For some this book may be a revelation, for others a re-dawning of understanding, but for everyone interested in understanding basic Hindu tradition and precepts that need a restatement as to their modern relevance, it will be a rewarding experience indeed. Religion and culture will be reinterpreted always with a view to contemporary understanding, but this book underlines the very parameters on which such interpretations will be based for the Hindu people in future. About The Author: Ratan Lahir studied for her Ph. on Human Values in Modern Hindi Literature under the guidance of Professor Vidyanagar Misa and went on to teach at the University of Delhi. Her deep interest in Ancient Indian Cultural values is reflected in her contributions to the Encyclopedias of Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), Encyclopedia of Hinduism and to the translated summaries of source materials in the Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophy (MLBD). Dr. Lahir taught Indian Studies at the Asian Center at the University of Philippines in Manila and subsequently worked at the University of South Carolina and briefly at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her forthcoming publications include a critical translation and analysis of the two existing Filipino versions of the Rama Story, which she wrote as a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla, and a Biography of Amala Shankar.