Mahavatar Babaji is omnipresent and all pervading. He responds to our earnest prayers and listens to the faintest voice that is whispered in our hearts when we call out to God, for self enquiry and for self-enrichment.
On Friday, the 4th of July, at the time of dusk, I stood with my hands folded in front of Babaji’s photo hung on the wall, and spoke silently in my mind, which in a way was a prayer. I whispered, “Babaji, I want to become like you. I wish to meditate more, in depth and duration. I wish to know more about God and His unfathomable Nature. I wish to serve God more than I do now. I want to spend more of my time serving God in whichever way I can. I want to aspire, I want to rise, Babaji.”
It was a very spontaneous act and came about without any deliberate act or premeditative thought, although I like to speak to the inner Power many times in the day. After doing this, I left the place and went about with the next job of the day- planning and preparing the meals. I did not have the time to think about this incident again until…
In the early hours of the following morning, I had a dream which had all the answers to my silent conversation with God. I saw that there was a three storeyed white house with a white terrace. Each floor was connected to the next floor through a flight of stairs outside on the left side of the house. Babaji was with me and he hinted with his right hand at me to start walking on the steps with him. We both began to climb the steps one by one and quickly reached the first floor. It was easy for me and we climbed further up speedily when at a point, on the second floor, I realised that my mind began to run in a different direction i.e. instead of walking up the stairs, my mind diverted to something else. I was aware that my mind was being pulled outwards but I brought it back and resumed going up the stairs again.
Quickly me and Babaji took a leap and covered many steps when once again, my mind got distracted and began to move in another direction. I became conscious of the bungling of my mind and I confessed to Babaji that my mind is running somewhere else in another direction from what I should be doing.
To this revered Babaji answered very politely,
“The main aim of meditation is this- that you should be able to focus and concentrate your mind continuously on God in depth and duration for a long time. The rest of the benefits that one gets out of meditation on God come along by the way as by-products. This is the main purpose of meditation”
So I immediately understood that I lacked deep concentration and that I must meditate more often to be able to stay on the thought of God for longer period of time. I have a lot of home-work to do, I realized and a long way to go! I have just begun my journey, I thought to myself!
After revealing a priceless pearl of Truth, Babaji gave me a helping hand and we both resumed the climb on the flight of stairs till we reached the terrace. The inner walls of the terrace were white in colour and silence and peace resided there!
Then after this I saw there was a temple of Mahadev, Lord Shiva where a sea of people were standing in a long queue. I saw a black Shivlinga in the main hall and the people were offering milk, water, coconut and flowers on the idol. They all had come there to ask God for all types of wishes to be fulfilled. I looked at Babaji and told him with an expression of disgust, “No, no, I don’t want all this. I want knowledge of God and Nature.” Babaji looked at me into my eyes and immediately we both left the temple.
After this something more took place, I had some more visions like a slide of pictures moving one after another which I do not remember very well, but I do remember what all Babaji had told me in my dream very vividly. When I woke up in the morning, its memory was still lingering in my mind which I recalled and noted them down in my register. I have arranged the text in the following passages for you to know dear. Please read this with all your attention and devotion.
The eternal truths are documented in the holy scriptures and Babaji is very gracious to have simplified them for me and also explained the life altering facts so that they are forever etched in my mind. He said- “In a nutshell, people can be categorized into 3 groups:-
1) The lowest type of people are those who ask God only for themselves. They always want but never give anything in return to others. They do not share at all with other persons. Such people are greedy and selfish in nature. They are ‘tamasic‘ in quality and nature. Majority of people fall in this category.
2) The second type of people are those who come to God or go to temples and ask for material prosperity and other wish fulfilments. Out of what they get, they give some of it to others. They are the ones who have many desires to fulfill so they give something to God and ask something in return as though trading. Such people are called Rajasik.
3) The third type of people are those who ask nothing from God for themselves. They only give. These are very few in numbers and such people are very close and dear to God. They are most unselfish and giving in nature, in temperament as well as in tendencies. They are saatvik in nature. So God gives them everything without their asking anything in return. In everything is also included peace, prosperity and salvation- Dharma, Artha, Kaam, Moksha.
Dharma- Dharma means the ability of the intellect to distinguish right from wrong. God will tell from within to such pure hearts what is right and what is wrong for them, which actions to do and which to refrain from. Such an intellect is Saatvik or Saatvik buddhi. The buddhi becomes purified by doing selfless karmas or actions. A pure buddhi can discriminate between truth and delusion, ignorance and wisdom, right and wrong.
Artha- Who am I? And what is the purpose and meaning of my life? These questions will form and arise only in the selfless soul. These types of questions will preoccupy the mind of the soul and he will not drift, not go astray and he will not get lost in the web of the illusionary blinding Maya.
Kaam– The seeker will search and find all his answers in knowing God. Once all his desires are fulfilled by God, he will be free from the bondage of delusion creating desires. God anyway fulfills all the desires of a selfless yogi.
Moksha– Finally, God will free the soul from all the bondage of endless desires and the Spirit will become free from all worldly desires and cravings. He will at last be at peace with himself and the world around him. He will live in this world but not of this world.”
Mahavatar Babaji then revealed a mantra to me which when repeated gives us peace, love, health, mental stability, harmony and liberation from all sufferings. It was-
“Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya.”
Om- the sound of God, Namo- I bow to you, Bhagwate- God, Vasudeva- All pervading God.
Literally, it means- I bow to you, the all pervading God.
This mantra is a beej mantra and can be recited, repeated or chanted at any time of the day or night, alone or in a big or small group.
- The chanting of this mantra has the power of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healing. It helps us in discarding bad tendencies dormant in the mind and in their place good tendencies and qualities are cultivated.
- The mind and body are charged with divine vibrations and our immediate environment is surcharged with peace giving spiritual vibrations.
- On special occasions and days such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries, death anniversaries one must allot twenty to thirty minutes aside and chant this beej mantra as it has liberating force embedded in it.
- Before the taking place of a marriage in the house, if the couple in their spare time chant this mantra continuously for many days, they will become spiritual partners and in future will help each other in salvaging and liberating their soul which is the aim of the sacred institution of marriage.
- When we are sick and need healing, we must repeat this mantra.
- If one’s end is close, chanting of this mantra makes the passage of the person to the other world easy.
- If we are caught up in some mishap, difficulty, accident or crisis we can overcome the situation and the difficulty will be surpassed by remembering and repetition of this mantra in our mind.
- In case of mental depression and other mental sicknesses, chant this powerful mantra. It will without fail give tranquility and peace of mind.
Mandira, just imagine how compassionate our Babaji is. He is solving the riddle of life for us in such an easy- to- understand and quick- to- do method. Our lives are today very busy and fast and we always say that how can I spare time for God. But Babaji has shown us the way in which we can become a karma yogi and also have devotion for God simultaneously. While our body may be busy with the daily routine work, our mind should be fixed on God. After all, it is the mind that perceives God. Silent chanting of this mantra can go on all the time at the back of our mind even in the midst of heavy duties. Uninterrupted chanting will silence the restless mind.
So start now, my dear repeat along with me- Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya, Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya, Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya….
(Refer to ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Sri Paramhansa Yogananda for more information about Shri Mahavatar Babaji. Chapter 33– “Whenever anyone utters with reverence the name of Babaji, that devotee attracts an instant spiritual blessing,” Sri Lahiri Mahasaya.)