Maya at Mystic Fort

Maya goes to THE RUINS OF A MYSTIC FORT while searching for her father

Maya at an abandoned Palace

Maya goes to some obscure, abandoned Palace in search of her Tantric Father....

Maya watches prohibited ceremony

The Tantric Ceremony is performed secretly. Maya inadvertently watches one:

Maya On Spiritual Pilgrimage of India

                                     Spiritual Pilgrimage of India

Maya travels far and wide in India during her search, to obscure and mysterious places even during midnight where many would refuse to traverse in broad day light. Her journey that started from a small village in Rajasthan known as Pushkar is filled with supernatural guidance that takes her to Banaras, Kamakhya and many more places that are famous for Tantric practices.

Indian Astrologer in Maya

    Karoi Astrologer in Maya in search of Tantric Father

Astrologer to Smriti Irani: You will be the President of India one day

IndiaToday.in  New Delhi, November 24, 2014 | UPDATED 13:10 IST 

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani was told by a Rajasthan-based astrologer on Sunday that she is destined to become the President of India in future.
The 38-year-old minister was on a visit with her husband Zubin Irani to Karoi village in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, where she met Pandit Nathulal Vyas. The same astrologer had predicted a bright career and big post for Irani in her political career before she became a minister in the NDA government.
(India Today)
Maya while searching for her father visits this world famous Astrologer, who predicts about her father. It would be interesting to read whether the prediction comes true or not?


Author Vipin Behari Goyal

"Maya" ~ mesmerizing & a fascinating read ~ Shivani Chauhan

maya in search of tantric father, Reviews, Shivani Chauhan, Vipin Behari Goyal

Review of Maya in Search Of her Trantric Father

June 23, 2014 Shweta1012 Leave a comment

Author- Vipin Behari Goyal
“Maya” by Vipin Behari Goyal is a book that depicts the story of a juvenile girl named Maya who after reading her mother’s diary travels to India in search of her biological father who was a trantric.
This book presents the events & incidents that take place with this young American girl while she was looking for her father. She lands in India when she reads a secret from her mother’s diary which totally startled her. She starts her journey from Pushkar in Rajasthan. She slowly & gradually explores several holy & spiritual places such as Banaras, Kathmandu , Himalayas etc in search of her father. She learns several rituals about Indian culture. She grasps knowledge about Indian philosophy , Hinduism, Indian art, lifestyle, traditions & heritage. Her intuitions & instincts help her to reach to her goal. In her journey, she experiences many troubles & difficulties but she did not give up & continues to explore more and more about her father. She meets various strangers & outsiders during her journey. Some of them became her good friends & supported her to a great extent. She encountered an ayurveda doctor who guided her throughout the journey , an astrologer , many gurus who imparted her knowledge about tantric & its various elements, a Professor, a Music maestro, and a bureaucrat. Apart from this, she meets several other people in hotels, guest houses etc who helped her in some or the other way. She learns about anthropology i.e. study of humankind & psychological aspects of human life. Day by day she became aware about the conceptual & internal facts of a human’s life. She faces every danger to accomplish her task. As she was a solo woman traveler she witnessed some troublesome events which could be risky for her life but she didn’t loose the faith. Instead she became more determined & focused for her mission. Through several people & visiting religious places she became more devotional to Hinduism. There comes a turning point in her life where she feels India has been successful in making her understand the ultimate quest of human life & she feels that now it is the time to find her own truth. She drops her mission of finding her biological trantric father & decides to walk on the path of self realization. She chooses to find her Guru. This proves to be an another adventurous & interesting journey in her life that takes her to new places where she discovers new truths. She meets wise people who indicate her several hints & things about spirituality which makes her path , a source of inspiration for others. It is intensely interesting to discover that whether Maya meets her father or not.
This is one of the most knowledgeable book I’ve ever come across. The author beautifully describes the journey of Maya. It depicts the spiritual pilgrimage in which she encounters several people like sadhus, saints, gurus etc, through them she gains an extreme knowledge about hindu mystics & wisdom. The author is successful in describing the entire travelogue of Maya & explaining each & every minute detail about hindu philosophies. Through this book , one can gain much knowledge about several holy & spiritual places in India & can learn about ethereal & immaterial aspects of life. The book also reveals some astonishing facts about hindu methodology. Life of a young pretty girl with different twist & turns portrayed by author is remarkable. The author’s way of explaining insight information is impressive & it also shows author’s in deep knowledge & research.
It was a mesmerizing & a fascinating read for me. The life of Maya proves to be a great source of inspiration for me. Maya’s character was influencing & powerful. I loved the way her intuitiveness was her strength & she trusted it wholeheartedly. I was totally stunned that how she managed the things in an exceedingly extraordinary manner. The way how Maya goes through numerous obstacles in her journey but still she didn’t lose hope & continuously tried exploring the magical facts about hindu philosophies, was commendable & praiseworthy. I realized some of the mystical facts & spiritual realities of a human’s life. I learnt some of the amazing & breath-taking things about our country. This book was capable in holding my attention till the end. I liked the way how author presented huge & tremendous knowledge about spirituality in such an interesting manner. For me this book was a mixture of an immense knowledge and a medium of encouragement.
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer- Shivani Chauhan

