Books on the Saints and Gurus of Hinduism
Summary: This page presents a curated collection of books on Hindu saints, gurus, and spiritual masters who have played a vital role in shaping, preserving, and transmitting Hindu philosophy and spiritual practice. The selection spans classical and modern teachers, including yogis, mystics, reformers, and lineage‑based gurus whose teachings continue to influence contemporary seekers. Readers will find works on figures such as Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Paramahansa Yogananda, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Neem Karoli Baba, Sri Aurobindo, and many others, along with writings that explore their lives, teachings, and spiritual insights. The list includes biographies, commentaries, collected talks, and practical guides on meditation, yoga, devotion, and self‑realization. Together, these books offer a broad window into the diversity of Hindu spiritual leadership and the transformative wisdom expressed through various traditions and lineages.
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Books on Hindu Saints by Category
Recommended Books
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Sri S. Satchidananda
Autobiography of a Yogi: with bonus CD - Paramahansa Yogananda
The Yoga of Jesus - Paramahansa Yogananda $
Freedom from the Known - Jiddu Krishnamurti
The Eye of the I: From Which Nothing Is Hidden - Dr. David R. Hawkins M.D. Ph.D.
Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously - Osho
Awakening of Intelligence, The - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Think on These Things - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Bikram Yoga: - Bikram Choudhury
How Can I Help? Stories and Reflection on Service - Ram Dass
Scientific Healing Affirmations: Theory and Practice of Concentration - Paramahansa Yogananda
The Living Gita- Sri Swami Satchidananda
The Only Dance There Is - Ram Dass
The Holy Science - Swami Sri Yukteswar
Wisdom: 365 Thoughts from Indian Masters (Offerings for Humanity) - Danielle Föllmi
Autobiography of a Yogi- Paramhansa Yogananda
First and Last Freedom, The - Jiddu Krishnamurt
Creativity: Unleashing the Forces Within (Osho, Insights for a New Way of Living.) - Osho
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Rie
On Love and Loneliness - Jiddu Krishnamurti
The Hidden Power of the Bible - Ernest Holmes
White Lotus: An Explanation of the Seven-line Prayer to Guru Padmasambhava - Jamgon Mipham
Man's Eternal Quest: Collected Talks and Essays - Volume 1 (Collected Talks and Essays) - Paramahansa Yogananda
Words to Live By: A Daily Guide to Leading an Exceptional Life - Eknath Easwaran
How to Be Happy All the Time - Paramhansa Yogananda
The Ending of Time - J. Krishnamurti
On Relationship - Jiddu Krishnamurti
The Lives of Sri Aurobindo - Peter Heehs
Inner Peace: How to Be Calmly Active and Actively Calm - Paramahansa Yogananda
On Fear - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Death of a Guru: A Remarkable True Story of one Man's Search for Truth - Rabi R. Maharaj
Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic - Osho
The Present Moment: A Retreat on the Practice of Mindfulness - Thich Nhat Hanh
The Transparency of Things - Rupert Spira
Transcripts of Gurdjieff's Meetings 1941-1946 - G Gurdjieff
Maturity: The Responsibility of Being Oneself - Osho
The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: A Visual Journey - Matthew Greenblat
The 99th Monkey: A Spiritual Journalist's Misadventures with Gurus, Messiahs, Sex, Psychedelics, and Other Consciousness-Raising Experiments - Eliezer Sobel
Education and the Significance of Life - Krishnamurt
Right Here, Right Now: Seeing Your True Nature as Present Awareness - John Wheeler
The Great Gate: A Guidebook to the Guru's Heart Practice, Dispeller of All Obstacles - Tsikey Rinpoche Chokling
Healing the Soul of America: Reclaiming Our Voices as Spiritual Citizens - Marianne Williamson
50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life - Tom Butler-Bowdon
The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga - Kriyananda
It's Here Now (Are You?) - Bhagavan Das
The Golden Present: Daily Inspriational Readings by Sri Swami Satchidananda - Sri Swami Satchidananda
Meeting Life: Writings and Talks on Finding Your Path Without Retreating from Society - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Path of Fire and Light (Vol 2): A Practical Companion to Volume One - Rama
Truth Is a Pathless Land - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Guitar Chord Guru: The Chord Book, Your Guide for Success! - Karl Aranjo
Karma and Reincarnation: The Wisdom of Yogananda, Volume 2 - Paramhansa Yogananda
Integral Yoga Hatha - Sri Swami Satchidananda
Galley Guru: Effortless Gourmet Cooking Afloat - Lisa Hayden-Miller
Spiritual Initiation and the Breakthrough of Consciousness: The Bond of Power - Joseph Chilton Pearce
Transitions to a Heart Centered World: Through the Kundalini Yoga and Meditations of Yogi Bhajan - Guru Rattana
Psychic Being (Soul: Its Nature, Mission, Evolution) - Sri Aurobindo
You Are That - Gangaji
Flight of the Eagle - J. Krishnamurti
God Loves Fun - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
The Masters and The Path - C.W. Leadbeater
Commentaries on Living I: Series One - J. Krishnamurti
Messages from Amma: In the Language of the Heart - Janine Canan
