BOOK REVIEWS

Vol 14, No.1, 1977 Book Reviews

GARUDA IV -- THE FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS: Edited by
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. (Associate Editor:
Michael H. Kohn). Pub.
Vajradhatu in association with Shambala Publications
Inc., Berkeley, California and London. Pp. 84. Price:
$ 3.95.
Garuda is being published periodically. under the
guidance of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Its aim is to
present and adapt the Buddhist teaching to the spiritual
needs of Westerners. It starts with the Supplication to
the Gurus of the Kagyu Lineage and ends with a detailed
description of the visit to the United States of the
sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, supreme head of the Kagyu
lineage. This visit unfolded itself on a lavish scale
according to tradition after many months of preparation
by the Vajradhatu communities guided by the Editor
who was the host.
Readers will welcome in particular the abridged
rendering of the Satipatthana-Sutta from the translation of
Nyanasatta Thera, a number of articles by the editor and
several other contributors dealing mostly with
mindfulness. It contains also a chapter of questions and
answers. This reviewer would question one of the
answers on page 45 in connection with the flash of
waking up in the mindfulness of effort. The Editor
rightly points out that once the flash happens there is no
need to find out where one came from or where one is
going. But the comparison of the awareness after the
flash to a snowflake released from the clouds which is
going to settle down to the ground anyhow is not apt.
Not immediately after the flash. Even the
remembrance according to the experience of seekers
would be rather of the mind released from all fetters
and limitations embracing all in Oneness of Being.
On the whole a very useful publication for Western
readers interested in Buddhism.
LUCIA OSBORNE

PREFACE TO THE STUDY OF THE BHAGAVATA

PURANA : By Arabinda Basu. Pub.
Academy of Comparative Philosophy and Religion,
Belgaum (Karnatak). Price : Rs. 6.50.
Based upon the Annual Ranade Lectures delivered by
the author at the Academy in 1969, this treatise
provides the background and the right perspective for a
rewarding study of the Bhagavata. Describing the source
and origin of this Purana, the writer lists

the six main questions asked by Shaunaka and other

sages in Naimisha forests : What is the supreme Good of
all human beings ? What is the cream of all scriptures by
which the soul may become content and happy ? What is
the purpose of Krishna's birth as a son of Devaki ? What
are the miraculous deeds of various kinds done by
Krishna ? Who are the other Avatars ? What is the refuge
of Dharma after the departure of Krishna ? The answers
cover a wide ground : sarga, visarga, sthana, poshana, uti,
manvantara, ishanukatha, nirodha, mukti and ashraya ("
creation of the tattvas, formation of the bodies of all
creatures, virtues, qualities, excellences that people
develop as a result of observing their dharmas, God's
grace, passage of creatures to one of the three worlds, the
dharma of holy men in different ages of Manu's reign,
stories about the Avataras of Hari, the dissolution of
souls along with their adjuncts when God retires into
yoga-nidra, liberation and lastly Abode ").
Dr. Basu expounds the central philosophy of the
Bhagavata with clarity and draws attention to the special
contribution of the work to the spread of the Doctrine of
Devotion, Bhakti which develops into Love. The chapter
on Rasa Lila is well argued and brings out the
symbolism of the story in an engaging manner. So too
the writing on Avatara.
YOGA: THE ART OF INTEGRATION (A Commentary
on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali): By Rohit Mehta. Pub.:
Theosophical Pub. House, Madras-20. Pp. 464. Price
not stated.
Yoga has been expounded from many points of view.
Sri Mehta brings his own approach in keeping with the
synthetic spirit of his mind and reconciles many of the
conclusions of modern science with the perceptions of
the seers of old. Yoga, he explains, is the science of
awareness. What is awareness ? are we not aware as we
are ? and why not
What are the areas that need to be brought into the focus
of awareness and' how do we get to do it ? Is it only a
mental exercise with little or no effect on the day-to-day
life of the practitioner or is it something more
comprehensive ? The author discusses these questions
in depth while explaining the cryptic aphorisms of
Patanjali, the Master.
One special feature of these aphorisms, points out the
writer, is its rational approach. " Here man is enabled to
stand on his own feet in dealing with his simple or
intricate psychological problems. There is no need for
him to go anywhere for the resolution

