My dear readers, as we are drawing to a close of segment-C of this weblog, let’s find out at a glance what the theme of the later part of this segment was. It comprises of a series of eight posts; they essentially relate to the requirements and difficulties faced by a striving seeker towards God realization. These eight posts convey about what the right sources of energy are to enhance the energy levels; what should be the consistent frame of mind of a seeker, why is peace so essential for him/her, how he should tame and control his mind in order to master the initial roadblocks on his/her path.
Next comes the role of a Guru, the Spiritual Master in a sadhak’s spiritual life. We all get initiated in some spiritual practices and practice them over a long period of time, yet we may not be satisfied with the results that we procure. Sometimes we are discouraged or even wonder why is success so elusive. Here comes the importance of a stalwart spiritual teacher who in minimum times catalysts the whole process of human evolution provided the seeker is ready to go by his words with complete faith and sincerity.
This post is dedicated to the one Spiritual Master who accelerated my spiritual growth after I surrendered to Him with all my faith and love some years ago. He unexpectedly arrived in my life as a sweet fragrance, as a gentle breeze, like a spectacular golden yellow moonlight which brightens up the sky amiably on a dark, dark night!
Once more, this post is again consecrated to my revered Holy Spiritual Master whose Grace fell on me during the most lean period of my life and it was because of Him that I resurrected from the ashes to the high states of the vast world of spiritual knowledge. Other spiritual sciences were laid open for me very generously! My persistent quest in life at that life stage was to decipher –
What is life? Why are we here? Why do we suffer so much? What happens after we die? Where do we go once we shed the cast of the soul known as body? What is liberation or Moksha? When will I be liberated? Who will liberate me? What is Ananda or divine bliss? What is karma? Why is it that our karmas bind us? How not to be tied up with the result of the karmas done by us? What will I become or what will my life be like once I am completely liberated from the effects of all my bad karmas? What inspires someone to do good karmas? What is Guru Bhakti? What is Ishwar bhakti? What happens when one is liberated? What is the state of mind of the realized soul or an illumined Soul? What is the nature of God? What is the relationship of a single soul with that of Universal Soul? What is Cosmic Consciousness? What is Universal Self? How to communicate with that Universal Self or God?? How does my life alter once I can communicate with the Universal Self??? And lastly the final question that I had to solve was – Who is my Guru and when will he come???
All these questions and many more were answered when my Param Guru, Shri Mahavatar Babaji made sure that I get to know these answers either directly from Him or other Gurus or some other sources of nature in this Universe.
My friends, I take supreme delight in being His direct disciple. Knowing and learning from Him has not stopped yet. There is so much more that my Divine Guru is capable of teaching me, but at the right time if my will and desire to know more is intact throughout. If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you will be quick to understand that the questions which were mentioned in the last paragraph by me are discussed in the previous posts and earlier segments. And the remaining questions which are still to be answered will be discussed in future articles to appear here. Hence we see that a wide spectrum of varied philosophical and spiritual topics have been covered up by now in a span of over three years on this spiritual blog. The other remaining fascinating topics related to Spiritual Sciences shall be touched upon soon in the next segment after I take a short break after the next post.
Knowing of Self and realization of God comes as a Grace from an enlightened Holy Master.
Before I attempt to discuss this topic, I offer my kindest gratitude and immense love for my Spiritual Teacher and compassionate Guru Shri Mahavatar Babaji with whose compassionate Grace I have been able to tread successfully so far on this beautiful path of my sadhana. Each day since the beginning has been so full of inspiration; I still eagerly await every day for more Divine revelations that are bestowed on me by my Gurus with immense bubbling child-like curiosity. I learnt a very beautiful and sacred mantra years ago and was quite mesmerized when I was delving into its devotional meaning in those days. I invoke my beloved Maha Param Siddha Sadguru with the same mantra today and I offer this rendition at His Holy Lotus Feet in His sweet, loving memory …
Dhyaanmoolam Gururmurtih, pujamoolam Gururpadam |
Mantramoolam Gururvakyam, mokshmoolam Gururkripa ||
Moksha, liberation from the bondage of karmas of ceaseless cycle of birth, life and death is not possible without the grace or Kripa of a Sadguru. The Divine Guru’s Grace translates into Moksha. If you wish to attain liberation, then meditate upon the image of the Divine Guru. If you wish to worship, worship the holy feet of the Guru. Each word that springs out of the mouth of the Guru is like a powerful mantra, obey those words with reverence.
