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Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)
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Light of Soham: The Life and Teachings of Sri Gajanana Maharaj of Nashik (The Soham Yoga Collection) Kindle Edition

by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

Journey to Inner Mastery through the Example of a Modern-Day Saint

At the dawn of the twentieth century in North India, a young, crippled boy encountered a spiritual teacher from the revered Nath tradition, known for the great sages Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath. This fateful meeting became the boy's gateway to the profound wisdom and practice of yoga meditation, setting him on a transformative path that would eventually redefine his existence. His name was Gajanan Murlidhar Gupte, and he emerged as the extraordinary Gajanana Maharaj.

Gajanana Maharaj led an unassuming life, to all appearances a normal unmarried man of contemporary society. Crediting his personal transformation to the practice of the Soham mantra, he achieved a level of spiritual mastery that he generously shared, creating a small circle of disciples whom he simply called his friends, who thrived through his genuine, unassuming guidance. Strictly avoiding the trap of gurudom, he insisted that his friends be self-reliant and not be dependent on him for their spiritual progress. Yet he was uniquely able to assist them in their inner development.

Gajanana Maharaj attributed his spiritual success to the ajapa-japa of the Soham mantra with the breath—a practice meticulously detailed in Light of Soham. This compilation of his teachings, coupled with insights from his disciples, offers a treasure trove of wisdom for anyone eager to embark on their own spiritual journey.

LIght of Soham encapsulates Gajanana Maharaj’s rare ability to navigate the inner landscapes of the soul, exemplifying how ordinary lives can be imbued with extraordinary spiritual significance. An insightful appendix by Abbot George Burke further demystifies the method of Soham Yoga, providing step-by-step guidance for aspirants.

Don’t just learn about a saint—tread the path to inner peace and enlightenment that he meticulously paved.

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  1. Part of series
    The Soham Yoga Collection
  2. Print length
    307 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    May 6, 2019
  5. File size
    5.2 MB
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From the Publisher

From Crippled Boy to Cosmic Consciousness: The Miraculous Journey of Sri Gajanana Maharaj

Gajanana Maharaj, Murlidhar Gajanana Gupte, Light of Soham, Soham

From the author/editor, Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke):

"Over half a century ago I was blessed and fortunate to discover Sanatana Dharma and Yoga. Two years later I discovered India as my spiritual home. I eagerly took in everything without discrimination and in the ensuing years began sifting through all I had embraced with increasing scrutiny and discrimination.

"The capstone of this process was my completely accidental discovery of the contents of this book. Reading the life and teachings of Sri Gajanana Maharaj (Gajanana Murlidhar Gupte–not the famous sadhu of Maharashtra, also called Gajanana Maharaj) was a veritable revelation to me of what a true yogi and ideal master teacher should be, shorn of so much superstition, nonsense and charlatanry regarding gurus and disciples that prevail today in India and abroad–and at that time, in my own mind. There, too, I discovered the authentic Nath Yogi tradition of Soham Yoga. (See the book Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self for a complete explanation and exposition of Soham Yoga meditation practice.)"

Gajanana Maharaj, Murlidhar Gajanana Gupte, Light of Soham, Soham

From Gajanana Maharaj:

If you desire permanent bliss, then attain spirituality without blemish. Experience the Self and the Almighty merging into each other without doubt. This is the permanent indestructible bliss. Other types of happiness are false and destructible. What seems happiness to the mind is the root cause of sorrow. There is absolutely no happiness in the material world. You struggle for happiness, but happiness and sorrow is predestined by your karma, so why do you get entangled in this illusion on a daily basis?

Make this as your routine: meditate at least for an hour or so. Thus you will quickly have experience.

By right behavior, right thoughts, philanthropy and reading spiritual books, understand what is truth and what is not.

Consider anyone as a child of the Almighty; salute them lovingly and create for yourself peace on earth.

A Unique Commentary by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)

  • Illumining the practical value of the teachings of Gajanana Maharaj for spiritual seekers.
  • With a unique perspective of a lifetime of study and practice of Eastern and Western spirituality.
  • Easily intelligible for those wishing to put these priceless teachings into practice.

