The ego could be called the core or nucleus of the Conscious Mind. Most people spend the vast majority of their conscious time in association with the ego during their waking hours. The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality in day to day life. The ego develops from the individual’s personality and his growth years since childhood in the company of parents. The ego develops and operates on the principle of reality, which strives to satisfy the individual’s desires in realistic and socially acceptable ways. The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action before deciding to accept or reject those impulses.
When you try to analyze the Ego and its subtle manifestations with respect to spirituality, one realises that there are two obvious aspects to ego, namely the life-affirming ego and the life-negating ego. Life-affirming ego is that aspect of consciousness which permits an individual to function in the physical world and the parameters of consensual reality. Life-negating ego is that aspect which considers the ego as evil, an illusion, as imprisoning limitations that need to be transcended.
It can be said that the life-affirming approach to the ego yields better physical and mental health than the life-negating approach. Suppression of natural propensities will only move them underground in the unconscious. We find that checking inappropriate tendencies of the ego coupled with the nurturing of its experience yields a more balanced and natural personality expression. Moreover, the fixation in altered states of consciousness engendered by the life-denying approach can interfere with normalized personality expression.
There are different kinds of egos and they manifest without one realizing its impact at all. Swamiji has said in many of his discourses that having a feeling of not having an ego is also a kind of ego. When one says I feel so sad for so and so person and you end up saying “that poor fellow” – that too is ego in a very subtle form. This is because “I” am feeling bad for that persons’ situation in life. You have to just become a witness – because feeling bad for any person in life is pointless as that person is living his destiny and getting the fruits or stones of his destiny. Similarly, when you feel good for any person to the point where you express it boisterously, that too is the ego in action – because “I” am happy for so and so person. You have expressed overwhelming joy for a certain person – that too is your ego in action. You need to attain a balance and be happy and in bliss regardless of events occurring in your life and in and around you.
It is only through meditation and by becoming a witness to your thoughts that you can try to control your ego. Any anger, joy, jealousy or other extreme emotion is your ego manifesting into your reactive behavior. You will be in a position to eliminate your ego only when you achieve the ability to control your emotions to the extent that you do not get affected by transpiring events – you just become a witness. You may be called hard-hearted and cruel if you do not react the way society expects you to with regard to situations in life. But those reactions are based on societies understanding of events and reactive emotions. One should not get affected by this too – people will have a lot to say, but not reacting or remaining calm with an equitable disposition will help you control your emotions and remain in balance. Remaining in balance in such troubled times is difficult and a huge challenge in the modern world.
Even life-affirming ego will become a hindrance in spiritual growth, when one starts feeling superior about one’s goodness. The idea is to rise above all this and reach a state of non-existence – NOT BEING as opposed to BEING. The moment you reach this high state of consciousness you will have reached the door of salvation and you will be close to seeing the light, as the saying goes. Let us all try to lose ourselves completely so that we can see the light and attain salvation.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
What is our Cultural Ethos?
Mr. Kapil Sibal says that social networking sites are allowing posts which are against our cultural ethos and hence should be banned, if the posts are not removed. He raises the bogey of religious sentiments being hurt and character assassination taking place through such posts, though I have not heard of any such protest to date. All social networking sites have “report abuse” buttons, which once clicked enable the site administrator to take necessary and appropriate action. Politicians and other public figures are the butt of jokes of cartoonists and spoof artists all over the world, as they provide the best fodder with their brilliant behaviour. Case in point BBC TV serials lampooning politicians – “Yes Minister” and “Yes Prime Minister”, which are all time hits.
Somebody needs to explain to our Honourable Minister that the only thing which is against our cultural ethos is the behaviour of Parliamentarians whose egos expand the moment they are elected by the people, thereby forgetting the people who elect them. The moment they are elected they are inaccessible to the ordinary man for five years – they get vehicles with red beacons, they get armed guards as escorts who follow the minister in a convoy – which stops the traffic so that this so called elected VIP gets to pass. I seriously do not understand why politicians need security the moment they are elected – are they afraid of the people, or is it the case that they know that they will not work and want protection against public angst – see what happened to Sharad Pawar! The reaction of his supporters was to vandalise public property in Pune, Baramati and Mumbai – that is our cultural ethos, I guess!
Parliamentarians do not perform the basic function for which they are elected – which is to legislate. The norm is disruption of Parliament, no healthy debate, jumping into the well of the House in protest, preferably by uprooting mikes and shouting at the top of their voices or walking out in protest – this best suits our cultural ethos I guess. The Lokpal bill has yet to see the light of day for the last 43 years. After Anna Hazare’s agitation, the Parliament has decided on a weak Lokpal Bill, even though the nation wants a strong bill – now protecting the vested interests of Government and their babus is our cultural ethos, is it not Mr. Sibal?
Crores of rupees of tax payer money is spent on building roads and national highways, which end up increasing maintenance cost of vehicles, now that is our cultural ethos! The common man has to bear the burden of increasing prices, heavy indirect taxation for which the government does not provide any service – that is our cultural ethos!
Corruption has become the national pass time with 99% of the public indulging in it. Many who do not want to be corrupt end up paying bribes, as without that nothing happens in this country! The aam aadmi suffers from basic level corruption from low level government functionaries who have been excluded from the ambit of the Lokpal Bill. We might as well say, “chalta hai @#$%^&&” and forget about – because that is our cultural ethos.
How many political families who own sugar factories and big business houses who take loans from co-operative banks and nationalised banks respectively actually bother repaying the loans. The sugar factory owned by our country’s President owes the banks crores. Patil, in 1973, had set up a co-operative bank named Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank, to empower women. The license of the bank was revoked in 2003 by the Reserve Bank of India for alleged financial irregularities. According to reports, one of the reasons listed by the RBI for cancellation of the license was the faulty loan policy of the bank and waivers on loan interests given, among others, to Patil's relatives. The nationalised banks latest NPA report indicates NPA’s of over Rs. 40000 crores. This from business houses whose promoters are filthy rich! This is definitely our cultural ethos.
In India majority religion bashing is the norm and pandering to others is the flavour – now introducing muslims in the other backward class category for government sops and subsidies. When will such cultural ethos change? Can we not abolish reservations by have an economic criteria introduced for support of the poor – based on merit and not on religion or caste. But that would then be against our cultural ethos, I suppose.
Nepotism and dynastic rule has become the norm in this country – every politicians, husband, wife, brother, sister, etc wants to come into politics to loot the nation. Nobody says “ask not what the nation will do for you, but what you can do for the nation”. But I think our politicians and bureaucrats have found an answer to the second question – it is simply loot the nation and make hay while the sun shines! That has become our cultural ethos.
This Government, instead of using growth to lay a secure foundation for the future, and create conditions where the scourge of poverty can be removed, has undermined the prospects for growth. We have high inflation, worrying public debt, slowing growth, uncertain currency prospects, falling investment, crushing interest rates. Not a single one of the big-ticket items the country needs has progressed. Centralisation of governance remains endemic. There is no serious progress on GST. There is an energy crisis looming. With the exception of RTI, there is no meaningful administrative reform. These will not happen without serious investment of political capital. Government processes from finance to environment smack of more discretion than before. Agriculture, except where states have taken an initiative, remains stuck. Corruption is endemic. Evasion of responsibility remains the norm. Every single institution, from the office of the prime minister to the cabinet, stands weakened. The capacity of the system to negotiate conflict and grievances is declining. Bills are languishing in Parliament. The use of state power by the Congress has been ruthless, the corrosion of public discourse unconscionable, and the anti-intellectualism mind-boggling. This I guess is our cultural ethos.
Mr. Sibal talks about cultural ethos when his party is ruled by a foreigner!
Wake up Mr. Sibal before it is too late. Start tackling real governance issues rather than trying to convert India into a police state to satisfy your insatiable ego by trying to achieve the impossible.
Ref:"Tomorrows Battles by Mr. Bhanu Pratap Mehta in Indian Express"
Somebody needs to explain to our Honourable Minister that the only thing which is against our cultural ethos is the behaviour of Parliamentarians whose egos expand the moment they are elected by the people, thereby forgetting the people who elect them. The moment they are elected they are inaccessible to the ordinary man for five years – they get vehicles with red beacons, they get armed guards as escorts who follow the minister in a convoy – which stops the traffic so that this so called elected VIP gets to pass. I seriously do not understand why politicians need security the moment they are elected – are they afraid of the people, or is it the case that they know that they will not work and want protection against public angst – see what happened to Sharad Pawar! The reaction of his supporters was to vandalise public property in Pune, Baramati and Mumbai – that is our cultural ethos, I guess!
Parliamentarians do not perform the basic function for which they are elected – which is to legislate. The norm is disruption of Parliament, no healthy debate, jumping into the well of the House in protest, preferably by uprooting mikes and shouting at the top of their voices or walking out in protest – this best suits our cultural ethos I guess. The Lokpal bill has yet to see the light of day for the last 43 years. After Anna Hazare’s agitation, the Parliament has decided on a weak Lokpal Bill, even though the nation wants a strong bill – now protecting the vested interests of Government and their babus is our cultural ethos, is it not Mr. Sibal?
Crores of rupees of tax payer money is spent on building roads and national highways, which end up increasing maintenance cost of vehicles, now that is our cultural ethos! The common man has to bear the burden of increasing prices, heavy indirect taxation for which the government does not provide any service – that is our cultural ethos!
Corruption has become the national pass time with 99% of the public indulging in it. Many who do not want to be corrupt end up paying bribes, as without that nothing happens in this country! The aam aadmi suffers from basic level corruption from low level government functionaries who have been excluded from the ambit of the Lokpal Bill. We might as well say, “chalta hai @#$%^&&” and forget about – because that is our cultural ethos.
How many political families who own sugar factories and big business houses who take loans from co-operative banks and nationalised banks respectively actually bother repaying the loans. The sugar factory owned by our country’s President owes the banks crores. Patil, in 1973, had set up a co-operative bank named Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank, to empower women. The license of the bank was revoked in 2003 by the Reserve Bank of India for alleged financial irregularities. According to reports, one of the reasons listed by the RBI for cancellation of the license was the faulty loan policy of the bank and waivers on loan interests given, among others, to Patil's relatives. The nationalised banks latest NPA report indicates NPA’s of over Rs. 40000 crores. This from business houses whose promoters are filthy rich! This is definitely our cultural ethos.
In India majority religion bashing is the norm and pandering to others is the flavour – now introducing muslims in the other backward class category for government sops and subsidies. When will such cultural ethos change? Can we not abolish reservations by have an economic criteria introduced for support of the poor – based on merit and not on religion or caste. But that would then be against our cultural ethos, I suppose.
Nepotism and dynastic rule has become the norm in this country – every politicians, husband, wife, brother, sister, etc wants to come into politics to loot the nation. Nobody says “ask not what the nation will do for you, but what you can do for the nation”. But I think our politicians and bureaucrats have found an answer to the second question – it is simply loot the nation and make hay while the sun shines! That has become our cultural ethos.
This Government, instead of using growth to lay a secure foundation for the future, and create conditions where the scourge of poverty can be removed, has undermined the prospects for growth. We have high inflation, worrying public debt, slowing growth, uncertain currency prospects, falling investment, crushing interest rates. Not a single one of the big-ticket items the country needs has progressed. Centralisation of governance remains endemic. There is no serious progress on GST. There is an energy crisis looming. With the exception of RTI, there is no meaningful administrative reform. These will not happen without serious investment of political capital. Government processes from finance to environment smack of more discretion than before. Agriculture, except where states have taken an initiative, remains stuck. Corruption is endemic. Evasion of responsibility remains the norm. Every single institution, from the office of the prime minister to the cabinet, stands weakened. The capacity of the system to negotiate conflict and grievances is declining. Bills are languishing in Parliament. The use of state power by the Congress has been ruthless, the corrosion of public discourse unconscionable, and the anti-intellectualism mind-boggling. This I guess is our cultural ethos.
Mr. Sibal talks about cultural ethos when his party is ruled by a foreigner!
Wake up Mr. Sibal before it is too late. Start tackling real governance issues rather than trying to convert India into a police state to satisfy your insatiable ego by trying to achieve the impossible.
Ref:"Tomorrows Battles by Mr. Bhanu Pratap Mehta in Indian Express"
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Chaitanya Samarpan Dhyan Mahashibir – 7,8,9 November 2011 at Rajkot
We had booked flight tickets for Rajkot almost two months ago. There were five of us initially, of which three dropped out due to personal reasons and only Deepak Tandon and I took the flight. We met a sadhak couple from Juhu center, who were on the same flight. We landed in Rakjot at 6.15am and took the hired cab to the Ashram situated at Sindhavadar which is about 50km from the airport. The drive took us just over an hour. Just as we neared the Ashram, I saw a huge “Trishul” formed in the clouds, which was welcoming us into the presence of divinity. We reached the Ashram at around 7.30am, registered at the registration counter and went into the residential tent. The tent was huge, with the capacity of accommodating 4320 sadhaks.
The Ashram land had been acquired only on September 5, 2011 and PP Gurudev’s residence was constructed in exactly 57 days, and co-incidentally this was PP Gurudev’s 57th birthday. The Rajkot sadhaks, under the very able guidance of Ms. Jigna Gohil (President of the CM 2011 Committee) had done a fantastic job of preparing the land and then making arrangements for the festival. A gigantic effort had been made to appear very effortless under the Guru energies while setting up the entire event. The entire ground had been covered with green carpeting, including the residential area, dining area, exhibition area and the bathroom area. Earlier, at the breaks there always used to be a rush to find one’s footwear, but this time plastic bags were given to put one’s footwear in and we were told to place them below our mattresses, this, with one stroke eliminated the chaos which used to occur while collecting the footwear during intervals and in the night.
The organizers had given color codes for different sadhaks for allocating timings during meal times, so that participants did not have to wait in long queues. This was an innovation, which will stand the organizers of future events in good stead. The walkways were made wider hence between events the movement of people was much easier and smoother without any pushing and shoving. I did not experience any waiting period during any of the days, which actually helped one enjoy the energy filled atmosphere in a very relaxed manner.
After arrival we relaxed in the bedding tent, had lunch at noon, went to visit the exhibitions and then came back and changed to attend the beginning of the function. At 2.45pm we all assembled in the “Sabha Mandap”, and the comperes, (Mrs. Virkar and Mr. Bhatt) started the program in their inimitable style. The pleasure of attending the function was enhanced manifold with the compering par excellence of these two committed sadhaks, who bring such feeling and love into their words, which is truly amazing – God and Guru bless them to infinity. I was getting a faint rose fragrance intermittently, with my eyes shut listening to the introduction. After the introductory talk, sadhaks who had registered for the “havan” were asked to go to the “havan kund” as the “havan” was to start at 4pm and end by 6pm. The other sadhaks were to stay back in the main tent and watch the Kutch Gurupurnima 2011 video of PP Gurudev’s discourse.
We left for the “havan kund” quietly and in a disciplined manner and sat at our allocated places. At exactly 4pm the “havan” function started with Shri Rambhai along with a trained sadhak conducting the proceedings. With the help of authorized helpers, the proceedings started (there were about 100 “havan kunds” with about 350 participants) and the flame was lit to the chanting of mantras. After establishing the deity the main participants at each “havan kund” was asked to stand up. Just as I started standing up, the flame at my “havan” went off and a huge black ball of smoke started coming towards me as I was sitting facing the windward side. I instinctively closed my eyes, thinking that this smoke will go into my nostrils and eyes, making then both water. But as I stood up, I felt a cold ball of energy encircle my head completely (I feel it every time I think of the experience), but I did not get any whiff of the smoke, so I opened my eyes, and saw that the smoke had moved on to my right after hitting the ball of energy and in the meantime the flame had been lit again. As I sat down that ball of energy was with me, around my head and neck, and then left after a few minutes. I felt like I was blessed with the Guru energies making sure that I was not put to any inconvenience. Later I asked Deepak, who was with me at the “havan”, whether he saw this. He replied that he had, but did not know why the smoke veered away! In due course the “havan” function got over, with Shri Rambhai concluding the program, and Shri Ambareeshji and Shri Anuragji, walking around the entire “havan” area with hands folded as PP Gurudev’s representatives. We were given 5 gifts for participating in the “havan”, the Ganesh murti made of brass (very beautiful), the coconut, a guava, Prasad in a packet and a silver coin vibrated by PP Gurudev with His image embossed on it.
