva Calms Down)

Part B
I Isolation of Shiva (finish)
II Seduction of Shiva (up to Parvati Wins Shiva's Heart)

Part C
II Seduction of Shiva (finish)
III Grace of Shiva (up to Sharabha)

Part D
III Grace of Shiva (finish)
Conclusion: Deconstructing Destruction

Overview: Pattanaik. Gita

Title: My Gita
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2015

Comments: Unlike other Gita commentaries, this book is organized thematically, and is full of stories to help contextualize the meaning of the Gita in a larger cultural and historical context. Plus, as always, there are illustrations by the author!

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $8.95 (checked price November 2017); more about Kindles.

Audiobook: You can buy your own Audible copy from Amazon for $7.49 (checked price November 2017).

Length: three weeks. I've divided the reading into six parts: A-B (first week), C-D (second week), and E-F (third week).

Part A
Why My Gita
Before My Gita: A Brief History of The Gita
My Gita
1. You and I do not have to judge

Part B
2. You and I have been here before
3. You and I experience life differently
4. You and I seek meaning

Part C
5. You and I have to face consequences
6. You and I can empathize
7. You and I can exchange
8. You and I withdraw in fear
9. You and I hesitate to trust

Part D
10. You and I have potential
11. You and I can include
12. You and I can accommodate

Part E
13. You and I have no control
14. You and I value property
15. You and I compare

Part F
16. You and I cling
17. You and I can be generous
18. You and I matter to each other
After My Gita: Yet Another Discourse by Krishna

Overview: Pattanaik. Leader

Title: Leader: 50 Insights from Mythology
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2017

Comments: This is another collection of short essays and stories from Devdutt Pattanaik, this time with a focus on lessons about leadership, especially for the business world.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $9.49 (checked price November 2017); more about Kindles.

Length: three weeks. I've divided the reading into six parts: A-B (first week), C-D (second week), and E-F (third week).

PART A
1 Becoming a leader
2 Tongue in court
3 Dreamers and implementers
4 Uneasy lies the head
5 Win, or be right?
6 The point of it all
7 Breaking the rules
8 Law of fishes

PART B 
9 Churning out Lakshmi
10 Deeds for leaders
11 Kurukshetra counsel
12 The Vishwaroopa complex
13 Waiting to exile
14 The laws of the jungle
15 Common corporate culture beyond belief

PART C 
16 Eyes of a leader
17 Strategic intent of Ravana
18 Vikramaditya and Vetal
19 Lever of charity
20 Proactive Garuda
21 The legacy lake
22 Throne of generosity
23 Binding tenacity

PART D
24 The poison of stagnation
25 The ultimate alpha male
26 Talking matters
27 Narada on the prowl
28 Different drum
29 Monkey leaders and cat leaders
30 When nobody cares
31 The palki

PART E
32 Wooing the right way
33 Both sides of the fence
34 Curse of kingship
35 Silent whispers
36 Implied needs
37 They don’t have to think like you
38 Packaging matters
39 Challenging loyalty
40 Children of the blind

PART F
41 The weak in the pack
42 Law-abiding professionals
43 Rejection of the rest
44 Masculine and feminine leaders
45 Competitors and collaborators
46 The auditor’s tragedy
47 Wrapped in rhythms
48 Unable to plan
49 Submit to regenerate
50 Recruitment dilemma

Overview: Pattanaik. Culture

Title: Culture: 50 Insights from Mythology
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2017

Comments: This is a collection of Devdutt Pattanaik's essays published in various newspapers and magazines over the years, with illustrations by the author.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $9.49 (checked price November 2017); more about Kindles.

Length: three weeks. I've divided the reading into 6 parts: A-B (first week), C-D (second week), and E-F (third week).

