A Message From Arunachala

The present book is a natural sequel to those three works that are read by English readers in England, America and India. It is properly entitled A Message from Arunachala because it was written in a few weeks at his saintly masters hermitage on the lower slopes of that Hill. He has described this hill in the first chapter, wherein he shows what sacred and inspiring associations it possesses.

This is the first book to treat the impact of religious, philosophical and psychological traditions of the East on Western intellectuals, artists, travellers and spiritual seekers in the twentieth century. Addressed to both general readers and scholars of religion, it is especially valuable for its penetrating and inter-religious analysis of two of the most compelling themes now facing the world: the emergence of cross-cultural religious understanding of the natural order and ecological crisis and the metaphysical basis for both the formal diversity and essential unity of religious traditions of both East and West. The West has long romanticized the "mysterious" East, but it has, also, judged its traditions as "uncivilized." Our notions about Eastern spirituality have been formed by a succession of travellers, scientists, artists, intellectuals, poets, philosophers and missionaries, as well as by Eastern travellers who have spent time in the West. This book helps us to recognize the influence of Eastern ideas upon modern Western thought by tracing the history of engagements between East and West up until the present day. It concludes with a section that helps us to perceive the timeless value of the many Eastern contributions to the West's current intellectual and spiritual state.

The Glory of Arunachala pays an ecstatic homage to the rare liberated souls that wandered through the hallowed region of Thiruvannamalai, who showed the ignorant mankind wherein lay the truth of existence. The peregrination of such souls sanctified the places they visited or stayed and lifted up the people from the mire of samsara. The chronicling of the paths traversed by Seshadri Swamigal and his younger fellow- sojourner Bhagawan Ramana creates a veritable galaxy of spiritual luminaries such as Poondi Samiyar, Vallimalai Swamigal, Mouna Swamigal and others. The impassioned account of Ramana’s life from Thiruchuzhi to Thiruvannamalai, is, undoubtedly, the Cereus in the constellation of Orion peopled by countless liberated souls. The textuality of this complex of hagiographies traverses through puranas, sthalapuranas, legends and lore, chronicling the author’s efforts to find testimony and corroboration for them. He is eager to prove that such siddhas truly walked this earth and held a light to Reality for posterity to get enlightened. That is his answer to the question, ‘why do we need hagiographies at all?’ The lofty spirit and style are meant to reiterate the immense possibility for transformation of consciousness that beckons us from the life and teachings of the countless siddhapurushas and jivanmuktas narrated here.

Inspired by Paul Brunton's years spent with sages in Asia, The Wisdom of the Overself and its companion volume The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga were written at the request of these remarkable teachers, who recognized that Brunton had a significant role to play in the transmission of traditional wisdom to the West. Here is a profound re-creation of these teachings, brought to life and made accessible by Brunton's insights. In print since the 1940s, Brunton's works are considered to be among the most comprehensive, clear, and practical guides on the path to enlightenment. Brunton unfolds the grand vision for human development by investigating consciousness as the source of all experience; how to move from ego-centered life to the transcendent reality; the interplay of karma, free will, and grace; the nature of evil and suffering; how to awaken intuition and penetrative insight; the passage through death to rebirth; and psychic experiences and mystic visions. He also provides seven ultramystic exercises to open the door to higher consciousness, including a healing meditation on the sun; practices for transforming the future, dream, and sleep; and a meditation on the timeless self. These techniques lead to the deepest spiritual realizations—to the true "Wisdom of the Overself." This new edition has been updated to incorporate Brunton's final revisions. It includes a new foreword plus supplementary reading material selected from the author's archives by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation. Contents Foreword by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation 1. Prefatory 2. The Meaning of Mentalism 3. The Birth of the Universe 4. Studies in Dreams 5. The Metaphysics of Sleep 6. The Secret of the "I" 7. The Scorpion of Death 8. The Immortal Overself 9. The Shadows of Evil and Suffering 10. The War and the World 11. The World-Mind 12. The Unveiling of Reality 13. Initiation into Mystical Experience 14. The Yoga of the Discerning Mind 15. The Mystical Phenomena of Meditation 16. Some Fruits of Philosophy Appendix: Additional Resources from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Compiled by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation Editors

'By far the safest and most rational exposition of Eastern metaphysics and the practice of mental discipline that I have read.' Spectator The Quest of the Overself shows Western readers how to achieve serenity of mind, control of thought and desire, and the power to use higher forces by means of simple exercises. These include breathing and visualisation as well as mental control through meditation. These ideas, which the author gained by extensive travel in India, are as relevant to us today as they were when first published in 1937. Paul Brunton was a British philosopher, mystic and traveler. He left a successful journalistic career to live among yogis and holy men and studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric spiritual traditions. As he explains in the still fresh and fascinating The Quest of the Overself, meditation and the quest for inner peace are by no means exclusively for monks and hermits but also support those living everyday, active lives in the West.

In 1896, a 16-year-old boy called Venkataraman was pulled by some mysterious force to Arunachala and became achala [stationary] for the remaining 54 years, till 1950 This book is about the impact that Ramanachala [ramaṇāchala] has had and continues to have on me through dreams, experiences, and ideas, to be at ease with an exploding/imploding world Most importantly, i don’t have to change the world, it’s enough if i changed myself and the world would change to that extent…

"A lucid, thorough and fresh exploration of the material. This is an exceedingly helpful study and may be the best single textbook on the subject. Previously, there was little of note in between inadequate introductions to Hindu thought and the more specialized primary or secondary materials. Organ is a competent philosopher and presents the 'Hindu quest' in a scholarly and readable form...it is a key book for undergraduate libraries and would be an invaluable asset in a course which dealt seriously and at any length with the Hindu tradition. Excellent bibliography." --Choice "This is not just another book on Hinduism, but a source of systematic information..." --Bibliography of Philosophy "This scholarly and perceptive account makes Hindu beliefs and practices intelligible by showing how the contradictions which have puzzled Westerners are rooted in Human Diversity." --The Review of Metaphysics

Swami Vivekananda’s towering personality influenced innumerable persons in India and abroad in various ways. The impress which his life and character made on those persons who were about him and the recounting of those memories by them, reveal the multiple facets of Swamiji’s magnanimous personality. This book published by Advaita Ashrama, Publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, contains some of those reminiscences which would be not only interesting, but also a revelation to all the admirers of the great Swami. Twenty-two new reminiscences have been added in this edition – Swamis Shivananda, Turiyananda, Saradananda, Akhandananda, Vijnanananda, Achalananda, Atulananda, Virajananda, and Sadananda, as also Brajendranath Seal, C. Ramanujachari, Kumudbandhu Sen, Lillian Montgomery, Mohanlal Shah, Mary Tapan Wright, Sacchindranath Bose, Manmathanath Chowdhury, Harbilas Sarda, G.G. Narasimhachari, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Shailendranath Bandopadhyay and Alice Hansbrough.