Inner Journey

Dear Friend,
If you are interested in authentic books on Indian philosophy,Vedanta and Hindu scriptures, get books from these sources.They publish high quality books at low cost.
1 Sri Ramakrishna Math --Mylapore ,Chennai,India
2 Advaita Ashrama ---Kolkotha
3 Divine Life  Society , PO Sivananda nagar, Tehri garhwal,India
4 Central Chinmaya Mission  Trust,[CCMT] Powai, Mumbai
5 Sri Ramanasramam.Tiruvannamalai,Tamil Nadu,India,606 603

6 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan-K M Munshi Marg,Mumbai 400007 (though their books are getting quite expensive compared to other publishers listed here.) Check their websites,you can do online ordering also.
  Collect your own library of books at low cost!
---5th Feb 2008
--Dr N K Srinivasan
   

Here I list a few books of great value for those interested in Eastern and other  traditions:
1 Swami Prabhavananda ----- The Spiritual Heritage of India ---RK Math/ Vedanta Society of Southern Calif.LA
2 Paul Carus---Gospel of Gautama Buddha--Samta Books
3 Swami Yatiswarananda -----Divine Life ---RKMath
4 Paul Deussen ---Essence of Vedanta
5 Paramahansa Yogananda ---Man's Eternal Quest ,& other two books----Self Realization Fellowship,LA/YSS Ranchi.
6 David Godman{editor}---Be As You Are--The teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi--Penguin books/other pub
7Arthur Osborne---Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge---Jaico Pub,Mumbai
8 A L Basham --the Wonder that was India
9 Paul Brunton---Search In Secret India
10 Swami Vivekananda ---Selections from Complete works of Swami Vivekananda SRK Math Chennai
11 Theos Bernard ---- Hindu Philosophy ---Philosophical Library ,N Y {1947] (Jaico Pub,Mumbai)
12 Christopher Isherwood ----Ramakrishna and His disciples---
13. Mahatma Gandhi---Bhagavad Gita
14 Sri Aurobindo---The yoga and its objects---Sri Aurobindo Ashram--Pondicherry
15 Sri Aurobindo--The philosophy of the Upanishads---Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry-605002
16 Brother Lawrence--The Practice of the  presence of God --
17 Thomas a Kempis--The Imitation of  Jesus Christ
18 Swami Chinmayananada--- Meditation and Life ---Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Mumbai
19 Swami Nikhilananda---Sri Ramakrishna---SRK Math, Chennai 600004
20 Swami Paramananda----The Bhagavad Gita--SRK Math,Chennai
21  Swami Paramananda ---Four Upanishads---SRK Math,Chennai
22 Swami Sivananda Radha ---Hatha Yoga--the Hidden Language--Jaico Pub,Mumbai
23 Swami Sai Sharan Anand---Shri Sai,the Superman---Sri sai sansthan--Shirdi
24 Romain Rolland--Swami Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel---Sri Ramakrishna Math,Chennai
25 Swami Virajeshwara--Sadhana and Meditation---Hamsa Asramam--Anusone village [near Kelamangalam/Hosur],Tamil Nadu 635113,India
26 Swami Sivananda---The Upanishads---Divine Life Society,Sivananada nagar,Rishikesh
27 Swami Nikhilananda---The Gospel of the Holy Mother---SRK Math,Chennai.
28 Swami Shantananda Puri---Srimad Bhagavatam:its message for the modern man--Jaico Pub,Mumbai
29 Doriel Hall ----Healing with Meditation---Jaico Pub,Mumbai
30 The Gospel of the Holy Mother--Sri Sarada Devi--Sri Ramakrishna Math-Chennai
31 Swami Ramdas--Hints to aspirants--Anandashram--Kanhangad-671531--Kerala
32 Swami Vidyatmananda [Editor] ---What Religion is--in the words of Swami Vivekananda [Phoenix house,London/Advaita Ashrama,Kolkotha]( A condensation from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda]
33 Swami Chetanananda--- "Spiritual Treasures"-Letters of Swami Turiyananda--Advaita Ashrama-Kolkota.
34 Swami Ramatirtha---In Woods of God Realization--Rama Tirtha Publication league,Lucknow.
35 Rabbi David A Cooper--The Art of Meditation--Skylight path Pub,Vermont USA/Jaico Pub, Mumbai,India.
36 Sant Keshavdas---'Gayatri--the Highest meditation'--Motilal Banarsidas [publishers]-Delhi
37 H H Dalai Lama----"Transforming the Mind"--Harper-Collins,N Y
38 Swami Tejasananda--- A Short Life of Sri Ramakrishna---Advaita Ashrama

