not just about Budapest but about any city. Passionate, opinionated, deeply in love with his subject, Torok introduces the reader both to the soul of one of the world's most soulful cities and to its haunts, dives, corners, and backwaters. Read it a week before you go, brush up on the way there, immerse yourself in Torok's Budapest, and yopu will experience the city in a way that none of the other available guides can begin to convey. This is , in fact, more than a guidebook, it is a work of travel literature, a genre that has perhaps been subordinated to eensy weensy full color photos and plastic covered pull-out maps. It is almost as much of a pleasure to savor the book's flavor as it is to travel the paths it recommends.

If you are going to Budapest for more than a day, you have to buy this book. I am a bit of a connoisseur of guide books, so I brought a few with me to Budapest. All of them included walks, but only this book had walks that made you feel like you were understanding what makes Budapest tick. All of the guide books talked about what to do, but only Mr. Torok carefully tells you what people in Budapest do, and what tourists in Budapest do. We carried this book around with us everywhere. I also carried the Eyewitness Budapest guide with me for its pretty pictures. If you buy one book, I suggest Torok's guide; and if you buy two, one has to be Torok's guide. Buy a couple books on Budapest, you can always sell it here on Amazon when you get back.

This is one of the best guidebooks I've ever encountered. Not only was it informative and enlightening, but it was extremely amusing and entertaining.

First of all, I've read the Heart of India series 4 times so I know that when I say that this is an amazing series you can trust me. If you have never read any of Linda Chaikin's books this is the one to start with. I give this book to my friends who are looking for a good read. The biggest complaint about this book that I've heard is that the beginning is kind of slow. Once I read the rest of Chaikin's books I agreed, but if you read this book first you won't even notice that it's a little slow because you'll be so wrapped up in the adventure, mystery, and intrigue. This book takes place in 18th century India. Chaikin did a remarkable job in describing the Hindu culture and the tension between them and the English who live in India, like the main characters, Coral Kendall and Jace Buckley. Chaikin also puts hisorical characters into her books, such as William Carey and John Newton (the man who wrote "Amazing Grace.")Please take my advice and read this book series. You won't regret it.

All three books were fabulous, but I liked the last one, Kingscote, the best. They just kept getting better! They'll keep you in suspense. I recommend these to anyone!

When I first started reading the first of the three books, I was in awe that one person could keep so much faith after such tragities. And the irony when Coral & Jace fall in love gives so much hope to all who read this series.

To have a work of this philosophic profoundness translated by someone who was himself steeped in the very same tradition as the work that he is translating is a privelege.
Swami Nikhilananda was a genuine Hindu holy man who was also a scholar and he brings to this translation rare insights that can only be found from the actual experience of what he is writing of.
Be careful of premature comparisons between the Upanishads and the teachings of Buddhism: While there are similarities between both traditions, they are each distinct and have their own value and integrity as religious systems and both make a decided contribution to the wisdom of the religions of the east.

This volume contains most of the stories told in the Buddhist Teachings. Many examples seen in this volume can also be found in the Teachings of the Buddha Gotama. Brahman is explained through symbols like the "elements" (air, fire,...), objects for meditation, short stories that also appear in the Buddhist literature. However, these examples and stories are explained in a rather crude manner in this volume, compared to what can be found in the Buddhist Teachings. The advantage being that they are presented in a condensed manner here, with the most profound ones in this single volume...

So if your purpose is to try to understand this volume just by itself, there are chances you'll get struck by the depth of its meaning. So please first get into some other medium to advanced books in Hinduism and Buddhism before trying to absorb this volume, because the other previous three volumes are not enough to get across this one...but the essence is there, Gotama relied on the content of this volume for his Teachings, no doubt.

When you'll be done with the four volumes, you'll understand where the Buddhist Teachings come from...these Upanishads constitute the essence of the Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.

