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by S. Sivathasan

The Gentle Breezes of Early Dawn is a title for a book conveying exalting thoughts and values found in Hinduism. The work is a compilation of talks refined and edited.

The author Sivanandini Duraiswamy had dedicated it to the memory of Yogendra Duraiswamy. They have both exemplified in their lives, the tradition found in Hindu Tamil culture.

Lord Krishna endowed the quintessence of Hinduism to humanity through the Bhagavad Gita. With Arjuna as the calf, He milked the Upanishads and the Vedas. Sivanandini drew freely from the Gita, devotional songs of Hindu saints, sayings of spiritual Gurus and sages. Copious excerpts of thoughts from poets and thinkers embellish the book.

The book of 252 pages covers a vast range of subjects on Hinduism. It makes delightful reading. Presented in chaste English and elegant prose, it is edifying and illumining. Deep study and keen discernment are explicit in the presentation.

Man's search for the ultimate reality is an eternal quest. The pilgrim needs to be student and a disciple, to acquire knowledge. The author speaks of this in the chapter itself and tells us that the flower and the bud symbolize this tradition. The flower is the illumined Guru who receives the light and transmits it to the bud symbolizing the disciple. The latter seeks guidance and grace.

Certain concepts and beliefs are basic to the Hindu faith. She clearly explains in her lucid style these concepts. The Atman, the divine spark within, Karma purifying the sevak's heart and intensifying his devotion are essential components.

The knowledge of the Atman is eternal and the ancient Hindu scriptures speak about it in great depth.

However, in more recent times that we hear echoes of it in English poetry. She speaks of Shelley in this context and quotes his words about the Atman or Soul, saying, "It is from the hour of its birth a portion of the being of God, as spark of the divine; the pure spirit shall flow back to the burning fountain whence it came - a portion of the eternal". Man essentially divine, is the Soul in an embodied form.

Going together with karma is dharma. The conflict between right and wrong is perennial and Kurukshetra is within us. Eternal struggle that man faces is between the righteous aspirations and his unrighteous desires. There are several more short chapters teaching us these concepts in various ways.

A beautiful foreword from an erudite scholar, the High Commissioner of India, Sri Gopalkrishna Gandhi introduces us to the book and the author whom he speaks of as one, "who has the soul of a tapasvini". He then goes on to say that her work follows the path of Sanghamitra and adds, "This gentle book comes as an unexpected breeze from a hill-grove laden with rare herbs of faith. It has a healing quality to it." The author quotes Sri Ramakrishna as saying that those in their religious search for God should know, that "the wind of divine grace is always blowing. It is for you to unfurl your sails".

To those on the path divine, the book is beautiful, helpful and provides guidance.

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