Part-A As some of you may have observed, we have come quite afar on our journey of awakening and higher realization on this blog since its commencement three years ago. The last many posts in the middle of this segment-C about raising our consciousness are of higher order and value as they have endowed us with intense spiritual knowledge.

I am extremely grateful to the Mahavatar, our Param Guru- Shri Mahavatar Babaji to have revealed abundantly about the secrets of a yogi’s concealed powers with which he transcends the average human consciousness and elevates himself to higher divine perceptions. Some of those powers are Ichcha shakti, Sankalpa shakti and Kriya Shakti, the power of will, thought and action respectively. I consider myself very blessed to have discovered this remote ancient wisdom from none other than the greatest yogi and mystic of our times- Shri Mahavatar Babaji during my meditation. In fact, we have been endowed so tremendously that it is hard for us even to assess and measure the worth of it as there is nothing in this world that comes any close to this priceless gift! Once again I offer my profuse  obeisance to God and the great Himalayan mahasiddha, mahayogi Shri Mahavatr Babaji before I embark once again on this sacred path with this post as an offering at their feet!!

Part B- My dear readers, it is essential to get to the depth of the given wisdom as well as the maturity of those posts because they are packed with enriching spiritual knowledge. I think those precepts need to be elaborated and explained further at this stage in order to understand the buried wisdom fully. This particular post is an effort in that direction. Please also refer older posts now and again so that you maintain the continuing chain of all the articles. Although the main focus is on Kriya Shakti  today, nonetheless we are going to touch upon once again the three crucial concepts that were mentioned earlier- Ichcha shakti, Sankalpa shakti and Kriya Shakti.  Furthermore, I anticipate that these posts should pose a few questions in your mind so feel free to ask and I shall be gratified to explain them to you. We now begin.

The power and capability of doing more work than normal is directly dependent on our thought power- the sankalpa shakti. This implies that our working and performing capacity also termed Kriya Shakti, is directly related to our sankalpa shakti, the thought power. One’s power to be able to perform additional work, more than the normal capacity of a man actually originates from the mind, from our thinking.

The more superior and higher our thoughts, the more energy we have in our mind.

The longer the time we are able to stop our mind from drifting and roaming in the physical and sensory world, the more our mind will be consigned to the Force of God and we will possess more power to do beneficial actions.

The longer the time we are able to fix and revolve our thoughts, sankalpa around God, the more energy we have and the more actions we can perform. Consequently, the quality of our actions is also of high order.

To put it explicitly, we will possess extra ordinary working power if we secure our mind around the thoughts of God for longer duration of time. The state of our mind and subsequently our working capacity are co-related and interdependent. Hence we can say that- As the mind, so the actions -Jaisa mana vaise karma. In consequence to that, it is thus derived that out of power of thought sankalpa shakti  is born the power of actions called kriya shakti.

The power of thought –Sankalpa shakti  rises from the power of will – Ichcha shakti.  Only if you have a will to do something that Cosmic energy will start flowing in you. Will creates energy in the mind and body. The flow of Pranic Energy, the vital energy is directly related to the power of will in a man. Extra  prana in a human body enters and begins to flow only after the man’s will. The flow of prana has a relation to the power of will of a person. If you exert and initiate an act of will in you, the vital energy commences to infiltrate the body.

Positive thoughts of the Divine have Cosmic energy present in it. If we constantly think of God by being loyal to Him, we are automatically recharged with Cosmic energy time and time again.

Cosmic Light has Cosmic Energy in it. During deep meditation, if you are able to connect to the Cosmic Light, you will be recharged with very powerful vibrations of healing, nurturing as well as for performance of well-being acts in the world.

(Please refer these articles- The role of power of will in a seekers life I, II & III for comprehensive information on power of will)

So if you wish to serve, live and work for the Lord, if you wish to make your present life divine, if you wish for peace and happiness, then keep your mind (sankalpa) at all times on God in one way or the other. And by the Grace of God, if you are in tune with God most of the time, the life tribulations will be sorted out by the divine step by step and our life will become less complicated, blissful and sweet!

We perceive God in our mind manas.

When our mind strays or roams about aimlessly, when it becomes ungraceful and peace is lost, it slips down and we become perturbed and anxious. It is at this time that we face the real problem and botheration. It is the disturbed state of mind in which the individual tends to make erroneous decision and unsound steps.

Once the mind becomes steady with the senses in full control, immerse such an unblemished mind in the ocean of divine ecstasy and bliss. A firm, stable and peaceful mind can immerse in God!

