For both theoretical and practical study of Yoga Sutras and Samkhya philosophy this is the book to buy, read and keep reading. I don't know of any book on Patanjali's Yoga and Samkhya that comes even near the quality of Hariharananda's book!
It has the original texts of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Vyasa's commentary in both Sanskrit and English and Swami Hariharananda's own Commentary translated into English from the original Bengali in which he wrote.
Although the introduction says that some of the esoteric exercises are not included in the English translation it does go deep into both practice and theory.
The book can be recommended to both beginners and other students alike as the translation of the Sutras to English is so clearly done that it makes some of the difficult text easier to understand.

Having read the works of Georg Feuerstein and Swami Satchidananda, this is my third foray into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and I would have to rate this as the best of the lot. This is not to denegrate the fine works of Feuerstein and Satchidananda; I simply prefer the work by Swami Hariharananda and I highly recommend it. For someone new to the subject, Hariharananda is quite informative, with lots of background information.

If you are looking at the Yoga Sutras this is the book you want read. His use of English is excellent and takes you to the top without ever losing his train of thought. Well organized, indexed, and thought out. Clearer than I.K. Taimni, goes well with Bouanchaud and Jaideva Singh's books.

When I was younger, I found myself drawn to reading Bhagavad-gita. I tried reading several editions, but found them rather difficult to read. When I read A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is, it was as if a veil had been lifted. I found the presentation accessible and lucid. Since then, I have read many other editions, some by scholars and some by practitioners, and found much merit in most of them. Only one or two, though, found their way to my personal library.

However, Swami Tripurari's edition, Bhagavad-gita: Its Feeling and Philosphy, went straight to my bookshelf (except when I'm spending time with it, which is often). Whereas Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's opens the reader's mind to the world and our place in it from Lord Krishna's perspective, Swami Tripurari's gives us glimpses of Krishna's heart not readliy apparent in other presentations. This book is a delight to the senses, mind, and heart. The cover is beautiful, the paper luxuriant. The writing is accessible, clear, and sweet. It's the perfect complement to Prabhupada's Gita, and I expect that I'll over the years I will have found it it as important for spiritual succor as I have Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada. The Gita As it Is, is beautifully done and a must-have, unfortunately I find it difficult to get through.

I praise Swami B. V. Tripurari for bringing this version to us. I found it to be very understandable and reader-friendly. A Gita version that both the scholar and lay-person will appreciate and gain from.

The Bhagavad Gita is a series of instructions given by the Lord Krishna to his friend Arjuna on the eve of a fratricidal war. Krisha brings the chariot to the center of the battlefield as arjuna surveys the field.Whether it is allegorical or historical, the verses that have followed are sacred lierature to 800 million hindus, and countless others [myself included] have taken great succor in their wisdom and grace.I received of copy of this Gita from the swami's ashram in California. The first thing I noticed was how well done the volume is. Heavy bonded paper, l0vely endpapers,three ribbon markers adorn the book. So it is pleasant to the eye and touch. Then I started the book. Swami B. V. Tripurari is a either former hare krishna or still one[cant tell] and he dedicates the book to the founder of the sect,Swami Prabhupada, the author of Bhagavad Gita as it is, the bestselling gita in the world, and the most difficult to read. Its purports are tough, esoteric and truthfully, difficult for me to read. This volume, is none of that.Perhaps it is the grace of Swami B. V. Tripurari being english speaking? Either way, the purports are not pedantic[blessedly] are clear, and attempt not only toconnect them with modern life[the perrenial philosophy] but puts the Gita in its historical context[this is not the first time that Krishna is at Kuruksetra,which is where the Bhagavad gita takes place]. Each verse is in Sanskrit, then broken down in a word by word englih trans;lation, then an explanation[or purport] of eACH VERSE IS GIVEN.His tone, again, in explaining each verse is easy, almost quiet, not overwhelming. Swami B. V. Tripurari seems to be less on a crusade then writing this for his own edification[as he states in his preface],though I think this somewhat self deprecating.i HAVE 15 OR SO GITA TRANSLATIONS THAT i OWN AND USE,FROM YOGANANDA'S MAMMOTH TWO VOLUME MASTERPIECE, TO THE LIVING GITA BY SRI SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA[WHICH IS MY FAVORITE], this volume can stand with any of them. It is very,very user friendly, its translation seems pretty good[Though the best translation,period is in Bhagavad Gita by WINTHROP SARGEANT, }.Swami B. V. Tripurari has done us a service withthis volume, obviously his labor of love. Very very well done, lovely to look at and to hold, and a blessing to read.

