The Aryan Family Tree - based on Ramakrishnan Srinivasan's book

Ramakrishnan Srinivasan, in his book "History of Ancient India", has provided many references which support two main theses. (a) The Aryans were not a barbaric tribe of invaders who entered India in 1,500 BCE and demolished the then-native Indian populations in battle. Rather, they were native to India and actually migrated westwards to Iran, the middle east and Europe; the migrations starting well before the Harappan period. (b) The northern and southern people of India were not separate ethnic groups altogether, although some researchers think that some of the illustrious groups ("devas") may have been natives of the Himalayan region or may even have had extra-terrestrial origins. Rather, this very ancient civilization actually had its roots in the South, in the now-submerged continent of Kumari Khanda (or, Lemuria), after which, the Southerners migrated towards the north and actively helped develop the Aryan culture, which is today incorrectly slandered as having been forcibly imposed on the Southerners by the northern (barbaric) Aryans via wars and subjugation. 

Before listing out the salient pieces of literary evidence provided by Srinivasan, it may help to start by tracing out the "family tree" of the Aryans, based son the Vedic literature, as detailed by several scholars. Srinivasan has summarized the findings of more than a few of these scholars and the summaries seem to agree on many important details, except for the dates. While some have suggested that the "Saptarshi era" started with the coronation of the lengendary patriarch Vaivaswat Manu around 8,500 BCE, others think that the date may be better placed at around 10,500 BCE or even 15,000 BCE. Similarly, while Tamil scholars agree on the idea that there were 3 main literary Sangams and that there are several references supporting the theory of the submergence of the Kumari continent in whatever ancient literature survives today (starting from the 3rd Sangam), the estimated dates of these Sangams vary widely across the scholars quoted. Some have suggested that the first literary Sangam started around 30,000 BCE, while others have suggested a date of around 

10,500 BCE. Regarding other dates like the dates pertaining to the Ramayan and the Mahabharata, Srinivasan suggests that over time, a consensus seems to be evolving in scholars in these matters. While part of the reason could be computers (which make it easier to decipher dates from astronomical data), it seems other evidence based on genetic, linguistic and archaeological studies has also played a big role in this increasing consensus. 

Coming back to the Aryan "family tree", dates apart, it seems that Vaivaswat Manu was the first great king of the Aryans, and according to a reference in the Puranas, Manu himself was a southerner (or, Dravidian, to put it crudely). Indian mythology, of course, mentions several eras, each having its own Manu (first man), but mainstream historians do not expect to find any evidence of a civilization from prior to the recent ice age. Therefore, it is natural to first focus on the current Manu, who, according to the historians, was the first known illustrious king of the Aryans. Going by one scholar's (Swami Sakhyananda's) account, Manu would have been coronated around 8,576 BCE, and Manu divided his kingdom into 10 or 11 parts - one for each of his children. His eldest heir was Ila, his daughter, who married a rishi named Buddha, and her dynasty was later known as the Soma-Aryans (or, Soma Kula, the lunar dynasty). Ila remained the matriarch and "real power" of this dynasty for very long, and this was one of the reasons why women enjoyed a relatively high status in Aryan society for quite some time. The eldest male heir was Ikshvaku (also a name for the Sun God), whose dynasty was later called the Surya Kula (or, solar dynasty). Both dynasties branched out into several sub-dynasties, and most of the powerful sections of Ancient Indian history seem to have been connected with one of these two dynasties. The great great grandson of Ila - Yayati - had two wives, Devayaani (daughter of the Asura guru Shukracharya) and Sharmishthaa. Devayani's sons were Yadu and Turvasu and Sharmishtha's sons were named Druhyu, Anu-Druhyu and Puru. The dynasties of these 5 sons flourished and their further sub-groups were very well-known in the Aryan world - as sub-dynasties of the lunar dynasty. These 5 powerful groups are often called "panchajana" in vedic literature and conflicts between these groups (within themselves as well as with others) is said to be an important reason for the decline of the vedic civilization several thousand years later. 

The panchajanas were known variously as "Soma-Arya", "Siva-dvija", "Asura" and "Brahmakshatras". Famous Asura kings like Prahlad and Bali were Sivadvijas - therefore, clearly, many or most "Asuras" (demons in common parlance) from the vedic literature were none other than sub-groups of the panchajanas from the lunar dynasty. Many other known social groups of the time - Yavana, Kamboja, Saraswat, Saindhava, Haihaya, Pani and Sakas - were also branches of the panchajanas, formed as the panchajanas grew via intermarriage and sub-divisions. Some of these Aryans (panchajanas) travelled to the far east, while others took a western route, towards Iran and the middle east. The names of many places in the middle east are derived from their Sanskrit roots for the same reason. As the lunar sub-groups travelled far and wide, mixing with and adopting the new regions as their own, places and social grooups dominated by them came to be named after them. 