of his psychological ills, not even to a psychiatrist or a

psychotherapist. Each man can heal himself."
His explanations of key phrases like Ritambhara Prajna,
Dharmamegha, Kaivalya are satisfying. He concludes :
"Yoga is a gospel of true action, not a gospel of
escape . . . . In Yoga lies the secret of the co-existence of
communion and communication, of experience and
expression of the Transcendent and the Immanent, of
the Timeless and the time.."
A satisfying treatment, from the modern standpoint,
of an ancient body of knowledge.
CRITICAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE ASPECTS OF
PROF. RANADE'S PHILOSOPHY: By B. R.
Kulkarni. Pub. : Academy of Comparative Philosophy
and Religion, Belgaum. Pp. 187. Price
Rs. 12.00.
Though Dr. Ranade has written and lectured widely,
this is the first exhaustive assessment of his thought and
achievement in the field of philosophy and sadhana. Dr.
Ranade was essentially a scholar but with a deep strain
of mysticism. His Mysticism in Maharashtra, Constructive
Survey of the Upanishads, are standard books on the
subjects. As the author points out, philosophy and
spirituality had no meaning to Ranade unless they could
have a dynamic effect on the daily life of the person
who believed in them.
Sri Kulkarni gives a detailed analysis of the approach
of the mystic-philosopher to religion and spirituality and
underlines how he maintained that Rational Thought has
an important part to play in the action of mysticism in
life. In a separate chapter he discusses the constructive
aspect of the Professor's critical essays especially
concerning Western thinkers. Constructive elements in
his Epistemology and Metaphysics are treated in depth
in the next chapter. The rest of the book is devoted to the
practical implications of the spiritual tradition that Prof.
Ranade represented : the synthesis of Knowledge, Bhakti
and Karma ; Bliss, Ananda, as the ultimate nature of
Brahman ; the important role of NAME, ` Sonanism ' in
God-Realisation.
There is, indeed, a strong tendency for categorisation
in the approach of Ranade and spiritual experience does
not lend itself to this process of assimilation. But we
may take it as a concession to the demand of the logical
mind for admitting the claims of this type of experience
for acceptance by the advancing mind of humanity.

DARSHAN : THE VISION OF LIGHT: By Roy

Eugene Davis. Pub.: CSA Press, Lakemont,
Georgia 30552 (USA). Pp. 204. Price : $ 3.95.
Writing of his school days, the author recalls
"Whenever I needed fresh inspiration it seemed to come
through the printed word ; a magazine article or a book.
One such item was an illustrated story in Life telling of
Sri Ramana Maharshi, a great sage of South India. As I
gazed at the saint's photograph I was lifted into a serene
state of consciousness and bathed in inward peace and
assurance." Mr. Roy is not alone in seeing his life
taking a new direction at the sight of the Maharshi's
divine Face in photograph. There have been many and
their number is daily increasing.
The author of this exceptionally well-written,
balanced and perceptive book narrates how he became
aware of the spiritual dimension of life -quite early in
his childhood and describes how he became the disciple
of Swami Yogananda of Kriya Yoga fame. His gratitude
to his Guru seeps through every word referring to him
and the fact that soon after the passing of the Swami he
detached himself from that Order and went on to choose
his own avocation does not detract from his loyalty to
the Grace.
The best chapter in the volume is certainly the one on
Meditation, the Inward Way. It is obvious he writes
from experience and, even for those familiar with the
subject, what he writes has a fresh breath. His
underlining the necessity of a ` meditative mood' which
should pervade the consciousness at all times, his
explanation of the stoppage of breath during deep
meditation and his remarks on the role of meditation in
the quickening of the evolution of consciousness, are
some of the high points of the discussion.
The chapters on Reincarnation, Astrology and
Destiny, Kundalini, Sex and Spiritual life, are full of
commonsense and mature wisdom. He is right in saying
that as a rule the soul takes the same line of sex in its
embodiments. He is also right in his explanation of the
flash-back that people have at the main developments in
its evolution during that birth.
The writer is optimistic of the future. He does not
agree with the prophets of doom who foresee dire
happenings on this planet in time to come. He perceives
the dawn of a new age, the birth of a new
Consciousness of ONE LIFE -in other words, a
universal consciousness is round the corner.

The book is a weighty contribution to contemporary

philosophical literature.

