The inner dimension of sport...

A spiritual Master and at the same time an avid sportsman, Sri Chinmoy was a pioneer in demonstrating the power of meditation in the sporting world. In 1977, he founded the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, which has put on some of the most boundary-pushing races the running world has ever seen, including the current longest certified road race - the 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race.

This book brings together many of Sri Chinmoy's most powerful teachings from 30 years of service to the running community. It is aimed at both elite athletes searching for that extra edge, and ordinary people looking to get more satisfaction from their workouts. Sri Chinmoy answers questions both from a deep inner perspective and yet also rooted in the world of practical experience - what are the goals we should be aiming for, how we can strive for and yet be detached from disappointment at the same time, how we can keep our enthusiasm day after day and year after year, and how we can make our sporting activities a source of deep and lasting satisfaction.

In addition, legendary athletes such as 9-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis, Olympic long jump and triple jump champion Tatyana Lebedeva, marathon record-holders Tegla Laroupe and Paul Tergat, and 5-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl contribute their own inner secrets and spiritual perspective on training and competition.

222 Meditation Techniques offers a broad selection of meditation exercises by Sri Chinmoy which will be helpful for anyone wishing to start or further their meditation practice.

The 222 exercises, laid out in an accessible simple format, are suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators. They include breathing exercises, guided meditations and the use of mantras. It also includes meditations for runners, artists and musicians. There are also exercises to try and overcome bad habits and cultivate more gratitude in your life.

The book has an attractive design and its hardback binding allows it to stay conveniently open on the chosen page for easy reference while practising, making it ideal as a reference for a daily meditation practise.

A collection of inspirational stories, poems and aphorisms captures the timeless wisdom of the East in the simple language of the spiritual master Sri Chinmoy. Many stories come from ancient India; others portray episodes from the lives of great spiritual figures.

Originally published over 25 years ago, this book has now been released in a new beautiful revised edition, with artwork featuring  Sri Chinmoy's “soul-birds” evoking the immortal soul flying eternally in the sky of Infinity.

Listen to Nature: Living in Harmony with the Earth is a new book which presents a collection of Sri Chinmoy's writings on the environment. Through poetry, prose and question and answers, Sri Chinmoy explains the root of our own environmental crisis, how we can learn to love nature and why there is reason to be hopeful of creating a better future.

The new book has a foreword contributed by Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace.

[Sri Chinmoy] stresses the need for a deep spiritual connection with the natural world of which we are part and on which we depend.. Let us heed the words of this spiritual teacher before it is too late."

Jane Goodall

The book also includes several practical meditation exercises, where Sri Chinmoy offers us the opportunity to meditate on aspects of nature we often take for granted. Sri Chinmoy feels that developing this inner connection with Mother Earth not only feeds the natural environment, but can also bring peace to humanity.

Nature has its own rhythm, its own harmony, its own peace and joy. When you are identified, consciously or unconsciously, with universal Nature, it is all vastness and immensity. There you lose your own outer existence, the feeling that you are separate from other persons. In that state of unified oneness, you become totally one with universal Nature; you become part and parcel of the Vast and the Infinite. You forget your ordinary life, which is your physical frame, your name and your outer existence. In that state, you do not have to make your mind calm and quiet, for the mind is not functioning; you have already become identified with the treasure of universal Nature's consciousness.

Sri Chinmoy

Whilst Sri Chinmoy expresses his sadness at the way humanity has damaged Mother Earth, he explains this damage to the environment is a manifestation of the division, fear and greed which are predominant in human minds.

At the same time, Sri Chinmoy offers a message of hope, that through prayer, meditation and identification with Mother Earth we can help to heal the planet and restore the natural beauty of earth.

We must not underestimate the power of spirituality. Prayer and meditation mean new life. When we pray and meditate, at every second we are invoking God’s Compassion. We are saying that Mother Nature is being destroyed. But we have to know that Mother Nature is nothing other than God the creation. We are praying to God the Creator to save God the creation. So He who created this earth can once again create a new creation on the strength of our prayers and meditations.

