Stay away from sadhus!

Guruji: “In the morning, while changing clothes, I saw on TV lord Krishna playing with Gopis who were making Him dance to their tunes and threatening to tell on Him to mother Yashoda otherwise. While watching this, a thought crossed my mind: Lord Krishna never talked to a single sadhu or sanyasin his entire life! He always stayed around pure-hearted, opulent, householders but never any sadhus. Similarly, Lord Rama never talked with any sadhu his entire life. He did interact with rishis but they were householders. The only appearance of sadhus was when Sita-ji gave alms to one sadhu who came to their door during their exile, and see what happened afterward!

“This also means if gods didn’t communicate to any sadhus while they were living here, what’s the guarantee they’d be talking with them afterward? We should stay away from sadhus and sanyasis (renunciants). As my guruji used to say, ‘One who couldn’t be of his own, how can you expect him to be yours?’.”

The End of Vedic Times

Q: “Guruji, we see that the human condition in society degrades and then evolves over time. But it seems to develop on its own. What is the role of gods in that?”

Guruji: “Gods don’t have a role to play in that.”

Q: “Then why worship them?”

Guruji: “Who does that anymore? Vedic gods are no longer worshiped. Indra, who was the foremost deity of vedas, is mocked by even children today. His tenure is already over, and King Bali has taken over.

“It feels like the new administration is going to be permanent. King Bali is the emperor of the Netherworld, and now he’s also the ruler of Heaven. The earlier Indra only had dominion over the heaven. Second, king Bali is already immortal, and Vishnu is his gatekeeper, since after giving all the three worlds to Vishnu, King Bali earned so much merit that Vishnu had no choice! That’s why Vishnu is no longer worshiped either – he’s been replaced by Rama and Krisha.

“The change is quite evident. Vedic rituals are disappearing, Indra’s worship is over, and Krisha established Goverdhan puja after defeating Indra. Bali puja and Goverdhan puja fall on the same day; they might be one and the same. Vedic dharma has now become Hindu dharma – we are being identified as Hindus. Vedic gods have disappeared, Indra was castigated, Vishnu ran away, and new gods have emerged. Only the eternal gods [aadi-dev] have survived – Shiva and Shakti. Krishna and Rama are getting worshiped, and Goverdhan has its own place in India.

“Besides, vedic culture is almost gone; everybody wears shirts and pants which nobody had even heard about in those times. And if you read Gita, Krishna Himself had denied vedas:

Vedas are limited to the three gunas. O Arjuna, rise above them. [Gita 2.45]

Those who are engrossed in pleasures and are only committed to the Vedas which eulogize the fruits of ritualistic karmas, such thoughtless people keep making pompous and flowery remarks. [Gita 2.42]

“He established yoga and now you see the world over people are only talking about yoga. So it seems the change has already taken place.”

Q: “But Guruji, the gods were already immortal. How could they disappear?”

Guruji: “They must be leading a retired life somewhere. The main thing, they are not in power anymore, they don’t have any control. King Bali became immortal even without drinking ambrosia. How could the other gods have faced him then? Shiva-ji also never drank ambrosia, but He is Mahadeva.

“Brahma was the first vedic god. He has no temples anymore. Second was Vishnu, but he is also left with a very few temples in India – he’s been replaced by Rama and Krishna. Rudra was the main deity and He still remains. He is the only one with the power of destruction.

“After that, we have Savita, Mitra (Indra), and Varuna as the foremost gods in vedas which are nowhere to be found. So the tenure of these 5 gods is over. Only Rudra has remained. But even He is now known as Shiva. Nobody says Rudra anymore, except in case of Shiva-ji’s puja which is called Rudrabhishek.

“It’s a clear changeover. And since king Bali has dominion over the three worlds, he must have done something that all races are coming together. Foreigners, who were once considered untouchables, are being accepted everywhere, and followers of vedas, who always considered themselves superiors, are living the most dejected lives these days. Even a sweeper is better off than them. Those who are reciting “Rama Rama” or those reading Bhagvat and Gita have reached the top. All this data proves that change has taken place.

“Tantra influence has increased as well. The ten Mahavidhyas and other tantric knowledge given by Shiva are more popular than vedas these days. It means a new type of program has started already.

“Besides, all the foreign invasions in India fundamentally destroyed vedic culture only. Adi Sankaracharya denied vedas and propagated vedanta [literally “end of Veda”]. What could they do to yogis? Nothing!

Also, nobody does rituals for gods anymore. No more singing praises of Indra’s glory! In my opinion, the kind of punishments he has received no one has ever had. Like when he violated Gautam rishi’s wife, the rishi cursed him, ‘you are going crazy after vaginas, you yourself will grow 1000 vaginas!’. He’s the only one in the entire history to have 1000 vaginas! That’s how he got the name Sahastrabhaga.

Q: “and what about Kubera?”

Guruji: “He’s a friend of Shiva-ji. His Alkapuri is right next to Kailash. Also, see, Lakshmi-ji used to grant prosperity; now that department belongs to Kubera. Even in front of our Reserve Bank there’s a status of Kubera.

“Once upon a time puranas were considered secondary after vedas, but now the roles have reversed. Upanishads are still being read since they don’t have anything abour vedas, and they don’t have any reference to Indra. All things related to Indra and vedic gods have disappeared. That means, King Bali has taken over. This also means there’ll be some state of filtering and weeding out of people, and then all races will come together.

“Until know there has been constant conflict between suras and asuras. Veda-followers always thoughts themselves as superiors. King Bali has proven that vedic people are not superior by getting then beaten by once-untouchable foreigners. And see, after they beat vedic people, they are now running after our spiritual knowledge – yoga, tantra, aghora.

