5 Books on Spirituality which everyone must read

I am a voracious reader but I used to read mostly fiction. Slowly I graduated to self-help books but these days I am mostly reading books on spirituality. I must say that I am a little slow to read spiritual books as compared to fiction because spiritual books are a storehouse of wisdom. You have to read and sometimes re-read each line and reflect upon it to understand the depth of meaning. Here are 5 books on spirituality which are a must read:

1. Bhagavad Gita as it is The holy scripture of Bhagavad Gita is presented in this version with detailed explanations of the sacred verses. Srila Prabhupada (founder-acharya of ISKCON) has described in detail each verse with supporting texts from other scriptures. Bhagavad Gita has 700 verses which Lord Krishna spoke to Arjuna in the battlefield of Mahabharta when Arjuna expressed his inability to fight against his own cousins and teachers. Lord Krishna then speaks to Arjuna about the mysteries of the soul. Every verse in this book is amazing and will help you in overcoming the botherations of old age and death. The Sanskrit verses are explained beautifully with the exact translation and the detailed purports by Srila Prabhupada.
2. Autobiography of a Yogi This famous book narrates the story of Parmahansa Yogananda’s inspiring tale of leaving his motherland India and traveling to the West and teaching the concepts of meditation and yoga to the Westerners. It’s a beautiful book on courage, miracles and faith in the divine.
3. Celebrating Silence This book is a compilation of lectures by my spiritual master H.H.Sri Sri Ravishankar on a variety of topics. The topics include almost all those things you can think of which trouble you in your everyday life- anger, jealousy, greed, tolerance, faith, judgment, politics, love, lust, respect, surrender, mercy, compassion, ego, violence, religion, bliss and so on. It’s an ultimate book which helps you in understanding your inner self and leading a happy life.
4. The Journey Home : Autobiography of an American Swami It is an amazing book on self-realization by H.H. Radhanath Swami, a renowned spiritual leader from ISKCON. This book is an autobiographical account of the young Richard Slavin’s journey to India in search of his life’s purpose. This spiritual quest takes him from Chicago to India where he spends an entire year traveling throughout the country and living with different saints. Finally he found his path of Bhakti yoga in Vrindavana.
5. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success This small pocket-sized book by Deepak Chopra gives seven spiritual laws of success which are based on following the laws of nature. He emphasizes that success doesn’t just depends on hard work but on understanding the basic human nature and following the simple laws like the law of giving, detachment, karma, dharma etc. These simple laws have been beautifully explained by Deepak Chopra and each word is like poetry in prose. This small book is a storehouse of wisdom in simplified manner.

© 2017 Shaloo Walia All rights reserved

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17 comments

  1. I liked Chopra’s book that you mentioned. I’ve also read his “Way of the Wizard” multiple times. I have a copy of Bhagavad Gita as it is, but I haven’t read it. I have read Eknath Easwaran’s three volume commentary on the Bhagavad Gita which I would recommend. I’ll see if I can find the other three books on your list.

    1. Bhagvad Gita As It Is has elaborate commentaries by Srila Prabhupada who was such a great devotee of Lord Krishna. He has explained the verses as they were spoken by Lord Krishna thousands of years ago. References from other scriptures are given to support the explanations. I refrain from reading Bhagvad Gita commentaries by anyone else.

  2. Excellent recommendations !!!! I have read Bhagvat Gita and Autobiography of a Yogi; Will read the other books you recommended.
    Some other masterpieces have come from Sri Ramkrishna Pramhansa, Sarada Ma, Ma Anadamayi Ma, Swami Kriyananda. India is the Spiritual capital of the world and have many treasure to be unleashed.

    1. Exactly… Our scriptures itself are a treasure to be read and cherished. These days I am reading Srila Prabhupada’s books which are amazing.

  3. I read “Journey back home” and I was really impressed and felt very happy to read the account of Radhanath Swamiji. These days I follow him and watch his videos. He is so inspiring.

    Suggest you read one more book of Om Swami which is the story of a Software CTO renouncing everything including a multi million business and going to Himalayas in quest of attaining Jagat Janani. He writes inspiring blogs as well.

    http://omswami.com/archives

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