After the “havan” we went back to the residential tent, and relaxed before going for dinner. After dinner, we went to the “sabha mandap” for the post dinner program. At 9.15pm the program got over and we retired for the day. I went to sleep and woke up at 2.15am and freshened up, had a bath and got ready for morning meditation. Once I got back, I woke up the others, and after they had their bath, we went for a cup of tea and biscuits at around 4.30am. We got back and at 5.45am went into the “sabha mandap” and sat down for meditation. This was the big day, the birthday of PP Gurudev who is an incarnation sent to earth for showing the path to salvation for millions of souls. The meditation was conducted by Shri Rambhai, I prayed for a “param shunya” state for myself and prayed for PP Gurudev’s well being along with that of his very large family of sadhaks. During meditation, I was getting the fragrance of roses off and on. At 7am, after meditation, we went for breakfast and were told to assemble at 7.45 am as PP Gurudev and PP Guruma were to enter the “sabha mandap” at 8am.
At around 7.45am we entered the “sabha mandap” and quietly went and sat inside to the sound of chants/bhajans being played. My eyes closed and just before PP Guruma entered, my soul told me that Vandaniya Guruma is coming, and as the thought crossed my mind, conch shells started blowing announcing her arrival to the sound of loud claps from the sadhaks. A few minutes later, I again got the feeling the PP Gurudev was coming, and as soon as I got the feeling, the conch shells again blew announcing PP Gurudev’s arrival. The sadhaks clapped very loudly and there was great joy and happiness all round with a lot of love energy flowing in the mandap.
PP Gurudev then began his discourse. He mentioned that he had got his birthday gift in October itself, as he was blessed with a grandson, thus graduating from Babaswami to Dadaswami. He informed us that the grandson had been christened Shri Chaitanya Swami. We all clapped very loudly to show our happiness. He then mentioned that the message of the Gurushaktis was that henceforth Maha Dhyans would take place instead of Maha Shibirs. The last Maha Dhyan was in 2008 and after that for 3 years there was nothing, as in a very subtle manner the Guru energies were preparing for change, the calm before the storm so to speak! The first Maha Dhyan was held during the international retreat at Dandi Ashram in October. The next one will be held tomorrow and he told us to keep our balance and be ready for great spiritual experiences as all the Gurushaktis will be present for the meditation to be conducted by PP Gurudev himself. He went on to explain that the energy which flowed during the 8 days of the Maha Shibirs would now flow in that one hour of Maha Dhyan, to which there was tremendous applause. He informed us that the energies which will flow during the meditation will help in clearing all the chakras in that one hour. Any sadhak whose root chakra was blocked would start coughing as it got cleared and those whose “swadishthan chakra” was getting cleared would cough at that point and so on. He also mentioned that such Maha Shibirs would now take place and that only one Maha Shibir in one city will take place. PP Gurudev completed his discourse and then the comperes announced that sadhaks had decided to gift a Samarpan Rath to S PP Gurudev, whose ribbon cutting he did along with puja. The video shooting of the entire opening ceremony was done and shown to us later. PP Gurudev also blessed the plots where the Ayurveda and Yoga schools were to be built. In the meantime preparations were going on for the birthday celebration, with each sadhak being given a balloon and chocolate. The cake was brought and placed for cutting, along with a huge greeting card prepared by sadhaks. PP Guruma and PP Gurudev then re-entered the sabha mandap to sound of loud claps and to the tune of “jiyo hazaaron saal…..happy birthday to you”. All the sadhaks were waving balloons and singing along, and once the song was over, the sound of balloons bursting like small crackers was heard for the next few minutes. After that we were all given candles, which we lit, and then did “Arati” of PP Gurudev. By now it was almost noon, and the paduka naman program was to start. After about half an hour it was our turn to pay obeisance to PP Gurudev’s lotus feet. I prostrated myself and kept asking PP Gurudev to give me “param shunya stithi”, moksha and to fill my being with love for the entire universe, so that I could become a fountain of love. I was prostrate for about three minutes in a one on one communion with PP Gurudev. I then got up and as I left, after the paduka naman, I looked towards PP Gurudev and felt his eyes follow me as I left the mandap. I was feeling truly blessed with divine energy and I felt deep inside me that PP Gurudev had heard my prayers. We then went for lunch.
After lunch we re-assembled at 3pm and PP Guruma gave her discourse explaining various aspects in her inimitable style, like a mother, with love and humor. Her mellifluous voice always brings great inner joy. She had composed a bhajan which she sang at the end of her discourse in her beautiful voice, to rhythmic clapping from the sadhaks side. Ambarishji then took stage after the tea break and entertained the sadhaks in his humorous style while explaining the importance of yuva shakti and the efforts and innovations in prachar being undertaken by the youth.
After dinner there was a cultural program with dances being performed by various centers. All the dances were beautiful, but the Shiva Tandav dance performed by the Rajkot sadhaks was special as far as I was concerned. As the dance started to the music and chants of the Shiva stotra, the synchronization and movement of the dance made my body go cold with energy, and as the tandav started, Nandi got disturbed and as Parvati Devi was calming Nandi by moving her hand over Nandi’s head, I felt a cold wave of energy on my scalp, like a hand was moving over my head and neck – this happened twice at the exact moment that Parvati Devi was moving her hand over Nandi’s head. I remembered my trip to Dronagiri in July, where I had my first experience of Lord Shiva and Nandi at the Dronagiri temple. After that we retired for the night having only fruits for dinner so that our stomach would be quiet for the Maha Dhyan the next day.
I went into a sleep of the dead and when I woke up completely refreshed it was 2.45am. I went for a bath, returned and woke the others up so that we could be ready well in time for the Maha Dhyan. I submitted the feedback form on the event and then we assembled at 5.45am, and sat down with our chitta on the crown chakra. There was a lot of coughing going on as the energy levels were quite high. Rambhai started the proceedings at exactly 6am, and the lights were switched off – there was pin drop silence and PP Gurudev’s entry could be sensed as He quietly came and sat down. At 6.15am PP Gurudev started the Maha Dhyan with the recital of the Guru Mantra. In the initial 15 minutes I was just getting into a trance, my breathing had slowed down considerably, but was brought out by a sharp laugh by some sadhak very close behind me, which set my heart beat racing. It took me a couple of minutes to calm down, but I could not get into a meditative state, as intermittent coughing and snoring close behind me prevented concentration – my condition is still very nascent and I have not yet developed the ability to completely switch off yet. With PP Gurudev’s Grace it will happen soon. My legs were also cramping up, and at around 7am, again I felt myself entering a meditative state. Now I felt my consciousness expanding and I could hear, sparrows, pigeons, crickets, the sound of running water from all around the locality, the most tiny sound was magnified and appeared to sound close by. At 7.15am PP Gurudev concluded the meditation program, with prayer and “Shanti Path”. We then left the sabha mandap for our breakfast break. We were already into the third day of the program, and time had just flown by in peaceful and energized surroundings.
After breakfast we re-assembled at the Sabha Mandap with the Trustees explaining various aspects of their activities. Thereafter there was a continuation of the cultural program with dance and bhajans being performed by sadhaks from various centers from Gujarat and Maharashtra. At the lunch break, post lunch I went to the exhibition stall again for taking Akash tatva experience. We were explained the concept wherein you becoming thoughtless by praying to the sky and how because of the infinity in space our mind gets dissolved in its infinity, and then we were told to stand with the left hand up just above the shoulder palm facing upwards and the right palm facing down near the hip, to stand with our eyes closed and feel the universal energy. I felt tingling sensation in my palms as I received universal energy through my left hand and then felt the released negative energy going out of my right hand. It was again an experience which was unique. I had experienced this before too, when my paragliding instructor Tom, from England, had made us relax to exorcise the fear of flying by connecting us to universal energy.
After lunch Anuragji gave a very good speech on his experiences and how the affairs of the trust are being managed. The program was altered thereafter and the Question and Answer session to be taken by PP Gurudev being postponed from 4pm to 5pm. As we had a flight to catch, I told Deepak that it would be better if we sit outside and watch the session on TV as the Q & A session was bound to extend beyond one hour. We took our Prasad and then sat for the session in the exhibition stall. The first question was "Why does Swamiji meet the sadhaks?" This question has been asked before many times, hence briefly the answer is, if you do Guru's karya, the Guru will follow you, much like the cow who who will follow you if you carry its calf! The second question on the fear of death was explained very beautifully by PP Gurudev. Firstly you should understand deat, then you can understand fear. One dies with every breath – you breathe in life force and when you breathe out you die. But if you approach life with the a positive approach thinking that every day is your last day then you could tell yourself, as today is my last day, I will meditate,I will not fight with anyone - why fight while dying? today is my last day, I will do some good deed selflessly; today is my last day I will spread happiness and love to everyone and so on. Why should one fear death, as death is just a moving on a transformation of energy from the body into universal consciousness. There are 3 types of death : Physical death - a good doctor can save you, and death can be postponed. Second, Divine Death: A Saint's blessing can delay it. Last Spiritual Death: no one can save you - because after this you are free, you attain salvation.It was about 6.15, when Deepak and I and all the other sadhaks who had booked flights took their taxis and left for the airport. As we left the organisers had kept sadhaks to see us off and invite us again to the Ashram, truly gracious hosts with a lot of love energy! We reached exactly 45 minutes before the flight departed. PP Gurudev showed us again the concept of JIT (Just in Time) management, as with his Grace we caught the flight back to Mumbai.
I would like to mention in conclusion that apart from the Guru energies and universal consciousness which flow’s at all such functions, this time around the experience was enhanced manifold due to the superb event management and phenomenal efforts taken to make the stay comfortable and hassle free for all the sadhaks. May God and Gurudev bless all the organizers and give them Energy to continue doing such great Gurukarya.
I have written this from memory and the sequence may be wrong in some places - I may have missed some things too, for which I apologize – please excuse me.
JAI BABA SWAMI
The Ashram land had been acquired only on September 5, 2011 and PP Gurudev’s residence was constructed in exactly 57 days, and co-incidentally this was PP Gurudev’s 57th birthday. The Rajkot sadhaks, under the very able guidance of Ms. Jigna Gohil (President of the CM 2011 Committee) had done a fantastic job of preparing the land and then making arrangements for the festival. A gigantic effort had been made to appear very effortless under the Guru energies while setting up the entire event. The entire ground had been covered with green carpeting, including the residential area, dining area, exhibition area and the bathroom area. Earlier, at the breaks there always used to be a rush to find one’s footwear, but this time plastic bags were given to put one’s footwear in and we were told to place them below our mattresses, this, with one stroke eliminated the chaos which used to occur while collecting the footwear during intervals and in the night.
The organizers had given color codes for different sadhaks for allocating timings during meal times, so that participants did not have to wait in long queues. This was an innovation, which will stand the organizers of future events in good stead. The walkways were made wider hence between events the movement of people was much easier and smoother without any pushing and shoving. I did not experience any waiting period during any of the days, which actually helped one enjoy the energy filled atmosphere in a very relaxed manner.
After arrival we relaxed in the bedding tent, had lunch at noon, went to visit the exhibitions and then came back and changed to attend the beginning of the function. At 2.45pm we all assembled in the “Sabha Mandap”, and the comperes, (Mrs. Virkar and Mr. Bhatt) started the program in their inimitable style. The pleasure of attending the function was enhanced manifold with the compering par excellence of these two committed sadhaks, who bring such feeling and love into their words, which is truly amazing – God and Guru bless them to infinity. I was getting a faint rose fragrance intermittently, with my eyes shut listening to the introduction. After the introductory talk, sadhaks who had registered for the “havan” were asked to go to the “havan kund” as the “havan” was to start at 4pm and end by 6pm. The other sadhaks were to stay back in the main tent and watch the Kutch Gurupurnima 2011 video of PP Gurudev’s discourse.
We left for the “havan kund” quietly and in a disciplined manner and sat at our allocated places. At exactly 4pm the “havan” function started with Shri Rambhai along with a trained sadhak conducting the proceedings. With the help of authorized helpers, the proceedings started (there were about 100 “havan kunds” with about 350 participants) and the flame was lit to the chanting of mantras. After establishing the deity the main participants at each “havan kund” was asked to stand up. Just as I started standing up, the flame at my “havan” went off and a huge black ball of smoke started coming towards me as I was sitting facing the windward side. I instinctively closed my eyes, thinking that this smoke will go into my nostrils and eyes, making then both water. But as I stood up, I felt a cold ball of energy encircle my head completely (I feel it every time I think of the experience), but I did not get any whiff of the smoke, so I opened my eyes, and saw that the smoke had moved on to my right after hitting the ball of energy and in the meantime the flame had been lit again. As I sat down that ball of energy was with me, around my head and neck, and then left after a few minutes. I felt like I was blessed with the Guru energies making sure that I was not put to any inconvenience. Later I asked Deepak, who was with me at the “havan”, whether he saw this. He replied that he had, but did not know why the smoke veered away! In due course the “havan” function got over, with Shri Rambhai concluding the program, and Shri Ambareeshji and Shri Anuragji, walking around the entire “havan” area with hands folded as PP Gurudev’s representatives. We were given 5 gifts for participating in the “havan”, the Ganesh murti made of brass (very beautiful), the coconut, a guava, Prasad in a packet and a silver coin vibrated by PP Gurudev with His image embossed on it.
After the “havan” we went back to the residential tent, and relaxed before going for dinner. After dinner, we went to the “sabha mandap” for the post dinner program. At 9.15pm the program got over and we retired for the day. I went to sleep and woke up at 2.15am and freshened up, had a bath and got ready for morning meditation. Once I got back, I woke up the others, and after they had their bath, we went for a cup of tea and biscuits at around 4.30am. We got back and at 5.45am went into the “sabha mandap” and sat down for meditation. This was the big day, the birthday of PP Gurudev who is an incarnation sent to earth for showing the path to salvation for millions of souls. The meditation was conducted by Shri Rambhai, I prayed for a “param shunya” state for myself and prayed for PP Gurudev’s well being along with that of his very large family of sadhaks. During meditation, I was getting the fragrance of roses off and on. At 7am, after meditation, we went for breakfast and were told to assemble at 7.45 am as PP Gurudev and PP Guruma were to enter the “sabha mandap” at 8am.
At around 7.45am we entered the “sabha mandap” and quietly went and sat inside to the sound of chants/bhajans being played. My eyes closed and just before PP Guruma entered, my soul told me that Vandaniya Guruma is coming, and as the thought crossed my mind, conch shells started blowing announcing her arrival to the sound of loud claps from the sadhaks. A few minutes later, I again got the feeling the PP Gurudev was coming, and as soon as I got the feeling, the conch shells again blew announcing PP Gurudev’s arrival. The sadhaks clapped very loudly and there was great joy and happiness all round with a lot of love energy flowing in the mandap.
PP Gurudev then began his discourse. He mentioned that he had got his birthday gift in October itself, as he was blessed with a grandson, thus graduating from Babaswami to Dadaswami. He informed us that the grandson had been christened Shri Chaitanya Swami. We all clapped very loudly to show our happiness. He then mentioned that the message of the Gurushaktis was that henceforth Maha Dhyans would take place instead of Maha Shibirs. The last Maha Dhyan was in 2008 and after that for 3 years there was nothing, as in a very subtle manner the Guru energies were preparing for change, the calm before the storm so to speak! The first Maha Dhyan was held during the international retreat at Dandi Ashram in October. The next one will be held tomorrow and he told us to keep our balance and be ready for great spiritual experiences as all the Gurushaktis will be present for the meditation to be conducted by PP Gurudev himself. He went on to explain that the energy which flowed during the 8 days of the Maha Shibirs would now flow in that one hour of Maha Dhyan, to which there was tremendous applause. He informed us that the energies which will flow during the meditation will help in clearing all the chakras in that one hour. Any sadhak whose root chakra was blocked would start coughing as it got cleared and those whose “swadishthan chakra” was getting cleared would cough at that point and so on. He also mentioned that such Maha Shibirs would now take place and that only one Maha Shibir in one city will take place. PP Gurudev completed his discourse and then the comperes announced that sadhaks had decided to gift a Samarpan Rath to S PP Gurudev, whose ribbon cutting he did along with puja. The video shooting of the entire opening ceremony was done and shown to us later. PP Gurudev also blessed the plots where the Ayurveda and Yoga schools were to be built. In the meantime preparations were going on for the birthday celebration, with each sadhak being given a balloon and chocolate. The cake was brought and placed for cutting, along with a huge greeting card prepared by sadhaks. PP Guruma and PP Gurudev then re-entered the sabha mandap to sound of loud claps and to the tune of “jiyo hazaaron saal…..happy birthday to you”. All the sadhaks were waving balloons and singing along, and once the song was over, the sound of balloons bursting like small crackers was heard for the next few minutes. After that we were all given candles, which we lit, and then did “Arati” of PP Gurudev. By now it was almost noon, and the paduka naman program was to start. After about half an hour it was our turn to pay obeisance to PP Gurudev’s lotus feet. I prostrated myself and kept asking PP Gurudev to give me “param shunya stithi”, moksha and to fill my being with love for the entire universe, so that I could become a fountain of love. I was prostrate for about three minutes in a one on one communion with PP Gurudev. I then got up and as I left, after the paduka naman, I looked towards PP Gurudev and felt his eyes follow me as I left the mandap. I was feeling truly blessed with divine energy and I felt deep inside me that PP Gurudev had heard my prayers. We then went for lunch.
