All letters are meant to be read, some to be treasured, while still a few others are to be shared with posterity.

Pujya Swami Tapovanam, the Himalayan Hermit and the Param Guru of Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda was a man of few words. Yet his letters to a devotee couple are full of practical tips.

"A householder should not conduct himself like a Vanaprastha or Sanyasin; nor should a Vanaprastha or Sanyasin behave like a householder."

"Don't give way to despair or grief because of failures. Don't get depressed. Believe that failure is only a gatekeeper to success. But for failure "success" will lose its meaning. Without losing heart at failure, if you take it as an incentive to further effort, you will enter the citadel of victory sooner of later, today or tomorrow."

This seemingly slim volume of letters will work for anyone who takes his words seriously.