Book Review - Osho Fragrance by Swami Chaitanya Keerti

Philosophy is an intricate subject. Writing it for others is even more complex. And making people understand it is the ultimate test for a philosopher. In any library, you will find bookshelves are full of the philosophical discourse of so many philosophers. Pick up any book, and you will put it back within five minutes, as ninety percent of it does not seem to make any sense for you. You start feeling that your intellect is not yet developed enough to reach the philosophical level of the book. So you move over to the next shelf to find the latest book by Khushwant Singh.

But this is just not true. The only thing is that those talks are not made simple enough to understand. But, if you pick any Osho book, you sure will buy or get it issued. This is because what he has written, goes straight to your heart and mind. He had his own way with words. He used humor, anecdotes in his discourses to make it more palpable. Truly, he was the Philosopher of masses.

As mentioned in the website dedicated to him he talks that the human mind is put under the microscope as never before, analyzed to the smallest wrinkle. Mind as psychology, mind as emotion, mind as mind/body; mind as a moralist, mind as belief; mind as religion, mind as history, mind as politics and social evolution - all examined, studied, and integrated. Then graciously left behind in the essential quest for transcendence.

 This book is a fragrant compilation of Swami Chaitanya Keerti’s articles already published in various newspapers during the last two years. This book instead of stressing upon a single subject gives an insight into many angles of life from the perspective of Osho. Each chapter consists of just three or four pages but holds an ocean within. After reading this book, you are bound to be inspired to further read the words of Osho available in over 600 books. 

The few gems of the book, which make it very special, are: "True love needs to be rooted in the earth and also needs wings to fly in the sky. Love has roots in earth; that is its pain, its agony. And love has its branches in the sky; that is its ecstasy." 

"Unburden yourself with laughter. Laughter is a prayer. In spontaneous laughter, the noise of the mind stops for a few precious moments, allowing us to experience mindlessness or meditation, however fleetingly. Laughter is the highest religious quality and seriousness a sickness of the soul."

"We should not create any split between the body and soul. The body is the manifestation of the soul, and the soul is the invisible body. They exist together as an indivisible organic unity. The first and foremost step on the path of meditation is to accept our body, feel our senses and become aware of them in their entirety."

"Enlightenment is to live one’s life here and now. This moment is all. You never have two moments together in your hands; only one single moment. It is such a small moment that there is no space for thinking or thoughts to exist. Either you can live it, or you can think. To live it is to be enlightened; to think is to miss."

The book has mentioned anecdote and quotes from lives of  J.Krishnamurti, Chang Tzu, the great Taoist mystic of China, Saint Farid, Saint Kabir, G.K.Chestron, Gurdjieff, a Russian mystic, Zen master Hatoi who was known in Japan as the ‘Laughing Budha’ and many more profound thinkers and mystics, which make you delve into the reality of life.

Touching upon various aspects of our day-to-day lives subtly, this simple yet powerful book, drawing inspiration from the multi-dimensional vision of Osho, comes like a breath of fresh air and leaves us a better human being.

Written by Arun Soni

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