“Also the reasoning behind our belief that King Bali and Goverdhan are one and the same is that Krishna defeated Indra and established Goverdhan worship. Before him, no avatar opposed Indra. He was the only one, and He beat Indra not only once but three times! There’s a famous line in Gita:

To destroy evil-doers and to establish dharma, I appear time and again in every age.

He established dharma by starting Goverdhan worship and putting an end to Indra’s worship. And the end of worship for a god means the end of him, because all means of his ‘tax revenue’ are gone! Just like kings survive on taxes, gods survive on worships.”

[20100725-5]

Understand the Mind of the Creator

Q: “People often create this mental block that if you desire siddhis or go after them, then you can never attain self-realization.”

Guruji: “That is most idiotic statement in my opinion. If you are practicing yoga, it’s results include these capacities. They’ve been described in detail, in Yoga Darshan and other texts. On the other hand, these instructions have been adulterated by the various devotional cults over time, that ‘thou shall not acquire any grandeur lest thou shall lose thy path’. How can anybody get lost?? There’s no other way to go! This is a journey from birth to death, and this is the path of life! (‘जन्म से मृत्यु तक की यात्रा है, और ये ही पथ है जीवन का’). Who can deviate from this path, you tell me. There’s no chance. Now it’s possible that sometimes we pause for analysis, sometimes we relax, but there’s not possibility of getting lost.

“And they say that ‘our guru is so great that he’s guiding the disciples away from any glory so that the disciple doesn’t get lost!’ But the truth is, the guru doesn’t even have know any such art which could win them any glory. I’ve see many such people, keep fooling others like this. There’s so much hypocrisy in the world, man! But what do we care, we can analyze even the hypocrites. That’s why I’ve written in all my books, ‘To the seekers of truth’. And truth is not just one-dimensional. It is multifaceted, diverse, and multidimensional. Whatever we are exploring, we trying to understand in its totality.

“As I said before, after understanding the creation we’ll be able to understand the mind of the Creator. And remember, Creator is ‘Alakh Niranjan’ – beyond carbon! Since He is beyond carbon, He is beyond this creation and not visible. What we are experiencing is His nature in our day-to-day life. First we’ll understand His nature then we’ll understand Him. Others have said that this is all maya (illusion), we should deny it. My observation is that maya is His nature. The more we understand His nature, the more we’ll become natural ourselves and understand Him better. Think of it this way: When you travel, you find dozens of fellow travelers. You can see them, touch them, but you don’t know their nature. You don’t know the person himself or herself. You just see the person. But that’s not enough. When you start talking to them, exchange thoughts, and get to know the person, then only a real friendship will develop. Got the point?”

[20090802-2] Recorded: July 2003

Kali, The Highest Love, Trailanga Swami, Sacrifices

Guruji: “[About Vimalananda] It’s rare to have such a combination: practice of aghora, intellectuality, as well as a sense of humor. Most so-called aghoris just sit around with a frustrated look on their faces. A touch of humor is rare. Or you can say that humor probably comes only after a certain level, after you are past the periods of frustration and toil. He can afford to laugh who has achieved something. Or rather than achievement, you can say someone who’s resolved all his questions. Then they don’t care what kind of image is being conveyed. Such a person would talk honestly, in forthright manner, and they can share a joke as well! Robert Svaboda should be considered lucky. Among all the books I’ve read, his experience is among the most interesting.

“One should also remember that Kali is basically the goddess of Tantra. She is the primary presiding deity for all black magic and other such rituals. Her universal form, etc, was later developed by philosophers. All forms of black magic rituals, hexes, death spells, human and animal sacrifices, etc, are sworn in the name of Kali. Isn’t Bengal’s black magic famous? And she is most worshiped there. Kali’s rituals prescribe eating rice and fish in the night before repeating her mantras, and you can see that rice and fish are totally inscribed in Bengali culture.”

Q: “Guruji, why do gods require sacrifices?”

Guruji: “It is directly related to the game of power. Whichever animal you are sacrificing, you gain control over its spirit. These are just means to become powerful in the astral world. Whether it’s the ashwamedha yagna, or human sacrifice, or lamb sacrifice, you are able to control their life-force, in a way. If you want to gain control over a spirit, why go through the trouble of looking for a spirit? Do a human sacrifice and catch the released spirit! Many tantrics and aghoris used to do that. Ultimately what’s the result? Nothing. Impress the world, get your petty things done, and gain a little feeling of power. But I’ve seen such tantrics meet very pathetic ends.”

Q: “So gods and goddesses don’t get appeased with sacrifices?”

Guruji: “Who will be appeased by a sacrifice? Their appeasement or provocation depends entirely on the intent and motivation of the person. Most sacrifices are offered to fulfill a desire or after it has been fulfilled. It’s purely a worldly matter.

“Why is there no sacrifices offered to Shiva? Sacrifices are never offered to Shiva. Only abhishek (sacred anointment, ablution). He doesn’t like sacrifices. The purest form of worship is only Shiva’s – even the priest needs to be completely vegetarian.”

Q: “Guruji, why is Shiva offered the pyre ash?”

Guruji: “Only in Ujjain Mahakala, nowhere else. The story is this: when Devi Sati immolated herself in Daksha yagna, Shiva took the ash from Her half-burned body and applied it on His body. Because he loved her so much, he carried her body on his shoulder throughout the world and rubbed her ash on himself and made a garland of her bones which he wore himself, and then removed himself into solitary meditation! That was, I think, the highest form of love expressed, ever!”