For spiritual excellence – We need to have an expert to show us the path of God; it is mandatory. The path of Self Realization is arduous, long and full of twists and turns. It cannot be travelled alone and an expert is necessary to confirm the validity of the steps taken and also to remove the confusion and doubts that keep nagging the struggling seeker intermittently. Therefore, hold on to your path, don’t waver and be indecisive. In due course of time, the Guru dispels all the doubts and darkness that surrounds the Light of God in the aspirant.
To reap the harvest of karmas of many lives Bhakti or Devotional literature in India is replete with references to Kripa. Kripa is the concept of Divine Grace in Hinduism. Subsequently, it can mean grace, mercy or blessing. Grace is the ultimate key towards realizing the spiritual path of Self-Realization. It is reiterated in the holy scripture Yoga Vashishtha* too.
Significance of Guru Kripa– The sage Vashishtha gives knowledge of self realization and non duality to none other than the prince Lord Rama, who at that time was in a state of dejection, apathy and detachment. The scripture lays stress on Grace of a Guru for self-realization and Kripa, mercy of a Holy Master is considered to be the only way to transcend the bondage of life times of karmas. It is the only means to help us go beyond the effects of prarabdh karma or destiny chosen to experience during a life time and sanchit karma, a collection of all the past karmas.
We need someone to advise us what we should be doing during such times – ill health, mental struggles, lack of help from associates, during loss of wealth and honour, during confusion and mental blurredness, mental sickness, during death and dying, during loss of dear ones and the most important of all – during periods of prolonged darkness inside oneself because of absence of knowledge of Light and Truth which consequently breeds lack of bliss and faith. Nobody but the Guru stands by us as a mountain and deters us from yielding during those difficult times of ensuing karmas that we are reaping with so much difficulty and helplessness.
Therefore, have complete faith in the divine words of the sacred Guru. Have patience, take each step forward with faith and devotion and whatever situation you face in life, consider it as a prasad or blessing of God. Do not oppose or reject any situation; on the contrary, ask for mental and physical strength and peace of mind to tide over whatever the calamity and misfortune is.
Seek those who have mastered the art of meditation, those who have full faith and trust in the benevolent Spiritual Guru and you shall draw strength and trust from them. Remember, whatever happens to you, the Divine Guru is aware of it and will always hold your hand silently and whisper in your heart gently. Receive him, love him and trust him wholly. He has unconditional love for all of us no matter who we are.
Morning of 28th Aug’11
As I was sitting silently in a meditative posture, before my eyes I saw a huge Banyan Tree spreading shimmery rays of Light. I looked at the tree intently and found it quite familiar. Mentally, I bowed myself with respect as by now I have got pretty well acquainted with the identity of this tree. It was the same Banyan Tree which stands tall and strong in Shri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi. It is the very same tree about whom I have mentioned in my earlier posts also.** I saw the Light filtering through its uncountable leaves and felt so much relieved simply for the reason that I received vital life force from it once again during my meditation. Having received that special type of energy invigorating me, I thanked it generously and even before I could think of something more, the great tree spoke to me so very humbly, “You are very fortunate to get a Param Guru like Shri Mahavatar Babaji. It is because of your good karmas done in many past lives. Today I wish to tell and reveal to you something about Him once again. Shri Mahavatar Babaji is a sarvahitkari guru, one who does good for one and all irrespective of his country, religion or any other factors. He has been sent on the Earth with a big mission of eradicating ignorance from the inner recesses of minds of masses. Help yourself by taking His help in some form or the other and remove your ignorance generated over many centuries. Do good to each other by being his dedicated devotees, trust in Him and help his other disciples in any way that you can. In this way, the process of removing the ignorance of the masses will hasten up on this Earth. You also become sarvahitkari like Him. I bless all of you in all your spiritual endeavours, may God give you success.”
To shape our future The Guru is aware of our past lives and the potential that we carry within ourselves to shape our future lives subsequently. He is conscious of the type of nature we have and the possibilities that are innate because of our nature for future course of actions. Accordingly, he guides us for a much higher level of existence in future times to come. Without the grace of a Divine Guru hardly anyone can reshape their existing life and future lives positively.
To get help in God communion through meditations As a learner and novice in meditation, the aspirant gets initial success when he tries to overcome the fidgety nature of his senses and mind. However, the actual goal and success of meditation is when the aspirant is ultimately in due course of time able to connect to the thought or sankalpa of the Guru who removes all the traces and miscellany of desires and egoism only after which the channel of communication between the two is perfect. Besides this, the knowledge of the Supreme which is eternal and limitless, begins to flow towards the seeker. Such a high grade of spiritual evolution is never possible without the kindness, compassion and Grace of the omnipresent Spiritual Master.