39  Arthur Osborne--Incredible [shirdi] Sai Baba ---Orient Longmans ,New Delhi

40 Eknath Easwaran-- The Upanishads-- Penguin Pub,New Delhi,London 

41 Bansi Pandit -- the Hindu Mind--Dharma Pub, Illinois

42 John G Bennett --Long pilgrimage --[Biography of Shivapuri Baba] Dawn Horse pub

43. Swami Chidananda--The quintessence of the Upanishads---Divine life Society-Sivanandanagar-249192.

44 Swami Madhavananda & R C Majumdar {editors]---Great women of India  ----Advaita Ashrama ,Kolkota

45 Swami Adiswarananda---The Spiritual Quest and the Way of Yoga--Sri R K Math ,Chennai/Skylight Path Pub,Woodstock,Vermont

46 Perin S Bharucha ---Sai Baba of Shirdi---Sri Sai Baba Sansthan,Shirdi

47 T T Mundakel--- Listen to Mother Teresa---Asian Trading corporation,Brigade Road,Bangalore

48 Paramahansa Yogananda----The Science of religion---YSS,Ranchi

49 Ma F Taleyarkhan-- Sages, Saints and Arunachala Ramana-----Oreint Longmans,Chennai, 1970

50 Swami Yatiswarananda---The Divine Life--Sri R K math--Chennai

51 Lucy Cornelssen---Hunting the I ---Sri Ramansramam Thiruvannamalai.

52 S S Cohen---Reflections on Talks ----Sri Ramanasramam,Thiruvannamalai

 There are literally hundreds of books [translations and commentaries ] on the Bhagavad Gita.For a serious student or scholar, I hope that the following notes will be helpful.
   The books on the Gita can be classified into three categories based on the authors' background.
Category A ---written by saintly persons and swamiji's of different religious orders or groups;
Category B ---written by scholars,academic philosophers, literary figures,professors of religion or literature [of Sanskrit/Hindi/ English...]
Category C----written by devout men and women, lay persons with some  scholarship in Indian philosophy/spirituality.
I shall  list only a few  authors in all the three categories.The exact title of their works one can find from Amazon, and other bookstores/catalogues.
Category A: Swamis: Sivananda,Swarupananada,Paramananda, Tapasyananda,Chidbhavananada,Chinmayananda, Atmananda,Virajeswara,Saradananda,Ramdas,.;
Sri Aurobindo,Swami Vivekananda,Paramahansa Yogananda;Gambhirananda, Madhusudan Saraswathi,Sridhara Swami,,Vireswarananada,Ranganathananda,Ramsukhdas,Mahesh Yogi , Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, Swami Nikhilananda;
Category B: Radhakrishnan, Annie Besant,Alladi Mahadeva Sastry,K T  Telang,A G Krishna Warrier,A Parthasarathy,Eknath Easwaran,Edwin Arnold,B G Tilak,Mahatma Gandhi
Category C: A S P Ayyar, C Rajagopalachari, myself {N K Srinivasan], Barbara Stoler Miller, Juan Mascaro,

While the Bhagavad Gita can be interpreted in slightly different ways or based on one's sectarian views in Hinduism, it is to be accepted that particular commentaries will be suitable for a specified time and place.I have often seen reviews stating that certain books are suited to western readers and liked by them. For a critical understanding of the Gita, a reader should read various authors, not just those from the east or the west ,but from all these categories. If we assume that only classical authors and their interpretations [say,that of Adi Sankara or Sri Ramanuja or Sri Madhwa or other leaders] are valid or acceptable, much of the essence of the Gita may be missed or misinterpreted.No one commentator can exhaust the fountain of 'knowledge' in the Gita.It is like a perennial water spring or River The Ganges or Ganga maji for the mankind! The interpretations have to suit the times in which they are written and the audience the writers addressed.

