A guide to mantra recitation for ecstatic states, spiritual liberation, and higher consciousness • Ideal for those looking to deepen the spirituality of their physical yoga practice • Offers detailed instruction on the practice of mahamantra yoga and exercises to improve one’s practice and move beyond rote chanting Based on a rich and ancient tradition revived more than five hundred years ago by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in India, mahamantra yoga involves repeated recitation of a sacred phrase, such as the name of a deity, to anchor the mind and access ecstatic states, higher consciousness, and, ultimately, as you vibrate the holy names, the Divine presence in sound. Part of the bhakti devotional tradition, mahamantra yoga is considered the best path to self-realization in the current age, offering a doorway into the hidden recesses of our innermost being--the internal forest of the heart. Citing ancient Vedic texts and the insights of perfected mahamantra yogis, Richard Whitehurst reveals the methods of mahamantra yoga and his own profound experiences based on more than 20 years of intense practice. Using the core principles of this ancient tradition, he offers mental and physical exercises--such as how to coordinate the breath, vocal cords, and mouth--to move beyond rote chanting and pursue the practice consciously and joyfully. He explains how to overcome common obstacles to successful chanting as well as purification practices to intensify your efforts.

There are certain channels through which the higher spiritual frequencies become approachable by humanity, and by which the Infinite descends into this world. One channel is through transcendental sound. The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is one such channel of pure spiritual vibration. The mantra is therefore a point of meditation for the mind, but also a formula or transcendental sound vibration that releases its energy into one's consciousness. Thus it can prepare a person for perceiving higher states of reality. With continued practice with this mantra, and with the proper devotional mood, the mantra can uplift our mind in many ways, help us rise above bad habits and thought patterns, and can even reveal the Absolute Truth to the practitioner. It can also show one's own spiritual identity and relationship that you have with the Supreme Being. Additional topics in this book include: How Mantra-Yoga is a necessity for this age. How to chant Om properly. How the Maha-mantra works and what makes it so effective. The meaning and significance of the Maha-mantra. How spiritual realization can be attained through chanting the Maha-mantra. The great good fortune of those who chant the Maha-mantra, and the bliss found in chanting it. How to attain the spiritual world through the Maha-mantra. How to practice the chanting of the Maha-mantra to release its fullest potential. This book will help open the spiritual possibilities as well as bliss that you can attain through the simple process of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra.

Dancing and chanting with their shaven heads and saffron robes, Hare Krishnas presented the most visible face of any of the eastern religions transplanted to the West during the sixties and seventies. Yet few people know much about them. This comprehensive study includes more than twenty contributions from members, ex-members, and academics who have followed the Hare Krishna movement for years. Since the death of its founder, the movement, also known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), has experienced debates over the roles of authority, heresy, and dissent, which have led to the development of several splinter movements. There is a growing women's rights movement and a highly publicized child abuse scandal. Providing a privileged look at the people and issues shaping ISKCON, this volume also offers insight into the complex factors surrounding the emergence of religious traditions, including early Christianity, as well as a glimpse of the original seeds and the germinating stages of a religious tradition putting down roots in foreign soil.

This is a collection of careful, objective, historically sensitive studies of modern commentators on the Bhagavadgita, one of the basic scriptures of Hinduism, and one which has been widely read in the modern West. Experts on modern Indian religious thought show how Ghandi, Vivekananda, Radhakrishnan, Bhaktivedanta, Aurobindo, Tilak, Bhave, Sivananda, the Theosophists, and Bhankim read, used and interpreted the Gita. Collectively, the essays display the different backgrounds and orientations of the major Indian thinkers of our time. An Introduction and a Conclusion provide a perspective on the thinkers and identify common themes which are part of modern emphases.

The author goes down memory lane and explains how he enjoyed the transcendental trips during the past twenty seven years. Secrets that were never before revealed should interest everyone including the medical fraternity. Many have tried to unravel the mystic transcendental energy for centuries but with only partial luck. Beginners and practioners of spiritualism will know in advance what to expect on the transcendental path. What are the lost secrets about Bhakti yoga? What are the unknown possibilities and pitfalls that arise on a transcendental trip? What are the ways to overcome the pitfalls? Whether Bhakti Yoga is superior to Kundalini Yoga or vice versa? Did Sri Aurobindo practice a subtle form of Bhakti Yoga? How the Kundalini rises through the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis? What is the difference between consciousness within our body and that outside the body? What happens when unconsciousness takes over? Can we know in advance whether our soul would go to heaven or hell after death? What are the types of yogas and how they impact our mind, body and spirit? Does Freemasonry believe in spiritualism? How do religions and philosophies effect spiritualism? How members of the Gaudiya Sect (of which ISKCON is an off-shoot) see God? How powerful is the soul in us and its spirit? Get answers to all the above questions and satisfy your quest. Know and experience your Atma, i.e Consciousness/Soul, and Paramatma i.e Supersoul/ Superconsiousness/ God. Contents of the book are highly experiential rather than theoretical. For its sheer contents, this book should form a permanent part of one’s library.

This book presents a series of lectures about the higher stages of human spiritual development. The lectures describe the methodologies of the main philosophico-religious traditions that existed in the past or exist now on the Earth. This material illustrates the fact that the methodology of spiritual de-velopment is one for all people and that in this way God leads all people to Perfection.

Interpretation of Gāyatrī, Vedic hymn from R̥gveda, with exposition of meditating on its presiding deity Gāyatrī.