"You" can NEVER turn back. There is no shadow of turning. A must read for anyone ready to find out.

The Yoga Vasistha is the dialogue between Rama and the holy sage Vasistha. In the beginning of the book Rama has come to realize the endlessly changing nature of life from such a profound level that he sees no hope in anything and does not know how to proceed to live in a way that can lead him away from the inevitable sorrow that always follows all relative hopes and endeavors. The bulk of the text of the Yoga Vasistha is Vasistha's response to Rama's questions and state of dispassion. This book presents the truths of life as perceived and understood by those who have risen above all small self concerns, beyond all karma... from the perspective of one in Unity consciousness, the only real achievement in human life. I find more depth and meaning to this text than to any other spiritual text I have ever read. It it is more totally fulfilling in a lasting way than any other source of fulfillment, except for the DIRECT first-hand experience of the Absolute field of life which the Yoga Vasistha describes.

This is an excerpt from a long letter I sent to some friends several months ago. It will serve nicely as a review. But its a bit more than that. It's actually a record of my own experiences during the reading of this book seven times over a seven month period. "Guruji" and "Punditji" refer to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an enlightened master from Bangalore India. AoL refers to the Art of Living. Here it is: I met Guruji the first time in Tokyo in November 1992. He was breezing through town with Scott and Kevin and Doug. Doing a quick tour I suppose. My sister, Katie, an AoL teacher alerted me to the visit, then Scott called one day and said, "Hey, do you want to meet Punditji?" Well, I didn't know beans about this guy nor about Kriya and the Art of Living, but I heard that he was a student at one time of a man I have deep respect for, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. So I thought, what the heck, sure, I'd like that. But I had another motive beyond my light curiosity... you see in late 1992, I was at the bottom of my life in just about any catagory you care to choose. Really low. Nasty stuff. And I also thought, well, maybe this guy Punditji, if he's really hot stuff, can give me a few pointers... or maybe even tell me how I can fix things -- yeah, I thought, I'll go see him. I truly had nothing to lose. It was a rainy cold night in Tokyo and Scott met me at a train station. We walked to an old Buddhist Temple/Monestary about ten minutes away. Scott was, as I was to later confirm, his usual super casual self. He did or said nothing to prepare me, he just ushered me into this temple, we took off our shoes, and my first look at Guruji was behind a sort of light screen. And I thought, Whoa... wait just a darn second... this is somebody special. Looking at him made me think that I could almost see right through him, as if he wasn't really there. He raised his folded hands to me and smiled like I was an old and dear friend. I'll never forget that smile. We sat down. I met Kevin. Doug was apparently sacked out up stairs. There was a girl in the room, an American teaching English in Japan, and there was a Buddhist monk. We made small talk... and then there was some silence and I thought, hey wait, why is everybody being so quiet. And why are Scott and Kevin just looking at Punditji like that. They must be tired from traveling I thought. So I picked up the conversation a bit, you know, to make everyone feel relaxed. :-) But that didn't work so well, no one felt like talking, there was just all this silence. So I sat there too. Silent. Looking at Punditji. Looking at Kevin and Scott looking at Punditji. Hey guys, I thought, say something already. Then I was afraid that maybe this thing was going to end before I got a chance to make my big plea and get my life saving advice. So I spoke up to Punditji. I was too proud to go into all the gory details of my present situation. But I said things were not too hot, I was looking for work, and did he have any suggestions for me. He looked at me like he knew exactly what was going on with me... not with pity, but with some kind of understanding that I didn't really understand at the time. Guruji said, "Your basic needs will be provided for." I said "Oh... okay." Or something like that. But in my mind I was thinking, hey, I'm dangling from a cliff, here, hanging on to dear life from a dead leaf and this guy says my basic needs will be provided for? Is this some standard Indian way to respond to someone's desperation or is this guy patronizing me. But I looked at him hard, and something deep down inside me said that he was serious, and that he was right, and that I should listen to him and probably be grateful to boot. Before I knew it, Guruji said "Jai Gurudev", and we were wisked out of the room, Punditji with raised folded hands smiling that smile I saw when I first came in. Scott put a book in my hands. A short work by Punditji. Both Scott and Kevin walked the English teacher and me to the train station. I asked a few questions about Kriya... Scott said it wouldn't be taught on this trip but that probably soon it would be. Okay... I got home. Looked at this book, "Bang on the Door". What does that mean. Read it through that night. Went to bed thinking, bang on the door, bank on the door.... Geez I'm not even at the door yet. How the heck do I do that? Guess I'll learn this Kriya thing. Maybe that'll be a start. Hope it comes here soon. ... Months rolled by again... it was about a year after meeting Punditji. The dirt was really starting to pile up inside, but, yes, all my needs were still being met, and still in a very thorough way. Got out that book again. Bang on the door. What'll I do. Well, no one will ever accuse me of being a spiritual prodigy... but it suddenly dawned on me that maybe, just maybe I could start my meditation practice back up. I had learned TM about 20 years before. Soon after, I was going through a box of books and found something my sister had given me a few years before. Someone had told her, read this book seven times and you'll be enlightened. I remembered that. The book was called "The Yoga Vasistha". When I first got it, I was all fired up. I was going to read this thing seven times if I had to die doing it. That was the summer of 1989. I read, oh, about the first 45 pages and thought, how could anyone possibly read this book even once! It was the strangest book I had ever laid hands on. But back to the story. I dug The Yoga Vasistha out of the box. Dusted it off. When I had moved from Cincinnati to Tokyo I had given away about 1800 volumes of philosophy books. Honest. But for some reason I kept this one. Mmmmm. Must have been that promise. Read this book seven times and you'll be enlightened. Well, I thought... I asked for a door to bang on... and here it is. Start bangin, Tommie. I figured that if I read 15 pages a day of this thing, I could cover one reading every 30 days, 450 pages a month. So, hey, in seven months.... I'll have it licked... I'll be enlightened. Ha! Piece a cake. And I read. And just to hedge my bet, I kept meditating. Well I got through that first reading, and marked the passages I liked, just to remind myself the second time through. I started to like this thing. There were a lot of good stories, there were a lot of interesting and simple practices spelled out. I started doing many of them. And I read on. Things really started changing inside me. I'm sure my meditation was kicking in by this point, but there was something strange about this book. As I read it, my perception of me, and my perception of everything outside me began to change. About half way through that second reading, I thought hey, I'd like to do some group meditation. So I called the local TM office. They said, sure. But you need a signed letter of recommendation from your orginal TM teacher. I said, well, that was 20 years ago. I know her name, but have no way of contacting her. They said sorry, they needed the letter. I said, but guys, I still have my flowers and my handkerchief and my receipt from my TM initiation in 1973. Doesn't that prove anything? It was true. I had carried those things around with me like a bride all those years. They said, no letter, no dice. I was frustrated. I read on. Started thinking that it was high time I had an advanced mantra. The Yoga Vasistha said there wasn't anything the mind couldn't do. And by this time I was starting to believe it. So I asked Vasistha and Punditji and Maharishi, all of them, for an advanced mantra. No telling who was listening and who was not, I thought.... NOTE-NO MORE ROOM, IF YOU WANT THE REST OF THIS STORY CONTACT ME. TOM