Bhagwad Geeta ch 2 verse 58

Yada sanharte chayam kurmoanganiva sarvasha:I

Indrayaniindriyayartheabhyastaya pragya prathishthaII

Translation:

When like a tortoise, which draws in its limbs from all directions, the yogi withdraws his senses from the sense objects, his mind is stable.

Tani sarvani samyamya yukta aaseet matpara:I

Vashe hi yasyeindrayani tasya pragya prathishtha II (61)

Therefore, having controlled them all and collected his mind one should sit for meditation, devoting one’s heart and soul to Me. For he, whose senses are mastered is known to have a stable mind.

                Om Shri Keshvaya Namaha:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          (To be concluded)

A peek into next post- Karmas are of two types-gross and subtle. Managing, controlling and riveting the subtle thoughts on one point or at a centre is a subtle act or karma which ultimately increases our working power- the Kriya Shakti.

(Karla Buddhist Caves, Karla near Mumbai)

He said to me, “The power of will or Ichcha shakti is the driving force, the initiative force present in all of us. In normal world it is useful to start and initiate a goal, a purpose, a mission or any other task.

But for a seeker, the role of will power or ichcha shakti is much higher than one can understand or acknowledge.The bondage of recurring cycles of birth and death can never be broken by any soul unless he or she has a will to do it. Even God’s help or grace comes to us  when we create and initiate that will in us to free ourselves. The soul spends lives after lives reincarnating groping in the dark without any spiritual wisdom and growth if he does not initiate and use his latent power of will.

And those seekers who are already traversing now will reach a stage when they do not make substantial growth. Those seekers if they search for answers within, will recognize that they have yet not had the desire or the will to move up and step up their spiritual efforts and hence they are where they were times ago. Therefore, if they now kindle a desire, a blazing will not to dwindle or languish, they must in moments of stillness and calmness express their will to Omnipresent God.”

( from post – The role of ‘ power of will’ in a seeker’s life-I)

The time taken by any seeker or learner to accomplish and complete his spiritual duties and obligations is entirely dependent on the extent of will power possessed by him or the will generated by him within himself. It takes as much time as he decides to free himself.

(from post- The role of power of will in a seeker’s life-II)

After reading this, some of you may think, “How can I cultivate a strong will power to liberate myself? Is it possible, can I do it?”

The answer is- Yes, it is possible for those who want it.

How?

By being dedicated in your pursuits relentlessly. God is pleased with those disciples and seekers who are totally one-pointed and committed in their spiritual pursuits after which they are granted all types of assistance and aid- both spiritual and material, that are required to liberate themselves while performing their worldly duties. Therefore perform your worldly and spiritual duties with one-pointed dedication and sincerity in order to Grace of God fall on you.

The stronger the will to free oneself from the shackles of unending birth and death, the faster the work of emancipation. If the will to free oneself is extremely urgent and unbroken, if aspiration urge is blazing, liberation is hasty with the will and grace of merciful God. Life is altered, life-situations change and the work completed in minimum possible time for such seekers.

Determination is also required to pursue this long path of salvation and it should be possessed by the serious seeker. And lastly, as mentioned before, one pointed concentration in achieving  the goal is essential.

                                 Om Sahana Vavatu

                                 Sahanau Bhunaktu

                                 Sahaveeryam Karavavahai

                                 Tejas Vinavadhi Tamastu

                                 Maa vidhvishavahai

                                 Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi!

 Om! May God protect us both, the teacher and the student,

May God nourish us both,

 May we both acquire the capacity to study and understand the scriptures well.

May we work together with energy and vigour,

May our study be enlightening, not giving rise to hostility,

Om, Peace, Peace and  Peace!

This is peace mantra from Taittariya Upanishada of Yajurveda and invokes peace for both- the teacher and the learner. It also advocates a sense of oneness amongst fellow-beings. It should be sung whenever collective learning takes place by the student or the Master.

Foot Note- The first picture is of Karla Caves, ancient Buddhist rock cut monasteries and caves about 2000 years old. They are 120 kms from Mumbai in the Western Ghats on a mountain. In the complex is also one more worth seeing thing and that is the temple of Ekveera Devi, revered mostly  by  the Kolis or the fishermen. This temple is said to be made by the Pandavas when they were in exile some 5000 years ago.

The last photo is significant in the sense that to find a ficus tree in a desert is not common. This particular tree has enormous roots and looks determined to hold on to the ground with those roots in order to live in spite of opposing harsh climate. Just to see how strong is its determination, have a look at these pictures!