After lunch we re-assembled at 3pm and PP Guruma gave her discourse explaining various aspects in her inimitable style, like a mother, with love and humor. Her mellifluous voice always brings great inner joy. She had composed a bhajan which she sang at the end of her discourse in her beautiful voice, to rhythmic clapping from the sadhaks side. Ambarishji then took stage after the tea break and entertained the sadhaks in his humorous style while explaining the importance of yuva shakti and the efforts and innovations in prachar being undertaken by the youth.
After dinner there was a cultural program with dances being performed by various centers. All the dances were beautiful, but the Shiva Tandav dance performed by the Rajkot sadhaks was special as far as I was concerned. As the dance started to the music and chants of the Shiva stotra, the synchronization and movement of the dance made my body go cold with energy, and as the tandav started, Nandi got disturbed and as Parvati Devi was calming Nandi by moving her hand over Nandi’s head, I felt a cold wave of energy on my scalp, like a hand was moving over my head and neck – this happened twice at the exact moment that Parvati Devi was moving her hand over Nandi’s head. I remembered my trip to Dronagiri in July, where I had my first experience of Lord Shiva and Nandi at the Dronagiri temple. After that we retired for the night having only fruits for dinner so that our stomach would be quiet for the Maha Dhyan the next day.
I went into a sleep of the dead and when I woke up completely refreshed it was 2.45am. I went for a bath, returned and woke the others up so that we could be ready well in time for the Maha Dhyan. I submitted the feedback form on the event and then we assembled at 5.45am, and sat down with our chitta on the crown chakra. There was a lot of coughing going on as the energy levels were quite high. Rambhai started the proceedings at exactly 6am, and the lights were switched off – there was pin drop silence and PP Gurudev’s entry could be sensed as He quietly came and sat down. At 6.15am PP Gurudev started the Maha Dhyan with the recital of the Guru Mantra. In the initial 15 minutes I was just getting into a trance, my breathing had slowed down considerably, but was brought out by a sharp laugh by some sadhak very close behind me, which set my heart beat racing. It took me a couple of minutes to calm down, but I could not get into a meditative state, as intermittent coughing and snoring close behind me prevented concentration – my condition is still very nascent and I have not yet developed the ability to completely switch off yet. With PP Gurudev’s Grace it will happen soon. My legs were also cramping up, and at around 7am, again I felt myself entering a meditative state. Now I felt my consciousness expanding and I could hear, sparrows, pigeons, crickets, the sound of running water from all around the locality, the most tiny sound was magnified and appeared to sound close by. At 7.15am PP Gurudev concluded the meditation program, with prayer and “Shanti Path”. We then left the sabha mandap for our breakfast break. We were already into the third day of the program, and time had just flown by in peaceful and energized surroundings.
After breakfast we re-assembled at the Sabha Mandap with the Trustees explaining various aspects of their activities. Thereafter there was a continuation of the cultural program with dance and bhajans being performed by sadhaks from various centers from Gujarat and Maharashtra. At the lunch break, post lunch I went to the exhibition stall again for taking Akash tatva experience. We were explained the concept wherein you becoming thoughtless by praying to the sky and how because of the infinity in space our mind gets dissolved in its infinity, and then we were told to stand with the left hand up just above the shoulder palm facing upwards and the right palm facing down near the hip, to stand with our eyes closed and feel the universal energy. I felt tingling sensation in my palms as I received universal energy through my left hand and then felt the released negative energy going out of my right hand. It was again an experience which was unique. I had experienced this before too, when my paragliding instructor Tom, from England, had made us relax to exorcise the fear of flying by connecting us to universal energy.
After lunch Anuragji gave a very good speech on his experiences and how the affairs of the trust are being managed. The program was altered thereafter and the Question and Answer session to be taken by PP Gurudev being postponed from 4pm to 5pm. As we had a flight to catch, I told Deepak that it would be better if we sit outside and watch the session on TV as the Q & A session was bound to extend beyond one hour. We took our Prasad and then sat for the session in the exhibition stall. The first question was "Why does Swamiji meet the sadhaks?" This question has been asked before many times, hence briefly the answer is, if you do Guru's karya, the Guru will follow you, much like the cow who who will follow you if you carry its calf! The second question on the fear of death was explained very beautifully by PP Gurudev. Firstly you should understand deat, then you can understand fear. One dies with every breath – you breathe in life force and when you breathe out you die. But if you approach life with the a positive approach thinking that every day is your last day then you could tell yourself, as today is my last day, I will meditate,I will not fight with anyone - why fight while dying? today is my last day, I will do some good deed selflessly; today is my last day I will spread happiness and love to everyone and so on. Why should one fear death, as death is just a moving on a transformation of energy from the body into universal consciousness. There are 3 types of death : Physical death - a good doctor can save you, and death can be postponed. Second, Divine Death: A Saint's blessing can delay it. Last Spiritual Death: no one can save you - because after this you are free, you attain salvation.It was about 6.15, when Deepak and I and all the other sadhaks who had booked flights took their taxis and left for the airport. As we left the organisers had kept sadhaks to see us off and invite us again to the Ashram, truly gracious hosts with a lot of love energy! We reached exactly 45 minutes before the flight departed. PP Gurudev showed us again the concept of JIT (Just in Time) management, as with his Grace we caught the flight back to Mumbai.
I would like to mention in conclusion that apart from the Guru energies and universal consciousness which flow’s at all such functions, this time around the experience was enhanced manifold due to the superb event management and phenomenal efforts taken to make the stay comfortable and hassle free for all the sadhaks. May God and Gurudev bless all the organizers and give them Energy to continue doing such great Gurukarya.
I have written this from memory and the sequence may be wrong in some places - I may have missed some things too, for which I apologize – please excuse me.
JAI BABA SWAMI
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Our connection to a living Sadguru and thus to Guru Tattva
Param Pujya Swami Shivakrupandji in his discourses has said that he is non-existence and has reached the state of “Shunya”. He has mentioned that it was Shirdi Sainath who came in his dreams and told him to accept dakshina and then see his Gurukarya increase manifold. In fact in one of his discourses, on the fourth day, he makes you experience Shirdi Sainaths energy! Swamiji has mentioned that you can see your own Guru in Him, and many sadhaks/sadhikas have seen Shirdi Sainath, Osho, Swami Samarth, etc in Him. Swamiji has said that Guru Tattva remains the same, the Gurus change with the times, but the essence is always the same. When we come in contact with a living Sadguru, what does that entail for the sadhaks? At soul level the sadhak has reached a stage for his further evolution, for him to grow further and move into a different dimension. Hence, the sadhak should realize that there are subtle changes taking place within himself/herself, through the Sadguru’s Grace and through his/her own sadhana and behavior in the material world.
Awareness is very important. Be aware of every moment, every breath you take, you should take consciously – as with every breath taken in, God is coming towards you, and with every outgoing breath you are moving towards God. God consciousness, then slowly starts becoming second nature, once that happens you start connecting to Guru Tattva.
What is Guru Tattva? Tattva means essence or element. Guru Tattva, then, means Guru essence or element. In the most complete sense, Guru Tattva is the natural, inexorable mechanism or process by which manifest life moves from a relative state of ignorance of Self to total awareness or Self Realization. The life process of manifest beings is, in general, a movement toward Self-recognition. The lila, or play of manifest life is a game of forgetting and remembering. We forget we are Shiva consciousness, and we slowly remember. If we dedicate ourselves to sadhana, we remember a little faster. Reality, or Shiva, has the capacity to produce experiences we call “duality” or diversity. This capacity to elaborate a world (Maya) is the nature of Shiva consciousness. The creation is not a decision that happened one day. Creation is ongoing in every moment. The creation arises from, within, and is of the primordial intelligence.
Thus once you connect and understand the concept, it becomes slightly easier to start living it in the material world. Staying fully conscious and aware and doing one’s day to day activity without being affected and by living in the present moment, will slowly and inexorably start taking you inside to your inner core. It takes time and once you start going inside and finding peace, then you will start making it a habit and that will immediately reflect on your face – you will find people saying you look fresh, you look peaceful, you look younger, etc.
Ego is another aspect one needs to take into consideration. I have seen some people mention on some web-sites, that so and so web-site is only meant for sayings of a certain Guru. If someone posts some spiritual matter relating to another Guru, which could be of Shirdi Sainath, Osho, Sathya Sai Baba, etc, then some people object, saying that you should post matter only related to that one particular Guru. On a spiritual site, which is open to the public, such small mindedness is the result of Ego. 'My Guru, your Guru', etc… one should understand that Guru Tattva is the same, all Sadguru’s over centuries have spoken the same language, which is the language of love and light and of Universal Consciousness. Thus reprimanding people on a public forum, that to on a spiritual site, is going a bit too far. There is no point in hurting others for posting spiritual matter relating to other Saints - as long as the matter is spiritual, everyone should read and absorb. The energy which flows from a web-site which has lots of diverse spiritual matter is much higher. One just has to open one’s mind and accept everything in love and light. Ego will only make you blind, deaf and dumb…..lets learn to spread love and light and not get bogged down by individualistic opinions and preferences.
Awareness is very important. Be aware of every moment, every breath you take, you should take consciously – as with every breath taken in, God is coming towards you, and with every outgoing breath you are moving towards God. God consciousness, then slowly starts becoming second nature, once that happens you start connecting to Guru Tattva.
What is Guru Tattva? Tattva means essence or element. Guru Tattva, then, means Guru essence or element. In the most complete sense, Guru Tattva is the natural, inexorable mechanism or process by which manifest life moves from a relative state of ignorance of Self to total awareness or Self Realization. The life process of manifest beings is, in general, a movement toward Self-recognition. The lila, or play of manifest life is a game of forgetting and remembering. We forget we are Shiva consciousness, and we slowly remember. If we dedicate ourselves to sadhana, we remember a little faster. Reality, or Shiva, has the capacity to produce experiences we call “duality” or diversity. This capacity to elaborate a world (Maya) is the nature of Shiva consciousness. The creation is not a decision that happened one day. Creation is ongoing in every moment. The creation arises from, within, and is of the primordial intelligence.
Thus once you connect and understand the concept, it becomes slightly easier to start living it in the material world. Staying fully conscious and aware and doing one’s day to day activity without being affected and by living in the present moment, will slowly and inexorably start taking you inside to your inner core. It takes time and once you start going inside and finding peace, then you will start making it a habit and that will immediately reflect on your face – you will find people saying you look fresh, you look peaceful, you look younger, etc.
Ego is another aspect one needs to take into consideration. I have seen some people mention on some web-sites, that so and so web-site is only meant for sayings of a certain Guru. If someone posts some spiritual matter relating to another Guru, which could be of Shirdi Sainath, Osho, Sathya Sai Baba, etc, then some people object, saying that you should post matter only related to that one particular Guru. On a spiritual site, which is open to the public, such small mindedness is the result of Ego. 'My Guru, your Guru', etc… one should understand that Guru Tattva is the same, all Sadguru’s over centuries have spoken the same language, which is the language of love and light and of Universal Consciousness. Thus reprimanding people on a public forum, that to on a spiritual site, is going a bit too far. There is no point in hurting others for posting spiritual matter relating to other Saints - as long as the matter is spiritual, everyone should read and absorb. The energy which flows from a web-site which has lots of diverse spiritual matter is much higher. One just has to open one’s mind and accept everything in love and light. Ego will only make you blind, deaf and dumb…..lets learn to spread love and light and not get bogged down by individualistic opinions and preferences.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Ill Effects Of Female Infanticide And Foeticide
In the news papers we read about the stories of female foeticide or infanticide. The National census 2001 has revealed a shocking picture of the skewed child sex ratio i.e. number of female children per 1000 male children in India. The child sex-ratio in 2001 has gone down to 927 females for 1000 males from 945 for 1000 males in 1991.
Experts say female foeticide in India is mostly linked to socio-economic factors. The girl child has traditionally been considered inferior and a liability. It is an idea that many say carries over from the time India was a predominantly agrarian society where boys were considered an extra pair of hands in the farm whereas a girl was considered a liability. It is quite possible that the practice of female dowry arose as a result of reduction in the number of men in India due to constant warring and the genetic robustness of the female fetus. There are no male shortages now, but the practice continues to thrive. Males are considered heirs to property, thus aggravating the problem.
Historically, in the absence of genetic testing, infanticide was the only inhumane option for discarding the female child. This heinous practice continues today in the southern parts of India where families cannot afford an illegal ultrasound test. People in Punjab, Haryana and other Western states can afford illegal tests to determine the sex of the baby and discard it.
The sharp decline in the sex ratio is a matter of serious concern as it is expected to lead to serious demographic imbalances in the future. There is no doubt that this practice, if continued, will shackle the very social fabric of our nation. As females drop in number in a society, society gets destabilized. Similar destabilization, violence and lack of progress is observed in polygamous societies, where females are treated as properties and the source of all violence is to "acquire and control" females.
The attack on the foetus does not begin in the womb - it begins in the minds of human beings; and that's why we need to change the mindsets of the people. The only way to eradicate this evil is to start educating the Indian public that daughters are equal to sons and deserve the same opportunities whether it comes to education, employment or inheritance.
Experts say female foeticide in India is mostly linked to socio-economic factors. The girl child has traditionally been considered inferior and a liability. It is an idea that many say carries over from the time India was a predominantly agrarian society where boys were considered an extra pair of hands in the farm whereas a girl was considered a liability. It is quite possible that the practice of female dowry arose as a result of reduction in the number of men in India due to constant warring and the genetic robustness of the female fetus. There are no male shortages now, but the practice continues to thrive. Males are considered heirs to property, thus aggravating the problem.
Historically, in the absence of genetic testing, infanticide was the only inhumane option for discarding the female child. This heinous practice continues today in the southern parts of India where families cannot afford an illegal ultrasound test. People in Punjab, Haryana and other Western states can afford illegal tests to determine the sex of the baby and discard it.
The sharp decline in the sex ratio is a matter of serious concern as it is expected to lead to serious demographic imbalances in the future. There is no doubt that this practice, if continued, will shackle the very social fabric of our nation. As females drop in number in a society, society gets destabilized. Similar destabilization, violence and lack of progress is observed in polygamous societies, where females are treated as properties and the source of all violence is to "acquire and control" females.
The attack on the foetus does not begin in the womb - it begins in the minds of human beings; and that's why we need to change the mindsets of the people. The only way to eradicate this evil is to start educating the Indian public that daughters are equal to sons and deserve the same opportunities whether it comes to education, employment or inheritance.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
How I got re-connected to Mahavtar Babaji
I had mentioned in my blog on the visit to Dronagiri that the events leading upto the visit would be documented later. Here it is.
When I was in college (in 1981) my sister-in-law had taken me to Yogoda Satsang Society (YSS) which was formed by Swami Paramhansa Yoganandji in Mumbai. I had on an impulse subscribed to YSS and their Kriya Yoga course. At that time, though I had a spiritual bent of mind, I did not find the idea of writing exams on spirituality too appealing, what with college exams and CA exams! I thought it would be a bit too much! I did pick up an “Autobiography of a Yogi” and read it, wherein was my first brush with Mahavtar Babaji, who is the Guru of Swami Paramhansa’s Guru’s Guru, namely the Guru of Sri Lahiri Mahasayaji. I have read this book three times since, and every time I have always been fascinated when it came to the passage on Mahavtar Babaji, though the whole book, when read again and again throws more and more light on various aspects of spirituality. It just depends on how ready you are to absorb the true meaning of what has been written by the Yogi.
