The Garland of Guru's Sayings

by Guru Vachaka Kovai, K.Swaminathan (Tr.) and Muruganar

Guru Vachaka Kovai (The Garland of Guru's Sayings) is the most comprehensive collection of the Maharshi's sayings which is composed and strung together artistically by the poet Muruganar. In this massive Tamil work of 1282 stanzas (1254 being Muruganar's handiwork and 28 the Maharshi's), each stanza presents, in a well-wrought and finely polished setting, a pearl that fell from the Master's lips. Not only are these stanzas arranged in the most logically effective order, under 231 chapters, but most of them were seen and approved by the Master, who has supplied some links and re-statements of his own to emphasize a point or tighten up or clarify the argument. The value of The Garland of Guru's Sayings is not merely in its literary appeal to Tamil readers. The collection equals the Talks in comprehensiveness and authenticity. The Talks are informal and present the Maharshi's teachings against the background of the questions posed by enquirers. The Garland focusses the light on what the Maharshi said regardless of when or why he said it, and the sayings are strung together in a manner which is intellectually satisfying. This title is available in English language