[about Trailanga Swami]

Q: “Read somewhere that Trailanga Swami worshiped Shiva-linga with his own excrements.”

Guruji: “Never heard of that, though I’ve read about him eating his own excrements. That was a famous incident: Once he got arrested due to ‘indecent exposure’. Some English memsahibs came for a stroll where he was sitting naked on the grass. Looking at him, they were shocked! ‘How horrible! Such a grotesque man is lying around naked! Arrest him.’ they cried. On their complaint, the collector put him behind bars. Now as he was walking in his prison cell, he casually ‘walked-out’ of his prison cell without getting ‘barred’ by the prison bars. It caused such a pandemonium! Sometimes he was seen strolling on the roof, sometimes outside the prison. They were not able to contain him.

“On the day of his hearing in front of the collector for ‘indecent exposure’, when the collector asked him about it, he simply said: ‘We are children of God. Children go about naked, so I’m naked. What’s the problem? Indecent or decent lies in the eye of the beholder.’
The collector asked him: ‘Do you consider everybody as equal?’.
He said: ‘Yes, everybody is equal’.
‘In that case, will you be able to eat what we eat?’ They ate beef, etc, so the collector thought that that would get the naked madman back on line.
He said: ‘Sure, if you can can eat what I eat, than I’ll eat what you eat’ . The collector thought he’s just a vegetarian Hindu, what’s the worse that could happen. So he said: ‘Yes, I’m ready’. Hearing this, Trailanga Swami shat,then and there in the courtroom, and ate it! (laughs). He was immediately released. Because even when they had imprisoned him, he was casually walking out of his cell. Nobody was able to restrain them.

“His siddhis were so powerful! Actually people’s devotion only start only with display of power; nobody cares for saintliness. Take the miracles out of Lahiri Mahasaya’s life, who would have gone to him then? Only when Trailanga Swami took him into his arms and said that ‘this man has accomplished everything without giving up anything, which I have sought by renouncing everything including my loin cloth!’ Only after his recognition Lahiri Mahasaya became famous in Banaras.

“But Trailanga Swami was a great man, there’s no doubt about that. He was one of the greatest aghoris of all time.”

Q: “It’s interesting that there were so many great people living around the same time.”

Guruji: “That’s true. There are a lot of famous people from around that time – Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Lahiri Mahasaya, Trailanga Swami, Bhaskarananda, Balananda, Totapuri, etc. But the thing is, how many contemporary people knew them? Only after people who came later read their stories that they became famous.”

[20090802-2] Recorded: July 2003

Nath Sampradaya

Q: “Guruji, I wonder what goes on in the mind of a self-realized man? What do they think about? Are they in some other time-zone altogether?”

Guruji: “(laughs) nothing goes on in their mind. See, when alone, the mind is totally quiet. And during discussion, what comes out is more as a reaction to whom I’m speaking to.”

Q: “We’ve learned so many things in these discussions.”

Guruji: “A disciple should have at least this much information. Otherwise, what’s the point of being a guru?

“Till now, our discussions have mainly focused on matter – earthly matters. Slowly they reach Void. That could be an interesting discussion. Then we’ll talk about Time!

“What we’ve said is that Earth is like a queen in this whole creation. But the creation itself is so vast! What is its extent, what are its attributes? We are still to talk about that. But as they say, charity begins at home. Until we are Earth-conscious, we’ll not be creation-conscious. And until we are creation-conscious, what is beyond this creation we’ll not be able to grasp.

“Still, we’ve discussed a lot of things. Even Vimalananda wasn’t able to discuss all these (laughs)”

Q: “A lot of what I’ve read in his books I had already known from you. That’s why I thought he was authentic.“

Guruji: “Yeah, even though he wasn’t ultimately a yogi, he did a few tantra practices, and even those require practice of concentration. Concentration is required everywhere. Without that, how can you achieve anything in life? He must have had an interesting personality.”

Q: “Guruji, whose personality do you find most fascinating in our tradition?”
Guruji: “Matsyendra Nath. In my opinion, he is the greatest Guru of all time.

“There’s a complete chapter on Matsyendra Nath in Narada Purana, second chapter. He is called Siddha Nath in Narada Purana; that’s also one of his names. Shiva-ji is saying “Siddha Nath is my son”, which is then followed by his full description.”

Q: “Guruji, how is Matsyendra Nath-ji related to our tradition, kriya yoga?”

Guruji: “He was the first yogi guru after Shiva, in human form. Remember that verse from Hatha Yoga Pradipika: ‘Matsyendra and Goraksha knew this art. With their blessing, Swatmaram knows it now’.

“Whatever you are practicing was first taught by Matsyendra Nath, remember!“

Q: “In the current lineage, who have you found fascinating?”

Guruji: “In the current tradition no one has fascinated me so far, except Babaji. I’m not impressed with anybody’s personality. Babaji’s personality I’m a big fan of. Since we are in his lineage, in a way we are his disciples.

“All these traditions are somehow related to the Nath tradition. After all, they were the original yogis! The problems have arisen out of recent attempts to create groups or organizations around yoga teachings. That is not acceptable. It has compromised the gravity and beauty of this art.”

Q: “Guruji, in the olden times, was it not like a sect? It was still called Nath samapradaya?”
[‘samapradaya’ commonly means a group]

Guruji: “See, samapradaya means ‘to give equally’ –sama means ‘equal’, pradaya means ‘to give’. Basically to teach what we have learned ourselves. Now if you are teaching equally, you’d have to follow the strict discipline, along with all the pledges. These days it has nothing to do with teaching equally. Now it means a cult or a group.

