Pari's Blog

A short list of some of my favorites.

Bhakti Poetry

Spiritual poetry by god-intoxicated bhakti saints. The beauty and the decorations used to convey the knowledge/vision of the Self (whether it be Siva, Narayana, Kali, Krishna, Murugan, Nature,…) and our relationship to Self is deep and enlightening. Most of these poems are conversational with Self or expressions of Self; each is an Upanishad on its own merit. Most favorite ones so far:

• Kanthar Anubhuti – Arunagirinathar (a collection of 51 Tamil poems in devotion to Murugan (God))
• Thiruppaavai – Andal (a collection of 30 Tamil poems in devotion to Narayana (God), by the Allvar Sri Andal)
• Thiruvasagam/Sivapuranam – Manicavasagar (a large collection of Tamil poems in devotion to Siva (God))
• Mother of the Universe – Lex Hixon (a translation of Ram Prasads poems in devotion to Kali (God), from Bengali)
• Bhaja Govindam – Adi Shankaracharya (a collection of 31 Sanskrit verses in devotion to Krishna (God))
• Thiruppugazh – Arunagirinathar (a large collection of Tamil poems in devotion to Murugan (God))
• The Bhagavad Gita – Sri Krishna. If at all there is any one book that I attribute a great deal of my successes in my life (in particular my career and my inner growth), it would be this one book. Having said, I’d rather say the principles embodied in the book rather than the book itself, as I believe I’ve been following it even before I read the book, via critical thinking, meditation, reflection, bhakti. Just makes it all the more inspirational. It makes a big difference to read it in the original Sanskrit or in any Indian language. When translated into English the inspirational power is just gone.

Books

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism – Linda Johnsen (don’t let the title fool you, it is a very comprehensive introduction to Hinduism, I recommend it to anyone even if you are a practising Hindu).
• How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali – Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood, Patanjali
• Collected Works of Swami Vivekananda – Vedanta Press (fyi, vol1 includes Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and Samkhya philosophy)
• Kali’s Odiyya – Amarananda Bhairavan
• Hyperspace – Michio Kaku
• Tao of Physics – Fritjov Capra
• The Bhagavad Gita – (Winthrop Sargeant’s transliteration, v. good, w/ Sanskrit text)
• Mutant Message Down Under – Marlo Morgan (highly recommended that you listen to the book on tape rather than reading)
• The Greatness of Saturn (Shani) – Robert E. Svoboda
• Tao Te Ching – (translated by Stephen Mitchell)
• Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game – Herman Hesse
• 2001: A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clark
• The Great Sky River – Gregory Benford
• Tides of Light – Gregory Benford
• Timescape – Gregory Benford
• A Guide to the I Ching – Carol K. Anthony
• Dancing with Siva – Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
• Modern Physics and Vedanta – Swami Jitatmananda, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
• The Mahabharata – (condensed version, translated by Kamala Subramaniam)
• Ammachi – A Biography of Mata Amritanandamayi – Swami Amritaswarupananda
• Taittiriya Upanishad – H.N. Ramaswamy, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
• Understanding Power – Noam Chomsky
• The Mysticism of Sound and Music – Hazart Inayat Khan
• Conversations with God – An Uncommon Dialogue – Neale Donald Walsch
• Meditation and Spiritual Life – Swami Yatiswarananda (Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama)
• Quantum Healing – Deepak Chopra (if you read any books by this author this should be the one)
• The Character of Physical Law – Richard Feynman
• Sacred Ceremonies – Ritual Music of Tibetan Buddhism (compact disc)
• Meditation – Monks of the Ramakrishna Order – Swami Parmahansa Yogananda (Ramakrishna Vedanta Center)
• The Tibetan Book of the Dead – (translated by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, w/20page forward by C.G. Jung)
• Aghora: At the Left Hand of God – Robert E. Svoboda
• Aghora II: Kundalini – Robert E. Svoboda
• Calvin and Hobbes – Bill Watterson (its witty humor and philosophy never grows old)
• Life of Pi – Yann Martel
• Shilappadikaram – Ilango Adigal (translation from Tamil by Alain Danielou)
• Manimekhalai – Seethalai Sathanar (translation from Tamil by Alain Danielou)
• The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (like a satire on metaphysics, very funny, a classic. It is the first in the “trilogy” of six volumes)
• 2010: The Year We Make Contact – Arthur C. Clarke
• One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
• Faust – Wolfgang Goethe (translated from German by David Luke)
• Ayurveda Secrets of Healing – Maya Tiwari
• Flatland – Edwin A. Abbott

Kali’s Odiyya – Amarananda Bhairavan, The Power of Silence – Carlos Castenada

If you’ve wondered about the nature of existence, mind, matter, space, time, soul, beginnings of the universe…, or whether all those results from modern physics about the n dimensional nature of our existence, parallel universe, space-time causalities, etc., have any bearing on your own convictions on these things, then these two books you have to read.

