A Search in Secret India

Paul Brunton was one of the twentieth century’s foremost explorers and authors on India’s spiritual traditions, adept at translating ancient wisdom into modern terms.

In his book A Search in Secret India, he recounts his travels across India meeting various yogis and mystics who claim to possess healing abilities; some impressed him, others did not; he maintained an impartial stance to avoid becoming misled or being duped.

The Book

Paul Brunton wrote A Search in Secret India as a travelogue about his journey across India searching for spiritual teachers. Along his travels he met and studied under numerous yogis and mystics while discovering both Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. Finally he met and studied under Ramana Maharshi who is famous for teaching satyagraha or self-knowledge; ultimately this book played an influential role in spreading Eastern mysticism across Western cultures.

Originaly published in 1931, this book offers an intriguing insight into Indian life at that time and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in India or Indian culture and philosophy. Written as a travelogue, its writer was clearly looking for a teacher or guru that would assist him with developing his body, mind and spirit – using scientific methods he assessed each yogi with critical eyes he identified true gurus from those just trying to take his money.

Brunton managed to sidestep many gurus that were less skilled, spending his time instead with those that took an interest in developing souls and were committed to supporting human growth.

At the conclusion of his travels, he realized there was one individual who stood out above all others and decided to return to South India and study with them. The last few chapters of his book detail his time spent studying in their ashram under their tutelage.

This author was a British journalist with an immense love of Indian culture and philosophy, who left journalism to devote himself to Indian yogis and mystics, eventually joining Ramana Maharshi at his ashram in Tiruvannamalai, India where they wrote several timeless books together before creating I Am That in 1973 as his most famed translation/editing project.

The Journey

Paul Brunton was a British intellectual who made it his mission to travel the globe and meet holy saints – Yogis (in this instance) from various parts of India – who offered spiritual instruction. He approached these spiritual teachers with both openness and skepticism; using his scientific and philosophical education he distinguished between true yogis from those using magic, egotism, or other dishonest methods for their own gain.

He found himself meeting an assortment of individuals during his travels – from Parsi Seer Mehmoud Bey and South Indian Brama to more renowned teachers such as Advaita Vedanta (AV) masters. With some hesitation at first, he used an edge of doubt as he assessed each one before concluding he had found someone worthy of being called Holy, Wise and Guru – his journey continues in earnest now that the teacher he finally settled upon has fulfilled all these attributes in abundance!

Recently I read excerpts of Paul’s book during my visit to Ramana Maharishi’s ashram at Arunachalam and found it an intriguing account of his time spent with this spiritual being known as Ramana Maharishi in India. I highly recommend it for any one curious about spiritual traditions in India.

The Guru

Gurus are experts in certain fields of knowledge or practice. According to Hindu tradition, the relationship between gurus and disciples can transform both parties’ lives significantly – without the usual give-and-take that marks most human interactions.

Guru is a Sanskrit term meaning to “to know or lead”, hence spiritual teachers often referred to as guru are known as Knowers as they help us discover our true nature; our true Self.

Liberation can only be attained through education; once liberated, one has shed the shackles of ignorance forever and can never go back. However, that does not equate to ceasing learning; on the contrary, an empowered soul becomes a Master who helps lead others toward knowledge – such as Ramana Maharshi who became known as the “Master of Masters”.

He lived a simple, austere life and treated all devotees equally, exuding power that effortlessly attracted those near him. Additionally, the sage taught his disciples that their Inner Light is their Guru; thus encouraging them to search for someone who could impart knowledge of reality while at the same time helping turn rusty individualism into golden awareness.

Westerners may struggle to understand the Indian concept of gurus, which transcends simply being teachers. Many may imagine their guru as some sort of supernatural being with magical powers to solve all their problems and make them feel good; other may believe their guru will assist them to infantilise themselves by not taking responsibility or staying emotionally dependent.

This is an entirely incorrect perception; the guru should be seen as more of a spiritual guide who can remove any barriers to Self-realization than as some sort of magic wand. They only appear human until your wrong body identifications have been reduced through meditation.

The Final Chapter

Paul Brunton’s death in 1981 at Vevey in Switzerland marked one of the great 20th century explorations and writers on Eastern spiritual traditions. A journalist by training, Brunton became fascinated by the possibility of something beyond material reality; his search led him to India where he spent several years living among various yogis and mystics.

His experiences in India were documented in A Search in Secret India, published in 1934. This groundbreaking Western work popularized the teachings of Ramana Maharshi’s Enlightened Indian Sage Ramana Maharshi – having an impactful and significant effect on Western seekers.

This book details how its author, who initially is skeptical by nature, gradually transforms during his stay in India and learns to distinguish between simple charlatans and real holy men. Furthermore, he gains greater appreciation of ancient knowledge that survived until taken away by British imperialists ruling India.

Brunton encounters Ramana Maharshi at the end of A Search in Secret India and they share an engaging dialogue that highlights their similar approaches to life and spirituality. Brunton may have even introduced Ramana Maharshi to Western audiences – Yogananda visited him after reading A Search in Secret India in 1935 after reading Brunton’s writings! Yogananda often mentions Brunton in his writings and later visited Ramana himself after reading Brunton’s work!

Noteworthy is Brunton and Ramana’s disagreement regarding his teachings. While Brunton may have drawn inspiration for some of his ideas from Ramana, Brunton failed to acknowledge or give credit where due.