Geddie. The Balladists

Today's free book is The Balladists by John Geddie (1896). For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Hathi Trust (I have not checked for other online sources).

Table of Contents

 I Ballad Characteristics
 II Ballad Growth and Ballad History
 III Ballad Structure and Ballad Style
 IV The Mythological Ballad
 V The Romantic Ballad
 VI The Historical Ballad
 VII Conclusion

Neogi. Sacred Tales of India

Today's free book is Sacred Tales of India by D. N. Neogi with illustrations by P. Ghose. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust and Google Books. The links below are to the Internet Archive edition.

The illustrations are by P. Ghose, and I've made a Flickr collection.

1 The Divine Brothers: link

2 Snatched from Death: link

3 By Itu's Favor: link
4 The Bride of Yama: link

5 The Goddess who Devoured Elephants: link

6 The Slayer of Kangsa: link

7 Chand, The Unbeliever: link

8 The Gift of the Ascetic: link

9 The Sun's Twin Sons: link

10 The Consequences of Generosity: link

11 A Brahman's Ban: link

12 The Pir's Power: link

13 The Gander-Eater: link
14 The Fatal Oath: link

15 Sacrificed to Varuna: link

16 Joyabati — The Gift of Joya: link

17 Saved from the Cat: link

18 The Wife Who Used to Eat the First Morsel: link

19 The Wife Who Cooked Beef: link

20 The Banished Girls: link

Babbitt. Jataka Tales

Today's free book is Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. You can find out more about this book in the Jataka Tales (Babbitt) unit of the Myth-Folklore UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, Baldwin Project, Google Books and Hathi Books. There is a free audiobook at LibriVox.

The illustrations are by Ellsworth Young, and I have made a Flickr collection.

I. The Monkey and the Crocodile
II. How the Turtle Saved His Own Life
III. The Merchant of Seri
IV. The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking
V. The Ox Who Won the Forfeit
VI. The Sandy Road
VII. The Quarrel of the Quails
VIII. The Measure of Rice
IX. The Foolish, Timid Rabbit
X. The Wise and the Foolish Merchant
XI. The Elephant Girly-Face
XII. The Banyan Deer
XIII. The Princes and the Water-Sprite
XIV. The King's White Elephant
XV. The Ox Who Envied the Pig
XVI. Grannie's Blackie
XVII. The Crab and the Crane
XVIII. Why the Owl Is Not King of the Birds

Tagore. Poems of Kabir

Today's free book is One Hundred Poems of Kabir as translated by Rabindranath Tagore. You can find out more about this author at the Indian Epics UnTextbook: Rabindranath Tagore. You can read about Kabir at Wikipedia. They are two of India's greatest!

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, Hathi Trust, and Google Books. There is also a free audiobook at LibriVox. You can get a free Kindle ebook from Amazon too!

Mackenzie. Indian Myth and Legend

Today's free book is Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie with illustrations by Warwick Goble. You can find out more about this book in the Ramayana unit of the Myth-Folklore UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Internet Archive, Sacred Texts Archive, and Hathi Books. The links below are to the Sacred Texts edition of the book.

The illustrations are by Warwick Goble, and I've made a Flickr collection.

Introduction
Chapter I. Indra, King of the Gods
Chapter II. The Great Vedic Deities
Chapter III. Yama, the First Man, and King of the Dead
Chapter IV. Demons and Giants and Fairies
Chapter V. Social and Religious Developments of the Vedic Age
Chapter VI. Mysteries of Creation, the World's Ages, and Soul Wandering
Chapter VII. New Faiths: Vishnu Religion, Buddhism, and Jainism
Chapter VIII. Divinities of the Epic Period

Mahabharata
Chapter IX. Prelude to the Great Bharata War
Chapter X. Royal Rivals: the Pandavas and Kauravas
Chapter XI. The Tournament
Chapter XII. First Exile of the Pandavas
Chapter XIII. The Choice of Draupadi
Chapter XIV. Triumph of the Pandavas
Chapter XV. The Great Gambling Match
Chapter XVI. Second Exile of the Pandavas
Chapter XVII. Defiance of Duryodhana
Chapter XVIII. The Battle of Eighteen Days
Chapter XIX. Atonement and the Ascent to Heaven

