Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love

A Memoir

By: Visakha Dasi

Narrated by: Visakha Dasi

"...a talented writer...her descriptions are lyrical and evocative." (Kirkus Reviews)

"This makes Eat, Pray, Love look like a summer vacation.... An important historical and spiritual journey told seamlessly." (The BookLife Prize 2017, 10 out of 10 rating)

In 1971, at age 20, Visakha had just published her first book and was beginning her ascent to fame and fortune through a career in photojournalism. She dreamed of bringing the people of the world closer by sharing their common kinship and values through her photographic essays. Then, at the invitation of her college boyfriend, who was working on his MFA thesis in India, Visakha traveled east, where she first learned about bhakti yoga - the yoga of devotion - from a simple Indian sage. The bhakti tradition seemed irrelevant to Visakha, and she rejected it.

Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love is Visakha’s deeply personal account of the emotional upheaval caused by her doubting her own cherished convictions, by her discovery that the alarmingly unreasonable - bhakti - could gradually become alarmingly reasonable. Visakha portrays her own and others’ experiences in India, Europe, and the United States as they grapple with knowledge and a culture that is at once utterly foreign yet also resonant with their hearts. And she reflects on the profound, life-altering questions that we all sometimes ask. Written by a fellow seeker who maintains a healthy dose of skepticism, this is the heartwarming, funny, colorful, bizarre, surprising, informative, and upending true story that will help questioner-skeptics see life from another perspective, one likely different from their own. In Five Years, Eleven Months, Visakha beautifully weaves together her personal losses and gains with an age-old tradition that enfolds her, creating a moving narrative for anyone who has ever asked, “Why?”

©2017 Jean Griesser (P)2020 Jean Griesser

Captivating from all angles

The author's journey of faith is an incredible read!

I really enjoyed the book being narrated by the author, it added a personal touch.

More Than a Book- A Spiritual Experience

From a literary perspective, this is one of the most beautifully-written books I have ever read. Each word is so thoughtfully chosen and beautifully placed, it is like music to my ears.

From a content perspective, this book is both relatable to the Hare Krishna devotee and the layman. I love how frankly the author speaks about both her doubts and her love for the spiritual philosophy of Krsna consciousness. She speaks openly about the challenges she saw in the movement, but processes them in such a way as to lead to a hopeful and well-balanced conclusion.

As a western woman who came to ISKCON, I saw a lot of myself in this book. It helped me to feel less alone. I highly recommend this spiritually rich and eloquent work.

Magnificent memoir

I’m so impressed by Vishaka’s story and her love for her teacher. She brought back such crystal clear memories of moments , instructions, and lessons it gave me a view into the life of the great bhakti master Srila Prabhupad. What a gift that her and her husband were there to document that time with photo and film in such a tasteful way! They were heaven sent. As an audio book the author read it very well and I was captivated by her methodical authentic voice. Thank you for this amazing contribution. -Raghunath Cappo & Mara