This book pictures Swami Dayananda Saraswati, his ashrams, his pupils, among them many Swamis, in a pleasant way through innumerable photographs. It tells the story of Dayananda and his mission to spread the advaita vedanta of Shankaracarya through extensive, up to three year lasting, courses, where one lives together in an ashram. The book has been presented for the sixtieth birthday of Dayananda.

This magnificent volume summarizes the life and teachings of one of the greatest yoga masters of the 20th century. Swami Rama demonstrated under rigorous laboratory conditions that the "miracles" attributed to the Himalayan yogis are actually true. The photography in this book is superb, and Pandit Tigunait's recounting of Swami Rama's adventures is thrilling--and deeply moving. This is a spiritual classic.

This book is invaluable. It explains in loving detail the types of spiritual practices that one may practice. The section on Bhakti Yoga is second only to Aleister Crowley's Liber CLXXV in practical instruction. Swamiji was obviously a brilliant and holy man who was not bound by dogma, but made his way available to all.

This book will be interesting to those who are intrigued by the many different approaches and ideas surrounding the spiritual path.

Pagal Baba or "crazy daddy" as the term is literally translated (into slang English) remains an enigma throughout the book and quotes the saint Sri Anandamayi Ma upfront for those wondering "WHO" he really is, saying, "I am whatever you THINK me to be...".

The book is curious because Pagal Baba walks you through the asramas of different living sages, the ideologies of those who have long since passed, and the mindset of the Indian religious approach in general with a very solid dose of inquisitive "reality" thrown in. At times he takes you on a journey that sets the reader up for some phenomenal revelation, only to deflate your expectations with a rather spiritually disappointing end to the story he is conveying. Then again, there are other times that he is emphatic about the teachings of the sages and strongly encourages the true seeker to take them to heart.

It is difficult to describe the psychological nuances in this book that make it very real and very readable. It would appeal to the skeptic as much as the devotee in this regard.

Personally, I found much food for thought here as I could understand the view as a "lover of God", but also understand the enormous cosmic joke inherent in the search for "God" realization... a dichotomy that Pagal Baba deftly puts forth. He leaves the reader to question themself and at the same time- generates an even stranger and stronger drive to "know".

I love the book and would consider it a necessary part of any library that focuses on studies in consciousness, spiritual practices, philosophy, or religious theology.

As a side note- the initial thrust of the book was stated as one that focuses on the "mind of India". This is true- but there is much more beneath this immmediate topic and that which can exceed the limitation of "India" alone if one can put these ideas in a broader and more personal context.

Of the many thousands of books that essentially are one of a kind and out of print, few are more worthy of being reissued than this very beautiful rendition of the heart of the Upanishads. World class poet W. B. Yeats, working with Vedic scholar Sri Swami Purohit, retired to Majorca away from the war clouds gathering over Europe in the thirties with the intent of making "a translation that would read as though the original had been written in common English" (p. 8). Here's an exchange between the boy Nachiketas and Death from the Katha Upanishad that gives a sense of just how well Yeats and Purohit succeeded:

Nachiketas said: "Some say that when man dies he continues to exist, others that he does not. Explain, and that shall be my third gift."

Death said: "This question has been discussed by the gods, it is deep and difficult. Choose another gift, Nachiketas! Do not be hard. Do not compel me to explain."

It is from the Upanishads that the Bhagavad Gita finds its inspiration. One can see immediately in this short exchange the seed from which the dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna grew. Indeed it is from the Upanishads that the central doctrines of Hinduism are derived, and the philosophy of yoga, and even that of Buddhism. As such the Upanishads, despite their repetition and extraneous material, constitute one of the great spiritual works of humankind. What Yeats and Purohit have done here, in contradistinction to other translations that I have read, is to make the work intelligible, accessible and a pleasure to read. To do this, it is true they have trimmed; and they have drifted in parts from a strictly literal translation, preferring instead to emphasize the spirit and the essence of the Upanishads. Consequently, for the scholar this is not the best translation. But for those who want the feel and the heart of the Upanishads without the ritualistic circumlocutions or much of the repetition, this is an idea translation. Through the poetic use of words, incorporating the magic of sound and rhythm in judicious repetition, Yeats and Purohit are able to preserve the oral formulaic expression of the Upanishads, and bring the sense of their power to the modern English speaker. This is an outstanding achievement. Here is the refrain that ends this beautiful translation:

