At the Eleventh Hour Audio Book: The Biography of Swami Rama [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Pandit Rajmani, Ph.D. Tigunait (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

The autobiography of Swami Rama with 24-page photo insert

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This biography of Himalayan Institute founder Swami Rama consists of anecdotes centering around the transmission of ascetic spiritual traditions from grandmaster to master to disciple. These tales of pilgrimages, initiations, revelations and miracles sometimes strain credulity, yet never fail to impart a sense of wonder and mystery. To wit, a begging bowl that miraculously refills with food is incredible, but apropos for the biography of a great sage. As told by Swami Rama's successor, Tigunait, these stories of the Swami are narrated in a style that falls somewhere between the critical distance of a scholar and the blind love of a disciple. Descriptions of the Swami's teaching methods reveal that his behavior could fluctuate inexplicably from kind to cruel. Although he holds a doctorate in Sanskrit from the University of Allahabad, Tagunait's many colorful stories characterizing the master-disciple relationship fail to clarify the dependence of ascetic practices on traditional Hinduism or even to the Vedic culture that Swami Rama claimed is at the heart of the Himalayan ascetic tradition. Nonetheless, this minor flaw should not deter readers from enjoying the account of Swami Rama's life and mission, particularly as very little is known about the relationship of ascetic practices to the wider scriptural traditions of India. This biography will fascinate readers who are interested in transnational Hinduism, science and spirituality (Swami Rama's control over involuntary physiological processes is well documented), and the mysteries of spiritual awakening.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Tigunait presents a riveting and enlightening biography of the master he loves and respects, interweaving the story of Swami Rama's life, philosophy, and experiences with the wisdom of the masters throughout the ages. For devotees and practitioners of yoga or Eastern meditation, there is much to digest: Swami's place in India, his contribution to hatha yoga, his seemingly miraculous mind-body abilities, and his role as director of the Himalayan Institute in Pennsylvania. Tigunait reveals the contrasts in Swami's approach he is kind one day and seemingly harsh the next and shows how they are not so opposed to each other. As the disciple of the master Swami and his adopted son chosen to carry on his work, Tigunait, conveys the story with devotion and genuineness, sharing both his surprises and assurances. His regular contributions to Yoga International magazine and two doctorates lend weight to this biography. Recommended for biography collections and for sections covering yoga, spiritual healing, contemporary religious practices, and self-help guides. Leroy Hommerding, Fort Myers Beach P.L., FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Himalayan Inst Pr (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893892238
• ISBN-13: 978-0893892234
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,325,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great source of wisdom and inspiration, March 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama (Hardcover)

Every page in this book provides the reader something to learn and contemplate on, besides making fascinating reading.As an indian and a hindu familiar with most of the places and practices described in the book,it was wonderfull to gain deeper insights into them from an accomplished master.If you wish to understand the great traditions which are the bedrock of indian culture and hinduism, i urge you to read this book. i am sure you'll come back to it again and again. pandit tigunait has done a great service to seekers in bringing swami rama's life and message to the world.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless Gem, June 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama (Hardcover)

This book is an outstanding opportunity for anyone who wishes to catch invaluable wisdom that has been handed down a lineage of great yogi's for thousands of years. This book literally has a life force of it's own much in the same way as 'Living with the Himalayan Masters' and 'Autobiography of Yogi', that will continue to reveal many more gifts each time it is read. While Swami Rama was born and raised in the Himalayan cave monastaries, when his master sent him to the west it was not to propagate any religion, "isims", "anities" or other forms of spiritual dogma. His master led him to the west to build a bridge between east and west which he clearly started at the Menninger Foundation in Kansas in the early 1970's by stoping his heart and voluntarily making it max out the limits of the testing equipment at 312 beats per minute. This book takes you through most of the Swami's life history but it's biggest gift is the intimate manner in which it is written, which makes the reader feel like she or he is the one these teachings are being imparted to. For those who are willing to walk the path of real spiritual progress ... this book will prove to be an endless source of inspiration.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and thought-provoking, January 1, 2004

By 

Marc Beneteau (Norristown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama (Hardcover)

Anyone with an interest in spiritual traditions of Northern India (yoga, Vedanta philosophy, tantra etc) should read this book. It is the fascinating story of Swami Rama - modern day saint, mystic, social entrepreneur, yogi, scholar and musician - written in a first-hand dramatic style by his heir and disciple, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (current director of the Himalayan Institute and something of an enlightened being himself). Although the stories sometimes strain credulity (bowls that fill themselves, spiritual beings taking human form, transmission of objects over distance etc) the more one reads and gets into the story the more one starts to think that anything is possible for these people. There is, for example, the documented story of the "swami prince" who died and was about to be cremated, was washed away by a sudden flash flood, found by Swami Rama's master, resuscitated and returned years later to claim his throne, successfully, in India most famous legal case. Also Yogananda in "Autobiography of a yogi" tells some pretty incredible things. What is certain is that this man was a living master and everybody has something to learn from his story. As one of the reviewers mentioned, the Swami's sexual indiscretions and apparent abuses of power are glossed-over (or not mentioned at all) which is unfortunate but probably only what could be expected. For details of this see the 1990 Yoga Journal article. In any case this is a book with a profound message and impact, along with its companion volume "Living with the Himalayan Masters" written by Swami Rama.