www.holybooks.com This free e-book has been downloaded from www.holybooks.com: http://www.holybooks.com/autobiography-of-a-yogi-paramahansa-yogananda/ Autobiography of a Yogi By Paramhansa Yogananda WITH A PREFACE BY W. Y. Evans-Wentz, M.A., D.Litt., D.Sc. "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe."-J ohn 4:48. Copyright, 1946, by Param hansa Yogananda www.holybooks.com Dedicated To The Memory Of LUTHER BURBANK An American Saint Contents Preface, By W. Y. EVANS-WENTZ List of Illustrations Chapter 1. My Parents and Early Life 2. Mother's Death and the Am ulet 3. The Saint with Two Bodies (Swam i Pranabananda) 4. My Interrupted Flight Toward the Him alaya 5. A "Perfum e Saint" Perform s his Wonders 6. The Tiger Swam i 7. The Levitating Saint (Nagendra Nath Bhaduri) 8. India's Great Scientist and Inventor, J agadis Chandra Bose 9. The Blissful Devotee and his Cosm ic Rom ance (Master Mahasaya) 10 . I Meet m y Master, Sri Yukteswar 11. Two Penniless Boys in Brindaban 12. Years in m y Master's Herm itage 13. The Sleepless Saint (Ram Gopal Muzum dar) 14. An Experience in Cosm ic Consciousness 15. The Cauliflower Robbery 16. Outwitting the Stars 17. Sasi and the Three Sapphires 18. A Moham m edan Wonder-Worker (Afzal Khan) 19. My Guru Appears Sim ultaneously in Calcutta and Seram pore 20 . We Do Not Visit Kashm ir 21. We Visit Kashm ir 22. The Heart of a Stone Im age 23. My University Degree 24. I Becom e a Monk of the Swam i Order 25. Brother Ananta and Sister Nalini 26. The Science of Kriya Yoga 27. Founding of a Yoga School at Ranchi 28. Kashi, Reborn and Rediscovered www.holybooks.com 29. Rabindranath Tagore and I Com pare Schools 30 . The Law of Miracles 31. An Interview with the Sacred Mother (Kashi Moni Lahiri) 32. Ram a is Raised from the Dead 33. Babaji, the Yogi-Christ of Modern India 34. Materializing a Palace in the Him alayas 35. The Christlike Life of Lahiri Mahasaya 36. Babaji's Interest in the West 37. I Go to Am erica 38. Luther Burbank -- An Am erican Saint 39. Therese Neum ann, the Catholic Stigm atist of Bavaria 40 . I Return to India 41. An Idyl in South India 42. Last Days with m y Guru 43. The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar 44. With Mahatm a Gandhi at Wardha 45. The Bengali "J oy-Perm eated Mother" (Ananda Moyi Ma) 46. The Wom an Yogi who Never Eats (Giri Bala) 47. I Return to the West 48. At Encinitas in California ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece Map of India My Father, Bhagabati Charan Ghosh My Mother Swam i Pranabananda, "The Saint With Two Bodies" My Elder Brother, Ananta Festival Gathering in the Courtyard of m y Guru's Herm itage in Seram pore Nagendra Nath Bhaduri, "The Levitating Saint" Myself at Age 6 J agadis Chandra Bose, Fam ous Scientist Two Brothers of Therese Neum ann, at Konnersreuth Master Mahasaya, the Blissful Devotee J itendra Mazum dar, m y Com panion on the "Penniless Test" at Brindaban Ananda Moyi Ma, the "J oy-Perm eated Mother" Him alayan Cave Occupied by Babaji Sri Yukteswar, My Master Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles Headquarters www.holybooks.com Self-Realization Church of All Religions, Hollywood My Guru's Seaside Herm itage at Puri Self-Realization Church of All Religions, San Diego My Sisters -- Rom a, Nalini, and Um a My Sister Um a The Lord in His Aspect as Shiva Yogoda Math, Herm itage at Dakshineswar Ranchi School, Main Building Kashi, Reborn and Rediscovered Bishnu, Motilal Mukherji, m y Father, Mr. Wright, T.N. Bose, Swam i Satyananda Group of Delegates to the International Congress of Religious Liberals, Boston, 1920 A Guru and Disciple in an Ancient Herm itage Babaji, the Yogi-Christ of Modern India Lahiri Mahasaya A Yoga Class in Washington, D.C. Luther Burbank Therese Neum ann of Konnersreuth, Bavaria The Taj Mahal at Agra Shankari Mai J iew, Only Living Disciple of the great Trailanga Swam i Krishnananda with his Tam e Lioness Group on the Dining Patio of m y Guru's Seram pore Herm itage Miss Bletch, Mr. Wright, and m yself -- in Egypt Rabindranath Tagore Swam i Keshabananda, at his Herm itage in Brindaban Krishna, Ancient Prophet of India Mahatm a Gandhi, at Wardha Giri Bala, the Wom an Yogi Who Never Eats Mr. E. E. Dickinson My Guru and Myself Ranchi Students Encinitas Conference in San Francisco Swam i Prem ananda My Father www.holybooks.com Map of India PREFACE By W. Y. EVANS-WENTZ, M.A., D.Litt., D.Sc. J esus College, Oxford; Author of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa, Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, etc. The value of Yogananda's Autobiography is greatly enhanced by the fact that it is one of the few books in English about the wise m en of India which has been written, not by a journalist or foreigner, but by one of their own race and training--in short, a book about yogis by a yogi. As an eyewitness recountal of the extraordinary lives and powers of m odern Hindu saints, the book has im portance both tim ely and tim eless. To its illustrious author, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing both in India and Am erica, m ay every reader render due appreciation and gratitude. His unusual life-docum ent is certainly one of the m ost revealing of the depths of the Hindu m ind and heart, and of the spiritual wealth of India, ever to be published in the West. It has been m y privilege to have m et one of the sages whose life- history is herein narrated-Sri Yukteswar Giri. A likeness of the venerable saint appeared as part of the frontispiece of m y Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines. 1-1 It was at Puri, in Orissa, on the Bay of Bengal, that I encountered Sri Yukteswar. He was then the head of a quiet ashram a near the seashore there, and was chiefly occupied in the spiritual training of a group of youthful disciples. He expressed keen interest in the welfare of the people of the United States and of all the Am ericas, and of England, too, and questioned m e concerning the distant activities, particularly those in California, of his chief disciple, Param hansa Yogananda, whom he dearly loved, and whom he had sent, in 1920 , as his em issary to the West. Sri Yukteswar was of gentle m ien and voice, of pleasing presence, and worthy of the veneration which his www.holybooks.com followers spontaneously accorded to him . Every person who knew him , whether of his own com m unity or not, held him in the highest esteem . I vividly recall his tall, straight, ascetic figure, garbed in the saffroncolored garb of one who has renounced worldly quests, as he stood at the entrance of the herm itage to give m e welcom e. His hair was long and som ewhat curly, and his face bearded. His body was m uscularly firm , but slender and well-form ed, and his step energetic. He had chosen as his place of earthly abode the holy city of Puri, whither m ultitudes of pious Hindus, representative of every province of India, com e daily on pilgrim age to the fam ed Tem ple of J agannath, "Lord of the World." It was at Puri that Sri Yukteswar closed his m ortal eyes, in 1936, to the scenes of this transitory state of being and passed on, knowing that his incarnation had been carried to a trium phant com pletion. I am glad, indeed, to be able to record this testim ony to the high character and holiness of Sri Yukteswar. Content to rem ain afar from the m ultitude, he gave him self unreservedly and in tranquillity to that ideal life which Param hansa Yogananda, his disciple, has now described for the ages. W. Y. EVANS-WENTZ 1- 1: Oxford Universit y Press, 1935. Author's Acknowledgments I am deeply indebted to Miss L. V. Pratt for her long editorial labors over the m anuscript of this book. My thanks are due also to Miss Ruth Zahn for preparation of the index, to Mr. C. Richard Wright for perm ission to use extracts from his Indian travel diary, and to Dr. W. Y. Evans-Wentz for suggestions and encouragem ent. PARAMHANSA YOGANANDA October 28, 1945 Encinitas, California CHAPTER: 1 My Parents and Early Life The characteristic features of Indian culture have long been a search for ultim ate verities and the concom itant disciple-guru 1-2 relationship. My own path led m e to a Christlike sage whose beautiful life was chiseled for the ages. He was one of the great m asters who are India's sole www.holybooks.com rem aining wealth. Em erging in every generation, they have bulwarked their land against the fate of Babylon and Egypt. I find m y earliest m em ories covering the anachronistic features of a previous incarnation. Clear recollections cam e to m e of a distant life, a yogi 1-3 am idst the Him alayan snows. These glim pses of the past, by som e dim ensionless link, also afforded m e a glim pse of the future. The helpless hum iliations of infancy are not banished from m y m ind. I was resentfully conscious of not being able to walk or express m yself freely. Prayerful surges arose within m e as I realized m y bodily im potence. My strong em otional life took silent form as words in m any languages. Am ong the inward confusion of tongues, m y ear gradually accustom ed itself to the circum am bient Bengali syllables of m y people. The beguiling scope of an infant's m ind! adultly considered lim ited to toys and toes. Psychological ferm ent and m y unresponsive body brought m e to m any obstinate crying-spells. I recall the general fam ily bewilderm ent at m y distress. Happier m em ories, too, crowd in on m e: m y m other's caresses, and m y first attem pts at lisping phrase and toddling step. These early trium phs, usually forgotten quickly, are yet a natural basis of self-confidence. My far-reaching m em ories are not unique. Many yogis are known to have retained their selfconsciousness without interruption by the dram atic transition to and from "life" and "death." If m an be solely a body, its loss indeed places the final period to identity. But if prophets down the m illennium s spake with truth, m an is essentially of incorporeal nature. The persistent core of hum an egoity is only tem porarily allied with sense perception. Although odd, clear m em ories of infancy are not extrem ely rare. During travels in num erous lands, I have listened to early recollections from the lips of veracious m en and wom en. I was born in the last decade of the nineteenth century, and passed m y first eight years at Gorakhpur. This was m y birthplace in the United Provinces of northeastern India. We were eight children: four boys and four girls. I, Mukunda Lal Ghosh 1-4 , was the second son and the fourth child. Father and Mother were Bengalis, of the kshatriy a caste. 1-5 Both were blessed with saintly nature. Their m utual love, tranquil and dignified, never expressed itself frivolously. A perfect parental harm ony was the calm center for the revolving tum ult of eight young lives. Father, Bhagabati Charan Ghosh, was kind, grave, at tim es stern. Loving him dearly, we children yet observed a certain reverential distance. An outstanding m athem atician and logician, he was guided principally by his intellect. But Mother was a queen of hearts, and taught us only through love. After her death, Father displayed m ore of his inner tenderness. I noticed then that his gaze often m etam orphosed into m y m other's. In Mother's presence we tasted our earliest bitter-sweet acquaintance with the scriptures. Tales from the m ahabharata and ram ay ana 1-6 were resourcefully sum m oned to m eet the exigencies www.holybooks.com of discipline. Instruction and chastisem ent went hand in hand. A daily gesture of respect to Father was given by Mother's dressing us carefully in the afternoons to welcom e him hom e from the office. His position was sim ilar to that of a vice-president, in the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, one of India's large com panies. His work involved traveling, and our fam ily lived in several cities during m y childhood. Mother held an open hand toward the needy. Father was also kindly disposed, but his respect for law and order extended to the budget. One fortnight Mother spent, in feeding the poor, m ore than Father's m onthly incom e. "All I ask, please, is to keep your charities within a reasonable lim it." Even a gentle rebuke from her husband was grievous to Mother. She ordered a hackney carriage, not hinting to the children at any disagreem ent. "Good-by; I am going away to m y m other's hom e." Ancient ultim atum ! We broke into astounded lam entations. Our m aternal uncle arrived opportunely; he whispered to Father som e sage counsel, garnered no doubt from the ages. After Father had m ade a few conciliatory rem arks, Mother happily dism issed the cab. Thus ended the only trouble I ever noticed between m y parents. But I recall a characteristic discussion. "Please give m e ten rupees for a hapless wom an who has just arrived at the house." Mother's sm ile had its own persuasion. "Why ten rupees? One is enough." Father added a justification: "When m y father and grandparents died suddenly, I had m y first taste of poverty. My only breakfast, before walking m iles to m y school, was a sm all banana. Later, at the university, I was in such need that I applied to a wealthy judge for aid of one rupee per m onth. He declined, rem arking that even a rupee is im portant." "How bitterly you recall the denial of that rupee!" Mother's heart had an instant logic. "Do you want this wom an also to rem em ber painfully your refusal of ten rupees which she needs urgently?" "You win!" With the im m em orial gesture of vanquished husbands, he opened his wallet. "Here is a ten-rupee note. Give it to her with m y good will." Father tended to first say "No" to any new proposal. His attitude toward the strange wom an who so readily enlisted Mother's sym pathy was an exam ple of his custom ary caution. Aversion to instant acceptance- typical of the French m ind in the West-is really only honoring the principle of "due reflection." I always found Father reasonable and evenly balanced in his judgm ents. If I could bolster up m y num erous requests with one or two good argum ents, he invariably put the coveted goal within m y reach, whether it were a vacation trip or a new m otorcycle. www.holybooks.com Father was a strict disciplinarian to his children in their early years, but his attitude toward him self was truly Spartan. He never visited the theater, for instance, but sought his recreation in various spiritual practices and in reading the bhagavad gita. 1-7 Shunning all luxuries, he would cling to one old pair of shoes until they were useless. His sons bought autom obiles after they cam e into popular use, but Father was always content with the trolley car for his daily ride to the office. The accum ulation of m oney for the sake of power was alien to his nature. Once, after organizing the Calcutta Urban Bank, he refused to benefit him self by holding any of its shares. He had sim ply wished to perform a civic duty in his spare tim e. Several years after Father had retired on a pension, an English accountant arrived to exam ine the books of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway Com pany. The am azed investigator discovered that Father had never applied for overdue bonuses. "He did the work of three m en!" the accountant told the com pany. "He has rupees 125,0 0 0 (about $ 41,250 .) owing to him as back com pensation." The officials presented Father with a check for this am ount. He thought so little about it that he overlooked any m ention to the fam ily. Much later he was questioned by m y youngest brother Bishnu, who noticed the large deposit on a bank statem ent. "Why be elated by m aterial profit?" Father replied. "The one who pursues a goal of evenm indedness is neither jubilant with gain nor depressed by loss. He knows that m an arrives penniless in this world, and departs without a single rupee." FATHER Bhagabati Charan Ghosh A Disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya www.holybooks.com Early in their m arried life, m y parents becam e disciples of a great m aster, Lahiri Mahasaya of Benares. This contact strengthened Father's naturally ascetical tem peram ent. Mother m ade a rem arkable adm ission to m y eldest sister Rom a: "Your father and m yself live together as m an and wife only once a year, for the purpose of having children." Father first m et Lahiri Mahasaya through Abinash Babu, 1-8 an em ployee in the Gorakhpur office of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. Abinash instructed m y young ears with engrossing tales of m any Indian saints. He invariably concluded with a tribute to the superior glories of his own guru. "Did you ever hear of the extraordinary circum stances under which your father becam e a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya?" It was on a lazy sum m er afternoon, as Abinash and I sat together in the com pound of m y hom e, that he put this intriguing question. I shook m y head with a sm ile of anticipation. "Years ago, before you were born, I asked m y superior officer-your father-to give m e a week's leave from m y Gorakhpur duties in order to visit m y guru in Benares. Your father ridiculed m y plan. "'Are you going to becom e a religious fanatic?' he inquired. 'Concentrate on your office work if you want to forge ahead.' "Sadly walking hom e along a woodland path that day, I m et your father in a palanquin. He dism issed his servants and conveyance, and fell into step beside m e. Seeking to console m e, he pointed out the advantages of striving for worldly success. But I heard him listlessly. My heart was repeating: 'Lahiri Mahasaya! I cannot live without seeing you!' "Our path took us to the edge of a tranquil field, where the rays of the late afternoon sun were still crowning the tall ripple of the wild grass. We paused in adm iration. There in the field, only a few yards from us, the form of m y great guru suddenly appeared! 1-9 "'Bhagabati, you are too hard on your em ployee!' His voice was resonant in our astounded ears. He vanished as m ysteriously as he had com e. On m y knees I was exclaim ing, 'Lahiri Mahasaya! Lahiri Mahasaya!' Your father was m otionless with stupefaction for a few m om ents. "'Abinash, not only do I give y ou leave, but I give m y self leave to start for Benares tom orrow. I m ust know this great Lahiri Mahasaya, who is able to m aterialize him self at will in order to intercede for you! I will take m y wife and ask this m aster to initiate us in his spiritual path. Will you guide us to him ?' "'Of course.' J oy filled m e at the m iraculous answer to m y prayer, and the quick, favorable turn of events. "The next evening your parents and I entrained for Benares. We took a horse cart the following day, and then had to walk through narrow lanes to m y guru's secluded hom e. Entering his little www.holybooks.com parlor, we bowed before the m aster, enlocked in his habitual lotus posture. He blinked his piercing eyes and leveled them on your father. "'Bhagabati, you are too hard on your em ployee!' His words were the sam e as those he had used two days before in the Gorakhpur field. He added, 'I am glad that you have allowed Abinash to visit m e, and that you and your wife have accom panied him .' "To their joy, he initiated your parents in the spiritual practice of Kriy a Yoga. 1-10 Your father and I, as brother disciples, have been close friends since the m em orable day of the vision. Lahiri Mahasaya took a definite interest in your own birth. Your life shall surely be linked with his own: the m aster's blessing never fails." Lahiri Mahasaya left this world shortly after I had entered it. His picture, in an ornate fram e, always graced our fam ily altar in the various cities to which Father was transferred by his office. Many a m orning and evening found Mother and m e m editating before an im provised shrine, offering flowers dipped in fragrant sandalwood paste. With frankincense and m yrrh as well as our united devotions, we honored the divinity which had found full expression in Lahiri Mahasaya. His picture had a surpassing influence over m y life. As I grew, the thought of the m aster grew with m e. In m editation I would often see his photographic im age em erge from its sm all fram e and, taking a living form , sit before m e. When I attem pted to touch the feet of his lum inous body, it would change and again becom e the picture. As childhood slipped into boyhood, I found Lahiri Mahasaya transform ed in m y m ind from a little im age, cribbed in a fram e, to a living, enlightening presence. I frequently prayed to him in m om ents of trial or confusion, finding within m e his solacing direction. At first I grieved because he was no longer physically living. As I began to discover his secret om nipresence, I lam ented no m ore. He had often written to those of his disciples who were over-anxious to see him : "Why com e to view m y bones and flesh, when I am ever within range of your kutastha (spiritual sight)?" I was blessed about the age of eight with a wonderful healing through the photograph of Lahiri Mahasaya. This experience gave intensification to m y love. While at our fam ily estate in Ichapur, Bengal, I was stricken with Asiatic cholera. My life was despaired of; the doctors could do nothing. At m y bedside, Mother frantically m otioned m e to look at Lahiri Mahasaya's picture on the wall above m y head. "Bow to him m entally!" She knew I was too feeble even to lift m y hands in salutation. "If you really show your devotion and inwardly kneel before him , your life will be spared!" I gazed at his photograph and saw there a blinding light, enveloping m y body and the entire room . My nausea and other uncontrollable sym ptom s disappeared; I was well. At once I felt strong enough to bend over and touch Mother's feet in appreciation of her im m easurable faith in her guru. Mother pressed her head repeatedly against the little picture. "O Om nipresent Master, I thank thee that thy light hath healed m y son!" www.holybooks.com I realized that she too had witnessed the lum inous blaze through which I had instantly recovered from a usually fatal disease. One of m y m ost precious possessions is that sam e photograph. Given to Father by Lahiri Mahasaya him self, it carries a holy vibration. The picture had a m iraculous origin. I heard the story from Father's brother disciple, Kali Kum ar Roy. It appears that the m aster had an aversion to being photographed. Over his protest, a group picture was once taken of him and a cluster of devotees, including Kali Kum ar Roy. It was an am azed photographer who discovered that the plate which had clear im ages of all the disciples, revealed nothing m ore than a blank space in the center where he had reasonably expected to find the outlines of Lahiri Mahasaya. The phenom enon was widely discussed. A certain student and expert photographer, Ganga Dhar Babu, boasted that the fugitive figure would not escape him . The next m orning, as the guru sat in lotus posture on a wooden bench with a screen behind him , Ganga Dhar Babu arrived with his equipm ent. Taking every precaution for success, he greedily exposed twelve plates. On each one he soon found the im print of the wooden bench and screen, but once again the m aster's form was m issing. With tears and shattered pride, Ganga Dhar Babu sought out his guru. It was m any hours before Lahiri Mahasaya broke his silence with a pregnant com m ent: "I am Spirit. Can your cam era reflect the om nipresent Invisible?" "I see it cannot! But, Holy Sir, I lovingly desire a picture of the bodily tem ple where alone, to m y narrow vision, that Spirit appears fully to dwell." "Com e, then, tom orrow m orning. I will pose for you." Again the photographer focused his cam era. This tim e the sacred figure, not cloaked with m ysterious im perceptibility, was sharp on the plate. The m aster never posed for another picture; at least, I have seen none. The photograph is reproduced in this book. Lahiri Mahasaya's fair features, of a universal cast, hardly suggest to what race he belonged. His intense joy of God-com m union is slightly revealed in a som ewhat enigm atic sm ile. His eyes, half open to denote a nom inal direction on the outer world, are half closed also. Com pletely oblivious to the poor lures of the earth, he was fully awake at all tim es to the spiritual problem s of seekers who approached for his bounty. Shortly after m y healing through the potency of the guru's picture, I had an influential spiritual vision. Sitting on m y bed one m orning, I fell into a deep reverie. "What is behind the darkness of closed eyes?" This probing thought cam e powerfully into m y m ind. An im m ense flash of light at once m anifested to m y inward gaze. Divine shapes of saints, sitting in m editation posture in m ountain caves, form ed like m iniature cinem a pictures on the www.holybooks.com large screen of radiance within m y forehead. "Who are you?" I spoke aloud. "We are the Him alayan yogis." The celestial response is difficult to describe; m y heart was thrilled. "Ah, I long to go to the Him alayas and becom e like you!" The vision vanished, but the silvery beam s expanded in ever-widening circles to infinity. "What is this wondrous glow?" "I am Iswara.1-11 I am Light." The voice was as m urm uring clouds. "I want to be one with Thee!" Out of the slow dwindling of m y divine ecstasy, I salvaged a perm anent legacy of inspiration to seek God. "He is eternal, ever-new J oy!" This m em ory persisted long after the day of rapture. Another early recollection is outstanding; and literally so, for I bear the scar to this day. My elder sister Um a and I were seated in the early m orning under a neem tree in our Gorakhpur com pound. She was helping m e with a Bengali prim er, what tim e I could spare m y gaze from the near-by parrots eating ripe m argosa fruit. Um a com plained of a boil on her leg, and fetched a jar of ointm ent. I sm eared a bit of the salve on m y forearm . "Why do you use m edicine on a healthy arm ?" "Well, Sis, I feel I am going to have a boil tom orrow. I am testing your ointm ent on the spot where the boil will appear." "You little liar!" "Sis, don't call m e a liar until you see what happens in the m orning." Indignation filled m e. Um a was unim pressed, and thrice repeated her taunt. An adam ant resolution sounded in m y voice as I m ade slow reply. "By the power of will in m e, I say that tom orrow I shall have a fairly large boil in this exact place on m y arm ; and y our boil shall swell to twice its present size!" Morning found m e with a stalwart boil on the indicated spot; the dim ensions of Um a's boil had doubled. With a shriek, m y sister rushed to Mother. "Mukunda has becom e a necrom ancer!" Gravely, Mother instructed m e never to use the power of words for doing harm . I have always rem em bered her counsel, and followed it. My boil was surgically treated. A noticeable scar, left by the doctor's incision, is present today. On www.holybooks.com m y right forearm is a constant rem inder of the power in m an's sheer word. Those sim ple and apparently harm less phrases to Um a, spoken with deep concentration, had possessed sufficient hidden force to explode like bom bs and produce definite, though injurious, effects. I understood, later, that the explosive vibratory power in speech could be wisely directed to free one's life from difficulties, and thus operate without scar or rebuke. 1-12 Our fam ily m oved to Lahore in the Punjab. There I acquired a picture of the Divine Mother in the form of the Goddess Kali. 1-13 It sanctified a sm all inform al shrine on the balcony of our hom e. An unequivocal conviction cam e over m e that fulfillm ent would crown any of m y prayers uttered in that sacred spot. Standing there with Um a one day, I watched two kites flying over the roofs of the buildings on the opposite side of the very narrow lane. "Why are you so quiet?" Um a pushed m e playfully. "I am just thinking how wonderful it is that Divine Mother gives m e whatever I ask." "I suppose She would give you those two kites!" My sister laughed derisively. "Why not?" I began silent prayers for their possession. Matches are played in India with kites whose strings are covered with glue and ground glass. Each player attem pts to sever the string of his opponent. A freed kite sails over the roofs; there is great fun in catching it. Inasm uch as Um a and I were on the balcony, it seem ed im possible that any loosed kite could com e into our hands; its string would naturally dangle over the roofs. The players across the lane began their m atch. One string was cut; im m ediately the kite floated in m y direction. It was stationary for a m om ent, through sudden abatem ent of breeze, which sufficed to firm ly entangle the string with a cactus plant on top of the opposite house. A perfect loop was form ed for m y seizure. I handed the prize to Um a. "It was just an extraordinary accident, and not an answer to your prayer. If the other kite com es to you, then I shall believe." Sister's dark eyes conveyed m ore am azem ent than her words. I continued m y prayers with a crescendo intensity. A forcible tug by the other player resulted in the abrupt loss of his kite. It headed toward m e, dancing in the wind. My helpful assistant, the cactus plant, again secured the kite string in the necessary loop by which I could grasp it. I presented m y second trophy to Um a. "Indeed, Divine Mother listens to you! This is all too uncanny for m e!" Sister bolted away like a frightened fawn. 1- 2: Spirit ual t eacher; from Sanskrit root gur, t o raise, t o uplift . 1- 3: A pract it ioner of yoga, " union," ancient I ndian science of m edit at ion on God. www.holybooks.com 1- 4: My nam e was changed t o Yogananda when I ent ered t he ancient m onast ic Swam i Order in 1914. My guru best owed t he religious t it le of Param hansa on m e in 1935 ( see chapt ers 24 and 42) . 1- 5: Tradit ionally, t he second cast e of warriors and rulers. 1- 6: These ancient epics are t he hoard of I ndia's hist ory, m yt hology, and philosophy. An " Everym an's Library" volum e, Ram ayana and Mahabharat a, is a condensat ion in English verse by Rom esh Dut t ( New York: E. P. Dut t on) . 1- 7: This noble Sanskrit poem , which occurs as part of t he Mahabharat a epic, is t he Hindu Bible. The m ost poet ical English t ranslat ion is Edwin Arnold's The Song Celest ial ( Philadelphia: David McKay, 75 cent s) . One of t he best t ranslat ions wit h det ailed com m ent ary is Sri Aurobindo's Message Of The Git a ( Jupit er Press, 16 Sem udoss St ., Madras, I ndia, $3.50) . 1- 8: Babu ( Mist er) is placed in Bengali nam es at t he end. 1- 9: The phenom enal powers possessed by great m ast ers are explained in chapt er 30, " The Law of Miracles." 1- 10: A yogic t echnique whereby t he sensory t um ult is st illed, perm it t ing m an t o achieve an ever- increasing ident it y wit h cosm ic consciousness. ( See chapt er 26.) 1- 11: A Sanskrit nam e for God as Ruler of t he universe; from t he root I s , t o rule. There are 108 nam es for God in t he Hindu script ures, each one carrying a different shade of philosophical m eaning. 1- 12: The infinit e pot encies of sound derive from t he Creat ive Word, Aum , t he cosm ic vibrat ory power behind all at om ic energies. Any word spoken wit h clear realizat ion and deep concent rat ion has a m at erializing value. Loud or silent repet it ion of inspiring words has been found effect ive in Coueism and sim ilar syst em s of psychot herapy; t he secret lies in t he st epping- up of t he m ind's vibrat ory rat e. The poet Tennyson has left us, in his Mem oirs , an account of his repet it ious device for passing beyond t he conscious m ind int o superconsciousness: " A kind of waking t rance- t his for lack of a bet t er word- I have frequent ly had, quit e up from boyhood, when I have been all alone," Tennyson wrot e. " This has com e upon m e t hrough repeat ing m y own nam e t o m yself silent ly, t ill all at once, as it were out of t he int ensit y of t he consciousness of individualit y, individualit y it self seem ed t o dissolve and fade away int o boundless being, and t his not a confused st at e but t he clearest , t he surest of t he surest , ut t erly beyond words- where deat h was an alm ost laughable im possibilit y- t he loss of personalit y ( if so it were) seem ing no ext inct ion, but t he only t rue life." He wrot e furt her: " I t is no nebulous ecst asy, but a st at e of t ranscendent wonder, associat ed wit h absolut e clearness of m ind." 1- 13: Kali is a sym bol of God in t he aspect of et ernal Mot her Nat ure. CHAPTER: 2 My Mother's Death And The Mystic Amulet My m other's greatest desire was the m arriage of m y elder brother. "Ah, when I behold the face of www.holybooks.com Ananta's wife, I shall find heaven on this earth!" I frequently heard Mother express in these words her strong Indian sentim ent for fam ily continuity. I was about eleven years old at the tim e of Ananta's betrothal. Mother was in Calcutta, joyously supervising the wedding preparations. Father and I alone rem ained at our hom e in Bareilly in northern India, whence Father had been transferred after two years at Lahore. I had previously witnessed the splendor of nuptial rites for m y two elder sisters, Rom a and Um a; but for Ananta, as the eldest son, plans were truly elaborate. Mother was welcom ing num erous relatives, daily arriving in Calcutta from distant hom es. She lodged them com fortably in a large, newly acquired house at 50 Am herst Street. Everything was in readiness-the banquet delicacies, the gay throne on which Brother was to be carried to the hom e of the bride-to-be, the rows of colorful lights, the m am m oth cardboard elephants and cam els, the English, Scottish and Indian orchestras, the professional entertainers, the priests for the ancient rituals. Father and I, in gala spirits, were planning to join the fam ily in tim e for the cerem ony. Shortly before the great day, however, I had an om inous vision. It was in Bareilly on a m idnight. As I slept beside Father on the piazza of our bungalow, I was awakened by a peculiar flutter of the m osquito netting over the bed. The flim sy curtains parted and I saw the beloved form of m y m other. "Awaken your father!" Her voice was only a whisper. "Take the first available train, at four o'clock this m orning. Rush to Calcutta if you would see m e!" The wraithlike figure vanished. "Father, Father! Mother is dying!" The terror in m y tone aroused him instantly. I sobbed out the fatal tidings. "Never m ind that hallucination of yours." Father gave his characteristic negation to a new situation. "Your m other is in excellent health. If we get any bad news, we shall leave tom orrow." "You shall never forgive yourself for not starting now!" Anguish caused m e to add bitterly, "Nor shall I ever forgive you!" The m elancholy m orning cam e with explicit words: "Mother dangerously ill; m arriage postponed; com e at once." Father and I left distractedly. One of m y uncles m et us en route at a transfer point. A train thundered toward us, loom ing with telescopic increase. From m y inner tum ult, an abrupt determ ination arose to hurl m yself on the railroad tracks. Already bereft, I felt, of m y m other, I could not endure a world suddenly barren to the bone. I loved Mother as m y dearest friend on earth. Her solacing black eyes had been m y surest refuge in the trifling tragedies of childhood. "Does she yet live?" I stopped for one last question to m y uncle. www.holybooks.com "Of course she is alive!" He was not slow to interpret the desperation in m y face. But I scarcely believed him . When we reached our Calcutta hom e, it was only to confront the stunning m ystery of death. I collapsed into an alm ost lifeless state. Years passed before any reconciliation entered m y heart. Storm ing the very gates of heaven, m y cries at last sum m oned the Divine Mother. Her words brought final healing to m y suppurating wounds: "It is I who have watched over thee, life after life, in the tenderness of m any m others! See in My gaze the two black eyes, the lost beautiful eyes, thou seekest!" Father and I returned to Bareilly soon after the crem atory rites for the well-beloved. Early every m orning I m ade a pathetic m em orial- pilgrim age to a large sheoli tree which shaded the sm ooth, green-gold lawn before our bungalow. In poetical m om ents, I thought that the white sheoli flowers were strewing them selves with a willing devotion over the grassy altar. Mingling tears with the dew, I often observed a strange other-worldly light em erging from the dawn. Intense pangs of longing for God assailed m e. I felt powerfully drawn to the Him alayas. One of m y cousins, fresh from a period of travel in the holy hills, visited us in Bareilly. I listened eagerly to his tales about the high m ountain abode of yogis and swam is. 2 -1 "Let us run away to the Him alayas." My suggestion one day to Dwarka Prasad, the young son of our landlord in Bareilly, fell on unsym pathetic ears. He revealed m y plan to m y elder brother, who had just arrived to see Father. Instead of laughing lightly over this im practical schem e of a sm all boy, Ananta m ade it a definite point to ridicule m e. "Where is your orange robe? You can't be a swam i without that!" But I was inexplicably thrilled by his words. They brought a clear picture of m yself roam ing about India as a m onk. Perhaps they awakened m em ories of a past life; in any case, I began to see with what natural ease I would wear the garb of that anciently-founded m onastic order. Chatting one m orning with Dwarka, I felt a love for God descending with avalanchic force. My com panion was only partly attentive to the ensuing eloquence, but I was wholeheartedly listening to m yself. I fled that afternoon toward Naini Tal in the Him alayan foothills. Ananta gave determ ined chase; I was forced to return sadly to Bareilly. The only pilgrim age perm itted m e was the custom ary one at dawn to the sheoli tree. My heart wept for the lost Mothers, hum an and divine. The rent left in the fam ily fabric by Mother's death was irreparable. Father never rem arried during his nearly forty rem aining years. Assum ing the difficult role of Father-Mother to his little flock, he grew noticeably m ore tender, m ore approachable. With calm ness and insight, he solved the various fam ily problem s. After office hours he retired like a herm it to the cell of his room , practicing Kriy a Yoga in a sweet serenity. Long after Mother's death, I attem pted to engage an www.holybooks.com English nurse to attend to details that would m ake m y parent's life m ore com fortable. But Father shook his head. My Mother A Disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya "Service to m e ended with your m other." His eyes were rem ote with a lifelong devotion. "I will not accept m inistrations from any other wom an." Fourteen m onths after Mother's passing, I learned that she had left m e a m om entous m essage. Ananta was present at her deathbed and had recorded her words. Although she had asked that the disclosure be m ade to m e in one year, m y brother delayed. He was soon to leave Bareilly for Calcutta, to m arry the girl Mother had chosen for him . 2 -2 One evening he sum m oned m e to his side. "Mukunda, I have been reluctant to give you strange tidings." Ananta's tone held a note of resignation. "My fear was to inflam e your desire to leave hom e. But in any case you are bristling with divine ardor. When I captured you recently on your way to the Him alayas, I cam e to a definite resolve. I m ust not further postpone the fulfillm ent of m y solem n prom ise." My brother handed m e a sm all box, and delivered Mother's m essage. "Let these words be m y final blessing, m y beloved son Mukunda!" Mother had said. "The hour is here when I m ust relate a num ber of phenom enal events following your birth. I first knew your destined path when you were but a babe in m y arm s. I carried you then to the hom e of m y guru in Benares. Alm ost hidden behind a throng of disciples, I could barely see Lahiri Mahasaya as he sat in deep m editation. www.holybooks.com "While I patted you, I was praying that the great guru take notice and bestow a blessing. As m y silent devotional dem and grew in intensity, he opened his eyes and beckoned m e to approach. The others m ade a way for m e; I bowed at the sacred feet. My m aster seated you on his lap, placing his hand on your forehead by way of spiritually baptizing you. "'Little m other, thy son will be a yogi. As a spiritual engine, he will carry m any souls to God's kingdom .' "My heart leaped with joy to find m y secret prayer granted by the om niscient guru. Shortly before your birth, he had told m e you would follow his path. "Later, m y son, your vision of the Great Light was known to m e and your sister Rom a, as from the next room we observed you m otionless on the bed. Your little face was illum inated; your voice rang with iron resolve as you spoke of going to the Him alayas in quest of the Divine. "In these ways, dear son, I cam e to know that your road lies far from worldly am bitions. The m ost singular event in m y life brought further confirm ation-an event which now im pels m y deathbed m essage. "It was an interview with a sage in the Punjab. While our fam ily was living in Lahore, one m orning the servant cam e precipitantly into m y room . "'Mistress, a strange sadhu 2 -3 is here. He insists that he "see the m other of Mukunda."' "These sim ple words struck a profound chord within m e; I went at once to greet the visitor. Bowing at his feet, I sensed that before m e was a true m an of God. "'Mother,' he said, 'the great m asters wish you to know that your stay on earth will not be long. Your next illness shall prove to be your last.' 2 -4 There was a silence, during which I felt no alarm but only a vibration of great peace. Finally he addressed m e again: "'You are to be the custodian of a certain silver am ulet. I will not give it to you today; to dem onstrate the truth in m y words, the talism an shall m aterialize in your hands tom orrow as you m editate. On your deathbed, you m ust instruct your eldest son Ananta to keep the am ulet for one year and then to hand it over to your second son. Mukunda will understand the m eaning of the talism an from the great ones. He should receive it about the tim e he is ready to renounce all worldly hopes and start his vital search for God. When he has retained the am ulet for som e years, and when it has served its purpose, it shall vanish. Even if kept in the m ost secret spot, it shall return whence it cam e.' "I proffered alm s 2 -5 to the saint, and bowed before him in great reverence. Not taking the offering, he departed with a blessing. The next evening, as I sat with folded hands in m editation, a silver am ulet m aterialized between m y palm s, even as the sadhu had prom ised. It m ade itself known by a cold, sm ooth touch. I have jealously guarded it for m ore than two years, and now leave it in Ananta's keeping. Do not grieve for m e, as I shall have been ushered by m y great guru www.holybooks.com into the arm s of the Infinite. Farewell, m y child; the Cosm ic Mother will protect you." A blaze of illum ination cam e over m e with possession of the am ulet; m any dorm ant m em ories awakened. The talism an, round and anciently quaint, was covered with Sanskrit characters. I understood that it cam e from teachers of past lives, who were invisibly guiding m y steps. A further significance there was, indeed; but one does not reveal fully the heart of an am ulet. How the talism an finally vanished am idst deeply unhappy circum stances of m y life; and how its loss was a herald of m y gain of a guru, cannot be told in this chapter. But the sm all boy, thwarted in his attem pts to reach the Him alayas, daily traveled far on the wings of his am ulet. 2- 1: Sanskrit root m eaning of swam i is " he who is one wit h his Self ( Swa) ." Applied t o a m em ber of t he I ndian order of m onks, t he t it le has t he form al respect of " t he reverend." 2- 2: The I ndian cust om , whereby parent s choose t he life- part ner for t heir child, has resist ed t he blunt assault s of t im e. The percent age is high of happy I ndian m arriages. 2- 3: An anchorit e; one who pursues a sadhana or pat h of spirit ual discipline. 2- 4: When I discovered by t hese words t hat Mot her had possessed secret knowledge of a short life, I underst ood for t he first t im e why she had been insist ent on hast ening t he plans for Anant a's m arriage. Though she died before t he wedding, her nat ural m at ernal wish had been t o wit ness t he rit es. 2- 5: A cust om ary gest ure of respect t o sadhus . CHAPTER: 3 The Saint With Two Bodies "Father, if I prom ise to return hom e without coercion, m ay I take a sight-seeing trip to Benares?" My keen love of travel was seldom hindered by Father. He perm itted m e, even as a m ere boy, to visit m any cities and pilgrim age spots. Usually one or m ore of m y friends accom panied m e; we would travel com fortably on first-class passes provided by Father. His position as a railroad official was fully satisfactory to the nom ads in the fam ily. Father prom ised to give m y request due consideration. The next day he sum m oned m e and held www.holybooks.com out a round-trip pass from Bareilly to Benares, a num ber of rupee notes, and two letters. "I have a business m atter to propose to a Benares friend, Kedar Nath Babu. Unfortunately I have lost his address. But I believe you will be able to get this letter to him through our com m on friend, Swam i Pranabananda. The swam i, m y brother disciple, has attained an exalted spiritual stature. You will benefit by his com pany; this second note will serve as your introduction." Father's eyes twinkled as he added, "Mind, no m ore flights from hom e!" I set forth with the zest of m y twelve years (though tim e has never dim m ed m y delight in new scenes and strange faces). Reaching Benares, I proceeded im m ediately to the swam i's residence. The front door was open; I m ade m y way to a long, hall-like room on the second floor. A rather stout m an, wearing only a loincloth, was seated in lotus posture on a slightly raised platform . His head and unwrinkled face were clean-shaven; a beatific sm ile played about his lips. To dispel m y thought that I had intruded, he greeted m e as an old friend. "Baba anand (bliss to m y dear one)." His welcom e was given heartily in a childlike voice. I knelt and touched his feet. "Are you Swam i Pranabananda?" He nodded. "Are you Bhagabati's son?" His words were out before I had had tim e to get Father's letter from m y pocket. In astonishm ent, I handed him the note of introduction, which now seem ed superfluous. "Of course I will locate Kedar Nath Babu for you." The saint again surprised m e by his clairvoyance. He glanced at the letter, and m ade a few affectionate references to m y parent. "You know, I am enjoying two pensions. One is by the recom m endation of your father, for whom I once worked in the railroad office. The other is by the recom m endation of m y Heavenly Father, for whom I have conscientiously finished m y earthly duties in life." I found this rem ark very obscure. "What kind of pension, sir, do you receive from the Heavenly Father? Does He drop m oney in your lap?" He laughed. "I m ean a pension of fathom less peace-a reward for m any years of deep m editation. I never crave m oney now. My few m aterial needs are am ply provided for. Later you will understand the significance of a second pension." Abruptly term inating our conversation, the saint becam e gravely m otionless. A sphinxlike air enveloped him . At first his eyes sparkled, as if observing som ething of interest, then grew dull. I felt abashed at his pauciloquy; he had not yet told m e how I could m eet Father's friend. A trifle restlessly, I looked about m e in the bare room , em pty except for us two. My idle gaze took in his wooden sandals, lying under the platform seat. www.holybooks.com "Little sir, 3 -1 don't get worried. The m an you wish to see will be with you in half an hour." The yogi was reading m y m ind-a feat not too difficult at the m om ent! Again he fell into inscrutable silence. My watch inform ed m e that thirty m inutes had elapsed. The swam i aroused him self. "I think Kedar Nath Babu is nearing the door." I heard som ebody com ing up the stairs. An am azed incom prehension arose suddenly; m y thoughts raced in confusion: "How is it possible that Father's friend has been sum m oned to this place without the help of a m essenger? The swam i has spoken to no one but m yself since m y arrival!" Abruptly I quitted the room and descended the steps. Halfway down I m et a thin, fair-skinned m an of m edium height. He appeared to be in a hurry. "Are you Kedar Nath Babu?" Excitem ent colored m y voice. "Yes. Are you not Bhagabati's son who has been waiting here to m eet m e?" He sm iled in friendly fashion. "Sir, how do you happen to com e here?" I felt baffled resentm ent over his inexplicable presence. "Everything is m ysterious today! Less than an hour ago I had just finished m y bath in the Ganges when Swam i Pranabananda approached m e. I have no idea how he knew I was there at that tim e. "'Bhagabati's son is waiting for you in m y apartm ent,' he said. 'Will you com e with m e?' I gladly agreed. As we proceeded hand in hand, the swam i in his wooden sandals was strangely able to outpace m e, though I wore these stout walking shoes. "'How long will it take you to reach m y place?' Pranabanandaji suddenly halted to ask m e this question. "'About half an hour.' "'I have som ething else to do at present.' He gave m e an enigm atical glance. 'I m ust leave you behind. You can join m e in m y house, where Bhagabati's son and I will be awaiting you.' "Before I could rem onstrate, he dashed swiftly past m e and disappeared in the crowd. I walked here as fast as possible." This explanation only increased m y bewilderm ent. I inquired how long he had known the swam i. "We m et a few tim es last year, but not recently. I was very glad to see him again today at the bathing ghat ." "I cannot believe m y ears! Am I losing m y m ind? Did you m eet him in a vision, or did you actually www.holybooks.com see him , touch his hand, and hear the sound of his feet?" "I don't know what you're driving at!" He flushed angrily. "I am not lying to you. Can't you understand that only through the swam i could I have known you were waiting at this place for m e?" "Why, that m an, Swam i Pranabananda, has not left m y sight a m om ent since I first cam e about an hour ago." I blurted out the whole story. His eyes opened widely. "Are we living in this m aterial age, or are we dream ing? I never expected to witness such a m iracle in m y life! I thought this swam i was just an ordinary m an, and now I find he can m aterialize an extra body and work through it!" Together we entered the saint's room . "Look, those are the very sandals he was wearing at the ghat ," Kedar Nath Babu whispered. "He was clad only in a loincloth, just as I see him now." As the visitor bowed before him , the saint turned to m e with a quizzical sm ile. "Why are you stupefied at all this? The subtle unity of the phenom enal world is not hidden from true yogis. I instantly see and converse with m y disciples in distant Calcutta. They can sim ilarly transcend at will every obstacle of gross m atter." It was probably in an effort to stir spiritual ardor in m y young breast that the swam i had condescended to tell m e of his powers of astral radio and television. 3 -2 But instead of enthusiasm , I experienced only an awe-stricken fear. Inasm uch as I was destined to undertake m y divine search through one particular guru-Sri Yukteswar, whom I had not yet m et-I felt no inclination to accept Pranabananda as m y teacher. I glanced at him doubtfully, wondering if it were he or his counterpart before m e. www.holybooks.com Swami Pranabananda "The Saint With Two Bodies" An Exalted Disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya The m aster sought to banish m y disquietude by bestowing a soul- awakening gaze, and by som e inspiring words about his guru. "Lahiri Mahasaya was the greatest yogi I ever knew. He was Divinity Itself in the form of flesh." If a disciple, I reflected, could m aterialize an extra fleshly form at will, what m iracles indeed could be barred to his m aster? "I will tell you how priceless is a guru's help. I used to m editate with another disciple for eight hours every night. We had to work at the railroad office during the day. Finding difficulty in carrying on m y clerical duties, I desired to devote m y whole tim e to God. For eight years I persevered, m editating half the night. I had wonderful results; trem endous spiritual perceptions illum ined m y m ind. But a little veil always rem ained between m e and the Infinite. Even with super-hum an earnestness, I found the final irrevocable union to be denied m e. One evening I paid a visit to Lahiri Mahasaya and pleaded for his divine intercession. My im portunities continued during the entire night. "'Angelic Guru, m y spiritual anguish is such that I can no longer bear m y life without m eeting the Great Beloved face to face!' "'What can I do? You m ust m editate m ore profoundly.' "'I am appealing to Thee, O God m y Master! I see Thee m aterialized before m e in a physical body; bless m e that I m ay perceive Thee in Thine infinite form !' "Lahiri Mahasaya extended his hand in a benign gesture. 'You m ay go now and m editate. I have interceded for you with Brahm a.' 3 -3 "Im m easurably uplifted, I returned to m y hom e. In m editation that night, the burning Goal of m y life was achieved. Now I ceaselessly enjoy the spiritual pension. Never from that day has the Blissful Creator rem ained hidden from m y eyes behind any screen of delusion." Pranabananda's face was suffused with divine light. The peace of another world entered m y heart; all fear had fled. The saint m ade a further confidence. "Som e m onths later I returned to Lahiri Mahasaya and tried to thank him for his bestowal of the infinite gift. Then I m entioned another m atter. "'Divine Guru, I can no longer work in the office. Please release m e. Brahm a keeps m e continuously intoxicated.' www.holybooks.com "'Apply for a pension from your com pany.' "'What reason shall I give, so early in m y service?' "'Say what you feel.' "The next day I m ade m y application. The doctor inquired the grounds for m y prem ature request. "'At work, I find an overpowering sensation rising in m y spine. 3 -4 It perm eates m y whole body, unfitting m e for the perform ance of m y duties.' "Without further questioning the physician recom m ended m e highly for a pension, which I soon received. I know the divine will of Lahiri Mahasaya worked through the doctor and the railroad officials, including your father. Autom atically they obeyed the great guru's spiritual direction, and freed m e for a life of unbroken com m union with the Beloved." 3 -5 After this extraordinary revelation, Swam i Pranabananda retired into one of his long silences. As I was taking leave, touching his feet reverently, he gave m e his blessing: "Your life belongs to the path of renunciation and yoga. I shall see you again, with your father, later on." The years brought fulfillm ent to both these predictions. 3 -6 Kedar Nath Babu walked by m y side in the gathering darkness. I delivered Father's letter, which m y com panion read under a street lam p. "Your father suggests that I take a position in the Calcutta office of his railroad com pany. How pleasant to look forward to at least one of the pensions that Swam i Pranabananda enjoys! But it is im possible; I cannot leave Benares. Alas, two bodies are not yet for m e!" 3- 1: Chot o Mahasaya is t he t erm by which a num ber of I ndian saint s addressed m e. I t t ranslat es " lit t le sir." . 3- 2: I n it s own way, physical science is affirm ing t he validit y of laws discovered by yogis t hrough m ent al science. For exam ple, a dem onst rat ion t hat m an has t elevisional powers was given on Nov. 26, 1934 at t he Royal Universit y of Rom e. " Dr. Giuseppe Calligaris, professor of neuro- psychology, pressed cert ain point s of a subj ect 's body and t he subj ect responded wit h m inut e descript ions of ot her persons and obj ect s on t he opposit e side of a wall. Dr. Calligaris t old t he ot her professors t hat if cert ain areas on t he skin are agit at ed, t he subj ect is given super- sensorial im pressions enabling him t o see obj ect s t hat he could not ot herwise perceive. To enable his subj ect t o discern t hings on t he ot her side of a wall, Professor Calligaris pressed on a spot t o t he right of t he t horax for fift een m inut es. Dr. Calligaris said t hat if ot her spot s of t he body were agit at ed, t he subj ect s could see obj ect s at any dist ance, regardless of whet her t hey had ever before seen t hose obj ect s." . 3- 3: God in His aspect of Creat or; from Sanskrit root brih , t o expand. When Em erson's poem Brahm a appeared in t he At lant ic Mont hly in 1857, m ost t he readers were bewildered. Em erson chuckled. " Tell t hem ," he said, " t o say 'Jehovah' inst ead of 'Brahm a' and t hey will not feel any perplexit y." 3- 4: I n deep m edit at ion, t he first experience of Spirit is on t he alt ar of t he spine, and t hen in t he brain. The t orrent ial bliss is overwhelm ing, but t he yogi learns t o cont rol it s out ward m anifest at ions. 3- 5: Aft er his ret irem ent , Pranabananda wrot e one of t he m ost profound com m ent aries on t he Bhagavad Git a, available in Bengali and Hindi. www.holybooks.com 3- 6: See chapt er 27. CHAPTER: 4 My Interrupted Flight Toward The Himalayas "Leave your classroom on som e trifling pretext, and engage a hackney carriage. Stop in the lane where no one in m y house can see you." These were m y final instructions to Am ar Mitter, a high school friend who planned to accom pany m e to the Him alayas. We had chosen the following day for our flight. Precautions were necessary, as Ananta exercised a vigilant eye. He was determ ined to foil the plans of escape which he suspected were upperm ost in m y m ind. The am ulet, like a spiritual yeast, was silently at work within m e. Am idst the Him alayan snows, I hoped to find the m aster whose face often appeared to m e in visions. The fam ily was living now in Calcutta, where Father had been perm anently transferred. Following the patriarchal Indian custom , Ananta had brought his bride to live in our hom e, now at 4 Gurpar Road. There in a sm all attic room I engaged in daily m editations and prepared m y m ind for the divine search. The m em orable m orning arrived with inauspicious rain. Hearing the wheels of Am ar's carriage in the road, I hastily tied together a blanket, a pair of sandals, Lahiri Mahasaya's picture, a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a string of prayer beads, and two loincloths. This bundle I threw from m y third-story window. I ran down the steps and passed m y uncle, buying fish at the door. "What is the excitem ent?" His gaze roved suspiciously over m y person. I gave him a noncom m ittal sm ile and walked to the lane. Retrieving m y bundle, I joined Am ar with conspiratorial caution. We drove to Chadni Chowk, a m erchandise center. For m onths we had been saving our tiffin m oney to buy English clothes. Knowing that m y clever brother could easily play the part of a detective, we thought to outwit him by European garb. On the way to the station, we stopped for m y cousin, J otin Ghosh, whom I called J atinda. He was a new convert, longing for a guru in the Him alayas. He donned the new suit we had in readiness. Well- cam ouflaged, we hoped! A deep elation possessed our hearts. www.holybooks.com "All we need now are canvas shoes." I led m y com panions to a shop displaying rubber-soled footwear. "Articles of leather, gotten only through the slaughter of anim als, m ust be absent on this holy trip." I halted on the street to rem ove the leather cover from m y Bhagavad Gita, and the leather straps from m y English-m ade sola topee (helm et). At the station we bought tickets to Burdwan, where we planned to transfer for Hardwar in the Him alayan foothills. As soon as the train, like ourselves, was in flight, I gave utterance to a few of m y glorious anticipations. "J ust im agine!" I ejaculated. "We shall be initiated by the m asters and experience the trance of cosm ic consciousness. Our flesh will be charged with such m agnetism that wild anim als of the Him alayas will com e tam ely near us. Tigers will be no m ore than m eek house cats awaiting our caresses!" This rem ark-picturing a prospect I considered entrancing, both m etaphorically and literallybrought an enthusiastic sm ile from Am ar. But J atinda averted his gaze, directing it through the window at the scam pering landscape. "Let the m oney be divided in three portions." J atinda broke a long silence with this suggestion. "Each of us should buy his own ticket at Burdwan. Thus no one at the station will surm ise that we are running away together." I unsuspectingly agreed. At dusk our train stopped at Burdwan. J atinda entered the ticket office; Am ar and I sat on the platform . We waited fifteen m inutes, then m ade unavailing inquiries. Searching in all directions, we shouted J atinda's nam e with the urgency of fright. But he had faded into the dark unknown surrounding the little station. I was com pletely unnerved, shocked to a peculiar num bness. That God would countenance this depressing episode! The rom antic occasion of m y first carefully-planned flight after Him was cruelly m arred. "Am ar, we m ust return hom e." I was weeping like a child. "J atinda's callous departure is an ill om en. This trip is doom ed to failure." "Is this your love for the Lord? Can't you stand the little test of a treacherous com panion?" Through Am ar's suggestion of a divine test, m y heart steadied itself. We refreshed ourselves with fam ous Burdwan sweetm eats, sitabhog (food for the goddess) and m otichur (nuggets of sweet pearl). In a few hours, we entrained for Hardwar, via Bareilly. Changing trains at Moghul Serai, we discussed a vital m atter as we waited on the platform . "Am ar, we m ay soon be closely questioned by railroad officials. I am not underrating m y brother's ingenuity! No m atter what the outcom e, I will not speak untruth." www.holybooks.com "All I ask of you, Mukunda, is to keep still. Don't laugh or grin while I am talking." At this m om ent, a European station agent accosted m e. He waved a telegram whose im port I im m ediately grasped. "Are you running away from hom e in anger?" "No!" I was glad his choice of words perm itted m e to m ake em phatic reply. Not anger but "divinest m elancholy" was responsible, I knew, for m y unconventional behavior. The official then turned to Am ar. The duel of wits that followed hardly perm itted m e to m aintain the counseled stoic gravity. "Where is the third boy?" The m an injected a full ring of authority into his voice. "Com e on; speak the truth!" "Sir, I notice you are wearing eyeglasses. Can't you see that we are only two?" Am ar sm iled im pudently. "I am not a m agician; I can't conjure up a third com panion." The official, noticeably disconcerted by this im pertinence, sought a new field of attack. "What is your nam e?" "I am called Thom as. I am the son of an English m other and a converted Christian Indian father." "What is your friend's nam e?" "I call him Thom pson." By this tim e m y inward m irth had reached a zenith; I uncerem oniously m ade for the train, whistling for departure. Am ar followed with the official, who was credulous and obliging enough to put us into a European com partm ent. It evidently pained him to think of two half- English boys traveling in the section allotted to natives. After his polite exit, I lay back on the seat and laughed uncontrollably. My friend wore an expression of blithe satisfaction at having outwitted a veteran European official. On the platform I had contrived to read the telegram . From m y brother, it went thus: "Three Bengali boys in English clothes running away from hom e toward Hardwar via Moghul Serai. Please detain them until m y arrival. Am ple reward for your services." "Am ar, I told you not to leave m arked tim etables in your hom e." My glance was reproachful. "Brother m ust have found one there." My friend sheepishly acknowledged the thrust. We halted briefly in Bareilly, where Dwarka Prasad awaited us with a telegram from Ananta. My old friend tried valiantly to detain us; I convinced him that our flight had not been undertaken lightly. As on a previous occasion, Dwarka www.holybooks.com refused m y invitation to set forth to the Him alayas. While our train stood in a station that night, and I was half asleep, Am ar was awakened by another questioning official. He, too, fell a victim to the hybrid charm s of "Thom as" and "Thom pson." The train bore us trium phantly into a dawn arrival at Hardwar. The m ajestic m ountains loom ed invitingly in the distance. We dashed through the station and entered the freedom of city crowds. Our first act was to change into native costum e, as Ananta had som ehow penetrated our European disguise. A prem onition of capture weighed on m y m ind. Deem ing it advisable to leave Hardwar at once, we bought tickets to proceed north to Rishikesh, a soil long hallowed by feet of m any m asters. I had already boarded the train, while Am ar lagged on the platform . He was brought to an abrupt halt by a shout from a policem an. Our unwelcom e guardian escorted us to a station bungalow and took charge of our m oney. He explained courteously that it was his duty to hold us until m y elder brother arrived. Learning that the truants' destination had been the Him alayas, the officer related a strange story. "I see you are crazy about saints! You will never m eet a greater m an of God than the one I saw only yesterday. My brother officer and I first encountered him five days ago. We were patrolling by the Ganges, on a sharp lookout for a certain m urderer. Our instructions were to capture him , alive or dead. He was known to be m asquerading as a sadhu in order to rob pilgrim s. A short way before us, we spied a figure which resem bled the description of the crim inal. He ignored our com m and to stop; we ran to overpower him . Approaching his back, I wielded m y ax with trem endous force; the m an's right arm was severed alm ost com pletely from his body. "Without outcry or any glance at the ghastly wound, the stranger astonishingly continued his swift pace. As we jum ped in front of him , he spoke quietly. "'I am not the m urderer you are seeking.' "I was deeply m ortified to see I had injured the person of a divine- looking sage. Prostrating m yself at his feet, I im plored his pardon, and offered m y turban-cloth to staunch the heavy spurts of blood. "'Son, that was just an understandable m istake on your part.' The saint regarded m e kindly. 'Run along, and don't reproach yourself. The Beloved Mother is taking care of m e.' He pushed his dangling arm into its stum p and lo! it adhered; the blood inexplicably ceased to flow. "'Com e to m e under yonder tree in three days and you will find m e fully healed. Thus you will feel no rem orse.' "Yesterday m y brother officer and I went eagerly to the designated spot. The sadhu was there and allowed us to exam ine his arm . It bore no scar or trace of hurt! "'I am going via Rishikesh to the Him alayan solitudes.' He blessed us as he departed quickly. I www.holybooks.com feel that m y life has been uplifted through his sanctity." The officer concluded with a pious ejaculation; his experience had obviously m oved him beyond his usual depths. With an im pressive gesture, he handed m e a printed clipping about the m iracle. In the usual garbled m anner of the sensational type of newspaper (not m issing, alas! even in India), the reporter's version was slightly exaggerated: it indicated that the sadhu had been alm ost decapitated! Am ar and I lam ented that we had m issed the great yogi who could forgive his persecutor in such a Christlike way. India, m aterially poor for the last two centuries, yet has an inexhaustible fund of divine wealth; spiritual "skyscrapers" m ay occasionally be encountered by the wayside, even by worldly m en like this policem an. We thanked the officer for relieving our tedium with his m arvelous story. He was probably intim ating that he was m ore fortunate than we: he had m et an illum ined saint without effort; our earnest search had ended, not at the feet of a m aster, but in a coarse police station! So near the Him alayas and yet, in our captivity, so far, I told Am ar I felt doubly im pelled to seek freedom . "Let us slip away when opportunity offers. We can go on foot to holy Rishikesh." I sm iled encouragingly. But m y com panion had turned pessim ist as soon as the stalwart prop of our m oney had been taken from us. "If we started a trek over such dangerous jungle land, we should finish, not in the city of saints, but in the stom achs of tigers!" Ananta and Am ar's brother arrived after three days. Am ar greeted his relative with affectionate relief. I was unreconciled; Ananta got no m ore from m e than a severe upbraiding. "I understand how you feel." My brother spoke soothingly. "All I ask of you is to accom pany m e to Benares to m eet a certain saint, and go on to Calcutta to visit your grieving father for a few days. Then you can resum e your search here for a m aster." Am ar entered the conversation at this point to disclaim any intention of returning to Hardwar with m e. He was enjoying the fam ilial warm th. But I knew I would never abandon the quest for m y guru. Our party entrained for Benares. There I had a singular and instant response to m y prayers. A clever schem e had been prearranged by Ananta. Before seeing m e at Hardwar, he had stopped in Benares to ask a certain scriptural authority to interview m e later. Both the pundit and his son had prom ised to undertake m y dissuasion from the path of a sanny asi . 4 -1 www.holybooks.com Ananta took m e to their hom e. The son, a young m an of ebullient m anner, greeted m e in the courtyard. He engaged m e in a lengthy philosophic discourse. Professing to have a clairvoyant knowledge of m y future, he discountenanced m y idea of being a m onk. "You will m eet continual m isfortune, and be unable to find God, if you insist on deserting your ordinary responsibilities! You cannot work out your past karm a 4 -2 without worldly experiences." Krishna's im m ortal words rose to m y lips in reply: "'Even he with the worst of karm a who ceaselessly m editates on Me quickly loses the effects of his past bad actions. Becom ing a highsouled being, he soon attains perennial peace. Arjuna, know this for certain: the devotee who puts his trust in Me never perishes!'" 4 -3 But the forceful prognostications of the young m an had slightly shaken m y confidence. With all the fervor of m y heart I prayed silently to God: "Please solve m y bewilderm ent and answer m e, right here and now, if Thou dost desire m e to lead the life of a renunciate or a worldly m an!" I noticed a sadhu of noble countenance standing just outside the com pound of the pundit's house. Evidently he had overheard the spirited conversation between the self-styled clairvoyant and m yself, for the stranger called m e to his side. I felt a trem endous power flowing from his calm eyes. "Son, don't listen to that ignoram us. In response to your prayer, the Lord tells m e to assure you that your sole path in this life is that of the renunciate." With astonishm ent as well as gratitude, I sm iled happily at this decisive m essage. "Com e away from that m an!" The "ignoram us" was calling m e from the courtyard. My saintly guide raised his hand in blessing and slowly departed. "That sadhu is just as crazy as you are." It was the hoary-headed pundit who m ade this charm ing observation. He and his son were gazing at m e lugubriously. "I heard that he too has left his hom e in a vague search for God." I turned away. To Ananta I rem arked that I would not engage in further discussion with our hosts. My brother agreed to an im m ediate departure; we soon entrained for Calcutta. www.holybooks.com I stand behind my elder brother, Ananta. Last Solstice Festival celebrated by Sri Yukteswar, December, 1935. My Guru is seated in the center; I am at his right, in the large courtyard of his hermitage in Serampore. "Mr. Detective, how did you discover I had fled with two com panions?" I vented m y lively curiosity to Ananta during our hom eward journey. He sm iled m ischievously. "At your school, I found that Am ar had left his classroom and had not returned. I went to his hom e the next m orning and unearthed a m arked tim etable. Am ar's father was just leaving by www.holybooks.com carriage and was talking to the coachm an. "'My son will not ride with m e to his school this m orning. He has disappeared!' the father m oaned. "'I heard from a brother coachm an that your son and two others, dressed in European suits, boarded the train at Howrah Station,' the m an stated. 