If the spiritual seeker is perennially obedient, he or she has complete inner renunciation and if faith in his/her Divine Guru is complete and if they never doubt their Guru even in their subconscious or dream state for a protracted period of time, the real seekers are finally blessed by God for their impeccable devotion and trust. After this state, the Guru is commanded by the all pervading Shakti or God to open the last gateway of the seventh door of spiritual realm. The shishya or devotee gets sanctified and is blessed by the Divine Guru and the Lord of the Universe reveals Thyself in its full glory, beauty, knowledge and essence. The aspirant finally realizes the perfect state of being when his consciousness unites completely first with the Divine Guru and then with the Universal Spirit. He or she becomes one with the Supreme Force in a transcendental state.
Om! Poornamadah Purnamidam Poornat Poornamudachyate
Poornasya Poornamaadaya Poornamevaavashishyate
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om!!
This is a Vedic prayer from Isha Upanishada which means-
That is Perfect; this is Perfect
Perfect comes from Perfect
Take Perfect from Perfect
The remainder is Perfect.
Meaning-That Supreme Consciousness is perfect. The manifested Universe of matter of maya – of names and forms is perfect and complete. From perfection is born perfection. When fullness and perfection merges in That fullness, all that remains is mere perfection.
From Brahma we have come and in Brahma we shall dissolve.
We, as jeeva or individuals are Pure Consciousness or Brahma because we have emerged from Brahma. In Brahma, we shall merge again because whatever is Eternal and Perfect is Brahma and as we all have come from that Perfect Entity called Brahma, we shall unite with that Perfect and Complete Brahma. Furthermore, whatever remains thereafter is also Poornam, complete Perfection or Brahma.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om!!
The concealed meaning of the mantra-
Everything in this Universe or Cosmos has been created by the power of Brahma, the Perfect Entity and the Supreme Power. All emanates from Brahma and disintegrates into that formless Brahma.
The entire Universe or Brahmaand is created by the power of will, sankalpa of Brahma.
We too, have come from the Eternal Brahma. The ignorance of this knowledge when dispelled with the knowledge given by the Divine Guru merges our identity back again with Brahma, the Highest Reality or Truth. What remains behind us after realization of the Highest Truth is illusion in those people who lack this knowledge caused by the power of Maya created by Brahma. Therefore, this world or sansara is filled with nothing else but the presence of Brahma-in ignorance and knowledge, both.
Hence let us as real seekers, prostrate and consecrate ourselves to the Highest Power in existence and request for its benevolence to uncover the veil of all ignorance that covers our mind for aeons and experience that pure Joy and consistent Happiness, Peace and Divine Bliss contained inherently in Brahma.
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya! Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya! Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya!
A note- The white flower depicted on this post is a sacred Himalayan flower named Brahma Kamal. These flowers of the Himalayas are used as an offering in the hill temples like the shrines of Shri Badrinath.
Brahma Kamal is an exotic flower and blooms once in a decade at night for a few hours. Its fragrance is heavenly and pleasantly mild and it contains spiritual and medicinal values both. It is held sacred and auspicious in India because the mythological story behind it being that it is flower of Lord Brahma. One is considered lucky and blessed to see it bloom since it blooms only once in eleven years or so.
Seeing the two flowers bloom on a rainy night of 31st July, 2011 was simply magical – a very unique and surreal experience.The flowers radiated divine peace and tranquility. The petals were so pure and white, delicate and angelic they were, while the interior parts of the virtuous flowers were so very pretty and exclusive. They had a heavenly beauty and mystic aura surrounding them and I thought to myself- no wonder they are held so sacred and exquisite in India!
*Other related posts-
Commentary
Updated on 10.07.21
*About the ancient holy scripture, Yoga Vashishtha, author Sage Vashishtha, the Guru of Lord Rama
————————————————————————————————————————————————
6 major sections of Yoga Vashishtha
1.Dispassion (Vairagya-prakaranam) 2. Qualification and behaviour of seeker (Mumukshuvayahara-prakaranam) 3.Secrets of creation (Utpatti-prakaranam) 4. Existence (Sthiti-prakaranam ) 5.Steady calmness and poise of mind (Upashama-prakaranam) 6.Liberation (Nirvana-prakaranam)
4 Gate keepers into the land of Liberation
1. Shanti (peace) 2. Vichar (good thoughts) 3. Santosh (contentment) 4. Satsanga (holy company)
7 steps of Spiritual process
- Shubha ichcha (Deep longing and desire for knowing Truth) 2. Vicharna, (Contemplation) 3. Tanumanasa (abandoning of worldly thoughts, fixing the mind on that One) 4. Sattvapatti (attainment of Sattva, the Truth) 5. Samata (equanimity) 6. Prarthbhavani प्रार्थभवानी Steadfastness and impeccable stability of mind, every action is a prayer and offering to God 7. Turiya a stage when the seeker becomes Brahma aroodh, immersed in Brahma because of Brahmavidyarishtha, because of Brahma Vidya. Actions are not performed by his will or others’ will either. They are done by the will of God alone.
