Mani Rao

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Mani Rao is the author of thirteen poetry books including So That You Know (HarperCollins, 2025), and four books in translation including Kalidasa: Selected Poetry and Drama, Bhagavad Gita: Song of God, and Saundarya Lahari: Wave of Beauty. She writes on early Indian thought; her latest book on the Upanishads is The Book of OM (HarperCollins, 2026). Researching mantras, she discovered continuing revelations, resulting in Living Mantra: Mantra, Deities and Visionary Experience Today (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). After studying literature in Madras and working as an advertising and television professional in Mumbai, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, she pursued an MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a PhD in Religious Studies from Duke University. Her website is www.manirao.com.