Bhagavad Gita as view by Swami Vivekananda

Completed reading Bhagavad Gita as Viewed by Swami Vivekananda.

I had high expectations from this book.

Honestly, within the first few chapters, I was disappointed.

I expected this to be Swami Vivekananda's direct discourse or interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita. Instead, it is a compilation by Swami Madhurananda, who has brought together Swami Vivekananda's teachings, lectures and writings from various occasions, and presented them chapter-wise alongside the Bhagavad Gita.

Initially, this wasn't what I was looking for.

However, from around the fifth or sixth chapter onwards, the book contains more of Swami Vivekananda's original words and quotations. That encouraged me to continue reading, and by the end, I was glad I finished it.

I still wish the book had been more explicit in its title and description that it is a compilation and interpretation of Swami Vivekananda's teachings rather than a direct commentary written by him.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (3.5/5)

#Religious #SpiritualBooks #BhagavadGita #SwamiVivekananda

Does this book have one good idea, or does it have enough depth to justify an entire book?

It has enough depth to justify an entire book. However, readers should approach it with the right expectation. If you're looking for Swami Vivekananda's own systematic commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, this isn't that book. If you're interested in understanding the Gita through the lens of his teachings compiled by a disciple, it is a worthwhile read.

The Aghoris By Mayur Kalbag

 

Read this book a few months ago: The Aghoris by Mayur Kalbag.

The book was super interesting. I didn't want to get into the debate whether it is fictional or non fictional. I have heard of many real stories from authentic sources but at the same time I have never witnessed any Aghori Babas performing any miracles.

Irrespective of that the book, the stories, the details of the rituals, the detailed explanation of the author's experience of meeting the various Gurus....was very very interesting and attention grabbing. 

I loved the light sense of humor that blends with the flow of the scenarios. The story telling of the whole journey is simple, seamlessly realistic. 

The Secrets of Naga by Amish

 I have missed to write about this book. I finished this even before reading wise and otherwise. I just noticed I have not written anything on this.
I will keep it short...this book was as good as Meluha. Loved it. I can't wait to read the last book of the series. I am yet to buy the last book though I already started with the next series on Ramachandra.

P.S These are fictional stories. I have come across some of my friends who think this as another translation of Shiva or Sri Rama. That's incorrect perception. Amish has clearly mentioned in the foreword that these are mere imaginations. The readers should take the responsibility of not getting confused with mythological Shiva or Rama. These stories are not real.

Having said that...those who are very orthodox about mythology, you may avoid reading these books. It may hurt some of your beliefs. If you have the open mind to read it as a story without affiliating it to mythology then these are very interesting books.

Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi

       Another book by Amish Tripathi. The first of Ramachandra series: Rama The Scion of Ikshvaku.
The expectations are naturally set if you have read the Shiva Trilogy series. Same with me.... I started with a high expectation. But I must say it didn't equate to Shiva Trilogy series. It wasn't boring but didn't hold my attention either..... The contradictions with the original Ramayana story that we have grown up with was a bit disturbing for me. For example it was a bit hard to ignore that this book depicts Rama as inauspicious especially by Dasharatha. Having said that I like the way Sita has been described as a strong woman with not just strong values but a capable warrior.
The book became interesting after the introduction of Vishwamitra maharishi. I also liked the descriptions of the war. Nicely depicted.
Overall it was a good read. I enjoyed it.

Inner Teachings of Hinduism Revealed by GMCKS

Last weekend I attended the course on "Inner Teachings of Hinduism Revealed" and today I completed reading this book. It took almost 3 weeks to read this book. Not that the book is exhaustive.... But the content of the book is so intense, thought provoking that I had to take a break meditate and digest the information frequently.

On my own, my logical brain never wondered what could be the possible meanings of the Hindu customs, traditions, chantings, pictures of the Gods and Godesses.

Did you know:
Ganesha does not literally mean a God with elephant head?
Hanuman is not really a monkey? Which also means he is NOT the missing link between monkeys and humans...
The real message of the festival holi and the significance of flying the kites?
Why do Hindus draw Swastik in the Pooja room?
Why are our Gods shown with blue skin?
Does the dips in the Ganga remove karmas?
Did Lord Krishna dance on a snake 🐍?
Significance of the Kalyani in the temples?
Significance of the peacock feather?
.
.
.
...... I can go on :)

I strongly recommend reading this book. We will not only appreciate the rituals and practices of Hinduism but also be motivated to practice and benefit.

The best impact of this book is.... It opens our eye to realise that "Truth is universal. All religions in the world speak the same truth worded differently".

Beauties of Islam By Annie Beasant

Beauties of Islam by Annie Beasant, a small 40 pages book, has been my recent Theosophy reading.
Our Acharya once rightly pointed out that though we claim to believe in One Universal Supreme God and that all religions preach the same truth, we have greater affinity towards so called our own religion which is evident from the interest we carry for other religions. The bias is obvious and can't be denied.
In the effort to remove this bias at a more subtler level, I have started to read some books on other religions.
Beauties of Islam was one in the list. I was quite disappointed with the book I must say. This is the first time ever that a Theosophy book has disappointed me. The book did not point at even a single beauty of the religion. Its all about "How people loved Prophet  Mohammad" and "Defending the religion itself for the rigid laws and culture it has imposed on its followers."
I would have appreciated it even if it had pointed out some misunderstandings of the followers.


On the whole, the book did not meet my expectations in terms of content and also in terms of logics.... :(
No offense, I still believe that I am little too tiny and not authentic at all to comment on the author and her abilities. I have read many of her other books, and I am a fan of her books co-authored with Leadbeater.


Hmmm but yes, CWL is one of my favorite author in Theosophy.


My first Alice Bailey book (Treatise on White Magic) is still in the reading process at a snail rate........I am sure to treasure some beautiful findings in this book. My heart filled deep gratitude to all the great ones for penning these books.

The Safron Robe by Lobsang Rampa

This is another book I finished reading in the month of Sep'14. It was an interesting read. Again too wordy but the Lobsang Rampa has been very prompt with every detail and it takes you through the whole journey intensely.
I just felt it was a little too monkish. At times it put me down with a thought that the spiritual life is meant to be boring and hard...very hard....
Overall its been a very good reading. Now moving to the next in the series by the same author...."The Third Eye"