Reborn- to be liberated

It was more than two decades back that I read ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananda. His guru Sri Yukteshwar was the disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. Babaji was the guru of Lahiri Mahasaya. When I saw the picture of Babaji, I couldn’t look into his eyes for long time; they were so powerful and penetrating. I read somewhere that Babaji still appears to those who call him sincerely, and was fascinated by that statement.

Ananda Kriya Ashram

In May 2018, we were looking for a place to go for 3 days just to meditate. We chanced upon Ananda Kriya Ashram and booked for June 8^th to 10^th.

We reached the Ashram by 11. 30 am on 8^th. I loved the energy and vibration of the place. To my joy, I found a photo of Babaji in our room. I kept the small Shivling and Nandi that I carry during travels  in front of the photo, brought a flowers and kept them too. 

After  browsing through their library and with some guidance from Dharanaji (the meditation teacher), I picked up some books to read.

Introduction to meditation

At 3.30 we assembled in the meditation hall where Dharanaji gave us an introduction to meditation. It is important to keep the physical body still and relaxed, with the spine erect to have good meditation experience. He showed us different props that can be used to achieve that objective and encouraged us to experiment with them. I liked the brick and another small foldable stool, which helps to keep the spine erect, keeping away any pressure on the knees and ankles.

Meditation hall all to myself

The meditation timings of the ashram were 7 to 8.30 am and 6 to 7 pm. Dharanaji would start with some chants, lead us onto deep meditation and then end the meditation with a prayer.

On 9^th evening, he couldn’t be there for 6 to 7 pm meditation but he kept the mediation hall open for whoever wanted to meditate. Inside the hall there were photos of Lahiri Mahasaya, Babaji, Jesus, Krishna, Yukteshwar and Paramahansa Yogananda.

As I entered the hall at 5.45 and looked at Babaji’s photo, I perceived tears flowing from his eyes, and  was sort of confused. I started my meditation at 6 pm, and I was all alone in the hall.

You have taken too long to come back

As I closed my eyes for meditation, I had a spontaneous recall of a past life. I saw myself as a teenage boy. Babaji was walking ahead, and I was tagging along reluctantly. He saw great potential in me but I was pulled by the worldly pleasures and ran off from there.

Now  when I got connected with Babaji during meditation, he remarked, ‘ So you have come back at last.’ Then I realised that I had perceived tears of happiness on his photograph.

A deep meditation

 I went into a deep meditation, practising the ‘Hong Sau’ technique that Dharanaji had explained earlier. Suddenly I felt that my head was cut off from the back, below the medulla oblongata, which is the seat of ego. The head was hanging onto the chest, still attached to the body in the front area.

Old sanskaras being burnt

With every exhalation, blood, representing the accumulated old sanskaras, was flowing out, into a violet flame that was consuming it.

Meanwhile I saw Babaji sitting in a small temple, which had a golden dome. There was an idol of black Shivling, with a live snake around it. The temple was on the top of a hill and I could sense the presence of adivasis in the valley below. Babaji was performing Havan in front of the idol and the door was closed.

Losing the head finally

The blood was flowing out of my body for some time, and when it finished, my head which was attached to the front of the body was severed and thrown into the violet flame.

Meanwhile, from the Havan kund where Babaji was performing havan, my new head came out of the sacred fire and travelling through the air, came and got attached to my body.

Sensing my husband’s aura

Suddenly I felt my husband’s aura beside me. He had gone with Dharanaji and they were supposed to return by the end of meditation time, at 7 pm. So I thought some other inmate of the ashram must have entered the hall quietly and sat down for meditation. I was curious to see the person who was having the same aura as that of my husband. I contained my curiosity and continued with meditation.

At 7 pm, I heard Dharanaji starting the prayer and later I noticed that it was indeed my husband who was sitting near me for meditation. Contrary to their expectation, they had returned earlier and then they came and joined for the meditation.

I am eagerly waiting to see the changes in my life that this meditation experience must have brought to manifest.

                                                     Sri. Paramahansa Yogananda

Dattatreya and Navnaths- Completion of a sadhana

About five years back we had gone to Gulbarga to celebrate Holi with our cousin. During dinner time a friend told that there is a famous Dattatreya temple and he would arrange for us to visit. I didn't know much about Dattatreya then, so learned about the story of how he was born as the son of sage Atri and Anasuya with the blessings of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He has three heads representing the Tri-murtis.

Dattatreya temple in Ganagapura

Ganagapura is a village in Afzalpur taluk of Gulbarga district on Karnataka. The village is noted for its temple of Lord Dattatreya, who is said to have attained realization on the confluence (sangam) of the banks of the rivers Bhima-Amarja.

The Shri Dattatreya temple of Ganagapura is a ‘kshetra’(pilgrim place) for second incarnation of Dattatreya, Shri Narashimha Swami. 