Nala and Damayanti
Chapter XX. Nala and Damayantí

Chapter XXI. Wanderings in the Forest
Chapter XXII. Nala in Exile
Chapter XXIII. The Homecoming of the King

Ramayana
Chapter XXIV. Story of Rama: How Sita was Won
Chapter XXV. The Rape of Sita
Chapter XXVI. Rama's Mission Fulfilled

Dharma. Mahabharata

Today's free book is Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time by Krishna Dharma. You can find out more about the book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase Online.

MBK: 1.1: Birth of the Kuru Elders
MBK: 1.2: Pāṇḍu Cursed and Blessed
MBK: 1.3: The Pāṇḍavas Come to Hastināpura
MBK: 1.4: Duryodhana Begins His Evil Schemes
MBK: 1.5: The Martial Exhibition
MBK: 1.6: The Kauravas’ Hatred Grows
MBK: 1.7: The Pāṇḍavas Sent Away
MBK: 1.8: Ghaṭotkaca Born and Baka Slain
MBK: 1.9: The Gandharva Aṅgaraparna
MBK: 1.10: Draupadī’s Svayaṁvara
MBK: 1.11: The Pāṇḍavas Wed Draupadī
MBK: 1.12: Dhṛtarāṣṭra Gives Half the Kingdom
MBK: 1.13: Arjuna’s Pilgrimage
MBK: 1.14: Burning the Khāṇḍava Forest
MBK: 1.15: The Celestial Hall
MBK: 1.16: Mighty Jarāsandha
MBK: 1.17: The Rājasūya Sacrifice
MBK: 1.18: Duryodhana’s Envy
MBK: 1.19: The Dice Game
MBK: 1.20: Draupadī Dragged to the Assembly
MBK: 1.21: The Pāṇḍavas Exiled
MBK: 1.22: Into the Forest
MBK: 1.23: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety
MBK: 1.24: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Moral Instructions
MBK: 1.25: Arjuna Goes to Heaven
MBK: 1.26: To Badarīkā Ashram
MBK: 1.27: Bhīma Meets Hanumān
MBK: 1.28: Kuvera Offended
MBK: 1.29: Arjuna Returns
MBK: 1.30: Kṛṣṇa Visits the Pāṇḍavas
MBK: 1.31: The Fight with the Gandharvas
MBK: 1.32: Sage Durvāsā
MBK: 1.33: Jayadratha Kidnaps Draupadī
MBK: 1.34: The Lake of Death
MBK: 1.35: Into Virata
MBK: 1.36: Draupadī Again Insulted
MBK: 1.37: The Kurus Attack Virata
MBK: 1.38: Arjuna Encounters the Kurus
MBK: 1.39: The Battle at Virata
MBK: 1.40: Out of Exile
MBK: 1.41: The Kings Choose Sides
MBK: 1.42: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Message
MBK: 1.43: Anxiety for the Blind King
MBK: 1.44: Panic Among the Kauravas
MBK: 1.45: The Pāṇḍavas Consult Kṛṣṇa
MBK: 1.46: Kṛṣṇa’s Peace Mission
MBK: 1.47: Duryodhana’s Obstinacy
MBK: 1.48: To Kurukṣetra