 Also read ‘The power of praying intensely’ to know more about how it is we who decide whether we wish to free ourselves or not. Without our will and consent, God does not initiate the whole process of liberation.

Part A

My dear readers, in one of my previous posts recently I had mentioned that henceforth I will write articles as my spiritual diary which you can peek into.  However, this trend has to be discontinued now as some of our friends are communicating via email and their answers now and again are better answered here on a wider platform through a detailed posting as this will benefit a number of people on the net.

This post unlike the previous is explanatory and not exclusively instructive in nature. By giving my personal examples, citing anecdotes of pilgrimage and also wrapping up with some exclusive moments of meditations should make this post useful in many ways to all those who are pursuing their high spiritual goals. It is heartening to see the sustained, swift progress of many of you. I pray to God and the Divine Gurus to bestow their blessings now and in coming days without whose help it is not possible to get applause in our accomplishments.

This topic is also presented in three parts like many others; the first one being the introduction of an intricate spiritual concept and the following elaborating on the same. Please read it first in parts and then as a whole. Once the series get over, assimilate the whole concept by visualizing the infinitesimal and subtle thoughts, then apply them in your inner life to make  spiritual thoughts and divine perceptions.

Quoting from ‘The  state of Super Consciousness-I’  There are three types of power that a man possesses in his consciousness.

Ichcha Shakti or the power of one’s desire

Sankalpa Shakti or thought power and

Kriya Shakti the power to do actions.

First comes the Ichcha Shakti. It is the power bestowed upon humans to initiate an act. Without this power, the force to initiate and start an action does not come into play. The stronger the desire or ichcha shakti, the more possibility for the actions to manifest. Desires should be positive and constructive in nature. It should be used to promote only positive developments in oneself. They should be cultivated and enhanced by practice of concentration and positive affirmations. One must be cautious not to put this ability to a distorted goal. It should not be used for incorrect, detrimental or unsound goals. For example Bhishma Pitamaha in Mahabharat story had the boon of dying at will. If he had used this boon before the Kurukshetra war, there would have been no war in all probabilities. Duryodhana would not have fought this war because he was depending on Bhishma Pitamaha to kill Arjun, the infallible archer. As no one could kill Bhishma Pitamaha and he was a great warrior, Duryodhana’s plan was to kill Arjuna through Bhishma Pitamaha. So Ichcha Shakti should not be used for mischievous, detrimental as well as vicious acts.

Sankalpa Shakti – This word is also used for determination many a times. Sankalp here means the rise of a thought, the power of thoughts. Every thought that is born is like a wave in an ocean, and has its magnetic power. It draws to itself positive or negative circumstances. The more positive our thoughts, the more power we possess and vice versa. Attention should be paid by us every time we think and to our quality of thoughts. We should discard the evil, bad and weak thoughts. In their place cultivate and nurture positive, constructive, creative and healthy thoughts.

King Drupad of Panchal vowed to kill the man who was once his best friend, Drona out of enmity and hatred. Hence he wished for a son who would one day grow up and kill his enemy. He performed a putrayeshti yagya to beget a son for this purpose. Such detrimental thoughts should always be destroyed immediately.

Kriya Shakti– Kriya means to do, shakti means power- the power and force to perform actions. Some people have more energy and force to work than others. The reason for this is that both the body and mind of such people are robust and healthy and they are in tune with nature’s powers. Such people not only perform better than others but they also produce better results in shorter duration because of their kriya shakti.

All the three shaktis are divine powers only but its uses are different. We need to become aware of these three latent powers in us. These shaktis push us to move up in great strides on the spiritual path and we are transformed quickly. We need all these shaktis as we progress our way up. They should be cultivated and increased by the practice of concentration and meditation.

Part B

On 27^th April evening and 28^th April morning meditations and even on the night of 27^th April  before I fell  asleep, I  had a strange experience. After shutting my eyes, immediately I was in a very fast moving automobile which was racing on an unending road. This went on for a few seconds until I was in a dizzy like state. Strangely I was applying my force to surge the vehicle ahead as far as it was possible and I was using my force so that the vehicle should not stop.