It was a very divine temple and I got a large picture of Lord Dattatreya from there, which I kept on top of our book shelf. When I do dusting of the house, I would dust this picture and pay obeisance to him.

Ek-mukhi Dattatreya

In March 2018, a friend told us that he visited a new Dattatreya temple in Belgaum and he felt nice. Same day we went to this temple and came to know that the person who built the temple used to dream of Dattatreya with one instead of the usual three heads, and the idol in the temple is therefore Ek-mukhi (with one face) Dattatreya. The temple was finished only a few days back.

When I looked at the idol, my whole being was filled with bhakti. I sat there, kept looking at the divine face, which was so graceful and the eyes were overflowing with compassion:

 I could have sat there for hours together!

Navnath mantra

Two days after visiting the temple in Belgaum, a friend who propagates Agnihotra mentioned the benefits of chanting Navnath mantra during agnihotra. I was convinced and learned the mantra. In April we went for a road trip for a month and I was chanting this mantra continuously during the travel time.

Navnaths

The Navnaths are the nine saints, Masters or Naths on whom the Navnath Sampradaya, the lineage of nine gurus is based. Some members of the Nath Sampradaya believe Rishi Dattatreya was its first teacher. These nine saints are actually nine super-super human beings, who, with their honesty, selflessness, austerity, devotion for their teacher, Lord Dattatreya, and the mantra power, defeated deities like Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Hanuman, Virbhadra, Indra, Goddess Chamunda, Vetal (King of ghosts), ashtabhairava and others according to the book ‘Navnath Bhaktisar’. They had a weapon called ‘Vatakarshan Astra’, which was invincible even for Gods.

The coming of the Navnath - or nine prophets - is mentioned in the Mahabharata. Krishna called a meeting of all demi-gods, angels and saints to give his message of how he would continue his message of spreading good after his mission was over on earth. Krishna said he would send his own light in the form of nine saints or prophets, who will go to different parts of earth and throughout the universe where life exists. Lord Krishna also mentions that these prophets or saints will spread the message of Love, overcoming obstacles in order to unite with Mahavishnu or Shiva or Shakti. 

The culminatíon

During our drive back, on 29th evening, suddenly I saw the picture of Dattatreya and Navnaths on the back side glass of the bus in front of us. I took a photograph, but didn't get it clear:

I searched the net for a similar picture and this was the one:

The Navnath mantra was going on in my mind even at that time. I got goose flesh all over my body. This was an indication for me that I have finished chanting the mantra for the critical number of time!

It is not common to see this picture, like that of Hanumanji, Lord Shiva, or others on vehicle. In fact, I have never seen one before.

Reaching the pinnacle after all the grounding

How high a building can be built depends on how deep the foundation is. This principle is very relevant in one's spiritual growth too. When the limbs of Ashtanga yoga are followed in succession, by the time one comes to the seventh step or dhyana (meditation), he/she is well stabilized and can go to higher planes easily.

In the present times, everyone is directly into meditation and it is really messing up many lives. From childhood I have been doing rigorous spiritual practice, with timely guidance from the Universe in every step of my journey. In spite of this, I was surprised at the amount of grounding I needed to have. An acceleration in the grounding process started during our visit to Sri Lanka in 2017 September.  When we visited the Dambana Veddha village, it started happening in a more intensive way.

Starting from Dambana

Dambana is a remote jungle village of indigenous people renowned for its eco-tourism prospects, situated about 300km from Colombo, Sri Lanka. We were fascinated by the huge trees and their roots which were spreading far. 

I could become one with the roots and experienced a very strong grounding. In the same way the roots hold on to the soil and stabilise it, I could feel the essence of my practices over decades settling into my body and Being to facilitate further growth.

Angkor Wat temple takes it to the next level

Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. It was built between roughly A.D. 1113 and 1150, encompassing an area of about 500 acres (200 hectars). Originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, it was converted into a Buddhist temple in the 14th century, and statues of Buddha were added to its already rich artwork.

When Angkor was rediscovered in the early 20th century by French archaeologists, all of the temples had become overgrown–but none so spectacularly as Ta Prohm. While Ta Prohm lay forgotten and neglected by men, the Cambodian jungle wasted no time in devouring it. Silk-cotton and strangler fig trees took root in the loosened stones of the temple, which was built entirely without mortar. Their roots wound through the structure, creating an astonishing merger of nature and architecture.

As I stood there mesmerized by this Nature's marvel, the lesson sunk in me, 'You can take the meaning of 'grounding' to a new level. Stay rooted around your values, encompassing and protecting them.' 

Thus the next level of understanding reached me in 2018 February.

Living Root Bridge near Mawlynnong village in Shillong

On 20th April 2018 when I stood near the Living Root Bridge, I felt the finality of my lessons. 