More Books on Meditation by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke):

Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self
The Inspired Wisdom of Gajanana Maharaj
Yoga: Science of the Absolute
Dwelling in the Mirror
Foundations of Yoga
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Customer Reviews
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4.9 out of 5 stars 12
4.4 out of 5 stars 18
4.2 out of 5 stars 32
4.4 out of 5 stars 68
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Rating 4.7 stars (99 ratings) 4.9 stars (11 ratings) 4.5 stars (19 ratings) 4.2 stars (32 ratings) 4.4 stars (65 ratings)
Swami Nirmalananda, Abbot George Burke

In his many pilgrimages to India, Swami Nirmalananda had the opportunity of meeting some of India’s greatest spiritual figures, including Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Anandamayi Ma.

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Praise from Readers

[His] writing is "as informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring"

–James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

"[His] writing is well crafted and stocked with anecdotes, humor, literary references, and beautiful quotes... I found it entertaining as well as illuminating."

–Reverend Gerry Nangle, President, Johrei Fellowship

"Highly recommended for earnest spiritual aspirant, especially those who might need a prod to keep them moving."

–Anna Hourihan, Vedantic Shores Press

  • The Unknown Lives of Jesus and Mary
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  • May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation?
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  • Satsang With the Abbot

Swami Nirmalananda Giri

(Abbot George Burke)

Swami Nirmalananda is the founder and director of the Atma Jyoti Ashriam (Light of the Spirit Monastery) in Cedar Crest, NM, USA.

He has been studying, teaching and writing on practical spiritual life for over 60 years.

He has written over 30 books on Meditation, Original Christianity, and Original Yoga, as well as the Dharma for Awakening Collection: commentaries on major scriptures of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism and more,

Below are some of his best sellers:

  • Soham Yoga: Its Theory and Practice
  • The Christ of India
  • The Dhammapada for Awakening
  • The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening
  • Bio-Magnetic Therapy

Editorial Reviews

Review

When it comes to reading "spiritual books", you are looking at an extremely oversaturated market, compounded by the fact that many of these books are either very obscurantist or superficial. But with Light of Soham, published by Light of the Spirit Monastery which has also published commentaries on scriptures and other works, you have a special exception. This book cuts straight to the problem of life - our separation from the Godhead - and without dwelling too much on this immediately cuts to the solution: Meditation. Every good meditative technique comes from a guru who can demonstrate its efficacy with his own life, and that brings us to Sri Gajanana.

The crippled Sri Gajanana is unheard of in the west, as far as I know, and this makes his teachings all the more profound as you cannot go in with any expectations. He calls himself "The Broom" to his students because he says his job is to clear away the debris in the minds of his students that prevents them from realizing their oneness with God. I was immediately charmed by the presentation of this simple spiritual teacher and his humble moniker. It is an excellent refresher from the Hindu Gurus who parade themselves as living gods and messiahs to their servile followers. There is none of this pomposity at all in Sri Gajanana, indeed his speech is always surprisingly plain, and this makes it so that there is nothing to obstruct the light of his teaching from penetrating into the mind of his students. The best part of the book is the section where he answers the complex philosophical, theological, and metaphysical questions of his students. Each answer is like a knife cutting through so many Gordian knots.


The third and final section of the book is about as excellent a "How-to" Manual on meditation as you will find anywhere. It is a perfect way to end the book.

It took me a very long time to finish this short 150-page book because I found it kept inspiring me to put it down and start meditating. Every "spiritual" book should do this. A wise man once told me that the only purpose of a spiritual book is to inspire you to meditate and to remind you of the necessity of inner experience when it comes to the divine. If that is true, this book is first-class.

Five out of five stars. -Dylan Grant, BookReads reviewer

From the Author

Over half a century ago I was blessed and fortunate to discover Sanatana Dharma and Yoga. Two years later I discovered India as my spiritual home. I eagerly took in everything without discrimination and in the ensuing years began sifting through all I had embraced with increasing scrutiny and discrimination.