. It is with great satisfaction that one lays down this

book. It is a model for works of this kind,

free from spiritual egois m, full of dignified humility and

transp a r e n t sincerity.
THE TEACHINGS OF THE MAGI: By R. C. Zaeh n er. Pub. :
Sheldon Press, London. Pp. 156. Price : E 1 . 3 5.
This is a pres e n t a tion of the main tenet s of the
Zoroa strian Religion. The natur e of God and the Devil, the
crea tion of the Univers e, the imperf ection and its caus e,
the place of man in the schem e and the role of true
religion along with institutions of sacrifice and sacr a m e n t s ,
are the main topics that are discuss ed with apposit e
citations from the scriptur es. Especially inter es ting is the
chapt er on the fate of the soul at death and the stat e of
after -life as visualised in this vision. The corresp on d e n c e
with the Christian beliefs in cert ain plac es, notably in the `
final judgm en t ', is striking.
It is inter es ting to read the following text
In Man's body three roads have been laid out. On
thes e three roads three gods have their dwelling, and
three demon s seek to waylay. In thought the God Mind
has his dwelling, and Wrath seek s to waylay; in words
Wisdom has its dwelling, and Heres y seek s to waylay;
but in deed s the Bount eou s spirit has his dwelling, and
the Destructive Spirit seeks to waylay. On thes e three
roads Man must stand firm. (P. 24)
Dr. Zaehn er ' s com m e n t a r y and introductory rem a rks
conn ec t this philosophy with Thought and Mysticism
elsew h er e in that age and thus add to the value of his
translation s of thes e selection s from Persian texts.
M. P. PANDIT.

LIGHT ON YOGA: By B. K. S. Iyengar. Pub.

George Allen & Unwin, London. Pp. 544. Price: 7.50.
This is the eighth edition of this famou s book, by B. K. S.
Iyenga r who has gone round the world and taught yoga to
hundred s of aspirants. He has a techniqu e to suit the
mod er n ment ality. He is simple, unas su ming, obliging,
living what he teac h e s . He adher e s strictly to the orthodox
way of yoga sadh a n a and draw s his inspiration from the
Gita, Patanj ali's Yoga Sutra and Hatha Yoga Dipika.
Patanj ali's Yoga forms one of the shad darsanas, six
syst e m s of Indian philosoph y, closely following Kapila's
Sankhya syste m . Yogi Iyengar in his luminous introduction
att e m p t s a synth esis betw e e n sever al schools of yoga.
Many think that the Raja Yoga of Patanj ali is entirely
different from Swatm a r a m a ' s Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Yogi
Iyenga r maint ains that they comple m e n t each other and
form a single approa c h towards Self Knowledg e and Libe

ration. The different disciplines of all syst e m s of yoga are

like rope, ladder s and cram p on s and physical fitness of a
mount ain climber. So the author deals with Raja Yoga fully
before he takes us through the path of Hatha Yoga. He
teach e s rhyth mic breat hing, yoga asan a s , bandh a s and
kriyas, all copiously illustrat e d. He teach e s mor e than 201
asan a s with 600 illustrations. He strikes his final note upon
sublim ation of the sex energy. He ends by with Sankar a ' s
Song of the Sout : ` My natur e is conscious bliss and I merg e
mys elf in bliss.' This is a book to read and follow.
YOGA AND HEALTH: By Selvaraj Yasudian and Elisab et h
Haich. Pub. : George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London. Pp.
189. Price : 1.95.
Selvar aj, a Madrasi, fell seriously sick during his
forma tive period and was restor ed to blooming health
again by a Hatha Yogin. Asanas and deep brea thing
pranayama gave him life and stren gt h. In his twentiet h year
he went to Europ e and start ed a yoga centr e in
Switzerlan d, prop ag a t e d the syste m of yoga for the body
arid wrote books which bec a m e popular and gained
interna tion al reput a tion. He got fortuna t ely, a helpful
comp a nion in Elisabet h Haich. Both of them delved into the
psychic scienc e of yoga. Yoga is not mer e body culture. It is
a collective nam e for the allround perfection of body and
soul. Yoga begins with the rhyth mic equilibrium of life and
culminat es in the realisation of the Self - I. It begins with
body and nerves and ends with the danc e of Siva behind
the jiva in the psychic heart. Selvaraj accept s this inner
mea ning of yoga. There is a close relation betw e e n body
and mind ; the body suffers when the ment al equilibrium is
upset, and when the moral stand ar d s fall. Endocrines are
the chemical carriers pouring horm on e s into the blood.
Selvar aj gives us with clear illustration s all the asan a s that
contribut e to hormon al regulation and the smooth working
of the ductless glands. He mak es rhythmic deep brea thing
the basis of yoga. This stimulat es the prang sakti which is
the cosmic force of life.
Yogic breat hing from the abdom e n purifies the heart and
lungs. The author recom m e n d s swim ming for complet e
breat hing. There is a chapt er on the seven plan es of
conscious n e s s and develop m e n t of psychic pow ers.

