Guruji: Teachings of a Hindu Saint

Copyright © 2011 Sunil Reddy

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-0919-0 (pbk)

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To the unbroken line of true Spiritual Masters who have graced Mother India and the world at large in every generation

Meditation is to go from mano laya (mental absorption in a divine idea or concept) to mano naasha (negation of sense of difference with that idea) to samadhi (total unity). And samadhi or God-realization is the birthright of every human.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Concepts of Hinduism,

Spiritual Practice and Meditation

Book 1:

From May 1992 to Jan 1993

Book 2:

From January 1993 to July 1994

Book 3:

From July 1994 to June 1995

Samadhi (Union with God)

and Siddhi (Miraculous Powers) in Guruji’s Own Words

Appendix A

Guruji’s Letters

Appendix B

Questions and Answers

Glossary

Preface

I first met Guruji Verahur V. Srinivasan in 1991 when I was a student in Hyderabad doing my Bachelors in Engineering and continued to meet him weekly till 1995 when I left for the USA for higher studies. The practice learned from Guruji has stayed with me ever since and has enriched my life highly. This book was written over those four years, a chapter after every visit, written primarily out of joy to record what happened. There was no intention of sharing it with anyone. However, over the years, as a recipient of this knowledge I realized it was my duty to share it with others. Another reason is that it has been requested for by others who were recipients too but had not recorded their observations. As the unique diction or choice of words of Guruji effectively conveyed the subtleties of spiritual practice, I have tried to reproduce those words as truly as I heard them. Conveying the spiritual message correctly was preferred over grammar, so do pardon any mistakes and take them in this light. I’ve also added a chapter on Hindu concepts, spiritual practice and meditation to act as a primer to the full content of the book.

Guruji was a retired deputy inspector general of police when I met Him. It was His book Kundalini Yoga, the detailed descriptions of His divine visions in that book and a statement that He was teaching meditation to everyone who came to Him that made me seek Him out. It was an instant connection. The experience of seeing Him trying to control His tendency to go into deep meditation while speaking about God or saints was endearing and reminiscent of the great nineteenth-century Saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa of Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was a jivanmukta (liberated while alive) and after mastering various Hindu paths had arrived at the stage of jnana (wisdom) even though bhakti (devotion to God) was a constant with Him, like the other side of a coin. His recommendation was to take up meditation on a sacred word of an incarnation of God and transcend all other thoughts to the stage where a vision and guidance of that form (savikalpa samadhi) is achieved. Then that deity or beloved saint or ones guru (master) would take the seeker to the formless one true God or state (nirvikalpa samadhi).

It is rare in human life to be able to meet and spend time with a saint, a spiritual master who by his unique sadhana (spiritual practice) has obtained the full grace of God and attained the different states described in the scriptures. It is to a fortunate few that the master is willing to share all his methods and teachings to uplift and enlighten them. These teachings belong to humanity and we all have knowingly or otherwise benefited from such teachings and owe a debt of gratitude. It is to share these gems and pearls of wisdom that I publish this book.

Guruji Verahur V Srinivasan was a prodigy in mastering different spiritual paths, any one of which would take a lifetime or more for normal souls. He followed his spiritual path to amazing results as described in his Kundalini Yoga book. Guruji had different God-realized saints as his masters for each of those paths. For transcendental meditation he received initiation and full blessings from Sri Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, for Kundalini Yoga from Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (also known as Periyaval), Sri Vidya Upasana from Sri Ogirala Veera Raghava Sharma, and Shiva Mantra Upasana from Sri Shankara Shastry.

