Nachiketas’ Third Wish - with the immortal tale from the Upanishads of young Nachiketas’ encounter with Yama, or Death, as its point of departure - tells the fascinating story of the world’s major contemplative and meditative traditions beginning with the ancient Vedas, Upanishads and classical works on Yoga and concluding in our time with Heartfulness and the science of Yoga. Besides meditative Yoga the story embraces Buddhism, Christian mysticism and its Greek and Roman origins, and Sufism with its unique poetic heritage. There are separate chapters on the female contemplatives, on paradox, humour, and aesthetics as we enjoy it in Zen, Japanese poetry, and art and architecture, on Mindfulness, and on contemporary contemplative trends as they are conveyed in health, wellness, and management. But this is also the enchanting story of sages and saints, of great spiritual personalities like the Buddha, St. Francis of Assisi, Mira Bai, and Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur. It is a story of great poetry, of deep reflections on the enigmas of life, and of contemplative ways of living that reflect the eternal harmony behind the surface of things. Nachiketas’ Third Wish illustrates how our yearning for the Ultimate is universal, beyond time, space, and cultures, how we all deep within our hearts share in the same immortal essence, how meditation and a contemplative lifestyle can free us from our bonds to suffering, and how in the perennial quest for oneness with the Ultimate, expressed in the different contemplative traditions, we become one with all humanity.

This book attempts to highlight the truth of life which many of us do not know. Many of us consider our present existence to be the truth of life. But according to scholars, philosophers and researchers, our present momentary persona is only a bubble on the ocean of our eternal existence. Almost all ancient philosophies and modern science have established that each of us is immortal, because soul we possess exists forever. This book explains with reference to philosophical thoughts and scientific research studies that death we know applies to the physical body only, but not to the soul. The soul is infinite and omnipresent. So, after every death soul enters into a new body in its long journey towards Salvation. This book has also refers to philosophical explanation that the Supreme Soul or the Brahman is only the Real; all other else are not real. Precisely, the Real Man is one one and each of us is only a limitation of the Real Man. It’s all God’s play.

Vols. 2 and 5 include appendices.

Stories of meaning, magic, healing and transformation for enlightened elders - wisdom tales for a new vision of aging. ,