Part A
1 Everybody tells a story
2 Gender bias in temples
3 Caste again
4 Cultural roots of evil
5 Look left and right
6 Frames of reference
7 Changing patterns

Part B
8 Baby on the banyan leaf
9 Botox for the waning moon
10 Timeless wisdom of the horse
11 Immersion time
12 Krishna’s best friend
13 River of rebirth
14 Seeing the invisible
15 The song of the crow

Part C
16 Changing rituals
17 Aspiration Nautanki
18 Dharma-sankat in family business
19 Mara, D. K. Bose
20 Babbling in India
21 Not sparing the Gita
22 Outsourcing the storytelling grandmom

Part D
23 Peace with three worlds
24 Rules do not make Rama
25 The offering of hair
26 Mahabharata inside the house
27 This was Ravana too
28 Becoming a leader
29 Lessons from the ghost
30 Last hymn of the Rig Veda
31 Science and the rishi

Part E
32 The other wives
33 The strange tale of Oghavati
34 If you love me…
35 How we read mythology
36 What’s your sanskar?
37 Search for Rama’s ring
38 In justice we trust
39 When a dog wept in Ayodhya
40 Time, timelessness and the idea of charity

Part F
41 The good death
42 Violence and the Gita
43 Forest and field in dharma discussion
44 The complete man
45 Epics as novels
46 The girl who chose
47 Travelling from thought to thought
48 Money maya
49 Single fathers
50 Accommodating the queer

Overview: Pattanaik. Hanuman

Title: My Hanuman Chalisa
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2017

Comments: This is a beautiful verse-by-verse commentary on the Hanuman Chalisa, and it also contains many legends about Hanuman, including stories not found in the traditional Ramayana. You can use this to listen to recordings of the Hanuman Chalisa at YouTube; there are hundreds of them you will find there, and this book contains the Devanagari text, a transliteration, plus the translation and commentary.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $3.07 (checked price November 2017); more about Kindles.

Length: two weeks. I've divided the reading into four parts: Part A - Part B (one week) and Part C - Part D (second week).

Part A: Doha 1-2 plus Chaupai 1-10
Part B: Chaupai 11-20
Part C: Chaupai 21-30
Part D: Chaupai 31-40 plus Doha 3

Overview: Pattanaik. Jaya.

Title: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2010

Comment: Of the many different retellings of the Mahabharata that we have available for this class, this one is my favorite.

Bizzell Reserves: Go to the Bizzell Reserve Desk to check out a Kindle with this book; you can learn about the Bizzell Kindles here. The Kindle also has an audiobook version you can listen to!

Bizzell Stacks: There is also a copy available for checkout from the regular Bizzell stacks: BL 1138.25 .P38 2010 (click to see if it is checked out or not).

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $14 (checked price November 2017); more about Kindles.

Audiobook: You can buy your own Audible copy from Amazon for $4.95 (checked price November 2017).

Length: four weeks. I've divided the reading into eight parts: Part A - Part B (one week of reading), Part C - Part D (another week of reading), Part E - Part F (a third week), and Part G - Part H (final week of reading).

WEEK 1:
Reading A
What Ganesha Wrote
Structure of Vyasa's Epic
The Start of the Snake Sacrifice
Ancestors: Chandra's Sons
A Wife of Budh
Pururava's Obsession
Shakuntala's Innocence
Bharata's Heir
Yayati's Demand
Madhavi's Forgiveness
Parents: Mahabhisha Becomes Shantanu
Bhishma's Sacrifice
Daughter of a Fish
The Three Princesses
Birth of Vichitravirya's Childrens
Reading B
Birth: Satyavati's granddaughters-in-law
Birth of Kunti's Children
Birth of Gandhari's Children
Birth of Madri's Children
Death of Pandu
Education: Kripa and Kripi
Drona, The Teacher
Arjuna, The Greatest Archer
Ekalavya
The Graduation Ceremony
Karna's Story
Castaway: Bhima and the Nagas
A House of Lac
Killing Baka
Hidimba and Hidimbi
A Gandharva Called Angaraparna

