Dream State is as relevant as the waking state in one's total existence.

David woke up from a beautiful, profound dream. It was, in a way, both elevating and disturbing. He saw himself  as a boy, along with his grandfather who is no more, strolling down on the banks of a river. It was evening. Sun was turning red. Birds were flying home after a full day of outing. There was a gentle, cool breeze. The village was very familiar. He has been there before. Grandfather was holding David’s hand and he seemed a bit extra cautious about David’s security. As they walked through the walkway running parallel to the river, they witnessed and experienced many beautiful sights and sounds. What caught David’s attention and his waking memory was a prayer that came floating from one of the small huts, apparently from the throat of some children. It went somewhat like this…

“Different spaces, different times
Oh Lord, thou carried me like a faithful boatman.
Safe and Secure, Safe and Secure…
Through the time and seasons alike

“Different faces, different tunes
Oh Lord, thou protected me like a mother bird, her children.
Safe and Secure, Safe and Secure
Through summer, winter, spring and rain.”

Tradition Nurtures Generations, only if we choose to Listen to it...

A feeling of powerful protection enveloped David. It gave a strong feeling of re-assurance. Grandfather’s hands and the lovely prayer accompanied and re-inforced his feeling of well-being. David called his grand father ‘BABA’. He was deeply connected with his grandfather, to an extent that they knew every subtle vibrations of each other, let alone profound emotions. As they walked on, he asked his beloved grandfather:

“Baba, where are we going?”

Baba smiled and said: “I want to introduce you to my friends. We went to school together, we played in the same team, and grew up together, just like you, Mark and Alf.”

David smiled, “Baba, I cannot imagine you as a young man, let alone a boy”.

Baba laughed aloud. “I was not born old. I was not this old always”.

Baba was a tall man with slightly drooping shoulders, one side of his shoulder bent slightly to the front and to one side. He was of extraordinary character. He was always in command of every situation. He was never seen emotional. Always jovial, calm and collected.  He always used his intellect and quite knew what he was doing. David has never seen him idle, even at his old age.

Their journey ended at a graveyard in front of a church near the river. David was surprised.

“Where are your friends? Will they come here? Are we meeting them here?” This was indeed an uncommon place for any friendly get-together.

Baba said “No. They are already here”.

Baba took David to a stone which read “William Smith”. Baba said “Will has been my classmate and my best friend. He was the best man at my wedding too. An unshakable strong man, a brave heart. He had worked hard in foreign lands, made his money and returned home after his retirement. We met after a long time. He was a fire-brand in his youth, daring and charming. When he came back after all those years, he looked tired and withdrawn, a bit too distracted. He seemed more interested in isolation and hid himself from the society, as much as he could. I tried to bring him back to some old personal memories to revive his old vigor. But he showed no interest at all. He had three children. They all fought with him at his old age over property and money. They even abused him and never agreed with what ever he told or asked them, or wanted them to do. Finally, he died broken hearted, alone. Will was once a strong man, everybody’s hero. I could not see him so heart-broken and deserted. This is what old age does for some. David, if we are not careful enough to nurture relationships while we can, later on, life could bring isolation and alienation. That can even be called “living in hell”, with no love, warmth and togetherness, exactly the things that one craves for, when one is weak and unprotected.

David said: “Baba, are all your friends dead?”

(The graveyards of farm animals are human stomachs!) Human Graveyard. All of them have had their lives and all of them have had their deaths. Caring for the Living is more important than caring for the dead. Often, we ignore the living and care for our dead. We do things upside down. We should certainly respect the dead, but not at the cost of the living..

Baba smiled and said “Not all. Some are still alive. But, they are old, you see. Most cannot move on their own. They need help. They are heavily dependent on others. Old age often makes people invalid and handicapped.”

David felt quite relieved that his grandfather can move on his own and is relatively healthy to that standard. Yet, David experienced a strange kind of uneasiness creeping up his throat. He felt that he would get depressed by meeting all these old friends of his grandfather in the graveyard. Yet, he knew that Baba had a purpose, even though it was not quite entertaining for David. He said: “Baba, let us go home. I am not feeling good.”

Baba said: “David, two more introductions and we shall go home.” Baba tried to cheer David up who was slowly settling into his gloom.

The next tomb stone read “Stephen Summer”. “He has been our pilot man.” Baba spoke as if it was a joke. David was too withdrawn by then, to enjoy any jokes. The whole situation made him extremely uneasy.

“Even when we were young, he wanted to become a pilot and fly aircrafts. He got into the army and moved into the air command segment and became a pilot. He has participated in many wars and bombed many people and places. And that was his deepest regret in his later years. Fighting a nagging cancer in his abdomen, though looked after well by his devoted wife Lisa, whenever we met for a coffee, he would say “How many people have I killed in my young days!!!. Women, Children, Men, Old and Young. I do not know their faces, thank God. But, they haunt me every night. Faceless bodies come forth and ask me “What did we do to you, to destroy our lives? We were just beginning to live, taste the sweet and sour buds of life, you wrenched us out of our beds. How will you pay us back, how will you give us back our lives?”  Regrets were eating into his flesh. Steve repented day and night. He even welcomed death as a solace to his aching conscience. He refused to be treated and used the pain that his illness profusely gave as a kind of purgatorial from his sins. He thought death would finally redeem him. Helplessness tormented him. Finally, he gave up and here he stays”, Baba pointed out at the grave stone.

The last one was that of Eric. He was an actor. He was after fame and recognition. He became addicted to intoxicants and died quite young. He could not ever find a stable relationships and even though he had many children from different women, there were none to take care of him, or look after him at his death bed. He died alone, in a hospital, with a longing to see his children and experience their love, which he never nurtured when they were young. I tried my best to convince some of them to go and meet their father who was in his death bed. None showed any interest and gave me lame excuses. He never cared for his children when he was young. The children never cared for him when he was old, sick and helpless. Life is like a mirror. You reap what you sow.”

Who has seen the other end of life? A predator could become prey at the flip of a coin..

“As for me, I have been quite mediocre, compared to them all, and I did not go anywhere from this place. They all saw the world outside this village. I did not see much beyond this village. I saw only my inner world. My world has been within me. The whole world was within me. In the end, they could not hold on to their large world, but I could. I am not boasting, but just proving a point. I learned to make buildings and do some farming which made my living. More than grains, I sowed love and I nurtured it. I distributed it in this village itself, as best as I could. Your grandmother was a great soul. She never allowed any visitor to leave our house with an empty stomach. More than the food, our genuine care satisfied our visitors. We have always been quite self-sufficient, yet our neighbors always shared their happiness with us, just like we did. They cared for us, and considered us worthy of their time and space. There is no substitute for HARD WORK. There is no substitute for LOVE.”

“I have been busy and my life has been quite rich and meaningful. As a hobby, I learned astrology. I never practiced astrology for money. I just guided a few who came to me to shed some light on some of their personal confusions. Astrology is ability to read into one’s destiny using the movement pattern of planets and stars. If destiny was a variable, astrology would fail. Fortunately, it is not. Destiny is constant, pre-determined. The science of astrology is based on a definite road map called destiny, a pre-planned journey that one takes in one life time. It is a science. It is sheer mathematics. The element of free will and the element of grace can always alter that to some extent.

Thus, I lived a simple life, away from the rush of the towns and lived long enough to see my wandering friends dead and buried! How many dreams and aspirations we chewed on during our youth! How many dreams we weaved. Some were realized, and some left unfulfilled. I have no regrets. It is time for me to go too. I may not survive this summer. My time is near. Death does not frighten me, nor am I worried about my life after death.”

“I do not know any God. I have not seen God. No God has come to me and guided me, let alone come to criticize me, beat me, or judge me. I believe that for the hungry, God is food and for the cold, God is warmth. In the summer, God comes as a cool breeze and in the spring, God appears as blossoms. I believe there is no God apart from its various forms. I believe God expresses itself through us too, as kindness, compassion and Love, while Devil, if there is one, expresses itself as jealousy, hatred, anger, and revenge. I do not know any grand philosophy nor do I want to know. What is the use of knowing it, if I cannot use it? I do not want anything that I cannot use or practice.”

David then saw his grandfather, grandmother, his parents and all his cousins in an outdoor party near a beautiful river. All were singing and dancing and there was immense love and sense of belonging-ness in the air. David sang many songs and had lots of fun.

It lost its life for us to celebrate an occasion!!!

Be Aware of What you eat. Eat with complete Awareness

There was a lot of food and drinks on the table, and when he touched a piece of bar-be-cued meat of a suckling pig-ling, (a specialty at important gatherings) he heard the voice of his grandfather again, even though he could not see him. “Remember David, that baby pig did not die happy, for you. It was forcefully killed. It was murdered for your enjoyment. Snatched from its mother’s breast while it was drinking its mother’s milk. Its mother is still alive and missing her child. Some of its brothers and sisters are still alive. Eat with clear understanding. Eat with awareness.” David dropped the meat. He could not consume any meat anymore.

He woke up with clear memory of the entire dream and he knew that his dear departed grandfather has just conveyed a very important and life-changing message to him. He had just used the medium of a dream to convey it, because he had already left this world and there was no way he could talk to David.

This was a crucial point in David’s life as he was getting more and more involved in a particular path of education that he chose and he was getting too introverted, indifferent and insensitive towards the outside world because of it. Even though his parents never interfered, he had taken a lot of responsibilities onto himself and was already suffering the pressures, pains and weight of it. Anxiety over possibility of failures or defeats were also affecting his self-esteem. David got a clear remedy to his dilemma from his Grand Father’s message. He decided “LIFE HAS GOT TO BE SIMPLE! Why do we make it complicated? We must definitely work hard. But, we must love our work. Love for work will remove all pressures and pains. If we love what we do, old age cannot make dents in our life.” The life of Baba’s three close friends clearly made David understand the futility of mad pursuits. Everything eventually ends up in the grave. All emotions, ego, ambitions end up at the same place. A life filled with love and laughter is worth more than the millions in the bank. He decided that he should appreciate what has been given to him, rather than be always dissatisfied, focusing on what he could not achieve as yet. He stopped comparing himself with others and judging or criticizing himself. He understood that he has always been in pursuit of something or the other that he did not have, ignoring everything that he already had. He realized that failing to enjoy the available materials or relationships always lead one to permanent disillusionment and eventual depression. He also realized that constant resistance to everything also consumes a lot of energy and it makes one tired. David decided to shift his life in 180 degrees. Love is the remedy. That is all he needed to learn and remember. Love is all one needs. He woke up to a completely new life.

P.S. Sometimes, protecting angels will take you to the astral plane and deliver such experiences. Its memory stays, if it is relevant to your terrestrial life. In order to keep the memories, directions and guidelines would be well engraved in the conscious memory, if that information was expected to be used in one’s life. It would be presented as a dream, even though it is an astral experience, a total communion. This is just for your understanding. Please understand that there are millions of permutations and combinations possible in our existence. So, do not think in terms of any specific patterns. Everything is individualistic and unique. Each moment is unique and each method is unique. One’s food could be another’s poison. So, do not judge experiences, but value them. Everything has relevance in some way, to some one.

It is a relative existence. Only Love is Real...

When Human Evolves Into the Subtlety That Creates Him/Her, He Knows GOD....

It was a rainy day morning in 2004. Rain-drenched trees and grass looked fresh and serene, in the shy, peeping sun. I was observing the divine glory of the nature, in silence. The communion was overwhelming. Nature was at its best. Soon, a small car pulled up and “Cathy” broke the silence and entered into my physical horizon. I had forgotten that we had a randesvouz that morning, as I was deeply absorbed in the subtlety of nature and was quite reluctant to come out of it. When the subtle silence of the nature merges with the silence within, we truly become the ocean of silence.

When our Mind accompanies our eyes, we see what is in front of us. When mind is completely removed, we see the Universe!

A few minutes later, we sat down with a hot cup of tea watching the rain. Cathy soon took out her paper and pen and off we started on a discussion which she wanted to use for her article in a magazine. Words only belong to us before they are uttered. Once uttered, they belong to the universe. So, nobody owns these ideas and corresponding words. Here we go…

C: Mohanji, an average human “seeks” something his whole life. Why?

M: Because, he does not know what exactly he is seeking. He runs after the glitters of life. He seeks externally, eternally. He does not know that what he seeks lies within himself. He does not know that there is nothing to seek. We seek something that we do not have, right? What do we lack at all? Seeking something not knowing what is sought, literally takes lifetimes away. This eternal seeking continues over generations.

Seek NOTHING! All that you seek is within you. We seek knowledge, pleasures, possessions and even enlightenment as if it is a commodity! What ever we seek, eludes us constantly. We get frustrated. We miss the whole point. We go after books, gurus, ideas, various types of spiritual practices, relationships, money, love, food, sex….. And? There you go. Nothing works. Finally, at last, wisdom arises. Then, we start to unlearn, shed our skins of accumulations, one by one. So, first we insanely accumulate and then we struggle to give up, just like we cram food into our stomachs, we over eat and then we sweat and struggle to shed weight.  Many fears arise while shedding and they often wreak havoc. Finally, finally, when we become totally naked and empty, elevation in consciousness takes place. We get ready to dissolve. The path lies within us. The destination lies within us. There is nothing to seek outside. This eternal truth is difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to apply in life.

C: So, (visibly confused) what do we seek?

M: SEEK NOTHING. YOU ARE THAT. Instead of seeking, watch yourself, watch everything. Observe everything. Things are happening through us. We are not doing anything. Everything is within us. When we keenly observe ourselves with a child-like wonder, all duality will disappear. Expectations will disappear. We will start feeling the subtle power of supreme consciousness that runs through all beings like a thread joining beads and you will find the perfect symmetry of life in its large canvass.

We travel miles and miles in search of peace, while peace really lies within us. We seek external gurus, while the Guru Principle is already within us, built into our own consciousness. When seeking becomes too external, peace eludes us. Action replaces silence. We wander away from our true home and sometimes even lose our way. Then, it takes lifetimes to get back “home”. Do you understand me?

C: Well. I guess so…   When will we truly reach this understanding?

M: When eligibility is right. Conscious, consistent effort is essential.

C: What could be a potential deterrent?

M: Inertia. Inertia is the cancer. It deters our determination. It wastes lives. It wastes lifetimes.

Mind Projects Glorious Images and traps us in Imagination....

C: What is inertia?

M: Tamas or Inertia is part of us. That part of us that gently guides, suggests us to sleep, plus our innate lethargy, postponement and escapism, anger and defensiveness, are all aspects of tamas. Everything that handicaps us, is tamas. Everything that binds us is tamas. Postponement and lazy inaction is tamas. Purposelessness is Tamas. Intellectual churning, constant analysis which leads to subsequent inaction, is tamas. Tamas is our inherent enemy, one that stays with us, within us always, and only manifests during our waking hours. It induces procrastination and brings forth a series of failures - even life gets totally wasted due to its influence. Craving for tamasic food such as old food, flesh of living beings (meat), alcohol, etc. are all signs of inherent tamas. Some proudly boast that they hate vegetarian food!!. They have no idea how much they are exposing their own weak constitution this way. Tamas is our constant companion and mostly responsible for all our seeming failures of life. Beware of Tamas. Be aware of tamas.

C: What or who is the enemy of Tamas?

M: Rajas. Action. The best medicine to counter tamas is compulsive action. Action for the sake of it. Work hard. Only entertain adequate sleep. Organise yourself. Do not postpone things. Believe, decide that there will be no tomorrow and today is the only space in time that you have for yourself to fulfill and complete all that you have to do. Do everything today. Do not look or strive for too much satisfaction and absolute perfection. There should be adequate perfection, and more than that, there should be adequate attention, consistency and application. If rajas is expressed on the platform of selflessness, spiritual glory is accessible to you.

C: What is the role of Satwa?

M: Satwa is the ideal state of equanimity. Absolute objectivity is its sign. Unconditional Love, Selflessness and Compassion are its spontaneous expressions. It is difficult to stay in that plane. Just like a day has only three hours of satwic time, (approximately from 3AM to 6AM)  in order to exist in that level of consciousness is a tall order for an average man, one who lives in the routine world that we see around us. An average man is predominantly tamasic, then rajasic and seldom satwic. Even one who visits temples, churches or mosques, and one who is always immersed in chanting and worship may not be in the realms of sattwa. You need keen observation to understand its subtlety. When Rajasic mode shifts to selflessness, man touches the realms of sattwa. Still he could fall back into rajas or inertia at anytime. We can see even saints wasting their lives in relative luxury and pomposity, falling prey to tamas. Tamas is indulgence, compulsive indulgence and its associated slavery.

Nature Teaches Invaluable Lessons, Especially in Detachment. We need to develop "eyes" to see...

C: Understood. I am getting the picture. Mohanji, why are YOU, so elusive?

M:  Am I elusive? You are talking to me and I am answering your questions the way I can.  I am indeed an introvert who enjoys isolation a lot. Tell me what will I gain in the market place? Most of the things that the society offers, especially the sensory objects, have little value for me. I have seen it all. Tasted it all, over life times. Only through accomplishing it can we overcome it. We need to taste it to overcome it. Avoidance does not amount to eradication. When we entertain the feeling of lacking something, it will stay rooted as the seed of a wish in our mind, until its total fulfillment.

C: I truly believe you, when you say you are in isolation. That is why we took so long to meet. You kept postponing.

M: HA HA. Well, I was not too sure if there was a real purpose for this meeting. Just idling or wasting time discussing sweet nothings or gossiping about other people is not really my cup of tea. What do we achieve with all that? Instead, if we could use the time to float in the silence within, that will be much more meaningful. What do I have to give you, anyway, which you do not have already? We are crazy for knowledge. What do we do with that? Do we ever convert that into wisdom and elevate ourselves? Has it delivered inner peace? Still we crave for more, more food, more emotional entanglements, and more knowledge. Still we wander in search of the “right location” to find inner peace. No location can give you inner peace. Inner peace essentially expresses itself, when mind is calmed. It will be obvious and unmistakable. Analysis and comparisons are a waste of time. Accept what you can consume. Reject what you cannot consume. It is as simple as that. None can force anything on anyone nor should they attempt to do that. This is violence. Violence of all kinds disturbs the collective inner peace. Tons of literature also will not help gain inner peace. Reading becomes another kind of escapism, equal to looking for the “right environment”. Instead, choosing to drop the baggage of compulsive habits and resorting to the silence within will help you much more. You will become self-sufficient. The ability to do this, you already have. What more can I give you? Why come to see me? See the GOD Almighty shining in the eyes of the poor and abandoned people, hungry birds and animals. Make them smile and remain contented. That will elevate you. I am telling this with due respects to you and your good intentions though. Now you cannot complain that I am rude and arrogant.

When we are "wonderfuelled", Everything is a Miracle..Every breath is a Miracle....

C: Aha! Thank You.  A different subject - Why are miracles not happening these days, like many books have told us?

M: What is a miracle, according to you? Your very life itself is a miracle. Observe it keenly, observe yourself every moment, you will understand. How delicately and carefully has an ANT been created! How delicately and carefully a human baby is created! Cell by cell, everything at its right place!!! Look at the color combination of those flowers out there. Who is waking up those birds right on time, everyday; and who is making them sing so beautifully? Isn’t this whole universe truly wonderful? If you are “wonderfuelled”, you will be like a child and a child is its own master.

We cannot help but wonder at the beauty of creation from an atom to the universe...

Remember, all the so called human discoveries have been just another human attempt to see the fundamentals of already created materials. The core of every mass is energy. Our scientists still cannot conglomerate energy and mold it into desired objects at will. That is the fundamental principle of creation. Are we not far away from it?

C: Actually, my question is, there are great masters now, and there have been great masters before. There has been many avatars. Still, why is poverty and inequality existing on earth?

M: Who will question human will? Who wants to? All that we enjoy is created by us. Poverty and Prosperity are our own creation. When a man entertains selfishness and poverty consciousness, he must experience poverty in real life. Even if you distribute the whole wealth of the world evenly among all the people on earth, believe me, it will go back and conglomerate into a few hands, just like before. This is the law of karma. Man creates his destiny every moment. In the absolute sense, there is only clay, the supreme consciousness; all the shapes are our creation. So, why should or how could any avatar or master interfere? If I interfere in your decisions or even suggest my opinion, will you not revolt against me?  When we fall helpless and seek a helping hand, they do lift us up. They have done so in the past, they will do so in the future too. Guides are aplenty, but who has the time to follow them? And even if we get a good guide, we hardly know how to use him/her. We will still compare him with another, complain, and invariably find something lacking in him. This is human nature. Human mind can never be satisfied or contented. I have spoken a lot in the past. I have indeed cooked a lot of food for the world. Do you believe that someone has understood them, chewed them well and digested them?  Likewise, many have spoken, many have guided many. People are still on crossroads.

