Even among those who recognize the spiritual nature of humanity and the possibility of our knowing directly the Reality, which is hidden within the universe and ourselves, there are two schools of thought with regard to the methods by which this knowledge may be obtained. According to one, our spiritual progress depends entirely upon the grace of God, or Kripā, as it is called in Sanskrit.

(1898-1978). Eminent theosophical writer. Taimni was born in Lucknow, India, in a Kashmiri Brahman family. His father was Pandit Prem Kishen Taimni. Taimni’s mother passed away early, and he was brought up by his grandmother, who, a devotee of Lord R€ma, lovingly called him “Sri Ram.” With only a younger sister and an affectionate but reserved father, his childhood was lonely.

The yoga, or spiritual discipline, of devotion, usually religious devotion to one’s chosen deity (iṣṭa-devatā). In Hinduism, this would be Śiva, Viṣṇu, or one of their consorts, such as Kālī, or an incarnation (avatar) of Viṣṇu, such as Rāma or Krishna (as Kṛṣṇa).

MANY books have been ·written on the important subject of Self-Culture. Some of these books have been written by people whose outlook on life is coloured definitely either by materialism or religious orthodoxy, but practically all of them are based on the tacit assumption that we have to live only one life on this earth and should adopt such measures for self-improvement as will enable us to…

According to the highest doctrines of Occultism there is only one Ultimate Reality underlying both the manifest and unmanifest states of Being. This Reality is an Integrated State which is changeless, indivisible, without distinctions and utterly beyond human comprehension, though it can be known by direct perception by penetrating through and transcending all the levels of the "mind in the…

The most famous exponent, and in fact, the creator of the yogic discipline, was Patanjali, the great Indian philosopher and spiritual leader. Patanjali's Yoga-Sutras have evolved into one of the six classical schools of Indian philosophy and are the most quoted and most adopted of any yogic system. Celebrated author I. K.

The discussion about the nature of Samadhi in the first chapter of the Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali and the subtle mental processes which are involved in it might well give the impression that the technique of Yoga is not meant for the ordinary man and he can at best make only a theoretical study of the subject and must postpone its practical application to his own life for some future incarnation…