Title: Courage and the Quest
Subtitle: With the Wisdon of the Bagavadgita as Guide
Author: Dr. Kandasamy Arunachalam
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-5434-0105-9
Pages: 52
Genre: Non-Fiction, Philosophy
Reviewed by: Akhilesh Agroha
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
Dr. Kandasamy Arunachalam has done a remarkable summation of religious themes, comparisons and extrapolations from many sources including the Koran, the Zohar, the Bible, the Buddhist Cannon and the ancient Hindu Vedas and expanded upon with the Upanishads and other historical foundation beliefs, presenting his studious reveals in his book titled Courage and The Quest. His powerful writing is deeply laden with sentence after sentence of details which may very well be unfamiliar to many from the Western culture. In this way, his book is an excellent source of knowledge offering a concise and polished introduction to many as well as a clear recount of timeless beliefs to those more familiar with Eastern history.
I particularly liked his dissertation on yoga. First by defining the roots of the word from the Sanskirt Yui, meaning to join, he explains how the joining of the human soul with the universal soul of Paramatma brings a deep level of consciousness. With the stillness of body and mind, one is shown how to see without using their eyes, and to hear without using their ears, but to view and hear from deep within their thoughts. One requires devotion to successfully meditate within these constraints; one needs to have immense courage allowing for the liberation for renunciation of the ego. Following these teachings of Gnana Yoga becomes the path to wisdom.
In Courage and The Quest, Dr. Kandasamy Arunachalam does not lighten the intensity of his writing to allow for the introduction to those without any background; hence respecting the knowledge base of people of his peers and thus having a highly specialized level of articulation. It may be challenging for certain people to grasp the fundamental concepts on their first pass while reading this material, and it would be recommended to do subsequent readings. As being a book of 52 pages, upon completion I took some time to reflect on what was written, then engaged myself once again to a second reading.
As Dr. Kandasamy Arunachalam ends his book, he prints the blessing: May the EYE of the eye see the wisdom of the Scriptures. This kindness and unselfishness in his book is such to make this a blessing to those wishing to seek a deeper understanding of the peace capable for the human consciousness to bond a loving connection to life and our soul. Must read for people with an inquisitional bent of mind.