The capstone of this process was my accidental discovery of Light On The Path of Self-Realization that had been printed in 1941, five years before the mahasamadhi of the great master Sri Gajanana Maharaj (Gajanan Murlidhar Gupte-not the famous sadhu also named Gajanana). This book was a veritable revelation to me of what a true yogi and ideal master teacher should be, shorn of so much superstition, nonsense and charlatanry that prevails today-and has for centuries in India, and now abroad. There, too, I discovered the authentic Nath Yogi tradition of Soham Yoga. (Please keep in mind while reading this book that Soham is correctly pronounced as "Sohum," since the short "a" in Sanskrit is pronounced like our American "u" as in "up." Also, please see the book Soham Yoga for a complete explanation and exposition of Soham Yoga meditation practice.)

Later, also by accident, I gained access to Atmaprabha, a book written by Sri Gajanana Maharaj himself in response to the request of the devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi in the Mumbai area.

For a while I considered simply reproducing them for distribution, but quickly realized that they required editing and a glossary for readers not conversant with the many Sanskrit terms they contained. So I have combined them into one book. In many places there are references to Sri Gajanana Maharaj as living. I have retained them as I wanted to change the words of Maharaj's disciples as little as possible. I have sometimes given explanatory words and comments in parentheses or brackets to elucidate matters for the Western reader. I hope the Glossary at the end will be helpful in understanding unfamiliar words and expressions.

The word "cult" has come to have a negative connotation in the United States, but in India, and therefore in this book, it is used in its original English meaning: a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. It can also simply mean an association or oganization of likeminded people.

May the blessings of all the Nath Yogi masters, including Jesus Christ who as Sri Ishanath was one of their number (see The Christ of India), be with those who read this book and follow the eternal wisdom set forth so ably by Sri Gajanana Maharaj.

Swami Nirmalananda Giri
(Abbot George Burke)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07RHWJL2Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Light of the Spirit Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 6, 2019
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ The Soham Yoga Collection
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

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Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

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Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) is the founder and director of the Atma Jyoti Ashram (Light of the Spirit Monastery) in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, USA.

In his many pilgrimages to India, he had the opportunity of meeting some of India’s greatest spiritual figures, including Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Anandamayi Ma. During his first trip to India he was made a member of the ancient Swami Order by Swami Vidyananda Giri, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, who had himself been given sannyas by the Shankaracharya of Puri, Jagadguru Bharati Krishna Tirtha.

In the United States he also encountered various Christian saints, including Saint John Maximovich of San Francisco and Saint Philaret Voznesensky of New York.

For many years Swami Nirmalananda has researched the identity of Jesus Christ and his teachings with India and Sanatana Dharma, including Yoga. It is his conclusion that Jesus lived in India for most of his life, and was a yogi and Sanatana Dharma missionary to the West. After his resurrection he returned to India and lived the rest of his life in the Himalayas.

He is the author of a number of books on meditation and practical spiritual life, including Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening, The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening, May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation?, and The Christ of India: The Story of Original Christianity.

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The Most Important Book in My Library
5 out of 5 stars
The Most Important Book in My Library
This book written by Sri Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) changed my life forever. Having read all the great spiritual masters and participated in the "Lessons" of Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self Realization Fellowship, I had never found my mantra that could bring me to samadhi. The Hong Sau technique of Yogananda was the best mantra I had discovered until I read "The Light of Soham". The complexity and breathlessness of Kriya yoga deterred me from continuing the "Lessons" and after reading this book and utilizing the ajapa japa of Soham, I found the peace and bliss that I had longed for in my Yoga sadhana. If you really want a simple technique that gives you all the power in this universe from an obscure, great Indian Saint, then I highly recommend "The Light of Soham". Om Shanti Shanti Shanti! Pranam to Sri Gajanana Maharaj and especially to Sri Nirmalananda Giri, my living guru whom I hope to meet one day.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • William James Cunningham
    5.0 out of 5 stars Humility Personified
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Having read several of Abbot George's books and commentary treatises, this one is so nice and down to earth for the householder like me with many menial duties to fulfill yet needing encouragement on my spiritual path. Sri Gajanana is no "Glitter Guru" by any means, just a soothing encouraging voice of sensible, easy to follow spiritual practices centering around the ageless Soham Mantra.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • (Mike)
    5.0 out of 5 stars Simple but profound truth, finally!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2019
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    If you are serious about the truth of having the authentic experience of true yoga and finally discover the simple and eternal truth of knowing God then read this book today - Soham. It really is that simple - Soham!
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Vijay Samnotra
    4.0 out of 5 stars Best I have read on the subject
    Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2019
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    Brilliant account of a Swami who is not so well known in India
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  • Marcio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019
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    Wonderful book! Well written! It tells about an amazing and original sage. A complete and humble one. These days so rare to meet.
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  • Stanley Wroblewski
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Important Book in My Library
    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2022
    This book written by Sri Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) changed my life forever. Having read all the great spiritual masters and participated in the "Lessons" of Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self Realization Fellowship, I had never found my mantra that could bring me to samadhi. The Hong Sau technique of Yogananda was the best mantra I had discovered until I read "The Light of Soham". The complexity and breathlessness of Kriya yoga deterred me from continuing the "Lessons" and after reading this book and utilizing the ajapa japa of Soham, I found the peace and bliss that I had longed for in my Yoga sadhana. If you really want a simple technique that gives you all the power in this universe from an obscure, great Indian Saint, then I highly recommend "The Light of Soham". Om Shanti Shanti Shanti! Pranam to Sri Gajanana Maharaj and especially to Sri Nirmalananda Giri, my living guru whom I hope to meet one day.
    Customer image
    Stanley Wroblewski
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    The Most Important Book in My Library

