Book recommendation for November 2025: “A Search in Secret India”
This is one of the classic works on the search for a spiritual guru that left a profound impact on me. And the story of how I came into possession of this book taught me about the wonderful potential to learn and grow when we strike up meaningful conversations with new people.
What it’s about: It’s the story of Paul Brunton’s journey around India in the early twentieth century in search of a spiritual guru that will help him find inner peace. He lives among yogis, mystics and gurus, some of whom he found convincing, others not. He finally finds the peace and tranquility which come with self-knowledge when he meets and studies with the great sage Sri Ramana Maharishi. Paul Brunton is also (according to the book) generally recognised as the person that introduced yoga and meditation to the West.
Why I love it: I have a curious mind. I’m always wondering why the world is the way it is, what came before us and what lies in wait after we die. Religious philosophies and traditions fascinate me (a missed academic career path, perhaps!) and on occasion, I find myself irresistibly drawn to books about Eastern spirituality in particular. I’ve read a fair few but this is the best one. It takes you on a circular tour of India (a country I have long wished to visit), described in striking, beautiful prose, and Paul Brunton’s interactions with various mystics and gurus is at times humorous and insightful, begging lots of questions. He was a journalist and his approach is not that of a doe-eyed, unquestioning believer. While he is open minded he writes with a critical eye and is not easily persuaded by mystical claims, so when he finally meets the one he has been seeking, and how he describes that moment, it really is quite profound. I thoroughly enjoyed it, reading it in almost one sitting. It’s just a great read but especially so for anyone with an interest in spirituality, religious philosophy, or just a vivid account of travels around a mesmerising country.
Beyond the book: The story of how I came into possession of this book is a circular one, in some ways. In my very first seminar in law school I met and sat opposite a chap called Aditya, who was from Hyderabad in India. We got on well and were in several seminars in different modules over the course of our three-year degree. But, for whatever reason, we didn’t really socialise together outside the classroom (in fairness, there were few people from my law degree that I actually spent time with outside lectures and seminars; I didn’t feel that I fit in with the legal crowd). However, after our very last exam in our third year, we finally went for a drink. There was supposed to be three of us but the other person dropped out, which turned out to be a boon. I had a wonderful evening and, perhaps Adi sensed my interest (or maybe it was too much beer!), we started talking about religion, philosophy and spirituality. Not being versed in Eastern traditions (I grew up in an evangelical Christian Church), it was the most amazing, eye-opening chat, and the night ended far too quickly (though we were turfed out at closing time). During the evening, Adi recommended a book to me and, before we parted ways, he gave me A Search in Secret India. I devoured it and still have it to this day. And, when I pick up that book and think back on that evening, it’s with both joy and sadness: joy that I met a kindred spirit and had a wonderful time, but sadness at what might have been a much more substantive friendship had we just met up earlier.
There’s a few things I’ve learned from this: don’t take the time we have with people for granted (sadly, this is something I am still working on); you never know what things you have in common with someone, whatever their background, until you properly talk to them; and, there is an inherent value and a wonderful potential for an edifying experience from real human interaction and meaningful conversation, one that (to my mind) can simply never be replaced by technology.
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