Why is there something rather than nothing? Was there a beginning to our universe, or was it always there? Everything around us winds down; was the universe wound up? Is there evidence of design in our universe, or was it the result of dumb luck? Are there other universes besides ours? Is life common in our universe? Did life on earth start spontaneously from inanimate matter? Is there evidence of intelligence in the living cell? Is there enough evidence for evolution? Did all life have a universal common ancestor? Does thinking emerge from brain complexity? Does the self exist, or is it just an illusion? Can science explain our consciousness? Can the soul or self be separated from the body? Is there any evidence for an afterlife? Is there any positive evidence for the existence of God, or is it all inferred? Is proposing the existence of a creator pseudoscience? Does survival of the fittest imply a malevolent creator? Why all this pain and suffering in life? Is there any meaning to life? Do heaven, hell, and purgatory exist; where are they? Is God a Reality? is a lifetime study of these questions by a scientist.

Rarely in a lifetime does a new spiritual classic appear that has the power to change people's lives and transform future generations. This is such a book. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his few remaining direct disciples, Swami Kriyananda. This revelation of India's best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal: how to achieve victory in life in union with the divine; how to prepare for life's "final exam," death, and what happens afterward; how to triumph over all pain and suffering. This book is itself a triumph. Swami Kriyananda worked with Paramhansa Yogananda in 1950 while the Master completed his commentary. At that time Yogananda commissioned him to disseminate his teachings world-wide. Kriyananda has in his lifetime lectured, taught, and written eighty-five books based on Yogananda's teachings. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Kriyananda's eighty-sixth book, is the crowning achievement of his highly productive life. In this, his masterpiece, he declares, "Yogananda's insights into the Gita are the most amazing, thrilling, and helpful of any I have ever read."