Under the BanyanOld stories, illustrated and annotated
Elders and children gathered under a great banyan tree at dusk, listening to a storyteller

Old stories, illustrated and annotated

The Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita, retold for adult readers. Faithful to the sources, with notes where the tellings differ.

Start with Issue 1 Read the latest Gita
Cover of issue 1, The Boon of Sons New here? Start at the beginning Issue 1: The Boon of Sons A childless king, a demon no god can kill, and a sacrifice that brings Vishnu to earth as four princes. Read issue 1, free
Cover of issue 2, The Sage's Road Newest issue Issue 2: The Sage's Road Vishvamitra leads the young Rama and Lakshmana into the forest: a demon to face, weapons to earn, and a story at every river. A new issue about every two weeks. 2 so far. Kurukshetra Companion, the Gita four verses a day Duryodhana counts his heroes Today's lesson: When counting becomes calming Chapter 1, verses 5–8. All 700 verses in about six months.

How we tell them

From the source

The comics follow Valmiki's Sanskrit Ramayana. Where Tulsidas or Kamban's Tamil Ramayana tell it differently, a short note on the page says so.

For grown-up readers

Not a children's retelling. The doubts, the hard choices and the side stories stay in, told plainly.

Free to read

Every Gita reading and every earlier issue is free. The newest issue unlocks with your email.