In April this year, a friend of mine called me and told me that he has mailed me a link which gives details about Mahavtar Babaji’s caves in Dronagiri and how to get there. He said that we should plan a visit to the caves, to which I replied that we should do it before the start of the monsoon. That same day, a colleague was sitting in my cabin at office, when a lady colleague who has got a reputation as a palmist came on our floor, and I mentioned in passing to my colleague that she is a good palmist. My friend was very interested and he went to meet her to see what she had to say about him. Later they called me too, and I also showed my palm and she told me certain things about taking care of my health, when I mentioned to her that I have been running the marathon for the last seven years and I have been practicing meditation twice a day for the last two years, hence I am not too worried about my health. To which she replied, in that case I should go to Babaji’s caves, to which I asked her whether she is referring to Mahavtar Babaji’s caves at Dronagiri and she said “yes”! That was the second indication, later in the day I was just browsing through a spiritual video and the last image which came and stayed was that of Mahavtar Babaji, it was too much of a co-incidence and I felt that Babaji was now definitely giving signs that we should go to the caves.
In May, I had gone to Kerala for a CA conference and on our way back, we stopped at Adi Sankaracharya’s math for ‘darshan’. I later came to know that Adi Sankaracharya is also a disciple of Babaji. Next day was my flight to Mumbai. At the airport, I was waiting for my flight when on an impulse I decided to visit the small book shop in the waiting lounge. As I stepped into the lounge, the only book which came in sight was “The Voice of Babaji- A Triology” by V.T. Neelkanthan. I zeroed in on the book and as I took it into my hands, a bolt of very cold energy passed from my scalp (sahastrar), through my body and into the ground, leaving my body encased in a cocoon of cold energy. It was like I had just been touched by Babaji. I was overawed by the experience, just bought the book and sat with it in my hands with my eyes closed, just cherishing what I had gone through, just a few moments ago. Every time I relive that memory the body goes cold again as the energy starts flowing!
Just before leaving for the Himalayas in June, I was going from office to home, when on an impulse I decided to stop at wholesale book shop close to my house, thinking that I would get some more books on Babaji. I walked into the shop, and just went to a dark corner in the shop, where the lights had been switched off, and I started browsing in the dim available light, and there again I saw books on Babaji, I picked up Babaji and the 18 Siddhas by Marshal Govindan and left. It was like I was being magnetically drawn to Babaji. I purchased four copies of the book for myself and the other three spiritual seekers who had booked their passage to visit the caves and left.
Just a day before leaving for Delhi, I got the YSS newsletter, in which the first quote was that of Babaji, along with his photo. I knew we were blessed and our journey to visit the caves would be peaceful and successful, without any hassles. And that is how it turned out to be.
JAI BABAJI
When I was in college (in 1981) my sister-in-law had taken me to Yogoda Satsang Society (YSS) which was formed by Swami Paramhansa Yoganandji in Mumbai. I had on an impulse subscribed to YSS and their Kriya Yoga course. At that time, though I had a spiritual bent of mind, I did not find the idea of writing exams on spirituality too appealing, what with college exams and CA exams! I thought it would be a bit too much! I did pick up an “Autobiography of a Yogi” and read it, wherein was my first brush with Mahavtar Babaji, who is the Guru of Swami Paramhansa’s Guru’s Guru, namely the Guru of Sri Lahiri Mahasayaji. I have read this book three times since, and every time I have always been fascinated when it came to the passage on Mahavtar Babaji, though the whole book, when read again and again throws more and more light on various aspects of spirituality. It just depends on how ready you are to absorb the true meaning of what has been written by the Yogi.
In April this year, a friend of mine called me and told me that he has mailed me a link which gives details about Mahavtar Babaji’s caves in Dronagiri and how to get there. He said that we should plan a visit to the caves, to which I replied that we should do it before the start of the monsoon. That same day, a colleague was sitting in my cabin at office, when a lady colleague who has got a reputation as a palmist came on our floor, and I mentioned in passing to my colleague that she is a good palmist. My friend was very interested and he went to meet her to see what she had to say about him. Later they called me too, and I also showed my palm and she told me certain things about taking care of my health, when I mentioned to her that I have been running the marathon for the last seven years and I have been practicing meditation twice a day for the last two years, hence I am not too worried about my health. To which she replied, in that case I should go to Babaji’s caves, to which I asked her whether she is referring to Mahavtar Babaji’s caves at Dronagiri and she said “yes”! That was the second indication, later in the day I was just browsing through a spiritual video and the last image which came and stayed was that of Mahavtar Babaji, it was too much of a co-incidence and I felt that Babaji was now definitely giving signs that we should go to the caves.
In May, I had gone to Kerala for a CA conference and on our way back, we stopped at Adi Sankaracharya’s math for ‘darshan’. I later came to know that Adi Sankaracharya is also a disciple of Babaji. Next day was my flight to Mumbai. At the airport, I was waiting for my flight when on an impulse I decided to visit the small book shop in the waiting lounge. As I stepped into the lounge, the only book which came in sight was “The Voice of Babaji- A Triology” by V.T. Neelkanthan. I zeroed in on the book and as I took it into my hands, a bolt of very cold energy passed from my scalp (sahastrar), through my body and into the ground, leaving my body encased in a cocoon of cold energy. It was like I had just been touched by Babaji. I was overawed by the experience, just bought the book and sat with it in my hands with my eyes closed, just cherishing what I had gone through, just a few moments ago. Every time I relive that memory the body goes cold again as the energy starts flowing!
Just before leaving for the Himalayas in June, I was going from office to home, when on an impulse I decided to stop at wholesale book shop close to my house, thinking that I would get some more books on Babaji. I walked into the shop, and just went to a dark corner in the shop, where the lights had been switched off, and I started browsing in the dim available light, and there again I saw books on Babaji, I picked up Babaji and the 18 Siddhas by Marshal Govindan and left. It was like I was being magnetically drawn to Babaji. I purchased four copies of the book for myself and the other three spiritual seekers who had booked their passage to visit the caves and left.
Just a day before leaving for Delhi, I got the YSS newsletter, in which the first quote was that of Babaji, along with his photo. I knew we were blessed and our journey to visit the caves would be peaceful and successful, without any hassles. And that is how it turned out to be.
JAI BABAJI
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Corruption and Terror - A connection?
I have been reading and watching with deep consternation the repeated assaults on the innocent public by terrorists who are out to kill for whatever cause they support. Terrorists basically are brain-washed robots who have been suckered into an ideology and are used by their controllers to achieve their so called ambitions. That may be a bit simplistic as some of the terrorists are in it for the money and the adrenaline high it gives, but killing people randomly is too cowardly an act to be justified or condoned.
Where is the connection between terror and corruption you may well ask! After Mumbai was held spell bound by the antics of the half dozen terrorists from across the border that attacked VT and the Taj and Oberoi hotels, the Maharashtra Government immediately ordered 28 high speed patrol boats for the coast guard at a cost of Rs. 250 crores over and above 20 boats allotted by the Central Government of a total sanction for 58 boats. Of these boats as of date only 8 boats are operational to patrol a 700 km coastline. Why you may well ask! You know when the government purchased the boat they forgot to check whether they had the skilled manpower to operate these boats, so instead of training the required number of people and getting the boats operational, the government decides to keep the boats rotting in the docks! Now after investing so much money in the boats, how does one milk more money for the party/politician coffers? Well you have maintenance and repair contracts for brand new boats which are rotting in the docks!
Take the case of blasts in Delhi and Mumbai, the government has time and again said that they will have CCTV’s installed and the monitoring mechanism in place to deter or at least use them to identify potential terrorists. What happens the whole plan goes into limbo because of red tape or some greedy bureaucrat / politician not sanctioning it as he is not getting his cut! Till the next bomb blast happens!
I think as the citizens have taken to the streets against corruption, so they should again come out to make these moronic politicians see the light of day and force them to implement strong measures to tackle or deter terrorist attacks. We are now so used to these attacks that we do not bother at all, because the day to day struggle to meet two ends meet in these times of high inflation is too much. The government terrorizes the citizens through high costs while those in government enrich themselves and protect themselves with Z-Class security. They should forego security and try to provide security to the citizens rather than massage their egos at public cost.
Each preventive measure against terror gets marred and blocked in red tape and corruption. Why should the public bear this with fortitude all the time? None of the terrorists have been punished so far, all this encourages the adversary to attack again as the perception is India is a soft state! The person who killed a prime minister is still in jail, and asking for mercy. We have justice delivered but no action taken by the government in that case. We have the attacker to Parliament still not hanged, Mr. Kasab is the guest of the state, and crores are being spent to keep him alive whereas farmers are committing suicide because of their desperate situation. So where is the justice? I am of the philosophy that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but in extreme situations where national integrity and security is at stake, then don’t you think one should execute the perpetrators of cowardly crimes against humanity and send a strong message to these cowards that we will not take things lying down!
If we cannot do that, then at least let’s make an example of all those who delay or block acquisition of equipment to prevent or monitor and track or protect the nation and making operational such equipment with trained manpower to handle the same. Let’s hang these bureaucrats / politicians as they are the guys who are safe and steal public money while the aam aadmi dies on the streets!
Where is the connection between terror and corruption you may well ask! After Mumbai was held spell bound by the antics of the half dozen terrorists from across the border that attacked VT and the Taj and Oberoi hotels, the Maharashtra Government immediately ordered 28 high speed patrol boats for the coast guard at a cost of Rs. 250 crores over and above 20 boats allotted by the Central Government of a total sanction for 58 boats. Of these boats as of date only 8 boats are operational to patrol a 700 km coastline. Why you may well ask! You know when the government purchased the boat they forgot to check whether they had the skilled manpower to operate these boats, so instead of training the required number of people and getting the boats operational, the government decides to keep the boats rotting in the docks! Now after investing so much money in the boats, how does one milk more money for the party/politician coffers? Well you have maintenance and repair contracts for brand new boats which are rotting in the docks!
Take the case of blasts in Delhi and Mumbai, the government has time and again said that they will have CCTV’s installed and the monitoring mechanism in place to deter or at least use them to identify potential terrorists. What happens the whole plan goes into limbo because of red tape or some greedy bureaucrat / politician not sanctioning it as he is not getting his cut! Till the next bomb blast happens!
I think as the citizens have taken to the streets against corruption, so they should again come out to make these moronic politicians see the light of day and force them to implement strong measures to tackle or deter terrorist attacks. We are now so used to these attacks that we do not bother at all, because the day to day struggle to meet two ends meet in these times of high inflation is too much. The government terrorizes the citizens through high costs while those in government enrich themselves and protect themselves with Z-Class security. They should forego security and try to provide security to the citizens rather than massage their egos at public cost.
Each preventive measure against terror gets marred and blocked in red tape and corruption. Why should the public bear this with fortitude all the time? None of the terrorists have been punished so far, all this encourages the adversary to attack again as the perception is India is a soft state! The person who killed a prime minister is still in jail, and asking for mercy. We have justice delivered but no action taken by the government in that case. We have the attacker to Parliament still not hanged, Mr. Kasab is the guest of the state, and crores are being spent to keep him alive whereas farmers are committing suicide because of their desperate situation. So where is the justice? I am of the philosophy that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but in extreme situations where national integrity and security is at stake, then don’t you think one should execute the perpetrators of cowardly crimes against humanity and send a strong message to these cowards that we will not take things lying down!
If we cannot do that, then at least let’s make an example of all those who delay or block acquisition of equipment to prevent or monitor and track or protect the nation and making operational such equipment with trained manpower to handle the same. Let’s hang these bureaucrats / politicians as they are the guys who are safe and steal public money while the aam aadmi dies on the streets!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Visit to Dronagiri – Abode of the Gods (June 18 -21)
|| Jai Shree Babaji || Jai Shri Baba Swami ||
Shree Mahavtar Babaji and Pandukhuli
The chain of events (this is a separate story by itself) over the past two months leading up to my visit to Babaji caves led me to believe that I was being called by Babaji to pay a visit to his abode. There was great anticipation that something magical was in store for us on this spiritual journey as we sat in the flight. A group of four led by Prem Parasji and including Deepak Tandon (who took the initiative to organize the trip), his close friend Ramesh Ganiga and self formed the eager foursome who were to go to the abode of the Gods where Mahavatar Babaji’s energy and presence is felt in every atom of nature. We flew down to Delhi from Mumbai and as we passed over Ajmer, I felt cold vibrations and goose pimples giving an indication that the Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty of Ajmer too was blessing us on this trip. All the travel arrangements from Delhi to Dronagiri in Uttaranchal were made by Deepak and Ramesh. Another proof that Babaji works in his own mysterious ways came to light when the taxi driver Rajan Soni, of Sheetal Tours and Travels accompanied us and turned out to be a devotee of Shirdi Sai Nath. Prem and I received a text message from a mutual friend as soon as we landed at New Delhi which read “In the limited time and space we all are in – I am wishing with lots of loving and kindness to all – a new consciousness full of love and joy – the new awakening which will bring about a paradigm shift in this world and in us. Let the higher energies bless us all. So….be….it…..” We had good weather in Delhi and left for Dronagiri at 11 am.
On the way up, Rajan used to keep telling us that this or the other would happen, we kept telling him that, rest assured nothing untoward would happen and we would reach well in time. Rajan Soni had a great collection of bhajans and we travelled throughout listening to some fabulous Sai bhajans which had great energy leading to a cooling of the crown chakra. Rajan told us we would waste about a couple of hours of travel time to pay the RTO tax by entering Ghaziabad. We told him have faith we won’t get any line or traffic and we should be out fast. We had to halt at Ghaziabad and enter the city to pay RTO tax – can you imagine you have to enter the city to pay tax – this tax should be on the highway, sheer waste of travel time as well as diesel! We finished this exercise in 45 minutes as there was not much traffic and no line! Our faith just kept getting stronger with the sensation that Babaji was ensuring that things went right for us! We stopped for a delicious lunch at Skylark dhabha on NH4 on the way to Moradabad. There was great energy, as one closed one’s eyes one could feel Babaji’s energy which was palpable as we were already in his aura. We passed Rampur which left us with another 160km to travel to Bheemtal. The entire stretch after leaving Delhi is so green and lush that it is amazing that a state so rich in natural resources can be so poor.
A small traffic incident occurred at around 4.15pm when a very young boy on a bicycle came bang in front of our car from the right, which made Rajan brake and move to the left, resulting in a motorcycle hitting us in the rear. We were moving very slowly and hence the accident was not too severe, we checked that the motorcycle rider was not hurt and moved on. As we passed the bicyclist, Ramesh and Rajan yelled out words of wisdom to the youth, and the boy just looked askance and smiled – it appeared that Babaji was testing us! Prem said “uski nazar dekho, kaun tumhe dekh raha hai pehchano”. We had tea at Bilaspur at around 5.15pm and then around 6.25pm we reached Haldwani and saw a board welcoming us to Devbhoomi (Land of the Gods). We could feel divinity in the air and in the surroundings.
Prem started singing Babaji’s bhajan which was composed by him, and we accompanied him in chorus, it was great fun and tremendous energy, we could feel ourselves being cleansed in the process. We had not booked any hotel thinking that as it was off season we would get a room easily. But we discounted the fact that it was the weekend, and people from surrounding areas flock to the hills on weekends. Rajan told us he would get us a room at Bheemtal which we reached around 8pm, as reaching Ranikhet at night would have been too risky. Prem kept saying we should go as far as possible, and stop at Garampani which was half way to Ranikhet, and keep trying hotels on the route to Ranikhet. We told the driver that he should not think negatively as we are sure we would get two rooms to stay. Ramesh called his office colleague who is a local, and he told us to go to Garampani just as Prem had said where we would get our rooms! The hotel owner called us shortly and told us that he had only two vacant rooms – we told him that is all we need, thank you! This happened at around 8.20 pm, we reached Hotel Shagun at Garampani at 9.10pm, checked in, had great dinner and retired for the night. After dinner at around 10.15pm Prem got his guitar out and started singing his composition. Deepak was in the room, and as Prem started singing, he went to call his friend but did not return. As Prem sang, I felt the same energy which I had been experiencing off and on over the last two months, but this time much stronger, as my body got covered in that energy field, my eyes closed in meditation and I asked Prem that I could feel the presence of Babaji, he said yes Babaji was in the room, I bowed my head and paid obeisance and prayed for enlightenment to Babaji. Prem continued singing with me softly accompanying him for about half an hour. At around 11pm we retired for the night anticipating a great day tomorrow. Prem told me he had sent the energy to the other room also, thus they too were blessed.
