Books published by Nilgiri Press

Easwaran's best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita is reliable, readable, and profound. Easwaran's 55-page introduction places the Bhagavad Gita in its historical context, presents key concepts, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. This edition includes chapter introductions, notes and a Sanskrit glossary. Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition in India, learned Sanskrit from a young age, and became a professor of English literature before coming to the West. He is a gifted teacher and an authority on the Indian classics and world mysticism. The Bhagavad Gita opens, dramatically, on a battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. Yet the Gita is not what it seems - it's not a dialogue between two mythical figures at the dawn of Indian history. "e;The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita's subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious."e;

Easwaran's best-selling translation of the ancient wisdom texts called the Upanishads is reliable, readable, and profound.In the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. In extraordinary visions, they have direct experience of a transcendent Reality which is the essence, or Self, of each created being. They teach that each of us, each Self, is eternal, deathless, one with the power that created the universe. Easwaran's translation of the principal Upanishads and five others includes an overview of the cultural and historical setting, with chapter introductions, notes, and a Sanskrit glossary. But it is Easwaran's understanding of the wisdom of the Upanishads that makes this edition truly outstanding. Each sage, each Upanishad, appeals in a different way to the reader's head and heart. In the end, Easwaran writes, "e;The Upanishads are part of India's precious legacy, not just to Hinduism but to humanity, and in that spirit they are offered here."e;

Make your life a message of hope, love, and purpose.No matter what crises may threaten the world, you can live in harmony with your highest ideals - and help others to do the same. This practical and inspiring book, a classic from a much-loved spiritual teacher, shows how.You can find harmony with yourself by gaining mastery of your internal environment, a world within of thoughts, desires, and feelings as real as the world outside.You can build harmony in your relationships with family, colleagues, and your community by learning to love more fully than you had thought possible.You can establish harmony with the physical environment by living your life to ensure, in every way, a brighter future for all our children.By making small changes, day by day, you can support the health, happiness, and well-being of everyone around you.

This warm, practical commentary by the author of the best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita helps us understand and apply the Gita's teachings, to find meaning, peace, and wisdom in our lives.

This warm, practical commentary by the author of the best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita helps us understand and apply the Gita's teachings, to find meaning, peace, and wisdom in our lives.

This warm, practical commentary by the author of the best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita helps us understand and apply the Gita's teachings, to find meaning, peace, and wisdom in our lives.

Easwaran's classic manual on meditation and spiritual living is a unique source of practical spiritual support for new and experienced meditators. Easwaran taught passage meditation for over forty years, and his class at the University of California, Berkeley was the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. He is the author of the best-selling translation in English of the Bhagavad Gita, India's best-known scripture. In passage meditation, you focus attention on passages or texts from the world's wisdom traditions that are positive, practical, and uplifting, and that fit with your own religious or non-religious beliefs. This universal method of meditation stays fresh and inspiring, prompting you to live out your highest ideals, and the mantram and six other spiritual tools help you to stay calm, kind, and focused throughout the day. This book shows how, with regular practice, you gain wisdom and vitality, and find a life that fulfills. This fourth edition of Passage Meditation has been extended by over thirty percent to include Easwaran's answers to more than 100 questions posed by his students in question and answer sessions. It gives all the instruction needed to establish a vibrant meditation practice and keep it going.

In this companion to his best-selling translation of The Dhammapada, Eknath Easwaran explains how The Dhammapada is a perfect map for the spiritual journey.Said to be the text closest to the Buddhas actual words, The Dhammapada is a collection of short teachings that his disciples memorized during his lifetime. Easwaran presents The Dhammapada as a guide to spiritual perseverance, progress, and ultimately enlightenment a heroic confrontation with life as it really is, with straight answers to our deepest questions. We witness the heartbreak of death, for instance what does that mean for us? What is love? How does karma work? How do we follow the spiritual life in the midst of work and family? Does nirvana really exist, and if so, what is it like to be illumined?In his interpretation of Buddhist themes, illustrated with stories from the Buddhas life, Easwaran offers a view of the concept of Right Understanding that is both exhilarating and instructive. He shares his experiences on the spiritual path, giving the advice that only an experienced teacher and practitioner can offer, and urges us to answer for ourselves the Buddhas call to nirvana that mysterious, enduring state of wisdom, joy, and peace.