“Now yoga traditions were the only true samapradaya, because if you don’t teach what you’ve practiced, how would anybody learn? It was never about creating followers, or have disciples lie at the feet of the guru, getting kicked around, in the hope that one day guru maharaja would wake up and with one blessing turn their life around.

“And the guru would know that if he told the disciple whatever little he knew himself – some mantra or something else – then the disciple wouldn’t give a damn about him anymore. So they’d continue to keep it a secret. This is exactly what has happened in most tantric traditions.

“There have been so many cults around Bhakti (devotion). Why do you think that the only display of power was done by people who started these cults, and not by their subsequent followers? That is because they used to practice something else and taught their followers something else.

“Only in yoga one teaches what one practices, and that is true samapradayikta, whatever be its definition today. Otherwise, the standards could not be maintained. This approach is nowhere else. Even Yogananda didn’t teach what he himself learned.

“The teachings should never be trifled with! Nobody is born such a genius that they could better the results arrived at by the old masters. After so many austerities and hard work they extracted the essence of these techniques and passed down that essence to their future generations. Why be a wise-ass and corrupt that knowledge? Only if you follow the instructions exactly as given you’ll get the results, not otherwise.

“That’s why there aren’t so many yoga traditions, only a couple. There are many meditation groups, but they are not becoming yogis. Only when you follow the yogic way of life with all its discipline, and then someone tells you the mysteries of these teachings, the awareness will develop.

“At least now you’ll never practice [the commonly misunderstood form of] Mahavedha from Hatha Yoga Pradipika (laughs). Still, I’m very proud that my disciples are making good progress.”

Q: “Guruji, do you think we’ll get to see these original founders of Yoga”?

Guruji: “Of course! If I’ve had their blessings, my disciples shall too.

But the blessing came only because of perseverance in the practice, otherwise why would it have come? Never accept the ordinary. Always try to do better than your capacity. That’s what matters.”

[20090802-2] Recorded: July 10, 2003

Kali Worship, Vimalananda, Ethereal Beings

Guruji: “I just finished reading “Kali’s Odiyya” yesterday. Most of it was good but some things were beyond comprehension. It appears to have a mix of fantasy as well, for example, when he cuts Sandhya’s body into pieces. I mean, people who are able to contact such super beings, and can go outside their body at will, have the shafe-shifting ability and can turn into a dog, why would they bother about trivial matters? And there’s the physical relationship of cousins – Sandhya and Shambhu, and their aunt Prema encouraging them, and despite having such powers she simply died of malaria! On one hand you are talking about supernatural powers and on the other hand you die such a trivial death. And eating her corpse as the last rites! That is quite strange.”

Q: “Is it only fantasy then?”

Guruji: “It appears to have a blend of reality as well, especially the rituals about Kali’s worship and the description of ‘Odiyyas’ which are very similar to nature spirits. In this book, apparently his personal fantasies have gotten mixed as well. Even though you sometimes get to hear such cases, but they have gone too far in it. If you have left all inhibitions and not accepting social norms, why are you living in society at all? The point is, if we are not accepting the social structure, and have broken all social taboos, then after breaking all social taboos you should be away from society. You are breaking all the social rules and yet completely thriving on society, this is a hypocritical thing.

“Couple of things he has said in the book are really good. For example what he said about non-violence, it was a very good statement. Until there’s love in the heart, violence will never end. That is exactly the fact. Book is amusing though. It mostly talks about the black magic rituals in the villages of South India, which they have tried to connect to cosmic consciousness, etc.

“Another interesting thing is the reference to the book named Aghora Rahasya. I have heard about it from some South Indians. The author is some Nambudiri brahmin. The community of Nambudiri brahmins is known as masters of black magic in South India. In villages there, no one would dare bother any Nambudiri living in their village, because they know if he’s pissed, he could wreak havoc on their homes and the entire village. Adi Shankaracharya was also a Nambudiri brahmin. These people have a deep knowledge of tantra, through tradition only.

“I have discussed about aghoris with many people, and Aghora Rahasya is not about real aghoris, but it has a lot of information about going to smashan (cremation grounds) and catching ghosts, or to do black-magic rituals. The simplest method in that book is to find the skull of a freshly cremated corpse, one which is half-burned, and on the new moon night cook rice and lentils in it and eat! If you did this, the ghost or the spirit of that body will come in your control, and will start telling you things and get your work done. This is the first initiation – cooking and eating rice and dals in the skull of a corpse, flavored with its brain (laughs). There are many such methods described in that book, to contact ghosts and earthly spirits.

“And the other aghora tradition, of Dattatreya and Gorakhnath, that is of course a very high form of aghora. They have nothing to do with ghosts. Their objective is to live in smashan and gain contact with Shiva, who is known to live in smashan.”

Q: “Guruji, what do you think about about Vimalananda’s (Robert Svoboda’s) Aghora books?”

Guruji: “They are very much near to the facts. Although there are some incidents that Vimalananda suggestively narrated, which Robert Svoboda has credited to Vimalananda himself, but those are stories of Aghori Kinaram. But otherwise that book is very good. It definitely adds to the general knowledge. These discussions are common among aghoris or yogis. It could have been me talking! About Dattatreya, Shiva-ji, Kundalini, yantras – these are some of the fundamental subjects. Vimalananda is real. I have read all the 3 parts. What he has said about Dattatreya, about Krishna, Shiva-ji, aghoris, Girnar, about Dhuni, etc, these things are possible and they do happen.”

Q: “It is mentioned in those books that Vimalananda had met Lord Dattatreya and Guru Gorakhnath.”