I have to agree with the other reviewers here; this book was a real eye opener. The author's writing style was very easy to follow as it leads you through the philosophy of Kashmir Saivism, which I hadn't heard of till I saw this book. It does not go into great detail, which is what makes the book so appealing. It left me wanting to know more about this philosophy.

A great introduction. It may really open your eyes if you happened to be bogged down in Dogma.

I came to this book with some background in the topic, having done some previous study in the nondualistic philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism. However, I had always found my previous readings to be relatively tough going in spots and, in some instances, almost incomprehensible. Not so with Pickens' book. His story is the story of everyone who has wondered if there isn't something more than meets the eye when it comes to our daily lives. Where do you go when success isn't all that it is purported to be? Not all of us can travel to India and become a student of an enlightened master but, lucky for us, Pickens did and this book is that story. I would dare say that if read with an open heart and open mind, this book can (and just might) change your world. For the better.

John Picken spent several summers in northern India, studying with the last living master of Kashmir Shaivism, possibly the world's oldest religion, which had been passed down through generations through word-of-mouth. Picken was an MD and PhD; he had attained all the trappings of success but not the happiness his parents had predicted. He found contentment by practicing Kashmir Shaivism. According to this teaching, everything is God, and nothing is outside God, so we have within us the forces of nature--creation and destruction. Fear, the Protector, is built in as a survival mechanism. Once we recognize who we truly are--Creators, Destroyers, and Protectors, rather than "good" people who inexplicably ruin whatever we care about--we become able to control the forces of nature rather than allow them to control us. Yes, we go on diets because we are creators; yes, we eat junk food because we are destroyers. This is a very thought-provoking premise, which enables us to forgive our unhealthy behavior, then work against it consciously.

