Written almost entirely in Vimalananda's own words, it presents events from his life, tenets of his philosophy, and highlights from his spiritual practices. Designed partly to shock and partly to comfort, but wholly as an offering to his Beloved, Aghora is as clear a picture as possible of a man who was a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. Vimalananda insisted that this book be published only after his demise, that he might be spared pursuit by those whose curiosity might be inflamed by some of the sensational events described within. He believed in devoting his all to the pursuit of the direct perception of Reality, and advised others to be similarly dedicated to attaining personal experience of God. To readers he offered this warning: "Don't take anything I say as gospel truth. I am human, I make mistakes. Test on yourselves what I've told you. Try it out, experience it, and then you will know whether or not I'm telling you the truth."

    In fact, some eminent writers have called him "the greatest Sufi poet of the Punjab." His admirers have even compared his writings and philosophy to those of Rumi. At present he is held in equally great esteem in Northern India and Pakistan.Bulleh Shah's poems are suffused with love for God and his Master or "Murshid". The other dominant note in his poetry is on very strong denunciation of empty rituals and external observances of religion.He does not believe in saying something in roundabout ways. Whatever he has to convey, he says it by hitting the nail on the head. His poems are marked, not only by plain speaking, but also by bluntness. This produces a poignancy of feeling together with a depth of insight, which puts all artifice to shame. His poetry rises spontaneouly from the depths of his heart, even as a fountain spouts from the depths of the earth. It has a kind of abandon which produces an intoxicating effect on the reader. No wonder it had always been a favorite choice for the groups of singers called "qawwals".

    Practical information on the advanced practices of yoga presented in straightforward language.

    The Upanishads form the foundation of the Hindu religion and describe the ultimate objective of life - the liberation of the soul from the bondage of the phenomenal world. Swami Nikhilananda's clear and insightful writing combined with notes and explanation based on the commentary of Sankaracharya, the great eighth-century philosopher and mystic of India, will help the spiritual seeker delve into the meaning of these spiritual treasures. This first of four volumes also contains an introduction with a general outline of the metaphysics and philosophy of Hinduism.

    C. Chatterji's book is a brief introduction to the nature of ultimate reality and the manifestation of the universe according to the Trika System. It also covers, briefly, the history of this advaita Shaiva philosophy of Kashmir. First published in 1914 as the first book in "The Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies," it is still the clearest introduction to the Tattvas of the Trika.Since the lower twenty-five of the thirty-six Trika Tattvas represent the entire universe from the Samkhya point of view, here also is a very clear exposition of the Samkhya Tattvas. The only difference is that, while the Purusha and the Prakriti are the final realities for Samkhya, they are but derivatives according to the Trika, which, carrying the analysis further, recognizes eleven additional Tattvas above the Purusha.