Guruji authored three books, Geetarnava Ratnamala (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita), Kundalini Yoga and Uttara Gita. He would meet and discuss with disciples and give help and guidance to all who came. Although Guruji could go into samadhi at will and see and talk to God and guru, He was not known to perform any miracles (other than the ones discussed in this book) and when asked He once replied that He was not authorized by God to show any. In discussions, Guruji was a jnani, able to expand on the intellectual bases of spiritual concepts but in reality he was a bhakta, going into ecstasy while talking about or listening to the names or actions of God and saints. A simple utterance of the name of God would be enough to take him into savikalpa (vision of God with form), or nirvikalpa samadhi (vision of God without form) if he was not in that state all day. Tears of bliss would choke up this saint when remembering God. When others around Him were reaching high spiritual states that they could not control, a simple tap or a word from him would control and stabilize their emotions. No joy on earth can compare to the inexhaustible joy felt in the presence of a saint such as Guruji. Peace and joy flowed out of him and into every human who came into his presence. The pearls of wisdom that he gathered by plunging the depths of sadhana (spiritual practice) are spread all over this book and form the essence of spirituality bereft of name and form variables, thus providing the shortest direct route to God.

This book is based on the true teachings from a God-realized saint and is a veritable mine of spiritual practices and techniques to guide a true practitioner. All the ways in which he can be distracted are discussed and discarded and the true practice is repeatedly shown. The stages of progress are detailed and will act as a guidepost. The true worth of this book will be felt by anyone on the spiritual path and they can measure their own progress as well as get guidance on the next steps from the book. The entire gamut of spirituality bereft of dogma is discussed for our benefit and the practices should be applicable to any seeker.

I have read numerous books on the lives of saints, Hinduism, Sufiism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity and have arrived at the conclusion that a common thread runs through all as far as spiritual practice is concerned. The mind is the one tool for spiritual practice and the teachings of a true saint are to be followed in a humble and consistent way to develop and consolidate our practice and achieve progress. Signs and guidance will always be forthcoming as one step taken in the right path will produce a tenfold response from merciful God.

Introduction

The scriptures teach us uniformly that God exists and that he is the creator, preserver and destroyer of the created universe. Spirituality is the unique relationship between the individual and God and spiritual practice is the path that takes the individual to the Divine by removing the veil of ignorance that divides the soul from the creator. The guru or spiritual master is the sunlight that lights up the path between the soul and God. The guru is the boat that takes us across the ocean of ignorance, he is the way. He is the Divine in accessible form and has a most intimate relationship with the disciple, even greater than ones own family in this life and future lives till the goal is reached.

Spiritual practice is about one person and his progress. Organized religion is an enabler, but not the way to God. All organized religion and all scriptures arose from one man’s spiritual practice and his progress in that. Saints are blessed souls who by their practice have achieved a state where they can see, talk to and receive blessings and instructions on a daily basis from God in a divine form (savikalpa state) or get merged into the Divine in the formless (nirvikalpa state). Such God-realized souls are the true saints who have risen above the pull of the senses, the mind, intellect and ego and are uniquely qualified to guide others. They are the seers and they alone are authorized by God to lead spiritually. All other paths or organized religion is a case of the blind leading the blind and, has some worth if it forms a humanitarian society that tolerates differences and builds a base for spiritual practice.

Organized religion that has strayed from spiritual practice assumes a baser form and descends into dogma that should truly be avoided. A simple life of common sense, hard work, concern for all as oneself, sense of justice and control of desires is a preferable base for spiritual practice rather than advanced stages of any organized religion that has strayed into dogma. Organized religion usually descends into mistaking a word or set of words in one language as God. Also, the lives of all saints are unique and diverse and joyous in their own right and knowing that enriches everyone and, to say that one saint at some point in time is the only true saint is dogma and cannot be true, just as one word in one language cannot be the sole identifier of God.

All saints abide in and receive inspiration from the one God and their concepts of spiritual practice are much the same, even though spread over time and space in different ages and places. The presence of and meeting with a saint, receiving his instructions and his blessings inculcates in the recipient all the details of the spiritual practice. All the steps and stages of progress are known. It is upto the individual to persevere in the practice and reach the same stage as the guru. The guru follows the progress and guides the individual in not only this life but in future lives till union with God is realized. In fact, it is God Himself who comes initially in an external form as a guru and an internal form as the inner guru and in visions as a god or deity or saint till the soul sheds all sense of duality and merges in non-dual divinity.