Unfortunately, they are probably the most cryptic texts that deal with the Ultimate, the style is so crude that one should not read them nor teach them to people that have not spent many years at studying the basics of the Indo-aryan philosophy (be it Hinduism, Buddhism,...) and are not prepared to approach the Absolute. Find a qualified teacher before reading them, unless you could be mislead and loose more time than if you had learned the basics before. So unless you know what you'll find in there, don't read them. If you feel prepared to it, get into it. If the Vedanta considered them as the secret teachings, it's not for the sake of hiding them, but rather because their use should be restricted to the most advanced scholars. There is no discrimination in this, only a will to prevent misunderstanding and misinterpreting of this difficult topic, nothing else. If you don't trust me, get into it and you'll understand very soon what i'm talking about. It's useless to begin learning a subject with the most advanced textbooks, except making you disgusted of it, so please don't try to catch the Ultimate directly with the Upanishads.

This third volume deals with the relative truth provided by rituals and sacrifices, which objective is to bring conscience about their "unefficiency" at an absolute point of view for bringing knowledge of "Brahman" (the ultimate reality). These rituals and sacrifices are means for realizing it through superimposition, i.e. adding some false semantics over what is to be understood and then invalidating it by showing its inconsistency with what is to be understood. One should hence meditate on them to better dwelve into the difference between the relative and the absolute.

This volume is less abstract than the previous two volumes so people that prefer metaphors and more practical stories will be more at ease with this volume.

Haven't yet hit too much of the content, but it's a wonderful publication in it's photography and high-quality publication value... Great pictures, great detail, and from what I see, the discussion of the temple architeture and sculpture looks equally promising. Definitely more of an art and architecture book about temples, than a book about Hinduism it's temples.

It is fifficult fo find a book on this subject which is equal or better!. It gives a comprehensive description of ancient Indian architecture than spans several thousands of years. The photographs should be commented for giving the finest details all all the intricae pattersn. The construction details even provide information about the materials used, floor plan dimensions, sculpture techniques etc. Best of all, there is even map locations so someone can visit these hlly sites for themselves! This book is a real pilgrimage tour of India and much more!

I would highly recommend this book for historians, philosophers and especially "people Of Indian Origin (PIO) whose ancesors came from India over a century or more and have little contact with the former mainland as are many Indian residents here in Trinidad & Tobago and elsewhere.

I traveled in India for six months in 1997-98 and am now reliving the visit, thanks to this wonderful visual survey. A great feast for the eye. Best of the India photo books.

If you liked this book, you might also want to check out other photo books of India that examine areas differently...for instance, there is a wonderful illustration book by a British artist (can't recall his name now; he also did a book on Italy as well)...and a fabulous in-depth book on Varanasi, called Benares Seen From Within, by Richard Lannoy. This book is a must-have.

Taschen has published a spectacular book called Indian Interiors, which is a real spectacle of wealthy people's fabulous homes and a few peasant places, too.

I so looked forward to reading White Mughals after the first reviews appeared in the UK papers. When it came out in paperback, I opened it with great anticipation. I was never let down - Dalrymple, known mainly for his highly evocative and well received travel books, has turned historian and historiographer to produce this wonderful, exquisite book.

Although on one level it tells the story of James Achilles Kirkpatrick, British Resident in Hyderabad at the close of the 18th century, this book is a beautifully written examination of a number of white men from all over Europe (and America) who went adventuring in India from the time of Elizabeth I. Many of them became "white mughals", immersing themselves in the lifestyle and religions (both Hindu and Muslim) of the various princely states. Eventually, though, and most sadly, racist attitudes and unreasonable demands on local rulers made it more and more difficult for these men to carry on and eventually too many of the British in India became narrow minded, intolerant and xenophobic. The British presence in India eventually became intolerable and so ended the British Empire in due course. The author is particularly scathing of Lord Wellesley's governor-generalship.

The author has created a wonderful tapestry of various men, their Indian wives and Anglo-Indian children, the art, literature, architecture, politics, military adventures, food, domestic arrangements, etc of a short but poignant era in Indian and British/western history. His scholarship is evident (the footnotes often fascinating) and he was very lucky to happen upon some original, never seen, sources which help make this book so vibrant.

The sad story of James and his Khair was both a tragedy and a triumph - I shall never forget them and, should I ever travel to India, Hyderabad and the old Residency are a must-see for me.