Mind leaves us at the crossroads always. It prevents understanding. It prevents silence and elevation. It discriminates. It destroys too. Detachment, objective observation and non-interference are the ways to bring the mind in your control. Only by getting closer and closer to the warmth of your soul can you effectively get away from the iron clutches of tamas and your mind. Only when your soul effectively fills into your inner space, will you experience real contentment. Sat-Chit- Ananda. While walking that path, there is no room for cramming in knowledge, analysis and comparisons; let alone criticisms and judgments of oneself and others.

Every Dimension is our Extension. If we fail to realize this, we will feel isolated and lonely...

C: What if I disagree?

M: You have the full right. You must disagree. In a way, disagreement amounts to individuality. But, as we evolve further and further, we may start to agree with what we disagreed with in the past. With better understanding and spiritual maturity, things will seem different. Remember, the dates in the calendar are much closer than they appear. We are here only for a very limited time. We can neither stretch it nor reduce it.

C: Subtly, you are pulling my leg. But, getting back to the original question, these higher entities can certainly perform miracles…

M: If the Avatars and Masters wanted to wipe out life on earth, they easily could. They do possess that power. But, it would be intervention into your free will. If I encroach into your privacy, will you tolerate that? You may even kill me. Moreover, remember that all Avatars and Masters always obeyed the rules of earth, while on earth, perfectly well. They ate food, used toilets, slept, suffered from diseases and old age and died too. Obeying the rules of earth would mean all the changes in body, desires of the mind, and even diseases in their body. They went through the process of childhood, youth, old age and eventual dissolution. Why did they have to go through these sufferings? Why could not they just appear, take a human form at will, and disappear at will? They came here to demonstrate dharma to us, using their own life. The life of every saint or Avatar is a lesson by itself. Their lives itself are their biggest messages. If they chose to be different from others and kind of all powerful and almighty, we will find that as an escapism to shrink into our own shell of tamas. We are eternal escapists, aren’t we? Hence, a real saint or an avatar will do everything that you do, so that you could connect with him or her. You could resonate with them. You could identify with them. Look at the life of Krishna. How much has He influenced the lives of generations and still continues to do so, just with His very life!!! Everyone can identify with him in some way or many ways. A child, a son, a lover, a husband, a father, a friend, a warrior, a politician, a vedantin, and above all, an Avatar.

Sri Rama was also an Avatar. He was indeed powerful. Why did he need the support of the army of monkeys (vanar sena) to destroy Ravana and rescue Seetha? Does an Avatar need support? Indeed He was very powerful. If He just used his power and performed miracles, there would be no Ramayana. Even if there would have been a Ramayana, it would have been just a fantastic, but totally un-achievable story, that can be performed only by a God, something we cannot identify with, and perhaps giving fancy to many fantastic super God – like hero movies. Now, there are many valuable truths such as Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema being elucidated through the epic Ramayana. Rama behaved like an ordinary man, a son, father, husband, so on and so forth, so that all of us can identify ourselves in some aspect, if not all, with Rama and Ramayana. Seldom did He display his true potential, just like all of us. We are all infinite Ramas. When do we actually behave like one? We have immense powers and potential. When will we shed our mental blocks and display them? So, please understand that all those higher entities that graced earth, behaved like human beings and underwent the law of time.

Who are We? Where are we from? This is man's eternal quest....

C: It makes me wonder, are you from earth or outside earth?

M: It does not really matter. Just try to enjoy the food that I prepare. If it is not good for you, throw it away. Nobody is watching you or judging you on this one.

People have their ways and reasons too...Keep Walking Unaffected....

C: If people know that, don’t you think they will look at you with more respect?

M: People are usually skeptical. They will not believe anyway. They will look at me as a pretender and a propagandist. People like to believe more in scandals than search for the truth. They like to gossip and not evolve and liberate themselves. Ego does not permit apologies! Ego does not permit even beautiful relationships. Everything is seen through the eyes of a potential scandal, thus restricting the walking space of a liberated saint. Imagine the Guru is an alcoholic and womanizer. If his teachings are not good for you, it does not matter to you, does it? So, discard the Guru and his teachings. Now, imagine the Guru is an alcoholic and womanizer AND his teachings are good for your personal growth. It does not matter how your guru is, right? Just accept the teachings and discard the Guru. So, it does not really matter. Spirituality should never become a handicap for anyone. Spirituality means liberation from mundane bindings, even though it is definitely not a license for cheating and raping innocent devotees.

Are we not the same people who crucified Jesus? Are we not the ones who gave poison to Socrates? We even took the Great Master Shirdi Sai Baba to the court! We never accepted any saint when they were in their body. We glorify them after they were dead or killed. This is our nature. That is why our tradition insists us to respect our parents, our teachers and even our guests as God. We belong to a rich tradition of acceptance and love. Time has changed. Respect is a rarity. Today, relationships are based on usefulness and that too, mostly, commercial usefulness. There are many traps and quagmires in the path of spirituality. We certainly get what we deserve. So, it is advisable to accept life as it comes. People can express only their available consciousness which is varied and different from person to person. We cannot understand or appreciate another person’s dimension fully and completely. This is the truth of our existence. Then, how can one fully understand the consciousness of a Saint? This is why many people considered Akkalkot Maharaj and Shirdi Sai Baba as mad men. They were two of the greatest masters earth had ever seen. Datta Avatars!!!

Who craves for respect? Respect created through fear or compulsion has no longevity. Respect should happen by itself. Respect should happen from clear understanding of the stature of the Guru. Then it stays. Just like the money and fame earned through bad deeds does not last and often will not come handy when required the most, emotions have very short longevity. They die as soon as they take birth. People love scandals. Even if there are no truths behind scandals, the fertile human minds will weave their own truths. Awareness is the only medicine or remedy to cure jealousy, hatred, anger and all other evils. Awareness needs eligibility. Eligibility is attained through Viveka or the ability or wisdom to segregate truth from untruth, gossips or rumors, and staying with the truth against all odds. I have seen people coming with expectations and leaving with hatred towards me and my path. I lose nothing here. So, I do not give much importance to human emotions. They come and go. Who knows who will be with us tomorrow?

C: Seek Nothing… It bothers me. I feel as if there is nothing to live for.

M: This is because we are slaves of our mind and senses. They exist to seek everything. When you shift from your senses and your mind to intellect, you will feel the difference. When you shift from intellect and ego to your soul, you will seek nothing anymore. The seeker becomes the sought. They are one. You are that.

C: Hmm. What is Crystal Lotus?

M: The symbol of purity. Lotus remains pure and unattached even while existing in the mud. Water cannot drench it. Gods rest on the eternally pure lotus and display their presence at times. It is the symbol of subtlety and detachment. Nothing affects a lotus. It lives and dies in purity. A crystal lotus has no birth nor death. It symbolizes purity and faith.

C: What creates anger?

M: Unfulfilled Expectations. Tamas.

C: What creates hatred and jealousy?

M: Ignorance. Tamas.  The common factor in all negative emotion is Tamas or inertia.

Every Sunrise is fulfillment of an Eternal Dharma....We may fail to see its glory...

C: “B” says that you are as slippery as a fish.

M: HA HA. A fish is so supple and fluid. This is a good state to be in, especially in the spiritual path. I hope slippery does not mean escapism . Being unavailable is not a bad idea. Those who really need us will reach us, one way or the other. Being too available will also induce situations where you are taken for granted. Also, why should you be available always at all? “B” does not know me. He swayed when people talked bad things about me. He forgot his own experiences with me and chose to marry others’ words. When you disown your own experiences and choose others’ words and circulate it, your spiritual progress ends there. You slip down a lot and it takes lifetimes to climb back to your earlier spiritual stature. Gossip mongers may find pleasure while spreading it, but, will suffer a lot to come clean from that karma. It is like an acute diabetic choosing to consume an ice cream. He will enjoy it, while at it and will have to endure lots of medicines and treatment to overcome the effects of this paltry pleasure. I only pity those who have to resort to these ways. They have no idea what they are doing and what the consequences are. They are in fact doing me a great favor. Those who were on the borderline, decided to go away and those who are really connected with me, came closer. Only they will be benefited, anyhow. Now, imagine what ever they said is true, just compare their words with your own experience and determine which has more weight. Use your intellect, your discriminatory powers wisely.

Now, I may behave like a “slippery fish” because, people try to put me in frames. Frames restrict. I constantly break frames. I am walking the path of liberation. I destroy anything that binds me, owns me. I  behave differently from their expectations so that they get disillusioned. This is my style of non-conformity. Those who get disillusioned, will drop off. Those who stay, will grow with me too. Those who entertain huge expectations from anyone, always suffer. This is the law of karma.

Nature is not tired of its creations. How can We?....

C: Will you not get tired?

M: Being tired is Tamas. When you are forced to do what you do not want to do, tamas takes over. Tiredness is a sign of tamas. I love my mission. I am here to do that. I do not get tired. Once again, abundance is a perpetual state. This is also applicable in terms of energy.

C: What about giving? Won’t you deplete yourself?

M: A well never depletes itself, even if many buckets of water is removed from it. Fresh water immediately replaces the water that the bucket removed and maintains its water-level. The well remains constant. It is not the same with the bucket. It depletes itself when water is poured out completely. So, depletion depends on your stature. If you are a well, you will never be depleted. If you are a bucket, you will be. So, now you can decide what is what.

Memories drag us back into the past, Life moves ahead...No wave stays in the air forever...

C: Won’t individual consciousness contaminate the super consciousness?

M: HA HA! I like that. Look at the oceans! Many rivers of the continents pour much water into the oceans. Ocean remains the same. Likewise, consciousness is vast and unfathomable, a trillion times larger than the vast oceans of earth. Water can get contaminated. Consciousness can never get contaminated, just like your soul, which can never get contaminated and always stays neutral, aiding you, but not interfering in your lifestyle, what ever your lifestyle is. Individual consciousness, even when it becomes collective, cannot contaminate the vast super consciousness. Everything is nullified and dissolved in it, eventually. Bubbles exist for sometime on the water. Then, it dissolves. Likewise, individual consciousness stays afloat for sometime and merges into the super consciousness. Nothing remains for ever. Nothing has permanence, except the supreme consciousness.

C: That is interesting. What exactly is permanent?

M: The supreme consciousness, what some call the “Father”. Everything came out of it and everything goes back into it. Everything is projected out of the Father and everything is called back as well. The Father remains silent forever. The Father silently observes everything. Just like your conscience observes all your thoughts, words and actions, without interference, the Father watches the plays of life in the vast universe, objectively, unemotionally.

C: What is good? What is bad?

M: Nothing is either good or bad, in the absolute sense. All are just experiences. Just sundry experiences. So, my dear accumulation oriented man, think again, what exactly are you accumulating? Nothing actually belongs to you forever.

C: Do you operate in multiple consciousness?

M: Yes. I do. Simply speaking, in the limited consciousness associated with this body called Mohan and the higher conscious state which is well beyond this body called Mohan. All people do. But, the difference is, most do not know that they do, because they lead an unconscious existence. That is why they get surprised at certain revelations or messages that eventually come true. Even though I am trying to explain this in simple terms, this aspect has multiple facets. The distance between the limited and unlimited is sometimes huge and sometimes non-existent. We are simultaneously both. So, usually when we are angry, sad, depressed, disheartened, weak, etc, we are operating in the limited consciousness. When we tap into the higher realm and source subtle truths of existence, we are operating in the higher consciousness. I am explaining this in a tangible way only for understanding’s sake. This is a very deep subject.

We can see the expressions of our non-understanding in every segment in the form of emotions and expectations. In the education segment, especially. We fail to see the talent of our children and get immersed into molding them as another brick for the wall. We are afraid of risks and opt for safe bets. A fish is powerful and comfortable in the water. That is its natural habitat. Our education system tries hard to make it climb a tree and in the end, call it a failure! We expect a fish to climb a tree and in the bargain, we destroy the fish. Thus,we are destroying our next generation. Once their talents are crushed, they become insensitive and that is the reason for the gross insensitiveness that we see all around us. None cares. None are happy too. All complain, criticize one another and find pleasure in pointing fingers at one another rather than connecting to their own inner space, establish peace and share peace. When we give wind to the wings of our children, they soar confidently. When we trim their wings out of our fear and anxiety, they are crippled forever. We are what we make ourselves to be. We should always remember that.

The Eyes of the Universe are Always Open. In the abundance of its glory, who wants to sleep?

You Gave This Life. You Gave This Breath! This Life Belongs to YOU. I do Not Exist. Only You Exist, My Supreme Lord...

Raman’s path was clear. The loss of his closest family members did create a huge vacuum within, and yet, before dying, Raman’s mother had given him a definite destination and a firm purpose in life to be fulfilled in the days ahead. He had firm faith in his mother’s words. So, he decided to walk towards north. Where is north? On his right, the sun rose and on his left, the sun set. The way in front was his path. He knew nothing else and he needed to know nothing else.

The Only Path Possible - is the Path Ahead of us...

As he took his first tiny step in the path of ultimate liberation, the guiding masters took ten steps towards him. This is always the case. Once conviction, determination and dedication is absolute, Masters, God or Universe helps to complete the task. Raman had wandered the whole day and by sunset, he found the verandah of a seemingly unused building, near a village pathway, and decided to spend the night there. There was a well in the compound. He saw a bucket and understood that the well is usable. Maybe the nearby villagers were drawing water from this well. He washed his face and drank some water. He did not feel any hunger even though he had not eaten anything ever since his mother’s demise. As he sat on the verandah looking at the setting sun, an old woman appeared in front of Raman. A toothless smile brightened up her wrinkled face. She also looked like a wanderer.

She sat down next to Raman and asked: “What are you carrying in your cloth?” Raman said: “Some rice and some coins, a couple of loin cloth.” She said: “Let us cook the rice.” Raman opened his cloth sack and put the rice in her bowl. She went towards the well, washed it, put some stones together, made a make-shift oven, took some dry sticks and dried cow dung that was lying around, put them under the bowl and lit it with a match stick. Soon the rice was fully cooked. They shared it. The old woman gave Raman the major portion, which was not much, and herself ate the rest. They also shared the soup of the rice. By that time, the sun had set. It was quite dark. But, the partial moon lit up the sky. Apart from  Raman and the old woman, there were no humans visible anywhere in the neighborhood. The old woman swept the veranda, which was covered with dust and dry leaves, spread on it many rags that she carried, and invited Raman to sleep with her. For a moment, Raman felt that his mother was calling him. In the darkness, the old woman’s voice felt like his mother’s. Raman lied down next to the old lady. She said: “I could not find any food to eat the whole day. You were hungry too. But, you gave me all that you had. Bless you, my son, you will never starve in your life. My words will never go wasted. I bless you.” Raman was already quite tired and drowsy. He slipped into a deep sleep; a kind of a trance. The last few sentences that he heard from the old woman went straight into his sub conscious mind, as an assurance as well as an important direction: “Never allow dust to settle on your consciousness. Be Alert. Be Aware. Inertia always lurks around the corner. It is not always easy to sweep the dust and bring back its usual shine, especially if the dust piles up. It may take life times. You may not see me ever again. But, remember, your mother is with you. She will protect you till you reach your final destination. She is guarding you now and she will guard you until you are in safe hands or the realms of the Almighty. She is postponing her further lives for your sake. She is a divine soul. She knows who you are and what is the purpose of your birth. She has decided to walk with you, till the end. You will not see her, but, will feel her presence at times. She sent me today. She will send many more, more powerful than me, to assist you in your journey. It is a divine collaboration.” These words always remained with Raman as re-assurance during days of occasional uncertainity, always afresh in his mind.

Elements are Essential for Earthly Existence, Yet, Elevation in Awareness Creates a Shift in Needs.

Raman partially understood the words of the old woman. But, he was so tired that he slipped into a trance state. When he woke up in the morning, the old woman had already disappeared. There were young girls playing in the open court yard and some women drawing water from the well. He got up, went near the well, and asked for some water. A plump woman looked at him questioningly, but, without questions, poured water into his hands. He washed his face and mouth. He took some leaves from a mango tree and brushed his teeth with that. When the women left with children, he bathed, washed his loin cloth and tied another one. He saw a mango at hand’s reach. He plucked it and ate it. Then, taking the loin cloth that he had kept for drying, folding it and packing it in his cloth bag, he walked towards the north again.

The Merger of Great Oceans

Tradition Merges all Oceans of the Universe into Perfect Harmony and Unity in Existence...

Raman’s total journey can be classified into three parts. The first part is, after leaving his home town, meeting a brahmin priest and staying at his house for a few years where he learnt sanskrit and manthras. The second part – meeting Atmananda and the third part – leaving Atmananda and the actual journey to Badrinath, alone.

The priest lived in a small house near a river. Raman had walked days and nights to arrive at the priest’s abode. In fact, he was guided there. Apart from one incident where one greedy merchant tried to enslave Raman  to work in his shop, his journey was quite smooth, as he got assistance constantly and miraculously, whenever he needed it. This merchant gave him some food and then trapped him as a domestic help. He kept away Raman’s cloth bag that contained his loin cloths and the few coins that his mother had given him. This was the merchant’s way of making sure Raman stayed with him. But, due to the twist of events where a fight happened in his neighborhood and in the chaos, Raman ran away from this entrapment, without any belongings.  Thus, destiny removed even his paltry earthly possessions from him. He walked empty handed towards north and while sleeping at a temple inn on the way, which  used to be free accommodation for travelers, the middle aged temple priest saw this small lonely Brahmin boy Raman and out of pity, took him to his house. After his service hours as a priest of the temple, he used to teach Sanskrit language, Vedas, Upanishads  and manthras  that are used in pooja or worship, to the Brahmin children of his neighborhood. At that time, he had about 17 students. Raman joined as the 18th student.

Raman stayed with the Brahmin priest, helping him and his small family (which consisted of a pious wife and a beautiful, elegant daughter) with their household chores. He always accompanied the priest. He attended classes without fail and in a few years, Raman became quite well versed in Sanskrit, Vedas and Upanishads. He could also perform poojas (prescribed format of Ritualistic Worship), and many times, when the priest, his teacher, was unwell, he performed the poojas in the temple as well, so systematically, that all the devotees loved and respected Raman.

Tradition Brought Systems for Liberation. Systems often bound ignorant humans...

Everyday, Raman woke up along with the Brahmin priest at 3AM (Brahma Muhurtha) and went with him to the nearby river to take a bath and complete the morning rituals that brahmins performed. The river was wide, but quite shallow near the bank. They chanted Gayathri Manthra together and took bath in the river, along with many other Brahmins. They washed their own clothes and kept them for drying, tied to poles or pillars of the post-bath worship sheds, a few steps from the river bank. All the brahmins chanted manthras together and in the early hours of morning, it created beautiful vibrations all around. The priest and Raman would then proceed to the temple to light lamps, bathe the deity, change its costumes, decorate it and perform the regular worship, without fail everyday, irrespective of whether it was raining or cold weather. By the time they complete it, and open the doors of the temple for the arathi, the temple hall will be filled with devotees. The arathi lamp has five wicks representing five elements, five praana, five koshas, etc. and essentially, the fire element in us. The wet cloth used to hold the lamp to prevent the heat from affecting the palm, represents the water element, vital for sustaining life on earth. The peacock feather fan represents the air element. The flower represents earth. And the yak tail fan represents subtle form of ether. Thus, the five elements that constitute earthly existence are offered to the Lord. Along with that, the incense stick that represents the purity of our state, the fragrance of pure consciousness, is offered as well.  Thus, we are offering every aspect of our existence to the Lord Almighty and live our life in total surrender to His will.

After the arathi, they would offer the lamp to the devotees to purify themselves with the fire that has caught the essence of the deity/divine. The priests also offered sandal wood paste to the worshipers, to apply on their third eye, to cool the heat generated through intense prayers communicated through the third eye (with eyes closed) and flowers, which represented the earth, to stay grounded, yet totally grateful. The day is started with the request to earth, to forgive us for stepping on her, or walking over her body (earth’s body. Earth as mother earth). Earth is a gift to us from God, for the fulfillment of our desires or to exhaust our vasanas of earthly nature. Flowers remind us of this beautiful gift from God, with a warning to handle it delicately, with care, as we would handle a delicate, tender flower.