One of the foremost joys in life is being in the presence of a saint and, this book will hopefully provide the same experience. Their childlike simplicity and approach to God is something that is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced till we’ve met them. The joy that a child feels in the presence of his parents is probably comparable to the joy a disciple feels in the presence of the teacher. The teachings when internalized, guide the seeker when the external presence of the teacher is not available.

A few notes before we begin. Whenever a God-realized saint is mentioned, the first letter is capitalized (He/She). Sanskrit words are indispensable to the narration and have been kept in roman instead of italic text. I have tried to give their meanings as closely as possible to the usage.

Sunil Reddy

(Disciple)

Concepts of Hinduism,

Spiritual Practice and Meditation

Concepts of Hinduism

Hinduism is the major religion practiced in India and is ancient and has unknown origins. It’s also called Sanatana Dharma or the Eternal Way to Live. Hinduism has also spawned or influenced other newer religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, etc. and also has a considerable influence on numerous Eastern countries like Thailand, Indonesia, China, etc. This influence has been a soft influence where the practices were picked up rather than forced onto them as no major conquests were done in those lands.

Some of the concepts inherent in Hinduism might be new to followers of Abrahamic or other religions. The concepts of Dharma, Karma and Reincarnation need explanation.

Dharma is justice, the right way of life, treating others as you would want to be treated. Not even kings, saints or incarnations of God are above dharma. This leads to the concept of Karma or action. A good act will be repaid with good results and a bad act of hurt or pain to others will bring about a similar response by the forces of nature. As God exists in all beings, it follows that an injury done to another will need to be paid for. No one can escape the consequences of their actions, just as one cannot escape the pain when we put our hands in fire, no matter what our intentions were. As the number of good or bad deeds accumulate and the person passes away, the memory of these actions goes along with the soul and he/she is reborn to experience and close his account of past actions. This is the concept of reincarnation. Without reincarnation we cannot explain the reasons why one child is born privileged and has a life of ease and the other a life of hard work and pain. However, a life of ease is not the goal, as future lives could involve hardships: rather, the goal is to escape the cycle of life and death. The constant progress toward the Divine takes one out of animal and human existence and into Divine existence.

Karma is a powerful concept that says you might have problems today which might be caused by mistakes in this or previous lives but, even a little good done in this instant, in this life will go a long way to improve your lot now and in future. Hence, the need for constant movement toward dharma (right living) and spiritual practice. Karma is also a reason why most Hindus are vegetarians and uphold non-violence.

Karma is of three types: Sanchita, Prarabda, and Agami. Sanchita is the sum total of good and bad actions from previous lives. Prarabda is that part of the Sanchita that is being undergone in this life. Agami is the actions in this lifetime that will add into the Sanchita for future lives. Kriyamana karma are the actions that are created and paid for in this lifetime. In short, every act will have its consequence and will have to paid for. Good and bad acts are determined by Dharma, the infallible law of justice created by God, not the law of man.

The Purusharthas are the four primeval goals or drivers for human endeavor. They are Dharma (justice), Artha (wealth), Kama (lust, greed or sex), and Moksha (liberation).

The soul is said to be the innermost experiencer of all phenomena. The way it experiences is through three states, five bodies and eight limbs for action.

The three known states are:

1. waking;

2. dreaming; and

3. deep sleep.

4. The fourth yogic state of Turiya (trance or samadhi or constant vision of God) is a transcendental state. Lord Shiva (the Supreme Lord) is stated as the destroyer of three cities. The above three states are the three cities. The implied meaning is that when a seeker becomes a yogi (accomplished in spiritual practice), he rises above the three known states and abides in Turiya constantly in union with God.

The soul has five bodies, sheaths or coverings where the soul spends its time.

