Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Map of India xiv

1. Upagupta and the Courtesan 3
2. Sitamma Feeds the Poor 8
3. Tegh Bahadur Helps His Hindu Brothers 14
4. The Weaver, the Fakir, and the Pig 23
5. The Wedding Feast That Never Was 27
6. The Buddha and the Bandit 32
7. The Man Who Spat on a Saint 41
8. Two Cloths 46
9. Like Water on a Lotus Leaf 51
10. To the Lover Thou Art Love 56
11. Mirabai Marries Krishna 67
12. A Monk for a Day 75
13. A Leap of Faith 83
14. Vemana Mends His Ways 88
15. Eight Topics of Conversation 95
16. The Flawed Pot 97
17. Of Ledger Books and Liberation 101
18. Milarepa Builds a Tower 106
19. The Governor's Last Day 121
20. Namdev Feeds a Dog 131
21. Ramanuja Disobeys His Guru 135
22. Tulsidas Runs Off to His Wife 141
23. The Might of the Mighty 148
24. Upasena's Last Breath 157
25. Adi Sankara and the Chandala 159
26. Nandanar Waits for Lord Nataraja 164

Notes 175
Select Bibliography 189
Credits 193