I'm not the kind of person who generally reads these types of books. I gain most of my spiritual solace from Mozart and wilderness hiking. However, this book is surprising. It illuminates Jesus in ways you have never considered and makes you wonder how Christians got things so muddled. This is a refreshing encounter with a subject I usually shun, and you'll never think of Jesus the same way after reading this wonderful book. I highly recommend it to people of all faiths.

i first read this book some 20 yrs ago and found it easy to understand and a clever uniting of vedantic teachings and the core teachings of christianity. over the years i've read it again several times. its simplicity is deceptive. the author is/was obviously a spiritual genius and modern saint. to pack so much universal truth into such a small book is, well, a miracle. if you are a sincere seeker of God, you will love this book. as you begin to live this book, its truths will reveal themselves fresh and new and undeniably true within you. i've read thousands of books in my life and i would rate this one in the top ten without hesitation. don't miss this divine message; it speaks to the heart and soul in a truly wondrous way!

Over the course of my life, I have been presented on various occasions with texts described as being 'comparative' of different religions -- usually one religion being stood up against Christianity, the author being a Christian, in an attempt to debunk the teachings of non-Christian faiths. I saw those books as little more than thinly-veiled attempts at propaganda, attempts to spread the Christian message (as the authors saw it) to the 'unsaved, misled masses'.

This book, which I originally stumbled across quite by accident, couldn't be further in theme and temperament from that lot -- this is aboslutely the gentlest, most respectful, most loving book that I could imagine on the subject. It makes no attempts at conversion, but in a very scholarly -- yet very readable -- way, takes Christ's Sermon on the Mount (paying special attention to the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer) and makes line-by-line comparisons to the ancient teachings of Hinduism.

Prabhavananda was a monk of the Ramakrishna Order -- and one of Sri Ramakrishna's most fundamental teachings was the 'oneness of all religions', that, when sincerely believed and practiced, 'all paths lead to the same goal'. This incredible, tender book shows how deeply true his teachings were. Ramakrishna -- a Hindu saint of the 19th century who worshiped God in the form of the Divine Mother, and who experienced ecstatic visions of Christ, Mohammed and Buddha as well -- was one of the most unique, unpretentious, all-encompassing figures in any religion. He embraced them all. Would that we had, in this 'modern, civilized era', when people are still killing each other over the way they each worship God, a teacher so unifying, so true of heart, that could shine the light of wisdom on our folly.

Prabhavananda's book brings Ramakrishna's unifying word to modern readers in a wonderful way. I was touched to the core of my soul by this book -- I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who honestly, in their heart, practices ANY faith. It was written to unify, not to divide -- it could be treasured for that alone.

For anyone interested in further readings on Sri Ramakrishna, I can recommend THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA, or (if this 1000+ page volume is too 'heavy' for you) Lex Hixon's stunning book GREAT SWAN -- MEETINGS WITH RAMAKRISHNA.

This book was given to me by a friend from India. I just have to say that this book is inspiring in such a way that it provides a new way of thinking in Mathematics. What I found most fascinating is that this way of thinking has been around for over 100 years and very little people know about it! It's a pity this is not taught in American schools because it gives a different perspective on how to solve problems - actually a much easier way to solve problems. If you have kids or you yourself want to solve problems easier (and faster), I strongly recommend this book.

The majority of the American public is blind about the rest of the world's great achievements, not just mathematics, but also the arts and sciences. Truly unfortunate.

Vince

Hello everybody! I would like to share my thoughts about this great book with you. I had heard of the sanskrit sutras in the Vedas (ancient Indian text) that could simplify all mathematical problems. And when I got this book, it was just great and just what I was looking for. I would strongly urge that you read the book and pass on the wealth left to us by the ancients.

This is absolutely the best way to do any kind of calculations. It helped me out through my Graduate Studies (MBA) where I amazed my Finance and Accounting Proffessors with my ability to magically solve problems in my head and surprisingly come up with right answers faster than someone using a calculator

EXISTE SOBRE MEDICINA ALTERNATIVA, LAS ENFERMEDADES Y COMO CURARLAS...

Incluye .TODO!!

...Y NUEVAS ENFERMEDADES MAS DIFICILES DE COMBATIR..
Con los antibioticos, estamos creando MONSTRUOS BACTERIANOS Y VIRALES...

