The Mystery of the Mystics

Two hundred years from now, When one happens to read, ‘The RainMaker’ book, what would they think? The probable thought would be, ‘is it really possible?’, isn’t? Or maybe who knows there would be superman and superwoman like the avenger’s series! Anyways, Those of you who are a part of os.me would have had enough clarity by now after meeting our beloved Swamiji, that what’s written in the holy scriptures, the miracles the saints and the avatars performed in the bygone era were simply possible with some exception which might have been aggrandized with exaggeration.

From what I have read and come across the historical accounts of various saints and avatars, there is a pattern which gets repeated again and again. I’ll detail the events with reference and you’ll understand what I am getting at. When the west is taking baby step preparations for interplanetary travel, Here in India we have yogi’s and Avatars silently transcending time and  making inter-galactic travel at the speed of light as they have what the scriptures cryptically call – ‘Anandamaya kosha’ or ‘The light body’. ‘Kosha’ means body but what if it’s not just a body but also acts like a suit. A suit made of light which can make one travel at the speed of light.

The Historical accounts of Saints and Avatars

1.Om Swami :

In ‘If truth be told’, chapter 2 page 15, A sadhu tells Swamiji’s Mother, ‘One of us is coming after a long wait. A saint’. So Swamiji was waiting elsewhere in a different realm/loka/dimension as an adept and he took a physical body in this world.

In, ‘The Ancient science of Mantras’, book one, page 3, Swamiji says, ‘The Light was the primary vehicle of travel’. 

2.Sri Ramakrishna: 

In ‘Sri Ramakrishna – The Great Master’ vol.1, chapter 3, page 37  written by Swami Saradananda. Sri Ramakrishna’s father whose name is Kshudiram offers worship for his ancestors in april 1835 at Gaya, Varnasi. After the worship,at night he has a vivid dream, where a divine being with luminescence and radiance tells him, ” I shall be born as your son”.

The Avatars real abode seems to be elsewhere and they seem to  take a visit to our earth now and then when they are pleased with the piousness of earthlings, I suppose so.

In the book, ‘ Sri Sarada Devi and her divine play’ by Swami Chetanananda, chapter 5 page 87 an incident is related. In Jayarambati (Sri Sarada Devi’s birthplace), Sri Ramakrishna went to bed after supper. Holy mother ( Sri Sarada Devi) entered the Master’s (Sri Ramakrishna) room, she found a blazing light shining on the bed, but the bed was empty . She stood there the entire night with folded hands. At daybreak the Master emerged from the light and bowed down to Holy Mother: “you have appeared in this form –  very good”.

Sri Ramakrishna pinches the cheeks of one of his direct disciples and lovingly tells, “Where we go from here is a place where there is no night, one need not sleep at all”.

I read in the book, ‘Rain Maker’ that our beloved Swamiji goes into isolation now and then. Where the Rishi’s come from and where they go is a forbidden secret. Truth seems to be stranger than fiction.

2.Shirdi Sai Baba:

In ‘Shri Sai Satcharita’ by Hemadpant, chapter 39, page 211 – Before Sai Baba sheds his mortal coil, seeing the wada constrution by Bapusaheb buti, Sai Baba tells Shama, “After the temple is complete, I will come there to stay, we shall use it ourselves, we shall move and play there, embrace each other and be happy”. After his death, there was commotion as to how to do the last rites, as per Hindu or Muslim customs. In chapter 43, page 226, Sai Baba appeared to Laxman Mama Joshi in his dreams and drawing him by his hand said, “Get up soon, Bapusaheb thinks I am dead and so he won’t come, you do the worship and the kakad Arati!”.  Even to this day more than 100 years later, there are innumerable accounts of devotee’s stories of Sai’s leela. Shalini Pandey Ji’s experience in Shirdi is a testimonial to it which she had posted in this forum. Do read it, it’s wonderful.

3. The Sage of Kanchi:

I don’t remember where I read this, a facebook post if I am not wrong, it is documented by the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt. The Sage of Kanchi had a group of  inner circle disciples who took care of him and all the work related to him in the Mutt in Kanchipuram. One of them is whom everyone lovingly calls ‘Pradosham uncle’. He spent his entire life in the service of the  God realized Sage. One day he was brooding in his mind, “the sage favors and blesses millions of people who comes to see him but he never says or blesses us or tells us to do any sadhana”. Like our beloved Swamiji, nothing escaped the Sage’s attention back then. He called him at night when all the work was done. “you see, I have built this ship which will sail across the ocean of samsara to the shore of the almighty. All you have to do is to just sit with me. I have reserved your seat with me. You don’t have to do anything else”. The disciple filled with tears prostrated at the Lotus feet of the sage.If compassion had a name and form it would only be an Avatar’s!

Does that mean all the inner circle disciples will be reserved a seat? that may not be so. why?

In the book, ‘God lived with them’ by Swami Chetanananda, chapter 5, page 241. One of the sixteen direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Yogananda is in death bed with illness. Sri Ramakrishna was no more.Swami Vivekananda was still alive. Six month before his death, Sri Ramakrishna appeared before him. Yogananda said: “Master(Sri Ramakrishna), I don’t want to be born again. The lesson of this life is enough for me. Please give me final liberation”. The Master replied, “You will have to come once more”. “No, I won’t come”. yogananda demanded, “please release me forever”. Immediately Sri Ramakrishna disappeared. Swami Yogananda went through six months of physical suffering , hoping that the master would grant his request. knowing  Yogananda’s resolution, Girish Gosh at last said to him: “Brother, don’t you know that you have been suffering terribly these last six months? your pain is causing pain to all of us. Please agree to the will of the master”. Swami Yogananda, ” What! I have been suffering in bed for the last 6 months? All right. Let the master’s will be done”.  Before passing away, he said to Holy Mother, “Mother, Brahma, Shiva, and Sri Ramakrishna have come to take me”.

As Swamiji says in ‘Rain Maker’, certain things can be bent but not totally done with.

In “Sri Ramakrishna – The Great Master” vol.2, part 5, chapter 4, page 845. The Master said: “When Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) had lost his normal conciousness, I asked him that day many questions, such as who he was, where he came from, why he came (was born), how long he would be here (in this world) and so on. Entering into the depths of his being, he gave proper answers to all these questions. These answers of his confirmed what I thought and saw and knew about him in my visions. It is forbidden to reveal those things. But I have known from all these that on that day when he will know who he is, he will no more remain in this world; he will immediately give up his body through yoga, with the strong power of will. Narendra is a great soul perfect in meditation.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “One day I saw that, through samadhi, my mind was going up by a luminous path.   Going beyond the gross world studded with the sun, the moon and the stars, it entered first of all into the subtle world of ideas. The more it began to ascend to subtler and subtler strata of that realm, the more did I see beautiful ideal form of deities existing on both the sides of the path. It came gradually to the last extremity of that region. I saw a barrier of light there separating the realm of the divisible from that of the indivisible. Leaping over it, the mind entered by degrees the realm of the indivisible.I saw that there was no more any person or thing having a form. As if afraid to enter there, even the gods and godessess possessing heavenly bodies exercised their authority only over the realms far below. But the very next moment I saw seven wise Rishis having bodies consisting of divine light only, seated there in samadhi. I felt in virtue and knowledge , love and renunciation, they had excelled even the gods and godessess, not to speak of human beings. Astonished, I was pondering over their greatness when I saw before me that a part of the homogenous mass of light of the ” Abode of the Indivisible”, devoid of the slightest tinge of difference, became solidified and converted into the form of a Divine child. Coming down to one of those Rishis, and throwing its soft and delicate arm around his neck, the Divine child embraced him, and afterwards calling him with it’s ambrosial words, sweeter than the music of vina, made great efforts to wake him up from samadhi. The Rishi woke up and looked at the child with half woke eyes, free from winking. The child said to him, ‘I am going, you must come with me!’ The Rishi said nothing at that request, but his loving eyes expressed his hearty assent. Afterwards, looking at the child, he entered again into samadhi. Astonished, I then saw that a part of the mind and body of that Rishi, converted into the form of a bright light, came down to the earth along the reverse path. Hardly had I seen Narendra for the first time then I knew that he was the Rishi.”

Swami Vidyananda in the book, ‘Om Swami, As we know him’ in page 231 in kindle, narrates how in the middle of the night he woke to the sound of a mellifluous voice. Gurudev was speaking to someone in the most loving manner. There was no one in the cottage except both of them.The conversation went on for twenty minutes. He heard Swamiji ululating a loud blood curdling cry which is usually uttered by Maa Kali. “I watched the door carefully, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Divine Mother, but other than a heady fragrance and a sudden flash of light, I noticed nothing.” The Light seems to be the vehicle of travel for the divine even now.

To conclude, One very common thread which the Avatars leave behind is a temple consecrated with their Divine energies installed into an idol. It is said that it is the Avatar who awakens the deity in the stone image and not vice versa. But, then again, one temple is enough isn’t? for there is only one absolute. Don’t you get it. Each temple which an Avatar consecrates is a portal which takes them or connects them to the realm where they delve close to the source of the indivisible homogenous light. Take for instance, anyone or any temple, be it Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ragavendra, Sri Madava, Sri Sai Baba, Adi Sankara, kedarnath, Badrinath, Tirupati, Guruvayur  and the endless list goes on. Each and every temple around the corner in India,  is seated with an energy  of the divine which might vary according to the tapas of the deity or the individual who infused the energy. Swamiji, in ‘Om Swami, as we know him’ tells Swami Vidyananda, ‘This is going to be one of the holiest place like puri and Badrinath. The ever merciful lord will be giving darshan here for many yugas to come.’

But why the secrecy for the divine, the answer is found in the writings of Sri Aurobindo,in his book , ‘The Divine Life’,chapter 21, page 806, ‘These worlds and beings of other higher worlds may have nothing to do with ourselves and our life,they may exercise no action upon us; but often also they enter into secret communication with earth existence…….. It is possible to receive help or guidance or harm or misguidance from these beings; it is possible even to become subject to their influence, to be possessed by their invasion or domination, to be instrumentalised by them for their good or evil purpose. At times the progress of earthly life seems to be a vast field of battle between supraphysical ( other worldly higher beings) forces of either character, those that strive to uplift, encourage and illumine and those that strive to deflect, depress or prevent  or even shatter our upward evolution or the soul’s self-expression in the material universe…… there are other Titanic, gigantic or demoniac , inordinate influences, instigators or creators often of vast  and formidable inner upheaval or of actions that overpass the normal human measure.”  Why the divine portals or temples and it practices have to kept a secret.

So, the temples might be Divine portals connecting the human with the divine realms. In the book, ‘The book of faith’, Swamiji asks Swami Raghavananda to guard the sanctity of the sanctum with his life. After this book, someone in black lotus app asked Swamiji in swaminar Q&A, why such partiality to not to allow non-initiated persons into the sanctum or the Garbhagriha as everyone is equal in the eyes of the lord. Swamiji had beautifully answered it, ” Why do they have immigration check in the airports in every country, everyone is equal as humans and when they stop that I too will.” An immigration check is mandatory to protect the citizens of a country to prevent them from any dangerous consequences from anyone, similarily when an uninitiated enters the sanctum, it is possible the impure elementals in the subtle body can cause the prevention of divine energies to enter or exit through the portals. Or maybe they have to be born as humans to shed the impure elementals. 

Once a devotee of Sri Sarada Devi asks her, ” You are the wife of Sri Ramakrishna, Why then are you still muttering the name of the lord continuously.” Maa Sarada Devi said, ” The mind has to kept pure at all cost, even if a simple desire for a mango is there in the mind, one has to take a body to fulfill it.”

In the Bangalore Retreat, In Q&A session, I asked swamiji in the note, “Why don’t you take me along with you for a visit to chintamani griha?”. He replied with a story, “A master said to his disciple, I am giving up this body. The disciple asks, ” where do you go, my master”. The master answer ” to the heavens”, please take me also with you and the master negates and the disciple pesters. The master finally tells him, “If I take you, it won’t be heaven anymore”. The entire hall roared with laughter but see the cryptic message in this, without purity of the mind, no place can be reached on the higher realms of the divine. 

All names with the seal of “OM” in them is like a diplomatic immunity a diplomat has in a foreign land. You all have been thoroughly examined for emigration or immigration and issued diplomatic immunity in the realm of the divine to carry out his work of love and light. Pat your backs and be in peace for you are guided directly by our beloved Swamiji.

Such a long, long post. I am not sure how many reached till the end. This was bubbling inside me for a long time and finally today I have given a form to it. I may be utterly wrong in what I have put forth. It might be a ridiculously crazy idea. Thanks a ton for all the beautiful souls who took your precious time to read this. 

May the divine forgive me and forbear with me for the mistakes I might have knowingly or Unknowingly committed by taking their flawless name in this post.

JAI MAA!!!

Photo Courtesy: PIXABAY