"Calm Is Greater Than Joy" describes how the man of understanding lives his life without the sense of separation (without seeing the manifestation as the face of an enemy). The Sage is in perfect harmony with whatever happens in the manifestation. He is able to use his working mind because the 'me' mind, the thinking mind, has merged into the Heart. Here four renowned Masters describe how they are able to live in samsara (in the eye of the storm) in total peace without isolating themselves. Their calm is quite contagious because the mind in them has stopped creating problems; they have no issues either with God or with the society they live in.

Shirishkumar S. Murthy was born in an orthodox Brahmin family in the year 1954. At the age of 20 he came across Ramana Maharshi's book 'The Gospel of Ramana Maharshi' which changed his way of thinking to a great extent. In 1978 he met J. Krishnamurti and became his fan. The infatuation did not last long. The suffering and the confusion continued unabated. In 1979 he was mysteriously guided to Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj and the suffering reduced to a great extent but the confusion remained; questions and doubts kept on popping up. Maharaj in his irrepressible forthrightness said to him "I am not your Guru, your Guru will come at the appropriate time." And thereafter for 15 years he got totally involved with life and suffered enormously. In 1995 he started yearning for a Guru. In 1996 he met his Guru Shri Ramesh S. Balsekar and there was no looking back (in terms of inner happiness peace, nothing else.)

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