Key words-
# Role of a Guru for God realization
# For spiritual excellence, to reap the harvest of karmas of many lives
# Banyan tree Aurobindo ashram, Delhi
# Sarvahitkari Mahavatar Babaji
# The entire Universe or Brahmaand is created by the power of will, sankalpa of Brahma
# The actual goal and success of meditation is when the aspirant in the due course of time is ultimately able to connect to the thought or sankalpa of the Guru
# Om! Poornamadah Purnamidam Poornat Poornamudachyate
# Brahma kamal
# Yoga Vashishtha, Sage Vashishtha
So much information and mystic revelations in this post. Really wonderful. Thank you so much, Didi…
Simply cannot stop reading about Mahavatar babaji…….Hope every post contains more information about HIM 🙂
Will stay in touch and keep you posted….Take care, Didi….
Regards,
Rajeev
Yes, we are very fortunate that Babaji is allowing himself to be known, discussed and is also giving us so much spiritual knowledge alongside. Indeed we must bow at His Holy feet humbly many times in a day!! It is meserizing to know more and more about him.
You are always welcome!!
Dear Sarika Aunty,
Let me start from the post from where I missed reading your blog for many days again. I again went on a journey with myself especially to balance my professional as well as personal life, and after the arduous tread I feel very happy and satisfied on this auspicious day of Mahalaya. I have been through an extremely tough schedule at work for the last one and a half month but as I type this response I feel all the more elated.
It’s just incredible to read the positive vibes which a Banyan Tree – situated miles away from your home – can elicit and influence our mind’s strength in a positive way.
Also the mention of the flower – BrahmaKamal is awe-inspiring, you must have been the one among the luckiest to have viewed its blossom! Such small yet powerful encounter in our lives are a symbol from the Higher Self of their connectivity with us.
Just the way your Guru – Shri Mahavtar Babaji guides you through the uphill and downhill roads towards moksha the same way I make use of your articles as my initial Guru and whatever doubts are retained I ask you. Frankly speaking you have made spirituality accessible so that it can be appreciated and followed by more number of people thus creating strong positive vibes.
I wish you the best in your journey towards the Ultimate.
My All Time Best Regards,
Deepanjan
Thanks Deepanjan for your generous, inspiring words. I guess we all have to undergo and perform some difficult tasks some time or the other. No matter whether we communicate during those times or not, but the minds are connected with each other and hence we feel we all are walking on the same journey with our own pace. Hope you have not forgotten the lessons learnt, that’s important. No matter where you go or what you have been doing, irrespective of being inactive on the blog, remember some good things or a few lines from here and you are done, you are safe. Practice what you have learnt or understood from the teachings of the Great Masters from this blog during tough, hard or even tiring days.
I couldn’t agree with you more when you say that I was lucky to have witnessed the blooming of BrahmaKamal. I definitly feel it was God’s Grace on me because it is really a rare sight. I can only thank God for this, it’s sheer Grace…May God be with you forever. Sarika Aunty
Dhyaanmoolam Gururmurtih, pujamoolam Gururpadam I
Mantramoolam Gururvakyam, mokshmoolam Gururkripa II
Wonderful to read this—-” If the spiritual seeker is perennially obedient; he/she has complete inner renunciation and if faith in his/her Divine Guru is complete and if they never doubt their Guru even in their subconscious or dream state for a protracted period of time, the real seekers are finally blessed by God for their impeccable devotion and trust. After this state, the Guru is commanded by the all pervading Shakti or God to open the last gateway of the seventh door of spiritual realm. The shishya or devotee gets sanctified and is blessed by the Divine Guru and the Lord of the Universe reveals Thyself in its full glory, beauty, knowledge and essence!!!! The aspirant finally realizes the perfect state of being when his consciousness unites completely first with the Divine Guru and then with the Universal Cosmos. He/she becomes one with the Supreme Force in a transcendental state.”
Had never heard before of Brahma Kamal flower but last year after reading this post became aware of this sacred flower. There are so many things we dont know and so much yet to learn. May I be a student throughout this life so that I can learn more and more esp from the spiritual realms.
Thank you again God/ Masters/ Mom for creating this divine blog <3
– Remember whatever happens to you, the Divine Guru is aware of it and will always hold your hand silently and whisper in your heart gently!! Receive him, love him and trust him wholly. He has unconditional love for all of us no matter who we are.”