"White Mughals" is a fascinating picture of the British in India at the turn of the 19th century, before the British notions of Empire were fully formed. The author focuses on the life of James Kirkpatrick, a representative of the "Company," to explore the evolution of the British presence in India. Using the story of Kirkpatrick's marriage to a Mughal aristocrat as a touchstone, Dalrymple explores a different model for colonization. Kirkpatrick was the company's chief representative in Hyderabad, a Mughal kingdom. He admired and appreciated India's culture, customs and ancient learning, and quickly adapted to the Indian way of life. He was a gifted linguist and skilled diplomat, who successfully negotiated many thorny issues on behalf of the British with the rulers of Hyderabad. Kirkpatrick exemplified a European who believed that East and West could work together for the benefit of both, that the rulers at the time and the British could co-exist, that customs and culture could blend together.

Dalrymple has assembled a huge amount of information, much of which is primary source material never before examined, to support the fact that this blending of cultures was common at the time. As might be expected, many British had Indian mistresses, but more surprisingly, intermarriage was not uncommon, and for a Muslim woman, marriage to a Non-Muslim could only occur if the man converted to Islam, which some did, including Kirkpatrick. At the time the Indian rulers were Muslim, but they did not attempt the impossible task of converting the Hindu population, and as a result, the same blending of culture that was occuring between east and west occurred to some extent between Hindu and Muslim. The two religions co-existed for the most part peacefully, a situation that changed radically at the time of Indian independence.

Inevitably, the Company became ever more profitable and the British presence stronger, while at the same time the Mughal Empire began to crumble. Successive Governor-Generals reversed the trend, mixed race children became the targets of discrimination, and the remaining Mughal princes were forced into unfavorable agreements with the British. By the time of the Indian Mutiny in 1857, the notion of Empire, and a separation between the English and Indians, was largely complete, to last for almost 100 years.

Finishing the book, one wonders whether the model exemplified by a Kirkpatrick would have worked. Or is conflict between cultures inevitable?--certainly in our fractured world it seems to be. Dalrymple's work is well-written, well-researched, and very thought-provoking.

"White Mughals" is truly a masterpiece. I was enthralled and was really intrigued by this extensively researched work on white mughals i.e., British company men who adopted the indian/mughal way of life once they were in India, quite contary to the single caricature most of us were raised to conjure up in our minds when thinking of them. The truth as always more complex, interesting and yes MUCH more redeeming than the cliche!

Many THANKS to Mr. Dalrymple for the hours of pleasure this book has already given - and I plan to read it several times over. It is also the perfecly balanced book - a very intellectually satisfying work of history based in fact (ah those vast primary sources referenced!), around a very romantic incident (reality, always more romantic than fiction) in a location, time and setting incomparable in terms of the multiple political/ cultural forces at work and with a meaningful message "East and West can and always will meet no matter what" and an even more important one albeit more personal than political "love conquers all" cliched as it may be;

And all told in his fabulous style that i label the "renaissance style of history-narration" charaterised by objective observation(based in reason and fact) yet madly romantic.... I loved this book and hope - very selfishly - that Mr. Dalrymple will continue to produce such enlightening and enthralling work for decades to come.

The story starts in 1969 when, at the age of 44, Bill Stephens went
through a near-death experience that changed him instantaneously
from an agnostic to a spiritual seeker, erased his lifelong fear of death
and eradicated his crippling addictions. He "...exploded into a brilliance
beyond anything I could imagine, and I was immersed in the warmth
and joy of a Living Presence that loved me and accepted me totally."

During the experience, Stephens saw a face in the light that he later
identified as the great 20th century spiritual master, Avatar Meher Baba.
That was the beginning of the author's love affair with God. His
compelling book includes many personal and graphic stories
of the ups and downs of treading the Path of Love by following
the divine footsteps of the Master.

The author has written many previous books about science and the
oceans, marine animals, and undersea research. But this
is his finest work because it comes straight from the heart.

This book is brimful of God's presence. It weaves
His shining light between the sentences,
dancing with the words. The real-life vignettes are wonderful!