LO ÚNICO SANO ES LO QUE VIENE DE LA NATURALEZA...como nosotros mismos !
Este libro extenso y maravilloso, CONTIENE TODAS LAS TERAPIAS ALTERNATIVAS... Todo el regreso a la salud...
Dejas de enfermarte, de gastar una millonada y SE ACABARON TODOS LOS MALESTARES !!

Y MUCHO MÁS...
Todo lo que abarca la Medicina Naturista ( Ahohra conocida como alternativa )
Cómo practicarla, sus aplicaciones y resultados..
Una obra completísima !

It is beyond my imagination to find such a scripture in such a simple language which contains the total philosophy of all the ancient Indian scriptures and extensively covers all the devotional aspects for a sincere seeker of God. I have no words to explain the beauty of this divine book. In this age finding such a book reminds me the verse of Gita "Yada yada hi dharmasya ...".

Of all the many books I have read on spiritually, religions and philosophies of the world, by far this book is the most profound. I can not say anything meaningful to describe this book, only can I express a deep sence of awe and gratitude. Hinduism is a great and boundless philosophy. For the most part, it is totally misunderstood. H.D. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati expounds on its totality in only 438 pages with a beautiful style and simplicity. This book, however, not for light reading, is extremely easy to read with clear concise sentences. It has a large index and glossary for those wanting to truly study this subject. On a scale of one to ten, this book is simply beyond, beyond.

This book is a jewel. It is a virtual encyclopedia of the Divine world and how to attain it. Every question is answered from the creation and dissolution of the universe to attainment by a soul of the very highest Divine abode, Vrindaban. As a Divine Master, Swamiji speaks authoritatively on the soul, Maya, God and the Divine abodes and their Divine personalities. He describes the Divine Love path to God, Raganuga Bhakti, and supplies guidelines for sincere aspirants. Anyone who absorbs and takes to heart the contents of this book is a very fortunate soul.

To have a work of this philosophic profoundness translated by someone who was himself steeped in the very same tradition as the work that he is translating is a privelege.
Swami Nikhilananda was a genuine Hindu holy man who was also a scholar and he brings to this translation rare insights that can only be found from the actual experience of what he is writing of.
Be careful of premature comparisons between the Upanishads and the teachings of Buddhism: While there are similarities between both traditions, they are each distinct and have their own value and integrity as religious systems and both make a decided contribution to the wisdom of the religions of the east.

This volume contains most of the stories told in the Buddhist Teachings. Many examples seen in this volume can also be found in the Teachings of the Buddha Gotama. Brahman is explained through symbols like the "elements" (air, fire,...), objects for meditation, short stories that also appear in the Buddhist literature. However, these examples and stories are explained in a rather crude manner in this volume, compared to what can be found in the Buddhist Teachings. The advantage being that they are presented in a condensed manner here, with the most profound ones in this single volume...

So if your purpose is to try to understand this volume just by itself, there are chances you'll get struck by the depth of its meaning. So please first get into some other medium to advanced books in Hinduism and Buddhism before trying to absorb this volume, because the other previous three volumes are not enough to get across this one...but the essence is there, Gotama relied on the content of this volume for his Teachings, no doubt.

When you'll be done with the four volumes, you'll understand where the Buddhist Teachings come from...these Upanishads constitute the essence of the Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.

Unfortunately, they are probably the most cryptic texts that deal with the Ultimate, the style is so crude that one should not read them nor teach them to people that have not spent many years at studying the basics of the Indo-aryan philosophy (be it Hinduism, Buddhism,...) and are not prepared to approach the Absolute. Find a qualified teacher before reading them, unless you could be mislead and loose more time than if you had learned the basics before. So unless you know what you'll find in there, don't read them. If you feel prepared to it, get into it. If the Vedanta considered them as the secret teachings, it's not for the sake of hiding them, but rather because their use should be restricted to the most advanced scholars. There is no discrimination in this, only a will to prevent misunderstanding and misinterpreting of this difficult topic, nothing else. If you don't trust me, get into it and you'll understand very soon what i'm talking about. It's useless to begin learning a subject with the most advanced textbooks, except making you disgusted of it, so please don't try to catch the Ultimate directly with the Upanishads.

This third volume deals with the relative truth provided by rituals and sacrifices, which objective is to bring conscience about their "unefficiency" at an absolute point of view for bringing knowledge of "Brahman" (the ultimate reality). These rituals and sacrifices are means for realizing it through superimposition, i.e. adding some false semantics over what is to be understood and then invalidating it by showing its inconsistency with what is to be understood. One should hence meditate on them to better dwelve into the difference between the relative and the absolute.

