The Tale of the Himalayan Yogis


Book Description

Govindas father, ruler of a small fortress kingdom at the edge of the Great Indian Desert, leads his men in a desperate attack against the besieging forces of the imperial army. Upon receiving word of his fathers death, Govinda is to lead his people into the sacrificial fire to avoid being ravaged by their cruel conquerors. However, Govinda has a plan. When Govindas plan goes awry, the emperor imprisons his mother in the palace harem, and the crown prince is forced to flee to Tibet with a caravan of lamas. At the foot of Tibets most sacred mountain, Govinda meets a Himalayan yogi who adopts him as a son. With the help of the enigmatic Shankar Baba, Govinda begins to unravel the mysteries of his soul, discovering a past extending beyond this life and a future promising a noble partner who helps him restore the throne to its rightful heir. As the seasons pass, Shankar Baba initiates Govinda into the secrets of enlightenment and immortality while preparing him to confront the imperial army, sinister forces controlling the throne, and a tantric sorcerer who seeks to discredit his guru. But no amount of training can prepare Govinda for what awaits him.




The Tale of the Himalayan Yogis


Book Description

Govindas father, ruler of a small fortress kingdom at the edge of the Great Indian Desert, leads his men in a desperate attack against the besieging forces of the imperial army. Upon receiving word of his fathers death, Govinda is to lead his people into the sacrificial fire to avoid being ravaged by their cruel conquerors. However, Govinda has a plan. When Govindas plan goes awry, the emperor imprisons his mother in the palace harem, and the crown prince is forced to flee to Tibet with a caravan of lamas. At the foot of Tibets most sacred mountain, Govinda meets a Himalayan yogi who adopts him as a son. With the help of the enigmatic Shankar Baba, Govinda begins to unravel the mysteries of his soul, discovering a past extending beyond this life and a future promising a noble partner who helps him restore the throne to its rightful heir. As the seasons pass, Shankar Baba initiates Govinda into the secrets of enlightenment and immortality while preparing him to confront the imperial army, sinister forces controlling the throne, and a tantric sorcerer who seeks to discredit his guru. But no amount of training can prepare Govinda for what awaits him.




Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master


Book Description

In this tell-all autobiography, Sri M writes about his fascinating journey as a young man from the southern coast of India to the mystical Himalayan Mountains. At the age of nineteen and a half, he felt an irresistible urge to go to the Himalayas in quest for his great Master. He finally met his Master at the Vyasa Cave, beyond the Badrinath shrine. After spending three and half years with his Master, wandering freely across the length and breadth of the Himalayan ranges, he was instructed to go back to live in the plains and lead a normal life. He started working for a living, fulfilled his social commitments and prepared himself to teach others all that he had learned and experienced. This book reveals the spiritual journey of a young lad from Kerala, who by his sincerity and dedication evolved into a living yogi. Sri M shares his knowledge of the Upanishads and spiritual insights born out of first hand experiences in his autobiography. Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master will make for an engaging and riveting read for those interested in the life and teachings of Sri M.




Living with the Himalayan Masters


Book Description

Inspirational stories of Swama Rama's experiences and lessons learned with the great teachers who guided his life including Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore, and more.




In Danger Remember Me


Book Description

Life and teachings of Baba Lokenath Brahmachari, 1731-1890, a Himalayan yogi.




Walking with a Himalayan Master


Book Description

This autobiography of an American yogi is the story of the training of a Western scholar by a unique Himalayan Master, one of the greatest yogis of the era.




Tales of a Mad Yogi


Book Description

A fascinating biography of Drukpa Kunley, a Tibetan Buddhist master and crazy yogi. The fifteenth-century Himalayan saint Drukpa Kunley is a beloved figure throughout Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal, known both for his profound mastery of Buddhist practice as well as his highly unconventional and often humorous behavior. Ever the proverbial trickster and “crazy wisdom” yogi, his outward appearance and conduct of carousing, philandering, and breaking social norms is understood to be a means to rouse ordinary people out of habitual ways of thinking and lead them toward spiritual awakening. Elizabeth L. Monson has spent decades traveling throughout the Himalayas, retracing Drukpa Kunley’s steps and translating his works. In this creative telling, direct translations of his teachings are woven into a life story based on historical accounts, autobiographical sketches, folktales, and first-hand ethnographic research. The result, with flourishes of magical encounters and references to his superhuman capacities, is a poignant narrative of Kunley’s life, revealing to the reader the quintessential example of the capacity of Buddhism to skillfully bring people to liberation.