YOGA
PHILOSOPHY
OF
PATANJALI:
By
Anthony
Elanjimitta m . Pub.: Better Yourself Books, Allahab a d.
(Price not quot ed).
Rev. Anthony bas es his book on the found ation of Indian
Yoga philosoph y. He devot e s a lumi n o u s

chapt er to Brahmacharya and sublim ation of the sex ener gy

which accords incand e s c e n t vital purity and opens the way
to the hidden treas u r e s of yoga. The original aphoris m s of
Patanj ali are given with transliter a tion in English with a
clear com m e n t a r y.
A serious read er of this book will feel the moonla nding of
scientists puerile befor e the God -landing wisdom of
Self -realised
Sages.
The
com m e n t a ri e s
on
Iswara
Pranidhana and Purusha Visesha Iswara remind us of
Rama n a ' s dictum that God is alrea d y pres en t in the heart.
Love of God is the sole mea n s of salvation in Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. Patanjali thinks that love of God is
one of the mea n s to reach spiritual perf ection which is
alrea d y pres e n t in us. God is Atman or Purush a which
moves Prakriti or Natur e just as a magn etic needle moves
iron ; all wisdom is the irradiation of the Divine Atmic force
from within. The author aptly says that Patanj ali begins his
Yoga Darsan with Swarupa and ends it with Swarupa
Pratishta ; first abiding in the Self and finally realizing Self
Consciousn e s s is Kaivalya Purushartam.
We recom m e n d this book to all that aspire for inner
vision.
YOGI SHUDDHANANDA BHARATI.

THE VEDAS: By Jeanine Muller. Pub.: Rider & Co., London.

Pp. 240. Price in U.K. 3.75.
Someh ow , Wester n scholars hip never took kindly to the
Vedas. They looked upon the Upanisha d s as the
storeh ou s e of all philosophy and wisdom of India, but
releg a t e d the Vedas to the age or primitive poetry and
barb aris m. According to most of them, the Rishis were
innoc en t childish barb aria ns who were afraid of Natur e and
natural phen o m e n a . Their atte m p t to propitiat e the pow ers
of Natur e in their supers titious belief that it would appe a s e
them result ed in the Riks. Such were the ideas current
amongs t scholars in the last century and among many
Indians too.
With the adven t of Swami Dayan a n d a Sarasw a ti, Vedic
learning rec eived a new impetu s. Later Sri Aurobindo's
Secret of the Veda and Sri Kapali Sastri's Siddhanjana
Bhashya open ed the long sealed doors of Vedic trea s ur e s
and exhibited their spiritual splend our to the whole world.
The book under review illustrat es this new approa c h of
West ern scholars to the reveale d Light. In Miss Miller, the
Veda is a book of harm on y, medita tion and fulfilment. It is
the product of the highest genius of hum a nity, the outcom e
of inmost spiritual seekings, the result of man's fulfilment
on earth. It is the text of original scripture from which all
the later philosophies derive. Happily Miss Miller is quite
conver s a n t with the thought of Sri Aurobindo on the Vedas.
Th e Ved a is kno w

