Lakshmi Gopal approached her cancer diagnosis and treatment through her sensitive artistic translation of an ancient Sanskrit work of healing poetry.
The Narayaneeyam was a 17th century Sanskrit work by Narayana Bhattadri. It is an abridged version of the Bhagavatham that talks of the incarnations of Vishnu, with special emphasis on my personal God – Krishna. Bhattadri wrote this book as a prayer to be healed of a disease, and lore is that he was healed when he completed the final chapter. Thus, the Narayaneeyam is considered a book to read for healing.
I’ve downloaded my copy, a beautifully written and presented translation. Thank you so much for making something so wonderful accessible. Congratulations on recovery, and on the new release!
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how amazing
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Thank you beth.
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Thank you, Beth.
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She really is!
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Thank you Beth. I had thanked you earlier, but my messages disappeared….
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Double congratulations to the author and thanks for this, Barb!
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Thank you, noelleg44. And Thanks Barb.
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I had replied to this comment, but can’t find it. Thank you noelleg44. And Thank you Barb.
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She’s done a beautiful job only possible because she’s a technical writer with the soul of a poet.
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Thank you for your kind words noelleg44. I had thanked you a couple of times earlier, but the comments disappeared !
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This is on the one side a bit of a conundrum, on the other side simply the proof that prayers help. I‘m a living my life in the Christian faith since childhood. I‘m not preaching to anybody but if someone asks questions or is interested, I do tell. I am sorry for all who have no one to pray to as the healing power of prayers helped me many times in my life. But whoever one believes in, that‘s fine by me IF it isn‘t a form of fanatism, ill-guided or imposed. So if this writer got healed by believing in those prayers, halleluja for them. It‘s a bit (to me) like Homeopathy, you don‘t have to believe in its healing power, but I‘ve experienced many, many times that the medication (the globuli) helped my helpless baby and my dog, I‘m still using it for myself whenever needed , therefore it‘s of no importance that somebody else believes in it or denies it. It works! And although God (whatever name you want to call it/her/him) doesn‘t always help in ways we‘d really like, we DO get help in exactly the way we need to get it.
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You’re so right. I love the beautiful stories and personalities of the Hindu gods, and how together they add up to a universal principal.
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Thank you Kiki. I was quite hesitant about writing about it in my blog because I really didn’t want to sound preachy or fanatic, which I am not. In fact, I don’t believe in organised religion, but I do believe in faith. I grew up in a Christian missionary school, and I have kneeled at the pew just as often as in a Hindu sanctum. I think the name is immaterial. The spirit is one. And yes, I am a living (literally) testament to the power of prayer.
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Having read the opening pages on Amazon, I bought this gem. It’s notoriously difficult to translate verse into another language and keep its meaning and emotion. This book manages it quite beautifully.
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I have to agree with you. Lakshmi is such a gifted writer!
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Seconded! (Or thirded, I suppose!)
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Thank you for your kind words, alexcraigie.
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Barb, my comments keep vanishing. I had thanked each of the commenters here, but they have vanished. Can you please check yoru spam folder and see if I got sweeped there?
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