'They m ade a present of their leather shoes to the cab driver.' "Thus I had three clues-the tim etable, the trio of boys, and the English clothing." I was listening to Ananta's disclosures with m ingled m irth and vexation. Our generosity to the coachm an had been slightly m isplaced! "Of course I rushed to send telegram s to station officials in all the cities which Am ar had underlined in the tim etable. He had checked Bareilly, so I wired your friend Dwarka there. After inquiries in our Calcutta neighborhood, I learned that cousin J atinda had been absent one night but had arrived hom e the following m orning in European garb. I sought him out and invited him to dinner. He accepted, quite disarm ed by m y friendly m anner. On the way I led him unsuspectingly to a police station. He was surrounded by several officers whom I had previously selected for their ferocious appearance. Under their form idable gaze, J atinda agreed to account for his m ysterious conduct. "'I started for the Him alayas in a buoyant spiritual m ood,' he explained. 'Inspiration filled m e at the prospect of m eeting the m asters. But as soon as Mukunda said, "During our ecstasies in the Him alayan caves, tigers will be spellbound and sit around us like tam e pussies," m y spirits froze; beads of perspiration form ed on m y brow. "What then?" I thought. "If the vicious nature of the tigers be not changed through the power of our spiritual trance, shall they treat us with the kindness of house cats?" In m y m ind's eye, I already saw m yself the com pulsory inm ate of som e tiger's stom ach-entering there not at once with the whole body, but by installm ents of its several parts!'" My anger at J atinda's vanishm ent was evaporated in laughter. The hilarious sequel on the train was worth all the anguish he had caused m e. I m ust confess to a slight feeling of satisfaction: J atinda too had not escaped an encounter with the police! "Ananta, 4 -4 you are a born sleuthhound!" My glance of am usem ent was not without som e exasperation. "And I shall tell J atinda I am glad he was prom pted by no m ood of treachery, as it appeared, but only by the prudent instinct of self-preservation!" At hom e in Calcutta, Father touchingly requested m e to curb m y roving feet until, at least, the com pletion of m y high school studies. In m y absence, he had lovingly hatched a plot by arranging for a saintly pundit, Swam i Kebalananda, 4 -5 to com e regularly to the house. "The sage will be your Sanskrit tutor," m y parent announced confidently. www.holybooks.com Father hoped to satisfy m y religious yearnings by instructions from a learned philosopher. But the tables were subtly turned: m y new teacher, far from offering intellectual aridities, fanned the em bers of m y God-aspiration. Unknown to Father, Swam i Kebalananda was an exalted disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. The peerless guru had possessed thousands of disciples, silently drawn to him by the irresistibility of his divine m agnetism . I learned later that Lahiri Mahasaya had often characterized Kebalananda as rishi or illum ined sage. Luxuriant curls fram ed m y tutor's handsom e face. His dark eyes were guileless, with the transparency of a child's. All the m ovem ents of his slight body were m arked by a restful deliberation. Ever gentle and loving, he was firm ly established in the infinite consciousness. Many of our happy hours together were spent in deep Kriy a m editation. Kebalananda was a noted authority on the ancient shastras or sacred books: his erudition had earned him the title of "Shastri Mahasaya," by which he was usually addressed. But m y progress in Sanskrit scholarship was unnoteworthy. I sought every opportunity to forsake prosaic gram m ar and to talk of yoga and Lahiri Mahasaya. My tutor obliged m e one day by telling m e som ething of his own life with the m aster. "Rarely fortunate, I was able to rem ain near Lahiri Mahasaya for ten years. His Benares hom e was m y nightly goal of pilgrim age. The guru was always present in a sm all front parlor on the first floor. As he sat in lotus posture on a backless wooden seat, his disciples garlanded him in a sem icircle. His eyes sparkled and danced with the joy of the Divine. They were ever half closed, peering through the inner telescopic orb into a sphere of eternal bliss. He seldom spoke at length. Occasionally his gaze would focus on a student in need of help; healing words poured then like an avalanche of light. "An indescribable peace blossom ed within m e at the m aster's glance. I was perm eated with his fragrance, as though from a lotus of infinity. To be with him , even without exchanging a word for days, was experience which changed m y entire being. If any invisible barrier rose in the path of m y concentration, I would m editate at the guru's feet. There the m ost tenuous states cam e easily within m y grasp. Such perceptions eluded m e in the presence of lesser teachers. The m aster was a living tem ple of God whose secret doors were open to all disciples through devotion. "Lahiri Mahasaya was no bookish interpreter of the scriptures. Effortlessly he dipped into the 'divine library.' Foam of words and spray of thoughts gushed from the fountain of his om niscience. He had the wondrous clavis which unlocked the profound philosophical science em bedded ages ago in the Vedas. 4 -6 If asked to explain the different planes of consciousness m entioned in the ancient texts, he would sm ilingly assent. "'I will undergo those states, and presently tell you what I perceive.' He was thus diam etrically unlike the teachers who com m it scripture to m em ory and then give forth unrealized abstractions. "'Please expound the holy stanzas as the m eaning occurs to you.' The taciturn guru often gave this instruction to a near-by disciple. 'I will guide your thoughts, that the right interpretation be www.holybooks.com uttered.' In this way m any of Lahiri Mahasaya's perceptions cam e to be recorded, with volum inous com m entaries by various students. "The m aster never counseled slavish belief. 'Words are only shells,' he said. 'Win conviction of God's presence through your own joyous contact in m editation.' "No m atter what the disciple's problem , the guru advised Kriy a Yoga for its solution. "'The yogic key will not lose its efficiency when I am no longer present in the body to guide you. This technique cannot be bound, filed, and forgotten, in the m anner of theoretical inspirations. Continue ceaselessly on your path to liberation through Kriy a, whose power lies in practice.' "I m yself consider Kriy a the m ost effective device of salvation through self-effort ever to be evolved in m an's search for the Infinite." Kebalananda concluded with this earnest testim ony. "Through its use, the om nipotent God, hidden in all m en, becam e visibly incarnated in the flesh of Lahiri Mahasaya and a num ber of his disciples." A Christlike m iracle by Lahiri Mahasaya took place in Kebalananda's presence. My saintly tutor recounted the story one day, his eyes rem ote from the Sanskrit texts before us. "A blind disciple, Ram u, aroused m y active pity. Should he have no light in his eyes, when he faithfully served our m aster, in whom the Divine was fully blazing? One m orning I sought to speak to Ram u, but he sat for patient hours fanning the guru with a hand-m ade palm -leaf punkha. When the devotee finally left the room , I followed him . "'Ram u, how long have you been blind?' "'From m y birth, sir! Never have m y eyes been blessed with a glim pse of the sun.' "'Our om nipotent guru can help you. Please m ake a supplication.' "The following day Ram u diffidently approached Lahiri Mahasaya. The disciple felt alm ost asham ed to ask that physical wealth be added to his spiritual superabundance. "'Master, the Illum inator of the cosm os is in you. I pray you to bring His light into m y eyes, that I perceive the sun's lesser glow.' "'Ram u, som eone has connived to put m e in a difficult position. I have no healing power.' "'Sir, the Infinite One within you can certainly heal.' "'That is indeed different, Ram u. God's lim it is nowhere! He who ignites the stars and the cells of flesh with m ysterious life- effulgence can surely bring luster of vision into your eyes.' "The m aster touched Ram u's forehead at the point between the eyebrows. 4 -7 "'Keep your m ind concentrated there, and frequently chant the nam e of the prophet Ram a www.holybooks.com 4 -8 for seven days. The splendor of the sun shall have a special dawn for you.' "Lo! in one week it was so. For the first tim e, Ram u beheld the fair face of nature. The Om niscient One had unerringly directed his disciple to repeat the nam e of Ram a, adored by him above all other saints. Ram u's faith was the devotionally ploughed soil in which the guru's powerful seed of perm anent healing sprouted." Kebalananda was silent for a m om ent, then paid a further tribute to his guru. "It was evident in all m iracles perform ed by Lahiri Mahasaya that he never allowed the egoprinciple 4 -9 to consider itself a causative force. By perfection of resistless surrender, the m aster enabled the Prim e Healing Power to flow freely through him . "The num erous bodies which were spectacularly healed through Lahiri Mahasaya eventually had to feed the flam es of crem ation. But the silent spiritual awakenings he effected, the Christlike disciples he fashioned, are his im perishable m iracles." I never becam e a Sanskrit scholar; Kebalananda taught m e a diviner syntax. 4- 1: Lit erally, " renunciat e." From Sanskrit verb root s, " t o cast aside." 4- 2: Effect s of past act ions, in t his or a form er life; from Sanskrit kri, " t o do." 4- 3: Bhagavad Git a, I X, 30- 31. Krishna was t he great est prophet of I ndia; Arj una was his forem ost disciple. 4- 4: I always addressed him as Anant a- da. Da is a respect ful suffix which t he eldest brot her in an I ndian fam ily receives from j unior brot hers and sist ers. 4- 5: At t he t im e of our m eet ing, Kebalananda had not yet j oined t he Swam i Order and was generally called " Shast ri Mahasaya." To avoid confusion wit h t he nam e of Lahiri Mahasaya and of Mast er Mahasaya ( chapt er 9) , I am referring t o m y Sanskrit t ut or only by his lat er m onast ic nam e of Swam i Kebalananda. His biography has been recent ly published in Bengali. Born in t he Khulna dist rict of Bengal in 1863, Kebalananda gave up his body in Benares at t he age of sixt y- eight . His fam ily nam e was Ashut osh Chat t erj i. 4- 6: The ancient four Vedas com prise over 100 ext ant canonical books. Em erson paid t he following t ribut e in his Journal t o Vedic t hought : " I t is sublim e as heat and night and a breat hless ocean. I t cont ains every religious sent im ent , all t he grand et hics which visit in t urn each noble poet ic m ind. . . . I t is of no use t o put away t he book; if I t rust m yself in t he woods or in a boat upon t he pond, Nat ure m akes a Brahm in of m e present ly: et ernal necessit y, et ernal com pensat ion, unfat hom able power, unbroken silence. . . . This is her creed. Peace, she sait h t o m e, and purit y and absolut e abandonm ent - t hese panaceas expiat e all sin and bring you t o t he beat it ude of t he Eight Gods." 4- 7: The seat of t he " single" or spirit ual eye. At deat h t he consciousness of m an is usually drawn t o t his holy spot , account ing for t he upraised eyes found in t he dead. 4- 8: The cent ral sacred figure of t he Sanskrit epic, Ram ayana. 4- 9: Ahankara, egoism ; lit erally, " I do." The root cause of dualism or illusion of m aya, whereby t he subj ect ( ego) appears as obj ect ; t he creat ures im agine t hem selves t o be creat ors. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 5 A "Perfume Saint" Displays His Wonders "To every thing there is a season, and a tim e to every purpose under the heaven." I did not have this wisdom of Solom on to com fort m e; I gazed searchingly about m e, on any excursion from hom e, for the face of m y destined guru. But m y path did not cross his own until after the com pletion of m y high school studies. Two years elapsed between m y flight with Am ar toward the Him alayas, and the great day of Sri Yukteswar's arrival into m y life. During that interim I m et a num ber of sages-the "Perfum e Saint," the "Tiger Swam i," Nagendra Nath Bhaduri, Master Mahasaya, and the fam ous Bengali scientist, J agadis Chandra Bose. My encounter with the "Perfum e Saint" had two pream bles, one harm onious and the other hum orous. "God is sim ple. Everything else is com plex. Do not seek absolute values in the relative world of nature." These philosophical finalities gently entered m y ear as I stood silently before a tem ple im age of Kali. Turning, I confronted a tall m an whose garb, or lack of it, revealed him a wandering sadhu. "You have indeed penetrated the bewilderm ent of m y thoughts!" I sm iled gratefully. "The confusion of benign and terrible aspects in nature, as sym bolized by Kali, 5-1 has puzzled wiser heads than m ine!" "Few there be who solve her m ystery! Good and evil is the challenging riddle which life places sphinxlike before every intelligence. Attem pting no solution, m ost m en pay forfeit with their lives, penalty now even as in the days of Thebes. Here and there, a towering lonely figure never cries defeat. From the m ay a 5-2 of duality he plucks the cleaveless truth of unity." "You speak with conviction, sir." "I have long exercised an honest introspection, the exquisitely painful approach to wisdom . Selfscrutiny, relentless observance of one's thoughts, is a stark and shattering experience. It pulverizes the stoutest ego. But true self-analysis m athem atically operates to produce seers. The way of 'self-expression,' individual acknowledgm ents, results in egotists, sure of the right to their www.holybooks.com private interpretations of God and the universe." "Truth hum bly retires, no doubt, before such arrogant originality." I was enjoying the discussion. "Man can understand no eternal verity until he has freed him self from pretensions. The hum an m ind, bared to a centuried slim e, is teem ing with repulsive life of countless world-delusions. Struggles of the battlefields pale into insignificance here, when m an first contends with inward enem ies! No m ortal foes these, to be overcom e by harrowing array of m ight! Om nipresent, unresting, pursuing m an even in sleep, subtly equipped with a m iasm ic weapon, these soldiers of ignorant lusts seek to slay us all. Thoughtless is the m an who buries his ideals, surrendering to the com m on fate. Can he seem other than im potent, wooden, ignom inious?" "Respected Sir, have you no sym pathy for the bewildered m asses?" The sage was silent for a m om ent, then answered obliquely. "To love both the invisible God, Repository of All Virtues, and visible m an, apparently possessed of none, is often baffling! But ingenuity is equal to the m aze. Inner research soon exposes a unity in all hum an m inds-the stalwart kinship of selfish m otive. In one sense at least, the brotherhood of m an stands revealed. An aghast hum ility follows this leveling discovery. It ripens into com passion for one's fellows, blind to the healing potencies of the soul awaiting exploration." "The saints of every age, sir, have felt like yourself for the sorrows of the world." "Only the shallow m an loses responsiveness to the woes of others' lives, as he sinks into narrow suffering of his own." The SADHU'S austere face was noticeably softened. "The one who practices a scalpel self-dissection will know an expansion of universal pity. Release is given him from the deafening dem ands of his ego. The love of God flowers on such soil. The creature finally turns to his Creator, if for no other reason than to ask in anguish: 'Why, Lord, why?' By ignoble whips of pain, m an is driven at last into the Infinite Presence, whose beauty alone should lure him ." The sage and I were present in Calcutta's Kalighat Tem ple, whither I had gone to view its fam ed m agnificence. With a sweeping gesture, m y chance com panion dism issed the ornate dignity. "Bricks and m ortar sing us no audible tune; the heart opens only to the hum an chant of being." We strolled to the inviting sunshine at the entrance, where throngs of devotees were passing to and fro. "You are young." The sage surveyed m e thoughtfully. "India too is young. The ancient rishis 5-3 laid down ineradicable patterns of spiritual living. Their hoary dictum s suffice for this day and land. Not outm oded, not unsophisticated against the guiles of m aterialism , the disciplinary precepts m old India still. By m illennium s-m ore than em barrassed scholars care to com pute!-the skeptic Tim e has validated Vedic worth. Take it for your heritage." www.holybooks.com As I was reverently bidding farewell to the eloquent sadhu, he revealed a clairvoyant perception: "After you leave here today, an unusual experience will com e your way." I quitted the tem ple precincts and wandered along aim lessly. Turning a corner, I ran into an old acquaintance-one of those long-winded fellows whose conversational powers ignore tim e and em brace eternity. "I will let you go in a very short while, if you will tell m e all that has happened during the six years of our separation." "What a paradox! I m ust leave you now." But he held m e by the hand, forcing out tidbits of inform ation. He was like a ravenous wolf, I thought in am usem ent; the longer I spoke, the m ore hungrily he sniffed for news. Inwardly I petitioned the Goddess Kali to devise a graceful m eans of escape. My com panion left m e abruptly. I sighed with relief and doubled m y pace, dreading any relapse into the garrulous fever. Hearing rapid footsteps behind m e, I quickened m y speed. I dared not look back. But with a bound, the youth rejoined m e, jovially clasping m y shoulder. "I forgot to tell you of Gandha Baba (Perfum e Saint), who is gracing yonder house." He pointed to a dwelling a few yards distant. "Do m eet him ; he is interesting. You m ay have an unusual experience. Good-by," and he actually left m e. The sim ilarly worded prediction of the sadhu at Kalighat Tem ple flashed to m y m ind. Definitely intrigued, I entered the house and was ushered into a com m odious parlor. A crowd of people were sitting, Orient-wise, here and there on a thick orange-colored carpet. An awed whisper reached m y ear: "Behold Gandha Baba on the leopard skin. He can give the natural perfum e of any flower to a scentless one, or revive a wilted blossom , or m ake a person's skin exude delightful fragrance." I looked directly at the saint; his quick gaze rested on m ine. He was plum p and bearded, with dark skin and large, gleam ing eyes. "Son, I am glad to see you. Say what you want. Would you like som e perfum e?" "What for?" I thought his rem ark rather childish. "To experience the m iraculous way of enjoying perfum es." "Harnessing God to m ake odors?" "What of it? God m akes perfum e anyway." www.holybooks.com "Yes, but He fashions frail bottles of petals for fresh use and discard. Can you m aterialize flowers?" "I m aterialize perfum es, little friend." "Then scent factories will go out of business." "I will perm it them to keep their trade! My own purpose is to dem onstrate the power of God." "Sir, is it necessary to prove God? Isn't He perform ing m iracles in everything, everywhere?" "Yes, but we too should m anifest som e of His infinite creative variety." "How long did it take to m aster your art?" "Twelve years." "For m anufacturing scents by astral m eans! It seem s, m y honored saint, you have been wasting a dozen years for fragrances which you can obtain with a few rupees from a florist's shop." "Perfum es fade with flowers." "Perfum es fade with death. Why should I desire that which pleases the body only?" "Mr. Philosopher, you please m y m ind. Now, stretch forth your right hand." He m ade a gesture of blessing. I was a few feet away from Gandha Baba; no one else was near enough to contact m y body. I extended m y hand, which the yogi did not touch. "What perfum e do you want?" "Rose." "Be it so." To m y great surprise, the charm ing fragrance of rose was wafted strongly from the center of m y palm . I sm ilingly took a large white scentless flower from a near-by vase. "Can this odorless blossom be perm eated with jasm ine?" "Be it so." A jasm ine fragrance instantly shot from the petals. I thanked the wonder-worker and seated m yself by one of his students. He inform ed m e that Gandha Baba, whose proper nam e was Vishudhananda, had learned m any astonishing yoga secrets from a m aster in Tibet. The Tibetan www.holybooks.com yogi, I was assured, had attained the age of over a thousand years. "His disciple Gandha Baba does not always perform his perfum e-feats in the sim ple verbal m anner you have just witnessed." The student spoke with obvious pride in his m aster. "His procedure differs widely, to accord with diversity in tem peram ents. He is m arvelous! Many m em bers of the Calcutta intelligentsia are am ong his followers." I inwardly resolved not to add m yself to their num ber. A guru too literally "m arvelous" was not to m y liking. With polite thanks to Gandha Baba, I departed. Sauntering hom e, I reflected on the three varied encounters the day had brought forth. My sister Um a m et m e as I entered our Gurpar Road door. "You are getting quite stylish, using perfum es!" Without a word, I m otioned her to sm ell m y hand. "What an attractive rose fragrance! It is unusually strong!" Thinking it was "strongly unusual," I silently placed the astrally scented blossom under her nostrils. "Oh, I love jasm ine!" She seized the flower. A ludicrous bafflem ent passed over her face as she repeatedly sniffed the odor of jasm ine from a type of flower she well knew to be scentless. Her reactions disarm ed m y suspicion that Gandha Baba had induced an auto-suggestive state whereby I alone could detect the fragrances. Later I heard from a friend, Alakananda, that the "Perfum e Saint" had a power which I wish were possessed by the starving m illions of Asia and, today, of Europe as well. "I was present with a hundred other guests at Gandha Baba's hom e in Burdwan," Alakananda told m e. "It was a gala occasion. Because the yogi was reputed to have the power of extracting objects out of thin air, I laughingly requested him to m aterialize som e out-of-season tangerines. Im m ediately the luchis 5-4 which were present on all the banana-leaf plates becam e puffed up. Each of the bread-envelopes proved to contain a peeled tangerine. I bit into m y own with som e trepidation, but found it delicious." Years later I understood by inner realization how Gandha Baba accom plished his m aterializations. The m ethod, alas! is beyond the reach of the world's hungry hordes. The different sensory stim uli to which m an reacts-tactual, visual, gustatory, auditory, and olfactory-are produced by vibratory variations in electrons and protons. The vibrations in turn are regulated by "lifetrons," subtle life forces or finer-than-atom ic energies intelligently charged with the five distinctive sensory idea- substances. www.holybooks.com Gandha Baba, tuning him self with the cosm ic force by certain yogic practices, was able to guide the lifetrons to rearrange their vibratory structure and objectivize the desired result. His perfum e, fruit and other m iracles were actual m aterializations of m undane vibrations, and not inner sensations hypnotically produced. 5-5 Perform ances of m iracles such as shown by the "Perfum e Saint" are spectacular but spiritually useless. Having little purpose beyond entertainm ent, they are digressions from a serious search for God. Hypnotism has been used by physicians in m inor operations as a sort of psychical chloroform for persons who m ight be endangered by an anesthetic. But a hypnotic state is harm ful to those often subjected to it; a negative psychological effect ensues which in tim e deranges the brain cells. Hypnotism is trespass into the territory of another's consciousness. Its tem porary phenom ena have nothing in com m on with the m iracles perform ed by m en of divine realization. Awake in God, true saints effect changes in this dream -world by m eans of a will harm oniously attuned to the Creative Cosm ic Dream er. Ostentatious display of unusual powers are decried by m asters. The Persian m ystic, Abu Said, once laughed at certain fakirs who were proud of their m iraculous powers over water, air, and space. "A frog is also at hom e in the water!" Abu Said pointed out in gentle scorn. "The crow and the vulture easily fly in the air; the Devil is sim ultaneously present in the East and in the West! A true m an is he who dwells in righteousness am ong his fellow m en, who buys and sells, yet is never for a single instant forgetful of God!" On another occasion the great Persian teacher gave his views on the religious life thus: "To lay aside what you have in your head (selfish desires and am bitions); to freely bestow what you have in your hand; and never to flinch from the blows of adversity!" Neither the im partial sage at Kalighat Tem ple nor the Tibetan-trained yogi had satisfied m y yearning for a guru. My heart needed no tutor for its recognitions, and cried its own "Bravos!" the m ore resoundingly because unoften sum m oned from silence. When I finally m et m y m aster, he taught m e by sublim ity of exam ple alone the m easure of a true m an. 5- 1: Kali represent s t he et ernal principle in nat ure. She is t radit ionally pict ured as a four- arm ed wom an, st anding on t he form of t he God Shiva or t he I nfinit e, because nat ure or t he phenom enal world is root ed in t he Noum enon. The four arm s sym bolize cardinal at t ribut es, t wo beneficent , t wo dest ruct ive, indicat ing t he essent ial dualit y of m at t er or creat ion. 5- 2: Cosm ic illusion; lit erally, " t he m easurer." m aya is t he m agical power in creat ion by which lim it at ions and divisions are apparent ly present in t he I m m easurable and I nseparable. Em erson wrot e t he following poem , t o which he gave t he t it le of m aya: I llusion works im penet rable, Weaving webs innum erable, Her gay pict ures never fail, Crowd each ot her, veil on veil, Charm er who will be believed By m an who t hirst s t o be deceived. 5- 3: The rishis, lit erally " seers," were t he aut hors of t he Vedas in an indet erm inable ant iquit y.. 5- 4: Flat , round I ndian bread.. www.holybooks.com 5- 5: Laym en scarcely realize t he vast st rides of t went iet h- cent ury science. Transm ut at ion of m et als and ot her alchem ical dream s are seeing fulfillm ent every day in cent ers of scient ific research over t he world. The em inent French chem ist , M. Georges Claude, perform ed " m iracles" at Font ainebleau in 1928 before a scient ific assem blage t hrough his chem ical knowledge of oxygen t ransform at ions. His " m agician's wand" was sim ple oxygen, bubbling in a t ube on a t able. The scient ist " t urned a handful of sand int o precious st ones, iron int o a st at e resem bling m elt ed chocolat e and, aft er depriving flowers of t heir t int s, t urned t hem int o t he consist ency of glass. " M. Claude explained how t he sea could be t urned by oxygen t ransform at ions int o m any m illions of pounds of horsepower; how wat er which boils is not necessarily burning; how lit t le m ounds of sand, by a single whiff of t he oxygen blowpipe, could be changed int o sapphires, rubies, and t opazes; and he predict ed t he t im e when it will be possible for m en t o walk on t he bot t om of t he ocean m inus t he diver's equipm ent . Finally t he scient ist am azed his onlookers by t urning t heir faces black by t aking t he red out of t he sun's rays." This not ed French scient ist has produced liquid air by an expansion m et hod in which he has been able t o separat e t he various gases of t he air, and has discovered various m eans of m echanical ut ilizat ion of differences of t em perat ure in sea wat er. CHAPTER: 6 The Tiger Swami "I have discovered the Tiger Swam i's address. Let us visit him tom orrow." This welcom e suggestion cam e from Chandi, one of m y high school friends. I was eager to m eet the saint who, in his prem onastic life, had caught and fought tigers with his naked hands. A boyish enthusiasm over such rem arkable feats was strong within m e. The next day dawned wintry cold, but Chandi and I sallied forth gaily. After m uch vain hunting in Bhowanipur, outside Calcutta, we arrived at the right house. The door held two iron rings, which I sounded piercingly. Notwithstanding the clam or, a servant approached with leisurely gait. His ironical sm ile im plied that visitors, despite their noise, were powerless to disturb the calm ness of a saint's hom e. Feeling the silent rebuke, m y com panion and I were thankful to be invited into the parlor. Our long wait there caused uncom fortable m isgivings. India's unwritten law for the truth seeker is patience; a m aster m ay purposely m ake a test of one's eagerness to m eet him . This psychological ruse is freely em ployed in the West by doctors and dentists! Finally sum m oned by the servant, Chandi and I entered a sleeping apartm ent. The fam ous Sohong 6 -1 Swam i was seated on his bed. The sight of his trem endous body affected us strangely. www.holybooks.com With bulging eyes, we stood speechless. We had never before seen such a chest or such footballlike biceps. On an im m ense neck, the swam i's fierce yet calm face was adorned with flowing locks, beard and m oustache. A hint of dovelike and tigerlike qualities shone in his dark eyes. He was unclothed, save for a tiger skin about his m uscular waist. Finding our voices, m y friend and I greeted the m onk, expressing our adm iration for his prowess in the extraordinary feline arena. "Will you not tell us, please, how it is possible to subdue with bare fists the m ost ferocious of jungle beasts, the royal Bengals?" "My sons, it is nothing to m e to fight tigers. I could do it today if necessary." He gave a childlike laugh. "You look upon tigers as tigers; I know them as pussycats." "Swam iji, I think I could im press m y subconsciousness with the thought that tigers are pussycats, but could I m ake tigers believe it?" "Of course strength also is necessary! One cannot expect victory from a baby who im agines a tiger to be a house cat! Powerful hands are m y sufficient weapon." He asked us to follow him to the patio, where he struck the edge of a wall. A brick crashed to the floor; the sky peered boldly through the gaping lost tooth of the wall. I fairly staggered in astonishm ent; he who can rem ove m ortared bricks from a solid wall with one blow, I thought, m ust surely be able to displace the teeth of tigers! "A num ber of m en have physical power such as m ine, but still lack in cool confidence. Those who are bodily but not m entally stalwart m ay find them selves fainting at m ere sight of a wild beast bounding freely in the jungle. The tiger in its natural ferocity and habitat is vastly different from the opium -fed circus anim al! "Many a m an with herculean strength has nonetheless been terrorized into abject helplessness before the onslaught of a royal Bengal. Thus the tiger has converted the m an, in his own m ind, to a state as nerveless as the pussycat's. It is possible for a m an, owning a fairly strong body and an im m ensely strong determ ination, to turn the tables on the tiger, and force it to a conviction of pussycat defenselessness. How often I have done just that!" I was quite willing to believe that the titan before m e was able to perform the tiger-pussycat m etam orphosis. He seem ed in a didactic m ood; Chandi and I listened respectfully. "Mind is the wielder of m uscles. The force of a ham m er blow depends on the energy applied; the power expressed by a m an's bodily instrum ent depends on his aggressive will and courage. The body is literally m anufactured and sustained by m ind. Through pressure of instincts from past lives, strengths or weaknesses percolate gradually into hum an consciousness. They express as habits, which in turn ossify into a desirable or an undesirable body. Outward frailty has m ental origin; in a vicious circle, the habit-bound body thwarts the m ind. If the m aster allows him self to www.holybooks.com be com m anded by a servant, the latter becom es autocratic; the m ind is sim ilarly enslaved by subm itting to bodily dictation." At our entreaty, the im pressive swam i consented to tell us som ething of his own life. "My earliest am bition was to fight tigers. My will was m ighty, but m y body was feeble." An ejaculation of surprise broke from m e. It appeared incredible that this m an, now "with Atlantean shoulders, fit to bear," could ever have known weakness. "It was by indom itable persistency in thoughts of health and strength that I overcam e m y handicap. I have every reason to extol the com pelling m ental vigor which I found to be the real subduer of royal Bengals." "Do you think, revered swam i, that I could ever fight tigers?" This was the first, and the last, tim e that the bizarre am bition ever visited m y m ind! "Yes." He was sm iling. "But there are m any kinds of tigers; som e roam in jungles of hum an desires. No spiritual benefit accrues by knocking beasts unconscious. Rather be victor over the inner prowlers." "May we hear, sir, how you changed from a tam er of wild tigers to a tam er of wild passions?" The Tiger Swam i fell into silence. Rem oteness cam e into his gaze, sum m oning visions of bygone years. I discerned his slight m ental struggle to decide whether to grant m y request. Finally he sm iled in acquiescence. "When m y fam e reached a zenith, it brought the intoxication of pride. I decided not only to fight tigers but to display them in various tricks. My am bition was to force savage beasts to behave like dom esticated ones. I began to perform m y feats publicly, with gratifying success. "One evening m y father entered m y room in pensive m ood. "'Son, I have words of warning. I would save you from com ing ills, produced by the grinding wheels of cause and effect.' "'Are you a fatalist, Father? Should superstition be allowed to discolor the powerful waters or m y activities?' "'I am no fatalist, son. But I believe in the just law of retribution, as taught in the holy scriptures. There is resentm ent against you in the jungle fam ily; som etim e it m ay act to your cost.' "'Father, you astonish m e! You well know what tigers are-beautiful but m erciless! Even im m ediately after an enorm ous m eal of som e hapless creature, a tiger is fired with fresh lust at sight of new prey. It m ay be a joyous gazelle, frisking over the jungle grass. Capturing it and biting an opening in the soft throat, the m alevolent beast tastes only a little of the m utely crying blood, www.holybooks.com and goes its wanton way. "'Tigers are the m ost contem ptible of the jungle breed! Who knows? m y blows m ay inject som e slight sanity of consideration into their thick heads. I am headm aster in a forest finishing school, to teach them gentle m anners! "'Please, Father, think of m e as tiger tam er and never as tiger killer. How could m y good actions bring ill upon m e? I beg you not to im pose any com m and that I change m y way of life.'" Chandi and I were all attention, understanding the past dilem m a. In India a child does not lightly disobey his parents' wishes. "In stoic silence Father listened to m y explanation. He followed it with a disclosure which he uttered gravely. "'Son, you com pel m e to relate an om inous prediction from the lips of a saint. He approached m e yesterday as I sat on the veranda in m y daily m editation. "'"Dear friend, I com e with a m essage for your belligerent son. Let him cease his savage activities. Otherwise, his next tiger-encounter shall result in his severe wounds, followed by six m onths of deathly sickness. He shall then forsake his form er ways and becom e a m onk."' "This tale did not im press m e. I considered that Father had been the credulous victim of a deluded fanatic." The Tiger Swam i m ade this confession with an im patient gesture, as though at som e stupidity. Grim ly silent for a long tim e, he seem ed oblivious of our presence. When he took up the dangling thread of his narrative, it was suddenly, with subdued voice. "Not long after Father's warning, I visited the capital city of Cooch Behar. The picturesque territory was new to m e, and I expected a restful change. As usual everywhere, a curious crowd followed m e on the streets. I would catch bits of whispered com m ent: "'This is the m an who fights wild tigers.' "'Has he legs, or tree-trunks?' "'Look at his face! He m ust be an incarnation of the king of tigers him self!' "You know how village urchins function like final editions of a newspaper! With what speed do the even-later speech-bulletins of the wom en circulate from house to house! Within a few hours, the whole city was in a state of excitem ent over m y presence. "I was relaxing quietly in the evening, when I heard the hoofbeats of galloping horses. They stopped in front of m y dwelling place. In cam e a num ber of tall, turbaned policem en. www.holybooks.com "I was taken aback. 'All things are possible unto these creatures of hum an law,' I thought. 'I wonder if they are going to take m e to task about m atters utterly unknown to m e.' But the officers bowed with unwonted courtesy. "'Honored Sir, we are sent to welcom e you on behalf of the Prince of Cooch Behar. He is pleased to invite you to his palace tom orrow m orning.' "I speculated awhile on the prospect. For som e obscure reason I felt sharp regret at this interruption in m y quiet trip. But the suppliant m anner of the policem en m oved m e; I agreed to go. "I was bewildered the next day to be obsequiously escorted from m y door into a m agnificent coach drawn by four horses. A servant held an ornate um brella to protect m e from the scorching sunlight. I enjoyed the pleasant ride through the city and its woodland outskirts. The royal scion him self was at the palace door to welcom e m e. He proffered his own gold-brocaded seat, sm ilingly placing him self in a chair of sim pler design. "'All this politeness is certainly going to cost m e som ething!' I thought in m ounting astonishm ent. The prince's m otive em erged after a few casual rem arks. "'My city is filled with the rum or that you can fight wild tigers with nothing m ore than your naked hands. Is it a fact?' "'It is quite true.' "'I can scarcely believe it! You are a Calcutta Bengali, nurtured on the white rice of city folk. Be frank, please; have you not been fighting only spineless, opium -fed anim als?' His voice was loud and sarcastic, tinged with provincial accent. "I vouchsafed no reply to his insulting question. "'I challenge you to fight m y newly-caught tiger, Raja Begum . 6 -2 If you can successfully resist him , bind him with a chain, and leave his cage in a conscious state, you shall have this royal Bengal! Several thousand rupees and m any other gifts shall also be bestowed. If you refuse to m eet him in com bat, I shall blazon your nam e throughout the state as an im postor!' "His insolent words struck m e like a volley of bullets. I shot an angry acceptance. Half risen from the chair in his excitem ent, the prince sank back with a sadistic sm ile. I was rem inded of the Rom an em perors who delighted in setting Christians in bestial arenas. "'The m atch will be set for a week hence. I regret that I cannot give you perm ission to view the tiger in advance.' "Whether the prince feared I m ight seek to hypnotize the beast, or secretly feed him opium , I know not! www.holybooks.com "I left the palace, noting with am usem ent that the royal um brella and panoplied coach were now m issing. "The following week I m ethodically prepared m y m ind and body for the com ing ordeal. Through m y servant I learned of fantastic tales. The saint's direful prediction to m y father had som ehow got abroad, enlarging as it ran. Many sim ple villagers believed that an evil spirit, cursed by the gods, had reincarnated as a tiger which took various dem oniac form s at night, but rem ained a striped anim al during the day. This dem on-tiger was supposed to be the one sent to hum ble m e. "Another im aginative version was that anim al prayers to Tiger Heaven had achieved a response in the shape of Raja Begum . He was to be the instrum ent to punish m e-the audacious biped, so insulting to the entire tiger species! A furless, fangless m an daring to challenge a claw-arm ed, sturdy-lim bed tiger! The concentrated venom of all hum iliated tigers-the villagers declared-had gathered m om entum sufficient to operate hidden laws and bring about the fall of the proud tiger tam er. "My servant further apprized m e that the prince was in his elem ent as m anager of the bout between m an and beast. He had supervised the erection of a storm -proof pavilion, designed to accom m odate thousands. Its center held Raja Begum in an enorm ous iron cage, surrounded by an outer safety room . The captive em itted a ceaseless series of blood- curdling roars. He was fed sparingly, to kindle a wrathful appetite. Perhaps the prince expected m e to be the m eal of reward! "Crowds from the city and suburbs bought tickets eagerly in response to the beat of drum s announcing the unique contest. The day of battle saw hundreds turned away for lack of seats. Many m en broke through the tent openings, or crowded any space below the galleries." As the Tiger Swam i's story approached a clim ax, m y excitem ent m ounted with it; Chandi also was raptly m ute. "Am idst piercing sound-explosions from Raja Begum , and the hubbub of the som ewhat terrified crowd, I quietly m ade m y appearance. Scantily clad around the waist, I was otherwise unprotected by clothing. I opened the bolt on the door of the safety room and calm ly locked it behind m e. The tiger sensed blood. Leaping with a thunderous crash on his bars, he sent forth a fearsom e welcom e. The audience was hushed with pitiful fear; I seem ed a m eek lam b before the raging beast. "In a trice I was within the cage; but as I slam m ed the door, Raja Begum was headlong upon m e. My right hand was desperately torn. Hum an blood, the greatest treat a tiger can know, fell in appalling stream s. The prophecy of the saint seem ed about to be fulfilled. "I rallied instantly from the shock of the first serious injury I had ever received. Banishing the sight of m y gory fingers by thrusting them beneath m y waist cloth, I swung m y left arm in a bonecracking blow. The beast reeled back, swirled around the rear of the cage, and sprang forward convulsively. My fam ous fistic punishm ent rained on his head. www.holybooks.com "But Raja Begum 's taste of blood had acted like the m addening first sip of wine to a dipsom aniac long-deprived. Punctuated by deafening roar, the brute's assaults grew in fury. My inadequate defense of only one hand left m e vulnerable before claws and fangs. But I dealt out dazing retribution. Mutually ensanguined, we struggled as to the death. The cage was pandem onium , as blood splashed in all directions, and blasts of pain and lethal lust cam e from the bestial throat. "'Shoot him !' 'Kill the tiger!' Shrieks arose from the audience. So fast did m an and beast m ove, that a guard's bullet went am iss. I m ustered all m y will force, bellowed fiercely, and landed a final concussive blow. The tiger collapsed and lay quietly. "Like a pussycat!" I interjected. The swam i laughed in hearty appreciation, then continued the engrossing tale. "Raja Begum was vanquished at last. His royal pride was further hum bled: with m y lacerated hands, I audaciously forced open his jaws. For a dram atic m om ent, I held m y head within the yawning deathtrap. I looked around for a chain. Pulling one from a pile on the floor, I bound the tiger by his neck to the cage bars. In trium ph I m oved toward the door. "But that fiend incarnate, Raja Begum , had stam ina worthy of his supposed dem oniac origin. With an incredible lunge, he snapped the chain and leaped on m y back. My shoulder fast in his jaws, I fell violently. But in a trice I had him pinned beneath m e. Under m erciless blows, the treacherous anim al sank into sem iconsciousness. This tim e I secured him m ore carefully. Slowly I left the cage. "I found m yself in a new uproar, this tim e one of delight. The crowd's cheer broke as though from a single gigantic throat. Disastrously m auled, I had yet fulfilled the three conditions of the fightstunning the tiger, binding him with a chain, and leaving him without requiring assistance for m yself. In addition, I had so drastically injured and frightened the aggressive beast that he had been content to overlook the opportune prize of m y head in his m outh! "After m y wounds were treated, I was honored and garlanded; hundreds of gold pieces showered at m y feet. The whole city entered a holiday period. Endless discussions were heard on all sides about m y victory over one of the largest and m ost savage tigers ever seen. Raja Begum was presented to m e, as prom ised, but I felt no elation. A spiritual change had entered m y heart. It seem ed that with m y final exit from the cage I had also closed the door on m y worldly am bitions. "A woeful period followed. For six m onths I lay near death from blood poisoning. As soon as I was well enough to leave Cooch Behar, I returned to m y native town. "'I know now that m y teacher is the holy m an who gave the wise warning.' I hum bly m ade this confession to m y father. 'Oh, if I could only find him !' My longing was sincere, for one day the saint arrived unheralded. "'Enough of tiger tam ing.' He spoke with calm assurance. 'Com e with m e; I will teach you to www.holybooks.com subdue the beasts of ignorance roam ing in jungles of the hum an m ind. You are used to an audience: let it be a galaxy of angels, entertained by your thrilling m astery of yoga!' "I was initiated into the spiritual path by m y saintly guru. He opened m y soul-doors, rusty and resistant with long disuse. Hand in hand, we soon set out for m y training in the Him alayas." Chandi and I bowed at the swam i's feet, grateful for his vivid outline of a life truly cyclonic. I felt am ply repaid for the long probationary wait in the cold parlor! 6- 1: Sohong was his m onast ic nam e. He was popularly known as t he " Tiger Swam i." 6- 2: " Prince Princess" - so nam ed t o indicat e t hat t his beast possessed t he com bined ferocit y of t iger and t igress. CHAPTER: 7 The Levitating Saint "I saw a yogi rem ain in the air, several feet above the ground, last night at a group m eeting." My friend, Upendra Mohun Chowdhury, spoke im pressively. I gave him an enthusiastic sm ile. "Perhaps I can guess his nam e. Was it Bhaduri Mahasaya, of Upper Circular Road?" Upendra nodded, a little crestfallen not to be a news-bearer. My inquisitiveness about saints was well-known am ong m y friends; they delighted in setting m e on a fresh track. "The yogi lives so close to m y hom e that I often visit him ." My words brought keen interest to Upendra's face, and I m ade a further confidence. "I have seen him in rem arkable feats. He has expertly m astered the various pranay am as 7-1 of the ancient eightfold yoga outlined by Patanjali. 7-2 Once Bhaduri Mahasaya perform ed the Bhastrika Pranay am a before m e with such am azing force that it seem ed an actual storm had arisen in the room ! Then he extinguished the thundering breath and rem ained m otionless in a high state of superconsciousness. 7-3 The aura of peace after the storm was vivid beyond forgetting." www.holybooks.com "I heard that the saint never leaves his hom e." Upendra's tone was a trifle incredulous. "Indeed it is true! He has lived indoors for the past twenty years. He slightly relaxes his selfim posed rule at the tim es of our holy festivals, when he goes as far as his front sidewalk! The beggars gather there, because Saint Bhaduri is known for his tender heart." "How does he rem ain in the air, defying the law of gravitation?" "A yogi's body loses its grossness after use of certain pranay am as. Then it will levitate or hop about like a leaping frog. Even saints who do not practice a form al yoga 7-4 have been known to levitate during a state of intense devotion to God." "I would like to know m ore of this sage. Do you attend his evening m eetings?" Upendra's eyes were sparkling with curiosity. "Yes, I go often. I am vastly entertained by the wit in his wisdom . Occasionally m y prolonged laughter m ars the solem nity of his gatherings. The saint is not displeased, but his disciples look daggers!" On m y way hom e from school that afternoon, I passed Bhaduri Mahasaya's cloister and decided on a visit. The yogi was inaccessible to the general public. A lone disciple, occupying the ground floor, guarded his m aster's privacy. The student was som ething of a m artinet; he now inquired form ally if I had an "engagem ent." His guru put in an appearance just in tim e to save m e from sum m ary ejection. "Let Mukunda com e when he will." The sage's eyes twinkled. "My rule of seclusion is not for m y own com fort, but for that of others. Worldly people do not like the candor which shatters their delusions. Saints are not only rare but disconcerting. Even in scripture, they are often found em barrassing!" I followed Bhaduri Mahasaya to his austere quarters on the top floor, from which he seldom stirred. Masters often ignore the panoram a of the world's ado, out of focus till centered in the ages. The contem poraries of a sage are not alone those of the narrow present. "Maharishi, 7-5 you are the first yogi I have known who always stays indoors." "God plants his saints som etim es in unexpected soil, lest we think we m ay reduce Him to a rule!" The sage locked his vibrant body in the lotus posture. In his seventies, he displayed no unpleasing signs of age or sedentary life. Stalwart and straight, he was ideal in every respect. His face was that of a rishi, as described in the ancient texts. Noble-headed, abundantly bearded, he always sat firm ly upright, his quiet eyes fixed on Om nipresence. The saint and I entered the m editative state. After an hour, his gentle voice roused m e. www.holybooks.com "You go often into the silence, but have you developed anubhava?" 7-6 He was rem inding m e to love God m ore than m editation. "Do not m istake the technique for the Goal." He offered m e som e m angoes. With that good-hum ored wit that I found so delightful in his grave nature, he rem arked, "People in general are m ore fond of Jala Yoga (union with food) than of Dhy ana Yoga (union with God)." His yogic pun affected m e uproariously. "What a laugh you have!" An affectionate gleam cam e into his gaze. His own face was always serious, yet touched with an ecstatic sm ile. His large, lotus eyes held a hidden divine laughter. "Those letters com e from far-off Am erica." The sage indicated several thick envelopes on a table. "I correspond with a few societies there whose m em bers are interested in yoga. They are discovering India anew, with a better sense of direction than Colum bus! I am glad to help them . The knowledge of yoga is free to all who will receive, like the ungarnishable daylight. "What rishis perceived as essential for hum an salvation need not be diluted for the West. Alike in soul though diverse in outer experience, neither West nor East will flourish if som e form of disciplinary yoga be not practiced." The saint held m e with his tranquil eyes. I did not realize that his speech was a veiled prophetic guidance. It is only now, as I write these words, that I understand the full m eaning in the casual intim ations he often gave m e that som eday I would carry India's teachings to Am erica. BHADURI MAHASAYA "The Levitating Saint" www.holybooks.com "Sir," I inquired, "why do you not write a book on yoga for the benefit of the world?" "I am training disciples," He replied. "They and their students will be living volumes, proof against the natural disintegrations of time and the unnatural interpretaations of the critics." "Maharishi, I wish you would write a book on yoga for the benefit of the world." "I am training disciples. They and their students will be living volum es, proof against the natural disintegrations of tim e and the unnatural interpretations of the critics." Bhaduri's wit put m e into another gale of laughter. I rem ained alone with the yogi until his disciples arrived in the evening. Bhaduri Mahasaya entered one of his inim itable discourses. Like a peaceful flood, he swept away the m ental debris of his listeners, floating them Godward. His striking parables were expressed in a flawless Bengali. This evening Bhaduri expounded various philosophical points connected with the life of Mirabai, a m edieval Rajputani princess who abandoned her court life to seek the com pany of sadhus. One great-sannyasi refused to receive her because she was a wom an; her reply brought him hum bly to her feet. "Tell the m aster," she had said, "that I did not know there was any Male in the universe save God; are we all not fem ales before Him ?" (A scriptural conception of the Lord as the only Positive Creative Principle, His creation being naught but a passive m ay a.) Mirabai com posed m any ecstatic songs which are still treasured in India; I translate one of them here: "If by bathing daily God could be realized Sooner would I be a whale in the deep; If by eating roots and fruits He could be known Gladly would I choose the form of a goat; If the counting of rosaries uncovered Him I would say my prayers on mammoth beads; If bowing before stone images unveiled Him A flinty mountain I would humbly worship; If by drinking milk the Lord could be imbibed Many calves and children would know Him; If abandoning one's wife would summon God Would not thousands be eunuchs? Mirabai knows that to find the Divine One The only indispensable is Love." www.holybooks.com Several students put rupees in Bhaduri's slippers which lay by his side as he sat in yoga posture. This respectful offering, custom ary in India, indicates that the disciple places his m aterial goods at the guru's feet. Grateful friends are only the Lord in disguise, looking after His own. "Master, you are wonderful!" A student, taking his leave, gazed ardently at the patriarchal sage. "You have renounced riches and com forts to seek God and teach us wisdom !" It was well-known that Bhaduri Mahasaya had forsaken great fam ily wealth in his early childhood, when singlem indedly he entered the yogic path. "You are reversing the case!" The saint's face held a m ild rebuke. "I have left a few paltry rupees, a few petty pleasures, for a cosm ic em pire of endless bliss. How then have I denied m yself anything? I know the joy of sharing the treasure. Is that a sacrifice? The shortsighted worldly folk are verily the real renunciates! They relinquish an unparalleled divine possession for a poor handful of earthly toys!" I chuckled over this paradoxical view of renunciation-one which puts the cap of Croesus on any saintly beggar, whilst transform ing all proud m illionaires into unconscious m artyrs. "The divine order arranges our future m ore wisely than any insurance com pany." The m aster's concluding words were the realized creed of his faith. "The world is full of uneasy believers in an outward security. Their bitter thoughts are like scars on their foreheads. The One who gave us air and m ilk from our first breath knows how to provide day by day for His devotees." I continued m y after-school pilgrim ages to the saint's door. With silent zeal he aided m e to attain anubhava. One day he m oved to Ram Mohan Roy Road, away from the neighborhood of m y Gurpar Road hom e. His loving disciples had built him a new herm itage, known as "Nagendra Math." 7-7 Although it throws m e ahead of m y story by a num ber of years, I will recount here the last words given to m e by Bhaduri Mahasaya. Shortly before I em barked for the West, I sought him out and hum bly knelt for his farewell blessing: "Son, go to Am erica. Take the dignity of hoary India for your shield. Victory is written on your brow; the noble distant people will well receive you." 7- 1: Met hods of cont rolling life- force t hrough regulat ion of breat h. 7- 2: The forem ost ancient exponent of yoga. 7- 3: French professors were t he first in t he West t o be willing t o scient ifically invest igat e t he possibilit ies of t he superconscious m ind. Professor Jules- Bois, m em ber of t he L'Ecole de Psychologie of t he Sorbonne, lect ured in Am erica in 1928; he t old his audiences t hat French scient ist s have accorded recognit ion t o t he superconsciousness, " which is t he exact opposit e of Freud's subconscious m ind and is t he facult y which m akes m an really m an and not j ust a superanim al." M. Jules- Bois explained t hat t he awakening of t he higher consciousness " was not t o be confused wit h Coueism or hypnot ism . The exist ence of a superconscious m ind has long been recognized philosophically, being in realit y t he Oversoul spoken of by Em erson, but only recent ly has it been recognized scient ifically." The French scient ist point ed out t hat from t he superconsciousness com e inspirat ion, genius, m oral values. " Belief in t his is not m yst icism t hough it www.holybooks.com recognized and valued t he qualit ies which m yst ics preached." 7- 4: St . Theresa of Avila and ot her Christ ian saint s were oft en observed in a st at e of levit at ion. 7- 5: " Great sage." 7- 6: Act ual percept ion of God. 7- 7: The saint 's full nam e was Nagendranat h Bhaduri. Mat h m eans herm it age or ashram . CHAPTER: 8 India's Great Scientist, J.C. Bose "J agadis Chandra Bose's wireless inventions antedated those of Marconi." Overhearing this provocative rem ark, I walked closer to a sidewalk group of professors engaged in scientific discussion. If m y m otive in joining them was racial pride, I regret it. I cannot deny m y keen interest in evidence that India can play a leading part in physics, and not m etaphysics alone. "What do you m ean, sir?" The professor obligingly explained. "Bose was the first one to invent a wireless coherer and an instrum ent for indicating the refraction of electric waves. But the Indian scientist did not exploit his inventions com m ercially. He soon turned his attention from the inorganic to the organic world. His revolutionary discoveries as a plant physiologist are outpacing even his radical achievem ents as a physicist." I politely thanked m y m entor. He added, "The great scientist is one of m y brother professors at Presidency College." I paid a visit the next day to the sage at his hom e, which was close to m ine on Gurpar Road. I had long adm ired him from a respectful distance. The grave and retiring botanist greeted m e graciously. He was a handsom e, robust m an in his fifties, with thick hair, broad forehead, and the abstracted eyes of a dream er. The precision in his tones revealed the lifelong scientific habit. "I have recently returned from an expedition to scientific societies of the West. Their m em bers exhibited intense interest in delicate instrum ents of m y invention which dem onstrate the www.holybooks.com indivisible unity of all life. 8 -1 The Bose crescograph has the enorm ity of ten m illion m agnifications. The m icroscope enlarges only a few thousand tim es; yet it brought vital im petus to biological science. The crescograph opens incalculable vistas." "You have done m uch, sir, to hasten the em brace of East and West in the im personal arm s of science." "I was educated at Cam bridge. How adm irable is the Western m ethod of subm itting all theory to scrupulous experim ental verification! That em pirical procedure has gone hand in hand with the gift for introspection which is m y Eastern heritage. Together they have enabled m e to sunder the silences of natural realm s long uncom m unicative. The telltale charts of m y crescograph 8 -2 are evidence for the m ost skeptical that plants have a sensitive nervous system and a varied em otional life. Love, hate, joy, fear, pleasure, pain, excitability, stupor, and countless appropriate responses to stim uli are as universal in plants as in anim als." "The unique throb of life in all creation could seem only poetic im agery before your advent, Professor! A saint I once knew would never pluck flowers. 'Shall I rob the rosebush of its pride in beauty? Shall I cruelly affront its dignity by m y rude divestm ent?' His sym pathetic words are verified literally through your discoveries!" "The poet is intim ate with truth, while the scientist approaches awkwardly. Com e som eday to m y laboratory and see the unequivocable testim ony of the crescograph." Gratefully I accepted the invitation, and took m y departure. I heard later that the botanist had left Presidency College, and was planning a research center in Calcutta. When the Bose Institute was opened, I attended the dedicatory services. Enthusiastic hundreds strolled over the prem ises. I was charm ed with the artistry and spiritual sym bolism of the new hom e of science. Its front gate, I noted, was a centuried relic from a distant shrine. Behind the lotus 8 -3 fountain, a sculptured fem ale figure with a torch conveyed the Indian respect for wom an as the im m ortal light-bearer. The garden held a sm all tem ple consecrated to the Noum enon beyond phenom ena. Thought of the divine incorporeity was suggested by absence of any altarim age. www.holybooks.com Myself at Age six JAGADIS CHANDRA BOSE India's great physicist, botanist, and inventor of the Crescograph Bose's speech on this great occasion m ight have issued from the lips of one of the inspired ancient rishis. "I dedicate today this Institute as not m erely a laboratory but a tem ple." His reverent solem nity stole like an unseen cloak over the crowded auditorium . "In the pursuit of m y investigations I was unconsciously led into the border region of physics and physiology. To m y am azem ent, I found www.holybooks.com boundary lines vanishing, and points of contact em erging, between the realm s of the living and the non-living. Inorganic m atter was perceived as anything but inert; it was athrill under the action of m ultitudinous forces. "A universal reaction seem ed to bring m etal, plant and anim al under a com m on law. They all exhibited essentially the sam e phenom ena of fatigue and depression, with possibilities of recovery and of exaltation, as well as the perm anent irresponsiveness associated with death. Filled with awe at this stupendous generalization, it was with great hope that I announced m y results before the Royal Society- results dem onstrated by experim ents. But the physiologists present advised m e to confine m yself to physical investigations, in which m y success had been assured, rather than encroach on their preserves. I had unwittingly strayed into the dom ain of an unfam iliar caste system and so offended its etiquette. "An unconscious theological bias was also present, which confounds ignorance with faith. It is often forgotten that He who surrounded us with this ever-evolving m ystery of creation has also im planted in us the desire to question and understand. Through m any years of m iscom prehension, I cam e to know that the life of a devotee of science is inevitably filled with unending struggle. It is for him to cast his life as an ardent offering-regarding gain and loss, success and failure, as one. "In tim e the leading scientific societies of the world accepted m y theories and results, and recognized the im portance of the Indian contribution to science. 8 -4 Can anything sm all or circum scribed ever satisfy the m ind of India? By a continuous living tradition, and a vital power of rejuvenescence, this land has readjusted itself through unnum bered transform ations. Indians have always arisen who, discarding the im m ediate and absorbing prize of the hour, have sought for the realization of the highest ideals in life-not through passive renunciation, but through active struggle. The weakling who has refused the conflict, acquiring nothing, has had nothing to renounce. He alone who has striven and won can enrich the world by bestowing the fruits of his victorious experience. "The work already carried out in the Bose laboratory on the response of m atter, and the unexpected revelations in plant life, have opened out very extended regions of inquiry in physics, in physiology, in m edicine, in agriculture, and even in psychology. Problem s hitherto regarded as insoluble have now been brought within the sphere of experim ental investigation. "But high success is not to be obtained without rigid exactitude. Hence the long battery of supersensitive instrum ents and apparatus of m y design, which stand before you today in their cases in the entrance hall. They tell you of the protracted efforts to get behind the deceptive seem ing into the reality that rem ains unseen, of the continuous toil and persistence and resourcefulness called forth to overcom e hum an lim itations. All creative scientists know that the true laboratory is the m ind, where behind illusions they uncover the laws of truth. "The lectures given here will not be m ere repetitions of second-hand knowledge. They will announce new discoveries, dem onstrated for the first tim e in these halls. Through regular publication of the work of the Institute, these Indian contributions will reach the whole world. www.holybooks.com They will becom e public property. No patents will ever be taken. The spirit of our national culture dem ands that we should forever be free from the desecration of utilizing knowledge only for personal gain. "It is m y further wish that the facilities of this Institute be available, so far as possible, to workers from all countries. In this I am attem pting to carry on the traditions of m y country. So far back as twenty-five centuries, India welcom ed to its ancient universities, at Nalanda and Taxila, scholars from all parts of the world. "Although science is neither of the East nor of the West but rather international in its universality, yet India is specially fitted to m ake great contributions. 8 -5 The burning Indian im agination, which can extort new order out of a m ass of apparently contradictory facts, is held in check by the habit of concentration. This restraint confers the power to hold the m ind to the pursuit of truth with an infinite patience." Tears stood in m y eyes at the scientist's concluding words. Is "patience" not indeed a synonym of India, confounding Tim e and the historians alike? I visited the research center again, soon after the day of opening. The great botanist, m indful of his prom ise, took m e to his quiet laboratory. "I will attach the crescograph to this fern; the m agnification is trem endous. If a snail's crawl were enlarged in the sam e proportion, the creature would appear to be traveling like an express train!" My gaze was fixed eagerly on the screen which reflected the m agnified fern-shadow. Minute lifem ovem ents were now clearly perceptible; the plant was growing very slowly before m y fascinated eyes. The scientist touched the tip of the fern with a sm all m etal bar. The developing pantom im e cam e to an abrupt halt, resum ing the eloquent rhythm s as soon as the rod was withdrawn. "You saw how any slight outside interference is detrim ental to the sensitive tissues," Bose rem arked. "Watch; I will now adm inister chloroform , and then give an antidote." The effect of the chloroform discontinued all growth; the antidote was revivifying. The evolutionary gestures on the screen held m e m ore raptly than a "m ovie" plot. My com panion (here in the role of villain) thrust a sharp instrum ent through a part of the fern; pain was indicated by spasm odic flutters. When he passed a razor partially through the stem , the shadow was violently agitated, then stilled itself with the final punctuation of death. "By first chloroform ing a huge tree, I achieved a successful transplantation. Usually, such m onarchs of the forest die very quickly after being m oved." J agadis sm iled happily as he recounted the life- saving m aneuver. "Graphs of m y delicate apparatus have proved that trees possess a circulatory system ; their sap m ovem ents correspond to the blood pressure of anim al bodies. The ascent of sap is not explicable on the m echanical grounds ordinarily advanced, such as capillary attraction. The phenom enon has been solved through the crescograph as the activity of living cells. Peristaltic waves issue from a cylindrical tube which extends down a tree and www.holybooks.com serves as an actual heart! The m ore deeply we perceive, the m ore striking becom es the evidence that a uniform plan links every form in m anifold nature." The great scientist pointed to another Bose instrum ent. "I will show you experim ents on a piece of tin. The life-force in m etals responds adversely or beneficially to stim uli. Ink m arkings will register the various reactions." Deeply engrossed, I watched the graph which recorded the characteristic waves of atom ic structure. When the professor applied chloroform to the tin, the vibratory writings stopped. They recom m enced as the m etal slowly regained its norm al state. My com panion dispensed a poisonous chem ical. Sim ultaneous with the quivering end of the tin, the needle dram atically wrote on the chart a death-notice. "Bose instrum ents have dem onstrated that m etals, such as the steel used in scissors and m achinery, are subject to fatigue, and regain efficiency by periodic rest. The life-pulse in m etals is seriously harm ed or even extinguished through the application of electric currents or heavy pressure." I looked around the room at the num erous inventions, eloquent testim ony of a tireless ingenuity. "Sir, it is lam entable that m ass agricultural developm ent is not speeded by fuller use of your m arvelous m echanism s. Would it not be easily possible to em ploy som e of them in quick laboratory experim ents to indicate the influence of various types of fertilizers on plant growth?" "You are right. Countless uses of Bose instrum ents will be m ade by future generations. The scientist seldom knows contem poraneous reward; it is enough to possess the joy of creative service." With expressions of unreserved gratitude to the indefatigable sage, I took m y leave. "Can the astonishing fertility of his genius ever be exhausted?" I thought. No dim inution cam e with the years. Inventing an intricate instrum ent, the "Resonant Cardiograph," Bose then pursued extensive researches on innum erable Indian plants. An enorm ous unsuspected pharm acopoeia of useful drugs was revealed. The cardiograph is constructed with an unerring accuracy by which a one-hundredth part of a second is indicated on a graph. Resonant records m easure infinitesim al pulsations in plant, anim al and hum an structure. The great botanist predicted that use of his cardiograph will lead to vivisection on plants instead of anim als. "Side by side recordings of the effects of a m edicine given sim ultaneously to a plant and an anim al have shown astounding unanim ity in result," he pointed out. "Everything in m an has been foreshadowed in the plant. Experim entation on vegetation will contribute to lessening of hum an suffering." www.holybooks.com Years later Bose's pioneer plant findings were substantiated by other scientists. Work done in 1938 at Colum bia University was reported by The N ew York Tim es as follows: It has been determ ined within the past few years that when the nerves transm it m essages between the brain and other parts of the body, tiny electrical im pulses are being generated. These im pulses have been m easured by delicate galvanom eters and m agnified m illions of tim es by m odern am plifying apparatus. Until now no satisfactory m ethod had been found to study the passages of the im pulses along the nerve fibers in living anim als or m an because of the great speed with which these im pulses travel. Drs. K. S. Cole and H. J . Curtis reported having discovered that the long single cells of the freshwater plant nitella, used frequently in goldfish bowls, are virtually identical with those of single nerve fibers. Furtherm ore, they found that nitella fibers, on being excited, propagate electrical waves that are sim ilar in every way, except velocity, to those of the nerve fibers in anim als and m an. The electrical nerve im pulses in the plant were found to be m uch slower than those in anim als. This discovery was therefore seized upon by the Colum bia workers as a m eans for taking slow m otion pictures of the passage of the electrical im pulses in nerves. The nitella plant thus m ay becom e a sort of Rosetta stone for deciphering the closely guarded secrets close to the very borderland of m ind and m atter. The poet Rabindranath Tagore was a stalwart friend of India's idealistic scientist. To him , the sweet Bengali singer addressed the following lines: 8 -6 O Hermit, call thou in the authentic words Of that old hymn called sama; "Rise! Awake!" Call to the man who boasts his shastric lore From vain pedantic wranglings profitless, Call to that foolish braggart to come forth Out on the face of nature, this broad earth, Send forth this call unto thy scholar band; Together round thy sacrifice of fire Let them all gather. So may our India, Our ancient land unto herself return O once again return to steadfast work, To duty and devotion, to her trance Of earnest meditation; let her sit Once more unruffled, greedless, strifeless, pure, O once again upon her lofty seat And platform, teacher of all lands. www.holybooks.com 8- 1: " All science is t ranscendent al or else passes away. Bot any is now acquiring t he right t heory- t he avat ars of Brahm a will present ly be t he t ext books of nat ural hist ory." - Em erson. 8- 2: From t he Lat in root , crescere, t o increase. For his crescograph and ot her invent ions, Bose was knight ed in 1917. 