May Every Action be Flowers offered at the feet of Gurus representing the tradition. May our Lives be complete.....

Raman could not live with his own father for long as he died when Raman was quite young. Hence, he could not experience the lifestyle of temple priests. Here, living with his Guru, he learned the lifestyle of Brahmin priests and he also got to know the pure and pious way the whole family existed, totally surrendered to the tradition and Lord. He never heard them quarreling  or  even seemingly imposing themselves on each other. Likewise, their young daughter also always behaved elegantly and selflessly. He never saw them advising her or training her. She seemed to have picked up qualities spontaneously, as part of her prarabda. He saw that no wandering monks or beggars ever left their house without food, clothes or money. They considered everyone as guests who are representation of God and gave them whatever they had or could part with. Deep harmony, firmly rooted on spiritual conviction and faith, existed in the whole household. This gave Raman stability and well-being in his formation time. They always treated Raman as part of their own family. They never displayed any kind of discrimination. He never felt like a stranger there. He was given full freedom in the house and shared everything that they had, with him too. They were not rich in terms of wealth. But, they were very rich at heart, which is much more valuable and have more permanence.

The priest and his family always woke up at 3AM and always went to bed at 9PM. They had their dinner at 8PM. They only ate satwic food, made of vegetables grown above the ground and basked in sun. They never consumed any roots or barks of plants or trees. They had a cow and calf at home. They treated the cow and calf as family members, with utmost love and care; and always made sure the calf gets sufficient milk before they milk the cow for their purpose. Calf was always let loose and could have her mother’s milk, when ever it wanted. They never sold the cow when milk ran dry. They served the cow with the same dedication and care, with gratitude for its selfless service that they received from her. Raman learnt a very important lesson in the expression of gratitude towards all beings and take none for granted. He understood that the pleasant vibrations that each being produces when showered with love, harmonizes the whole atmosphere, especially that of homes where love prevails in abundance. The well being of all creatures on earth gets reflected in the whole earth and beyond. It removes all emotional blockages and grace flows abundantly.

Cow represents the selflessness of Motherhood. We respect all beings that serves us. We express gratitude towards every being...

After five years of stay, Raman completed his education. He decided to continue his journey. The priest and his wife told Raman to stay for a few more years. But Raman had already decided to continue his journey to the North. It was the Lord Himself, in the form of a beggar who came to their house and told Raman, as he was handing over cooked rice to him “Son, it is time to travel again. This is neither your abode nor your destination. It is time to leave this place”.

Raman told them about this incident and his vow. They did not object to his decisions any further. Raman had cultivated a mango plant in their garden. In five years, it produced a few mangoes. He washed them and brought five mangoes in a plate, put them at the feet of his guru and said “Swami, this is my guru dakshina for you. I am indebted and grateful to you and your family for all you have given me; the food, shelter, the knowledge and above all, the unconditional love towards a poor, homeless child. The mango tree will grow and thus will grow your riches. You will have no dearth in life.” Guru blessed Raman, lifted him up and hugged him. Bidding adieu to the lovely family, Raman started his journey towards north, once again. (Raman’s prediction or blessings certainly bore fruits. In the later years, the priest and his family inherited great fortunes, and the priest’s daughter got a very pious and wealthy husband too. they lived their life happily ever after. But, they never boasted or become egoistic and always lead a life of simplicity, surrender and gratitude to the deities they worshiped.The priest continued to do his work in temples and also teach children.)

"I come from the place where Great Oceans Merge. I came empty handed. I will return empty handed. All I have, I give you"...

Swami Atmananda Chaithanya told one of his constant companions, Swami Chidananda: “A boy who belongs to the place where the “great oceans merge ” has reached the konkan land. We must meet him.” Swami Chidananda (Manav) asked Atmananda: “How is he relevant to us? You never go in search of disciples!!!” Atmananda laughed and said: “He is relevant to the tradition. I am not just a man. I am the tradition.” Even though Chidananda had learnt not to ask questions and learn through practical lessons that life and Guru gives, which is how the tradition works, he blurted out: “Which tradition?” They were walking. Suddenly Atmananda stopped, turned, looked straight at Chidananda’s eyes for sometime. Chidananda felt that his nerves and meridians were shivering at that intense gaze. His whole body started to shiver. Sweat started to pour from all pores of his body. He saw a very strong intensity and power like that of Lord Shiva himself. He felt paralyzed and immovable. He stood frozen. He felt his third eye burning and bursting. His spine became like a hot rod!

Lord Dattatreya - The Adi Guru - Tradition Eternally Flows...

Atmananda spoke in a calm, deep voice: “The Navnath tradition. Lord Krishna called all the higher beings before he left his physical frame and told them that the purpose and message of His avatar must continue in the whole universe. He chose nine people as its messengers. They are the Nav Nath Saints. They are Matsyendranath, Gorakhnath, Jalendarnath, Kanifnath, Gahininath, Bhartarinath, Revananath, Charpatinath and Naganath. Lord Dattatreya is the Param Guru, who started the tradition. They are the nine Narayanas. The name “Narayana” means the “destination of man”. Lord Krishna Himself Narayana, summoned the Nine Narayanas, who are projection of Himself to His presence and ordered the formation of Nath sampradaaya. Thus Krishna expanded Himself from one to many. The purpose was the continued preservation of Dharma. The realm or “karma bhoomi” is the whole universe. Each Nath Guru displayed profound wisdom and distinct and unique character and characteristic which made people wonder if they were indeed part of the Nath tradition at all. Some stressed on Yoga, some on just observing silence, some on devotion and some on knowledge, some stressed on faith and patience while some stressed on Purity, non-violence and faith at all levels. Nath Tradition is like a grid. In the seeming diversity, there is extreme unity and purposefulness. All Nath Gurus operate as one entity, one breath, even though each Guru displays a different method. There is extreme oneness and diverse expressions. Some of the saints of the tradition chose to burn themselves as candles, giving light and purity to the chaotic world. They decided to settle almost 15,000 feet high in Himalayas, in caves, hidden in ice away from human eyes. They recycle their own semen backwards through Yoga siddhi and they glow like glow worms. They are luminescent. They silently send soothing energy to the whole world. They are intense. This is their mission. When it is time to shed their bodies, they walk towards the nearby pool, withdraw their soul, cell by cell, to the top of their head, and remove themselves (their soul) from their bodies. They shed their bodies in water. They always choose samadhi in water. They only live for the world and not for themselves. Their prayer is “May the whole world along with its various beings be saved and elevated, except us”. They sacrifice their life for the world, unassumingly, expecting nothing in return; not even gratitude. Some saints of the tradition choose to be among people, in the market place, like you and me, to demonstrate the dharma of existence. Most Nath Gurus do not have any formal Gurus. They are chosen and guided by Divine, purely based on their eligibility. Thus, there are no initiations. Common man cannot understand nor appreciate  this truth. They will miss the grand message too.”

Lord Krishna created Nine Narayanas from His own Infinite State, Lord Dattatreya evolved it, The whole universe nurtured it... The tradition is all encompassing...

“All of us are distinct and inimitable. Each Nath guru displays a different aspect of life and living. They are usually polite, but extremely rude at times, only to serve certain purposes. All are extremely powerful, and yet extremely unassuming. Only those who have eyes to see will recognize them. It is very difficult to recognize an unassuming Nath Guru. Even if one recognizes, it is very difficult to follow them. Even if one follows a Nath Guru, it is very difficult to get anything from him, unless they surrender and dissolve themselves completely. Others will just see and will never understand or be benefited. And our tradition is an open river. There are no initiations. None with selfish motives can enter this river. They will get killed and thrown into the mud. Only good souls and true believers can enter this river. A Navnath Guru will travel Seven Worlds and Seven Oceans to find and rescue a pure soul. Eligibility is the only criteria. Eligibility is achieved through Purity. Purity is achieved through Conviction, Commitment and Consistency. The tradition is created to spread the message of true love, beyond all boundaries, and preserve the ultimate dharma of existence.”

This message was literally drilled into Chidananda. He stood there in trance state for hours, completely paralyzed. When he came out of his trance, it was late at night and there was nobody around. He understood that Swamiji has gone towards Konkan land. He walked as fast as he could towards the direction of Konkan land. He walked the whole night and by morning, he found Swami Atmananda and his entourage, and joined them. Atmananda did not acknowledge or pay any attention to Chidananda, even though he saw Chidananda walking in. This was typical of Atmananda. One glance was equal to a ceremonial welcome! He never believed in formalities, even though he believed in discipline; discipline as a walking stick in the path of purity.

Tradition Never Leaves the Hand of the True Seeker. Gurus transcend Oceans of Existence to be with a True Seeker... This is the promise of the tradition where eligibility is the only factor...

Three days later, Atmananda and His whole entourage reached Konkan. Atmananda and his people kept walking until they reached a huge Banyan tree. There were many men, women and children sleeping on the man-made platform under the tree. The day was breaking. Atmananda went straight to Raman, touched his third eye and said “wake up”. As if hypnotized, Raman got up. He stared at Atmananda’s eyes for a minute or two. Atmananda stood up. Raman fell at his feet, held both feet for a long time and kissed them repeatedly. He recognized the tradition more than the saint. He had not physically met Atmananda before. He found his tradition in the eyes of the saint. It was unmistakable. Truth gets reverberated in the depth of one’s consciousness. No one can miss it, when they encounter the eternal truth.

Raman travelled with Atmananda and his entourage for five years. At Varanasi, Atmananda called Raman and said: “You must leave now. You have to go up north. You have all siddhis. Never display them for fame or power. Never display them in front of skeptics or people of power for recognition or money. Do not be “visible” unnecessarily. Be visible only to those who come with Purity and Faith. Do not interfere in people’s future. Stay in their present. Guide in the present. You will become a great master and a beacon of light of our tradition. Your invisibility and invincibility will be your strength. Usual karmic beings will not recognize you. Those who recognize you will be of our tradition. They are eligible. I will be with you always.”

“Be always aware of your spine; especially the thin string that runs through the spine linking the poles of your consciousness. That is your stairway”.

Feminine is Divine and Fluid. Feminine is the Power behind Creation and Sustenance. Where ever Feminine is Respected, Harmony Prevailed...

“Lures of the flesh are unavoidable. But, I have given you the wisdom and awareness to see beyond. You will not be affected by the flesh, both yours and others’. Both will be well within your control. In extreme conditions, self indulgence is better than entanglement. Entanglement leads to karma. Karma pulls you down. Women are unique creations. They represent shakti, the creative dimension of Parabrahma. They are powerful, yet fluid. They are flexible  and creativity becomes fulfillment, as a mother. They have multiple dimensions. They should be revered. Indulgence is not a sin. If it becomes entanglement, it binds. It prevents liberation. Emotion attached with entanglement prevents liberation. Anything that prevents liberation, is sin for the soul. Be Aware.”

Raman was 18 years old. He was at the door step of his youth. He began his ultimate journey in total renunciation. Step by step, he went higher and higher in Himalayas. Due to the grace of the tradition, nothing affected him. Nature provided him food and water. He learned through his consistent practices to stay beyond elements and its requirements. Body is made up of elements, elements that are put together for a purpose and will disintegrate when the purpose is completed. At Badrinath, he became a complete renunciate. He met many masters. Many guided him and protected him. And he stayed there ever since, invisible to human eyes, until the two travelers discovered him. He is centuries old. But, age has no value. He could live for ever, if he wants to and will leave the body, if he wants to.

This is what the travelers understood from the communion with the Great Saint who has no name, no address, and no identities, to say the least. In a world where people are competing to carve images, this saint lives as a strong reminder that “WE MUST LEAVE EVERYTHING HERE, WHEN WE FINALLY DEPART. No earthly conquests or possessions can be carried with us, to the other dimensions. A Liberated existence is truly worth it.”

When a student is eligible, the teacher appears. A teacher cannot deliver anything to a student who is not ripe and ready for knowledge. The whole universe comes together in the creation of True Spiritual Masters. The whole universe is their operating plane. There are no walls or boundaries. The great masters existing in various planes of the universe operate on one rhythm and purpose. They all are one. There are multiple forms because forms are needed to express. But, beyond all the forms is one single entity. One creator. One creation. One purpose.

All the Great Masters of the Great Universe are of One Consciousness. They work in Perfect harmony at their chosen location, without attachments, in liberated state in its totality and perfection....

The biggest and most substantial creation of our Father was relativity. Along with relativity occurred duality, time, gravity and space. Everything was ready for grand expressions to take place. Expressions took place, and are still taking place in every level, every moment. There is no negative or positive in absolute sense. All are just expressions of the grandeur of relativity.

The Father never really “created” anything further. His creations created many things further. Father arranged the creation objectively, just like our soul objectively aids the daily creation of our own personal realities. Shiva and shakti potential existed in each single creation.  The shakti aspect that molded beings using consciousness as the substratum, created all that could be created. Creation continues unabated. Creation also has its duration. So, dissolution also happens simultaneously. On one side creation and on the other, dissolution. When these two aspects are established, existence also comes into play within that duration between creation and dissolution. Creation itself has its dimensions. Characteristically diverse, but essence-wise, one.

Father made the first of creations and those creations made further creations. So, even though the same consciousness was at work, awareness levels of the new creations and their further creations were of diminishing nature. Some created just dependents or slaves, just like we create walking and talking robots. They had no specific identities. They kept binding restrictions on them so that they remain bound and enslaved. They had specific breeding patterns and gestation times while higher beings multiplied at will for a specific purpose and dissolved at will when the purpose is fulfilled. The relative lower beings operated on limited awareness and more on herd instinct.

Every creation does have the inherent dimension for achieving the father’s consciousness. But, entanglements, inertia and lack of awareness prevents them from seeing beyond. When the veil of ignorance is removed, by the grace of Gurus, visibility becomes constant. Path becomes well lit. Understanding the divine will, relishing in divine stature, out of compassion, higher entities assume tangible forms in various corners of the universe, to guide those who need to be guided. On earthly plane, most have only terrestrial needs. They sway with karma. Those who are ready for elevation, will get elevated. Even to salvage one such soul, a higher being may arrive. Everyone has value. Each one is valuable.

In the path of Non-Conformity, Expectations are cut at the root. Images are often destroyed to stay firm in the path of fluidity and liberation...

The path of liberation is a path of non-conformity. Most saints chose to wander to stay detached. Images, like places influence people. Images have effect in the minds of people. When images change, mind experiences confusion. Mind craves for images and we try to quickly replace the lost image with something new. Often times, this is an unconscious activity, which we often regret later. Sometimes, the sudden loss of an image will seem like a b0ttom-less pit for the mind and the mind pushes for an immediate replacement. Often times, in order to fill this gap, we choose the next best possible image or simply the next available identical image, ignoring the glaring incompatibilities and counting or hoping  on developing a few seeming ones. When the closeness surfaces incompatibilities more than compatibilities, disillusionment happens. People become disoriented! What to believe in? All that we believed in so far, has been lost and gone. Why was the loss felt so deeply? Because, the belief had given forth certain expectations, partially influenced by wishes and partially based on realities. Sometimes, the line between the wish and reality is so thin and invisible, that our mind fails to differentiate or recognize which is which. All this matters exist only in the conscious mind. In dream state and deep sleep state, we are reasonably immune to such afflictions.

Wish You the Highest Awareness in this life.

Remain Blessed.

I Love You Always

M

No Words are Wasted. No Actions are Wasted. Everything bears fruits at some point in time. The Tradition takes care of it...

Himalayas - The Abode of everything precious. Destination to many. Life to a lot.

When the two visitors left the old saint, they were in complete awe. They did not speak to each other for a long time. They were lost in their own thoughts. The saint subtly invoked in them an inspiration to follow their own dharma, stick to one path to attain spiritual progress, and he performed, in front of them, great siddhis without any pretension, pomp or splendor. It was obvious that there was no effort from his side to impress them, nor did he expect anything from them. All the attractions from the material world which they could possibly offer, were of no interest to this semi-naked saint. Is he a Saint of the Navnath tradition? Well, it really did not matter which path he followed. It only mattered where he has reached!!! And he has indeed reached “HOME” or was very close to it.

They managed to find a place to stay, took bath in the “tapt kund” or the spring of warm water, and attended the evening prayers. Everything happened in a semi-conscious state. Their mind was elsewhere. They felt as if they have found the teacher they have been searching for, since life times. Many thoughts cropped up in their minds. They mused… Will he accept them as his disciples? Are they eligible? And what about their family back home? It is not easy to detach. Mind wants to, but responsibilities compel one to stay put. Everyone cannot be a “siddharth” to abandon his family, eh? Is abandonment perhaps better than emotional divorce and pretentious co-existence, just to avoid a separation due to whatever reasons?. Not at all. Well, In many cases, usually mind is wandering elsewhere while body is right here! Plastic friendships. Plastic relationships! For those people, everything happens mechanically at home. No love. No feelings. Just fulfilling their duties. Just co-existence based on some fear, or just “tamas” or inertia! This is bad indeed, while abandoning one’s duty or responsibility is not a good idea either. Life is not easy; isn’t it? Everyone has a bit of escapism in them. Everyone wants to run away from something. But, situations compel them to stay back. Some break free. Escapism amounts to only postponement and it is never a completion of anything. It is never ever recommended in spiritual path. It is extremely important to watch every thought, word and action, because each moment we are carving our own destiny. Relationships are certainly quite a binding force, in the aspect of liberation, as abandonment or escapism is not a solution. Entering into a relationship is very easy, while fulfilling them is not.

The hot blessing in the cold Himalayas!!! The warm and loving GIFT of GOD... Tapt Kund

Somehow, the visitors slept for a few hours. Overwhelming thoughts were bothering them. Despite the serious cold atmosphere, and strange environment, they felt they were still very energetic and not hungry or thirsty. What a magic! They did not know when they finally fell asleep. At around 4AM, they heard sounds from outside the door of their small room, sounds of people walking and chanting. So, they too got up, brushed their teeth in icy cold water – which was not quite enjoyable , took a dip in tapt kund (warm spring) again and felt much better. Then they went to the temple for the early morning worship.

After the worship, as the day broke, they could not resist themselves and started walking towards the direction of the saint’s abode. When they arrived, he was chanting some manthras and performing “homa” or fire ceremony. They waited till he completed. After the rituals, the saint invited them to sit around the fire, to ease the cold and purify themselves in the proximity of fire. They bowed down to the fire place, took some sacred ash from it and reverentially applied it on their forehead.They were keen to hear the saint’s journey from the south of India to the icy cold Badrinath and pick up the pearls of his wisdom.

To break the ice of silence and initiate a conversation, they asked: “Swamiji, during winter, when Badrinath is usually covered in ice, do you still stay here, or do you go down to the lower regions of Himalayas?”

Love Eternally Flows as Guru Tattwa. We need EYES to see its eternal splendor...

Swamiji laughed, “What have I got to do with the elements? Why will they bother me? I go nowhere. I am an old man. I stay here. How can any ice dampen my fire?” He pointed at the fire in front of them. They understood the hidden meaning. The fire that he meant was the fire of spirituality. Ice for him is distraction from his path. No distractions can conquer his single pointed, dedicated spiritual life indeed, because the single force that creates all distractions, THE MIND, does not exist in him!!! He is always in a “No Mind State”. So, Maya or delusion cannot exist either. He is in total control of himself and the external elements. It was obvious that distractions have no room in his life. They thought “How many people are chasing rainbows still. When they get closer, there is only water vapor!!!. They fall in the trap of mirages through generations! And here is a saint, who has nothing to do with illusions, distractions, delusions, rainbows…. and sits here in his old body like a rock or pillar in the path of spirituality, laughing at those who chase images and words and get themselves totally lost when both images and words decay and perish!!! What a world of pomposity; And wasted lives!!! How many lifetimes have we chased rainbows and stayed ignorant of our own folly!!! God only knows!

The Whole World is rushing for something. Most do not know where they are going and what they are looking for...

They asked “Swamiji, how did you reach here?”

Swamiji laughed again, briefly, and said “How does it matter to you? Everyone has a story, like you yourself have. And no two stories are alike. All stories are insignificant as every life is inimitable, distinct, unique and lives keep flowing through time into eternity. The past of this body has no value for me nor you, just like your past. If you can carry something from me now, this moment, do so. I am here to give. And, this moment is your only reality”.