At 5am it was already bright and I sat down for meditation and prayed to Babaji for a great day, saying whatever has to happen will happen as per His wishes. At around 8am, we were all in the balcony taking photographs of the beautiful scenery and then after tea Prem told us all to sit down and he took out his guitar and started singing a bhajan in praise of Guruma. There was so much feeling in the bhajan that as I listened to the bhajan with eyes closed, tear drops started rolling down - he took us to a completely different level! After this we again went to the balcony and as we discussed spiritual matters we were being cleared and as our discussion became more animated, we could again feel Babaji’s energy, he was with us again in the morning. Prem made us stand in a circle and asked us to shut our eyes and meditate. He told us to relax and watch our breath. Prem then explained to us how the energies work. Prem gave Osho diksha to Deepak and Ramesh, and Deepak felt connected and the energy started flowing between the four of us, it was moving in ‘shunya’ a zero-like state. After we opened our eyes Ramesh said that he saw a flame in a golden ball of light in his heart – that was his soul.The experience of Deepak during the “Shunya” energy circle and post that during the bhajan was so divine that he could get not only Babaji’s energy but felt a “Shakti” which was present. We felt that we all four souls were bonded together and there was a “Shakti” which was blessing all of us.
By 9.15am we checked out and left for Ranikhet, as we were driving through Ranikhet I was praying for an ‘Om’ to be visible in the sky, and shortly there it was, as confirmed by the others. We were now on our way to Dwarahat and from there we were to move to Kukuchina. We could literally feel that we were in God’s country - we were travelling through hills with lots of twists and turns as we continually climbed up. On either side of the road were pine forests, lush green cover and a sight for sore city eyes. We were passing through real beautiful country, the atmosphere was divine and nature was with us as the Sun God kept smiling throughout. We passed Dwarahat at 12 noon and moved on to Dunagiri which we reached at around 1.30pm. We got off the car and climbed the 350 steps up to the temple. This is a four ‘Yuga’s’ (one Yuga is said to be an epoch within a cycle of four ages; a complete Yuga cycle from a high Golden Age of enlightenment to a Dark Age and back again is said to be caused by the solar system’s motion around another star) old temple and the presiding deity is Vaishnavi Devi and is called Dunagiri Mata. This is a shakti-peeth, where Bhairavi, the consort of Bhairav or Lord Shiva himself, turns into Vaishnavi Mata. We all went with our offerings and as we were doing the rounds of the temple, I placed my forehead on the wall of the temple just behind the deity and closed my eyes and prayed for “ek shunya stithi” and as I started praying my forehead went ice cold and I saw the vision of Nandi (white – just the head) coming towards me and then a three dimensional image of white clouds in a vibrant blue sky and the Nandi disappeared into the clouds, the clouds dissolved and only a white circle of light was left and I felt I was disappearing into it, I felt somebody standing behind me and I opened my eyes. Prem was smiling at me and told me he was watching my Kundalini energy as I prayed. After that we sat down and accompanied Prem to three bhajans he sang in praise of Mataji. There was so much energy and feeling in the bhajans, it was amazing – I never knew I could sing in tune to anything, but then I guess the energies always make you proficient at the right time. We all enjoyed the bhajans and again during the singing a few tears dropped from my eyes. As we got up, one of the temple attendants came and told us to have “Prasad” at the “bhandara”. Prem mentioned that on Saturday his wife prepares “aloo-puri” for him and that is exactly what was served as “prasad”. We were blessed, as after breakfast we had not had anything in between, it was around 2.15pm when we sat down and had excellent Prasad. It was so tasty that we had a second round and then after that we left for Kukuchina. A slight drizzle had started and the weather had now become very chilly with a cool breeze blowing across the mountains. We reached Kukuchina at around 2.45 pm and went to Joshi’s restaurant. As we got off from the car Prem said the caves are over there pointing east on the far side of the road, below which was a valley and beyond which was the base of the mountain. We asked for Joshiji and asked for his advice – by now the rains had become more persistent. Joshi told us to proceed to the caves which were exactly where Prem had said they were, and then climb up to Pandukhuli where it is believed that the Pandavas spent their one year incognito in exile. If Joshiji wanted he could have told us to stay in his cottage, but he was transparent and said if you have come so far then you must proceed today only and stay overnight at the Ashram as divinity was there and the experience would be unique. It was not a question of money but about service to Babaji.
There was discussion on whether to go to Pandukhuli first and then next morning, climb down to Babaji’s caves etc. At this point Rajan was refusing to come up and Prem was coaxing him to come, when a cat was about to cross his path but turned around and returned, Prem shouted ‘dekha woh billi laut ke chale gayi, ab tu aja’. That’s when his energy changed and he agreed to come with us. Just as we left an unknown person came out and Prem greeted him, and he said “pehchan gaye” and they started laughing and embraced each other. He stayed alone at a temple about two hours away up the mountain in the jungles and was a self realised soul. It was decided that we should have faith and go to the caves and climb up to Pandukhuli thereafter. We got clothes for a day out of our bags and into separate bags, pulled out windcheaters wore them and set out for the trek singing Babaji’s bhajan composed by Prem. After walking for about half a kilometer the rains stopped and the Sun God smiled at us. We could feel Babaji’s energy as we climbed up. Ramesh had a cholesterol issue and was walking slowly with the help of a stick. Prem gave his guitar to him and told him to climb with the guitar. Later, when we reached the top and Ramesh said he was not tired at all, Prem told him, why do you think I gave you the guitar to carry! After about an hour of trekking we reached Babaji’s caves. We were met by a couple who were coming down from the caves and we greeted each other and moved on. As we stepped onto the stairs leading to the cave Shree Shivakrupananda Swamiji’s subtle body came and blessed us. We went into the cave where matting was kept (it was wet), but we sat and paid obeisance by touching our forehead to the ground and then sat for meditation. Prem started singing the bhajan which had now been completely composed with new lines and sounded magnificent in the cave. We sang in chorus, with me making the mistake of singing first time with Prem, instead of singing second time in chorus due to my ignorance. We sat with our eyes closed and were completely encased in a cocoon of energy singing in praise of Mahavtar Babaji. After about an hour of singing and praying we wound up and found that the caretaker had come to lock the caves. Ramesh mentioned that he had an out of body experience and saw his physical body sitting in meditation from above. Prem said Ramesh’s soul came and hugged his soul like they had discovered each other after many births! It was exactly 5pm – and all of us were glowing with the energy and the experience. One could see in each one’s eyes that they had gone through something unique. We hugged each other in gratitude for making this journey happen with Babaji’s and Gurudev’s grace. The caretaker was waiting outside and we asked him how long it would take to reach Pandukhuli, he said about an hour and a half. Post Prem singing Babaji’s bhajan, Ramesh too sang Satya Sai baba’s favorite bhajan followed by one bhajan from Deepak on Devi Ma. These bhajan’s came out of the energy levels being felt by the individual soul. Deepak felt the presence of Babaji, Annai Mata and Lahiri Baba in the cave. Deepak’s soul was thanking them for calling him and showering abundant blessings on him and all present. Lahiri Baba was as usual with his merciful , smiling and sweet face. Babaji was as if looking at Deepak and smiling , Mataji was the one who connected with him and to whom he caught on. Deepak was pleading with her not to send him back and she along with Babaji were indicating that he will need to go since there were obligations of the mortal body to be fulfilled. Deepak was literally reminded of his daughter who had specifically asked him to come back from this trip. Babaji and Mataji finally made him happy by assuring him of their constant presence and connection with his soul. The realization of this was evidenced by him during our journey back to Delhi on Tuesday. We decided to come the next day and asked him if he could open the cave at around 7am for us, he said he would do so by 7 – 7.30am.
Nature was with us all the time, as the sun kept coming in and out of the clouds and the temperature becoming nice and pleasant as we climbed up. The climb to the caves was a cakewalk as compared to the climb up to Pandukhuli. This climb was at an almost consistent 60 degree angle on a narrow well used trail up the mountain. We were told to follow the power line and we would reach Pandukhuli, we kept climbing with very brief halts for rest. On the way up one could hear nature all around, the call of birds, the rustling of leaves in a cool breeze and the “whoosh” of the wind as it blew across the mountains. The energy levels were so high that one did not rest for too long and continued up, and the best part was Ramesh who had a cholesterol problem reached the top ahead of all of us! He said he did not feel tired at all – that was the biggest miracle. On reaching the top Prem and I sat down praying facing the Sun God. It was 6.30pm and the setting Sun was still bright. I was enveloped in Babaji’s energy field and was just taking his name over and over in my mind and I felt I saw Babaji’s image in the Sun. I thereafter sat and meditated and thanked all the presiding Guru’s and deities for a wonderful experience and for bringing us so far without any hardships. Prem was sitting for meditation on the ground when Lord Shiva appeared before him and gave him his blessings.
We then went upto the Ashram and registered our names for the night’s stay. The view from the top was divine and on the other side of the Ashram was thick jungle. We met an American who has been coming there for the past four years – a true seeker of Truth. We got talking and he said his name was Sunita, I said that’s a girl’s name, he then said zero, that’s when I realised he said “Shunyata” meaning zero – a name given to him by his Guru. So he called himself Shunya, and the person was very knowledgeable of Indian customs and mantras. When Prem was explaining to him about Osho, he said Osho – the O stands for shunya, so he is connected with Osho. When Prems and Shunyas eyes met, Shunya told Prem that there was a Shiva temple ten km away and he said that you can have a tremendous and unique experience of conversing with ‘sakshat’ Lord Shiva!!! He invited Prem to come along with him. It was great to see someone from so far and from a different culture to be so familiar with Indian culture and knowledgeable too. It got dark very fast and it also started to rain pretty heavily. We had a hot and delicious dinner served by Krishna and during dinner Prem told Krishna and his two associates to meditate along with Shunya for about five minutes. After dinner we chose a shack which had Shirdi Sai Nath and Shri Purnananda Guru’s photo on the walls with an image of Om in snow in the Himalayas to retire for the night. Here we lit a candle in front of Shirdi Sai Baba’s photo and did the Guru Avahan mantra before Prem took out his guitar and we all sat down in a meditative posture and then he started singing, he took us to a different plane with his bhajans and we just soaked in the divine atmosphere. The candle was crackling all the time indicating our purification. This is when the bhajan “Mahavtar Jai Shri Babaji, Nagaraj Jai Shri Babaji tere sharana aayen hum Babaji, tere sharana aayen hum Babaji, namah namah Shivaya, Om nama shivaya, namah namah Shivaya, Om namah Shivaya ” composed by Prem was blessed by Shri Mahavtar Babaji and now whenever while meditating you hum the tune you will find it echoing in your mind as the tune is now playing in the Universe. We then retired for the night as it had now become very misty and it was raining consistently.
I woke up at around 6am and sat for meditation, while the others woke up in turns, as it was still raining we decided to remain indoors. At 7.30am or so Ramesh and I were chatting with Shunya at the entrance to the Ashram and I mentioned to him that I was praying down at Dunagiri Devi temple for a zero condition and guess what I met “Shunyata” on top – maybe we were destined to meet. Krishna the caretaker gave us morning tea followed by a herbal preparation which was absolutely divine. It kept our hunger at bay till 2pm! Then we went back to our shack and we sat for meditation along with Shunya. Prem sang Babaji’s bhajan with great feeling and we again went into a high meditative state. After the meditation Shunya said that for the last four years he was listening to Babaji’s bhajans but had never heard such a wonderful and enlightening Babaji bhajan before.
At around 9am the mist started clearing up, and then Prem said we will go direct to Dunagiri and there is no point in going back to the caves. He said we will start at around noon and we should be down by 2pm. He also said that we will carry out a yagna for purification of our mind and bodies. He told the temple priest and he readily agreed. In the meanwhile we got fresh, took a bath with available water and got ready. By this time it was around 11.30am.
I will digress a bit and tell you Rajan Soni’s (our cab driver) story. On the way up, he kept telling us this or the other would happen and we kept telling him that Babaji is with us and nothing will happen. He was just doing his job based on his experience which was to keep warning us, but we were also sure that nothing untoward would happen. He kept running away from situations, he did not sit with us at Dunagiri temple while we sang bhajans, he was hesitant to come up, Prem cajoled and coaxed him into agreeing to climb up, he did not stay with us but chose to go to a different room. He also told me that he was proceeding alone slowly ahead to get the car ready, I told him that we were doing a yagna and he should not go, but he refused me, so I did not say anything. When we set up the Yagna, Prem asked for Rajan, I said he had gone, Prem said how can he go like that, he is here only. So he called out his name, and Rajan sauntered in to my complete surprise! Then all of us along with Shunya sat for the yagna. During the yagna, when my eyes were shut I felt I was floating, this happened off and on. While chanting the mantra for burning our karmas, the flame went off, and we had to repeatedly try to light it up, and ultimately it lit up, indicating that our previous bad karmas were destroyed. Prem had never conducted a yagna before and he did it with the pure feeling that the yagna should be successful and he was saying the mantras for the first time. It was a completely miraculous experience. Ramesh went into a trance while standing as the yagna started, Deepak then tapped him and asked him to sit for the yagna. The yagna went on till about 1.30pm after which we packed up and got ready to leave. We had lunch at around 2.30pm, that’s when I realised that none of us had taken a bite since morning, and it was the herbal mix which kept our stomach quiet. During lunch Krishna mentioned that tigers, leopards frequent the Ashram often but do not harm anyone. We were amazed, if we had known earlier perhaps we could have kept a vigil for a sighting! After lunch we started on our return trip to Dunagiri thanking everyone.
Trip down was uneventful, though we again kept experiencing the energy of Mahavtar Babaji and Gurudev all the way down the slope. The amazing thing was after such a heavy trek none of us was physically tired nor were there any muscle pains! By now Rajan had become a complete convert, and was so positive about everything, kept saying whatever will happen will happen with Babaji’s grace and so on. Rajan is a very good driver, solid and safe, never in a hurry, and never going beyond 90km per hour. He is a humorous character and great company and his bhajan collection and belief in the almighty was amazing. Babaji had chosen for us a person with similar feelings and we greatly enjoyed his company.
Our return trip was relatively uneventful except for the fact that we sang great bhajans in chorus and had a lot of fun and kept savoring the experience we all had gone through. While returning we were told in Ranikhet that the road through Bheemtal was closed due to a bridge being repaired, which forced us to go through Jim Corbett National Park. While going to Dronagiri Prem had said that we should go via Jim Corbett route, but that did not happen but on the way back that is exactly the route we were forced to take! This is where Rajan really came into form and said that I will show you a tiger on the road, and as we entered Jim Corbett National Park it was 8pm and we actually sighted a herd of deer and a wild boar crossed our path. The traffic on this road was very heavy due to the other road being closed, which could have scared the animals away - though we were lucky enough to see the deer and wild boar. After Jim Corbett National Park we stopped for the night at Jim Corbett Inn at Ramnagar. We had dinner and retired for the night.
In the morning around 7am after Prem had come out of the bath and was changing the lights went out for a few minutes, which is when I saw Prem’s golden aura pulsating in the dark. At 7.45am we left for Delhi listening to devotional songs. Prem invoked Osho and we felt his divine vibrations in the car. The energy in the car was very high as we were all singing devotional songs with Rajan joining in wholeheartedly. Along the entire stretch to Moradabad there is no dhabha or restaurant – the supposed badlands of Uttaranchal! We were quite hungry when Ramesh spotted a restaurant with the name Sai Nath Dhabha. We stopped there and the owner had such a peaceful look on his face, it was a blessing to eat there. There were photos of all Gurus and Gods on his wall, his food too was tasty. It was like divinity was following us. As we sat down Prem went into Samadhi for a short period of time. We had a filling brunch and left thereafter for paying the RTO tax at Moradabad around 11.30am. Music was playing in the car and as Lord Ram’s bhajan was playing we saw monkeys on the road, all of them went on the side, but one elegant one just stood there and stared at us as we passed by! Later Prem was talking to his wife and she was telling him that Lord Shiva had come to their house and as she said that I felt tremendous energy and a Shiva bhajan started playing in the car – the timing was so eerie that it could not be a co-incidence. Too many such events had occurred for us to believe that they were co-incidences! It was divinity and Babaji at play, we were sure!
