Biography

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The Larger Life: Sister Devamata's Life and Legacy
Joan Shack (Author), Sudha Puri (Author)
(494 pages, Paper $32.92 -- also available on Kindle)

Sister Devamata had a deep inner life whose fruits in the form of wisdom are revealed in her writings and in the lectures she gave at the Vedanta Centre in Boston and at Ananda Ashrama in La Crescenta. More than a hundred of her Sunday lectures were transcribed and published in the Message of the East over five decades. They have been lightly edited and organized to form a wonderfully rich and useful guide for spiritual aspirants who desire to live “the larger life” in their chosen path.

Swami Paramananda: Mystic, Poet & Teacher
By Sister Devamata (Author), Reverend Mother Sudha Puri (Editor)
(443 pages, Paper $15.95 -- also available on Kindle)

An outstanding biography of one of the great spiritual teachers written by one who served as his assistant for 34 years and became an outstanding spiritual teacher in her own right. The book is outstanding because it provides a first-person account of his life, but also because as we read along, we absorb his teaching, as well as experiencing these teachings embodied in a very busy, productive life. A large collection of photographs adds richness and meaning.

A Bridge of Dreams
The Story of Paramananda, a Modern Mystic, and His Ideal of All-Conquering Love
By Sara Ann Levinsky
(640 pages, 40 pages of photos, Paper $12.95)

Biography of Swami Paramananda (1884-1940), his work and contribution to Western Vedanta.

A Bridge of Dreams reveals the story of Paramananda's life and community. Rarely has an historian had such unrestricted access to the diaries, letters and intimate accounts of a spiritual teacher and his disciples. Their finances, frictions, and the love they shared are candidly portrayed in this epic of the spiritual life. Here is no facile philosophy, no esoteric tricks, but the true story of how one ardent soul used the common problems of twentieth century America to prove "Love Conquers All."

One Life's Pilgrimage
Addresses, Letters and Articles by the First Indian Woman to Teach Vedanta in the West

Srimata Gayatri Devi
(340 pages, Paper $9.95 -- also available on Kindle)

As a member of one of the oldest spritual communities in America, Srimata Gayatri Devi became its head in 1940. During her fifty-five years of spiritual leadership, she experienced all the possible challenges and trials of community life. In the sixty-seven years since her coming to the United States, she has shared with countless seekers not only the tenets of her philosophy, but the richer gift of her example in living.

One Life's Pilgrimage presents her talks on practical aspects of Vedanta and her articles on the lore, culture, sacred stories, and saints who have inspired her. Through her letters, which are full of cousel and direction, the reader will follow a life unique in its unfoldment.

Wings of Love
Words of Inspiration by Reverend Mother Sudha Puri Devi
Photographs, design and compilation of quotes by Joan North (Janapriya)
(125 pages, Full Color, Hard Cover $24.99)

Collection of quotes taken from sermons and classes given by Reverend Mother Sudha Puri Devi with photographs taken at the Vedanta Centre, Cohasset and Ananda Ashrama, La Crescenta.

From the Book: You can find God in the soul of every person you meet, every soul in your life. Your eyes are the Divine Eyes looking out at things. Your heart is the Divine Heart embracing, loving. Everyone's eyes that we look into, the Divine is shining through those eyes looking at us. Every heart that loves us and embraces us is the Divine Heart.

Sri Ramakrishna and His Disciples
Sister Devamata
(248 pages, Paper $15.95 -- also available on Kindle)

Sister Devamata, author of this remarkable record of one of India's lofty Spiritual Lights, Sri Ramakrishna, had rare opportunities to gather material from the direct disciples and she possesses an equally rare gift of being able to lend to her portrayal exceptional beauty of literary form. Her picture is a true one and is drawn with great delicacy of feeling. Her first hand knowledge leaves a profound impression on the heart and life. This book cannot fail to bring about a better understanding of India and a broader sympathy for humanity at large.

Includes a brief biography of Sister Devamata.

Days in an Indian Monastery
Sister Devamata
(326 pages, Paper $5.95 -- also available on Kindle)

A journal of Sister Devamata's (1867-1942) pilgrimage in India from 1909-1911. Introduced to Vedanta by Swami Vivekananda in 1899 and editor of many of his works, she was sent to India by Swami Paramananda to sit at the feet of Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi and Sri Ramakrishna's other direct disciples.

Open Portal: Spiritual Poetry
Sister Devamata
(115 pages, Hard $4.95 -- also available on Kindle)

This book of spiritual poems was written by Sister Devamata, the first American woman ordained to teach Vedanta in the United States. Ordained in 1910, she became a major figure in the early history of Vedanta in the United States. A mystic of the first order, she expressed her love for the Divine through poetry, music and inspired writing. This book, Open Portal, is a collection of evocative poems calling forth the Divine spirit manifested in nature, the garden, the desert, the hills, the seasons and the play of life itself.

The Guru and the Disciple
My Life with Swami Paramananda
Sister Daya
(144 pages, Paper $4.95)

A personal journal of Sister Daya's (1882-1955) monastic training under Swami Paramananda.

From the Introductionr: During her early years as a novice, the Sister kept a diary of the instruction and discipline received from her teacher, and also of her personal struggles. She wrote: "Eager not to lose a word, not a shade of meaning, I trained myself to hold in my memory vagrant conversations so that afterwards I could write them down with a fair degree of accuracy for future reference. I was not wholly successful, yet it was amazing how in time it was possible to recall the very words and phrases of my teacher and how this power grew as it was put into practice."

Hold Aloft The Light
(134 pages, Photos, Paper $5.95)

The history of Ananda Ashrama in California, founded by Swami Paramananda in 1923.

Tree of Shelter
(108 pages, Photos, Paper $5.95)

A beautiful presentation of the story of the founding of Vedanta Centre in Boston (1909) and the ashrama in Cohasset (1929) by Swami Paramananda. Contains quotations by the founder and Reverend Mother Gayatri Devi regarding the ideals of the work.

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