Madhusmita's review ~Maya in search of Tantric father~a mesmerizing read

Maya in search of Tantric Father – my thoughts

Goodreads

Author - Vipin Behari Goyal
Blurb –

‘Maya in search of Tantric Father’ is a story of a young and pretty American girl, who is shocked to learn a secret from her deceased mother’s diary. Maya comes to India in search of her biological father, who was a Tantric. Out of sheer determination, she travels to many holy places in India, facing numerous difficulties, which any solo woman traveler would face in India. Some mysterious powers help, guide and protect her when she inadvertently walks into danger. Her spiritual pilgrimage is full of miracles and interesting encounters with a Philosopher, an Astrologer, an Ayurveda doctor, a Tantric, a Swami, a Professor, a Music maestro, and a bureaucrat. Some of them fall in love with her but she has no time to reciprocate. Her only mission is a search and she cannot afford any distractions. Could she find what she was searching for?

My thoughts –
This is the second book of the author that I have read, the first one being Tall Man Small Shadow (read review here). Both the times the author was kind enough to send me copies of the books to read and give my honest opinions on them. His books are not the usual kinds I read and both of his books have taught me something new. Thanks again Mr Goyal! :)

Maya in Search of Tantric Father is the journey of an American girl Martha (Maya), who after her mother’s death found out from her mother’s diary that her real father was actually an Indian Tantric Man. And hence she sets forth on a journey to India to search her real father – a blind search in a population of more than a billion people. The Indian journey she undertakes is an amazing one – meeting different people, visiting new places, gaining experiences of a life-time. In her quest to find her father she learns that she needs to find herself to get enlightened and reach completeness. Throughout her journey, the reader is enlightened about various aspects on spirituality and mysticism. The author takes us on a journey of the significant places of Hindu religion like Banaras, Rishikesh, Pushkar, Kamakhya, Kathmandu, Dharamshala and many more (often visited my people all over the world seeking Moksha) and also offers a simple explanation of whys and hows of things through the viewpoint of a foreigner, thus making it easier for the readers to understand and grasp the things better. At the end, Maya successfully completes her quest to find her biological father but the journey continues in a sequel “Maya in search of the Guru” where Maya embarks on a journey to search her Guru who will help her in her search within. I will definitely check it out.
The book was enlightening for me in several ways. I have often heard but haven’t paid much attention to the Vedic literature, rituals, etc. Also, I had earlier heard about ‘Tantra’ but had only some vague ideas about it. However, this book gave me an insight into all of these and it was a real learning experience. And since the information was given in the form of a story, it was much easier to understand too. However, how much of the information was based on facts I am not sure. I will have to do some reading myself to find out more.
Apart from the above ups of the book, there were a few downs too. The thing which did not go down quite well with me was the fact that throughout her journey through the length and breadth of the country she had no problems as such and did not encounter any bad person (except a drunken driver) which is far from reality. Also, the cover and the blurb could have been much better to attract more readers to pick up the book.
Final words – A mesmerizing read where a story is nicely woven with spiritual and mystic knowledge.

Some excerpts from the book –

Note:

1. The book was sent by the author and my opinions are unbiased.
2. This review is linked to my Indian Quills Challenge 2014 target (read about the challenge here)

Book Review "Maya in search of tantric father" By Vipin Behari Goyal

Quest to Find Your Inner Self!

