In Quest of God is the compelling tale of Swami Ramdas, a monk on an extraordinary spiritual journey throughout India. This book tells the remarkable story of how a penniless monk gave up all worldly possessions and placed complete faith in God. Readers of all walks of life will admire Ramdas' complete surrender to God and his lighthearted look at the world.

Traveling throughout India armed with nothing, Ramdas accepted no money but instead chose to live free from the restrictions money places on us. His magnificent tale includes a trek up the snow-covered Himalayas and trips to some of India's most awe-inspiring temples. This book not only provides a fascinating story of a man on a journey, but also gives detailed descriptions of some of India's most treasured places.

Told with a sparkling sense of humor, In Quest of God will make you laugh while showing you that life truly is how you look at it. By placing all his trust in God, Swami Ramdas shows us that life can be a series of surprises and joys where around every corner God gives you something to smile at.

This book is a primer for classical Indian vocal training. The introduction and first two chapters provide an incredibly lucid and concise introduction to Indian music theory for Western audiences. Most other descriptions of Indian classical music that I have read that were written by Indians are virtually undecipherable for non-Indian readers. Most other texts overwhelm the reader with statements like "Ragam is the outcome of factors of the avohana and avarohana." Swami Rama actually makes these terms clear, and presents them in a way that makes perfect sense. Reading these chapters has filled in many gaps in my own knowledge of Indian music theory that have persisted despite 3 years of formal study. I wish I had begun my studies with this book- -then I wouldn't have spent so much time lost in confusion.

The remainder of the book consists of 30 alankars (exercises), followed by 10 classical raags and 12 classical taals (rhythms) in musical notation. The musical notation is presented "bilingually", that is, first in sa-ri-ga-ma notation in Western script, and then in Hindi script. The raags and taals are all from the Northern Indian tradition, but much of the theory itself and terminology applies to Carnatic music as well. The book also includes a glossary to help the user get a handle on the many terms that are used to describe facets of Indian music theory. A fresh beginner would probably need to work closely with a teacher in order to put the theory contained in this book into practice; indeed, this is what Swami Rama recommends. But a student who already knows the basics of Indian music may be able to progress independently with this book.

The book is a introductory part of Prabhupada's book Bhagavadgita as it is. The book clearly explains the subject matter of Bhagavad-gita (BG), the purpose of BG, the spirit of approach to BG, the process of understanding BG and the result of understanding BG. The book's main observation is that BG itself mentiones that BG is approached in a devotional mood to understand its message. The message is hidden for one without devotion. The purpose of BG is to make man understand the cause of suffering and method of release from suffering. One should appreciate how Arjuna accepted Krishna as Supreme Personality of Godhead. The verses of chapter 10 are drawn attention. The subject matter of BG is five: ISVARA (God), JIVA ( Living Entity), PRAKRTI ( Material Nature), KALA (Time) and KARMA ( Activity). The process of understanding involves in accepting Gita as Scripture. The essence of understanding BG is to surrender to God and act according to His will. One's life is purified and he returns to the Kingdom of God. The Supreme Lord is transcendental and eternal. Jiva is also eternal and spiritual. BG reawakens Jiva to this relation. The Svarupa of JIVA is Krishna-das ( Servant to God). True happiness for Jiva is serving God. One should worship only the Supreme not the demigods. One who thinks of Krishna at the time of death goes back to Krishna' s abode. By studying Vedic literature, one's thinking can be purified. One should practice Krishna-consciousness all the twenty four hours. There are nine processes of devotional services ( Listening to Krishna-Katha, Singing His glory, Remembering His Glory...). The process should be learnt from an authority (Guru in parampara).

Swami Abhayananda has used his ability to write simply and clearly in English to produce a version of some of this great mystic's writings (most notably, "Anubhavamrita") which are faithful to both the beauty and the truth of the original texts. Jnaneshwar writes of this great truth from his direct experience and it is clear that this particular translator himself well knows what Jnaneshwar is talking about. Another translation of the "Anubhavamrita (Experience of Immortality)", by Ramesh S. Balsekar, is not so well done from an artistic standpoint, but is still quite valuable for its enlightening commentary.

This is a fabulous interpretation of a timeless epic. I have always been spiritual but have never identified with or even trusted religion. However, in spite of my skepticism, I could not deny the truths that were put before me in this book. I was able to easily understand and apply the teachings that were imparted by the writer. There is huge amounts of beauty and power in the translation. Jnanadeva, an Indian prince, lived in the thirteenth century. He used his great vision and wisdom to achieve a simple and poetic work based on a massive collection of ancient writings.

It has truly improved my health, relationships, and sense of spirituality immeasurably. I highly recommend it!

Although the bulk of this book is worth reading for its detailed description of the author's 1923 trip, its real value for me is in Appendix 2, which is the complete text of an English translation of a French translation of a Russian translation of a Tibetan translation of a document written about the life of Jesus in the Pali language. The document begins with Moses and the Exodus and describes the activities and travel in the East of Jesus from age 12 to 29. Jesus apparently achieved fluency in Sanskrit, Pali and Tibetan. Along with his Hebrew/Aramaic, probable knowledge of the ubiquitous Greek and maybe some Latin, this gives a picture of Jesus as a scholar more than a carpenter and establishes Buddhism as one foundation of Christianity.

This is an amazing tale of a real-life hero! Anyone interested in learning more about a renowned teacher and leader should read this book. Truly inspiring!

'Karma Yoga' shows that we can attain the so called self-realization through just sheer hard work. You need not go to the mountains and meditate to attain self-realization, just by proper attitude and hard work one can achieve this. Reading this book alone is not enough, unless one follows what is said in the book, it will be difficult the appreciate the contents. Though it is a small, consise and easy-to-read book, the reader should have some sort of background on ancient Hindu Scriptures, otherwise certain sections of 'Karma Yoga' may be difficult to comprehend.

I was visiting a used bookstore with a friend when this book caught my attention. I immediately purchased it and read it. Its a small book - 61 pages total, interlaced with beautiful Indian miniature paintings. The author clarifies all uncertain/difficult translations in the introduction - for example "buddhi" is translated throughout as intellect.

In the past, I have read translations of old Indian text in which some authors give a detailed account of their own interpretations on the subject. I usually don't like this "lecturing" and find it more appealing if the text is just translated so that the reader is open to his/her own interprtations.

Finally, the story of young Nachiketas may or may not be true. But we all can associate with it on some level or the other. Here are a few passages from the book:

"Like pure water being poured into pure water,
Who sees only the One
Becomes the One"

"There, in that Self,
The sun cannot shine,
Nor the moon or stars.
The light of lightning cannot reach it,
Much less a conflagration on Earth.
Yet by Its presence all these are lit
And light shines forth."

This book is all I expected it to be, and more.

The poems in this book are realistic and moving. I was able to relate to many of the life situations and found the book an uplifting experience. If you are looking for real people, real places and truth, this is the book for you.