MBK: 2.1: The Armies Prepare
MBK: 2.2: Śikhaṇḍī’s Destiny
MBK: 2.3: Into Position
MBK: 2.4: The Bhagavad-gītā
MBK: 2.5: The War Begins
MBK: 2.6: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Fear
MBK: 2.7: Bhīṣma Wreaks Havoc
MBK: 2.8: The Rākṣasas Show Their Power
MBK: 2.9: Bhīṣma’s Vow
MBK: 2.10: Kṛṣṇa Protects His Devotee
MBK: 2.11: Yudhiṣṭhira Approaches Bhīṣma
MBK: 2.12: The Fall of Bhīṣma
MBK: 2.13: Droṇa in Command
MBK: 2.14: “Yudhiṣṭhira Will Be Captured”
MBK: 2.15: Abhimanyu’s Incomparable Power
MBK: 2.16: Arjuna’s Great Vow
MBK: 2.17: Arjuna Slaughters the Kauravas
MBK: 2.18: Kṛṣṇa’s Mystic Power
MBK: 2.19: The Kauravas Rally
MBK: 2.20: The Night Battle
MBK: 2.21: Dṛṣṭadyumna Encounters Droṇa
MBK: 2.22: The Nārāyaṇa Weapon
MBK: 2.23: Karṇa in Command
MBK: 2.24: Karṇa’s Prowess
MBK: 2.25: Arjuna Encounters Karṇa
MBK: 2.26: Śalya Leads the Kauravas
MBK: 2.27: Bhīma Fights Duryodhana
MBK: 2.28: Massacre by Night
MBK: 2.29: Aśvatthāmā Punished
MBK: 2.30: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Sorrow
MBK: 2.31: Bhīṣma’s Instructions
MBK: 2.32: Kṛṣṇa Returns to Dwārakā
MBK: 2.33: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Ashvamedha Sacrifice
MBK: 2.34: Vidura Instructs Dhṛtarāṣṭra
MBK: 2.35: The Pāṇḍavas Retire

The following are appendices to the book:

Appendix 1: Karṇa’s Birth
Appendix 2: Karṇa Cursed
Appendix 3: Bhīṣma’s Heavenly Origin
Appendix 4: Questions Posed by Dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira
Appendix 5: Brief Biographies of Main Characters
Author’s Note

Devee. Nine Ideal Indian Women

Today's free book is Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee. For more about this book and its author, see the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image; the links below are to the Internet Archive version of the book.

The book is available at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust. The name of the illustrator is not given; I've made a Flickr collection.

Sati

Sunity

Shakuntala

Savitri

Shaibya

Sita

Promila

Damayanti

Uttara

Dharma. Ramayana

Today's free book is Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at the BhaktiVedanta Vedabase.

Prologue

RKD: 1.1: King Daśaratha’s Longing
RKD: 1.2: The Birth of Rāma
RKD: 1.3: With the Sage Viśvāmitra
RKD: 1.4: The Trial of Strength
RKD: 1.5: Crooked Advice for Queen Kaikeyi
RKD: 1.6: The King’s Heartbreak
RKD: 1.7: Rāma Agrees to Depart
RKD: 1.8: Grief and Fury
RKD: 1.9: Sītā’s Plea
RKD: 1.10: Sad Farewells

RKD: 2.1: Into the Forest
RKD: 2.2: Devastation in Ayodhya
RKD: 2.3: Bharata’s Return
RKD: 2.4: ‘We Shall Bring Rāma Back’
RKD: 2.5: Rāma Remains Firm
RKD: 2.6: The Forest Sages
RKD: 2.7: The Rākṣasī Shurpanakha
RKD: 2.8: Rāvaṇa’s Lust is Incited
RKD: 2.9: The Kidnapping of Sītā
RKD: 2.10: Rāma’s Terrible Discovery
RKD: 2.11: Rāma Meets the Monkeys
RKD: 2.12: The Search Begins
RKD: 2.13: Hanumān Leaps to Lanka
RKD: 2.14: Sītā is Found

RKD: 3.1: The Army Sets Off
RKD: 3.2: Panic in Lanka
RKD: 3.3: Rāma Confronts the Ocean
RKD: 3.4: Rāvaṇa’s Evil Trickery
RKD: 3.5: The War Begins
RKD: 3.6: Garuḍa to the Rescue
RKD: 3.7: Rāvaṇa Enters the Fray
RKD: 3.8: The Colossal Demon
RKD: 3.9: Carnage Among the Rākṣasas
RKD: 3.10: Rāma and Lakṣman Laid Low
RKD: 3.11: Lakṣman Battles Indrajit
RKD: 3.12: Rāvaṇa Exhibits His Prowess
RKD: 3.13: The Final Battle
RKD: 3.14: Sītā’s Ordeal
RKD: 3.15: Back to Ayodhya

Epilogue

The following are appendices to the book:

Appendix 1: The Story of the River Ganges
Appendix 2: The History of Viśvāmitra
Appendix 3: The Birth and History of Hanumān
Appendix 4: The Benefits of Reading Rāmayana
Glossary
Author’s Note

Wilson. Indian Story Book

Today's free book is The Indian Story Book by Richard Wilson with illustrations by Frank Pape. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available Internet Archive and Hathi Trust. There's also a free audiobook at LibriVox.