3:47 pm 20 April 2014

Yes, it was truly an amazing and fulfilling journey of an American girl who came to India to search her father who's a Tantric man. In her journey, she figures out that she needs to find herself and her soul to attain enlightenment and completeness. Also it was very very enriching book as it contains so many eye-opening facts about spirituality and mysticism, that one time you'll find yourself losing into its richness. Also this book is thoroughly inspiring and motivational in every possible ways. Also this book tell us how not to run for material happiness, instead to learn to find oneself. Great work is done by the author Vipin Behari Goyal. I've read his previous book too "Tall man, Small Shadow"..which was also as exciting and fulfilling as this new book. In this 21st century this book is a must read for everyone.


http://aditi91.booklikes.com/

Maya in search of Tantric father~A Journey to Find Oneself through Spiritualism~Aditi Saha

Maya in search of Tantric Father
by Vipin Behari Goyal (Goodreads Author)

Aditi Saha's review

Mar 11, 14

5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: favourites

Read from March 01 to 11, 2014

Yes, it was truely an amazing and fulfilling journey of an American girl who came to India to search her father who's a Tantric man. In her journey, she figures out that she needs to find herself and her soul to attain enlightment and completeness. Also it was very very enriching book as it contains so many eye-opening facts about spirituality and mystisicm, that one time you'll find youself losing into its richness. Also this book is thoroughly inspiring and motivational in every possible ways. Also this book tell us how not to run for material happiness, either to learn to find oneself. Great work is done by the author Vipin Behari Goyal. I've read his previous book too "Tall man, Small Shadow"..which was also as exciting and fulfilling as this new book. In this 21st century this book is a must read for everyone.

Review on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.in/review/RVSZS67SF302I/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=9383562668&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=976389031&store=books


Review on Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/861736590?fb_action_ids=699394223456413&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22699394223456413%22%3A1408233646103735%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22699394223456413%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

NjKinny's World of Books: BookReview--> Maya in search of Tantric Father by ...

BookReview--> Maya in search of Tantric Father by Vipin Behari Goyal

Posted by Nikita Johri at 4:57 PM

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 Title and Author: Maya in search of Tantric Father by Vipin Behari Goyal
 Print Length (Paperback): 188 Pages
 Language: English
 Publication Date: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd; First edition (24 January 2014)
 Genre: Religion, Spiritual, Travel Memoirs, Fiction




My Review:
Maya has recently found out from her dead mother's diary that her biological father was a Tantric from India. Determined to find him, Maya travels to India and during her quest for her father, she meets people from different walks of life, visits new places and handles situations she would never have encountered had she not been in India. Maya in search of Tantric Father narrates the story of Maya's travels and her adventures in India.

Is she finally able to locate her father?


Read the story to find out. :)

Maya in search of Tantric Father by Vipin Behari Goyal is the author's fourth book and my third book by him. In all the three books by Vipin, Tall Man Small Shadow, Burn Me Naked: Love my naked souland Maya in search of Tantric Father, the first thing that struck me very significantly was the author's experience and knowledge of the topics he was handling in his books. Here also he displays a prolific knowledge of the religious destinations he describes in this book. He is successful in bringing out the beauty and vividness of the places, people and situations from a non resident's perspective.

The preconceived notion of a mystical country with varied cultures, different beliefs and with an expectation of coming across snake charmers who can make ropes act like snakes, a tourist from a foreign country is often surprised to see a completely different India with skyscrapers, modern facilities and a scenario completely different from what he expects. Vipin is able to expertly capture and bring to life this surprise in his story where the protagonist Maya is surprised to see so much development in a country where she is on a quest to find her Tantric father.

The alien like atmosphere, people and scenarios she comes across are both teaching and also an eye opener to every Indian reader who is able to see his own country from the eyes of a foreigner and decide for himself if he likes what he sees or are there some points of improvement to be noted that he can inculcate in his own behavior and maybe publicize them to his friends and family.

The plot is well planned out and executed. The story reads like a diary with dates and months. Vipin shows the research he has done and gives us a near perfect picture of sacred places like Pushkar, Rishikesh etc. in his book. The characterization is real and life like and the reader instantly feels like he has either met or heard about such people in his life. The emotional factor needs work here and the story could have been more appealing if this side of the story had been worked on.

