India in a Mind's Eye

“This illuminating memoir from ‘ambivalent pilgrim’ Gelberg … invites readers into [his] journeys throughout India, whose culture, history, and spiritual traditions have long fascinated him and shaped his life. India in a Mind’s Eye explores the evolution, over many ‘pilgrimages, ’ of this former Krishna devotee’s understanding of spirituality, identity, and the gap between idealism and reality. … Gelberg now sees his youthful zeal to convert to Hinduism as ‘a quest (however naively idealistic) for radical psychic liberation’ and writes with tender frankness of his years with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), demystifying and honoring the Krishna experience while reporting disillusionment with a system affording so much power to all-too-human gurus. Throughout, Gelberg writes with warmth, intelligence, and an engaging conversational tone that makes his deepest reflections a pleasure to connect with … including marvelous scenes depicting a woman touched with ‘insights and ecstasies most devotees can only theorize and pontificate about.’ … He movingly celebrates ‘Indian pessimism, ’ that ‘abiding insight into the insubstantiality of the perceived world, the mutability and ephemerality of everything we see, and the centrality of suffering in human experience.’ Gelberg makes that beautiful and inviting.” - Booklife/Publishers Weekly (Editor’s Pick)

“I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a feel for the many facets of India and its allure. … Purely as a travelogue, it stands alongside the best ever written. It is much more than that, and is - as Gelberg recognizes in his title - a journey of the spirit. … Anyone who wants to understand India or ISKCON should read it.” -Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins, author of The Hindu Religious Tradition

“Gelberg speaks for thousands, perhaps millions of Westerners who travel to India in hopes of finding a paradise of ultimate truths. … With a foreword by pioneering scholar of new religions Robert Elwood, this volume makes a valuable contribution to … the scholarship of new religions.” -Dr. W. Michael Ashcraft, author of A Historical Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements

“Not unlike a snake charmer, Steven Gelberg entices you into his mind’s eye as he journeys around secular and holy sites of India … part travelogue, part thought-provoking spiritual exploration, and illustrated with sensitive portraits of fellow seekers on the path. … At times comical, at other times moving, but always engaging - if you have something urgent to do, don’t open this book.” -Dr. Eileen Barker, Professor Emerita, London School of Economics and Political Science

”[A] transcendent travelogue that offers insight into an uncommon religious experience.” -Kirkus Review