Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition (Paperback)

by Marshall Govindan (Editor) "Babaji is a great master of yoga living today in the Himalayas who is sometimes called Kriya Babaji Nagaraj, Mahavatar Babaji or Shiva Baba..." (more)
Key Phrases: Tamil Nadu, Sri Aurobindo, Lord Shiva (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"An excellent contribution to the little known science of immortality." -- C. Srinivasan, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Botany, Annamalai University, India

"It is the most accurate and comprehensive exposition of the ancient Kriya Yoga tradition and method published in English to date" -- E. Ayyappa, a long time disciple of Babaji

Product Description
The first authoritative biography of Babaji, the immortal master made famous by Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, an all-time best-seller. Babaji lives today near Badrinath, in the upper Himalayan mountains. His body has not aged since the age of sixteen, when centuries ago he attained the supreme state of enlightenment and divine transformation. This followed his initiation into scientific art of Kriya Yoga by two deathless masters, the siddhas Agastyar and Boganathar, who belonged to the "18 Siddha Tradition", famous among the Tamil speaking people of southern India. This rare account, by a long time disciple, reveals their little known stories, ancient culture and present mission, as well as how their Kriya Yoga can be used to bring about the integration of the material and spiritual dimensions of life. Clear explanations of the psychophysiological effects of Kriya Yoga and guidelines for its practice are given. It includes verses from the Siddhas' writings with commentary. A book which will inspire you.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: Kriya Yoga Publications; 2nd edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1895383005
• ISBN-13: 978-1895383003
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #97,814 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, April 27, 2001

By	Victoria Mihalyi (Sharon, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Marshall Govindan writes with insight and intelligence on the history of the Siddhas. It is, therefore, very difficult to understand the motivation behind some of the scathing reviews on this page - perhaps it is a matter of Govindan having offended the fundamentalist Christian mindset by delving into the topic of immortality; although one wonders why such people would even pick up a book like this one. I would have liked to see more information on Babaji himself, as the current offering is rather sketchy. Nevertheless, the book is well-researched and illuminated by Govindan's gentle style. It is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in following the paths of the Siddhas, particularly the ones who have allegedly transformed the physical body into an immortal vehicle, transcending ageing and death. Govindan also gives us a concise and well-organized overview of Kriya Yoga making this book an excellent introduction to the topic.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless Knowledge for Seekers of Truth, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

After having read Autobiography of a Yogi, I felt eager for more information on the ultimate source of this Yoga lineage. While I was interested in taking the Kriya Yoga path I could not do so unless I knew the whole story.

I believe I found it in the book Babaji & the 18 Siddhas. The author not only provides details of the lives and accomplishments of these masters of Yoga. He also grounds their existence into the historical and geographical context of ancient India. It helps us to connect more easily with this little known lineage of Yoga masters.

Finally the book is also very practical in giving us the great lines of the various techniques offered to achieve not only spiritual enlightenment but also physical immortality. Yes the promises seem too good to be true. Yet the author writes in a factual and knowing manner. While it remains for each of us to decide whether this is truth or not,no one who is serious in their search for enlightenment thru the Yoga way should be without this book.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspiring book for humanity!, May 3, 2005

By	Siva Balan "Cosmic Consciousness" (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book revels the unlimited potential of human evolution.It shows that the current human development is at its infancy and it is very possible to achieve immortality with the human body.

To prove my point I would like to recommend other inspiring books such as the ''conversations with God series'' by Neale Donald Walsch which clearly states that the human body is designed to exist for eternity. That book also revels that our current physical, spiritual, intellectual and technological development is at its infancy compared to other civilizations in the universe.

There is a striking similarity between these books. M. Govindan has shown that Mahavatar Babaji and the other perfected beings are not myths. In the ''The Complete Conversations with God (Boxed Set)'' series, God has also revealed that a number of human beings had achieved immortality in the physical plane and He made a reference to Babaji as an example!

The main reason that this book as received some negative reviews is because the readers themselves do not believe in their own divinity. Didn't Jesus teach that we are all gods and the kingdom of heaven is within us?

I highly recommend this book for those who wish to improve themselves in their thoughts, words and deeds. This book shows that nothing is impossible to achieve.