Guruji; “Some of it is exaggeration as well, for example, about Babaji. Gorakhnath was mentioned in the context of what he called avishkara – inviting a deity to enter somebody’s body. There’s no mention of a direct meeting.

“You’ll find a lot of people like Vimalananda in Maharashtra. “Navnath Charitra” (stories of the nine Naths) can be found in every home. Saint Gyaneshwara himself was a Nath yogi. I think it’s a fairly common knowledge there about Guru Dattatreya – he is called Datta Guru there – and about immortal Naths. In Gwalior, we used to think that Dattatreya was only a god of Maharashtrian folks, since only they used to go to Dattatreya’s temple. People in central area are not very familiar with Nath tradition. But that book is very factual. Of course, there’s always some elaboration, some dramatization. But even then, it is 95% fact.”

Q: “Guruji, the aghora mentioned in that book, is that practiced for power or for self-realization?”

Guruji: “See, the system of Vimalananda was tantric system, which has ritualistic practices for a direct experience of the Goddess and to gain powers from Her, practices like Shava (corpse) Sadhana. It is fairly commonly known in central India that people do these things (Shava Sadhana), even though in reality it is very rare to find people who actually know such practices and have actually done them. Yet, there are people who do these practices and surely gain contact with a super spirit.

“What he has mentioned that the goddess first came in the form a white jackal, that is also a fact. White jackal has come here (academy campus) as well! Our watchman saw it – there were flames coming out of its mouth. It happened in 2000 winter, and after that, there was a complete change in scenario over here! It was in 1999 december of 2000 January. People call it ‘Siawoli’, and fire emanates from its mouth. It is considered a form of the goddess. In addition, the devotees of the goddess who are practicing the tantric system offer meat to the jackal as an offering to the goddess. If the jackal cries out after eating the sacrificial meat then it is considered that the goddess is appeased. In Bengal, women-folks produce ‘hulu’ sounds on certain occasions – weddings for example. That is also an imitation of jackal. It’s exactly the same sound, you should check that out. Since the goddess worshiping is an integral part of Bengali culture, they know this connection. And ‘shiva’, the name of the goddess, is an exact Sanskrit word for she-jackal. There are some really amazing tantras in India.

“This kind of knowledge is spread all over the place. Some of it is documented in texts, some are transmitted through traditions.”

Q: “It’s hard to distinguish what is true and what is bogus.”

Guruji: “Yes, only with experience you can tell what is possible and what is not. It’s a research work.

“There was a pundit in Mathura who had gained control over a yakshini (a powerful ethereal being). There are lots of ways described in tantras to gain control over different kinds of yakshinis.

“He could do miracles with the help of that Yakshini, like being able to tell anything about anybody, causing hail-storms, raining of stones, etc. But when he was about to die, he realized the terrible consequences he was going to suffer. So he called his sons and told them this ‘I’m sending her to a far-off place. Before she returns, tie my body to a heavy stone and drown me in Yamuna river, otherwise she’ll take me with her’. See that’s the point. If you enslave an astral being for material gains, you won’t be able to get away from it after death. They are powerful in that domain! You force them to be a slave against their will. If she had served him out of her own will, it would have been perfectly fine.

“So he sent her away and before she could come back, he drowned himself in the river. What happened afterward is just unimaginable! It rained blood in their house, his dead body when recovered was found filled with human feces in the mouth! It was unmentionable what all happened to them. That’s why the wise men have said ‘Beware! All such businesses have a terrible end.’ You get some publish adulation but ultimately suffer the consequences yourself.

Q: “Guruji, what do these ethereal being generally do?”

Guruji: ‘Well, these ethereal beings have a totally different sense of time from us. What a lifetime is for us could be just a day or two for them. And they have very long lifespans – thousands and even millions of years long. They live very long!

Q: “If people know about these terrible consequences, why do they do these things – force ghosts, yakshinis, etc, to do their bidding?”

Guruji: “For greed, for fame, public adulation, for earning money, doing business, impressing people, what else! Feeling of power is very intoxicating. Everybody wants credit for doing favors, everybody wants people to sit at their feet and worship them as gods. All these things lead people on these paths.”

Q: “Guruji, are there any tantric practices in our yoga tradition as well?”

Guruji: “No, we don’t have a system to force anybody against their will. They can contact us on their own, and they do. That is a better option, if there’s friendship on an equal footing. Remember, friendship lasts only among equals. When you are able to raise your standards to their level, they’ll automatically contact you. Before that, it’ll be forced.

“Even this name you must have heard, X. He went mad in the end! He also developed rectum cancer. He was trying to gain control over a yakshini. That ritual failed and he went mad and died as if he was suffering in hell! He had a really terrible death.

“Think of it this way – you are blackmailing a very powerful person to do your bidding. The day you loose your hold, he’ll destroy you. And when you deal on equal terms and you yourself have become powerful, there might be a friendship. That has always been the difference and will always remain so. And self-progress can only happen through Yoga; there’s no other way. Self power can only increase through yoga. And the purpose of Yoga is always perfectly clear! Instead of catching some other spirit to gain knowledge about the spiritual world, why not control your own spirit and gain that knowledge – didn’t it also come from the spiritual domain? And you don’t blackmail yourself.

Q: “This is a very fascination subject. How can I develop a general understanding of the subject?”

Guruji: “You’ll pick things up along the way. Buy a set of these books. You’ll gain a lot of knowledge about mantras and tantras. It’s not of any practical use though. There are a lot of tantric rituals and mantras described in that book, only for the fulfillment of material desires. And I’ve found that many mantras given in that book are incorrect. But it’ll help with the general knowledge of the subject.

Q: “Guruji, did you specifically study this subject to understand all this or did you gain the knowledge automatically?”

Guruji: “You can say I understood it automatically (laughs). See, I’ve never studies mantras but when I hear one, I can tell if there’s a mistake in it and what that mistake is. It comes from inside whether this is wrong or right. Somebody gifted me these books few years back. When I looked at the rituals prescribed in the book, I was surprised. Based on that, miracles should have been an everyday occurrence, since there’s no dearth of people in India engaged in such tantric rituals. But when my attention went to the mantras, I realized that most of them were either incomplete or had incorrect pronunciation. There are many technical mistakes in the book, which either have been deliberately introduced or have somehow gotten in there. That’s why they don’t give any results.

“I’ve never studies any mantras. But with yoga practice, you acquire the ability to analyze everything, even including the ritualistic worship of any god. And ultimately these rituals are kamya karma, for fulfillment of material desires. No more than that. I have observed that if a person practices yoga – sincerely, consistently, regularly, their desires get fulfilled automatically. That is more preferable. The best thing is if Nature Itself starts taking care of you. And after reaching a certain state, whatever the man utters becomes a mantra!”

“That’s why you’ve never seen me reading a mantra, in puja or otherwise. We play Damaru, which is more than enough. Memorizing the mantra and then showing-off in front of people by repeating them doesn’t make any sense to me. Simplicity is the biggest deal. And the simplicity of a person develops only when all his desires are near the state of fulfillment. He won’t care for anything! Why does a man crave money or power? To fulfill some desires. If your desires are already fulfilled, then why would you go after them? If the Nature starts favoring you then you won’t have to worry about anything.”

[20090802-2] Recorded: July 10, 2003

India: Motherland of Yoga

Guruji: “Some are adopting Buddhism, some Hinduism, some are doing devotional chants. People are running after Eastern religions, especially after the recent disclosures of child abuse cases. I was watching an English movie on Z-TV a few days back. Can’t remember the name, but the main character was playing dual personalities, and he murdered a catholic priest, cutting into pieces. Ultimately it turns out that the priest was running a child pornography racket from his orphanage. That’s why he was murdered! This was first movie of its kind; otherwise people wouldn’t dare say such things about Christian priests our in public, or make movies about these. They’d always be shown in a good light. This made me feel that something has definitely changed.”

Q: “Heard in a TV serial that it was a common practice for the missionaries in Africa and other countries to have sex with local women. Now due to scare of AIDS, they’ve started doing it with local men. I was amazed to hear that so casually mentioned on televisions!”

Guruji: “At least the grand balloon Christians have kept inflated for so long about being righteous and supreme and working for God, etc, has been punctured now. Especially after 1999. Hinduism in general has become more popular. Comparatively speaking, there’s been more curiosity and appreciation for Hindu arts. Yoga is an example.

“Yoga is a universal thing and a set of techniques, and has nothing to do with any religion. But we should all remember that it’s a historical fact that Yoga evolved in India only. And it is an ancient science of Hindus. And it was their magnanimity since they had become one with Nature, that they were able to say that Yoga is for every being on Earth who is human. Since they were not sectarian and used to see the entire world as one family, they were able to make such profound statements. The sects that came after and the religions that evolved later managed to spoil the entire beauty of it.

“And it the limit of bootlicking that people are giving lectures and writing books to prove that Jesus Christ was a yogi! Tiggle and others asked me and I clearly told them Jesus was no yogi. If he were, all Christians would be seen practicing yoga today. Pope would have the highest guru of Yoga if Jesus Christ were a yogi!

“What is ours, we should openly accept. It is Indian and all yogis have been Indians only. I have never seen a foreigner achieving Samadhi. Now Yogananda has said that James J. Lin is sitting in samadhi, but I have my doubts. How is it possible? He never taught Khechari to anyone. I know Daya Mata can’t do it, I’m sure of it. She just goes unconscious in bhava-samadhi. There’s no concrete substantial teaching there. But at least he’s been able to blow a hole in the citadel of Christianity. Who is Christ? Who makes everybody cry (laughs).”

Q: “Is there something fundamentally wrong that they haven’t been able to achieve samadhi?“

Guruji: “Fundamental wrong is that their religion has no knowledge of samadhi. They don’t teach anything about it, neither are there any practices for it. Trance, etc, are just matters of witchcraft. Their religion is all about saving your soul. In that confusion, they surrender the only immortal substance they have. They seal the contract in blood, whether devil-worshipers or Christians. They are all drinking blood. There’s an evil influence due to that.”

[20090802-2] Recorded: July 10, 2003

About Hope, Mind, and Experiences

Guruji: “The feeling of hopelessness has two very different meanings. One is, a person had some setbacks and he lost hope. This is called getting hopeless on the way of pursuing something. The other one is, the person didn’t carry any hope in his endeavor right from the beginning. This is beginning hopelessly, but there was faith that propelled him to move forward. The latter can take a person to great heights, because whatever will happen with him will be unexpected and thus will bring more joy in his life!

“An old Hindi poem describes this feeling of hopelessness most beautifully! It goes like this:

चिंता क्या है धरती टूटी उड़ने को आकाश बहुत है
जाने क्यूँ तुमसे मिलने की आशा कम विश्वास बहुत है
(Why worry if the earth breaks, there is unending sky for my flight
Don’t know why but to meet you I have very little hope but a lot of faith)”

Q: “So that means faith is more important than hope.”

Guruji: “Undoubtedly! Hope is only our imagination. Though I agree that hope helps a person ride through the gravest of the situations, but ultimately it also causes a lot of pain. A person should have faith in himself, and should not let hope control his life. We should all have a general plan of our lives in our mind.”

Q: “Is that what the sloka in Gita ‘Karmanye vadhikaraste ma faleshu kadachana’ refers to?”

Guruji: “I think it is described somewhere in the second or third chapter in Gita, about hopelessness. Read it in detail, it’s simply amazing.”

Q: “Yes it’s written here, chapter 3, sloka 30:
अध्यात्म चित्त से समस्त कर्म मुझमे अर्पित कर निराश और निर्मम होकर संताप रहित हुआ युद्ध कर ।
(With a spiritual resolve of mind, offering all karmas unto me, with hopelessness and detachment (nirmam), without being infuriated, go fight the war).”

Guruji: “Nirmam means a state of mind when the feeling of I, me, myself, or mine is not there. It doesn’t mean being cruel. Try to break down the word and then read its meaning. Mam means ‘mine’, and so nirmam means something that’s ‘not mine’. This word has no correlation with cruelty, but in general Hindi it is used for cruelty and barbarism. But the truth is, to be cruel is one thing, and to be nirmam is another. I feel that by just dissecting the words in a language carefully, we can understand a lot of things on our own.”

Q: “Guruji, I wonder what should we do about our mann (mind or heart). It just keeps controlling our lives forever.”

G: “Mind is itself a form of the divine (bhagvatswaroop). Its task is to control our lives. And the reason behind it is that its destination, the plan of its destiny, is already fixed. That’s why the mind should be observed along with our habits. There are two kinds of minds – the outer mind and the inner mind. One should always listen to the voice inside. This will always guide you according to your true capabilities and the plan of your destiny, and will bloom the flowers of dreams and desires in you to propel you towards your destiny.

“Don’t ever believe anybody who claims that he has controlled his mind and let go of his desires. And I can say so because it’s mentioned in Gita itself that mind is Time only! How can anybody control or kill Time? If we proceed according to the plan Time has for us, it will guide us to our destiny and mount us to the peak of success. It’s not possible to kill your mind. If you kill your mind, your existence will cease. And then again, as our nature is built in such a way that the existence of even the tiniest molecule remains forever. To cease existence of mind is not possible at all. No annihilation!”

Q: “In that case, if a person’s heart is stuck in something, say mountaineering, can they never become a yogi?”

Guruji: “Mountaineering is not something a person will do all his life. It’s just a temporary frame of mind, an ambition for when you are young and healthy, like Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest once and then he was done with it. He didn’t climb it everyday. Ultimately it was a training and experience for his mind. He wished to climb mountains and so he conquered the highest mountain in the world. But what next? Now he is sitting idle. But, he’s also accompanied by a huge amount of satisfaction. And his achievement needed him to be extraordinarily skilled, with a fine tuning between body and mind, a strong body and quick reflexes. It is because of these attributes he was able to become a mountaineer. That he was a mountaineer is just a small reflection of his personality. But try to imagine the depth his entire personality must have achieved after going through these experiences. What he must have felt when he set foot on the peak of Mount Everest is something that only belongs to him. We hear his tales but we can’t feel what he felt at that moment. For most of the people, it was just an act of climbing up and down. But I totally believe that Edmund Hillary before he climbed up and Edmund Hillary when he climbed down were two completely different personalities.

“The root cause of all problems is looking at life in various different pieces. Why, are mountains not a part of our existence? So why not climb them?”

Q: “Guruji, how can a person distinguish between the voice inside and superficial desires?”

Guruji: “Think of it this way: A kid loves to play with his toys. He can play with his toys for hours but that is his superficial desire. When his inner desire takes over, he forgets about the toys and remembers his mother. And with increasing maturity, i.e., with the development of his mind, his reflections, likes, dislikes, and reactions will go on evolving or changing. A kid keeps running to his mother for milk, and after growing up, just the feeling of sitting near her keeps him warm and happy. The inner desire means the dormant feelings that have grown so much that they start showing up on the surface very clearly.

“Always think of and about life in totality. Whether you do scuba diving or mountaineering or anything else, ultimately it’ll just add something to your mind and persona.”

Q: “You mean any activity?”

Guruji: “These activities are also experiences. And once you’ll do them, the excitement will die and you won’t feel like having the same experience again because you’ll have its flavor inside you.”

Q: “But sometimes Guruji, when we don’t feel like doing anything, we just stay seated for hours. Is that also an experience?”

Guruji: “Those are contemplative times. There is something going inside your heart. The mind in such situations withdraws itself from the normal day to day life and reflects on something – whether consciously or subconsciously. That’s why the outside activities appear still or slowed down. You should feel these times as well, remaining seated and letting the mind have its silent time. Once all the inner batteries are charged, you’ll be out of this phase and feel more rejuvenated than ever. So once in a while it’s okay to experience this kind of a state.”

Q: “I keep evaluating myself and sometimes i have a strong desire to perform, and sometimes I feel laid back.”

Guruji: “Let this be an important lesson. Over-evaluating also leads to a lot of tension and complications. You can’t always remain in one particular mood. If you are experiencing some mood, enjoy it, and after a few days when you come out of it, look back and reflect on it. It’s very difficult to understand a mood in its beginning phase. Only after it ends can you fully understand it.

“Sometimes it’s not about any mood but it feels good to sit idle, because the mind also gets tired and needs some rest. Your work doesn’t involve any physical stress, it’s all mental as you have to concentrate for long hours at a stretch.”

Q: “The evening exercise routine that you’ve told me is wonderful! It takes away all the mental stress and also relieves my eye strain.”

