Kafka had said "If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skulls, then why do we read it?... A book must be an ice axe to break the sea frozen inside us." Well... after reading Sadguru's only available book, this is what I felt: Sadguru's revolutionary ideas not only strikes your mind & wakes you up from a slumber to look at life through fresh eyes, but also makes you stand aside & observe events & people dispassionately.
As far as my knowledge goes this is the only book of Sadguru available in the market. It's a collection of his earlier works "Upadesh" & "Selected Talks". Another section "Confessions" which was never published is also included in the book. The book consists of 3 sections:Confessions, Talks and Upadesh, written and spoken during different phases of Sadguru's life. Some of the contents were published as articles in "Organiser" & "Vedanta kesari" . The 3 sections clearly show the variation and change in perspective of Sadguru towards things & happenings as he evolved inside. The sections consists of talks arranged in paragraphs.Confessions was written when he was in prison on the margins of paper he was able to get there. They show the despair,pain & anguish he suffered during that period and the struggle to get out of it. The writings oscillate between faith and hopelessness,despair and joy,human limitations & the anger about the helplessness of being unable to over come it. Even though this may appear at first sight as an outpouring of despair & helplessness it contains pearls of wisdom and deep truths as rightly observed by Aurobindo,when Sadguru showed them to him.
The next two sections Upadesh and Talks cover the various discourses and talks delivered to disciples and general public over a wide period of time after reaching the ultimate. They cover a wide range of topics and problems faced by individuals and society in general. Here one can see Sadguru's views on various isms, burning topics, human endeavours, goal of life,how to look at life and in general what life is all about. The contents are not arranged on subject lines but just listed one after another.After going through them one will realise that Sadguru has very much covered a wide range of topics & the matter in it is applicable to lot of areas. This makes the book a sort of philosophical treatise.Sadguru doesn't prefer to call his teachings philosophy, as he feels that there can be no single philosophy suitable for every one, nor can it be stable so as to be applicable for all ages. His sayings are as relevant today as it was when they were spoken and will be relevant for times to come. The beauty,depth & relevance of it's contents for times to come are what makes the book special.
Sadguru's book is full of ideas & views seen from a different perspective. It's not an analysis of people & events from a mental realm but from a reservoir of knowledge above it, which's clearly a result of spiritual Sadhana. One will realise that seeing through the mind & analysing based on that is not sufficient.Mind is filled with it's "isms", biases, likes,dislikes & prejudices,so it sees & analyzes on that basis and not with out. Such an analysis will be always incomplete & incorrect.
Sadguru's teachings are affirmative & all inclusive. He understood & respected each individual's need,capability,strength & short comings & spoke accordingly. He taught Atma Vidya,which is the path of discovering one's true nature and it's potentialities. Throughout the book, the stress on Atma Vidya is evident & they form the crux of his teachings. A close look at the teaching's show that they are influenced by Upanishads & based upon them. Repetition of thoughts & their stress on knowing one self is similar to the Upanishadic way. He does not believe in bracketing, labelling or blaming people. His teaching's stress on knowledge and joy as the ultimate goals to strive for.
The beauty of the book lies in it's clarity.Simple,powerful statements filled with deep insight are it's highlights. His statements are precise & to the point. The depth of his understanding & the way it's conveyed in a straight forward manner leaves one amazed. A good book should not only inspire,make a person think & take some action based on that,but also transform him. It should inspire him to inculcate, imbibe those ideals & work towards them.I feel his teachings have that potential.
Excerpts from the book
Sadguru says.........
On Sanatana Dharma.....
Sanatana Dharma is perpetually progressing & rejuvenating itself.It never stops.
On Life .........
Life is not at all a search after anything.Life is an expression of joy within.
On Women emancipation....
It's not women who is really emancipated.It is man who is now being emancipated from his illusion about women and his infatuation and thralldom.
On Perfect life......
Life will never become perfect no matter what you do.If it did,then there will be no need to live further.
On India....
India is one undefeated nation.India's sovereignty is spiritual & that has never been conquered.
On "isms"......
Isms are a disease.... Isms break out as diseases do as a reaction to wrong living.
On Success....
Success can never give you stable joy... for success is unending and pursuit of success is unending.
On Joy......
Joy is one aim of existence and all others are but means to that end.
On Atma Vidya....
I teach Atma-Vidya, knowledge of of your inner self & it's vast potentialities & how to develop & use them.
On Religion....
Social religion is formal.Individual religion is real.
On One-self....
You are Atman my friend, full, whole perfect for ever.
Book Availability
The Book is available at the below places:-
Bangalore :-Vedanta Book House
No.92, Opp Uma Theatre, 6th Mn, Appu Rao Rd, Chamarajpet, Bangalore - 560018.
Tel - 91-80-26507590.
Calcutta:- Mr Gautam Dharmapal
Ritam, 9/2, Fern Road, Kolkatta -700019
Tel - 91-33-24404650.
Delhi :- Akshaya Prakashan
208, M.G House, 2 Community Centre,Wazirpur Indl. Area,Delhi - 110052
Tel: 91-11-27371780, 23270381
Showroom: 2/18 Ansari Road, Daryaganj,
New Delhi-110 002
Tel.23278034,23270381
Mob.0-9818452269(Harish Chandra)
To order over web, use this URL:- http://www.akshayaprakashan.com/index.php?p=orderform
PS:- For more such wonderful thoughts, please go through the book. I am thankful to Mr Gautam Dharmapal & Mr Harishchandra (of Akshaya Prakashana) for permitting me to use the above quotes from the book.