1 Sai Satcharita --translated and edited by N V Gunaji ---Sai Sansthan,Shiridi

2 Perin Bharucha---Sai baba of Shirdi---Sai Sansthan

3 Sai Satcharita --full translation--- Indira Kher--Sterling pub ,NewDelhi

4 Sai Satcharita---Zarin Taraporevala---Sai Press India Pvt Ltd, New Delhi

5   G S  khaparde---Khaparde's Diary--Sri Sai Sansthan..Shirdi

6 M B Nimbalkar---Shri Sai Baba's teachings and philosophy ----New Dawn pub,New delhi

7 S P Ruhela---Sri Shirdi Sai Baba---Sterling Paperbacks--New Delhi

8Chakor Ajgaonkar---The Divine Glory of Shri Shirdi baba--Diamond Pocket Books,new delhi

9 M V Kamath and V B Kher--Sai Baba of Shirdi---Jaico Pub House-Mumbai

10 C B Satpathy ---Shirdi Sai Baba and other Perfect Masters--Sterling Paperbacks--New Delhi

11 R Parthasarathy--God who walked on earth-- The Life and times of Shridi Sai baba--Sterling Pub,New Delhi

12 R N Kakarya -- Sai Hari Katha--Das ganu Maharaj---Sterling paperbacks ----

13 Sai Sharan Anand---Sai Baba---Sterling Pub,New Delhi

14 S P Ruhela---Sri Shirdi Bahajan mala ---Diamond Pocket books---New Delhi

15 B K Chaturvedi   ---Sai Baba of Shirdi--Diamond Pocket Books , New Delhi

16 Lorraine Walshe-Ryan ---- I am always with you ---Sterling paperback Pub, New Delhi

17 K Venkatraman  ---- Beyond Shirdi---Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan--Mumbai

18 B V Narasimhaswami---Life of Sai Baba-4vols--All India Sai Samaj, Mylapore,Chennai

19 B V Narasimhaswami ---Devotees expereinces of Sai Baba---All India Sai Samaj,Chennai

20 Durai Arulneyam-- The Gospel of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba---Sterling papaerbacks,New Delhi

There are dozens of books on Ramana ,mostly published by Sri Ramanasramam,Tiruvannamalai,606603,Tamil Nadu,India and a few other big publishers.I have mentioned two books in previous praragraphs.
There is a large body of literature on Ramana which are on two aspects: His teachings  and 'Reminiscences' by long term devotees.
 The number of books on reminiscences has been growing.Again we can divide these books in two groups:those who lived with Bhagavan in early years,upto about 1922,when Bhagavan moved from Skandasramam to the Foot-hill ashram,near His mother's samadhi--- in the present ashram.;  those who came later, mostly western disciples who thronged in 1935 or later ,that is World War II years or  upto the last year 1950, the year of Samadhi of Bhagavan.
The names in the former group[before 1922] are: Humphreys,Devaraja Mudaliar,Swaminathan,Siva Prakasam Pillai,Sadhu Natanananda,T K Sundaresa Iyer.

The later group are: Arthur Osborne, S S Cohen, B V Narayanaswami,G V Subbaramayya, Suri Nagamma,Paul Brunton,Mouni Sadhu,Maurice Frydman[the Gospel]. ma F Taleyarkhan,Lucy Cornellssen.Major Chadwick..

A profound book is: "Maharishi's Gospel" published by Sri Ramanasaramam.It is only 70 pages,compiled and editied by Maurice Frydman.[price Rs 40/= only]

There are many books written by later devotees who came to Bhagavan Ramana after 1950,that is after bhagavan attained Mahasamadhi.;these  books are mainly the recompilation/editing/translations  of earlier books,relating to teachings or events in Bhagavan's life,drawn heavily from previous works and some personal interviews with living devotees.

A short book with the practice part focussed, drawn mostly from  " the Talks" is by Lucy Cornelssen: "Hunitng The 'I',pub by Ramanshramam,88 pages,Rs 35/=

A prominent  Indian writer of this later period is Sadhu Om; David Godman, Michael James  and many other western savants have done great service in writing popular and easy-to read books explaining Bhagavan's teachings and also the milieu in India and the Ashram,which could be difficult for modern persons to understand and appreciate...After all,  the tropical jungle of Thiruvannamalai of Bhagavan's early years, which my father's generation had lived through, had all disappeared.!! The Changam Road is now full of buses and trucks, shrieking with noise and belching  auto-smoke.
NOTE: Bhagavan's teachings are admittedly difficult, though seems alarmingly simple for those trained in Indian/advaitic traditions.One wonders how much can be learned from books ,though a broad overview can be obtained from books by recent authors such as Sadhu Om, 'WHO',Arthur Osborne and  David Godman.

