Shafts of Light: Spiritual Teachings of Swami Ashokananda

A valuable new guide to the practice of Vedanta and yoga,: based on spiritual instructions from Swami Ashokananda (1893–1969) to his close American disciples.

Vedanta’s eternal truths come alive in Swami Ashokananda’s down-to-earth words of encouragement and advice. More than eight hundred passages shed light on the spiritual path.

Early chapters show how to cope with negative attitudes by strengthening inner resources; later chapters such as “Be Calm“ and “Meditate” guide readers toward a higher state of consciousness. “Whatever the topic for contemplation, the Swami’s lessons hit their mark in ways both witty and wise—“God doesn’t care a fig whether you meditate on Him or not,” he told his students, freeing them to practice from the depths of their own needs

About Swami Ashokananda
 “Swami Ashokananda was a brilliant and accomplished spiritual teacher in the West.”—HUSTON SMITH

“Swami Ashokananda’s words … ignited in his listeners the longing for realization on their own.”—AMERICAN VEDANTIST

“Swami Ashokananda brought courage and strength to hundreds of lives.”—THE BEACON

SISTER GARGI (1912–2004) was a prominent literary figure and a respected monastic in the Ramakrishna Order. She wrote (as Marie Louise Burke) the six-volume classic Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries; recent books include her biography of Swami Ashokananda, A Heart Poured Out, and her spiritual memoir, A Disciple’s Journal.

SHELLEY BROWN, M.D. has edited and published Sister Gargi’s books since 2001. Dr. Brown is the author of Centred in Truth: The Story of Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda. She is a well-known Vedantist who lives in New York.