While walking (one is not supposed to stand) through the bridge, which was made by intertwining the roots of trees on either side, my whole body was sensing something from beyond. 

Travelling through incarnations, with so many connecting roots, the importance of bridging filling my Being! It was a powerful experience.

Message at Basistha ashram

On 24th April we visited Basistha ashram and temple which is located in Beltola, at the outskirts of the Guwahati city. It has a Shiv mandir constructed by Ahom king Rajeswar Singhian in 1764. Basistha ( Vashishta) muni meditated here and got merged with Shiva. Lord Shiva's energy has been guiding me in my spiritual pursuits for many decades. 

As soon as I entered the area where sage Basistha meditated, I could feel my whole upper body (from hip upwards) vibrating. I was confused - why only the upper body?

Then the message dawned on me, 'I am allowed to do only this much, remaining you will get at the Kamakhya temple'. Now I was in high anticipation to reach Kamakhya temple.

Just a few feet away there was a huge rock inside of which Arundhati, wife of Basistha, had meditated: 

As I stood there with closed eyes, imbibing the tremendous energy, I was imparted the lesson of total surrender.

Dashamahavidyas and Kamakhya Devi

The Kamakhya temple, dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya, and one of the oldest of 51 Shakti Pithas, is situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati. It is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas : Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples.

Since many years I have been doing Havan on Tuesdays and Fridays chanting the Dashamahavidya mantras. Just on the previous day of visiting Kamakhya temple, I got the mantra for Kamakhya Devi. We reached the temple at 6 am and had to wait till 9.15 for darshan and all of that time I was chanting the mantra. As we reached the sanctum sanctorum, I felt what cannot be described. It is a very personal experience and each one has to go through it to understand the full impact.

It was a very important turning point in my life. Along with all the divine forces that have been guiding me, I am also thankful to all living and non-living beings from whom I have received valuable messages at every step of my journey.

Sweets for Hanumanji

On April 17th (2018) evening we reached Kaziranga forest guest house and while we were taking our luggage to our room, a calf came and stood near the car. 

I remembered that there were some plantains with us and I wanted to give one to the calf. But by the time I brought it out, the calf had walked away. I felt a little disappointed.

On 23rd of April we were in Guwahati and visited Basistha temple, which is a Shiva temple constructed by Ahom king Rajeshwar Singha in 1764 along with the gift of 835 bighas of land for the ashram. 

According to the legend, the ashram was founded by the great saint Basistha (Vasishta). There is a waterfall here, and the cave in which sage Vasishta is believed to have meditated is located 5 km inside the ashram.

                                             Cave where  Sage Vasishta meditated 

Hanumanji demanding sweet

When we reached the temple and as I got out of the car, a calf came towards me. As I took out a plantain from the car to give to the calf, I felt somebody pulling my dress with nails. It was a monkey and I got shocked, put the plantain inside the car and closed the door. By then the calf moved to the other side of the car and I told my husband to open the other door, take out the plantain and give to the calf, which he did.

A man nearby was watching this and told me, 'Give a plantain to the monkey, it is expecting one too.' I was considering it, when I saw some more monkeys approaching. I knew I couldn't give to all of them, so dropped the idea and went to the temple. But I felt a bit bad because I chant Hanuman chalisa daily and I didn't give plantain to the monkey when it asked for it.

On the next day we went to the Kamakhya temple. 

                                                                                     Kamakhya temple

                                                                              Bhairavi temple

When I came out after darshan in the main temple and was in front of the Bhairavi temple, suddenly a monkey appeared out of nowhere and snatched the plastic bag of prasad, with coconut, a packet of sweets, and a box of kumkum (that was precious for me) and ran off. It climbed a parapet, opened the bag, took out the packet of sweets and dropped the remaining to the ground. I reached the spot immediately and picked up my valuables. I was happy at this symbolic sweet offering to Hanumanji.

Similar incidence with my daughter

In 2013, at the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, she sat along with her friends in front of the Bhairava temple to meditate. Due to lack of space, she kept the rudrakshas and the prasadam behind her. Sometime later, a monkey came, grabbed the pack of rudrakshas and ran away. My daughter was sad to lose the Rudraksh.

A stranger helped out, as they watched the monkey sit at an elevation, and asked for the prasadam, which he threw up at the monkey. As the monkey reached out for the sweets, it dropped the packet of rudraksha. She ran and picked it up, heaving a sigh of relief.

Bhairav and Bhairavi.

It is interesting to note where the two incidents happened, the first one in front of Bhairav temple, and the second one in front of Bhairavi temple. In both cases, the monkeys took away things from us while we were on the left side facing the temple and got it back from the right side.

Hanumanji blessed the kumkum for me and the rudraksha for my daughter!