The illustrations are by Frank Pape, and I've made a Flickr collection.

RAMA'S QUEST
THE GENTLE CONQUEROR
THE FIVE TALL SONS OF PANDU
NALA THE GAMESTER
THE POOL OF ENCHANTMENT
THE PRINCE WONDERFUL
SABALA, THE SACRED COW
SHAKUNTALA AND DUSHYANTA
THE GREAT DROUGHT

Arnold. Bhagavad-Gita

Today's free book is The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gita by Edwin Arnold. This is actually the first version of the Gita that Gandhi ever read! For more about this book, see the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The links for the chapters are to the Sacred Texts version online.

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Google Books, and Sacred Texts. There is also a version at Hathi Trust which is illustrated by Willy Pogany, plus a free Kindle ebook from Amazon. For a free audiobook, visit LibriVox.

Chapter 1: Of the Distress of Arjuna

Chapter 2: Of Doctrines
Chapter 3: Virtue in Work.
Chapter 4: Of the Religion of Knowledge
Chapter 5: Of Religion by Renouncing Fruit of Works
Chapter 6: Of Religion of Self-Restraint
Chapter 7: Of Religion by Discernment
Chapter 8: Of Religion by Devotion to the One Supreme God
Chapter 9: Of Religion by the Kingly Knowledge and the Kingly Mystery
Chapter 10: Of Religion by the Heavenly Perfections
Chapter 11: Of the Manifesting of the One and Manifold

Chapter 12: Of the Religion of Faith
Chapter 13: Of Religion by Separation of Matter and Spirit
Chapter 14: Of Religion by Separation from the Qualities
Chapter 15: Of Religion by Attaining the Supreme
Chapter 16: Of the Separateness of the Divine and the Undivine
Chapter 17: Of Religion by the Threefold Kinds of Faith
Chapter 18: Of Religion by Deliverance and Renunciation

Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales

Today's free book is Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat (Khan) with illustrations by H. Willebeek Le Mair. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Hathi Trust. The illustrations are by H. Willebeek Le Mair, and I've made a Flickr collection.

1 The Monkey-Bridge
2 The Guilty Dogs
3 Banyan
4 The Tortoise and the Geese
5 The Fairy and the Hare
6 The Golden Feathers
7 The Young Parrot
8 The Empty Lake
9 The Swan Kingdom
10 The Master's Test
11 The Two Pigs
12 The Patient Buffalo
13 The Sarabha
14 The Goblin Town
15 The Great Elephant
16 The Quarrelsome Quails
17 The Forest Fire
18 The End of the World
19 The Golden Goose
20 The Noble Horse

R. Dutt. Ramayana

Today's free book is Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India by Romesh Dutt. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi, Google Books, and Sacred Texts.

Book I: The Bridal of Sita
Book II: The Banishment
Book II: The Banishment, cont.
Book III: The Death of the King
Book IV: The Meeting of the Princes
Book V: On the Banks of the Godavari
Book VI: Sita Lost
Book VII: In the Nilgiri Mountains
Book VIII: Sita Discovered
Book IX: The Council of War
Book X: The War in Ceylon
Book X: The War in Ceylon, cont.
Book XI: Rama's Return and Consecration
Book XII: Sacrifice of the Horse

Besant. The Story of the Great War

Today's free book is The Story of the Great War: Some Lessons from the Mahabharata by Annie Besant; you can read more about this remarkable woman here: Author - Annie Besant.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

Introduction

Chapter II. The Youth of the Heroes
Chapter III. Perils and Triumphs of the Pandavas
Chapter IV. The Gathering of the Storm Clouds
Chapter V. The Thirteen Years' Exile
Chapter VI. Peace or War?
Chapter VII. The Sin of Yudhisthira
Chapter VIII. The Great Exhortation
Chapter IX. The Closing Scenes

Babbitt. More Jataka Tales

Today's free book is More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. You can find out more about this book in the Jataka Tales (Babbitt) unit of the Myth-Folklore UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. This book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, and Baldwin Project. You can get a free audiobook at LibriVox, and there is a nice audio presentation at Lit2Go.

