Foreword
The word 'great is cognate to 'guru, both derived from the same original verb root. So also the words 'gravity' and 'gravitation. All those who are initiated into any genuine tradition gravitate towards the great guru. The greatness of the Guru is in that he, like a mother, gestates us in the womb of his knowledge. The first guru, hiranyagarbha, is the Golden Womb of the universe in that all knowledge dwells in that cosmic womb. When the Guru takes our foetus-like, unde-veloped consciousness, and keeps it in the spacious womb of his own consciousness, thereby we become his offspring. This relationship in the Tradition is the most sacred. We may pay our debt to our physical parents by honoring and serving them. From the Guru, there is no such expectation because the value of knowledge can never be assessed. The purpose of this knowledge in the spiritual traditions is simply moksha, liberation. Further, the purpose of passing on the knowledge is for the compassion towards all living beings, to liberate them from their suffering, to provide them with a boat to cross the rivers of sorrow. Every time we recite the 'tryambakam' mantra, the central prayer in that mantra is a single word MUKSHEEYA, "May I be liberated." This should be our aspiration and longing day and night, muksheeya! When we have such aspiration, the Guru himself will gravitate towards us and draw us into the field of his gravity pull. He will keep us there until our wish 'muksheeya' has been fulfilled. Those who are writing for the series At the Feet of a Himalayan Master were either all longing for this spiritual liberation or they were led by the Master, Swami Rama of the Himalayas, to cultivate that longing and make it their long term goal. This third volume will perform another one of the services that also the previous two volumes have performed. Those who do not understand the Master often have questions about the Master's meanings and motives and the puzzling 'koans' that he often presented to the disciples to resolve the riddles and contradictions of mind and life. The reader will find ample inspiring episodes of these riddles and resolutions remembered by the writers in these volumes. The volumes need to be read not just as interesting stories about a great man, the likes of whom are born once in many a century, but as inspirations and guidance for life. These should also be read as guidance on the path of liberation. This valuable work undertaken by the Swami Rama Centre at Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust by Kamal Didi and Dr. Prakash Keshaviah will guide many generations to come on the paths hallowed by the Himalayan masters. These volumes will indeed make us gravitate towards the greatness of the universal Guru Spirit that incarnates in our midst to guide us.
About The Book
The greatness of the Guru is in that he, like a mother, gestates us in the womb of his knowledge. The purpose of this knowledge in the spiritual traditions is simply moksha, liberation. Those who are writing for the series At the Feet of a Himalayan Master were either all longing for this spiritual liberation or they were led by the Master, Swami Rama of the Himalayas, to cultivate that longing and make it their long term goal. The volumes need to be read not just as interesting stories about a great man, the likes of whom are born once in many a century, but as inspirations and guidance for life. These should also be read as guidance on the path of liberation. This valuable work undertaken by the Swami Rama Centre at Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust will guide many generations to come on the paths hallowed by the Himalayan masters. From the Foreword by Mahamandaleshwara Swami Veda Bharati, Spiritual Director, Sadhana Mandir Trust and Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama This volume has five contributors, of diverse nationalities and backgrounds, but who share a common bond of great reverence and love for the Himalayan master, Swami Rama. They approached him at different times, for different reasons and with different aspirations. Despite these differences in age, background, temperament and nationality, they found in Swami Rama a true friend, profound philosopher and compassionate guide. The differences in the narrators and their narratives serve an important purpose-the opportunity to view Swami Rama from many different perspectives from which one can try to construct for oneself a composite portrait of Swami Rama, the multi-faceted phenomenon who graced our lives..
About The Author
ONE OF THE greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. Born in the Himalayas, he was raised from early childhood by the great Himalayan sage, Bengali Baba. Under the guidance of his master he traveled from monastery to monastery and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, includ-ing his grandmaster, who was living in a remote region of Tibet. In addition to this intense spiritual training, Swami Rama received higher education in both India and Europe. From 1949 to 1952, he held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India. Thereafter, he returned to his master to receive further training at his cave monastery, and finally, in 1969, came to the United States, where he founded the Himalayan Institute. His best-known work, Living with the Himalayan Masters, reveals the many facets of this singular adept and demonstrates his embodiment of the living Himalayan Tradition.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
Vedas (1183)
Upanishads (496)
Puranas (625)
Ramayana (741)
Mahabharata (357)
Dharmasastras (164)
Goddess (498)
Bhakti (243)
Saints (1509)
Gods (1289)
Shiva (372)
Journal (184)
Fiction (60)
Vedanta (360)
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