1. The outermost is the physical body (produced out of food; (Annamaya kosha).

2. Within the physical body is the body of the breath (Pranamaya Kosha).

3. Within the breathing body is the body of the mind (Manonmaya Kosha).

4. Within the mind is the body of the intellect or will (Vijnana Maya Kosha).

5. Within the intellect is the blissful body (Anandamaya Kosha).

The individual soul is also said to have eight limbs with which it acts, the:

1. mind (ano);

2. intellect (buddhi);

3. ego (ahamkara); and

4. five senses of hearing, speaking, touch, smell and taste.

The individual soul or jiva is the experiencer of duality (pleasure and pain, life and death) and is considered a speck of the same light or a particle of the Supreme Soul or God (Ishvara, who has transcended all duality and is the lord of all). As long as the individual soul is occupied in the above five sheaths, he is not aware of his true nature. The true nature of the soul as stated in the sacred Hindu scripture Bhagawad Gita as, the soul cannot be cut or hurt, nor can it be burnt by fire or killed. The soul is said to be of the nature of sat-chit-ananda (truth-consciousness-bliss).

Spiritual practice removes false identification of the soul with external things and reveals the soul’s true nature.

Pratyahara or self-control is to control the outward-going nature of the five senses and to turn them inward. Dharana or contemplation is to concentrate, control and transcend the three limbs or activities (mind, intellect, ego) of the mind mentioned above. The next stage of dhyana or meditation is to control and transcend the five sheaths mentioned above and the final stage of samadhi or union is to reach the true nature of the soul.

The Hindu concept of maya is that the world that is seen is all unreal, that the soul alone is real. The individual soul and the Supreme Soul are one and the same (aham brahmasmi), blissful and all-powerful and the one true Lord. The world is a lila (play or illusion) of the Supreme Soul.

Dvaita or duality is the sense of one seeing the other, that there are two, the devotee and the deity, the disciple and the master, the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. Realization of God with dvaita is also known as savikalpa samadhi.

Advaita or non-duality is total unity, where there is no sense of difference, where the individual soul merges with the Supreme Soul just as ice melts into water in an ocean. Realization of God with Advaita is also known as nirvikalpa samadhi. The supreme soul is also called Brahman and the state of union is also called the Brahmic state.

Spiritual Practice

In human existence there are two drifts, each opposite in direction to the other. They are the external drift and the internal drift.

The external drift, which is how 99.99 percent of humans lead their lives, is to use the physical body, mind and senses in external activities to earn a living, eat, procreate, play, sleep, have a thousand occupations, hobbies and activities. The mind cannot be silent here: it has to plan activities, learn from mistakes, track and remember and guide the body to achieve results. The drawback is that the physical plane is only one plane of existence and there are higher planes of existence that cannot be experienced. The external drift is necessary but, a little time should be set aside every day for the internal drift.

Another drawback with the external drift is that the soul mistakenly identifies itself with external objects like the body (I am John Smith), the car, house, job, activities, family, etc. It grows attached to these and is increasingly affected by any changes. It loses all knowledge of its true nature and becomes bound. An analogy is a person going in a car. He identifies himself with the car and its movement. He forgets his body and only sees the steering, road, speed, etc. Say the car has an accident and comes to a halt. The car is damaged, then the realization comes that he is not the car, that the body is the true piece worth salvaging and, he discards association with the car and comes out any way he can. Likewise, the soul caught up in the external drift is bound to many things and does not know its true nature. When physical death happens, the soul is extricated forcibly from the body but it cannot truly extricate itself from the likes, dislikes and karma and is born again.

The internal drift or spiritual path is opposite in direction and totally discards all external impulses. The body and senses are quietened in a stable asana (seating or meditational position). The mind is calmed by concentrating on a single thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts. Whenever an external drift thought comes in, such as thought of body, work, play, etc. it is to be witnessed and the mind gently led back to internal drift. This process helps the soul consciously transcend all the layers of existence and reach its true and divine nature.