Practice of self enquiry/atma vichara,meditation and so on ,should be followed along with reading of  these books.There is always the danger of sticking to words,with literal interpretations and text-torturing ,instead of intuitively perceiving Bhagavan's method.[Thus there has been endless discussions on Bhagavan's method or use of 'silence' or mouna.]One could analyse each sentence ,nay, each word in the collected works of Sri Ramana.
There is also a tendency to divorce 'bhakti' or devotion from Bhagavan's teachings, which could be crippling to a sadhak, for we still live in a dualistic world and Bhagavan knew that!.

An attempt to 'intellectualize' Bhagavan's teachings may help philosophers/univ departments/Ph D students/discourse-givers.This tendency is counter-productive for true seekers. Devotion to Self/God/Guru  alone can  take the Sadhak forward.The rest is all props only.[The Upanisahds and the Gita have emphasized the need for a guru.]

Strictly speaking, pure advaita cannot be practised as such, without an element of Bhakti or upasana mixed in.Bhagavan spoke to our senses only, and through the mind, one can try to transcend the mind.
[Note:I have given the names of authors instead of listing their books to save space.One can look up with Amazon or other book sellers for the titles in print.]
Those following 'neo-advaita' and give satsanghs in the west have spawned  several books on 'Advaita' with intriguing /provocative titles and also special directions for practice. It is a moot point how far these  satsanghis follow the teachings of Ramana  closely, though they might have drawn inspiration and insight from Bhagavan to varying degrees.I shall not include those books here.See Dennis Waite's site for a number of western authors/books: Advaita.org site

Several good books on Hindu philosophy/Vedanta/Upanishads are being written and widely used by scholars and laymen alike.Many of them are simplified presentations for the modern folks, with very few Sanskrit terms thrown in.They may not have the rigor of scholarly works.Several of them are transcriptions of talks.Still these books are of considerable value for those entering the field of Hindu philosophy including Yoga, meditation and spiritual practices. 

1 Swami Virajananda---Towards the Goal Supreme --Paramartha Prasanga ---Advaita Ashrama/RK Math,Chennai [Practical guidance ]
2 Swami Parthasarathi ---Vedanta treatise---Vedanta Institute [Mumbai]--[A solid  introduction for general reader]
3 Swami Swahananda ---Meditation and other spiritual disciplines ---Advaita Ashrama/RK Math.[General overview--has chapters on spiritual traditions/disciplines of the great acharyas including the three great acharyas[sankara, Ramanuja ,Madhwa] and other later ones: Nimbarka,Vallabha,Chaitanya Srikanta.A very good resource for different traditions of vedanta.]
4 Swami Nikhilananada ---Hinduism --R K Math and vedanta centre, NY... a sholarly, academic book .
5 Swami Sivananda ---Mind- Its Mysteries and Control---The Divine Life Society,Sivanandanagar..249192-Uttranchal,India --[A classic book, meant for all aspirants in Hindu tradition]
6 Swami Nikhilananda----Self-realization -Commentary on Atma Bodham--Advaita Ashrama,Kolkotha[ A detailed introduction to Vedanta and Advaita in a classical mannner,besides Atma Bodham--good for students/scholars]
7 B K S Iyengar ---Light on Yoga-[Yoga Dipika]---Unwin Papaerbacks,London-- a classic book on Hatha Yoga ,[mainly asanas with photos of Iyengar]--contains a weighty introduction of nearly 50 pages on Patanjali yoga which is valuable for sadhakas.
  8 Bansi Pandit--Exploring Hinduism--Heart of Albion Press,2005 [A good, brief,lucid introduction to Hinduism]

9 Dr S K Sinha [MD] Basics of Hinduism---Pustak Mahal,New Delhi

10 Chris Prentiss--Zen and the Art of Happiness--Power Press, Los  Angeles, CA,USA

11 Lex Hixon --Coming Home-The experience of enlightenment in sacred traditions

12 Arthur Osborne---Teachings of Ramana Maharshi in his own words...Sri Ramanasramam 

13 W J Wilkins---Gods and Goddesses---Dover Publication [originally pub in 1882] 

14 Swami Satprakashananda---meditation-its process,practice and Culmination--Sri ramakrishna math,Chennai and also Vedanta Society,St Louis,Missouri

15 Swami Satprakashananda--vedanta for all---RK Math,Chennai and Vedanta  Society,St Louis,Missouri...{ a delightfu,simple book on Vedanta,based on class lectures by the swami.]

