Om Swami, the entrepreneur-turned-monk, has said in more than one instance in his book, “Thirteen Months In The Himalayas”, that he considers himself a child of the universe, at the mercy of the divine mother.
Om Swami, the entrepreneur-turned-monk, has said in more than one instance in his book, “Thirteen Months In The Himalayas”, that he considers himself a child of the universe, at the mercy of the divine mother. This feeling echoes throughout the text, where Swami is on a journey towards self – discovery and in search for a connection with the Mother Goddess.
Owing to his entrepreneurial background, Swami is a rationalist, and despite his deep devotion to the divine, he keeps his cool and does not fall prey to blind faith. His main goal as per this book is to fulfill the devotional journey he has undertaken and to catch a glimpse of the Divine Mother.
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However, this rationality does not make him unemotional or cold.
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Swami is a deeply devout man, and this is visible in his strict routines and self – abnegation towards the search for a brief but important glance at the Divine Mother, who is more so an energy than an idol.
He is also wary of creature comforts, and has trained himself to withstand freezing cold temperatures and general discomfort in lieu of devotion and worship. Swami also expects his fellows to not provide him with facilities that would make his stay easier, and thus, according to him, less closer to the object of his devotion.
One such instance is when a Brahmachari (celibate priest) heated up a modak made of jaggery to make it easier for him to offer it to the goddess and for him to eat it as a prasadam (divine offering), which deeply disappointed him.
Ultimately, the book is an insight into the mind of a man who willingly gave up a comfortable life in order to fulfill a dream that moulded him into a monk, a man who could survive on scraps and devotion alone. The book ends with a saying, “this is the whole truth, my truth. I urge you to go discover yours.”
The readers are thus, given the prime position, not only as consumers of his words, but as seekers of their own truths. In this way, we must thank Om Swami for his guidance, and go, discover the truth that is ours.
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