I have always been a bargain hunter be it books, clothing, groceries, etc. That's how my collection of books grew. Today we received another batch of books purchased from the reason Big Bad Wolf Book Fair that is usually held at a large convention center in my neighborhood, this year had gone online due to the pandemic. These four titles were added to my existing library.
I have had several books that came my way mysteriously. These stand above the others and are treasured most.
"The Autobiography of a Yogi" was one such book. My colleague Segaran who left his job to become a monk at Paramahansa Yogananda's Ranchi Ashram passed me a copy as a parting gift, with a painting of Lord Shiva and some wonderful words of advise in 1994. I read through the book and was amazed to follow the personal account of his journey. I learned about the marvelous saints whom he had met through his writing. Along the way, I thought I had loaned it to someone to read but ended up that she negated it. I felt I had lost a treasure.
Several years later another copy was waiting for me at my office, left behind by who else but the mysterious hand of the divine. A colleague had transferred out of the office. I help him cart his belongings to his car and came back to check his office space if he had left anything behind. Nope. It was all cleared out. Several days later as I walked by his former place I thought I saw a book on his table. There was this book lying alone waiting to catch my glance. I took ownership of the book as I was the last standing bookworm at my office. I literally had read the book till it split into two.
This book drove me to compile the precious moments when a seeker meets up with his master. Hence the born "First Encounters with the Masters" took shape.
Another book that came mysteriously was Swami Saravanananda's English rendition of Ramalinga Adigal's "Arutperunjothi Agaval", published by Ramalinga Mission Chennai. This book too was waiting for me at Sathya Gnana Sabai Vadalur in 2003. I was browsing through the books laid out at this tiny bookstall at the entrance to this temple while waiting for the mid-morning prayers to commence. The elderly man attending to the stall asked if I wanted this and immediately reached for the top of a wooden closet. He picked up this lone book and passed it to me. It was soiled and appeared to be a wet book that was rescued. I flipped through it and immediately was drawn to its contents. When I asked him for its price he left it to me. I gave him a small token. It was a sheer joy reading the rare account of the transformation of Ramalinga Adigal to light. I was very impressed by the transformation in Ramalinga Adigal. But could not visualize or understand then. It's only when you experience things that you can relate to what the saints and elders have told us. When Jnana Jothiamma visited my home in 2013, I wanted to gift her with something that was treasurable. I gave my copy of the book to her. Since then I have asked all who traveled to Chennai to look for it. Never got it. It is out of stock online too. We gain an insight into the mystery of the Siddhas and alchemy, not externally as in making gold but internally in changing one's body into gold. This book inspired me to pick up certain portions of the author's account of ‘Infinite god in finite man’ and the book "Arutperunjhothi Agaval" took shape.
There were many books that inspired me on this journey. P.Karthigayan's well-researched book on the "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016 deserves praise for his effort. It was enlightening too.
The sole book that my first Guru wrote by hand and posted to me took the shape of "Gnana Sutiram".