This tale whose origin is lost in the mists of time and which we find inserted in the great epic of the poet Vyasa tells us how heroism guided by wisdom allows two beings crushed under the weight of contrary circumstances to emerge victorious from a terrible ordeal.

This story that begins and ends like a fairy tale, however, is anything but a story removed from real life . Rather, it is presented to us by the poet himself as a story containing some of life’s deepest and most useful truths. Indeed, it is a delightful tale in which sorrows and joys are delicately traced, a tale crossed by great tenderness and immense compassion for the fragility of human beings and for their sufferings. But it is also a parable whose powerful symbols make us see that the circumstances of life are nothing, that conscience is everything…

The series Tales and Legends of India was originally started with the aim of providing the modern reader with a glimpse of the fascinating, but infinitely complex world of Indian sensibility. Today’s mind is at times taken aback by the superimposition of different worlds in the old Indian stories. This characteristic is not the fruit of a labored aestheticism, but is the sign of a mentality that always tries to describe terrestrial life not in outer terms, but in terms of what it hides. It is a mentality that sees the field of human action as always surrounded and influenced by other forces that one could qualify as cosmic in nature. For the Greek spirit the light of the sun is its natural atmosphere, but for the ancient Indian spirit the sun is a golden veil that hides wonders that it desires ardently to possess. Ours is not a scholarly venture but an attempt to suggest through certain stories, told in as living and simple a language as possible, a key to understanding the culture and genius of India.

Publisher’s note for the printed edition: in order to be more enjoyable during reading, this book is in 5 x 8 format. In the same spirit, the paper is cream-colored, which causes less fatigue to the eyes than white paper. All our publications are carefully crafted, both in terms of typography as well as design.

Publisher’s note for the Kindle edition: our Kindle publications are carefully crafted, with Table of Contents, Index, Footnotes and References when applicable. A strong emphasis has been put on the typography as well as the design.

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