Sri Chinmoy

This medium sized book is an excellent gift for anyone who has love for our planet and wishes to understand both what is going wrong, but also how we can help to protect and renew our connection with nature.

With over 100,000 copies sold, The Wings of Joy has been an invaluable companion to people all over the world as they set out on their journey of self-discovery.

Sri Chinmoy felt that simplicity, sincerity and purity were the hallmarks of spirituality, and these three qualities can be felt in abundance as he confers with the reader about all the strivings and quests of the human condition - to overcome self-doubt and fear, to be kinder to oneself and others, to gain lasting fulfillment in this unique and beautiful life.

True inner joy is self-created.
It does not depend on outer circumstances.
A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message of joy.
This divine joy is the sole purpose of life.

Sri Chinmoy, from 'The Wings of Joy'

Sri Chinmoy was a prolific author of poems, talks and plays. In addition, countless questions and answers from spiritual seekers over a 40+ year period have been published. During his lifetime, his published output totalled almost 1,600 books, which have been a source of illumination for spiritual seekers all over the world.

In 2015, Ganapati Press started a project to publish all these writings in 80-100 beautiful large hardbound volumes that will meet museum archival standards. At the time of writing (2021) there have been 36 volumes published.

Some notable volumes include: (the links below are to the Ganapati Press website)

• Poetry, vol. I The Dance of Life, The Wings of Light, The Golden Boat series 3 poetry series of 1000 poems each, written in the 1970's
• Answers vol. I (2 tomes) Sri Chinmoy answers series - questions answered mainly in 90's and 2000's
• Anecdotes vol. I Run and become, become and run series of running stories
• Poetry vol. II  (2 tomes) Ten Thousand Flower-Flames poem series written 1979-83
• Poetry vol. III (4 tomes) Twenty-seven thousand Aspiration-Plants poem series written 1983-98
• Poetry vol. IV (7 tomes) Seventy-seven thousand Service-Trees Sri Chinmoy begain this series in 1998, 50000 poems were written before his passing in 2007
• Everest-Aspiration Original 100 talks.

When we listen to soulful music, or when we ourselves play soulful music, immediately our inner existence climbs up high, higher, highest. It climbs up and enters into something beyond. This Beyond is constantly trying to help us, guide us, mould us and shape us into our true transcendental image, our true divinity. When we hear soulful music, or when we play a soulful piece of music, we feel a kind of inner thrill in our entire existence, from the soles of our feet to the crown of our head. A river is flowing through us, a river of consciousness, and this consciousness is all the time illumined.

Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy was a prolific composer of spiritual music. Writing from his own experiences and realisations, he explores the spiritual dimensions of music and its power to awaken the truth-seeker to their inner divine Consciousness. There is also an in-depth section on mantra and japa, which have been used in India for spiritual growth and fulfilment for thousands of years.

Pradhan Balter has been a student of Sri Chinmoy since 1973, and has given countless talks and workshops on meditation and the spiritual life in over 30 countries. He is a gifted storyteller, and loves to talk about his spiritual journey. He also spent many hours with Sri Chinmoy, and has a lot of stories to tell about that too.

A Twenty-First Century Seeker is compiled from recordings of many of Pradhan's talks, so the book has a very spontaneous, conversational feel to it. The book is really like a practical manual, covering all areas from starting meditation, to growing your spiritual practice and keeping it fresh after months and years have passed.

In 2014, Jayasalini became only the fourth woman ever to complete the world’s longest running race – the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Running in rhythm with the heart starts with the profound inspiration she had to run this race shortly after becoming a student of Sri Chinmoy, and takes the reader through her preparation - inner and outer - that brought her to the starting line.

Jayasalini describes the physical, mental and spiritual challenges and joys which face any runner who takes on this race of 52 days - dealing with minor injuries and issues, staying happy and focused, and never giving up - but also the valuable spiritual lessons she learned during this time. For keen runners, it will be of great interest to see how the body and mind cope when pushed to the limit; and for non-runners, it will give a unique insight into a remarkable adventure and the potential of the human spirit. Ultimately, the book is a celebration of running and the ideal of self-transcendence – an experience of a lifetime squeezed into 52 days.