It is said the joy in the initial stage of spiritual progress (hearing of divine sounds) is a hundred times greater than the highest joy experienced in human life. And each subsequent stage gives a similar multiple of the joy in the previous stage.

Spiritual practice starts when we meet a God-realized saint. His very presence and existence benefits all those around Him. This is called satsanga (being in the presence of good or saintly people). The seeker realizes the need for the internal drift and surrenders to the master. The master gives initiation in which he provides a mantra (a sacred charged name of God) that is appropriate for the disciple’s inner state. The form of God or deity for that mantra is also described. Initiation from a saint is provided to the disciple after the saint receives due sanction or a message from God.

This mantra is the seed of spiritual practice and is tended to by the disciple to turn it into a mighty tree giving the fruit of spiritual success. The practice done by the seeker to find the divine is called sadhana (spiritual practice). Sadhana can start in one life and continue in subsequent lives, taking one to higher and higher stages till union with God is achieved. The goal of sadhana is to follow one of the following yoga paths to reach samadhi (trance; nirvana; state of union with a form or God).

Yoga paths are probably as numerous as the individual nature of each person. However, the major yoga paths are as follows.

1. Raja Yoga: The path of contemplation, meditation and union.

2. Mantra Yoga: Path of repetition of a divine word provided by the guru or received in a vision or dream till siddhi or perfection is reached. It gives the fruit of seeing the deity involved in the mantra and to receive guidance, grace and protection. Since this path provides a god with form, it is widely recommended as it provides benefit in the material and spiritual worlds.

3. Jnana Yoga: The path of wisdom. Realizing that the world is maya (false or unreal) and utilizing the tool of Who am I? questioning and meditation, the soul quickly realizes its true nature. This path is recommended for advanced seekers who have a true grounding in Hindu scriptures.

4. Bhakti Yoga: The path of devotion. Worshipping the Lord, going to the temple, bowing down to Him, offering the best things in life like food, sacred light, ghee, honey, incense, etc. and singing His praises, offering every experience to Him first and then partaking of it, chanting His name, etc. are the mainstays in this path. The safest path and recommended for one and all, this path is the most practiced in India.

5. Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga: The path of raising the kundalini or spiritual energy that is inherent in each individual in a dormant state. This can be done through mantras, or physical asanas (exercises) or other ways. It has to be practiced under the strict guidance of a guru as the kundalini when awakened and not rightly channeled can cause unintended consequences. The kundalini lies at the root chakra (energy center) near the base of the spine and passes through seven chakras to reach the sahasrara or 1,000-petalled chakra.

6. Prana Yoga: Pranayama is the control of breath. Breath and mind are thought of as two sides of the same coin. Controlling one controls the other and can take us to the stage of samadhi or union with God.

7. Laya Yoga: Path of absorption, listening to the inner sound, or watching the flame of an oil lamp till a high state of contemplation is achieved.

8. Sri Vidya Yoga: This is a path of ritual and inner worship where the seeker contemplates on the mantra of the Divine Mother. Guruji said that the inner steps of progress between the sixth and seventh chakras can be realized through the advanced stages of Sri Vidya worship alone. In other systems the soul leaps directly from the sixth to the seventh chakra and is in union with God.

There are numerous seekers who have become saints by following the above yogic paths in the history of India. A guru selects the right path according to his spiritual tradition and according to the nature of the disciple.

Meditation and Stages of Progress

As the seeker continues his spiritual practice or sadhana he goes through various states or levels or progress and arrives at the State of Liberation from all duality (nirvikalpa samadhi), the state having achieved which there is nothing more to be achieved.

Meditation is the way for spiritual progress, i.e. the way to go from the stage of the bound to the stage of the unbound. Meditation is to take up a thought, preferably a mantra (charged sound) that has been practiced as per tradition and provided by a God-realized guru. Each mantra originated in the Hindu tradition from a saint who heard or saw it in golden words clearly in deep meditation as a revelation. The chosen mantra is repeated in the mind, without involvement of the body. All other thoughts are avoided as the contemplation of the mantra progresses till the repetition of the mantra goes on automatically in a very subtle state. It becomes more and more refined, the breathing becomes softer and softer till contemplation (dharana) becomes meditation (dhyana) and becomes the stage of realizing its true nature (samadhi).

