The
City of Nine Gates by Pankaj Rajput
: by some distance one of the toughest books I have ever reviewed on my blog.
No book comes close; it is also a book I
do not want to review, a part of my Antahkaran is fiercely against
reviewing this, as per my understanding of SBG18/67,
which is precise. {Follow link for my article on it}. However, I accept that my Aham frequently
overpowers this, and I do advocate SBG
at least in the odd slip of self-control; secondly,
I am committed to reviewing this – ek baar zubaan de di toh de di. Had I not
committed to reviewing this, I would not have come across this masterpiece,
this wonder of a book. Point is humbly accepted; perhaps I need a deeper
understanding of SBG18/67… and study
a little more!
THE
BOOK
To be short & concise – this
encapsulates Vedic Knowledge from The
Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta, Several Upanishadic
Texts, The Bhagvatam and some
other lauded texts from our ancient scriptures. I could spot the direct attributable
influence of at least The Shrimad Bhagwad
Geeta, The Taittriyopanishad, The Prashnopanishad, The Mahanarayan Upanishad, {The Bhagvatam I have not read yet} although
to be honest, it also encapsulates the contents of the others Upanishads I have
been lucky enough to read for the most part. References given throughout this
review are only meant to emphasise the solid scriptural authority on which this
masterpiece is based on; an area where the book could have been much more
specific than it currently is.
The story is essentially that of liberation
of a Human – in this case, a Millionaire Businessperson through his
experiences. The author has woven in the entire literature’s {referred above}
key concepts into the plot to create a lovely engaging story. This
millionaire goes on an Archeological search, and undergoes an experience in
that place, an ancient fort. The book comprises his experiences in the fort,
and the sequence of events that the said fort triggered in his life, as he is
set of on a path to Moksha. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of the book
under review.
THE
REVIEW
First, note that I use the words review,
and not analyse. One cannot analyse these contents; they are beyond “Analysis”.
I can only present my views on the contents, with an objective of trying to
communicate with those among my readers
who are interested in this topic. Accordingly, I will try and place some
basic concepts in the review for those who are not aware, which will make the
read easier for those alluded to in the second para of this review section. The
italicized words are the key to understanding this superb, simple and engaging
work. This is what all our scriptures specifically state; interested in the
path. So, first – who should read this?
If questions relating to life come to you,
if questions relating to death, misery, why am I here, where did all this come
from etc – this book is for you. If you are troubled by disease, lies,
dishonesty, pain around you – this book is for you. If you want to understand
life, and are looking beyond mere sensual pleasures, this book is for you. In all these cases above, you will find the
initial starting a bit challenging, not being aware of the concepts it contains
– but things will clarify as the book progresses. If you are interested in Vedic Scriptures,
this book is for you. If you are a reader – sporadic, or even regular, of our
Scriptures, this book is for you. And for this latter category, you will really
enjoy & understand right from the first page, and get pulled in.
The City of Nine Gates is a clear
identifier – the human body. The Shrimad
Bhagwad Geeta refers to it as such; meaning there are nine ways for the
body to engage with the outer world- eyes, ears, nose, mouth, genitals and
anus. The story is an internal journey, starting from page around 27. Again,
this is in keeping with the scriptures, which quite clearly state that you have
to turn inwards & dissociate from the indriyas {sense organs}, turn them
inwards. The 3 paths, again this is SBG, are Sankhya, Karm & Bhakti – the
three real Yog paths. Lastly, the sheaths, five in number – are Anna, Pran,
Man, Vidnyan and Anand. For this last, trust the author – and dig in, dive in.
You will enjoy in it. Saying more is not advisable here; you are in the hands
of a person close to reaching the status of
a Master in this field.
For here, suffice it to state, in rather
simple terms, these sheaths – Panch Mahakosh – are one within the other {Taittriyopanishad Brahmanandvalli, Anuvak 1 –
6} even as per the scriptures, and one has to transcend each sheath to
progress. My personal observation – this
last underlined part is a realization I got fully from the book, thanks Mr
Rajput {along with many other learnings}. I use this specific reference here
to ask you a question – this sheaths have appeared elsewhere {Mahanarayan Upanishad Anuvak 66 Shlok 10,
for example}.
Anuvaak
4 of Taittriyanopashad-2 states for
Vidnyanamay that it is comprised of Buddhi, Sadaacharan, satya-Bhaashan, Dhyaan
and Paramatmaa. Your representation, though in keeping with this, is mildly at
variance – clearly a learning from some other source, which I haven’t read yet. My only observation on the entire path
is that perhaps you could have stressed on these aspects alongwith the ones
mentioned by you. Similar is the take on Anandamay Kosh, wherein T.B.5-6 states
Anand, Mod, Pramod and Brahm. This would have made the concept or path much
more easier to grasp in my humble opinion – as well as helped push these values
in the readers; that said, Let me be
honest, you taught me a lot. Please
accept these suggestions as questions, nothing more.
CONCLUSION
The part that hit home the hardest are two-fold:
first, page 247 - pain is the trigger that clears a being’s attachment to Maya,
setting off questions and realization leading to a hunt for answers, and
hopefully – realizing the path to Moksha. Well said indeed! I completey agree. Only when a mortal thinks, why is there pain
in this world? Why is there unhappiness in this world? Only then Buddhi,
alongwith the entire being begins to walk the path to Moksha. Brilliant
observations indeed! Kudos! Second part that hit home – a realization that all
paths {Sakhya / Dnyaan, Karm, Bhakti} are the same, something I have long
believed, but was unable to put into
specific thoughts. I have always wondered what is the difference, as you cannot
have a walk on any path without being on the other two as well! Only the
external manifestations at a karmic or mayic level are different. Would like
your comments on both these points.
This is a book that taught me many lessons,
gave me clarity on several of my questions, clarified steps as well as firmed
up resolve on some aspects of life. Truly, things happen at the right time –
this came just at the the time my mind was grappling with some questions along
my chosen path which this book has helped answer. And it is on this basis that
I made my read-target groups;if you have questions in your mind, you should
reach out for this absolute masterpiece and grab. This is a book that will stay
on your shelf and be read and re-read many times. For me, it will join the special shelf of books of Vedic Literature, not my other normal non-fiction books. Mr Rajput, my personal thanks for penning this!
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