I was enthralled, inspired and tickled by the range
of potent, poetic images, intimate and
fascinating life details and real insight into
the nature, direction and synchronicities of
following a God-Realized Master in today's world.

Along with the inspirational material, superb
metaphors, and wisdom, I think the book
fills a significant niche. [Special appreciation
by the way for the material on Repeating God's
Name, tidbits like VP Gore's contact with
Meher Baba, and the light touch in much of the
poetry.] We've never before had published
biographical material about American followers
of Meher Baba that readers can identify with.
I admire the home-movie quality the author
brings to this volume.

Allan Y. Cohen, Ph.D., clinical psychologist;
author of Mastery of Consciousness (Harper),
co-author, Understanding Drug Use:
an Adult's Guide to Drugs and the Young. (Harper)

Sources of Indian Tradition is to date the best compilation of primary sources from India's long intellectual, philosophical and religous traditions. It introduces the reader to seminal texts in the Brahmanic tradition, to ethics, metaphysics, and theories of state and society in Jainism and Buddhism, to ethics, treatises on art and culture, political theory and statecraft and philosophical and religious texts in the Hindu classical and popular tradition. It concludes with a look at the Indian Islamic tradition including the writings of Islamic rulers, ulama, sufis etc. Despite some omissions from the compilation (I would have liked a more in depth exploration of Indian epic literature, classical Sanskrit drama and poetry, the Sikh tradition and Urdu poetry), it is readable, engaging, thought provoking and will illuminate your understanding of one of the world's most fascinating civilizations.

India has one of the richest and most intricate cultures in the world. Imagine a book that compiled all the ancient sources of this culture into a single volume. This book is as close to that ideal as possible. This volume covers India from pre-historic times until the mid 18th century. It includes selections from the Vedas and the Upanishads, foundational Hindu texts; selections from important Jain texts; and selections from early Theravadan and Mahayanan Buddhist texts. It them embarks on an elaborate discussion of Hinduism, organized on the four goals of life -- *dharma*, *artha*, *kama*, and *moksha* (the section on *moksha* contains selections from the *Bhagavad Gita*, other scriptures, and the writings of mystics & saints). The last section of the anthology is a detailed treatment of the Muslims period in India, from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Overall, this is an invaluable sourcebook for anyone who wants to know more about the history of India.

Having read this book cover to cover many times for several research papers, this book contains more than enough information for even the diehard fan of Indian history. Hay has compiled the best of the most significant Indian and Pakistani leaders, both Hindu and Muslim alike to make sure the reader can attain a complete picture of Gandhi and Nehru's India. This is one of my all time favorite resource and reference books on India and I recommend it to anyone interested on the subject.

I considered Eruch my teacher. I had a lot of personal contact with him off and on over a twenty year period. And many of these wonderful stories I heard him tell personally, and often he might tell these stories a little differently depending on who was near to him that day. That is, I found Eruch to be a unique, royal gentlemen around women and children, and with a wordly one like me, he could charm and enchant and surprize on all levels, as the perfect teacher should be able to do.

Eruch most help me deepen my faith in God to where I began to experience God was a absolute certainty. And to an -- at times as I was -- agnostic, this was a remarkably welcomed, magnificent process.

I was able to walk, often just he and I, literally hundreds of miles with Eruch in the early morning (over a period of 10 years), in the beautiful countryside of Western India, near Meherazad where he had lived with Meher Baba for most of his life. And he was a tremendous ingredient with my Hafiz work; I would say he was the impetus behind it and many poems he directly helped me with, even offering very specific word changes at times. And this man was the person who had the most physical contact with Meher Baba of anyone on earth; he most often spoke for Baba as Meher Baba had been silent the last 40 years of His life. And Baba very directly says of Himself: He is the Christ, the Buddha, the Prophet come again. What is one to do when faced with such an EXTRAORDINARY claim?

