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Bhagavad Gita, the song of Bhagavad, having emanated from the mouth of Lord Krishna is considered sacrosanct by Hindus. Though scholars in their commentaries and glosses had often differed in their interpretations of the Gita verses and opposed each other, but none doubted its infallibility, and therefore its inviolability had never been challenged. Hence, efforts to review the book was considered profane and barred by fear of desecration. Rationality, though believed to be a rare human attribute, is not entirely unknown in the spiritual domain. Instead of suppressing the truth and killing doubts with imaginary fear of divine wrath, the Advaitin monk Paramhangsa Soham Swami penned Bhagavadgeetar shamolochona, a critique of Bhagavad Gita, in 1918 in his native tongue Bengali, which was published posthumously on his first death anniversary on 6th December, 1919. The English translation of the book, Critical Review of Bhagavad Gita, is being published in the centenary year. The most popular and widely-read book that claims to contain the essence of Hindu thought is Bhagavad Gita. It is venerated by all sections of Hindus and is universally referred to as a mine of infallible knowledge for establishing the veracity of diverse sectarian beliefs in the Hindu society. But is Bhagavad Gita worth all the hype? An impartial evaluation will reveal that the book has been skilfully marketed as a panacea for all real life problems and spiritual enlightenment. The Critical Review of Bhagavad Gita is unique because it has not only highlighted the fallacies and inconsistencies, but has also revealed how Gita has diverted from the concepts of the Vedas and Upanishads that form the real cornerstone of Hinduism. About the Author: Paramhangsa Soham Swami (1858-1918) was a follower of the Indian tradition of non-dualism or Advaita Vedanta. Known as Shyamakanta Bandopadhyay (Banerjee) in his pre-monastic days, he was renowned for his extraordinary physical strength and exemplary courage. After graduating from Dacca College, he chose an unusual vocation - wrestling with wild tigers. He was revered by Indians and Europeans as Professor Banerjee, the first tiger tamer of India. However, at the age of 41, renouncing wealth, family and fame, he became an ascetic. Under the tutelage of his master Nabin Chandra Chakroborty alias Tibbatibaba he discovered the Absolute Truth.

In the early 1870s when a sturdy and stubborn teenager from a middle-class Bengali Hindu family joined a wrestling gymnasium in Dacca, little did his family and friends know that this young wrestler will be extolled in the distant future as the pioneer of the cult of physical strength and courage in Bengal. At the age of 23, to prove his masculinity and extraordinary fortitude and physical strength, Shyama Kanta Banerjee chose an unusual vocation - wrestling with wild tigers. For 17 years people across Bengal were captivated by the breathtaking circus shows of Professor Banerjee, the first tiger tamer of India. At a time when revolutionary movement in Bengal was in its nascent stage, through the tiger wrestling acts, Shyama Kanta covertly spread the message of fearlessness. Wrestling with tiger was a celebration of the new physical culture movement that developed in Bengal to encourage young men to prepare themselves for a revolution to break the shackles of servitude. At the peak of his fame, at the age of 41, Shyama Kanta underwent a complete mental transformation, and renounced the material world. He became a monk, and was renamed Soham Swami by his preceptor Nabin Chandra Chakroborty alias Tibbatibaba, an advaitin ascetic. Soham Swami now started the search for the true meaning of life. His quest was finally answered through the realization of the super-consciousness or the Absolute Truth in Samadhi. Now a recluse in the Himalayas, through his literary works the enlightened monk began expounding the truth he had experienced. In the last decade of his life he was involved in taming the tiger that tyrannizes the Hindu society in the form of superstition and religious orthodoxy. With courage and candour, that he was renowned for, Soham Swami challenged the irrational religiosity and the lies that are being promoted for centuries and propounded the bitter truth of life in the light of Advaita Vedanta. The Monk Who Tamed the Tiger is the first definitive biography of Soham Swami. It provides a glimpse into the human mind, consciousness and super-consciousness. The biography is also a narrative of the early Indian nationalism and its association with Vedanta that served as the vehicle of fearlessness for the freedom fighters who never hesitated to sacrifice their lives to liberate a subject nation.

I am constantly saying - my and mine, but who am I? Am I the body or the mind? What is consciousness - the awareness of my existence that creates the feeling that "I exist". From where did my consciousness arise? Is it a property of my body or mind? Or, is it beyond my body and mind? What is my relationship with this world? From where did I come, and where will I depart after death? What are the need for religion, God, scripture, temples, idols, worship, and the different modes of spiritual pursuits? Can they unravel my reality? Why do I suffer? How can I find bliss? Soham Gita answers these questions and more in a simple language in the light of Advaitavada, the universal wisdom of non-duality. It dispels superstitions and challenges religious orthodoxy and fanaticism. Soham Gita is the first written work of Soham Swami. It was written in verses in Bengali, the native tongue of the author. The English prose translation of the book is now available for interested readers.Soham Gita exposes the truth aboutSamsara or the worldly life comprising family and others you call your ownIndividuals who declare themselves as gurus or holy menScripturesPersonal God or the creator-GodAvatara or incarnationsReligionIt explores and analysesThe mind and how it actsWhy an individual is attracted to anotherHow different mental traits originateIt reveals facts and myths aboutThe relationship between food and mindThe reality of Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic foodsNon-vegetarianism vs. vegetarianismDietary habits of the Vedic AgeIt investigates the mysteries of RebirthShivaCreationDestinyIt boldly examines and challenges subjects considered sacrosanct such asKarma or religious ritualsBhakti or devotionIt clarifies the nature ofYogaJnana or knowledgeAn asceticIt explains the doctrine ofMayaAdvaitavada or non-dualism