Yesterday as I sat down quietly to contemplate after I got ready in the morning, as soon as my eyes closed I was again running down fast on an unending road but this time I stopped and had reached a place. As I stopped at that point, very old memories of my childhood of age less than four were revived. I recalled a few interesting things which nobody knows about and it had no meaning or significance had they not been interpreted by none other than His Holiness Shri Mahavatar Babaji in my present meditations. The yogis perceive inane and normal incidents of our lives as remarkable or special because they can read into our character so well. So when my very early childhood memories were evoked, these incidents surfaced on top. The memory of all these episodes was lying dormant in the deep layers of my mind for many years. After reviving them with the grace of Babaji, I am viewing ordinary day experience of a child as something note worthy. They were-

• I used to go to my paternal ancestral house years ago in holidays and I can recall incidents and episodes of time  when I was three years or little older than that. We used to have great fun with cousins and siblings by going up and down the stairs, railings and ramps. The house was very big and breezy. The rooms and kitchen were on first floor while the ground floor was used for other purposes. I had heard from my grandmother that once upon a time we used to have a horse carriage and my father used to have his own horse to ride when he was a young man.

The stairs were many and I remember running up the house stairs faster than my capacity like the ‘big people’ did. I used all my strength to reach up faster than others.

When I became eight or ten years old, I loved riding  horses and was very comfortable sitting on its back. The desire of doing fearless acts continued when I used to fantasize riding fast horses, driving motor cars, bikes and trucks and even flying an aeroplane! This was my favourite daydreaming activity even till I was a teenager and obviously no one knows till this date about it!

At the age of  ten or so, I dreamt of earning and making it on my own and had a great desire to run away from house so that I could create my own life depending on none. In other words, I dreamt of being absolutely independent and self reliant as soon as possible. I hated asking help from anybody and wanted to do things all by myself without any assistance.

• Our ancestral house was near a flowing river which would get flooded in monsoon. The south-western part of the house was extremely windy because of the gushing wind coming from the river. The door of the guest room in that area would get slammed with a compelling force because of wind and sometimes it could get unsafe for us. We children, who visited our grandmother in summers or weddings were always warned to be careful with the forceful slamming door on windy days and nights. When I was around five  years old, I would open and shut the door with all my force visualizing myself as an adult and could manage to hold the door firmly without squeezing my fingers between the hinges and the door. I still remember the times when I had to go inside the room, I  applied all my strength opening the tightly closed door as the wind from the river which came gushing in from the verandah- courtyard would not allow it to open as it exerted pressure on the back of the door.

•  There was a domestic helper called Gopal who would come home in the morning on a cycle. He would cook, clean and do all the house work. I remember him coming home riding a bicycle everyday after which he would park it near the entrance. I wanted to ride his bicycle and be like him. As I could not do it because I was too small then, I would go near the stationery bicycle and with my one hand rotate the pedal fast and enjoy seeing the spinning wheel and its spokes. I would derive immense pleasure in riding a bicycle psychologically instead of doing it physically and would repeat this exercise mentally when nobody was in sight so that I would not be stopped by the elders in the house or by Gopal for that matter.

• When I was in kindergarten, I had a wonderful time. I adored my Kindergarten teacher who was very loving and understanding. She dealt with me patiently and poured out all her love and attention on me. She looked after me very well like a mother would do for her own child. Miss X left an irrevocable mark on my tender heart and mind. She kindled in me an unspoken desire of becoming a caring and loving teacher. In future, when I have handled age groups of four and five plus in school, a character was already shaped and a mind moulded silently because of that desire which was born decades ago. I have only become aware of it now.

In my recent meditation when I reverentially asked Mahavatar Babaji what I should write in the upcoming posts, he gave me some quick glimpes of my early childhood once again which I have just narrated. At the age of nine or ten when I was either reprimanded or prevented from attempting to do tough things like cycling for four to six hours with my cousins and brothers in summer vacation mornings, they were actually good signs of Ichcha Shakti or will power I was told by him. I was quite relieved to know that my childhood traits of accomplishing were positive and healthy in nature and my pursuits were not a case of stubbornness or just being a ‘tomboy’ as I was called then.

After some moments, Babaji gave me the outline of this post and gave these useful tips for all the spiritual seekers. His advice for which we are always so grateful should be followed so that we review ourselves from time to time and add some charge and spark to our sadhana and in life in general.

He said to me, “The power of will or Ichcha shakti is the driving force, the initiative force present in all of us. In normal world it is useful to start and initiate a goal, a purpose, a mission or any other task.

But for a seeker, the role of will power or ichcha shakti is much higher than one can understand or acknowledge.

The bondage of recurring cycles of birth and death can never be broken by any soul unless he or she has a will to do it. Even God’s help or Grace comes to us  when we create and initiate that will in us to free ourselves. The soul spends  lives after lives reincarnating groping in the dark without spiritual wisdom and spiritual growth if he does not initiate and use his latent power of will.

And seekers who are already traversing now will reach a stage when they do not make substantial growth. If they search for answers within, they will recognize that they have not yet had the desire or the will to step up their spiritual efforts and hence they are where they were a long time ago.

