Author Guide · Spirituality & Meditation
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In Trivandrum in the late 1950s, a nine-year-old boy from a Muslim family named Mumtaz Ali saw a stranger with matted hair standing near a jackfruit tree. Ten years later he left home to find him in the Himalayas, and spent three years with that teacher, Maheshwarnath Babaji. The story became Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, the 2010 memoir that made Sri M known far beyond Madanapalle, where his Satsang Foundation is based. Since then he has written its sequel, two books of fiction, guides to meditation and yoga, and two books of conversations, and in 2015 and 2016 he walked 7,500 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Srinagar. This guide covers every book in order, where to start, and how the books were made.
By Lisanne Swart · 9 key books · 2010–2026 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Sri M has published 9 key books with Magenta Press, Westland and Penguin since 2010, from Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master to The 18 Steps (September 2026), plus 6 more: commentaries, short books and translations, one of them first published in the 1990s under his birth name. Two are memoirs, two are fiction, three are about practice and philosophy, and two are conversations with the writer Mohini Kent Noon. The memoir is where most readers begin, but not the only way in.
Where to Start with Sri M
If you want the book that made his name
→ Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (2010).
If you want to start meditating
→ On Meditation (2019).
If you prefer a story
→ Shunya (2018).
If you are not religious
→ Yoga Also for the Godless (2020).
If you want his newest
→ The 18 Steps (2026).
9 Key Sri M Books, in Order
Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master
It opens in Trivandrum, where a nine-year-old Mumtaz Ali sees a stranger with matted hair standing near a jackfruit tree: the yogi he would later know as Maheshwarnath Babaji. At nineteen he leaves home to look for him in the Himalayas, and the book follows his years of wandering, his initiation into the Nath tradition and his teacher’s instruction to go back and live in the world. Magenta Press in Kodagu, Karnataka, first printed it in 2010 (the Satsang Foundation dates its release to 2011) at 329 pages, with a disc; Penguin reissued it in 2022.
The Journey Continues
The second volume of the autobiography picks up after his return to the plains and is stranger than the first. It is built around mystical experiences, meetings with other masters and accounts of his own previous lives across some five thousand years, in several of which he was a woman. Published by Magenta Press in 2017, seven years after the first volume.
Shunya
His first novel. A man turns up in a quiet suburban neighbourhood in Kerala and, asked his name, says “Shunya”: zero. He moves into a cottage behind the local toddy shop, drinks a great deal of black tea, plays a bamboo flute, tells parables, hands out blessings and curses, and after about three years disappears as abruptly as he came, leaving the villagers unsure whether he was mad, a fraud or enlightened. Westland published it in 2018 at 232 pages; Penguin reissued it in 2022.
On Meditation
Written as answers to the questions people most often ask him about meditation: the stages that lead up to it, yogic breathing, the “third eye”, how to sit, and why he describes bliss as a natural state rather than a reward. It draws on several schools of practice and is pitched at working adults with little time. Penguin published it in July 2019 at 256 pages, followed in November by a 341-minute audiobook.
The Homecoming and Other Stories
Thirteen stories, among them one about a lifelong disciple who discovers something dark about his guru, one about a thief deciding whether to reform, and a murder solved without witnesses. Several lean towards horror and the supernatural; the publisher’s description promises “the good, the bad and sometimes the supernatural.” Penguin published it in November 2020 at 200 pages, and lists a Hindi edition, Wah Laut Aaya Aur Anya Kahaniyan.
Yoga Also for the Godless
A translation of and commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, written to argue that yoga does not depend on being a Hindu or believing in God. Early chapters make that case; the rest walks through the eight limbs, from ethical rules through posture and breath control to samadhi, with photographs of the postures, and insists the practice be learned from a qualified teacher rather than from the page. Westland published it in December 2020; Penguin reissued it in 2022 at 142 pages.
The Friend
The writer and former India Today journalist Mohini Kent Noon puts questions to him about love, religion, marriage and death, and the book keeps the form of a conversation between teacher and student. The title reflects his view, quoted by the publisher, that he can only really guide people once they have become his friends. Penguin published it in May 2022 at 224 pages.