8- 3: The lot us flower is an ancient divine sym bol in I ndia; it s unfolding pet als suggest t he expansion of t he soul; t he growt h of it s pure beaut y from t he m ud of it s origin holds a benign spirit ual prom ise. 8- 4: " At present , only t he sheerest accident brings I ndia int o t he purview of t he Am erican college st udent . Eight universit ies ( Harvard, Yale, Colum bia, Princet on, Johns Hopkins, Pennsylvania, Chicago, and California) have chairs of I ndology or Sanskrit , but I ndia is virt ually unrepresent ed in depart m ent s of hist ory, philosophy, fine art s, polit ical science, sociology, or any of t he ot her depart m ent s of int ellect ual experience in which, as we have seen, I ndia has m ade great cont ribut ions. . . . We believe, consequent ly, t hat no depart m ent of st udy, part icularly in t he hum anit ies, in any m aj or universit y can be fully equipped wit hout a properly t rained specialist in t he I ndic phases of it s discipline. We believe, t oo, t hat every college which aim s t o prepare it s graduat es for int elligent work in t he world which is t o be t heirs t o live in, m ust have on it s st aff a scholar com pet ent in t he civilizat ion of I ndia." - Ext ract s from an art icle by Professor W. Norm an Brown of t he Universit y of Pennsylvania which appeared in t he May, 1939, issue of t he Bullet in of t he Am erican Council of Learned Societ ies, 907 15t h St ., Washingt on, D. C., 25 cent s copy. This issue ( # 28) cont ains over 100 pages of a " Basic Bibliography for I ndic St udies." 8- 5: The at om ic st ruct ure of m at t er was well- known t o t he ancient Hindus. One of t he six syst em s of I ndian philosophy is Vaisesika, from t he Sanskrit root visesas, " at om ic individualit y." One of t he forem ost Vaisesika expounders was Aulukya, also called Kanada, " t he at om - eat er," born about 2800 years ago. I n an art icle in East - West , April, 1934, a sum m ary of Vaisesika scient ific knowledge was given as follows: " Though t he m odern 'at om ic t heory' is generally considered a new advance of science, it was brilliant ly expounded long ago by Kanada, 't he at om - eat er.' The Sanskrit anus can be properly t ranslat ed as 'at om ' in t he lat t er's lit eral Greek sense of 'uncut ' or indivisible. Ot her scient ific exposit ions of Vaisesika t reat ises of t he B.C. era include ( 1) t he m ovem ent of needles t oward m agnet s, ( 2) t he circulat ion of wat er in plant s, ( 3) akash or et her, inert and st ruct ureless, as a basis for t ransm it t ing subt le forces, ( 4) t he solar fire as t he cause of all ot her form s of heat , ( 5) heat as t he cause of m olecular change, ( 6) t he law of gravit at ion as caused by t he qualit y t hat inheres in eart h- at om s t o give t hem t heir at t ract ive power or downward pull, ( 7) t he kinet ic nat ure of all energy; causat ion as always root ed in an expendit ure of energy or a redist ribut ion of m ot ion, ( 8) universal dissolut ion t hrough t he disint egrat ion of at om s, ( 9) t he radiat ion of heat and light rays, infinit ely sm all part icles, dart ing fort h in all direct ions wit h inconceivable speed ( t he m odern 'cosm ic rays' t heory) , ( 10) t he relat ivit y of t im e and space. " Vaisesika assigned t he origin of t he world t o at om s, et ernal in t heir nat ure, i.e., t heir ult im at e peculiarit ies. These at om s were regarded as possessing an incessant vibrat ory m ot ion. . . . The recent discovery t hat an at om is a m iniat ure solar syst em would be no news t o t he old Vaisesika philosophers, who also reduced t im e t o it s furt hest m at hem at ical concept by describing t he sm allest unit of t im e ( kala) as t he period t aken by an at om t o t raverse it s own unit of space." 8- 6: Translat ed from t he Bengali of Rabindranat h Tagore, by Manm ohan Ghosh, in Viswa- Bharat i. CHAPTER: 9 The Blissful Devotee And His Cosmic Romance www.holybooks.com > "Little sir, please be seated. I am talking to m y Divine Mother." Silently I had entered the room in great awe. The angelic appearance of Master Mahasaya fairly dazzled m e. With silky white beard and large lustrous eyes, he seem ed an incarnation of purity. His upraised chin and folded hands apprized m e that m y first visit had disturbed him in the m idst of his devotions. His sim ple words of greeting produced the m ost violent effect m y nature had so far experienced. The bitter separation of m y m other's death I had thought the m easure of all anguish. Now an agony at separation from m y Divine Mother was an indescribable torture of the spirit. I fell m oaning to the floor. "Little sir, quiet yourself!" The saint was sym pathetically distressed. Abandoned in som e oceanic desolation, I clutched his feet as the sole raft of m y rescue. "Holy sir, thy intercession! Ask Divine Mother if I find any favor in Her sight!" This prom ise is one not easily bestowed; the m aster was constrained to silence. Beyond reach of doubt, I was convinced that Master Mahasaya was in intim ate converse with the Universal Mother. It was deep hum iliation to realize that m y eyes were blind to Her who even at this m om ent was perceptible to the faultless gaze of the saint. Sham elessly gripping his feet, deaf to his gentle rem onstrances, I besought him again and again for his intervening grace. "I will m ake your plea to the Beloved." The m aster's capitulation cam e with a slow, com passionate sm ile. What power in those few words, that m y being should know release from its storm y exile? "Sir, rem em ber your pledge! I shall return soon for Her m essage!" J oyful anticipation rang in m y voice that only a m om ent ago had been sobbing in sorrow. Descending the long stairway, I was overwhelm ed by m em ories. This house at 50 Am herst Street, now the residence of Master Mahasaya, had once been m y fam ily hom e, scene of m y m other's death. Here m y hum an heart had broken for the vanished m other; and here today m y spirit had been as though crucified by absence of the Divine Mother. Hallowed walls, silent witness of m y grievous hurts and final healing! My steps were eager as I returned to m y Gurpar Road hom e. Seeking the seclusion of m y sm all attic, I rem ained in m editation until ten o'clock. The darkness of the warm Indian night was suddenly lit with a wondrous vision. www.holybooks.com Haloed in splendor, the Divine Mother stood before m e. Her face, tenderly sm iling, was beauty itself. "Always have I loved thee! Ever shall I love thee!" The celestial tones still ringing in the air, She disappeared. The sun on the following m orning had hardly risen to an angle of decorum when I paid m y second visit to Master Mahasaya. Clim bing the staircase in the house of poignant m em ories, I reached his fourth- floor room . The knob of the closed door was wrapped around with a cloth; a hint, I felt, that the saint desired privacy. As I stood irresolutely on the landing, the door was opened by the m aster's welcom ing hand. I knelt at his holy feet. In a playful m ood, I wore a solem n m ask over m y face, hiding the divine elation. "Sir, I have com e-very early, I confess!-for your m essage. Did the Beloved Mother say anything about m e?" "Mischievous little sir!" Not another rem ark would he m ake. Apparently m y assum ed gravity was unim pressive. "Why so m ysterious, so evasive? Do saints never speak plainly?" Perhaps I was a little provoked. "Must you test m e?" His calm eyes were full of understanding. "Could I add a single word this m orning to the assurance you received last night at ten o'clock from the Beautiful Mother Herself?" Master Mahasaya possessed control over the flood-gates of m y soul: again I plunged prostrate at his feet. But this tim e m y tears welled from a bliss, and not a pain, past bearing. "Think you that your devotion did not touch the Infinite Mercy? The Motherhood of God, that you have worshiped in form s both hum an and divine, could never fail to answer your forsaken cry." Who was this sim ple saint, whose least request to the Universal Spirit m et with sweet acquiescence? His role in the world was hum ble, as befitted the greatest m an of hum ility I ever knew. In this Am herst Street house, Master Mahasaya 9 -1 conducted a sm all high school for boys. No words of chastisem ent passed his lips; no rule and ferule m aintained his discipline. Higher m athem atics indeed were taught in these m odest classroom s, and a chem istry of love absent from the textbooks. He spread his wisdom by spiritual contagion rather than im perm eable precept. Consum ed by an unsophisticated passion for the Divine Mother, the saint no m ore dem anded the outward form s of respect than a child. "I am not your guru; he shall com e a little later," he told m e. "Through his guidance, your experiences of the Divine in term s of love and devotion shall be translated into his term s of fathom less wisdom ." www.holybooks.com Every late afternoon, I betook m yself to Am herst Street. I sought Master Mahasaya's divine cup, so full that its drops daily overflowed on m y being. Never before had I bowed in utter reverence; now I felt it an im m easurable privilege even to tread the sam e ground which Master Mahasaya sanctified. "Sir, please wear this cham pak garland I have fashioned especially for you." I arrived one evening, holding m y chain of flowers. But shyly he drew away, repeatedly refusing the honor. Perceiving m y hurt, he finally sm iled consent. "Since we are both devotees of the Mother, you m ay put the garland on this bodily tem ple, as offering to Her who dwells within." His vast nature lacked space in which any egotistical consideration could gain foothold. TWO BROTHERS OF THERESE NEUMANN I stand with them in Konnersreuth, Bavaria. www.holybooks.com MASTER MAHASAYA Ever engrossed in his blissful cosmic romance. "Let us go tom orrow to the Dakshineswar Tem ple, forever hallowed by m y guru." Master Mahasaya was a disciple of a Christlike m aster, Sri Ram akrishna Param hansa. The four-m ile journey on the following m orning was taken by boat on the Ganges. We entered the nine-dom ed Tem ple of Kali, where the figures of the Divine Mother and Shiva rest on a burnished silver lotus, its thousand petals m eticulously chiseled. Master Mahasaya beam ed in enchantm ent. He was engaged in his inexhaustible rom ance with the Beloved. As he chanted Her nam e, m y enraptured heart seem ed shattered into a thousand pieces. We strolled later through the sacred precincts, halting in a tam arisk grove. The m anna characteristically exuded by this tree was sym bolic of the heavenly food Master Mahasaya was bestowing. His divine invocations continued. I sat rigidly m otionless on the grass am id the pink feathery tam arisk flowers. Tem porarily absent from the body, I soared in a supernal visit. This was the first of m any pilgrim ages to Dakshineswar with the holy teacher. From him I learned the sweetness of God in the aspect of Mother, or Divine Mercy. The childlike saint found little appeal in the Father aspect, or Divine J ustice. Stern, exacting, m athem atical judgm ent was alien to his gentle nature. "He can serve as an earthly prototype for the very angels of heaven!" I thought fondly, watching him one day at his prayers. Without a breath of censure or criticism , he surveyed the world with eyes long fam iliar with the Prim al Purity. His body, m ind, speech, and actions were effortlessly harm onized with his soul's sim plicity. "My Master told m e so." Shrinking from personal assertion, the saint ended any sage counsel with this invariable tribute. So deep was his identity with Sri Ram akrishna that Master Mahasaya no www.holybooks.com longer considered his thoughts as his own. Hand in hand, the saint and I walked one evening on the block of his school. My joy was dim m ed by the arrival of a conceited acquaintance who burdened us with a lengthy discourse. "I see this m an doesn't please you." The saint's whisper to m e was unheard by the egotist, spellbound by his own m onologue. "I have spoken to Divine Mother about it; She realizes our sad predicam ent. As soon as we get to yonder red house, She has prom ised to rem ind him of m ore urgent business." My eyes were glued to the site of salvation. Reaching its red gate, the m an unaccountably turned and departed, neither finishing his sentence nor saying good-by. The assaulted air was com forted with peace. Another day found m e walking alone near the Howrah railway station. I stood for a m om ent by a tem ple, silently criticizing a sm all group of m en with drum and cym bals who were violently reciting a chant. "How undevotionally they use the Lord's divine nam e in m echanical repetition," I reflected. My gaze was astonished by the rapid approach of Master Mahasaya. "Sir, how com e you here?" The saint, ignoring m y question, answered m y thought. "Isn't it true, little sir, that the Beloved's nam e sounds sweet from all lips, ignorant or wise?" He passed his arm around m e affectionately; I found m yself carried on his m agic carpet to the Merciful Presence. "Would you like to see som e bioscopes?" This question one afternoon from Master Mahasaya was m ystifying; the term was then used in India to signify m otion pictures. I agreed, glad to be in his com pany in any circum stances. A brisk walk brought us to the garden fronting Calcutta University. My com panion indicated a bench near the goldighi or pond. "Let us sit here for a few m inutes. My Master always asked m e to m editate whenever I saw an expanse of water. Here its placidity rem inds us of the vast calm ness of God. As all things can be reflected in water, so the whole universe is m irrored in the lake of the Cosm ic Mind. So m y gurudeva often said." Soon we entered a university hall where a lecture was in progress. It proved abysm ally dull, though varied occasionally by lantern slide illustrations, equally uninteresting. "So this is the kind of bioscope the m aster wanted m e to see!" My thought was im patient, yet I would not hurt the saint by revealing boredom in m y face. But he leaned toward m e confidentially. "I see, little sir, that you don't like this bioscope. I have m entioned it to Divine Mother; She is in full sym pathy with us both. She tells m e that the electric lights will now go out, and won't be relit until we have a chance to leave the room ." www.holybooks.com As his whisper ended, the hall was plunged into darkness. The professor's strident voice was stilled in astonishm ent, then rem arked, "The electrical system of this hall appears to be defective." By this tim e, Master Mahasaya and I were safely across the threshold. Glancing back from the corridor, I saw that the scene of our m artyrdom had again becom e illum inated. "Little sir, you were disappointed in that bioscope, 9 -2 but I think you will like a different one." The saint and I were standing on the sidewalk in front of the university building. He gently slapped m y chest over the heart. A transform ing silence ensued. J ust as the m odern "talkies" becom e inaudible m otion pictures when the sound apparatus goes out of order, so the Divine Hand, by som e strange m iracle, stifled the earthly bustle. The pedestrians as well as the passing trolley cars, autom obiles, bullock carts, and iron-wheeled hackney carriages were all in noiseless transit. As though possessing an om nipresent eye, I beheld the scenes which were behind m e, and to each side, as easily as those in front. The whole spectacle of activity in that sm all section of Calcutta passed before m e without a sound. Like a glow of fire dim ly seen beneath a thin coat of ashes, a m ellow lum inescence perm eated the panoram ic view. My own body seem ed nothing m ore than one of the m any shadows, though it was m otionless, while the others flitted m utely to and fro. Several boys, friends of m ine, approached and passed on; though they had looked directly at m e, it was without recognition. The unique pantom im e brought m e an inexpressible ecstasy. I drank deep from som e blissful fount. Suddenly m y chest received another soft blow from Master Mahasaya. The pandem onium of the world burst upon m y unwilling ears. I staggered, as though harshly awakened from a gossam er dream . The transcendental wine rem oved beyond m y reach. "Little sir, I see you found the second bioscope to your liking." The saint was sm iling; I started to drop in gratitude on the ground before him . "You can't do that to m e now; you know God is in your tem ple also! I won't let Divine Mother touch m y feet through your hands!" If anyone observed the unpretentious m aster and m yself as we walked away from the crowded pavem ent, the onlooker surely suspected us of intoxication. I felt that the falling shades of evening were sym pathetically drunk with God. When darkness recovered from its nightly swoon, I faced the new m orning bereft of m y ecstatic m ood. But ever enshrined in m em ory is the seraphic son of Divine Mother-Master Mahasaya! Trying with poor words to do justice to his benignity, I wonder if Master Mahasaya, and others am ong the deep-visioned saints whose paths crossed m ine, knew that years later, in a Western land, I would be writing about their lives as divine devotees. Their foreknowledge would not surprise m e nor, I hope, m y readers, who have com e thus far with m e. 9- 1: These are respect ful t it les by which he was cust om arily addressed. His nam e was Mahendra Nat h Gupt a; he signed his lit erary works sim ply " M." www.holybooks.com 9- 2: The Oxford English Dict ionary gives, as rare, t his definit ion of bioscope: A view of life; t hat which gives such a view. Mast er Mahasaya's choice of a word was, t hen, peculiarly j ust ified. CHAPTER: 10 I Meet My Master, Sri Yukteswar "Faith in God can produce any m iracle except one-passing an exam ination without study." Distastefully I closed the book I had picked up in an idle m om ent. "The writer's exception shows his com plete lack of faith," I thought. "Poor chap, he has great respect for the m idnight oil!" My prom ise to Father had been that I would com plete m y high school studies. I cannot pretend to diligence. The passing m onths found m e less frequently in the classroom than in secluded spots along the Calcutta bathing ghats. The adjoining crem atory grounds, especially gruesom e at night, are considered highly attractive by the yogi. He who would find the Deathless Essence m ust not be dism ayed by a few unadorned skulls. Hum an inadequacy becom es clear in the gloom y abode of m iscellaneous bones. My m idnight vigils were thus of a different nature from the scholar's. The week of final exam inations at the Hindu High School was fast approaching. This interrogatory period, like the sepulchral haunts, inspires a well-known terror. My m ind was nevertheless at peace. Braving the ghouls, I was exhum ing a knowledge not found in lecture halls. But it lacked the art of Swam i Pranabananda, who easily appeared in two places at one tim e. My educational dilem m a was plainly a m atter for the Infinite Ingenuity. This was m y reasoning, though to m any it seem s illogic. The devotee's irrationality springs from a thousand inexplicable dem onstrations of God's instancy in trouble. "Hello, Mukunda! I catch hardly a glim pse of you these days!" A classm ate accosted m e one afternoon on Gurpar Road. "Hello, Nantu! My invisibility at school has actually placed m e there in a decidedly awkward position." I unburdened m yself under his friendly gaze. Nantu, who was a brilliant student, laughed heartily; m y predicam ent was not without a com ic www.holybooks.com aspect. "You are utterly unprepared for the finals! I suppose it is up to m e to help you!" The sim ple words conveyed divine prom ise to m y ears; with alacrity I visited m y friend's hom e. He kindly outlined the solutions to various problem s he considered likely to be set by the instructors. "These questions are the bait which will catch m any trusting boys in the exam ination trap. Rem em ber m y answers, and you will escape without injury." The night was far gone when I departed. Bursting with unseasoned erudition, I devoutly prayed it would rem ain for the next few critical days. Nantu had coached m e in m y various subjects but, under press of tim e, had forgotten m y course in Sanskrit. Fervently I rem inded God of the oversight. I set out on a short walk the next m orning, assim ilating m y new knowledge to the rhythm of swinging footsteps. As I took a short cut through the weeds of a corner lot, m y eye fell on a few loose printed sheets. A trium phant pounce proved them to be Sanskrit verse. I sought out a pundit for aid in m y stum bling interpretation. His rich voice filled the air with the edgeless, honeyed beauty of the ancient tongue. 10 -1 "These exceptional stanzas cannot possibly be of aid in your Sanskrit test." The scholar dism issed them skeptically. But fam iliarity with that particular poem enabled m e on the following day to pass the Sanskrit exam ination. Through the discerning help Nantu had given, I also attained the m inim um grade for success in all m y other subjects. Father was pleased that I had kept m y word and concluded m y secondary school course. My gratitude sped to the Lord, whose sole guidance I perceived in m y visit to Nantu and m y walk by the unhabitual route of the debris-filled lot. Playfully He had given a dual expression to His tim ely design for m y rescue. I cam e across the discarded book whose author had denied God precedence in the exam ination halls. I could not restrain a chuckle at m y own silent com m ent: "It would only add to this fellow's confusion, if I were to tell him that divine m editation am ong the cadavers is a short cut to a high school diplom a!" In m y new dignity, I was now openly planning to leave hom e. Together with a young friend, J itendra Mazum dar, 10 -2 I decided to join a Maham andal herm itage in Benares, and receive its spiritual discipline. A desolation fell over m e one m orning at thought of separation from m y fam ily. Since Mother's death, m y affection had grown especially tender for m y two younger brothers, Sananda and www.holybooks.com Bishnu. I rushed to m y retreat, the little attic which had witnessed so m any scenes in m y turbulent sadhana. 10 -3 After a two-hour flood of tears, I felt singularly transform ed, as by som e alchem ical cleanser. All attachm ent 10 -4 disappeared; m y resolution to seek God as the Friend of friends set like granite within m e. I quickly com pleted m y travel preparations. "I m ake one last plea." Father was distressed as I stood before him for final blessing. "Do not forsake m e and your grieving brothers and sisters." "Revered Father, how can I tell m y love for you! But even greater is m y love for the Heavenly Father, who has given m e the gift of a perfect father on earth. Let m e go, that I som eday return with a m ore divine understanding." With reluctant parental consent, I set out to join J itendra, already in Benares at the herm itage. On m y arrival the young head swam i, Dyananda, greeted m e cordially. Tall and thin, of thoughtful m ien, he im pressed m e favorably. His fair face had a Buddhalike com posure. I was pleased that m y new hom e possessed an attic, where I m anaged to spend the dawn and m orning hours. The ashram m em bers, knowing little of m editation practices, thought I should em ploy m y whole tim e in organizational duties. They gave m e praise for m y afternoon work in their office. "Don't try to catch God so soon!" This ridicule from a fellow resident accom panied one of m y early departures toward the attic. I went to Dyananda, busy in his sm all sanctum overlooking the Ganges. "Swam iji, 10 -5 I don't understand what is required of m e here. I am seeking direct perception of God. Without Him , I cannot be satisfied with affiliation or creed or perform ance of good works." The orange-robed ecclesiastic gave m e an affectionate pat. Staging a m ock rebuke, he adm onished a few near-by disciples. "Don't bother Mukunda. He will learn our ways." I politely concealed m y doubt. The students left the room , not overly bent with their chastisem ent. Dyananda had further words for m e. "Mukunda, I see your father is regularly sending you m oney. Please return it to him ; you require none here. A second injunction for your discipline concerns food. Even when you feel hunger, don't m ention it." Whether fam ishm ent gleam ed in m y eye, I knew not. That I was hungry, I knew only too well. The invariable hour for the first herm itage m eal was twelve noon. I had been accustom ed in m y own hom e to a large breakfast at nine o'clock. The three-hour gap becam e daily m ore interm inable. Gone were the Calcutta years when I could rebuke the cook for a ten-m inute delay. Now I tried to control m y appetite; one day I undertook a twenty-four hour fast. With double zest I awaited the following m idday. www.holybooks.com "Dyanandaji's train is late; we are not going to eat until he arrives." J itendra brought m e this devastating news. As gesture of welcom e to the swam i, who had been absent for two weeks, m any delicacies were in readiness. An appetizing arom a filled the air. Nothing else offering, what else could be swallowed except pride over yesterday's achievem ent of a fast? "Lord hasten the train!" The Heavenly Provider, I thought, was hardly included in the interdiction with which Dyananda had silenced m e. Divine Attention was elsewhere, however; the plodding clock covered the hours. Darkness was descending as our leader entered the door. My greeting was one of unfeigned joy. "Dyanandaji will bathe and m editate before we can serve food." J itendra approached m e again as a bird of ill om en. I was in near-collapse. My young stom ach, new to deprivation, protested with gnawing vigor. Pictures I had seen of fam ine victim s passed wraithlike before m e. "The next Benares death from starvation is due at once in this herm itage," I thought. Im pending doom averted at nine o'clock. Am brosial sum m ons! In m em ory that m eal is vivid as one of life's perfect hours. Intense absorption yet perm itted m e to observe that Dyananda ate absent-m indedly. He was apparently above m y gross pleasures. "Swam iji, weren't you hungry?" Happily surfeited, I was alone with the leader in his study. "O yes! I have spent the last four days without food or drink. I never eat on trains, filled with the heterogenous vibrations of worldly people. Strictly I observe the shastric 10 -6 rules for m onks of m y particular order. "Certain problem s of our organizational work lie on m y m ind. Tonight at hom e I neglected m y dinner. What's the hurry? Tom orrow I'll m ake it a point to have a proper m eal." He laughed m errily. Sham e spread within m e like a suffocation. But the past day of m y torture was not easily forgotten; I ventured a further rem ark. "Swam iji, I am puzzled. Following your instruction, suppose I never asked for food, and nobody gives m e any. I should starve to death." "Die then!" This alarm ing counsel split the air. "Die if you m ust Mukunda! Never adm it that you live by the power of food and not by the power of God! He who has created every form of nourishm ent, He who has bestowed appetite, will certainly see that His devotee is sustained! Do not im agine that rice m aintains you, or that m oney or m en support you! Could they aid if the Lord withdraws your life-breath? They are His indirect instrum ents m erely. Is it by any skill of yours that food digests in your stom ach? Use the sword of your discrim ination, Mukunda! Cut www.holybooks.com through the chains of agency and perceive the Single Cause!" I found his incisive words entering som e deep m arrow. Gone was an age- old delusion by which bodily im peratives outwit the soul. There and then I tasted the Spirit's all-sufficiency. In how m any strange cities, in m y later life of ceaseless travel, did occasion arise to prove the serviceability of this lesson in a Benares herm itage! The sole treasure which had accom panied m e from Calcutta was the SADHU'S silver am ulet bequeathed to m e by Mother. Guarding it for years, I now had it carefully hidden in m y ashram room . To renew m y joy in the talism anic testim ony, one m orning I opened the locked box. The sealed covering untouched, lo! the am ulet was gone. Mournfully I tore open its envelope and m ade unm istakably sure. It had vanished, in accordance with the SADHU'S prediction, into the ether whence he had sum m oned it. My relationship with Dyananda's followers grew steadily worse. The household was alienated, hurt by m y determ ined aloofness. My strict adherence to m editation on the very Ideal for which I had left hom e and all worldly am bitions called forth shallow criticism on all sides. Torn by spiritual anguish, I entered the attic one dawn, resolved to pray until answer was vouchsafed. "Merciful Mother of the Universe, teach m e Thyself through visions, or through a guru sent by Thee!" The passing hours found m y sobbing pleas without response. Suddenly I felt lifted as though bodily to a sphere uncircum scribed. "Thy Master com eth today!" A divine wom anly voice cam e from everywhere and nowhere. This supernal experience was pierced by a shout from a definite locale. A young priest nicknam ed Habu was calling m e from the downstairs kitchen. "Mukunda, enough of m editation! You are needed for an errand." Another day I m ight have replied im patiently; now I wiped m y tear- swollen face and m eekly obeyed the sum m ons. Together Habu and I set out for a distant m arket place in the Bengali section of Benares. The ungentle Indian sun was not yet at zenith as we m ade our purchases in the bazaars. We pushed our way through the colorful m edley of housewives, guides, priests, sim ply-clad widows, dignified Brahm ins, and the ubiquitous holy bulls. Passing an inconspicuous lane, I turned m y head and surveyed the narrow length. A Christlike m an in the ocher robes of a swam i stood m otionless at the end of the road. Instantly and anciently fam iliar he seem ed; m y gaze fed hungrily for a trice. Then doubt assailed m e. "You are confusing this wandering m onk with som eone known to you," I thought. "Dream er, walk www.holybooks.com on." After ten m inutes, I felt heavy num bness in m y feet. As though turned to stone, they were unable to carry m e farther. Laboriously I turned around; m y feet regained norm alcy. I faced the opposite direction; again the curious weight oppressed m e. "The saint is m agnetically drawing m e to him !" With this thought, I heaped m y parcels into the arm s of Habu. He had been observing m y erratic footwork with am azem ent, and now burst into laughter. "What ails you? Are you crazy?" My tum ultuous em otion prevented any retort; I sped silently away. Retracing m y steps as though wing-shod, I reached the narrow lane. My quick glance revealed the quiet figure, steadily gazing in m y direction. A few eager steps and I was at his feet. "Gurudeva!" 10 -7 The divine face was none other than he of m y thousand visions. These halcyon eyes, in leonine head with pointed beard and flowing locks, had oft peered through gloom of m y nocturnal reveries, holding a prom ise I had not fully understood. "O m y own, you have com e to m e!" My guru uttered the words again and again in Bengali, his voice trem ulous with joy. "How m any years I have waited for you!" We entered a oneness of silence; words seem ed the rankest superfluities. Eloquence flowed in soundless chant from heart of m aster to disciple. With an antenna of irrefragable insight I sensed that m y guru knew God, and would lead m e to Him . The obscuration of this life disappeared in a fragile dawn of prenatal m em ories. Dram atic tim e! Past, present, and future are its cycling scenes. This was not the first sun to find m e at these holy feet! My hand in his, m y guru led m e to his tem porary residence in the Rana Mahal section of the city. His athletic figure m oved with firm tread. Tall, erect, about fifty-five at this tim e, he was active and vigorous as a young m an. His dark eyes were large, beautiful with plum bless wisdom . Slightly curly hair softened a face of striking power. Strength m ingled subtly with gentleness. As we m ade our way to the stone balcony of a house overlooking the Ganges, he said affectionately: "I will give you m y herm itages and all I possess." "Sir, I com e for wisdom and God-contact. Those are your treasure- troves I am after!" The swift Indian twilight had dropped its half-curtain before m y m aster spoke again. His eyes held unfathom able tenderness. "I give you m y unconditional love." www.holybooks.com Precious words! A quarter-century elapsed before I had another auricular proof of his love. His lips were strange to ardor; silence becam e his oceanic heart. "Will you give m e the sam e unconditional love?" He gazed at m e with childlike trust. "I will love you eternally, Gurudeva!" "Ordinary love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and satisfactions. Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. The flux of the hum an heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love." He added hum bly, "If ever you find m e falling from a state of Godrealization, please prom ise to put m y head on your lap and help to bring m e back to the Cosm ic Beloved we both worship." He rose then in the gathering darkness and guided m e to an inner room . As we ate m angoes and alm ond sweetm eats, he unobtrusively wove into his conversation an intim ate knowledge of m y nature. I was awe-struck at the grandeur of his wisdom , exquisitely blended with an innate hum ility. "Do not grieve for your am ulet. It has served its purpose." Like a divine m irror, m y guru apparently had caught a reflection of m y whole life. "The living reality of your presence, Master, is joy beyond any sym bol." "It is tim e for a change, inasm uch as you are unhappily situated in the herm itage." I had m ade no references to m y life; they now seem ed superfluous! By his natural, unem phatic m anner, I understood that he wished no astonished ejaculations at his clairvoyance. "You should go back to Calcutta. Why exclude relatives from your love of hum anity?" His suggestion dism ayed m e. My fam ily was predicting m y return, though I had been unresponsive to m any pleas by letter. "Let the young bird fly in the m etaphysical skies," Ananta had rem arked. "His wings will tire in the heavy atm osphere. We shall yet see him swoop toward hom e, fold his pinions, and hum bly rest in our fam ily nest." This discouraging sim ile fresh in m y m ind, I was determ ined to do no "swooping" in the direction of Calcutta. "Sir, I am not returning hom e. But I will follow you anywhere. Please give m e your address, and your nam e." "Swam i Sri Yukteswar Giri. My chief herm itage is in Seram pore, on Rai Ghat Lane. I am visiting m y m other here for only a few days." I wondered at God's intricate play with His devotees. Seram pore is but twelve m iles from Calcutta, yet in those regions I had never caught a glim pse of m y guru. We had had to travel for www.holybooks.com our m eeting to the ancient city of Kasi (Benares), hallowed by m em ories of Lahiri Mahasaya. Here too the feet of Buddha, Shankaracharya and other Yogi- Christs had blessed the soil. "You will com e to m e in four weeks." For the first tim e, Sri Yukteswar's voice was stern. "Now I have told m y eternal affection, and have shown m y happiness at finding you-that is why you disregard m y request. The next tim e we m eet, you will have to reawaken m y interest: I won't accept you as a disciple easily. There m ust be com plete surrender by obedience to m y strict training." I rem ained obstinately silent. My guru easily penetrated m y difficulty. "Do you think your relatives will laugh at you?" "I will not return." "You will return in thirty days." "Never." Bowing reverently at his feet, I departed without lightening the controversial tension. As I m ade m y way in the m idnight darkness, I wondered why the m iraculous m eeting had ended on an inharm onious note. The dual scales of m ay a, that balance every joy with a grief! My young heart was not yet m alleable to the transform ing fingers of m y guru. The next m orning I noticed increased hostility in the attitude of the herm itage m em bers. My days becam e spiked with invariable rudeness. In three weeks, Dyananda left the ashram to attend a conference in Bom bay; pandem onium broke over m y hapless head. "Mukunda is a parasite, accepting herm itage hospitality without m aking proper return." Overhearing this rem ark, I regretted for the first tim e that I had obeyed the request to send back m y m oney to Father. With heavy heart, I sought out m y sole friend, J itendra. "I am leaving. Please convey m y respectful regrets to Dyanandaji when he returns." "I will leave also! My attem pts to m editate here m eet with no m ore favor than your own." J itendra spoke with determ ination. "I have m et a Christlike saint. Let us visit him in Seram pore." And so the "bird" prepared to "swoop" perilously close to Calcutta! 10- 1: Sanskrit a, polished; com plet e. Sanskrit is t he eldest sist er of all I ndo- European t ongues. I t s alphabet ical script is Devanagari, lit erally " divine abode." " Who knows m y gram m ar knows God! " Panini, great philologist of ancient I ndia, paid t his t ribut e t o t he m at hem at ical and psychological perfect ion in Sanskrit . He who would t rack language t o it s lair m ust indeed end as om niscient . 10- 2: He was not Jat inda ( Jot in Ghosh) , who will be rem em bered for his t im ely aversion t o t igers! 10- 3: Pat h or prelim inary road t o God. www.holybooks.com 10- 4: Hindu script ures t each t hat fam ily at t achm ent is delusive if it prevent s t he devot ee from seeking t he Giver of all boons, including t he one of loving relat ives, not t o m ent ion life it self. Jesus sim ilarly t aught : " Who is m y m ot her? and who are m y bret hren?" ( Mat t hew 12: 48.) 10- 5: Ji is a cust om ary respect ful suffix, part icularly used in direct address; t hus " swam ij i," " guruj i," " Sri Yukt eswarj i," " param hansaj i." 10- 6: Pert aining t o t he shast ras, lit erally, " sacred books," com prising four classes of script ure: t he shrut i, sm rit i, purana, and t ant ra. These com prehensive t reat ises cover every aspect of religious and social life, and t he fields of law, m edicine, archit ect ure, art , et c. The shrut is are t he " direct ly heard" or " revealed" script ures, t he Vedas. The sm rit is or " rem em bered" lore was finally writ t en down in a rem ot e past as t he world's longest epic poem s, t he Mahabharat a and t he Ram ayana. Puranas are lit erally " ancient " allegories; t ant ras lit erally m ean " rit es" or " rit uals" ; t hese t reat ises convey profound t rut hs under a veil of det ailed sym bolism . 10- 7: " Divine t eacher," t he cust om ary Sanskrit t erm for one's spirit ual precept or. I have rendered it in English as sim ply " Mast er." CHAPTER: 11 Two Penniless Boys In Brindaban "It would serve you right if Father disinherited you, Mukunda! How foolishly you are throwing away your life!" An elder-brother serm on was assaulting m y ears. J itendra and I, fresh from the train (a figure of speech m erely; we were covered with dust), had just arrived at the hom e of Ananta, recently transferred from Calcutta to the ancient city of Agra. Brother was a supervising accountant for the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. "You well know, Ananta, I seek m y inheritance from the Heavenly Father." "Money first; God can com e later! Who knows? Life m ay be too long." "God first; m oney is His slave! Who can tell? Life m ay be too short." My retort was sum m oned by the exigencies of the m om ent, and held no presentim ent. Yet the leaves of tim e unfolded to early finality for Ananta; a few years later 11-1 he entered the land where bank notes avail neither first nor last. "Wisdom from the herm itage, I suppose! But I see you have left Benares." Ananta's eyes gleam ed with satisfaction; he yet hoped to secure m y pinions in the fam ily nest. www.holybooks.com "My sojourn in Benares was not in vain! I found there everything m y heart had been longing for! You m ay be sure it was not your pundit or his son!" Ananta joined m e in rem iniscent laughter; he had had to adm it that the Benares "clairvoyant" he selected was a shortsighted one. "What are your plans, m y wandering brother?" "J itendra persuaded m e to Agra. We shall view the beauties of the Taj Mahal 11-2 here," I explained. "Then we are going to m y newly-found guru, who has a herm itage in Seram pore." Ananta hospitably arranged for our com fort. Several tim es during the evening I noticed his eyes fixed on m e reflectively. "I know that look!" I thought. "A plot is brewing!" The denouem ent took place during our early breakfast. "So you feel quite independent of Father's wealth." Ananta's gaze was innocent as he resum ed the barbs of yesterday's conversation. "I am conscious of m y dependence on God." "Words are cheap! Life has shielded you thus far! What a plight if you were forced to look to the Invisible Hand for your food and shelter! You would soon be begging on the streets!" "Never! I would not put faith in passers-by rather than God! He can devise for His devotee a thousand resources besides the begging-bowl!" "More rhetoric! Suppose I suggest that your vaunted philosophy be put to a test in this tangible world?" "I would agree! Do you confine God to a speculative world?" "We shall see; today you shall have opportunity either to enlarge or to confirm m y own views!" Ananta paused for a dram atic m om ent; then spoke slowly and seriously. "I propose that I send you and your fellow disciple J itendra this m orning to the near-by city of Brindaban. You m ust not take a single rupee; you m ust not beg, either for food or m oney; you m ust not reveal your predicam ent to anyone; you m ust not go without your m eals; and you m ust not be stranded in Brindaban. If you return to m y bungalow here before twelve o'clock tonight, without having broken any rule of the test, I shall be the m ost astonished m an in Agra!" "I accept the challenge." No hesitation was in m y words or in m y heart. Grateful m em ories flashed of the Instant Beneficence: m y healing of deadly cholera through appeal to Lahiri www.holybooks.com Mahasaya's picture; the playful gift of the two kites on the Lahore roof with Um a; the opportune am ulet am idst m y discouragem ent; the decisive m essage through the unknown Benares sadhu outside the com pound of the pundit's hom e; the vision of Divine Mother and Her m ajestic words of love; Her swift heed through Master Mahasaya to m y trifling em barrassm ents; the last-m inute guidance which m aterialized m y high school diplom a; and the ultim ate boon, m y living Master from the m ist of lifelong dream s. Never could I adm it m y "philosophy" unequal to any tussle on the world's harsh proving ground! "Your willingness does you credit. I'll escort you to the train at once." Ananta turned to the openm outhed J itendra. "You m ust go along as a witness and, very likely, a fellow victim !" A half hour later J itendra and I were in possession of one-way tickets for our im prom ptu trip. We subm itted, in a secluded corner of the station, to a search of our persons. Ananta was quickly satisfied that we were carrying no hidden hoard; our sim ple dhotis 11-3 concealed nothing m ore than was necessary. As faith invaded the serious realm s of finance, m y friend spoke protestingly. "Ananta, give m e one or two rupees as a safeguard. Then I can telegraph you in case of m isfortune." "J itendra!" My ejaculation was sharply reproachful. "I will not proceed with the test if you take any m oney as final security." "There is som ething reassuring about the clink of coins." J itendra said no m ore as I regarded him sternly. "Mukunda, I am not heartless." A hint of hum ility had crept into Ananta's voice. It m ay be that his conscience was sm iting him ; perhaps for sending two insolvent boys to a strange city; perhaps for his own religious skepticism . "If by any chance or grace you pass successfully through the Brindaban ordeal, I shall ask you to initiate m e as your disciple." This prom ise had a certain irregularity, in keeping with the unconventional occasion. The eldest brother in an Indian fam ily seldom bows before his juniors; he receives respect and obedience second only to a father. But no tim e rem ained for m y com m ent; our train was at point of departure. J itendra m aintained a lugubrious silence as our train covered the m iles. Finally he bestirred him self; leaning over, he pinched m e painfully at an awkward spot. "I see no sign that God is going to supply our next m eal!" "Be quiet, doubting Thom as; the Lord is working with us." "Can you also arrange that He hurry? Already I am fam ished m erely at the prospect before us. I left Benares to view the Taj's m ausoleum , not to enter m y own!" www.holybooks.com "Cheer up, J itendra! Are we not to have our first glim pse of the sacred wonders of Brindaban? 114 I am in deep joy at thought of treading the ground hallowed by feet of Lord Krishna." The door of our com partm ent opened; two m en seated them selves. The next train stop would be the last. "Young lads, do you have friends in Brindaban?" The stranger opposite m e was taking a surprising interest. "None of your business!" Rudely I averted m y gaze. "You are probably flying away from your fam ilies under the enchantm ent of the Stealer of Hearts. 11-5 I am of devotional tem peram ent m yself. I will m ake it m y positive duty to see that you receive food, and shelter from this overpowering heat." "No, sir, let us alone. You are very kind; but you are m istaken in judging us to be truants from hom e." No further conversation ensued; the train cam e to a halt. As J itendra and I descended to the platform , our chance com panions linked arm s with us and sum m oned a horse cab. We alit before a stately herm itage, set am idst the evergreen trees of well-kept grounds. Our benefactors were evidently known here; a sm iling lad led us without com m ent to a parlor. We were soon joined by an elderly wom an of dignified bearing. "Gauri Ma, the princes could not com e." One of the m en addressed the ashram hostess. "At the last m om ent their plans went awry; they send deep regrets. But we have brought two other guests. As soon as we m et on the train, I felt drawn to them as devotees of Lord Krishna." (Left to right) Jitendra Mazumdar, my companion on the "penniless test" at Brindaban; Lalit-da, my cousin; Swami Kebelananda ("Shastri Mahasaya"), my saintly Sanskrit tutor; myself, as a high school youth www.holybooks.com Ananda Moyi Ma the Bengali "Joy-Permeated Mother." One of the caves occupied by Babaji in the Drongiri Mountains near Ranikhet in the Himalayas. A grandson of Lahiri Mahasaya, Ananda Mohan Lahiri (second from right, in white), and three other devotees are visiting the sacred spot. "Good-by, young friends." Our two acquaintances walked to the door. "We shall m eet again, if God be willing." "You are welcom e here." Gauri Ma sm iled in m otherly fashion on her two unexpected charges. "You could not have com e on a better day. I was expecting two royal patrons of this herm itage. What a sham e if m y cooking had found none to appreciate it!" www.holybooks.com These appetizing words had disastrous effect on J itendra: he burst into tears. The "prospect" he had feared in Brindaban was turning out as royal entertainm ent; his sudden m ental adjustm ent proved too m uch for him . Our hostess looked at him with curiosity, but without rem ark; perhaps she was fam iliar with adolescent quirks. Lunch was announced; Gauri Ma led the way to a dining patio, spicy with savory odors. She vanished into an adjoining kitchen. I had been prem editating this m om ent. Selecting the appropriate spot on J itendra's anatom y, I adm inistered a pinch as resounding as the one he had given m e on the train. "Doubting Thom as, the Lord works-in a hurry, too!" The hostess reentered with a punkha. She steadily fanned us in the Oriental fashion as we squatted on ornate blanket-seats. Ashram disciples passed to and fro with som e thirty courses. Rather than "m eal," the description can only be "sum ptuous repast." Since arriving on this planet, J itendra and I had never before tasted such delicacies. "Dishes fit for princes indeed, Honored Mother! What your royal patrons could have found m ore urgent than attending this banquet, I cannot im agine! You have given us a m em ory for a lifetim e!" Silenced as we were by Ananta's requirem ent, we could not explain to the gracious lady that our thanks held a double significance. Our sincerity at least was patent. We departed with her blessing and an attractive invitation to revisit the herm itage. The heat outdoors was m erciless. My friend and I m ade for the shelter of a lordly cadam ba tree at the ashram gate. Sharp words followed; once again J itendra was beset with m isgivings. "A fine m ess you have got m e into! Our luncheon was only accidental good fortune! How can we see the sights of this city, without a single pice between us? And how on earth are you going to take m e back to Ananta's?" "You forget God quickly, now that your stom ach is filled." My words, not bitter, were accusatory. How short is hum an m em ory for divine favors! No m an lives who has not seen certain of his prayers granted. "I am not likely to forget m y folly in venturing out with a m adcap like you!" "Be quiet, J itendra! The sam e Lord who fed us will show us Brindaban, and return us to Agra." A slight young m an of pleasing countenance approached at rapid pace. Halting under our tree, he bowed before m e. www.holybooks.com "Dear friend, you and your com panion m ust be strangers here. Perm it m e to be your host and guide." It is scarcely possible for an Indian to pale, but J itendra's face was suddenly sickly. I politely declined the offer. "You are surely not banishing m e?" The stranger's alarm would have been com ic in any other circum stances. "Why not?" "You are m y guru." His eyes sought m ine trustfully. "During m y m idday devotions, the blessed Lord Krishna appeared in a vision. He showed m e two forsaken figures under this very tree. One face was yours, m y m aster! Often have I seen it in m editation! What joy if you accept m y hum ble services!" "I too am glad you have found m e. Neither God nor m an has forsaken us!" Though I was m otionless, sm iling at the eager face before m e, an inward obeisance cast m e at the Divine Feet. "Dear friends, will you not honor m y hom e for a visit?" "You are kind; but the plan is unfeasible. Already we are guests of m y brother in Agra." "At least give m e m em ories of touring Brindaban with you." I gladly consented. The young m an, who said his nam e was Pratap Chatterji, hailed a horse carriage. We visited Madanam ohana Tem ple and other Krishna shrines. Night descended while we were at our tem ple devotions. "Excuse m e while I get sandesh." 11-6 Pratap entered a shop near the railroad station. J itendra and I sauntered along the wide street, crowded now in the com parative coolness. Our friend was absent for som e tim e, but finally returned with gifts of m any sweetm eats. "Please allow m e to gain this religious m erit." Pratap sm iled pleadingly as he held out a bundle of rupee notes and two tickets, just purchased, to Agra. The reverence of m y acceptance was for the Invisible Hand. Scoffed at by Ananta, had Its bounty not far exceeded necessity? We sought out a secluded spot near the station. "Pratap, I will instruct you in the Kriy a of Lahiri Mahasaya, the greatest yogi of m odern tim es. His technique will be your guru." The initiation was concluded in a half hour. "Kriy a is your chintam ani," 11-7 I told the new student. "The technique, which as you see is sim ple, em bodies the art of quickening m an's www.holybooks.com spiritual evolution. Hindu scriptures teach that the incarnating ego requires a m illion years to obtain liberation from m ay a. This natural period is greatly shortened through Kriy a Yoga. J ust as J agadis Chandra Bose has dem onstrated that plant growth can be accelerated far beyond its norm al rate, so m an's psychological developm ent can be also speeded by an inner science. Be faithful in your practice; you will approach the Guru of all gurus." "I am transported to find this yogic key, long sought!" Pratap spoke thoughtfully. "Its unshackling effect on m y sensory bonds will free m e for higher spheres. The vision today of Lord Krishna could only m ean m y highest good." We sat awhile in silent understanding, then walked slowly to the station. J oy was within m e as I boarded the train, but this was J itendra's day for tears. My affectionate farewell to Pratap had been punctuated by stifled sobs from both m y com panions. The journey once m ore found J itendra in a welter of grief. Not for him self this tim e, but against him self. "How shallow m y trust! My heart has been stone! Never in future shall I doubt God's protection!" Midnight was approaching. The two "Cinderellas," sent forth penniless, entered Ananta's bedroom . His face, as he had prom ised, was a study in astonishm ent. Silently I showered the table with rupees. "J itendra, the truth!" Ananta's tone was jocular. "Has not this youngster been staging a holdup?" But as the tale was unfolded, m y brother turned sober, then solem n. "The law of dem and and supply reaches into subtler realm s than I had supposed." Ananta spoke with a spiritual enthusiasm never before noticeable. "I understand for the first tim e your indifference to the vaults and vulgar accum ulations of the world." Late as it was, m y brother insisted that he receive diksha 11-8 into Kriy a Yoga. The "guru" Mukunda had to shoulder the responsibility of two unsought disciples in one day. Breakfast the following m orning was eaten in a harm ony absent the day before. I sm iled at J itendra. "You shall not be cheated of the Taj. Let us view it before starting for Seram pore." Bidding farewell to Ananta, m y friend and I were soon before the glory of Agra, the Taj Mahal. White m arble dazzling in the sun, it stands a vision of pure sym m etry. The perfect setting is dark cypress, glossy lawn, and tranquil lagoon. The interior is exquisite with lacelike carvings inlaid with sem iprecious stones. Delicate wreaths and scrolls em erge intricately from m arbles, brown and violet. Illum ination from the dom e falls on the cenotaphs of Em peror Shah-J ahan and Mum taz Mahall, queen of his realm and his heart. Enough of sight-seeing! I was longing for m y guru. J itendra and I were shortly traveling south by www.holybooks.com train toward Bengal. "Mukunda, I have not seen m y fam ily in m onths. I have changed m y m ind; perhaps later I shall visit your m aster in Seram pore." My friend, who m ay m ildly be described as vacillating in tem peram ent, left m e in Calcutta. By local train I soon reached Seram pore, twelve m iles to the north. A throb of wonderm ent stole over m e as I realized that twenty-eight days had elapsed since the Benares m eeting with m y guru. "You will com e to m e in four weeks!" Here I was, heart pounding, standing within his courtyard on quiet Rai Ghat Lane. I entered for the first tim e the herm itage where I was to spend the best part of the next ten years with India's Jy anavatar, "incarnation of wisdom ." 11- 1: See chapt er 25. 11- 2: The world- fam ous m ausoleum .. 11- 3: A dhot i- clot h is knot t ed around t he waist and covers t he legs.. 11- 4: Brindaban, in t he Mut t ra dist rict of Unit ed Provinces, is t he Hindu Jerusalem . Here Lord Krishna displayed his glories for t he benefit of m ankind.. 11- 5: Hari; an endearing nam e by which Lord Krishna is known t o his devot ees. 11- 6: An I ndian sweet m eat .. 11- 7: A m yt hological gem wit h power t o grant desires. 11- 8: Spirit ual init iat ion; from t he Sanskrit root diksh, t o dedicat e oneself. CHAPTER: 12 Years In My Master's Hermitage "You have com e." Sri Yukteswar greeted m e from a tiger skin on the floor of a balconied sitting room . His voice was cold, his m anner unem otional. "Yes, dear Master, I am here to follow you." Kneeling, I touched his feet. www.holybooks.com "How can that be? You ignore m y wishes." "No longer, Guruji! Your wish shall be m y law!" "That is better! Now I can assum e responsibility for your life." "I willingly transfer the burden, Master." "My first request, then, is that you return hom e to your fam ily. I want you to enter college in Calcutta. Your education should be continued." "Very well, sir." I hid m y consternation. Would im portunate books pursue m e down the years? First Father, now Sri Yukteswar! "Som eday you will go to the West. Its people will lend ears m ore receptive to India's ancient wisdom if the strange Hindu teacher has a university degree." "You know best, Guruji." My gloom departed. The reference to the West I found puzzling, rem ote; but m y opportunity to please Master by obedience was vitally im m ediate. "You will be near in Calcutta; com e here whenever you find tim e." "Every day if possible, Master! Gratefully I accept your authority in every detail of m y life-on one condition." "Yes?" "That you prom ise to reveal God to m e!" An hour-long verbal tussle ensued. A m aster's word cannot be falsified; it is not lightly given. The im plications in the pledge open out vast m etaphysical vistas. A guru m ust be on intim ate term s indeed with the Creator before he can obligate Him to appear! I sensed Sri Yukteswar's divine unity, and was determ ined, as his disciple, to press m y advantage. "You are of exacting disposition!" Then Master's consent rang out with com passionate finality: "Let your wish be m y wish." Lifelong shadow lifted from m y heart; the vague search, hither and yon, was over. I had found eternal shelter in a true guru. "Com e; I will show you the herm itage." Master rose from his tiger m at. I glanced about m e; m y gaze fell with astonishm ent on a wall picture, garlanded with a spray of jasm ine. "Lahiri Mahasaya!" www.holybooks.com "Yes, m y divine guru." Sri Yukteswar's tone was reverently vibrant. "Greater he was, as m an and yogi, than any other teacher whose life cam e within the range of m y investigations." Silently I bowed before the fam iliar picture. Soul-hom age sped to the peerless m aster who, blessing m y infancy, had guided m y steps to this hour. Led by m y guru, I strolled over the house and its grounds. Large, ancient and well-built, the herm itage was surrounded by a m assive- pillared courtyard. Outer walls were m oss-covered; pigeons fluttered over the flat gray roof, uncerem oniously sharing the ashram quarters. A rear garden was pleasant with jackfruit, m ango, and plantain trees. Balustraded balconies of upper room s in the two-storied building faced the courtyard from three sides. A spacious ground-floor hall, with high ceiling supported by colonnades, was used, Master said, chiefly during the annual festivities of Durgapuja. 12 -1 A narrow stairway led to Sri Yukteswar's sitting room , whose sm all balcony overlooked the street. The ashram was plainly furnished; everything was sim ple, clean, and utilitarian. Several Western styled chairs, benches, and tables were in evidence. Master invited m e to stay overnight. A supper of vegetable curry was served by two young disciples who were receiving herm itage training. "Guruji, please tell m e som ething of your life." I was squatting on a straw m at near his tiger skin. The friendly stars were very close, it seem ed, beyond the balcony. "My fam ily nam e was Priya Nath Karar. I was born 12 -2 here in Seram pore, where Father was a wealthy businessm an. He left m e this ancestral m ansion, now m y herm itage. My form al schooling was little; I found it slow and shallow. In early m anhood, I undertook the responsibilities of a householder, and have one daughter, now m arried. My m iddle life was blessed with the guidance of Lahiri Mahasaya. After m y wife died, I joined the Swam i Order and received the new nam e of Sri Yukteswar Giri. 12 -3 Such are m y sim ple annals." Master sm iled at m y eager face. Like all biographical sketches, his words had given the outward facts without revealing the inner m an. "Guruji, I would like to hear som e stories of your childhood." "I will tell you a few-each one with a m oral!" Sri Yukteswar's eyes twinkled with his warning. "My m other once tried to frighten m e with an appalling story of a ghost in a dark cham ber. I went there im m ediately, and expressed m y disappointm ent at having m issed the ghost. Mother never told m e another horror-tale. Moral: Look fear in the face and it will cease to trouble you. "Another early m em ory is m y wish for an ugly dog belonging to a neighbor. I kept m y household in turm oil for weeks to get that dog. My ears were deaf to offers of pets with m ore prepossessing appearance. Moral: Attachm ent is blinding; it lends an im aginary halo of attractiveness to the object of desire. www.holybooks.com "A third story concerns the plasticity of the youthful m ind. I heard m y m other rem ark occasionally: 'A m an who accepts a job under anyone is a slave.' That im pression becam e so indelibly fixed that even after m y m arriage I refused all positions. I m et expenses by investing m y fam ily endowm ent in land. Moral: Good and positive suggestions should instruct the sensitive ears of children. Their early ideas long rem ain sharply etched." Master fell into tranquil silence. Around m idnight he led m e to a narrow cot. Sleep was sound and sweet the first night under m y guru's roof. Sri Yukteswar chose the following m orning to grant m e his Kriy a Yoga initiation. The technique I had already received from two disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya-Father and m y tutor, Swam i Kebalananda-but in Master's presence I felt transform ing power. At his touch, a great light broke upon m y being, like glory of countless suns blazing together. A flood of ineffable bliss, overwhelm ing m y heart to an innerm ost core, continued during the following day. It was late that afternoon before I could bring m yself to leave the herm itage. "You will return in thirty days." As I reached m y Calcutta hom e, the fulfillm ent of Master's prediction entered with m e. None of m y relatives m ade the pointed rem arks I had feared about the reappearance of the "soaring bird." I clim bed to m y little attic and bestowed affectionate glances, as though on a living presence. "You have witnessed m y m editations, and the tears and storm s of m y sadhana. Now I have reached the harbor of m y divine teacher." "Son, I am happy for us both." Father and I sat together in the evening calm . "You have found your guru, as in m iraculous fashion I once found m y own. The holy hand of Lahiri Mahasaya is guarding our lives. Your m aster has proved no inaccessible Him alayan saint, but one near-by. My prayers have been answered: you have not in your search for God been perm anently rem oved from m y sight." Father was also pleased that m y form al studies would be resum ed; he m ade suitable arrangem ents. I was enrolled the following day at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta. Happy m onths sped by. My readers have doubtless m ade the perspicacious surm ise that I was little seen in the college classroom s. The Seram pore herm itage held a lure too irresistible. Master accepted m y ubiquitous presence without com m ent. To m y relief, he seldom referred to the halls of learning. Though it was plain to all that I was never cut out for a scholar, I m anaged to attain m inim um passing grades from tim e to tim e. Daily life at the ashram flowed sm oothly, infrequently varied. My guru awoke before dawn. Lying down, or som etim es sitting on the bed, he entered a state of sam adhi. 12 -4 It was sim plicity itself to discover when Master had awakened: abrupt halt of stupendous snores. 12 -5 A sigh or two; perhaps a bodily m ovem ent. Then a soundless state of breathlessness: he was in deep yogic joy. Breakfast did not follow; first cam e a long walk by the Ganges. Those m orning strolls with m y www.holybooks.com guru-how real and vivid still! In the easy resurrection of m em ory, I often find m yself by his side: the early sun is warm ing the river. His voice rings out, rich with the authenticity of wisdom . A bath; then the m idday m eal. Its preparation, according to Master's daily directions, had been the careful task of young disciples. My guru was a vegetarian. Before em bracing m onkhood, however, he had eaten eggs and fish. His advice to students was to follow any sim ple diet which proved suited to one's constitution. Master ate little; often rice, colored with turm eric or juice of beets or spinach and lightly sprinkled with buffalo ghee or m elted butter. Another day he m ight have lentil-dhal or channa 6 12 - curry with vegetables. For dessert, m angoes or oranges with rice pudding, or jackfruit juice. Visitors appeared in the afternoons. A steady stream poured from the world into the herm itage tranquillity. Everyone found in Master an equal courtesy and kindness. To a m an who has realized him self as a soul, not the body or the ego, the rest of hum anity assum es a striking sim ilarity of aspect. The im partiality of saints is rooted in wisdom . Masters have escaped m ay a; its alternating faces of intellect and idiocy no longer cast an influential glance. Sri Yukteswar showed no special consideration to those who happened to be powerful or accom plished; neither did he slight others for their poverty or illiteracy. He would listen respectfully to words of truth from a child, and openly ignore a conceited pundit. MY MASTER, SRI YUKTESWAR Disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya Eight o'clock was the supper hour, and som etim es found lingering guests. My guru would not excuse him self to eat alone; none left his ashram hungry or dissatisfied. Sri Yukteswar was never www.holybooks.com at a loss, never dism ayed by unexpected visitors; scanty food would em erge a banquet under his resourceful direction. Yet he was econom ical; his m odest funds went far. "Be com fortable within your purse," he often said. "Extravagance will buy you discom fort." Whether in the details of herm itage entertainm ent, or his building and repair work, or other practical concerns, Master m anifested the originality of a creative spirit. Quiet evening hours often brought one of m y guru's discourses, treasures against tim e. His every utterance was m easured and chiseled by wisdom . A sublim e self-assurance m arked his m ode of expression: it was unique. He spoke as none other in m y experience ever spoke. His thoughts were weighed in a delicate balance of discrim ination before he perm itted them an outward garb. The essence of truth, all-pervasive with even a physiological aspect, cam e from him like a fragrant exudation of the soul. I was conscious always that I was in the presence of a living m anifestation of God. The weight of his divinity autom atically bowed m y head before him . If late guests detected that Sri Yukteswar was becom ing engrossed with the Infinite, he quickly engaged them in conversation. He was incapable of striking a pose, or of flaunting his inner withdrawal. Always one with the Lord, he needed no separate tim e for com m union. A selfrealized m aster has already left behind the stepping stone of m editation. "The flower falls when the fruit appears." But saints often cling to spiritual form s for the encouragem ent of disciples. As m idnight approached, m y guru m ight fall into a doze with the naturalness of a child. There was no fuss about bedding. He often lay down, without even a pillow, on a narrow davenport which was the background for his custom ary tiger-skin seat. A night-long philosophical discussion was not rare; any disciple could sum m on it by intensity of interest. I felt no tiredness then, no desire for sleep; Master's living words were sufficient. "Oh, it is dawn! Let us walk by the Ganges." So ended m any of m y periods of nocturnal edification. My early m onths with Sri Yukteswar culm inated in a useful lesson-"How to Outwit a Mosquito." At hom e m y fam ily always used protective curtains at night. I was dism ayed to discover that in the Seram pore herm itage this prudent custom was honored in the breach. Yet the insects were in full residency; I was bitten from head to foot. My guru took pity on m e. "Buy yourself a curtain, and also one for m e." He laughed and added, "If you buy only one, for yourself, all m osquitoes will concentrate on m e!" I was m ore than thankful to com ply. Every night that I spent in Seram pore, m y guru would ask m e to arrange the bedtim e curtains. The m osquitoes one evening were especially virulent. But Master failed to issue his usual instructions. I listened nervously to the anticipatory hum of the insects. Getting into bed, I threw a propitiatory prayer in their general direction. A half hour later, I coughed pretentiously to attract m y guru's attention. I thought I would go m ad with the bites and especially the singing drone as the m osquitoes celebrated bloodthirsty rites. www.holybooks.com No responsive stir from Master; I approached him cautiously. He was not breathing. This was m y first observation of him in the yogic trance; it filled m e with fright. "His heart m ust have failed!" I placed a m irror under his nose; no breath-vapor appeared. To m ake doubly certain, for m inutes I closed his m outh and nostrils with m y fingers. His body was cold and m otionless. In a daze, I turned toward the door to sum m on help. "So! A budding experim entalist! My poor nose!" Master's voice was shaky with laughter. "Why don't you go to bed? Is the whole world going to change for you? Change yourself: be rid of the m osquito consciousness." Meekly I returned to m y bed. Not one insect ventured near. I realized that m y guru had previously agreed to the curtains only to please m e; he had no fear of m osquitoes. His yogic power was such that he either could will them not to bite, or could escape to an inner invulnerability. "He was giving m e a dem onstration," I thought. "That is the yogic state I m ust strive to attain." A yogi m ust be able to pass into, and continue in, the superconsciousness, regardless of m ultitudinous distractions never absent from this earth. Whether in the buzz of insects or the pervasive glare of daylight, the testim ony of the senses m ust be barred. Sound and sight com e then indeed, but to worlds fairer than the banished Eden. 12 -7 The instructive m osquitoes served for another early lesson at the ashram . It was the gentle hour of dusk. My guru was m atchlessly interpreting the ancient texts. At his feet, I was in perfect peace. A rude m osquito entered the idyl and com peted for m y attention. As it dug a poisonous hypoderm ic needle into m y thigh, I autom atically raised an avenging hand. Reprieve from im pending execution! An opportune m em ory cam e to m e of one of Patanjali's yoga aphorism sthat on ahim sa (harm lessness). "Why didn't you finish the job?" "Master! Do you advocate taking life?" "No; but the deathblow already had been struck in your m ind." "I don't understand." "Patanjali's m eaning was the rem oval of desire to kill." Sri Yukteswar had found m y m ental processes an open book. "This world is inconveniently arranged for a literal practice of ahim sa. Man m ay be com pelled to exterm inate harm ful creatures. He is not under sim ilar com pulsion to feel anger or anim osity. All form s of life have equal right to the air of m ay a. The saint who uncovers the secret of creation will be in harm ony with its countless bewildering expressions. All m en m ay approach that understanding who curb the inner passion for destruction." "Guruji, should one offer him self a sacrifice rather than kill a wild beast?" www.holybooks.com "No; m an's body is precious. It has the highest evolutionary value because of unique brain and spinal centers. These enable the advanced devotee to fully grasp and express the loftiest aspects of divinity. No lower form is so equipped. It is true that one incurs the debt of a m inor sin if he is forced to kill an anim al or any living thing. But the Vedas teach that wanton loss of a hum an body is a serious transgression against the karm ic law." I sighed in relief; scriptural reinforcem ent of one's natural instincts is not always forthcom ing. It so happened that I never saw Master at close quarters with a leopard or a tiger. But a deadly cobra once confronted him , only to be conquered by m y guru's love. This variety of snake is m uch feared in India, where it causes m ore than five thousand deaths annually. The dangerous encounter took place at Puri, where Sri Yukteswar had a second herm itage, charm ingly situated near the Bay of Bengal. Prafulla, a young disciple of later years, was with Master on this occasion. "We were seated outdoors near the ashram ," Prafulla told m e. "A cobra appeared near-by, a fourfoot length of sheer terror. Its hood was angrily expanded as it raced toward us. My guru gave a welcom ing chuckle, as though to a child. I was beside m yself with consternation to see Master engage in a rhythm ical clapping of hands. 