High on Waves - Compositions by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

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High on Waves is a compilation of Swami Satyananda Saraswati's poems, spanning several decades. These pure, simple and sattwic verses are like the waves of Sri Swamiji's inner Ganga, which bathe the reader in bhakti and faith, and take one on a pilgrimage to higher dimensions of consciousness.

From childhood, Sri Swamiji's penchant for spiritual composition was evident. At the age of fifteen, he translated the classical text, Vairagya Shatak, by Sage Bhartrihari from Sanskrit to Hindi. Such inspiration could only be a manifestation of sadhanas and samskaras from previous lives.

After he left home, the writing continued. At his guru's ashram in Rishikesh, the flowers of his sentiments were offered at Swami Sivananda's feet through songs to guru as the source of all knowledge. Thereafter, whether living as a parivrajaka, wandering mendicant, or leading a world yoga movement, Sri Swamiji always found moments to inscribe in verse the voice of his soul.

As these verse songs have been written over a wide period of time, they provide glimpses of the different stages of spiritual life that a sadhaka can pass through. They contain the inspiration of a spiritual aspirant and also the wisdom of a realized saint, as well as the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Vedas and the Puranas. The subjects are vast, but each composition will awaken in us the purest and most sublime sentiments.

Sri Swamiji called these creations 'High on Waves'. The poems do not necessarily follow a standard rhythm or metre, for when a saint's heart vibrates to divine notes verses are created spontaneously. Traditional rules of grammar or syntax no longer apply, as their significance lies in their inspiration.

As Sri Swamiji says:

That which has neither note nor tone, That which does not recognize speed or cadence, For the special listener, let me sing such songs. Every word in this collection will inspire the faithful, filled as they are with the fragrance of a saint's inner world.