They did not know how to carry on, or what to carry, as they did not know their capacities or their requirements. They mused “What a situation! A saint who is capable of giving us everything we would ever need is asking what we would want from him and we do not know what we want! If Lord Badrinath Himself comes in front of us and offers a boon, what will we request? This is the naked truth of our existence. We do not know what we need!!!” Finally, they said: “Bless us, Swamiji, so that we do not fall into the traps of spiritual path”.

Swamiji said ” Tathasthu!” (So Be It) and continued: “Abandon dependency on siddhis (spiritual powers), as if they do not exist at all; As you may gain them, when you progress spiritually. Respect siddhis and live without any attachment towards them. Then you will stay liberated. Siddhis often bind a person and prevent his spiritual elevation. The lure of siddhis can also instigate, in your mind, the presence of the six most powerful and extremely dangerous enemies of human existence, and especially so in the path of spirituality. Those are: kama (Desire, Lust), krodha (Anger), lobha (Greed), moha (Delusion, Attachment), mada (egoistic pride) and matsarya (jealousy/envy). They are like invisible cancer that usually binds and destroys human beings from within themselves. Always beware of these enemies. Always stay rooted in the TRUTH and non-violence in all aspects of your life, with supreme FAITH.”

When mind is conquered, All fears disappear...

They met Swamiji many times during their stay in Badrinath. They conversed a lot during those days. They collected fragments of Swamiji’s story, which he uttered randomly. He did not narrate his story, ever, but, alluded to many incidents of his past, as examples to prove some point during their conversation. This was good enough to get a general idea about his life and journey. The biggest surprise was that Swamiji was born in 1600!!! He was almost 370 years old!!! What follows is the story….

“GO TO THE NORTH. DO NOT LOOK BACK”

The Land of Gods. The cradle of Spirituality...HIMALAYAS

February 23rd 1600, on the banks of the elegant river Nila in the southern part of India, in a small house, around midnight, a baby boy was born. He was called Raman. His parents were poor brahmins. He became their only child. Raman’s father was a priest in a nearby temple. It was a small temple and his income was mostly nothing more than a meal a day or a few coins, which the worshippers gave away in abandon. Mostly, he had to satisfy himself and his family with very little food and no money. He had a house, one mango tree and two coconut trees in his small property. They managed their life with that, as Raman grew up. Raman had never been exposed to any luxuries, which the neighborhood feudal lords of their own community enjoyed. Raman’s mother used to visit the rich families during celebrations or festivals, as it was more or less customary, and they used to give her food and clothing.

Being a true and satwic Brahmin, Raman’s father would get up at 3AM every morning and, after a dip in the nearby river, go to the temple in wet clothes to preserve sanctity of the temple and its deity. The temple was not far away from his house. A narrow lane brought him to the temple. On one such morning, while he was climbing the stone steps from the river, he felt a slight pain in his chest. He ignored it and continued towards the temple. Before he could enter the temple, he collapsed and breathed his last, due to a massive heart attack. Since it was too early in the morning, there were none around to support him or take him to the local physician.

That day’s sun rose in the village with the news of the death of the noble priest. Raman was three years and a few months old when his father died. He knew that something terribly wrong has happened in his house, but did not quite understand the depth of the tragedy. He saw his father “sleeping” on the floor, watched by many. He could not understand why his father was sleeping during day time, which he has never seen before. He also could not understand why all of them were watching his father, as he slept. For him, it meant nothing, because his father sleeps every night, just like he does, and nobody was quite concerned about it so far.

It was quite different for his mother. The sole bread winner of their household has left forever! She did not know what to do next. Raman saw that his mother was crying. She looked inconsolable. He slowly went and touched her hand. She hugged him and cried more. She kept repeating: “Your father has gone forever. He has left us alone!!!”

At times, situations strangle us and leave us helpless. Our souls continue to seek liberation...

Little did Raman know that this was the beginning of a life grossly uncertain and insensitively tragic for both of them. His father looked peaceful in his sleep. They had kept his body on the verandah of their house. Some priests came and took the body of his father away from home, put it on some wood that they cut from the mango tree, bathed Raman, made him do some ritual and finally burnt his father’s body in the fire. Raman watched all this without knowing anything in particular. He was quite disturbed when he saw his father’s body being burnt. He could not understand why his father, who was only sleeping, was being burnt!!! A deep sorrow welled inside him and he burst out crying, even though he was too young to digest the depth of the matter. Many uncles and aunts who came during funeral tried to console him and his mother, and expressed a lot of love before they left for their own homes. They invited him and his mother to come to their places, after the usual mourning time was over.

Soon after the death of his father, he and his mother started experiencing poverty. There was no food at home. Being a brahmin (priestly caste) woman, it was difficult for Raman’s mother to find a job, as social conditions allowed her to work only in houses of people of her community. It was not easy. At that time, caste system was severely controlling and quite obscene in India. Brahmin women were not allowed to be seen in public, let alone work outside their homes. Likewise, those of the other castes, especially those who consume meat and fish, were not allowed to come near brahmins, who chanted manthras and performed poojas or systematic worship of the deities, in their own homes as well as temples. The sacred fire was kept alive in their houses through generations.

We dearly Love Our Pets....sometimes a bit too much that we want to eat them!!! How Selfish We ARE!!!

The initial reason for this system of un-touch-ability between castes was, that flesh of animals are dead organisms or dead bodies without any prana. Temples have deities or idols that are installed with sacred rituals that ensured live praana exists in them, and its power had to be maintained. The prescribed methods of worship and manthras were made to maintain and enhance the power of the deities. Dead organisms were contradictory to manthras and hence against this purpose. That is why they kept themselves away from all the people who consumed flesh and fish. It goes without saying that some people were not even allowed to enter into temples, because of the same reason. Rigid systems were made to ensure sanctity and power of deities in temples, and priests who were well educated in the proper worship pattern were chosen to perform daily worships, which usually started during Brahma Muhurtha or the time between 3AM and 6AM. Brahma Muhurtha is considered as the heavenly time. Priests were also expected to maintain purity. Later, systems were abused and un-touch-ability became caste based and discriminatory.

Mother Sheds her tears through time and space... Her tears still flow...

Raman’s mother did not know what to do. Being born a brahmin became a curse for her. Those of other castes did not have any problem to get a job, in the paddy fields or as household maids at the houses of Feudal Lords. She did not know how to lead the rest of her life and bring up a small child. She visited their relatives who lived in their neighborhood. None really showed any concern and any sincere intention to help, except allowing them to join in for a meal, if the time was appropriate. After a few visits, she stopped doing that; as it did not do them any good, and it amounted to more humiliation. Especially, she was worried about Raman and how he would feel.  It was obvious that none were sincere enough to help them. All their offers for help during the funeral were false and it became clear to her that they actually never meant it.

She still maintained some hope and tried to contact her own and her husband’s relatives who lived near and far through a paddy field worker (like a farmer) who lived in their neighborhood. This man was loyal, but, being born in a different caste, he had his limitations. He was not even allowed to look at her or talk to her face to face. As was customary, she always hid behind the door or wall while conversing with him. He was quite sincere and always carried her notes and letters to her relatives and also got her replies from them. None really wanted to help. Everyone gave one excuse or another, for not being in a position to help her and her son. A few sympathetically sent her some food or old clothes. This was surely a one time assistance. But, life had to go on…

Re-inventing ourselves is always good, as changes are inevitable. Often, we have to re-invent ourselves to make ourselves heard too!!!

The paddy field worker always brought Raman a fruit or a sweet whenever he came to their house. Even though it was not allowed to eat the food prepared or touched by a person of another caste, Raman and his mother did not care, because they were hungry and helpless. His sincerity and love was unconditional and unmistakable, and they were deeply touched by that.

A few weeks after her husband’s death, a distant aunt came to visit them. She was kind of a wandering monk who did not stay at one place for long. She was reasonably respected by the society. She was far away when Raman’s father died, and when she heard the news, she decided to visit them at once. She was saddened at the plight of this family. And she was deeply disappointed that all their other relatives kept a blind eye on them, and avoided them. She promptly took initiative, discussed with a nearby rich family and got Raman’s mother a job in their house, as a domestic help or, in other words, a house maid. Raman’s mother started working there immediately since the rich family was from her own community and it was thus acceptable.

Raman also accompanied his mother to her workplace, as she could not leave the small boy alone in their own house. There were many people in the house, and many children too. They were good and kind people. Raman and his mother were treated well by all. They got sufficient food at all times, and none bothered or interfered in their freedom. When his mother involved herself in the household chores such as cooking food, washing or cleaning, Raman played with other children of the house. They even shared their goodies with him. So, Raman and his mother finally found peace and happiness and it was a big relief for them, from the serious uncertainties that they faced after Raman’s father’s death.

Hunger of her children drives any mother to her very limits...

One day, the lady of the house announced to all the maids and servants that her daughter’s marriage is finalized and they must prepare themselves for the big event. She distributed new clothes to all of them, as a token of happiness associated with the big event and asked them to wear it on the day of the event. All were happy and quite chirpy. Raman also got new clothes. He was thrilled. He came running to his mother to show his new proud possessions to her. She hugged him and shed tears of joy. Little did she know that this event would be a turning point in both her and her son’s life.

As the date of the event neared, guests started flowing in. Workload increased tremendously. One day, as Raman’s mother was cleaning the rooms on the first floor of the huge building, the mother of the bride asked her to come inside her bedroom and have a look at the gold and precious stone jewelery that they had bought for the occasion. This was the first time Raman’s mother was seeing such splendor of richness. Mother of the bride gave a necklace studded with diamonds in her hand to see. She marveled at its beauty and splendor, looked at it, appreciated it and gave it back to her. Not even once did she feel that she too should have some ornaments like that. Raman’s mother was a pious and level headed lady. She knew where she stood in the society. She never craved for earthly richness. Soon, she went away to complete her work.

Tolerance and co-existence makes life worthwhile. Love transcends everything...

Soon after lunch, she heard a big commotion in the house. People were running up and down. Someone told her, “The necklace is stolen!!!”. She had touched and felt it. So she knew that it was quite an expensive one. They searched the entire house. They called the police and they questioned everybody, especially the domestic helps and servants. They even took some of them to the police station and beat them up to get the truth. They took Raman’s mother too, as the mother of the bride told the police that Raman’s mother has seen and held the ornament. She tried her best to convince everyone that she has not taken it. They checked her thoroughly. They checked her house. She was threatened, abused and humiliated to bring out the truth as to where she has hidden the stolen material. She cried and cried. She begged to them to believe her words.  The necklace was not found. Finally, all were frustrated and gave up. But, they never stopped suspecting her. One day before the marriage, she and Raman were asked to leave the house. She lost her job! She could not believe her fate! Raman could not understand what was going on, but, understood that his mother is in terrible distress. His innocent mind thought that she was crying because she had no gold jewelery on her. He tried to console her as best as he could, telling her that when he grows up, he will work hard and buy lots of gold for her. This made her cry more. It was not gold that she was after, it was just two meals a day for Raman. That is all what she wanted in life. She never cared for herself. How can she tell this to Raman? How could she make this small child understand? She refused to sadden the young child’s heart and pretended happiness.

After the marriage, the elders of the community who supported the feudal lords decided to punish Raman’s mother for stealing the jewelry, as they firmly believed that she still has it. They issued an order “Nobody should give her a job, food or any other support. Nobody should give her medicines or clothing. No physician should treat her. She is completely excommunicated from the society”. The day she was thus excommunicated by the society, Raman’s mother wanted to commit suicide. All hopes had vanished. But, she could not think of killing the then 6 year old Raman. She decided to survive and keep him alive. An excommunicated woman will not be assisted anybody in the village, or else they will also get excommunicated. If someone is seen helping her, that person also will be excommunicated. Fearing the order of the powerful Feudal lords, none dared to even offer them a glass of water, let alone allow her to work in their farms or houses. Day by day, she started becoming weak. She and Raman survived on whatever was available in their own little property. They had no money and no support. Nobody even looked at them. This was more torture than imprisonment for them.

For Every Mother, her child is the most precious. Not only for humans. It is the same for all beings. Before killing the child of any being - humans, animals or birds, please remember the unforgivable agony of its loving mother...

The neighborhood farmer who used to help them also could not help them any further because of the excommunication order. He felt too helpless and angry. But, he had his own family and he was afraid that his bold actions could adversely affect his own wife and children. Everyone stayed away from them. Steadily, Raman’s mother fell sick. Since no physician would treat her, she could not gather any medicine. Still she tried to collect fallen seeds and fruits from their yard and make at least one small meal for Raman everyday. Raman also helped her as best as he could. In a few days, her health deteriorated further and she became more and more weak. She could not even stand on her own legs. She crawled from one room to the other. Raman was too small to lift her. Yet, he tried his best to help his ailing mother. Raman’s mother knew that she will not live for long.

One night, she called Raman to her side. Raman saw tears running down her cheeks. She hugged him and said: “My son, I will leave you soon. I am sorry. I cannot stay in this body any longer. I am going to where your father has gone. But, I cannot take you now. I have always taken you where ever I went. Now, I must go alone. I will die soon. When I die, you alone will not be able to burn my body, as you and our relatives did, when your father died. You are too small. You have no money and nobody will help you. If you could, drag my body till the edge of the yard, (which was about 20 feet away from their door), push my body into the pit there and throw some soil on it. If you cannot do that, just leave my body here, take this stick and this cloth sack and walk towards north.” 

“GO TO THE NORTH. DO NOT LOOK BACK.“. Those were the last words of that poor, innocent and pious lady. She closed her eyes. Raman hugged her and put her head on his lap. He rested his head on her face. An hour or two went like that. He started feeling that her face was slowly becoming cold. Her breath was stopping. He poured some water into her mouth. She drank a little and the rest spilled out of her mouth. She looked at his face one last time, as if blessing him, and she passed away.

Mother and Child - An Unconditional Relationship, past comparisons...

In the Mad World of Pretensions, Who reckons the tears of Helplessness of a poor boy? If we cannot see the tears of our fellow beings, how can we ever see the invisible God???

Raman sat next to her body, hugging his mother till the day break. He did not know what to do. Suddenly he had become an orphan. There was nobody in his life anymore. He got up and sat on the veranda looking outside. Birds were chirping in the yard outside. Grazing animals looked at him. Did they comprehend his sorrow? He hoped and wished that someone would look at him. Nobody looked at him or even at his house. He cried and cried. Nobody cared. He went back inside. He saw his mother’s body again. Again, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed him. He hugged her and cried. Finally, he decided to do what his mother asked him to do. With great difficulty, he dragged the body of his mother, which was very stiff and dry by then, to the edge of the door. Somehow, he dragged it out of the door and into the sand outside. He was sobbing and crying too. When he was trying to drag the body of his mother through the sand, the farmer who used to help them in the past, saw this. He could not believe what he saw. He was shocked to see this small boy dragging the body of his dead mother through the yard. He was terribly agonized when he suddenly realized that the pious woman, his neighbor, whom he always respected, has passed away!!. The agony tore through his heart along with a deep guilt of not being able to help them, when they needed it the most. Now it is too late.  He told himself: “Let the lords excommunicate me or kill me. I just don’t care. I must help this poor child”. He came running and helped Raman to move the body of his mother to the pit that she had mentioned. He brought a pick axe and covered her body with soil and wet mud. Both him and Raman sat there looking at the grave yard for a while. Soon, Raman got up, went inside their house, took the stick and the cloth sack that his mother had entrusted him with. He opened the cloth sack. He cried again, when he saw that his mother had packed some raw rice, a few coins and a few loin clothes for her son, despite their deep poverty!!! This was her only savings!!!. Finally, Raman wiped his tears and came out. The farmer was waiting outside. He said: “Come with me. I will look after you. I will take you home”. Raman thanked him and told him what his mother had asked him to do. The farmer listened to Raman’s words with tears in his eyes. He knew that he cannot change Raman’s mind. He loved his mother so much. He will not do anything contrary to her wish or command. As Raman took two steps towards the border of their yard, one messenger came running to him and asked: “”Where is your mother? Her Lordship wants her back in her household. They finally found the missing necklace. It had fallen between two large beds and when they took the beds out for cleaning, they found the necklace. The Lords have removed her ban and excommunication. She is now welcomed back to their household. You are welcome too.” Raman stared at him and gently smiled. He pointed towards the grave yard of his mother and without any emotions, said: “There she is. She cannot come back to their house anymore. She has gone forever.”

Raman looked one last time at their small house. He bowed down at the grave of his mother and walked towards “North”. He never ever looked back. That small boy Raman was the 370 year old saint sitting in front of the visitors to Badrinath!!!

Life Eternally Flows. Who has understood it in its completeness? Who has understood its 360 degree dimensions?

God willing, I shall narrate his journey in the next part of this trilogy.

Love and respect all beings. Every being feels, just like we do. Sensitiveness is a real virtue. Have plenty of it. Have plenty of Love within. Let LOVE overflow yourself all the time. Love all and Serve all – your life will become total and complete! Remain Blessed!

Love You Always

M

There is nothing to "gain". Empty handed we came, empty handed we leave. We cannot "own" anything. All the competition of this world is a product of ignorance. Total Ignorance!!

An Ultimate Destination for Many... A Great Shrine.

This is a true story. Both the travelers who experienced this, have left their bodies now. This happened on August 23rd,1970. Two brahmins (priestly class in India) in their early 50s from the banks of river Nila in Kerala, went for a pilgrimage to Himalayas. After visiting many shrines, they reached Badrinath. When they arrived, it was afternoon and the temple was closed after the mid day poojas. They were quite tired after the long journey. They were hungry too. The high altitude, less oxygen, lack of food and general fatigue related to long journey made them feel quite sick. Since there was at least four hours for the temple to open, a guard, recognizing them to be of priestly class, guided the weary travelers to the house of the chief priest of Badrinath temple, which was quite nearby. When they arrived at the priest’s house, he had already completed his lunch and was about to have his afternoon siesta. Still, he welcomed them and asked them where they had come from. They explained about their journey in brief and told the priest that they intend to stay in Badrinath for a week. The priest asked them if he can be of any assistance to them. They said that they are fine and, should they need any assistance, they would certainly contact him. They got up to depart allowing the priest to take some rest. They were feeling reluctant to tell the priest that they were both hungry and tired.

As they reached the door of the priest’s house, he called them back and said “There is an old saint, who belongs to your home town living nearby. Would you be interested to meet him?” Since there was nothing else to do, and no restaurants were open for them to find a basic meal, they decided to spend the time with the saint until the temple opens for worship. They said “yes” and the priest requested one of the guards to take them to the saint. The guard took them to the banks of river Alakananda.  Badrinath is nearly 12,000 feet above sea level in the mighty Himalayas. It is usually very cold and mostly covered by thick white blanket of snow during winter. The visitors were shivering despite their winter protection. It was as if what ever protection they had, was insufficient to protect them from the freezing weather.

Enchanting Mountains and the River of Life. Man's Journey and Destination.

As they crossed the bridge across Alakananda, the guard looked down at the flowing river and said “There he is!!”. They saw a lean old man, just in his loin cloth, bathing in the river. They could not believe what they saw. It was impossible to bathe in the river in that temperature. The water was surely freezing cold, considering the atmospheric temperature. They reached the other side of the river and waited. The saint completed his bath and ablutions and came to where they were standing. It did not appear that he was affected by the cold breeze or the weather conditions at all. He was walking over stones in the water, as if walking on a bed of roses, bare footed!! As he approached them, the guard told him in Hindi, that that they were sent by the priest of the temple to meet him and that they are from the same place as he was. (Saints usually have nothing to do with their poorvashram or their abode before embracing sannyas or renunciation)The saint smiled and beckoned them to come near him. He wore only a loin cloth, which was totally drenched in icy water. He had a stick in his hand and a kamandalu (a small pot that saints use) which was filled with water from the river. He looked at them. His eyes were sharp and penetrating. He looked very old; at least about 100 years! White flowing hair and white beard. Yet, his eyes were shining and young. The guard took their leave. The saint started walking and asked them to follow him. They reached a small hut. The saint entered, asked them to enter and be seated. They sat on the floor. But, surprisingly, the floor was warm! The saint looked at them again, and said “Are you thirsty?” They both said “Yes”. He gave them a few drops of water from his pot and asked them to drink. They thought that this is some kind of initiation or purification. But, as soon as they drank those few drops of water, they felt something shifting in them. They no more felt cold and thirsty. Then he asked “Are you hungry too?” They said they are hungry as they had no food for many hours. He smiled and again gave them a few drops of water each. They drank it. Suddenly, they felt their stomach was full with food. This surprised them to no limits. Even though a saint  whom they had previously met,taught them a manthra to conquer thirst and hunger, it has not been very effective for these seekers.

