The seventh book in the series, this is yet another marvellous read. It comes with the subtitle- Looking beyond the law of attraction. The book begins with the table of contents that is reflective of the meticulous nature of Dr. Vipin Gupta. He has charted in details the topics and tables that are to follow in the book with a bilingual index in both English and Hindi. The list of abbreviations follows soon.

An acronym on his first name, Project VIPIN expands into Vastly Integrated Processes Inside Nature and is a part of project motivation. This book is more of a quest for self discovery. Being the seventh book in a series of twelve, it transitions into the stored potential that every individual holds within themselves which based on the right use of free will and the right ounces of perseverance, dedication, positive energy and self motivation can be a sure formula for back to back successful endeavours.

Much before getting into the depth and details of awareness and how to harness it, this book comes with summaries of the first six books in the series as a part of project VIPIN. The opening brief summarises and entices about all that is to follow in the book. It promises to be a new take on the law of attraction but the fact that it lives upto its promise is seen soon enough when the main text begins narrating through the abstractions of awareness and the metaphysical elements. The book is certainly complex and a lot more technical than the previous books in the series. However, though it is a part of a series, it can be picked up without having read the previous books as it stands complete in and of itself. To read the series in a sequential matter is nonetheless more advisable to get a hang of the author’s intended views and arguments.

The metaphysics of awareness is highlighted in depth. This self awareness is the reality that one sees oneself as and projects onto others. The book is empowering in the fact that it provides solid ground to embrace oneself and place one’s best foot forward. Gupta is of the view that each individual is an entity with a lot of potential for bringing about positive change in the world. This full potential can be unlocked only through the proper understanding of the self that is a personal force according to Gupta.

The language is interspersed with heavy technical jargon but that is followed by explanation and description. This makes the book easy to follow through the rapid simplification though it is a book suitable for voracious and intermediate level readers and not for beginners. Self awareness is clubbed with the awareness of the Divine and its energies. Harnessing this is key to becoming a better individual and bringing out one’s full potential according to Gupta.

The ideas about being a self- luminous entity is highly catchy and interesting to read about. This section is particular is very detailed and is written together as a part of a programmed future that once deciphered and uncoded can be easily applied by everyone to secure a better understanding of the ways of living beyond merely existing.

Like most of Gupta’s work, the book draws in a lot from the ancient Shastras and works alongside scientific rational thinking. The main aim of this work is to bring human consciousness at sync with their environment particularly Mother Nature so that they are able to place themselves better in the divine creativity and understand their moral and higher calling. The book on the whole has a freshness that is too engrossing and makes for an interesting read. There are a few illustrations in the books apart from the tabular representations. The book comes to a length of about 268 pages and makes for a moderately lengthy read though one that calls for a lot of attention on the part of the reader. The book does not come with any sections of exercises or self participatory activities making it less of an activity book. It engages the reader to think and thinking out of the box is its main effect on an attentive reader.  

Book Title: What Is Self Awareness
Author: Dr. Vipin Gupta
Reviewed by: Tasnima Yasmin, The Literature Today
Rating: 4.5/5