From time immemorial, yogis have approached this essential question scientifically through intuition and experiment The conclusion they reached was that the Creator and creation are one and human beings can find their origin in this great cosmic play through love, service, and spiritual practice Compassionate yogis then sought to impart this knowledge of Self for the liberation of all.

Paramahamsa Hariharananda, affectionately known as Baba (father), is such a yogi, teacher, and true master in every sense of the word.

While on this earth, instruction with eloquence, kindness, and understanding for the unique challenges facing humanity today. ceaselessly poured forth from his lips and hands.

Throughout Paramahamsa Hariharananda's long life, a great body of work was delivered in formal lectures, talks to disciples. letters, articles, and books to help all true seekers to "cross the worldly ocean." These instructions cover all facets of life as he always emphasized "all-round development" as the objective of spiritual practice. With compassion and objectivity, he helps us to return to our true nature and leads us to the supreme goal of being in God consciousness while living in the world.

By compiling these Complete Works, it is our sincere hope that Paramahamsa Hariharananda will continue to enlighten, inspire, and encourage those who search for God to discover that,

"I and He are One, and always have been One"

Life is a journey. People travel along its path carrying the baggage of their karma, the seed impressions of all their previous activity, the aggregate balance sheet of their pleasure and pain, the results of their interactions with friend and foe. All of this is confused with their likes and dislikes. Some consider life a pilgrimage; others consider it a vacation, but its true purpose is to fulfill the cherished goal. When this goal is achieved, you have returned to where the journey began. Like a circle, the journey of life is complete only when it reaches its starting point. We must return to our source to fulfill our lives with love, joy, and bliss.

On the journey of life we gather many experiences sweet, sour, bitter, or salty. To transcend these burning experiences, we must manifest our hidden diversity and inner spirituality. Then the journey can rise from the elemental to the supramental state of consciousness, and finally to complete emancipation, as with Buddha, Christ, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Lahiri Mahasaya, and others.

To smooth the hazardous path of evolution, the journey requires a great deal of effort. Continuous effort and proper guidance make the journey more pleasurable and less tiring. An experienced guide and a guidebook will help the traveler overcome the obstacles on this greatest adventure. The guide is the expert, who has successfully completed the journey. The guidebook is the holy scriptures, which inspire, encourage, discipline, and dictate rules for daily life until you have completed the journey.

The Bhagavad Gita, popularly called the Gita, is a divine message from the great master, Lord Krishna, to an able disciple, Arjuna. The master, well attuned to the core of spiritual life, leads the disciple along a slow, steady, continuous search toward the highest attainment of spiritual experience. In the beginning, the disciple is reluctant and hesitant to follow the spiritual path of self-discipline and self- mastery. To succeed, the disciple must endeavor to eliminate his ego and proceed in the holy company of the divine master, his guru and preceptor.

The Bhagavad Gita is a spiritual, philosophical, and moral masterpiece. It is a handbook that true seekers can read, follow, and practice, irrespective of their religious beliefs or way of life. Like the vital air, the breath, the Bhagavad Gita is meant for everyone.

The Bhagavad Gita expresses the essence of the Vedas as well as the spiritual doctrines in the Upanishads. In fact, the prayer at the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita is a famous verse quoted from the Vaishnaviya Tantrasara:

sarvopanisado gavo dogdha gopalanandanah
partho vatsah sudhir bhokta dugdham gitamrtam mahat

All people who have the desire to grow, be nourished, and become stronger can enjoy the health-giving milk of the Bhagavad Gita.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages