The 7 Keys to Enlightenment

She asked me to sit on the Kushasana and I obliged. She opened her right palm, closed her eyes and started murmuring. Suddenly, a yellow thread manifested on her palm. She opened her eyes and said softly, smiling at me, “Son, give me your right hand.”

She then tied the thread around my wrist and I touched her feet. Keeping her palm on my head she said, “From today I take you as my disciple. May you have the knowledge of Mansa, Valhalla and Karmana.. May it rise in your life and may you fulfil the endeavour for which you were born.”

Gently walking on the waves of Brahmaganga and slowly dispelling the lotuses that lay on the water by her movement, she took her asana in the middle of Brahmaganga and said, “Son, you will have many experiences that your intellect can’t decipher and you won’t have any answers as to why it happened. But one day, you will know everything. Till then, have faith in me like a hatchling has on its mother.”

“Like hatchlings?” I asked, confused.

She took a pause and replied smiling, “It is because when a hatchling has its first flight, it doesn’t know whether it will be able to fly or not. It also experiences the fear of falling from the tree but keeping faith in its mother, it jumps off from the tree. It has complete faith that if it falls, its mother will save it. Child, you have to keep full faith in me.”

I nodded and folded my hands.

Then gently picking her Veena Kachchapi and paying her obeisances to it, she said, “on, it is imperative that we revere everything that aids in our salvation whether it be a stone, rock, water, light, trees, animals or even this Veena. Everything that there is or not there, is a part of Brahm and hence eligible to be revered.”

I folded my hands and offered my obeisances to everything that was around.

“Son, the knowledge that I am going to transmit, for that it is important that you have the utmost reverence.”

I nodded.

“Close your eyes”

I closed. After some moments she asked me to open it. As I opened it, I found ourselves in the middle of a light source that was spinning like a disc. The disc was made of millions of tiny lights that twinkled across the dark abyss of nowhere.”

“Where are we?” I asked confused.

Seeing my confused face she said smiling, still on her asana, “Son, we are at the place where knowledge is the basis of everything.”

“Is it a reality or a dream?” I asked, mesmerised by the ambience.

“If you look at it one way, it is a dream but this dream is a reality.”

“I don’t understand. How?”

“I told you that in coming days you will have many such experiences that you will not have any answers to. This is the reason I say, Have faith. Don’t question. Experience. One day you will know everything she said gently.

Then she took the  Kachchapi on her lap and placed her fingers on its string as diligently as a spider put its legs on its web. She said, “Today the knowledge that I am going to impart will not be through words but through music. It is not Naad (reverberation) but Ninad. In these 7 keys, lies the knowledge of the entire creation. Do you know what those 7 Keys are?”

“Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni” I answered.

She said, “Sa represents Agnidev, Reshav viz. Re has in it the entirety of Brahmadev’s knowledge. Gandhar viz. Ga contains the potency of my energy. Madhyam viz. Ma has the essence of Mahadev. Panchang vix. Pa is no one but Devi Lakshmi. Dhaivat viz. Dha has Narayan and in Ni, Suryadev. These 7 keys are the foundation of music. You know” she said grinning inquisitively “that this entire creation is a play of these 7 keys?”

I was dumbstruck. Firstly, I was in the middle of an illuminating disc in the middle of nowhere and I still didn’t know whether all of it was a dream or a reality and now this.

Noticing my anticipation, she said,” Sa led to the creation of Sakar Brahm (The Formed Personality of Divinity)” she struck one string of her Veena and the whole abyss reverberated. “Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh manifested. And do you know whom did they create?”

Seeing my puzzled face, she continued, “To Re. Re viz Rishi Muni (sages and seers).” Saying this, she struck another string.

“After that Ga viz. Gandharva (Musicians and dancers), they were created” and then she struck another string.

“Ma viz. Mahipal” and she struck another string.

“Mahipal?” I questioned.

She answered smiling gently,” Mahipal viz. the protector of the Earth, which in this case is no one else but Devaraj Indra Purandara. He was created.”

“If there is Raja(king) then it is important that he has subjects on which he can rule. So, Pa means Praja (subjects)” saying this she struck another string.

“Now if there are citizens then they should also have a way of being and transacting with one another. So, Dha signifies Dharma (the code of rightful conduct)” She struck another string.

“What is Dharma? Dharate Itihi Dharma viz. the one which can be held is Dharma. The Divine which is being held by the entire existence, if we held him by our Dha or Dharma, then we get the last key, Ni” saying this she struck the last string of her Veena.

“Ni viz. Nirakar Brahm ( the formless divine). From Sakar Brahm (the formed manifestations of the divine) to Nirakar Brahm (the formless Divine) lies the summary of the Sargam.”

She took to her Kachchapi and played a melodious tune that exuberated everything that it touched. I felt as if I was being drenched with Amrita and felt as if I had nothing more to gain. I closed my eyes, enjoying the melody when, after some time it came to an end.

As I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting on the Kushasana with Gurumaa sitting on her asana in the middle of Brahmaganga.”

“Today’s lesson is over,” She said keeping her Veena on the asana. She came in front of me and said, “If the same knowledge would have been imparted through words. It would take you Kalpas but still, you wouldn’t have scratched the surface of what it is. Through these 7 keys, I have encapsulated it and placed it in you. When the appropriate time comes, you will know it. Just simply know it.”

“Then Gurumaa, if I may”

“Ask”

“Where were we?”I asked, curious.

“Why don’t you find it out yourself Let’s test your analytical skills. Shall we?”

I nodded.

“Give me your right hand,” she said. Then as I opened it, she from her tilaka, sketched a lotus with a disc on my palm and then from the adjacent peacocks that were roaming around put a feather on the top of it and said, “The answer to your inquisition”

I Offer my obeisances to the mother who has nurtured me and revealed those intricacies of the existence which remains out of reach, even for the ascetics of the most highest order. Happy birthday!!!