The Holy Science [Hardcover]

Swami Sri Yukteswar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1990

This extraordinary treatise explores parallel passages from the Bible and the Hindu scriptures to reveal the essential unity of all religions. Swami Sri Yukteswar is renowned as the revered guru of the great pioneer of yoga in the West, Paramahansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi). In this remarkable work - composed in the year 1894 at the request of the great Indian sage, Mahavatar Babaji - Sri Yukteswar outlines the universal path that every human being must travel to enlightenment. He also explains the vast recurring cycles of history - the yugas that mark the upward ascent of human consciousness over millenniums - amid the ever-changing panorama of turbulent world events.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

(From the Preface to Autobiography of a Yogi by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, M.A., D.Litt., D.Sc., Jesus College, Oxford: Author and translator of many classic works on yoga and the wisdom traditions of the East, including Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, Tibet s Great Yogi Milarepa, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead.)

It has been my privilege to meet one of the sages whose life history is herein narrated Sri Yukteswar Giri....It was at Puri, in Orissa, on the Bay of Bengal, that I encountered Sri Yukteswar. He was then the head of a quiet ashrama near the seashore there, and was chiefly occupied in the spiritual training of a group of youthful disciples....Sri Yukteswar was of gentle mien and voice, of pleasing presence, and worthy of the veneration that his followers spontaneously accorded to him. Every person who knew him, whether of his own community or not, held him in the highest esteem. I vividly recall his tall, straight, ascetic figure, robed in the saffron-colored garb of one who has renounced worldly quests, as he stood at the entrance of the hermitage to give me welcome. His hair was long and somewhat curly, and his face bearded. His body was muscularly firm, but slender and well-formed, and his step energetic....I am glad, indeed, to be able to record this testimony to the high character and holiness of Sri Yukteswar. Content to remain afar from the multitude, he gave himself unreservedly and in tranquility to that ideal life which Paramahansa Yogananda, his disciple, has now described for the ages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Self-Realization Fellowship; 7th edition (December 31, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876120516
• ISBN-13: 978-0876120514
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions
  • #15 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism
  • #23 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion

More About the Author

(From the Preface to Autobiography of a Yogi by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, M.A., D.Litt., D.Sc., Jesus College, Oxford: Author and translator of many classic works on yoga and the wisdom traditions of the East, including Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, Tibet s Great Yogi Milarepa, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead.)

It has been my privilege to meet one of the sages whose life history is herein narrated Sri Yukteswar Giri....It was at Puri, in Orissa, on the Bay of Bengal, that I encountered Sri Yukteswar. He was then the head of a quiet ashrama near the seashore there, and was chiefly occupied in the spiritual training of a group of youthful disciples....Sri Yukteswar was of gentle mien and voice, of pleasing presence, and worthy of the veneration that his followers spontaneously accorded to him. Every person who knew him, whether of his own community or not, held him in the highest esteem. I vividly recall his tall, straight, ascetic figure, robed in the saffron-colored garb of one who has renounced worldly quests, as he stood at the entrance of the hermitage to give me welcome. His hair was long and somewhat curly, and his face bearded. His body was muscularly firm, but slender and well-formed, and his step energetic....I am glad, indeed, to be able to record this testimony to the high character and holiness of Sri Yukteswar. Content to remain afar from the multitude, he gave himself unreservedly and in tranquility to that ideal life which Paramahansa Yogananda, his disciple, has now described for the ages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 140 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Eternal Religion -- pervading ALL religions . . ., December 18, 2002

By 

richardpinneau.com (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Holy Science (Hardcover)

Swami Sri Yukteswar (1855-1936), whose westernly-known disciple was Paramahansa Yogananda, was a quiet, demanding Bengali teacher of Kriya Yoga, the advanced form of raja (meditative) yoga that Yogananda has made so popular in the west. Sri Yukteswarji, however, did not have the effusive, entertaining style of his popular disciple, nor did he write in as easily accessible manner. This slender volume is nevertheless to be highly recommended to the serious student of yoga philosophy or raja practice, and especially to students of Kriya Yoga, for whom Sri Yukteswar's penetrating insights will fit together important puzzle-pieces of the yoga spiritual path. (Beginners to yoga philosophy and practice would be well advised first to read Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi" -- perhaps a few times and taking in even the technical footnotes -- before tackling "The Holy Science." )

The swami defines his volume's purpose to be: showing the essential unity of *all* religions. It is, but the emphasis definitely centers on parallels between John's gospel and Revelation and the yoga principles of India's Sankhya philosophy "Sanatan Dharma." Some of the most arresting parallels presented concern the way both teachings present concepts of "The Word", "Holy Baptism", and "Messiah/Satguru". Sri Yukteswarji does not expend extra words attempting to make unity persuasive to those who have a dogmatic conviction that their religion (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, or whatever) has the "true" hold on "truth," so those who are so persuaded can safely skip this work. If, however, you have always had a nagging intuitive sense that there ought to be One Truth behind all versions of religious truth, time spent to assimilate the swami's realizations will be well repaid.

As a bonus there is a fascinating introductory chapter which explains India's macro-astrology and the astronomical progression of the equinoxes ( the phenomenon which leads western astrologers to speak of the coming "age of Aquarius"). This introduction to the Indian astrological system reveals it to be remarkably sophisticated -- offering reason to pause and reflect on the implications of a possible cyclical nature of *spiritual* ages ("yugas" to India) -- and new hope that humanity's spirituality will start to catch up with its technology... providing we attend to our dharmas!

Not an *easy* read -- but if you think you're ready for it, it can be an extremely rewarding one.

PS: Although as of this writing the Amazon photo of the jacket makes this appear to be the Spanish translation of the work, this ISBN ( 0876120516 ) is actually correct for the English language edition.

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom of the Ages, January 4, 2005

By 

Walter Cruttenden "Archeoastronomy Theorist" (Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Holy Science (Hardcover)

At first reading this short book may seem too deep to cognize. But after study and reflection the Truths encased in this obscure treatise begin to roll around in your mind like a sacred vibration awakening the consciouness long after the words have been read.

For example, one point in the introduction regarding the yuga cycle has led me to a complete new understanding of history: it is a cycle not a linear progression, see www.TheGreatYear.com and another comment on the length and cause of precession (opposed to the lunisolar precession theory) has opened my eyes to the correct celestial mechanics of our local system, see www.BinaryResearchInstitute.org. I just can't say enough about this book and the profound wisdom of its author.

Commissioned by Babaji at one of the most sacred spots on the planet, The Holy Science is a book ahead of its time. It is not for all, however, if you already meditate and you are seeking a deeper understanding of world ages, knowledge of cosmic order and the keys to a mystic life, get this book. The kinetic wisdom of its pages will kindle the love of Christ within you - into a bonfire of joy!

WC

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SPIRITUAL GIANT SINGS OUT ACROSS TIME, November 19, 2002

By 

MICHAEL HAIGH (ROTHERFIELD, EAST SUSSEX United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Holy Science (Hardcover)

Swami Sri Yukteswar's only book stands alone in that it was commissioned by the great Babaji for a specific purpose.(see Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda). It is difficult to grasp in many places but his wisdom and clarity are unmatched. His message rings out across the ages. It needs to be read in the context of Yoganada's Autobiography because it then becomes evident what a great being he was in that incarnation.