Pravrajika Vivekaprana

Life presents an unending whirlpool of activity and we all work incessantly but never seem to move forward. What is the way out? How can we attain knowledge of our true nature and purpose of life, and be free while engaged in the field of activity? These are the topics discussed, based on Swami Vivekananda's lectures 'Karma in its effect on character' and 'The Secret of work'.

The basic problem of human mind is the loss of identity. The author explains the eternal concepts of 'who I am', as given by Swami Vivekananda, against a background that helps us to be aware of our true nature. The discussion is based on two of Swami Vivekananda's lectures: 'The Atman' and 'The Atman: Its Bondage and Freedom'.

Nothing is more fascinating and yet shocking to human mind than death. The Katha Upanishad is a dialogue between a young boy Nachiketa - a seeker of Truth, and Yama - the Lord of Death. Who or where is God? How relevant is the sense world? And finally, what is beyond death? All these are discussed and explained very simply and directly in this book. Based on lectures on the Katha Upanishad given in New Delhi, India in 2005.

Some aspects of Sri Shankaracharya's Vivekachudamani (Crest Jewel of Discrimination), as discussed during talks given in New Delhi, India in 2007. In the first half of the book, the author introduces and explains various central concepts of Vedantic philosophy and encourages self-study. In the second half, some selected verses of Vivekachudamani are commented on.

Young Narendranath, who went on to become one of the world's greatest spiritual teachers, evolved from modern-day skepticism to realization and faith as his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, showed him the "Faces of God". - A Special volume commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Talks based on Sri Shankaracharya's 'Laghu Vakya Vritti', delivered in Mumbai, India 2008.
The author helps us to go into deep analysis of each of the 18 verses and understand the relevance of those ideas in our daily lives. She helps us to realize that until we can appreciate the joy of inner awareness and pure consciousness, we shall remain in the whirlpool of virtual reality.

In our concept of experience, who is the subject and what is the object? Who is the seer, what is the seen? Based on Shankaracharya's 'Drg Drsya Viveka', the author helps us to discriminate between the experiencer and the object of experience, the ultimate Reality and apparent reality. Based on talks delivered at Pangot, India in 2009.

Chapter Two of Bhagavad Gita contains the essence of the entire philosophy of Hinduism. Here Lord Krishna expounds to the bewildered Arjuna the concepts of the Real and unreal, death and rebirth, pleasure and pain, the nature of Atman, the characteristics of the man of wisdom and the need to control the senses. These talks, based on the Chapter Two of Bhagavad Gita, were given at Santa Barbara, California in 2005.

"There are three steps in our knowledge of things; the first is that each thing is individual and separate from every other; and the next step is to find that there is a relation and correlation between all things; and the third is that there is only one thing that we see as many." - Swami Vivekananda.

Based on lectures on the universal message of the Bhagavad Gita given at La Paloma, Uruguay in 2005. The five articles in this book have a very specific focus - the attitude of the mind. Sri Krishna in his dialogue with Arjuna, gives the very powerful yet simple message for all humanity: Change your attitude, take responsibility, understand your goal, and contribute to the universal pool with an attitude of sacrifice.