Stages of Progress

1. In the initial stages of meditation the posture for meditation is stabilized for long periods of meditation. In this stage only the mantra is heard. The body is transcended to a certain extent. The trinity of mantra, act of repetition and the witness to the repetition are all present. The mantra goes from a gross to a finer and finer state.

2. The next stage is when the mantra reaches such a fine state that repetition goes on automatically day or night in the heart without the will of the seeker. The mantra is then chanted during the states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. He is aware of it constantly.

3. In the next stage divine voices or lights are experienced that enrapture and lead one into meditation. These are signs of higher planes of existence and the movement of the kundalini.

4. In the next stage visions of the ishta devata or chosen god are seen and the vision of the guru is seen. The Divine Lord who manifested as the external guru is now available all the time as the inner guru or form to offer guidance and grace. This is a most encouraging sign and is the stage of savikalpa samadhi. Questions can be put and answers are received and various truths described in the scriptures are inherently known.

5. In the next stage miraculous powers of all kinds can be manifested and this is the biggest obstacle to spiritual progress. This can happen at any time of the spiritual progress and all powers are to be surrendered to the guru as the will of God alone should rule and not the individual will of the seeker.

6. Saints and other incarnations or messengers of God are contacted in deep meditation in different stages. Their blessings are received and numerous questions and doubts are answered

7. The final stage of nirvikalpa samadhi is reached where the inner master guides the seeker to total union with the non-dual state. All names and forms are transcended. This is usually achieved in the presence and guidance of the guru. Having reached the nirvikalpa state, there is no falling back; the realization once achieved is ever-present and the true nature of the soul as all-pervading, all-knowing blissful consciousness is realized.

The seeker is now a God-realized saint, a jivanmukta, one who is liberated while alive. Guruji was such a jivanmukta and my discussions with Him and His teachings are described in this book. Guruji was very open in describing all His visions and said that He had reached a stage where they were coming to Him daily. He could receive the vision and grace of His guru at will. However, He would also say that no matter how great the vision, as long as there was duality, that was not the highest state and there was nothing comparable to the highest state of nirvikalpa samadhi (non-dual merger with God) and that was His true state.

Guruji said that His teachings contained the essence of spirituality. Spirituality is the essence of the scriptures and that tomes of books need not be studied, rather the essence stated here is practiced. Those teachings are discussed below along with a concluding chapter on samadhi and siddhi in Guruji’s own words.

Book 1:

From May 1992 to Jan 1993

Sunday, 24 May 1992

I went to Mallik’s (a fellow disciple’s) house at 3 p.m. and went at 4.30 p.m. to Guruji‘s house. We bought some mangoes to offer to Guruji. Guruji was sitting on the front porch with a few residents of the residential colony and His son and daughter-in-law. His two granddaughters were playing badminton using a scooter as a net. I had four specific questions in my mind.

1. How should one pray to God?

2. What is the mental attitude I should have?

3. Guruji asked us to meditate from 3 to 6 a.m. any time. I was doing so from 4 to 5 a.m. and wanted to know whether he knew it or not.

4. Are there any states in God-realization or is there only a God-realized state and a not-God-realized state in man?

I did not ask Him in words as there was no need. Somehow Guruji senses our doubts and gives answers in an appropriate manner that suits our individual needs. Just as we sat down, another new disciple named Ramakrishna who had not been initiated arrived. Guruji’s daughter-in-law remarked, All the shishyas have arrived. We sat down on the porch enjoying the fresh air from the neem tree as Guruji talked and preached the glory of bhakti and the uselessness of occult powers.

To my first mental question He said, One should pray to God only for the ability of constantly remembering God and thus being with Him.

