Nirvana: Ancient Indian Tales of Enlightenment is translated from and based on a small part of the epic Ramayan. Nirvana is particularly fascinating in that enlightenment is illustrated in stories. One of the stories is of a powerful woman who reaches enlightenment, a scenario that is rare to find in ancient texts. The story of this woman, Chudaalaa, makes up about half of the book and affects a powerful awakening in itself.