Deborah Walker-Assanga

The power of mantras comes not from the meaning of the symbols, but from their direct vibrational effect on our body's physiological and energetic systems. Ashley-Farrand also teaches that Sanskrit is an energy-based language and mantras are spiritual formulas for working with this energy. They are desgined to eliminate obstacles as we progress spiritually, and help us to make energetic progress toward good.

Sri Yukteswar said you can't take one step on the spiritual path until you've awakened the natural love of the heart. Swami Kriyananda gives us insights and examples on how to remove the layers we have built up around our hearts, helping us to unfold our heart's natural love.

Shiva, 'the destroyer' among the Hindu trinity (of gods), is depicted in many contradictory manners. He is an ascetic who wears animal skin, his body smeared with ashes. Contradictory to his wild nature, he is also depicted as having a family, with a beautiful wife and two children. There are many more such varied representations of Shiva, the most prominent of these being the Linga and the Nataraja. The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, introduces the readers to these varied aspects and representations.