This book is recommended for those serious seekers of truth and spirituality who want to know the in-depth view of spiritual practices and who want to go beyond rituals for advancement. The author has described important issues facing aspirants like the trinity aspect of God, relationship between atma and Paramatma, the different levels of body, journey of the soul to other lokas (worlds) beyond the physical world and life beyond death. He stresses the great importance of yoga and meditation on the pranava (Om) for attaining self-realization and liberation. Yoga is a combination of disciplines at the physical and mental levels which are necessary on the spiritual path. This reviewer is particularly impressed with the last chapter (7) called Life Beyond Death, which contains information which is not easily found elsewhere. The contents of the book will positively help the aspirants in their efforts to control the mind and put it in the right direction to realize divinity from within. Mr. Arya emphasizes the need for transcending from the state of mind to no-mind, by going into detail on the process of meditation and realizing the effectiveness of the chanting of the Lord’s Name and the chanting of the Gayatri mantra, for enlightenment. Throughout the book, he gives quotes from Sai Baba, Christ, Buddha, Kabir and Guru Nanak, on different subjects of spirituality, at the appropriate places. He also shares some of his spiritual experiences revealing Sri Sai Baba’s grace and assistance to him on his spiritual journey, through dreams, direct talks through the telephone, listening to the divine sounds of Om during meditation and astral journeys. He has also briefly described how through the grace of one’s Guru, disciples’ efforts in sadhana can be speeded up, by narrating incidents from the lives of Paramahamsa Yogananda and Swami Vivekananda. The author offers this book as his sincere wish to help others by providing the true knowledge about God and how to reach Him.

http://www.saibooks.org/newsletters/2000/jun00.htm

Swamy says:

"However high a bird may soar, it has sooner or later to perch on a tree top, to enjoy quiet. So too a day will come when even the most haughty, the most wilful, the most unbelieving, even those who assert there is no joy or peace in the contemplation of the Highest Self, will have to pray: God grant me peace, grant me consolation, strength and joy."

Sooner or later, a devotee has to move on from the external vision and experiences of the form of Sathya Sai and begin the inward journey, away from suffering and illusion, to the truth of human life, and to the true home of all humanity. This journey is the product of self-understanding and Self-knowledge, the grace of the Lord, and Divine Love.

This book, In Quest of God which contributes to that self understanding, is a simple, clear exposition of the journey to Self-realisation. It is written in a clear, lucid style and explains those Sanskrit words and spiritual concepts which cause discomfort to foreign readers. This is the unique strength of this book.

In his introduction, the author explains: "Sai Baba has been helping me in my spiritual sadhana step by step. He has helped me to transcend my consciousness step by step by leading me into the deeper realms of my being and into the higher spheres of the spiritual world. He has taken me on astral flights on the journey of the two highest heavens which constitute the boundary of the mortal and the immortal worlds and across these boundaries also where I could behold glimpses of the spiritual star-studded skies beyond the tunnel of brilliant lights connecting the mortal and the immortal regions." This is a factual description of the content of this book. Actually, the author goes much further than factual description - he explains there realities he has experienced.

In examining the embodied soul, the author finds simple stories in the scriptures to illustrate important concepts, and explains them further:

"Two birds, inseparable companions dwell upon one and the same tree. One of them eats the fruit, the other looks on without eating."

In the verse, there is a description of two birds which are sitting on the same tree. The tree here means body. The body has been compared to a tree as both are subject to decay and destruction. The two birds are Jiva and Ishwara. The Jiva, who is subject to ignorance, desires and attachments performs karmas through ignorance and tastes the fruits of karmas, that is, enjoys happiness and suffers pain and miseries. The Lord who is pure and omniscient, remains an eternal witness. He does not eat the fruit, but simply looks on as witness...

There are individuals who have fears of 'Earth-Changes' or 'pralaya' as Lord Krishna calls it in the Scriptures. Here he author explains the eternal cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution that all souls have to face with the exception of those who have gone to the highest abode. What is this highest abode? In describing the highest abode, the author provides selections from the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, Guru Nanak and various Hindu scriptures, and Sathya Sai Baba.

The different spiritual worlds and levels of consciousness are then explored in the seven bodies and the seven chakras. In explaining the base chakra and the seat of sexual drive, there is a clear and lucid explanation of desire, its experience and the movement from perception to witnessing the desire. It is presented simply, through an analogy with experiences of hunger and how those fasting or dieting manage hunger.

The author describes his first two astral journeys and then moves to an examination of different spiritual texts describing the heavens.

Then the process of death and dying are considered and the realm traversed by the departing soul is described.

Mind is a mechanism which gives us memory of the past and the present, and the ability to think of the future - It is a bundle of thoughts, desires, impressions, experiences, conditioning from parents, school, friends, society, scriptures and religious places and so on.

In illustrating what is really important, the author draws from Guru Nanak and Kabir:

Kabir and Guru Nanak were great mystics of their times. They were contemporaries. They were of the same calibre. Both of them preached the inward path of finding God. Both preached that God dwells within the heart. When one pants for Him and weeps bitterly in separation for Him, then only He responds. Kabir says that all your apparent charities and pilgrimages, while your heart lingers for the worldly objects, shall not take you one step nearer to Him whom you say you love. "The heart shall be looked into" is the only one rule that applies to all. Not the turning of the beads, nor the growing of long mats of hair, nor even the idol worship, nor the tinkling of temple bells, nor the recitation of texts of scriptures, nor the holy pilgrimages to the distant temples and mosques will help. The inward journey alone leads to His Eternal Home. The door is closed to nobody, to whatever class or nationality one belongs.

People who encounter Sai Baba and His trascendental reality are filled with joy and enthusiasm. That is, until they begin to read some of his teachings and the assorted Hindu-flavoured paraphernalia that drifts in and out of Sai Literature. Then the enthusiasm wanes. For those who wish to earnestly ascend the spiritual path and yet are bothered, thinking they have to learn a new philosophy (not true, the only philosophy and religion Baba present is LOVE), this book clearly and simply, without pressure, leads the reader to an understanding of the nature of the soul and the states the soul progresses through on the journey to the fullness of Love, which is Divinity itself.

From: Spiritual Impressions, Sep-Oct. 1997, pp. 72-73

The book is available at:

Sai Towers Publishing
http://puttaparthi.info/shopping/shp/bookdetail.asp?itemid=B1030

Sri Sathya Sai Book and Information Centre, Toronto, Canada
http://www.saibooks.org/

Sri Sathya Sai Books, UK
http://www.srisathyasaibooks.org.uk/

Sathya Sai Book Shop, Switzerland
http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/sathya/index.html

Jai Sai Ram Books
http://www.jaisairambooks.com/JaiSaiRamBooks.html