On the way back we stopped at a place where the Ganga flows serenely. We took a boat ride in the Ganga and sent our offerings along with a lit lamp into the Ganga, blessed ourselves with Ganga water, offered prayers and returned to the car. We thereafter proceeded to the airport. We wanted copies of Rajan’s bhajan collection, but could not find a cyber café, he sweetly told us to take the CD’s and make copies and distribute them to our friends, as the same CD’s had been copied and taken by some of his overseas customers to as far as Peru in South America. At exactly 4.10pm Rajan dropped us off at the airport. As we got off we hugged him in turn, and as Prem hugged him, I could see his expression change and his eyes become moist, as were mine. A wonderful association with a wonderful human being, we promised to get in touch with him every time we toured the north!
The flight was delayed by half an hour and left at 6pm. We stopped at the book stall and I picked up a book on Guru Nanak and another Osho book explaining 112 different types of meditation. Guess what when we had left Mumbai for Delhi, Prem was explaining to Deepak and Ramesh about Osho’s book explaining different types of meditation! Another incident happened in the flight. Prem was praying to the Sun God from the window, when the person sitting next to me in the aisle seat tapped him to pull the shutter down as the sun was coming straight on his face. I thought to myself how can people voluntarily put away light from their lives. Prem looked at me and I indicated that he should pull the shutter down. You won’t believe what happened next, the aircraft took a slight turn, just enough so that the sun would not come through the main window but from the window which was just behind and Prem could continue with his prayers. I had a smile on my face as once you are one with nature as Prem is, there is no way that nature will not listen to you.
Deepak said the entire trip was perfectly arranged by Babaji with the divine inspiration of “Maa Shakti” ( Annai Maa ). There was not a moment which was spent without the divine presence. Everything was taken care to the “T” and it was successful as the end objective which Babaji had initiated this trip was also achieved. This trip marks the beginning of a new chapter in each one’s life and am sure , as time goes by we will be able to comprehend the events that occurred during the trip.
Photo of Mahavtar Babaji and Kriya Mata
We reached Mumbai uneventfully and started walking out humming Prem’s Babaji composition. We took each others’ farewell with parting hugs promising each other that we will do more such expeditions together.
Rajan Soni contact details for a great driving experience:
Rajan Soni - +919810776968, +919268517527 : Email : rajansoni2006@yahoo.com
Web Site: http://www.wemakeyourtour.com
Jai Mahavatar Babaji, Jai Lahiri Mahasayaji, Jai Shree Shivakrupanandaji, Jai Mataji, Jai Sai Nath, Jai Guruma.
Shree Mahavtar Babaji and Pandukhuli
The chain of events (this is a separate story by itself) over the past two months leading up to my visit to Babaji caves led me to believe that I was being called by Babaji to pay a visit to his abode. There was great anticipation that something magical was in store for us on this spiritual journey as we sat in the flight. A group of four led by Prem Parasji and including Deepak Tandon (who took the initiative to organize the trip), his close friend Ramesh Ganiga and self formed the eager foursome who were to go to the abode of the Gods where Mahavatar Babaji’s energy and presence is felt in every atom of nature. We flew down to Delhi from Mumbai and as we passed over Ajmer, I felt cold vibrations and goose pimples giving an indication that the Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty of Ajmer too was blessing us on this trip. All the travel arrangements from Delhi to Dronagiri in Uttaranchal were made by Deepak and Ramesh. Another proof that Babaji works in his own mysterious ways came to light when the taxi driver Rajan Soni, of Sheetal Tours and Travels accompanied us and turned out to be a devotee of Shirdi Sai Nath. Prem and I received a text message from a mutual friend as soon as we landed at New Delhi which read “In the limited time and space we all are in – I am wishing with lots of loving and kindness to all – a new consciousness full of love and joy – the new awakening which will bring about a paradigm shift in this world and in us. Let the higher energies bless us all. So….be….it…..” We had good weather in Delhi and left for Dronagiri at 11 am.
On the way up, Rajan used to keep telling us that this or the other would happen, we kept telling him that, rest assured nothing untoward would happen and we would reach well in time. Rajan Soni had a great collection of bhajans and we travelled throughout listening to some fabulous Sai bhajans which had great energy leading to a cooling of the crown chakra. Rajan told us we would waste about a couple of hours of travel time to pay the RTO tax by entering Ghaziabad. We told him have faith we won’t get any line or traffic and we should be out fast. We had to halt at Ghaziabad and enter the city to pay RTO tax – can you imagine you have to enter the city to pay tax – this tax should be on the highway, sheer waste of travel time as well as diesel! We finished this exercise in 45 minutes as there was not much traffic and no line! Our faith just kept getting stronger with the sensation that Babaji was ensuring that things went right for us! We stopped for a delicious lunch at Skylark dhabha on NH4 on the way to Moradabad. There was great energy, as one closed one’s eyes one could feel Babaji’s energy which was palpable as we were already in his aura. We passed Rampur which left us with another 160km to travel to Bheemtal. The entire stretch after leaving Delhi is so green and lush that it is amazing that a state so rich in natural resources can be so poor.
A small traffic incident occurred at around 4.15pm when a very young boy on a bicycle came bang in front of our car from the right, which made Rajan brake and move to the left, resulting in a motorcycle hitting us in the rear. We were moving very slowly and hence the accident was not too severe, we checked that the motorcycle rider was not hurt and moved on. As we passed the bicyclist, Ramesh and Rajan yelled out words of wisdom to the youth, and the boy just looked askance and smiled – it appeared that Babaji was testing us! Prem said “uski nazar dekho, kaun tumhe dekh raha hai pehchano”. We had tea at Bilaspur at around 5.15pm and then around 6.25pm we reached Haldwani and saw a board welcoming us to Devbhoomi (Land of the Gods). We could feel divinity in the air and in the surroundings.
Prem started singing Babaji’s bhajan which was composed by him, and we accompanied him in chorus, it was great fun and tremendous energy, we could feel ourselves being cleansed in the process. We had not booked any hotel thinking that as it was off season we would get a room easily. But we discounted the fact that it was the weekend, and people from surrounding areas flock to the hills on weekends. Rajan told us he would get us a room at Bheemtal which we reached around 8pm, as reaching Ranikhet at night would have been too risky. Prem kept saying we should go as far as possible, and stop at Garampani which was half way to Ranikhet, and keep trying hotels on the route to Ranikhet. We told the driver that he should not think negatively as we are sure we would get two rooms to stay. Ramesh called his office colleague who is a local, and he told us to go to Garampani just as Prem had said where we would get our rooms! The hotel owner called us shortly and told us that he had only two vacant rooms – we told him that is all we need, thank you! This happened at around 8.20 pm, we reached Hotel Shagun at Garampani at 9.10pm, checked in, had great dinner and retired for the night. After dinner at around 10.15pm Prem got his guitar out and started singing his composition. Deepak was in the room, and as Prem started singing, he went to call his friend but did not return. As Prem sang, I felt the same energy which I had been experiencing off and on over the last two months, but this time much stronger, as my body got covered in that energy field, my eyes closed in meditation and I asked Prem that I could feel the presence of Babaji, he said yes Babaji was in the room, I bowed my head and paid obeisance and prayed for enlightenment to Babaji. Prem continued singing with me softly accompanying him for about half an hour. At around 11pm we retired for the night anticipating a great day tomorrow. Prem told me he had sent the energy to the other room also, thus they too were blessed.
At 5am it was already bright and I sat down for meditation and prayed to Babaji for a great day, saying whatever has to happen will happen as per His wishes. At around 8am, we were all in the balcony taking photographs of the beautiful scenery and then after tea Prem told us all to sit down and he took out his guitar and started singing a bhajan in praise of Guruma. There was so much feeling in the bhajan that as I listened to the bhajan with eyes closed, tear drops started rolling down - he took us to a completely different level! After this we again went to the balcony and as we discussed spiritual matters we were being cleared and as our discussion became more animated, we could again feel Babaji’s energy, he was with us again in the morning. Prem made us stand in a circle and asked us to shut our eyes and meditate. He told us to relax and watch our breath. Prem then explained to us how the energies work. Prem gave Osho diksha to Deepak and Ramesh, and Deepak felt connected and the energy started flowing between the four of us, it was moving in ‘shunya’ a zero-like state. After we opened our eyes Ramesh said that he saw a flame in a golden ball of light in his heart – that was his soul.The experience of Deepak during the “Shunya” energy circle and post that during the bhajan was so divine that he could get not only Babaji’s energy but felt a “Shakti” which was present. We felt that we all four souls were bonded together and there was a “Shakti” which was blessing all of us.
By 9.15am we checked out and left for Ranikhet, as we were driving through Ranikhet I was praying for an ‘Om’ to be visible in the sky, and shortly there it was, as confirmed by the others. We were now on our way to Dwarahat and from there we were to move to Kukuchina. We could literally feel that we were in God’s country - we were travelling through hills with lots of twists and turns as we continually climbed up. On either side of the road were pine forests, lush green cover and a sight for sore city eyes. We were passing through real beautiful country, the atmosphere was divine and nature was with us as the Sun God kept smiling throughout. We passed Dwarahat at 12 noon and moved on to Dunagiri which we reached at around 1.30pm. We got off the car and climbed the 350 steps up to the temple. This is a four ‘Yuga’s’ (one Yuga is said to be an epoch within a cycle of four ages; a complete Yuga cycle from a high Golden Age of enlightenment to a Dark Age and back again is said to be caused by the solar system’s motion around another star) old temple and the presiding deity is Vaishnavi Devi and is called Dunagiri Mata. This is a shakti-peeth, where Bhairavi, the consort of Bhairav or Lord Shiva himself, turns into Vaishnavi Mata. We all went with our offerings and as we were doing the rounds of the temple, I placed my forehead on the wall of the temple just behind the deity and closed my eyes and prayed for “ek shunya stithi” and as I started praying my forehead went ice cold and I saw the vision of Nandi (white – just the head) coming towards me and then a three dimensional image of white clouds in a vibrant blue sky and the Nandi disappeared into the clouds, the clouds dissolved and only a white circle of light was left and I felt I was disappearing into it, I felt somebody standing behind me and I opened my eyes. Prem was smiling at me and told me he was watching my Kundalini energy as I prayed. After that we sat down and accompanied Prem to three bhajans he sang in praise of Mataji. There was so much energy and feeling in the bhajans, it was amazing – I never knew I could sing in tune to anything, but then I guess the energies always make you proficient at the right time. We all enjoyed the bhajans and again during the singing a few tears dropped from my eyes. As we got up, one of the temple attendants came and told us to have “Prasad” at the “bhandara”. Prem mentioned that on Saturday his wife prepares “aloo-puri” for him and that is exactly what was served as “prasad”. We were blessed, as after breakfast we had not had anything in between, it was around 2.15pm when we sat down and had excellent Prasad. It was so tasty that we had a second round and then after that we left for Kukuchina. A slight drizzle had started and the weather had now become very chilly with a cool breeze blowing across the mountains. We reached Kukuchina at around 2.45 pm and went to Joshi’s restaurant. As we got off from the car Prem said the caves are over there pointing east on the far side of the road, below which was a valley and beyond which was the base of the mountain. We asked for Joshiji and asked for his advice – by now the rains had become more persistent. Joshi told us to proceed to the caves which were exactly where Prem had said they were, and then climb up to Pandukhuli where it is believed that the Pandavas spent their one year incognito in exile. If Joshiji wanted he could have told us to stay in his cottage, but he was transparent and said if you have come so far then you must proceed today only and stay overnight at the Ashram as divinity was there and the experience would be unique. It was not a question of money but about service to Babaji.
There was discussion on whether to go to Pandukhuli first and then next morning, climb down to Babaji’s caves etc. At this point Rajan was refusing to come up and Prem was coaxing him to come, when a cat was about to cross his path but turned around and returned, Prem shouted ‘dekha woh billi laut ke chale gayi, ab tu aja’. That’s when his energy changed and he agreed to come with us. Just as we left an unknown person came out and Prem greeted him, and he said “pehchan gaye” and they started laughing and embraced each other. He stayed alone at a temple about two hours away up the mountain in the jungles and was a self realised soul. It was decided that we should have faith and go to the caves and climb up to Pandukhuli thereafter. We got clothes for a day out of our bags and into separate bags, pulled out windcheaters wore them and set out for the trek singing Babaji’s bhajan composed by Prem. After walking for about half a kilometer the rains stopped and the Sun God smiled at us. We could feel Babaji’s energy as we climbed up. Ramesh had a cholesterol issue and was walking slowly with the help of a stick. Prem gave his guitar to him and told him to climb with the guitar. Later, when we reached the top and Ramesh said he was not tired at all, Prem told him, why do you think I gave you the guitar to carry! After about an hour of trekking we reached Babaji’s caves. We were met by a couple who were coming down from the caves and we greeted each other and moved on. As we stepped onto the stairs leading to the cave Shree Shivakrupananda Swamiji’s subtle body came and blessed us. We went into the cave where matting was kept (it was wet), but we sat and paid obeisance by touching our forehead to the ground and then sat for meditation. Prem started singing the bhajan which had now been completely composed with new lines and sounded magnificent in the cave. We sang in chorus, with me making the mistake of singing first time with Prem, instead of singing second time in chorus due to my ignorance. We sat with our eyes closed and were completely encased in a cocoon of energy singing in praise of Mahavtar Babaji. After about an hour of singing and praying we wound up and found that the caretaker had come to lock the caves. Ramesh mentioned that he had an out of body experience and saw his physical body sitting in meditation from above. Prem said Ramesh’s soul came and hugged his soul like they had discovered each other after many births! It was exactly 5pm – and all of us were glowing with the energy and the experience. One could see in each one’s eyes that they had gone through something unique. We hugged each other in gratitude for making this journey happen with Babaji’s and Gurudev’s grace. The caretaker was waiting outside and we asked him how long it would take to reach Pandukhuli, he said about an hour and a half. Post Prem singing Babaji’s bhajan, Ramesh too sang Satya Sai baba’s favorite bhajan followed by one bhajan from Deepak on Devi Ma. These bhajan’s came out of the energy levels being felt by the individual soul. Deepak felt the presence of Babaji, Annai Mata and Lahiri Baba in the cave. Deepak’s soul was thanking them for calling him and showering abundant blessings on him and all present. Lahiri Baba was as usual with his merciful , smiling and sweet face. Babaji was as if looking at Deepak and smiling , Mataji was the one who connected with him and to whom he caught on. Deepak was pleading with her not to send him back and she along with Babaji were indicating that he will need to go since there were obligations of the mortal body to be fulfilled. Deepak was literally reminded of his daughter who had specifically asked him to come back from this trip. Babaji and Mataji finally made him happy by assuring him of their constant presence and connection with his soul. The realization of this was evidenced by him during our journey back to Delhi on Tuesday. We decided to come the next day and asked him if he could open the cave at around 7am for us, he said he would do so by 7 – 7.30am.
Nature was with us all the time, as the sun kept coming in and out of the clouds and the temperature becoming nice and pleasant as we climbed up. The climb to the caves was a cakewalk as compared to the climb up to Pandukhuli. This climb was at an almost consistent 60 degree angle on a narrow well used trail up the mountain. We were told to follow the power line and we would reach Pandukhuli, we kept climbing with very brief halts for rest. On the way up one could hear nature all around, the call of birds, the rustling of leaves in a cool breeze and the “whoosh” of the wind as it blew across the mountains. The energy levels were so high that one did not rest for too long and continued up, and the best part was Ramesh who had a cholesterol problem reached the top ahead of all of us! He said he did not feel tired at all – that was the biggest miracle. On reaching the top Prem and I sat down praying facing the Sun God. It was 6.30pm and the setting Sun was still bright. I was enveloped in Babaji’s energy field and was just taking his name over and over in my mind and I felt I saw Babaji’s image in the Sun. I thereafter sat and meditated and thanked all the presiding Guru’s and deities for a wonderful experience and for bringing us so far without any hardships. Prem was sitting for meditation on the ground when Lord Shiva appeared before him and gave him his blessings.