Examples are - Sumeria (from Soma-Arya), Hittite (from Kshatriya), Scythia (from Kshitipa), Ionia (from Yavana) and Phrygia (from Bhrigu). The Bhrigus were one of the Brahmin teacher communities of the panchajanas, and would have naturally travelled with them. 

Importantly, much before Vaivaswat Manu too, nomadic Aryans had left westwards towards Iran and the middle east. They were led by two reknowned rishis - Atharvan and Tvashtra. This migration has been mentioned in the Avestan literature too. It seems that although the group multiplied there, their culture declined, because of which, the panchajanas had to send a group from the Druhyu / Turvasa family to "aryanize" them again. 

The story of the solar dynasty is equally well-known, but not as much for travel outside India. The Surya-Kula moved towards the Ganges plains and established a great empire with the capital being on the banks of the Sarayu river. The legendary Rama, son of Dasharatha, was the most illustrious king in this lineage, but as the Puranas bring out, there were several kings prior to Rama who were also exemplary and are remembered to this day via stories and legends. A few generations after Rama, the dynasty lost its power and re-emerged hundreds / thousands of years later as the rulers of a more modest kingdom in the foothills of the Himalayas - the Shakya Kula, into which was born Lord Gautam Buddha, the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, going by the famous "Dashavatar" legend. As the solar dynasty lost its power, it was slowly assimilated into the lunar Aryan groups, who had themselves, of course, branched off into several sub-groups and clans by then. 

Due to floods around Hastinapur, even the Kuru-Kula - part of the lunar dynasty which ruled northern India during the Mahabharata age - moved eastwards and established a capital in Kushambi. Scholars believe that the dynasty continued as rulers of the easters "Magadha" empire, and that Dhanananda - the wickked king who was deposed by Chandragpta Maurya - was the last great ruler of the Kuru dynasty. Yadavs and a few other sub-groups remained powerful in some areas and are known to have been a mighty force in some regions in medieval India too, but none of this can be compared with the force that the lunar branches were during the Mahabharata era. 

A few other pieces of evidence are due here, to further strengthen the general case that the Aryans and Dravidians were probably part of the same larger family, albeit a very large family with a countless number of total branches. 

1. Swami Vipulananda has mentioned in his book that the Ganges river was a man-made river - developed by the Chola king Alagunandan, and therefore got the name Alakananda. The famous ruler Sagar (a few generations after Yayati) excavated the river, and this Sagar of Manu's lineage is mentioned in the Tolkappiam too (the oldest surviving book from the Tamil Sangam literature). 

2. There is a Chola pass in Sikkim too, because the Cholas of the South had once occupied the Himalayan region as well. 

3. It is univerally agreed that Agasthya - a very famous vedic rishi - travelled to the South and "gave" the Tamil language as a gift to the southern people. Agastya's grammar - called Agattiam - is now lost, but is mentioned by the author of Tolkappiam (Tolkappiar) as a great reference and Agasthyar has been mentioned by Tolkappiar as his guru too. The 18 Yadava clans who travelled with Agastya are said to have been amongst the early settlers in those parts of the then Tamil kingdom (Kumari). So do ancient Sanskrit books like the Ramayana praise the high Tamil civilizaion and the Pandya kings who ruled over large parts of the area. This ties in well with several references in the Sangam literature to the Pandyas and to the high culture of the Tamil at one point. 

4. Historians believe that around 10,000 BCE, the Sapta-Sindhu area was not as inhabitable as the Southern parts of India. This geographical fact ties in well with the general drift of the story, which seems to have support not only from these sources, but also from recent genetic and archaeological studies. 

Clearly, regardless of which language is older, the northern and southern people were in close contact since very ancient times, and did not meet when the Aryans came to invade the south with barbaric aspirations. Most probably, they were people from the same larger culture, which included both northerners and southerners within its larger fold. 

