In 1895 Swami Vivekananda of the Ramakrishna Mission initiated two Europeans one a womean into the ancient tradition of sannyasa or world-renuciation. This practice was continued in the first part of the twentieth century by Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh. From the late sixties onwards with the sudden expansion of European awareness of Indian Spirituality, a vast hord of foreign religious heads have spread through India in incomprehensibly large numbers.

From post-colonial India to New York City, from the land of the Navajo in the Southwest to unforgiving orbital space, The Laughing God tells the astonishing story of Doctor Joseph RamuPandu, a half American - half Indian, brilliant psychiatrist turned holistic guru who follows an unlikely and often comical path in his frantic search for spiritual enlightenment. In the milieu of the newly born nation's conflicting religious traditions, the infant Joseph is raised concurrently as a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Christian, and becomes preoccupied by “Gods, demons, and spirits”. The collision of these powerful elements leads the grown-up Joseph to devote himself to a life of austerity and service. His attempts to minister to the sick provoke disaster when a simple act is interpreted as a miracle and an avid, unwanted adoration follows. Wherever he goes, people flock to the swami psychiatrist with the saintly face. Joseph seems either destined or doomed to attract followers. When he fails to find peace or enlightenment in India, he continues his quest in New York City at the invitation of an American Dean of Holistic Medicine who sees the Indian doctor as a guru for unhappy Westerners looking to the east for spiritual wisdom. Before long Joseph finds himself caring for a set of psychotic patients at M’Naghten Psychiatric Hospital: a deranged Senator in permanent campaign mode; a homicidal federal judge; a furious Rabbi who sometime believes he is God; a gypsy woman with a Jesus fixation; a senile old storyteller and Zamba, a hip schizophrenic with a bizarre world view. The lively bunch is quickly drawn to Joseph, basking in the peace of his presence. Into this circus of madmen comes Hastiin Nayachai, a Native American professor of astronomy who suffers psychotic breakdowns and predicts an apocalypse of stars in a galactic cluster. Touched by insanity, haunted by ancestral drums, and obsessed with the death of stars, he hears the voice of the Great Spirit calling him home to regain the balance and peace of mind that eludes him. In Nayachai, Joseph sees a disturbing reflection of his own quest and finds himself drawn ever deeper into his patient's enthralling delusions. It is this eccentric scientist Nayachai who by drawing Joseph along his own path of delusion and soul seeking, ultimately brings our protagonist to the place and the godly answers he seeks reside. The powerful relationship that grips the two goes beyond the boundaries of sanity and leaves the crusading psychiatrist wondering whether he’s achieved spiritual enlightenment or himself succumbed to madness.

This autobiography of an American yogi is the story of the training of a Western scholar by a unique Himalayan Master, one of the greatest yogis of the era.

An Avatar Adorns The Human Form To Help Humanity To Evolve Towards Divinity. His Humanity Is Revealed In His Ability To See The Funny Side Of Human Beings. Not Only That, He Takes Out Unnecessary Seriousnesses Away From Life, Meant To Be Light And Joyous. Swami Is Quick At His Verbal Repartee.

Presents Swami Beyondananda's humorous guide to enlightenment.

Telling fables in an entertaining manner has been an old practice, but with Swami and Jigneshbhai, Ranjit Kulkarni packages new-age contemporary wisdom with a humorous coating in his style of combining the mundane with the meaningful. When Swami, the impatient bloke with a heart of gold, and Jigneshbhai, his wise, calm friend and financial advisor get together to talk over coffee, their questions don't stop, and the answers keep coming. This book is a collection of such thought-provoking coffee conversations on investing between the two friends. This is a collection of coffee conversation between 2011-2016 and reference many of the events around investing and economy that happened during that period. The events and conversations are topical and reflect the mood of the moment at that time, but often the wisdom that they reflect is timeless. Some of the topics you will find in this collection include · Investing downgrades · Role of faith, · European Union issues, · Mixing Cricket with Investing (and the Retail Investor's Retirement like Sachin Tendulkar's!), · Government Policies, · Record Highs, and many more. These musings and essays deal with the temperament and behavioural aspects of Investing in the context of happenings and events. Sometimes, conversations over coffee can say a lot. Especially the ones with Jigneshbhai, Swami and the wealthy old man. If you are interested in small snippets filled with humour and wisdom that are quick topical reads around investing, business and economy, this collection of coffee conversations is for you! Get your copy now!!