With this verse you are entering into an intense spiritual discipline." Thus concludes the commentary of the first verse of Atmopadesha Shatakam, the One Hundred Verses of Self Instruction of Narayana Guru, the best known of his major works. Epitomizing the essence of Guru-disciple transmission, That Alone: The Core of Wisdom recounts 100 darsanas presenting the meaning of Atmopadesha Shatakam to a group of disciples.

The power of the Hundred Verses is summed up by Guru Nitya: "There is no need to learn each verse and then rationally apply it in everyday life. You can even hear it and forget it. Forgetting means it only goes deeper into you. Once you have heard it, it will go and work its way by itself. The effect will be very subtle. It comes almost without you knowing that it is somethings which you heard that is enabling you to see things in a new light or make resolutions in a certain more helpful way.

Combining scientific rigor with mystical rapture, this book has the power to bring about a total transformation of consciousness by leading the reader to his or her own Core, wherein lies the essence of wisdom.