Upanishads and J Krishnamurti
He reads the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, who rejected gurus and organised religion, side by side with the Upanishads, and includes his own encounters with Krishnamurti and with other religious thinkers. It draws on his upbringing in a Muslim family and his study of Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism. Published by Penguin Ananda in March 2026 at 288 pages.
The 18 Steps
A second book of conversations with Mohini Kent Noon, this time chapter by chapter through the Bhagavad Gita: eighteen chapters spoken on the field of a war that lasted eighteen days. He uses Krishna’s advice to Arjuna about duty and action to talk about doubt, uncertainty and change in ordinary lives. Published by Penguin Ananda in September 2026 at 352 pages.
How Many Books Has Sri M Written?
Nine books carry most of his work, but the count depends on what you include: Magenta Press also publishes shorter commentaries on the Upanishads and a 1990s book on Hinduism, several titles have been reissued by Penguin under the same names, and some exist in German, Spanish and Hindi translations.
- Memoir — Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, The Journey Continues Read the entries →
- Fiction — Shunya, The Homecoming and Other Stories Read the entries →
- Practice and philosophy — On Meditation, Yoga Also for the Godless, Upanishads and J Krishnamurti Read the entries →
- Conversations with Mohini Kent Noon — The Friend, The 18 Steps Read the entries →
- Commentaries and translations — Jewel in the Lotus, Wisdom of the Rishis and four more See the list →
In What Order to Read Sri M
The two memoirs belong together and should be read in order: The Journey Continues assumes you know the people and places of Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, and goes much further into visions and past lives. Everything else stands alone.
The practical books pair naturally: On Meditation is the simpler of the two, while Yoga Also for the Godless works through Patanjali’s sutras one by one. The two books with Mohini Kent Noon are both question-and-answer, so The Friend is a gentle way into the denser The 18 Steps. Upanishads and J Krishnamurti reads best after the shorter Upanishad commentaries from Magenta Press.
A reading path
1. Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (2010), the life, and the teacher
2. On Meditation (2019), the practice he teaches
3. Shunya (2018), the same ideas as a story
4. The Journey Continues (2017), if the memoir left you wanting more
5. Yoga Also for the Godless (2020), the Yoga Sutras, step by step
6. Upanishads and J Krishnamurti (2026)
Everything Else Sri M Published: The Full List
Beyond the 9 key books: 6 more titles, grouped by form.
Open a form with the + to see every book in it.
Commentaries and short books
4
4 books · 1990–2022
- 1990sJewel in the Lotushis first book, on the deeper aspects of Hinduism, first published under the name Mumtaz Ali and later reissued by Magenta Press
- by 2012Wisdom of the Rishiscommentary on three Upanishads, the Ishavasya, Kena and Mandukya
- by 2020The Little Guide to Greater Glory and a Happier Lifeshort writings for spiritual seekers on living with more purpose
- by 2022The Upanishads: Katha, Prashna, Mundakacommentary on three more principal Upanishads, including Nachiketa’s conversation with Yama, the lord of death
In other languages
2
2 books · 2020–2022
- 2020Das Juwel im LotosGerman edition of Jewel in the Lotus
- 2022Aprendiz de un Maestro de los HimalayasSpanish edition of Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master
Quick facts about Sri M
- Born
- 6 November 1949, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala, as Mumtaz Ali Khan; some sources give 1948
- Teacher
- Sri Maheshwarnath Babaji, of the Nath tradition, whom he first met at the age of nine
- Known for
- A Muslim-born yogi whose memoir of years in the Himalayas made him widely read as a spiritual teacher, and who uses that standing to argue for harmony between religions
- Foundation
- The Satsang Foundation, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, founded in 1994
- Walk of Hope
- About 7,500 km on foot through 11 states, Kanyakumari to Srinagar, 12 January 2015 to 29 April 2016
- Schools
- Peepal Grove School, inaugurated by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in 2006, and the free Satsang Vidyalaya
- Honours
- Padma Bhushan, January 2020; honorary doctorate from IIM Calcutta, 2025
- Books
- 9 key books, 2010–2026, plus commentaries and translations; lives in Madanapalle
How Sri M Writes: Memoir, Commentary and Conversation
His books are made in three ways. The memoirs and the fiction are his own written prose, published first by Magenta Press, the small publisher linked to him in Kodagu, and later by Westland and Penguin; in 2022 Penguin Random House India took over distribution of Magenta’s list. The Upanishads, the subject of his commentaries, are also what he teaches most often in talks, including an online course for IIT Delhi in 2021. The two most recent books with Mohini Kent Noon are recorded conversations, kept in question-and-answer form.