Sadanand Tutakne

Kumari Khanda and the Tamil Origins of Civilization

As a friend correctly pointed out - we can't study history now. That's because it would take too much time to reach a level where you could even call it your hobby. Then again, by those standards, most of us can't discuss current affairs either. But we can still listen to our music. Society accepts that we don't need to justify our choice of music to the others - we can just "do our own thing". Ancient India is also just my own thing - I can't justify it by corroborating, cross-examining or validating what any author says. I have not given it time. But for Ancient India, I am willing to be the brash teenager with headphones plugged into his ears, paying little attention to the sage advice being given by Old Uncle John to the driver of the public bus. You can share my headphones too and decide for yourselves if this is your thing too. 

Ramakrishnan Srinivasan is a man of varied interests, has worked as an engineer, management consultant and industrialist and has authored books on philosophy and religion. It seems he has spent a decade researching ancient history. His book is titled History of Ancient India and has been published by the Art of Living, Sri Sri Publications Trust. It is a must read for everyone who feels that Indian history as in our textooks is a bit incomplete; that we are probably a much older civilization and that there's something wrong with the idea that the Aryans were just invaders from the mid-west. The book tells us that there was no Aryan invasion ever, that the saptarshi era started way before the Harappan civilization, that the Harappan culture was an integral part of the development of the Aryan culture in India, that the evidence much more favors a migration of Aryans from India to the west (rather than the other way around), and that all this probably started in the now-submerged area of Kumari Khanda, south of cape Comorin, in what is today the Indian Ocean. The book is replete with references to and quotations from both Indian and Western historians, most of whom have no doubt that it is time to say farewell to the Aryan invasion theory (AIT), and some of whom have concluded that Kumari Khanda, south of current India, was indeed the cradle of modern civilisation. Below are a few salient points, chapter by chapter.

 Ch. 1: Prologue

1. Indian people were praised highly by Megasthenes, Huen Tsang, Abul Fazl and several other travellers for being honest, straightforward and just. If modern reality is different, the invaders and their culture have a lot to do with it.

2. India was not only very rich in flora and fauna, it was also the source of most of the famous legends in other countries. Most European languages have been derived from Sanskrit and Max Muller himself wrote that the Indian was the most ancient civilization known. 

3. Not only does Ancient Tamil literature contain numerous references to Tamilians migrating to the north, this is also accepted now in various encyclopedic works, e.g., Bhavan's series on History and Culture of the Indian people. While ancient tools have been found in almost every part of India and the question can't be easily resolved,the findings from the pre-laterite boulder conglomerate in Vadamadurai and the favourable climate in the region lend support to the theory that early man in India originated in South India and migrated towards Punjab at the close of the first ice age. Linguistic and cultural evidence also points to this. The brahui language in Baluchistan is Dravidian. The Aryan language, rituals and mythology show a clear Dravidian influence. The seals found in the Mohenjodaro-Harappa region appear to be Tamil, to Henry Heras, who has been quoted and supported by many other historians too. The Harappan civilization is widely held to have been constituted by Dravidian and Austric people. 

4. Tamil is the oldest known language, and the oldest available text - Tolkappiam, written by Tolkappiar - is believed to be older than Panini's Sanskrit grammar. While Tolkappiam refers to many older books too, including the grammar wriiten by Tolkappiar's guru, Agasthyar, these books are no longer available today, except for a rew references and quotations in books like Tolkappiam. Importantly, there is no literature avaliable describing life prior to the last ice age, so our knowledge of civilization (and languages) is mostly restricted to that after, say, 10,000 BCE. Based on what's available in literature today, Tamil seems to be the oldest language. 

5. None of this means, however, that the Aryans were outsiders or invaders, Arya was a name given to the elite. The rishis of the Vedas, who lived in the Himalayas and Vindhyas, were respected and advanced people. Their forbears in later generations were called Brahmins. Many of the Brahmins were Tamilians and in any case, they were all indigenous people. (Earlier, there was a lot of movement of people from one occupation to the other too.) The Vedas have many references to the Saraswati river flowing in full spate. This river, according to modern evidence, had dried up by 1900 BCE. The verses of the Vedas are therefore at least from 3000 BCE if not earlier. No question of them being written by invaders who arrived around 1500 BCE. The Aryan invasion theory seems to have been perpetrated by the colonial rulers for their own interests, Today, with more than 100 years of additional evidence, most historians have discarded it. In fact, the whole concept of race is under question these days, because skin color and many such variations are merely climatic influences. The race theory may perpetrate the wrong belief that the Dravidians suffered at the hands of the Aryans who drove them down south. None of this is backed by evidence. As the book brings out in subsequent chapters, there may have been entry into and exit from this ancient civilization, possibly at times due to some people being unable to fit into the pattern of the elite, but none of it supports the idea of outsife invasions and subjugation of the local populace by a cruel elite. 