Hence if they now kindle a desire, a blazing will not to dwindle or languish, they must in moments of stillness and calmness express their will to Omnipresent God.”

In addition to all this Shri Mahavatar Babaji made me understand that it was my sheer will to see Mt. Kailash from close quarters that I could reach the summit in freezing climate during my pilgrimage. Had it not been because of my enduring will inside, I would not have been able to make it uptil there. It is not only the physical fitness that was required to reach the higher altitude but it was the will to do the impossible feat that drove me to the hilt.

(There is one more related post ‘How  to increase the power of your will?) for consideration on the same topic)

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Updated on 02-02-2020

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Morning meditation on 9/4/11.

I do not know what good I have done to earn this Grace but I do know that this kind of experience is gained when God is very pleased. Such experiences are rapid in momentum and take its own time to disclose its relevance and meaning. I am so full of gratitude and content today. Such moments are always so welcome for a seeker and I look forward with great zeal for their reoccurrence because they tell us much about the mysteries of the Alchemist, the Great Lord!

I got to meditate after a brief lull yesterday but to my surprise at the very start I had a vision of Mother Earth. I saw the Earth from far away as if I had gone up very high in a space shuttle as soon as I had closed my eyes. The Earth looked very small like a tiny globe or sphere from where I was.

And as I came down approaching the Earth, I saw its surface with green patches of vegetation scattered sparsely which was visible to me – the onlooker.

I instantly hoped that I should not see any grey or black patch over the Earth as I had seen earlier in meditation(Refer post Thought Power-I) When I saw an image of dark grey clouds over the Earth some days ago, I had never anticipated that it was a prophesy and it was the island country in the far east which suffered one of the worst natural disasters after a jolting earthquake. I wished and prayed at once that there should be no more affliction and misery for so many people. Oh God! not again please.

After my prayers, I slipped into a short spell of comforting peace and savored every moment that followed. I began to speak to God, “God, you are very sweet, you are very loving, very endearing. The more I know you, the more I love you. I get more and more drawn  to you as each day passes as if you are a giant magnet and I, a piece of small iron. Your attraction power is irresistible, Lord. Please pull me more and more towards yourself so that I get to know you even more. Shower your Grace over me, my Lord, my humble request to you today. Please give your enchanting love and ecstasy” Speaking out my innermost feelings around that time put me in some other world where there was no gloom or distress.

I again had a vision of Mother Earth from far away after which I prayed to God once again,” God, let there be harmony, co-operation, love and peace amongst us. There should be no room for animosity or conflict amongst your children and may I always give out loving and peaceful vibrations to whomsoever I meet or know or not know. And then in a flow I began to chant this Sanskrit mantra with devotion-

Om Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, Sarve santu niramaya…….

I became effervescent and so joyous that words are not sufficient to express myself. There is so much power in our prayers, more so during our meditations.

After mellifluous joy, effulgent rays of Divine Light entered every pore of my existence thus giving me a shower of divine bath. So soothing, so very comforting… Is this Atma santushti?

Peace followed and captivated me for the next few moments.

Next, a communiqué was established between me and God in the form of soliloquy.

A gush of Vedanta knowledge was given to me without my asking and I was submerged in its sweet ecstasy!!

S- “Who deserves enlightenment?”

G- “Those who suffer in this Maya, illusion and who after many incarnations take shelter in God. God directs them to their predestined Guru, who is a recipient of God’s incessant Grace.” 

S- “Why does man reincarnate repeatedly?” (Read Why is Atman difficult to know?)

G- “Because the thinking power of man is abysmal low and he does not improve the power of his thoughts.”

S- “Why does man not improve his thought power?”

G-“Because man’s existing thought power is already so low. Based on his present poor thought power, he creates new karmas which hurl him down further and hence in this way there is no way by which he can be raised. But God is concerned about us. God is always anxious and eager that somehow we must rise in Atman, in Spirit because God cannot see our suffering.”

S- “And how does God help us?”

G- “God helps us indirectly since we are not ready and prepared to connect and deal directly with Him. Those souls who are awake in Spirit, who are called our Spiritual teachers and Masters, God communicates through them. The Masters illustrate the Divine Path because they are always in unison with God.”( Also refer ‘The power of praying intensely’)

S- “How does the Guru help us?”

