After the Immortals of Meluha, this is my second book review. But this book "A Search in Secret India - Paul Brunton" is not a fictional novel or a philosophy book. This book is basically a diary entry of Paul Brunton, a Westerner who searched for a secret in our sacred land, India.
What was that he was searching for? Diamonds? Emeralds? Rubies? or other precious thing? No, he was searching for something big and immortal.. He was searching for light, the "Enlightenment".
This book will be close on the lines of the book "Autobiography of Yogi (ABY) - Paramahamsa Yogananda" in terms of genre, but there is a broad difference. ABY is basically the biography of a person, who was Yogi by birth and groomed by greatest spiritual masters for the purpose of spreading ancient Yoga to the West. Also, Paramahamsa Yogananda was a Hindu, and he had no difficulties in believing Hinduism and its principles. Also his parents were direct disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya who himself was direct disciple of Mahavatar Babaji. So, he was already put in a right place. He has no difficulties in reaching to the peak of spirituality.
In this case, it is reverse. This is the travel-documentary of Paul Brunton, a common man with just an ambition to explore the Secret of India. He is neither a son of Yogic parents, not well-worst with Hindu principles and customs. Throughout his journey, he need the help of translators for communicating with others. A really great ambition, but a real tough task. So, whats great in this book?
It was first when his Geography master was saying the words "India has been called the brightest jewel in British Crown...", the word INDIA fantasized him. Being a seeker, strong-willed and traveler by nature, he makes attempts to make his journey to India, but he couldn't succeed. Probably his time wasn't ripe then. From then on, the book starts its fast and mysterious pace. He meets a couple of Indian Yogis, settled in West, who reminds him of his ambition and fuels him for his journey East to India. By then, he was a renowned journalist in West, and his inner-search was so intense, he gave up his career to achieve a bigger one.
Being not-aware of where to start and what to start, he starts his spiritual journey, documenting it throughout. This book is all about that. All way his journey, he meets faqueers, magicians, mystics, yogi's, swamy's to finally meets his Guru.
In my opinion, this book stands apart from all other books I read.
1. This book is not written from the stand point of a Guru. It has no philosophies, no preachings or what so ever. It just echos the journey of a seeker on his way to attain Enlightenment.
2. Being an intellect, Paul Brunton is very clear on not accepting everyone he meets as his guru. More than this divine experiences, his questions on God, Yoga and other practices fill this book. He wants clear proof of everything, and accepts only if he is satisfied. One of the yogi he met gives him a demonstration of stopping his heart-beat, breath and even his blood circulation to get him satisfied on the body control aspects of Yoga. This questioning attitude of him makes the book more interesting to read. So, did India and Indian Yogi's convince this westerner and gave him what he desired?
3. The Author travels east-west throughout India for this search of a Guru. Finally, he meets his Guru in deep interior South, at Thiruvannamalai. His Guru was none other than the great Ramana Maharishi. It was through Paul Brunton, the Maharishi got introduced to the West. If you see Westerners flocking Ramanar's Ashram still, the credit goes to Paul Brunton. If you read the book, you can clearly observe one thing. Though it was Paul Brunton who travelled India, it was the mystics and the faqueers, who guided him to his real Guru. They are the ones who drove him to his destiny. In one stage, he meets Kanchi Maha Muni Sankaracharya, who directs him to Ramana Maharishi. At this point, Sankaracharya whispers something to authors translator (Writer VenkataRamani). After the author meets Ramana Maharishi, he journeys back to remaining part of India in search of other Yogi's. Being intellect, he wants to find the best Yogi in India to accept as Guru. After his long and deep search, his intellect finally falls and the destiny makes him to rush towards Arunachala. During his way back to Tiruvannamalai, he meets his translator again, and to his surprise she says that she already know that he will return back to Arunachala. She reveals him that Sankarachaya foretold her already (that whisper) that no one can be the Guru of Paul Brunton, except Ramana Maharishi. Such is his destiny.
Being intellect by nature, he asks lot of questions to whichever Yogi's he meet during his journey. Finally when he met Ramana Maharishi, he experiences his questions vanishing mystically. He feels a deep peace within him, where questions made no sense. Spirituality is more experiencing than questioning, and Ramanar gave him the right answer. He wanted a proof, and he experienced it himself. All his bundle of questions just dissipated after self-realization. Having got the privilege to be a disciple of Ramana Maharishi, and experiencing the self-realization in guidance of his Guru, he returns back to West, with this ambition duly filled.
Generally, spiritual or philosophy books are dry to read, for there will be lot of advises and religious preachings that will be difficult to grasp. But this book, captures India, its culture, tradition and its ancient secrets during 1930's from the eyes of a Western seeker who demands demonstration than explanation. Its a 300 pager book, but hardly took me only few days to read. His experience with every mystic, original and duplicate faqueers are quite interesting to read, and gives the reader a feel of travelling along with him.
There is a wonderful quote from Ramana Maharishi that reads "What will not happen will never happen, whatever effort one may put forth. And what will happen will not fail to happen, however much one may seek to prevent it. This is certain".. I clearly could get a grasp of what it means after reading this book. Even before the author sets his journey to India, he was foretold that his ambition of meeting a real Rishi would be attained, and he wont return empty-handed from India. His destiny was set, but how he was made to achieve it, how he got directed towards the goal - just read and experience. Its a must-not-miss book, atleast for intellects who demand proof of things.
A rare video where Ramana Maharisihi poses with Paramahamsa Yogananda and Paul Brunton. Dont fail to note that throughout the video, Maharashi will be very still as if he entered into trance.