Ch. 2: Introduction 

This chapter presents a bit more evidence in favor of Aryans migrating west, rather than being of western origin. To continue with the one people theme, the existence in society of four kinds of occupations mentioned in the Tolkappiam itself has been highlighted.The author also shows how these four strata were not water-tight compartments at that time. The present names of these "varnas" seem to have been given by the Jains much later. The names in Tolkappiam are: Vediars, Vendars, Vanigars and Vellalars. A quotation from the RigVeda has been given which says that no one is superior or inferior and that all are brothers and should strive for collective progress. Additionally, it mentions that the way the Aryan invasion theory (AIT) needs to be discarded, another change needed is to discard a Harappa centric approach to ancient India. However, not much is said in this chapter about the latter point. The story of Lemuria, or Kumari Khanda of Tamil literature, is introduced only in subsequent chapters. 

Ch. 3: The Myth of an Aryan Race 

This chapter again focuses more on the evidence for Indian Aryans migrating to the West and on the proof for the Aryans and Dravidians being one people from the same culture. Several historians attest to the continuity of Indian culture right since 8000 BCE and to the lack of any evidence of any outside culture coming in and subjugating a local civilization in the pre- Christian era. The Aryans or Devas were the early homo sapiens, born of Indian hominid parents, who had discovered fire and used to keep wood burning near themselves all the time. Over time, they mingled with the rest of the groups and tried to lead the others into their way of life. Some of these illustrious ones conducted research into different areas, like medicine, agriculture and technology too and thus retained a prominent position in the larger group. Later, they decided to migrate and make the entire world Aryan. Surely there were groups who broke away or joined in, but none of that matches with the picture of a barbaric tribe of invaders painted by the AIT. 

Ch. 4: True Perspective of History 

1. Genetic studies bring out only two major groups with the Indian people - those closer to the North Indian type have similarities with many groups in Europe and Asia. However, those who are closer to the South Indian type are not similar to any groups outside India. The Southern type is older and dated to about 65000 yrs ago, while the other group dates back to about 45000 yrs ago. While some experts believe that the Southerners may have been the earliest human migrants from Africa, it is also possible that they may have been a proper Indian group. Either way, early Indian humans were settled more in the south. A 1976 study of Afric, India and the Mediterranean shows that only in India (the Shivaliks) do the genes of apes and modern men match. So it is also possible that even the earliest humans evolved in the Indian subcontinent. From there on, coming to civilization after the last ice age, there is ample evidence for historians to aver that the resemblance between Aryans and Europeans is likely to have been due to westward migration of Aryans from India to the west, and not the other way round. 

2. Much more difficult to explain is the striking similarity in the scripts of Harappa, Easter Island and other South American civilizations in Peru and Bolivia. Ancient legends from these areas all refer to technology coming to them from a far more advanced civilization. For a while, some experts hypothesized that this advanced civilization called Lemuria could have been in the Pacific ocean, Ramakrishna Srinivasan says that any such civilization must meet some conditions - it should have some references in ancient literature, its script should also be similar to the scripts in newer colonies, it should have had large seafaring capabilities (boats that could take 200 people or so at a time), there should be connecting links to the later civilizations in the form of pottery, pyramids, etc. When all such considerations are kept in mind, he says, Kumari Khanda, south of the present Indian subcontinent, turns out to be the hands down winner as the candidate for Lemuria or Mu, as it was also called by some older groups. The Pacific theory seems far fetched. No evidence of ancient pottery there, nor anything to prove that there was a large continent there which later submerged, and local legends in the Pacific island theselves talk of some other homeland from where their technology was received. In Kumari, we have all of this. Western theories even a hundred years ago were unwilling to allow a non-Weatern cradle for even the post ice age civilization, for fear that it may diminish the status of Christianity by pointing to eastern civilizations which were more advanced. This is another factor which has led to only a gradual acceptance of the possibility that in the world after the last ice age, an eastern continent may have helped the entire world develop culture and science. 

