Browse This Book On Google
Browse This Book On iBookstore
Browse This Book On Kindle
Browse This Book On NookBooks
Tripura Rahasya: The Secret of the Supreme Goddess, a favorite of Sri Ramana Maharshi from which he often quoted, is an ancient Sanskrit work and one of the greatest classics of Hindu spirituality.
It has been compared by the great scholar, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, to Plato’s Republic, inasmuch as it outlines the ideal city-state of a characteristically Indian utopia. This is the “City of Resplendent Wisdom” ruled by a philosopher-king, understood in Hindu terminology as the man who is liberated in this life (jivan-mukta). The citizens of this city, seen allegorically, are all of the human faculties which have been illuminated by the supreme Goddess.
About the Author(s)
Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi
Born Munagala S. Venkataramaiah, Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi was a senior disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi for many years. It appears that in his life before moving to the ashram, Venkataramaiah had been a government official, holding a prestigious position. By the early 1930s he had moved to the Maharshi's ashram near the holy site of Arunachala. In the ashram, he often fulfilled the function of principal translator for the many guests who came to ask guidance from Sri Ramana Maharshi. In addition, Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi translated some important classics of Advaita Vedanta, the Tripura Rahasya, the Advaita Bodha Deepika, and the Kaivalya Navaneeta into English. He also was the recorder of dialogues between the Maharshi and various seekers over a number of years, which were compiled into the book Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Read More
Reviews
- Ably translated into English by Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi, Tripura Rahasya: The Secret Of The Supreme Goddess is essentially a dialogue of instruction given by the guru Dattatreya to the truth seeker Parasurama. Through a series of stories that can be read with amusement and the greatest of imaginative pleasures, the tales also provide a series of wisdoms and insights that illustrate and represent theological implications within Hindu theology and Goddess traditions. Tripura Rahasya is a confidently recommended addition to Comparative Religion collections in general, and Hindu Studies reading lists in particular.
Midwest Book Review
- Much has happened in our scholarly and spiritual understanding and appreciation of India’s Goddess traditions since this translation was first published in 1938 (republished in 1959). This new edition, now with a glossary, invites a fresh reading of the Tripura Rahasya, with its winsome intertwining of stories and argument. Taking for granted the various exploits of particular goddesses, and drawing out their theological implications, the text demonstrates the easy, non-dual marriage of Vedanta and Tantra that we now know characterizes the Goddess traditions of India. At the same time, it speaks inevitably both to the current rising interest in comparative philosophy and to the aspiration to unity beyond division that is known in all times and places. It deserves a thoughtful, heartful reading for all these reasons.
Thomas B. Coburn, St. Lawrence University