G-“The thoughts or sankalpa of the Guru are in agreement and unity with God. They have unlimited force in them. Whenever someone with a clean heart, with a pure feeling sends out a prayer or appeal or a humble request to God, that prayer or request after touching God, first of all reaches the Divine Guru. The Guru after God’s approval sends out divine thought vibrations which travel in the Universe. The thought waves in Cosmic Consciousness are acknowledged by us if we are prepared. So, establish a strong bond with the Divine Guru with your mind and then establish yourself in Atman. Their powers will give you profound peace and you will become very strong in mind and deeds. After this happens, the seeker begins to think on Universal level and does good for the Universe. In this situation, God is very pleased with such souls.

Jan kalyan Vishwa kalyan,  srishti kalyan, vriksha aaropan, Vishwa shanti ki prarthana se Bhagwan bahut prassan hota hai.

With prayers sent out for the world’s welfare, planet’s well being, for peace and happiness for all, acts of afforestation, God is extremely delighted. Without even asking for anything in return by us, God gives us everything in abundance, all our desires are nourished and we begin to touch new heights in spiritual growth and improvement.”

Foot notes:

The Vedic prayer for all mankind is-

Om Sarve Bhavantu sukhinah

Sarve santu niraamaya

Sarve bhadrani pashyantu

Maakashchid dukh bhaag bhavet

Om shanti, shanti, shanti Om…

 Brihadaaranyak Upanishad 1.4.14.

Translation

May we all be happy,

May all be free from disease and enjoy health and freedom,

May all possess good luck and prosperity,

May no one suffer even on dark days,

Om peace, peace, peace…

Soliloquy( suh.lil.uh.kwi)

-A speech in a play when a character speaks his thoughts aloud when alone or regardless of hearers.

Spiritual knowledge in many Upanishads are questions and answers between the disciple and the sage, his teacher. Aniket means soliloquy and when our soul speaks to Universal Spirit in silent communion, it is called Aniket.

Conclusion- Praying and meditating have enormous transcendental powers. Tapping the Higher sources with them   increase our own thought powers profusely.

A little after midday on 10^th March, in a period of absolute relaxation and complete tranquility, my consciousness was elevated. I experienced enduring calmness since my morning meditation.  Therefore, I made up my mind not to let go of this graceful attainment which is so hard to hold on to.  So, I left my mundane jobs and came to sit in my room. I sat on my bed, the eyes closed willingly and comfortably.

In just a few fleeting moments, I felt waves of profound peace sweeping over me from the sacred Mt. Kailash in the Himalayas. I saw it standing magnificently with snow fully covering it in white till the top as I sat on my bed contentedly. Its soothing and pious vibrations were familiar to my heart and soul. I gently detained all that was coming my way.

Before I could fully absorb the divine rays coming from the Himalayas, I subsequently had a mental picture of a turquoise blue lake shimmering like silvery rays. The serene waves of the tranquil waters created a peaceful environment inside me and I felt my consciousness raising higher. I grabbed every bit of those placid waves eagerly and was careful not to miss a single blessed moment. Peace is precious, so very precious. It is fragile in nature and one must learn to hold on to it; it comes with practice.

As I was engaged in embracing the delicate, flitting peace coming straight from the higher regions, I saw a dreamlike white bird in the water of Mansarovar in my inner view. It was made of ethereal components. I tried to look at the bird carefully and saw that it emitted rays of joyous peace. Its mere sight and thought brought me closer to the utmost levels of exposition. It moreover filled me with more calmness and yet more calmness. The magical bird started getting ready to flap its wings to lift itself up to fly while standing in the waters. I tried my best to go on looking at it as long as I could as I grasped that what I was seeing was very exquisite. I never saw such a heavenly sight before. I looked at the white bird once again earnestly and it stopped pushing itself up, though it flapped its wings once and eventually it became immobile. It stood still in the blue waters there. I became more curious by this time when…..

I perceived that the white bird was standing in the waters of Lake Mansarovar with Mt. Kailash as its backdrop and it was Brahma Muhurat time, an auspicious time 4 am and little later after that. The colour of the sky was cobalt blue. The peace that I felt looking at the imagery was like our rising at very early morning hours sometimes. It was a soundless morning with no soul around, just me and the sacred mountain, the lovely lake and the white surreal bird on an extremely calm morning! The experience was so splendid that when I slip back to it, I wish to go again to that celestial world mentally. I acknowledged that I got all this with the blessing of my divine guru. Everything was sublime, uplifting and so heavenly!

A voice came from behind and uttered these cryptic words- “Hansa, sukhsagar, Mansarovar.”

Instantly, a verse of saint Kabir’s composition ran across my mind. I comprehended that the myth of a white swan in a lake is an analogy – representative of our Spirit and Lake Mansarovar is representative of soul – peace. So when we attain darshan of Atman, we experience sublime peace. I could understand just this much and the next two days that followed were full of serenity.

