My Books-3: "Talks on the Gita" by Acharya Vinoba Bhave

I bought this great book at the Gandhi Museum, Madurai. Then I met Mr.Devadas Gandhi, who has dedicated his life to Gandhian way of life, teaching yoga and naturopathy. Then he introduced to a worker from Paunar. She very kindly signed the book for me. Unfortunately, I have not recorded the date of purchase and other details.

No spiritual aspirant should miss this book. Vinobaji's lucid commentaries on the Gita are simply wonderful and very easy to understand.

I am reproducing a few passages from the book:

...
...taking into consideration both the beginning and the end of the Gita, it is clear that the removal of delusion is its central message. This is the purpose of the Gita, as well as of the whole of the Mahabharata. Vyasa had said, right at the beginning of the Mahabharata, that he was lighting this lamp of history to dispel delusions in the minds of the people.

This introduction to Arjuna's conditions helps us greatly in understanding the rest of the Gita. We should be grateful for this. It also helps us in another way. It reveals Arjuna's straight-forwardness and honesty. The world 'Arjuna', in fact, means one who is honest and straightforward in nature. He opened out his heart before Krishna, laid bare before Him all that he felt and thought. He hid nothing from Him and ultimately surrendered to Him totally. In fact, he was already his devotee. When he made Krishna his charioteer and entrusted to Him the reins of his horses, he had got ready to give into His hands the reins of his mind also. Let us do likewise. Let us not think that, unlike Arjuna, we do not have Krishna to guide us. Let us not get caught in the fallacy that Krishna was an historical person. Everybody has Krishna residing in his heart as the indwelling Self. He is nearer to us than the nearest. Let us bare our heart, with all its impurities and weaknesses, before Him and say, "O Lord! I take refuge in you. You are my sole guide, my master. Show me the right path and I shall follow it." If we do so, Arjuna's charioteer will be our charioteer too. We shall hear the Gita from His own lips and He will leads to victory.

Excerpt from TALKS ON THE GITA by Vinobaji (2005 - Published by Paramdham Prakashan, Paunar).

Humble prostrations at the holy feet of Vinobaji and grateful thanks to Paramdham Prakashan.

Book of the day-13: Vivekananda, A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda

Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863 in Calcutta and attained 'mahasamadhi' on July 4, 1902.

To understand the impact of his powerful life, I am reproducing a wonderful passage from the great book, "Eternal Values for A Changing Society" by Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj (Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai):

The Intensity of Vivekananda's Brief Life

"Swami Vivekananda's span of earthly life was hardly forty years, but within this short period, he lived an intense life, first as a student in school and college, then as the foremost disciple of his great Master, Sri Ramakrishna, then as a wanderer across the length and breadth of India, and lastly as the spiritual teacher of West and East. His public teaching commenced with his speeches at the World's Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893; and he passed away on 4 July 1902. He spent four intense years in the United States and England, and five equally intense years in India delivering his message of a universal and practical spirituality, and setting in motion a movement as an effective conduit for the furtherance of his message.

Everywhere, he taught man to realize his divine heritage. The innate divinity of man was the constant theme of his teachings. This teaching cuts across all divisions based on political or religious affiliations. Its assimilation by man will make for a character at once deep and broad. He held that spirituality was the core of every religion; dogmatic exclusiveness and intolerance are no part of true religion. The more spiritual a man, the more universal he is. He held that the modern age stood in urgent need of this education from religion, by which men will learn to make their love of God flow into the love and service of all men. He worked hard to give this spiritual orientation to the world's religions, so that they may be transformed into wholly constructive forces and become capable of redeeming modern man from his inner impoverishment in the context of external enrichment".

I am also furnishing links to some great books related to him:

Full text of the book, Vivekananda, A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda:
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda_biography/vivekananda_biography.htm

Full Text of the book, Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda:
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/reminiscences/reminiscences_of_sv.htm

Full Text of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (9 Volumes):
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/complete_works.htm

Grateful thanks to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math; Advaita Ashrama; and Ramakrishna Vivekananda.info.

My Books-2: "A Better India, A Better World" by N R Narayana Murty

Yet another book bought at Moore Market, Chennai, during one of my visits to Chennai. N.R.Narayana Murty is one of my heroes. When I saw his name on the book, without hesitation, I bought it. It is a great, inspiring book. Contains his wonderful lectures delivered at various places, covering important topics.

His incisive thoughts, lucid style and brilliant ideas are contained in this book. My admiration for him has been growing with every lecture. It is a book that should be read by every Indian. Our Prime Minister's comments on this book are worth reproducing:

"Narayana Murty is a Role Model for millions of Indians, an iconic figure in the country. He is widely respected and looked up to not only for his business leadership but also for his ethics and personal conduct. He represents the Face of the New Resurgent India to the world. I am sure this collection of his speeches will inform, inspire and guide many in the years to come." - Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India.

Let me also reproduce the views of Bill Gates:

"Narayana Murty overcame many obstacles and demonstrated that it is possible to create a world-class, value-driven company in India. Through his vision and leadership, Murty sparked a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship that changed the way we view ourselves and how the world views India. In this collection of his speeches, he delivers a timely message about the importance of values and leadership in business."

Happy New Year!

Wish You All

a Happy, Prosperous and Purposeful 2010!

- Suri