Both books involve a student-teacher (disciple-guru) relationship, in which the guru takes the student through the steps of transcendental realization, breaking down rock hardened assumptions of the mind through a gauntlet of eye-opening processes. Both books are about transcending, shedding away basic human conditionings, and looking at reality from a different perspective.

Both are very original and indigenous tantric traditions, that are very much worth reading just to see how cultures so far apart can evolve such advanced and parallel spiritual theories. Serious stuff, but funny and entertaining also.

Kali’s Odiyya is about the spiritual growth of the author Amarananda Bhairavan, in his home village (in Kerala, India) under the tutelage of two self-realized masters: one is his aunt, Aunt Preema who is an odiyyathi and the other an aghorini, Aghori Narayani. The Power of Silence is about the spiritual teachings of a Yaqui Indian (Native American) spiritual master – Don Juan, as it is revealed to the author Carlos Castenada.

The Mahabharata

The narration is attributed to the sage Vyasa (delivered to and transcribed by the elephant-headed divinity, Sri Ganesha). It is probably an epic culmination of the direct insight of many sages and seers. I’ve read the condensed version (by Smt. Kamala Subramaniam). Of the original I’ve read a portion of volume 10, which alone runs about 1000 pages, this is the portion where Bheesma in his last few moments of life, in the battlefield, delivers the entire Samkhya philosophy to Yudhishthira. The Mahabharata is the worlds largest and oldest epic (having 18 volumes in 110,000 couplets), is steeped in wisdom and Hindu thought – addressing some of the most imponderables, ranging from the nature of our existence, man and his relationship with his cosmic Self, dharma, evolution, karma, life, death, cosmology, human consciousness, codes of conduct, etc. It starts off as a moral dilemma and struggle between two clans, in the process of which the collective spiritual wisdom of Hindu thinkers, philosophers, sages and seers alike are revealed in such a way as to make us question our values, beliefs, purpose, ways of reasoning, frames of references, and the way we perceive things. Read the book (at least the condensed version), don’t watch the TV serial (which runs more like a boring soap opera – devoid of any substance or depth)!

Great Sky River – Gregory Benford

This is hard core science-fiction – no fantasy fiction. One of the best I’ve ever read. Makes use of latest theories in quantum cosmology, a terrifically convincing and heart wrenching story set so far in the distant future. One of the few science-fiction I’ve read where the characters are also deep and well developed, whether human or other intelligence (Mechs). It is a story of the last remnants of humanity billions of years in the future and their plight with forms of intelligences beyond mortal comprehension. I think this is one of the most well thought out and well researched science fiction books ever. Not surprising considering the author is a professor of physics at University of California (Irvine) and also a Woodrow Wilson fellow; in my opinion hard science fiction needs such education – or at least extensive research – else it’s all just fantasy fiction – which is what ninety percent of the sci-fi books are. You’ll not find this book easy reading unless you like hard sci-fi or well informed of the latest of theories in quantum physics from at least popular-science books like Hyperspace, Quantum Enigma, or Tao of Physics.

Tides of Light – Gregory Benford

This is as good as the first – no let down. There is also a third and fourth related novel (Furious Gulf and Sailing Bright Eternity) which don’t live up to the standards set by Great Sky River and Tides of Light, or even other sci-fi books.

Flatland – Edwin A. Abbott

In just a few pages (it is a thin book) the writer concocts a really funny story of life in a two dimensional world. Besides an exploration on alternative realities, it is also a parody on the class based society of the Victorean Era. Anyone can pick up this book and enjoy it. Some of the funny images he paints (those poor isosceles triangles, dangerous straight lines,..).

Timescape – Gregory Benford

There are scores of science-fiction books dealing with time-travel, but this is the most realistic and serious treatment of time travel – no fantasy or hollywood style time traveling here (this book got the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award for science-fiction). It treats the subject seriously and with accuracy, based on current insights from modern physics on space and time.

Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game – Herman Hesse

Very deep and beautiful, mystical spiritual journey… It is the story of a young man named Joseph Knecht who is groomed in a sort of elite spiritual order on the `essence’ of knowledge – acquired through the study of the aesthetics of music, mathematics, language, philosophy – `the Glass Bead Game’. The later half of the book develops into a story not just of Joseph Knecht, but man’s need to seek a `balance’ (of conflicting elements, like the material world vs the spiritual), sort of as the only hope for a sustainable mankind. This later part emerges into a powerful tragic romance of balancing the needs of individualism over society. In a way I feel the “Glass Bead Game” that they refer to in the story trys to capture some of the same essence as conveyed in Hindu philosophy and symbolism.