The illustrations are by Ellsworth Young, and I've made a Flickr collection.

The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls

The Three Fishes

The Tricky Wolf and the Rats

The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer

The Golden Goose

The Stupid Monkeys

The Cunning Wolf

The Penny-Wise Monkey

The Red-Bud Tree

The Woodpecker and the Lion

The Otters and the Wolf

How the Monkey Saved His Troop

The Hawks and their Friends

The Brave Little Bowman

The Foolhardy Wolf

The Stolen Plow

The Lion in Bad Company

The Wise Goat and the Wolf

Prince Wicked and the Grateful Animals

Beauty and the Brownie

The Elephant and the Dog

Hodgson. Rama and the Monkeys

Today's free book is Rama and the Monkeys by Geraldine Hodgson. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Hathi Trust.

The illustrations are by W. H. Robinson, and I've made a Flickr collection.

Birth of Rama and Creation of Monkeys.
Youth and Marriage of Rama.
Rama Loses His Inheritance.
Rama Meets Sugriva.
Death of Vali.
Hanuman's Errand to Lanka.
Hanuman Reaches Lanka.
Council of the Evil Beings.
Monkeys' Bridge.
Approach of the Monkeys.
Fruitless Embassy of Angada.
The Great Battle.

Kincaid. Tales from the Indian Epics

Today's free book is Tales from the Indian Epics by C. A. Kincaid. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.

The illustrations are by M. V. Dhurandhar, and I've made a Flickr collection.

The Churning of the Ocean.
Veda's Pupil.
King Janamejaya's Snake Sacrifice.
Vrigu and Agni.
Ruru and Pramadvara.
Nala and Damayanti.
Satyavan and Savitri.
The Frog King's Daughter.
The Descent of the Ganges.
The Tale of the Pole Star.

Kincaid. The Indian Heroes

Today's free book is The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook (focused on the Mahabharata portion of the book).

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Hathi Trust and Google Books.

In a note about the illustrations, Kincaid explains that they were inspired by Gandharan art, but he does not give the actual name of the illustrator, and I am unable to make out what appears to be the artist's emblem that appears in the pictures. I've made a Flickr collection.

RAMAYANA
1. KING DASHARATHA OF AYODHYA
2. THE GOLDEN DEER
3. PRINCESS SITA'S CAPTIVITY
4. THE FINDING OF SITA
5. THE RETURN TO AYODHYA

MAHABHARATA
6. THE PRINCES OF ELEPHANT CITY
7. HIDIMBA AND BAKA
8. THE WINNING OF DRAUPADI
9. THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ARJUNA
10. ARJUNA AND SUBHADRA
11. YUDHISHTHIRA'S GAMBLING
12. BHIMA AND THE SERPENT
13. THE YEAR OF DISGUISE
14. THE END OF THE EXILE
15. THE GREAT BATTLE
16. DURYODHANA'S DEATH
17. THE DEATH OF KING KRISHNA
18. THE REUNION OF THE BHARATAS

Monro. Indian Gods and Heroes

Today's free book is Stories of Indian Gods and Heroes by W. D. Monro, with illustrations by Evelyn Paul. You can find out more about this book at the Indian Epics UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.

The illustrations are by Evelyn Paul, and I've made a Flickr collection.

I. THE TALE OF VISHWAMITRA
II. THE TALE OF RAMA AND SITA
III. THE TALE OF PBAHLADA, THE GOOD DANAVA
IV. THE TALE OF KUVALAYASWA
V. THE TALE OF SAVITRI AND SATYAVAN
VI. THE TALE OF NALA AND DAMAYANTI
VII. THE TALE OF THE PANDAVA BRETHREN