Artha-shastra is about generating food, i.e. wealth, by creating goods and services; Kama-shastra is about indulging our hungers with this food. Dharma-shastra insists we consider the hunger of others, while Moksha-shastra is about outgrowing our hungers, in order to be detached and generous. Together, these four Hindu shastras provide a framework within which human action, its purposes and consequences, can be defined; together, they validate human existence and give it meaning.

In Dharma Artha Kama Moksha, Devdutt Pattanaik uses his unique understanding of mythology to provide an accessible and lucid guide to the Hindu way of thinking, with short essays that are crisp expositions of important concepts.

Deepen Your Yoga Experience with the Origin Stories of 64 Common Asanas

Explore the stories from Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology that nurtured the idea of yoga and shaped the development of its most iconic asanas. Learn how svana-asana (dog pose) is connected to Shiva, bhujanga-asana (cobra pose) was inspired by shape-shifting beings who live below the earth, and much more.

Many practitioners are unaware of yoga's underlying philosophy, symbols, and rituals because modern teachers often emphasize the physical over the mental and spiritual components. Yoga Mythology brings this overlooked wisdom to light by recounting the lore behind more than sixty asanas, drawing attention to an Indic worldview based on the concepts of eternity, rebirth, liberation, and empathy. With hundreds of photos and playful illustrations, this book makes it easy and enjoyable to connect with yogic principles and expand the mental and spiritual aspects of your practice.

Finally! A book that helps western yoga teachers bring ancient yoga teachings and spiritual practices into their classes. The Urban Sadhu Yoga™ Chant Book offers a wide variety of songs and chants in English that can be used to open and close an asana practice, along with the transliterated Sanskrit originals and tips for pronunciation. There are teachings about the purpose of yoga from some of the most important ancient yogic texts, and a section on songs and chants from other spiritual traditions. This is a book that bridges the gap between yoga asana as exercise and yoga asana as part of a multilayered, complex spiritual practice – and it’s accessible enough for all yoga teachers to use. We invite you to deepen your practice with the wealth of knowledge and insight provided here.

The book contains new interpretations of the Sanskrit texts by Urban Sadhu Yoga™ founder Austin Sanderson and Is illustrated by renown mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Heartfelt thanks goes out to Sally O’Driscoll for her tireless energy and dedication as editor, and Dhaivat (Bobby) Chhaya for his layout and design.