Book excerpt: COMPARABLE IN LASTING significance to the famous classics TheWay of a Pilgrim and Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, this book is an extraordinary spiritual autobiography. It recounts the story of a homeless monk's journey as he travels the dusty roads and paths of the Indian subcontinent, from the ancient temples of the south to the awe-inspiring, snow-covered Himalayas of the north. This is the tale of a pilgrimage, vividly and compellingly told, taken with the hallmarks of complete faith in the Creator and constant remembrance of God. Swami Ramdas did not accept money and treated all people he encountered as manifestations of his Beloved. The narrative contains many inspiring accounts of how his pure love transformed people who at first treated him very harshly. Whatever situation he was placed in, he didn't fail to notice the lighter side, which appealed to his keen sense of the comic and ludicrous in life. He never lost this quality, even after he became God-intoxicated and lived on the road in total, blissful surrender to the divine will. Many readers find themselves in a lifelong love affair with this story. This book is the first in a trilogy chronicling Swami Ramdas' pilgrimage to God-realization. The next two volumes, In the Vision of God, volumes I and II, are also available from Blue Dove Press.