    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2022
    This book written by Sri Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) changed my life forever. Having read all the great spiritual masters and participated in the "Lessons" of Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self Realization Fellowship, I had never found my mantra that could bring me to samadhi. The Hong Sau technique of Yogananda was the best mantra I had discovered until I read "The Light of Soham". The complexity and breathlessness of Kriya yoga deterred me from continuing the "Lessons" and after reading this book and utilizing the ajapa japa of Soham, I found the peace and bliss that I had longed for in my Yoga sadhana. If you really want a simple technique that gives you all the power in this universe from an obscure, great Indian Saint, then I highly recommend "The Light of Soham". Om Shanti Shanti Shanti! Pranam to Sri Gajanana Maharaj and especially to Sri Nirmalananda Giri, my living guru whom I hope to meet one day.
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  • Henry Site
    4.0 out of 5 stars The message is good.
    Reviewed in Canada on June 13, 2019
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    The message is good, but the writing could be better.
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  • pala
    4.0 out of 5 stars juwel im dreck
    Reviewed in Germany on April 19, 2023
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    mit diesem buch kommt ein juwel durch einen dreckigen kanal zu uns.

    der kanal ist der herausgeber george burke. er ist wichtigtuerisch, fanatisch und rechthaberisch und versucht, alles ausser seiner soham-meditation abzuwerten. er neigt dazu, dinge zu verdrehen und zu verfälschen. in seinem früheren buch soham yoga kommt das noch deutlicher heraus als in dem hier. burke versucht sogar noch, patanjali und jesus zu nath-yogis umzufälschen.

    jetzt zum positiven. gajanana (1892-1946) war ein lehrer der nath-tradition, der sehr verborgen gelebt hat und verboten hat, dass für ihn werbung gemacht wird. er wollte nur ernsthafte schüler und keine guru-touristen.

    seine hauptmethode zur erweckung der kundalini-kraft war das mantra soham. das wird lautlos im geist wiederholt und mit dem atem verbunden: SO mit dem einatmen, HAM mit dem ausatmen. (in der kshemaraja-/muktananda-tradition ist es umgekehrt: so mit dem ausatmen, ham mit dem einatmen).

    er hat empfohlen, mindestens eine stunde am tag auf das mantra zu meditieren. auch im alltag sollte es ununterbrochen wiederholt werden, bis man es sogar im schlaf hört. gajanana und einige seiner schüler haben damit ein hohes geistiges niveau erreicht. wenn er einem neuen schüler die hand auf den kopf gelegt hat, hat der manchmal das tschakra-system detailliert in seinem körper gesehen.

    für seine zeit war gajanana ein ziemlich moderner lehrer. allerdings hat er es nicht geschafft, sich aus dem überholten theistischen rahmen zu lösen. der nächste schritt an dieser stelle wäre buddhismus.
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