Guruji: “Oh! About that, even our avatars (divine incarnations) have said ‘if you are mentally tired, exercise’. And if you are physically tired, then indulge in some mental exercises. Both are very much connected. If you physically exert your body through exercising, your mind will automatically become happy and active. There are many references available on the various harmones that get released with exercising, that reduce stress, rejuvenate your mind and body, and also help you sleep better. Exercising also adds to an overall feeling of well being due to which our reflections gets better and clarity of mind sharpens. Ultimately it has a major effect on the performance of a person. And what else is there in life except performance? Life itself is a performance. After death even Yamraaj (lord of death) judges you by your performance in life.

“A man should always be practical in life. By being practical I mean he should always be down to earth. Have you ever laid down in mud? No? Is there some facility of mud-bath in America?”

Q: “Yes, there are a lot of mud-bath spas around here.”

Guruji: ” Then you should try it. You’ll really enjoy it. Mud is a direct connection with earth. There you’ll have to pay for it, otherwise here you can just lie down on the ground anywhere during rains. It’s a natural mud-bath. But you’ll definitely feel something immediately. After all, mud is mud.”

[20090802]

Nature guiding our paths

Q: “Guruji, some people don’t shave during Navaratri, some don’t shave on Thursdays. Are there any such rules?”

Guruji: “The first rule only applies to people who fast all nine days and/or are indulged in special rituals during that time of the year. As far as weekdays go, some people don’t shave on Mondays or Tuesdays, some on Thursdays. There are no set rules about it. In fact, I’ve seen some south Indian Brahmins who especially get a clean shave, wash their hair, and get all tidy and cleaned up on Thursdays. Different regions have different traditions.”

Q: “I’ve realized that around 11pm in the night, I feel a sudden peace inside myself and in the surroundings.”

Guruji: “It shows that your body and mind have started getting ready for practice at that time. Your body is beginning to get tuned for it, so now it has become your physical need. This is why regular practice is so important. A set time develops a craving in your body for the kriya practice, and your heart and mind feel an immediate sense of peace. You will be in the mood to practice.”

Q: “I thought that peace descends due to the calm of the night.”

Guruji: “No, that’s not true; the real reason is regular practice. If the night time was the real reason, the entire world would be meditating at that time. Whatever time you choose for practice, stick to it and slowly your biological clock will begin to get activated at that time automatically. It’ll be like an alarm clock.

“After prolonged practice, that mood will stay throughout the day – each and every second. The practices we are doing right now form a continuous cycle of effects. For example, the lunch we eat in the afternoon has its effect till dinner, which in turn has its effect till breakfast. Similarly, the morning practice supports the evening practice and vice versa. And once that cycle forms, the person starts to feel an entirely different level of awareness and consciousness.”

Q: “Yes, I do have a high feeling throughout the day. Is that what you are talking about?”

Guruji: “Not just that, it must also be helping you perform better. That is essentially the development of consciousness. For example, any problem you face now, you’ll be able to think of it from different angles and the possible solutions. You’ll be able to see things and situations in their totality. I feel only people who reach this level of performance and consciousness are capable of doing extraordinary planning in life. Such people reach closer to the forth dimension we call Kaal or Time, and so naturally whatever they do will have a very long term effect on them and their coming generations.

“Why do you think self knowledge is important? It is important, so at least we can understand the purpose of our birth, and the purpose of spending time on earth. Why are we here, where have we come from, and what is our total potential aimed for? To answer these questions Nature will itself guide you towards your destiny. What we call as luck and chance is actually nothing but Nature prompting you on. Nothing happens by chance. It is actually Nature that guides all things around.”

Q: “So what is our role in this play of Nature? Is it just to keep moving ahead wherever it is guiding us?”

Guruji: ‘Our role is to keep getting more and more tuned with Nature. We talk about yoga, which literally means union, connection. Through yoga we are aiming for this connectivity with God, with the consciousness of Earth. We are all living on earth and along on our paths, we should realize it someday that whatever we are doing is somewhere guided by Mother Earth herself. In that case, if we are able to form a connectivity with Earth, her will will start getting executed through us, and this may even lead to the ultimate evolution – final transformation in the womb of Mother Earth! (read this discussion). I sometimes feel that this ultimate evolution is the driving force behind everything.”

Q: “You had mentioned that it takes ages to bring a man who is able to reach such levels.”

Guruji: “Yes, that’s absolutely true. And if we flip through the pages of history, such men have mostly been either yogis or avatars (incarnation of gods). Avatars are fully evolved souls who came back to earth to take birth.

“We can easily explain this through the process of union of sperm and ova. Initially, there are millions of sperms fighting for a union with ovum. But ultimately only one sperm which shows some signs of evolution gets that chance, with the support of Nature. It’s Nature only which not helps the sperm with the union, but also transforms it then after. Similarly, through yoga we are aiming for a union with the super-ovum of Mother Earth, and once that union takes place, the reins completely fall into the hands of Nature. After that, whatever transformation takes place will be mind-boggling and beyond all imagination!

Terms like self-realization and god-realization have been repeated way too often in the world. I am very tired of hearing their different interpretations as they do not convey the actual meaning of evolution properly. And think of the confusion these terms have caused in the world. Their vague explanations have led to the formation of thousands of cults and sects. Even though according to Earth time these cults don’t last even for the blink of an eye, but being sperms we have to bear all the confusion around (laughs).

“My suggestion is always to Think BIG and then Think BIGGER. Why be a miser in building castles in the air? They are just a flight of imagination, so make them as big as you can. The bigger you’ll think, the more you’ll progress. This is just an exercise for the mind. Make plans taking the entire life into consideration; think of life in its totality.”

[20090802] Conversation recorded on April 3, 2003