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Pilgrimage Updates - Books
Dear Divine Pilgrim,
Have you read any good books lately?
To help you get the most from this sacred pilgrimage, we highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the lives and teachings of the Kriya Yoga Masters and the places we will visit on this sacred journey. Don't just prepare your suitcase for this pilgrimage--prepare your mind and heart as well. Knowing about the precious events of the Masters' lives that occurred in these places will give you a greater appreciation of the sites, and also gratitude to open your heart to a deeper spiritual experience.
For example, when we get to Allahabad and visit a particular banyan tree on the bank of the Ganga river, will you see a simple tree? Or will you recognize this magnificent, arboreal sentry who stood by and provided shade during that Kumbha Mela long ago where Priyanath Karar first met Mahavatar Babaji? Will you recall that under its branches the great Yogi charged the future Swami Shriyukteshwarji with the task of writing a treatise showing the similarities between Eastern and Western religious philosophies? If you are not familiar with it already, you can learn about this holy encounter in Paramahamsa Yogananda's book, Autobiography of a Yogi, and you can read the actual treatise itself: The Holy Science.
Learn about the mission and teachings of the deathless guru, Babaji, in the book Mahavatar Babaji: The Eternal Light of God by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda. Discover more about the Karar family, the Priyadham ashram and its enlightened founder in the book Swami Shriyukteshwar: Incarnation of Wisdom. And where better to learn of the sacred childhood friendship that began in front of the Deaf & Dumb School across from the house at 4 Garpar Road than from the Masters themselves? (See Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahamsa Yogananda, or Yogananda Sanga: As I Have Seen and Understood Him by Swami Satyananda Giri.) And before we travel to Sarnath, and the temple located where Buddha gave his first sermon after his enlightenment, you can read about his life and teachings in the book, Gautama Buddha, by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda. And before we visit Hariharananda Gurukulum in Balighai, the book Life and Teachings of Paramahamsa Hariharananda can provide you with insights into the heart of our beloved Gurudev. Or enjoy Baba Prajnanananda's precious recollections of Gurudev, his stories and teachings in the book, River of Compassion. Imbibe his teachings and feel his loving presence as you walk the beautiful grounds of his ashram.
If you are new to Kriya Yoga and are just beginning to learn about the Kriya Masters, a good place to start is the book, Divine Blossoms, (later edition published as Masters of the Kriya Yoga Lineage) penned by our dear Paramahamsa Prajnanananda. This collection of biographies and teachings of each Master will help you know and appreciate these Kriya Gurus in a new light.
Before we visit Shri Anandamayi Ma's ashram you can read what Gurudev himself wrote about this enlightened mother and the time she visited him at the Karar ashram in Reminiscences of the Masters (available as a separate book or as Volume 8 in Ocean of Bliss, the collected writings of Paramahamsa Hariharananda). In fact Reminiscences of the Masters provides Gurudev's excellent insight into the lives of many of the Masters whose sites we will visit. And the most recent edition of the separate book has a new series of brief biographies including Gurudev's early guru, Shri Bijoy Krishna Chattopadhyaya who was known as "Howrah Thakur" (Lord of Howrah) because he lived in the Howrah suburb of Kolkata, and Gurudev's sannyas guru, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Bharati Krishna Tirtha, whose Govardhan Math we may visit in the Puri area.
Prior to visiting the city of Varanasi you may read more about Shri Lahiri Mahasaya (Fountainhead of Kriya Yoga) who lived here, and the nearby bathing ghat where Babaji and his sister Mataji appeared to one of Shri Lahiri Baba's devotees, along with Shri Lahiri Baba-who was at the very same time meditating with other devotees in his home. (See Autobiography of a Yogi.) Also, did you know that Varanasi is famous for its cremation grounds? Hindus bring the bodies of their loved ones even far distances for cremation in this holy city to provide for their liberation. Paramahamsa Prajnanananda explains the spiritual significance of the cremation ground in his book Jnana Sankalini Tantra.
In addition to reading the Masters' books you may want to familiarize yourself with the small booklet, Daily Prayers, which includes prayers from different traditions that can be heard at Kriya ashrams around the world. If you don't already know these prayers, consider getting the companion CD by the same name (Daily Prayers) and learn along with this recording. You can even bring the booklet with you and sing along with our group as we chant part of the Bhagavad Gita as our prayer before meals, or read along as we recite the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Of course some would say that the only thing that is necessary on a pilgrimage is not book knowledge but a heart that is willing to love God. There is truth in this. For many people, however, the personal spiritual experience on a pilgrimage is even richer and deeper if you bring with you some familiarity of the places you will visit, and an understanding of the key teachings of the Enlightened Ones who lived and taught in these sacred places.
For more information click here
In loving service,
The Kriya Pilgrimage Team