My Yoga Nidra CD was actually a gift - a well-meaning friend thought I was getting a bit "frayed at the edges" and needed to relax.

I was slightly sceptical in the beginning. I tend to hold a scientific view of the universe, and suspected this might turn out to be "up in the clouds".

My first thought after coming out of the relaxation was "gosh!" I felt as if I'd rested for hours. Somewhere along the relaxation, my mind had let go of the tense attitude I was in the grip of. After the relaxation I lay there looking at the things around me for quite a while, almost like a child.

I noticed the effect of this first trial of Yoga Nidra for hours afterwards. It's hard to describe really, I was definitely more relaxed than usual, but not at all sluggish or slow, quite the opposite.

Of course, after this I started using the relaxation regularly and I am still doing so. It continually amazes me that such seemingly simple instructions can have such a strong effect. The quality of my sleep has improved greatly since I started using the CD. I used to wake up several times each night but now find that I can sleep the whole night through, which of course makes a
great difference to my day.

There are two relaxations on the CD, one short version (20 minutes), and one long (45 minutes). The voice giving instructions is interwoven with music and various sounds from nature. Before listening to it I would have thought that this was confusing, or that it would somehow have a hypnotic effect, but I find that the other sound effects enhance the instructions in a very balanced and harmonious way.

I strongly recommend anyone who wants to relax and "recharge their batteries" to try this CD. It's made a definite difference for me in my daily life.

My husband who is not a yoga practitioner found it was a very nice experience. The music is beautiful and allows a really deep relaxation. I just love it.

This audio CD is one of the best relaxation tapes that I have ever used! There are many many many imitations of Swami Janakananda Saraswati's Yoga Nidra, but none are able to match the original. The CD is a modern version of an ancient Vedic Yoga pratice. The pratice of Guided deep relaxation. The words Yoga and Nidra mean union and Sleep. These two words best describe yoga nidra, which is a psychic sleep. I recomed this CD to everyone intrested in Dreams, Lucid Dreams and Astral Projection, as it inhances all of these aributes. Infact, it is such a trememdous relaxation, that it slows down your body enough to let you watch your mind.

The guru's grace is infinite, gives the perfect aswer even to the wrong question. Actually this is not a book but a process of learning betwen the Guru and the devotees. There is only a one aswer to all question, this is medite, "honor your self, God lives withing you as you, discover that". Even the aswer is the same allways the Guru gives to everyone the most apropiate one so they can undesrtand. There is not a day thay i don't thank God for the Guru's grace.

This is an absolutely incredible book by a great yogic master. A must read for every seeker for the Truth. It is an indispensable roadmap for the often long and arduous journey to God-realization. Written in a stimulating question and answer format, it is a vast treasury of wisdom covering just about every aspect of this journey, including meditation, mantra, the mind, emotions, ego, Consciousness, the Guru, God, God-realization, Shakti-Kundalini, Shaktipat, and much, much more. The questions were raised by mostly Western seekers in different stages of spiritual development, from the beginner to the most advanced yogi who is on the verge of God-realization. They answered many of my own questions I've had for a long time, and as a result my meditation has immeasurably improved. And best of all, I now have the directions for the rest of my journey, complete with landmarks and warnings of hazardous conditions ahead! I am forever grateful to the author.

In this Satsanga, Swami Muktananda answers questions put to him in a very candid and easy-to- understand manner. An excellent source of wisdom on the path of Self-Realization.