We then went upto the Ashram and registered our names for the night’s stay. The view from the top was divine and on the other side of the Ashram was thick jungle. We met an American who has been coming there for the past four years – a true seeker of Truth. We got talking and he said his name was Sunita, I said that’s a girl’s name, he then said zero, that’s when I realised he said “Shunyata” meaning zero – a name given to him by his Guru. So he called himself Shunya, and the person was very knowledgeable of Indian customs and mantras. When Prem was explaining to him about Osho, he said Osho – the O stands for shunya, so he is connected with Osho. When Prems and Shunyas eyes met, Shunya told Prem that there was a Shiva temple ten km away and he said that you can have a tremendous and unique experience of conversing with ‘sakshat’ Lord Shiva!!! He invited Prem to come along with him. It was great to see someone from so far and from a different culture to be so familiar with Indian culture and knowledgeable too. It got dark very fast and it also started to rain pretty heavily. We had a hot and delicious dinner served by Krishna and during dinner Prem told Krishna and his two associates to meditate along with Shunya for about five minutes. After dinner we chose a shack which had Shirdi Sai Nath and Shri Purnananda Guru’s photo on the walls with an image of Om in snow in the Himalayas to retire for the night. Here we lit a candle in front of Shirdi Sai Baba’s photo and did the Guru Avahan mantra before Prem took out his guitar and we all sat down in a meditative posture and then he started singing, he took us to a different plane with his bhajans and we just soaked in the divine atmosphere. The candle was crackling all the time indicating our purification. This is when the bhajan “Mahavtar Jai Shri Babaji, Nagaraj Jai Shri Babaji tere sharana aayen hum Babaji, tere sharana aayen hum Babaji, namah namah Shivaya, Om nama shivaya, namah namah Shivaya, Om namah Shivaya ” composed by Prem was blessed by Shri Mahavtar Babaji and now whenever while meditating you hum the tune you will find it echoing in your mind as the tune is now playing in the Universe. We then retired for the night as it had now become very misty and it was raining consistently.
I woke up at around 6am and sat for meditation, while the others woke up in turns, as it was still raining we decided to remain indoors. At 7.30am or so Ramesh and I were chatting with Shunya at the entrance to the Ashram and I mentioned to him that I was praying down at Dunagiri Devi temple for a zero condition and guess what I met “Shunyata” on top – maybe we were destined to meet. Krishna the caretaker gave us morning tea followed by a herbal preparation which was absolutely divine. It kept our hunger at bay till 2pm! Then we went back to our shack and we sat for meditation along with Shunya. Prem sang Babaji’s bhajan with great feeling and we again went into a high meditative state. After the meditation Shunya said that for the last four years he was listening to Babaji’s bhajans but had never heard such a wonderful and enlightening Babaji bhajan before.
At around 9am the mist started clearing up, and then Prem said we will go direct to Dunagiri and there is no point in going back to the caves. He said we will start at around noon and we should be down by 2pm. He also said that we will carry out a yagna for purification of our mind and bodies. He told the temple priest and he readily agreed. In the meanwhile we got fresh, took a bath with available water and got ready. By this time it was around 11.30am.
I will digress a bit and tell you Rajan Soni’s (our cab driver) story. On the way up, he kept telling us this or the other would happen and we kept telling him that Babaji is with us and nothing will happen. He was just doing his job based on his experience which was to keep warning us, but we were also sure that nothing untoward would happen. He kept running away from situations, he did not sit with us at Dunagiri temple while we sang bhajans, he was hesitant to come up, Prem cajoled and coaxed him into agreeing to climb up, he did not stay with us but chose to go to a different room. He also told me that he was proceeding alone slowly ahead to get the car ready, I told him that we were doing a yagna and he should not go, but he refused me, so I did not say anything. When we set up the Yagna, Prem asked for Rajan, I said he had gone, Prem said how can he go like that, he is here only. So he called out his name, and Rajan sauntered in to my complete surprise! Then all of us along with Shunya sat for the yagna. During the yagna, when my eyes were shut I felt I was floating, this happened off and on. While chanting the mantra for burning our karmas, the flame went off, and we had to repeatedly try to light it up, and ultimately it lit up, indicating that our previous bad karmas were destroyed. Prem had never conducted a yagna before and he did it with the pure feeling that the yagna should be successful and he was saying the mantras for the first time. It was a completely miraculous experience. Ramesh went into a trance while standing as the yagna started, Deepak then tapped him and asked him to sit for the yagna. The yagna went on till about 1.30pm after which we packed up and got ready to leave. We had lunch at around 2.30pm, that’s when I realised that none of us had taken a bite since morning, and it was the herbal mix which kept our stomach quiet. During lunch Krishna mentioned that tigers, leopards frequent the Ashram often but do not harm anyone. We were amazed, if we had known earlier perhaps we could have kept a vigil for a sighting! After lunch we started on our return trip to Dunagiri thanking everyone.
Trip down was uneventful, though we again kept experiencing the energy of Mahavtar Babaji and Gurudev all the way down the slope. The amazing thing was after such a heavy trek none of us was physically tired nor were there any muscle pains! By now Rajan had become a complete convert, and was so positive about everything, kept saying whatever will happen will happen with Babaji’s grace and so on. Rajan is a very good driver, solid and safe, never in a hurry, and never going beyond 90km per hour. He is a humorous character and great company and his bhajan collection and belief in the almighty was amazing. Babaji had chosen for us a person with similar feelings and we greatly enjoyed his company.
Our return trip was relatively uneventful except for the fact that we sang great bhajans in chorus and had a lot of fun and kept savoring the experience we all had gone through. While returning we were told in Ranikhet that the road through Bheemtal was closed due to a bridge being repaired, which forced us to go through Jim Corbett National Park. While going to Dronagiri Prem had said that we should go via Jim Corbett route, but that did not happen but on the way back that is exactly the route we were forced to take! This is where Rajan really came into form and said that I will show you a tiger on the road, and as we entered Jim Corbett National Park it was 8pm and we actually sighted a herd of deer and a wild boar crossed our path. The traffic on this road was very heavy due to the other road being closed, which could have scared the animals away - though we were lucky enough to see the deer and wild boar. After Jim Corbett National Park we stopped for the night at Jim Corbett Inn at Ramnagar. We had dinner and retired for the night.
In the morning around 7am after Prem had come out of the bath and was changing the lights went out for a few minutes, which is when I saw Prem’s golden aura pulsating in the dark. At 7.45am we left for Delhi listening to devotional songs. Prem invoked Osho and we felt his divine vibrations in the car. The energy in the car was very high as we were all singing devotional songs with Rajan joining in wholeheartedly. Along the entire stretch to Moradabad there is no dhabha or restaurant – the supposed badlands of Uttaranchal! We were quite hungry when Ramesh spotted a restaurant with the name Sai Nath Dhabha. We stopped there and the owner had such a peaceful look on his face, it was a blessing to eat there. There were photos of all Gurus and Gods on his wall, his food too was tasty. It was like divinity was following us. As we sat down Prem went into Samadhi for a short period of time. We had a filling brunch and left thereafter for paying the RTO tax at Moradabad around 11.30am. Music was playing in the car and as Lord Ram’s bhajan was playing we saw monkeys on the road, all of them went on the side, but one elegant one just stood there and stared at us as we passed by! Later Prem was talking to his wife and she was telling him that Lord Shiva had come to their house and as she said that I felt tremendous energy and a Shiva bhajan started playing in the car – the timing was so eerie that it could not be a co-incidence. Too many such events had occurred for us to believe that they were co-incidences! It was divinity and Babaji at play, we were sure!
On the way back we stopped at a place where the Ganga flows serenely. We took a boat ride in the Ganga and sent our offerings along with a lit lamp into the Ganga, blessed ourselves with Ganga water, offered prayers and returned to the car. We thereafter proceeded to the airport. We wanted copies of Rajan’s bhajan collection, but could not find a cyber café, he sweetly told us to take the CD’s and make copies and distribute them to our friends, as the same CD’s had been copied and taken by some of his overseas customers to as far as Peru in South America. At exactly 4.10pm Rajan dropped us off at the airport. As we got off we hugged him in turn, and as Prem hugged him, I could see his expression change and his eyes become moist, as were mine. A wonderful association with a wonderful human being, we promised to get in touch with him every time we toured the north!
The flight was delayed by half an hour and left at 6pm. We stopped at the book stall and I picked up a book on Guru Nanak and another Osho book explaining 112 different types of meditation. Guess what when we had left Mumbai for Delhi, Prem was explaining to Deepak and Ramesh about Osho’s book explaining different types of meditation! Another incident happened in the flight. Prem was praying to the Sun God from the window, when the person sitting next to me in the aisle seat tapped him to pull the shutter down as the sun was coming straight on his face. I thought to myself how can people voluntarily put away light from their lives. Prem looked at me and I indicated that he should pull the shutter down. You won’t believe what happened next, the aircraft took a slight turn, just enough so that the sun would not come through the main window but from the window which was just behind and Prem could continue with his prayers. I had a smile on my face as once you are one with nature as Prem is, there is no way that nature will not listen to you.
Deepak said the entire trip was perfectly arranged by Babaji with the divine inspiration of “Maa Shakti” ( Annai Maa ). There was not a moment which was spent without the divine presence. Everything was taken care to the “T” and it was successful as the end objective which Babaji had initiated this trip was also achieved. This trip marks the beginning of a new chapter in each one’s life and am sure , as time goes by we will be able to comprehend the events that occurred during the trip.
We reached Mumbai uneventfully and started walking out humming Prem’s Babaji composition. We took each others’ farewell with parting hugs promising each other that we will do more such expeditions together.
Rajan Soni contact details for a great driving experience:
Rajan Soni - +919810776968, +919268517527 : Email : rajansoni2006@yahoo.com
Web Site: http://www.wemakeyourtour.com
Jai Mahavatar Babaji, Jai Lahiri Mahasayaji, Jai Shree Shivakrupanandaji, Jai Mataji, Jai Sai Nath, Jai Guruma.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Arrogance of Power is Killing Democracy
Manish Tiwari on 13 June 2011 said, “Our democracy faces its peril from the unelected and the unelectable….” Pranab Mukherjee labels Anna Hazare a tyrant! Used to politics of mudslinging, the Congressmen have persistently indulged in accusing Team Anna Hazare to deflect public focus from the Lokpal debate. With the earlier allegations like the fabricated CD and plot registration against Bhushans falling flat, they now want the people to believe that Anna Hazare is working for BJP/SS and not for the masses. Only the corrupt, not the democracy, should feel threatened by these mass movements. Democracy is the people, not the Government. And let it be understood by the arrogant in positions of power that democracy is not their personal domain or a ‘members-only club’ where no ‘unelected’ citizens would have any right to play a role. If that were so, shall we assume that Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and the entire galaxy of our freedom fighters got away with their sins and, given his philosophy, Manish Tiwari would have prosecuted them for being ‘unelected tyrants’. There is a dire need for such people to introspect and explore for a paradigm shift in their outlook.
Given below are 10 observations that will help us analyse Government perceptions vis-Ã -vis ground reality on various aspects concerning present turmoil on India’s current political field:-
1. No other Democracy in the world has an unelected Prime Minister but India, the world’s largest democracy has. In such a scenario he could as well say, “our democracy faces its peril from its people…’
2. No other Democracy in the world has its PM or President as silent and as invisible as India.
3. No other government in the civilised modern world receives orders from an extra constitutional authority (10, Janpath) as obsequiously as does the Indian Government.
4. No other government in civilised world is ever seen staggering indecisively and so clownishly as our very own Government. First, they made fun of Anna Hazare, then, terrified at the overwhelming tide of humanity in support for Anna Hazare’s call, the stubbornness of the government caved in and formed the Jt Drafting Committee for Lokpal bill. Unable to answer questions raised by the Anna Team, Pranab Mukherjee calls him a tyrant! Next, the top foursome of the government lay prostrate before Baba Ramdev whom they would beat two days later. What kind of ‘Democracy’ is it; and who is destroying it?
5. No other Democracy in the world has as many as nearly a third of its Parliament (Lok Sabha) (162 plus Kalamadi, A Raja, Kanimozhi and more like Maran, Chindambaram etc in the pipeline) facing criminal charges (ranging from trespassing to murder) which is more than 26% increase over the previous Lok Sabha’s record. There are 9 ministers in the central cabinet facing criminal charges including one for ‘theft’. (As per National Election Watch, 76 MPs are involved in serious criminal cases. A total of 522 cases against MPs are pending, 275 under serious IPC sections). What more would you add, Mr Manish Tiwari, to imperil Indian Democracy?
6. As per combined survey (‘International Perception of Corruption’) by world’s highly reputed independent institutions like World Bank & IBRD, Bertelsman Foundation, World Economic Forum, Global Insight and Transparency International Berlin, India ranks at 87 with countries like Albania, Jamaica and Liberia at index of 3.3 (out of 10) – continuously falling from 3.5 in 2007 and 3.4 in 2008 & 2009.
7. No sane system of governance other than a heartless tyrant would unleash such brutality over a most peaceful bhajan singing congregation of innocent men, women and children as was done in Delhi’s Ram Lila ground in the late night hours on 4/5 June 2011.
8. As per media reports (Times of India Ahmedabad, dated 8th June 2011), India not only tops the list of nations having tons of black money stashed in Swiss banks but its cache of black money there ($ 1546 bn) is far more than the combined total of next four countries in the list of black money deposits namely, Russia, UK, Ukraine and China ($ 1056 bn). Contrast this with our poor farmers committing suicides, hapless pregnant women delivering babies at hospital gates and destitute tribal masses fed up with the callous administration finding solace under Maoist rebellion.
9. No other government can boast of so many scams as the UPA Govt.
10. Only DMK seems to be ahead of Congress (so far, at least) in the corruption race – so what if some have crash landed in Tihar Jail!
However, these are merely the facts of reality, not what Manish Tiwari and Pranab Mukherjee would like to believe. They, like their other colleagues in the government, are obviously passing through hallucinations and illusions. In Anna Hazare, they are seeing a heavily armed warrior – ‘a tyrant’ – at the head of an angry army of India’s masses charging ferociously straight into them. The scenario reminds us of Wordsworth’s adolescent thief who was fleeing with his stolen boat but felt the hilltop behind was chasing him so menacingly that the farther he roved the bigger the shadow loomed over him. The more the government tries to shoo away the Lokpal and anti-corruption uproar, the more vigorous becomes the public outcry against corruption. Indian politicians could not have had more decent and loving enemies than Anna Hazare and his candle wielding masses or Baba Ramdev with his devotees practising abstinence and yoga. Arrogant governments in West Asia and North Africa are facing more violent and destructive uprisings. We have a choice to change peacefully.
While anxiety of those in power is understandable, they cannot avoid the problem by facing in the other direction. The tide is unstoppable. The people deserve and demand an effective Lokpal to rein in rampant corruption and they shall have it either with your cooperation or the tumult will crush authoritarian arrogance and install people’s choice.
TAKEN FROM A E-MAIL FORWARD
Given below are 10 observations that will help us analyse Government perceptions vis-Ã -vis ground reality on various aspects concerning present turmoil on India’s current political field:-
1. No other Democracy in the world has an unelected Prime Minister but India, the world’s largest democracy has. In such a scenario he could as well say, “our democracy faces its peril from its people…’
2. No other Democracy in the world has its PM or President as silent and as invisible as India.
3. No other government in the civilised modern world receives orders from an extra constitutional authority (10, Janpath) as obsequiously as does the Indian Government.
4. No other government in civilised world is ever seen staggering indecisively and so clownishly as our very own Government. First, they made fun of Anna Hazare, then, terrified at the overwhelming tide of humanity in support for Anna Hazare’s call, the stubbornness of the government caved in and formed the Jt Drafting Committee for Lokpal bill. Unable to answer questions raised by the Anna Team, Pranab Mukherjee calls him a tyrant! Next, the top foursome of the government lay prostrate before Baba Ramdev whom they would beat two days later. What kind of ‘Democracy’ is it; and who is destroying it?
5. No other Democracy in the world has as many as nearly a third of its Parliament (Lok Sabha) (162 plus Kalamadi, A Raja, Kanimozhi and more like Maran, Chindambaram etc in the pipeline) facing criminal charges (ranging from trespassing to murder) which is more than 26% increase over the previous Lok Sabha’s record. There are 9 ministers in the central cabinet facing criminal charges including one for ‘theft’. (As per National Election Watch, 76 MPs are involved in serious criminal cases. A total of 522 cases against MPs are pending, 275 under serious IPC sections). What more would you add, Mr Manish Tiwari, to imperil Indian Democracy?
6. As per combined survey (‘International Perception of Corruption’) by world’s highly reputed independent institutions like World Bank & IBRD, Bertelsman Foundation, World Economic Forum, Global Insight and Transparency International Berlin, India ranks at 87 with countries like Albania, Jamaica and Liberia at index of 3.3 (out of 10) – continuously falling from 3.5 in 2007 and 3.4 in 2008 & 2009.