Where Are You Going?: A Guide to the Spiritual Journey - Swami Muktananda
The Guru of Joy: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Art of Living - FranCois Gautier
Awake in the Heartland: The Ecstasy of What Is - Joan Tollifson
The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa: - Garma C.C. Chang
A Rare and Precious Thing: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Working with a Spiritual Teacher - John Kain
Krishnamurti to Himself: His Last Journal - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Feet Of Clay - Anthony Storr
A Collection of Biographies of 4 Kriya Yoga Gurus by Swami Satyananda Giri: - Yoga Niketan
Discovering Gurdjieff - Dorothy Phillpotts
Meditaciones Metafísicas: Oraciones, Afirmaciones y Visualizaciones Universales - Paramahansa Yogananda
No Way: A Guide for the Spiritually "Advanced" - Ram Tzu
Kosmic Consciousness - Ken Wilber
The Voice of Paramahansa Yogananda - Awake in the Cosmic Dream - Paramahansa Yogananda
Enlightening Tales: as Told by Sri Swami Satchidananda - Sri Swami Satchidananda
Gurus In America Author: Thomas A. Forsthoefel
Messages from Amma Author: Janine Canan
Kundalini Author: Sri Chinmoy
The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus Author: Timothy Freke;
Autobiography of a Yogi Author: Paramahansa Yogananda
The Nectar of Immortality Author: Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Essence of Self-Realization Author: Swami Kriyananda
Karma Cola Author: Gita Mehta
Grist for the Mill Author: Ram Dass
Where Are You Going? Author: Swami Muktananda
Shri Guru Gita Author: Paramhansa Pranavadarshan
Meditation Author: Sri Chinmoy
Enlightening Tales Author: Sri Swami Satchidananda
The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga Author: Goswami Kriyananda
From the Finite to the Infinite Author: Swami Muktananda
The Wisdom of Sri Chinmoy Author: Sri Chinmoy
The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi Author: Mahatma Gandhi;
Nothing Exists That Is Not Shiva Author: Swami Muktananda
Inner Peace Author: Paramahansa Yogananda
Man's Eternal Quest Author: Paramahansa Yogananda
The Holy Science Author: Swami Yukteswar
The Only Dance There Is Author: Ram Dass
The Living Gita Author: Sri Swami Satchidananda
My Lord Loves a Pure Heart Author: Swami Chidvilasanand
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita Author: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
The Himalayan Masters: A Living Tradition: Pandit Tigunait skillfully weaves the teachings of the sages into a fabric of absorbing and delightful stories, so that the reader easily understands what might, in another context, look like formidable philosophy. In addition, he makes it practical, down-to-earth, and applicable to the conditions of modern life. He effortlessly renders the ancient teachings for contemporary students. A yogi who came of age in the traditional culture of India and studied widely with a number of teachers, he has been living and teaching in the United States for almost two decades.
The Tradition of the Himalayan Masters: Pandit Tigunait skillfully weaves the teachings of the sages into a fabric of absorbing and delightful stories, so that the reader easily understands what might, in another context, look like formidable philosophy. In addition, he makes it practical, down-to-earth, and applicable to the conditions of modern life. He effortlessly renders the ancient teachings for contemporary students. A yogi who came of age in the traditional culture of India and studied widely with a number of teachers, he has been living and teaching in the United States for almost two decades.
Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India: This fine investigation presents six contemporary women saints of India who are considered to be the exemplification of the feminine aspect of the divine, living incarnations of the "Divina Mother" or "the Goddess." Johnsen, a longtime student of religion and spirituality, not only interviewed these women but also lived and walked among them in the United States and in India.
Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels: Folk Narrative in Hindu Religious Teaching: This book makes folklore accessible and interesting. The subject--stories recounted by hindu holymen and why and how they are told--is fascinating. Ethnographic information on the hindu religion and culture is brillant and full of life and humor. Kirin Narayan was also my University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropology professor and she was awesome!
The Graceful Guru This collection of nine all new essays looks at the phenomenon of the female guru both in its original Indian context, where Hindu women leaders have been unusual but not unknown, and as it has evolved on the American scene. Each chapter is devoted to a particular female guru, ranging from the fifth-century Tamil saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar to Gurumayi, who today presides over the worldwide movement of Siddha Yoga, headquartered in the Catskill resort town of South Fallsburg, New York.
The Madness of the Saints: Ecstatic Religion in Bengal : In The Madness of the Saints, June McDaniel undertakes the first comprehensive study of religious ecstasy in Bengal, examining the texts that describe it, the people who experience it, and the traditions that support it.