India is a land of realized masters and Gurus. The lives of the Gurus themselves have been lessons for spiritual aspirants. One such master has been Sri M. He is currently active in his ventures and guiding people in their journey. In his autobiography “Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master” he has articulated his scintillating journey. Sri M was born as Mumtaz Ali Khan in 1948, in the south state of Kerala.

This extraordinary book enumerates his fascinating adventures as a child, an adolescent, a married man and as a spiritual master. He mentioned how he met his Guru – Sri Maheshwarnath Babaji, who was a disciple of Mahavatar Babaji. Mahavatar Babaji is known for gifting the Kriya Yoga to mankind in the modern times, through his disciples.

Below are some excerpts from the book:

  1. The darkness of ignorance must go before one saw Rama, the only Truth. (65)
  2. …they might at some point realize that there are greater realms of consciousness which cannot be comprehended by dry logic, and currently available levels of intelligence. (173)
  3. Death is inescapable, and is our constant companion. So, accept it, my child, in tranquility. Make peace with death and it turns into your friend. (181)
  4. Spiritual evolution is individual and cannot be a mass phenomenon. No meditation technique franchises can do much good. Each individual is special. (319)

Sri M has mentioned his interactions with several masters of his times – Neem Karoli Baba, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Laxman Joo etc. He also mentions how he received various spiritual lessons such as chanting of Gayatri Mantra, Yoga & Vedanta, Kundalini, Sri Vidya etc. Be ready to encounter some miracles too and extraordinary stories, that he received first hand from various masters.

The 300+ page book is a fast read. It can be read like a novel. Each chapter is just 6-7 pages at the most.

Sri M has written several books. The “Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master” is available in several languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, German, Russian, Bengali, Gujarati & Italian. He has also written a sequel to this book – “The Journey Continues”.

You may visit Satsang Foundation, to learn more about him.