– The Guru is aware of our past lives and the potential that we carry within ourselves to shape our future lives subsequently.
– Such a high grade of spiritual evolution is never possible without the kindness, compassion and Grace of the omnipresent Spiritual Master.
– if faith in his/her Divine Guru is complete and if they never doubt their Guru even in their subconscious or dream state for a protracted period of time, the real seekers are finally blessed by God for their impeccable devotion and trust.
– From Brahma we have come and in Brahma we shall dissolve
My Humble pranam to ma…..
Dear Mom, Can you please tell us if there is any connection between Jesus Christ and Babaji ? Had Babaji helped Christ when he came down for his mission to earth or was
Christ , Babai himself ? Love and Gratitude <3
Mahavatar Babaji and Jesus Christ are both eternal and that that level there is no sense who is helping whom! There is only Love and regard for each being in the Universe!
I just remembered that in my childhood days my dad had taken me to tomb of jesus christ in Kashmir. I am curious to know mom, is that really where he was buried ?
Jai guru,
there will be janmotsav celebrations of Sri Paramahansa Yoganandaji at Mumbai from the 5 to the 8 of January 2017 with kriya Diksha ceremony on the 8 of january near the Yss temple at Wadala Ashirwad building mumbai .
Om !!!!
Jai Sat guru
Pranam Ma,
Kindly through some light on following paragraph-
“The actual goal and success of meditation is when the aspirant is ultimately, in due course of time able to connect to the thought or sankalpa of the Guru”
Koti Koti pranam to Ma and all divine Master’s.
Gratitude
Paripurna
Dear Paripurna, if you go back to the earlier segments of this blog, titles are Celebrate Life & Door to Heaven, seg A & B, you will find references where in my dynamic meditations, Shri Mahavatar Babaji used to advice that in my meditations I should increase its depth and duration.That is first stage which we all should try to achieve.
Next comes, stillness of mind. As we increase the depth and duration, our Spirit begins to unfold, Seg C Life Sacred. You will find posts related to stillness and invoking Peace within. Our Soul begins to unfold and there are articles like Who are we? this is in Seg C.
At this juncture when we begin to go deeper, more deeper inside our mana, we also have to finish all the last seeds of past lives’ karmas or probable manifestations of future. The seeds are lying in the antahkaran or unconscious mind.(Ref Rishikesh lectures which I gave recently 21-26/4/17) They have to be removed completely. Hence the segment ‘Our lost Rich Heritage’ in which I was sent to many places of my past incarnations. It was a time of Self Enquiry and Self Discovery. After seeing my glorious past, the latent power of will of Ichcha Shakti was invoked after which a new life began, Ref segment New Light New LIfe. This is the complete journey of unfolding of our Atman. Peace, Joy, Knowledge and Bliss are found in Atma or Soul.
At this junction, all sankalaps or personal wIll dies and we live all our days with the will of God and Guru. At this stage, when the complete unconscious mind is emptied out, there is no Maya. Hence the mind stays connected with the sankalpa or wish of God and Gurus. Only if we concentrate and meditate uptil this point that our mind is able to stay tuned in with the Universal Mind of Gurus and God; Ref segment-Truth in Light. All the Rishis began to communicate with me and you have read those posts. One of those post of Shri Bogarnatharji we did recently in RIshikesh-How to find God in this life.
This is the overview of this blog as well as the complete journey of a Soul in one life time if possible, when all the three layers of mana are shed little by little and its place come rays and Light of God & Gurus enter.
I spent a lot of time on your question so that all of you can now draw a mental map to navigate on this blog as well as in your sadhana.
Thousands of humble prostrations to the revered Gurus and God are not sufficient to thank them for making us complete the whole cycle of spiritual evolution of a human life!!
With endless gratitude to Shri Mahavatar Babaji, his param Gurus- Swami Bogarnathar, Swami Kartikeyan and the rest of the Chiranjeev or Eternal Souls to have spoken to me and making this world aware of their eternal presence in our Universe!!
Sada Natmastak charno mei unke…
Tumhari sada Maa
” Whatever situation you face in life, consider it as a ‘prasad’ or blessing of God. Do not oppose or reject any situation; on the contrary, ask for mental and physical strength and peace of mind to tide over whatever the calamity and misfortune is.”
Thank you God, all the Holy masters and Mom for all the blessings. Please forgive me if I have made any mistakes.
My dear Shahid, pleased to hear from you. Happy that you are following the blog these days. I will appreciate it if you will write a mail to me telling me about your recent developments and progress. God bless you. Mom.