3. Ancient Indians talked of three main landmasses and seven continents. Sakadweep, one of the seven continents, is mentioned to be south of Cape Comorin in the Bhavishya Puran, and is supposed to have been named after Saka (teak wood) trees there. It is notable that teak was one of the top exports of the Tamils in ancient times. A "Chart of the World" dated 1886, kept in a museum in Honululu shows a large continent to the south of present India, spreading up to Madagascar in the west and to Fiji in the east. The name of the island is Lemuria, Oppenheimer and others mention that Lemuria submerged into the sea in three large convulsions, the last having occured around 1628 BCE, which completely submerged the continent, This is exactly the account in Tamil literature too. With each major convulsion, a part of the Kumari continent submerged, and due to this, the Tamil Sangams (literary conferences) had to be moved north successively. Literature available starts from only the third Sangam, but the first two find ample mention in the available literature. The Lemurians had advanced to the level where they did not prefer to take successive births to work out the mistakes of their past lives.Rather, they worked out their remaining "karma" in another plane beyond earth. This is similar to the Hindu (yogic) idea of jeevanmuktas, who could move out of the cycle of rebirths by self realization. Not surprisingly, therefore, some western authorities are also now convinced of Kumari being the submerged Lemuria. What's more, authors like Frank Joseph, who had earlier considered Lemuria to be in the Pacific, have changed their positions in letters written to colleagues when the additional evidence was brought to their notice.

4. Just a few weeks ago, there were press reports that geologists have recently confirmed that Maldives is just the tip of a large island in the Indian ocean, which today lies submerged. This was in response to evidence put forth in 2012 by geologists from Maldives, which brought the attention of the scientific community back to this question. This piece is of course not in Srinivasan's book, because the book was published in 2015 itself. However, Srinivasan quotes older studies which support the idea that there are islands which were once at sea level in the Indian ocean, which have now submerged. In the reports a few weeks ago, it was mentioned that the extent of this submerged continent is not clea yet, but it is clear that there was a larger landmass around Maldives, a continent which is not seen today. 

This, then, is the true historical perspective friends - as put forth by Ramakrishnan Srinivasan. Kumari Khandam is the birthplace at least of modern technology and culture, from where it spread north to Harappa, Punjab, and then to Europe and Asia. It may or may not have been the birthplace of modern humans. The Aryans were the elite or the shininig stars of this evolving mix of northern and southern Indians, and this began at least around 8000 BCE. The same culture also sent its emissaries (or, perhaps had to send, due to natural calamities) to North and South America as well. Maybe in another discussion, we will look at the next few chapters of the book as well, where the spread of Aryans from the West and the idea of a composite Indian civilization, from which there may have been some exits due to conflicts too, has been further supported by literary, linguistic and archeological evidence.

 Sadanand Tutakne 

Another Yogini - Shambhavi Lorain Chopra

Lorain Chopra writes of her numerous visions as a practitioner with sane and clearheaded remarks which only the learned are capable of in her first book titled "Yogini - Unfolding the Goddess Within". Let me give you a brief on the material in the initial chapters at least. 

Shambhavi seems to have had to go through a sad end  of a long marriage from which she has two boys, who, she says, still love her for who she is. She seems to remember her ex-husband fondly, although it is clear that at some point, she had to move out of the discordant marriage. A short chapter on forgiveness in the book says it all about how she healed herself by using the power of forgiveness. By this time,  she had started on her inward journey and she writes -with no less clarity than J. Krishnamurti - that when we allow the body and mind to go into the suffering deeply, without frittering the energy away into diversions like TV or shopping, then the body and mind slowly learn to absorb the suffering and a deep healing takes place. Forgiving deeply from within, the mind learns to let go and by practicing such awareness and forgiveness repeatedly, tremendous positive energy starts flowing through the heart. She states that the forgiver benefits as much as the forgiven, and that there is some research to support this as well. In a nutshell, accumulated negative thoughts create some malady or the other in the long run. Deep forgiving by repeated meditation on the hurt leads to a thorough cleansing. 

Shambhavi started healing with Reiki, based on courses she took from a Sikh guru. However, she knew her journey was spiritual and at the persistent suggestion of a  friend, joined a ten day Vipassana course as well. She was about to break during the course due to severe pain on the fifth or sixth day, but the instructor felt that the technique was really working for her. Shambhavi continued and experienced ecstatic lighness of being the next day. She felt, and others confirmed, that some unknown lights came from near the ceiling and touched her before vanishing. The instructor had a beaming smile for her when she finished the course. The person who had insisted that she take the course was,  by the way, another famous Bollywood actress turned spiritual seeker - Amla. Amla did some past life regressions with Shambhavi too. 

