The text is dense in information and important to me, since it is largely about worshiping Lord Shiva (and for me this has long been an important issue).
“The Awakener” by Katya Mossin can be considered a fundamental book without exaggeration. On the one hand, this is a detailed biography of a realized yogi and teacher, Shri Shailendra Sharma (born 1957), who currently lives in Govardhan (India), continuing the tradition of Kriya Yoga of Mahavatar Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya. On the other hand, it is a treasure trove of spiritual knowledge, not so much theoretical as practical, everyday. “Awakening” – because it promotes the awakening of the consciousness.
I have never met this master personally, but I have several acquaintances for whom he is a guruji. Initially, “Awakener” was written in English and published in India in a large print run; now the author’s Russian-language version has appeared in Moscow. A Muscovite by birth, Katya Mossin lived and worked in India for many years, where in 2008 she began practicing kriya yoga under the guidance of Shailendra Sharma, and translated several of his books into Russian. “Awakener” is an authorized biography of a yogi, the result of her many years of communication with the guruji. Katya Mossin writes only very briefly about her personal impressions, her first visit to the ashram in Govardhan, subsequent changes in her life, and the decision to write this book in the preface, and then only about the fate of the guru. Already in the introduction, she emphasizes that Shailendra Sharma is not a miracle worker or a modern saint, but a realized yogi who “explores the connection with the main deity – Mother Earth.” To describe the biography of the mentor, Katya chooses the third person singular, that is, throughout the text – “he” and “his”.
Shailendra Sharma’s biography is described by Katya Mossin as a very powerful flow of unique life energy, overcoming family and social stereotypes and affirming exclusively that way of life that is aimed at self-realization, serving higher powers, transforming consciousness and helping students. This large-scale book (14 chapters, divided into small parts usually two or three pages) is not for skeptics. It paints a monumental picture of the structure of the universe and the place of man in it from the point of view of ancient Vedic knowledge, but at the same time the book is very “earthly”, describing everyday problems, and the difficult relationships of the hero with relatives, and those cases when he had to use physical force. One of the final chapters is an insert – the stories of several of Shailendra Sharma’s students, described by them themselves. When reading, one is pleased with a certain harmonious integrity and at the same time simplicity of presentation.