The author was a academic philosopher in India. He was in attendance with the Maharshi for many years. What I found valuable was his attempts to interpret the Maharshi's "Forty Verses" and the 40 supplemental verses in terms of Western ideas. This is a book more for specialists in Indian spiritual traditions and its applications through the various systems of Indian philosophy. The lay reader may find too many of the ideas obscure. The book itself is of fine quality, printed on good paper, with only a few typographical errors.