The same few ideas run through all of them: that the core of every religion is the same, that a seeker needs a living teacher, and that practice matters more than belief. Yoga Also for the Godless states the last point most plainly, and his own life is the illustration he returns to most: a boy from a Muslim family who became a Hindu yogi in the Nath tradition and later walked across India, starting on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, to call for harmony between communities.
Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master became a bestseller, and his later books moved from a small press to Penguin. The memoirs also draw scepticism. They describe miracles and, in The Journey Continues, his own previous lives across some five thousand years; Wikipedia notes that the sequel goes further than the first book in such “apparently-miraculous incidents”. Readers are left to take these accounts as literal, symbolic or neither; the books themselves make no attempt to prove them.
Sri M on the Spiritual Journey, Madanapalle, 2020
Frequently asked questions about Sri M’s books
How many books has Sri M written?
Nine key books between 2010 and 2026: Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (2010), The Journey Continues (2017), Shunya (2018), On Meditation (2019), The Homecoming and Other Stories (2020), Yoga Also for the Godless (2020), The Friend (2022), Upanishads and J Krishnamurti (2026) and The 18 Steps (2026). Magenta Press also publishes shorter books by him, including Jewel in the Lotus, Wisdom of the Rishis and two other commentaries.
What was Sri M’s first book?
Jewel in the Lotus: Deeper Aspects of Hinduism, first published in the 1990s under his birth name, Mumtaz Ali. The book that made him known is his memoir, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A Yogi’s Autobiography, first printed by Magenta Press in 2010.
What is Sri M’s newest book?
The 18 Steps: Conversations on the Bhagavad Gita, written with Mohini Kent Noon and published by Penguin Ananda in September 2026. It follows the eighteen chapters of the Gita. Earlier in 2026 Penguin published Upanishads and J Krishnamurti.
What is Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master about?
It is Sri M’s autobiography: how, as a boy from a Muslim family in Trivandrum, he met the yogi Maheshwarnath Babaji at the age of nine, left home at nineteen to find him again in the Himalayas, lived with him as a disciple in the Nath tradition, and was sent back to live an ordinary life in the world. Its sequel is The Journey Continues (2017).
In what order should I read Sri M’s memoirs?
Read Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (2010) first and The Journey Continues (2017) second. The sequel picks up where the first book ends and assumes you know its people and places.
Has Sri M written fiction?
Yes. Shunya (2018) is a novel about a stranger who calls himself “zero” and lives for three years behind a toddy shop in Kerala, and The Homecoming and Other Stories (2020) collects thirteen short stories, several with supernatural twists.
Who is Sri M?
Sri M, born Mumtaz Ali Khan in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is a yogi, teacher and writer in the Nath tradition and the disciple of Sri Maheshwarnath Babaji. He founded the Satsang Foundation in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, in 1994, led the 7,500-kilometre Walk of Hope from Kanyakumari to Srinagar in 2015–16 and received the Padma Bhushan in 2020. The foundation and his publisher give his date of birth as 6 November 1949; some sources give 1948.
Footnotes
- About Sri M — The Satsang Foundation
- Books by Sri M — The Satsang Foundation
- The Satsang Foundation (home page)
- Sri M — Penguin Random House India (author page)
- Sri M — Wikipedia
- Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master — Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham library catalogue
- Power of nothingness (on Shunya) — The Asian Age
- On Meditation — Penguin India
- The Homecoming and Other Stories — Penguin India
- Spiritual teacher Sri M brings out new collection of short stories — Onmanorama
- Yoga For The Godless: an excerpt — Tweak India
- Yoga Also for the Godless — Penguin India
- Upanishads and J Krishnamurti — Penguin India
- The 18 Steps — Penguin India
- Distribution agreement with Magenta Press — Penguin Random House India
- President Kovind visits Madanapalle ashram — The Tribune
Bibliography last verified 7 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“To sum up, excellence in yoga, the science of expansion of consciousness and achieving freedom from limitation, has nothing to do with one’s personal beliefs, religious or otherwise.”
— Sri M, Yoga Also for the Godless
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