Shambhavi has described several notable people in the book who influenced her, but it seems the person who can most closely be called her guru was someone she called Ashokji. She took a guru mantra from him and often consulted him on her visions and experiences. Ashokji was always there to help. 

At some point, the acquaintence of two noted academics was made - Dr. Lokesh Chandra an through him, David Frawley, noted author and Hindu pandit, who also goes by the name Vamadev Shastri. Shri Lokesh Chandra asked her to publish her spiritual experiences, and Dr. Frawley is now her husband, according to Wikipedia.  

Shambhavi has written that she did not haveHave any training in Vedic disciplines and she gravitated towards the other major religious group in India - the tantrics. However, during her sadhana after her broken marriage, she says she remined celibate by choice. Male friends with more baser tendencies withered away from her, while those with more elevated minds stayed. She adds that irresponsible sex acts like having sex with strangers - often advocated in tantric practces - could do more harm than good. She also seems to agree that most modern practitioners of the tantra seem to have departed from the real purpose of some of these esoteric practices. However, tantra at its core remains a great way of approaching the divine for her. Understanding the universe and the self as a play of forces, approaching the practice with all heart and soul would elevate practitioners and bring sacredness and beauty to life. Tantra for her was never just a means to sexual satisfaction or other small joys. Yet, throughout the book, she makes it clear that while she was intense in all her practices, she did not follow any major rules for her outward life. For example,  she says, she never gave up her passion for a good cup of coffee.  

Some of her visions - and her other achievements - are listed below. The book contains many more. 

1. During Navratri, the devi appeared at her bedside more than a few times. Sometimes as Tara, sometimes Kali and yet other forms at different times. Once the goddess drew a swordAnd seemed to hit her head with it. Nothing happened to her physically because the sword was not of earthly metal, she figured, but overall, it gave her the idea that the goddess demands the sacrifice of narrow egoistic pursuits.

2. Once Lord Shiva blessed her with a vision of his ascetic form in Kanatal, in the Himalayas, where she was spending most of her time in contemplation and meditation.  They were looking for an idol of Lord Shiva fof a temple and Shambhavi guided yhe artist on the colors to use, etc., for the statue. During the time of prana pratishtha (setting up the idol in the temple by infusing it with life, so to speak), a young girl touched her feet and ran away. While looking for where the girl went amidst the crowds, Shambhavi saw the form of Lord Shiva, the great ascetic, appear before her eyes. The vision overwhelmed her for some time and then disappeared. It was the most wonderful of visions for her - she had been pleading to the lord of yogis for years for a vision, and she had been finally blessed with one. 

3. In another incident, her son brought her to a hospital where a young couple lay injured in an accident. The doctors had given up hope for the girl and were trying to work on the young man to save him at least. The couple was known to her son. Shambhagi blessed the girl and rushed to her guru for advice. The guru told her son to stay, and said that for the son's faith, the mother goddess would surely make Shambhavi's blessing comd true. Shambhavi Came back to the hisputal, channelled the goddess through her mind and body, and passed on the blessings to the girl till the girl moved (showed signs of some consciousness). Reassuring the boy, she went back and then visited the hospital regularly over the next few days. The couple miraculously survived and recovered despite the initial diagnosis of the doctors. 

These are only a few of her marvellous achievements. I would like to remind the reader of her comments on bhakti, yoga and tantra throughout the book which need at least a good deal of education to reproduce - and a flair for language which seems natural only when the writer is extremely passionate about the topic. All together, Shambhavi comes out as a very truthful and hardworking experimenter in the spiritual world. She states clearly that she  always begged ghe great gods and godesses to give her a sign, a proof, so she could truthfully pray to them as a guide on the path. In fact, she says she never just bowed to a diety without such direct personal signs. Sooner or later, the gods and godesses who, according to Shambhavi, live and work in their own mythical time and space, gave her a vision, a proof or something which was enough for her to consider a sign from the powers above. The gods are not separate from the Universal one, but are different manifested forces working for the common purpose of the Universal God. Therefore Shambhavi's visions never make a case against non-dualism for her. The reader thereforeGets a shocking confirmation of puranic lore regarding the reality of the devis and devatas in her book, but with a synthetic philosophy which never denies the impersonal One of lofty Advaitic texts. However, what the reader needs to gather even more from the book is the lesson to follow through with their practice seriously. More than any techniques or methods,  it is the intensity of Shambhavi's practice which seems to have led to her success. 

Sadanand Tutakne