If you ever go to Lake Mansarovar in the Himalayas, you will get to hear many mythological stories. It is believed that if one visits the holy lake before dawn around four o’clock in the morning, a white divine swan from the astral world comes to drink the sacred waters of the lake. Rishis and munis always long to have a glimpse of this sacred site though just a few lucky people get to see it.

Swami Nityananda of Ganeshpuri gave me my next lesson when he very sweetly explained, “To increase the power of your thought, remain peaceful all the time. Peace is achieved when we do noble and pious actions. When evil or inharmonious deeds are performed, the guilty is punished with unhappiness and cheerlessness. Joy is derived by doing good deeds. Besides, actions performed consciously with a noble vision leads a soul to higher awareness and clean consciousness. Actions performed with powerful thoughts of nation building, looking after the needs of all the people, of environment and ecology of one’s nation and world, taking consideration and care of all living beings will produce and generate new power to your thoughts.

If you do powerful new karmas today, progressively your mind will get stronger and more powerful as each day passes.

Very strong and positive mind will create a new shrishti, a new world for you. If more and more people do pious and generous actions, the collective thought power of the world will increase many times. The mission of all the saints is to increase the collective thought power of masses in all nations and it begins at individual level.

You initiate this act from today. As one’s sanchit karmas are extinguished with the grace of God and the gurus, the power of thoughts increases manifold. All the shakti of the manas or mind should be oriented and focused in doing only selfless actions – nishkam karmas. The power of nishkami purush is so much higher and has more potential than others. The results of our actions are in God’s hands. When we decide and dedicate all our pious actions to God, God and our Gurus are extremely pleased and give us more shakti, their power to do nishkami karmas. Thus, each good action is born with a good thought. Increase such good thoughts and also increase the power of each thought by meditation daily.

Meditation leads to contemplation. Contemplation leads to Self-Enquiry which in turn leads to Self Realization and Self Transformation.

Strike a balance between meditation that is- self transformation and practical life that is-actions. To increase your thought power you must do both, both are essential for your inner growth and progress.

The gurus will tell you how to solve the riddle of this complicated world as one is always puzzled at its bewildered state. Do not be afraid of taking a variety of experiences as experiences will give you practical knowledge. Experience is your master. Guru’s protective hand is always at the back.

Do your duty of meditating as the mind can become powerful only if it is devised to generate its own energies and to unite with the powers of the gurus and God. Those who are enabled to strike a balance between actions and meditation will grow in body, spirit and mind.”

After a few days, Swami Nityananda again gave me respite when I was hit with a wave of tumult. His timely guidance was this- “People think that if our life becomes more comfortable and prosperous we shall automatically attain peace. Nothing can be more untrue than this because if you have peace, then everything is alright. Hansa means durable peace, not freckled and fickle. If your mind is calm, then the thoughts are powerful. Words, thoughts originating from peace are always beneficial.

Sometimes disturbances from outside are so overwhelming that our sustained peace gets upset. If you have lost your peace, regain it and stay in a peaceful state of mind. Practice meditation and one needs practice of holding on to sustained and durable peace. In such a situation, start your japa and other practices so that the mind again becomes tranquil and gets relief. When the mind gets relief, it will be able to meditate deeply.

The outside world is in a feverish state-noisy, restless and agitated, ascertain it. Get involved in it only as much as is essential, leave the rest like the saline water of the ocean. Practice living in peace like that of Lake Mansarovar. For such intense peace, stay in seclusion, turn the mind inwards and continue doing your sadhana. If you continuously put your mind in God, a great deal of power will flow in your thoughts and you can do impossible tasks”.

Keeping in rhythm with the short month of February, this post is short and sweet. There are two parts nonetheless. One is today’s revelation and interpretation of my visions in meditation which took place about a week ago. The latter part is the description. When you co-relate, you will find that whatever I heard or saw in morning meditation of 22.2.11 was explained to me an hour ago. There was a gap between the vision and its decoding or unfolding. Hence there was no preparatory time for this article, it is extempore in nature. In spite of all this, there is a flow of thought and a connection between the two parts. Glimpses of divinity is almost blissful except in some exceptional occasions when the change over from bad to good, wickedness to divinity and from falsehood to truth takes place on this Earth. But after the transformation there is profound peace hidden somewhere and it comes at the appropriate time destined by God. As long as we have complete surrender and faith in God everything is alright, everything is sweet, joyous, beautiful and worth spending our time on!

