Spirit of Himalaya: The Story of a Truth Seeker

By Swami Amar Jyoti

The awe-inspiring adventures of an advanced seeker in the Himalayas and plains of India reveal profound truths about the role of the Satguru and the Yoga path to Enlightenment. This classic Story of a Truth Seeker, written as a novel, was written in the Himalayas and includes many personal experiences as well as those of seekers the author encountered. This is a sublimely inspiring account of one soul’s path to Liberation told with depth and compassion.

Swami Amar Jyoti has achieved a striking originality in his expressed talent not just for telling a story but also by enlightening his readers at the same time as he heightens their curiosity and enthusiasm. For its sincerity, originality and philosophical clarity this book deserves to be read again and again. Don’t miss it. —Yoga Journal

“Be mindful that no Master, however capable, can help a disciple unless that disciple helps himself by his own willingness and efforts. If you were simply a blind follower you could not have accomplished all this. The task of a seeker is not merely to acquire the mechanics of certain techniques but to be. The correct psychological disposition is achieved only after you grow out of a sense of selfishness.” —From the Book

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781622740369

Book preview

S P I R I T

OF HIMALAYA

The Story of a Truth Seeker

SWAMI AMAR JYOTI

Dedicated

to those countless souls

who are consciously or

unconsciously seeking

Perfection

Symbolic form of the Goddess Saraswati

CONTENTS

PRAISE FOR SPIRIT OF HIMALAYA

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD

PROLOGUE

1 DESIRES—SUMMER

2 DREAMS—MONSOONS

3 DREAMS WITHIN DREAMS—AUTUMN

4 SILENCE—WINTER

5 ENLIGHTENMENT—SPRING

EPILOGUE

NOTES

ABOUT SWAMI AMAR JYOTI

TRUTH CONSCIOUSNESS AND ASHRAMS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

COPYRIGHT

PRAISE FOR SPIRIT OF HIMALAYA

Swami Amar Jyoti has achieved a striking originality in his expressed talent not just for telling a story but also by enlightening his readers at the same time as he heightens their curiosity and enthusiasm. This book deserves to be read—again and again. Don’t miss it.

—John Dan Reib, author of Transformations

The story is impressive. Satyakam passes through various experiences in life until at last he attains spiritual maturity, becomes an illumined sage and dedicates himself to the sacred mission of bringing spiritual peace to mankind. Powerful truths are communicated here.

—Dr. P. S. Sastri, Ph.D. for Prabuddha Bharata, India

I just now finished reading [Spirit of Himalaya] and am still wrapped in its warm glow. It is a beautiful, inspiring treatise.

—Ruth Montgomery, author of 21 books including The World to Come: The Guides’ Long-Awaited Predictions for the Dawning Age

A beautiful story and an easy, wonderful way to absorb great and powerful truths. Gives the feeling of quietness and reverence for a truly spiritual journey.

—Association for Research and Enlightenment

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Swami Amar Jyoti was one of the main gurus who brought the real knowledge of Yoga and Vedanta to the West. He was notable for his gentleness, kindness, breadth of vision and quiet but profound manner…never running after mere outer appearances. Swami had a special humility that saw God in each creature and sought to help each person discover God in their own way.

—David Frawley, American Institute of Vedic Studies

Swami Amar Jyoti is a remarkable example of catholicity in religion… for whom God was both Father and Mother, more a Mother than Father. He traveled the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent and afterward throughout the United States and other countries, proclaiming the message of Liberation and Enlightenment to those famished souls groping in darkness, athirst for quenching water, hungry for that bread of life, which wholly satisfies our souls.

—Father Anthony Elenjimittam, Sat-Chit-Ananda Meditation Centre, Assisi, Italy

FOREWORD

SWAMI AMAR JYOTI began writing Spirit of Himalaya in 1978 while staying in the Kulu area of Himachal Pradesh in India. Partly based upon the author’s personal experiences and those of other holy men in the Himalayas, it presents a timeless story of the life of a spiritual aspirant.

The wisdom and resplendent example of the immortal Himalayan sages shines within these pages, yet the author has woven the narrative into a contemporary context, fitting its lofty message to the needs and deep concerns of modern man.

First published in 1979, this timeless classic is now available in Hindi, Marathi, Italian and Spanish editions. We are grateful to be presenting this first eBook edition. May the wisdom and example embodied in this Story of a Truth Seeker inspire and encourage your aspiration for the Supreme.

