The number-one bestseller in India, Sudhir Kakar’s second novel Ecstasy is a richly layered novel laying bare the conflict between flesh and spirit. Kakar, a renowned psychoanalyst and the author of the acclaimed novel The Ascetic of Desire, brings a penetrating understanding of philosophy, religion, and the human psyche to this evocative second novel. Ram Das Baba, as his devotees call him, is the son of a devout Brahmin family. He spends a lifetime seeking spiritual knowledge and his journey is filled with illuminating visions, severe tribulations, and an unwavering faith. His destiny as a highly evolved Sadhu is fulfilled through ordeals of monastic bliss, tantric awakening, madness, and transexuality. But as his life nears its end he meets a young man who belongs to a very different India and a profound relationship develops.