March Revelations
Gift of anchor and wings
Guru Sutra: The Guru Who Won’t Keep Spiritual Secrets
Author: Hingori
Publisher: Hingori Sutras
Pages: 216
Rs. 295
While many consider transcending the bondage of the material world the purpose of human life, voluntary bondage to the guru has paradoxically been described as the surest means of achieving this greatest freedom of all. Guru Sutra is a book that revisits the well-known guru-disciple relationship and explains what it means in the present time and age, and how it facilitates the goals of spirituality.
For thousands of years, this guru-shishya parampara has shaped our lives, our psyche, and our culture; yet, many are unaware of such a beautiful way of discovering oneself. This book does a great service to seekers and spiritual aspirants forever sitting on the fence.
Hingoriji beautifully explains that a person knows themself only superficially. Your evaluation of yourself is mainly physical and limited to the memory of this life, but a guru can show you your inner being, within which lies the ultimate guru.
Hingoriji, with a language that speaks to your heart, shows how, at every moment of the journey, the disciple is tested in his faith in the guru. A guru will test the strength of the disciple’s faith at various stages and on various counts. And it is only your unshakeable faith that will make your guru committed to ensuring your evolution.
In my experience, surrender is mostly a misunderstood concept amongst seekers, but Hingoriji removes all the mystery and makes it crystal clear. The impediment is the ego. It appears as though one is sacrificing something for the guru, but in reality, one only gains—self-discipline, self-counselling, and an understanding of reality in the true sense.
The book also emphasises on the significance of a guru in physical form. Spiritual training in the physical presence of the guru ensures an interaction where one learns not only through theory but also from the teachers’ responses, body language, instant corrections, and so on.
Hingoriji asks, “With all the technology, information, and spiritual content being so easily available in every language, do people still need a guru?”
He replies saying that we might have everything that life can offer, but we can still remain empty shells. The guru is the boat that helps one cross the river of life. He is a living, walking, breathing lighthouse for ships caught in the throes of samsara (cycle of death and rebirth).
—Rishi Rathod
Into the Greater Unknown
Inner Space
Author: Renji Panicker
Publisher: Celestial Books
Pages: 234
Rs. 249
How many times have you caught yourself thinking about the purpose of human existence? Have you ever wondered what life is all about, beyond the realm of societal obligations, materialism, and worldly pleasures?
The book Inner Space by Renji Panicker is a spiritual take on all these questions, backed with strong, scientific, and logical reasoning. It describes, in simple terms, the fourth dimension of the Universe, which can also be called Brahman, through scientific reinterpretations of the philosophies inherent in Sanatana Dharma. The book helps the 21st century generation (which wants every claim to be scientifically proven before it can be accepted) gain clarity about the validity of the spiritual path. It serves as a beginner’s guidebook on the importance of going on an inward journey to realise—Brahman, the Divine within oneself, which can only be attained through Self-awakening, and not through scientific discoveries.
Despite hailing from a science background, the author vouches for Hindu methodologies of attaining higher consciousness over scientific validations. Interspersed with snippets from the Upanishads, the book clearly depicts how Sanatana Dharma has always stressed on the importance of higher consciousness and spirituality since the beginning of time.
The book concludes by enlightening the reader about the role of meditation and yoga in guiding a seeker on his journey to Self-actualisation and attaining higher consciousness.
Inner Space is a must-read for seekers and beginners who wish to seek spirituality in today’s dogmatic times. The whole book has been written from a very subjective point of view, allowing the reader the freedom to either favour the ideologies mentioned in it or disregard them. However, anyone who reads Inner Space will ruminate over it for a really long period of time. Renji encourages the reader to question the reality of our existence and challenge their limits to know the ultimate truth. The reader will put the book down with a restless mind and a plethora of questions to seek answers to, in search of reality, as it ends on an unexpectedly surprising note.
— Nikita Mukherjee