This is an outstanding story of a young American man who travels to India seeking God and truth about life. This is an incredible adventure described in touching detail, which mesmerizes the reader. It is simply one man against the nature who continues in his pursuit fighting all odds; hunger, disease, hostile people, loneliness, poverty, and living under dangerous conditions in forests. He visits many sacred places in India and Nepal that includes; Vrindaban, Dharmashala, Kurukshetra, Mathura, Prayag, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Ayodhya, Dev Prayag, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Pasupathinath temple in Nepal. His adventure takes him from United States to Europe, Middle east and finally to India, using buses, trains and automobiles: Anything that is available for his journey he would not hesitate to use that.
The author describes his spiritual experiences with several Baba's, gurus, Hindu scholars, hermits, and philosophers and learn everything he has to know about spiritual life. Individuals like B. K. S. Iyengar, Swami Rama, Swami Satchidananda, Swami Chidananda Saraswati, Mahesh Yogi, Anandamayee Ma, Tat Walla Baba, Swami Mukhtananda, Mother Theresa, Dalai Lama, Baba Ram Dass, Neem Karoli Baba, Swami Bon Maharaja, Krishna Das Babaji, Sripad Baba, Ghanasyam, Ramesh Baba, Vishak Sharan, and Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada; all have profound effect on the young spiritual seeker. In this journey he realizes the path of bhakti as very deep and the men he met in India lead him deeper, rekindling the fire in his heart to find himself a guru for spiritual guidance. The profound nature of Prabhupada influences the heart of the young devotee to surrender to Krishna consciousness. In one of his lectures, Prabhupada explains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously personal and impersonal; He is formless as Vedanta explains and also He has an eternal blissful form as explained in Bhagavadgita. The Lord is impersonal, all-pervading energy is called the Brahman, and Bhagavan is the personal form of God, who is the energetic source and never under the influence illusion (Maya). Take for example, the Sun, which is a star and the light it emanates can never be separated from Sun as they exist simultaneously. The light is a part of the Sun and has some qualities of Sun. In the same way, we are one with God and also different from God as Sun and light are. Qualitatively we are one with God, being eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss, but quantitatively we are always a part of Him like sunlight. God is an Independent Controller, but when we misuse God-given independence, and forget our relationship with Him; then we fall into illusion (Maya) thus leading us into suffering. The two schools of thought, the personalists and impersonlists both approach different aspects of One God. Then Prabhupada goes on to explain as how the Lord Himself took the human form as Krishna. Ultimately these powerful words convince the young spiritual seeker to make a commitment to the teachings of ISKCON movement and Krishna Consciousness. The author finds himself at home under the guidance Swami Prabhupada.
The author describes his spiritual experiences with several Baba's, gurus, Hindu scholars, hermits, and philosophers and learn everything he has to know about spiritual life. Individuals like B. K. S. Iyengar, Swami Rama, Swami Satchidananda, Swami Chidananda Saraswati, Mahesh Yogi, Anandamayee Ma, Tat Walla Baba, Swami Mukhtananda, Mother Theresa, Dalai Lama, Baba Ram Dass, Neem Karoli Baba, Swami Bon Maharaja, Krishna Das Babaji, Sripad Baba, Ghanasyam, Ramesh Baba, Vishak Sharan, and Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada; all have profound effect on the young spiritual seeker. In this journey he realizes the path of bhakti as very deep and the men he met in India lead him deeper, rekindling the fire in his heart to find himself a guru for spiritual guidance. The profound nature of Prabhupada influences the heart of the young devotee to surrender to Krishna consciousness. In one of his lectures, Prabhupada explains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously personal and impersonal; He is formless as Vedanta explains and also He has an eternal blissful form as explained in Bhagavadgita. The Lord is impersonal, all-pervading energy is called the Brahman, and Bhagavan is the personal form of God, who is the energetic source and never under the influence illusion (Maya). Take for example, the Sun, which is a star and the light it emanates can never be separated from Sun as they exist simultaneously. The light is a part of the Sun and has some qualities of Sun. In the same way, we are one with God and also different from God as Sun and light are. Qualitatively we are one with God, being eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss, but quantitatively we are always a part of Him like sunlight. God is an Independent Controller, but when we misuse God-given independence, and forget our relationship with Him; then we fall into illusion (Maya) thus leading us into suffering. The two schools of thought, the personalists and impersonlists both approach different aspects of One God. Then Prabhupada goes on to explain as how the Lord Himself took the human form as Krishna. Ultimately these powerful words convince the young spiritual seeker to make a commitment to the teachings of ISKCON movement and Krishna Consciousness. The author finds himself at home under the guidance Swami Prabhupada.
Reference: The Journey Home by Radhanath Swami
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