WEEK 2:
Reading C
Marriage: Children from Shiva
Draupadi's Swayamvara
The Common Wife
Friendship: Krishna Enters
The Cowherd of Gokul
Return to Mathura
Migration to Dwaraka
Division: Kuru Lands
Burning of Khandavaprastha
Sharing Draupadi
Ulupi and Chitrangada
Eloping with Subhadra
Beheading Gaya
Nara and Narayana
Coronation: Death of Jarasandha
Duryodhana Falls into a Pond
The Death of Shishupala
Reading D
Gambling: Shakuni's Plan
Gambling Match
Disrobing of Draupadi
The Last Game
Exile: Krishna Visits the Pandavas
Draupadi's Vessel
The Kauravas Gloat
Jayadratha
The Story of Ram
Shiva Humbles Arjuna
Arjuna in Amravati
A Journey Full of Tales

WEEK 3:
Reading E
Tryst with the Rakshasas
Return of Arjuna
Daughters of Balarama and Duryodhana
Hanuman Humbles Bhima
Draupadi Admits a Secret
Savitri and Satyavan
Trapped by Nahusha
The Yaksha's Questions
Hiding: Nala and Damayanti
Servants in Virata's Court
Kichaka
Uttara's Bravery
Marriage of Uttari
Reading F
Gathering: Negotiations
A Fierce Mother and a Loyal Friend
Changing Sides
One or the Other Side
On Neither Side
The Gathering of Forces
Perspective: Song of God
War: Bloodbath
Sacrifice for Victory
A Woman on the Battlefield
Drona's Onslaught
Death of Abhimanyu

WEEK 4:
Reading G
Before Sunset
After Sunset
A Teacher Beheaded
A Fight Between Brothers
Wheel of Karna's Chariot
Death of Shalya
Fall of Ninety-Nine Kauravas
Below the Belt
Talking Head
Aftermath: Death of Draupadi's Children
Aswatthaman Cursed
Kunti's Secret
Rage of Elders
Gandhari's Curse
Reading H
Reconstruction: Yudhishthira's Coronation
Bed of Arrows
Death and Rebirth
Horse Sacrifice
Babruvahana
Start of Kali Yuga
Renunciation: Elders Renounce the Kingdom
End of the Yadus
Death of Krishna
Fall of Dwaraka
Renunciation of the Pandavas
Kauravas in Swarga
Epilogue: Snake Sacrifice
The Ideal Called Dharma

Overview: Pattanaik. Business Sutra.

Title: Business Sutra
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2013

Comments: This is an unusual book — unlike the other reading options for this class, it is not a collection of stories exactly, but it does contain many (many!) stories. I am sure this is an option that the Business majors in class would enjoy, along with students looking for a contemporary perspective on the meaning of the epics for India today. Now that you are familiar with both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, you will appreciate all the mythological examples that Devdutt Pattanaik uses in the book, and in turn the book will give you new insight into the stories!

Length: six weeks. This is a big book, appx. 450 pages long, which means you can use it for reading for all six weeks from Week 9-14, although you can also choose to just read it for one, two, or three weeks, etc. Please make sure you start at the beginning so that you will be familiar with Pattanaik's terminology, and I've also written some Reading Guides to get you going! See the links to the Reading Guides below.

Kindle. The book is available for purchase at Amazon as a Kindle book for $15.99 (price checked November 2017); more about Kindles.

Audible. There is also an audiobook version from Audible.com for $5.60, and I've indicated the Audible chapter numbers below (the Audible chapter numbering starts with Chapter 3, so the book's Chapter 1 is Audible Chapter 3... weird, but that's how Audible numbers things).

The book itself is a delight to read, and it is also full of Pattanaik's thought-provoking illustrations, like these:

Week 1 Reading A: Reading Guide
Audible Chapter 3: Introduction  
Connecting Belief to Business
Belief, Myth, and Mythology
Decoding Culture
Connecting Mythology and Management
Becoming Chief Belief Officer
Design of the Book

Week 1 Reading B: Reading Guide
Audible Chapter 4: From Goal to Gaze 
Western Beliefs
Chinese Beliefs
Indian Beliefs
Caution!

