Description
All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind . . .”
In the quest for understanding one’ s own mind, body, and soul, and to attain liberation, each man seeks spirituality as per his own means and understanding. Yoga, with its origin dating back to ancient India, has always been considered a pathway of achieving moksha.
This edition combines the four paths of yoga as expounded by Swami Vivekananda in the nineteenth century. They include the three yogas mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita— Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga— and Raja Yoga, which is based on Maharshi Patanjali’ s Yoga Sutras, and together they speak to the active, the emotional, the mystic, and the philosophical inside us.
Complete with timeless universal wisdom, and not restricted to asanas and physical exercises, the yogic practices explained by Vivekananda become a way of life and hence lead to the realization of the Absolute.
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Stanislava Ivanova –
Incredible wisdom of the ages distilled into four sections covering the main branches of yoga in the Hindu tradition. Beautifully presented, recommended.
IanD –
I’m very impressed with how this little volume has been published and packaged so attractively. It’s aesthetically pleasing, and its contains all four Yoga lectures delivered by Vivekananda. A beautiful compendium, clearly published with care and affection.
Boston Banker –
This book was very generic information. Anybody who knows much about yoga probably won’t learn much new. So it would be great for somebody who never knew anything about yoga. I ended up giving it away
Nina F –
Worth noting … the print edition I received is very hard to read … the typeface, layout, size of the book is uncomfortable.
So i bought the Kindle version which I read almost daily.
Just too bad such little care had been taken to print such profound words.
ys –
It’s beautiful! A real keepsake. Makes a great gift. It is however on the small side. Still, well worth the purchase.
Neil –
This edition of the great Vivekanada was so inexpensive I thought it might be shoddy optically-scanned print-on-demand junk. Instead it’s a well produced paperback edition. No, the paper isn’t acid-free archival quality but Penguin Books doesn’t use that, either. A really good value for a book that is well-printed and comfortable to read.
Kim Coleman –
Exellent
OneTaste –
Gave my psychosis… or was that enlightenment? Idk
IanD –
This book is an in-depth guide to yoga. It is philosophical and practical at the same time.
GTF –
I had purchased a complete works by Swami Vivekananda in Kindle version, but enjoyed it so much that I needed it in paperback. However, there were so many variances offered! I went ahead and did my research. I read many reviews. I, like many reviewers, love when the font is nice and big and comfortable to read. When the actual, physical book is well put together. When it feels like a quality copy.
I was also afraid that the book would be too small, as I think one reviewer said about one version. Well, thankfully, I MADE the RIGHT choice with this one!
The book is beautiful! Definitely High Quality. The font is the perfect size and the book itself is normal size. I even LOVE the way the pages smell! Like when you first walk into a Barnes & Noble book store. As a book lover, I have always LOVED that scent.
This book has Swami’s explanation of the four Yogas: Karma, Bhakti, Raja, and Jnana.
I love Vivekananda’s clear and simple explanations. This is a book to be savored. It is certainly one of my favorites in my vast library. I definitely made the right choice with this one and want you to rest assured that if the little things that matter to me, matter to you, that you too, will absolutely LOVE this book!
Here is just a little taste from the first section on Karma Yoga:
“This world is like a dog’s curly tail, and people have been striving to straighten it out for hundreds of years; but when they let it go, it has curled up again. How could it be otherwise? One must first know how to work without attachment, then one will not be a fanatic. When we know that this world is like a dog’s curly tail and will never get straightened, we shall not become fanatics.”
Bhakti
“He (the Bhakta), soon, through the mercy of the Lord, reaches a plane where pedantic and powerless reason is left far behind, and the mere intellectual groping through the dark gives place to the daylight of direct perception. He no more reasons and believes, he almost perceives. He no more argues, he senses. And is not this seeing God, and feeling God, and enjoying God higher than everything else?”
Raja
[speaking of the control of Prana, Page 171] “This opens to us the door to almost unlimited power. Suppose, for instance, a man understood Prana perfectly, and could control it, what power on earth would not be his? He would be able to move the sun and stars out of their places, to control everything in the Universe, from the atoms to the biggest suns, because he would control the prana.”
Jnana
Page 277. “Time, the avenger of everything, comes, and nothing is left. He swallows up the saint and the sinner, the king and the peasant, the beautiful and the ugly; he leaves nothing. Everything is rushing towards that one goal destruction. Our knowledge, our arts, our sciences, everything is rushing towards it. None can stem the tide, none can hold it back for a minute. We may try to forget it, in the same way that persons in a plague-stricken city try to create oblivion by drinking, dancing, and other vain attempts, and so become paralyzed. So, we are trying to forget, trying to create oblivion by all sorts of sense-pleasures. And this is Maya.”
Of course, these small samplers will be out of context, without reading the book. And although the last excerpt may taste of gloom and doom, the entire book points to the way out. To the realization that this is all a vast and amazing Dream.
Bob Dove –
Book is in good quality. But the delivery is quite confusing/stressful as the delivery person did not deliver to my house claiming nobody at home even though I was at home the whole day. Second delivery attempt to my letter box, again not informing me. Finally found it there. Price reasonable. Delivery was fast if not for those hassles considering from India to Singapore. Seller was prompt in responding.
ys –
Must read
RMR Global Productions Inc –
Small Compact Size great to take along in purse or bag. Vivid Red and Gold as pictured and beautiful design. The built in bookmark is a nice feature and the content is insightful and eye opening. Not a book you have to read in order thanks to the authors chapter outline, can be subjectively useful to the journey of learning the origins of Yoga you hardly ever hear about in your average Yoga classes. If you’re one of those people that likes to understand a thing they are learning more in-depth and from the inside out, then this book is for you . Happy Purchase made
Indeed.