I can’t think of five books..I haven’t read too many, specially after I left my school. The school of hard knocks that is.I dont have the patience to read thick books. I would never have the energy to finish, if at all I start reading one.
I read three books, when I was locked up for a few months in a most unlikely of places. A friend loaned me these books. I never need to read anything more ..
The Book of Tao
by Lao Tse or Lao Tzu
I think it was translated by Dr. Lin Yutang. But there are other excellent translations available on the net. Read the book. Dont discuss it. Its about Tao, the absolute.
The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam
The famous translation by Fitzgerald. Nearly all Persian and urdu poetry owes its origins to the Rubaiyyat. Bachhan first translated the Rubaiyyat into hindi and then it inspired him to write Madhushala.
Gitanjali
Rabindernath knew ! While others wrote second hand, he saw the sunset and painted it in words. You will not understand the mighty genius of Gitanjali till you have stood on the edge of the world, hand in hand with your Love. I wish I could read it it in original Bengali. But the poet’s translation is divine. I sometimes wish, I was alone in a corner of the world, with my love softly murmuring these songs into my ear. That would be Nirvana.
I do not see any other text that even comes close to these. These three together represent the Oriental Philosophy of life in it’s totality. All that you need to know is here. You just have to open your eyes.
Then there are some others. But as compared to above, they are ’’just others’’
I take the liberty of mentioning two, that I have great respect for.
The Wisdom of China and India
Dr. Lin Yutang
This is an almanac. Sort of Bible of the best that the East has to offer. For the first time in my life I learnt of the ancient Chinese wisdom. For the first time I learnt to respect my own culture and literature.
If you lay your hands on this, dont forget to read ’’ The poems of Chu Yuan’’ and specially a short autobiographical sketch called ’’ Six chapters of a floating life’’ You will love the character of Yun, the author’s wife. I can not imagine a more beautiful person than Yun in this world. Can you imagine a wife arranging a night out with her husband and a few prostitutes specially to please him ?
The book has so many gems. Find them out yourself.