We should always have the mental attitude: Give up all your worries. Tell all your troubles to God and say, ‘Mr God, this is the troubles department. You please take care of it and allow me to unite with you.’ (Remove all my obstacles that I may be one with you.) This was the answer to the second question.

For the third question, He said, The important thing is faith. God will look after the rest. If you have problems, say, ‘God, take care of all my worldly affairs. I want you and believe in you,’ and He will not let you down. He will appear before you first in the form of the guru. Of course, the guru will be aware of it. In fact, my own financial resources will last me this one month only. But I have faith in God and He will surely look after me.

Guruji then explained that there are four states in God-realization. The first is the sthithaprajna, a person who has touched Brahman. The second is the jivanmukta, a person freed while still living in the world. The third is the brahmavid state and the fourth is that of the servant of God. "Only God does everything. I am only an instrument. Whatever He asks of me, I will do like a good servant.

"Thus, bhakti destroys the ego, whereas jnana does not. Sometimes it even increases it. Persons who read books become egotistic about what they know.

"The ‘I’ pushes out the ‘He,’ i.e. God. The constant thought I am so and so, I have a big moustache, I do this, and I do that, this constant repetition of ‘I’ not only increases the ego but also pushes out the ‘He.’ It locks all the doors and windows and drives out the ‘He.’ If the ego is destroyed, then He fills our hearts and lives therein. It is not I who does this, it is God. I am only an instrument. Constant remembrance of the mantra is needed. A mantra is the ladder to God. With that as the step you should go beyond.

"Fear is destroyed is the state of the advaitin. Fear is present in the dvaita whereas it is absent in Advaita. Fear that God may punish us, reward us is present in the dvaita but He becomes one with that in samadhi so Advaita means fearlessness. Advaita is abhaya, without fear. Why should I be afraid? What comes also goes."

Guruji said, Troubles are temporary (like a drop of water on a lotus leaf). The leaf may turn this side or that at any moment and the drop of water will fall and merge with the water of the lake or pond. Any moment the jiva may leave this body and merge with Brahma. It may be a year or two or so depending upon the life span: we will all have to go some day. Guruji stresses that all that He says is from the Vedas.

Meditation in Guruji‘s Words

"Meditation is, according to our way, diving deep into the different layers of consciousness till we reach God or pure consciousness. Just as a stone when thrown in water makes larger whirls at the top which lessen and lessen till the stone reaches the bottom where there are no more whirls, so too in meditation, the mantra should be made to become subtler and subtler till it disappears in its source, i.e. Brahman. We should not cling to the mantra but let it become lighter and subtler till it totally disappears. Sometimes, it takes 15 minutes to get into that state of stable equilibrium and with practice that time can be reduced effectively to five minutes or less. The breathing becomes very subtle and the mantra is barely felt. Using this as a launching pad you should dive deeper till you reach Brahman. During that state which Periyaval calls sukshma, prana functions.

"The mantra is like a ladder using which we reach the roof. We climb the different layers of consciousness. But if you don’t want to leave the ladder and get on to the roof, if you become too attached to your ishta mantra and say, ‘I like my mantra: I do not want to leave it,’ then you are a blessed fool. Blessed because you were initiated and got to that state. God is beyond name and form. God is that from which ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ originated. He is above the two. This creation is the work of words. God said a word and the objects were formed. God said the mantras. They were present since millions of years and not compiled recently. That’s why they are so powerful. They have been handed down by sages over centuries.

"Capacity is dealt with here. Once, Lenin, I think, said, ‘Each according to his capacity and need.’ We do not consider the shishya’s capacity. Even if one does not have the capacity at first, by the grace of God he gets that and realizes the Supreme surely because the need is constant, while capacity varies. Everyone needs God and it is everybody’s birthright to attain that oneness with God. Passing through countless births you have come to the state of a man. Utilize that for the only true need for every man, the knowledge of the self.

There are four states: samaikhya or nearness with God; sarupya or the same form as that of the ishta devata; salokya or love for all; and sayujya or final emancipation when you demit this body and unite with Brahman.

