The present book, Glimpses of Great Lives, is a collection of articles highlighting the excellences of some great men and women. I have here encompassed various shades of mind and spirit, some of which may be regarded as the finest flowering of humanity. Each life gives a capsule ac-count of his or her life and achievements. Their luminous character, it is earnestly hoped, will inspire some readers.
In this world of confusion and anxiety, we cry for purpose, direction, guidance and inspiration, and I am sure, that these great lives will provide us recipes for a better living. As cool water satisfies a thirsty person, they may also open to many the fountain of eternal life.
These articles were published during the years of 1966-1989 in Prabuddha Bharata, Vedanta Keshari, Bhavan's Journal, Brahma Vadin, Yuba Bharati and other periodicals of India. One article has been slightly edited and the rest are being presented without any change. Most of the articles were published before my coming to the U.S.A. Only two articles of this book are yet to be published, they are lying with the editor. Some of the articles have been included here in view of their relevance to the theme of this volume, the importance of higher living.
I would like to thank Swami Swahananda, Head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, who first urged me in the early seventies to bring out books with my published articles. On some occasions, I received the same encouragement from him. Some other devotees also suggested the same idea. I gratefully remember them.
I am also grateful to the authorities of Prabuddha Bharata, Vedanta Kesari, Bhavan's Journal and Yuba Bharati for their kind permission to include my articles from their publications in this book.
I offer my sincere thanks to all those publishers and authors from whose works I have taken excerpts. While writing these articles, I received kind help from many friends who typed and edited them. It is a joy and opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of them.
I do acknowledge with heartfelt gratitude the services rendered by Dr. Jayanta Sarkar, of Maryland University, U.S.A. But for his initiative and ungrudging services this book would have not seen the light of day. In this connection, I would also like to express my appreciation for the help given me by Biswaranjan Sarkar of Calcutta, as well as N. B. Chowdhury, a retired Professor and former Head of the Department of English, Vidyasagar College, Calcutta and Ranjan Sarkar of Ananda Publishers Limited, for their various help in this publication. I also express my sincere thanks to all connected with the press.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
Vedas (1294)
Upanishads (481)
Puranas (610)
Ramayana (836)
Mahabharata (331)
Dharmasastras (163)
Goddess (473)
Bhakti (240)
Saints (1295)
Gods (1272)
Shiva (341)
Journal (144)
Fiction (49)
Vedanta (329)
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