Book Review: The Invisible Journey – The Mystical World of Neem Karoli Baba
Sometimes a book finds us when we are not really looking for one.
I was casually going through the hundreds of books sitting on my Amazon Kindle, wondering what I should read next, when I happened to come across 'The Invisible Journey – The Mystical World of Neem Karoli Baba' by Abhishek Srivastava. There was something about the title that made me pause. Perhaps it was the word Invisible, or perhaps it was the promise of a journey into the mystical world of a saint whose name has travelled far beyond the corners of India.
The book, independently published, is a work of non-fiction based on the author's personal experiences, studies and interpretation of both ancient and modern wisdom. Dedicated to Lord Hanuman and to the author's beloved Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, the book is less a conventional biography and more an invitation to look within.
Neem Karoli Baba was a saint who left behind very few possessions but a great many stories. His teachings were remarkably simple. Perhaps that is why they have remained with people. One of his most remembered teachings is:
“The greatest religion is to serve others. When you serve with a pure heart, you serve God himself.”
There is nothing complicated in these words. And yet, like many simple truths, they can take a lifetime to understand.
The author writes about how Baba's message attracted people from very different walks of life, including many Western seekers. Among them was Ram Dass, formerly Richard Alpert, who later carried Baba's teachings to the wider world. Through such devotees, the message of love, service and inner awakening travelled far beyond the ashram and the hills of India.
What I particularly liked about the book is its suggestion that spirituality does not belong exclusively to monks, saints or those who have withdrawn from the world. A person living in a crowded city, working in an office, raising children or simply trying to get through the day can also discover the divine. One does not necessarily have to leave life behind to find God. Sometimes, one only has to live it more honestly.
For Baba, spirituality was not about escaping life but about meeting it fully—with love, presence and integrity. Doing one's work honestly, caring for one's family, helping those around us and serving the community without expecting recognition can itself become a form of worship.
The author brings this teaching alive through several accounts of Baba's interactions with devotees. Baba could prepare food for visitors, comfort the sick or simply sit and listen to someone who needed to be heard. There was nothing grand about these actions, yet perhaps that was precisely the point. Service does not always arrive wearing the robes of holiness. Sometimes it comes carrying a plate of food, sweeping a floor or sitting quietly beside someone in distress.
One of the passages that stayed with me concerns a young woman overwhelmed by the demands of family and career. She asked Baba how she could possibly find time for God. Baba's answer was beautifully simple: feed your children as though you were feeding the divine; sweep your home as though you were preparing a temple.
There is a quiet wisdom in this. Perhaps the sacred is not somewhere far away, waiting for us after we have finished our worldly responsibilities. Perhaps it is already present in those responsibilities.
The book also speaks of chanting, prayer, singing and meditation. Baba encouraged devotees to remember God in whatever way came naturally to them. Even a few moments of sincere remembrance—whether through the Hanuman Chalisa or simply repeating the name of God—could change the atmosphere of a household. Devotion, Baba reminded his followers, was not measured by outward display but by the sincerity of the heart.
Another thought attributed to Baba is particularly beautiful:
“Every act of kindness you perform brings you closer to God. The world is your ashram.”
It is a thought worth carrying with us, especially in a world that often seems hurried, noisy and preoccupied with achievement. The world may indeed be our ashram and perhaps every person we meet is an opportunity to practise patience, kindness and compassion.
The book recounts stories of devotees who experienced profound changes in their lives—relationships that were healed, addictions that were overcome and hopes that were restored. Whether one regards these accounts as miracles, spiritual experiences or simply the transformative power of faith, they reveal something deeply human: the need to believe that change is possible.
Abhishek Srivastava writes from the perspective of an author, mystic and spiritual teacher whose work attempts to bridge the wisdom of ancient India with the questions of the modern world. With two decades of experience as a palmist, astrologer and guide, he has worked with seekers from different walks of life in their search for clarity, healing and meaning.
The Invisible Journey is not a book that one needs to rush through. It is better read slowly, perhaps a few pages at a time, allowing some of its thoughts to settle quietly in the mind. Like a walk through the hills, the journey is not always about reaching a destination. Sometimes it is about noticing the path.
And perhaps that is the invisible journey Baba invites us to take—not away from the world, but deeper into it; not away from ourselves, but closer to the quiet place within where love, service and devotion meet.
A gentle and thought-provoking book for anyone curious about Neem Karoli Baba, the path of devotion or simply the possibility that ordinary acts of kindness may contain something extraordinary.
I am thankful to Amazon Kindle for giving me the opportunity to read this remarkable book. On a scale of 10 stars, I would give this book a rating of 9.
Thank you for visiting Majumdar Book Reviews.
Disclaimer: These are my personal thoughts, impressions and reflections based on my reading of the book. Your interpretation, views and opinions may differ from mine and that is perfectly natural. Books often become meaningful precisely because they allow different readers to see the same story through different eyes. If you believe that any factual aspect of this article should be reconsidered or re-examined, please feel free to share your views. We are all human and we can all make mistakes.
Thank you for reading.
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Writer:
Mainak Majumdar
Book Critic
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