ledge that is reveale d. The Rishi is the Seer who sees this
knowled g e in his inner vision. By intuition and inspiration he
cloth es this knowledg e in the hum a n tongu e and gives
expres sion to the Vedic mantras known as Riks. The Rishi is
the mentor of medita tion, the lead er and teach er of
hum a nity. Chanting the Riks leads to medit ation, putting the
person in the right conscious n e s s . Then the inner doors are
open e d, the possibilities of the being are unfolded, one
delves deep into a stat e of pure consciousn e s s which
strea m s thous a n df old in its manifest a tions as the univers e.
In such term s the author explains the esot eric
significanc e of the Deities and the Riks, analys e s the
mea ning of certain key words in the Veda like the Brahm a n
and proce ed s to expatiat e on Vedic Eschatology. The
hymns select e d and translat ed by her at the end of the
book prove the correctn e s s of this approa c h. The writing is
inspiring and eleva ting. The book is a significant
contribution to Vedic scholars hip.
PARABLES AND DIALOGUES FROM THE UPANISHADS: By
Swami Satya Prakash.
Pub.: S. Chand & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd., Ram Nagar,
New Delhi. Pp. 204. Price : Rs. 25.
Written for the gen er al read er who may have som e
inter es t in met a p h ysic al topics, thes e Parables and
Dialogu es mak e delightful reading and sprea d light as well,
light untint ed by any colour of opinion or shad e of though t.
All met a p h ysic al speculation s are sedulou sly avoided and
the text is translat e d in its pristine purity. The read er is
asked to enjoy thes e writings and draw his own
conclusions.
As said in the para ble of DA each read er can get his own
mess a g e out of thes e inspiring pass a g e s . The selections
are mostly from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and the
Chandogya Upanishad. Besides the well known para bles of
Yaksa, Naciket a s and Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi, other
inter es ting and instructive pass a g e s are dealt with.
The book is bound to kindle further inter es t in the
Upanisha dic lore.

OCCULT PSYCHOLOGY OF
THE
HINDUS:
By
N.
Shubha n a r a ya n a n . Pub.: Dipti Publications,
Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Pp. 83.
Price: Rs. 10.
The book under review fulfils a felt need as it att em p t s a
rational explan a tion of the various rituals and sams k a r a s
that form part and parcel of the Hindu religion. Religion
runs like the warp and woof in the textur e of the Hindu way
of life. The culturing of the soul that evolves through
succes sive births is quickly accom plish ed by mea n s of
Samsk ar a s. Even at conception right forces are invoked,

the ground is pre p ar e d and th e se e d is ca s t under

propitious circums t a n c e s by mea n s of the samskara of
garbhadhana Then a series of samskaras like Jatakarma,
Namakarana and Annaprasana ushers the new born child into
the world evolution till the soul is led to a prop er mast er by
mea n s of upanayana. Then the journey of life is undert a k e n
with a comple m e n t a r y soul and the sacr a m e n t of holy
wedlock vivaha accom plish es this, Finally when the soul
leaves the body, samskaras like antyeshti, aurdhvadehika
mak e for a smoot h pass a g e into other worlds wher e the
soul rests for a time, gath er s the ess en c e of its past
exp erienc e s and the plunges into a new body for further
advent ur e s in the realm of evolution.
All thes e are explain ed admira bly by the author who
combin es an under st a n din g of the problem of the rational
man.
Books like thes e help the seek er to carry the best of the
past on his journey tow ard s the future of fulfilment.
INTEGRAL YOGA: By Haridas Chaudhuri. Pub.: George Allen
& Unwin Ltd., London. Pp. 160. Price , in U.K.: 1.95.
Consist ent with the evolution which the ancients
acclaim e d as the very purpos e of creation, yoga, the
scienc e of yoking ones elf with the Creat or has also been
evolving. Yoga has been practis ed in various plan es of
one' s being, in the physical as Hatha Yoga, in the ment al
realm as Raja Yoga, in the emotion al fields as Bhakti Yoga,
in the pres er v e s of the intellect as Jnana Yoga and so on.
The stone, the plant and the anim al have now blossom e d
as man ; the physical, the vital and the ment al plan es have
been travers e d . The time is near when man has to evolve
into a higher being. The mind has to be transc en d e d and
realm s higher than the mind have to be brought down to
bear upon the lower planes of the being. The Yoga that has
been so far practis ed in parts has to becom e integr al as an
integr al transfor m a tion of the whole being is aim ed at. All
the different practic es of Yoga have to be harm onis ed in an
integr a t e d whole. The originator of such an integr al yoga is
Sri Aurobindo who found the time propitious for a `fruitful
reconciliation of the self -perfecting mysticism of the East
and the ration alistic huma nis m of the mod er n West' and
bas ed his synth esis of Yoga on a Dynamics of evolution ar y
urge and purposive creation.