12 -8 He was entertaining the dread visitor! I rem ained absolutely quiet, inwardly ejaculating what fervent prayers I could m uster. The serpent, very close to m y guru, was now m otionless, seem ingly m agnetized by his caressing attitude. The frightful hood gradually contracted; the snake slithered between Master's feet and disappeared into the bushes. "Why m y guru would m ove his hands, and why the cobra would not strike them , were inexplicable to m e then," Prafulla concluded. "I have since com e to realize that m y divine m aster is beyond fear of hurt from any living creature." One afternoon during m y early m onths at the ashram , found Sri Yukteswar's eyes fixed on m e piercingly. "You are too thin, Mukunda." His rem ark struck a sensitive point. That m y sunken eyes and em aciated appearance were far from m y liking was testified to by rows of tonics in m y room at Calcutta. Nothing availed; chronic dyspepsia had pursued m e since childhood. My despair reached an occasional zenith when I asked m yself if it were worth-while to carry on this life with a body so unsound. "Medicines have lim itations; the creative life-force has none. Believe that: you shall be well and strong." Sri Yukteswar's words aroused a conviction of personally-applicable truth which no other healerand I had tried m any!-had been able to sum m on within m e. Day by day, behold! I waxed. Two weeks after Master's hidden blessing, I had accum ulated the invigorating weight which eluded m e in the past. My persistent stom ach ailm ents vanished with a www.holybooks.com lifelong perm anency. On later occasions I witnessed m y guru's instantaneous divine healings of persons suffering from om inous disease-tuberculosis, diabetes, epilepsy, or paralysis. Not one could have been m ore grateful for his cure than I was at sudden freedom from m y cadaverous aspect. "Years ago, I too was anxious to put on weight," Sri Yukteswar told m e. "During convalescence after a severe illness, I visited Lahiri Mahasaya in Benares. "'Sir, I have been very sick and lost m any pounds.' "'I see, Yukteswar, 12 -9 you m ade yourself unwell, and now you think you are thin.' "This reply was far from the one I had expected; m y guru, however, added encouragingly: "'Let m e see; I am sure you ought to feel better tom orrow.' "Taking his words as a gesture of secret healing toward m y receptive m ind, I was not surprised the next m orning at a welcom e accession of strength. I sought out m y m aster and exclaim ed exultingly, 'Sir, I feel m uch better today.' "'Indeed! Today you invigorate yourself.' "'No, m aster!' I protested. 'It was you who helped m e; this is the first tim e in weeks that I have had any energy.' "'O yes! Your m alady has been quite serious. Your body is frail yet; who can say how it will be tom orrow?' "The thought of possible return of m y weakness brought m e a shudder of cold fear. The following m orning I could hardly drag m yself to Lahiri Mahasaya's hom e. "'Sir, I am ailing again.' "My guru's glance was quizzical. 'So! Once m ore you indispose yourself.' "'Gurudeva, I realize now that day by day you have been ridiculing m e.' My patience was exhausted. 'I don't understand why you disbelieve m y truthful reports.' "'Really, it has been your thoughts that have m ade you feel alternately weak and strong.' My m aster looked at m e affectionately. 'You have seen how your health has exactly followed your expectations. Thought is a force, even as electricity or gravitation. The hum an m ind is a spark of the alm ighty consciousness of God. I could show you that whatever your powerful m ind believes very intensely would instantly com e to pass.' "Knowing that Lahiri Mahasaya never spoke idly, I addressed him with great awe and gratitude: www.holybooks.com 'Master, if I think I am well and have regained m y form er weight, shall that happen?' "'It is so, even at this m om ent.' My guru spoke gravely, his gaze concentrated on m y eyes. "Lo! I felt an increase not alone of strength but of weight. Lahiri Mahasaya retreated into silence. After a few hours at his feet, I returned to m y m other's hom e, where I stayed during m y visits to Benares. "'My son! What is the m atter? Are you swelling with dropsy?' Mother could hardly believe her eyes. My body was now of the sam e robust dim ensions it had possessed before m y illness. "I weighed m yself and found that in one day I had gained fifty pounds; they rem ained with m e perm anently. Friends and acquaintances who had seen m y thin figure were aghast with wonderm ent. A num ber of them changed their m ode of life and becam e disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya as a result of this m iracle. "My guru, awake in God, knew this world to be nothing but an objectivized dream of the Creator. Because he was com pletely aware of his unity with the Divine Dream er, Lahiri Mahasaya could m aterialize or dem aterialize or m ake any change he wished in the cosm ic vision. 12 -10 "All creation is governed by law," Sri Yukteswar concluded. "The ones which m anifest in the outer universe, discoverable by scientists, are called natural laws. But there are subtler laws ruling the realm s of consciousness which can be known only through the inner science of yoga. The hidden spiritual planes also have their natural and lawful principles of operation. It is not the physical scientist but the fully self-realized m aster who com prehends the true nature of m atter. Thus Christ was able to restore the servant's ear after it had been severed by one of the disciples." 12 -11 Sri Yukteswar was a peerless interpreter of the scriptures. Many of m y happiest m em ories are centered in his discourses. But his jeweled thoughts were not cast into ashes of heedlessness or stupidity. One restless m ovem ent of m y body, or m y slight lapse into absent- m indedness, sufficed to put an abrupt period to Master's exposition. "You are not here." Master interrupted him self one afternoon with this disclosure. As usual, he was keeping track of m y attention with a devastating im m ediacy. "Guruji!" My tone was a protest. "I have not stirred; m y eyelids have not m oved; I can repeat each word you have uttered!" "Nevertheless you were not fully with m e. Your objection forces m e to rem ark that in your m ental background you were creating three institutions. One was a sylvan retreat on a plain, another on a hilltop, a third by the ocean." Those vaguely form ulated thoughts had indeed been present alm ost subconsciously. I glanced at him apologetically. www.holybooks.com "What can I do with such a m aster, who penetrates m y random m usings?" Main building at the Mount Washington Estates in Los Angeles, established in 1925 as American headquarters for the Self- Realization Fellowship. Self-Realization Church of All Religions, Hollywood, California. "You have given m e that right. The subtle truths I am expounding cannot be grasped without your com plete concentration. Unless necessary I do not invade the seclusion of others' m inds. Man has the natural privilege of roam ing secretly am ong his thoughts. The unbidden Lord does not enter there; neither do I venture intrusion." "You are ever welcom e, Master!" "Your architectural dream s will m aterialize later. Now is the tim e for study!" Thus incidentally m y guru revealed in his sim ple way the com ing of three great events in m y life. Since early youth I had had enigm atic glim pses of three buildings, each in a different setting. In the exact sequence Sri Yukteswar had indicated, these visions took ultim ate form . First cam e m y founding of a boys' yoga school on a Ranchi plain, then m y Am erican headquarters on a Los www.holybooks.com Angeles hilltop, finally a herm itage in southern California by the vast Pacific. Master never arrogantly asserted: "I prophesy that such and such an event shall occur!" He would rather hint: "Don't you think it m ay happen?" But his sim ple speech hid vatic power. There was no recanting; never did his slightly veiled words prove false. Sri Yukteswar was reserved and m atter-of-fact in dem eanor. There was naught of the vague or daft visionary about him . His feet were firm on the earth, his head in the haven of heaven. Practical people aroused his adm iration. "Saintliness is not dum bness! Divine perceptions are not incapacitating!" he would say. "The active expression of virtue gives rise to the keenest intelligence." In Master's life I fully discovered the cleavage between spiritual realism and the obscure m ysticism that spuriously passes as a counterpart. My guru was reluctant to discuss the superphysical realm s. His only "m arvelous" aura was one of perfect sim plicity. In conversation he avoided startling references; in action he was freely expressive. Others talked of m iracles but could m anifest nothing; Sri Yukteswar seldom m entioned the subtle laws but secretly operated them at will. "A m an of realization does not perform any m iracle until he receives an inward sanction," Master explained. "God does not wish the secrets of His creation revealed prom iscuously. 12 -12 Also, every individual in the world has inalienable right to his free will. A saint will not encroach upon that independence." The silence habitual to Sri Yukteswar was caused by his deep perceptions of the Infinite. No tim e rem ained for the interm inable "revelations" that occupy the days of teachers without selfrealization. "In shallow m en the fish of little thoughts cause m uch com m otion. In oceanic m inds the whales of inspiration m ake hardly a ruffle." This observation from the Hindu scriptures is not without discerning hum or. Because of m y guru's unspectacular guise, only a few of his contem poraries recognized him as a superm an. The popular adage: "He is a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom ," could never be applied to Sri Yukteswar. Though born a m ortal like all others, Master had achieved identity with the Ruler of tim e and space. In his life I perceived a godlike unity. He had not found any insuperable obstacle to m ergence of hum an with Divine. No such barrier exists, I cam e to understand, save in m an's spiritual unadventurousness. I always thrilled at the touch of Sri Yukteswar's holy feet. Yogis teach that a disciple is spiritually m agnetized by reverent contact with a m aster; a subtle current is generated. The devotee's undesirable habit-m echanism s in the brain are often cauterized; the groove of his worldly tendencies beneficially disturbed. Mom entarily at least he m ay find the secret veils of m ay a lifting, and glim pse the reality of bliss. My whole body responded with a liberating glow whenever I knelt in the Indian fashion before m y guru. "Even when Lahiri Mahasaya was silent," Master told m e, "or when he conversed on other than www.holybooks.com strictly religious topics, I discovered that nonetheless he had transm itted to m e ineffable knowledge." Sri Yukteswar affected m e sim ilarly. If I entered the herm itage in a worried or indifferent fram e of m ind, m y attitude im perceptibly changed. A healing calm descended at m ere sight of m y guru. Every day with him was a new experience in joy, peace, and wisdom . Never did I find him deluded or intoxicated with greed or em otion or anger or any hum an attachm ent. "The darkness of m ay a is silently approaching. Let us hie hom eward within." With these words at dusk Master constantly rem inded his disciples of their need for Kriy a Yoga. A new student occasionally expressed doubts regarding his own worthiness to engage in yoga practice. "Forget the past," Sri Yukteswar would console him . "The vanished lives of all m en are dark with m any sham es. Hum an conduct is ever unreliable until anchored in the Divine. Everything in future will im prove if you are m aking a spiritual effort now." Master always had young chelas 12 -13 in his herm itage. Their spiritual and intellectual education was his lifelong interest: even shortly before he passed on, he accepted for training two six-yearold boys and one youth of sixteen. He directed their m inds and lives with that careful discipline in which the word "disciple" is etym ologically rooted. The ashram residents loved and revered their guru; a slight clap of his hands sufficed to bring them eagerly to his side. When his m ood was silent and withdrawn, no one ventured to speak; when his laugh rang jovially, children looked upon him as their own. Master seldom asked others to render him a personal service, nor would he accept help from a student unless the willingness were sincere. My guru quietly washed his clothes if the disciples overlooked that privileged task. Sri Yukteswar wore the traditional ocher-colored swam i robe; his laceless shoes, in accordance with yogi custom , were of tiger or deer skin. Master spoke fluent English, French, Hindi, and Bengali; his Sanskrit was fair. He patiently instructed his young disciples by certain short cuts which he had ingeniously devised for the study of English and Sanskrit. Master was cautious of his body, while withholding solicitous attachm ent. The Infinite, he pointed out, properly m anifests through physical and m ental soundness. He discountenanced any extrem es. A disciple once started a long fast. My guru only laughed: "Why not throw the dog a bone?" Sri Yukteswar's health was excellent; I never saw him unwell. 12 -14 He perm itted students to consult doctors if it seem ed advisable. His purpose was to give respect to the worldly custom : "Physicians m ust carry on their work of healing through God's laws as applied to m atter." But he extolled the superiority of m ental therapy, and often repeated: "Wisdom is the greatest cleanser." "The body is a treacherous friend. Give it its due; no m ore," he said. "Pain and pleasure are transitory; endure all dualities with calm ness, while trying at the sam e tim e to rem ove their hold. www.holybooks.com Im agination is the door through which disease as well as healing enters. Disbelieve in the reality of sickness even when you are ill; an unrecognized visitor will flee!" Master num bered m any doctors am ong his disciples. "Those who have ferreted out the physical laws can easily investigate the science of the soul," he told them . "A subtle spiritual m echanism is hidden just behind the bodily structure." 12 -15 Sri Yukteswar counseled his students to be living liaisons of Western and Eastern virtues. Him self an executive Occidental in outer habits, inwardly he was the spiritual Oriental. He praised the progressive, resourceful and hygienic habits of the West, and the religious ideals which give a centuried halo to the East. Discipline had not been unknown to m e: at hom e Father was strict, Ananta often severe. But Sri Yukteswar's training cannot be described as other than drastic. A perfectionist, m y guru was hypercritical of his disciples, whether in m atters of m om ent or in the subtle nuances of behavior. "Good m anners without sincerity are like a beautiful dead lady," he rem arked on suitable occasion. "Straightforwardness without civility is like a surgeon's knife, effective but unpleasant. Candor with courtesy is helpful and adm irable." Master was apparently satisfied with m y spiritual progress, for he seldom referred to it; in other m atters m y ears were no strangers to reproof. My chief offenses were absentm indedness, interm ittent indulgence in sad m oods, non-observance of certain rules of etiquette, and occasional unm ethodical ways. "Observe how the activities of your father Bhagabati are well- organized and balanced in every way," m y guru pointed out. The two disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya had m et, soon after I began m y pilgrim ages to Seram pore. Father and Sri Yukteswar adm iringly evaluated the other's worth. Both had built an inner life of spiritual granite, insoluble against the ages. From transient teachers of m y earlier life I had im bibed a few erroneous lessons. A chela, I was told, need not concern him self strenuously over worldly duties; when I had neglected or carelessly perform ed m y tasks, I was not chastised. Hum an nature finds such instruction very easy of assim ilation. Under Master's unsparing rod, however, I soon recovered from the agreeable delusions of irresponsibility. "Those who are too good for this world are adorning som e other," Sri Yukteswar rem arked. "So long as you breathe the free air of earth, you are under obligation to render grateful service. He alone who has fully m astered the breathless state 12 -16 is freed from cosm ic im peratives. I will not fail to let you know when you have attained the final perfection." My guru could never be bribed, even by love. He showed no leniency to anyone who, like m yself, willingly offered to be his disciple. Whether Master and I were surrounded by his students or by strangers, or were alone together, he always spoke plainly and upbraided sharply. No trifling lapse into shallowness or inconsistency escaped his rebuke. This flattening treatm ent was hard to www.holybooks.com endure, but m y resolve was to allow Sri Yukteswar to iron out each of m y psychological kinks. As he labored at this titanic transform ation, I shook m any tim es under the weight of his disciplinary ham m er. "If you don't like m y words, you are at liberty to leave at any tim e," Master assured m e. "I want nothing from you but your own im provem ent. Stay only if you feel benefited." For every hum bling blow he dealt m y vanity, for every tooth in m y m etaphorical jaw he knocked loose with stunning aim , I am grateful beyond any facility of expression. The hard core of hum an egotism is hardly to be dislodged except rudely. With its departure, the Divine finds at last an unobstructed channel. In vain It seeks to percolate through flinty hearts of selfishness. Sri Yukteswar's wisdom was so penetrating that, heedless of rem arks, he often replied to one's unspoken observation. "What a person im agines he hears, and what the speaker has really im plied, m ay be poles apart," he said. "Try to feel the thoughts behind the confusion of m en's verbiage." But divine insight is painful to worldly ears; Master was not popular with superficial students. The wise, always few in num ber, deeply revered him . I daresay Sri Yukteswar would have been the m ost sought- after guru in India had his words not been so candid and so censorious. "I am hard on those who com e for m y training," he adm itted to m e. "That is m y way; take it or leave it. I will never com prom ise. But you will be m uch kinder to your disciples; that is your way. I try to purify only in the fires of severity, searing beyond the average toleration. The gentle approach of love is also transfiguring. The inflexible and the yielding m ethods are equally effective if applied with wisdom . You will go to foreign lands, where blunt assaults on the ego are not appreciated. A teacher could not spread India's m essage in the West without an am ple fund of accom m odative patience and forbearance." I refuse to state the am ount of truth I later cam e to find in Master's words! Though Sri Yukteswar's undissem bling speech prevented a large following during his years on earth, nevertheless his living spirit m anifests today over the world, through sincere students of his Kriy a Yoga and other teachings. He has further dom inion in m en's souls than ever Alexander dream ed of in the soil. Father arrived one day to pay his respects to Sri Yukteswar. My parent expected, very likely, to hear som e words in m y praise. He was shocked to be given a long account of m y im perfections. It was Master's practice to recount sim ple, negligible shortcom ings with an air of portentous gravity. Father rushed to see m e. "From your guru's rem arks I thought to find you a com plete wreck!" My parent was between tears and laughter. The only cause of Sri Yukteswar's displeasure at the tim e was that I had been trying, against his gentle hint, to convert a certain m an to the spiritual path. With indignant speed I sought out m y guru. He received m e with downcast eyes, as though www.holybooks.com conscious of guilt. It was the only tim e I ever saw the divine lion m eek before m e. The unique m om ent was savored to the full. "Sir, why did you judge m e so m ercilessly before m y astounded father? Was that just?" "I will not do it again." Master's tone was apologetic. Instantly I was disarm ed. How readily the great m an adm itted his fault! Though he never again upset Father's peace of m ind, Master relentlessly continued to dissect m e whenever and wherever he chose. New disciples often joined Sri Yukteswar in exhaustive criticism of others. Wise like the guru! Models of flawless discrim ination! But he who takes the offensive m ust not be defenseless. The sam e carping students fled precipitantly as soon as Master publicly unloosed in their direction a few shafts from his analytical quiver. "Tender inner weaknesses, revolting at m ild touches of censure, are like diseased parts of the body, recoiling before even delicate handling." This was Sri Yukteswar's am used com m ent on the flighty ones. There are disciples who seek a guru m ade in their own im age. Such students often com plained that they did not understand Sri Yukteswar. "Neither do you com prehend God!" I retorted on one occasion. "When a saint is clear to you, you will be one." Am ong the trillion m ysteries, breathing every second the inexplicable air, who m ay venture to ask that the fathom less nature of a m aster be instantly grasped? Students cam e, and generally went. Those who craved a path of oily sym pathy and com fortable recognitions did not find it at the herm itage. Master offered shelter and shepherding for the aeons, but m any disciples m iserly dem anded ego-balm as well. They departed, preferring life's countless hum iliations before any hum ility. Master's blazing rays, the open penetrating sunshine of his wisdom , were too powerful for their spiritual sickness. They sought som e lesser teacher who, shading them with flattery, perm itted the fitful sleep of ignorance. During m y early m onths with Master, I had experienced a sensitive fear of his reprim ands. These were reserved, I soon saw, for disciples who had asked for his verbal vivisection. If any writhing student m ade a protest, Sri Yukteswar would becom e unoffendedly silent. His words were never wrathful, but im personal with wisdom . Master's insight was not for the unprepared ears of casual visitors; he seldom rem arked on their defects, even if conspicuous. But toward students who sought his counsel, Sri Yukteswar felt a serious responsibility. Brave indeed is the guru who undertakes to transform the crude ore of egoperm eated hum anity! A saint's courage roots in his com passion for the stum bling eyeless of this world. www.holybooks.com When I had abandoned underlying resentm ent, I found a m arked decrease in m y chastisem ent. In a very subtle way, Master m elted into com parative clem ency. In tim e I dem olished every wall of rationalization and subconscious reservation behind which the hum an personality generally shields itself. 12 -17 The reward was an effortless harm ony with m y guru. I discovered him then to be trusting, considerate, and silently loving. Undem onstrative, however, he bestowed no word of affection. My own tem peram ent is principally devotional. It was disconcerting at first to find that m y guru, saturated with jnana but seem ingly dry of bhakti, 12 -18 expressed him self only in term s of cold spiritual m athem atics. But as I tuned m yself to his nature, I discovered no dim inution but rather increase in m y devotional approach to God. A self-realized m aster is fully able to guide his various disciples along natural lines of their essential bias. My relationship with Sri Yukteswar, som ewhat inarticulate, nonetheless possessed all eloquence. Often I found his silent signature on m y thoughts, rendering speech inutile. Quietly sitting beside him , I felt his bounty pouring peacefully over m y being. Sri Yukteswar's im partial justice was notably dem onstrated during the sum m er vacation of m y first college year. I welcom ed the opportunity to spend uninterrupted m onths at Seram pore with m y guru. "You m ay be in charge of the herm itage." Master was pleased over m y enthusiastic arrival. "Your duties will be the reception of guests, and supervision of the work of the other disciples." Kum ar, a young villager from east Bengal, was accepted a fortnight later for herm itage training. Rem arkably intelligent, he quickly won Sri Yukteswar's affection. For som e unfathom able reason, Master was very lenient to the new resident. "Mukunda, let Kum ar assum e your duties. Em ploy your own tim e in sweeping and cooking." Master issued these instructions after the new boy had been with us for a m onth. Exalted to leadership, Kum ar exercised a petty household tyranny. In silent m utiny, the other disciples continued to seek m e out for daily counsel. "Mukunda is im possible! You m ade m e supervisor, yet the others go to him and obey him ." Three weeks later Kum ar was com plaining to our guru. I overheard him from an adjoining room . "That's why I assigned him to the kitchen and you to the parlor." Sri Yukteswar's withering tones were new to Kum ar. "In this way you have com e to realize that a worthy leader has the desire to serve, and not to dom inate. You wanted Mukunda's position, but could not m aintain it by m erit. Return now to your earlier work as cook's assistant." After this hum bling incident, Master resum ed toward Kum ar a form er attitude of unwonted indulgence. Who can solve the m ystery of attraction? In Kum ar our guru discovered a charm ing fount which did not spurt for the fellow disciples. Though the new boy was obviously Sri www.holybooks.com Yukteswar's favorite, I felt no dism ay. Personal idiosyncrasies, possessed even by m asters, lend a rich com plexity to the pattern of life. My nature is seldom com m andeered by a detail; I was seeking from Sri Yukteswar a m ore inaccessible benefit than an outward praise. Kum ar spoke venom ously to m e one day without reason; I was deeply hurt. "Your head is swelling to the bursting point!" I added a warning whose truth I felt intuitively: "Unless you m end your ways, som eday you will be asked to leave this ashram ." Laughing sarcastically, Kum ar repeated m y rem ark to our guru, who had just entered the room . Fully expecting to be scolded, I retired m eekly to a corner. "Maybe Mukunda is right." Master's reply to the boy cam e with unusual coldness. I escaped without castigation. A year later, Kum ar set out for a visit to his childhood hom e. He ignored the quiet disapproval of Sri Yukteswar, who never authoritatively controlled his disciples' m ovem ents. On the boy's return to Seram pore in a few m onths, a change was unpleasantly apparent. Gone was the stately Kum ar with serenely glowing face. Only an undistinguished peasant stood before us, one who had lately acquired a num ber of evil habits. Master sum m oned m e and brokenheartedly discussed the fact that the boy was now unsuited to the m onastic herm itage life. "Mukunda, I will leave it to you to instruct Kum ar to leave the ashram tom orrow; I can't do it!" Tears stood in Sri Yukteswar's eyes, but he controlled him self quickly. "The boy would never have fallen to these depths had he listened to m e and not gone away to m ix with undesirable com panions. He has rejected m y protection; the callous world m ust be his guru still." Kum ar's departure brought m e no elation; sadly I wondered how one with power to win a m aster's love could ever respond to cheaper allures. Enjoym ent of wine and sex are rooted in the natural m an, and require no delicacies of perception for their appreciation. Sense wiles are com parable to the evergreen oleander, fragrant with its m ulticolored flowers: every part of the plant is poisonous. The land of healing lies within, radiant with that happiness blindly sought in a thousand m isdirections. 12 -19 "Keen intelligence is two-edged," Master once rem arked in reference to Kum ar's brilliant m ind. "It m ay be used constructively or destructively like a knife, either to cut the boil of ignorance, or to decapitate one's self. Intelligence is rightly guided only after the m ind has acknowledged the inescapability of spiritual law." My guru m ixed freely with m en and wom en disciples, treating all as his children. Perceiving their soul equality, he showed no distinction or partiality. "In sleep, you do not know whether you are a m an or a wom an," he said. "J ust as a m an, www.holybooks.com im personating a wom an, does not becom e one, so the soul, im personating both m an and wom an, has no sex. The soul is the pure, changeless im age of God." Sri Yukteswar never avoided or blam ed wom en as objects of seduction. Men, he said, were also a tem ptation to wom en. I once inquired of m y guru why a great ancient saint had called wom en "the door to hell." "A girl m ust have proved very troublesom e to his peace of m ind in his early life," m y guru answered causticly. "Otherwise he would have denounced, not wom an, but som e im perfection in his own self-control." If a visitor dared to relate a suggestive story in the herm itage, Master would m aintain an unresponsive silence. "Do not allow yourself to be thrashed by the provoking whip of a beautiful face," he told the disciples. "How can sense slaves enjoy the world? Its subtle flavors escape them while they grovel in prim al m ud. All nice discrim inations are lost to the m an of elem ental lusts." Students seeking to escape from the dualistic m ay a delusion received from Sri Yukteswar patient and understanding counsel. "J ust as the purpose of eating is to satisfy hunger, not greed, so the sex instinct is designed for the propagation of the species according to natural law, never for the kindling of insatiable longings," he said. "Destroy wrong desires now; otherwise they will follow you after the astral body is torn from its physical casing. Even when the flesh is weak, the m ind should be constantly resistant. If tem ptation assails you with cruel force, overcom e it by im personal analysis and indom itable will. Every natural passion can be m astered. "Conserve your powers. Be like the capacious ocean, absorbing within all the tributary rivers of the senses. Sm all yearnings are openings in the reservoir of your inner peace, perm itting healing waters to be wasted in the desert soil of m aterialism . The forceful activating im pulse of wrong desire is the greatest enem y to the happiness of m an. Roam in the world as a lion of self-control; see that the frogs of weakness don't kick you around." The devotee is finally freed from all instinctive com pulsions. He transform s his need for hum an affection into aspiration for God alone, a love solitary because om nipresent. Sri Yukteswar's m other lived in the Rana Mahal district of Benares where I had first visited m y guru. Gracious and kindly, she was yet a wom an of very decided opinions. I stood on her balcony one day and watched m other and son talking together. In his quiet, sensible way, Master was trying to convince her about som ething. He was apparently unsuccessful, for she shook her head with great vigor. "Nay, nay, m y son, go away now! Your wise words are not for m e! I am not your disciple!" Sri Yukteswar backed away without further argum ent, like a scolded child. I was touched at his great respect for his m other even in her unreasonable m oods. She saw him only as her little boy, www.holybooks.com not as a sage. There was a charm about the trifling incident; it supplied a sidelight on m y guru's unusual nature, inwardly hum ble and outwardly unbendable. The m onastic regulations do not allow a swam i to retain connection with worldly ties after their form al severance. He cannot perform the cerem onial fam ily rites which are obligatory on the householder. Yet Shankara, the ancient founder of the Swam i Order, disregarded the injunctions. At the death of his beloved m other, he crem ated her body with heavenly fire which he caused to spurt from his upraised hand. Sri Yukteswar also ignored the restrictions, in a fashion less spectacular. When his m other passed on, he arranged the crem atory services by the holy Ganges in Benares, and fed m any Brahm ins in conform ance with age-old custom . The shastric prohibitions were intended to help swam is overcom e narrow identifications. Shankara and Sri Yukteswar had wholly m erged their beings in the Im personal Spirit; they needed no rescue by rule. Som etim es, too, a m aster purposely ignores a canon in order to uphold its principle as superior to and independent of form . Thus J esus plucked ears of corn on the day of rest. To the inevitable critics he said: "The sabbath was m ade for m an, and not m an for the sabbath." 12 -2 0 Outside of the scriptures, seldom was a book honored by Sri Yukteswar's perusal. Yet he was invariably acquainted with the latest scientific discoveries and other advancem ents of knowledge. A brilliant conversationalist, he enjoyed an exchange of views on countless topics with his guests. My guru's ready wit and rollicking laugh enlivened every discussion. Often grave, Master was never gloom y. "To seek the Lord, one need not disfigure his face," he would rem ark. "Rem em ber that finding God will m ean the funeral of all sorrows." Am ong the philosophers, professors, lawyers and scientists who cam e to the herm itage, a num ber arrived for their first visit with the expectation of m eeting an orthodox religionist. A supercilious sm ile or a glance of am used tolerance occasionally betrayed that the newcom ers anticipated nothing m ore than a few pious platitudes. Yet their reluctant departure would bring an expressed conviction that Sri Yukteswar had shown precise insight into their specialized fields. My guru ordinarily was gentle and affable to guests; his welcom e was given with charm ing cordiality. Yet inveterate egotists som etim es suffered an invigorating shock. They confronted in Master either a frigid indifference or a form idable opposition: ice or iron! A noted chem ist once crossed swords with Sri Yukteswar. The visitor would not adm it the existence of God, inasm uch as science has devised no m eans of detecting Him . "So you have inexplicably failed to isolate the Suprem e Power in your test tubes!" Master's gaze was stern. "I recom m end an unheard-of experim ent. Exam ine your thoughts unrem ittingly for twenty-four hours. Then wonder no longer at God's absence." A celebrated pundit received a sim ilar jolt. With ostentatious zeal, the scholar shook the ashram www.holybooks.com rafters with scriptural lore. Resounding passages poured from the Mahabharata, the Upanishads, 12 -2 1 the Bhasy as 12 -2 2 of Shankara. "I am waiting to hear you." Sri Yukteswar's tone was inquiring, as though utter silence had reigned. The pundit was puzzled. "Quotations there have been, in superabundance." Master's words convulsed m e with m irth, as I squatted in m y corner, at a respectful distance from the visitor. "But what original com m entary can you supply, from the uniqueness of your particular life? What holy text have you absorbed and m ade your own? In what ways have these tim eless truths renovated your nature? Are you content to be a hollow victrola, m echanically repeating the words of other m en?" "I give up!" The scholar's chagrin was com ical. "I have no inner realization." For the first tim e, perhaps, he understood that discerning placem ent of the com m a does not atone for a spiritual com a. "These bloodless pedants sm ell unduly of the lam p," m y guru rem arked after the departure of the chastened one. "They prefer philosophy to be a gentle intellectual setting-up exercise. Their elevated thoughts are carefully unrelated either to the crudity of outward action or to any scourging inner discipline!" Master stressed on other occasions the futility of m ere book learning. "Do not confuse understanding with a larger vocabulary," he rem arked. "Sacred writings are beneficial in stim ulating desire for inward realization, if one stanza at a tim e is slowly assim ilated. Continual intellectual study results in vanity and the false satisfaction of an undigested knowledge." Sri Yukteswar related one of his own experiences in scriptural edification. The scene was a forest herm itage in eastern Bengal, where he observed the procedure of a renowned teacher, Dabru Ballav. His m ethod, at once sim ple and difficult, was com m on in ancient India. Dabru Ballav had gathered his disciples around him in the sylvan solitudes. The holy Bhagavad Gita was open before them . Steadfastly they looked at one passage for half an hour, then closed their eyes. Another half hour slipped away. The m aster gave a brief com m ent. Motionless, they m editated again for an hour. Finally the guru spoke. "Have you understood?" "Yes, sir." One in the group ventured this assertion. "No; not fully. Seek the spiritual vitality that has given these words the power to rejuvenate India century after century." Another hour disappeared in silence. The m aster dism issed the students, and turned to Sri Yukteswar. www.holybooks.com "Do you know the Bhagavad Gita?" "No, sir, not really; though m y eyes and m ind have run through its pages m any tim es." "Thousands have replied to m e differently!" The great sage sm iled at Master in blessing. "If one busies him self with an outer display of scriptural wealth, what tim e is left for silent inward diving after the priceless pearls?" Sri Yukteswar directed the study of his own disciples by the sam e intensive m ethod of onepointedness. "Wisdom is not assim ilated with the eyes, but with the atom s," he said. "When your conviction of a truth is not m erely in your brain but in your being, you m ay diffidently vouch for its m eaning." He discouraged any tendency a student m ight have to construe book-knowledge as a necessary step to spiritual realization. "The rishis wrote in one sentence profundities that com m entating scholars busy them selves over for generations," he rem arked. "Endless literary controversy is for sluggard m inds. What m ore liberating thought than 'God is'-nay, 'God'?" But m an does not easily return to sim plicity. It is seldom "God" for him , but rather learned pom posities. His ego is pleased, that he can grasp such erudition. Men who were pridefully conscious of high worldly position were likely, in Master's presence, to add hum ility to their other possessions. A local m agistrate once arrived for an interview at the seaside herm itage in Puri. The m an, who held a reputation for ruthlessness, had it well within his power to oust us from the ashram . I cautioned m y guru about the despotic possibilities. But he seated him self with an uncom prom ising air, and did not rise to greet the visitor. Slightly nervous, I squatted near the door. The m an had to content him self with a wooden box; m y guru did not request m e to fetch a chair. There was no fulfillm ent of the m agistrate's obvious expectation that his im portance would be cerem oniously acknowledged. A m etaphysical discussion ensued. The guest blundered through m isinterpretations of the scriptures. As his accuracy sank, his ire rose. "Do you know that I stood first in the M. A. exam ination?" Reason had forsaken him , but he could still shout. "Mr. Magistrate, you forget that this is not your courtroom ," Master replied evenly. "From your childish rem arks I would have surm ised that your college career was unrem arkable. A university degree, in any case, is not rem otely related to Vedic realization. Saints are not produced in batches every sem ester like accountants." After a stunned silence, the visitor laughed heartily. "This is m y first encounter with a heavenly m agistrate," he said. Later he m ade a form al request, couched in the legal term s which were evidently part and parcel of his being, to be accepted as a www.holybooks.com "probationary" disciple. My guru personally attended to the details connected with the m anagem ent of his property. Unscrupulous persons on various occasions attem pted to secure possession of Master's ancestral land. With determ ination and even by instigating lawsuits, Sri Yukteswar outwitted every opponent. He underwent these painful experiences from a desire never to be a begging guru, or a burden on his disciples. His financial independence was one reason why m y alarm ingly outspoken Master was innocent of the cunnings of diplom acy. Unlike those teachers who have to flatter their supporters, m y guru was im pervious to the influences, open or subtle, of others' wealth. Never did I hear him ask or even hint for m oney for any purpose. His herm itage training was given free and freely to all disciples. An insolent court deputy arrived one day at the Seram pore ashram to serve Sri Yukteswar with a legal sum m ons. A disciple nam ed Kanai and m yself were also present. The officer's attitude toward Master was offensive. "It will do you good to leave the shadows of your herm itage and breathe the honest air of a courtroom ." The deputy grinned contem ptuously. I could not contain m yself. "Another word of your im pudence and you will be on the floor!" I advanced threateningly. "You wretch!" Kanai's shout was sim ultaneous with m y own. "Dare you bring your blasphem ies into this sacred ashram ?" But Master stood protectingly in front of his abuser. "Don't get excited over nothing. This m an is only doing his rightful duty." The officer, dazed at his varying reception, respectfully offered a word of apology and sped away. Am azing it was to find that a m aster with such a fiery will could be so calm within. He fitted the Vedic definition of a m an of God: "Softer than the flower, where kindness is concerned; stronger than the thunder, where principles are at stake." There are always those in this world who, in Browning's words, "endure no light, being them selves obscure." An outsider occasionally berated Sri Yukteswar for an im aginary grievance. My im perturbable guru listened politely, analyzing him self to see if any shred of truth lay within the denunciation. These scenes would bring to m y m ind one of Master's inim itable observations: "Som e people try to be tall by cutting off the heads of others!" The unfailing com posure of a saint is im pressive beyond any serm on. "He that is slow to anger is better than the m ighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." 12 -2 3 I often reflected that m y m ajestic Master could easily have been an em peror or world-shaking www.holybooks.com warrior had his m ind been centered on fam e or worldly achievem ent. He had chosen instead to storm those inner citadels of wrath and egotism whose fall is the height of a m an. 12- 1: " Worship of Durga." This is t he chief fest ival of t he Bengali year and last s for nine days around t he end of Sept em ber. I m m ediat ely following is t he t en- day fest ival of Dashahara ( " t he One who rem oves t en sins" - t hree of body, t hree of m ind, four of speech) . Bot h puj as are sacred t o Durga, lit erally " t he I naccessible," an aspect of Divine Mot her, Shakt i, t he fem ale creat ive force personified. 12- 2: Sri Yukt eswar was born on May 10, 1855. 12- 3: Yukt eswar m eans " unit ed t o God." Giri is a classificat ory dist inct ion of one of t he t en ancient Swam i branches. Sri m eans " holy" ; it is not a nam e but a t it le of respect . 12- 4: Lit erally, " t o direct t oget her." Sam adhi is a superconscious st at e of ecst asy in which t he yogi perceives t he ident it y of soul and Spirit . 12- 5: Snoring, according t o physiologist s, is an indicat ion of ut t er relaxat ion ( t o t he oblivious pract it ioner, solely) . 12- 6: Dhal is a t hick soup m ade from split peas or ot her pulses. Channa is a cheese of fresh curdled m ilk, cut int o squares and curried wit h pot at oes. 12- 7: The om nipresent powers of a yogi, whereby he sees, hears, t ast es, sm ells, and feels his oneness in creat ion wit hout t he use of sensory organs, have been described as follows in t he Tait t iriya Aranyaka: " The blind m an pierced t he pearl; t he fingerless put a t hread int o it ; t he neckless wore it ; and t he t ongueless praised it ." 12- 8: The cobra swift ly st rikes at any m oving obj ect wit hin it s range. Com plet e im m obilit y is usually one's sole hope of safet y. 12- 9: Lahiri Mahasaya act ually said " Priya" ( first or given nam e) , not " Yukt eswar" ( m onast ic nam e, not received by m y guru during Lahiri Mahasaya's lifet im e) . ( See page 109.) " Yukt eswar" is subst it ut ed here, and in a few ot her places in t his book, in order t o avoid t he confusion, t o reader, of t wo nam es. 12- 10: " Therefore I say unt o you, What t hings soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe t hat ye receive t hem , and ye shall have t hem ." - Mark 11: 24. Mast ers who possess t he Divine Vision are fully able t o t ransfer t heir realizat ions t o advanced disciples, as Lahiri Mahasaya did for Sri Yukt eswar on t his occasion. 12- 11: " And one of t hem sm ot e t he servant of t he high priest , and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye t hus far. And he t ouched his ear and healed him ." - Luke 22: 50- 51. 12- 12: " Give not t hat which is holy unt o t he dogs, neit her cast ye your pearls before swine, lest t hey t ram ple t hem under t heir feet , and t urn again and rend you." - Mat t hew 7: 6. 12- 13: Disciples; from Sanskrit verb root , " t o serve." 12- 14: He was once ill in Kashm ir, when I was absent from him . ( See chapt er 23.) 12- 15: A courageous m edical m an, Charles Robert Richet , awarded t he Nobel Prize in physiology, wrot e as follows: " Met aphysics is not yet officially a science, recognized as such. But it is going t o be. . . . At Edinburgh, I was able t o affirm before 100 physiologist s t hat our five senses are not our only m eans of knowledge and t hat a fragm ent of realit y som et im es reaches t he int elligence in ot her ways. . . . Because a fact is rare is no reason t hat it does not exist . Because a st udy is difficult , is t hat a reason for not underst anding it ? . . . Those who have railed at m et aphysics as an occult science will be as asham ed of t hem selves as t hose who railed at chem ist ry on t he ground t hat pursuit of t he philosopher's st one was illusory. . . . I n t he m at t er of principles t here are only t hose of Lavoisier, Claude Bernard, and Past eur- t he experim ent al everywhere and always. Greet ings, t hen, t o t he new science which is going t o change t he orient at ion of hum an t hought ." 12- 16: Sam adhi : perfect union of t he individualized soul wit h t he I nfinit e Spirit . www.holybooks.com 12- 17: The subconsciously guided rat ionalizat ions of t he m ind are ut t erly different from t he infallible guidance of t rut h which issues from t he superconsciousness. Led by French scient ist s of t he Sorbonne, West ern t hinkers are beginning t o invest igat e t he possibilit y of divine percept ion in m an. " For t he past t went y years, st udent s of psychology, influenced by Freud, gave all t heir t im e t o searching t he subconscious realm s," Rabbi I srael H. Levint hal point ed out in 1929. " I t is t rue t hat t he subconscious reveals m uch of t he m yst ery t hat can explain hum an act ions, but not all of our act ions. I t can explain t he abnorm al, but not deeds t hat are above t he norm al. The lat est psychology, sponsored by t he French schools, has discovered a new region in m an, which it t erm s t he superconscious. I n cont rast t o t he subconscious which represent s t he subm erged current s of our nat ure, it reveals t he height s t o which our nat ure can reach. Man represent s a t riple, not a double, personalit y; our conscious and subconscious being is crowned by a superconsciousness. Many years ago t he English psychologist , F. W. H. Myers, suggest ed t hat 'hidden in t he deep of our being is a rubbish heap as well as a t reasure house.' I n cont rast t o t he psychology t hat cent ers all it s researches on t he subconscious in m an's nat ure, t his new psychology of t he superconscious focuses it s at t ent ion upon t he t reasure- house, t he region t hat alone can explain t he great , unselfish, heroic deeds of m en." 12- 18: Jnana , wisdom , and bhakt i , devot ion: t wo of t he m ain pat hs t o God. 12- 19: " Man in his waking st at e put s fort h innum erable effort s for experiencing sensual pleasures; when t he ent ire group of sensory organs is fat igued, he forget s even t he pleasure on hand and goes t o sleep in order t o enj oy rest in t he soul, his own nat ure," Shankara, t he great Vedant ist , has writ t en. " Ult ra- sensual bliss is t hus ext rem ely easy of at t ainm ent and is far superior t o sense delight s which always end in disgust ." 12- 20: Mark 2: 27. 12- 21: The Upanishads or Vedant a ( lit erally, " end of t he Vedas" ) , occur in cert ain part s of t he Vedas as essent ial sum m aries. The Upanishads furnish t he doct rinal basis of t he Hindu religion. They received t he following t ribut e from Schopenhauer: " How ent irely does t he Upanishad breat he t hroughout t he holy spirit of t he Vedas ! How is everyone who has becom e fam iliar wit h t hat incom parable book st irred by t hat spirit t o t he very dept hs of his soul! From every sent ence deep, original, and sublim e t hought s arise, and t he whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit . . . . The access t o t he Vedas by m eans of t he Upanishads is in m y eyes t he great est privilege t his cent ury m ay claim before all previous cent uries." 12- 22: Com m ent aries. Shankara peerlessly expounded t he Upanishads . 12- 23: Proverbs 16: 32. CHAPTER: 13 The Sleepless Saint "Please perm it m e to go to the Him alayas. I hope in unbroken solitude to achieve continuous divine com m union." www.holybooks.com I actually once addressed these ungrateful words to m y Master. Seized by one of the unpredictable delusions which occasionally assail the devotee, I felt a growing im patience with herm itage duties and college studies. A feebly extenuating circum stance is that m y proposal was m ade when I had been only six m onths with Sri Yukteswar. Not yet had I fully surveyed his towering stature. "Many hillm en live in the Him alayas, yet possess no God-perception." My guru's answer cam e slowly and sim ply. "Wisdom is better sought from a m an of realization than from an inert m ountain." Ignoring Master's plain hint that he, and not a hill, was m y teacher, I repeated m y plea. Sri Yukteswar vouchsafed no reply. I took his silence for consent, a precarious interpretation readily accepted at one's convenience. In m y Calcutta hom e that evening, I busied m yself with travel preparations. Tying a few articles inside a blanket, I rem em bered a sim ilar bundle, surreptitiously dropped from m y attic window a few years earlier. I wondered if this were to be another ill-starred flight toward the Him alayas. The first tim e m y spiritual elation had been high; tonight conscience sm ote heavily at thought of leaving m y guru. The following m orning I sought out Behari Pundit, m y Sanskrit professor at Scottish Church College. "Sir, you have told m e of your friendship with a great disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. Please give m e his address." "You m ean Ram Gopal Muzum dar. I call him the 'sleepless saint.' He is always awake in an ecstatic consciousness. His hom e is at Ranbajpur, near Tarakeswar." I thanked the pundit, and entrained im m ediately for Tarakeswar. I hoped to silence m y m isgivings by wringing a sanction from the "sleepless saint" to engage m yself in lonely Him alayan m editation. Behari's friend, I heard, had received illum ination after m any years of Kriy a Yoga practice in isolated caves. At Tarakeswar I approached a fam ous shrine. Hindus regard it with the sam e veneration that Catholics give to the Lourdes sanctuary in France. Innum erable healing m iracles have occurred at Tarakeswar, including one for a m em ber of m y fam ily. "I sat in the tem ple there for a week," m y eldest aunt once told m e. "Observing a com plete fast, I prayed for the recovery of your Uncle Sarada from a chronic m alady. On the seventh day I found a herb m aterialized in m y hand! I m ade a brew from the leaves, and gave it to your uncle. His disease vanished at once, and has never reappeared." I entered the sacred Tarakeswar shrine; the altar contains nothing but a round stone. Its circum ference, beginningless and endless, m akes it aptly significant of the Infinite. Cosm ic www.holybooks.com abstractions are not alien even to the hum blest Indian peasant; he has been accused by Westerners, in fact, of living on abstractions! My own m ood at the m om ent was so austere that I felt disinclined to bow before the stone sym bol. God should be sought, I reflected, only within the soul. I left the tem ple without genuflection and walked briskly toward the outlying village of Ranbajpur. My appeal to a passer-by for guidance caused him to sink into long cogitation. "When you com e to a crossroad, turn right and keep going," he finally pronounced oracularly. Obeying the directions, I wended m y way alongside the banks of a canal. Darkness fell; the outskirts of the jungle village were alive with winking fireflies and the howls of near-by jackals. The m oonlight was too faint to supply any reassurance; I stum bled on for two hours. Welcom e clang of a cowbell! My repeated shouts eventually brought a peasant to m y side. "I am looking for Ram Gopal Babu." "No such person lives in our village." The m an's tone was surly. "You are probably a lying detective." Hoping to allay suspicion in his politically troubled m ind, I touchingly explained m y predicam ent. He took m e to his hom e and offered a hospitable welcom e. "Ranbajpur is far from here," he rem arked. "At the crossroad, you should have turned left, not right." My earlier inform ant, I thought sadly, was a distinct m enace to travelers. After a relishable m eal of coarse rice, lentil-dhal , and curry of potatoes with raw bananas, I retired to a sm all hut adjoining the courtyard. In the distance, villagers were singing to the loud accom panim ent of m ridangas 13 -1 and cym bals. Sleep was inconsiderable that night; I prayed deeply to be directed to the secret yogi, Ram Gopal. As the first streaks of dawn penetrated the fissures of m y dark room , I set out for Ranbajpur. Crossing rough paddy fields, I trudged over sickled stum ps of the prickly plant and m ounds of dried clay. An occasionally-m et peasant would inform m e, invariably, that m y destination was "only a krosha (two m iles)." In six hours the sun traveled victoriously from horizon to m eridian, but I began to feel that I would ever be distant from Ranbajpur by one krosha . At m idafternoon m y world was still an endless paddy field. Heat pouring from the avoidless sky was bringing m e to near-collapse. As a m an approached at leisurely pace, I hardly dared utter m y usual question, lest it sum m on the m onotonous: "J ust a krosha ." The stranger halted beside m e. Short and slight, he was physically unim pressive save for an www.holybooks.com extraordinary pair of piercing dark eyes. "I was planning to leave Ranbajpur, but your purpose was good, so I awaited you." He shook his finger in m y astounded face. "Aren't you clever to think that, unannounced, you could pounce on m e? That professor Behari had no right to give you m y address." Considering that introduction of m yself would be m ere verbosity in the presence of this m aster, I stood speechless, som ewhat hurt at m y reception. His next rem ark was abruptly put. "Tell m e; where do you think God is?" "Why, He is within m e and everywhere." I doubtless looked as bewildered as I felt. "All-pervading, eh?" The saint chuckled. "Then why, young sir, did you fail to bow before the Infinite in the stone sym bol at the Tarakeswar tem ple yesterday? 13 -2 Your pride caused you the punishm ent of being m isdirected by the passer-by who was not bothered by fine distinctions of left and right. Today, too, you have had a fairly uncom fortable tim e of it!" I agreed wholeheartedly, wonder-struck that an om niscient eye hid within the unrem arkable body before m e. Healing strength em anated from the yogi; I was instantly refreshed in the scorching field. "The devotee inclines to think his path to God is the only way," he said. "Yoga, through which divinity is found within, is doubtless the highest road: so Lahiri Mahasaya has told us. But discovering the Lord within, we soon perceive Him without. Holy shrines at Tarakeswar and elsewhere are rightly venerated as nuclear centers of spiritual power." The saint's censorious attitude vanished; his eyes becam e com passionately soft. He patted m y shoulder. "Young yogi, I see you are running away from your m aster. He has everything you need; you m ust return to him . Mountains cannot be your guru." Ram Gopal was repeating the sam e thought which Sri Yukteswar had expressed at our last m eeting. "Masters are under no cosm ic com pulsion to lim it their residence." My com panion glanced at m e quizzically. "The Him alayas in India and Tibet have no m onopoly on saints. What one does not trouble to find within will not be discovered by transporting the body hither and yon. As soon as the devotee is w illing to go even to the ends of the earth for spiritual enlightenm ent, his guru appears near-by." I silently agreed, recalling m y prayer in the Benares herm itage, followed by the m eeting with Sri Yukteswar in a crowded lane. "Are you able to have a little room where you can close the door and be alone?" www.holybooks.com "Yes." I reflected that this saint descended from the general to the particular with disconcerting speed. "That is your cave." The yogi bestowed on m e a gaze of illum ination which I have never forgotten. "That is your sacred m ountain. That is where you will find the kingdom of God." His sim ple words instantaneously banished m y lifelong obsession for the Him alayas. In a burning paddy field I awoke from the m onticolous dream s of eternal snows. "Young sir, your divine thirst is laudable. I feel great love for you." Ram Gopal took m y hand and led m e to a quaint ham let. The adobe houses were covered with coconut leaves and adorned with rustic entrances. The saint seated m e on the um brageous bam boo platform of his sm all cottage. After giving m e sweetened lim e juice and a piece of rock candy, he entered his patio and assum ed the lotus posture. In about four hours I opened m y m editative eyes and saw that the m oonlit figure of the yogi was still m otionless. As I was sternly rem inding m y stom ach that m an does not live by bread alone, Ram Gopal approached m e. "I see you are fam ished; food will be ready soon." A fire was kindled under a clay oven on the patio; rice and dhal were quickly served on large banana leaves. My host courteously refused m y aid in all cooking chores. "The guest is God," a Hindu proverb, has com m anded devout observance from tim e im m em orial. In m y later world travels, I was charm ed to see that a sim ilar respect for visitors is m anifested in rural sections of m any countries. The city dweller finds the keen edge of hospitality blunted by superabundance of strange faces. The m arts of m en seem ed rem otely dim as I squatted by the yogi in the isolation of the tiny jungle village. The cottage room was m ysterious with a m ellow light. Ram Gopal arranged som e torn blankets on the floor for m y bed, and seated him self on a straw m at. Overwhelm ed by his spiritual m agnetism , I ventured a request. "Sir, why don't you grant m e a sam adhi ?" "Dear one, I would be glad to convey the divine contact, but it is not m y place to do so." The saint looked at m e with half-closed eyes. "Your m aster will bestow that experience shortly. Your body is not tuned just yet. As a sm all lam p cannot withstand excessive electrical voltage, so your nerves are unready for the cosm ic current. If I gave you the infinite ecstasy right now, you would burn as if every cell were on fire. "You are asking illum ination from m e," the yogi continued m usingly, "while I am wonderinginconsiderable as I am , and with the little m editation I have done-if I have succeeded in pleasing God, and what worth I m ay find in His eyes at the final reckoning." www.holybooks.com "Sir, have you not been singleheartedly seeking God for a long tim e?" "I have not done m uch. Behari m ust have told you som ething of m y life. For twenty years I occupied a secret grotto, m editating eighteen hours a day. Then I m oved to a m ore inaccessible cave and rem ained there for twenty-five years, entering the yoga union for twenty hours daily. I did not need sleep, for I was ever with God. My body was m ore rested in the com plete calm ness of the superconsciousness than it could be by the partial peace of the ordinary subconscious state. "The m uscles relax during sleep, but the heart, lungs, and circulatory system are constantly at work; they get no rest. In superconsciousness, the internal organs rem ain in a state of suspended anim ation, electrified by the cosm ic energy. By such m eans I have found it unnecessary to sleep for years. The tim e will com e when you too will dispense with sleep." "My goodness, you have m editated for so long and yet are unsure of the Lord's favor!" I gazed at him in astonishm ent. "Then what about us poor m ortals?" "Well, don't you see, m y dear boy, that God is Eternity Itself? To assum e that one can fully know Him by forty-five years of m editation is rather a preposterous expectation. Babaji assures us, however, that even a little m editation saves one from the dire fear of death and after-death states. Do not fix your spiritual ideal on a sm all m ountain, but hitch it to the star of unqualified divine attainm ent. If you work hard, you will get there." Enthralled by the prospect, I asked him for further enlightening words. He related a wondrous story of his first m eeting with Lahiri Mahasaya's guru, Babaji. 13 -3 Around m idnight Ram Gopal fell into silence, and I lay down on m y blankets. Closing m y eyes, I saw flashes of lightning; the vast space within m e was a cham ber of m olten light. I opened m y eyes and observed the sam e dazzling radiance. The room becam e a part of that infinite vault which I beheld with interior vision. "Why don't you go to sleep?" "Sir, how can I sleep in the presence of lightning, blazing whether m y eyes are shut or open?" "You are blessed to have this experience; the spiritual radiations are not easily seen." The saint added a few words of affection. At dawn Ram Gopal gave m e rock candies and said I m ust depart. I felt such reluctance to bid him farewell that tears coursed down m y cheeks. "I will not let you go em pty-handed." The yogi spoke tenderly. "I will do som ething for you." He sm iled and looked at m e steadfastly. I stood rooted to the ground, peace rushing like a m ighty flood through the gates of m y eyes. I was instantaneously healed of a pain in m y back, which had troubled m e interm ittently for years. Renewed, bathed in a sea of lum inous joy, I wept no m ore. After touching the saint's feet, I sauntered into the jungle, m aking m y way through its tropical www.holybooks.com tangle until I reached Tarakeswar. There I m ade a second pilgrim age to the fam ous shrine, and prostrated m yself fully before the altar. The round stone enlarged before m y inner vision until it becam e the cosm ical spheres, ring within ring, zone after zone, all dowered with divinity. I entrained happily an hour later for Calcutta. My travels ended, not in the lofty m ountains, but in the Him alayan presence of m y Master. 13- 1: Hand- played drum s, used only for devot ional m usic. 13- 2: One is rem inded here of Dost oevski's observat ion: " A m an who bows down t o not hing can never bear t he burden of him self." 13- 3: See chapt er 35. CHAPTER: 14 An Experience In Cosmic Consciousness "I am here, Guruji." My sham efacedness spoke m ore eloquently for m e. "Let us go to the kitchen and find som ething to eat." Sri Yukteswar's m anner was as natural as if hours and not days had separated us. "Master, I m ust have disappointed you by m y abrupt departure from m y duties here; I thought you m ight be angry with m e." "No, of course not! Wrath springs only from thwarted desires. I do not expect anything from others, so their actions cannot be in opposition to wishes of m ine. I would not use you for m y own ends; I am happy only in your own true happiness." "Sir, one hears of divine love in a vague way, but for the first tim e I am having a concrete exam ple in your angelic self! In the world, even a father does not easily forgive his son if he leaves his parent's business without warning. But you show not the slightest vexation, though you m ust have been put to great inconvenience by the m any unfinished tasks I left behind." www.holybooks.com We looked into each other's eyes, where tears were shining. A blissful wave engulfed m e; I was conscious that the Lord, in the form of m y guru, was expanding the sm all ardors of m y heart into the incom pressible reaches of cosm ic love. A few m ornings later I m ade m y way to Master's em pty sitting room . I planned to m editate, but m y laudable purpose was unshared by disobedient thoughts. They scattered like birds before the hunter. "Mukunda!" Sri Yukteswar's voice sounded from a distant inner balcony. I felt as rebellious as m y thoughts. "Master always urges m e to m editate," I m uttered to m yself. "He should not disturb m e when he knows why I cam e to his room ." He sum m oned m e again; I rem ained obstinately silent. The third tim e his tone held rebuke. "Sir, I am m editating," I shouted protestingly. "I know how you are m editating," m y guru called out, "with your m ind distributed like leaves in a storm ! Com e here to m e." Snubbed and exposed, I m ade m y way sadly to his side. "Poor boy, the m ountains couldn't give what you wanted." Master spoke caressively, com fortingly. His calm gaze was unfathom able. "Your heart's desire shall be fulfilled." Sri Yukteswar seldom indulged in riddles; I was bewildered. He struck gently on m y chest above the heart. My body becam e im m ovably rooted; breath was drawn out of m y lungs as if by som e huge m agnet. Soul and m ind instantly lost their physical bondage, and stream ed out like a fluid piercing light from m y every pore. The flesh was as though dead, yet in m y intense awareness I knew that never before had I been fully alive. My sense of identity was no longer narrowly confined to a body, but em braced the circum am bient atom s. People on distant streets seem ed to be m oving gently over m y own rem ote periphery. The roots of plants and trees appeared through a dim transparency of the soil; I discerned the inward flow of their sap. The whole vicinity lay bare before m e. My ordinary frontal vision was now changed to a vast spherical sight, sim ultaneously all-perceptive. Through the back of m y head I saw m en strolling far down Rai Ghat Road, and noticed also a white cow who was leisurely approaching. When she reached the space in front of the open ashram gate, I observed her with m y two physical eyes. As she passed by, behind the brick wall, I saw her clearly still. All objects within m y panoram ic gaze trem bled and vibrated like quick m otion pictures. My body, Master's, the pillared courtyard, the furniture and floor, the trees and sunshine, occasionally becam e violently agitated, until all m elted into a lum inescent sea; even as sugar crystals, thrown www.holybooks.com into a glass of water, dissolve after being shaken. The unifying light alternated with m aterializations of form , the m etam orphoses revealing the law of cause and effect in creation. An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of m y soul. The Spirit of God, I realized, is exhaustless Bliss; His body is countless tissues of light. A swelling glory within m e began to envelop towns, continents, the earth, solar and stellar system s, tenuous nebulae, and floating universes. The entire cosm os, gently lum inous, like a city seen afar at night, glim m ered within the infinitude of m y being. The sharply etched global outlines faded som ewhat at the farthest edges; there I could see a m ellow radiance, ever-undim inished. It was indescribably subtle; the planetary pictures were form ed of a grosser light. The divine dispersion of rays poured from an Eternal Source, blazing into galaxies, transfigured with ineffable auras. Again and again I saw the creative beam s condense into constellations, then resolve into sheets of transparent flam e. By rhythm ic reversion, sextillion worlds passed into diaphanous luster; fire becam e firm am ent. I cognized the center of the em pyrean as a point of intuitive perception in m y heart. Irradiating splendor issued from m y nucleus to every part of the universal structure. Blissful am rita , the nectar of im m ortality, pulsed through m e with a quicksilverlike fluidity. The creative voice of God I heard resounding as Aum , 14 -1 the vibration of the Cosm ic Motor. Suddenly the breath returned to m y lungs. With a disappointm ent alm ost unbearable, I realized that m y infinite im m ensity was lost. Once m ore I was lim ited to the hum iliating cage of a body, not easily accom m odative to the Spirit. Like a prodigal child, I had run away from m y m acrocosm ic hom e and im prisoned m yself in a narrow m icrocosm . My guru was standing m otionless before m e; I started to drop at his holy feet in gratitude for the experience in cosm ic consciousness which I had long passionately sought. He held m e upright, and spoke calm ly, unpretentiously. "You m ust not get overdrunk with ecstasy. Much work yet rem ains for you in the world. Com e; let us sweep the balcony floor; then we shall walk by the Ganges." I fetched a broom ; Master, I knew, was teaching m e the secret of balanced living. The soul m ust stretch over the cosm ogonic abysses, while the body perform s its daily duties. When we set out later for a stroll, I was still entranced in unspeakable rapture. I saw our bodies as two astral pictures, m oving over a road by the river whose essence was sheer light. "It is the Spirit of God that actively sustains every form and force in the universe; yet He is transcendental and aloof in the blissful uncreated void beyond the worlds of vibratory phenom ena," 14 -2 Master explained. "Saints who realize their divinity even while in the flesh know a sim ilar twofold existence. Conscientiously engaging in earthly work, they yet rem ain im m ersed in an inward beatitude. The Lord has created all m en from the lim itless joy of His being. Though they are painfully cram ped by the body, God nevertheless expects that souls m ade in His im age shall ultim ately rise above all sense identifications and reunite with Him ." www.holybooks.com The cosm ic vision left m any perm anent lessons. By daily stilling m y thoughts, I could win release from the delusive conviction that m y body was a m ass of flesh and bones, traversing the hard soil of m atter. The breath and the restless m ind, I saw, were like storm s which lashed the ocean of light into waves of m aterial form s-earth, sky, hum an beings, anim als, birds, trees. No perception of the Infinite as One Light could be had except by calm ing those storm s. As often as I silenced the two natural tum ults, I beheld the m ultitudinous waves of creation m elt into one lucent sea, even as the waves of the ocean, their tem pests subsiding, serenely dissolve into unity. A m aster bestows the divine experience of cosm ic consciousness when his disciple, by m editation, has strengthened his m ind to a degree where the vast vistas would not overwhelm him . The experience can never be given through one's m ere intellectual willingness or open- m indedness. Only adequate enlargem ent by yoga practice and devotional bhakti can prepare the m ind to absorb the liberating shock of om nipresence. It com es with a natural inevitability to the sincere devotee. His intense craving begins to pull at God with an irresistible force. The Lord, as the Cosm ic Vision, is drawn by the seeker's m agnetic ardor into his range of consciousness. I wrote, in m y later years, the following poem , "Sam adhi," endeavoring to convey the glory of its cosm ic state: Vanished the veils of light and shade, Lifted every vapor of sorrow, Sailed away all dawns of fleeting joy, Gone the dim sensory mirage. Love, hate, health, disease, life, death, Perished these false shadows on the screen of duality. Waves of laughter, scyllas of sarcasm, melancholic whirlpools, Melting in the vast sea of bliss. The storm of maya stilled By magic wand of intuition deep. The universe, forgotten dream, subconsciously lurks, Ready to invade my newly-wakened memory divine. I live without the cosmic shadow, But it is not, bereft of me; As the sea exists without the waves, But they breathe not without the sea. Dreams, wakings, states of deep turia sleep, Present, past, future, no more for me, But ever-present, all-flowing I, I, everywhere. Planets, stars, stardust, earth, Volcanic bursts of doomsday cataclysms, Creation's molding furnace, Glaciers of silent x-rays, burning electron floods, www.holybooks.com Thoughts of all men, past, present, to come, Every blade of grass, myself, mankind, Each particle of universal dust, Anger, greed, good, bad, salvation, lust, I swallowed, transmuted all Into a vast ocean of blood of my own one Being! Smoldering joy, oft-puffed by meditation Blinding my tearful eyes, Burst into immortal flames of bliss, Consumed my tears, my frame, my all. Thou art I, I am Thou, Knowing, Knower, Known, as One! Tranquilled, unbroken thrill, eternally living, ever-new peace! Enjoyable beyond imagination of expectancy, samadhi bliss! Not an unconscious state Or mental chloroform without wilful return, Samadhi but extends my conscious realm Beyond limits of the mortal frame To farthest boundary of eternity Where I, the Cosmic Sea, Watch the little ego floating in Me. The sparrow, each grain of sand, fall not without My sight. All space floats like an iceberg in My mental sea. Colossal Container, I, of all things made. By deeper, longer, thirsty, guru-given meditation Comes this celestial samadhi . Mobile murmurs of atoms are heard, The dark earth, mountains, vales, lo! molten liquid! Flowing seas change into vapors of nebulae! Aum blows upon vapors, opening wondrously their veils, Oceans stand revealed, shining electrons, Till, at last sound of the cosmic drum, Vanish the grosser lights into eternal rays Of all-pervading bliss. From joy I came, for joy I live, in sacred joy I melt. Ocean of mind, I drink all creation's waves. Four veils of solid, liquid, vapor, light, Lift aright. Myself, in everything, enters the Great Myself. Gone forever, fitful, flickering shadows of mortal memory. Spotless is my mental sky, below, ahead, and high above. Eternity and I, one united ray. A tiny bubble of laughter, I Am become the Sea of Mirth Itself. www.holybooks.com Sri Yukteswar taught m e how to sum m on the blessed experience at will, and also how to transm it it to others if their intuitive channels were developed. For m onths I entered the ecstatic union, com prehending why the Upanishads say God is rasa , "the m ost relishable." One day, however, I took a problem to Master. "I want to know, sir-when shall I find God?" "You have found Him ." "O no, sir, I don't think so!" My guru was sm iling. "I am sure you aren't expecting a venerable Personage, adorning a throne in som e antiseptic corner of the cosm os! I see, however, that you are im agining that the possession of m iraculous powers is knowledge of God. One m ight have the whole universe, and find the Lord elusive still! Spiritual advancem ent is not m easured by one's outward powers, but only by the depth of his bliss in m editation. "Ever-new Joy Is God. He is inexhaustible; as you continue your m editations during the years, He will beguile you with an infinite ingenuity. Devotees like yourself who have found the way to God never dream of exchanging Him for any other happiness; He is seductive beyond thought of com petition. "How quickly we weary of earthly pleasures! Desire for m aterial things is endless; m an is never satisfied com pletely, and pursues one goal after another. The 'som ething else' he seeks is the Lord, who alone can grant lasting joy. "Outward longings drive us from the Eden within; they offer false pleasures which only im personate soul-happiness. The lost paradise is quickly regained through divine m editation. As God is unanticipatory Ever-Newness, we never tire of Him . Can we be surfeited with bliss, delightfully varied throughout eternity?" "I understand now, sir, why saints call the Lord unfathom able. Even everlasting life could not suffice to appraise Him ." "That is true; but He is also near and dear. After the m ind has been cleared by Kriy a Yoga of sensory obstacles, m editation furnishes a twofold proof of God. Ever-new joy is evidence of His existence, convincing to our very atom s. Also, in m editation one finds His instant guidance, His adequate response to every difficulty." "I see, Guruji; you have solved m y problem ." I sm iled gratefully. "I do realize now that I have found God, for whenever the joy of m editation has returned subconsciously during m y active hours, I have been subtly directed to adopt the right course in everything, even details." www.holybooks.com "Hum an life is beset with sorrow until we know how to tune in with the Divine Will, whose 'right course' is often baffling to the egoistic intelligence. God bears the burden of the cosm os; He alone can give unerring counsel." 