Showing posts with label american veda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label american veda. Show all posts

AMERICAN VEDA - A BOOK REVIEW

 

There was a time in my life when I was fully invaded by West's Self Help Books and for some months, Oriental Philosophy which  include the   Ancient Indian  Texts which were in my shelves did not ignite me enough until September, 2013 when I found this masterpiece  which rebooted my whole perspective.

American Veda, the title looks odd but it surely ignites the wisdom hunters.

The famous Indian-American doctor and New Age Rock star of Spirituality and fatherly figure Deepak Chopra terms the book as an illuminating, gracefully written, and remarkably thorough account of India's spectacular impact on Western religion and spirituality.  

 The writer Philip Goldberg is an ordained interfaith minister, a public speaker and seminar leader and the founder of Spiritual Wellness and Healing Associates.  
                                                         

The book is a fascinating look at India's remarkable impact on American culture.  It gives a scholarly explanation of how Indian Ancient Texts found their way into the libraries of Ralph Waldo Emerson  to H.D. Thoreau.

It has also interesting chapters of how Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda who rushed to America  to propagate the Message of India and  how they changed the world-view of millions of Americans   and thereby radically altered the religious landscape there.

When any Indian read this book, his/her  outlook changes  on Motherland - India and patriotic fervor surges and  paves way to read and understand this great nation's philosophical system.

In one sentence,  I could say that  the book takes you to the peak of understanding  of Indian Philosophy and  transform your own life.   A priority read!

SRI CHINMOY - EAST's SHINING STAR OF WISDOM

There are many Indian Masters who went to West and propagated the message of India, after Swami Vivekananda.

Philip Goldberg in his much-acclaimed book "American Veda' termed him 'The Olympian Guru'. Born as Chinmoy Kumar Ghose in 1931, Sri Chinmoy was orphaned at 11 and spent next 20 years in the ashram of Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry, South India. Set his foot on New York in 1964 and worked as a clerk at the Indian Consulate before known to the world as Sri Chinmoy, the leader of a spiritual community in Queens.

Compare to other Gurus of his generation, it is said that Sri Chinmoy had relatively few disciples. He is such a prolific writer with more than 1,500 books, 115,000 poems and 20,000 songs. His core philosophy says that a sound body may lead to higher elevation in spiritual life which can be emanated from the fact that he used to participate in marathons and ultra-distance races. All through his works, he taught the Vedantic message of oneness.

Though his childhood is full of rough weather as his parents had passed away in much younger age, but something positive in life was in store for young Chinmoy who took shelter in Sri Aurobindo ashram, Pondicherry that changed his destiny. His following verse inspires me a lot:

"Our goal is to go from bright to brighter to brightest, from high to higher to highest. And even in the highest, there is no end to our progress, for God Himself is inside each of us and God at every moment is transcending His own Reality."

After a fruitful life of 76 years, Sri Chinmoy attained Samadhi on 11th October 2007 in New York city.