The author Sri ‘M’ is an extraordinary individual. His uniqueness lies not only in the fact that at the young age of 19 and a half, he travelled to snow clad Himalayas from Kerala, and there he met and lived for several years with a ‘real-time’ yogi, Babaji, but also that he should undertake such an unusual and adventurous exploration, given his non-Hindu birth and antecedents.

The metamorphosis of Mumtaz Ali Khan into Sri ‘M’, a yogi with profound knowledge of the Upanishads and deep personal insights, born of first hand experiences with higher levels of consciousness is indeed a fascinating story.

The bonus for those interested in the secrets of yoga, meditation and sankhyan metaphysics is that Sri ‘M’ is still living and easily reachable. He leads a normal life, married with two children, wears no special robes and conducts himself without pomp or paraphernalia.

Someone who met him recently said, “I expected a flashy godman and instead I saw a jean clad gentleman with a smile of his face, ready to discuss my problems. In five minutes flat, I said to myself, this is no ordinary man. The peace and tranquility that enters your system is tangible”.

For more information about Sri M, please visit: satsang-foundation.org

For getting your print copy of the book, please visit: magentapress.in

Contents

Cover Image
Title Page
Permissions
Acknowledgements
Foreword
List of Photo Inserts

1. The Beginning
2. A Visit from the Himalayan Master
3. The Gayatri Mantra
4. Meeting Yogi Gopala Saami
5. A God-Intoxicated Sufi
6. Inside the Subramanya Temple
7. Preparing for the Ascent
8. The Story of Sri Narayana Guru

9. Strange and Timely Inputs
10. The Mastan’s Blessings
11. Three Monks
12. Mai Ma
13. Understanding Holy Madness
14. Trial Run
15. Towards the Himalayas
16. The Cave of Vasishta
17. The Naga and Learning the Mahamantra
18. The Cobbler and the Monk
19. The Seeker at Badrinath
20. Meeting Babaji
21. My First Initiation
22. Lighting the Kundalini Fire
23. The Old Tibetan Lama
24. Yoga, Vedanta, and the Nath Pant
25. Tholingmutt and the Mountain Man
26. The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund
27. Meeting the Siddhar
28. Kedarnath: Opening the Channels
29. The Fireball from the Sky
30. The Healing and Meeting the Grand Master
31. A Truly Holy Man
32. Sri Vidya Initiation
33. Lessons from the German
34. Going Back to Trivandrum
35. Preparations for the Mission
36. Lessons from a Sufi Master
37. The Ramakrishna Mission
38. Sri Devi and Neem Karoli Baba
39. The Aghori from Banaras
40. Alandi, Shirdi and Walking Through Doors
41. More Travels: New Insights
42. Babaji at the Taj Mumbai
43. Meeting Laxman Joo and J. Krishnamurti
44. Vasant Vihar
45. Babaji Leaves His Body
46. The Passing Away of ‘K’
47. Marriage and Shifting to Neel Bagh
48. Neel Bagh and the Satsang Train
49. The Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra
50. The Journey Continues

Reviews
About the Author
About the Book
Backcover

Editorial Reviews

This is an astounding book replete with miracles, meetings with masters, description of higher levels of consciousness and spiritual attainment. It is a rather strange tale.

Dr Karan Singh, Tribune News Service

Sri M is an enlightened soul, a Guru whom I met years ago. Sri M is very accessible. I wish he would take me as a disciple but I will have to wait for another birth when I am more evolved.

Maneka Gandhi, Mathrubhoomi

Whether or not you are a skeptic, this beautifully produced book makes for compelling reading. And, hey, the author is around, if you want to grill him about the harder to believe elements in the book.

The Herald of India

The autobiography deals with transformation of Mumtaz Ali Khan into Sri M as he went on acquiring profound knowledge of the Upanishads, deep personal insights and a higher level of consciousness. Descriptions on the beneficial effects of yoga, meditation and metaphysics are fascinating. Sri M is often termed as modern day Kabir Das.

The Hindu

It is prophetic that he will use the name ‘Sri M’, which will remind him of his Babaji Maheshwarnath, who comes across as the “great master, wise, powerful and loving”. The book is, in fact, a tribute to him. For anybody who has interest in mysticism, Sufism and Vedanta, Sri M’s autobiography is, indeed, a treasure-trove.

The Organizer

What stands out about this book is that its narrative exudes a sense of wonder, for the author often uses the word ‘strange’ to describe his experiences. Some of the instances that he recounts challenge your sense of belief and disbelief so much, that you don’t quite know what to believe. But a little deeper reading, however, renders more meaning to the narrative than is apparent at first glance. He deals easily and honestly with the mistrust between religions just as he also shows how these boundaries can melt away.

The book is a compelling read, and comes with a DVD of a brief satsang with Sri M, where he discusses fundamentals of spirituality.

‘Speaking Tree’, The Times of India

“Keep things simple and direct. No mumbo jumbo. Live in the world like anybody else. Greatness is never advertised. Those who come close. discover it themselves. Be an example to your friends and associates. You can live in this world happily and in tune with consciousness.”

About the Author

Sri M was born in Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala. At the age of nineteen and a half, attracted by a strange and irresistible urge to go to the Himalayas, he left home.

At the Vyasa Cave, beyond the Himalayan shrine of Badrinath, he met his Master and lived with him for three and a half years, wandering freely, the length and breadth of the snow clad Himalayan region. What he learnt from his Master Maheshwarnath Babaji, transformed his consciousness totally.

Back in the plains, he, as instructed by his Master, lived a normal life, working for a living, fulfilling his social commitments and at the same time preparing himself to teach all that he had learnt and experienced. At a signal from his Master he entered the teaching phase of his life. Today, he travels all over the world to share his experiences and knowledge.

Equally at home in the religious teachings of most major religions, Sri M, born as Mumtaz Ali Khan, often says “Go to the core. Theories are of no use”

Sri M is married and has two children. He leads a simple life – teaching and heading the Satsang Foundation, a charitable concern promoting excellence in education. At present he lives in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, just three hours from Bangalore.