All in all, a well written book that will act like a travel guide to people hoping to visit India and also appeal to people looking for a fresh perspective to a country with diverse cultures and beliefs.
A 4 out of 5 to Maya in search of Tantric Father and a recommendation that you read this book and get a completely new picture of "Incredible India". Maya's adventures don't stop in this book and they continue in the next book named "Maya in search of the Guru" which I look forward to reading on its release. :)

I received the book from the author and I am very thankful to him. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.

I was so happy to see that a part of my review for his book, Tall Man Small Shadow, had been included in this novel. It feels great to be recognized and I am so thankful to him for mentioning me and my blog. :)

Buy From:
Amazon.in: Paperback
Amazon.com: Paperback

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Book Review: Tall Man Small Shadow by Vipin Behari Goyal
Book Review: Burn Me Naked by Vipin Behari Goyal

NjKinny's World of Books: BookReview--> Maya in search of Tantric Father by ...:   Title and Author:   Maya in search of Tantric Father  by Vipin Behari Goyal  Print Length (Paperback): 188 Pages  Language: Englis...

Maya- ‘Encyclopaedia of Tantra and India’ Sonal Agarwal

“Maya-In search of Tantric Father" by Vipin Behari Goyal

March 9, 2014 at 3:17pm

“Maya-In search of Tantric Father" by Vipin Behari Goyal





Being an Indian, I came across many of the tales of India. All the Vedic literature and rituals of India is still mystery for modern Indian youth. Tantra, the basic concept of Indian rituals, is very popular, not only in India but also in abroad. Whenever Tantra word gets into someone’s ears, the image of human skulls filled with blood, naked aghoris performing mystical rituals. Everyone in world thinks that Tantra is really a dangerous thing and one must be away from it. I also thought the same thing, until I read amazing book “Maya- In search of tantric father” by Vipin Behari Goyal. I personally consider it as ‘Encyclopaedia of Tantra and India’ as my own confusions and questions of Tantra are perfectly solve in this book. The book depicts a journey of an American girl Maya, who lives in USA with her parents. Maya’s life goes upside down when her mother dies and Maya reads her mother’s diary. Through this diary Maya comes to know about the truth of her birth. She was daughter of an Indian Tantric, whom her mother met in India. After taking her American father’s permission, she comes to India. From here her search starts for her father. In this journey she meets some characters like Dr. Rama, Deobrat, Chandrashekhar, who change her personality as well as her outlook for life. She travels various places of India like Banaras, Rishikesh, Pushkar, Kamakhya, Jabalpur and many more. At the end of novel purpose of her journey is successful and now her search for Guru starts.
I loved each and every part of novel. Author has presented Indian philosophy in very interesting way. It does not make reader yawning and rubbing eyes. He has written in such a way that made me proud of being an Indian, child of phenomenal heritage. Here are some lines which attracted my attention, these lines showcases a foreigner’s view on India and I must say Vipin Behari Goyal is perfectly right in showcasing that every tourist from abroad with some prejudices for India.
Extract from book,
“Why do they choose to come to India? It is full of garbage everywhere, the roads are in a bad condition, transport is slow, tourist are harassed by touts and beggars, people are maniacs who stare at you for hours without blinking.” In these lines Maya contemplates India but in other lines,” Here people are so poor but most of the people are jovial, friendly, and ready to help.” Author has written novel from a foreigner’s point of view, still he has defended India in each and every possibility.
Author has presented the mysterious places for Tantra like Banaras, Pushkar and Kathmandu which makes this novel more interesting. The novel is so enchanting, it keeps you so busy, and you may forget to blink. As a reader I have read many books, which present idea of Indian philosophy, and found them so boring, but Vipin’s book is really amazing. I started reading it at 11:00 p.m. and could not sleep without completing it. I prescribe these book to all those who wants have good idea of Tantra and Indian culture.
Must read for Indian youth.
I give 4 star to this book.


http://storageofmind.blogspot.in/2014/03/review-of-maya-in-search-of-tantric.html






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Maya In Search Of Tantric Father : Novel Review : Jigar Doshi

