The Other Miracles of Om Swami

Jai Sri Hari and an affectionate hug to my readers. Today’s article is about some miracles of Om Swami that don’t seem like miracles but have had a significant impact on our lives. Let’s begin by reading a small story of what it takes to understand the true impact of divinity on our lives.

The Glory of the Sun

A young professor stood at Darbhanga ghat in Varanasi and gazed at the rising Sun. Its beams were gently parting through the mist as they tenderly pierced it to light up and playfully bounce off the small waves on mother Ganges. He had come here to escape all the fame and craze that started last week when the Nobel committee announced that he was one of the final contenders for the award. His invention of a tiny silicon wafer that significantly increased the efficiency of solar panels was being hailed as a game-changer in clean energy. His decision to open source the solution versus patenting it had proved to be immensely popular and had given him cult status. Memes of his actions had flooded the internet, and university children were wearing t-shirts with the formula that provided the breakthrough.

Yet he felt he was missing something. An empty feeling gnawed into his chest, and he was seeking the answer in his travels. His therapist told him it was simply the emptiness that follows when you complete a massive project that’s taken over your life, but the words felt hollow.

His wandering gaze settled on a Brahmin who stood knee-deep in water and gazed adoringly at the Sun as he chanted a mantra. The Sun’s orange glow enveloped his face, and they both seemed to shine with equal intensity. A deep peace settled into the professor’s heart as he saw this intimate exchange between another human and the cosmic ball of fire that had caused such a stir in his life.

The professor approached the Brahmin as he came out and bowed down to greet him. They both sat down in the steps of the ghat and talked as mother Ganga playfully teased their feet. The Brahmin patiently heard the professor’s dilemma and said, “I think I know why you are upset. You found a way to leverage a small portion of the Sun’s energy, and that has transformed your life. However, you have not contemplated the Sun’s impact on the entire planet. Look at how it gently takes water from the Ganges to form rain clouds. Notice how plants stretch and wake up in the morning as the sunlight caresses them. Examine how the animals enjoy the warmth filling their bodies and how the trees are ready to feast again. You have managed to isolate one aspect of the Sun and gotten so much acclaim for it, but, in doing so, you have ignored its impact on every single living being on this planet. Simply focus on that to feel complete. “

They both gazed adoringly at the Sun, chanted the Gayatri Mantra together eleven times, and walked away with their hearts full of love and reverence.

Om Swami — Our Sun

Om Swami is the Sun for many of us. We begin our day by praying to him and end it by meditating on him before sleep. However, to better understand the nature of Swami’s work, we need to understand his impact on individuals and the larger society. Books like the Rainmaker and Om Swami As We Know Him give us fantastic insights into Swami’s impact on individuals. We all crave to hear more such stories; hence Swami is the constant topic of discussion when we meet other devotees. However, to truly appreciate Swami’s work, we also need to see the impact on the rest of the world.

I now offer this article at the feet of my guru Om Swami.

Om Swami The Author

Swami has authored more than 20 books and audiobooks. Why do I rate this as the most significant offering of Swami to the world? I have read innumerable spiritual books, and most of them are written by devotees of masters. This is true of Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharishi, Shirdi Sai Baba, and almost every major saint in India. One of the significant challenges of reading books authored by devotees is that it paints a halo over every act of the guru. In his article on Attachments, Swami talks about the silver coating on the mirror, which does not allow you to see through it.

Similarly, when devotees write about their guru, they have the silver coating of bhakti that seeps through the narrative. Their love for their guru makes it impossible to write objectively about anything. Hence, we have books full of beautiful anecdotes that will inspire people and make them believe in the power of divinity. However, you are overwhelmingly left with the feeling that the guru is divine, and we, as mortals, can never achieve divinity. Hence, we place the guru at the altar as divine but never aspire to become like the guru.

Swami completely shattered that trend with every book he wrote. So many of us get attracted to “If Truth Be Told” because he dives deep into the process of what it takes to achieve union with the divine. He states his divine truth humbly and encourages all of us that if we put in the work, it can be a reality for us too. Every single book after that includes actionable steps we can follow around Mantra Sciences, Zen Meditation, Kundalini Sadhana, and even Kindness to reach our spiritual destination.

His prolific blogs also help us learn more about the inner workings of “avatars” or highly realized spiritual beings. They exist on three levels — the divine themselves, agents of the divine, and human beings. They feel tiredness, pain, exhaustion, and all other emotions. Their Sadhana has ensured they can feel pain but not suffer. Swami’s article about his father was suffused in pain but did not have an iota of suffering.

Swami’s books stripped away the mystique that often accompanies esoteric spiritual discussions and firmly focused on steps we need to take to transform ourselves.

Om Swami the Entrepreneur

Indian saints have had a very conflicted relationship with money. Ancient stories talk about how saints lived mainly in jungles and were largely self-sustained. Then, over time, they enjoyed the patronage of kings who supported them. We also had a rich tradition of walking saints ranging from the Buddha to Shankara, who roamed the length and breadth of this country on foot and sustained on Bhiksha. Sri Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharishi were agnostic if not hostile to the idea of money.

