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  Katha Upanishad

  Unknown

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  The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads.Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter).Katha-Upanishad is one the 11 principal Upanishads. Its chronology is contested as being between fifth century BCE and 1st millennium BCE.Katha (Sanskrit: ??) literally means "distress". Katha Upanishad uses words that symbolically embed and creatively have multiple meanings. For example, a closely pronounced word Katha (Sanskrit: ???) literally means "story, legend, conversation, speech, tale". All of these related meanings are relevant to the Katha Upanishad.The text presents Death as the Teacher and features a dialogue between an aspiring disciple, Nachiketas, the boy and a central character, and the Ruler of Death regarding the great Hereafter. It has two Adhyayas (chapters), each with three Valiis (sections), thus a total of six Vallis.The 11 principal Upanishads to which Sankara appeals in his great commentary on the Vedanta-Surtras are: Chandogya, Talavakara or Kena, Aitareya, Kaushitaki, Vajasaneyi or Isha, Katha, Mundaka, Taittirtiyaka or Taittiriya, Brihadaranyaka, Svetasvatara, and Prasna. They are also called the 11 classical Upanishads or the fundamental Upanishads of the Vedanta Philosophy. The Upanishadic literature is not a religious scripture and is free from dogma and doctrines. It is not a part of any religion but is a philosophy for all times and for all. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, impressed by the Upanishads, called the texts "the production of the highest human wisdom". ( Summary by Jothi)

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  Not My Father's Son - A Memoir

  Alan Cumming

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  *Read by Alan Cumming himself* 
  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
  In his unique and engaging voice, the acclaimed actor of stage and screen shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with his father and the deeply buried family secrets that shaped his life and career. 
  A beloved star of stage, television, and film—“one of the most fun people in show business” (Time magazine)—Alan Cumming is a successful artist whose diversity and fearlessness is unparalleled. His success masks a painful childhood growing up under the heavy rule of an emotionally and physically abusive father—a relationship that tormented him long into adulthood. 
  When television producers in the UK approached him to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show in 2010, Alan enthusiastically agreed. He hoped the show would solve a family mystery involving his maternal grandfather, a celebrated WWII hero who disappeared in the Far East. But as the truth of his family ancestors revealed itself, Alan learned far more than he bargained for about himself, his past, and his own father. 
  With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland, his experiences today as a film, television, and theater star, and the shocking revelations uncovered while investigating his family’s past. Equal parts memoir, family mystery, and tale of resilience, Not My Father’s Son is at times suspenseful, deeply moving, and wickedly funny—sure to make readers laugh even as it breaks their hearts.

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  Heaven Here on Earth

  Curt Melliger

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  While attending catechism class as a child, Curt Melliger was taught that if he obeyed the rules all his life he would be allowed to enter a place called Heaven when he died. The priest and nuns described it as a sacred abode up in the clouds that contained all of the very best things in the universe. There was sunshine and blue sky, pretty flowers and double rainbows, peace and happiness, ringing bells and beautiful music, saints and angels and the all-enveloping love of God. The young boy's mind processed this information and came to the stunning conclusion: "Why, they're talking about Earth!" 
  Since that early revelation Curt has been discovering other examples of paradise incarnate wherever he goes. This book is a collection of stories on subjects ranging from water, fire, and stars to adrenaline rushes, near-death experiences, and the place where goosebumps originate, from skiing powder and climbing high mountains and walking in reverse to the changing of seasons, the lessons of night, and the reason for dreams, from wild animals, unseen visitors, and beings that do not die to the magic of the human touch, beatific ecstasy, and what awaits us on the other side of the veil that only partially separates this golden realm from the perfect one. 
  For the Ultimate is much closer than we have been led to believe. Indeed, it is readily available right here on this planet, this Garden of Eden, this one-of-a-kind oasis in space. 
  Right now.

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  Two Old Broads - Stuff You Need...

  Dr. M. E. Hecht, Whoopi Goldberg

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  Written by renowned surgeon and expert on the art of aging, Dr. M.E. Hecht, with her friend Whoopi Goldberg lending her unique point of view, Two Old Broads is laugh out loud funny and?tells it like it is for all of us who left middle age in the dust and want to be present, positive, and as extraordinary as ever in our golden years. 
  Whoopi joins Dr. Hecht in a lively conversation about growing older with no apologies. Dr. Hecht, who passed away a few short months prior to publication, shares her 93 years of wisdom with Whoopi and their fellow “broads.” Together, these two kindred spirits will help you:stay active physically and mentallymake finalizing your will more rewarding than it soundsnavigate tricky subjects, such as whether you need a home aidewin friends and influence people or take a nap, depending on the daydiscover joy in relationships even when your excretions outweigh your secretionsget up financially, physically, and emotionally after a fallkeep a sense of humor about getting older (of course!) 
  Imminently practical and?rooted firmly in the adage that getting older is not for sissies, Two Old Broads is the aging book for the ages. You've survived the past; why not embrace the present and prepare for the future so you thrive and find more time to laugh along the way?

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  Transient and Strange - Notes on...

  Nell Greenfieldboyce

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  In her career as a science reporter, Nell Greenfieldboyce has reported from inside a space shuttle, the bottom of a coal mine, and the control room of a particle collider; she's presented news on the color of dinosaur eggs, ice worms that live on mountaintop glaciers, and signs of life on Venus. In this, her debut book, she delivers a wholly original collection of powerful, emotionally raw, and unforgettable personal essays that probe the places where science touches our lives most intimately. 
   
   
   
  Expertly weaving her own experiences of motherhood and marriage with an almost devotional attention to the natural world, Greenfieldboyce grapples with the weighty dualities of life: birth and death, constancy and impermanence, memory and doubt, love and aging. She looks for a connection to the universe by embarking on a search for the otherworldly glint of a micrometeorite in the dust, consults meteorologists and storm chasers on the eerie power of tornadoes to soothe her children's anxieties, and processes her adolescent oblivion through the startling discovery of black holes. 
   
   
   
  A beautiful blend of explanatory science, original reporting, and personal experience, Transient and Strange captures the ache of ordinary life, offering resonant insights into both the world around us and the worlds within us. 
   
   
   
  Two bonus stories, "Santa" and "Paperclips," are featured at the end of the audiobook.

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  A Rare Recording of Idi Amin’s...

  Idi Amin

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  Idi Amin Dada Oumee (c. 1925 – 16 August 2003) was an Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern world history. Amin's rule was characterized by rampant human rights abuses, including political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, as well as nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement. International observers and human rights groups estimate that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were killed under his regime. 

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