an d philo s o p h y of Int e g r a l Yoga and advoc a t e s the

basis of harm oniou s and crea tive living in the mod er n
conditions of stress and strain. The last two chapt er s on
Methods of Meditation offer practical guidanc e to the
earn e s t aspirant.
TEXT BOOK OF YOGA: By George Feurst ein. Pub. : Rider &
Co., London. Pp. 179. Price
4.25.
A good text book on mod er n lines on the old subject of
yoga is always welcom e and the book under review is
esp eci ally useful to the , read er from the West.
Simple and compr eh e n siv e the book assu m e s little prior
knowled g e
and
proce ed s
from
funda m e n t als.
The
trea t m e n t is syste m a tic, all the salient points are cover ed
and technical ter ms are explained. The subjects dealt with
are amon gs t other things the Forms of Yoga, the History of
Yoga, and the Classical Eightfold Path. There is a chapt er
on the techniqu es of yoga and the Classical Eightfold Path.
There is a chapt er on the techniqu e s of Tantrism. The last
chapt er on Hidden Reality could have appe a r e d much
earlier in the book as on this conc ep t much of the Hatha
Yoga and Raja Yoga are bas ed.
There is an admirable sum min g up of the Integr al Yoga
of Sri Aurobindo. The author says that Aurobindo's Yoga is
not the result of a mer e intellectu al study of the ancient
yogic traditions but must be unders t ood as a genuine
darsana. Taking on conte m p or a r y yoga, the author lists the
grea t nam es of Sri Ram akrishn a, Vivekan a n d a , Sri Ram an a
Maharshi, Sivana nd a , Sri Aurobindo, The Mother and
Ananda m a yi Ma. The author approvingly quot es what Dr. _
A. Cayed o wrote about the Maharshi
" At Tiruvann a m a l ai shines the light of a saint of
humble folk, whos e app e al is to the heart and soul . .
and the entire air ther e has a quietn e s s of a different
kind, that kind wher e the soul is stilled."
Hazy conjectur e s and speculations about things that are
not known do not find a place in the book. .

Inspired by his teachings and exa m ple, Haridas

Chaudhuri gives in this book a luminous account of the
various step s of synth e sis, leading to the crowning
fulfilment of Integr al Yoga. 'With clarity and pre ci s i o n ,
th e au t h or ex p l a i n s th e princi pl e s

THE SCIENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS - VOL. I

By E. Anant ac h a r ya . Pub. : Vani Printers, Daba Garden s,
Visakha p a t n a m . Pp. 51. Price : Rs. 2.25.

Clarity of though t and correct n e s s of expr es sion add

value to this work which can justifiably claim to be a text
book of yoga.

In this booklet the author deals with the significanc e of

cert ain Riks and Deities in the Rig Veda. Light and
Darknes s, Agni -Mitra -Varuna, Agni and,

Yajn a, Savi t a , Surv e y of Agni through the Manifest

Forms , are the topics dealt with. The writing is illuminating
and the author has a pen etr a ting insight into the spiritual
significanc e of the Vedas. But the book suffers from a lack
of cohesion and loos en e s s of style.
S. SHANKARANARAYANAN.

HINDU-CHRISTIAN MEETING POINT: By Abhishiktan a n d a .

Pub. : I. S. P. C. K., Kashm er e Gate, Delhi. Pp. 128. Price :
Paper -back, Rs. 10, Hard Cover, Rs. 15.
Believing that a true dialogu e betw e e n two religious
traditions could only take place " within the cave of the
heart", a group of earn e s t Christians met and stayed
toget h er in various plac es in north and south India, spent
much time in the study of and medit ation on chos en
pass a g e s from the Upanish ad s and the Bible and shar ed
and discuss ed the resulta nt inner exp erienc e.
Based on an imperson al but candid report of thes e
session s, this little work marks a mileston e in the Christian
approa c h to Hinduism whose ess en c e has to be sought and
found in the Vedant a. This sustain ed exercis e to reach " a
simple transp a r e n c y wher e the Real can manifest itself "
illustrat es Shri Ram an a Maharshi's teaching that the way
and goal of all religions is the quest for the Self. The
Paschal myst er y, which Christians consid er the centr e of
hum a n history, provides a perf ect symbol for the myst ery of
the intimat e relationship and the ultimat e identity of I and
Thou, " the primordial Thou (the Son) answ ering to the
ess en tial I of Being ". The dyna mic pow er of Self -enquiry is
clearly recognized by thes e sadhakas who declar e, "Without
dying ther e is no pass a g e beyon d death. The funda m e n t al
question `Who am I ? ' is itself the revela tion of Brahm a n."
No wond er the Christian seek er finds in St. John
(esp ecially Chapt er s 14 to 17) " the crown and completion
of the Upanish ad s ". In the person of the Son, the Inner
Comfort er, the dimen sion of depth and the challen g e of
transc e n d e n c e beco m e s lovable rath er than frightening.
The living God who is beyon d all forms, image s and
concept s, the etern al Now, app ea r s as the existential
pres en t which cannot be talked about but has to be lived
through. At this point wher e time and the Timeles s meet,
ther e is of cours e no real contra diction betw e e n
Christianity and Advaita, for transc e n d e n c e admits of
neither othern e s s nor comp aris on.
It would be foolish to suppos e that every Hindu is a jnani
or that every Christian is a living emb odi m e n t of the
Sermon on the Mount. But it is wise to rem e m b e r the
mutual dep en d e n c e of spirituality and morality, of moksh a
and dhar m a , The claim