14- 1: " I n t he beginning was t he Word, and t he Word was wit h God, and t he Word was God." - John 1: 1. 14- 2: " For t he Fat her j udget h no m an, but hat h com m it t ed all j udgm ent unt o t he Son." - John 5: 22. " No m an hat h seen God at any t im e; t he only begot t en Son, which is in t he bosom of t he Fat her, he hat h declared him ." - John 1: 18. " Verily, verily, I say unt o you, he t hat believet h on m e, t he works t hat I do shall he do also; and great er works t han t hese shall he do; because I go unt o m y Fat her." - John 14: 12. " But t he Com fort er, which is t he Holy Ghost , whom t he Fat her will send in m y nam e, he shall t each you all t hings, and bring all t hings t o your rem em brance, what soever I have said t o you." - John 14: 26. These Biblical words refer t o t he t hreefold nat ure of God as Fat her, Son, Holy Ghost ( Sat , Tat , Aum in t he Hindu script ures) . God t he Fat her is t he Absolut e, Unm anifest ed, exist ing beyond vibrat ory creat ion. God t he Son is t he Christ Consciousness ( Brahm a or Kut ast ha Chait anya ) exist ing wit hin vibrat ory creat ion; t his Christ Consciousness is t he " only begot t en" or sole reflect ion of t he Uncreat ed I nfinit e. I t s out ward m anifest at ion or " wit ness" is Aum or Holy Ghost , t he divine, creat ive, invisible power which st ruct ures all creat ion t hrough vibrat ion. Aum t he blissful Com fort er is heard in m edit at ion and reveals t o t he devot ee t he ult im at e Trut h. CHAPTER: 15 The Cauliflower Robbery "Master, a gift for you! These six huge cauliflowers were planted with m y hands; I have watched over their growth with the tender care of a m other nursing her child." I presented the basket of vegetables with a cerem onial flourish. "Thank you!" Sri Yukteswar's sm ile was warm with appreciation. "Please keep them in your room ; I shall need them tom orrow for a special dinner." I had just arrived in Puri 15-1 to spend m y college sum m er vacation with m y guru at his seaside herm itage. Built by Master and his disciples, the cheerful little two-storied retreat fronts on the Bay of Bengal. I awoke early the following m orning, refreshed by the salty sea breezes and the charm of m y surroundings. Sri Yukteswar's m elodious voice was calling; I took a look at m y cherished cauliflowers and stowed them neatly under m y bed. "Com e, let us go to the beach." Master led the way; several young disciples and m yself followed in www.holybooks.com a scattered group. Our guru surveyed us in m ild criticism . "When our Western brothers walk, they usually take pride in unison. Now, please m arch in two rows; keep rhythm ic step with one another." Sri Yukteswar watched as we obeyed; he began to sing: "Boys go to and fro, in a pretty little row." I could not but adm ire the ease with which Master was able to m atch the brisk pace of his young students. "Halt!" My guru's eyes sought m ine. "Did you rem em ber to lock the back door of the herm itage?" MY GURU'S SEASIDE HERMITAGE AT PURI A steady stream of visitors poured from the world into the hermitage tranquillity. A number of learned men came with the expectation of meeting an orthodox religionist. A supercilious smile or a glance of amused tolerance occasionally betreayed that the newcomers anticipated nothing more than a few pious platitudes. Yet their reluctant departure would bring an expressed conviction that Sri Yukteswar had shown precise insight into their specialized fields of knowledge. My guru always had young resident disciples in his hermitage. He directed their minds and lives with that careful discipline in which the word "disciple" is etymologically rooted. "I think so, sir." Sri Yukteswar was silent for a few m inutes, a half-suppressed sm ile on his lips. "No, you forgot," he said finally. "Divine contem plation m ust not be m ade an excuse for m aterial carelessness. You have neglected your duty in safeguarding the ashram ; you m ust be punished." I thought he was obscurely joking when he added: "Your six cauliflowers will soon be only five." www.holybooks.com We turned around at Master's orders and m arched back until we were close to the herm itage. "Rest awhile. Mukunda, look across the com pound on our left; observe the road beyond. A certain m an will arrive there presently; he will be the m eans of your chastisem ent." I concealed m y vexation at these incom prehensible rem arks. A peasant soon appeared on the road; he was dancing grotesquely and flinging his arm s about with m eaningless gestures. Alm ost paralyzed with curiosity, I glued m y eyes on the hilarious spectacle. As the m an reached a point in the road where he would vanish from our view, Sri Yukteswar said, "Now, he will return." The peasant at once changed his direction and m ade for the rear of the ashram . Crossing a sandy tract, he entered the building by the back door. I had left it unlocked, even as m y guru had said. The m an em erged shortly, holding one of m y prized cauliflowers. He now strode along respectably, invested with the dignity of possession. The unfolding farce, in which m y role appeared to be that of bewildered victim , was not so disconcerting that I failed in indignant pursuit. I was halfway to the road when Master recalled m e. He was shaking from head to foot with laughter. "That poor crazy m an has been longing for a cauliflower," he explained between outbursts of m irth. "I thought it would be a good idea if he got one of yours, so ill-guarded!" I dashed to m y room , where I found that the thief, evidently one with a vegetable fixation, had left untouched m y gold rings, watch, and m oney, all lying openly on the blanket. He had crawled instead under the bed where, com pletely hidden from casual sight, one of m y cauliflowers had aroused his singlehearted desire. I asked Sri Yukteswar that evening to explain the incident which had, I thought, a few baffling features. My guru shook his head slowly. "You will understand it som eday. Science will soon discover a few of these hidden laws." When the wonders of radio burst som e years later on an astounded world, I rem em bered Master's prediction. Age-old concepts of tim e and space were annihilated; no peasant's hom e so narrow that London or Calcutta could not enter! The dullest intelligence enlarged before indisputable proof of one aspect of m an's om nipresence. The "plot" of the cauliflower com edy can be best understood by a radio analogy. Sri Yukteswar was a perfect hum an radio. Thoughts are no m ore than very gentle vibrations m oving in the ether. J ust as a sensitized radio picks up a desired m usical num ber out of thousands of other program s from every direction, so m y guru had been able to catch the thought of the half-witted m an who hankered for a cauliflower, out of the countless thoughts of broadcasting hum an wills in the world. 15-2 By his powerful will, Master was also a hum an broadcasting station, and had successfully directed the peasant to reverse his steps and go to a certain room for a single www.holybooks.com cauliflower. Intuition 15-3 is soul guidance, appearing naturally in m an during those instants when his m ind is calm . Nearly everyone has had the experience of an inexplicably correct "hunch," or has transferred his thoughts effectively to another person. The hum an m ind, free from the static of restlessness, can perform through its antenna of intuition all the functions of com plicated radio m echanism s-sending and receiving thoughts, and tuning out undesirable ones. As the power of a radio depends on the am ount of electrical current it can utilize, so the hum an radio is energized according to the power of will possessed by each individual. All thoughts vibrate eternally in the cosm os. By deep concentration, a m aster is able to detect the thoughts of any m ind, living or dead. Thoughts are universally and not individually rooted; a truth cannot be created, but only perceived. The erroneous thoughts of m an result from im perfections in his discernm ent. The goal of yoga science is to calm the m ind, that without distortion it m ay m irror the divine vision in the universe. Radio and television have brought the instantaneous sound and sight of rem ote persons to the firesides of m illions: the first faint scientific intim ations that m an is an all-pervading spirit. Not a body confined to a point in space, but the vast soul, which the ego in m ost barbaric m odes conspires in vain to cram p. "Very strange, very wonderful, seem ingly very im probable phenom ena m ay yet appear which, when once established, will not astonish us m ore than we are now astonished at all that science has taught us during the last century," Charles Robert Richet, Nobel Prizem an in physiology, has declared. "It is assum ed that the phenom ena which we now accept without surprise, do not excite our astonishm ent because they are understood. But this is not the case. If they do not surprise us it is not because they are understood, it is because they are fam iliar; for if that which is not understood ought to surprise us, we should be surprised at everything-the fall of a stone thrown into the air, the acorn which becom es an oak, m ercury which expands when it is heated, iron attracted by a m agnet, phosphorus which burns when it is rubbed. . . . The science of today is a light m atter; the revolutions and evolutions which it will experience in a hundred thousand years will far exceed the m ost daring anticipations. The truths-those surprising, am azing, unforeseen truths-which our descendants will discover, are even now all around us, staring us in the eyes, so to speak, and yet we do not see them . But it is not enough to say that we do not see them ; we do not wish to see them ; for as soon as an unexpected and unfam iliar fact appears, we try to fit it into the fram ework of the com m onplaces of acquired knowledge, and we are indignant that anyone should dare to experim ent further." A hum orous occurrence took place a few days after I had been so im plausibly robbed of a cauliflower. A certain kerosene lam p could not be found. Having so lately witnessed m y guru's om niscient insight, I thought he would dem onstrate that it was child's play to locate the lam p. Master perceived m y expectation. With exaggerated gravity he questioned all ashram residents. A www.holybooks.com young disciple confessed that he had used the lam p to go to the well in the back yard. Sri Yukteswar gave the solem n counsel: "Seek the lam p near the well." I rushed there; no lam p! Crestfallen, I returned to m y guru. He was now laughing heartily, without com punction for m y disillusionm ent. "Too bad I couldn't direct you to the vanished lam p; I am not a fortune teller!" With twinkling eyes, he added, "I am not even a satisfactory Sherlock Holm es!" I realized that Master would never display his powers when challenged, or for a triviality. Delightful weeks sped by. Sri Yukteswar was planning a religious procession. He asked m e to lead the disciples over the town and beach of Puri. The festive day dawned as one of the hottest of the sum m er. "Guruji, how can I take the barefooted students over the fiery sands?" I spoke despairingly. "I will tell you a secret," Master responded. "The Lord will send an um brella of clouds; you all shall walk in com fort." I happily organized the procession; our group started from the ashram with a Sat-Sanga banner. 15-4 Designed by Sri Yukteswar, it bore the sym bol of the single 15-5 eye, the telescopic gaze of intuition. No sooner had we left the herm itage than the part of the sky which was overhead becam e filled with clouds as though by m agic. To the accom panim ent of astonished ejaculations from all sides, a very light shower fell, cooling the city streets and the burning seashore. The soothing drops descended during the two hours of the parade. The exact instant at which our group returned to the ashram , the clouds and rain passed away tracelessly. "You see how God feels for us," Master replied after I had expressed m y gratitude. "The Lord responds to all and works for all. J ust as He sent rain at m y plea, so He fulfills any sincere desire of the devotee. Seldom do m en realize how often God heeds their prayers. He is not partial to a few, but listens to everyone who approaches Him trustingly. His children should ever have im plicit faith in the loving-kindness of their Om nipresent Father." 15-6 Sri Yukteswar sponsored four yearly festivals, at the equinoxes and solstices, when his students gathered from far and near. The winter solstice celebration was held in Seram pore; the first one I attended left m e with a perm anent blessing. The festivities started in the m orning with a barefoot procession along the streets. The voices of a hundred students rang out with sweet religious songs; a few m usicians played the flute and khol kartal (drum s and cym bals). Enthusiastic townspeople strewed the path with flowers, glad to be sum m oned from prosaic tasks by our resounding praise of the Lord's blessed nam e. The long tour www.holybooks.com ended in the courtyard of the herm itage. There we encircled our guru, while students on upper balconies showered us with m arigold blossom s. Many guests went upstairs to receive a pudding of channa and oranges. I m ade m y way to a group of brother disciples who were serving today as cooks. Food for such large gatherings had to be cooked outdoors in huge cauldrons. The im provised wood-burning brick stoves were sm oky and tear-provoking, but we laughed m errily at our work. Religious festivals in India are never considered troublesom e; each one does his part, supplying m oney, rice, vegetables, or his personal services. Master was soon in our m idst, supervising the details of the feast. Busy every m om ent, he kept pace with the m ost energetic young student. A sankirtan (group chanting), accom panied by the harm onium and hand- played Indian drum s, was in progress on the second floor. Sri Yukteswar listened appreciatively; his m usical sense was acutely perfect. "They are off key!" Master left the cooks and joined the artists. The m elody was heard again, this tim e correctly rendered. In India, m usic as well as painting and the dram a is considered a divine art. Brahm a, Vishnu, and Shiva-the Eternal Trinity-were the first m usicians. The Divine Dancer Shiva is scripturally represented as having worked out the infinite m odes of rhythm in His cosm ic dance of universal creation, preservation, and dissolution, while Brahm a accentuated the tim e-beat with the clanging cym bals, and Vishnu sounded the holy m ridanga or drum . Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, is always shown in Hindu art with a flute, on which he plays the enrapturing song that recalls to their true hom e the hum an souls wandering in m ay a -delusion. Saraswati, goddess of wisdom , is sym bolized as perform ing on the vina , m other of all stringed instrum ents. The Sam a Veda of India contains the world's earliest writings on m usical science. The foundation stone of Hindu m usic is the ragas or fixed m elodic scales. The six basic ragas branch out into 126 derivative raginis (wives) and putras (sons). Each raga has a m inim um of five notes: a leading note (vadi or king), a secondary note (sam avadi or prim e m inister), helping notes (anuvadi , attendants), and a dissonant note (vivadi , the enem y). Each one of the six basic ragas has a natural correspondence with a certain hour of the day, season of the year, and a presiding deity who bestows a particular potency. Thus, (1) the Hindole Raga is heard only at dawn in the spring, to evoke the m ood of universal love; (2) Deepaka Raga is played during the evening in sum m er, to arouse com passion; (3) Megha Raga is a m elody for m idday in the rainy season, to sum m on courage; (4) Bhairava Raga is played in the m ornings of August, Septem ber, October, to achieve tranquillity; (5) Sri Raga is reserved for autum n twilights, to attain pure love; (6) Malkounsa Raga is heard at m idnights in winter, for valor. The ancient rishis discovered these laws of sound alliance between nature and m an. Because nature is an objectification of Aum , the Prim al Sound or Vibratory Word, m an can obtain control www.holybooks.com over all natural m anifestations through the use of certain m antras or chants. 15-7 Historical docum ents tell of the rem arkable powers possessed by Miyan Tan Sen, sixteenth century court m usician for Akbar the Great. Com m anded by the Em peror to sing a night raga while the sun was overhead, Tan Sen intoned a m antra which instantly caused the whole palace precincts to becom e enveloped in darkness. Indian m usic divides the octave into 22 srutis or dem i-sem itones. These m icrotonal intervals perm it fine shades of m usical expression unattainable by the Western chrom atic scale of 12 sem itones. Each one of the seven basic notes of the octave is associated in Hindu m ythology with a color, and the natural cry of a bird or beast-Do with green, and the peacock; Re with red, and the skylark; Mi with golden, and the goat; Fa with yellowish white, and the heron; Sol with black, and the nightingale; La with yellow, and the horse; Si with a com bination of all colors, and the elephant. Three scales-m ajor, harm onic m inor, m elodic m inor-are the only ones which Occidental m usic em ploys, but Indian m usic outlines 72 thatas or scales. The m usician has a creative scope for endless im provisation around the fixed traditional m elody or raga ; he concentrates on the sentim ent or definitive m ood of the structural them e and then em broiders it to the lim its of his own originality. The Hindu m usician does not read set notes; he clothes anew at each playing the bare skeleton of the raga , often confining him self to a single m elodic sequence, stressing by repetition all its subtle m icrotonal and rhythm ic variations. Bach, am ong Western com posers, had an understanding of the charm and power of repetitious sound slightly differentiated in a hundred com plex ways. Ancient Sanskrit literature describes 120 talas or tim e-m easures. The traditional founder of Hindu m usic, Bharata, is said to have isolated 32 kinds of tala in the song of a lark. The origin of tala or rhythm is rooted in hum an m ovem ents-the double tim e of walking, and the triple tim e of respiration in sleep, when inhalation is twice the length of exhalation. India has always recognized the hum an voice as the m ost perfect instrum ent of sound. Hindu m usic therefore largely confines itself to the voice range of three octaves. For the sam e reason, m elody (relation of successive notes) is stressed, rather than harm ony (relation of sim ultaneous notes). The deeper aim of the early rishi-m usicians was to blend the singer with the Cosm ic Song which can be heard through awakening of m an's occult spinal centers. Indian m usic is a subjective, spiritual, and individualistic art, aim ing not at sym phonic brilliance but at personal harm ony with the Oversoul. The Sanskrit word for m usician is bhagavathar , "he who sings the praises of God." The sankirtans or m usical gatherings are an effective form of yoga or spiritual discipline, necessitating deep concentration, intense absorption in the seed thought and sound. Because m an him self is an expression of the Creative Word, sound has the m ost potent and im m ediate effect on him , offering a way to rem em brance of his divine origin. The sankirtan issuing from Sri Yukteswar's second-story sitting room on the day of the festival was inspiring to the cooks am idst the steam ing pots. My brother disciples and I joyously sang the refrains, beating tim e with our hands. www.holybooks.com By sunset we had served our hundreds of visitors with khichuri (rice and lentils), vegetable curry, and rice pudding. We laid cotton blankets over the courtyard; soon the assem blage was squatting under the starry vault, quietly attentive to the wisdom pouring from Sri Yukteswar's lips. His public speeches em phasized the value of Kriy a Yoga, and a life of self-respect, calm ness, determ ination, sim ple diet, and regular exercise. A group of very young disciples then chanted a few sacred hym ns; the m eeting concluded with sankirtan . From ten o'clock until m idnight, the ashram residents washed pots and pans, and cleared the courtyard. My guru called m e to his side. "I am pleased over your cheerful labors today and during the past week of preparations. I want you with m e; you m ay sleep in m y bed tonight." This was a privilege I had never thought would fall to m y lot. We sat awhile in a state of intense divine tranquillity. Hardly ten m inutes after we had gotten into bed, Master rose and began to dress. "What is the m atter, sir?" I felt a tinge of unreality in the unexpected joy of sleeping beside m y guru. "I think that a few students who m issed their proper train connections will be here soon. Let us have som e food ready." "Guruji, no one would com e at one o'clock in the m orning!" "Stay in bed; you have been working very hard. But I am going to cook." At Sri Yukteswar's resolute tone, I jum ped up and followed him to the sm all daily-used kitchen adjacent to the second-floor inner balcony. Rice and dhal were soon boiling. My guru sm iled affectionately. "Tonight you have conquered fatigue and fear of hard work; you shall never be bothered by them in the future." As he uttered these words of lifelong blessing, footsteps sounded in the courtyard. I ran downstairs and adm itted a group of students. "Dear brother, how reluctant we are to disturb Master at this hour!" One m an addressed m e apologetically. "We m ade a m istake about train schedules, but felt we could not return hom e without a glim pse of our guru." "He has been expecting you and is even now preparing your food." Sri Yukteswar's welcom ing voice rang out; I led the astonished visitors to the kitchen. Master turned to m e with twinkling eyes. "Now that you have finished com paring notes, no doubt you are satisfied that our guests really www.holybooks.com did m iss their train!" I followed him to his bedroom a half hour later, realizing fully that I was about to sleep beside a godlike guru. 15- 1: Puri, about 310 m iles sout h of Calcut t a, is a fam ous pilgrim age cit y for devot ees of Krishna; his worship is celebrat ed t here wit h t wo im m ense annual fest ivals, Snanayat ra and Rat hayat ra . 15- 2: The 1939 discovery of a radio m icroscope revealed a new world of hit hert o unknown rays. " Man him self as well as all kinds of supposedly inert m at t er const ant ly em it s t he rays t hat t his inst rum ent 'sees,'" report ed t he Associat ed Press . " Those who believe in t elepat hy, second sight , and clairvoyance, have in t his announcem ent t he first scient ific proof of t he exist ence of invisible rays which really t ravel from one person t o anot her. The radio device act ually is a radio frequency spect roscope. I t does t he sam e t hing for cool, nonglowing m at t er t hat t he spect roscope does when it discloses t he kinds of at om s t hat m ake t he st ars. . . . The exist ence of such rays com ing from m an and all living t hings has been suspect ed by scient ist s for m any years. Today is t he first experim ent al proof of t heir exist ence. The discovery shows t hat every at om and every m olecule in nat ure is a cont inuous radio broadcast ing st at ion. . . . Thus even aft er deat h t he subst ance t hat was a m an cont inues t o send out it s delicat e rays. The wave lengt hs of t hese rays range from short er t han anyt hing now used in broadcast ing t o t he longest kind of radio waves. The j um ble of t hese rays is alm ost inconceivable. There are m illions of t hem . A single very large m olecule m ay give off 1,000,000 different wave lengt hs at t he sam e t im e. The longer wave lengt hs of t his sort t ravel wit h t he ease and speed of radio waves. . . . There is one am azing difference bet ween t he new radio rays and fam iliar rays like light . This is t he prolonged t im e, am ount ing t o t housands of years, which t hese radio waves will keep on em it t ing from undist urbed m at t er." 15- 3: One hesit at es t o use " int uit ion" ; Hit ler has alm ost ruined t he word along wit h m ore am bit ious devast at ions. The Lat in root m eaning of int uit ion is " inner prot ect ion." The Sanskrit word agam a m eans int uit ional knowledge born of direct soul- percept ion; hence cert ain ancient t reat ises by t he rishis were called agam as . 15- 4: Sat is lit erally " being," hence " essence; realit y." Sanga is " associat ion." Sri Yukt eswar called his herm it age organizat ion Sat - Sanga , " fellowship wit h t rut h." 15- 5: " I f t herefore t hine eye be single, t hy whole body shall be full of light ." - Mat t hew 6: 22. During deep m edit at ion, t he single or spirit ual eye becom es visible wit hin t he cent ral part of t he forehead. This om niscient eye is variously referred t o in script ures as t he t hird eye, t he st ar of t he East , t he inner eye, t he dove descending from heaven, t he eye of Shiva, t he eye of int uit ion, et c. 15- 6: " He t hat plant ed t he ear, shall he not hear? he t hat form ed t he eye, shall he not see? . . . he t hat t eachet h m an knowledge, shall he not know?" - Psalm 94: 9- 10. 15- 7: Folklore of all peoples cont ains references t o incant at ions wit h power over nat ure. The Am erican I ndians are wellknown t o have developed sound rit uals for rain and wind. Tan Sen, t he great Hindu m usician, was able t o quench fire by t he power of his song. Charles Kellogg, t he California nat uralist , gave a dem onst rat ion of t he effect of t onal vibrat ion on fire in 1926 before a group of New York firem en. " Passing a bow, like an enlarged violin bow, swift ly across an alum inum t uning fork, he produced a screech like int ense radio st at ic. I nst ant ly t he yellow gas flam e, t wo feet high, leaping inside a hollow glass t ube, subsided t o a height of six inches and becam e a sput t ering blue flare. Anot her at t em pt wit h t he bow, and anot her screech of vibrat ion, ext inguished it ." www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 16 Outwitting The Stars "Mukunda, why don't you get an astrological arm let?" "Should I, Master? I don't believe in astrology." "It is never a question of belief ; the only scientific attitude one can take on any subject is whether it is true . The law of gravitation worked as efficiently before Newton as after him . The cosm os would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without the sanction of hum an belief. "Charlatans have brought the stellar science to its present state of disrepute. Astrology is too vast, both m athem atically 16 -1 and philosophically, to be rightly grasped except by m en of profound understanding. If ignoram uses m isread the heavens, and see there a scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this im perfect world. One should not dism iss the wisdom with the 'wise.' "All parts of creation are linked together and interchange their influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in reciprocity," m y guru continued. "Man, in his hum an aspect, has to com bat two sets of forces-first, the tum ults within his being, caused by the adm ixture of earth, water, fire, air, and ethereal elem ents; second, the outer disintegrating powers of nature. So long as m an struggles with his m ortality, he is affected by the m yriad m utations of heaven and earth. "Astrology is the study of m an's response to planetary stim uli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or anim osity; they m erely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of them selves, these do not help or harm hum anity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibrium s which each m an has set into m otion in the past. "A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in m athem atical harm ony with his individual karm a. His horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable past and its probable future results. But the natal chart can be rightly interpreted only by m en of intuitive wisdom : these are few. "The m essage boldly blazoned across the heavens at the m om ent of birth is not m eant to em phasize fate-the result of past good and evil-but to arouse m an's will to escape from his universal thralldom . What he has done, he can undo. None other than him self was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now prevalent in his life. He can overcom e any lim itation, because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure. "Superstitious awe of astrology m akes one an autom aton, slavishly dependent on m echanical guidance. The wise m an defeats his planets- which is to say, his past-by transferring his allegiance from the creation to the Creator. The m ore he realizes his unity with Spirit, the less he can be dom inated by m atter. The soul is ever-free; it is deathless because birthless. It cannot be regim ented by stars. www.holybooks.com "Man is a soul, and has a body. When he properly places his sense of identity, he leaves behind all com pulsive patterns. So long as he rem ains confused in his ordinary state of spiritual am nesia, he will know the subtle fetters of environm ental law. "God is harm ony; the devotee who attunes him self will never perform any action am iss. His activities will be correctly and naturally tim ed to accord with astrological law. After deep prayer and m editation he is in touch with his divine consciousness; there is no greater power than that inward protection." "Then, dear Master, why do you want m e to wear an astrological bangle?" I ventured this question after a long silence, during which I had tried to assim ilate Sri Yukteswar's noble exposition. "It is only when a traveler has reached his goal that he is justified in discarding his m aps. During the journey, he takes advantage of any convenient short cut. The ancient rishis discovered m any ways to curtail the period of m an's exile in delusion. There are certain m echanical features in the law of karm a which can be skillfully adjusted by the fingers of wisdom . "All hum an ills arise from som e transgression of universal law. The scriptures point out that m an m ust satisfy the laws of nature, while not discrediting the divine om nipotence. He should say: 'Lord, I trust in Thee, and know Thou canst help m e, but I too will do m y best to undo any wrong I have done.' By a num ber of m eans-by prayer, by will power, by yoga m editation, by consultation with saints, by use of astrological bangles-the adverse effects of past wrongs can be m inim ized or nullified. "J ust as a house can be fitted with a copper rod to absorb the shock of lightning, so the bodily tem ple can be benefited by various protective m easures. Ages ago our yogis discovered that pure m etals em it an astral light which is powerfully counteractive to negative pulls of the planets. Subtle electrical and m agnetic radiations are constantly circulating in the universe; when a m an's body is being aided, he does not know it; when it is being disintegrated, he is still in ignorance. Can he do anything about it? "This problem received attention from our rishis; they found helpful not only a com bination of m etals, but also of plants and-m ost effective of all-faultless jewels of not less than two carats. The preventive uses of astrology have seldom been seriously studied outside of India. One littleknown fact is that the proper jewels, m etals, or plant preparations are valueless unless the required weight is secured, and unless these rem edial agents are worn next to the skin." "Sir, of course I shall take your advice and get a bangle. I am intrigued at the thought of outwitting a planet!" "For general purposes I counsel the use of an arm let m ade of gold, silver, and copper. But for a specific purpose I want you to get one of silver and lead." Sri Yukteswar added careful directions. "Guruji, what 'specific purpose' do you m ean?" www.holybooks.com "The stars are about to take an unfriendly interest in you, Mukunda. Fear not; you shall be protected. In about a m onth your liver will cause you m uch trouble. The illness is scheduled to last for six m onths, but your use of an astrological arm let will shorten the period to twenty-four days." I sought out a jeweler the next day, and was soon wearing the bangle. My health was excellent; Master's prediction slipped from m y m ind. He left Seram pore to visit Benares. Thirty days after our conversation, I felt a sudden pain in the region of m y liver. The following weeks were a nightm are of excruciating pain. Reluctant to disturb m y guru, I thought I would bravely endure m y trial alone. But twenty-three days of torture weakened m y resolution; I entrained for Benares. There Sri Yukteswar greeted m e with unusual warm th, but gave m e no opportunity to tell him m y woes in private. Many devotees visited Master that day, just for a darshan. 16 -2 Ill and neglected, I sat in a corner. It was not until after the evening m eal that all guests had departed. My guru sum m oned m e to the octagonal balcony of the house. "You m ust have com e about your liver disorder." Sri Yukteswar's gaze was averted; he walked to and fro, occasionally intercepting the m oonlight. "Let m e see; you have been ailing for twentyfour days, haven't you?" "Yes, sir." "Please do the stom ach exercise I have taught you." "If you knew the extent of m y suffering, Master, you would not ask m e to exercise." Nevertheless I m ade a feeble attem pt to obey him . "You say you have pain; I say you have none. How can such contradictions exist?" My guru looked at m e inquiringly. I was dazed and then overcom e with joyful relief. No longer could I feel the continuous torm ent that had kept m e nearly sleepless for weeks; at Sri Yukteswar's words the agony vanished as though it had never been. I started to kneel at his feet in gratitude, but he quickly prevented m e. "Don't be childish. Get up and enjoy the beauty of the m oon over the Ganges." But Master's eyes were twinkling happily as I stood in silence beside him . I understood by his attitude that he wanted m e to feel that not he, but God, had been the Healer. I wear even now the heavy silver and lead bangle, a m em ento of that day-long-past, evercherished-when I found anew that I was living with a personage indeed superhum an. On later occasions, when I brought m y friends to Sri Yukteswar for healing, he invariably recom m ended www.holybooks.com jewels or the bangle, extolling their use as an act of astrological wisdom . I had been prejudiced against astrology from m y childhood, partly because I observed that m any people are sequaciously attached to it, and partly because of a prediction m ade by our fam ily astrologer: "You will m arry three tim es, being twice a widower." I brooded over the m atter, feeling like a goat awaiting sacrifice before the tem ple of triple m atrim ony. "You m ay as well be resigned to your fate," m y brother Ananta had rem arked. "Your written horoscope has correctly stated that you would fly from hom e toward the Him alayas during your early years, but would be forcibly returned. The forecast of your m arriages is also bound to be true." A clear intuition cam e to m e one night that the prophecy was wholly false. I set fire to the horoscope scroll, placing the ashes in a paper bag on which I wrote: "Seeds of past karm a cannot germ inate if they are roasted in the divine fires of wisdom ." I put the bag in a conspicuous spot; Ananta im m ediately read m y defiant com m ent. "You cannot destroy truth as easily as you have burnt this paper scroll." My brother laughed scornfully. It is a fact that on three occasions before I reached m anhood, m y fam ily tried to arrange m y betrothal. Each tim e I refused to fall in with the plans, 16 -3 knowing that m y love for God was m ore overwhelm ing than any astrological persuasion from the past. "The deeper the self-realization of a m an, the m ore he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he him self is affected by the phenom enal flux." These words of Master's often returned inspiringly to m y m ind. Occasionally I told astrologers to select m y worst periods, according to planetary indications, and I would still accom plish whatever task I set m yself. It is true that m y success at such tim es has been accom panied by extraordinary difficulties. But m y conviction has always been justified: faith in the divine protection, and the right use of m an's God-given will, are forces form idable beyond any the "inverted bowl" can m uster. The starry inscription at one's birth, I cam e to understand, is not that m an is a puppet of his past. Its m essage is rather a prod to pride; the very heavens seek to arouse m an's determ ination to be free from every lim itation. God created each m an as a soul, dowered with individuality, hence essential to the universal structure, whether in the tem porary role of pillar or parasite. His freedom is final and im m ediate, if he so wills; it depends not on outer but inner victories. Sri Yukteswar discovered the m athem atical application of a 24,0 0 0 -year equinoctial cycle to our present age. 16 -4 The cycle is divided into an Ascending Arc and a Descending Arc, each of 12,0 0 0 years. Within each Arc fall four Yugas or Ages, called Kali , Dw apara , Treta , and Saty a , corresponding to the Greek ideas of Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Golden Ages. www.holybooks.com My guru determ ined by various calculations that the last Kali Yuga or Iron Age, of the Ascending Arc, started about A.D. 50 0 . The Iron Age, 120 0 years in duration, is a span of m aterialism ; it ended about A.D. 170 0 . That year ushered in Dw apara Yuga , a 240 0 -year period of electrical and atom ic-energy developm ents, the age of telegraph, radio, airplanes, and other spaceannihilators. The 360 0 -year period of Treta Yuga will start in A.D. 410 0 ; its age will be m arked by com m on knowledge of telepathic com m unications and other tim e-annihilators. During the 480 0 years of Saty a Yuga , final age in an ascending arc, the intelligence of a m an will be com pletely developed; he will work in harm ony with the divine plan. A descending arc of 12,0 0 0 years, starting with a descending Golden Age of 480 0 years, then begins 16 -5 for the world; m an gradually sinks into ignorance. These cycles are the eternal rounds of m ay a , the contrasts and relativities of the phenom enal universe. 16 -6 Man, one by one, escapes from creation's prison of duality as he awakens to consciousness of his inseverable divine unity with the Creator. Master enlarged m y understanding not only of astrology but of the world's scriptures. Placing the holy texts on the spotless table of his m ind, he was able to dissect them with the scalpel of intuitive reasoning, and to separate errors and interpolations of scholars from the truths as originally expressed by the prophets. "Fix one's vision on the end of the nose." This inaccurate interpretation of a Bhagavad Gita stanza, 16 -7 widely accepted by Eastern pundits and Western translators, used to arouse Master's droll criticism . "The path of a yogi is singular enough as it is," he rem arked. "Why counsel him that he m ust also m ake him self cross-eyed? The true m eaning of nasikagram is 'origin of the nose, not 'end of the nose.' The nose begins at the point between the two eyebrows, the seat of spiritual vision." 16 -8 Because of one Sankhy a 16 -9 aphorism , "Isw ar-ashidha ,"-"A Lord of Creation cannot be deduced" or "God is not proved," 16 -10 -m any scholars call the whole philosophy atheistical. "The verse is not nihilistic," Sri Yukteswar explained. "It m erely signifies that to the unenlightened m an, dependent on his senses for all final judgm ents, proof of God m ust rem ain unknown and therefore non-existent. True Sankhy a followers, with unshakable insight born of m editation, understand that the Lord is both existent and knowable." Master expounded the Christian Bible with a beautiful clarity. It was from m y Hindu guru, unknown to the roll call of Christian m em bership, that I learned to perceive the deathless essence of the Bible, and to understand the truth in Christ's assertion-surely the m ost thrillingly intransigent ever uttered: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but m y words shall not pass away." 16 -11 The great m asters of India m old their lives by the sam e godly ideals which anim ated J esus; these m en are his proclaim ed kin: "Whosoever shall do the will of m y Father which is in heaven, the www.holybooks.com sam e is m y brother, and sister, and m other." 16 -12 "If ye continue in m y word," Christ pointed out, "then are ye m y disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall m ake you free." 16 -13 Freem en all, lords of them selves, the Yogi-Christs of India are part of the im m ortal fraternity: those who have attained a liberating knowledge of the One Father. "The Adam and Eve story is incom prehensible to m e!" I observed with considerable heat one day in m y early struggles with the allegory. "Why did God punish not only the guilty pair, but also the innocent unborn generations?" Master was m ore am used by m y vehem ence than m y ignorance. "Genesis is deeply sym bolic, and cannot be grasped by a literal interpretation," he explained. "Its 'tree of life' is the hum an body. The spinal cord is like an upturned tree, with m an's hair as its roots, and afferent and efferent nerves as branches. The tree of the nervous system bears m any enjoyable fruits, or sensations of sight, sound, sm ell, taste, and touch. In these, m an m ay rightfully indulge; but he was forbidden the experience of sex, the 'apple' at the center of the bodily garden. 16 -14 "The 'serpent' represents the coiled-up spinal energy which stim ulates the sex nerves. 'Adam ' is reason, and 'Eve' is feeling. When the em otion or Eve-consciousness in any hum an being is overpowered by the sex im pulse, his reason or Adam also succum bs. 16 -15 "God created the hum an species by m aterializing the bodies of m an and wom an through the force of His will; He endowed the new species with the power to create children in a sim ilar 'im m aculate' or divine m anner. 16 -16 Because His m anifestation in the individualized soul had hitherto been lim ited to anim als, instinct-bound and lacking the potentialities of full reason, God m ade the first hum an bodies, sym bolically called Adam and Eve. To these, for advantageous upward evolution, He transferred the souls or divine essence of two anim als. 16 -17 In Adam or m an, reason predom inated; in Eve or wom an, feeling was ascendant. Thus was expressed the duality or polarity which underlies the phenom enal worlds. Reason and feeling rem ain in a heaven of cooperative joy so long as the hum an m ind is not tricked by the serpentine energy of anim al propensities. "The hum an body was therefore not solely a result of evolution from beasts, but was produced by an act of special creation by God. The anim al form s were too crude to express full divinity; the hum an being was uniquely given a trem endous m ental capacity-the 'thousand-petaled lotus' of the brain-as well as acutely awakened occult centers in the spine. "God, or the Divine Consciousness present within the first created pair, counseled them to enjoy all hum an sensibilities, but not to put their concentration on touch sensations. 16 -18 These were banned in order to avoid the developm ent of the sex organs, which would enm esh hum anity in the inferior anim al m ethod of propagation. The warning not to revive subconsciously-present bestial m em ories was not heeded. Resum ing the way of brute procreation, Adam and Eve fell from the state of heavenly joy natural to the original perfect m an. "Knowledge of 'good and evil' refers to the cosm ic dualistic com pulsion. Falling under the sway of www.holybooks.com m ay a through m isuse of his feeling and reason, or Eve-and Adam -consciousness, m an relinquishes his right to enter the heavenly garden of divine self- sufficiency. 16 -19 The personal responsibility of every hum an being is to restore his 'parents' or dual nature to a unified harm ony or Eden." As Sri Yukteswar ended his discourse, I glanced with new respect at the pages of Genesis . "Dear Master," I said, "for the first tim e I feel a proper filial obligation toward Adam and Eve!" 16- 1: From ast ronom ical references in ancient Hindu script ures, scholars have been able t o correct ly ascert ain t he dat es of t he aut hors. The scient ific knowledge of t he rishis was very great ; in t he Kaushit aki Brahm ana we find precise ast ronom ical passages which show t hat in 3100 B.C. t he Hindus were far advanced in ast ronom y, which had a pract ical value in det erm ining t he auspicious t im es for ast rological cerem onies. I n an art icle in East - West , February, 1934, t he following sum m ary is given of t he Jyot ish or body of Vedic ast ronom ical t reat ises: " I t cont ains t he scient ific lore which kept I ndia at t he forefront of all ancient nat ions and m ade her t he m ecca of seekers aft er knowledge. The very ancient Brahm agupt a , one of t he Jyot ish works, is an ast ronom ical t reat ise dealing wit h such m at t ers as t he heliocent ric m ot ion of t he planet ary bodies in our solar syst em , t he obliquit y of t he eclipt ic, t he eart h's spherical form , t he reflect ed light of t he m oon, t he eart h's daily axial revolut ion, t he presence of fixed st ars in t he Milky Way, t he law of gravit at ion, and ot her scient ific fact s which did not dawn in t he West ern world unt il t he t im e of Copernicus and Newt on." I t is now well- known t hat t he so- called " Arabic num erals," wit hout whose sym bols advanced m at hem at ics is difficult , cam e t o Europe in t he 9t h cent ury, via t he Arabs, from I ndia, where t hat syst em of not at ion had been ancient ly form ulat ed. Furt her light on I ndia's vast scient ific herit age will be found in Dr. P. C. Ray's Hist ory Of Hindu Chem ist ry, and in Dr. B. N. Seal's Posit ive Sciences Of The Ancient Hindus. 16- 2: The blessing which flows from t he m ere sight of a saint . 16- 3: One of t he girls whom m y fam ily select ed as a possible bride for m e, aft erwards m arried m y cousin, Prabhas Chandra Ghose. 16- 4: A series of t hirt een art icles on t he hist orical verificat ion of Sri Yukt eswar's Yuga t heory appeared in t he m agazine East - West ( Los Angeles) from Sept em ber, 1932, t o Sept em ber, 1933. 16- 5: I n t he year A.D. 12,500. 16- 6: The Hindu script ures place t he present world- age as occurring wit hin t he Kali Yuga of a m uch longer universal cycle t han t he sim ple 24,000- year equinoct ial cycle wit h which Sri Yukt eswar was concerned. The universal cycle of t he script ures is 4,300,560,000 years in ext ent , and m easures out a Day of Creat ion or t he lengt h of life assigned t o our planet ary syst em in it s present form . This vast figure given by t he rishis is based on a relat ionship bet ween t he lengt h of t he solar year and a m ult iple of Pi ( 3.1416, t he rat io of t he circum ference t o t he diam et er of a circle) . The life span for a whole universe, according t o t he ancient seers, is 314,159,000,000,000 solar years, or " One Age of Brahm a." Scient ist s est im at e t he present age of t he eart h t o be about t wo billion years, basing t heir conclusions on a st udy of lead pocket s left as a result of radioact ivit y in rocks. The Hindu script ures declare t hat an eart h such as ours is dissolved for one of t wo reasons: t he inhabit ant s as a whole becom e eit her com plet ely good or com plet ely evil. The world- m ind t hus generat es a power which releases t he capt ive at om s held t oget her as an eart h. Dire pronouncem ent s are occasionally published regarding an im m inent " end of t he world." The lat est predict ion of doom was given by Rev. Chas. G. Long of Pasadena, who publicly set t he " Day of Judgm ent " for Sept . 21, 1945. Unit ed Press report ers asked m y opinion; I explained t hat world cycles follow an orderly progression according t o a divine plan. No eart hly dissolut ion is in sight ; t wo billion years of ascending and descending equinoct ial cycles are yet in st ore for our planet in it s present form . The figures given by t he rishis for t he various world ages deserve careful st udy in t he West ; t he m agazine Tim e ( Dec. 17, 1945, p. 6) called t hem " reassuring st at ist ics." 16- 7: chapt er VI : 13. www.holybooks.com 16- 8: " The light of t he body is t he eye: t herefore when t hine eye is single, t hy whole body also is full of light ; but when t hine eye is evil, t hy body also is full of darkness. Take heed t herefore t hat t he light which is in t hee be not darkness." Luke 11: 34- 35. 16- 9: One of t he six syst em s of Hindu philosophy. Sankhya t eaches final em ancipat ion t hrough knowledge of t went y- five principles, st art ing wit h prakrit i or nat ure and ending wit h purusha or soul. 16- 10: Sankhya Aphorism s , I : 92. 16- 11: Mat t hew 24: 35. 16- 12: Mat t hew 12: 50. 16- 13: John 8: 31- 32. St . John t est ified: " But as m any as received him , t o t hem gave he power t o becom e t he sons of God, even t o t hem t hat believe on his nam e ( even t o t hem who are est ablished in t he Christ Consciousness) ." - John 1: 12. 16- 14: " We m ay eat of t he fruit of t he t rees of t he garden: but of t he fruit of t he t ree which is in t he m idst of t he garden, God hat h said, Ye shall not eat of it , neit her shall ye t ouch it , lest ye die." - Genesis 3: 2- 3. 16- 15: " The wom an whom t hou gavest t o be wit h m e, she gave m e of t he t ree, and I did eat . The wom an said, The serpent beguiled m e, and I did eat ." - Gen . 3: 12- 13. 16- 16: " So God creat ed m an in his own im age, in t he im age of God creat ed he him ; m ale and fem ale creat ed he t hem . And God blessed t hem , and God said unt o t hem , Be fruit ful and m ult iply, and replenish t he eart h, and subdue it ." - Gen . 1: 27- 28. 16- 17: " And t he Lord God form ed m an of t he dust of t he ground, and breat hed int o his nost rils t he breat h of life; and m an becam e a living soul." - Gen . 2: 7. 16- 18: " Now t he serpent ( sex force) was m ore subt il t han any beast of t he field" ( any ot her sense of t he body) .- Gen . 3: 1. 16- 19: " And t he Lord God plant ed a garden east ward in Eden; and t here he put t he m an whom he had form ed." - Gen . 2: 8. " Therefore t he Lord God sent him fort h from t he garden of Eden, t o t ill t he ground from whence he was t aken." Gen . 3: 23. The divine m an first m ade by God had his consciousness cent ered in t he om nipot ent single eye in t he forehead ( east ward) . The all- creat ive powers of his will, focused at t hat spot , were lost t o m an when he began t o " t ill t he ground" of his physical nat ure. CHAPTER: 17 Sasi And The Three Sapphires "Because you and m y son think so highly of Swam i Sri Yukteswar, I will take a look at him ." The www.holybooks.com tone of voice used by Dr. Narayan Chunder Roy im plied that he was hum oring the whim of halfwits. I concealed m y indignation, in the best traditions of the proselyter. My com panion, a veterinary surgeon, was a confirm ed agnostic. His young son Santosh had im plored m e to take an interest in his father. So far m y invaluable aid had been a bit on the invisible side. Dr. Roy accom panied m e the following day to the Seram pore herm itage. After Master had granted him a brief interview, m arked for the m ost part by stoic silence on both sides, the visitor brusquely departed. "Why bring a dead m an to the ashram ?" Sri Yukteswar looked at m e inquiringly as soon as the door had closed on the Calcutta skeptic. "Sir! The doctor is very m uch alive!" "But in a short tim e he will be dead." I was shocked. "Sir, this will be a terrible blow to his son. Santosh yet hopes for tim e to change his father's m aterialistic views. I beseech you, Master, to help the m an." "Very well; for your sake." My guru's face was im passive. "The proud horse doctor is far gone in diabetes, although he does not know it. In fifteen days he will take to his bed. The physicians will give him up for lost; his natural tim e to leave this earth is six weeks from today. Due to your intercession, however, on that date he will recover. But there is one condition. You m ust get him to wear an astrological bangle; he will doubtless object as violently as one of his horses before an operation!" Master chuckled. After a silence, during which I wondered how Santosh and I could best em ploy the arts of cajolery on the recalcitrant doctor, Sri Yukteswar m ade further disclosures. "As soon as the m an gets well, advise him not to eat m eat. He will not heed this counsel, however, and in six m onths, just as he is feeling at his best, he will drop dead. Even that six-m onth extension of life is granted him only because of your plea." The following day I suggested to Santosh that he order an arm let at the jeweler's. It was ready in a week, but Dr. Roy refused to put it on. "I am in the best of health. You will never im press m e with these astrological superstitions." The doctor glanced at m e belligerently. I recalled with am usem ent that Master had justifiably com pared the m an to a balky horse. Another seven days passed; the doctor, suddenly ill, m eekly consented to wear the bangle. Two weeks later the physician in attendance told m e that his patient's case was hopeless. He supplied harrowing details of the ravages inflicted by diabetes. www.holybooks.com I shook m y head. "My guru has said that, after a sickness lasting one m onth, Dr. Roy will be well." The physician stared at m e incredulously. But he sought m e out a fortnight later, with an apologetic air. "Dr. Roy has m ade a com plete recovery!" he exclaim ed. "It is the m ost am azing case in m y experience. Never before have I seen a dying m an show such an inexplicable com eback. Your guru m ust indeed be a healing prophet!" After one interview with Dr. Roy, during which I repeated Sri Yukteswar's advice about a m eatless diet, I did not see the m an again for six m onths. He stopped for a chat one evening as I sat on the piazza of m y fam ily hom e on Gurpar Road. "Tell your teacher that by eating m eat frequently, I have wholly regained m y strength. His unscientific ideas on diet have not influenced m e." It was true that Dr. Roy looked a picture of health. But the next day Santosh cam e running to m e from his hom e on the next block. "This m orning Father dropped dead!" This case was one of m y strangest experiences with Master. He healed the rebellious veterinary surgeon in spite of his disbelief, and extended the m an's natural term on earth by six m onths, just because of m y earnest supplication. Sri Yukteswar was boundless in his kindness when confronted by the urgent prayer of a devotee. It was m y proudest privilege to bring college friends to m eet m y guru. Many of them would lay aside-at least in the ashram !-their fashionable academ ic cloak of religious skepticism . One of m y friends, Sasi, spent a num ber of happy week ends in Seram pore. Master becam e im m ensely fond of the boy, and lam ented that his private life was wild and disorderly. "Sasi, unless you reform , one year hence you will be dangerously ill." Sri Yukteswar gazed at m y friend with affectionate exasperation. "Mukunda is the witness: don't say later that I didn't warn you." Sasi laughed. "Master, I will leave it to you to interest a sweet charity of cosm os in m y own sad case! My spirit is willing but m y will is weak. You are m y only savior on earth; I believe in nothing else." "At least you should wear a two-carat blue sapphire. It will help you." "I can't afford one. Anyhow, dear guruji, if trouble com es, I fully believe you will protect m e." "In a year you will bring three sapphires," Sri Yukteswar replied cryptically. "They will be of no use then." www.holybooks.com Variations on this conversation took place regularly. "I can't reform !" Sasi would say in com ical despair. "And m y trust in you, Master, is m ore precious to m e than any stone!" A year later I was visiting m y guru at the Calcutta hom e of his disciple, Naren Babu. About ten o'clock in the m orning, as Sri Yukteswar and I were sitting quietly in the second-floor parlor, I heard the front door open. Master straightened stiffly. "It is that Sasi," he rem arked gravely. "The year is now up; both his lungs are gone. He has ignored m y counsel; tell him I don't want to see him ." Half stunned by Sri Yukteswar's sternness, I raced down the stairway. Sasi was ascending. "O Mukunda! I do hope Master is here; I had a hunch he m ight be." "Yes, but he doesn't wish to be disturbed." Sasi burst into tears and brushed past m e. He threw him self at Sri Yukteswar's feet, placing there three beautiful sapphires. "Om niscient guru, the doctors say I have galloping tuberculosis! They give m e no longer than three m ore m onths! I hum bly im plore your aid; I know you can heal m e!" "Isn't it a bit late now to be worrying over your life? Depart with your jewels; their tim e of usefulness is past." Master then sat sphinxlike in an unrelenting silence, punctuated by the boy's sobs for m ercy. An intuitive conviction cam e to m e that Sri Yukteswar was m erely testing the depth of Sasi's faith in the divine healing power. I was not surprised a tense hour later when Master turned a sym pathetic gaze on m y prostrate friend. "Get up, Sasi; what a com m otion you m ake in other people's houses! Return your sapphires to the jeweler's; they are an unnecessary expense now. But get an astrological bangle and wear it. Fear not; in a few weeks you shall be well." Sasi's sm ile illum ined his tear-m arred face like sudden sun over a sodden landscape. "Beloved guru, shall I take the m edicines prescribed by the doctors?" Sri Yukteswar's glance was longanim ous. "J ust as you wish-drink them or discard them ; it does not m atter. It is m ore possible for the sun and m oon to interchange their positions than for you to die of tuberculosis." He added abruptly, "Go now, before I change m y m ind!" With an agitated bow, m y friend hastily departed. I visited him several tim es during the next few weeks, and was aghast to find his condition increasingly worse. "Sasi cannot last through the night." These words from his physician, and the spectacle of m y www.holybooks.com friend, now reduced alm ost to a skeleton, sent m e posthaste to Seram pore. My guru listened coldly to m y tearful report. "Why do you com e here to bother m e? You have already heard m e assure Sasi of his recovery." I bowed before him in great awe, and retreated to the door. Sri Yukteswar said no parting word, but sank into silence, his unwinking eyes half-open, their vision fled to another world. I returned at once to Sasi's hom e in Calcutta. With astonishm ent I found m y friend sitting up, drinking m ilk. "O Mukunda! What a m iracle! Four hours ago I felt Master's presence in the room ; m y terrible sym ptom s im m ediately disappeared. I feel that through his grace I am entirely well." In a few weeks Sasi was stouter and in better health than ever before. 17-1 But his singular reaction to his healing had an ungrateful tinge: he seldom visited Sri Yukteswar again! My friend told m e one day that he so deeply regretted his previous m ode of life that he was asham ed to face Master. I could only conclude that Sasi's illness had had the contrasting effect of stiffening his will and im pairing his m anners. The first two years of m y course at Scottish Church College were drawing to a close. My classroom attendance had been very spasm odic; what little studying I did was only to keep peace with m y fam ily. My two private tutors cam e regularly to m y house; I was regularly absent: I can discern at least this one regularity in m y scholastic career! In India two successful years of college bring an Interm ediate Arts diplom a; the student m ay then look forward to another two years and his A.B. degree. The Interm ediate Arts final exam inations loom ed om inously ahead. I fled to Puri, where m y guru was spending a few weeks. Vaguely hoping that he would sanction m y nonappearance at the finals, I related m y em barrassing unpreparedness. But Master sm iled consolingly. "You have wholeheartedly pursued your spiritual duties, and could not help neglecting your college work. Apply yourself diligently to your books for the next week: you shall get through your ordeal without failure." I returned to Calcutta, firm ly suppressing all reasonable doubts that occasionally arose with unnerving ridicule. Surveying the m ountain of books on m y table, I felt like a traveler lost in a wilderness. A long period of m editation brought m e a labor-saving inspiration. Opening each book at random , I studied only those pages which lay thus exposed. Pursuing this course during eighteen hours a day for a week, I considered m yself entitled to advise all succeeding generations on the art of cram m ing. www.holybooks.com The following days in the exam ination halls were a justification of m y seem ingly haphazard procedure. I passed all the tests, though by a hairbreadth. The congratulations of m y friends and fam ily were ludicrously m ixed with ejaculations betraying their astonishm ent. On his return from Puri, Sri Yukteswar gave m e a pleasant surprise. "Your Calcutta studies are now over. I will see that you pursue your last two years of university work right here in Seram pore." I was puzzled. "Sir, there is no Bachelor of Arts course in this town." Seram pore College, the sole institution of higher learning, offered only a two-year course in Interm ediate Arts. Master sm iled m ischievously. "I am too old to go about collecting donations to establish an A.B. college for you. I guess I shall have to arrange the m atter through som eone else." Two m onths later Professor Howells, president of Seram pore College, publicly announced that he had succeeded in raising sufficient funds to offer a four-year course. Seram pore College becam e a branch affiliation of the University of Calcutta. I was one of the first students to enroll in Seram pore as an A.B. candidate. "Guruji, how kind you are to m e! I have been longing to leave Calcutta and be near you every day in Seram pore. Professor Howells does not dream how m uch he owes to your silent help!" Sri Yukteswar gazed at m e with m ock severity. "Now you won't have to spend so m any hours on trains; what a lot of free tim e for your studies! Perhaps you will becom e less of a last-m inute cram m er and m ore of a scholar." But som ehow his tone lacked conviction. 17- 1: I n 1936 I heard from a friend t hat Sasi was st ill in excellent healt h. CHAPTER: 18 A Mohammedan Wonder-Worker "Years ago, right in this very room you now occupy, a Moham m edan wonder-worker perform ed four m iracles before m e!" Sri Yukteswar m ade this surprising statem ent during his first visit to m y new quarters. www.holybooks.com Im m ediately after entering Seram pore College, I had taken a room in a near-by boardinghouse, called Panthi . It was an old- fashioned brick m ansion, fronting the Ganges. "Master, what a coincidence! Are these newly decorated walls really ancient with m em ories?" I looked around m y sim ply furnished room with awakened interest. "It is a long story." My guru sm iled rem iniscently. "The nam e of the fakir 18 -1 was Afzal Khan. He had acquired his extraordinary powers through a chance encounter with a Hindu yogi. "'Son, I am thirsty; fetch m e som e water.' A dust-covered sanny asi m ade this request of Afzal one day during his early boyhood in a sm all village of eastern Bengal. "'Master, I am a Moham m edan. How could you, a Hindu, accept a drink from m y hands?' "'Your truthfulness pleases m e, m y child. I do not observe the ostracizing rules of ungodly sectarianism . Go; bring m e water quickly.' "Afzal's reverent obedience was rewarded by a loving glance from the yogi. "'You possess good karm a from form er lives,' he observed solem nly. 'I am going to teach you a certain yoga m ethod which will give you com m and over one of the invisible realm s. The great powers that will be yours should be exercised for worthy ends; never em ploy them selfishly! I perceive, alas! that you have brought over from the past som e seeds of destructive tendencies. Do not allow them to sprout by watering them with fresh evil actions. The com plexity of your previous karm a is such that you m ust use this life to reconcile your yogic accom plishm ents with the highest hum anitarian goals.' "After instructing the am azed boy in a com plicated technique, the m aster vanished. "Afzal faithfully followed his yoga exercise for twenty years. His m iraculous feats began to attract widespread attention. It seem s that he was always accom panied by a disem bodied spirit whom he called 'Hazrat.' This invisible entity was able to fulfill the FAKIR'S slightest wish. "Ignoring his m aster's warning, Afzal began to m isuse his powers. Whatever object he touched and then replaced would soon disappear without a trace. This disconcerting eventuality usually m ade the Moham m edan an objectionable guest! "He visited large jewelry stores in Calcutta from tim e to tim e, representing him self as a possible purchaser. Any jewel he handled would vanish shortly after he had left the shop. "Afzal was often surrounded by several hundred students, attracted by the hope of learning his secrets. The fakir occasionally invited them to travel with him . At the railway station he would m anage to touch a roll of tickets. These he would return to the clerk, rem arking: 'I have changed m y m ind, and won't buy them now.' But when he boarded the train with his retinue, Afzal would be in possession of the required tickets. 18 -2 www.holybooks.com "These exploits created an indignant uproar; Bengali jewelers and ticket-sellers were succum bing to nervous breakdowns! The police who sought to arrest Afzal found them selves helpless; the fakir could rem ove incrim inating evidence m erely by saying: 'Hazrat, take this away.'" Sri Yukteswar rose from his seat and walked to the balcony of m y room which overlooked the Ganges. I followed him , eager to hear m ore of the baffling Moham m edan Raffles. "This Panthi house form erly belonged to a friend of m ine. He becam e acquainted with Afzal and asked him here. My friend also invited about twenty neighbors, including m yself. I was only a youth then, and felt a lively curiosity about the notorious fakir ." Master laughed. "I took the precaution of not wearing anything valuable! Afzal looked m e over inquisitively, then rem arked: "'You have powerful hands. Go downstairs to the garden; get a sm ooth stone and write your nam e on it with chalk; then throw the stone as far as possible into the Ganges.' "I obeyed. As soon as the stone had vanished under distant waves, the Moham m edan addressed m e again: "'Fill a pot with Ganges water near the front of this house.' "After I had returned with a vessel of water, the fakir cried, 'Hazrat, put the stone in the pot!' "The stone appeared at once. I pulled it from the vessel and found m y signature as legible as when I had written it. "Babu, 18 -3 one of m y friends in the room , was wearing a heavy antique gold watch and chain. The fakir exam ined them with om inous adm iration. Soon they were m issing! "'Afzal, please return m y prized heirloom !' Babu was nearly in tears. "The Moham m edan was stoically silent for awhile, then said, 'You have five hundred rupees in an iron safe. Bring them to m e, and I will tell you where to locate your tim epiece.' "The distraught Babu left im m ediately for his hom e. He cam e back shortly and handed Afzal the required sum . "'Go to the little bridge near your house,' the fakir instructed Babu. 'Call on Hazrat to give you the watch and chain.' "Babu rushed away. On his return, he was wearing a sm ile of relief and no jewelry whatever. "'When I com m anded Hazrat as directed,' he announced, 'm y watch cam e tum bling down from the air into m y right hand! You m ay be sure I locked the heirloom in m y safe before rejoining the group here!' www.holybooks.com "Babu's friends, witnesses of the com icotragedy of the ransom for a watch, were staring with resentm ent at Afzal. He now spoke placatingly. "'Please nam e any drink you want; Hazrat will produce it.' "A num ber asked for m ilk, others for fruit juices. I was not too m uch shocked when the unnerved Babu requested whisky! The Moham m edan gave an order; the obliging Hazrat sent sealed containers sailing down the air and thudding to the floor. Each m an found his desired beverage. "The prom ise of the fourth spectacular feat of the day was doubtless gratifying to our host: Afzal offered to supply an instantaneous lunch! "'Let us order the m ost expensive dishes,' Babu suggested gloom ily. 