This is one of the best biographies written about one of the spiritual giants of india . One unique feature about this book is the chapter called Divine Highway in which the author has enumerated a proper method of chanting a mantra ..which is a excellent read for the western reader

I read this GREAT BOOK in Sep.2000.It has transformed my life as it helped me to know about this GREAT GURU OF AKKALKOT.There was no chance of people like me to get to know so much, in so less a time.Iam indeed grateful to the author for having written this for all English book readers of modern India.I have been wanting an English translation of "Shri Gurucharitram" and I hope the author of this book would help us know more about Shri Swami Samarth Yogiraj.Some more photographs would have been a welcome feature in this book.Some additional information as to how to reach this place in Maharashtra would also have been very useful. Regarding the content and style of presentation ,the book is commendable for its lucid descriptions.I congratulate the author for having taken this effort in this lifetime.I must say that the author as earned a lot of "good karma" by enlightening ignorant souls about SHRI SWAMI SAMARTH of AKKALKOT. I do hope to communicate with the author directly and express my happiness and deep appreciation of his humble ofering to the GREAT GURU OF AKKALKOT.

good for spiritual review

I have taught yoga at various points in my life. I use this book as my required textbook for all my students. If you have one book on Hatha Yoga...this should be it

no yogarobics here, true hatha yoga, often amazingly difficult, but also very helpful, as many poses can be done, and poses lead to increased flexibillity and the ability to do more poses. Not necessarily the most user-friendly text, excellent (though maybe not so fun) explanation of cleansing techniques and reasons, and good explanations of the benefits of various poses.
Everything from exercises to strengthen eyes, to every organ of the body, some discussion of diet, and other subjects. A true handbook for yoga, if ever there was one. This was one of the first yoga books I ever looked at, and it initially helped me see the point and begin to embark on the discipline. It is more useful to those who have already begun to practice yoga, as its immensity will leave some without a clue as to where to begin, how much to do, etc. Bikram's Sequence is a good start, but should never be the be all-end all.

A seminal book on hatha that takes a gentle, thorough and, above all, healthy approach to yoga's physical aspects. It's all here--poses, meditation, breathing, even the more esoteric cleansing practices. All of it conveyed with the author's injunction to listen to your body and progress steadily and surely. This is not for the "power yoga" crowd who do hatha for a beautiful bod. You can beautify yourself with this program, but the focus is on developing the whole person--body, mind and spirit. A truly integral, and integrated, approach.

It is a good book that summarizes Bhagavan Krishna's life. Another good book is Devi Vanamali's The Play of God, which is a recent publication of Bhagavan Krishna's life.

This book is the first truly accurate English rendition of the 10th Canto of the most elevated spiritual book of the Vedas, namely Srila Vyasadeva's Srimad Bhagavatam, or Bhagavat Purana. There is a lot of misinformation and ignorance about the true nature of spiritual knowledge found in the Vedas of India. The esoteric spiritual portions of the Vedas are not accessible by dry academic analysis, and Swami Bhaktivedanta brilliantly presents the realizations of actual God conscious transcendentalists, who have direct experience of the matters about which they speak. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, Krishna is the Supreme Original Personality of Godhead and He appeared on this planet 5,000 years ago to display His eternal divine pastimes for the benefit of everyone. In this text, it is explained that God cannot be realized by speculation or empiric experimentation and evaluation. God reveals Himself to those who sincerely want to know about Him, and to make it even easier He appears personally on this planet from time to time. This book is the story of His appearance 5,000 years ago. This is not a book about Hinduism, which isn't really a religion per se. It is a non-sectarian look at some of the deepest philosophical concepts ever revealed to mankind.

Swami Prabhupada's book provides an enchanting glimpse of the activities of the cowherd god, Krishna, recorded in ancient Hindu writings. Recounting the stories of Krishna, from his birth through his encounters with various demonic forces to his establishment of a royal dynasty, this book is filled with distinctly Indian images of divine love. Here is emphasized the intimate and loving relationship that the human can establish with the divine. Prabhupada's text is quite readable and the narratives are supported by philosophical commentary, also accessible to the average reader. Anyone interested in gaining some understanding of the flavor of Hindu religion should read this book. Although not all sects adhere to the ideas presented here, this is a wonderful first book for the person questing for knowledge of Hindu religion.

A very powerful book, Every time i read this manual i feel so HAPPY :). The great master gives detailed information about the thought process, mind, intellect, vasanas, meditation etc.

In "Meditation & Life" Swami Chinmayananda has shared with us, all the secrets of successful life through Mind conditioning. "As your vision so is the world around you. Mind your Mind & control the World" is his clarion call. A book that cannot be missed by all who want to lead a happy,peaceful & successful life.

This book written by the great spiritual master Swami Chinmayananda is an excellent guide for beginners and people who are already experienced in the art of meditation. The logic behind meditation and reasons why one should meditate are first expounded. Then, detailed instructions are given on how to meditate, how to overcome obstacles while meditating and training the mind for reflection on God. The book is filled with stories and humor to inspire and uplift the reader.