that is her o ma d e is tha t th e ex p e ri e n c e of non duality

has a saving value and amoun t s in effect to the inner
transfor m a tion which is true conver sion. The morality of
Grac e com es more easily to the seek er of jnana who sees
the mea ning of all myst eri es " in total lucidity ".
PROF. K. SWAMINATHAN

LONG JOURNEY HOME: A BIOGRAPHY OF MARGARET

NOBLE (NIVEDITA) : By Barbar a Foxe. Pub. : Rider & Co.,
London. Pp. 239. Price: 3 .25.
This is the inspiring saga of the life and work of Sister
Nivedita in India from 1898 to 1911. Born as. Margar et
Noble in 1867 of Irish paren t s and brought up in England,
she cam e under the spell of the magn e tic person ality of
Swami Vivekan a n d a after his lectur es in England. Her
hom e, religion and a comforta ble life, she renoun c e d and
bec a m e one with the Hindu wom en of thos e days as a
novitiat e of the Ram akrishn a Mission in Calcutta.
How she cam e to India, and bega n to live the life of a
religious Hindu wom a n of the day, how with singular
devotion she took up a poor ten e m e n t in a Calcutta bylan e
and ran a school for young widows, how she rous ed Indian
nation alis m by her forthright lectur es, how she kept in
touch with lead er s like Gandhi, Aurobindo Ghose, J. C.
Bose, Tagore and Gokhale, how she threw hers elf heart
and soul into the task of fighting plagu e and famine in
Bengal, how she admired Indian religious ways, how she
conduct ed lecture -tours in America and raised funds for
her educa tion al work in Calcutt a, and above all, the inner
conflicts she had to face all the time, her doubts and
misgivings in her quest for spiritual peac e, her trials and
tribulations all thes e com e to life in vivid colours in this
most read a ble and auth en tic biograp hy, which will be of
absorbing inter es t to read er s in India today. The account is
bas ed through ou t on the actual words of Sister Nivedita,
very carefully collect ed by the author for this book.

GITA GOVINDA OF JAYADEVA (With an Eng lish introduction by M. V. Krishna Rao): Pub.
C. S. Gupta, Satsa n g a Seva Samithi, Gandhi Bazar,
Bangalor e -4. Pp. xii+16 -i-39. Price : Rs. 4. We have her e a
very bea utifully printed Samskrit text of the celebr a t e d
musical danc e -dram a, Gita Govinda. The tradition of
rend ering thes e songs musically with accom p a n yin g danc e
is current all over India in various forms. The text is not
easily available now and the publish er of the pres en t
edition, Sri C. S. Gupta, des erv e s our praise.
Shri Radhakrishn a Swamiji of the Sai Spiritual Centre,
Bangalor e, has contribut ed a sh ort fore w o r d