Through stories, insights, and step-by-step advice, Easwaran shows us how to calm our minds.When the mind is unhurried, we are patient, kind, and focused, ready to respond to what really matters amidst the clamor of a busy day. The secret is to train our minds to work steadily and with one-pointed attention, however many tasks confront us.For over forty years, Easwaran taught meditation and the wisdom of slowing down. As we read, we find ourselves in situations where we may get impatient or upset - standing in line, dealing with difficult colleagues, shopping with children with agendas of their own - but as Easwaran relates each event, we see it from the perspective of an unhurried mind. And we see small ways to change how we respond, opening the door to rich, loving relationships, creative and productive work, and a quiet sense of joy that can permeate our lives.

As we learn to rejoice in “Lord God, thou holy lover of my soul,” we begin to glimpse the transformative power of divine love in our lives. In this anecdotal, warm, and intensely practical commentary on Thomas a Kempis’s Imitation of Christ, Easwaran examines this enduring Christian passage line by line to show us what love is and how to overcome obstacles to loving more fully.

In this companion to his best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita, Easwaran explores the essential themes of this much-loved Indian scripture.Placing the Gita in a modern context, Easwaran shows how this classic text sheds light on the nature of reality, the illusion of separateness, the search for identity, and the meaning of yoga. The key message of the Gita is how to resolve our conflicts and live in harmony with the deep unity of life, through the principles of yoga and the practice of meditation. Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition and learned Sanskrit from an early age. A foremost translator and interpreter of the Gita, he taught classes on it for forty years, while living out the principles of the Gita in the midst of a busy family and community life. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna, the Lord, doesn't tell the warrior prince Arjuna what to do: he shows Arjuna his choices and then leaves it to Arjuna to decide. Easwaran, too, shows us clearly how these teachings still apply to us - and how, like Arjuna, we must take courage and act wisely if we want our world to thrive.

Uncover the core of goodness within.Love, compassion, meaning, hope, and freedom from fear are not qualities we need to acquire. We simply need to uncover what we already have. Original goodness is Eknath Easwaran's phrase for this spark of divinity hidden in every one of us, regardless of our personal liabilities or past mistakes.Easwaran is one of the twentieth century's great spiritual teachers and an authentic guide to timeless wisdom. His books on meditation, spiritual living, and the classics of world mysticism have been translated into twenty-six languages.Commenting on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, Easwaran shows how this spark of divinity can energize our lives - beginning with a simple method of meditation that gradually removes the conditioning that hides our native goodness.Revised second edition (July 2017) has a new cover, minor corrections, and a comfortable new size and updated interior layout

This is the story of Gandhi's spiritual evolution - the turning points and choices that made him not just a great political leader but also a timeless icon of nonviolence.Eknath Easwaran grew up in India and witnessed how Gandhi inspired people of all races, backgrounds, and religions to turn anger into compassion and hatred into love.How had Gandhi transformed himself from an ineffective young lawyer into the Mahatma, the "e;great soul"e; who led 400 million ordinary men and women in their nonviolent struggle for independence? To find out, Easwaran visited Gandhi's ashram and watched the Mahatma absorbed in meditation on the Bhagavad Gita - the wellspring of Gandhi's spiritual strength.Easwaran, a leading authority on the Bhagavad Gita and on spiritual living, explains the principles underlying Gandhi's nonviolence. He highlights how we can all use Gandhi's teachings to make our families, workplaces, and communities more peaceful in the world today.More than 70 photographs illustrate his life, and a detailed chronology provides historical context.

Life-affirming and lyrical writings for inspiration and meditation, from saints and sages of the Christian, Hindu, Sufi, Jewish, Native American, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions. Eknath Easwaran taught spiritual living for nearly 40 years and drew deep, ongoing inspiration from the sacred literature of the world's traditions. Read these 149 passages for daily inspiration, for the insights they give into other spiritual traditions, for the light they throw on how to live, for the sustenance they offer when we feel sad or tired, and for the deep transformation they can bring in Easwaran's spiritual practice of passage meditation.Rich supporting material includes detailed background notes, suggestions for memorization and for studying the texts, and instruction in using these sacred writings in passage meditation.