7. No sane system of governance other than a heartless tyrant would unleash such brutality over a most peaceful bhajan singing congregation of innocent men, women and children as was done in Delhi’s Ram Lila ground in the late night hours on 4/5 June 2011.
8. As per media reports (Times of India Ahmedabad, dated 8th June 2011), India not only tops the list of nations having tons of black money stashed in Swiss banks but its cache of black money there ($ 1546 bn) is far more than the combined total of next four countries in the list of black money deposits namely, Russia, UK, Ukraine and China ($ 1056 bn). Contrast this with our poor farmers committing suicides, hapless pregnant women delivering babies at hospital gates and destitute tribal masses fed up with the callous administration finding solace under Maoist rebellion.
9. No other government can boast of so many scams as the UPA Govt.
10. Only DMK seems to be ahead of Congress (so far, at least) in the corruption race – so what if some have crash landed in Tihar Jail!
However, these are merely the facts of reality, not what Manish Tiwari and Pranab Mukherjee would like to believe. They, like their other colleagues in the government, are obviously passing through hallucinations and illusions. In Anna Hazare, they are seeing a heavily armed warrior – ‘a tyrant’ – at the head of an angry army of India’s masses charging ferociously straight into them. The scenario reminds us of Wordsworth’s adolescent thief who was fleeing with his stolen boat but felt the hilltop behind was chasing him so menacingly that the farther he roved the bigger the shadow loomed over him. The more the government tries to shoo away the Lokpal and anti-corruption uproar, the more vigorous becomes the public outcry against corruption. Indian politicians could not have had more decent and loving enemies than Anna Hazare and his candle wielding masses or Baba Ramdev with his devotees practising abstinence and yoga. Arrogant governments in West Asia and North Africa are facing more violent and destructive uprisings. We have a choice to change peacefully.
While anxiety of those in power is understandable, they cannot avoid the problem by facing in the other direction. The tide is unstoppable. The people deserve and demand an effective Lokpal to rein in rampant corruption and they shall have it either with your cooperation or the tumult will crush authoritarian arrogance and install people’s choice.
TAKEN FROM A E-MAIL FORWARD
Friday, June 3, 2011
Om and Guru (Adapted from Osho lectures)
Hari Om Tat Sat: the divine sound - that is the truth... It is one of the great sayings which have been embedded in the hearts of the mystics since eternity. It is not something theoretical, not something philosophical, it is something existential. Those who have gone within themselves have always heard a strange sound, which can only be called the sound of existence itself. It is difficult to reduce that sound into language. Hence for centuries, as far back as we can go, Om, the sound, has been represented not by any alphabetical word but by a symbol.
Om is the sound of silence; it is a vibration within you which you hear when you are deep in meditation, when your mind is absolutely silent – not even a ripple of a mind wave occurs – that is when you hear the sound - when you have gone beyond all language, all thinking, when there is pure silence, not even a ripple. Suddenly you hear music, a faint whisper which grows louder as you become calmer and go deeper within yourself. There is no instrument playing it. It seems it is simply the very heartbeat of existence. That's why it doesn't matter whether someone is a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Jain or from any of the worlds' religions. It does not depend on your philosophy, on your religion. It depends on the depth of your reach towards your very inner core. There, suddenly, you are overwhelmed.
It is not exactly Om, but Om comes closest to expressing the sound. And the sound has been called the divine sound because it is not man-made. It is eternally here, now. Whoever wants to enter into the stream of eternal existence is bound to hear it. It says nothing, but it vibrates your being to such joy, to such celebration, to such dance that you have never dreamt of before.
The word ‘Hari' is used as one of the names of God. Osho says he does not want to bring God in; He wants to avoid God completely because it brings all kinds of lies behind it, as nobody has ever experienced any God.
There is no evidence, no proof, no argument to support it. The word 'Hari' in itself has another meaning which is far more beautiful than the word God. Hari in Sanskrit means the thief. And the sound of Om, once you come close to it, certainly proves to be the master thief because it simply steals your very heart forever. Then you are part of the existence and you are no longer a separate personality.
You are not. Existence is.
Those who have used the words Hari Om would rather say that it is the divine sound. Osho’s own preference is to say that it is the master thief sound, which has stolen millions of hearts.
But whatever one says, one thing is certain: Tat Sat. Tat means that, and sat means truth.
This sound of Om is our very truth, is our very being. We are made of it. The whole existence vibrates, and through different vibrations of the same sound there are different things, but they are simply different vibrations. A certain vibration creates a tree, another vibration creates a bird, another vibration creates a man, but the whole existence, according to the mystics, is made of sound. This sound is certainly the most sacred, the most divine, because there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more ecstatic. Once you have heard it, even from far away... just a glimpse and you will never be the same person again.
All that we are searching for in meditation is nothing but this master thief. We are searching in our being: what kind of dance, what kind of music goes on there in the living centre of your life.
Strangely enough all those who have entered in have found the same answer, without exception - Hari Om Tat Sat.
Guru
Kabir says: “The only thing worth doing is to wake up my mind.” The God, the REAL Guru, is inside. The word ‘Guru’ is untranslatable. Neither does the word ‘teacher’ nor the word ‘Master’ have that beauty. In fact, the phenomenon of the Guru is so deeply Indian that no other language of any country is capable of translating it. It is something intrinsically Eastern. The word ‘Guru’ is made of two words, ‘gu’ and ‘ru’. ‘Gu’ means darkness, ‘ru’ means one who dispels it. Guru literally means ‘the light’. And you have the light within you.
The Guru, the outer Master is simply a mirror so that you can see your face, so that you can see that you also have the same face, the same possibility, the same potential. And once this has settled in your heart, that “I have also the same potential, the same seed”, a great journey has started. You will never be the same again. Looking into the eyes of a living Master, something synchronizes in you, something is triggered in your being - a process has already started.
The word “Guru” means one who has gravitation, around whom you suddenly feel as if you are being pulled. The Guru is a tremendous magnet, with only one difference. There is a man who has charisma — you are pulled, but you are pulled towards him. That is the man of charisma. He may become a great leader, a great politician. Adolf Hitler had that charisma; millions of people are pulled towards him. Then what is the difference between a charismatic leader and a Guru? The difference is tremendous. The difference is: when you are pulled towards a Guru you suddenly feel that you are being pulled inwards, not outwards.
When you are pulled towards Kabir, Nanak, Buddha, Jesus, you have a strange feeling. The feeling is that you are being pulled towards them and at the same time you are being pulled inwards — a very strange paradoxical phenomenon as the closer you come to your Guru, the closer you come to yourself. The more you become attracted towards the Guru, the more you become independent. The more you become surrendered to the Guru, the more you feel that you have freedom you never had before.
So it is a very subtle difference. Remember it. If you are ‘Pulled’ towards a man and that pull creates slavery, that man is not the Guru. That man may have charisma, may have magnetic power — maybe his great intelligence, his physical beauty, or his sheer vitality pulls you — but you will be going away from yourself. It will be an infatuation. You will be obsessed with this man, and you will be off your center. Avoid such people; these are the greatest mischief-mongers in the world. Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, Alexander — these are the people who have created great havoc, because people feel tremendously attracted and people feel like surrendering.
Remember, if your surrendering gives you freedom, then the man is a Guru, a Master. If your surrendering makes you a slave, makes you a robot — as all the followers of Adolf Hitler were turned into mechanical robots…. They lost their souls; he simply exploited their souls. They lost all their awareness. This happens in the spiritual world also, because these charismatic people are everywhere. So make it a criterion inside: if by the presence of your Guru, of your Master, you are becoming freer and freer, more and more independent; by surrendering, the paradox is happening — that by surrendering you are gaining more willpower, by surrendering you are becoming powerful not impotent — then you are near the Guru.
The Guru is one who pulls you towards himself just to throw you back into your own being. He functions as a mediator; via the Guru, you arrive at your own self. Because you cannot go directly, he helps you via him. But his whole effort is to make you yourself.
A true Guru will never impose himself upon you. He will never impose his life-style on you. He will never give you any rigid discipline. He will not enforce anything on you, regiment you. He will not try to create soldiers of you. No, he will help you to become yourself. He will help you to be yourself, whatsoever that is. He will help to give you more and more understanding about yourself. You will become more and more centered, rooted, near him. More and more you will feel he has given you back to yourself — that which was lost or forgotten, he has made you aware of it.
That’s what Osho said to his sannyasins that he has nothing else to give to them; that he gives them back to themselves. They surrender to Him, and He gives it back to them. It is difficult for them to know themselves right now because they have lived in forgetfulness for so long. They need a shock; He gives that shock to them. But He doesn’t give them any discipline. And He doesn’t force His life-style on them, because each person has to find his own life-style and each person is so unique that each person has to live in his own way. Nobody else’s life-style is going to help one. They will become second-rate, secondhand; and God loves only firsthand people. Never be a carbon copy. If somewhere you are forced to become a carbon copy, avoid that place like the plague, escape from there.
Once you find your true Guru and he guides you onto the path of self discovery, then that is the time your true journey has begun. One perseveres till one sees the light and begins to hear the silence. Light and the sound of silence – that is the Guru and Om connection. The “Brahma naad” – the celestial music; once you hear that there is nothing more beautiful and nothing else left to hear. You will be at total peace with your inner-self listening to celestial music. The outer becomes the inner and nothing else exists, you discover who you ARE, and then there is nothing left to know but eternal peace – THE SOUND OF SILENCE – OM, HARI OM TAT SAT. The divine sound – that is the truth, and you find that only when you have a living Guru to guide you, to show you the light.
~ OSHO ~
Om is the sound of silence; it is a vibration within you which you hear when you are deep in meditation, when your mind is absolutely silent – not even a ripple of a mind wave occurs – that is when you hear the sound - when you have gone beyond all language, all thinking, when there is pure silence, not even a ripple. Suddenly you hear music, a faint whisper which grows louder as you become calmer and go deeper within yourself. There is no instrument playing it. It seems it is simply the very heartbeat of existence. That's why it doesn't matter whether someone is a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Jain or from any of the worlds' religions. It does not depend on your philosophy, on your religion. It depends on the depth of your reach towards your very inner core. There, suddenly, you are overwhelmed.
It is not exactly Om, but Om comes closest to expressing the sound. And the sound has been called the divine sound because it is not man-made. It is eternally here, now. Whoever wants to enter into the stream of eternal existence is bound to hear it. It says nothing, but it vibrates your being to such joy, to such celebration, to such dance that you have never dreamt of before.
The word ‘Hari' is used as one of the names of God. Osho says he does not want to bring God in; He wants to avoid God completely because it brings all kinds of lies behind it, as nobody has ever experienced any God.
There is no evidence, no proof, no argument to support it. The word 'Hari' in itself has another meaning which is far more beautiful than the word God. Hari in Sanskrit means the thief. And the sound of Om, once you come close to it, certainly proves to be the master thief because it simply steals your very heart forever. Then you are part of the existence and you are no longer a separate personality.
You are not. Existence is.
Those who have used the words Hari Om would rather say that it is the divine sound. Osho’s own preference is to say that it is the master thief sound, which has stolen millions of hearts.
But whatever one says, one thing is certain: Tat Sat. Tat means that, and sat means truth.
This sound of Om is our very truth, is our very being. We are made of it. The whole existence vibrates, and through different vibrations of the same sound there are different things, but they are simply different vibrations. A certain vibration creates a tree, another vibration creates a bird, another vibration creates a man, but the whole existence, according to the mystics, is made of sound. This sound is certainly the most sacred, the most divine, because there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more ecstatic. Once you have heard it, even from far away... just a glimpse and you will never be the same person again.
All that we are searching for in meditation is nothing but this master thief. We are searching in our being: what kind of dance, what kind of music goes on there in the living centre of your life.
Strangely enough all those who have entered in have found the same answer, without exception - Hari Om Tat Sat.
Guru
Kabir says: “The only thing worth doing is to wake up my mind.” The God, the REAL Guru, is inside. The word ‘Guru’ is untranslatable. Neither does the word ‘teacher’ nor the word ‘Master’ have that beauty. In fact, the phenomenon of the Guru is so deeply Indian that no other language of any country is capable of translating it. It is something intrinsically Eastern. The word ‘Guru’ is made of two words, ‘gu’ and ‘ru’. ‘Gu’ means darkness, ‘ru’ means one who dispels it. Guru literally means ‘the light’. And you have the light within you.
The Guru, the outer Master is simply a mirror so that you can see your face, so that you can see that you also have the same face, the same possibility, the same potential. And once this has settled in your heart, that “I have also the same potential, the same seed”, a great journey has started. You will never be the same again. Looking into the eyes of a living Master, something synchronizes in you, something is triggered in your being - a process has already started.
The word “Guru” means one who has gravitation, around whom you suddenly feel as if you are being pulled. The Guru is a tremendous magnet, with only one difference. There is a man who has charisma — you are pulled, but you are pulled towards him. That is the man of charisma. He may become a great leader, a great politician. Adolf Hitler had that charisma; millions of people are pulled towards him. Then what is the difference between a charismatic leader and a Guru? The difference is tremendous. The difference is: when you are pulled towards a Guru you suddenly feel that you are being pulled inwards, not outwards.
When you are pulled towards Kabir, Nanak, Buddha, Jesus, you have a strange feeling. The feeling is that you are being pulled towards them and at the same time you are being pulled inwards — a very strange paradoxical phenomenon as the closer you come to your Guru, the closer you come to yourself. The more you become attracted towards the Guru, the more you become independent. The more you become surrendered to the Guru, the more you feel that you have freedom you never had before.
So it is a very subtle difference. Remember it. If you are ‘Pulled’ towards a man and that pull creates slavery, that man is not the Guru. That man may have charisma, may have magnetic power — maybe his great intelligence, his physical beauty, or his sheer vitality pulls you — but you will be going away from yourself. It will be an infatuation. You will be obsessed with this man, and you will be off your center. Avoid such people; these are the greatest mischief-mongers in the world. Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, Alexander — these are the people who have created great havoc, because people feel tremendously attracted and people feel like surrendering.
Remember, if your surrendering gives you freedom, then the man is a Guru, a Master. If your surrendering makes you a slave, makes you a robot — as all the followers of Adolf Hitler were turned into mechanical robots…. They lost their souls; he simply exploited their souls. They lost all their awareness. This happens in the spiritual world also, because these charismatic people are everywhere. So make it a criterion inside: if by the presence of your Guru, of your Master, you are becoming freer and freer, more and more independent; by surrendering, the paradox is happening — that by surrendering you are gaining more willpower, by surrendering you are becoming powerful not impotent — then you are near the Guru.
The Guru is one who pulls you towards himself just to throw you back into your own being. He functions as a mediator; via the Guru, you arrive at your own self. Because you cannot go directly, he helps you via him. But his whole effort is to make you yourself.
A true Guru will never impose himself upon you. He will never impose his life-style on you. He will never give you any rigid discipline. He will not enforce anything on you, regiment you. He will not try to create soldiers of you. No, he will help you to become yourself. He will help you to be yourself, whatsoever that is. He will help to give you more and more understanding about yourself. You will become more and more centered, rooted, near him. More and more you will feel he has given you back to yourself — that which was lost or forgotten, he has made you aware of it.
That’s what Osho said to his sannyasins that he has nothing else to give to them; that he gives them back to themselves. They surrender to Him, and He gives it back to them. It is difficult for them to know themselves right now because they have lived in forgetfulness for so long. They need a shock; He gives that shock to them. But He doesn’t give them any discipline. And He doesn’t force His life-style on them, because each person has to find his own life-style and each person is so unique that each person has to live in his own way. Nobody else’s life-style is going to help one. They will become second-rate, secondhand; and God loves only firsthand people. Never be a carbon copy. If somewhere you are forced to become a carbon copy, avoid that place like the plague, escape from there.
Once you find your true Guru and he guides you onto the path of self discovery, then that is the time your true journey has begun. One perseveres till one sees the light and begins to hear the silence. Light and the sound of silence – that is the Guru and Om connection. The “Brahma naad” – the celestial music; once you hear that there is nothing more beautiful and nothing else left to hear. You will be at total peace with your inner-self listening to celestial music. The outer becomes the inner and nothing else exists, you discover who you ARE, and then there is nothing left to know but eternal peace – THE SOUND OF SILENCE – OM, HARI OM TAT SAT. The divine sound – that is the truth, and you find that only when you have a living Guru to guide you, to show you the light.
~ OSHO ~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
