"Adi Da's says in his own words why he has written this book: " The traditional texts presented by Me in this Book are only a few in number, but they are outstanding among the most important texts ever written. They are so much to the point that they are profoundly Illuminating—not sufficient for the Awakening of Transcendental Realization Itself, but potentially sufficient to bring anyone to practice at the feet of a true Master." Adi Da looked at "The Heart of the Ribhu Gita" and was moved to make His own rendering or “interpretive translation” of the text, in order to elucidate, and thereby honor, its full meaning. He was not intending to re-write the text from the point of view of his own Realization, but, rather, to draw out the real intention of Ribhu (or the Sage who generated it), as only another Realizer can. He also wrote other principal texts from the tradition of the Great Sages in a similar manner. By “Sage”, he means one who is focused in the Knowledge of Reality at the root, Realizing What Is—rather than seeking for any form of mystical experience (no matter how profound such experience may appear to be). In each case, he was bringing the essence of the instruction to the fore, with an elegance and illumined understanding that left his devotees speechless in amazement. Texts whose meanings were only partially (or cryptically) expressed even in the original—let alone in translation—were suddenly shining forth, like rough gems cut by an expert hand. Whatever the life-context of these great teachings, we today confront them primarily as literary artifacts. Their origins are inaccessible. While the words of the masters continue in some form, the masters themselves, and their living play of instruction, have disappeared. And from the divorce between the teacher and the teaching—which inevitably tends to occur over time—have sprung endless revisions, dilutions, and distortions of the wisdom of all Realizers. "