Girish's Blog

  Photo Credit: Quora Samarpan and my First Spiritual Experience It was the month of October 2008. My long-time friend and client, Deepak, asked if I still remembered our common friend, Ramnath. We three had worked together in a professional accounting and auditing firm. Of course, I did, I replied. The following Saturday, they both came to my office to catch up on old times. Additionally, Ramnath was keen on sharing something that had fascinated him a lot. Although I instinctively knew this was different from all that I had heard or experienced before, little did I know then that our meeting would be the beginning of the journey of my ultimate goal - liberation.  As Ramnath started sharing about His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swamiji and Samarpan Meditation, I found myself more and more engrossed in his monologue. It was as if my soul had finally found what it had always been seeking.  At one point, I thought a part of the conversation was particularly targeted at me. I dist...

  Photo Credit: YogaHub Spirituality in Daily Life Whether we have realised it or not, spirituality is a sacred connection within our mind, body and soul. When we honour all our cells and organs working for us daily, we are capable of reducing physical pains attached to stress. Spirituality is one way by which we can speak our body’s language and listen to the call of our spirit. When we encounter the deeper sense of aliveness in relation to what is within and around us, we realise the beauty of being in tune with our spiritual life. Regular meditation, sitting in silence in nature, silent selfless prayers, listening to devotional songs, painting, singing, etc are all ways through which you can resonate with your spiritual self, you inner self. The beauty of walking on this path is that you get to be creative and make your own journey as interesting and self-cleansing as you want it to be. You can try all the ways that you can think of and continue with the one’s that resonate ...

  Photo Credit: Healthline Age Limits for Meditation A question which is commonly asked is what is the right age for meditation. There is no right or wrong age for meditation. Whenever you have a deep desire within you to start meditation, you should do so and you should do it only because you feel good and for no other reason. Swamiji has said that even a 5 years old child can sit for meditation if he/she has carried that treasure from the previous birth. Swamiji says you should start meditating when you are young because then you have time on your hands to achieve the desired results. The desired result being the nurturing of the seed of spirituality planted within you by Swamiji – make it take root and grow it into a massive banyan tree. You can start meditating in the 50s. 60s, 70s even on reaching a century – it does not matter. Because once you get the seed and start nurturing it then whether in this birth or the next or the one after that you will definitely reach the ...

Photo Credit: Table for Change Introverts and Spirituality Quite a few people have expressed the view that it is easy for an introvert to embrace spirituality. The moment we say a person is an introvert, the commonly understood context is that the person does not like to go out and mix with other people, a person who is shy, anti-social and so on. This common perception is not entirely accurate as one cannot say that introverts do not want to go out and mix or meet with friends – it is just that they need time to themselves to recharge themselves after which they are ready to mix. Individuals who are introversive are naturally inclined to spirituality as they tend to ground themselves by exploring the path of spirituality. Such people are so used to quietness and viewing their inner self that introverts have the power to dig deep and embrace the path of spirituality more easily. People who are introversive tend to give more priority and importance to their inner voice and inner c...

  Photo Credit: Fine Art America Satchitananda – Part 3 It is possible that the seeker stops at this stage, and almost everyone stops at this stage for several births because there seems to be nothing ahead. Hence, the Brahma gyani – the one who has attained the realisation of Brahman will stop here and go no further. Why is this so difficult to stop? Because at this stage there is nothing to cross to – everything has been covered. One needs space to cross to isn’t it! If I want to leave this room there should be a room to go to – but the room itself has now become so enormous, so beginningless and endless – so infinite, so boundless, that there is nowhere to go! Because of this feeling of everything has been covered, nothing remains to be found, so the journey may halt at this stage for infinite births. Brahman thus is the ultimate obstacle – the last barrier in the ultimate quest of the seeker. At this stage only the being remains, but non-being has yet to be realised. The ...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Satchitananda – Part 2 In the fifth body, that is the spiritual body the ego falls away and the answer to ‘Who am I?’ reveals itself. The conflicts and problems of the individual end over here. A great transformation comes about within one who has known himself. But this is not the end; one has to go still further. Bliss becomes a problem and the feeling is so good that seekers get stuck here and do not progress to Brahman (the cosmic reality) from this stage – the move from Atma gyan to Brahma gyan! In our spiritual journey, happiness was an experience, misery was an experience, bliss too is an experience. Just observe it from a distance, do not become a part of it, just witness it. Because as Osho says, “As long as there is experience there is an obstacle: the ultimate end has not been reached.” At the ultimate state all experiences end. Joy and sorrow come to an end and so does bliss. Till the fifth stage words can express the feelings, the sensati...

  Photo Credit: Insight State Satchitananda – Part 1 Sat-Chitta-Ananda meaning Truth-Consciousness-Bliss – how do we reach this stage? Osho has explained this beautifully – I will try and summarise it in this post. In the spiritual realm there are seven chakras associated with the seven bodies of each human being. I have written about this aspect in one of my earlier posts – the first four chakras can be crossed with regular meditation under the guidance of a realised Master. Briefly the bodies-chakras are: Physical-Root, Emotional-Sacral, Astral-Navel, Mental-Heart, Spiritual-Throat, Cosmic-Agya (Brow), Nirvanic-Crown. The fifth body is the spiritual body and the vishuddhi chakra is connected to the spiritual body. The first four bodies and their chakras were split into two. The duality ends with the fifth body. Difference between male-female lasts until the fourth body; after that it ends. If you have observed closely duality belongs to male and female. Where the distance b...