About the Book The book embodies a panoramic picture of Indian mysticism in some of its essential features as illustrated in the lives of the great saints of our land in the present age, i.e., as practiced and pursued in India during the last two centuries. Despite the author's deep faith in the validity and greatness of mystic experience, she has attempted to treat the topic critically, in the spirit of philosophical enquiry. Mystic experience transcends the barriers of time and space. The mystic experiences of our forefathers are today the most cherished part of our heritage. Indeed, civilization may be stated to have dawned with mysticism. Mm Gopinath Kaviraj writes in the Introduction of this book - True mysticism implies that the soul is successively awakened so that the sense of exclusiveness pertaining to each of the normal human states, viz. waking, dream and sleep is supplemented by a of unbroken self-awareness which presupposes the integration of consciousness.
The complete study is divided into two volumes. Volume I studies the essentials of mysticism as mystic experience, Bhakti-rasa, grace, Sadhana, Karma and Bhakti Yoga, stages of spiritual progress, the Buddhist and Jain spiritual concepts, process of illumination and degrees of grace and Diksha. Volume II reveals the modern mystics of India as Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Vijayakrishna Gosvamin, Swamiji Maharaj, Vama Kshepa, Prabhu Jagadbandhu, Huzur Maharaj, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Santadasa Babaji, Raman Maharshi, and Mother Anandamayi. Vol. III is a critique of Indian mysticism.
Foreword Srimati Sobharani Basu has been for many years interested in the higher aspects of mysticism, a subject to which she has devoted practically all her time and attention for the last twenty three. She obtained for her thesis the D.Litt.Degree from the University of Calcutta and I think she is one of the very few students of Comparative Religion who has specialized in this subject. Her knowledge of mystic literature - Indian and Persian-is vast and extensive. Any encouragement given to her will be rewarding. This book in which she has collected her thoughts gives an account of the lives and teachings of some of the mystics of the last one hundred years. The treatment shows great devotion and discernment; and how the mystical love of God engages the whole being of man-knowledge, emotion book and will. I hope they will be widely read by students of philosophy and religion.
Introduction The following pages coming from the pen of a gifted lady deal with Indian Mysticism in some of its essential features as illustrated in the lives of the great saints of our land in the present age. The author sees these saints as mystics¹ and studies the mystical career of each in the light of her ideals of mysticism. The saints belong to different religious denominations, but it is well known that they have had in their lives an immediate experience of the Divine Reality behind all appearances.
Who is a mystic? It is difficult to answer the question. A mystic is not necessarily an occultist, although he may have some occult powers (telepathy, etc.) at his command. A mystic need not be an intellectual prodigy, though he may have all the blessings of the Pure Light. That the superhuman Light of Knowledge may be revealed to a mystic is not strange to Western mysticism. St. Ignatius is said to have comprehended marvelously a great number of truths pertaining to the faith and to the human sciences. These truths were so numerous and the light was so bright that he felt as if he had entered into a new and glorious world.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