Week 2 Reading C: Reading Guide
Audible Chapter 5: Business Sutra
Kama's Vision Statement:
Human hunger is unique
Imagination expands human hunger
Only humans can exchange
Every devata seeks a high return on investment
Conflict is inherent in exchange
Imagination can help humans outgrow hunger
Human hunger for the intangible is often overlooked
There are three types of food that can be exchanged during a yagna
We have to make room for the Other
Yagna can be a tool for personal growth, if we allow it to be

Week 2 Reading D: Reading Guide
Audible Chapter 6: Decisions
Drishti, observing objective reality
He who takes a call is a karta
Every one is a potential karta
A karta who allows and enables others to take a call is a yajaman
A yajaman has the power to take and give life
The size of the contribution does not matter
All calls are subjective
All decisions are contextual
Not everyone can handle the burden of uncertainty
Every decision has a consequence
Decisions are good or bad only in hindsight
Decisions are often rationalized in hindsight
If the decision is bad, the yajaman alone is responsible
If the decision is good, the yajaman is the beneficiary

Week 3 Reading E: Reading Guide
Audible Chapter 7: Violence
Business is violent
Violence is not always apparent
Mental violence is also violence
Violence creates winners and losers
Violence is culturally unacceptable if taking is not accompanied by giving
Violence becomes culturally acceptable when we take because no one gives
Exploitation is violence
Hoarding is violence
Hunger is insatiable
Regeneration ensures sustainable wealth
Restraint ensures regeneration
Restraint is violent

[Section 3E is short, while 3F is long, so I would urge you to move right on to that next part of the reading now to get a head start on that.]

Week 3 Reading F: Reading Guide
Audible Chapter 8: Seduction  
Business is seduction
He who satisfies hunger becomes desirable
Many devatas need to be seduced
Every devata has a devata of his own
Every devata's hunger is unique
Every devata matters depending on the context
Not all devatas are equal
Seducing multiple devatas is very demanding
Seduction needs to satisfy both parties
Sometimes, the yajaman also needs to be seduced
Audible Chapter 9: Churning   
The organization is ultimately a set of people
Every organization is a churn
If strategy is the force, then tactic is the counter-force
If creativity is the force, then process is the counter-force
If ambition is the force, then contentment is the counterforce
If hindsight is the force, then foresight is the counterforce
Upstream forces need to be balanced by downstream forces
Balance is the key to avoid a tug of war
The impact of an organizational decision varies depending on the source
In a shifting world, organizations need to be organisms
In an organism, individual potential and context are taken into consideration
Organisms thrive when the yajaman is flexible

[I am not sure if people are going to want to read this for as many as four, five, or six weeks, so I have not written any more reading guides, but if people are interested, I can certainly write more guides!]

Week 4 Reading G: 
Audible Chapter 10: Significance 
Every devata imagines himself differently from natural reality
Only another human being can endorse the mental image
We defend our mental image at any cost
We are terrified of how strangers will evaluate us
Praise empowers us
Insults disempower us
Comparison grants us value
We seek hierarchies that favour us
We would rather be unique than equal
Culture provides only a temporary framework for our social body

[Section 4G is short, while 4H is long, so I would urge you to move right on to that next part of the reading now to get a head start on that.]

Week 4 Reading H:
Audible Chapter 11: Property 
We see things not thoughts
Things help us position ourselves
Things are surrogate markers of our value
Thoughts can be coded into things
We assume we are what we have
We expect things to transform us
The loss of possessions reveals who we really are
Like things, talent and loyalty can also make us feel secure
A transaction is about things, not thoughts
A relationship is about thoughts, not things
Audible Chapter 12: Rules  
There are no thieves in the jungle
Without rules there is territory, not property
Rules domesticate the human-animal
Domestication can be voluntary and involuntary
We dislike those who are indifferent to rules
Rules can be oppressive
Rules create underdogs and outsiders
Rules create mimics and pretenders
We want to live by our own rules
Innovation is not possible unless rules are broken
We respect those who uphold rules
Rules need not determine our value