Easwaran takes the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics and shows how we can train the mind not just during meditation but throughout the day. Feeling trapped by unwanted thoughts and emotions can seem an inevitable part of life. But Easwaran, who taught meditation for nearly forty years, shows a way to break free. Just as a fitness routine can create a strong, supple body, spiritual disciplines can shape a secure personality and a resilient, loving mind. Writing as an experienced, friendly coach, Easwaran takes the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics and shows how we can train the mind not just during meditation but throughout the day. Working with difficult colleagues, choosing what to eat, and listening to a child's needs are all opportunities to try out different, wiser responses. Easwaran shows how training the mind is a glorious challenge - one that brings joy and purpose to life.

Timeless Wisdom is a collection of universal texts for study, meditation, and inspiration, selected by Eknath Easwaran, the originator of passage meditation. An authority on world mysticism, and outstanding translator of the Indian classics, Easwaran chose texts that are positive, practical, and inspiring, which express the universal ideals of love, patience, inner strength, and wisdom. Here are flashes of insight from the Hindu Upanishads, prayers of comfort from the Christian saints, the passionate songs of the Sufis, and deep wisdom from the Jewish, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions.By reminding us of our essential goodness, they give us hope. Through the legacy of their words, they show us what it means to think in freedom, love fully, and see life as it really is.This portable, compact anthology includes 95 passages from Easwaran's popular God Makes the Rivers to Flow plus nine new ones.

Use your mantram when you're ill or anxious, tired or restless, and it will guide you and comfort you like a true friend.The Mantram, or mantra, is a short, powerful, spiritual formula from the world's great traditions, repeated silently in the mind, anytime, anywhere. Easwaran, the author of Passage Meditation and the best-selling translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads and The Dhammapada, taught the use of the mantram for forty years as part of his passage meditation program. The mantram can help you to steady your mind and free it from anxiety, anger or resentment. Easwaran explains how the mantram works, and gives practical guidelines for using it to focus your thoughts and access deeper resources of strength, patience, and love.

Easwaran's best-selling translation of this classic Buddhist text The Dhammapada is reliable, readable, and profound. Dhammapada means "e;the path of dharma,"e; the path of harmony and righteousness that anyone can follow to reach the highest good. The Dhammapada is a collection of verses, gathered probably from direct disciples who wanted to preserve what they had heard from the Buddha himself. Easwaran's comprehensive introduction to the Dhammapada gives an overview of the Buddha's teachings that is penetrating, and clear - accessible for readers new to Buddhism, but also with fresh insights and practical applications for readers familiar with this text. His translation is based on the original Pali. Chapter introductions, notes and a Sanskrit glossary place individual verses into the context of the broader Buddhist canon. Easwaran is a master storyteller, and the introduction includes many stories that make moving, memorable reading, bringing young Siddhartha and his heroic spiritual quest vividly to life. This faithful interpretation brings us closer to the compassionate heart of the Buddha.

The Katha Upanishad embraces the key ideas of Indian mysticism in a mythic story we can all relate to - the quest of a young hero, Nachiketa, who ventures into the land of death in search of immortality. But the insights of the Katha are scattered, hard to understand. Easwaran presents them systematically, and practically, as a way to explore deeper and deeper levels of personality, and to answer the age-old question, "e;Who am I?"e; Easwaran grew up in India, learned Sanskrit from a young age, and became a professor of English literature before coming to the West. His translation of The Upanishads is the best-selling edition in English. For students of philosophy and of Indian spirituality, and readers of wisdom literature everywhere, Easwaran's interpretation of this classic helps us in our own quest into the meaning of our lives.

The progeny of a Muslim tribe steeped in a tradition of blood revenge, Badshah Khan raised history's first nonviolent army and joined Mahatma Gandhi in civil disobedience to British rule in India. His story of hard-won victory offers inspiration for nonviolent solutions to today's world struggles.