How to do daily Havan at home

Messages of the Spirit

On coming back home after I felt the intense vibration in my third eye during the group meditation in Sri Lanka, I continued my daily meditation connecting with the third eye of the Ganesha idol. Three months later, my Guru sent a message for me to meet him and he gave further instructions for my path. He told that all obstacles on my path have been removed and I needed to be more open to receive from beyond. In my mind, it was, ‘Obstacles removed! Who removes obstacles? Of course Lord Ganesha.’ Now I understood why I was guided to do that meditation!

Majestic Eagle for further guidance

Three months later when we visited the Eagle Square, or Dataran Lang in Langkawi, I was immediately captivated by the 12 metre-tall statue of Eagle. 

It is one of Langkawi’s best known manmade attractions, a large sculpture of an eagle poised to take flight. When I looked into its eye, I felt it was conveying something. 

I couldn’t make any sense at that time.

Eagle is supposed to convey the powers and messages of the spirit; it is man's connection to the divine because it flies higher than any other bird. The eagle is symbolic of the importance of honesty and truthful principles.

The eagle with its keen eyes symbolizes perspicacity, courage, strength and immortality, but is also considered "king of the skies" and messenger of the highest Gods. With these attributed qualities the eagle became a symbol of power and strength in Ancient Rome.

I had yet to wait to get the meaning it was trying to convey. Inside the 3D museum in Langkawi, there it was! The eagle was handing out the key for my further journey. 

I got the message and thanked the Universe for continuously guiding me on my path.

When Eagle appears, it bestows freedom and courage to look ahead.

What is the good time for spiritual practice?

First, do we need to do any spiritual practice at all? Well, it depends on what you want to do with your life. If you look at the animals, they are completely programmed. They will eat when they are hungry, sleep after sun set and procreate at specific times. They can’t alter it.

It is humans who are endowed with the power to change the course of their lives. They can, by their deeds, rise to divinity, fall to the status of a demon, or just remain human. If we intend to exude divinity, we need to start spiritual practice in our youth, or preferably earlier than that, which may be possible if you are blessed with parents who have spiritual practices.

I will start in old age

This is what I have heard many times, ‘This is the time to enjoy life. We will turn to spirituality when we turn sixty.’ Oh, really? After spending sixty years of materialistic and mundane physical life, you think you can turn to spirituality? Unfortunately, it just doesn’t happen.

What spiritual practice is good to start with?

As  human beings, we are always in search of peace and bliss. If we consider that as the center of the circle, which is our life, we can reach that center through various methods. The secret is in being at it. Persistence and perseverance are needed to reach the goal. Having said that, we have to choose a technique that can be incorporated into our lives without causing too much inconvenience to us, or the family members.

Fortunately for me, I was spiritual from the beginning and puja, praying and chanting started right from early childhood. But my spiritual practice got a boost when I learned Reiki in 1997, though I was totally unaware of the spiritual aspect of Reiki at the time of getting the training.

Reiki is a good method to start with, because it gently leads you on, bringing whatever is needed for your spiritual growth.

Does the time of practice matter?

Undoubtedly Brahma Muhurta (4 to 6 am) is the best time for spiritual practice. When majority of the people are sleeping, we can feel the silence and it takes us deep within ourselves. It helps us to transcend our physical nature and get in touch with the spiritual dimensions.

I was in the habit of getting up at 4 am from early on, but when I ask people to get up early, I ask them, ‘Can you get up at least 10 minutes before  6 am?’ so that they can have a glimpse of the Brahma Muhurta. But unfortunately, many of them can’t keep at it even. 

In the twilight zone between day and night (dawn and dusk), everything is in a state of flux. So our ability to transcend limitations is more. If you can’t meditate during the Brahma Muhurta, dawn and dusk are next options for meditation or other practice.

Reiki practice – in the morning or night?

When we do Reiki healing in the morning, it is charging us. We are filled with balanced positive energy, ready to take on the world.

Reiki healing at night, before going to sleep, does the cleansing. Whatever negative energies we have accumulated during the day, through interactions with others that lead to emotional turmoil, from reading the newspapers or watching TV, or from our overactive mind that enjoys negative thinking, Reiki removes all of that and we are assured a peaceful sleep.

So, ideally, it is better to do Reiki healing twice daily,  just before sleep and on getting up first thing in the morning. But, as I told earlier, we have to decide what will be conducive for our routine life. If one is  a home maker, going out and interacting with people to get things done and watching TV serials, self-healing in the evening/night is good.

If you are in the corporate world and has to meet so many deadlines and the office work needs a lot of mental energy, healing in the morning will charge you up to tackle the day efficiently.

Ultimately it is your choice, considering what is it that you want, and what is your life style.  

My changing routines

During the years with growing up children, it was our routine to do puja, prayers, chants and Reiki self healing at dusk time. Now that I am free to adjust my schedule, I do my meditation and Reiki practice at 3.45 am and 9 pm, apart from puja/chanting at 8.30 am and 6 pm.