Beyond Fear: A Personal Journey to Soma

This is a book about two parallel paths in the life of a combat soldier. One, the external path of duty and fighting grim battles. The other, the equally arduous path of one's inner spiritual evolution. It is, a military autobiography with a difference as it seeks to record both the life trajectories of the author in the same book. Based upon personal experience, the author contends that in our personal evolution, years of meditation cause the Kundalini Shakti to rise from the terminal ends of our spine and go up to the brain. There it unleashes a copious flow of neuro-transmitters called Endorphins. This is the flow of Soma that gives great Ecstasy, enhances creativity and charisma and amazingly takes away all Fear and Pain on the battle field. That is why Soma was prized by the Vedic sages as well as the Warriors. The Brahma-Kshatra tradition in India (even as the Samurai tradition in Japan) combines the two paths of Soma and Soldiering. In the first part of this book the author recalls his many years in combat where he faced death time and again. The upsurge of Soma helped him greatly to overcome his fears and lead from the front. In the second part of the book he looks clinically at his own spiritual experiences. Based on personal anubhav (or experience), he theorises a synthesis of the Tantrik view of the Kundalini with the Vedic view of the Kala Agni. The Tantras spoke of the Ascent of the Kundalini while the Vedas described the Descent of Aurobindo's Supermind or Soma. The author suggests they are both part of a unitary phenomenon-the Kundalini goes up, the Soma flows down-it descends like the Ganga to purify our body-mind complex and brings about human evolution. A path breaking book with radical new insights.

About the Author:

MAJ GEN (DR) G.D. BAKSHI, SM, VSM (RETD.) A veteran of the 1971 Bangladesh War, has seen action in Kargil, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch, and Punjab. He holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Studies and is the author of 46 books and over 400 papers. A popular TV commentator, he speaks on military affairs, Indian philosophy, and culture.