Mind races after changes and speed in spirituality. True Spirituality stays eluded.

They both said “Bhagawan, you have effectively conquered the need for consumption of food and water. Now, you have demonstrated your siddhis to us too. Tell me, who are you? You belong to the same place where we have come from, but,what is the purpose of our meeting? Why did we meet? We are both so curious to know about you.”

The saint laughed. He said “I believe you have been chanting certain manthras to control the urge for food. What happened?” Why could you not control your mind through your practices?

They knew that he can see everything and nothing can be hidden from him. They said “Yes, We have been chanting “Kanta Koope, Kshud, Pipasi, Nivrithi”, focusing on our vishuddha chakra. But, mind was wandering and we could not gain much progress. The saint laughed again. He said “If you walk up the Himalayas step by step, your body will certainly get accustomed to the changing oxygen levels and the weather situation at each level. Why are all of you trying to speed up in your powered vehicles, when every matter needs its time to settle down into your system? Everything needs duration and space to give the maximum benefit! Everything needs time. Unfortunately, all are in mad rush, chasing, searching for something which they do not even know! How can you achieve spiritual progress? Patience, flexibility, adaptability, acceptance, determination, dedication to one single path of your choice, and consistency to follow it against all odds, are extremely necessary for success in spiritual pursuit. Most people change their guru, rather than changing their mind set.” He started laughing at his own joke.

They understood that he was referring to their impatience in spiritual journey. They have been meeting many saints and sages trying to speed up their spiritual sadhana, while totally ignoring the key aspect which was their capacity and eligibility for higher stuff! They have not been concentrating on developing this important aspect, instead, were following their shifting mind, to touch the feet of many saints, expecting quicker elevation without any hard work, along with or without the removal of their internal trash of lifetimes!!! Since their capacity and eligibility did not grow with the same pace of their travel, they could not gain much progress. Most manthras or sadhanas (spiritual practices) that they picked up at various points, did not give them much progress either. They had met many saints in the past. But, this old saint truly fascinated them.

True Spirituality is obvious to the inner eye, but invisible to the mind always...

They asked ” Swami, how can we progress further?”

Swami said “Drop what you know. You are carrying heavy burden of indigested knowledge and age old samskaaras.”

“Swami, what can we drop?

Swami said “Everything. All that you really need will be yours anyway. You “need” nothing. All that you think that you have, you actually do not have. It will all wither away sooner or later. All that you give away, you will always have. Spirituality never ends with one incarnation of the soul. It continues through time and space, as long as it should. You are covering yourself more than necessary. Shed your coverings. Do not hide yourself. And do not hide your real face. Be bold to be yourself. You will experience reality. When clothes become an addiction, we become unnatural.

They paused to digest the hidden meaning behind the saint’s answer and asked: “Swami, who will protect us from this cold and tamasic ignorance?”

Swami asked “Existence. Are you feeling cold now?”  They realized that they were not feeling any physical cold. Swami continued: “Who is protecting you from cold now? The same existence will protect you from tamas and ignorance too. You are definitely not the doer.”

More luggage is more discomfort. Less Luggage makes the transit easier...

They contemplated on those words for a while and still feeling terribly insecure about future,said “Swami, We feel afraid to shed anything at all.”

Swami laughed aloud and said; “If you are afraid, go home. You are just infants. You need protection. Spirituality is not your cup of tea. You need more maturity to earn spirituality. Fear has no meaning here. Fear cannot exist here.” Swami paused for a while and continued “You are hiding your fears within your clothing. Escapism is the opposite of spirituality. The two cannot co exist.”

Swami looked at one of the two, straight into his eyes, and said: “Family is becoming thinner and thinner. No offsprings. Conducted many poojas and rituals to earn a child. Everything in vain. “Kaala Sarpa Dosha” (severe curse of snake gods)!!! (Traditionally, brahmins have worshiped snake gods along with many other deities. Almost every family used to have a temple for snakes in their yard. With the formation of nuclear families, as people became “irreligious”, or grossly ignorant of reasons behind the patterns of worship, worships abruptly stopped. The negative effects of this lack of connectivity started appearing in families in the form of unnatural deaths, lack of children, lack of marriage and many relationship issues. Family deities were part of every family at one time. They were invoked and installed by ancestors of that family, to protect them, their families, property and riches, with the promise that they would be honored and respected by them and their family members at all times. These deities were handed down through generations. For understanding’s sake, they can be compared to invited guests. They did not appear by themselves, they were brought by the ancestors for protection and grace.  When the further generations stopped honoring them and taking care of them, it was like dishonoring your invited guests and even insulting them, by removing their bed and space. This is still affecting many families.)

Snakes represented wisdom and protection.

He asked: “But Swami, what is the reason for “sarpa dosha” or the curse of the snakes?”

Swami said: “Ingratitude, my son. Snakes on earth are of two types. Earthly snakes which are gross and predominantly tamasic, and divine entities in the form of snakes, which they took for agility and isolation’s sake. You will never mess with a snake, right?. That is why they chose that form. Well, mankind has been closely associated with the higher entities, who exist in the form of snakes. We have co existed with them for a long time. We used to respect them and worship them. They have their own realm, sphere of existence or loka. They have come here out of compassion for us, the ignorant ones. They contributed a lot of understanding and awareness to the mankind.They brought us to higher awareness and showed us the dimensions of the supreme father in three aspects, such as “Srishti” or creation, “Stithi” or preservation and “Samhara” or dissolution. They introduced us to the power and force behind these three aspects of our existence. They introduced us to the trinity. They showed us the path of higher spirituality. They also protected us, as they protect and support the Lords that they introduced to us. We gave them a special place in our garden, close to the nature which they always loved, with the promise that we will not disturb their peace and they will bless us with a good life. Later, our next generations went back on our promises and destroyed the noble snakes and their abodes. We cheated them and killed them. We destroyed their abodes and built our houses on them.We started to suffer their pain and agony in our lives, in our families. The golden rule that whenever we hurt someone through thoughts, words or action, in fact we are hurting ourselves. We do get hurt more with the violence that we did unleash for that, deeply within our consciousness and life. This is called “sarpa dosha”.  We have systematically abused and destroyed all beings who showed us the true path and quite sadly, have consistently glorified those who are just glitter to our eyes!!!. Higher Snakes represent the protection and presence of divinity on earth. Lord Vishnu rests on Anantha the serpent. Shiva has snakes as his garland. When the ocean of milk was churned for “amruth”, the celestial nectar, Vasuki, the snake was used instead of a rope. No celestial rope could have equaled Vasuki’s strength!. Snake represents both the kundalini shakti that lies dormant in every human as three and a half coils, as well as the movement of the sun and moon nadis up towards the crown chakra. They represent flexibility and ascension. Snakes have an important role in our spirituality. They brought us the highest wisdom and performed the duty of protectors.  The usual signs of sarpa dosha are childlessness or lesser children, divorce of no marriage and problems in marital relationship.We need to respect them. Continued ingratitude will pull us down further.”

We peacefully co-existed once. Fear springs out of treachery and ingratitude too.

One of the brahmins asked “Swamiji, you belong to the same place that we have come from. Do you have any relatives there?

Swami thought for a while and said “No relatives. But, I used to have some friends. Perhaps you know them.” Swami narrated the names of a few people and their family names. Their families were known to the visitors. When they scratched their heads to decide who the people whom swami mentioned were, they realized that these people have left their bodies a few centuries ago and their fourth or fifth generation were currently alive in the families that Swamiji had mentioned. They were shocked to realize that Swami is at least 400 years old!

They told the saint “Swamiji, these people who were your friends are no more now. Their fourth or fifth generation is our contemporary”. Swami thought for a while and said “Well, I am an old man. Sometime, I forget the speed with which time moves. I am glad their families still exist”. He mentioned it so casually, as if his longevity is no big deal at all!!.The visitors could not believe all this and continued to stare at the swami while mixed emotions swayed their mind.

Swami asked “You are brahmins, isn’t it time for your “Sandhya Vandan?” (Evening Worship that Brahmins perform)

They looked at each other. They have not been following the brahminic rituals sincerely. They were sure that the swami was referring to their insincerity in adherence to the dharma of their inheritance. Swami said “Being born in a brahmin family is equal to marrying dharma by choice, beyond one’s individual karma. You, as brahmins have inherited the satwic dharma of serving the society, imparting knowledge and elevating the consciousness of the society. By shedding your own path, by not following your own path, which path will you follow?  ”Swadharma” or one’s own dharma is very important for everyone. Dharma is as important as karma. Never forget that. Brahminism should be nurtured through purity of thought, word and action as well as selflessness and non-violence in all aspects. By being born in a brahmin family or sporting a sacred thread will not make you a true “brahmin”. Live as one, to its fullest.”

There was deep silence. The saint said. “Go now. Take bath and worship Lord Badrinath. Come back tomorrow and we shall talk again”. They reluctantly got up and left the saint. Their mind was filled with utter dismay and amazement. They did not feel any cold, hunger or thirst and felt completely rejuvenated. They did not feel any tiredness or fatigue anymore.

Who was this amazing saint? Where did he come from? Many questions welled in their mind. They decided to come back to know more…

Love You, My Beloveds

M

What else can we say, more than what has been said already? Many mouths through time spoke the same eternal truth always...

I Bow and Surrender Everything to the Light of Wisdom eternally Flown to us by the tradition of Great Masters of the Grand Universe... Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu...Aum Shanti....

Today, on the 23rd of February, I surrender this blog, my humble contribution, as flowers offered at the feet of our grand tradition and all the Great Masters, Great Guides, Selfless entities, who walked ahead of us, lead us and are still leading us, with deep gratitude and surrender. The tradition has no beginning nor end. It flows eternally. There is no room for ownership or ego. All are part of the grand design. All are integral. All are significant. All are insignificant too. All exist and do not exist. The grand tradition flows eternally. This is where we belong; this is our real family. There are no boundaries. Tradition has no gender barrier, no caste, color, creed, country, culture, custom barrier too. One father and various aspects and expressions of that one father. Ignorance alienates us, while understanding and awareness gather us. Man minus ego is GOD. I bow down to all the children of this rich tradition of supreme un-conditionality. I bow down to this rich tradition built and cemented with FAITH and SUPREME LOVE.

This Soul and Body, time and space, are all Gifts of the Tradition. What can I offer you, my tradition, which is not yours already!!!

We belong to a grand tradition of selflessness. We are its offsprings as well as its torch bearers. But, we live in a world of make-believe and pretensions. We pretend to be happy and we pretend to be what we are not. We pretend our karmic inevitability and helplessness as liberated existence, all the while resisting everything internally!!! We even express our non-understanding of the true meaning of liberation through strange behaviors such as smoking, drugs, drinking, variety of indulgences, wild and destructive habits and actions, restlessness and many other things. All these are helplessly binding us to earth.  Some pretend till death. Some pretend for a short span of time. Everyone pretends. In our times, people are looking for quick remedies, instant Nirvana. Is it possible? In such a world, the methods of Atmananda  Chaithanya and many others saints of our grand tradition will not make sense. We would rather hold on to our phobias, fears, anxieties and ego, and walk the familiar path of certainty which we are used to, rather than tread the ever uncertain path of pathlessness. This is our attitude. Only a very few see the light. Most choose darkness, because in the darkness, we can hide. We can hide our true nature in the cloak of darkness. They relish their coward nature and even justify it to feel safe and sane. They chant “Light means sorrow, my children. Darkness is bliss”!!! Are we some of those cowards refusing to face ourselves? Think well. If I have not offended you enough, please read on… A story about practical education by a surreal saint. Practical education for an unlikely student!

Time is unstoppable. Life is transitory. The gush of the river reminds us of the eternal flow of the transitory time...

The story of Manav and Atmananda

Manav sat on the steps leading towards Ganga and stared at the water flowing in a hurry. It was just like time. The moment you think of the present, it has already become the past. The moment you look elsewhere, gallons of water have rushed past!!! This is Life! What a mad rush!!! When will this restless rush end? Where will it end? Where is all this water going to? Where is the time going to? Time has no problem. It has always been like this. Only those who chose to watch it, became tired. Time is never tired!!! Everything goes through time. The people, the seasons, the events…. everything. Just like the big log that rolls up and down over the waves of the river, quite helplessly, uncontrollably and unconsciously, life flows through time. Then, just like the log, people vanish. Then new people come. Then they also vanish. Thus, time and river have lots of similarities. What are we holding back? What can we hold back? Manav looked up at the sky in helplessness, as if seeking a divine communion. Where is the answer? Who can give the answer? That moment was decisive in his mind. He decided to leave everything and walk to the north. NORTH! North of India are the Himalayas. Ganga flows from the Himalayas. So, Manav is already in the North. He stood up and walked further up north. Somehow, in his mind, NORTH means some kind of surety. Some kind of refuge, which he does not yet know. Anyway, what more can anyone lose, than his life? Manav believed that he is not afraid of death and darkness. He considered himself quite brave, in terrestrial terms of bravery. So, he walked into the darkness of uncertainty, and embarked on his search for the unknown, and walked further towards North.

Every Communion is Important. Every Meeting has Meaning. Terrestrial Bravery is situational!

Tough terrains of existence. Tough times. Unknown paths. Unknown destination. Unknown people. Everything strange. All are strangers. Amongst the strangers, he found familiarities. Familiar strangers. One man asked him. “Swami hey Kya?” (Are you a Saint?) Manav replied “Nahi. Saadhak houn”. (No. I am a Seeker). The stranger asked “Mila Nahi Abhi tak?” (Did you not find it so far?) Manav stared at his eyes without answering. How can he tell him that “getting it” was not his primary search. Knowing what to search for, was his primary search! He took his backpack and walked further. The stranger shouted from behind. “Atmananda ko zaroor milna. Milega tumko, jo tum ddhoont rahe hey”. (Definitely meet Atmananda. You will get what you are searching for.) He did not look back and kept walking. ATMANANDA. The name stuck in his mind.  Where will he find him? Or, did he meant “find happiness (ananda) in your own atma (soul) and you will find what you are looking for”? The long and winding path of uncertainty lay ahead of him. The question was whether to walk it up or stay where he was! Walking ahead means facing uncontrollable uncertainties. Staying back could mean eternal stagnation. Manav thought “This is exactly what people call Between Devil and Deep Sea”. Death is sure in any case!!! Manav feared stagnation more than uncertainties. He decided to walk further. This was a great decision of his life.

The third day from there, he met Atmananda at Rudra Prayag. A local temple priest guided Manav to Atmananda.  To Manav’s great surprise, Atmananda resembled the stranger who told him to meet Atmananda. He was confused. Was it the same person who came to guide him a couple of days earlier? Nothing made sense. He became more confused.

Atmananda was sitting in the middle of a couple of dozen people, was cracking jokes and laughing aloud. Even though Atmananda looked at him, he did not show any recognition. He carried on with his jokes. Everyone was laughing. What sort of a saint is this? Just cracking jokes and laughing? For a moment he thought. ” Was I searching for laughter? Maybe I was!!”. Laughter is indeed an expression of happiness. All people are searching for Happiness and they never find it, except the fleeting or momentary ones!! “Ah! I still do not know what I am looking for!” After a while of contemplation, Manav approached Atmananda who continued to ignore him. He seemed to be busy, involved in applying sacred ash on his forehead and various parts of his body, after stepping out of the dip in the river. He was illegibly mumbling some mantra.  Manav waited and when Atmananda left with his disciples, Manav followed him. It was only on the third day that he actually got to talk to Atmananda.

When Faith Nullifies the suffering of pains, Man takes another step towards liberation...

The first thing that Atmananda said after looking at Manav was “Jad hey” (This is dead). “Jeevan kithar hey”? (Where is life?”.) Manav did not know the answer. Atmananda did not wait. He kept walking. Manav followed as if mesmerized. Finally, the whole entourage reached a city. Manav hated cities. He was fine with the relative isolation that great mountains provided. He wondered why Atmananda loved the city so much, that he walked all the way downhill, over days and weeks, to reach this place of filth and greed! As if reading his thoughts, Atmananda turned and said to no one in particular ” I exist in the mountains, yet my feet are on the ground. My body does not signify my “size”. What I see is what you cannot see.” Was this a statement or a warning? Manav struggled to figure out the meaning behind these seemingly pregnant statements. Atmananda kept walking….

Manav wanted to return back to the Mountains. The Himalayas! What Peace! What Tranquility! He felt as if part of himself was still staying back in the mountains. Attachment!!! One part of his mind wanted to leave Atmananda and go back. The other part kept saying that Manav had finally found his Guru. But, Atmananda did not seem to be of Guru material at all. He was just wandering all the time and was never teaching anything significant to anyone. This was such an irony for Manav. No one around him seem to be bothered. None seemed to care about the uncertainty and hardships. Everyone seemed to just enjoy his company and wander aimlessly! Is this spirituality? Manav became even more confused than before.

Atmananda looked at him and said “Whom can you wake up?” Atmananda himself answered. “Only those who are actually sleeping and not the ones who are pretending to be asleep. What ever you do, those who pretend to sleep will not wake up. Many in the Himalayas are pretenders. I am collecting pearls in the market place!”. This was a revelation for Manav. He thought he understood the real purpose behind Atmananda’s visit to the city, but was never sure. It was very difficult to put him into any frames! He is here, perhaps to “wake up” the ignorant sleepers to ultimate realities or truths. This made some sense. This was probably his mission. A noble mission indeed. But, in this drama, what was Manav’s role? Again, deep uncertainties conquered his mind.

Love is the Food of Life. Nothing Can substitute this food. Our world is starving - for LOVE..

Atmananda again read his mind. He looked intently at Manav’s eyes and in a stern voice, like a command, he said “Go begging. Do not return back for one week. Bring whatever you can save after spending for your basic needs”. Manav was completely shaken with this suggestion. Many disturbing thoughts flocked into his mind. Manav thought “Go Begging? Why? Do Atmananda or his disciples need the money or food that I may gather through begging?” Atmananda did not look at him, nor read his mind nor answer that question. He just repeated “Go begging from tomorrow.”. He would not explain any further. The whole night, Manav did not sleep. Many conflicting emotions ran through his mind. He had not witnessed Atmananda asking anyone in his entourage to resort to begging. So why Manav? Did Atmananda hate him, and want to teach him a lesson?

Manav hailed from a good family, a reasonably rich one. He had no dearth of food or facilities ever in his childhood or youth. He was now 23 years of age. He never had to beg for food. While wandering, whenever he felt a need for money, he did odd jobs and earned some money. He was good in finance. He worked and earned his daily bread, whenever needed. The rest of the time, he traveled to holy places or to the Himalayas. He thought and thought. He could not bring himself to beg from anyone. And he also felt that he would not look like a beggar at all and that people may humiliate him. Other beggars may look at him as competition too and may ridicule him too. This would mean great embarrassment for Manav. He didn’t want anything to do with it. He could not make up his mind until morning. At 3 am, Atmananda woke up and saw Manav sitting under a street lamp. He walked towards Manav and said ” You did not sleep? Good. When you look tired and unshaven, you could fetch more money”. And he started laughing aloud. It sounded like a cruel joke. Manav became angry and upset. By then, he was resonably convinced that Atmananda’s intention was to make some money using him. Atmananda is no saint!. He is a businessman who knows his trade! Manav felt that he should leave Atmananda and leave immediately. Ignoring Manav’s emotions, Atmananda handed over a broken bowl into his hand and commanded “OK, Leave Now.” “Come back after a week”, and without waiting for any response or reaction from Manav, Atmananda walked towards the river to take a bath. Manav stood there, undecided and utterly confused. Finally, before day break, he made up his mind. He decided to go begging!

Mind Poses Conflicts. Conflicts create Stress. Ego Reins. Liberation Slips Past...

As the day broke, people started rushing up and down every street of the city. Manav started his journey in the street with his begging bowl. He had left his backpack with one of the disciples of Atmananda, who accepted it in a matter-of-fact way and expressed no compassion whatsoever at Manav’s predicament. Manav thought that even this man was as insensitive as Atmananda!