This volume is less abstract than the previous two volumes so people that prefer metaphors and more practical stories will be more at ease with this volume.

Bolder minds are keen to discover the hidden achievements of the ancients. This curiosity will transform the way we
see ourselves and the universe. Were some ancient civilizations much more advanced than what we allow?

Particularly, India's Vedic texts challenge our pride and conceptions. The sages of India's lost past delighted in knowledge of the nonmaterial. But they testify that they also knew how to produce material benefits without industry. Dare
we consider that the subcontinent of India, thousands of years ago, was the center of the greatest spiritual wisdom and mystical technology that the Earth has seen?

The India of remote antiquity may surface as the greatest find in the new millennium. Searching for Vedic India reviews
the latest research from both mainstream and independent sources. Most importantly, it unfolds the ancient answers to the
modern riddles of consciousness, reincarnation, extraterrestrial contact, and spiritual dimensions beyond the laws of time and space.

Devamrita Swami is an author and researcher specializing in the history and knowledge of ancient India. Born in New York City, he began his immersion in India upon graduating from Yale University in 1972. Visiting India annually for almost three decades, he is an ordained sannyasi, or monk, of India's Vaishnava spiritual tradition. He is now based in Australia, from where he travels to every continent. His previous
book, Perfect Escape, is a contemporary commentary on a section of the spiritual text Srimad-Bhagavatam.

From the back cover:

Deep in lost history, did high civilizations and advanced knowledge thrive? The ancient Vedic literatures of India describe a worldwide civilization that flourished at a time when modern historians insist that humans like us existed simply as hunter-gatherers. This Vedic civilization, centered in India, employed technologies based on a scientific understanding of the physical elements and forces we know today, as well as more subtle conscious elements.

Devamrita Swami, who has spent a lifetime in his own search for Vedic India, takes us on a journey of intellectual discovery through the history of the remarkable Vedic civilization and its knowledge, locked in the ancient literatures of India. His wit and wisdom combine to make our search for Vedic India not only illuminating but entertaining. He tells us not only the truths of Vedic India, but how they are again coming to be. Searching for Vedic India thus takes us not only into the past, but into the future.

I highly recommend this book to anyone; especially to those who have misgivings about the current state of western so-called 'civilization'. SFVI provides illuminating insights into the very fragile foundations that form many of our conceptions regarding the development of human culture. It also challenges the premises of what we accept as 'knowledge' these days and even implores us to question the process of how we obtain such knowledge.

I've read it once but to get a good grasp on the information presented here would deserve a thorough study.

There's plenty of material here to keep even the most stodgy intellectual type of person entertained and amazed - what to speak of its potential for people who have a taste for engaging others in stimulating discussion.

Get this book while you can. You won't regret it.

Regards,
Edward Pattillo

Reading this book was a changing point in my life.When i first
read it i was 15 years old.The sweet description of the path of bhakti (Divine-love-consiousness) filled my heart with a deep love of Krishn,and Chaitanya mahaprabhu who originally reavealed these verses.
This book should be read by anyone who loves God.

No matter what I write about The Shikchashtak, I could never do it justice. Anyone who sincerely wants to develop a closer relationship with God has to read this book...several times. When I first read it, I could appreciate it primarily from an intellectual perspective, and some of it on an emotional level. I had a strong desire to experience the love for God and the bliss of God that was described in it's chapters. After practicing the type of meditation and devotion that is outlined, I read The Shikchashtak again. To my delight, the power within the concepts and verses dawned in my heart and mind. With each subsequent reading, I achieve a deeper appreciation for what has actually been revealed in this book. In addition, I gain a better idea of how much spiritual progress I have made and in what areas I need continued focus. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Ji for revealing the Shikchashtak, and to His Divinity Swami Prakashanand Saraswati for explainng their deeper meanings in such an incredibly beautiful form.

This book is for the most sincere seekers of God. If your sincerity comes from the deepest part of your heart and yearns for God's love, then this book is for you. This book was written in simple style, so everyone can understand it. Only a sincere and longing heart is required.

Many of us have logical, intellectual minds and we don't go in for this airy-fairy talk of spirituality. We demand solid, sound answers, explaining these profound questions of life and God. Some of us still believe in God but prefer a logical, scientific approach. Without one we have less faith in God and more in science and technology. If you are seeking answers about spirituality that will stand the tests of the so-called scientific approach, then this book is for you. This is highly technical, yet easy enough for any college educated person to understand.