Hollywood to the Himalayas


Book Description

A Journey of Healing and Transformation An enlightening memoir of a reluctant spiritual seeker who finds much more than she bargained for when she travels to India. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, from Hollywood, California, had a privileged upbringing that hid some dark secrets. She grappled with an eating disorder and trauma from her early childhood for years. But, as a Stanford grad getting her PhD in Psychology, she felt she was successfully navigating adulthood. After getting married, when she agreed to travel to India to appease her husband, little did Sadhviji know a journey of healing and awakening awaited her. She had everything the material world could offer. Soon, she would give it all up to follow the divine path. Hollywood to the Himalayas describes Sadhviji’s odyssey towards divine enlightenment and inspiration through her extraordinary connection with her guru and renewed confidence in the pleasure and joy that life can bring. Now one of the preeminent female spiritual teachers in the world, Sadhviji recounts her journey with wit, honesty, and clarity. Along the way, she offers teachings to help us all step onto our own path of awakening and discover the truth of who we really are—embodiments of the Divine. Americanborn Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, PhD, moved to India in 1996. A graduate of Stanford University, she was ordained by Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, president of one of the largest interfaith institutions in India, into the tradition of sanyas and lives at the Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, where she leads a variety of humanitarian projects, teaches meditation, gives spiritual discourses, and counsels individuals and families. Americanborn Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, PhD, moved to India in 1996. A graduate of Stanford University, she was ordained by Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, president of one of the largest interfaith institutions in India, into the tradition of sanyas and lives at the Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, where she leads a variety of humanitarian projects, teaches meditation, gives spiritual discourses, and counsels individuals and families.




The Journey Continues


Book Description

SRI M WAS BORN in Trivandrum Kerala in 1949. At the age of nine he had a strange encounter in the backyard of his house. Under the jackfruit tree he saw a matted-haired yogi. The yogi blessed him saying 'you will get to know our connection in time' and walked away. After this incident the mind of the young boy, born of Deccani Muslim parents, turned towards Vedanta and the great Indian tradition of yoga that led to deep contemplation. Meeting many known and unknown sages and yogis as if by design, Sri M at the age of 19 left home and went off to the Himalayas. There, at the Vyasa Guha beyond Badrinath, he met the great yogi Sri Maheshwaranath Babaji belonging to the Nath sampradaya. As an apprentice to this great being, his mind underwent a profound transformation. Travelling with this bare-footed yogi, he had many wonderful experiences. A detailed account of his almost unbelievable experiences from childhood to the present can be found in Sri M's autobiography, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A yogi's Autobiography. On the instructions of his master, he returned to the plains and lived incognito for a long time. Meanwhile, he got married and has two children who are themselves grownup and married now. Sri M wears no grand robes, has no special hair style, is often found wearing jeans and T-shirt or dhothi and white shirt. He lives in Madanapalle, travels around the world conducting retreats and giving talks on yoga, Upanishads, Sufi teachings - in short, inner core of the religious traditions of most religions including the Jewish, the Christian, Buddhist and so on. He calls himself a practising yogi. Sri M heads the Satsang Foundation which runs the Satsang Vidyalaya - a free school for the underprivileged and an IIC-ICSC boarding school called Peepal Grove School, a rural school in a remote village 20 kms from Madanapalle and a Swasthya Kendra - a free medical service for the poor. The Satsang Foundation has recently initiated the MYTHRI programme involving large scale re-forestation and is in the process of setting up a modern hospital to cater to the needy on the outskirts of Bangalore.




Autobiography of a Yogi


Book Description

The autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 - 1952) details his search for a guru, during which he encountered many spiritual leaders and world-renowned scientists. When it was published in 1946 it was the first introduction of many westerners to yoga and meditation. The famous opera singer Amelita Galli-Curci said about the book: "Amazing, true stories of saints and masters of India, blended with priceless superphysical information-much needed to balance the Western material efficiency with Eastern spiritual efficiency-come from the vigorous pen of Paramhansa Yogananda, whose teachings my husband and myself have had the pleasure of studying for twenty years."