'I want an elaborate m eal for m y five hundred rupees! Everything should be served on gold plates!' "As soon as each m an had expressed his preferences, the fakir addressed him self to the inexhaustible Hazrat. A great rattle ensued; gold platters filled with intricately-prepared curries, hot luchis , and m any out-of-season fruits, landed from nowhere at our feet. All the food was delicious. After feasting for an hour, we started to leave the room . A trem endous noise, as though dishes were being piled up, caused us to turn around. Lo! there was no sign of the glittering plates or the rem nants of the m eal." "Guruji," I interrupted, "if Afzal could easily secure such things as gold dishes, why did he covet the property of others?" "The fakir was not highly developed spiritually," Sri Yukteswar explained. "His m astery of a certain yoga technique gave him access to an astral plane where any desire is im m ediately m aterialized. Through the agency of an astral being, Hazrat, the Moham m edan could sum m on the atom s of any object from etheric energy by an act of powerful will. But such astrally-produced objects are structurally evanescent; they cannot be long retained. Afzal still yearned for worldly wealth which, though m ore hardly earned, has a m ore dependable durability." I laughed. "It too som etim es vanishes m ost unaccountably!" "Afzal was not a m an of God-realization," Master went on. "Miracles of a perm anent and beneficial nature are perform ed by true saints because they have attuned them selves to the om nipotent Creator. Afzal was m erely an ordinary m an with an extraordinary power of penetrating a subtle realm not usually entered by m ortals until death." "I understand now, Guruji. The after-world appears to have som e charm ing features." Master agreed. "I never saw Afzal after that day, but a few years later Babu cam e to m y hom e to show m e a newspaper account of the Moham m edan's public confession. From it I learned the facts I have just told you about Afzal's early initiation from a Hindu guru." www.holybooks.com The gist of the latter part of the published docum ent, as recalled by Sri Yukteswar, was as follows: "I, Afzal Khan, am writing these words as an act of penance and as a warning to those who seek the possession of m iraculous powers. For years I have been m isusing the wondrous abilities im parted to m e through the grace of God and m y m aster. I becam e drunk with egotism , feeling that I was beyond the ordinary laws of m orality. My day of reckoning finally arrived. "Recently I m et an old m an on a road outside Calcutta. He lim ped along painfully, carrying a shining object which looked like gold. I addressed him with greed in m y heart. "'I am Afzal Khan, the great fakir . What have you there?' "'This ball of gold is m y sole m aterial wealth; it can be of no interest to a fakir . I im plore you, sir, to heal m y lim p.' "I touched the ball and walked away without reply. The old m an hobbled after m e. He soon raised an outcry: 'My gold is gone!' "As I paid no attention, he suddenly spoke in a stentorian voice that issued oddly from his frail body: "'Do you not recognize m e?' "I stood speechless, aghast at the belated discovery that this unim pressive old cripple was none other than the great saint who, long, long ago, had initiated m e into yoga. He straightened him self; his body instantly becam e strong and youthful. "'So!' My guru's glance was fiery. 'I see with m y own eyes that you use your powers, not to help suffering hum anity, but to prey on it like a com m on thief! I withdraw your occult gifts; Hazrat is now freed from you. No longer shall you be a terror in Bengal!' "I called on Hazrat in anguished tones; for the first tim e, he did not appear to m y inner sight. But som e dark veil suddenly lifted within m e; I saw clearly the blasphem y of m y life. "'My guru, I thank you for com ing to banish m y long delusion.' I was sobbing at his feet. 'I prom ise to forsake m y worldly am bitions. I will retire to the m ountains for lonely m editation on God, hoping to atone for m y evil past.' "My m aster regarded m e with silent com passion. 'I feel your sincerity,' he said finally. 'Because of your earlier years of strict obedience, and because of your present repentance, I will grant you one boon. Your other powers are now gone, but whenever food and clothing are needed, you m ay still call successfully on Hazrat to supply them . Devote yourself wholeheartedly to divine understanding in the m ountain solitudes.' "My guru then vanished; I was left to m y tears and reflections. Farewell, world! I go to seek the forgiveness of the Cosm ic Beloved." www.holybooks.com 18- 1: A Moslem yogi; from t he Arabic faqir , poor; originally applied t o dervishes under a vow of povert y. 18- 2: My fat her lat er t old m e t hat his com pany, t he Bengal- Nagpur Railway, had been one of t he firm s vict im ized by Afzal Khan. 18- 3: I do not recall t he nam e of Sri Yukt eswar's friend, and m ust refer t o him sim ply as " Babu" ( Mist er) . CHAPTER: 19 My Master, In Calcutta, Appears In Serampore "I am often beset by atheistic doubts. Yet a torturing surm ise som etim es haunts m e: m ay not untapped soul possibilities exist? Is m an not m issing his real destiny if he fails to explore them ?" These rem arks of Dijen Babu, m y room m ate at the Panthi boardinghouse, were called forth by m y invitation that he m eet m y guru. "Sri Yukteswarji will initiate you into Kriy a Yoga," I replied. "It calm s the dualistic turm oil by a divine inner certainty." That evening Dijen accom panied m e to the herm itage. In Master's presence m y friend received such spiritual peace that he was soon a constant visitor. The trivial preoccupations of daily life are not enough for m an; wisdom too is a native hunger. In Sri Yukteswar's words Dijen found an incentive to those attem pts-first painful, then effortlessly liberating-to locate a realer self within his bosom than the hum iliating ego of a tem porary birth, seldom am ple enough for the Spirit. As Dijen and I were both pursuing the A.B. course at Seram pore College, we got into the habit of walking together to the ashram as soon as classes were over. We would often see Sri Yukteswar standing on his second-floor balcony, welcom ing our approach with a sm ile. One afternoon Kanai, a young herm itage resident, m et Dijen and m e at the door with disappointing news. "Master is not here; he was sum m oned to Calcutta by an urgent note." The following day I received a post card from m y guru. "I shall leave Calcutta Wednesday m orning," he had written. "You and Dijen m eet the nine o'clock train at Seram pore station." www.holybooks.com About eight-thirty on Wednesday m orning, a telepathic m essage from Sri Yukteswar flashed insistently to m y m ind: "I am delayed; don't m eet the nine o'clock train." I conveyed the latest instructions to Dijen, who was already dressed for departure. "You and your intuition!" My friend's voice was edged in scorn. "I prefer to trust Master's written word." I shrugged m y shoulders and seated m yself with quiet finality. Muttering angrily, Dijen m ade for the door and closed it noisily behind him . As the room was rather dark, I m oved nearer to the window overlooking the street. The scant sunlight suddenly increased to an intense brilliancy in which the iron-barred window com pletely vanished. Against this dazzling background appeared the clearly m aterialized figure of Sri Yukteswar! Bewildered to the point of shock, I rose from m y chair and knelt before him . With m y custom ary gesture of respectful greeting at m y guru's feet, I touched his shoes. These were a pair fam iliar to m e, of orange-dyed canvas, soled with rope. His ocher swam i cloth brushed against m e; I distinctly felt not only the texture of his robe, but also the gritty surface of the shoes, and the pressure of his toes within them . Too m uch astounded to utter a word, I stood up and gazed at him questioningly. "I was pleased that you got m y telepathic m essage." Master's voice was calm , entirely norm al. "I have now finished m y business in Calcutta, and shall arrive in Seram pore by the ten o'clock train." As I still stared m utely, Sri Yukteswar went on, "This is not an apparition, but m y flesh and blood form . I have been divinely com m anded to give you this experience, rare to achieve on earth. Meet m e at the station; you and Dijen will see m e com ing toward you, dressed as I am now. I shall be preceded by a fellow passenger-a little boy carrying a silver jug." My guru placed both hands on m y head, with a m urm ured blessing. As he concluded with the words, "Taba Asi," 19 -1 I heard a peculiar rum bling sound. 19 -2 His body began to m elt gradually within the piercing light. First his feet and legs vanished, then his torso and head, like a scroll being rolled up. To the very last, I could feel his fingers resting lightly on m y hair. The effulgence faded; nothing rem ained before m e but the barred window and a pale stream of sunlight. I rem ained in a half-stupor of confusion, questioning whether I had not been the victim of a hallucination. A crestfallen Dijen soon entered the room . "Master was not on the nine o'clock train, nor even the nine-thirty." My friend m ade his announcem ent with a slightly apologetic air. www.holybooks.com "Com e then; I know he will arrive at ten o'clock." I took Dijen's hand and rushed him forcibly along with m e, heedless of his protests. In about ten m inutes we entered the station, where the train was already puffing to a halt. "The whole train is filled with the light of Master's aura! He is there!" I exclaim ed joyfully. "You dream so?" Dijen laughed m ockingly. "Let us wait here." I told m y friend details of the way in which our guru would approach us. As I finished m y description, Sri Yukteswar cam e into view, wearing the sam e clothes I had seen a short tim e earlier. He walked slowly in the wake of a sm all lad bearing a silver jug. For a m om ent a wave of cold fear passed through m e, at the unprecedented strangeness of m y experience. I felt the m aterialistic, twentieth-century world slipping from m e; was I back in the ancient days when J esus appeared before Peter on the sea? As Sri Yukteswar, a m odern Yogi-Christ, reached the spot where Dijen and I were speechlessly rooted, Master sm iled at m y friend and rem arked: "I sent you a m essage too, but you were unable to grasp it." Dijen was silent, but glared at m e suspiciously. After we had escorted our guru to his herm itage, m y friend and I proceeded toward Seram pore College. Dijen halted in the street, indignation stream ing from his every pore. "So! Master sent m e a m essage! Yet you concealed it! I dem and an explanation!" "Can I help it if your m ental m irror oscillates with such restlessness that you cannot register our guru's instructions?" I retorted. The anger vanished from Dijen's face. "I see what you m ean," he said ruefully. "But please explain how you could know about the child with the jug." By the tim e I had finished the story of Master's phenom enal appearance at the boardinghouse that m orning, m y friend and I had reached Seram pore College. "The account I have just heard of our guru's powers," Dijen said, "m akes m e feel that any university in the world is only a kindergarten." Chapter 19 Footnotes 19- 1: The Bengali " Good- by" ; lit erally, it is a hopeful paradox: " Then I com e." 19- 2: The charact erist ic sound of dem at erializat ion of bodily at om s. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 20 We Do Not Visit Kashmir "Father, I want to invite Master and four friends to accom pany m e to the Him alayan foothills during m y sum m er vacation. May I have six train passes to Kashm ir and enough m oney to cover our travel expenses?" As I had expected, Father laughed heartily. "This is the third tim e you have given m e the sam e cock-and-bull story. Didn't you m ake a sim ilar request last sum m er, and the year before that? At the last m om ent, Sri Yukteswarji refuses to go." "It is true, Father; I don't know why m y guru will not give m e his definite word about Kashm ir. 2 0 1 But if I tell him that I have already secured the passes from you, som ehow I think that this tim e he will consent to m ake the journey." Father was unconvinced at the m om ent, but the following day, after som e good-hum ored gibes, he handed m e six passes and a roll of ten- rupee bills. "I hardly think your theoretical trip needs such practical props," he rem arked, "but here they are." That afternoon I exhibited m y booty to Sri Yukteswar. Though he sm iled at m y enthusiasm , his words were noncom m ittal: "I would like to go; we shall see." He m ade no com m ent when I asked his little herm itage disciple, Kanai, to accom pany us. I also invited three other friends- Rajendra Nath Mitra, J otin Auddy, and one other boy. Our date of departure was set for the following Monday. On Saturday and Sunday I stayed in Calcutta, where m arriage rites for a cousin were being celebrated at m y fam ily hom e. I arrived in Seram pore with m y luggage early Monday m orning. Rajendra m et m e at the herm itage door. "Master is out, walking. He has refused to go." I was equally grieved and obdurate. "I will not give Father a third chance to ridicule m y chim erical plans for Kashm ir. Com e; the rest of us will go anyhow." Rajendra agreed; I left the ashram to find a servant. Kanai, I knew, would not take the trip www.holybooks.com without Master, and som eone was needed to look after the luggage. I bethought m yself of Behari, previously a servant in m y fam ily hom e, who was now em ployed by a Seram pore schoolm aster. As I walked along briskly, I m et m y guru in front of the Christian church near Seram pore Courthouse. "Where are you going?" Sri Yukteswar's face was unsm iling. "Sir, I hear that you and Kanai will not take the trip we have been planning. I am seeking Behari. You will recall that last year he was so anxious to see Kashm ir that he even offered to serve without pay." "I rem em ber. Nevertheless, I don't think Behari will be willing to go." I was exasperated. "He is just eagerly waiting for this opportunity!" My guru silently resum ed his walk; I soon reached the schoolm aster's house. Behari, in the courtyard, greeted m e with a friendly warm th that abruptly vanished as soon as I m entioned Kashm ir. With a m urm ured word of apology, the servant left m e and entered his em ployer's house. I waited half an hour, nervously assuring m yself that Behari's delay was being caused by preparations for his trip. Finally I knocked at the front door. "Behari left by the back stairs about thirty m inutes ago," a m an inform ed m e. A slight sm ile hovered about his lips. I departed sadly, wondering whether m y invitation had been too coercive or whether Master's unseen influence were at work. Passing the Christian church, again I saw m y guru walking slowly toward m e. Without waiting to hear m y report, he exclaim ed: "So Behari would not go! Now, what are your plans?" I felt like a recalcitrant child who is determ ined to defy his m asterful father. "Sir, I am going to ask m y uncle to lend m e his servant, Lal Dhari." "See your uncle if you want to," Sri Yukteswar replied with a chuckle. "But I hardly think you will enjoy the visit." Apprehensive but rebellious, I left m y guru and entered Seram pore Courthouse. My paternal uncle, Sarada Ghosh, a governm ent attorney, welcom ed m e affectionately. "I am leaving today with som e friends for Kashm ir," I told him . "For years I have been looking forward to this Him alayan trip." "I am happy for you, Mukunda. Is there anything I can do to m ake your journey m ore com fortable?" These kind words gave m e a lift of encouragem ent. "Dear uncle," I said, "could you possibly spare www.holybooks.com m e your servant, Lal Dhari?" My sim ple request had the effect of an earthquake. Uncle jum ped so violently that his chair overturned, the papers on the desk flew in every direction, and his pipe, a long, coconut-stem m ed hubble-bubble, fell to the floor with a great clatter. "You selfish young m an," he shouted, quivering with wrath, "what a preposterous idea! Who will look after m e, if you take m y servant on one of your pleasure jaunts?" I concealed m y surprise, reflecting that m y am iable uncle's sudden change of front was only one m ore enigm a in a day fully devoted to incom prehensibility. My retreat from the courthouse office was m ore alacritous than dignified. I returned to the herm itage, where m y friends were expectantly gathered. Conviction was growing on m e that som e sufficient if exceedingly recondite m otive was behind Master's attitude. Rem orse seized m e that I had been trying to thwart m y guru's will. "Mukunda, wouldn't you like to stay awhile longer with m e?" Sri Yukteswar inquired. "Rajendra and the others can go ahead now, and wait for you at Calcutta. There will be plenty of tim e to catch the last evening train leaving Calcutta for Kashm ir." "Sir, I don't care to go without you," I said m ournfully. My friends paid not the slightest attention to m y rem ark. They sum m oned a hackney carriage and departed with all the luggage. Kanai and I sat quietly at our guru's feet. After a half hour of com plete silence, Master rose and walked toward the second-floor dining patio. "Kanai, please serve Mukunda's food. His train leaves soon." Getting up from m y blanket seat, I staggered suddenly with nausea and a ghastly churning sensation in m y stom ach. The stabbing pain was so intense that I felt I had been abruptly hurled into som e violent hell. Groping blindly toward m y guru, I collapsed before him , attacked by all sym ptom s of the dread Asiatic cholera. Sri Yukteswar and Kanai carried m e to the sitting room . Racked with agony, I cried, "Master, I surrender m y life to you;" for I believed it was indeed fast ebbing from the shores of m y body. Sri Yukteswar put m y head on his lap, stroking m y forehead with angelic tenderness. "You see now what would have happened if you were at the station with your friends," he said. "I had to look after you in this strange way, because you chose to doubt m y judgm ent about taking the trip at this particular tim e." I understood at last. Inasm uch as great m asters seldom see fit to display their powers openly, a casual observer of the day's events would have im agined that their sequence was quite natural. www.holybooks.com My guru's intervention had been too subtle to be suspected. He had worked his will through Behari and m y Uncle Sarada and Rajendra and the others in such an inconspicuous m anner that probably everyone but m yself thought the situations had been logically norm al. As Sri Yukteswar never failed to observe his social obligations, he instructed Kanai to go for a specialist, and to notify m y uncle. "Master," I protested, "only you can heal m e. I am too far gone for any doctor." "Child, you are protected by the Divine Mercy. Don't worry about the doctor; he will not find you in this state. You are already healed." With m y guru's words, the excruciating suffering left m e. I sat up feebly. A doctor soon arrived and exam ined m e carefully. "You appear to have passed through the worst," he said. "I will take som e specim ens with m e for laboratory tests." The following m orning the physician arrived hurriedly. I was sitting up, in good spirits. "Well, well, here you are, sm iling and chatting as though you had had no close call with death." He patted m y hand gently. "I hardly expected to find you alive, after I had discovered from the specim ens that your disease was Asiatic cholera. You are fortunate, young m an, to have a guru with divine healing powers! I am convinced of it!" I agreed wholeheartedly. As the doctor was preparing to leave, Rajendra and Auddy appeared at the door. The resentm ent in their faces changed into sym pathy as they glanced at the physician and then at m y som ewhat wan countenance. "We were angry when you didn't turn up as agreed at the Calcutta train. You have been sick?" "Yes." I could not help laughing as m y friends placed the luggage in the sam e corner it had occupied yesterday. I quoted: "There was a ship that went to Spain; when it arrived, it cam e back again!" Master entered the room . I perm itted m yself a convalescent's liberty, and captured his hand lovingly. "Guruji," I said, "from m y twelfth year on, I have m ade m any unsuccessful attem pts to reach the Him alayas. I am finally convinced that without your blessings the Goddess Parvati 2 0 -2 will not receive m e!" 20- 1: Alt hough Mast er failed t o m ake any explanat ion, his reluct ance t o visit Kashm ir during t hose t wo sum m ers m ay have been a foreknowledge t hat t he t im e was not ripe for his illness t here ( see chapt er 22) . 20- 2: Lit erally, " of t he m ount ains." Parvat i, m yt hologically represent ed as a daught er of Him avat or t he sacred www.holybooks.com m ount ains, is a nam e given t o t he shakt i or " consort " of Shiva. CHAPTER: 21 We Visit Kashmir "You are strong enough now to travel. I will accom pany you to Kashm ir," Sri Yukteswar inform ed m e two days after m y m iraculous recovery from Asiatic cholera. That evening our party of six entrained for the north. Our first leisurely stop was at Sim la, a queenly city resting on the throne of Him alayan hills. We strolled over the steep streets, adm iring the m agnificent views. "English strawberries for sale," cried an old wom an, squatting in a picturesque open m arket place. Master was curious about the strange little red fruits. He bought a basketful and offered it to Kanai and m yself, who were near-by. I tasted one berry but spat it hastily on the ground. "Sir, what a sour fruit! I could never like strawberries!" My guru laughed. "Oh, you will like them -in Am erica. At a dinner there, your hostess will serve them with sugar and cream . After she has m ashed the berries with a fork, you will taste them and say: 'What delicious strawberries!' Then you will rem em ber this day in Sim la." Sri Yukteswar's forecast vanished from m y m ind, but reappeared there m any years later, shortly after m y arrival in Am erica. I was a dinner guest at the hom e of Mrs. Alice T. Hasey (Sister Yogm ata) in West Som erville, Massachusetts. When a dessert of strawberries was put on the table, m y hostess picked up her fork and m ashed m y berries, adding cream and sugar. "The fruit is rather tart; I think you will like it fixed this way," she rem arked. I took a m outhful. "What delicious strawberries!" I exclaim ed. At once m y guru's prediction in Sim la em erged from the fathom less cave of m em ory. It was staggering to realize that long ago Sri Yukteswar's God-tuned m ind had sensitively detected the program of karm ic events wandering in the ether of futurity. www.holybooks.com Our party soon left Sim la and entrained for Rawalpindi. There we hired a large landau, drawn by two horses, in which we started a seven-day trip to Srinagar, capital city of Kashm ir. The second day of our northbound journey brought into view the true Him alayan vastness. As the iron wheels of our carriage creaked along the hot, stony roads, we were enraptured with changing vistas of m ountainous grandeur. "Sir," Auddy said to Master, "I am greatly enjoying these glorious scenes in your holy com pany." I felt a throb of pleasure at Auddy's appreciation, for I was acting as host on this trip. Sri Yukteswar caught m y thought; he turned to m e and whispered: "Don't flatter yourself; Auddy is not nearly as entranced with the scenery as he is with the prospect of leaving us long enough to have a cigaret." I was shocked. "Sir," I said in an undertone, "please do not break our harm ony by these unpleasant words. I can hardly believe that Auddy is hankering for a sm oke." 2 1-1 I looked apprehensively at m y usually irrepressible guru. "Very well; I won't say anything to Auddy." Master chuckled. "But you will soon see, when the landau halts, that Auddy is quick to seize his opportunity." The carriage arrived at a sm all caravanserai. As our horses were led to be watered, Auddy inquired, "Sir, do you m ind if I ride awhile with the driver? I would like to get a little outside air." Sri Yukteswar gave perm ission, but rem arked to m e, "He wants fresh sm oke and not fresh air." The landau resum ed its noisy progress over the dusty roads. Master's eyes were twinkling; he instructed m e, "Crane up your neck through the carriage door and see what Auddy is doing with the air." I obeyed, and was astounded to observe Auddy in the act of exhaling rings of cigaret sm oke. My glance toward Sri Yukteswar was apologetic. "You are right, as always, sir. Auddy is enjoying a puff along with a panoram a." I surm ised that m y friend had received a gift from the cab driver; I knew Auddy had not carried any cigarets from Calcutta. We continued on the labyrinthine way, adorned by views of rivers, valleys, precipitous crags, and m ultitudinous m ountain tiers. Every night we stopped at rustic inns, and prepared our own food. Sri Yukteswar took special care of m y diet, insisting that I have lim e juice at all m eals. I was still weak, but daily im proving, though the rattling carriage was strictly designed for discom fort. J oyous anticipations filled our hearts as we neared central Kashm ir, paradise land of lotus lakes, floating gardens, gaily canopied houseboats, the m any-bridged J helum River, and flower-strewn pastures, all ringed round by the Him alayan m ajesty. Our approach to Srinagar was through an www.holybooks.com avenue of tall, welcom ing trees. We engaged room s at a double-storied inn overlooking the noble hills. No running water was available; we drew our supply from a near-by well. The sum m er weather was ideal, with warm days and slightly cold nights. We m ade a pilgrim age to the ancient Srinagar tem ple of Swam i Shankara. As I gazed upon the m ountain-peak herm itage, standing bold against the sky, I fell into an ecstatic trance. A vision appeared of a hilltop m ansion in a distant land. The lofty Shankara ashram before m e was transform ed into the structure where, years later, I established the Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters in Am erica. When I first visited Los Angeles, and saw the large building on the crest of Mount Washington, I recognized it at once from m y long-past visions in Kashm ir and elsewhere. A few days at Srinagar; then on to Gulm arg ("m ountain paths of flowers"), elevated by six thousand feet. There I had m y first ride on a large horse. Rajendra m ounted a sm all trotter, whose heart was fired with am bition for speed. We ventured onto the very steep Khilanm arg; the path led through a dense forest, abounding in tree-m ushroom s, where the m ist-shrouded trails were often precarious. But Rajendra's little anim al never perm itted m y oversized steed a m om ent's rest, even at the m ost perilous turns. On, on, untiringly cam e Rajendra's horse, oblivious to all but the joy of com petition. Our strenuous race was rewarded by a breath-taking view. For the first tim e in this life, I gazed in all directions at sublim e snow-capped Him alayas, lying tier upon tier like silhouettes of huge polar bears. My eyes feasted exultingly on endless reaches of icy m ountains against sunny blue skies. I rolled m errily with m y young com panions, all wearing overcoats, on the sparkling white slopes. On our downward trip we saw afar a vast carpet of yellow flowers, wholly transfiguring the bleak hills. Our next excursions were to the fam ous royal "pleasure gardens" of the Em peror J ehangir, at Shalim ar and Nishat Bagh. The ancient palace at Nishat Bagh is built directly over a natural waterfall. Rushing down from the m ountains, the torrent has been regulated through ingenious contrivances to flow over colorful terraces and to gush into fountains am idst the dazzling flowerbeds. The stream also enters several of the palace room s, ultim ately dropping fairy like into the lake below. The im m ense gardens are riotous with color- roses of a dozen hues, snapdragons, lavender, pansies, poppies. An em erald enclosing outline is given by sym m etrical rows of chinars , 2 1-2 cypresses, cherry trees; beyond them tower the white austerities of the Him alayas. Kashm ir grapes are considered a rare delicacy in Calcutta. Rajendra, who had been prom ising him self a veritable feast on reaching Kashm ir, was disappointed to find there no large vineyards. Now and then I chaffed him jocosely over his baseless anticipation. "Oh, I have becom e so m uch gorged with grapes I can't walk!" I would say. "The invisible grapes are brewing within m e!" Later I heard that sweet grapes grow abundantly in Kabul, west of Kashm ir. We consoled ourselves with ice cream m ade of rabri , a heavily condensed m ilk, and www.holybooks.com flavored with whole pistachio nuts. We took several trips in the shikaras or houseboats, shaded by red- em broidered canopies, coursing along the intricate channels of Dal Lake, a network of canals like a watery spider web. Here the num erous floating gardens, crudely im provised with logs and earth, strike one with am azem ent, so incongruous is the first sight of vegetables and m elons growing in the m idst of vast waters. Occasionally one sees a peasant, disdaining to be "rooted to the soil," towing his square plot of "land" to a new location in the m any-fingered lake. In this storied vale one finds an epitom e of all the earth's beauties. The Lady of Kashm ir is m ountain-crowned, lake-garlanded, and flower- shod. In later years, after I had toured m any distant lands, I understood why Kashm ir is often called the world's m ost scenic spot. It possesses som e of the charm s of the Swiss Alps, and of Loch Lom ond in Scotland, and of the exquisite English lakes. An Am erican traveler in Kashm ir finds m uch to rem ind him of the rugged grandeur of Alaska and of Pikes Peak near Denver. As entries in a scenic beauty contest, I offer for first prize either the gorgeous view of Xochim ilco in Mexico, where m ountains, skies, and poplars reflect them selves in m yriad lanes of water am idst the playful fish, or the jewel-like lakes of Kashm ir, guarded like beautiful m aidens by the stern surveillance of the Him alayas. These two places stand out in m y m em ory as the loveliest spots on earth. Yet I was awed also when I first beheld the wonders of Yellowstone National Park and of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and of Alaska. Yellowstone Park is perhaps the only region where one can see innum erable geysers shooting high into the air, perform ing year after year with clockwork regularity. Its opal and sapphire pools and hot sulphurous springs, its bears and wild creatures, rem ind one that here Nature left a specim en of her earliest creation. Motoring along the roads of Wyom ing to the "Devil's Paint Pot" of hot bubbling m ud, with gurgling springs, vaporous fountains, and spouting geysers in all directions, I was disposed to say that Yellowstone deserves a special prize for uniqueness. The ancient m ajestic redwoods of Yosem ite, stretching their huge colum ns far into the unfathom able sky, are green natural cathedrals designed with skill divine. Though there are wonderful falls in the Orient, none m atch the torrential beauty of Niagara near the Canadian border. The Mam m oth Caves of Kentucky and the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, with colorful iciclelike form ations, are stunning fairylands. Their long needles of stalactite spires, hanging from cave ceilings and m irrored in underground waters, present a glim pse of other worlds as fancied by m an. Most of the Hindus of Kashm ir, world-fam ed for their beauty, are as white as Europeans and have sim ilar features and bone structure; m any have blue eyes and blonde hair. Dressed in Western clothes, they look like Am ericans. The cold Him alayas protect the Kashm iris from the sultry sun and preserve their light com plexions. As one travels to the southern and tropical latitudes of India, he finds progressively that the people becom e darker and darker. www.holybooks.com After spending happy weeks in Kashm ir, I was forced to return to Bengal for the fall term of Seram pore College. Sri Yukteswar rem ained in Srinagar, with Kanai and Auddy. Before I departed, Master hinted that his body would be subject to suffering in Kashm ir. "Sir, you look a picture of health," I protested. "There is a chance that I m ay even leave this earth." "Guruji!" I fell at his feet with an im ploring gesture. "Please prom ise that you won't leave your body now. I am utterly unprepared to carry on without you." Sri Yukteswar was silent, but sm iled at m e so com passionately that I felt reassured. Reluctantly I left him . "Master dangerously ill." This telegram from Auddy reached m e shortly after m y return to Seram pore. "Sir," I wired m y guru frantically, "I asked for your prom ise not to leave m e. Please keep your body; otherwise, I also shall die." "Be it as you wish." This was Sri Yukteswar's reply from Kashm ir. A letter from Auddy arrived in a few days, inform ing m e that Master had recovered. On his return to Seram pore during the next fortnight, I was grieved to find m y guru's body reduced to half its usual weight. Fortunately for his disciples, Sri Yukteswar burned m any of their sins in the fire of his severe fever in Kashm ir. The m etaphysical m ethod of physical transfer of disease is known to highly advanced yogis. A strong m an can assist a weaker one by helping to carry his heavy load; a spiritual superm an is able to m inim ize his disciples' physical or m ental burdens by sharing the karm a of their past actions. J ust as a rich m an loses som e m oney when he pays off a large debt for his prodigal son, who is thus saved from dire consequences of his own folly, so a m aster willingly sacrifices a portion of his bodily wealth to lighten the m isery of disciples. 2 1-3 By a secret m ethod, the yogi unites his m ind and astral vehicle with those of a suffering individual; the disease is conveyed, wholly or in part, to the saint's body. Having harvested God on the physical field, a m aster no longer cares what happens to that m aterial form . Though he m ay allow it to register a certain disease in order to relieve others, his m ind is never affected; he considers him self fortunate in being able to render such aid. The devotee who has achieved final salvation in the Lord finds that his body has com pletely fulfilled its purpose; he can then use it in any way he deem s fit. His work in the world is to alleviate the sorrows of m ankind, whether through spiritual m eans or by intellectual counsel or through will power or by the physical transfer of disease. Escaping to the superconsciousness whenever he so desires, a m aster can rem ain oblivious of physical suffering; som etim es he www.holybooks.com chooses to bear bodily pain stoically, as an exam ple to disciples. By putting on the ailm ents of others, a yogi can satisfy, for them , the karm ic law of cause and effect. This law is m echanically or m athem atically operative; its workings can be scientifically m anipulated by m en of divine wisdom . The spiritual law does not require a m aster to becom e ill whenever he heals another person. Healings ordinarily take place through the saint's knowledge of various m ethods of instantaneous cure in which no hurt to the spiritual healer is involved. On rare occasions, however, a m aster who wishes to greatly quicken his disciples' evolution m ay then voluntarily work out on his own body a large m easure of their undesirable karm a. J esus signified him self as a ransom for the sins of m any. With his divine powers, 2 1-4 his body could never have been subjected to death by crucifixion if he had not willingly cooperated with the subtle cosm ic law of cause and effect. He thus took on him self the consequences of others' karm a, especially that of his disciples. In this m anner they were highly purified and m ade fit to receive the om nipresent consciousness which later descended on them . Only a self-realized m aster can transfer his life force, or convey into his own body the diseases of others. An ordinary m an cannot em ploy this yogic m ethod of cure, nor is it desirable that he should do so; for an unsound physical instrum ent is a hindrance to God- m editation. The Hindu scriptures teach that the first duty of m an is to keep his body in good condition; otherwise his m ind is unable to rem ain fixed in devotional concentration. A very strong m ind, however, can transcend all physical difficulties and attain to God-realization. Many saints have ignored illness and succeeded in their divine quest. St. Francis of Assisi, severely afflicted with ailm ents, healed others and even raised the dead. I knew an Indian saint, half of whose body was once festering with sores. His diabetic condition was so acute that under ordinary conditions he could not sit still at one tim e for m ore than fifteen m inutes. But his spiritual aspiration was undeterrable. "Lord," he prayed, "wilt Thou com e into m y broken tem ple?" With ceaseless com m and of will, the saint gradually becam e able to sit daily in the lotus posture for eighteen continuous hours, engrossed in the ecstatic trance. "And," he told m e, "at the end of three years, I found the Infinite Light blazing within m y shattered form . Rejoicing in the joyful splendour, I forgot the body. Later I saw that it had becom e whole through the Divine Mercy." A historical healing incident concerns King Baber (1483-1530 ), founder of the Mogul em pire in India. His son, Prince Hum ayun, was m ortally ill. The father prayed with anguished determ ination that he receive the sickness, and that his son be spared. After all physicians had given up hope, Hum ayun recovered. Baber im m ediately fell sick and died of the sam e disease which had stricken his son. Hum ayun succeeded Baber as Em peror of Hindustan. Many people im agine that every spiritual m aster has, or should have, the health and strength of a Sandow. The assum ption is unfounded. A sickly body does not indicate that a guru is not in touch www.holybooks.com with divine powers, any m ore than lifelong health necessarily indicates an inner illum ination. The condition of the physical body, in other words, cannot rightfully be m ade a test of a m aster. His distinguishing qualifications m ust be sought in his own dom ain, the spiritual. Num erous bewildered seekers in the West erroneously think that an eloquent speaker or writer on m etaphysics m ust be a m aster. The rishis, however, have pointed out that the acid test of a m aster is a m an's ability to enter at will the breathless state, and to m aintain the unbroken sam adhi of nirbikalpa . 2 1-5 Only by these achievem ents can a hum an being prove that he has "m astered" m ay a or the dualistic Cosm ic Delusion. He alone can say from the depths of realization: "Ekam sat ,"-"Only One exists." "The Vedas declare that the ignorant m an who rests content with m aking the slightest distinction between the individual soul and the Suprem e Self is exposed to danger," Shankara the great m onist has written. "Where there is duality by virtue of ignorance, one sees all things as distinct from the Self. When everything is seen as the Self, then there is not even an atom other than the Self. . . . "As soon as the knowledge of the Reality has sprung up, there can be no fruits of past actions to be experienced, owing to the unreality of the body, in the sam e way as there can be no dream after waking." Only great gurus are able to assum e the karm a of disciples. Sri Yukteswar would not have suffered in Kashm ir unless he had received perm ission from the Spirit within him to help his disciples in that strange way. Few saints were ever m ore sensitively equipped with wisdom to carry out divine com m ands than m y God-tuned Master. When I ventured a few words of sym pathy over his em aciated figure, m y guru said gaily: "It has its good points; I am able now to get into som e sm all ganjis (undershirts) that I haven't worn in years!" Listening to Master's jovial laugh, I rem em bered the words of St. Francis de Sales: "A saint that is sad is a sad saint!" 21- 1: I t is a m ark of disrespect , in I ndia, t o sm oke in t he presence of one's elders and superiors. 21- 2: The Orient al plane t ree.. 21- 3: Many Christ ian saint s, including Therese Neum ann ( see chapt er 39) , are fam iliar wit h t he m et aphysical t ransfer of disease. 21- 4: Christ said, j ust before he was led away t o be crucified: " Thinkest t hou t hat I cannot now pray t o m y Fat her, and he shall present ly give m e m ore t han t welve legions of angels? But how t hen shall t he script ures be fulfilled, t hat t hus it m ust be?" - Mat t hew 26: 53- 54. 21- 5: See chapt ers 26, 43 not es . www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 22 The Heart Of A Stone Image "As a loyal Hindu wife, I do not wish to com plain of m y husband. But I yearn to see him turn from his m aterialistic views. He delights in ridiculing the pictures of saints in m y m editation room . Dear brother, I have deep faith that you can help him . Will you?" My eldest sister Rom a gazed beseechingly at m e. I was paying a short visit at her Calcutta hom e on Girish Vidyaratna Lane. Her plea touched m e, for she had exercised a profound spiritual influence over m y early life, and had lovingly tried to fill the void left in the fam ily circle by Mother's death. "Beloved sister, of course I will do anything I can." I sm iled, eager to lift the gloom plainly visible on her face, in contrast to her usual calm and cheerful expression. Rom a and I sat awhile in silent prayer for guidance. A year earlier, m y sister had asked m e to initiate her into Kriy a Yoga, in which she was m aking notable progress. An inspiration seized m e. "Tom orrow," I said, "I am going to the Dakshineswar tem ple. Please com e with m e, and persuade your husband to accom pany us. I feel that in the vibrations of that holy place, Divine Mother will touch his heart. But don't disclose our object in wanting him to go." Sister agreed hopefully. Very early the next m orning I was pleased to find that Rom a and her husband were in readiness for the trip. As our hackney carriage rattled along Upper Circular Road toward Dakshineswar, m y brother-in-law, Satish Chandra Bose, am used him self by deriding spiritual gurus of the past, present, and future. I noticed that Rom a was quietly weeping. www.holybooks.com Self-Realization Church of All Religions, San Diego, California I stand with my two sisters, Roma (at left) and Nalini www.holybooks.com My sister Uma, as a young girl "Sister, cheer up!" I whispered. "Don't give your husband the satisfaction of believing that we take his m ockery seriously." "Mukunda, how can you adm ire worthless hum bugs?" Satish was saying. "A SADHU'S very appearance is repulsive. He is either as thin as a skeleton, or as unholily fat as an elephant!" I shouted with laughter. My good-natured reaction was annoying to Satish; he retired into sullen silence. As our cab entered the Dakshineswar grounds, he grinned sarcastically. "This excursion, I suppose, is a schem e to reform m e?" As I turned away without reply, he caught m y arm . "Young Mr. Monk," he said, "don't forget to m ake proper arrangem ents with the tem ple authorities to provide for our noon m eal." "I am going to m editate now. Do not worry about your lunch," I replied sharply. "Divine Mother will look after it." "I don't trust Divine Mother to do a single thing for m e. But I do hold you responsible for m y food." Satish's tones were threatening. I proceeded alone to the colonnaded hall which fronts the large tem ple of Kali, or Mother Nature. Selecting a shady spot near one of the pillars, I arranged m y body in the lotus posture. Although it was only about seven o'clock, the m orning sun would soon be oppressive. The world receded as I becam e devotionally entranced. My m ind was concentrated on Goddess Kali, whose im age at Dakshineswar had been the special object of adoration by the great m aster, Sri Ram akrishna Param hansa. In answer to his anguished dem ands, the stone im age of this very www.holybooks.com tem ple had often taken a living form and conversed with him . "Silent Mother with stony heart," I prayed, "Thou becam est filled with life at the request of Thy beloved devotee Ram akrishna; why dost Thou not also heed the wails of this yearning son of Thine?" My aspiring zeal increased boundlessly, accom panied by a divine peace. Yet, when five hours had passed, and the Goddess whom I was inwardly visualizing had m ade no response, I felt slightly disheartened. Som etim es it is a test by God to delay the fulfillm ent of prayers. But He eventually appears to the persistent devotee in whatever form he holds dear. A devout Christian sees J esus; a Hindu beholds Krishna, or the Goddess Kali, or an expanding Light if his worship takes an im personal turn. Reluctantly I opened m y eyes, and saw that the tem ple doors were being locked by a priest, in conform ance with a noon-hour custom . I rose from m y secluded seat under the open, roofed hall, and stepped into the courtyard. Its stone floor was scorching under the m idday sun; m y bare feet were painfully burned. "Divine Mother," I silently rem onstrated, "Thou didst not com e to m e in vision, and now Thou art hidden in the tem ple behind closed doors. I wanted to offer a special prayer to Thee today on behalf of m y brother-in-law." My inward petition was instantly acknowledged. First, a delightful cold wave descended over m y back and under m y feet, banishing all discom fort. Then, to m y am azem ent, the tem ple becam e greatly m agnified. Its large door slowly opened, revealing the stone figure of Goddess Kali. Gradually it changed into a living form , sm ilingly nodding in greeting, thrilling m e with joy indescribable. As if by a m ystic syringe, the breath was withdrawn from m y lungs; m y body becam e very still, though not inert. An ecstatic enlargem ent of consciousness followed. I could see clearly for several m iles over the Ganges River to m y left, and beyond the tem ple into the entire Dakshineswar precincts. The walls of all buildings glim m ered transparently; through them I observed people walking to and fro over distant acres. Though I was breathless and m y body in a strangely quiet state, yet I was able to m ove m y hands and feet freely. For several m inutes I experim ented in closing and opening m y eyes; in either state I saw distinctly the whole Dakshineswar panoram a. Spiritual sight, x-raylike, penetrates into all m atter; the divine eye is center everywhere, circum ference nowhere. I realized anew, standing there in the sunny courtyard, that when m an ceases to be a prodigal child of God, engrossed in a physical world indeed dream , baseless as a bubble, he reinherits his eternal realm s. If "escapism " be a need of m an, cram ped in his narrow personality, can any escape com pare with the m ajesty of om nipresence? In m y sacred experience at Dakshineswar, the only extraordinarily- enlarged objects were the www.holybooks.com tem ple and the form of the Goddess. Everything else appeared in its norm al dim ensions, although each was enclosed in a halo of m ellow light-white, blue, and pastel rainbow hues. My body seem ed to be of ethereal substance, ready to levitate. Fully conscious of m y m aterial surroundings, I was looking about m e and taking a few steps without disturbing the continuity of the blissful vision. Behind the tem ple walls I suddenly glim psed m y brother-in-law as he sat under the thorny branches of a sacred bel tree. I could effortlessly discern the course of his thoughts. Som ewhat uplifted under the holy influence of Dakshineswar, his m ind yet held unkind reflections about m e. I turned directly to the gracious form of the Goddess. "Divine Mother," I prayed, "wilt Thou not spiritually change m y sister's husband?" The beautiful figure, hitherto silent, spoke at last: "Thy wish is granted!" I looked happily at Satish. As though instinctively aware that som e spiritual power was at work, he rose resentfully from his seat on the ground. I saw him running behind the tem ple; he approached m e, shaking his fist. The all-em bracing vision disappeared. No longer could I see the glorious Goddess; the towering tem ple was reduced to its ordinary size, m inus its transparency. Again m y body sweltered under the fierce rays of the sun. I jum ped to the shelter of the pillared hall, where Satish pursued m e angrily. I looked at m y watch. It was one o'clock; the divine vision had lasted an hour. "You little fool," m y brother-in-law blurted out, "you have been sitting there cross-legged and cross-eyed for six hours. I have gone back and forth watching you. Where is m y food? Now the tem ple is closed; you failed to notify the authorities; we are left without lunch!" The exaltation I had felt at the Goddess' presence was still vibrant within m y heart. I was em boldened to exclaim , "Divine Mother will feed us!" Satish was beside him self with rage. "Once and for all," he shouted, "I would like to see your Divine Mother giving us food here without prior arrangem ents!" His words were hardly uttered when a tem ple priest crossed the courtyard and joined us. "Son," he addressed m e, "I have been observing your face serenely glowing during hours of m editation. I saw the arrival of your party this m orning, and felt a desire to put aside am ple food for your lunch. It is against the tem ple rules to feed those who do not m ake a request beforehand, but I have m ade an exception for you." I thanked him , and gazed straight into Satish's eyes. He flushed with em otion, lowering his gaze in silent repentance. When we were served a lavish m eal, including out-of-season m angoes, I noticed that m y brother-in-law's appetite was m eager. He was bewildered, diving deep into the ocean of thought. On the return journey to Calcutta, Satish, with softened expression, www.holybooks.com occasionally glanced at m e pleadingly. But he did not speak a single word after the m om ent the priest had appeared to invite us to lunch, as though in direct answer to Satish's challenge. The following afternoon I visited m y sister at her hom e. She greeted m e affectionately. "Dear brother," she cried, "what a m iracle! Last evening m y husband wept openly before m e. "'Beloved devi ,' 2 2 -1 he said, 'I am happy beyond expression that this reform ing schem e of your brother's has wrought a transform ation. I am going to undo every wrong I have done you. From tonight we will use our large bedroom only as a place of worship; your sm all m editation room shall be changed into our sleeping quarters. I am sincerely sorry that I have ridiculed your brother. For the sham eful way I have been acting, I will punish m yself by not talking to Mukunda until I have progressed in the spiritual path. Deeply I will seek the Divine Mother from now on; som eday I m ust surely find Her!'" Years later, I visited m y brother-in-law in Delhi. I was overjoyed to perceive that he had developed highly in self-realization, and had been blessed by the vision of Divine Mother. During m y stay with him , I noticed that Satish secretly spent the greater part of every night in divine m editation, though he was suffering from a serious ailm ent, and was engaged during the day at his office. The thought cam e to m e that m y brother-in-law's life span would not be a long one. Rom a m ust have read m y m ind. "Dear brother," she said, "I am well, and m y husband is sick. Nevertheless, I want you to know that, as a devoted Hindu wife, I am going to be the first one to die. 2 2 -2 It won't be long now before I pass on." Taken aback at her om inous words, I yet realized their sting of truth. I was in Am erica when m y sister died, about a year after her prediction. My youngest brother Bishnu later gave m e the details. "Rom a and Satish were in Calcutta at the tim e of her death," Bishnu told m e. "That m orning she dressed herself in her bridal finery. "'Why this special costum e?' Satish inquired. "'This is m y last day of service to you on earth,' Rom a replied. A short tim e later she had a heart attack. As her son was rushing out for aid, she said: "'Son, do not leave m e. It is no use; I shall be gone before a doctor could arrive.' Ten m inutes later, holding the feet of her husband in reverence, Rom a consciously left her body, happily and without suffering. "Satish becam e very reclusive after his wife's death," Bishnu continued. "One day he and I were www.holybooks.com looking at a large sm iling photograph of Rom a. "'Why do you sm ile?' Satish suddenly exclaim ed, as though his wife were present. 'You think you were clever in arranging to go before m e. I shall prove that you cannot long rem ain away from m e; soon I shall join you.' "Although at this tim e Satish had fully recovered from his sickness, and was enjoying excellent health, he died without apparent cause shortly after his strange rem ark before the photograph." Thus prophetically passed m y dearly beloved eldest sister Rom a, and her husband Satish-he who changed at Dakshineswar from an ordinary worldly m an to a silent saint. 22- 1: Goddess. 22- 2: The Hindu wife believes it is a sign of spirit ual advancem ent if she dies before her husband, as a proof of her loyal service t o him , or " dying in harness." CHAPTER: 23 I Receive My University Degree "You ignore your textbook assignm ents in philosophy. No doubt you are depending on an unlaborious 'intuition' to get you through the exam inations. But unless you apply yourself in a m ore scholarly m anner, I shall see to it that you don't pass this course." Professor D. C. Ghoshal of Seram pore College was addressing m e sternly. If I failed to pass his final written classroom test, I would be ineligible to take the conclusive exam inations. These are form ulated by the faculty of Calcutta University, which num bers Seram pore College am ong its affiliated branches. A student in Indian universities who is unsuccessful in one subject in the A.B. finals m ust be exam ined anew in all his subjects the following year. My instructors at Seram pore College usually treated m e with kindness, not untinged by an am used tolerance. "Mukunda is a bit over-drunk with religion." Thus sum m ing m e up, they tactfully spared m e the em barrassm ent of answering classroom questions; they trusted the final written tests to elim inate m e from the list of A.B. candidates. The judgm ent passed by m y fellow students was expressed in their nicknam e for m e-"Mad Monk." www.holybooks.com I took an ingenious step to nullify Professor Ghoshal's threat to m e of failure in philosophy. When the results of the final tests were about to be publicly announced, I asked a classm ate to accom pany m e to the professor's study. "Com e along; I want a witness," I told m y com panion. "I shall be very m uch disappointed if I have not succeeded in outwitting the instructor." Professor Ghoshal shook his head after I had inquired what rating he had given m y paper. "You are not am ong those who have passed," he said in trium ph. He hunted through a large pile on his desk. "Your paper isn't here at all; you have failed, in any case, through non-appearance at the exam ination." I chuckled. "Sir, I was there. May I look through the stack m yself?" The professor, nonplused, gave his perm ission; I quickly found m y paper, where I had carefully om itted any identification m ark except m y roll call num ber. Unwarned by the "red flag" of m y nam e, the instructor had given a high rating to m y answers even though they were unem bellished by textbook quotations. 2 3 -1 Seeing through m y trick, he now thundered, "Sheer brazen luck!" He added hopefully, "You are sure to fail in the A.B. finals." For the tests in m y other subjects, I received som e coaching, particularly from m y dear friend and cousin, Prabhas Chandra Ghose, 2 3 -2 son of m y Uncle Sarada. I staggered painfully but successfully-with the lowest possible passing m arks-through all m y final tests. Now, after four years of college, I was eligible to sit for the A.B. exam inations. Nevertheless, I hardly expected to avail m yself of the privilege. The Seram pore College finals were child's play com pared to the stiff ones which would be set by Calcutta University for the A.B. degree. My alm ost daily visits to Sri Yukteswar had left m e little tim e to enter the college halls. There it was m y presence rather than m y absence that brought forth ejaculations of am azem ent from m y classm ates! My custom ary routine was to set out on m y bicycle about nine-thirty in the m orning. In one hand I would carry an offering for m y guru-a few flowers from the garden of m y Panthi boardinghouse. Greeting m e affably, Master would invite m e to lunch. I invariably accepted with alacrity, glad to banish the thought of college for the day. After hours with Sri Yukteswar, listening to his incom parable flow of wisdom , or helping with ashram duties, I would reluctantly depart around m idnight for the Panthi . Occasionally I stayed all night with m y guru, so happily engrossed in his conversation that I scarcely noticed when darkness changed into dawn. One night about eleven o'clock, as I was putting on m y shoes 2 3 -3 in preparation for the ride to the boardinghouse, Master questioned m e gravely. www.holybooks.com "When do your A.B. exam inations start?" "Five days hence, sir." "I hope you are in readiness for them ." Transfixed with alarm , I held one shoe in the air. "Sir," I protested, "you know how m y days have been passed with you rather than with the professors. How can I enact a farce by appearing for those difficult finals?" Sri Yukteswar's eyes were turned piercingly on m ine. "You m ust appear." His tone was coldly perem ptory. "We should not give cause for your father and other relatives to criticize your preference for ashram life. J ust prom ise m e that you will be present for the exam inations; answer them the best way you can." Uncontrollable tears were coursing down m y face. I felt that Master's com m and was unreasonable, and that his interest was, to say the least, belated. "I will appear if you wish it," I said am idst sobs. "But no tim e rem ains for proper preparation." Under m y breath I m uttered, "I will fill up the sheets with your teachings in answer to the questions!" When I entered the herm itage the following day at m y usual hour, I presented m y bouquet with a certain m ournful solem nity. Sri Yukteswar laughed at m y woebegone air. "Mukunda, has the Lord ever failed you, at an exam ination or elsewhere?" "No, sir," I responded warm ly. Grateful m em ories cam e in a revivifying flood. "Not laziness but burning zeal for God has prevented you from seeking college honors," m y guru said kindly. After a silence, he quoted, "'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.'" 2 3 -4 For the thousandth tim e, I felt m y burdens lifted in Master's presence. When we had finished our early lunch, he suggested that I return to the Panthi . "Does your friend, Rom esh Chandra Dutt, still live in your boardinghouse?" "Yes, sir." "Get in touch with him ; the Lord will inspire him to help you with the exam inations." "Very well, sir; but Rom esh is unusually busy. He is the honor m an in our class, and carries a heavier course than the others." Master waved aside m y objections. "Rom esh will find tim e for you. Now go." www.holybooks.com I bicycled back to the Panthi . The first person I m et in the boardinghouse com pound was the scholarly Rom esh. As though his days were quite free, he obligingly agreed to m y diffident request. "Of course; I am at your service." He spent several hours of that afternoon and of succeeding days in coaching m e in m y various subjects. "I believe m any questions in English literature will be centered in the route of Childe Harold," he told m e. "We m ust get an atlas at once." I hastened to the hom e of m y Uncle Sarada and borrowed an atlas. Rom esh m arked the European m ap at the places visited by Byron's rom antic traveler. A few classm ates had gathered around to listen to the tutoring. "Rom esh is advising you wrongly," one of them com m ented to m e at the end of a session. "Usually only fifty per cent of the questions are about the books; the other half will involve the authors' lives." When I sat for the exam ination in English literature the following day, m y first glance at the questions caused tears of gratitude to pour forth, wetting m y paper. The classroom m onitor cam e to m y desk and m ade a sym pathetic inquiry. "My guru foretold that Rom esh would help m e," I explained. "Look; the very questions dictated to m e by Rom esh are here on the exam ination sheet! Fortunately for m e, there are very few questions this year on English authors, whose lives are wrapped in deep m ystery so far as I am concerned!" My boardinghouse was in an uproar when I returned. The boys who had been ridiculing Rom esh's m ethod of coaching looked at m e in awe, alm ost deafening m e with congratulations. During the week of the exam inations, I spent m any hours with Rom esh, who form ulated questions that he thought were likely to be set by the professors. Day by day, Rom esh's questions appeared in alm ost the sam e form on the exam ination sheets. The news was widely circulated in the college that som ething resem bling a m iracle was occurring, and that success seem ed probable for the absent-m inded "Mad Monk." I m ade no attem pt to hide the facts of the case. The local professors were powerless to alter the questions, which had been arranged by Calcutta University. Thinking over the exam ination in English literature, I realized one m orning that I had m ade a serious error. One section of the questions had been divided into two parts of A or B, and C or D. Instead of answering one question from each part, I had carelessly answered both questions in Group I, and had failed to consider anything in Group II. The best m ark I could score in that paper would be 33, three less than the passing m ark of 36. I rushed to Master and poured out m y troubles. www.holybooks.com "Sir, I have m ade an unpardonable blunder. I don't deserve the divine blessings through Rom esh; I am quite unworthy." "Cheer up, Mukunda." Sri Yukteswar's tones were light and unconcerned. He pointed to the blue vault of the heavens. "It is m ore possible for the sun and m oon to interchange their positions in space than it is for you to fail in getting your degree!" I left the herm itage in a m ore tranquil m ood, though it seem ed m athem atically inconceivable that I could pass. I looked once or twice apprehensively into the sky; the Lord of Day appeared to be securely anchored in his custom ary orbit! As I reached the Panthi , I overheard a classm ate's rem ark: "I have just learned that this year, for the first tim e, the required passing m ark in English literature has been lowered." I entered the boy's room with such speed that he looked up in alarm . I questioned him eagerly. "Long-haired m onk," he said laughingly, "why this sudden interest in scholastic m atters? Why cry in the eleventh hour? But it is true that the passing m ark has just been lowered to 33 points." A few joyous leaps took m e into m y own room , where I sank to m y knees and praised the m athem atical perfections of m y Divine Father. Every day I thrilled with the consciousness of a spiritual presence that I clearly felt to be guiding m e through Rom esh. A significant incident occurred in connection with the exam ination in Bengali. Rom esh, who had touched little on that subject, called m e back one m orning as I was leaving the boardinghouse on m y way to the exam ination hall. "There is Rom esh shouting for you," a classm ate said to m e im patiently. "Don't return; we shall be late at the hall." Ignoring the advice, I ran back to the house. "The Bengali exam ination is usually easily passed by our Bengali boys," Rom esh told m e. "But I have just had a hunch that this year the professors have planned to m assacre the students by asking questions from our ancient literature." My friend then briefly outlined two stories from the life of Vidyasagar, a renowned philanthropist. I thanked Rom esh and quickly bicycled to the college hall. The exam ination sheet in Bengali proved to contain two parts. The first instruction was: "Write two instances of the charities of Vidyasagar." As I transferred to the paper the lore that I had so recently acquired, I whispered a few words of thanksgiving that I had heeded Rom esh's last-m inute sum m ons. Had I been ignorant of Vidyasagar's benefactions to m ankind (including ultim ately m yself), I could not have passed the Bengali exam ination. Failing in one subject, I would have been forced to stand exam ination anew in all subjects the following year. Such a prospect was understandably abhorrent. www.holybooks.com The second instruction on the sheet read: "Write an essay in Bengali on the life of the m an who has m ost inspired you." Gentle reader, I need not inform you what m an I chose for m y them e. As I covered page after page with praise of m y guru, I sm iled to realize that m y m uttered prediction was com ing true: "I will fill up the sheets with your teachings!" I had not felt inclined to question Rom esh about m y course in philosophy. Trusting m y long training under Sri Yukteswar, I safely disregarded the textbook explanations. The highest m ark given to any of m y papers was the one in philosophy. My score in all other subjects was just barely within the passing m ark. It is a pleasure to record that m y unselfish friend Rom esh received his own degree cum laude. Father was wreathed in sm iles at m y graduation. "I hardly thought you would pass, Mukunda," he confessed. "You spend so m uch tim e with your guru." Master had indeed correctly detected the unspoken criticism of m y father. For years I had been uncertain that I would ever see the day when an A.B. would follow m y nam e. I seldom use the title without reflecting that it was a divine gift, conferred on m e for reasons som ewhat obscure. Occasionally I hear college m en rem ark that very little of their cram m ed knowledge rem ained with them after graduation. That adm ission consoles m e a bit for m y undoubted academ ic deficiencies. On the day I received m y degree from Calcutta University, I knelt at m y guru's feet and thanked him for all the blessings flowing from his life into m ine. "Get up, Mukunda," he said indulgently. "The Lord sim ply found it m ore convenient to m ake you a graduate than to rearrange the sun and m oon!" 23- 1: I m ust do Professor Ghoshal t he j ust ice of adm it t ing t hat t he st rained relat ionship bet ween us was not due t o any fault of his, but solely t o m y absences from classes and inat t ent ion in t hem . Professor Ghoshal was, and is, a rem arkable orat or wit h vast philosophical knowledge. I n lat er years we cam e t o a cordial underst anding.. 23- 2: Alt hough m y cousin and I have t he sam e fam ily nam e of Ghosh, Prabhas has accust om ed him self t o t ranslit erat ing his nam e in English as Ghose; t herefore I follow his own spelling here. 23- 3: A disciple always rem oves his shoes in an I ndian herm it age. 23- 4: Mat t hew 6: 33. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 24 I Become A Monk Of The Swami Order "Master, m y father has been anxious for m e to accept an executive position with the BengalNagpur Railway. But I have definitely refused it." I added hopefully, "Sir, will you not m ake m e a m onk of the Swam i Order?" I looked pleadingly at m y guru. During preceding years, in order to test the depth of m y determ ination, he had refused this sam e request. Today, however, he sm iled graciously. "Very well; tom orrow I will initiate you into swam iship." He went on quietly, "I am happy that you have persisted in your desire to be a m onk. Lahiri Mahasaya often said: 'If you don't invite God to be your sum m er Guest, He won't com e in the winter of your life.'" "Dear m aster, I could never falter in m y goal to belong to the Swam i Order like your revered self." I sm iled at him with m easureless affection. "He that is unm arried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he m ay please the Lord: but he that is m arried careth for the things of the world, how he m ay please his wife." 2 4 -1 I had analyzed the lives of m any of m y friends who, after undergoing certain spiritual discipline, had then m arried. Launched on the sea of worldly responsibilities, they had forgotten their resolutions to m editate deeply. To allot God a secondary place in life was, to m e, inconceivable. Though He is the sole Owner of the cosm os, silently showering us with gifts from life to life, one thing yet rem ains which He does not own, and which each hum an heart is em powered to withhold or bestow-m an's love. The Creator, in taking infinite pains to shroud with m ystery His presence in every atom of creation, could have had but one m otive-a sensitive desire that m en seek Him only through free will. With what velvet glove of every hum ility has He not covered the iron hand of om nipotence! The following day was one of the m ost m em orable in m y life. It was a sunny Thursday, I rem em ber, in J uly, 1914, a few weeks after m y graduation from college. On the inner balcony of his Seram pore herm itage, Master dipped a new piece of white silk into a dye of ocher, the traditional color of the Swam i Order. After the cloth had dried, m y guru draped it around m e as a renunciate's robe. "Som eday you will go to the West, where silk is preferred," he said. "As a sym bol, I have chosen for you this silk m aterial instead of the custom ary cotton." In India, where m onks em brace the ideal of poverty, a silk-clad swam i is an unusual sight. Many yogis, however, wear garm ents of silk, which preserves certain subtle bodily currents better than cotton. "I am averse to cerem onies," Sri Yukteswar rem arked. "I will m ake you a swam i in the bidw at www.holybooks.com (non-cerem onious) m anner." The bibidisa or elaborate initiation into swam iship includes a fire cerem ony, during which sym bolical funeral rites are perform ed. The physical body of the disciple is represented as dead, crem ated in the flam e of wisdom . The newly-m ade swam i is then given a chant, such as: "This atm a is Brahm a" 2 4 -2 or "Thou art That" or "I am He." Sri Yukteswar, however, with his love of sim plicity, dispensed with all form al rites and m erely asked m e to select a new nam e. "I will give you the privilege of choosing it yourself," he said, sm iling. "Yogananda," I replied, after a m om ent's thought. The nam e literally m eans "Bliss (ananda ) through divine union (y oga )." "Be it so. Forsaking your fam ily nam e of Mukunda Lal Ghosh, henceforth you shall be called Yogananda of the Giri branch of the Swam i Order." As I knelt before Sri Yukteswar, and for the first tim e heard him pronounce m y new nam e, m y heart overflowed with gratitude. How lovingly and tirelessly had he labored, that the boy Mukunda be som eday transform ed into the m onk Yogananda! I joyfully sang a few verses from the long Sanskrit chant of Lord Shankara: "Mind, nor intellect, nor ego, feeling; Sky nor earth nor metals am I. I am He, I am He, Blessed Spirit, I am He! No birth, no death, no caste have I; Father, mother, have I none. I am He, I am He, Blessed Spirit, I am He! Beyond the flights of fancy, formless am I, Permeating the limbs of all life; Bondage I do not fear; I am free, ever free, I am He, I am He, Blessed Spirit, I am He!" Every swam i belongs to the ancient m onastic order which was organized in its present form by Shankara. 2 4 -3 Because it is a form al order, with an unbroken line of saintly representatives serving as active leaders, no m an can give him self the title of swam i. He rightfully receives it only from another swam i; all m onks thus trace their spiritual lineage to one com m on guru, Lord Shankara. By vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the spiritual teacher, m any Catholic Christian m onastic orders resem ble the Order of Swam is. In addition to his new nam e, usually ending in ananda , the swam i takes a title which indicates his form al connection with one of the ten subdivisions of the Swam i Order. These dasanam is or www.holybooks.com ten agnom ens include the Giri (m ountain), to which Sri Yukteswar, and hence m yself, belong. Am ong the other branches are the Sagar (sea), Bharati (land), Arany a (forest), Puri (tract), Tirtha (place of pilgrim age), and Sarasw ati (wisdom of nature). The new nam e received by a swam i thus has a twofold significance, and represents the attainm ent of suprem e bliss (ananda ) through som e divine quality or state-love, wisdom , devotion, service, yoga-and through a harm ony with nature, as expressed in her infinite vastness of oceans, m ountains, skies. The ideal of selfless service to all m ankind, and of renunciation of personal ties and am bitions, leads the m ajority of swam is to engage actively in hum anitarian and educational work in India, or occasionally in foreign lands. Ignoring all prejudices of caste, creed, class, color, sex, or race, a swam i follows the precepts of hum an brotherhood. His goal is absolute unity with Spirit. Im buing his waking and sleeping consciousness with the thought, "I am He," he roam s contentedly, in the world but not of it. Thus only m ay he justify his title of swam i-one who seeks to achieve union with the Sw a or Self. It is needless to add that not all form ally titled swam is are equally successful in reaching their high goal. Sri Yukteswar was both a swam i and a yogi. A swam i, form ally a m onk by virtue of his connection with the ancient order, is not always a yogi. Anyone who practices a scientific technique of Godcontact is a yogi; he m ay be either m arried or unm arried, either a worldly m an or one of form al religious ties. A swam i m ay conceivably follow only the path of dry reasoning, of cold renunciation; but a yogi engages him self in a definite, step-by-step procedure by which the body and m ind are disciplined, and the soul liberated. Taking nothing for granted on em otional grounds, or by faith, a yogi practices a thoroughly tested series of exercises which were first m apped out by the early rishis. Yoga has produced, in every age of India, m en who becam e truly free, truly Yogi-Christs. Like any other science, yoga is applicable to people of every clim e and tim e. The theory advanced by certain ignorant writers that yoga is "unsuitable for Westerners" is wholly false, and has lam entably prevented m any sincere students from seeking its m anifold blessings. Yoga is a m ethod for restraining the natural turbulence of thoughts, which otherwise im partially prevent all m en, of all lands, from glim psing their true nature of Spirit. Yoga cannot know a barrier of East and West any m ore than does the healing and equitable light of the sun. So long as m an possesses a m ind with its restless thoughts, so long will there be a universal need for yoga or control. www.holybooks.com -by B. K. Mitra in "Kalyana-Kalpatur" THE LORD IN HIS ASPECT AS SHIVA Not a historical personage like Krishna, Shiva is the name given to God in the last aspect of His threefold nature (Creator-Preserver-Destroyer). Shiva, the Annihilator of maya or delusion, is symbolically represented in the scriptures as the Lord of Renunciates, the King of Yogis. In Hindu art He is always shown with the new moon in His hair, and wearing a garland of hooded snakes, ancient emblem of evil overcome and perfect wisdom. The "single" eye of omniscience is open on His forehead. The ancient rishi Patanjali defines "yoga" as "control of the fluctuations of the m ind-stuff." 