Week 5 Reading I:
Audible Chapter 13: Stability  
When the world changes, our social body dies
We want organizations to secure our social body
We resist anything that is new
We want to control change Insecurity turns us into villains
Our stability prevents other people's growth
We would rather change the world than ourselves
When the context changes, we have to change
Unless we change, we cannot grow
We will always resist change
Adapting to change is not growth

Week 5 Reading J:
Audible Chapter 14: Isolation  
The gaze can be cruel or caring
Everyone seeks a caring gaze
We want to be seen as we imagine ourselves
A cruel gaze focuses on our compliance rather than our capability
Unseen, we are compelled to fend for ourselves
We refuse to see ourselves as villains
We use work as a beacon to get attention
Our goals justify our lack of a caring gaze
Audible Chapter 15: Reflection  
Fear isolates us while imagination connects us
We often forget that others see the world differently
How we see others reveals who we are
How others see us reveals who we are
The Other reveals the power of our gaze
The Other reveals our insensitivity
The Other reveals our inadequacy
The Other reveals our blindness

Week 6 Reading K:
Audible Chapter 16: Expansion  
Growth happens when the mind expands
Growth is about pursuing thoughts not things
Growth is indicated when we prefer giving than taking
Growth happens when more people can depend on us
Growth happens when even the insignificant become significant
Growth happens when we include those whom we once excluded
Growth happens when we stop seeing people as villains
Growth happens when we seek to uplift the Other
Audible Chapter 17: Inclusion (start)
More yajamans are needed as an organization grows
The yajaman has to turn devatas into yajamans
Creating talent enables us to grow
We seek to inherit things, not thoughts
Being a yajaman is about gaze, not skills

Week 6 Reading L:
Audible Chapter 17: Inclusion (finish)
Questions teach us, not answers
We resist advice and instructions
Discourses never transform us
Crisis increases the chances of learning
Power play underlies the process of teaching
To teach, we have to learn to let go
Only when teachers are willing to learn does growth happen
Growth in thought brings about growth in action
To provoke thought, we have to learn patience
Closures are a time for introspection
Who we include as a devata reveals the meaning we give ourselves
The resources we see reveal what we give meaning to
Who we include as a devata reveals who we find meaningful
How the devata sees the yajaman reveals the gap in meaning
The tathastu we give reveals the meaning we seek
We alone decide if we need more meaning, another yagna

Overview: Pattanaik. Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art.

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As of July 2018, these videos were no longer at YouTube, but hopefully they will return.

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Title: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2009

Free Online: You can watch the videos for free at YouTube. I would strongly suggest getting the Kindle version also to help you with notetaking.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $2.99 (checked price November 2017).

Length: three weeks. I've divided the videos into six parts: A - B (one week), then C - D (second week), and E - F (third week).

Part A - Ganesha
Part B - Narayan

Part C - Ardhanari, Shiva
Part D - Shiva, Devi

Part E - Vishnu
Part F - Brahma

Overview: Pattanaik. Book of Ram.

Title: The Book of Ram
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2009

Comment: This is a wonderful book for re-reading the Ramayana because Devdutt Pattanaik includes local legends and other variations on the story that you probably did not read the first time around, and there are also wonderful illustrations by the author.

Bizzell Reserves. Go to the Bizzell Reserve Desk to check out a Kindle with this book; you can learn about the Bizzell Kindles here.

Bizzell Stacks. There is also a copy available for checkout from the regular Bizzell stacks: BL 1225 .R3 P38 2015 (click to see if it is checked out or not).

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy copy from Amazon for $9.99 (checked price August 19 2016); more about Kindles.

Length: two weeks. I've divided the reading into four parts: Part A - Part B (one week of reading), and then Part C - Part D (another week of reading).

