The predicament
It was in 1998 I remember very explicitly that my serious search for God and answers for perplexing questions became a frenzied preoccupation when after spending more than fourteen years with a spiritual group, I still could not figure out how God was to be found. I would attend and listen to the lectures regularly, was consistent and would spend many hours in serious thoughts trying to transform myself into a better person. But during those fourteen years I could not get to make out even once how to ultimately find God within oneself. After I left that group, one fine day I instinctively went to Aurobindo Ashram of Delhi and sat by myself in the meditation hall quietly. I prayed very fervently to Divine Mother that day to please divulge which is the most exact method to know God and where should I set off from here. I must have sat there for a few minutes subsequently after which I left the hall and visited the adjoining book store. I looked around the place and picked up a small number of books to find an answer for my lingering and haunting question – What is the fastest, surest and fool proof method to realize God in this life?
And it was after reading a few books of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, that I sifted and churned the essence of all the text that I read and discovered that the definite and surest way to find God within is by meditation. The revelation of the truth was further corroborated when in my sleep soon after, I had a vision of Sri Raman Maharishi of Tirruvannamalai who had a serene face with a gentle smile as though blessing me. On another occasion I got a darshan or direct vision of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa of Dakshineshwar (West Bengal) who was meditating in a temple with an idol of a Goddess with a red curtain behind her. I was very intrigued with these extra sensory perceptions and wondered what is the meaning of the puzzling events in my life. What is the significance of these dreams, I thought to myself. Very soon, all the saints’ views converged when I became fully aware of the truth that without meditating one can never be acquainted with and know what is God, its nature and how to communicate with that one Universal Force.
That’s how I started the initial steps at home when I would concentrate trying to stop my frittering mind by practicing meditation. It was my first step alone in learning that art and skill without any outside support system whatsoever. Although I must admit today that it was not easy for me to sit motionless in one place at that time. But once I understood that this method is the confirmed, safest and the surest approach, I was ready to struggle hard to discipline my body and the ever wandering and agitating mentality. Unless the mind became very still, how can one ever perceive the peaceful nature of God?
One may wonder how I spent so many years in pursuit of something yet not get to the core. Now fourteen years is a very long time in someone’s life to dedicate for a genuine cause and get nothing much in return. But I have no qualms about it because now I know and can tell you for sure what not to do in the spiritual journey if you have decided to seriously mould your present life and not go off target in this life also!!
Role of a Self Realized Guru or Gurus
Please note, if a spiritual teacher does not tell you at the outset that God resides right there inside you and learn to meditate to immerse in divine joy and bliss which is the real nature of God that clearly means that you have not yet met the omnipresent and universal spiritual teacher and Guide. Out of so many, it is just a handful Masters who can give you salvation through divine perceptions with their own power or shakti. They help us to overcome the load of past karmas of many lives by working out on themselves some of them and freeing us of the ill effects which we were supposed to reap sometime later. They tell us what is right and what is wrong for us in order to reap only advantageous effects. They also advise us about which specific actions and sadhana to perform in order for our soul to be liberated from fruits of past actions and to simultaneously create a bright future. We are helped and supported to exhaust the sanchit karmas which are the accumulated karmas of many incarnations. They disclose to us the hidden mysteries of life and death, reincarnation, laws of karmas, knowledge of the working of Nature on micro and macro level, secrets of human evolution and the key to this whole web mire of Maya or delusion. That’s how a soul can escape the grip and trap of delusion and inescapable harmful effects in the form of unbearable mental and physical suffering!!! That’s salvation of the soul when one can be totally detached and not be affected by Maya and most of the time be in uninterrupted Ananda!!!
The dangers
While the rest of the so called gurus have only a few temporary supernatural powers called siddhis and they usually pull the wool over somebody’s eyes!
On behalf of the wish of His Holiness and revered Sri Mahavatar Babaji, I am now about to throw some light on Kundalini Shakti for all the readers and his devotees simply for the fact that the world is filled with inexpert and inept counselors and advisers. As the subject is sombre, we will go a bit slow and step by step to begin with this issue. The forthcoming articles are condensed in nature and self explanatory.
Aim of spiritual practices or sadhana and preparation for Self realization
The main aim of Hatha yoga, Kriya Yoga or Pranayam is to awaken the dormant divine power in humans termed as Kundalini Shakti. This store house of creative and regeneration power lying unused for centuries in the lower abdomen should not be stirred up or roused with one’s own craving or passions since ill effects may be produced thereafter and the person may not be able to control them. This happens because tendencies of ego are not erased entirely from the subconscious mind or chitta of that person. The heart and mind of the sadhak should be first purified by tapas, penance and intense sadhana as per the guidance and instructions of self-realized Gurus and spiritual mentors. The safest way to stir up the inactive force is only through Guru’s wish and his Grace by Shakti Paat, transmitted through his/her sankalp or mere thought.
What is Shakti paat or tranmission of spiritual energies?
Shakti means force and paat means to fall. With only a mere ( sankalp) thought or will, the God realized guru can transmit his own divine power to rouse, open up the Kundalini Shakti where ever he or she is. It can also be transmitted with his touch (sparsh) with or without his presence and sight (drishti). Shakti paat can be done with three ways-through Sankalpa, sparsh, and drishti. In other words an enlightened Guru is capable to transfer his or her energies in a few ways like thought, touch and sight. Out of all these, the transmission of energy through the medium of sankalp or Guru’s will and thoughts is the safest way and the least trouble free. The guru chooses from his many disciples only those who are prepared and ready for enlightenment and liberation and whose last traces of residual shreds of ego accrued over many births called vasanas or egoism are remaining. And those who are not ready yet, either mentally or physically are not touched upon by the Guru because they will not be able to withstand the upheavals and uproar which may arise after shakti paat in the form of drastic life changes and situations, some very unfavourable and the others extremely favourable.
(Refer How to have lasting peace within our hearts-I)
The mind and the body, particularly the existing nervous system needs to be made fully prepared for further reorganizing and renewal of brain cells before and after the transmission. All along, the Guru plays a very significant role in this period of drastic transformation ensuring that the awakening of the storehouse is smooth and does not produce any complications specifically on the brain and the fragile nervous system.
First signs of awakening
The first signs of awakening of Kundalini Shakti in the recipient are -losing interest in non spiritual and worldly bustle and engagements, stability and clarity of mind, cultivation of intuition, clairvoyance, heightened creative abilities, reading other people’s minds, increase in sixth sense, less requirement of food and sleep, a sense of loss of body consciousness and experiencing extra sensory perceptions during deep meditation with the kind and compassionate Grace of Guru.
(After many years, I got an opportunity to visit Dakshineshwar when I shifted to Mumbai. In the temple of Kali Ma in Dakshineshwar, the view of the temple was identical to the vision I had years ago)
(Courtesy Google images)
(To be continued)