Part –A

Afternoon meditation 28.02.11

“My dear children, this Earth was created out of sheer divine love by Divine Father. In a moment of intense love out of his Thought, this Earth was created. Our Earth has all the elements, all the resources to sustain life for billions of years to come. This Earth also has waves of unlimited thoughts of people living here. These thoughts form a blanket over our planet and can be seen by the astral or divine eyes of the illumined souls in the uppermost regions of the celestial skies.

There are two types of thoughts that comprise this blanket – the good and positive thoughts which act as rays of positive energy and are helpful in sustaining this planet. The others are the contrary thoughts – they are negative and destructive thoughts which are an impediment in building, sustaining and maintaining the Earth. Whenever the negative rays exceed the positive rays, there is divine intervention from the celestial skies from the living divine souls who are ordained by God to maintain the balance of Dharma and Adharma – Truth and falsehood. The golden rays from the celestial skies fall on the Earth which are refracted and received at the spot where it was aimed at. When this happens, very slowly the wheel of dharma begins to rotate and spins till the balance is again restored.

In practical terms it means that when divine light falls in places where there is a lot of adharma, there may be sudden or violent changes which when allowed to happen create positive results in future. Bad elements are removed; new positive drastic changes take place on the Earth; and truth, goodness and happiness restored.

We must be an instrument and a participant in such good moves in spite of mental fatigue, physical weariness and lack of vision. God is behind all this drama and we must attempt to achieve success in such endeavours.

Peace and love are two things without which this Earth cannot survive. So spread love and peace in every possible means and methods to create the ever joyous planet.

Mother Earth.

Photo courtesy Nishith

Part-B

Morning meditation 21.2.11

Practiced concentration at third eye in the morning despite incessant noise and clatter in the surroundings. The clouds of unrest, confusion which were dancing in front of me some time ago retracted. With God’s grace, saw a wonderful rainbow and then divine light giving me a new high. The rays of golden light carried me in a trance and soothing joy with profuse peace covered me like a warm blanket. Immediately conversation with God began:

“Give happiness to all. Give joy to all”. I became a silent spectator when-

I saw the Earth in front of my eyes, it was like a globe. Slowly the globe became smaller and smaller and I began to grow. I became bigger and bigger till I became a spectator of this small Earth. What I saw was quite amazing. I saw there was a dark cloud; grey, dark coloured thick layers over the globe. There was tension, disturbance and strife below the dark layers. When I looked up I saw the sky through which rays of golden Light were penetrating and were falling on the Earth. The face of many saints meditating in peace in the higher regions emerged in front of me.

As I was watching the galore of wonderful images unfolding before me, to my sweet surprise the golden rays then began to fall over my palms as I sat in a meditative posture. The light rays were coming from the sky and after falling on my palms, they began to fall over the face of the Earth thereby making me a channel. In a few moments on my own, my palms turned upward facing the ground and I could feel the high current flowing in my palms. I could see the rays coming from a very high source up above and in a beautiful moment of right thought and action, I willfully redirected those divine rays towards the Earth.

After doing this, the globe which I was seeing earlier which had dark clouds and dusty layers, became white. The globe became whiter than before and had spots of green. Like someone can transmit Reiki light from one medium to another, I too was transmuting divine rays on Earth and the positive vibrations created by such thoughts began to give me immense ananda. I saw white coloured waves floating around me like a mist when my lips began to pray out of gratitude and love for our Mother Earth –

“Oh my God! We all are your children and you our Father, our Mother, our Guardian and Protector. This Earth is our home and abode. Please bless all your children, may they all live long, may they all live in peace and joy, may they all live in prosperity and health. Sarve bhavantu sukhina , sarvesantu nirmaya…..
……..May we all love each other; may we all help each other. Wherever there is darkness, give light, where there is hatred sow love there; where there is unrest plant sustained peace; where there is disease, give health and well being; where there is sorrow, give happiness to all.

May Life always be sustained on this planet Earth; may the Mother Earth yield green harvests year after year; may the rivers always be full of life giving water. God, may the air that we breathe be pure, may your children have a long life, may the trees too have a long life and may all the animals and plants continue to live on this Earth in joy and fearlessness. And may we get timely rains and God may all your children live on this planet in peace and joy.”

Om Shanti, shanti, shanti, shanti Om!”

Friends, you shall find the response to this prayer of mine and its interpretation in Part -A. It was Mother Earth who guided the flow and essence of this post just a while ago. With her immense grace, I was able to publish this post or else I was at  a complete loss until a few hours ago.