Truth Consciousness

January 2014

PROLOGUE

… is not the biography of any particular seeker or Master, nor the author’s autobiography. The characters, episodes and locations, isolated or as a whole, are not necessarily correlated with any individual.

But again, the story is really everyone’s; the steps taken here and the awakening within this soul may be anyone’s.

The truth contained in these pages has been presented as a story partly to further the reader’s interest in metaphysics, and also because life is itself a story, not only a philosophy.

The purpose is to present the Spirit of Himalaya, symbolic of the Eternal Wisdom and the beauty of Mother Nature, in such a way as to help unfold the Spirit of Man, for Man’s unfoldment lies in awakening the freedom of the Soul. There is an ancient saying:

God sleeps in the mineral

dreams in the plant

stirs in the animal

and awakes in man.

Although the story of this truth seeker is told through one tradition and culture, this is but a vehicle. The message is universal and eternal. It neither rejects nor advocates any one path, religion or culture, but completes all religious and spiritual aspirations of man.

author

1 DESIRES—SUMMER

… on the banks of the river Saraswati [1], near the village of Sonar Linga, lived a sage. In this far-off region of north central Himalaya, amidst snow-peaked mountains, the sage gazed down across the Saraswati at this last outpost of the Himalayan route. Perched high on the slopes at about 8000 feet, Sonar Village appeared as nothing more than a few brown huts clustered together. A villager or two cut wood in the tall pine forest, a few birds chirped here and there. Meadows dotted with pines rolled over the slopes, silent, lush and lovely. Gray boulders of various sizes lay all around the valley. Saraswati Kund, the source of the Saraswati river, was only one day’s hike away. The weather was cold, wet, fresh and invigorating.

Dawn vanished into the rising sun on the eastern peaks of the ranges. The sage emerged from his wooden hut carrying a begging bowl in his hand and proceeded to the river. He walked erect with a bearing worthy of a sage. He stood tall, with a broad forehead and matted hair flowing down to his waist; scanty clothing covered his lean body. His serene and pleasant countenance dispersed all doubts with its unspeakable peace and radiant joy. It was difficult to guess his age, but judging by his physical appearance, he was about sixty.

After finishing his bath in the cold river, the sage returned to the hut and put the water-filled bowl inside. As he came out of the door, a young man descended the slopes at the back of the hut. In a short while, the stranger reverently approached the holy man, and with awe touched his forehead to the sage’s bare feet. From his closed lips the holy man uttered a simple hnu—a sort of relaxed acknowledgement. The young man stood up, his face beaming, eyes shining and a sweet smile dancing on his lips. In no time his fatigue, seemingly from a long journey on foot, vanished. With a little impatience he waited for the next move from the holy man.

The sage sat down on a nearly flat stone and bade the stranger to sit on the one opposite.

"So you have come, Satyakam [2]," asserted the sage with satisfaction.

How do you know my name, sir? You seemed to know I was coming, didn’t you?

Without replying directly to the questions, as if taking them for granted, the sage continued: After you take a bath, eat and rest for today. Tomorrow you’ll receive your first lessons on the spiritual path.

But sir, I wanted to say so much about my search, my difficulties, your whereabouts, my aspirations…

Cutting him off in mid-sentence, the seer said abruptly with a firm and measured tone, "There needn’t be any formalities or introduction between a disciple and a Guru [3] of birth to birth acquaintance."

So you are my Guru from birth to birth! Saying this with astonishment and satisfaction, he became choked with emotion. His eyes brimmed with tears. He closed his eyes slowly with unspeakable joy, and tears rolled down his cheeks as his hands involuntarily folded in the manner of respectful greeting. His forehead bent down a little, but he could not hold himself further and fell spontaneously at the feet of the Master.

The Master touched Satyakam’s head with his right hand and slowly left the place.

The day moved on, rhythmic in ageless splendor; the sky was clear blue, snow glimmered on the peaks, a crow or two flew from one end of the valley to the other. Water rushed in the river, making the only sound in the valley. The lure and enchantment of the unspoiled waters beckoned Satyakam to relax and absorb the natural beauty.

Smoothly and methodically, Satyakam went on finishing his chores, respectfully taking, on occasion, necessary instructions from his mentor, till the day ended in peaceful dusk.

Calling him with a little indifference, the holy man said, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. You may retire to your hut now, pointing a little farther south.

Next morning a few patches of cloud filled the sky, but sunshine broke through—a blessing in this region of snow. The rainy season was still two months away. The two solitary figures silently ascended the mountainside behind the Master’s hut where Satyakam had appeared the day