Maya In Search Of Tantric Father : Novel Review

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Jigar Doshi

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Vipin Behari Goyal, who had debuted in fiction with Tall Man Small Shadow which was based on existentialism and dealt with various issues like relationships, philosophy, romance, ego issues, attitude of youth etc., has published another novel by name ‘Maya In Search Of Tantric Father’ with a tagline of “A key to the eastern mysticism”

source : goodreads.com

In this book, Vipin describes the journey of a young American woman named Martha, whose mother had just passed away. Martha discovers her mother’s diary and after reading it learns that she was impregnated in India and that her biological father was actually a Tantric.
Martha is determined to meet her father and she embarks on a wild-goose chase of finding her father from a population of over a billion people.
Martha’s mother had clicked various pictures when she had stayed in India and had segregated them in a chronological order which made it easier to know which photograph was clicked where and when. With the help of her diary and photographs, Martha starts the spiritual journey of finding her father.
She starts with Pushkar and in her search, happens to visit many religious places like Haridwar, Allahabad, Kathmandu, Gangotri, Himalayan glaciers, Banaras etc. In various places, she meets various kinds of people and makes many friends who help her, in their own way, in carrying forward her search. Although a few of them get romantically attached to her, she has no time to reciprocate as she is in search of something far greater than romance. Funnily enough, there are many sages who seem to be already knowing her, refer to her as Maya and keep guiding her in their own way.
Why do all the sages refer to Martha as Maya? Does she meet her biological father? Why had her parents separated? How did her parents get romantically involved? What are the hurdles she faces in her search? Was it bold of her to carry out this mission of ‘finding a needle in a hay-sack’ or plain foolishness? To know answers to the above and various other questions, do read the novel.
The novel is wonderfully written. The best part of the novel is that it is written from the point of view of Martha, an American. Every now and then, Martha compares the materialistic attitudes of the Americans and praises the spiritual and traditional attitudes of Indians. She is also mighty impressed by the hospitality of Indians. Many Americans still believe that India is a land of snake-charmers and she finds all the development in the country surprising. It seems like Vipin has actually transformed into a foreigner’s psyche and is looking at India from a foreigner’s viewpoint.
Apart from that, it is also a beginner’s guide to Hinduism for a foreigner who is curious to learn about the religion in India but has no idea about it. Almost every complex detail like history, beliefs, rituals, processes etc is explained in most simplest of terms through conversations between its characters.
It is a work of fiction, so all the characters being helpful to Maya is understandable. But, it may not be the case in reality.
So, Maya also talks about some problems faced by the solo-female travelers in the country, especially with some men trying to take advantage of them. What is heartening to see is that she is unfazed by such dangers and is even willing to fight to finish her search.
I had heard of Tantrics, about how they lead their lives in jungles, about how they smeared ash all over their bodies and that they fed highly on chillum, but I had never heard about their rituals. I don’t know how much of the Tantric Sex ritual was true and how much of it was fiction or if it still in practice in secrecy, but the description of it reminded me of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code where a similar ‘communion’ was set.
Every now and then, Vipin also mixes some deep and spiritual philosophy which can be inculcated in life for a satisfied, happy and a peaceful living.
As was the case with TMSS, here too there are various grammatical errors and spelling errors. The homonyms like whether-weather, one’s-once, there-their etc are often misspelt. The narration keeps juggling between past and present confusing the reader. All of these could have been avoided with proper editing and proof-reading.
The journey doesn’t end with this book. Her journey continues in the sequel which is titled “Maya in search of Guru”
Nice, spiritually and philosophically enlightening, illuminating and interesting read.

P.S : I thank the author Vipin Behari Goyal for mentioning my name, site and a line of my review of his previous novel in this novel. I feel elated that am part, albeit a very small one, of a published novel.  :D


Link to review by Jigar Doshi


http://jigar-doshi.com/2014/02/maya-search-tantric-father-novel-review/

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Maya in search of Tantric father

Maya is a young and pretty American girl who is shocked to learn a secret from her deceased mother’s diary. She comes to India in search of her biological father who was a Tantric.

Out of sheer determination, she travels to many holy places in India, facing numerous difficulties, which any solo woman traveler would face in India. Some mysterious powers help, guide and protect her when she inadvertently walks into danger. Her spiritual pilgrimage is full of miracles and interesting encounters with a Philosopher, an Astrologer, an Ayurveda doctor, a Tantric, a Swami, a Professor, a Music maestro, and a bureaucrat. Some of them fall in love with her but she has no time to reciprocate.

Her only mission is a search and she cannot afford any distractions. Could she find what she is searching for?

She starts her journey from famous Hindu pilgrimage Pushkar