"This is perfect. That is perfect. Perfect comes from perfect. Take perfect from perfect; the remainder is perfect. May peace and peace and peace be everywhere."

Sadhan Path is required reading for those on the path of Maha Yoga. It lucidly details the prerequisites for meditation, the necessity of a satguru, the awakening of Kundalini Shakti, experiences during Maha Yoga meditation, etc. This slim volume covers well the basic knowledge necessary prior to shaktipat diksha. Truly an invaluable reference.

Ably translated into English by Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi, Tripura Rahasya: The Secret Of The Supreme Goddess is essentially a dialogue of instruction given by the guru Dattatreya to his the truth seeker Parasurama. Through a series of stories that can be read with amusement and the greatest of imaginative pleasures, the tales also provide a series of wisdoms and insights that illustrate and represent theological implications within Hindu theology and Goddess traditions. Tripura Rahasya is a confidently recommended addition to Comparative Religion collections in general, and Hindu Studies reading lists in particular.

This book is a very readable translation by the female swami ambikanda saraswati of a very important hindu text. Very valuable for scholars of religion but definitely also for the sincere seeker. A text that is a mixture of bahkti (devotion) and more advaita (non-dualism) inspired passages. Definitely a must for everyone interested in indian religion.

I can't believe this book is out of print, to be perfectly honest. This is Shankaracharya's most readable work, and I would call it a must-read for anyone remotely interested in Advaita Vedanta or, indeed, in Hindu philosophy in general.

The Upadesha Sahasri (or this edition of it, at any rate) is divided into two parts: prose (78 pages, three chapters, consisting of sometimes-lengthy dialogues) and verse (231 pages, 19 chapters, consisting of of shorter, compact teachings). The fact that I have a short attention span means that part two is more dog-eared than part one, and I think most readers will find themselves in a similar condition -- and that's all right, because this book reads very much like an anthology. It doesn't necessarily progress in a linear manner, from postulate one to postulate two to postulate three and so on; it more closely resembles a series of verbal teachings collected over a long period of time.

The English translation remains true to the Sanskrit to the point where it is sometimes very hard to follow (sample passage: "People do not receive Self-knowledge on account of the fear that their duties (according to their castes and orders of life) would be destroyed like Udanka who did not accept genuine nectar which, he thought, was urine."); a shrewd writer really should come along and provide a popular translation or paraphrase of this very important work. Until one does, Swami Jagadananda's rendering is certainly very clear and should meet the needs of most serious readers.

This book erases a lot of mis-conceptions, I had, regarding self-realisation or self knowledge. It is demystifying in the sense that, mystical practices, like yoga etc etc, though helpful cannot lead to self knowledge.

In this book, Dayananda says that, one needs to have a clean and a non projecting mind or an objective mind to gain self knowledge. Thereby making and objective mind mandatory for selfknowledge. Further, the author says that this mandatory condition is satisfied only when the 20 qualties, he mentions in the book, are assimilated.

This approach sounds not only rational, but also puts an end to anybody who wants to gain selfknowledge in quick time, by attending some crash courses in certain mystical practices. And, further, the author seems to suggest that one has to live in meditation and see to that these 20 qualities are assimilated.

Although the book is well written, some of the qualities could have been explained in a more detailed fashion. In particular, I'm surpraised about the quality Ahimsa, mentioned in the book, where the stress is laid only on Vegetarianism, which is rather surprising, as we all know that a lot of Vegetarian's are Draco's.