This book would help any, tremendously, in chipping away at such a claim, if they have an interest to do so. I have been exploring that "claim" myself, now, for over 30 years. And one of the still evolving conclusions I have come up with is this: I do believe in God, a God of Infinite Power, and thus a God who could easily appear on this planet as Mohammad, Krishna, Buddha and Jesus -- as the Avatar, that is, as the descent of God in human form. And as to if Meher Baba is that -- God in human form: Well... I feel that history over the millenniums votes in their Prophets, their Buddhas, their Christs, their Rams, their Krishnas -- by some sacred means that takes place in the most discerning (intuitive as it may be for most) regions of the heart and soul. How could I really cast an objective vote about this after investing a big part of my life in the search for Truth that so entwined me with Meher Bada and many of His close disciples. Is Meher Baba the embodiment of the Divine - "The Being of all beings," the Root of all consciousness and space and form?

My vote is: Yep. I think the Big -- Gigantic -- Bang happened again on earth.

Daniel Ladinsky
Bestselling Penguin author of the anthololy: "Love Poems from God", and "The Gift: Poems by Hafiz."

This is a cool book. It has a lot of stories about Meher Baba which can greatly inspire you. Eruch Jessawala is one of the best storytellers I've ever come across. Reading these stories is like sitting in Meherabad on a saturday morning. Spectacular.
Jai Baba!

Eruch tells Baba stories in a way that makes you feel like you were there. Eruch talks about his personal experiences from living with Baba. If you love Baba stories this is the book. I have many Baba books but this is one of my favorites. I also recommend Ivy Duce book on How a Master Works. It also is well written with good Baba stories.

Titus Foster a long-time devotee of Swami Prakashananda has done the world(All of us) the greatest service. He has brought to the world the wisdom and stories of one of the most loving compasssionate souls to ever walk this earth. In a world colored by hatred and prejudices of every kind. This man didnt live for name or fame or power.As he said,"I came for Love and Knowledge and service to humanity"- and he got it! After Muktanandas death, Baba took on the task of helping many of Muktanandas orphaned children continue their spiritual destiny under his compassionate wing. Being part of a large group of devotees around Muktananda, I had always wished for the close contact and training of a great being. In Prakashananda I found a simple loving presence of great light and over-whelming spiritual beauty.I had the Opportunity to live with Prakashananda and Titus off and own for years. It is of great importance that the genuine article is now available for everyone and my only wish is that Babaji now to enjoy the "Name and fame" that he ironically so deeply deserves in service to humanity.Thankyou Harihar!

This small book consists of a short biography of Swami Prakashananda (58 pages) plus a lot of parables he told as his way to answer to requests of his pupils. This Swami seems to have had a very "rich" life. Lot's of travels and deep spiritual insights. One would really like to know more about him, but since he was not in the limelight, nearly nothing has remained about his pilgrimages. Nevertheless, it shows one, that there are great souls out there, even if nearly unknown. In the later part of his life he was a pupil of Swami Muktananda, and one learns here, that Muktananda would have liked Prakashananda to become his successor, Prakashananda declined, and therefore Chidvilasanda and Nityananda have been choosen. As we know from other sources, Nityanda left the "position", so nowadays one hears only about Chidvilasananda, when it comes to SYDA Yoga. But Swami Prakashananda was a man of his own and basically a Shakta in his Temple Sapta Shring. The book is short, but touching and worth reading. The author lived with the Swami for eight years and tells the story without bringing himself into it, which is quite an achievement. Thank you Titus:-)

Disclaimer: Yasmeen and Mihail Lari are related to my wife. Regardless, I am going to provide as objective a review as I can.

I throughly enjoyed what I have read in this book so far! The maps, the illustrations, the descriptions, make this book come alive in a way that makes it simply a joy to read. Particularly if you have lived in Karachi for any length of time.

I have often seen that the inhabitants of a city - any city - are often the least knowledgeable of the history of their locale. This is not very surprising, I suppose, because there is a tendency to assume that "I already know my home town"! I find this book (and other history books that relate to my country!) opens up new revelations and provides knowledge that I simply did not have about Karachi.

I throughly recommend this book to everybody, particularly if you have any acquaintance with the region or the city. The book covers details that are not found elsewhere.

This is a must read for anyone interested in Karachi and its history. I highly reccomend this book.