Think back to how much difficulty Swami Vivekananda had to raise money to speak at The Parliament of Religion in Chicago. He went around India speaking at different places, and the Madras disciples raised money for his trip. He also got donations from Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri and other benefactors.

These experiences changed Swami Vivekanda’s attitude towards money. You can read this article for more insights about the transformation. I am including a paragraph from the article.

“He now understood the practical necessity of dealing in monetary issues. He knew that Institutions could not be built without money, and he was clear that it was a tool that he needed to use wisely. Even to spread the message of his own master, he needed money. He now began to examine the ethical issue of a monk handling money from a more pragmatic angle and decided to focus on money’s effective and efficient use. “

One thing that riles me up is when people lounge comfortably in their homes and say, “Saints these days are after money. Ramana Maharishi or Sri Ramakrishna were the real deal. They had no attachment to money.” I feel like tearing down the roof of their house and bringing it down on their heads. You need to examine the lives of these saints to see the pain they went through due to poverty. We are willing to pay a fortune for some basic shelter on our heads or jewels on our bodies, while the saints sharing timeless wisdom should suffer for lack of food, clothing, or resources. Is that what defines sainthood now? We belch after eating rich food while seeing their ribs stick out as they suffer for our welfare.

Mother Divine completely altered the script for Swami. He was a tech entrepreneur early in life. His book Heart of Success and Walk the Dragon series can be used in any business school. His decision to include a paid subscription to Os.me and Black Lotus ensures that serious practitioners use these self-development tools and that the applications are self-sustainable. His post on Hungry Baba tears into the stereotypes we associate with saints. His article on Purity of Intention breaks this lie we tell ourselves about why we go into business. Let’s read the opening paragraph of his article.

“Have you heard people tell you that the only reason, or the primary reason, they want to build a business or earn money is so they may help others? I have. Numerous times. It always makes me chuckle because sustainable businesses are not built with the intention to help others. They are built with the intention to add value to the lives of those buying [or using] your goods or services. From such value, you generate income which you may then utilize to help others. Generating value through your offering has to be the chief intention of every business, or it has no hope of ever becoming profitable.”

The world we live in has changed, and Sanatana Dharma and our saints have to evolve to stay relevant in this world. Krishna was very different from Rama because he was born in a different yuga. Swami has laid down the marker for building and developing sustainable spiritual organizations.

Our engagement with the world is increasingly digital, and with Os.me, Black Lotus, and Sadhana, Swami has ensured that Sanatana Dharma thrives sustainably in the digital world. He has also ensured we understand that preserving Sanatana Dharma is our responsibility, and we need to contribute to the cause.

The Miracle of Sri Badrika Ashram

You can only understand the joy of being in the Sri Bhadrika Ashram once you have spent a couple of days in its gentle embrace. I was fortunate enough to attend the inauguration of the meditation hall in Nov 2021, where Swami narrated the philosophy that drives the ashram.

He talked about how an astrologer had seen the Buddha’s footsteps and followed him to a grove. The astrologer then expressed surprise and told the Buddha that his footsteps clearly showed all signs of him being an emperor and a master to infinite material belongings. Buddha smiled and replied that he had no material possessions. The astrologer reiterated that the footsteps indicated that Buddha would lack nothing in life. Buddha’s smile widened as he said, “Tathagat may not have many possessions, but he is never short of resources.” The audience took in the profound words as Swamiji explained that this was the philosophy of Sri Badrika Ashram. He concluded by saying, “We never went and asked for anything but got everything we needed to develop the ashram and the region.”

Swami has often talked about how the ashram started with no water or electric supply. Today, when we look at the lush green valley, a magnificent temple, a glistening meditation hall, gleaming solar panels, a continuous water supply, and delicious food, it’s hard to imagine the humble beginnings of the ashram.

Divinity resides in the ashram in the form of Sri Hari and Om Swami, and you can feel that the moment you enter the ashram. Simply close your eyes, and you will feel your mind become still. Every devotee visits the same patch of land but is transformed differently. Some wonderful and innocent souls I know simply go to enjoy the darshan of Bhagwan and soak in his divine presence. Some souls like me that need more purification enter the washing machine of Swami and come out slightly cleaner than before. I traveled to the ashram in Dec 2021 with five incredible women, all of whom had different expectations. Three days later, they had all met Swami in personal or group meetings and had markedly changed in different ways. They wanted to experience Swami differently, and Swami showed them precisely the Swaroop they desired. You can travel to the ashram, lay all your worries at the feet of Sri Hari, and soak yourself in his warm embrace.

Conclusion

I want to conclude, dear Parivar, by stating something I had said before. Om Swami is a possibility. He has laid down the markers for us to walk the route of transformation. The physical ashram and the digital apps ensure we have everything we need at our fingertips. We need to start the journey and not give up. In all honesty, this is as much a reminder for me as for all of you. His recent posts on Retirement and Attachment seem to indicate that we should now start walking with urgency instead of comfortably lounging in his grace and waiting for miracles to happen in our lives. Please don’t mind my brutal writing here. It’s truly a reminder for myself so that when I read this again, I can evaluate my own commitment.