WEEK 1:
Reading A:
Ramayana's Protagonist
Dasharatha's Son
Rishyasringa's Curse
Three Wives and a Yagna
Two Boons
Kaikeyi to the Rescue
Manthara's Tirade
Gandharvi Manthara
People of Ayodhya
Shravan-kumar
Vishvamitra's Student
Yoga Vashishtha
Vishvamitra's Yagna
Tadaka
Magical Weapons
Maricha and Subahu
Ahalya
Breaking the Bow
Sita's Husband
Shiva's Bow
Sita Follows Ram
Reading B:
Sages in the Forest
Crow's Eye
Clothes of Sita
Surpanakha
Surpanakha's Brother
Nalakubera
Ravana's Threats
Rama's Severed Head
The Naga Mantra
Trial by Fire
Lakshmana's Brother
Urmila's Sleep
Bharata's Resolve
Lord of Lanka
Vali's Quarrel
Death of Vali
Monsoons
Vibhishana
Kumbhakarna's Slumber
Last Chance for Bharata
Lakshmana Disobeys

WEEK 2:
Reading C:
Hanuman's Master
Hanuman Meets Rama
Eating the Sun
Hanuman's Teacher
Hanuman's Foresight
Swayamprabha
Sampati
Hanuman's Strength
Journey Across the Sea
Finding Sita
Burning of Lanka
Bridge of Lanka
Meghanada Strikes Lakshmana
Death of Meghanada
Hanuman's Heart
Birth of Hanuman
Ravana's Enemy
Ravana, The Teacher
Mandodari
Moving Kailasa
Vedavati
Maricha
Lakshmana Rekha
Abduction of Sita
Viradha
Jatayu
Kabandha
Display of Rama's Strength
Ravana's Navel
Return to Ayodhya
Ayodhya's King
Dilip
Shambuka
Guha
Shabari
Abandoning Sita
Ravana's Drawing
Reading D:
Rama's Grief
Golden Sita
Luva and Kusha
Victory over Rama's Army
Sita Returns to Earth
Rama Enters the Sarayu
Vishnu's Incarnation
Jaya and Vijaya
Beheading Kavyamata
Parashurama Annhilates the Warriors
When I Become Krishna
Valmiki's Inspiration
Ratnakar
From Pain Comes Poetry
Mandodari's Daughter
Last Rites by Shatrughna
Maya Sita
Squirrel's Stripes
Hanuman's Tail
Mahiravana
Thousand-Headed Ravana
Hanuman Nataka
Hindutva's Icon
Rama's Ring

A Prayer to Ram

Overview: Pattanaik. Seven Secrets of Vishnu.

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As of July 2018, these videos were no longer at YouTube, but hopefully they will return.

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Title: Seven Secrets of Vishnu
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2011

Free Online: You can watch the videos for free at YouTube. I would strongly suggest getting the Kindle copy also to help with names and notetaking (you can read a Kindle on any device or in your browser; no Kindle device required).

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle book from Amazon for $2.99 (checked price November 2017).

Audiobook: You can buy your own Audible book from Amazon for $12.71 (checked price November 2017).

Length: three weeks. I've divided the videos into six parts: A - B (one week), then C - D (second week), and E - F (third week).

Part A - Mohini
Part B - Matsya 

Part C - Kurma
Part D - Trivikrama 

Part E - Rama
Part F - Krishna

Overview. Pattanaik. Seven Secrets of the Goddess

Title: Seven Secrets of the Goddess
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Year: 2016

Free Online: You can watch the videos for free at YouTube. I would strongly suggest getting the Kindle copy also to help with names and notetaking; more about Kindles.

Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle book from Amazon for $2.99 (checked price November 2017).

Audiobook: You can buy your own Audible book from Amazon for $12.71 (checked price November 2017).

Length: three weeks. I've divided the videos into eight parts: A - B (one week), then C - D (second week), E - F (third week), and G - H (fourth week).

PART A: Gaia's Secret 1-2
PART B: Gaia's Secret 3-4

PART C: Kali's Secret
PART D: Gauri's Secret

PART E: Durga's Secret
PART F: Lakshmi's Secret

PART G: Saraswati's Secret
PART H: Vitthai's Secret