98 disciples of Sri Chinmoy from around the world tell their own stories of how Sri Chinmoy came to be their Guru, and how his teaching continues to enrich their lives.

In this book, you will meet a cross-section of the Sri Chinmoy Centre; from a Guinness World Record breaker, to accomplished musicians, writers, artists and athletes - all of us ordinary people who have found a way to have deep inner fulfilment in today's world - and find out why individuals from such a diverse range of backgrounds and interests are drawn to Sri Chinmoy as their spiritual Teacher.

From these stories, the reader can get personal insights into many aspects of Sri Chinmoy's spiritual path; sweet reminiscences with Sri Chinmoy, the spiritual value of service, the joy of self-transcendence, as well as experiences of meditation and the inner connection with one's soul and with one's spiritual Teacher. These heartfelt stories will resonate with those seeking a deeper meaning to life.

Over his lifetime, Sri Chinmoy touched countless people from all walks of life by showing them this simple truth: Divine Love is real, and it has the power to change even the most desperate situations.

Some of these people were his students; some of them his dear and close friends. Some of them were universally beloved figures like Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali; most of them were ordinary seekers of truth like you and I.

Through these revealing anecdotes, you can glimpse Sri Chinmoy's loving brotherly friendship with people such as Mother Teresa, Ravi Shankar and Carl Lewis. You can read about how a king, upon meeting Sri Chinmoy, recognised him as the person who had been inwardly guiding him for the previous 25 years; and also how the inner presence of a spiritual Master protected a top-ranking UN diplomat in the middle of a tense international crisis. The book begins with some charming anecdotes by Sri Chinmoy himself, relating how God's miracle-blessings saved him during his childhood and early life.

Sumangali is one of the best writers in the Sri Chinmoy Centre, and this is an in-depth account of her journey to becoming a disciple of Sri Chinmoy and finding a deeper fulfilment in life. In vivid terms, she writes of her upbringing and her growing disillusionment with the expectations of modern life; her story is very unique, but the broad themes will resonate with many others also seeking to explore the world of meditation and spirituality.

The second half of the book describes the years she spent with Sri Chinmoy prior to his passing in 2007, and contains many illumining anecdotes and experiences with Sri Chinmoy which helped transform her life and spiritual practice. In all, the book is a revealing perspective on the Guru-disciple relationship, and how the ancient practice of learning from a spiritual Master can have great relevance to a modern spiritual life.

The audiobook, narrated by Sumangali, is also available free of charge to download from sumangali.org, or to listen to at Radio Sri Chinmoy.

For over 30 years, Pradhan Balter had a unique perspective on his Guru, Sri Chinmoy, as he literally sat at his Master’s feet, in his role as masseur and chiropractor.  This book is a collection of moving and illumining stories about Pradhan's close relationship with Sri Chinmoy, and the lessons and experiences he gained. Pradhan describes how he became a student, and how his connection with Sri Chinmoy slowly grew over the years. Pradhan relates lofty spiritual experiences, but also candid descriptions of the testing moments of personal transformation that invariably occur as part of spiritual growth. 

Pradhan’s book also shows his Master's love and concern for his students in innumerable different ways; it is a revealing insight into the Guru-disciple relationship. For example, Pradhan describes how Sri Chinmoy's concern and advice helped him cope with losing his father, the stresses of running a busy restaurant and organising giant concerts for thousands of people, and overcoming difficulties with others.

He also explains with humour and a deftness of touch, how his Master had very high spiritual standards, and often scolded Pradhan for his own spiritual benefit and transformation (Upon reading the book, Sri Chinmoy remarked that that particular section was his favourite part!). In fact, Sri Chinmoy encouraged Pradhan to write this book and, upon completion, gave it an affectionate subtitle: The Oneness of an ascending heart-cry and a descending Soul-Smile.