Must Read Books Part 6

This has been a bit difficult article for me to write. I have spent days groping for direction, hoping to locate the angle from which approach to write it down. Not that I am surprised on this but that's just my normal state! So the warning in the book to the readers reads "Don't take anything I say as gospel truth. I am human, I make mistakes. Test on yourselves what I've told you. Try it out, experience it, and then you will know whether or not I'm telling you the truth."

This post is intended for you if like me, you are also fed up of the daily chatter that is being perpetuated in the media and the mainstream information related - focused entirely to explain away the events in a certain way (like a cover story simply there to hide and obscure) and to perpetuate the negativity around in the world. Be it anything - the global financial crisis, never ending wars of the world, global terror, masses mind controlled, governments spying on you, women brutally raped, pedophiles molesting children, governments failing, economies crashing, corporate dominance and so on and on (righteously called 'Ghora Kalyuga').

As the humanity encounter these events, it is becoming blatant each day that our conventional ways of doing things are certainly not sustainable nor ethical ways of doing things and therefore the results we are seeing over and over again in the last decade or so atleast. We are now facing the consequences for the utter disconnect from the Mother Nature. We, as a human race has long since been regressing into barbarism and continue to do so. We now no longer live in a modern world, we live in a post-modern world. The structures of the modern world were founded on ever increasing greed, lies and manipulation. That's very sad!

Ages ago in the ancient times - pre historic times, the vast subcontinent of India birthed explorers and innovators who focused on the inner realm. Those geniuses - spiritual sages or scientists of consciousness (Rishis, Munis), depending on our perspective - gave us, through a series of modern translators, insights that have profoundly influenced religion, healthcare, psychology, the arts and other areas of life.

Not only do the Vedas contain a high level of philosophical and spiritual knowledge, but they also hold information on material science. The Vedic literature includes such works as the Ayur-Veda, the original science of wholistic medicine as taught by Lord Dhanvantari; Dhanur-veda, the military science as taught by Bhrigu; Gandharva-veda, which is on the arts of music, dance, drama, etc.. by Bharata Muni, Artha-sastram, the science of government, and the Manu-samhita, the Vedic lawbook.

And then because of the European empire but particularly the British we had the global elite bloodline expansion, they went all over the world and they said the sun never sets on the British empire so vast it is. All over the world they went through colonization, taking away the precious wealth, eradicating the tremendous amount of indigenous knowledge from the mainstream, made vast majority of people believe that they are inferiors and it's the white man's burden to govern and impart their culture to non-white people (the so called "Industrial Revolution"). And then we had the slight of independence for the former colonies but it was only independence on the surface. What these bloodlines did is that they moved out of those colonies  in the form of rulers and they have since then been controlling these nations through the corporations and their front-men in the elite of governments of these once colonized nations.

The purpose of telling you all this is to wake you up from the hynotic trance of the modern (un)civilised world and remind that India once had the tremendous amount of knowledge in the mainstream for the seekers through the Gurus and Mahapurushas that has lived here over a period of time. If you just stop and think, I am sure most of you will somehow agree on this that India is entirely a different part of the world. Karma is so peculiar in India because some of the strangest Karmas in the world have been performed here. India is a land where you never know what is going to happen next.

1) The text from Aghora-I: At the Left Hand of God reads "Lead me from untruth into truth, lead me from darkness into light, lead me from mortality into immortality. What is untruth? The world which is composed of an aggregate of limited forms. Whatever is limited cannot be true. The true is that which is beyond every limit. What is darkness? The darkness of a mind clouded by ignorance. The light is your own inner light, which is your true self." The book is written by Dr. Robert E. Svoboda making a first-person account about the life of his Guru Aghori Vimalananda (name adopted for book purpose) and his teachings while he spend 8 years of his life with Vimalananda. Let me insist here that this book is certainly not for everyone. This is a kind of book that is not for the faint hearted nor for the strict conservatives. But if you are ready to take your knowledge and understanding to a deeper level, give this, and the entire Aghora series, a try. The trilogy is by far the most interesting and insightful set of books I have read so far. This is the kind of book that comes to you than vice-versa. So hold on to this thought, buy it, read it and even if you don't like reading it initially, chapter on 'Sex' and another chapter on 'Intoxicants' is sure to blow your mind. I wish you Happy Reading.

2) Aghora-II: Kundalini: In the first volume, Aghori Vimalananda told his own story subjectively, presenting his life and work in his own words much as they were spoken to Robert, his scribe. In the second volume he appears much as Robert saw and objectified him. The second volume of a trilogy describing and explicating the Tantra way as practiced by the Aghori Vimalananda and as recounted by his student, the ayurvedic physician Robert Svoboda. The result is certainly one of the most unusual works to be encountered in the whole wonder-filled literature of world religions. The book can only be read and appreciated by those minds which are not paralyzed by intellectual overanalysis - the cup (mind) should be empty for the juice (rasas) to flow in. And if you are keen enough to learn more about Tantra, then this book of all the other books on Tantra out there might be the right choice for you. The book examines mantras, yantras, tantric practices, and shows how normally mundane things like music, food, and even the noise of trains rumbling down tracks can be turned to one's spiritual benefit. The book is of immense value to advanced practitioners of yoga and other parts of self-actualization while, at the same time, it should be fascinating reading for anyone interested in the farther reaches of human experiences and human potentials. But this is also a kind of book that comes with a tag of don't do this at home. Clear, concise and definitely - don't try this at home until and unless you are extremely good at yogic practices or you have a real Guru (not any phony baba or swami or sri sri, whatsoever) to keep an eye on you, guide you through and take care of you.

Aghora-III: The Law of Karma: In the third and final volume, Vimalananda appears as an artist that he was, constantly at work in the atelier of the world around him. Vimalananda uses the backdrop of the Bombay racecourse as a potent metaphor for the ultimate game of life, where destinies and fortunes are forged or lost at the edge of the finishing line. Words from the movie 'Cloud Atlas' sums up the idea that we are trying to share here "Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we give birth to our future.". Our lives are masterfully entwined with the cause and effect of karma eternally – until we recognize and stop it. Even the Rishis can't get away with Karma, the Divine Justice. If you are keen enough to go in to the deeper understanding of Karma, then there is a tremendous amount of knowledge and information contained in this book. But remember this as well, 'Gahana karmano gatih' - The current of Karma is very deep. This third volume of Aghora squarely puts the responsibility in your lap to relate the stories to your life and experiences to see how intricate are the patterns that Karma creates, and how profound and philosophical are the truths that a subtle understanding of Karma can reveal.  This is a kind of book which will be read or at least referred to again and again and on a personal front I know that every time I read this book I learn something new of my Karmas. For the reason that a good tale is such a useful tool because even if it suggest nothing to you when you first hear it but it can mature within your consciousness into a form that in due time may begin to communicate with you. In the end, whether or not you choose to read any of the volume of Aghora Trilogy. That would be your free will in action but remember that ignorance of the Law is no excuse (even the Rishis can't get away with Karma) and there are Karmas that cannot ordinarily be atoned for in one lifetime - Rape, Murder, Gambling and Killing a Frog.

P.S.: Pramod who introduced me to these books in 2011 also told me that in order to avoid the undesirable attention of people towards the cover or the name of the book, cover it with a plain white paper or something. I wish you Happy Reading!