This book truly provides the sight of Maharishi in his element, in his native India. This picture book was published in 1986 and is unique. As the introduction to the book states,„The language of the book is image. Words only have an explanatory and illustrative function.”.
To those who knew Maharishi in the 1960s it is a memory of the original TM movement, when a holy master from India welcomed his disciples in his homeland and toured with some of them in his country. To those who could not be with Maharishi or joined the TM movement later, this book provides a glimpse of how close the disciples were to the master during those years.
The first part of the book covering 1961, and shows the the first Teacher Training Course held in Rishikesh.
The second part of the book shows Rishikesh and then Kashmir in 1969, which also happened to be the time when the Beatles group made meditation fashionable with young people.
The final part of the book jumps to 1980 during the great festivities at the Kmubha Mela in Hardwar.
The book has almost 80 high quality photos of Maharishi, the western disciples, the Shankaracharya of Jyotir-Math, other Indian saints and helpers of Maharishi including Jerry Jarvis the National Leader of USA.
To me this is a devotional book, that opens the heart, and whispers about the origins of a great movement that changed the world, and turned enough people to effective spirituality to avert a great calamity in 1970s and 1980s. The pictures taken before the internet age, offers a glimpse in to a simpler more innocent life of that era.
What text there is in the book is in German and English, but really anyone can enjoy the sight, the darshan of this book without reading it. Big thumbs up for this book!
Publisher: Hannemann Verlag
80 pages
Photos and text by: Frank Papentin
Available in Amazon and other online bookstores.