showing how the them e of Radha -Krishna symbolis es

para bhakti.
The English introduction of M. V. Krishna Rao, again, is
an ess a y on mystics and mysticism which hardly throw s
light on the individual genius of Jayad eva .
There is also anoth er ess ay on the mes s a g e of Gita
Govinda, containing gen er alities on mysticis m and
incident ally sum m a rizing the cont en t of this work.
Vetera n poet -critics like Panditar aj a Jagann a t h a had
their own misgivings about the wisdom of Jayad eva in
portraying the amours of divinities. The bea uti es of the
work need not be discount ed in our zest for mysticism,
which, admitt edly, might take many forms other than the
literary.
SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM (VOL. I & VOL. II)
Translat ed by N. Raghun a t h a n. Pub.: Vighnesw a r a
Publishing House, 283, Linghi Chetty Street,
Madras -1. Pp. xxxviii+69 2 (Vol. I), 746 (Vol. II).
Price : Rs. 90 (for both volum es).
For centuries the Bhagavata has been accord e d an
honour ed plac e in Indian religious literatur e ranking only
next to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In fact, it has
inspired sever al saints throughou t the length and bread th of
India, and a large numb er of ,com m e n t a ri es have been
written upon it from time to time. If Rama nuj a, Madhva and
Chaitanya base their entire philosophy of religious devotion
on the Bhagavata, even a doughty cha m pion of Advaita like
Madhusud a n a Sarasva ti mak es an earn e s t att e m p t to com e
to ter ms with the philosoph y of devotion. While the form er
highlights the sat-chit asp ec t s of the Suprem e, the latter
illumines the aesth e tic aspect of bliss or ananda.
The main caus e of the continu ed and wide popularity of
the original Bhagavata lies as much in its delightful poetry
as in its vivid pres en t a ti on of the eilas of Sri Krishna, the
Lord com e down to earth in hum a n form (Krishnastu
Bhagavan Swayam) for the uplift of hum a nity from sin and
suffering. Each lila or incident is a complet e unit by itself
charg ed with deep spiritual significanc e.
The English literatur e, how ev er, on the Bhagavata bas
not been large or com m e n s u r a t e in quality with the
subject. We have very few scholarly studies, and few er
English translation s. This could be ascribed only to a
prejudice on the part of mod er n orient alists that the
Bhagavata is a very late addition to the corpus of auth en tic

Puranas.
But the pres en t learn ed author has remov e d this
misconc ep tion in his able introduction and given a very
comp et e n t, racy and idioma tic English transla

tion of the Bhagavata in two well -printed precious volum es.

Such a good translation has long been a desid er a t u m and
the author des erv e s all congr at ulations on the degr e e of
succes s attain ed - by him in a very difficult undert a king. His
phrasing conveys the spirit and atmos p h e r e of the original
and retains both the poetry and the underlying philosoph y.
And the matt er has been pres en t e d in very read a ble
para gr a p h units. His notes at the end, though brief, bring
out the differenc e
in interpr et a tion among various
com m e n t a t or s. The volum e s des erv e study by all thos e who
want to know the mainstr e a m of Krishnabhakti.
WHAT IS SUFISM ? : By Martin Lings. Pub.
George Allen & Unwin, London: Pp. 133. Price
3.75.
The author, a specialist in Arabic studies has, on the
basis of his painst aking rese a r c h e s , given an account of
Sufism which is at once auth en tic and illuminating, and also
aimed at correcting many of the wrong views popularly
held on the subject.
This read a ble and reliable introductor y book on the
content as well as meth od s of Sufi esot eric exp erienc e is
divided into nine chapt er s. The first describds the goal of
the Sufi quest and is entitled `The Originality of Sufism' and
traces its origins in the Qur'an. The secon d entitled `The
Univers ality of Sufism' dem on s tr a t e s in depth how Sufism is
in fact som et hin g of a bridge betw e e n the East and the
West. How Sufism is root ed in the Qur'an is the subject of
the third and the fourth chapt er s called `The Book' and
`The Messen g er '. We are taken into the heart of Sufism in
the next chapt er which begins with a 10th century
observa tion
`Toda y Sufism is a nam e without a reality. It was once a
reality without a nam e. ' The view that Islam was just a
militant religion without much room for esot eric wisdom or
practice is effectively count er ed in this and, the next
chapt er on the Doctrine. How transc en d e n t al experien c e is
the recognis ed goal of Sufism is very convincingly brought
out. Then we have a detailed account of the 'Method' of the
Sufis leading on to the `Exclusiven e s s of Sufism'. The
conclusion is that `Sufism is central, exalt ed, profound and
myst eriou s, it is inexora ble, exacting, pow erful, dang er ou s,
aloof - and neces s a r y. ' The last chapt er is concer n ed with
Sufism through ou t the centuries and we are assur ed that it
is a live force even today.
The author has avoided easy and trite comp aris on s with
other mystic doctrines. A study of this dep en d a ble treatis e
on Sufism should be stimulating and of absorbing interes t
to stud ent s of mysticism.
DR. K. KRISHNAMURTHY.