Partially out of anger and resentment against Atmananda and partially out of determination and ego, Manav took nothing with him except the broken bowl that Atmananda gave him. When he extended his bowl towards the pedestrians, some people gave him some coins. Some shooed him away. One man ridiculed him “Look at you, a healthy boy and begging!; why can’t you do some job and earn a living? You lazy bum, it is easier to beg than work eh?” Even though he begged till noon time, he could not gather sufficient money for his breakfast or lunch. Nobody seemed to be bothered, let alone compassionate! He felt a deep urge to throw the bowl away and do something more meaningful and dignified; to fetch some money and buy at least a basic meal. Atmananda will not know. He could return back after 8 days, with some money that he earned through work too. After all, it is only the money that Atmananda is after!!! But, something stopped him. It could possibly be a revenge attitude towards Atmananda or a strange satisfaction at this self-inflicted pain. There had to be some unknown reason for Atmananda to instruct him to beg. He did not know the reason. But, slowly, as the day grew, his hunger also grew and strangely, so did his determination. All day, he had survived only by drinking water from the street water taps. By evening, he got sufficient money to afford some bread. He ate that bread and drank more water. At night fall, he slept under a banyan tree in front of a temple. It was cold and windy. He had carried no blankets or any other protection against the cold. The wind was blowing and he could not sleep. He shivered. His teeth chattered. He also started developing many fears. Every sound made him shiver more. He had led himself to believe that he always braved darkness and death. Both these fears surfaced now.  And he had to face his own fears, quite alone. He felt that he could be attacked by some unknown creature, a ghost perhaps, and even be killed, if he happened to close his eyes. The darkness and shadows of everything around seemed alive, potent and heavily threatening! He realized that deep within, all the seeds of all possible fears had been existing and lying dormant, waiting to germinate in the right environment. He spent the second sleepless night in fear and confusion. Atmananda had warned him not to go back to him before the completion of 8 days. Somehow, Manav decided to fight it out. He was more worried about Atmananda ridiculing him and making fun of him in front of the others. His ego did not permit him to stop begging or go back to Atmananda. Strange are the ways of ego indeed, even at the toughest of times!

Who Knows Who comes to you with a Begging Bowl? It could be GOD too...

At day break, he walked towards the nearby river, he brushed his teeth using some tender leaves of a mango tree  crushed into a paste, which he made himself, using a stone. He used his finger to apply it on his teeth. Then he removed all his clothes except his loin cloth and kept it on the bank of the river. Many others were also taking a bath in the river. He did not want to drench his clothes as yet, as he had no spare clothes with him. Even though the water was ice cold, the bathing rejuvenated him tremendously. He took many dips in the river and felt more and more refreshed and cheerful. After a while, when he got back to the shore, he was shocked to find that all his clothes had disappeared! Everything had been stolen. There was nothing left there, except his broken begging bowl!. It was such a big embarrassment for Manav. How could he go anywhere like this? He only had his loin cloth to cover himself. What could he do now?. “Oh God, why am I being tested like this?” Hunger was creeping in. He walked in his drenched underwear and with his broken bowl towards the main streets of the city. People looked at him through various eyes; such as contempt, pity or compassion. Many thought that he was mad. Some gave him some money, even without asking. Quite surprisingly, in his new costume and without much effort, he was able to collect sufficient money to buy himself a decent breakfast. When he approached any restaurant, they would not allow him to enter. He asked for some bread and curry and paid them the exact change they demanded. Every penny was precious for him. He started taking money seriously and started feeling the value of every bit of it. He even started respecting it. He even thought that he realized the reason why people considered and worshipped money as Goddess Lakshmi!

What is Life without Kindness? What is Life without Compassion? We are all just visitors here...

The waiter of the restaurant delivered the bread and curry into his broken bowl, as they did not want to give any of their utensils to a “mad beggar”!. This was further humiliation for him. Quietly swallowing his pride and humiliation, he sat under a nearby banyan tree and started to eat. As he was about to put the first morsel in his mouth, he saw a small girl sleeping next to her mother under the banyan tree looking at him from under a blanket, which was covering both her and her mother. She smiled at him. A cute little smile. She looked as if she was hungry. Her mother was still sleeping. He smiled back and extended his hand to offer her the bread which he was about to eat. She got out of the blanket and crawled towards him, smiled again and opened her mouth expecting him to feed her. Not being very familiar with children, he showed her the bowl of curry, expecting her to join in his meal. She smiled again, innocently. Manav knew that she was too young to be technically qualified to eat her own meal. He took charge of the situation, dipped a piece of bread in the curry and put it in her mouth. She had very limited teeth, yet, she chewed well and swallowed it. Thus, he fed her most of the bread and curry. She ate quite a lot! She was really hungry, but Manav observed that she did not cry or wake up her sleeping mother, even though she was starving!. She was probably used to the hunger!!! What a lesson to learn about hunger management, that too from a small toddler!!! She smiled at him, as if in gratitude, and went back to her mother who was still sleeping. Manav found himself left with only a very little remnant of his own meal!. But, somehow, he felt deeply satisfied with this whole event. He looked again at the small girl. She was already cuddling under the blanket of her mother and was probably going back to her sleep. Manav was lost in thought for a few minutes. This lady could be a single mother, living in the street. Maybe she was a prostitute. The child might never know her father. For a brief moment in time, Manav felt that he fulfilled the role of a father to a hungry child! A deep satisfaction welled in his heart. He felt ecstatic with joy, despite his seeming tragic situation. He started understanding his mission. Manav got up and walked towards another busy street.

For the poor and hungry, FOOD IS GOD! There is nothing more noble and holy than giving food to the hungry...

In the new street, he encountered many beggars who shouted at him and threatened to beat him if he entered their territory. He experienced the competitive behavior of the commercial world there. He silently walked away to another street. This time, he did not feel any ego or humiliation.

He again started feeling his hunger. He saw a small restaurant at the corner. Even though he did not have sufficient money, Manav approached the restaurant, expecting some compassion, and asked for a banana, which was displayed outside. He thought “any food will do, even if it is remnants from a used plate”. His pride was steadily evaporating. The restaurant keeper shouted at him, showed him a stick and threatened to beat him, if he did not go away. They did not want anything to do with a naked mad man in their premises. He slowly moved to another restaurant nearby. They also did not give him anything. When he approached a table where some of their customers were having their food, the restaurant owner threw hot water at him and drove him away. Thus, hungry and drenched and also a bit burnt, he sat under a tree, with his begging bowl kept in front of him. Suddenly sadness, isolation and hunger overpowered him. He cried. He cried bitterly. Many passers by, who saw him crying, put coins in his bowl. Slowly, his sadness subsided, and he also found sufficient money for a couple of meals.

He had a good lunch. Again, the restaurant owner did not allow him to enter his restaurant. He packed the food and gave it to him outside. This time, he had over-eaten a bit. He did not eat anything in the night. Again, fears gripped him. Still he could sleep for a few hours. There was nothing to protect. He had nothing on him except his loin cloth and his begging bowl. He did not even have a blanket to cover himself. He hid behind a wall in front of a shop and sheltered himself from the cold, howling wind and spent the night there.

Thus, he spent his 8 eventful days. He begged, managed to save some money after his expenses, and returned to Atmananda after 8 days. When he reached the place where he had left Atmananda, he could not find him or any of his disciples. They had already left the place. Nobody knew where he was and because of  Manav’s condition, nobody would even talk to him, let alone guide him. He was naked, shabby and quite unpresentable, in social terms. Using his intuition, he walked towards the north. Two days later, on the 10th day, he found Atmananda. He approached him and gave him the coins he had saved from his begging trip. As he had expected, Atmananda did not display any compassion, kindness or even a smile or signs of recognition. Atmananda took the money and without saying or asking anything, immediately distributed it amongst the people who were around him!. Manav felt like crying. Every penny of that was quite precious to him, because it represented the great pain and humiliation he had endured. Atmananda did not even say a word of consolation or even respect his hard earned money! Manav even thought of committing suicide. He was reaching his nerves’ ends.

Tradition Sometimes Seem to be Cruel, only out of Kindness and Compassion for the seeker...

Atmananda looked at Manav and said “Take a bath, you stink”. This was the limit! A frustrated Manav immediately left Atmananda, collected his baggage from the keeper and went to the river to take bath. On the shore, he sat and wept uncontrollably. He felt useless and like a complete waste. He felt stupid and lost. After shedding all his tears and after a good bath, he felt slightly better. After getting into some clean clothes, Manav started feeling even better. He had made up his mind to leave Atmananda and pursue spirituality on his own. He could not accept nor did he like the style in which Atmananda operated. He considered it as quite insensitive, sadistic and cruel.

When he came back to tell Atmananda about his decision, the saint said. “So, you are now ready to be with me. Good. You have come to terms with all your fears. You have conquered your fears of being alone, being naked, having to beg, and having to ask strangers. You have already conquered your ego to a great extent. Now, you are fit to be in my path. The path of pathlessness. The path of simplicity. The path of purity and lack of expectation. You are welcome to travel with me.” Saying this Atmananda started walking.

In the lap of a Grand Tradition...Life Eternally Flows....

Manav found that he no longer had any anger in him. No feeling of humiliation. In the 10 days of living the life of a beggar, he had faced many harsh realities, which had smoothed all the sharp edges of his character. He had many experiences which helped him to see life from different angles. It helped him in his detachment towards life. He started respecting everything, every being. He started seeing value in everything. He started respecting food, clothes. He started seeing the difference in awareness of people. He started feeling the value of kindness and compassion. He started feeling and understanding the relevance of LOVE in the existence. So many changes in 10 days. He understood why so many people were following Atmananda. He understood the way in which he was imparting knowledge. Practical training and complete annihilation of ego. Thus Manav found his path of liberation. He knew that he would never be the same again.

Love YOU

M

Every Thought, Every Word and Every Action is offered as Sacred Water of Mother Ganga at the feet of the Great Tradition of Supreme Masters...

The Great Lord, The Avatar, The Supreme Consciousness...

Krishna – An Avatar born to demonstrate the depth of Divine Love to the world. An avatar born to preserve the dharma of eternal love. An avatar born to spread the fragrance of unconditional love. What an avatar!!! When man crosses the boundaries of duality, there is nothing but unity, bliss and divine love. The essence of bliss is love. Unconditional love. Lord Krishna represented that state of beingness, Being in Love with everything around oneself, because everything around is essentially oneself. When overflowing emotions turn into devotion, bliss happens. The devotee and the Lord become one. There is no seperation anymore. There is no God without his devotee and there is no devotee without the God that he worships. It is a relative existence. When the thin line of duality melts in devotion, eternal romance takes place. The true Ras Leela happens here. It is romance between the supreme consciousness and the limited consciousness aspiring to melt into the supreme consciousness.

The Unconditional Love of the Lord flows eternally...

The Non-Duality in Bhakti

Poonthanam - A Devotee Par Excellence..

In the small state of Kerala, located at the southern tip of India, between 1547-1640AD , lived a great Krishna devotee. His family name was Poonthanam. People called him by his family name. He lost his only child in an accident and this intense sorrow brought him into devotion towards the supreme – Lord Krishna as Guruvayoorappan. When the physical world around us falls apart through death and destruction, we spontaneously gravitate towards God. Krishna transformed his sorrow into Bhakti. He used to say: “When the eternal Lord,  ”my little Krishna”, is always playing in my mind, why do I need other children?” Poonthanam was a simple man, brahmin by birth (caste), a pure vegetarian and a humble, poor man. He used to spend his time chanting the manthras of Krishna at the Guruvayoor Temple, dissolving in Krishna Consciousness. The deity of Guruvayoor temple is Lord Krishna as of 8 years of age, in other words, it is “Little Krishna” indeed.

The Amazingly Beautiful Lord of Guruvayoor!

Guru (Brihaspati) and Vayu (Air) installed the idol of Lord Krishna, says the tradition. Since Guru and Vayu together installed the idol, the deity is called Guruvayoorappan. That means, the Lord of the land of Guru and Vayu. This place is also called “Bhooloka Vaikunta” or the Vaikunta (Lord Vishnu’s abode) of earth. It is also said that this is the same idol that Vasudeva, Lord Krishna’s father used to worship.

Coming back to our story, Poonthanam’s bhakti (devotion) was silent, but highly potent. Since he was quite unassuming at all times, wearing simple clothes and keeping to himself, people generally ignored him. Out of overflowing love for the Lord, he wrote in his native Malayalam language verses about the shallowness of our mundane existence, as well as praising the Lord. His work is called “Njanappana”.

There was another great Krishna Bhakta who used to visit the temple often. His name was Melpathoor Narayana Bhattathiri. He was a great scholar. Poonthanam approached the scholarly Bhattathiri to correct the mistakes of his simple work. Bhattathiri, being a great Sanskrit scholar, looked down upon the simple brahmin’s colloquial work and discarded it unceremoniously. The story goes that soon Bhattathiri was hit by paralysis and he prayed to Lord Krishna to cure him. Then he heard a voice from nowhere telling him: “I Love Poonthanam’s simple and pure Bhakti much more than your knowledge.” Bhattahiri repented, immediately called for Poonthanam, took his work in his own hands and corrected it the best he could. He thus got cured of the disease.

Narayana Bhattathiri author of Narayaneeyam. Bhakti (Devotion)Always is holier than the Knowledge and associated ego.

Another version of the same story says that, the night after he rejected the work of Poonthanam, while he sat to read out his own Narayaneeyam verses on Lord Guruvayoorappan, a little boy appeared at his house. A beautiful boy. Bhattathiri allowed him to sit next to him and started chanting. In the first stanza itself, there were mistakes. As he proceeded to the second and third, the little boy pointed out more mistakes. Bhattathiri realized that this is no ordinary boy and it must be Lord Guruvayoorappan. Immediately, he got up and prostrated at the feet of the boy. When he got up, there was none around. The little boy had disappeared!!! At that point in time, he heard the boy’s voice: “I like Poonthanam’s purity and devotion much more than your knowledge and associated ego.” Bhattathiri repented and immediately organised himself to correct the work of Poonthanam - which is called Njanappana or The Song of Wisdom.

Poonthanam wished to go to Vaikunth (The abode of Lord Vishnu) in his physical body, at the time of his death. Krishna granted him that wish. Then he requested Lord Krishna that he should also be permitted to take those who are close to him, to accompany him to the abode of Lord Vishnu. Every Guru and God melts at the requests of any true and sincere devotee. Krishna being the Guru of the Universe, could not deny the wish of a sincere and innocent bhakta. He agreed. Poonthanam knew the exact time of his demise. He told his near and dear about the time of his death and informed them that if any of them want to join him in his final journey to Vaikunth, to live at the feet of the Supreme Lord and enjoy his bliss (Vishnu Consciousness) and blessing for ever, he could indeed arrange for their journey in their physical body too.

Vaikunt, The Abode of Lord Vishnu..

Skeptical, intellectual, logical, egoistic and analytical as people are, everybody started mocking him. They said that he has gone insane. Some laughed at him as if he was joking about such a serious matter. One man asked him: “My brother, first of all, gross body belongs to the earth. At the time of death, subtle body leaves the gross and travels on its own. We burn or bury the gross and thus offer it back to earth. Only subtle body can travel upwards as it is not bound by gravitation. Moreover, in order to enter the realms of Lord Vishnu, which is even more subtler than the subtlety of our soul, even our soul is incapacitated to enter; or even our soul needs further purification to enter Vishnu loka. And you are saying that you will go there in your gross body!!! Are you crazy?” Poonthanam said “My brother, I do not have knowledge about these matters such as subtlety of soul etc. I know only one thing. I love Krishna. I trust Krishna. I have full faith in Krishna and he promised to take me with my body to His abode. And I am going. You are welcome too.” Everyone thought that he has indeed gone insane. Nobody took him seriously except his old house maid. She believed that Poonthanam is sane and is talking truth. She asked him ” Swami, will you take me?” Innocent Poonthanam said spontaneously: “Why not, all are welcome.” At the appointed time, as previously announced by Poonthanam, both himself and his old maid disappeared from where they were standing. Krishna kept his promise to His bhakta. Poonthanam carved a golden message in history, that nothing is impossible for a true devotee and also thus proved the depth of his devotion. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE for a true BHAKTA (Devotee). The Lord makes sure that a true devotee’s  minutest wish is carefully fulfilled!!!

All Beings big and small are part of the Lord.

What else can you give except Love to the world, when we need nothing from the world and our very existence itself is based on compassion? When there is no expectation, that space in mind gets filled with unconditional love. Expectation is the biggest treason for all mortals. It alienates one from the other. An Avatar of the stature of Krishna always existed only in the realms of Unconditional Love. “Me and my devotee are ONE!!!”

When we were born, the distance between us and our self was very short. We were very close to our soul. As we grew older, we traveled through the paths of karma far and wide. We even lost our way home or got caught up in the world of sensory pleasures outside. We even picked up habits and addictions which we cannot live without, and thus bound ourselves into immobility too! We forgot or ignored our real home, as we were too fascinated with the world external. We forgot our mother, our soul, waiting at home for us. We even forgot to recognize her existence, far away. But, all this while, we possessed the power to get back home in an instant, if we wanted to. But, with the entertainment outside, the winning and losing outside, the taste of terrestrial romance kept us occupied in the world of illusions and kept us busy.

When we come back home and connect to our own mother, our own Guru – our very soul, we see that we are one with the soul that makes the Lord too. We are one with the consciousness that is Krishna. Holding the safe hand of the mother, our soul, we could dissolve into the consciousness of Krishna and be one with that supreme consciousness always.

How can words explain the Love of the Lord?

I remember a story in this regard. Once a few Yadavas felt a deep urge to see Krishna who was living at the other side of the river Yamuna. They prepared tasty and colorful sweets out of cow’s milk which Krishna loved. They packed everything and walked towards the river Yamuna to cross over to see Krishna. When they reached the bank of the river, their hearts sank as they found that the river was quite swollen and overflowing. Yamuna was flooding. There was no boatman willing to take them to the other side. They were terribly disappointed. They assembled under a tree and discussed their next action. They all decided to go back home as there was no other option to cross the river. There was nothing else they could possibly do, with the current state of Yamuna, as the flood could possibly continue for more days. As they took a few steps, they saw a saint sitting and meditating under a big banyan tree. They decided to pay respects to the saint. They silently approached the saint, so as not to disturb his penance and gently sat in front of him, waiting for him to open his eyes.

About an hour later, the sage opened his eyes. It was Sage Vyasa. Vyasa looked at the people assembled in front of him and asked why they have come there. They explained their plan and their predicament. Vyasa asked “What is in this big bag that you are carrying?” They explained that these are sweets that Krishna loved. He told them to open it and show the sweets to him. When they showed him, he started eating them. The Yadava travelers could not object to it, because they knew that he is a powerful saint and they did not want to upset him. Finally, Vyasa, who seemed to be very hungry, consumed half of what they had brought for Krishna. Vyasa said, “I will help you to cross the river. Pack the balance and give it to Krishna.” Yadavas obeyed the saint.

Vyasa walked with them until the bank of the river and shouted: “If I have not eaten anything, let the river part.” Immediately the river parted and the travelers crossed to the other side. They were quite amazed with this miracle. A few minutes after reaching the other shore of Yamuna, they saw Krishna resting in a garden chair. They approached him and exchanged greetings. Then they apologetically offered the remaining part of the sweets that Vyasa had consumed, to Krishna. Krishna said “I cannot eat even one piece of it!!. Just now, I filled my stomach with the same stuff.”  Then the Yadavas realized the meaning of what Vyasa had uttered. “If “I” have not eaten anything, let the river part”. “I” is the egocentric entity. Vyasa is one with Krishna in consciousness. He did not take ownership of anything. He did not have “I” ness. So, when he ate, it was actually Krishna who was consuming, as they were one consciousness. The whole epic Mahabharatha is Vyasa’s work. When our consciousness merges, there is no duality in existence. There is only a pure and Divine Unity. The Yadavas realized that Vyasa positioned himself under the tree just to aid them, who are sincere devotees of Krishna, to reach Krishna. Everything was part of the Divine Leela!!!