Ramakrishna started the talk on Nadi (a way to predict the future). Guruji said, Nadis are of two kinds. The first one depends on the time you were born and it predicts your future while the second type of nadi has a name of the rishi or God who formed it. It is a blank palmyra leaf, i.e. with nothing written on it. When a question is asked, the answer according to that rishi appears on it. Guruji also said that there is a belief in South India that such nadis can predict the past quite correctly but, not so the future due to a curse. Guruji gave Ramakrishna the address of Kaka Bujanga Nadi. Asked about some particular nadi, Guruji said, I heard about it long ago but do not know where it is working now.

Guruji talked about a yogi who lived near Vijayawada Railway Station on a small hillock who didn’t take food at all. (Guruji had told me in a previous meeting that in samadhi amrita is tasted and a few drops of that will enable the body to go without food for hundreds of years to be cast off at will.) It seems some people who visited him would give him some food but he would never touch it. Since his was an open life in full public view, everyone could see whether he ate or not. He would answer any question put to him on all matters and also predict a person’s future.

Regarding the nadi, Guruji said that, Each nadi will answer for only one person in a day and, that too for just two hours.

Guruji then talked about the society on kundalini formed by Sage Agastya (an ancient Hindu sage) who appeared in his astral body and gave instructions to them. It seems they had a whole constitution or set of rules to abide by. On the sage’s orders, one of the members, a secretary in the central government, came to Guruji and gave Him the rules. He requested Guruji to help a particular person by doing justice as it appeared to Him.

One of the members wanted to photograph Sage Agastya, who replied that this was an astral body, so at the most they might get an outline, to get a painter and have His features painted as He gave instructions. Thus, a painting was obtained and a temple was built and dedicated to Sage Agastya. Guruji said He had seen the painting. He also told me that He had to do one year each of meditation before Sage Aurobindo and Sri Ramana Maharshi came and blessed Him after their departure from worldly existence.

Guruji told an anecdote about a certain government official. He said that the official was given the responsibility of inviting tenders for a contract. Instead, he applied in a fictitious name, obtained the contract, finished it and pocketed the balance money. An unknown person filed a petition against him and a jail sentence was on the line. Frightened, the official went to an astrologer and asked whether there was any way this danger could be averted.

The astrologer said, Your going to jail is certain, but if you want to avert it, close yourself in a room and shut all doors and windows and meditate on the ishta devata. That will be like a jail term in fulfillment of your karma and also penance for God. So the official went home, told his wife and others to put the food at the door outside and shut himself up. He sat down and thought, What mantra should I use? I have no guru or guru mantra. Then he remembered, My father gave me the Gayatri Mantra, so I will use it.

He meditated on Mother Gayatri for six months when the Holy Goddess, the ever-graceful mother appeared before him and asked him to stop all austerities as She was pleased with him. She asked him to go out and put the pictures of all deities in the front room and also boards with all the letters of the alphabet as a sort of medium to answer any questions put by him. Thus, he resigned his government job and started answering questions put to him. Whatever people gave, he took and lived a simple life. Once, a man with a doubting heart went to him whereupon the Mother said, Your ishta is so and so and your name is so and so; your future is so and your past was such and, do you know who I am? I am Gayatri. Now, are all your doubts cleared? If so, please go. The man was stunned and bowed and left.

Once Guruji’s wife asked that person if Guruji would get into the IAS (Indian Administrative Services), whereupon Mother Gayatri said, Why IAS? He has no use of it, meaning He had a greater spiritual future for Him. Another time, a nadi which Guruji consulted with a problem replied beautifully. The problem was that he would have to compulsorily resign due to a tiff with His superior in the police department. When He asked, the nadi said, There is nothing like that. You have many more years and will retire at the right age as your Guru Mahrshi Mahesh Yogi has taken up the matter with the divine. Thus, the retirement was cancelled without much problem or effort from His side.

Guruji also told us about a