2 4 -4 His very short and m asterly expositions, the Yoga Sutras , form one of the six system s of Hindu philosophy. 2 4 -5 In contradistinction to Western philosophies, all six Hindu system s em body not only theoretical but practical teachings. In addition to every conceivable ontological inquiry, the six system s form ulate six definite disciplines aim ed at the perm anent rem oval of suffering and the attainm ent of tim eless bliss. The com m on thread linking all six system s is the declaration that no true freedom for m an is possible without knowledge of the ultim ate Reality. The later Upanishads uphold the Yoga Sutras , am ong the six system s, as containing the m ost efficacious m ethods for achieving direct perception of truth. Through the practical techniques of yoga, m an leaves behind forever the barren realm s of speculation and cognizes in experience the veritable Essence. The Yoga system as outlined by Patanjali is known as the Eightfold Path. The first steps, (1) y am a and (2) niy am a , require observance of ten negative and positive m oralities-avoidance of injury to others, of untruthfulness, of stealing, of incontinence, of gift-receiving (which brings obligations); and purity of body and m ind, contentm ent, self- discipline, study, and devotion to God. www.holybooks.com The next steps are (3) asana (right posture); the spinal colum n m ust be held straight, and the body firm in a com fortable position for m editation; (4) pranay am a (control of prana , subtle life currents); and (5) praty ahara (withdrawal of the senses from external objects). The last steps are form s of yoga proper: (6) dharana (concentration); holding the m ind to one thought; (7) dhy ana (m editation), and (8) sam adhi (superconscious perception). This is the Eightfold Path of Yoga 2 4 -6 which leads one to the final goal of Kaivaly a (Absoluteness), a term which m ight be m ore com prehensibly put as "realization of the Truth beyond all intellectual apprehension." "Which is greater," one m ay ask, "a swam i or a yogi?" If and when final oneness with God is achieved, the distinctions of the various paths disappear. The Bhagavad Gita, however, points out that the m ethods of yoga are all-em bracive. Its techniques are not m eant only for certain types and tem peram ents, such as those few who incline toward the m onastic life; yoga requires no form al allegiance. Because the yogic science satisfies a universal need, it has a natural universal applicability. A true yogi m ay rem ain dutifully in the world; there he is like butter on water, and not like the easily-diluted m ilk of unchurned and undisciplined hum anity. To fulfill one's earthly responsibilities is indeed the higher path, provided the yogi, m aintaining a m ental uninvolvem ent with egotistical desires, plays his part as a willing instrum ent of God. There are a num ber of great souls, living in Am erican or European or other non-Hindu bodies today who, though they m ay never have heard the words y ogi and sw am i , are yet true exem plars of those term s. Through their disinterested service to m ankind, or through their m astery over passions and thoughts, or through their single hearted love of God, or through their great powers of concentration, they are, in a sense, yogis; they have set them selves the goal of yoga-selfcontrol. These m en could rise to even greater heights if they were taught the definite science of yoga, which m akes possible a m ore conscious direction of one's m ind and life. Yoga has been superficially m isunderstood by certain Western writers, but its critics have never been its practitioners. Am ong m any thoughtful tributes to yoga m ay be m entioned one by Dr. C. G. J ung, the fam ous Swiss psychologist. "When a religious m ethod recom m ends itself as 'scientific,' it can be certain of its public in the West. Yoga fulfills this expectation," Dr. J ung writes. 2 4 -7 "Quite apart from the charm of the new, and the fascination of the half-understood, there is good cause for Yoga to have m any adherents. It offers the possibility of controllable experience, and thus satisfies the scientific need of 'facts,' and besides this, by reason of its breadth and depth, its venerable age, its doctrine and m ethod, which include every phase of life, it prom ises undream ed-of possibilities. "Every religious or philosophical practice m eans a psychological discipline, that is, a m ethod of m ental hygiene. The m anifold, purely bodily procedures of Yoga 2 4 -8 also m ean a physiological hygiene which is superior to ordinary gym nastics and breathing exercises, inasm uch as it is not m erely m echanistic and scientific, but also philosophical; in its training of the parts of the body, it www.holybooks.com unites them with the whole of the spirit, as is quite clear, for instance, in the Pranay am a exercises where Prana is both the breath and the universal dynam ics of the cosm os. "When the thing which the individual is doing is also a cosm ic event, the effect experienced in the body (the innervation), unites with the em otion of the spirit (the universal idea), and out of this there develops a lively unity which no technique, however scientific, can produce. Yoga practice is unthinkable, and would also be ineffectual, without the concepts on which Yoga is based. It com bines the bodily and the spiritual with each other in an extraordinarily com plete way. "In the East, where these ideas and practices have developed, and where for several thousand years an unbroken tradition has created the necessary spiritual foundations, Yoga is, as I can readily believe, the perfect and appropriate m ethod of fusing body and m ind together so that they form a unity which is scarcely to be questioned. This unity creates a psychological disposition which m akes possible intuitions that transcend consciousness." The Western day is indeed nearing when the inner science of self- control will be found as necessary as the outer conquest of nature. This new Atom ic Age will see m en's m inds sobered and broadened by the now scientifically indisputable truth that m atter is in reality a concentrate of energy. Finer forces of the hum an m ind can and m ust liberate energies greater than those within stones and m etals, lest the m aterial atom ic giant, newly unleashed, turn on the world in m indless destruction. 2 4 -9 24- 1: I Corint hians 7: 32- 33. 24- 2: Lit erally, " This soul is Spirit ." The Suprem e Spirit , t he Uncreat ed, is wholly uncondit ioned ( net i, net i not t his, not t hat ) but is oft en referred t o in Vedant a as Sat - Chit - Ananda, t hat is, Being- I nt elligence- Bliss. 24- 3: Som et im es called Shankaracharya. Acharya m eans " religious t eacher." Shankara's dat e is a cent er of t he usual scholast ic disput e. A few records indicat e t hat t he peerless m onist lived from 510 t o 478 B.C.; West ern hist orians assign him t o t he lat e eight h cent ury A.D. Readers who are int erest ed in Shankara's fam ous exposit ion of t he Brahm a Sut ras will find a careful English t ranslat ion in Dr. Paul Deussen's Syst em Of The Vedant a ( Chicago: Open Court Publishing Com pany, 1912) . Short ext ract s from his writ ings will be found in Select ed Works Of Sri Shankaracharya ( Nat esan & Co., Madras) . 24- 4: " Chit t a vrit t i nirodha" - Yoga Sut ra I : 2. Pat anj ali's dat e is unknown, t hough a num ber of scholars place him in t he second cent ury B.C. The rishis gave fort h t reat ises on all subj ect s wit h such insight t hat ages have been powerless t o out m ode t hem ; yet , t o t he subsequent const ernat ion of hist orians, t he sages m ade no effort t o at t ach t heir own dat es and personalit ies t o t heir lit erary works. They knew t heir lives were only t em porarily im port ant as flashes of t he great infinit e Life; and t hat t rut h is t im eless, im possible t o t radem ark, and no privat e possession of t heir own. 24- 5: The six ort hodox syst em s ( saddarsana) are Sankhya, Yoga, Vedant a, Mim am sa, Nyaya, and Vaisesika. Readers of a scholarly bent will delight in t he subt let ies and broad scope of t hese ancient form ulat ions as sum m arized, in English, in Hist ory Of I ndian Philosophy, Vol. I , by Prof. Surendranat h DasGupt a ( Cam bridge Universit y Press, 1922) . 24- 6: Not t o be confused wit h t he " Noble Eight fold Pat h" of Buddhism , a guide t o m an's conduct of life, as follows ( 1) Right I deals, ( 2) Right Mot ive, ( 3) Right Speech, ( 4) Right Act ion, ( 5) Right Means of Livelihood, ( 6) Right Effort , ( 7) Right Rem em brance ( of t he Self) , ( 8) Right Realizat ion ( sam adhi) . 24- 7: Dr. Jung at t ended t he I ndian Science Congress in 1937 and received an honorary degree from t he Universit y of Calcut t a. 24- 8: Dr. Jung is here referring t o Hat ha Yoga, a specialized branch of bodily post ures and t echniques for healt h and www.holybooks.com longevit y. Hat ha is useful, and produces spect acular physical result s, but t his branch of yoga is lit t le used by yogis bent on spirit ual liberat ion. 24- 9: I n Plat o's Tim aeus st ory of At lant is, he t ells of t he inhabit ant s' advanced st at e of scient ific knowledge. The lost cont inent is believed t o have vanished about 9500 B.C. t hrough a cat aclysm of nat ure; cert ain m et aphysical writ ers, however, st at e t hat t he At lant eans were dest royed as a result of t heir m isuse of at om ic power. Two French writ ers have recent ly com piled a Bibliography Of At lant is, list ing over 1700 hist orical and ot her references. CHAPTER: 25 Brother Ananta And Sister Nalini "Ananta cannot live; the sands of his karm a for this life have run out." These inexorable words reached m y inner consciousness as I sat one m orning in deep m editation. Shortly after I had entered the Swam i Order, I paid a visit to m y birthplace, Gorakhpur, as a guest of m y elder brother Ananta. A sudden illness confined him to his bed; I nursed him lovingly. The solem n inward pronouncem ent filled m e with grief. I felt that I could not bear to rem ain longer in Gorakhpur, only to see m y brother rem oved before m y helpless gaze. Am idst uncom prehending criticism from m y relatives, I left India on the first available boat. It cruised along Burm a and the China Sea to J apan. I disem barked at Kobe, where I spent only a few days. My heart was too heavy for sightseeing. On the return trip to India, the boat touched at Shanghai. There Dr. Misra, the ship's physician, guided m e to several curio shops, where I selected various presents for Sri Yukteswar and m y fam ily and friends. For Ananta I purchased a large carved bam boo piece. No sooner had the Chinese salesm an handed m e the bam boo souvenir than I dropped it on the floor, crying out, "I have bought this for m y dear dead brother!" A clear realization had swept over m e that his soul was just being freed in the Infinite. The souvenir was sharply and sym bolically cracked by its fall; am idst sobs, I wrote on the bam boo surface: "For m y beloved Ananta, now gone." My com panion, the doctor, was observing these proceedings with a sardonic sm ile. "Save your tears," he rem arked. "Why shed them until you are sure he is dead?" www.holybooks.com When our boat reached Calcutta, Dr. Misra again accom panied m e. My youngest brother Bishnu was waiting to greet m e at the dock. "I know Ananta has departed this life," I said to Bishnu, before he had had tim e to speak. "Please tell m e, and the doctor here, when Ananta died." Bishnu nam ed the date, which was the very day that I had bought the souvenirs in Shanghai. "Look here!" Dr. Misra ejaculated. "Don't let any word of this get around! The professors will be adding a year's study of m ental telepathy to the m edical course, which is already long enough!" Father em braced m e warm ly as I entered our Gurpar Road hom e. "You have com e," he said tenderly. Two large tears dropped from his eyes. Ordinarily undem onstrative, he had never before shown m e these signs of affection. Outwardly the grave father, inwardly he possessed the m elting heart of a m other. In all his dealings with the fam ily, his dual parental role was distinctly m anifest. Soon after Ananta's passing, m y younger sister Nalini was brought back from death's door by a divine healing. Before relating the story, I will refer to a few phases of her earlier life. The childhood relationship between Nalini and m yself had not been of the happiest nature. I was very thin; she was thinner still. Through an unconscious m otive or "com plex" which psychiatrists will have no difficulty in identifying, I often used to tease m y sister about her cadaverous appearance. Her retorts were equally perm eated with the callous frankness of extrem e youth. Som etim es Mother intervened, ending the childish quarrels, tem porarily, by a gentle box on m y ear, as the elder ear. Tim e passed; Nalini was betrothed to a young Calcutta physician, Panchanon Bose. He received a generous dowry from Father, presum ably (as I rem arked to Sister) to com pensate the bridegroom -to-be for his fate in allying him self with a hum an bean-pole. Elaborate m arriage rites were celebrated in due tim e. On the wedding night, I joined the large and jovial group of relatives in the living room of our Calcutta hom e. The bridegroom was leaning on an im m ense gold-brocaded pillow, with Nalini at his side. A gorgeous purple silk sari 2 5-1 could not, alas, wholly hide her angularity. I sheltered m yself behind the pillow of m y new brother-in-law and grinned at him in friendly fashion. He had never seen Nalini until the day of the nuptial cerem ony, when he finally learned what he was getting in the m atrim onial lottery. Feeling m y sym pathy, Dr. Bose pointed unobtrusively to Nalini, and whispered in m y ear, "Say, what's this?" "Why, Doctor," I replied, "it is a skeleton for your observation!" Convulsed with m irth, m y brother-in-law and I were hard put to it to m aintain the proper decorum before our assem bled relatives. www.holybooks.com As the years went on, Dr. Bose endeared him self to our fam ily, who called on him whenever illness arose. He and I becam e fast friends, often joking together, usually with Nalini as our target. "It is a m edical curiosity," m y brother-in-law rem arked to m e one day. "I have tried everything on your lean sister-cod liver oil, butter, m alt, honey, fish, m eat, eggs, tonics. Still she fails to bulge even one-hundredth of an inch." We both chuckled. A few days later I visited the Bose hom e. My errand there took only a few m inutes; I was leaving, unnoticed, I thought, by Nalini. As I reached the front door, I heard her voice, cordial but com m anding. "Brother, com e here. You are not going to give m e the slip this tim e. I want to talk to you." I m ounted the stairs to her room . To m y surprise, she was in tears. "Dear brother," she said, "let us bury the old hatchet. I see that your feet are now firm ly set on the spiritual path. I want to becom e like you in every way." She added hopefully, "You are now robust in appearance; can you help m e? My husband does not com e near m e, and I love him so dearly! But still m ore I want to progress in God- realization, even if I m ust rem ain thin 2 5-2 and unattractive." My heart was deeply touched at her plea. Our new friendship steadily progressed; one day she asked to becom e m y disciple. "Train m e in any way you like. I put m y trust in God instead of tonics." She gathered together an arm ful of m edicines and poured them down the roof drain. As a test of her faith, I asked her to om it from her diet all fish, m eat, and eggs. After several m onths, during which Nalini had strictly followed the various rules I had outlined, and had adhered to her vegetarian diet in spite of num erous difficulties, I paid her a visit. "Sis, you have been conscientiously observing the spiritual injunctions; your reward is near." I sm iled m ischievously. "How plum p do you want to be-as fat as our aunt who hasn't seen her feet in years?" "No! But I long to be as stout as you are." I replied solem nly. "By the grace of God, as I have spoken truth always, I speak truly now. 2 5-3 Through the divine blessings, your body shall verily change from today; in one m onth it shall have the sam e weight as m ine." These words from m y heart found fulfillm ent. In thirty days, Nalini's weight equalled m ine. The new roundness gave her beauty; her husband fell deeply in love. Their m arriage, begun so www.holybooks.com inauspiciously, turned out to be ideally happy. On m y return from J apan, I learned that during m y absence Nalini had been stricken with typhoid fever. I rushed to her hom e, and was aghast to find her reduced to a m ere skeleton. She was in a com a. "Before her m ind becam e confused by illness," m y brother-in-law told m e, "she often said: 'If brother Mukunda were here, I would not be faring thus.'" He added despairingly, "The other doctors and m yself see no hope. Blood dysentery has set in, after her long bout with typhoid." I began to m ove heaven and earth with m y prayers. Engaging an Anglo- Indian nurse, who gave m e full cooperation, I applied to m y sister various yoga techniques of healing. The blood dysentery disappeared. But Dr. Bose shook his head m ournfully. "She sim ply has no m ore blood left to shed." "She will recover," I replied stoutly. "In seven days her fever will be gone." A week later I was thrilled to see Nalini open her eyes and gaze at m e with loving recognition. From that day her recovery was swift. Although she regained her usual weight, she bore one sad scar of her nearly fatal illness: her legs were paralyzed. Indian and English specialists pronounced her a hopeless cripple. The incessant war for her life which I had waged by prayer had exhausted m e. I went to Seram pore to ask Sri Yukteswar's help. His eyes expressed deep sym pathy as I told him of Nalini's plight. "Your sister's legs will be norm al at the end of one m onth." He added, "Let her wear, next to her skin, a band with an unperforated two-carat pearl, held on by a clasp." I prostrated m yself at his feet with joyful relief. "Sir, you are a m aster; your word of her recovery is enough But if you insist I shall im m ediately get her a pearl." My guru nodded. "Yes, do that." He went on to correctly describe the physical and m ental characteristics of Nalini, whom he had never seen. "Sir," I inquired, "is this an astrological analysis? You do not know her birth day or hour." Sri Yukteswar sm iled. "There is a deeper astrology, not dependent on the testim ony of calendars and clocks. Each m an is a part of the Creator, or Cosm ic Man; he has a heavenly body as well as one of earth. The hum an eye sees the physical form , but the inward eye penetrates m ore profoundly, even to the universal pattern of which each m an is an integral and individual part." I returned to Calcutta and purchased a pearl for Nalini. A m onth later, her paralyzed legs were www.holybooks.com com pletely healed. Sister asked m e to convey her heartfelt gratitude to m y guru. He listened to her m essage in silence. But as I was taking m y leave, he m ade a pregnant com m ent. "Your sister has been told by m any doctors that she can never bear children. Assure her that in a few years she will give birth to two daughters." Som e years later, to Nalini's joy, she bore a girl, followed in a few years by another daughter. "Your m aster has blessed our hom e, our entire fam ily," m y sister said. "The presence of such a m an is a sanctification on the whole of India. Dear brother, please tell Sri Yukteswarji that, through you, I hum bly count m yself as one of his Kriy a Yoga disciples." 25- 1: The gracefully draped dress of I ndian wom en. 25- 2: Because m ost persons in I ndia are t hin, reasonable plum pness is considered very desirable. 25- 3: The Hindu script ures declare t hat t hose who habit ually speak t he t rut h will develop t he power of m at erializing t heir words. What com m ands t hey ut t er from t he heart will com e t rue in life. CHAPTER: 26 The Science Of Kriya Yoga The science of Kriy a Yoga, m entioned so often in these pages, becam e widely known in m odern India through the instrum entality of Lahiri Mahasaya, m y guru's guru. The Sanskrit root of Kriy a is kri, to do, to act and react; the sam e root is found in the word karm a, the natural principle of cause and effect. Kriy a Yoga is thus "union (yoga) with the Infinite through a certain action or rite." A yogi who faithfully follows its technique is gradually freed from karm a or the universal chain of causation. Because of certain ancient yogic injunctions, I cannot give a full explanation of Kriy a Yoga in the pages of a book intended for the general public. The actual technique m ust be learned from a Kriy aban or Kriy a Yogi; here a broad reference m ust suffice. Kriy a Yoga is a sim ple, psychophysiological m ethod by which the hum an blood is decarbonized www.holybooks.com and recharged with oxygen. The atom s of this extra oxygen are transm uted into life current to rejuvenate the brain and spinal centers. 2 6 -1 By stopping the accum ulation of venous blood, the yogi is able to lessen or prevent the decay of tissues; the advanced yogi transm utes his cells into pure energy. Elijah, J esus, Kabir and other prophets were past m asters in the use of Kriy a or a sim ilar technique, by which they caused their bodies to dem aterialize at will. Kriy a is an ancient science. Lahiri Mahasaya received it from his guru, Babaji, who rediscovered and clarified the technique after it had been lost in the Dark Ages. "The Kriy a Yoga which I am giving to the world through you in this nineteenth century," Babaji told Lahiri Mahasaya, "is a revival of the sam e science which Krishna gave, m illennium s ago, to Arjuna, and which was later known to Patanjali, and to Christ, St. J ohn, St. Paul, and other disciples." Kriy a Yoga is referred to by Krishna, India's greatest prophet, in a stanza of the Bhagavad Gita: "Offering inhaling breath into the outgoing breath, and offering the outgoing breath into the inhaling breath, the yogi neutralizes both these breaths; he thus releases the life force from the heart and brings it under his control." 2 6 -2 The interpretation is: "The yogi arrests decay in the body by an addition of life force, and arrests the m utations of growth in the body by apan (elim inating current). Thus neutralizing decay and growth, by quieting the heart, the yogi learns life control." Krishna also relates 2 6 -3 that it was he, in a form er incarnation, who com m unicated the indestructible yoga to an ancient illum inato, Vivasvat, who gave it to Manu, the great legislator. 2 6 -4 He, in turn, instructed Ikshwaku, the father of India's solar warrior dynasty. Passing thus from one to another, the royal yoga was guarded by the rishis until the com ing of the m aterialistic ages. 2 6 -5 Then, due to priestly secrecy and m an's indifference, the sacred knowledge gradually becam e inaccessible. Kriy a Yoga is m entioned twice by the ancient sage Patanjali, forem ost exponent of yoga, who wrote: "Kriy a Yoga consists of body discipline, m ental control, and m editating on Aum ." 2 6 -6 Patanjali speaks of God as the actual Cosm ic Sound of Aum heard in m editation. 2 6 -7 Aum is the Creative Word, 2 6 -8 the sound of the Vibratory Motor. Even the yoga-beginner soon inwardly hears the wondrous sound of Aum . Receiving this blissful spiritual encouragem ent, the devotee becom es assured that he is in actual touch with divine realm s. Patanjali refers a second tim e to the life-control or Kriy a technique thus: "Liberation can be accom plished by that pranay am a which is attained by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration." 2 6 -9 St. Paul knew Kriy a Yoga, or a technique very sim ilar to it, by which he could switch life currents to and from the senses. He was therefore able to say: "Verily, I protest by our rejoicing which I have in Christ, i die daily ." 2 6 -10 By daily withdrawing his bodily life force, he united it by yoga union with the rejoicing (eternal bliss) of the Christ consciousness. In that felicitous state, he was www.holybooks.com consciously aware of being dead to the delusive sensory world of m ay a. In the initial states of God-contact (sabikalpa sam adhi) the devotee's consciousness m erges with the Cosm ic Spirit; his life force is withdrawn from the body, which appears "dead," or m otionless and rigid. The yogi is fully aware of his bodily condition of suspended anim ation. As he progresses to higher spiritual states (nirbikalpa sam adhi), however, he com m unes with God without bodily fixation, and in his ordinary waking consciousness, even in the m idst of exacting worldly duties. 2 6 -11 "Kriy a Yoga is an instrum ent through which hum an evolution can be quickened," Sri Yukteswar explained to his students. "The ancient yogis discovered that the secret of cosm ic consciousness is intim ately linked with breath m astery. This is India's unique and deathless contribution to the world's treasury of knowledge. The life force, which is ordinarily absorbed in m aintaining the heart-pum p, m ust be freed for higher activities by a m ethod of calm ing and stilling the ceaseless dem ands of the breath." The Kriy a Yogi m entally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (m edullary, cervical, dorsal, lum bar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the sym bolic Cosm ic Man. One-half m inute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of m an effects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-m inute of Kriy a equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldm ent. The astral system of a hum an being, with six (twelve by polarity) inner constellations revolving around the sun of the om niscient spiritual eye, is interrelated with the physical sun and the twelve zodiacal signs. All m en are thus affected by an inner and an outer universe. The ancient rishis discovered that m an's earthly and heavenly environm ent, in twelve-year cycles, push him forward on his natural path. The scriptures aver that m an requires a m illion years of norm al, diseaseless evolution to perfect his hum an brain sufficiently to express cosm ic consciousness. One thousand Kriy a practiced in eight hours gives the yogi, in one day, the equivalent of one thousand years of natural evolution: 365,0 0 0 years of evolution in one year. In three years, a Kriy a Yogi can thus accom plish by intelligent self-effort the sam e result which nature brings to pass in a m illion years. The Kriy a short cut, of course, can be taken only by deeply developed yogis. With the guidance of a guru, such yogis have carefully prepared their bodies and brains to receive the power created by intensive practice. The Kriy a beginner em ploys his yogic exercise only fourteen to twenty- eight tim es, twice daily. A num ber of yogis achieve em ancipation in six or twelve or twenty-four or forty-eight years. A yogi who dies before achieving full realization carries with him the good karm a of his past Kriy a effort; in his new life he is harm oniously propelled toward his Infinite Goal. The body of the average m an is like a fifty-watt lam p, which cannot accom m odate the billion watts of power roused by an excessive practice of Kriy a. Through gradual and regular increase of the sim ple and "foolproof" m ethods of Kriy a, m an's body becom es astrally transform ed day by day, and is finally fitted to express the infinite potentials of cosm ic energy-the first m aterially www.holybooks.com active expression of Spirit. Kriy a Yoga has nothing in com m on with the unscientific breathing exercises taught by a num ber of m isguided zealots. Their attem pts to forcibly hold breath in the lungs is not only unnatural but decidedly unpleasant. Kriy a, on the other hand, is accom panied from the very beginning by an accession of peace, and by soothing sensations of regenerative effect in the spine. The ancient yogic technique converts the breath into m ind. By spiritual advancem ent, one is able to cognize the breath as an act of m ind-a dream -breath. Many illustrations could be given of the m athem atical relationship between m an's respiratory rate and the variations in his states of consciousness. A person whose attention is wholly engrossed, as in following som e closely knit intellectual argum ent, or in attem pting som e delicate or difficult physical feat, autom atically breathes very slowly. Fixity of attention depends on slow breathing; quick or uneven breaths are an inevitable accom panim ent of harm ful em otional states: fear, lust, anger. The restless m onkey breathes at the rate of 32 tim es a m inute, in contrast to m an's average of 18 tim es. The elephant, tortoise, snake and other anim als noted for their longevity have a respiratory rate which is less than m an's. The tortoise, for instance, who m ay attain the age of 30 0 years, 2 6 -12 breathes only 4 tim es per m inute. The rejuvenating effects of sleep are due to m an's tem porary unawareness of body and breathing. The sleeping m an becom es a yogi; each night he unconsciously perform s the yogic rite of releasing him self from bodily identification, and of m erging the life force with healing currents in the m ain brain region and the six sub-dynam os of his spinal centers. The sleeper thus dips unknowingly into the reservoir of cosm ic energy which sustains all life. The voluntary yogi perform s a sim ple, natural process consciously, not unconsciously like the slow-paced sleeper. The Kriy a Yogi uses his technique to saturate and feed all his physical cells with undecaying light and keep them in a m agnetized state. He scientifically m akes breath unnecessary, without producing the states of subconscious sleep or unconsciousness. By Kriy a, the outgoing life force is not wasted and abused in the senses, but constrained to reunite with subtler spinal energies. By such reinforcem ent of life, the yogi's body and brain cells are electrified with the spiritual elixir. Thus he rem oves him self from studied observance of natural laws, which can only take him -by circuitous m eans as given by proper food, sunlight, and harm onious thoughts-to a m illion-year Goal. It needs twelve years of norm al healthful living to effect even slight perceptible change in brain structure, and a m illion solar returns are exacted to sufficiently refine the cerebral tenem ent for m anifestation of cosm ic consciousness. Untying the cord of breath which binds the soul to the body, Kriy a serves to prolong life and enlarge the consciousness to infinity. The yoga m ethod overcom es the tug of war between the m ind and the m atter- bound senses, and frees the devotee to reinherit his eternal kingdom . He knows his real nature is bound neither by physical encasem ent nor by breath, sym bol of the m ortal enslavem ent to air, to nature's elem ental com pulsions. www.holybooks.com Introspection, or "sitting in the silence," is an unscientific way of trying to force apart the m ind and senses, tied together by the life force. The contem plative m ind, attem pting its return to divinity, is constantly dragged back toward the senses by the life currents. Kriy a, controlling the m ind directly through the life force, is the easiest, m ost effective, and m ost scientific avenue of approach to the Infinite. In contrast to the slow, uncertain "bullock cart" theological path to God, Kriy a m ay justly be called the "airplane" route. The yogic science is based on an em pirical consideration of all form s of concentration and m editation exercises. Yoga enables the devotee to switch off or on, at will, life current from the five sense telephones of sight, sound, sm ell, taste, and touch. Attaining this power of sensedisconnection, the yogi finds it sim ple to unite his m ind at will with divine realm s or with the world of m atter. No longer is he unwillingly brought back by the life force to the m undane sphere of rowdy sensations and restless thoughts. Master of his body and m ind, the Kriy a Yogi ultim ately achieves victory over the "last enem y," death. So shalt thou feed on Death, that feeds on m en: And Death once dead, there's no m ore dying then. 2 6 -13 The life of an advanced Kriy a Yogi is influenced, not by effects of past actions, but solely by directions from the soul. The devotee thus avoids the slow, evolutionary m onitors of egoistic actions, good and bad, of com m on life, cum brous and snail-like to the eagle hearts. The superior m ethod of soul living frees the yogi who, shorn of his ego-prison, tastes the deep air of om nipresence. The thralldom of natural living is, in contrast, set in a pace hum iliating. Conform ing his life to the evolutionary order, a m an can com m and no concessionary haste from nature but, living without error against the laws of his physical and m ental endowm ent, still requires about a m illion years of incarnating m asquerades to know final em ancipation. The telescopic m ethods of yogis, disengaging them selves from physical and m ental identifications in favor of soul-individuality, thus com m end them selves to those who eye with revolt a thousand thousand years. This num erical periphery is enlarged for the ordinary m an, who lives in harm ony not even with nature, let alone his soul, but pursues instead unnatural com plexities, thus offending in his body and thoughts the sweet sanities of nature. For him , two tim es a m illion years can scarce suffice for liberation. Gross m an seldom or never realizes that his body is a kingdom , governed by Em peror Soul on the throne of the cranium , with subsidiary regents in the six spinal centers or spheres of consciousness. This theocracy extends over a throng of obedient subjects: twenty-seven thousand billion cells-endowed with a sure if autom atic intelligence by which they perform all duties of bodily growths, transform ations, and dissolutions-and fifty m illion substratal thoughts, em otions, and variations of alternating phases in m an's consciousness in an average life of sixty years. Any apparent insurrection of bodily or cerebral cells toward Em peror Soul, m anifesting as disease or depression, is due to no disloyalty am ong the hum ble citizens, but to past or present m isuse by m an of his individuality or free will, given to him sim ultaneous with a soul, and revocable never. www.holybooks.com Identifying him self with a shallow ego, m an takes for granted that it is he who thinks, wills, feels, digests m eals, and keeps him self alive, never adm itting through reflection (only a little would suffice!) that in his ordinary life he is naught but a puppet of past actions (karm a) and of nature or environm ent. Each m an's intellectual reactions, feelings, m oods, and habits are circum scribed by effects of past causes, whether of this or a prior life. Lofty above such influences, however, is his regal soul. Spurning the transitory truths and freedom s, the Kriy a Yogi passes beyond all disillusionm ent into his unfettered Being. All scriptures declare m an to be not a corruptible body, but a living soul; by Kriy a he is given a m ethod to prove the scriptural truth. "Outward ritual cannot destroy ignorance, because they are not m utually contradictory," wrote Shankara in his fam ous Century Of Verses. "Realized knowledge alone destroys ignorance. . . . Knowledge cannot spring up by any other m eans than inquiry. 'Who am I? How was this universe born? Who is its m aker? What is its m aterial cause?' This is the kind of inquiry referred to." The intellect has no answer for these questions; hence the rishis evolved yoga as the technique of spiritual inquiry. Kriy a Yoga is the real "fire rite" often extolled in the Bhagavad Gita. The purifying fires of yoga bring eternal illum ination, and thus differ m uch from outward and little-effective religious fire cerem onies, where perception of truth is oft burnt, to solem n chanted accom panim ent, along with the incense! The advanced yogi, withholding all his m ind, will, and feeling from false identification with bodily desires, uniting his m ind with superconscious forces in the spinal shrines, thus lives in this world as God hath planned, not im pelled by im pulses from the past nor by new witlessnesses of fresh hum an m otivations. Such a yogi receives fulfillm ent of his Suprem e Desire, safe in the final haven of inexhaustibly blissful Spirit. The yogi offers his labyrinthine hum an longings to a m onotheistic bonfire dedicated to the unparalleled God. This is indeed the true yogic fire cerem ony, in which all past and present desires are fuel consum ed by love divine. The Ultim ate Flam e receives the sacrifice of all hum an m adness, and m an is pure of dross. His bones stripped of all desirous flesh, his karm ic skeleton bleached in the antiseptic suns of wisdom , he is clean at last, inoffensive before m an and Maker. Referring to yoga's sure and m ethodical efficacy, Lord Krishna praises the technological yogi in the following words: "The yogi is greater than body-disciplining ascetics, greater even than the followers of the path of wisdom (Jnana Yoga), or of the path of action (Karm a Yoga); be thou, O disciple Arjuna, a yogi!" 2 6 -14 26- 1: The not ed scient ist , Dr. George W. Crile of Cleveland, explained before a 1940 m eet ing of t he Am erican Associat ion for t he Advancem ent of Science t he experim ent s by which he had proved t hat all bodily t issues are elect rically negat ive, except t he brain and nervous syst em t issues which rem ain elect rically posit ive because t hey t ake up revivifying oxygen at a m ore rapid rat e. 26- 2: Bhagavad Git a, I V: 29. 26- 3: Bhagavad Git a I V: 1- 2. www.holybooks.com 26- 4: The aut hor of Manava Dharm a Shast ras. These inst it ut es of canonized com m on law are effect ive in I ndia t o t his day. The French scholar, Louis Jacolliot , writ es t hat t he dat e of Manu " is lost in t he night of t he ant e- hist orical period of I ndia; and no scholar has dared t o refuse him t he t it le of t he m ost ancient lawgiver in t he world." I n La Bible Dans L'inde, pages 33- 37, Jacolliot reproduces parallel t ext ual references t o prove t hat t he Rom an Code Of Just inian follows closely t he Laws Of Manu. 26- 5: The st art of t he m at erialist ic ages, according t o Hindu script ural reckonings, was 3102 B.C. This was t he beginning of t he Descending Dwapara Age ( see page 174) . Modern scholars, blit hely believing t hat 10,000 years ago all m en were sunk in a barbarous St one Age, sum m arily dism iss as " m yt hs" all records and t radit ions of very ancient civilizat ions in I ndia, China, Egypt , and ot her lands. 26- 6: Pat anj ali's Aphorism s, I I : 1. I n using t he words Kriya Yoga, Pat anj ali was referring t o eit her t he exact t echnique t aught by Babaj i, or one very sim ilar t o it . That it was a definit e t echnique of life cont rol is proved by Pat anj ali's Aphorism I I : 49. 26- 7: Pat anj ali's Aphorism s, I : 27. 26- 8: " I n t he beginning was t he Word, and t he Word was wit h God, and t he Word was God. . . . All t hings were m ade by him ; and wit hout him was not any t hing m ade t hat was m ade." - John 1: 1- 3. Aum ( Om ) of t he Vedas becam e t he sacred word Am in of t he Moslem s, Hum of t he Tibet ans, and Am en of t he Christ ians ( it s m eaning in Hebrew being sure, fait hful) . " These t hings sait h t he Am en, t he fait hful and t rue wit ness, t he beginning of t he creat ion of God." - Revelat ions 3: 14. 26- 9: Aphorism s I I : 49.. 26- 10: I Corint hians 15: 31. " Our rej oicing" is t he correct t ranslat ion; not , as usually given, " your rej oicing." St . Paul was referring t o t he om nipresence of t he Christ consciousness.. 26- 11: Kalpa m eans t im e or aeon. Sabikalpa m eans subj ect t o t im e or change; som e link wit h prakrit i or m at t er rem ains. Nirbikalpa m eans t im eless, changeless; t his is t he highest st at e of sam adhi. 26- 12: According t o t he Lincoln Library Of Essent ial I nform at ion, p. 1030, t he giant t ort oise lives bet ween 200 and 300 years. 26- 13: Shakespeare: Sonnet # 146. 26- 14: Bhagavad Git a, VI : 46. CHAPTER: 27 Founding A Yoga School At Ranchi "Why are you averse to organizational work?" Master's question startled m e a bit. It is true that m y private conviction at the tim e was that www.holybooks.com organizations were "hornets' nests." "It is a thankless task, sir," I answered. "No m atter what the leader does or does not, he is criticized." "Do you want the whole divine channa (m ilk curd) for yourself alone?" My guru's retort was accom panied by a stern glance. "Could you or anyone else achieve God-contact through yoga if a line of generous- hearted m asters had not been willing to convey their knowledge to others?" He added, "God is the Honey, organizations are the hives; both are necessary. Any form is useless, of course, without the spirit, but why should you not start busy hives full of the spiritual nectar?" His counsel m oved m e deeply. Although I m ade no outward reply, an adam ant resolution arose in m y breast: I would share with m y fellows, so far as lay in m y power, the unshackling truths I had learned at m y guru's feet. "Lord," I prayed, "m ay Thy Love shine forever on the sanctuary of m y devotion, and m ay I be able to awaken that Love in other hearts." On a previous occasion, before I had joined the m onastic order, Sri Yukteswar had m ade a m ost unexpected rem ark. "How you will m iss the com panionship of a wife in your old age!" he had said. "Do you not agree that the fam ily m an, engaged in useful work to m aintain his wife and children, thus plays a rewarding role in God's eyes?" "Sir," I had protested in alarm , "you know that m y desire in this life is to espouse only the Cosm ic Beloved." Master had laughed so m errily that I understood his observation was m ade m erely as a test of m y faith. "Rem em ber," he had said slowly, "that he who discards his worldly duties can justify him self only by assum ing som e kind of responsibility toward a m uch larger fam ily." The ideal of an all-sided education for youth had always been close to m y heart. I saw clearly the arid results of ordinary instruction, aim ed only at the developm ent of body and intellect. Moral and spiritual values, without whose appreciation no m an can approach happiness, were yet lacking in the form al curriculum . I determ ined to found a school where young boys could develop to the full stature of m anhood. My first step in that direction was m ade with seven children at Dihika, a sm all country site in Bengal. A year later, in 1918, through the generosity of Sir Manindra Chandra Nundy, the Maharaja of Kasim bazar, I was able to transfer m y fast- growing group to Ranchi. This town in Bihar, about two hundred m iles from Calcutta, is blessed with one of the m ost healthful clim ates in India. The Kasim bazar Palace at Ranchi was transform ed into the headquarters for the new school, which I called Brahm achary a Vidy alay a 2 7-1 in accordance with the educational ideals of the rishis. Their forest ashram s had been the ancient seats of learning, secular and divine, for the youth of www.holybooks.com India. At Ranchi I organized an educational program for both gram m ar and high school grades. It included agricultural, industrial, com m ercial, and academ ic subjects. The students were also taught yoga concentration and m editation, and a unique system of physical developm ent, "Yogoda," whose principles I had discovered in 1916. Realizing that m an's body is like an electric battery, I reasoned that it could be recharged with energy through the direct agency of the hum an will. As no action, slight or large, is possible without w illing, m an can avail him self of his prim e m over, will, to renew his bodily tissues without burdensom e apparatus or m echanical exercises. I therefore taught the Ranchi students m y sim ple "Yogoda" techniques by which the life force, centred in m an's m edulla oblongata, can be consciously and instantly recharged from the unlim ited supply of cosm ic energy. The boys responded wonderfully to this training, developing extraordinary ability to shift the life energy from one part of the body to another part, and to sit in perfect poise in difficult body postures. 2 7-2 They perform ed feats of strength and endurance which m any powerful adults could not equal. My youngest brother, Bishnu Charan Ghosh, joined the Ranchi school; he later becam e a leading physical culturist in Bengal. He and one of his students traveled to Europe and Am erica, giving exhibitions of strength and skill which am azed the university savants, including those at Colum bia University in New York. At the end of the first year at Ranchi, applications for adm ission reached two thousand. But the school, which at that tim e was solely residential, could accom m odate only about one hundred. Instruction for day students was soon added. In the Vidy alay a I had to play father-m other to the little children, and to cope with m any organizational difficulties. I often rem em bered Christ's words: "Verily I say unto you, There is no m an that hath left house, or brethren or sisters, or father, or m other, or wife, or children, or lands, for m y sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this tim e, houses and brethren, and sisters, and m others, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to com e eternal life." 2 7-3 Sri Yukteswar had interpreted these words: "The devotee who forgoes the life-experiences of m arriage and fam ily, and exchanges the problem s of a sm all household and lim ited activities for the larger responsibilities of service to society in general, is undertaking a task which is often accom panied by persecution from a m isunderstanding world, but also by a divine inner contentm ent." www.holybooks.com Yogoda Math, beautiful hermitage of Self-Realization Fellowship at Dakshineswar on the Ganges. Founded in 1938 as a yoga retreat for students of East and West. Central building of the Yogoda Sat-Sanga Brahmacharya Vidyalaya at Ranchi, Bihar, established in 1918 as a yoga school for boys, with grammar and high school education. Connected with it is the philanthropic Lahiri Mahasaya Mission. One day m y father arrived in Ranchi to bestow a paternal blessing, long withheld because I had hurt him by refusing his offer of a position with the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. "Son," he said, "I am now reconciled to your choice in life. It gives m e joy to see you am idst these happy, eager youngsters; you belong here rather than with the lifeless figures of railroad tim etables." He waved toward a group of a dozen little ones who were tagging at m y heels. "I had only eight children," he observed with twinkling eyes, "but I can feel for you!" With a large fruit orchard and twenty-five fertile acres at our disposal, the students, teachers, and m yself enjoyed m any happy hours of outdoor labor in these ideal surroundings. We had m any pets, including a young deer who was fairly idolized by the children. I too loved the fawn so m uch that I allowed it to sleep in m y room . At the light of dawn, the little creature would toddle over to m y bed for a m orning caress. One day I fed the pet earlier than usual, as I had to attend to som e business in the town of Ranchi. Although I cautioned the boys not to feed the fawn until m y return, one of them was disobedient, www.holybooks.com and gave the baby deer a large quantity of m ilk. When I cam e back in the evening, sad news greeted m e: "The little fawn is nearly dead, through over feeding." In tears, I placed the apparently lifeless pet on m y lap. I prayed piteously to God to spare its life. Hours later, the sm all creature opened its eyes, stood up, and walked feebly. The whole school shouted for joy. But a deep lesson cam e to m e that night, one I can never forget. I stayed up with the fawn until two o'clock, when I fell asleep. The deer appeared in a dream , and spoke to m e: "You are holding m e back. Please let m e go; let m e go!" "All right," I answered in the dream . I awoke im m ediately, and cried out, "Boys, the deer is dying!" The children rushed to m y side. I ran to the corner of the room where I had placed the pet. It m ade a last effort to rise, stum bled toward m e, then dropped at m y feet, dead. According to the m ass karm a which guides and regulates the destinies of anim als, the deer's life was over, and it was ready to progress to a higher form . But by m y deep attachm ent, which I later realized was selfish, and by m y fervent prayers, I had been able to hold it in the lim itations of the anim al form from which the soul was struggling for release. The soul of the deer m ade its plea in a dream because, without m y loving perm ission, it either would not or could not go. As soon as I agreed, it departed. All sorrow left m e; I realized anew that God wants His children to love everything as a part of Him , and not to feel delusively that death ends all. The ignorant m an sees only the unsurm ountable wall of death, hiding, seem ingly forever, his cherished friends. But the m an of unattachm ent, he who loves others as expressions of the Lord, understands that at death the dear ones have only returned for a breathing-space of joy in Him . The Ranchi school grew from sm all and sim ple beginnings to an institution now well-known in India. Many departm ents of the school are supported by voluntary contributions from those who rejoice in perpetuating the educational ideals of the rishis. Under the general nam e of Yogoda SatSanga, 2 7-4 flourishing branch schools have been established at Midnapore, Lakshm anpur, and Puri. The Ranchi headquarters m aintains a Medical Departm ent where m edicines and the services of doctors are supplied freely to the poor of the locality. The num ber treated has averaged m ore than 18,0 0 0 persons a year. The Vidy alay a has m ade its m ark, too, in Indian com petitive sports, and in the scholastic field, where m any Ranchi alum ni have distinguished them selves in later university life. The school, now in its twenty-eighth year and the center of m any activities, 2 7-5 has been honored www.holybooks.com by visits of em inent m en from the East and the West. One of the earliest great figures to inspect the Vidy alay a in its first year was Swam i Pranabananda, the Benares "saint with two bodies." As the great m aster viewed the picturesque outdoor classes, held under the trees, and saw in the evening that young boys were sitting m otionless for hours in yoga m editation, he was profoundly m oved. "J oy com es to m y heart," he said, "to see that Lahiri Mahasaya's ideals for the proper training of youth are being carried on in this institution. My guru's blessings be on it." A young lad sitting by m y side ventured to ask the great yogi a question. "Sir," he said, "shall I be a m onk? Is m y life only for God?" Though Swam i Pranabananda sm iled gently, his eyes were piercing the future. "Child," he replied, "when you grow up, there is a beautiful bride waiting for you." The boy did eventually m arry, after having planned for years to enter the Swam i Order. Som etim e after Swam i Pranabananda had visited Ranchi, I accom panied m y father to the Calcutta house where the yogi was tem porarily staying. Pranabananda's prediction, m ade to m e so m any years before, cam e rushing to m y m ind: "I shall see you, with your father, later on." As Father entered the swam i's room , the great yogi rose from his seat and em braced m y parent with loving respect. "Bhagabati," he said, "what are you doing about yourself? Don't you see your son racing to the Infinite?" I blushed to hear his praise before m y father. The swam i went on, "You recall how often our blessed guru used to say: 'Banat, banat, ban jai.' 2 6 -6 So keep up Kriy a Yoga ceaselessly, and reach the divine portals quickly." The body of Pranabananda, which had appeared so well and strong during m y am azing first visit to him in Benares, now showed definite aging, though his posture was still adm irably erect. "Swam iji," I inquired, looking straight into his eyes, "please tell m e the truth: Aren't you feeling the advance of age? As the body is weakening, are your perceptions of God suffering any dim inution?" He sm iled angelically. "The Beloved is m ore than ever with m e now." His com plete conviction overwhelm ed m y m ind and soul. He went on, "I am still enjoying the two pensions-one from Bhagabati here, and one from above." Pointing his finger heavenward, the saint fell into an ecstasy, his face lit with a divine glow-an am ple answer to m y question. Noticing that Pranabananda's room contained m any plants and packages of seed, I asked their purpose. www.holybooks.com "I have left Benares perm anently," he said, "and am now on m y way to the Him alayas. There I shall open an ashram for m y disciples. These seeds will produce spinach and a few other vegetables. My dear ones will live sim ply, spending their tim e in blissful God-union. Nothing else is necessary." Father asked his brother disciple when he would return to Calcutta. "Never again," the saint replied. "This year is the one in which Lahiri Mahasaya told m e I would leave m y beloved Benares forever and go to the Him alayas, there to throw off m y m ortal fram e." My eyes filled with tears at his words, but the swam i sm iled tranquilly. He rem inded m e of a little heavenly child, sitting securely on the lap of the Divine Mother. The burden of the years has no ill effect on a great yogi's full possession of suprem e spiritual powers. He is able to renew his body at will; yet som etim es he does not care to retard the aging process, but allows his karm a to work itself out on the physical plane, using his old body as a tim e-saving device to exclude the necessity of working out karm a in a new incarnation. Months later I m et an old friend, Sanandan, who was one of Pranabananda's close disciples. "My adorable guru is gone," he told m e, am idst sobs. "He established a herm itage near Rishikesh, and gave us loving training. When we were pretty well settled, and m aking rapid spiritual progress in his com pany, he proposed one day to feed a huge crowd from Rishikesh. I inquired why he wanted such a large num ber. "'This is m y last festival cerem ony,' he said. I did not understand the full im plications of his words. "Pranabanandaji helped with the cooking of great am ounts of food. We fed about 20 0 0 guests. After the feast, he sat on a high platform and gave an inspired serm on on the Infinite. At the end, before the gaze of thousands, he turned to m e, as I sat beside him on the dais, and spoke with unusual force. "'Sanandan, be prepared; I am going to kick the fram e. 2 7-7 ' "After a stunned silence, I cried loudly, 'Master, don't do it! Please, please, don't do it!' The crowd was tongue-tied, watching us curiously. My guru sm iled at m e, but his solem n gaze was already fixed on Eternity. "'Be not selfish,' he said, 'nor grieve for m e. I have been long cheerfully serving you all; now rejoice and wish m e Godspeed. I go to m eet m y Cosm ic Beloved.' In a whisper, Pranabanandaji added, 'I shall be reborn shortly. After enjoying a short period of the Infinite Bliss, I shall return to earth and join Babaji. 2 7-8 You shall soon know when and where m y soul has been encased in a new body.' "He cried again, 'Sanandan, here I kick the fram e by the second Kriy a Yoga.' 2 7-9 www.holybooks.com "He looked at the sea of faces before us, and gave a blessing. Directing his gaze inwardly to the spiritual eye, he becam e im m obile. While the bewildered crowd thought he was m editating in an ecstatic state, he had already left the tabernacle of flesh and plunged his soul into the cosm ic vastness. The disciples touched his body, seated in the lotus posture, but it was no longer the warm flesh. Only a stiffened fram e rem ained; the tenant had fled to the im m ortal shore." I inquired where Pranabananda was to be reborn. "That's a sacred trust I cannot divulge to anyone," Sanandan replied. "Perhaps you m ay find out som e other way." Years later I discovered from Swam i Keshabananda 2 7-10 that Pranabananda, a few years after his birth in a new body, had gone to Badrinarayan in the Him alayas, and there joined the group of saints around the great Babaji. 27- 1: Vidyalaya, school. Brahm acharya here refers t o one of t he four st ages in t he Vedic plan for m an's life, as com prising t hat of ( 1) t he celibat e st udent ( brahm achari) ; ( 2) t he householder wit h worldly responsibilit ies ( grihast ha) ; ( 3) t he herm it ( vanaprast ha) ; ( 4) t he forest dweller or wanderer, free from all eart hly concerns ( sannyasi) . This ideal schem e of life, while not widely observed in m odern I ndia, st ill has m any devout followers. The four st ages are carried out religiously under t he lifelong direct ion of a guru. 27- 2: A num ber of Am erican st udent s also have m ast ered various asanas or post ures, including Bernard Cole, an inst ruct or in Los Angeles of t he Self- Realizat ion Fellowship t eachings. 27- 3: Mark 10: 29- 30.. 27- 4: Yogoda: yoga, union, harm ony, equilibrium ; da, t hat which im part s. Sat - Sanga: sat , t rut h; sanga, fellowship. I n t he West , t o avoid t he use of a Sanskrit nam e, t he Yogoda Sat - Sanga m ovem ent has been called t he Self- Realizat ion Fellowship. 27- 5: The act ivit ies at Ranchi are described m ore fully in chapt er 40. The Lakshm anpur school is in t he capable charge of Mr. G. C. Dey, B.A. The m edical depart m ent is ably supervised by Dr. S. N. Pal and Sasi Bhusan Mullick. 27- 6: One of Lahiri Mahasaya's favorit e rem arks, given as encouragem ent for his st udent s' perseverance. A free t ranslat ion is: " St riving, st riving, one day behold! t he Divine Goal! " 27- 7: i.e., give up t he body. 27- 8: Lahiri Mahasaya's guru, who is st ill living. ( See chapt er 33.) 27- 9: The second Kriya, as t aught by Lahiri Mahasaya, enables t he devot ee t hat has m ast ered it t o leave and ret urn t o t he body consciously at any t im e. Advanced yogis use t he second Kriya t echnique during t he last exit of deat h, a m om ent t hey invariably know beforehand. 27- 10: My m eet ing wit h Keshabananda is described in chapt er 42. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 28 Kashi, Reborn And Rediscovered "Please do not go into the water. Let us bathe by dipping our buckets." I was addressing the young Ranchi students who were accom panying m e on an eight-m ile hike to a neighboring hill. The pond before us was inviting, but a distaste for it had arisen in m y m ind. The group around m e followed m y exam ple of dipping buckets, but a few lads yielded to the tem ptation of the cool waters. No sooner had they dived than large water snakes wiggled around them . The boys cam e out of the pond with com ical alacrity. We enjoyed a picnic lunch after we reached our destination. I sat under a tree, surrounded by a group of students. Finding m e in an inspirational m ood, they plied m e with questions. "Please tell m e, sir," one youth inquired, "if I shall always stay with you in the path of renunciation." "Ah, no," I replied, "you will be forcibly taken away to your hom e, and later you will m arry." Incredulous, he m ade a vehem ent protest. "Only if I am dead can I be carried hom e." But in a few m onths, his parents arrived to take him away, in spite of his tearful resistance; som e years later, he did m arry. After answering m any questions, I was addressed by a lad nam ed Kashi. He was about twelve years old, a brilliant student, and beloved by all. "Sir," he said, "what will be m y fate?" "You shall soon be dead." The reply cam e from m y lips with an irresistible force. This unexpected disclosure shocked and grieved m e as well as everyone present. Silently rebuking m yself as an enfant terrible, I refused to answer further questions. On our return to the school, Kashi cam e to m y room . "If I die, will you find m e when I am reborn, and bring m e again to the spiritual path?" He sobbed. I felt constrained to refuse this difficult occult responsibility. But for weeks afterward, Kashi pressed m e doggedly. Seeing him unnerved to the breaking point, I finally consoled him . www.holybooks.com "Yes," I prom ised. "If the Heavenly Father lends His aid, I will try to find you." During the sum m er vacation, I started on a short trip. Regretting that I could not take Kashi with m e, I called him to m y room before leaving, and carefully instructed him to rem ain, against all persuasion, in the spiritual vibrations of the school. Som ehow I felt that if he did not go hom e, he m ight avoid the im pending calam ity. No sooner had I left than Kashi's father arrived in Ranchi. For fifteen days he tried to break the will of his son, explaining that if Kashi would go to Calcutta for only four days to see his m other, he could then return. Kashi persistently refused. The father finally said he would take the boy away with the help of the police. The threat disturbed Kashi, who was unwilling to be the cause of any unfavorable publicity to the school. He saw no choice but to go. I returned to Ranchi a few days later. When I heard how Kashi had been rem oved, I entrained at once for Calcutta. There I engaged a horse cab. Very strangely, as the vehicle passed beyond the Howrah bridge over the Ganges, I beheld Kashi's father and other relatives in m ourning clothes. Shouting to m y driver to stop, I rushed out and glared at the unfortunate father. "Mr. Murderer," I cried som ewhat unreasonably, "you have killed m y boy!" The father had already realized the wrong he had done in forcibly bringing Kashi to Calcutta. During the few days the boy had been there, he had eaten contam inated food, contracted cholera, and passed on. My love for Kashi, and the pledge to find him after death, night and day haunted m e. No m atter where I went, his face loom ed up before m e. I began a m em orable search for him , even as long ago I had searched for m y lost m other. Kashi, lost and rediscovered www.holybooks.com My brother Bishnu; Motilal Mukherji of Serampore, a highly advanced disciple of Sri Yukteswar; my father; Mr. Wright; myself; Tulsi Narayan Bose; Swami Satyananda of Ranchi A group of delegates to the 1920 International Congress of Religious Liberals at Boston, where I gave my maiden speech in America. (Left to right) Rev. Clay MacCauley, Rev. T. Rhondda Williams, Prof. S. Ushigasaki, Rev. Jabez T. Sunderland, myself, Rev. Chas. W. Wendte, Rev. Samuel A. Eliot, Rev. Basil Martin, Rev. Christopher J. Street, Rev. Samuel M. Crothers. I felt that inasm uch as God had given m e the faculty of reason, I m ust utilize it and tax m y powers to the utm ost in order to discover the subtle laws by which I could know the boy's astral whereabouts. He was a soul vibrating with unfulfilled desires, I realized-a m ass of light floating som ewhere am idst m illions of lum inous souls in the astral regions. How was I to tune in with him , am ong so m any vibrating lights of other souls? Using a secret yoga technique, I broadcasted m y love to Kashi's soul through the m icrophone of www.holybooks.com the spiritual eye, the inner point between the eyebrows. With the antenna of upraised hands and fingers, I often turned m yself round and round, trying to locate the direction in which he had been reborn as an em bryo. I hoped to receive response from him in the concentration-tuned radio of m y heart. 2 8 -1 I intuitively felt that Kashi would soon return to the earth, and that if I kept unceasingly broadcasting m y call to him , his soul would reply. I knew that the slightest im pulse sent by Kashi would be felt in m y fingers, hands, arm s, spine, and nerves. With undim inished zeal, I practiced the yoga m ethod steadily for about six m onths after Kashi's death. Walking with a few friends one m orning in the crowded Bowbazar section of Calcutta, I lifted m y hands in the usual m anner. For the first tim e, there was response. I thrilled to detect electrical im pulses trickling down m y fingers and palm s. These currents translated them selves into one overpowering thought from a deep recess of m y consciousness: "I am Kashi; I am Kashi; com e to m e!" The thought becam e alm ost audible as I concentrated on m y heart radio. In the characteristic, slightly hoarse whisper of Kashi, 2 8 -2 I heard his sum m ons again and again. I seized the arm of one of m y com panions, Prokash Das, 2 8 -3 and sm iled at him joyfully. "It looks as though I have located Kashi!" I began to turn round and round, to the undisguised am usem ent of m y friends and the passing throng. The electrical im pulses tingled through m y fingers only when I faced toward a near-by path, aptly nam ed "Serpentine Lane." The astral currents disappeared when I turned in other directions. "Ah," I exclaim ed, "Kashi's soul m ust be living in the wom b of som e m other whose hom e is in this lane." My com panions and I approached closer to Serpentine Lane; the vibrations in m y upraised hands grew stronger, m ore pronounced. As if by a m agnet, I was pulled toward the right side of the road. Reaching the entrance of a certain house, I was astounded to find m yself transfixed. I knocked at the door in a state of intense excitem ent, holding m y very breath. I felt that the successful end had com e for m y long, arduous, and certainly unusual quest! The door was opened by a servant, who told m e her m aster was at hom e. He descended the stairway from the second floor and sm iled at m e inquiringly. I hardly knew how to fram e m y question, at once pertinent and im pertinent. "Please tell m e, sir, if you and your wife have been expecting a child for about six m onths?" "Yes, it is so." Seeing that I was a swam i, a renunciate attired in the traditional orange cloth, he added politely, "Pray inform m e how you know m y affairs." www.holybooks.com When he heard about Kashi and the prom ise I had given, the astonished m an believed m y story. "A m ale child of fair com plexion will be born to you," I told him . "He will have a broad face, with a cowlick atop his forehead. His disposition will be notably spiritual." I felt certain that the com ing child would bear these resem blances to Kashi. Later I visited the child, whose parents had given him his old nam e of Kashi. Even in infancy he was strikingly sim ilar in appearance to m y dear Ranchi student. The child showed m e an instantaneous affection; the attraction of the past awoke with redoubled intensity. Years later the teen-age boy wrote m e, during m y stay in Am erica. He explained his deep longing to follow the path of a renunciate. I directed him to a Him alayan m aster who, to this day, guides the reborn Kashi. 28- 1: The will, proj ect ed from t he point bet ween t he eyebrows, is known by yogis as t he broadcast ing apparat us of t hought . When t he feeling is calm ly concent rat ed on t he heart , it act s as a m ent al radio, and can receive t he m essages of ot hers from far or near. I n t elepat hy t he fine vibrat ions of t hought s in one person's m ind are t ransm it t ed t hrough t he subt le vibrat ions of ast ral et her and t hen t hrough t he grosser eart hly et her, creat ing elect rical waves which, in t urn, t ranslat e t hem selves int o t hought waves in t he m ind of t he ot her person. 28- 2: Every soul in it s pure st at e is om niscient . Kashi's soul rem em bered all t he charact erist ics of Kashi, t he boy, and t herefore m im icked his hoarse voice in order t o st ir m y recognit ion. 28- 3: Prokash Das is t he present direct or of our Yogoda Mat h ( herm it age) at Dakshineswar in Bengal. CHAPTER: 29 Rabindranath Tagore And I Compare Schools "Rabindranath Tagore taught us to sing, as a natural form of self- expression, like the birds." Bhola Nath, a bright fourteen-year-old lad at m y Ranchi school, gave m e this explanation after I had com plim ented him one m orning on his m elodious outbursts. With or without provocation, the boy poured forth a tuneful stream . He had previously attended the fam ous Tagore school of "Santiniketan" (Haven of Peace) at Bolpur. "The songs of Rabindranath have been on m y lips since early youth," I told m y com panion. "All Bengal, even the unlettered peasants, delights in his lofty verse." www.holybooks.com Bhola and I sang together a few refrains from Tagore, who has set to m usic thousands of Indian poem s, som e original and others of hoary antiquity. "I m et Rabindranath soon after he had received the Nobel Prize for literature," I rem arked after our vocalizing. "I was drawn to visit him because I adm ired his undiplom atic courage in disposing of his literary critics." I chuckled. Bhola curiously inquired the story. "The scholars severely flayed Tagore for introducing a new style into Bengali poetry," I began. "He m ixed colloquial and classical expressions, ignoring all the prescribed lim itations dear to the pundits' hearts. His songs em body deep philosophic truth in em otionally appealing term s, with little regard for the accepted literary form s. "One influential critic slightingly referred to Rabindranath as a 'pigeon-poet who sold his cooings in print for a rupee.' But Tagore's revenge was at hand; the whole Western world paid hom age at his feet soon after he had translated into English his Gitanjali ("Song Offerings"). A trainload of pundits, including his one-tim e critics, went to Santiniketan to offer their congratulations. "Rabindranath received his guests only after an intentionally long delay, and then heard their praise in stoic silence. Finally he turned against them their own habitual weapons of criticism . "'Gentlem en,' he said, 'the fragrant honors you here bestow are incongruously m ingled with the putrid odors of your past contem pt. Is there possibly any connection between m y award of the Nobel Prize, and your suddenly acute powers of appreciation? I am still the sam e poet who displeased you when I first offered m y hum ble flowers at the shrine of Bengal.' "The newspapers published an account of the bold chastisem ent given by Tagore. I adm ired the outspoken words of a m an unhypnotized by flattery," I went on. "I was introduced to Rabindranath in Calcutta by his secretary, Mr. C. F. Andrews, 2 9 -1 who was sim ply attired in a Bengali dhoti. He referred lovingly to Tagore as his gurudeva. "Rabindranath received m e graciously. He em anated a soothing aura of charm , culture, and courtliness. Replying to m y question about his literary background, Tagore told m e that one ancient source of his inspiration, besides our religious epics, had been the classical poet, Bidyapati." Inspired by these m em ories, I began to sing Tagore's version of an old Bengali song, "Light the Lam p of Thy Love." Bhola and I chanted joyously as we strolled over the Vidy alay a grounds. About two years after founding the Ranchi school, I received an invitation from Rabindranath to visit him at Santiniketan in order to discuss our educational ideals. I went gladly. The poet was seated in his study when I entered; I thought then, as at our first m eeting, that he was as striking a m odel of superb m anhood as any painter could desire. His beautifully chiseled face, nobly patrician, was fram ed in long hair and flowing beard. Large, m elting eyes; an angelic sm ile; and a www.holybooks.com voice of flutelike quality which was literally enchanting. Stalwart, tall, and grave, he com bined an alm ost wom anly tenderness with the delightful spontaneity of a child. No idealized conception of a poet could find m ore suitable em bodim ent than in this gentle singer. Tagore and I were soon deep in a com parative study of our schools, both founded along unorthodox lines. We discovered m any identical features-outdoor instruction, sim plicity, am ple scope for the child's creative spirit. Rabindranath, however, laid considerable stress on the study of literature and poetry, and the self-expression through m usic and song which I had already noted in the case of Bhola. The Santiniketan children observed periods of silence, but were given no special yoga training. The poet listened with flattering attention to m y description of the energizing "Yogoda" exercises and the yoga concentration techniques which are taught to all students at Ranchi. Tagore told m e of his own early educational struggles. "I fled from school after the fifth grade," he said, laughing. I could readily understand how his innate poetic delicacy had been affronted by the dreary, disciplinary atm osphere of a schoolroom . "That is why I opened Santiniketan under the shady trees and the glories of the sky." He m otioned eloquently to a little group studying in the beautiful garden. "A child is in his natural setting am idst the flowers and songbirds. Only thus m ay he fully express the hidden wealth of his individual endowm ent. True education can never be cram m ed and pum ped from without; rather it m ust aid in bringing spontaneously to the surface the infinite hoards of wisdom within." 