16Arthur Osborne-- My Life and Quest--Sri Ramansramam,Thiruvannamalai.

17 M K Gandhi--The essence of Hinduism--Farsight publihers,Delhi

18 Swami Vidyaprakashananada Giri--The secret of liberation--Sri Sukhabrahmaasram,Sri Kalahasti- 517640-AP

    Books from other religious perspectives 

There are several good books by western authors you may read with delight---Here are a few to try. ;some are rare books; I like those small ,short books that are profound and practical.I have mentioned Brother Lawrence's book of "Practicing the Presence of Lord".Another great book is: 

Catherine Marshall: Adventures in Prayer,Spire Books, New Jersey. [pages:114]

I am sure many of the readers will have a large collection of inspirational books;many of them are slanted towards improvement in mundane life,written without spiritual basis..A few books like those mentioned above are grounded in spiritual foundation.

 Though I am not a scholar of comparative religion in the academic sense,I read a lot of books about other religions...The key concepts of most religions are the same---a mixture of Jnana, bhakti and karma yogas in different proportions...An excellent book on Kabbalah in the Jewish tradition and meditations thereof is the following by Rabbi Laibl Wolf of Australia:  'Practical Kabbalah"  Three River Press,New York...it is a delight to read....Another great book is by Lawrence Kushner: "Judaism for Christian readers"...very lucidly written and inspiring!

   Lex Hixon   has written a number of books on Zen Buddhism,Islam and other traditions.

Please see my website titled " Sages and Saints of India" 

and give your feedback/comments  click here-->                   Saints and sages of India

Other useful websites:www.hinduwebsite.com  Useful articles on Hinduism and Hindu scriptures

www.celextel.org   english translations of many Hindu scriptural texts

There are several books written by western authors which echo Hindu philosophy,especially Advaita.The interest was created by the stalwarts near Boston,sometimes called Boston 'brahmins'[Transcendalists]---Thearau,Ralph Waldo Emerson , Rooseau and others.

There have been many Indologists--mainly academic philosophers,like Max Muller, Paul Deussen, Schopenheur among others who had studied Hindu philosophy in the later parts of  19th and early 20th century.

The American authors such as Ralph Waldo Trine, Joseph Murphy, Ernest Holmes, Charles Fillmore, Florence Scovell Shinn--developed New thought /New age philosophies--sometimes called "Practical Christianity" .Their interests often tended towards spiritual healing and finding means for prosperity and abundance in the American sense...Nothing wrong with that--as long as you claim that we derive wealth and abundance from God or the Ultimate Source and do not indulge in dishonest practices.....It is almost impossible to list all the books of this genre ,but a few can be mentioned.Many dozens of preachers and scholars have come up;Many have had some contact with Indian masters and have visited India.

Ralph Waldo Trine's book---Touch of Infinite and Wattles "The secret of becoming Rich" are notable among them...Many later authors ,not quoting Hindu scriptures directly,did acknowledge the advaitic or monistc ideas as foundation for their work.

  In more recent times,Catherine Ponder, Norman Vincent Peale [of Positive thinking] have carried the message further, by proposing methods to pray and visualize  for manifestations in life ---wealth and healing and so on. There have been a spate of books in recent years---mostly repeating the same concepts..Recent books by Chris Prentiss are noteworthy.

Note that all these books emphasize praying and saying your wishes and affirmations  to the Kindly Father or God....to manifest to solve your problems. It is matter of Faith and Prayer....

How does this tie up with abstruse philosophy of Hinduism? Many have been confused on this.

As long as we feel separate from God,---as a child/servant/friend/beloved of God---in the light of Bhakti Yoga or devotional path--- this process of asking for things and getting directly from God is a valid process...Note that ,In Bhagavad Gita ,the Lord said in 9th chapter, that if one has constant remembrance of Him,He will provide everything ---protect what one has and fulfill the needs of future.....This promise is the basis for manifestations using prayers...but one MUST HAVE STRONG FAITH AND TOTAL BELIEF IN THIS..... There are many stories which highlight this.

Please note this concept carefully...The average lay person says: "I will believe if things happen to me" ;He may even bargain with God---"if I get this,I will make a donation to this shrine or temple."..While a devotee first believes and waits for things to happen ----belief comes first and manifestation later...this is the difference.

I have written this elaborately, mainly to show that many of the books by western authors ,using the metaphors of Christian faith,have valid points and means.These are not at variance from the Hindu traditions. But the forms of worship and prayers may vary a little.