Let’s get Spiritual

I had a vivid dream, which made me ponder.

Perhaps as a result of reading too many spiritual books (Swamiji’s books as well 🙏), I dreamed about two enlightened masters commanding central space and showing off their considerable prowess. In a room filled with bright diyas blurred by incense smoke, try and imagine me in between these two divine beings, helplessly flitting between devotion and fear. There I was mystified by their dominant brilliant looks, their skewed glazed eyes, their slithery, slim bodies covered with beautiful, flowy orange robes. I do not recall if their aura shone or whether divine perfume dominated that of the incense.

These enlightened masters were taking turns, touching me on the forehead, or my head, or in between eyes – hitting me with sheer bolts of energy. I know such acts in the real world give pleasurable, even blissful experiences. What I went through in the dream was a tad different. Their touches generated jarring shocks and the two masters treated me like a lab *** (sorry, with respect I cannot bring myself to call myself “that”, which rhymes with that). Their mudraic fingers poked me like laser rods, while they smiled like merciful gods. This went on and it seemed that each was determined to surpass the other with their superior siddhi. I could see myself twisting and turning (in my dream, that is) as a result of these constant, rapid “energy” implants. My body split with contortions this way, then that. 

As if the shock treatment was not enough, I then began to be bounced around the room like a rubber ‘crazy-ball’. (As a child, I obsessed over a translucent orange bouncy ball which got thrown into obscurity by a speeding truck). Many years later and in my dream, that orange ball returned grandly in human form, thanks to these supreme avatars. I bounced up and down, back and forth, spinning like crazy. If one master could do it, the other could do it better. My random revolutions around the room finally stopped and I lay dizzy, broken, beaten, my mouth smelling of fetid food. I felt like I had done a million asanas in a few minutes. Aah, salutations to the divine masters!!

I then heard them shrieking and shouting at each other.

‘You call yourself a yogi, you cheat!’

‘And what about you, glamourising our scriptures? Are you not ashamed?’

‘One foreign trip and you think you are up in the clouds’

‘You commit blasphemy – did your samadhi actually happen?’

‘Yes it happened, jealous are you? You mislead people by acting and marketing hype’

‘What about those fancy YouTube talks, you scoundrel’

…. and plenty more, as I plugged my noisefull human ears!

BAM!! A loud noise, as my son dropped the popcorn can. ‘Sorry, I woke you up’, he said as I shot up straight in bed peering into the dark of the night with half-closed eyes, as if meditating.

I murmured something but was truly happy the ‘funny’ nightmare was unreal.

I wondered – is spirituality about fame, about acquired/proclaimed siddhis, sense jugglery, about inflated egos? How many spiritual masters are out there whose claim to fame is built via dishonesty, false pride and social media. How much holiness? How much chicanery?

But then, do I care? Should I?  No. Never.

Isn’t spirituality about introspection and renewal? It is taking small steps towards self-improvement. To purify, become kind, being more human. Conjoining with others and doing good acts. To uplift, help the deprived, shore up the weak, and the helpless. Why should spirituality be reduced to an audience act, a glorious demonstration, or stupid pretensions? Why not simply live it easily in our daily life, with modesty, in deference to the almighty, by caring, with humility, and compassion. Small acts should do – a gentle smile, a pat on the shoulder, touching of feet, a gift here and there… 

P.S. The title is inspired by the late Olivia Newton-John’s famous number ‘Let’s get Physical’. What a great melody, one amongst several famous 80’s tunes. From that title which I lived to this one for this post, which I am living, it tells a story of my life. Where do I go from here? What story is waiting to unfold? Maybe a real swami can let me know.