After many years of reading books about spirituality, it was quite a revelation to read 'the sixth dimension'.

It presents a remarkably clear exposition of the material, psychic and Divine phenomens, the nature of each and the relationship of each one to the others. There is an impressive lucidity, clarity and coherence in the way deeper spiritual topics are tackled and unveiled, something I have not come across in other books. Facets of the material world, such as Gravity, Time Energy, the different levels of mind, the psychic field and psychic powers, spiritual healing, celestial worlds are some of the topics which are clearly explained, as is the process of Divine attainment.

Questions I have had for many years were answered. This book is fascinating and is a must for the aspiring spiritual student. It would also be of interest to the scientific minded who are open to the possibility of receiving God-realization.

From the time I was young, I was interested in astronomy. I thought maybe if I understood a little how God constructed the physical universe, it might throw a little light on who or what God was. It remained a mystery to me. What was the nature of the unseen spiritual world? None of the many western books offered even a clue about this. The Sixth dimension has two figures that immediately caught my attention showing the 7 ascending celestial abodes and the 5 ascending Divine abodes.

There is much, much more packed into this book. Swamiji explains gravity, time energy, the human mind, sanskars, psychic powers, astral travel, spiritual healing, in short, all the varied phenomena in the material world. Then he explains the composition and properties of the Divine world and how a soul can actually attain the divine abodes. This book should especially appeal to anyone with a scientific inclination who is open-minded and sincerely wishes to find God.

perhaps the greatest piece of truly inspired spiritual literature ever written. considered by many to be the epitome of the vast collection of writings that is Vedanta. its the story of lord krishna's holy teachings and advice to a warrior whose heart is in great distress on the eve of battle. and aren't we all warriors on the eve of the battle of daily life? lord krishna lays out the various ways a person can seek and find and know God. i love the book very much indeed and have read it many times over during the past few decades. this particular translation is a thing of sheer beauty and power. this is by far my favorite translation of the several i've read. this book belongs on the reading table of every sincere spiritual seeker. its simply sublime.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. If you're at all curious about Hinduism - this book has it all. Now I don't personally believe that a blue-skinned guy named Krishna ever really existed. But I do believe he is an excellent allegory, or character, used to convey the beliefs of Hinduism and the experience (and non-experience) of Brahman(God). My favorite thing about this book is that Krishna is active in everyday life. The story is actually an excerpt from the epic "Mahabarata". It takes place in the middle of a battlefield. Arjuna, a warrior, does not want to fight because he sees that all the guys on the other side are his relatives - his brothers so to speak. Krishna tells Arjuna to fight and then goes on to explain why it's ok - all the while expounding the ideals and beliefs of the Hindus. What's cool is that even though they express that God is in everyone and everything - it's ok to participate in ordinary life according to your nature. Arjuna has the nature of a warrior so he is supposed to fight when there is a battle. Not everybody needs to sit around meditating and smoking hemp.
The book is a masterpiece and it is beautifully done. Check it out.

This is not a translation of the Gita as much as an intepretation. Scholars will find much to irritate them here as direct translation was not Isherwood's aim, but rather an interpretation of the text in such a way that was best suited to Isherwood's own aim's of self-enlightenment. This volume is easy to read, and many sections have been put into a semi-poetical form to recall the feel of the original (a big plus, as few modern translations have attempted to do the same). Also, quite interesting is the introduction by Aldous Huxley, in which he relates his "Perennial Philosophy" to the Gita and speaks in detail about Hinduism as well as it's relation to other faiths. An appendix on various Hindoo ideas is included that makes some potentially foreign concepts a little bit easier to assimilate. For anyone who loves the Gita as I do, this book is a treasure trove.

More than what his preachings attracted me, his biography did! I really would follow His way of striving to achieve the desired goals. This book was much more than a mere biography. I have been to many iskcon temples, but now after reading this biography, I understand much more about the processes going on, in these temples....

this is the best book i have ever gone through and thoroughly enjoyed. this book can bring tears to a pure devotee. hari bol ! sirila prabhupada ki jai

Very Scholarly done after considerable research into the life of a great devotee of the Lord. Extremely readable, entertaining, enlightening, knowledgeable book, opens a window to the spitirual world and the pure devotees who live there.