‘THE purpose of life of any man is to join with the “Divine” which activates the earth; which activates even a worm here.’ So begins The Perfect Sage, by Prabodharan Sukumar. Ostensibly a tribute by the author to his teacher Sri Amarakavi Ramachandra, a realised soul or sidhdheswara, who lived in Triplicane, Chennai, the book also explores his teacher’s interactions with such famous personalities as sir C V Raman, Dr S. Radhakrishnan and V V Giri.
In the introduction, the author says he first came into contact with Amarakavi Ramachandra in 1981 in connection with his second book The Secret of Tapas. From then till Sri Ramachandra attained his samadhi in 1993, the two forged a close bond that went beyond mere friendship. Sri Ramachandra became his spiritual guru, and tried to show him the way to divine salvation. He also shared his mystical experiences with the author, and enlightened him about the Vedas and the Upanishads-the fount of all spiritual knowledge. The author also learnt about transcendental meditation, Brahma tatvas, the philosophy of Adi Shankara-knowledge which spans the gamut of the spiritual experience.
Sri Ramachandra interacted with many great spiritual personalities of his time, such as Sri Aurobindo and Sir John Coats of the Theosophical Society and other yogis, philosophers and religious heads which resulted in a lively exchange of spiritual knowledge. The book is broadly divided into two sections-while the first explores the life and times of Sri Ramachandra, the second section sheds light on the mystical experiences of the famous personalities of our age. The penultimate section of the book is an exhaustive timeline of the life of Sri Ramachandra, while the final pages are devoted to a glossary of spiritual words and phrases.
A must-read for those interested in the spiritual way of life, the book also serves as a sort of challenge to those who view the world purely through a scientific perspective. As a sort of antithesis to the age of reason, the book is well-written and makes easy reading for the yogic guru as well for those who are taking their first hesitating steps into the mystical frontiers with a sense of anticipation.
(Hayagreeva Publication, No. 108, New No. 176, Big Street, Triplicane, Chennai-600 005)
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