Devotion is the highest of romance. A true devotee’s unconditional romance is equal to the highest cosmic romance. It has no comparison to the expectation-based terrestrial romance. Faith is the rope of steel that holds a devotee to the Lord. It is unshakable. Divine Romance is unshakable. If we can cross over from terrestrial romance to divine romance, our whole world will be filled with the sweet fragrance of pure love. We will not be bound or dependent on uncertain human relationships, which are always conditional and emotion-based. When we cross from this realm of emotions into the realm of supreme devotion, we will be purpose-bound and not expectation-bound.

Romance is universal. All saints are eternal romantics. When you cross into the realms of true bhakti, there will only be romance in our heart. We can only see God in every being and we romance the God in every being. Every object is God. We will love every object as representation of God. This is the truth too.

A Great Devotee in an Elephant's Body - Guruvayoor Kesavan

The romance of Lord Krishna knows no boundaries. He is a complete avatar. Several beings took birth as birds and animals to be close to the Lord, when He existed in His body. Many beings take birth to be close to the Lord even now. The story of a devotee in the body of an elephant is quite an example. (Many devotees offer cows, rabbits, birds and elephants to Lord Krishna at Guruvayoor, as a demonstration of their devotion.) The name of this famous elephant was Guruvayoor Kesavan. He was donated to Guruvayoor temple by the Nilambur Royal Family in 1916. He served the Lord in the temple for all processions, festivals and ceremonies until his death in 1976. Even his death was on the auspicious day of Guruvayoor Ekadasi, the day when devotees observe fasting, (refrain from eating food) for the sake of attaining Moksha or Liberation from the birth – death cycle. The elephant also observed fast that day and turning towards the temple, looking at the temple, with his trunk raised as if saluting the Lord, he left his body and attained his Moksha. It does not matter if it is human being or an elephant. Love conquers all. Eternal love unmistakably flows from the Lord to all beings, who are receptive to it.

Love is eternal. Love is Divine, when it is unconditional.

Live Love. Breathe Love. Exist in Love. Remain in Love Always

Love YOU

M

All Divine Beings are Eternal Romantics. When Love Overflows, You see your own reflection everywhere!! HARI OM

Aum Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevayah

Kaayena Vaacha Manasendriyaivah

Buddhyatmanavat Prakrthe Swabhavat

Karomi Yadyat Sakalam Parasmai

Shree Narayanayeti Samarpayaami

_/\_

Through the Obscurity of TIME, Eternal messages Shine Forth...

Swami Atmananda Chaitanya was a wandering monk who lived in India a few centuries ago. He never cared about any of his identities and corresponding details such as date of birth, place of birth, name and stature. Many people followed him in his seemingly aimless  journeys – some out of curiosity, some out of faith. He never stayed at one place for more than 3 nights and, irrespective of the climate, he always continued his journeys without fail.

During one of his journeys, he reached a city close to a great river revered by many. He and his entourage stayed near a big Shiva temple. In those days, usually outside the temples, there used to be shelters for wandering monks, provided by the local rulers free of cost. They also provided two meals a day.

Gratitude and Surrender Get Expressed as Temples. Deities Happen...

Many people knew Atmananda because of his constant journeys and presence in many places. So, naturally, many people came to see him to take his blessings. That day, the local magistrate and his wife were visiting the temple for worship. They saw an unusual crowd in front of the temple. The magistrate sent his attendant to check what is going on there. He came back and said “there is a famous saint sitting at the pillar. People have assembled to take his darsan and blessings.” The magistrate and his wife decided to take the blessing of the saint, as it is customary in India to respect saints, even though one may not know their identity or the system they follow. This tradition continues to some extent, even today (This could also be the reason why so many criminals and “un-saintly” people wear the robe of saints and cheat the authorities and people even now. Those who fail in every other areas of life, escape into saffron (the color of the clothes that denote renunciation) too. Many seeming saints are escapists. This is the truth of our society. You may not agree with this point. It does not matter. Kindly read on…) .

The magistrate and his wife came to where Atmananda was sitting, and prostrated at his feet. Atmananda blessed the official and said: “You have prostrated at my feet today. Next year this time, you will come to the same temple with a baby boy.” The magistrate and his wife were surprised at how this Swamiji knew that they were childless, even though they have been married for more than 12 years!!! The magistrate was overwhelmed by this spontaneous prediction. He went and explained that day’s event to the Collector of the City, a British man called Stephen Howard. The top position of the city was that of the Collector. Stephen was a good and kind man. Well educated and full of respect for his foster country and its culture. He wanted to meet the saint and took off to do that, without further ado.

Our Past Creates our Present. Memories get erased. We fail to see the eternal lineage and swing between happiness and sorrow...

When Stephen reached the temple premises, the crowd had already increased. Being the ruler of the city, he was given way and thus soon arrived in front of the saint. Atmananda looked at Stephen and said: ” Your color belies your inherent nature. An Indian born in England!!!” Stephen did not understand anything. Atmananda explained about Stephen’s past birth in India and his lineage from his past family(the family he was born to in his last life)  till the current generation who are alive in the family of his last life. And incidentally, Stephen had met these people whom Atmananda was talking about, after he came to India. And surprisingly, he had felt a strange familiarity and affection towards them, as if he knew them from the past. He gave some of them jobs in government departments and thus ensured their proximity to him. Now, everything made sense to him!!! He was indeed an Indian!!! He still has a heart full of love for India. This was his home!!! He was so fascinated with the British and their ways in his past life, that he took birth in England in this life, but, came back to India with the heart of an Indian. He felt at home in India.

Atmananda asked, with a knowing smile:  ”Who are you?” (Stephen had not disclosed his identity as yet)

Stephen replied with extreme humility: “My name is Stephen Howard.”

A: “That is your name. My question is who you are.”

S: I am the Collector of the city. Mine is the highest position in the governance of this city.”

A: “That is your job. My question is, who you are!!!”

S: (Confused) “Well, as you know, I am from England and on deputation to this city, by Her Majesty’s orders.”

Atmananda laughed aloud: “You still do not know who you are!!!”

S: (More Confused) “Well, I am a lawyer by profession. I have B.A in Administration as my qualification. I am the second son of my parents who live in England. I have two brothers and a sister.”

Atmananda laughed until tears came from his eyes:” HA HA HA HA……… You still did not tell me who you are!!!”

Stephen surrendered. He bowed down and requested Atmananda to save him from this embarrassment and give him the answer to the question.

Atmananda said: “You are neither your name, nor your position, nor your qualifications. Neither are you the relationships that you mentioned just now. All these add up in defining your existence in this life. You are beyond all these. Most of the things that you mentioned are transitory and temporary. They are all relative terms. You are trying to understand your existence in relative terms. But, your existence is not that. You are beyond your nationality, color, qualification and position. You are an eternal soul!!! That is what you are!!! You are eternally flowing through many bodies that you have assumed over life times. You are what you are, during your waking time, dreaming time and time during your deep sleep. All that you assume is in relation to something. While in the waking state, you are a husband in relation to your wife, a son in relation to your father, a brother in relation to your sister, etc. All these identifications dissolve completely when you enter your deep sleep state. You are everything and you are nothing. Your whole existence is in relation to something. You have come to me for this understanding. I bless you. Go in Peace.”

Stephen was spellbound. He stood there, literally spell-bound. He felt that something exploded in his spine. A kind of awakening that he had been waiting for, since birth!! Deep gratefulness welled inside him. Tears flowed from his eyes.

When Man Walls Himself from Nature, When He Stops Listening to The Heartbeat of Mother Nature, Calamities Take Place...

Atmananda then turned towards a group of farmers who had come to see him, completely ignoring Stephen. Atmananda had no fancy for power or people of power and position. He had nothing to do with terrestrial hierarchies. He addressed the farmers.

“Ignorance is not a virtue. Learn the ways of the earth. Apply that knowledge for the benefit of all. Respect nature and her subtle expressions, but never timidly surrender to it. Never surrender to silly emotions, nor exploitation. Surrender to the will of God expressed through mother nature. Accept the will of God with extreme humility. Share selflessly with others and survive during tough times. Sow when the climate is favorable. Reap when the fruits are ripe and ready. Follow the seasons. Never cut a tree that has not fully completed its life and willingly ready for the axe. Worship trees as they are great saints. Never destroy them insensitively. They are benevolent to the whole world. Leave the forests alone and do not farm in the forests. Forests are for the birds and animals who inhabit them. Stay away from forests and do not disturb the wildlife. Co-exist in peace and harmony with all the birds and animals. Build your house with matured stones. They can weather storms. Live in peace and harmony and never disturb the nature - ever.”

Many people had offered Atamananda fruits and he distributed some of them to the poor farmers. They departed with a deep feeling of fulfillment. Stephen watched this with amazement.

To the Police officer who had accompanied Stephen, Atmananda said: ” Thieves and robbers should be punished, otherwise, society will move in the path of anarchy and lawlessness. No violence should be entertained. No contamination should be allowed or accepted. Destruction of public property should never be allowed. Nobody has the right to destroy anything. If the law is enforced, without violence towards the people, this country will prosper. Any country or ruler that exploits the helplessness of its people will undoubtedly perish. Exploiting helplessness is a serious crime. Society will crumble. Children will rebel. Prevention of crime as well as preservation of law are serious matters, which require a lot of sensitiveness and dare. It takes a heart of compassion to enforce law. It takes humility and conviction. I bless you with that.” The officer bowed down in extreme humility.

Laws Should Breed Peace and Liberation in the Society, Not Slavery and Bondage...Society Living in Fear Will Collapse by Itself...

To a prostitute who was in the crowd, Atmananda said: ” Divine woman, you are serving the society. Because of you, your sisters of this city are enjoying peace and security. Because of women like you, other women can walk freely, without fear even at midnight. You are like a candle. You are burning yourself for the society’s well-being. Because of you, lonely men are satisfied. The society trapped you and pushed you into this. You have been sold by your own kin. You are burning inside and you crave for a normal life of a woman, which you cannot. No woman will want to be in your position of such helplessness. Yet, your heart is pure. You mean no harm to anyone. You have no hatred and feeling of revenge against anyone. Your heart brims with kindness and love. I Bless You.

And, the society is satisfied. Because you remove the frustrations of lonely men, the society is cleaner. I bow to you, Divine Woman.”  Many could not contain their surprise at these words. Stephen, who was listening to this told to himself:  ”How true. The age old profession and how much it is contributing to the balance of the society!!! Mental balance of people will certainly reflect in the balance of the society because society consists of people. This saint is calling a prostitute “Divine” !!! It is time I change my perspectives. Everything in the society is Divine!!!”

Everyone Serves the Society in their own way. Some Burn themselves to give Light to others..But, They are never remembered!!!....

A businessman came and prostrated at the feet of Atmananda. While he was getting up, he saw Stephen standing there and naturally gravitated towards him. He tried to bow down to Stephen, who avoided him in embarrassment. Stephen thought: “Even in the presence of the holy man, this fool is commercial-minded. He is trying to make bridges with me, not caring about the saint and His blessings.” Atmananda, as if reading the mind of Stephen, addressed the rich businessman: ” My beloved watchman, I believe you have reached a wrong destination. Are you sure you are at the right place?” Suddenly the rich man pulled his attention from Stephen, looked at the smiling saint and prostrated at his feet again. “Dear Watchman, these feet have no commercial value. I believe you are wasting your time.” The businessman felt embarrassed. He thought that Swamiji has mistaken him for a mere watchman. He told Atmananda: “Swamiji, I am not a watchman. I own the biggest jewelery, restaurant, garment shop ………. and I also feed the poor in the temple.” Atmananda laughed aloud. He laughed and laughed. The businessman became completely white with embarrassment.  All people watched with amusement. Laughter brought tears in the eyes of the saint.

Greed Breeds Corruption. It contaminates the entire society, shakes its integrity and leads it to doom...

Laughter is contagious. It spreads like wild fire. The whole crowd except the businessman started laughing. Even Stephen could not hold his laughter. When the laughter subsided, Atmananda asked the businessman to sit down. “My friend, you have come here because your servants told you that Stephen has come to see me. You have not come out of faith in me. You have come to get closer to Stephen which may increase your business prospects. Then, why are you pretending? You think you can fool me? I can see through you. You are a watchman of your own wealth. You have no freedom. You are over-possessive. You do not give any freedom to your workers either. You are treating everyone as slaves, including your own family members. Even though you have a lot of wealth, you never pay your staff on time. Not only on time, you always deduct from their salaries, blaming them falsely for some mistakes. You do not enjoy your life. You have no peace in heart. You are constantly worried about thieves. Your heart is filled with fear and anxiety. You do not sleep. Money has given you sleeplessness. Even the chicken in your house sleeps better than you, despite the threat that you may kill them any day!!!. You greedy man, your children are also suffering because of you. Your whole family suffers because of you. You think that by paying money to God, by conducting elaborate rituals every year, you can relieve yourself from all the sins that you commit everyday. NEVER. God has nothing to do with your lifestyle. You have alienated yourself from God. You are making your own life miserable and your family is also in chains. They will suffer further. You can get nothing from me. You are a filled-up cup. Empty yourself from your ego and attitude and come to me. I will fill you up with wisdom and understanding. When you empty yourself, your life will begin there and then. You will stop being a watchman of your own wealth and family. Remember, all that you consider as yours will come with you only till your death. You will depart alone. Death will forcefully detach you from everything. The fire will burn your body into ashes. Then, you will be just a handful of ash. A life of greed will ensure an end in grief. Greed, envy, Jealousy, ego and all such terrestrial emotions will lead to sorrows and diseases. Beware.”

After a short pause, while all the others remained speechless, Atmananda continued: “Oh, foolish man. You believe that all are respecting you out of love. Nonsense!! People pretend their respect towards you out of fear, because through money, you have gained connections in high places. NOBODY loves you, including your own family members. They fear you. They pretend love. They are suffering. Even your children will rejoice when you die. They will definitely squander the wealth that you have accumulated through your selfishness, as liberation will create corresponding expressions, which are most likely to be wild expressions of freedom from tyranny!!! Sometimes, people who are chained do not know how to enjoy freedom when they get it. This will be the case with your family members. You will suffer more and more through your family members. Your eldest son is already squandering your hard earned money on prostitutes. Your daughter has many lovers. You will see that happening more and more, unless you shed your ego and attitude, and shift to benevolence and sincere, unconditional love. Move away, I have nothing to give you. Even if I give anything to you, you will not be able to hold it, let alone carry it. What I could possibly give you, is more precious than your whole wealth put together. You will not be able to buy it. This poor woman here is wealthier than you (He pointed towards the young prostitute). She has a rich heart, filled with compassion. She just took home a new born baby girl found abandoned in the waste bin, by her unknown glorious parents. Even though she is poor, she is taking care of this new soul too. Have you ever bought a meal to a poor man? Have you even thought about such an act of kindness? Haven’t you abused beggars and poured hot water on them, and drove them away? Haven’t you let your fearsome dogs on poor garbage pickers? Man, Your money cannot buy what I can offer. Do not waste my time, go away.”

Everyone watched this in pin drop silence. Nobody dared to move. The businessman sat there in awe as if he just saw a fearsome ghost. He was stripped completely in front of the crowd. His ego was annihilated unceremoniously. He fell at the feet of the saint and wept uncontrollably. The saint stood up. It was time for him to take bath and get into worship and meditation. It was already well past the afternoon and close to sunset. It was time to move on. Atmananda distributed all that he received to everyone assembled, and he walked towards the nearby river to take bath. Many followed him to the river. He quietly took bath and went into the temple for worship. A typical day in the life of Atmananda. Live in Peace!!!

Remain Blessed.

Love Always, M

The Boon of Deep Inner Silence is Hard-Earned, through Lifetimes

An Existence in Complete Surrender to Supreme Consciousness...

A baby is born. A beautiful Baby. Everyone is happy. Joyous atmosphere in the house. It overflows into the neighborhood. Visitors come to see the newborn. They congratulate its parents, bring them gifts. A new journey of a soul in a new body began there!!!

A small body was carefully created inside the womb of the mother. All organs were assembled properly. Nerves, muscles and veins were attached properly. The Spine was created first and then the other organs. Brain, heart, lungs and intestines were put in their proper place. The parents who took all the credit for the beautiful baby, had nothing to do with any of these. Divinity made everything. Divinity put everything in its place to accomplish a pre-determined journey and make sure it can withstand the wear and tear of the total journey till its karmic end. The product was also packaged well and everyone agreed that it is indeed attractive!!! What a brilliant craftsmanship!!! Everything in proper order!!! This is human life. Extremely perishable, but brilliantly beautiful.

The Beautiful Mind of the Creator and Perfection in Creation...

Each entity has its own beauty. Even a tiny ANT is specific. All are “hand-made”, with extreme care. There are no two products alike!!! Every package comes with a specific duration or, in commercial terms, Shelf-Life. Birth and Death are simultaneously decided. There are no surprises, no accidents. Karma is the contract, the shopping list. Body, mind and intellect must exist together as long as the specified Karma is accomplished. When karma is finished, the body is terminated. There is no tragedy attached to it. There is no belongingness to earth. There is nothing to cry for. There is nothing we can own. We are just like tourists here.

The child’s parents had nothing to do with the child’s karma, or the shopping list. They had no clue. They never decided their child. Assuming ownership, they started taking decisions on the life of the child after it was born. They refused to accept that they have no role to play in the child’s life, except to provide an environment for it to grow and express itself. That is it! Nothing more. They could not control its thought pattern or the usual minor illnesses that it contracted from time to time from the earth. They had no clue about its natural tastes and inclinations. They did not know anything about the child, even what it will become when he/she grows up. They did not even know if their pretty child will behave in the standards of an angel or a devil upon growing up.  They tried their best to cram the child with various kinds of conditionings - social, family, community, religious, etc, etc. Child accepted some, discarded some. Sometimes it rebelled. Sometimes it surrendered. Thus, the child expressed its own conditionings that it brought forward from past lives and fine tuned them with some of the newly acquired ones. Parents foolishly attributed its qualities and characteristics to themselves and their ancestors.  Nobody knew the real truth, the third dimension of the entity at hand!!!

Every soul that walks the earth must pay a rent. Same way, when we rent any space, we must pay for it. We are renting the space on earth, quite temporarily, to exhaust our karmas. We must pay for the space that we use. This is the debt that we owe to the Mother Earth!!! We walk on the earth as if we own it. We do not. Nobody does. We are only temporary custodians. We will pass on and someone else will walk over the same space on earth. While living, we must pay the debt in order to exit smoothly. If we do not pay our house rent, the landlord will get us arrested. Likewise, until we pay the rent that we owe to the Mother Earth, we will keep coming back. Earth will arrest you and bring you back. Debt usually breeds more debt, sometimes with compound interest. So, each visit will cost us more.

The only way to pay our debts towards the Mother Earth is to serve its children selflessly. Social service or self-less action of any kind, will relieve you from the accumulating dues. We must remember this always. This is why some religions insist on regular, compulsory social service and paying a portion of their subjects’ income for the welfare of the poor. Compassion and sincere expressions of kindness will help clear the dues for sure. Talking and sharing opinions will not help. This is also for sure. Hands that help unconditionally are much holier than the lips that pray.

God needs nothing from you. God is self-sufficient. Do not try to bribe God either. He needs none of your rituals too. You have formed the rituals only for yourself. This was your effort in identifying the God aspect within yourself. All the rituals and spiritual practices including Yoga, Pranayam and meditation are your attempt to reach God. He is not outside of you. God is within you. If your spiritual practices cannot take you inside yourself, discard them. They are only another burden for you. And remember the golden rule of travel – less the baggage, more is the comfort in your journey.

 The Precious Time

Destiny is equal to the original shopping list, the agenda for existence. Time is precious. Time is specified. Agenda is specified. Where is the time to rest and procrastinate? Karma is exhausted in three states - the waking, dream and deep sleep state. Where the waking state cannot reach, the dream does. Deep sleep state reminds man of his real home, beyond his currently acquired identities.

Every pain and pleasure is part of the shopping list. The list that we have carefully or absentmindedly prepared during our past lives. God never interfered, just as your soul never interferes in your current life. It just provides the fuel. It is neutral and unconditional. Your soul and God are one. Both are unconditional. Body is like a rented house, rented for a period. Mind and Intellect are its operating tools, such as electricity and water. Time is precious. Postponement is a waste of time. Escapism is also a waste of time. Equanimity in pain and pleasure will ensure a smooth sailing. Acceptance and Adaptability are the key. Non-resistance is the method, because the shopping list is yours. You made it. You own it. You enjoy it. It is your life.

