A fascinating look at the path of Self-Realisation (Enlightenment) which also goes far beyond purely historical and philosophical discussion.
The Siddhas are known as such because they manifest the Divine powers (Siddhis) which naturally arise through spirtualisation and Union (Yoga) with the Source.
The author is uniquely qualified to write on this subject, being himself a devotee and disciple of Babaji, the legendary Himalayan yogi who was made famous by Paramahamsa Yogananda's best-selling book: 'Autobiography of a Yogi'.
Govindan studied for years with Yogi Ramaiah before receiving a call to introduce people to the path of Babaji's Kriya Yoga. His book makes a serious attempt at de-mystifying the story of Babaji, the origins of Babaji's Kriya techniques, and introduces the Siddha gurus that Babaji apparently encountered as a young man almost two thousand years ago.
The book traces the links between these Siddha-gurus and the group of Siddhas known as the eighteen Siddhas in Tamil Nadu (South India), linking these also with Lao-Tse and the Taoist sages of China, and taking the reader even further back, into prehistory through the legends of the Lemurian continent in the Pacific, its links with South India and Sri Lanka, and its forgotten civilisation whose spiritual practises are preserved and embodied by these powerful yogis known as the Siddhas.
The book is not written only for those who are practising yoga, it is of interest to anyone who wishes to have a deeper insight into the nature of existence, consciousness, and our potentially and naturally blissful ever-present awareness of Spirit through Love.
It is believed that Babaji himself resides in an almost inaccessible region of the Himalayas, however, the path of Babaji's Kriya yoga and the Tamil Siddhas as described in the book is not a path of spiritual escapism, or renunciation through remoteness. It is a universal path of love and service to humanity and transformation of all aspects of our lives through action with spiritual awareness (kriya).
The chapters on other Siddhas that have lived in recent times, such as Ramalinga Swamigal and Sri Aurobindo can help to bring the fantastic stories of miracles and God-Consciousness into focus and root us in the awareness that spirituality is not so much about gurus and the authority of religious dogmas, but is really about our own present experience lived in full awareness.
Despite the historical information on Babaji which was mostly received directly by Yogi Ramaiah and V.T. Neelakantan in the 1950s, there is often a resistance to de-mystifying the story of Babaji's origins. Much of this information is therefore not generally known or agreed upon within the various lineages of Kriya Yoga.
However, there is also something to be said for considering the 'real' Babaji as being simply the form that the Divine mystery takes when appearing as a human being, and as not being in any way limited to this history of a single human form, even though it is certainly an instructive and inspiring story that sheds light on some very powerful insights and practices known as the Tamil Siddha Yoga tradition.
Some consider Babaji to be Shiva or Murugan...
"'Babaji' is not a 'person'... He is a Spiritual phenomenon."
Shibendu Lahiri (great-grandson of Lahiri Mayasaya)