The Food of the Mind

The food of the mind are the sense objects. Mind’s sensors or sensory buds are our actual five senses. Minus the sense objects, the mind dissolves. Without food, the food sheath or the body cannot exist. Without procreation, earthly species cannot exist. Likewise, when the senses are in control, when sense objects do not lure us anymore, the mind dissolves. A mindless state is also a karma-less state. Mind is the operating tool of Karma. Our existence shifts to the dharmic mode, when mind dissolves and karmas vanish. We exist purely for the sake of Dharma. Duty towards existence.

The Liberated One Lives On Beyond Time and Space

The Secret to Liberation

Liberation is a state. By liberation we mean the end to the birth-death cycle. Liberation is a process. Entanglement is easy. It needs no deliberation. It happens by itself. Staying liberated requires extreme awareness, caution and equanimity over pain and pleasure, which includes physical and mental diseases. Liberation is the path of pathlessness. Anything regular binds us as the mind easily feeds on it. Any ritual is a binding. Any habit is a binding. Any relationship, with the associated expectations, is also a binding. Living it staying detached or unattached is the key. This means perfect witness-hood in all three states - waking, dream and deep sleep state. Detachment is not aversion. It is also not under-performance or escapism. It is a perfect action with 100% application without attachment to the results of the action. The essential agenda points for liberation are as follows:

A. Accept your life as it is, because you created it. Act out your karma, without resistance. What ever you are experiencing now, was your choice, consciously or un-consciously, probably the same way you are handling your life now. That means, a life of partial consciousness and partial unconsciousness. Luckily, all our vital functions are handled by our active sub-conscious mind, otherwise, we will forget to breathe or pump our heart; or will create a heart-attack out of stress due to these matters!!!!

Karma is happening, whether you like it or not. Each situation, event and experience of your life is formed out of it. Every thought, word and action, along with the glue of emotion, created your life, and is continuously creating further lives, right now, while you are at it. You have only your present to handle your karma. You can only do something now - tomorrow never exists in the now, and past is history and non-existent in the present. So, karma will happen whether you like it or not, the way it will happen in your present life, as per your individual experience level. It is up to you to accept it gracefully as a child of your own, or resist it and suffer the pains of resistance. Resistance also leads to further involvement, postponement and maybe an intensified experience too. So, might as well act it out now, in its intended intensity, without resisting. Who knows what is in store for you tomorrow, and who cares?

B. The Immediate Dharma. Along with your karma, which is the purpose of your existence, is the dharma, which are your inherent duties. They are often inter-linked and difficult to segregate. Dharma of a mother is to take care of the children that are born through her. The first is the dharma towards own family members, such as a husband towards his wife and the wife towards her husband. Likewise, father, mother, husband, wife, children, brother, sister, grandparents, so on and so forth. One should handle one’s dharma with utmost care and application. When each operates with kindness and compassion, we see happy families and happy families make happy society. For this, we should completely discard pretension and our expressions should become sincere and honest. When we do something, it should be with 100% application, devotion and sincerity. Dharma liberates man. Performing dharma to the best of one’s capacity certainly liberates the man and makes his life worthwhile. Regrets will vanish and guilt will not bind his feet like chains tied to the earth. Performing dharma in the unit level is essential for liberation.

C. Dharma towards the society. This is the third and final. When we also take care of the social needs within the best of our ability, we become completely liberated. This means, taking care of the poor and the needy, birds and animals, and the old and sick. Protecting the environment around our house, our street, the way we can. We are only temporary custodians of our property. We will leave it all here and go. We will carry nothing abroad, when we die. So, handle them carefully and return it to the landlord in good condition, so that your dues are in control. You will have to pay for all your indiscriminate thoughts, words and action. Remember this well.

When we are comfortable with our own existence and when we operate comfortably in all the three capacities, such as individual karma, individual dharma and the social dharma, without expectations or emotions of ownership, we will stay liberated while living.

From Gross to Subtle - choose your operating level

Operating Levels

The simplest operating levels are purity and faith. Purity in thoughts, words and actions. This also means self-less-ness in thoughts, words and actions. Faith in oneself and existence, and non-resistance, irrespective of our existing realities. This will make your mind like a shining mirror, without any dust or finger prints. The more shining the mirror is, the better is the image. No image stays in a mirror permenantly. It vanishes when the object departs. Mirror remains objective always. Mirror never follows the object, nor does it capture and store an image, even if the image in front is celestial. It stays neutral all the time. Likewise, if our mind stays completely unattached to any sense object, it stays liberated all the time. Senses will not be bound to any sense object either. They will enjoy and detach, continuously and consistently. Images will come and go, people and situations will come and go. We will be firmly rooted in our own existence and liberation.

All are individuals, sometimes operating on a collective level. This is situational. People come together for a purpose and depart when the project is completed. Emotions based on relationships make it painful to part. They also chain the feet of the being to the realms of earth and similar situations eternally. We keep coming back. Emotions are anti-liberation. We should feel, because we have the faculties to feel. We should act dutifully, but, we should never be “emotional” in a way that leads to procrastination and eventual depression.

Liberation is Bliss. Liberation is Unity, Spontaneity and Unconditionality...

Be aware of a fundamental truth. When a soul assumes a body, it operates within the characteristics of the body that it has assumed. When a soul operates in a lion’s body, it operates or behaves as a lion, fully. Every entity in the whole universe expresses such characteristics. A man is a man. An angel is an angel. None comparable to another. Within the commonness, there is diversity. There is unity as well as diversity. So, when an entity expresses itself in a human body, it expresses the general nature of humans including decay and death. It will express all the strengths and weaknesses of humans. None can be immune to the basic nature attached to a particular specie. When an entity, using the assumed body, evolves beyond the needs of the assumed body, it liberates itself. Still, it is a continuous process of constant vigilant attention, rooting firmly in one’s soul.

The mind-intellect-body will always lure the consciousness. When a man shifts from mind, intellect and body to his consciousness, depending on his levels of consistency, liberation happens. So, each entity has a common behavioral pattern of its own. Its  needs or requirements are also the same. A cow needs grass. It does not need meat. A tiger needs meat to survive. Grass will not suit its need. An angel operates in a plane in which it is supposed to operate. Its powers of operation are purpose-bound. Everyone’s operating levels are purpose bound. So, let us shed the idea that some humans of higher evolution are immune to the nature of humans. There could be a degree of variation. Basic nature of species cannot be changed. If nature need to be changed, the body and species should be changed too. When a tiger takes birth as a man, it will look and feel like a man, even though it may behave like a tiger at times. Yet, all the attached strengths and weaknesses attached to humans will be definitely displayed. Assuming any body will also mean assuming its nature and characteristics. Every body is bound by the usual processes of Mother Nature, such as wear and tear and eventual annihilation.

The Path is So Simple - If You Follow These Footsteps...

A Few Roadsigns on the Path of Pathlessness

• There are no do’s or don’ts. Just live a selfless life, without resisting, judging or criticizing oneself and others.
• There are no binding expectations, including expectation for a specific result for one’s word or action.
• Always operate rooted in the spine. Do not sway with fleeting emotions.
• Complete Non-Violence – in thought, word, action, food, as well as in all your other expressions.
• Respect and perform the individual karma as well as dharma (duty) towards own family and dharma towards the society, with perfect equanimity and zero expectation.
• Purity in thought, word and action. This also means perfect self-less-ness and equanimity in pleasure and pain. Serve selflessly. No discrimination at all, on any basis.
• Divinity is Simplicity. Lead a simple life full of love and benevolence. Always feed the hungry with what you have. Always protect the helpless, old and abandoned with what you have. See the spark of God in every being.
• Do not worry about what you do not have. Rejoice at what you have. Never compare yourself with another.
• Avoid anything that binds you, irrespective of whether the habit is positive or negative. If you cannot live without something, it is definitely a binding for you. This could be even a bed tea or a particular person. It could even be your Guru. It could be an alcohol addiction or even meditation.
• Live in the present. Act in the present. Keep time. Do not waste even a moment, because, time in existence is specified, measured and un-extendable. Do what ever your current tasks are – right now – never postpone or procrastinate.
• Understand all individuals as karmic beings. Everyone lives their karma. Each pattern is unique. Respect it.
• Never censor your thoughts. You are what you are. Accept yourself with all your strengths, weaknesses or “imperfections” that you think you have. In absolute sense, there are no imperfections.
• Observe. Be a witness to your own thoughts, words and actions at all times. You will stay liberated from all of it. Objective observation is liberating. Involvement is binding. Remember this always.
• Every being on earth has a definite purpose. No creation is by accident. Respect every being, animate and inanimate. Never disturb or destroy. Live and let live.
• Emotions, guilt and regrets are ropes that bind us to earth. Have nothing to do with it.
• Love is the most beautiful of all feelings. Express it unconditionally.
• Do everything with full application, sincerity and objective commitment. Never do anything absent mindedly or half-heartedly. Avoid all such actions. You will always be true to yourself and life will be regret free, ego free and fulfilling.
• In our path, Gurus are just roadsigns. Gurus are perfectly unconditional. They never bind a seeker to themselves. They never interfere in your experience or your journey. They never criticize, judge or censor. They are objective and truthful. Gurus never display their powers to attract and control. Gurus never demand anything from any seeker. Gurus lead a liberated existence and they lead the seeker to liberation as well.

Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu...

Wish You a Liberated Existence.

Love All – Serve All

M

Even Maha Kali leaves Karma Alone...

True Dilemma of a Goddess

Once upon a time, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, lived an avadhoota. As with all avadhootas, he was also dis interested in his bodily well-being and it gave him the status of a “mad man” in a society which believes in accumulation of wealth, corresponding social status and physical well-being. To mock the superficial society, and to teach them the futility of the repeated terrestrial existence, every day, this avadhoota used to push a big round stone up the hill and with great effort, before sunset, he would bring the stone to the top of the hill. Then, he would push the stone downhill and laugh at it rolling down. This action gave him the title “MAD”. While people were in a hurry to categorize him as a “Mad Man”, they did not understand the method in his “madness”. He was teaching the ignorant society a precious lesson about life. The stone represented human life. People work hard from birth till death to accumulate wealth and “secure” their life; and death takes it all away. At death, everyone leaves empty handed. All that they accumulate from birth till death, including wealth, status, rewards, qualification, emotions and relationships, gets annihilated and left behind. Nobody carries anything when they depart. The stone was a symbolic representation of life itself. The grave effort of building it up is lost in a second, when death happens. Everything gets undone, with physical death. The avadhoota spent his whole life doing the same thing and giving the same message to people. Unfortunately, as always, people only saw the obvious – the action, and not the precious message within.

The avadhoota had no house of his own and he lived in the village burial ground. Dogs and foxes appeared every night to devour unburnt flesh from dead bodies. They never bothered him. Like aghoris, he cooked his meal in the funeral fire or with the fire from the funeral (in India, dead bodies are customarily burnt, not buried). And after eating, he would sleep on the burial ground. He also did not have any work that earned him his daily bread, and yet, by “working hard” everyday by pushing the stone up the neighboring hill and then dropping it, he demonstrated the need to be active, for a larger purpose. He found his food through begging. If nobody gave him anything, without complaints, he would sleep with an empty stomach. Having food or lack of it never bothered him. A true renunciate indeed!!!

Kali Dances with the Souls of the Burial Ground...

The story goes like this. Goddess Kali and her entourage (which consists of fearsome Demons, Ghosts and Vampires) used to visit this burial ground on specific nights, such as Fridays or Tuesdays, to dance in the funeral fire along with the souls of the departed. This dance also signifies victory of death over life, i.e. the temporariness of human existence. So, when Kali and her dancing troop came to the burial ground, they saw a “human” sleeping there. Goddess cannot dance in front of humans. Human beings are of gross and  inferior existence, according to them. And, till then, no human being has survived seeing such fearsome spirits and Kali. People who have seen them have died out of fear. So, they decided to frighten the sleeping avadhoota. They made all sorts of sounds to wake him up. He did not even open his eyes. He was not enjoying the normal sleep, he was in samadhi state. Finally, he opened his eyes and got up. He sat there, watching the efforts of Kali and her team of ghosts, trying to put fear into him and drive him away. He watched their show like a movie and sometimes clapped his hands. Kali and her team got tired of this. Finally, Kali came to him and said. “Oh Man, I am pleased with you. No ordinary human can see us, witness our dance, and still be sane. You are no ordinary human. I am pleased with you. I want to give you a boon.” The avadhoota smiled and said “Thank You for your kindness. You and your team really entertained me. I am really happy. I do not need another boon. I am fine. If you are finished with your dance, please leave the place and let me sleep a bit more, before the day break. I have heavy work to do when the sun rises.” (Pushing the stone uphill and watching it roll down at sunset). But the mighty Kali insisted: “I have decided to give you this boon. You should tell me what you wish for.” After a lot of persuasion, he asked Kali: ” When will I die?” Kali gave him the exact date, place and time of his death. He said: “I want to live one more year.” Kali explained: “When a human takes birth, his longevity of life is pre-determined. He comes with the full karmic agenda. Nobody can tamper with it, including me. So, I cannot give you this boon.” He laughed, then thought for a while and said “OK. Then subtract a year from my life – give me one year less.” Kali said “I cannot tamper with your karmic life. Nobody can. Your destiny is well defined. Everything happens accordingly. The time, space, and the faculties are chosen and the experience is inevitable. You cannot cut it short and leave early. You have to move with time and complete everything that you came here for, before you exit.” The Avadhoota laughed aloud and teased Kali: “This means you do not have much power as you pretend to have. I do not need anything else. You may go.” Kali explained “Even the God Almighty does not interfere with the karmic agenda, created by existence. Existence creates karma, using the faculties. Unit souls that represent existence, aid it. So, units creates karma individually and collectively as they come together. The unit experiences singularly and collectively. Karma gets lead by itself. Bodies and minds happen based on Karma. The underlying factor is karma. Nobody interferes with Karma. It is the Dharma of Gods to allow Karma to happen…. I cannot leave without giving you a boon because I have offered you one. I am Goddess Kali and I have to keep my word.” Again the Avadhoota teased Kali: “Can’t you give me just one day of life more?” She said “NO”. “One day less”. Again she said “NO”. He laughed at her helplessness. The avadhoota humbled the Goddess. Finally,out of sympathy and not out of requirement, he pointed to his swollen left leg. He was suffering from a disease called “Elephantiasis”. His left leg was swollen and heavy. He told Kali “Did you see my left leg, swollen and heavy?” She said “Yes”. “OK, Shift it to my right leg and relieve my left leg. It has taken pain for long. Now, let the other share it.” Kali shifted his disease to his right leg, blessed him and disappeared with her entourage.

Remember, he did not ask Kali to remove his disease. He was not resisting anything that life gave him. He was just ridiculing the pomposity and resistance attached to our everyday existence. We become proud and egoistic with the feeling that we are doing everything and it is us, who move the world. The world is moving. Our powers are quite limited. Moreover, the avadhoota himself had the power to change anything, including his disease, if he wanted to. But, a real Siddha will never use any of His siddhis for self satisfaction or selfish needs. He uses it only for dire necessities and sometimes as an eye opener, to install or re-install faith in people. The detached life of an avadhoota is a true message to man-kind that is running after fleeting glories and paltry pleasures.

Burial Ground is a great place of complete justice. The rich and poor, the prince and pauper, all are alike in the burial ground. The eventual residue of the very rich and very poor is the same – a handful of ash!!! We apply ash on our forehead, as a reminder to others that eventually, we will become nothing but ASH.  This is meant to annihilate our ego, by reminding us of the eternal truth of perishability and unity.

Fire does not discriminate. It burns everything alike and still does not get contaminated. It stays clean. Water purifies, but gets contaminated. Air purifies and takes on the negativity. Earth also purifies, but gets contaminated. Fire purifies, burns everything into ashes, but, stays pure always.

Greed is Blinding

Who Will Share My Karma???

Karan was born poor. His parents were poor. They lived in a small town in the suburbs of the city. They could not provide him good education or even food and clothes. As soon as he completed his 12th class, his paternal uncle took him to the city. He stayed with his benevolent uncle, found a job and started earning even while he was a teenager. He was good at work and was quite loyal. He even skipped his lunch and worked to complete his tasks. His employer liked him, a silent performer, and thus he grew in his career, quite rapidly. A few years later, when he became well established in his work and was earning a good salary, his parents found him a native girl, and got him married. He was very happy with his marriage. His wife was a quiet and loving woman, who took care of his household chores without any complaints. They were a good match. Everyone loved them.

Years went by and they were blessed with three children, two boys and a girl. Meanwhile, he got an opportunity to go abroad and get into a job, which paid him many times more salary than his current job. He and his family settled down and again, he grew in his career, as well financially, rapidly. He became very rich. Meanwhile his father expired. He looked after his mother well. He invested in land, buildings and owned many establishments along with his best friends as partners and became one of the richest men in his home town. A smooth life of glory. He was happy and people were happy with him.

When he was 55 years old, he decided to return back and enjoy the fruits of his toil. He came back and started living in his home town. He had left his home town many years ago and he felt a bit alienated. But, money attracted people to him. He made many friends. Slowly, sycophants started spoiling his mind. He started getting into arguments with his partners and slowly took over most of the companies to himself. He used various methods to achieve this end. He became a completely different man.

The peer pressures of his home town made him a ruthless businessman. He took over all the distributed shares, by force, through threats or, in some occasions,  by paying off. Thus, he strengthened his position in the town. He stood for the local elections and also gained political clout. He became invincible. Along with politics, he entered into many corruption practices, bribery and “handling” of people who opposed them. Thus, a once clean employee became a totally corrupt  and dictatorial employer. People feared him, more than respected him. It was a path of “no return”. He kept walking unconsciously and in a way, helplessly.

One day, while he was leaving his office, late at night, he was beaten up by some people. He did have his driver and body guards. It was like an ambush, just outside his office, which was totally unexpected. They stabbed him in his stomach, broke his collar bone and ran away. He was immediately hospitalized. He had lost a lot of blood and was in intensive care for almost a week. Slowly he recovered and his state frightened and shocked his family and friends. One thing was clear – some people were affected by him so much that they want him dead. There was a big threat to his life.

When he was out of the hospital, when he could travel on his own, his brother-in-law took him to an old saint. His aim was to calm his agitated and shaken up mind. The saint looked at him and said: “You came empty handed. You will leave empty handed. What have you conquered?” Karan said: “I was a poor man. I became rich with my own hard work. Everything is hard-earned. I had to secure what I earned for my family and children.” The saint smiled. “Did the place, time and environment happen to you, or you created it?” Karan said “It happened to me. I used it.” Saint replied: “Good. Good understanding. What about your corresponding actions, which harmed many?” Karan said“I had to do whatever I did. The message had to be delivered loud and clear.” Saint: “What about the affected?” Karan was silent. There was no answer. The saint said: “They also decided to give their message loud and clear. That is what you are suffering from now.” The saint then said: “One more question. You are responsible for all your actions, even if the guidance was from others. Right?” Karan said “Yes”. Saint: “Just tell me, who will share your fruits of action, you may call it SINS?” Karan was shaken again. “Do you think your wife or children will share any of your sins? If you are doing everything for them, they should also share your sins, right? Will they?” Karan started crying. The saint consoled him: “Remember my son, Mind means dissatisfaction. Wisdom gives satisfaction. Depend on your wisdom. Mind means Greed. It always remains dissatisfied. It wants more. It wants more money, more power, more positions, status, food, wine, women, control….so on and so forth. If you get carried away, you will hurt others and you will harm yourself. Nobody can suffer your fruits of action on your behalf, except in a larger collective way. So, please share with others and sharing will bring you happiness. Hoarding will give you more anxiety. Go home in deep peace.” The Saint blessed him.

He came home and contemplated on the words of the Saint. He realized that nobody can share his burden and nobody will. He has to run his own life. He was born alone and will die alone. All that he accumulated cannot be taken with him. He cried for a long time. He distributed a lot of his wealth to poor people of his town. He started free schools for the education of poor children. Irrespective of caste and creed, he provided meals to anyone who came to his estate, any time of the day. He relieved himself from politics, distributed his business to his children, and plunged himself into charity.

Life gives rude shocks to make us understand certain inevitable truths. Those who understand will evolve. Those who resist, will perish further. This is the nature of life.

Believe it or Not...We Write Our Own Destiny!!!...

Love YOU Always

M