2 9 -2 I agreed. "The idealistic and hero-worshiping instincts of the young are starved on an exclusive diet of statistics and chronological eras." The poet spoke lovingly of his father, Devendranath, who had inspired the Santiniketan beginnings. "Father presented m e with this fertile land, where he had already built a guest house and tem ple," Rabindranath told m e. "I started m y educational experim ent here in 190 1, with only ten boys. The eight thousand pounds which cam e with the Nobel Prize all went for the upkeep of the school." The elder Tagore, Devendranath, known far and wide as "Maharishi," was a very rem arkable m an, as one m ay discover from his Autobiography . Two years of his m anhood were spent in m editation in the Him alayas. In turn, his father, Dwarkanath Tagore, had been celebrated throughout Bengal for his m unificent public benefactions. From this illustrious tree has sprung a fam ily of geniuses. Not Rabindranath alone; all his relatives have distinguished them selves in creative expression. His brothers, Gogonendra and Abanindra, are am ong the forem ost artists 2 9 3 of India; another brother, Dwijendra, is a deep-seeing philosopher, at whose gentle call the birds and woodland creatures respond. Rabindranath invited m e to stay overnight in the guest house. It was indeed a charm ing spectacle, in the evening, to see the poet seated with a group in the patio. Tim e unfolded backward: the www.holybooks.com scene before m e was like that of an ancient herm itage-the joyous singer encircled by his devotees, all aureoled in divine love. Tagore knitted each tie with the cords of harm ony. Never assertive, he drew and captured the heart by an irresistible m agnetism . Rare blossom of poesy bloom ing in the garden of the Lord, attracting others by a natural fragrance! In his m elodious voice, Rabindranath read to us a few of his exquisite poem s, newly created. Most of his songs and plays, written for the delectation of his students, have been com posed at Santiniketan. The beauty of his lines, to m e, lies in his art of referring to God in nearly every stanza, yet seldom m entioning the sacred Nam e. "Drunk with the bliss of singing," he wrote, "I forget m yself and call thee friend who art m y lord." The following day, after lunch, I bade the poet a reluctant farewell. I rejoice that his little school has now grown to an international university, "Viswa-Bharati," where scholars of all lands have found an ideal setting. "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action; Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake!" 29-4 RABINDRANATH TAGORE 29- 1: The English writ er and publicist , close friend of Mahat m a Gandhi. Mr. Andrews is honored in I ndia for his m any services t o his adopt ed land. 29- 2: " The soul having been oft en born, or, as t he Hindus say, 't raveling t he pat h of exist ence t hrough t housands of birt hs' . . . t here is not hing of which she has not gained t he knowledge; no wonder t hat she is able t o recollect . . . what form erly she knew. . . . For inquiry and learning is rem iniscence all." - Em erson. 29- 3: Rabindranat h, t oo, in his sixt ies, engaged in a serious st udy of paint ing. Exhibit ions of his " fut urist ic" work were given som e years ago in European capit als and New York. 29- 4: Git anj ali ( New York: Macm illan Co.) . A t hought ful st udy of t he poet will be found in The Philosophy Of Rabindranat h Tagore, by t he celebrat ed scholar, Sir S. Radhakrishnan ( Macm illan, 1918) . Anot her exposit ory volum e is B. K. Roy's Rabindranat h Tagore: The Man And His Poet ry ( New York: Dodd, Mead, 1915) . Buddha And The Gospel Of Buddhism ( New York: Put nam 's, 1916) , by t he em inent Orient al art aut horit y, Ananda K. Coom araswam y, cont ains a num ber of illust rat ions in color by t he poet 's brot her, Abanindra Nat h Tagore. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 30 The Law Of Miracles The great novelist Leo Tolstoy wrote a delightful story, The Three Herm its. His friend Nicholas Roerich 3 0 -1 has sum m arized the tale, as follows: "On an island there lived three old herm its. They were so sim ple that the only prayer they used was: 'We are three; Thou art Three-have m ercy on us!' Great m iracles were m anifested during this naive prayer. "The local bishop 3 0 -2 cam e to hear about the three herm its and their inadm issible prayer, and decided to visit them in order to teach them the canonical invocations. He arrived on the island, told the herm its that their heavenly petition was undignified, and taught them m any of the custom ary prayers. The bishop then left on a boat. He saw, following the ship, a radiant light. As it approached, he discerned the three herm its, who were holding hands and running upon the waves in an effort to overtake the vessel. "'We have forgotten the prayers you taught us,' they cried as they reached the bishop, 'and have hastened to ask you to repeat them .' The awed bishop shook his head. "'Dear ones,' he replied hum bly, 'continue to live with your old prayer!'" How did the three saints walk on the water? How did Christ resurrect his crucified body? How did Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar perform their m iracles? Modern science has, as yet, no answer; though with the advent of the atom ic bom b and the wonders of radar, the scope of the world-m ind has been abruptly enlarged. The word "im possible" is becom ing less prom inent in the scientific vocabulary. The ancient Vedic scriptures declare that the physical world operates under one fundam ental law of m ay a, the principle of relativity and duality. God, the Sole Life, is an Absolute Unity; He cannot appear as the separate and diverse m anifestations of a creation except under a false or www.holybooks.com unreal veil. That cosm ic illusion is m ay a. Every great scientific discovery of m odern tim es has served as a confirm ation of this sim ple pronouncem ent of the rishis. Newton's Law of Motion is a law of m ay a: "To every action there is always an equal and contrary reaction; the m utual actions of any two bodies are always equal and oppositely directed." Action and reaction are thus exactly equal. "To have a single force is im possible. There m ust be, and always is, a pair of forces equal and opposite." Fundam ental natural activities all betray their m ayic origin. Electricity, for exam ple, is a phenom enon of repulsion and attraction; its electrons and protons are electrical opposites. Another exam ple: the atom or final particle of m atter is, like the earth itself, a m agnet with positive and negative poles. The entire phenom enal world is under the inexorable sway of polarity; no law of physics, chem istry, or any other science is ever found free from inherent opposite or contrasted principles. Physical science, then, cannot form ulate laws outside of m ay a, the very texture and structure of creation. Nature herself is m ay a; natural science m ust perforce deal with her ineluctable quiddity. In her own dom ain, she is eternal and inexhaustible; future scientists can do no m ore than probe one aspect after another of her varied infinitude. Science thus rem ains in a perpetual flux, unable to reach finality; fit indeed to form ulate the laws of an already existing and functioning cosm os, but powerless to detect the Law Fram er and Sole Operator. The m ajestic m anifestations of gravitation and electricity have becom e known, but what gravitation and electricity are, no m ortal knoweth. 3 0 -3 -by B. K. Mitra in "Kalyana-Kalpatur" A GURU AND DISCIPLE Forest hermitages were the ancient seats of learning, secular and divine, for the youth www.holybooks.com of India. Here a venerable guru, leaning on a wooden meditation elbow-prop, is initiating his disciple into the august mysteries of Spirit. To surm ount m ay a was the task assigned to the hum an race by the m illennial prophets. To rise above the duality of creation and perceive the unity of the Creator was conceived of as m an's highest goal. Those who cling to the cosm ic illusion m ust accept its essential law of polarity: flow and ebb, rise and fall, day and night, pleasure and pain, good and evil, birth and death. This cyclic pattern assum es a certain anguishing m onotony, after m an has gone through a few thousand hum an births; he begins to cast a hopeful eye beyond the com pulsions of m ay a. To tear the veil of m ay a is to pierce the secret of creation. The yogi who thus denudes the universe is the only true m onotheist. All others are worshiping heathen im ages. So long as m an rem ains subject to the dualistic delusions of nature, the J anus-faced May a is his goddess; he cannot know the one true God. The world illusion, m ay a, is individually called avidy a, literally, "not-knowledge," ignorance, delusion. May a or avidy a can never be destroyed through intellectual conviction or analysis, but solely through attaining the interior state of nirbikalpa sam adhi. The Old Testam ent prophets, and seers of all lands and ages, spoke from that state of consciousness. Ezekiel says (43:1-2): "Afterwards he brought m e to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel cam e from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of m any waters: and the earth shined with his glory." Through the divine eye in the forehead (east), the yogi sails his consciousness into om nipresence, hearing the Word or Aum , divine sound of m any waters or vibrations which is the sole reality of creation. Am ong the trillion m ysteries of the cosm os, the m ost phenom enal is light. Unlike sound-waves, whose transm ission requires air or other m aterial m edia, light-waves pass freely through the vacuum of interstellar space. Even the hypothetical ether, held as the interplanetary m edium of light in the undulatory theory, can be discarded on the Einsteinian grounds that the geom etrical properties of space render the theory of ether unnecessary. Under either hypothesis, light rem ains the m ost subtle, the freest from m aterial dependence, of any natural m anifestation. In the gigantic conceptions of Einstein, the velocity of light-186,0 0 0 m iles per second-dom inates the whole Theory of Relativity. He proves m athem atically that the velocity of light is, so far as m an's finite m ind is concerned, the only constant in a universe of unstayable flux. On the sole absolute of light-velocity depend all hum an standards of tim e and space. Not abstractly eternal as hitherto considered, tim e and space are relative and finite factors, deriving their m easurem ent validity only in reference to the yardstick of light-velocity. In joining space as a dim ensional relativity, tim e has surrendered age- old claim s to a changeless value. Tim e is now stripped to its rightful nature-a sim ple essence of am biguity! With a few equational strokes of his pen, Einstein has banished from the cosm os every fixed reality except that of light. In a later developm ent, his Unified Field Theory, the great physicist em bodies in one m athem atical form ula the laws of gravitation and of electrom agnetism . Reducing the cosm ical www.holybooks.com structure to variations on a single law, Einstein 3 0 -4 reaches across the ages to the rishis who proclaim ed a sole texture of creation-that of a protean m ay a. On the epochal Theory of Relativity have arisen the m athem atical possibilities of exploring the ultim ate atom . Great scientists are now boldly asserting not only that the atom is energy rather than m atter, but that atom ic energy is essentially m ind-stuff. "The frank realization that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the m ost significant advances," Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington writes in The N ature Of The Phy sical W orld. "In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph perform ance of the dram a of fam iliar life. The shadow of m y elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all sym bolic, and as a sym bol the physicist leaves it. Then com es the alchem ist Mind who transm utes the sym bols. . . . To put the conclusion crudely, the stuff of the world is m indstuff. . . . The realistic m atter and fields of force of form er physical theory are altogether irrelevant except in so far as the m ind-stuff has itself spun these im aginings. . . . The external world has thus becom e a world of shadows. In rem oving our illusions we have rem oved the substance, for indeed we have seen that substance is one of the greatest of our illusions." With the recent discovery of the electron m icroscope cam e definite proof of the light-essence of atom s and of the inescapable duality of nature. The N ew York Tim es gave the following report of a 1937 dem onstration of the electron m icroscope before a m eeting of the Am erican Association for the Advancem ent of Science: "The crystalline structure of tungsten, hitherto known only indirectly by m eans of X-rays, stood outlined boldly on a fluorescent screen, showing nine atom s in their correct positions in the space lattice, a cube, with one atom in each corner and one in the center. The atom s in the crystal lattice of the tungsten appeared on the fluorescent screen as points of light, arranged in geom etric pattern. Against this crystal cube of light the bom barding m olecules of air could be observed as dancing points of light, sim ilar to points of sunlight shim m ering on m oving waters. . . . "The principle of the electron m icroscope was first discovered in 1927 by Drs. Clinton J . Davisson and Lester H. Germ er of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, New York City, who found that the electron had a dual personality partaking of the characteristic of both a particle and a wave. The wave quality gave the electron the characteristic of light, and a search was begun to devise m eans for 'focusing' electrons in a m anner sim ilar to the focusing of light by m eans of a lens. "For his discovery of the J ekyll-Hyde quality of the electron, which corroborated the prediction m ade in 1924 by De Broglie, French Nobel Prize winning physicist, and showed that the entire realm of physical nature had a dual personality, Dr. Davisson also received the Nobel Prize in physics." "The stream of knowledge," Sir J am es J eans writes in The My sterious Universe, "is heading towards a non-m echanical reality; the universe begins to look m ore like a great thought than like a great m achine." Twentieth-century science is thus sounding like a page from the hoary Vedas. www.holybooks.com From science, then, if it m ust be so, let m an learn the philosophic truth that there is no m aterial universe; its warp and woof is m ay a, illusion. Its m irages of reality all break down under analysis. As one by one the reassuring props of a physical cosm os crash beneath him , m an dim ly perceives his idolatrous reliance, his past transgression of the divine com m and: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." In his fam ous equation outlining the equivalence of m ass and energy, Einstein proved that the energy in any particle of m atter is equal to its m ass or weight m ultiplied by the square of the velocity of light. The release of the atom ic energies is brought about through the annihilation of the m aterial particles. The "death" of m atter has been the "birth" of an Atom ic Age. Light-velocity is a m athem atical standard or constant not because there is an absolute value in 186,0 0 0 m iles a second, but because no m aterial body, whose m ass increases with its velocity, can ever attain the velocity of light. Stated another way: only a m aterial body whose m ass is infinite could equal the velocity of light. This Conception Brings Us To The Law Of Miracles. The m asters who are able to m aterialize and dem aterialize their bodies or any other object, and to m ove with the velocity of light, and to utilize the creative light-rays in bringing into instant visibility any physical m anifestation, have fulfilled the necessary Einsteinian condition: their m ass is infinite. The consciousness of a perfected yogi is effortlessly identified, not with a narrow body, but with the universal structure. Gravitation, whether the "force" of Newton or the Einsteinian "m anifestation of inertia," is powerless to com pel a m aster to exhibit the property of "weight" which is the distinguishing gravitational condition of all m aterial objects. He who knows him self as the om nipresent Spirit is subject no longer to the rigidities of a body in tim e and space. Their im prisoning "rings-pass-not" have yielded to the solvent: "I am He." "Fiat lux! And there was light." God's first com m and to His ordered creation (Genesis 1:3) brought into being the only atom ic reality: light. On the beam s of this im m aterial m edium occur all divine m anifestations. Devotees of every age testify to the appearance of God as flam e and light. "The King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath im m ortality, dwelling in the light which no m an can approach unto." 3 0 -5 A yogi who through perfect m editation has m erged his consciousness with the Creator perceives the cosm ical essence as light; to him there is no difference between the light rays com posing water and the light rays com posing land. Free from m atter-consciousness, free from the three dim ensions of space and the fourth dim ension of tim e, a m aster transfers his body of light with equal ease over the light rays of earth, water, fire, or air. Long concentration on the liberating spiritual eye has enabled the yogi to destroy all delusions concerning m atter and its gravitational weight; thenceforth he sees the universe as an essentially undifferentiated m ass of light. "Optical im ages," Dr. L. T. Troland of Harvard tells us, "are built up on the sam e principle as the www.holybooks.com ordinary 'half-tone' engravings; that is, they are m ade up of m inute dottings or stripplings far too sm all to be detected by the eye. . . . The sensitiveness of the retina is so great that a visual sensation can be produced by relatively few Quanta of the right kind of light." Through a m aster's divine knowledge of light phenom ena, he can instantly project into perceptible m anifestation the ubiquitous light atom s. The actual form of the projection-whether it be a tree, a m edicine, a hum an body-is in conform ance with a yogi's powers of will and of visualization. In m an's dream -consciousness, where he has loosened in sleep his clutch on the egoistic lim itations that daily hem him round, the om nipotence of his m ind has a nightly dem onstration. Lo! there in the dream stand the long-dead friends, the rem otest continents, the resurrected scenes of his childhood. With that free and unconditioned consciousness, known to all m en in the phenom ena of dream s, the God- tuned m aster has forged a never-severed link. Innocent of all personal m otives, and em ploying the creative will bestowed on him by the Creator, a yogi rearranges the light atom s of the universe to satisfy any sincere prayer of a devotee. For this purpose were m an and creation m ade: that he should rise up as m aster of m ay a, knowing his dom inion over the cosm os. "And God said, Let us m ake m an in our im age, after our likeness: and let them have dom inion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." 3 0 -6 In 1915, shortly after I had entered the Swam i Order, I witnessed a vision of violent contrasts. In it the relativity of hum an consciousness was vividly established; I clearly perceived the unity of the Eternal Light behind the painful dualities of m ay a. The vision descended on m e as I sat one m orning in m y little attic room in Father's Gurpar Road hom e. For m onths World War I had been raging in Europe; I reflected sadly on the vast toll of death. As I closed m y eyes in m editation, m y consciousness was suddenly transferred to the body of a captain in com m and of a battleship. The thunder of guns split the air as shots were exchanged between shore batteries and the ship's cannons. A huge shell hit the powder m agazine and tore m y ship asunder. I jum ped into the water, together with the few sailors who had survived the explosion. Heart pounding, I reached the shore safely. But alas! a stray bullet ended its furious flight in m y chest. I fell groaning to the ground. My whole body was paralyzed, yet I was aware of possessing it as one is conscious of a leg gone to sleep. "At last the m ysterious footstep of Death has caught up with m e," I thought. With a final sigh, I was about to sink into unconsciousness when lo! I found m yself seated in the lotus posture in m y Gurpar Road room . Hysterical tears poured forth as I joyfully stroked and pinched m y regained possession-a body free from any bullet hole in the breast. I rocked to and fro, inhaling and exhaling to assure m yself that I was alive. Am idst these self-congratulations, again I found m y consciousness transferred to the captain's dead body by the gory shore. Utter confusion of m ind cam e upon m e. www.holybooks.com "Lord," I prayed, "am I dead or alive?" A dazzling play of light filled the whole horizon. A soft rum bling vibration form ed itself into words: "What has life or death to do with Light? In the im age of My Light I have m ade you. The relativities of life and death belong to the cosm ic dream . Behold your dream less being! Awake, m y child, awake!" As steps in m an's awakening, the Lord inspires scientists to discover, at the right tim e and place, the secrets of His creation. Many m odern discoveries help m en to apprehend the cosm os as a varied expression of one power-light, guided by divine intelligence. The wonders of the m otion picture, of radio, of television, of radar, of the photo- electric cell-the all-seeing "electric eye," of atom ic energies, are all based on the electrom agnetic phenom enon of light. The m otion picture art can portray any m iracle. From the im pressive visual standpoint, no m arvel is barred to trick photography. A m an's transparent astral body can be seen rising from his gross physical form , he can walk on the water, resurrect the dead, reverse the natural sequence of developm ents, and play havoc with tim e and space. Assem bling the light im ages as he pleases, the photographer achieves optical wonders which a true m aster produces with actual light rays. The lifelike im ages of the m otion picture illustrate m any truths concerning creation. The Cosm ic Director has written His own plays, and assem bled the trem endous casts for the pageant of the centuries. From the dark booth of eternity, He pours His creative beam through the film s of successive ages, and the pictures are thrown on the screen of space. J ust as the m otion-picture im ages appear to be real, but are only com binations of light and shade, so is the universal variety a delusive seem ing. The planetary spheres, with their countless form s of life, are naught but figures in a cosm ic m otion picture, tem porarily true to five sense perceptions as the scenes are cast on the screen of m an's consciousness by the infinite creative beam . A cinem a audience can look up and see that all screen im ages are appearing through the instrum entality of one im ageless beam of light. The colorful universal dram a is sim ilarly issuing from the single white light of a Cosm ic Source. With inconceivable ingenuity God is staging an entertainm ent for His hum an children, m aking them actors as well as audience in His planetary theater. One day I entered a m otion picture house to view a newsreel of the European battlefields. World War I was still being waged in the West; the newsreel recorded the carnage with such realism that I left the theater with a troubled heart. "Lord," I prayed, "why dost Thou perm it such suffering?" To m y intense surprise, an instant answer cam e in the form of a vision of the actual European battlefields. The horror of the struggle, filled with the dead and dying, far surpassed in ferocity www.holybooks.com any representation of the newsreel. "Look intently!" A gentle voice spoke to m y inner consciousness. "You will see that these scenes now being enacted in France are nothing but a play of chiaroscuro. They are the cosm ic m otion picture, as real and as unreal as the theater newsreel you have just seen-a play within a play." My heart was still not com forted. The divine voice went on: "Creation is light and shadow both, else no picture is possible. The good and evil of m ay a m ust ever alternate in suprem acy. If joy were ceaseless here in this world, would m an ever seek another? Without suffering he scarcely cares to recall that he has forsaken his eternal hom e. Pain is a prod to rem em brance. The way of escape is through wisdom ! The tragedy of death is unreal; those who shudder at it are like an ignorant actor who dies of fright on the stage when nothing m ore is fired at him than a blank cartridge. My sons are the children of light; they will not sleep forever in delusion." Although I had read scriptural accounts of m ay a, they had not given m e the deep insight that cam e with the personal visions and their accom panying words of consolation. One's values are profoundly changed when he is finally convinced that creation is only a vast m otion picture, and that not in it, but beyond it, lies his own reality. As I finished writing this chapter, I sat on m y bed in the lotus posture. My room was dim ly lit by two shaded lam ps. Lifting m y gaze, I noticed that the ceiling was dotted with sm all m ustardcolored lights, scintillating and quivering with a radium like luster. Myriads of pencilled rays, like sheets of rain, gathered into a transparent shaft and poured silently upon m e. At once m y physical body lost its grossness and becam e m etam orphosed into astral texture. I felt a floating sensation as, barely touching the bed, the weightless body shifted slightly and alternately to left and right. I looked around the room ; the furniture and walls were as usual, but the little m ass of light had so m ultiplied that the ceiling was invisible. I was wonder-struck. "This is the cosm ic m otion picture m echanism ." A voice spoke as though from within the light. "Shedding its beam on the white screen of your bed sheets, it is producing the picture of your body. Behold, your form is nothing but light!" I gazed at m y arm s and m oved them back and forth, yet could not feel their weight. An ecstatic joy overwhelm ed m e. This cosm ic stem of light, blossom ing as m y body, seem ed a divine replica of the light beam s stream ing out of the projection booth in a cinem a house and m anifesting as pictures on the screen. For a long tim e I experienced this m otion picture of m y body in the dim ly lighted theater of m y own bedroom . Despite the m any visions I have had, none was ever m ore singular. As m y illusion of a solid body was com pletely dissipated, and m y realization deepened that the essence of all objects is light, I looked up to the throbbing stream of lifetrons and spoke entreatingly. "Divine Light, please withdraw this, m y hum ble bodily picture, into Thyself, even as Elijah was drawn up to heaven by a flam e." www.holybooks.com This prayer was evidently startling; the beam disappeared. My body resum ed its norm al weight and sank on the bed; the swarm of dazzling ceiling lights flickered and vanished. My tim e to leave this earth had apparently not arrived. "Besides," I thought philosophically, "the prophet Elijah m ight well be displeased at m y presum ption!" 30- 1: This fam ous Russian art ist and philosopher has been living for m any years in I ndia near t he Him alayas. " From t he peaks com es revelat ion," he has writ t en. " I n caves and upon t he sum m it s lived t he rishis. Over t he snowy peaks of t he Him alayas burns a bright glow, bright er t han st ars and t he fant ast ic flashes of light ning." 30- 2: The st ory m ay have a hist orical basis; an edit orial not e inform s us t hat t he bishop m et t he t hree m onks while he was sailing from Archangel t o t he Slovet sky Monast ery, at t he m out h of t he Dvina River. 30- 3: Marconi, t he great invent or, m ade t he following adm ission of scient ific inadequacy before t he finalit ies: " The inabilit y of science t o solve life is absolut e. This fact would be t ruly fright ening were it not for fait h. The m yst ery of life is cert ainly t he m ost persist ent problem ever placed before t he t hought of m an." 30- 4: A clue t o t he direct ion t aken by Einst ein's genius is given by t he fact t hat he is a lifelong disciple of t he great philosopher Spinoza, whose best - known work is Et hics Dem onst rat ed I n Geom et rical Order. 30- 5: I Tim ot hy 6: 15- 16. 30- 6: Genesis 1: 26. CHAPTER: 31 An Interview With The Sacred Mother "Reverend Mother, I was baptized in infancy by your prophet-husband. He was the guru of m y parents and of m y own guru Sri Yukteswarji. Will you therefore give m e the privilege of hearing a few incidents in your sacred life?" I was addressing Srim ati Kashi Moni, the life-com panion of Lahiri Mahasaya. Finding m yself in Benares for a short period, I was fulfilling a long-felt desire to visit the venerable lady. She received m e graciously at the old Lahiri hom estead in the Garudeswar Mohulla section of Benares. Although aged, she was bloom ing like a lotus, silently em anating a spiritual fragrance. She was of m edium build, with a slender neck and fair skin. Large, lustrous eyes softened her m otherly face. www.holybooks.com "Son, you are welcom e here. Com e upstairs." Kashi Moni led the way to a very sm all room where, for a tim e, she had lived with her husband. I felt honored to witness the shrine in which the peerless m aster had condescended to play the hum an dram a of m atrim ony. The gentle lady m otioned m e to a pillow seat by her side. "It was years before I cam e to realize the divine stature of m y husband," she began. "One night, in this very room , I had a vivid dream . Glorious angels floated in unim aginable grace above m e. So realistic was the sight that I awoke at once; the room was strangely enveloped in dazzling light. "My husband, in lotus posture, was levitated in the center of the room , surrounded by angels who were worshiping him with the supplicating dignity of palm -folded hands. Astonished beyond m easure, I was convinced that I was still dream ing. "'Wom an,' Lahiri Mahasaya said, 'you are not dream ing. Forsake your sleep forever and forever.' As he slowly descended to the floor, I prostrated m yself at his feet. "'Master,' I cried, 'again and again I bow before you! Will you pardon m e for having considered you as m y husband? I die with sham e to realize that I have rem ained asleep in ignorance by the side of one who is divinely awakened. From this night, you are no longer m y husband, but m y guru. Will you accept m y insignificant self as your disciple?' 3 1-1 "The m aster touched m e gently. 'Sacred soul, arise. You are accepted.' He m otioned toward the angels. 'Please bow in turn to each of these holy saints.' "When I had finished m y hum ble genuflections, the angelic voices sounded together, like a chorus from an ancient scripture. "'Consort of the Divine One, thou art blessed. We salute thee.' They bowed at m y feet and lo! their refulgent form s vanished. The room darkened. "My guru asked m e to receive initiation into Kriy a Yoga. "'Of course,' I responded. 'I am sorry not to have had its blessing earlier in m y life.' "'The tim e was not ripe.' Lahiri Mahasaya sm iled consolingly. 'Much of your karm a I have silently helped you to work out. Now you are willing and ready.' "He touched m y forehead. Masses of whirling light appeared; the radiance gradually form ed itself into the opal-blue spiritual eye, ringed in gold and centered with a white pentagonal star. "'Penetrate your consciousness through the star into the kingdom of the Infinite.' My guru's voice had a new note, soft like distant m usic. "Vision after vision broke as oceanic surf on the shores of m y soul. The panoram ic spheres finally www.holybooks.com m elted in a sea of bliss. I lost m yself in ever-surging blessedness. When I returned hours later to awareness of this world, the m aster gave m e the technique of Kriy a Yoga. "From that night on, Lahiri Mahasaya never slept in m y room again. Nor, thereafter, did he ever sleep. He rem ained in the front room downstairs, in the com pany of his disciples both by day and by night." The illustrious lady fell into silence. Realizing the uniqueness of her relationship with the sublim e yogi, I finally ventured to ask for further rem iniscences. "Son, you are greedy. Nevertheless you shall have one m ore story." She sm iled shyly. "I will confess a sin which I com m itted against m y guru- husband. Som e m onths after m y initiation, I began to feel forlorn and neglected. One m orning Lahiri Mahasaya entered this little room to fetch an article; I quickly followed him . Overcom e by violent delusion, I addressed him scathingly. "'You spend all your tim e with the disciples. What about your responsibilities for your wife and children? I regret that you do not interest yourself in providing m ore m oney for the fam ily.' "The m aster glanced at m e for a m om ent, then lo! he was gone. Awed and frightened, I heard a voice resounding from every part of the room : "'It is all nothing, don't you see? How could a nothing like m e produce riches for you?' "'Guruji,' I cried, 'I im plore pardon a m illion tim es! My sinful eyes can see you no m ore; please appear in your sacred form .' "'I am here.' This reply cam e from above m e. I looked up and saw the m aster m aterialize in the air, his head touching the ceiling. His eyes were like blinding flam es. Beside m yself with fear, I lay sobbing at his feet after he had quietly descended to the floor. "'Wom an,' he said, 'seek divine wealth, not the paltry tinsel of earth. After acquiring inward treasure, you will find that outward supply is always forthcom ing.' He added, 'One of m y spiritual sons will m ake provision for you.' "My guru's words naturally cam e true; a disciple did leave a considerable sum for our fam ily." I thanked Kashi Moni for sharing with m e her wondrous experiences. 3 1-2 On the following day I returned to her hom e and enjoyed several hours of philosophical discussion with Tincouri and Ducouri Lahiri. These two saintly sons of India's great yogi followed closely in his ideal footsteps. Both m en were fair, tall, stalwart, and heavily bearded, with soft voices and an old-fashioned charm of m anner. His wife was not the only wom an disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya; there were hundreds of others, including m y m other. A wom an chela once asked the guru for his photograph. He handed her a www.holybooks.com print, rem arking, "If you deem it a protection, then it is so; otherwise it is only a picture." A few days later this wom an and Lahiri Mahasaya's daughter-in-law happened to be studying the Bhagavad Gita at a table behind which hung the guru's photograph. An electrical storm broke out with great fury. "Lahiri Mahasaya, protect us!" The wom en bowed before the picture. Lightning struck the book which they had been reading, but the two devotees were unhurt. "I felt as though a sheet of ice had been placed around m e to ward off the scorching heat," the chela explained. Lahiri Mahasaya perform ed two m iracles in connection with a wom an disciple, Abhoya. She and her husband, a Calcutta lawyer, started one day for Benares to visit the guru. Their carriage was delayed by heavy traffic; they reached the Howrah m ain station only to hear the Benares train whistling for departure. Abhoya, near the ticket office, stood quietly. "Lahiri Mahasaya, I beseech thee to stop the train!" she silently prayed. "I cannot suffer the pangs of delay in waiting another day to see thee." The wheels of the snorting train continued to m ove round and round, but there was no onward progress. The engineer and passengers descended to the platform to view the phenom enon. An English railroad guard approached Abhoya and her husband. Contrary to all precedent, he volunteered his services. "Babu," he said, "give m e the m oney. I will buy your tickets while you get aboard." As soon as the couple was seated and had received the tickets, the train slowly m oved forward. In panic, the engineer and passengers clam bered again to their places, knowing neither how the train started, nor why it had stopped in the first place. Arriving at the hom e of Lahiri Mahasaya in Benares, Abhoya silently prostrated herself before the m aster, and tried to touch his feet. "Com pose yourself, Abhoya," he rem arked. "How you love to bother m e! As if you could not have com e here by the next train!" Abhoya visited Lahiri Mahasaya on another m em orable occasion. This tim e she wanted his intercession, not with a train, but with the stork. "I pray you to bless m e that m y ninth child m ay live," she said. "Eight babies have been born to m e; all died soon after birth." The m aster sm iled sym pathetically. "Your com ing child will live. Please follow m y instructions www.holybooks.com carefully. The baby, a girl, will be born at night. See that the oil lam p is kept burning until dawn. Do not fall asleep and thus allow the light to becom e extinguished." Abhoya's child was a daughter, born at night, exactly as foreseen by the om niscient guru. The m other instructed her nurse to keep the lam p filled with oil. Both wom en kept the urgent vigil far into the early m orning hours, but finally fell asleep. The lam p oil was alm ost gone; the light flickered feebly. The bedroom door unlatched and flew open with a violent sound. The startled wom en awoke. Their astonished eyes beheld the form of Lahiri Mahasaya. "Abhoya, behold, the light is alm ost gone!" He pointed to the lam p, which the nurse hastened to refill. As soon as it burned again brightly, the m aster vanished. The door closed; the latch was affixed without visible agency. Abhoya's ninth child survived; in 1935, when I m ade inquiry, she was still living. One of Lahiri Mahasaya's disciples, the venerable Kali Kum ar Roy, related to m e m any fascinating details of his life with the m aster. "I was often a guest at his Benares hom e for weeks at a tim e," Roy told m e. "I observed that m any saintly figures, danda 3 1-3 swam is, arrived in the quiet of night to sit at the guru's feet. Som etim es they would engage in discussion of m editational and philosophical points. At dawn the exalted guests would depart. I found during m y visits that Lahiri Mahasaya did not once lie down to sleep. "During an early period of m y association with the m aster, I had to contend with the opposition of m y em ployer," Roy went on. "He was steeped in m aterialism . "'I don't want religious fanatics on m y staff,' he would sneer. 'If I ever m eet your charlatan guru, I shall give him som e words to rem em ber.' "This alarm ing threat failed to interrupt m y regular program ; I spent nearly every evening in m y guru's presence. One night m y em ployer followed m e and rushed rudely into the parlor. He was doubtless fully bent on uttering the pulverizing rem arks he had prom ised. No sooner had the m an seated him self than Lahiri Mahasaya addressed the little group of about twelve disciples. "'Would you all like to see a picture?' "When we nodded, he asked us to darken the room . 'Sit behind one another in a circle,' he said, 'and place your hands over the eyes of the m an in front of you.' "I was not surprised to see that m y em ployer also was following, albeit unwillingly, the m aster's directions. In a few m inutes Lahiri Mahasaya asked us what we were seeing. www.holybooks.com "'Sir,' I replied, 'a beautiful wom an appears. She wears a red- bordered sari, and stands near an elephant-ear plant.' All the other disciples gave the sam e description. The m aster turned to m y em ployer. 'Do you recognize that wom an?' "'Yes.' The m an was evidently struggling with em otions new to his nature. 'I have been foolishly spending m y m oney on her, though I have a good wife. I am asham ed of the m otives which brought m e here. Will you forgive m e, and receive m e as a disciple?' "'If you lead a good m oral life for six m onths, I shall accept you.' The m aster enigm atically added, 'Otherwise I won't have to initiate you.' "For three m onths m y em ployer refrained from tem ptation; then he resum ed his form er relationship with the wom an. Two m onths later he died. Thus I cam e to understand m y guru's veiled prophecy about the im probability of the m an's initiation." Lahiri Mahasaya had a very fam ous friend, Swam i Trailanga, who was reputed to be over three hundred years old. The two yogis often sat together in m editation. Trailanga's fam e is so widespread that few Hindus would deny the possibility of truth in any story of his astounding m iracles. If Christ returned to earth and walked the streets of New York, displaying his divine powers, it would cause the sam e excitem ent that was created by Trailanga decades ago as he passed through the crowded lanes of Benares. On m any occasions the swam i was seen to drink, with no ill effect, the m ost deadly poisons. Thousands of people, including a few who are still living, have seen Trailanga floating on the Ganges. For days together he would sit on top of the water, or rem ain hidden for very long periods under the waves. A com m on sight at the Benares bathing ghats was the swam i's m otionless body on the blistering stone slabs, wholly exposed to the m erciless Indian sun. By these feats Trailanga sought to teach m en that a yogi's life does not depend upon oxygen or ordinary conditions and precautions. Whether he were above water or under it, and whether or not his body lay exposed to the fierce solar rays, the m aster proved that he lived by divine consciousness: death could not touch him . The yogi was great not only spiritually, but physically. His weight exceeded three hundred pounds: a pound for each year of his life! As he ate very seldom , the m ystery is increased. A m aster, however, easily ignores all usual rules of health, when he desires to do so for som e special reason, often a subtle one known only to him self. Great saints who have awakened from the cosm ic m ayic dream and realized this world as an idea in the Divine Mind, can do as they wish with the body, knowing it to be only a m anipulatable form of condensed or frozen energy. Though physical scientists now understand that m atter is nothing but congealed energy, fully-illum ined m asters have long passed from theory to practice in the field of m atter-control. Trailanga always rem ained com pletely nude. The harassed police of Benares cam e to regard him as a baffling problem child. The natural swam i, like the early Adam in the garden of Eden, was utterly unconscious of his nakedness. The police were quite conscious of it, however, and uncerem oniously com m itted him to jail. General em barrassm ent ensued; the enorm ous body of www.holybooks.com Trailanga was soon seen, in its usual entirety, on the prison roof. His cell, still securely locked, offered no clue to his m ode of escape. The discouraged officers of the law once m ore perform ed their duty. This tim e a guard was posted before the swam i's cell. Might again retired before right. Trailanga was soon observed in his nonchalant stroll over the roof. J ustice is blind; the outwitted police decided to follow her exam ple. The great yogi preserved a habitual silence. 3 1-4 In spite of his round face and huge, barrel-like stom ach, Trailanga ate only occasionally. After weeks without food, he would break his fast with potfuls of clabbered m ilk offered to him by devotees. A skeptic once determ ined to expose Trailanga as a charlatan. A large bucket of calcium -lim e m ixture, used in whitewashing walls, was placed before the swam i. "Master," the m aterialist said, in m ock reverence, "I have brought you som e clabbered m ilk. Please drink it." Trailanga unhesitatingly drained, to the last drop, the containerful of burning lim e. In a few m inutes the evildoer fell to the ground in agony. "Help, swam i, help!" he cried. "I am on fire! Forgive m y wicked test!" The great yogi broke his habitual silence. "Scoffer," he said, "you did not realize when you offered m e poison that m y life is one with your own. Except for m y knowledge that God is present in m y stom ach, as in every atom of creation, the lim e would have killed m e. Now that you know the divine m eaning of boom erang, never again play tricks on anyone." The well-purged sinner, healed by Trailanga's words, slunk feebly away. The reversal of pain was not due to any volition of the m aster, but cam e about through unerring application of the law of justice which upholds creation's farthest swinging orb. Men of Godrealization like Trailanga allow the divine law to operate instantaneously; they have banished forever all thwarting crosscurrents of ego. The autom atic adjustm ents of righteousness, often paid in an unexpected coin as in the case of Trailanga and his would be m urderer, assuage our hasty indignance at hum an injustice. "Vengeance is m ine; I will repay, saith the Lord." 3 1-5 What need for m an's brief resources? the universe duly conspires for retribution. Dull m inds discredit the possibility of divine justice, love, om niscience, im m ortality. "Airy scriptural conjectures!" This insensitive viewpoint, aweless before the cosm ic spectacle, arouses a train of events which brings its own awakening. The om nipotence of spiritual law was referred to by Christ on the occasion of his trium phant entry into J erusalem . As the disciples and the m ultitude shouted for joy, and cried, "Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest," certain Pharisees com plained of the undignified spectacle. "Master," they protested, "rebuke thy disciples." www.holybooks.com "I tell you," J esus replied, "that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would im m ediately cry out." 3 1-6 In this reprim and to the Pharisees, Christ was pointing out that divine justice is no figurative abstraction, and that a m an of peace, though his tongue be torn from its roots, will yet find his speech and his defense in the bedrock of creation, the universal order itself. "Think you," J esus was saying, "to silence m en of peace? As well m ay you hope to throttle the voice of God, whose very stones sing His glory and His om nipresence. Will you dem and that m en not celebrate in honor of the peace in heaven, but should only gather together in m ultitudes to shout for war on earth? Then m ake your preparations, O Pharisees, to overtopple the foundations of the world; for it is not gentle m en alone, but stones or earth, and water and fire and air that will rise up against you, to bear witness of His ordered harm ony." The grace of the Christlike yogi, Trailanga, was once bestowed on m y sajo m am a (m aternal uncle). One m orning Uncle saw the m aster surrounded by a crowd of devotees at a Benares ghat. He m anaged to edge his way close to Trailanga, whose feet he touched hum bly. Uncle was astonished to find him self instantly freed from a painful chronic disease. 3 1-7 The only known living disciple of the great yogi is a wom an, Shankari Mai J iew. Daughter of one of Trailanga's disciples, she received the swam i's training from her early childhood. She lived for forty years in a series of lonely Him alayan caves near Badrinath, Kedarnath, Am arnath, and Pasupatinath. The brahm acharini (wom an ascetic), born in 1826, is now well over the century m ark. Not aged in appearance, however, she has retained her black hair, sparkling teeth, and am azing energy. She com es out of her seclusion every few years to attend the periodical m elas or religious fairs. This wom an saint often visited Lahiri Mahasaya. She has related that one day, in the Barackpur section near Calcutta, while she was sitting by Lahiri Mahasaya's side, his great guru Babaji quietly entered the room and held converse with them both. On one occasion her m aster Trailanga, forsaking his usual silence, honored Lahiri Mahasaya very pointedly in public. A Benares disciple objected. "Sir," he said, "why do you, a swam i and a renunciate, show such respect to a householder?" "My son," Trailanga replied, "Lahiri Mahasaya is like a divine kitten, rem aining wherever the Cosm ic Mother has placed him . While dutifully playing the part of a worldly m an, he has received that perfect self- realization for which I have renounced even m y loincloth!" 31- 1: One is rem inded here of Milt on's line: " He for God only, she for God in him ." 31- 2: The venerable m ot her passed on at Benares in 1930. 31- 3: St aff, sym bolizing t he spinal cord, carried rit ually by cert ain orders of m onks. www.holybooks.com 31- 4: He was a m uni, a m onk who observes m auna, spirit ual silence. The Sanskrit root m uni is akin t o Greek m onos, " alone, single," from which are derived t he English words m onk, m onism , et c. 31- 5: Rom ans 12: 19. 31- 6: Luke 19: 37- 40. 31- 7: The lives of Trailanga and ot her great m ast ers rem ind us of Jesus' words: " And t hese signs shall follow t hem t hat believe; I n m y nam e ( t he Christ consciousness) t hey shall cast out devils; t hey shall speak wit h new t ongues; t hey shall t ake up serpent s; and if t hey drink any deadly t hing, it shall not hurt t hem ; t hey shall lay hands on t he sick, and t hey shall recover." - Mark 16: 17- 18. CHAPTER: 32 Rama Is Raised From The Dead "Now a certain m an was sick, nam ed Lazarus. . . . When J esus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God m ight be glorified thereby.'" 3 2 -1 Sri Yukteswar was expounding the Christian scriptures one sunny m orning on the balcony of his Seram pore herm itage. Besides a few of Master's other disciples, I was present with a sm all group of m y Ranchi students. "In this passage J esus calls him self the Son of God. Though he was truly united with God, his reference here has a deep im personal significance," m y guru explained. "The Son of God is the Christ or Divine Consciousness in m an. No m ortal can glorify God. The only honor that m an can pay his Creator is to seek Him ; m an cannot glorify an Abstraction that he does not know. The 'glory' or nim bus around the head of the saints is a sym bolic witness of their capacity to render divine hom age." Sri Yukteswar went on to read the m arvelous story of Lazarus' resurrection. At its conclusion Master fell into a long silence, the sacred book open on his knee. "I too was privileged to behold a sim ilar m iracle." My guru finally spoke with solem n unction. "Lahiri Mahasaya resurrected one of m y friends from the dead." The young lads at m y side sm iled with keen interest. There was enough of the boy in m e, too, to enjoy not only the philosophy but, in particular, any story I could get Sri Yukteswar to relate www.holybooks.com about his wondrous experiences with his guru. "My friend Ram a and I were inseparable," Master began. "Because he was shy and reclusive, he chose to visit our guru Lahiri Mahasaya only during the hours of m idnight and dawn, when the crowd of daytim e disciples was absent. As Ram a's closest friend, I served as a spiritual vent through which he let out the wealth of his spiritual perceptions. I found inspiration in his ideal com panionship." My guru's face softened with m em ories. "Ram a was suddenly put to a severe test," Sri Yukteswar continued. "He contracted the disease of Asiatic cholera. As our m aster never objected to the services of physicians at tim es of serious illness, two specialists were sum m oned. Am idst the frantic rush of m inistering to the stricken m an, I was deeply praying to Lahiri Mahasaya for help. I hurried to his hom e and sobbed out the story. "'The doctors are seeing Ram a. He will be well.' My guru sm iled jovially. "I returned with a light heart to m y friend's bedside, only to find him in a dying state. "'He cannot last m ore than one or two hours,' one of the physicians told m e with a gesture of despair. Once m ore I hastened to Lahiri Mahasaya. "'The doctors are conscientious m en. I am sure Ram a will be well.' The m aster dism issed m e blithely. "At Ram a's place I found both doctors gone. One had left m e a note: 'We have done our best, but his case is hopeless.' "My friend was indeed the picture of a dying m an. I did not understand how Lahiri Mahasaya's words could fail to com e true, yet the sight of Ram a's rapidly ebbing life kept suggesting to m y m ind: 'All is over now.' Tossing thus on the seas of faith and apprehensive doubt, I m inistered to m y friend as best I could. He roused him self to cry out: "'Yukteswar, run to Master and tell him I am gone. Ask him to bless m y body before its last rites.' With these words Ram a sighed heavily and gave up the ghost. 3 2 -2 "I wept for an hour by his beloved form . Always a lover of quiet, now he had attained the utter stillness of death. Another disciple cam e in; I asked him to rem ain in the house until I returned. Half-dazed, I trudged back to m y guru. "'How is Ram a now?' Lahiri Mahasaya's face was wreathed in sm iles. "'Sir, you will soon see how he is,' I blurted out em otionally. 'In a few hours you will see his body, before it is carried to the crem atory grounds.' I broke down and m oaned openly. "'Yukteswar, control yourself. Sit calm ly and m editate.' My guru retired into sam adhi. The www.holybooks.com afternoon and night passed in unbroken silence; I struggled unsuccessfully to regain an inner com posure. "At dawn Lahiri Mahasaya glanced at m e consolingly. 'I see you are still disturbed. Why didn't you explain yesterday that you expected m e to give Ram a tangible aid in the form of som e m edicine?' The m aster pointed to a cup-shaped lam p containing crude castor oil. 'Fill a little bottle from the lam p; put seven drops into Ram a's m outh.' "'Sir,' I rem onstrated, 'he has been dead since yesterday noon. Of what use is the oil now?' "'Never m ind; just do as I ask.' Lahiri Mahasaya's cheerful m ood was incom prehensible; I was still in the unassuaged agony of bereavem ent. Pouring out a sm all am ount of oil, I departed for Ram a's house. "I found m y friend's body rigid in the death-clasp. Paying no attention to his ghastly condition, I opened his lips with m y right finger and m anaged, with m y left hand and the help of the cork, to put the oil drop by drop over his clenched teeth. "As the seventh drop touched his cold lips, Ram a shivered violently. His m uscles vibrated from head to foot as he sat up wonderingly. "'I saw Lahiri Mahasaya in a blaze of light,' he cried. 'He shone like the sun. "Arise; forsake your sleep," he com m anded m e. "Com e with Yukteswar to see m e."' "I could scarcely believe m y eyes when Ram a dressed him self and was strong enough after that fatal sickness to walk to the hom e of our guru. There he prostrated him self before Lahiri Mahasaya with tears of gratitude. "The m aster was beside him self with m irth. His eyes twinkled at m e m ischievously. "'Yukteswar,' he said, 'surely henceforth you will not fail to carry with you a bottle of castor oil! Whenever you see a corpse, just adm inister the oil! Why, seven drops of lam p oil m ust surely foil the power of Yam a!' 3 2 -3 "'Guruji, you are ridiculing m e. I don't understand; please point out the nature of m y error.' "'I told you twice that Ram a would be well; yet you could not fully believe m e,' Lahiri Mahasaya explained. 'I did not m ean the doctors would be able to cure him ; I rem arked only that they were in attendance. There was no causal connection between m y two statem ents. I didn't want to interfere with the physicians; they have to live, too.' In a voice resounding with joy, m y guru added, 'Always know that the inexhaustible Param atm an 3 2 -4 can heal anyone, doctor or no doctor.' "'I see m y m istake,' I acknowledged rem orsefully. 'I know now that your sim ple word is binding on the whole cosm os.'" www.holybooks.com As Sri Yukteswar finished the awesom e story, one of the spellbound listeners ventured a question that, from a child, was doubly understandable. "Sir," he said, "why did your guru use castor oil?" "Child, giving the oil had no m eaning except that I expected som ething m aterial and Lahiri Mahasaya chose the near-by oil as an objective sym bol for awakening m y greater faith. The m aster allowed Ram a to die, because I had partially doubted. But the divine guru knew that inasm uch as he had said the disciple would be well, the healing m ust take place, even though he had to cure Ram a of death, a disease usually final!" Sri Yukteswar dism issed the little group, and m otioned m e to a blanket seat at his feet. "Yogananda," he said with unusual gravity, "you have been surrounded from birth by direct disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya. The great m aster lived his sublim e life in partial seclusion, and steadfastly refused to perm it his followers to build any organization around his teachings. He m ade, nevertheless, a significant prediction. "'About fifty years after m y passing,' he said, 'm y life will be written because of a deep interest in yoga which the West will m anifest. The yogic m essage will encircle the globe, and aid in establishing that brotherhood of m an which results from direct perception of the One Father.' "My son Yogananda," Sri Yukteswar went on, "you m ust do your part in spreading that m essage, and in writing that sacred life." Fifty years after Lahiri Mahasaya's passing in 1895 culm inated in 1945, the year of com pletion of this present book. I cannot but be struck by the coincidence that the year 1945 has also ushered in a new age-the era of revolutionary atom ic energies. All thoughtful m inds turn as never before to the urgent problem s of peace and brotherhood, lest the continued use of physical force banish all m en along with the problem s. Though the hum an race and its works disappear tracelessly by tim e or bom b, the sun does not falter in its course; the stars keep their invariable vigil. Cosm ic law cannot be stayed or changed, and m an would do well to put him self in harm ony with it. If the cosm os is against m ight, if the sun wars not with the planets but retires at dueful tim e to give the stars their little sway, what avails our m ailed fist? Shall any peace indeed com e out of it? Not cruelty but good will arm s the universal sinews; a hum anity at peace will know the endless fruits of victory, sweeter to the taste than any nurtured on the soil of blood. The effective League of Nations will be a natural, nam eless league of hum an hearts. The broad sym pathies and discerning insight needed for the healing of earthly woes cannot flow from a m ere intellectual consideration of m an's diversities, but from knowledge of m an's sole unity-his kinship with God. Toward realization of the world's highest ideal-peace through brotherhood-m ay yoga, the science of personal contact with the Divine, spread in tim e to all m en in all lands. www.holybooks.com Though India's civilization is ancient above any other, few historians have noted that her feat of national survival is by no m eans an accident, but a logical incident in the devotion to eternal verities which India has offered through her best m en in every generation. By sheer continuity of being, by intransitivity before the ages-can dusty scholars truly tell us how m any?-India has given the worthiest answer of any people to the challenge of tim e. The Biblical story 3 2 -5 of Abraham 's plea to the Lord that the city of Sodom be spared if ten righteous m en could be found therein, and the divine reply: "I will not destroy it for ten's sake," gains new m eaning in the light of India's escape from the oblivion of Babylon, Egypt and other m ighty nations who were once her contem poraries. The Lord's answer clearly shows that a land lives, not by its m aterial achievem ents, but in its m asterpieces of m an. Let the divine words be heard again, in this twentieth century, twice dyed in blood ere half over: No nation that can produce ten m en, great in the eyes of the Unbribable J udge, shall know extinction. Heeding such persuasions, India has proved herself not witless against the thousand cunnings of tim e. Self-realized m asters in every century have hallowed her soil; m odern Christlike sages, like Lahiri Mahasaya and his disciple Sri Yukteswar, rise up to proclaim that the science of yoga is m ore vital than any m aterial advances to m an's happiness and to a nation's longevity. Very scanty inform ation about the life of Lahiri Mahasaya and his universal doctrine has ever appeared in print. For three decades in India, Am erica, and Europe, I have found a deep and sincere interest in his m essage of liberating yoga; a written account of the m aster's life, even as he foretold, is now needed in the West, where lives of the great m odern yogis are little known. Nothing but one or two sm all pam phlets in English has been written on the guru's life. One biography in Bengali, Sri Sri 3 2 -6 Shy am a Charan Lahiri Mahasay a, appeared in 1941. It was written by m y disciple, Swam i Satyananda, who for m any years has been the achary a (spiritual preceptor) at our Vidy alay a in Ranchi. I have translated a few passages from his book and have incorporated them into this section devoted to Lahiri Mahasaya. It was into a pious Brahm in fam ily of ancient lineage that Lahiri Mahasaya was born Septem ber 30 , 1828. His birthplace was the village of Ghurni in the Nadia district near Krishnagar, Bengal. He was the youngest son of Muktakashi, the second wife of the esteem ed Gaur Mohan Lahiri. (His first wife, after the birth of three sons, had died during a pilgrim age.) The boy's m other passed away during his childhood; little about her is known except the revealing fact that she was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, 3 2 -7 scripturally designated as the "King of Yogis." The boy Lahiri, whose given nam e was Shyam a Charan, spent his early years in the ancestral hom e at Nadia. At the age of three or four he was often observed sitting under the sands in the posture of a yogi, his body com pletely hidden except for the head. The Lahiri estate was destroyed in the winter of 1833, when the near- by J alangi River changed its course and disappeared into the depths of the Ganges. One of the Shiva tem ples founded by the Lahiris went into the river along with the fam ily hom e. A devotee rescued the stone im age of Lord Shiva from the swirling waters and placed it in a new tem ple, now well-known as the Ghurni www.holybooks.com Shiva Site. Gaur Mohan Lahiri and his fam ily left Nadia and becam e residents of Benares, where the father im m ediately erected a Shiva tem ple. He conducted his household along the lines of Vedic discipline, with regular observance of cerem onial worship, acts of charity, and scriptural study. J ust and open-m inded, however, he did not ignore the beneficial current of m odern ideas. The boy Lahiri took lessons in Hindi and Urdu in Benares study-groups. He attended a school conducted by J oy Narayan Ghosal, receiving instruction in Sanskrit, Bengali, French, and English. Applying him self to a close study of the Vedas, the young yogi listened eagerly to scriptural discussions by learned Brahm ins, including a Marhatta pundit nam ed Nag-Bhatta. Shyam a Charan was a kind, gentle, and courageous youth, beloved by all his com panions. With a well-proportioned, bright, and powerful body, he excelled in swim m ing and in m any skillful activities. In 1846 Shyam a Charan Lahiri was m arried to Srim ati Kashi Moni, daughter of Sri Debnarayan Sanyal. A m odel Indian housewife, Kashi Moni cheerfully carried on her hom e duties and the traditional householder's obligation to serve guests and the poor. Two saintly sons, Tincouri and Ducouri, blessed the union. At the age of 23, in 1851, Lahiri Mahasaya took the post of accountant in the Military Engineering Departm ent of the English governm ent. He received m any prom otions during the tim e of his service. Thus not only was he a m aster before God's eyes, but also a success in the little hum an dram a where he played his given role as an office worker in the world. As the offices of the Arm y Departm ent were shifted, Lahiri Mahasaya was transferred to Gazipur, Mirjapur, Danapur, Naini Tal, Benares, and other localities. After the death of his father, Lahiri had to assum e the entire responsibility of his fam ily, for whom he bought a quiet residence in the Garudeswar Mohulla neighborhood of Benares. It was in his thirty-third year that Lahiri Mahasaya saw fulfillm ent of the purpose for which he had been reincarnated on earth. The ash- hidden flam e, long sm ouldering, received its opportunity to burst into flam e. A divine decree, resting beyond the gaze of hum an beings, works m ysteriously to bring all things into outer m anifestation at the proper tim e. He m et his great guru, Babaji, near Ranikhet, and was initiated by him into Kriy a Yoga. This auspicious event did not happen to him alone; it was a fortunate m om ent for all the hum an race, m any of whom were later privileged to receive the soul-awakening gift of Kriy a. The lost, or long-vanished, highest art of yoga was again being brought to light. Many spiritually thirsty m en and wom en eventually found their way to the cool waters of Kriy a Yoga. J ust as in the Hindu legend, where Mother Ganges offers her divine draught to the parched devotee Bhagirath, so the celestial flood of Kriy a rolled from the secret fastnesses of the Him alayas into the dusty haunts of m en. www.holybooks.com 32- 1: John 11: 1- 4. 32- 2: A cholera vict im is oft en rat ional and fully conscious right up t o t he m om ent of deat h. 32- 3: The god of deat h. 32- 4: Lit erally, " Suprem e soul." 32- 5: Genesis 18: 23- 32. 32- 6: Sri, a prefix m eaning " holy," is at t ached ( generally t wice or t hrice) t o nam es of great I ndian t eachers. 32- 7: One of t he t rinit y of Godhead- Brahm a, Vishnu, Shiva- whose universal work is, respect ively, t hat of creat ion, preservat ion, and dissolut ion- rest orat ion. Shiva ( som et im es spelled Siva) , represent ed in m yt hology as t he Lord of Renunciat es, appears in visions t o His devot ees under various aspect s, such as Mahadeva, t he m at t ed- haired Ascet ic, and Nat araj a, t he Cosm ic Dancer. CHAPTER: 33 Babaji, The Yogi-Christ Of Modern India The northern Him alayan crags near Badrinarayan are still blessed by the living presence of Babaji, guru of Lahiri Mahasaya. The secluded m aster has retained his physical form for centuries, perhaps for m illennium s. The deathless Babaji is an avatara. This Sanskrit word m eans "descent"; its roots are ava, "down," and tri, "to pass." In the Hindu scriptures, avatara signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh. "Babaji's spiritual state is beyond hum an com prehension," Sri Yukteswar explained to m e. "The dwarfed vision of m en cannot pierce to his transcendental star. One attem pts in vain even to picture the avatar's attainm ent. It is inconceivable." The Upanishads have m inutely classified every stage of spiritual advancem ent. A siddha ("perfected being") has progressed from the state of a jivanm ukta ("freed while living") to that of a param ukta ("suprem ely free"-full power over death); the latter has com pletely escaped from the m ayic thralldom and its reincarnational round. The param ukta therefore seldom returns to a physical body; if he does, he is an avatar, a divinely appointed m edium of supernal blessings on the world. An avatar is unsubject to the universal econom y; his pure body, visible as a light im age, is free www.holybooks.com from any debt to nature. The casual gaze m ay see nothing extraordinary in an avatar's form but it casts no shadow nor m akes any footprint on the ground. These are outward sym bolic proofs of an inward lack of darkness and m aterial bondage. Such a God-m an alone knows the Truth behind the relativities of life and death. Om ar Khayyam , so grossly m isunderstood, sang of this liberated m an in his im m ortal scripture, the Rubaiy at: "Ah, Moon of m y Delight who know'st no wane, The Moon of Heav'n is rising once again; How oft hereafter rising shall she look Through this sam e Garden after m e-in vain!" The "Moon of Delight" is God, eternal Polaris, anachronous never. The "Moon of Heav'n" is the outward cosm os, fettered to the law of periodic recurrence. Its chains had been dissolved forever by the Persian seer through his self-realization. "How oft hereafter rising shall she look . . . after m e-in vain!" What frustration of search by a frantic universe for an absolute om ission! Christ expressed his freedom in another way: "And a certain scribe cam e, and said unto him , Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And J esus saith unto him , The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of m an hath not where to lay his head." 3 3 -1 Spacious with om nipresence, could Christ indeed be followed except in the overarching Spirit? Krishna, Ram a, Buddha, and Patanjali were am ong the ancient Indian avatars. A considerable poetic literature in Tam il has grown up around Agastya, a South Indian avatar. He worked m any m iracles during the centuries preceding and following the Christian era, and is credited with retaining his physical form even to this day. Babaji's m ission in India has been to assist prophets in carrying out their special dispensations. He thus qualifies for the scriptural classification of Mahavatar (Great Avatar). He has stated that he gave yoga initiation to Shankara, ancient founder of the Swam i Order, and to Kabir, fam ous m edieval saint. His chief nineteenth-century disciple was, as we know, Lahiri Mahasaya, revivalist of the lost Kriy a art. www.holybooks.com BABAJI, THE MAHAVATAR Guru of Lahiri Mahasaya I have helped an artist to draw a true likeness of the great Yogi-Christ of modern India. The Mahavatar is in constant com m union with Christ; together they send out vibrations of redem ption, and have planned the spiritual technique of salvation for this age. The work of these two fully-illum ined m asters-one with the body, and one without it-is to inspire the nations to forsake suicidal wars, race hatreds, religious sectarianism , and the boom erang-evils of m aterialism . Babaji is well aware of the trend of m odern tim es, especially of the influence and com plexities of Western civilization, and realizes the necessity of spreading the self-liberations of yoga equally in the West and in the East. That there is no historical reference to Babaji need not surprise us. The great guru has never openly appeared in any century; the m isinterpreting glare of publicity has no place in his m illennial plans. Like the Creator, the sole but silent Power, Babaji works in a hum ble obscurity. Great prophets like Christ and Krishna com e to earth for a specific and spectacular purpose; they depart as soon as it is accom plished. Other avatars, like Babaji, undertake work which is concerned m ore with the slow evolutionary progress of m an during the centuries than with any one outstanding event of history. Such m asters always veil them selves from the gross public gaze, and have the power to becom e invisible at will. For these reasons, and because they generally instruct their disciples to m aintain silence about them , a num ber of towering spiritual figures rem ain world-unknown. I give in these pages on Babaji m erely a hint of his life-only a few facts which he deem s it fit and helpful to be publicly im parted. No lim iting facts about Babaji's fam ily or birthplace, dear to the annalist's heart, have ever been www.holybooks.com discovered. His speech is generally in Hindi, but he converses easily in any language. He has adopted the sim ple nam e of Babaji (revered father); other titles of respect given him by Lahiri Mahasaya's disciples are Maham uni Babaji Maharaj (suprem e ecstatic saint), Maha Yogi (greatest of yogis), Tram bak Baba and Shiva Baba (titles of avatars of Shiva). Does it m atter that we know not the patronym ic of an earth-released m aster? "Whenever anyone utters with reverence the nam e of Babaji," Lahiri Mahasaya said, "that devotee attracts an instant spiritual blessing." The deathless guru bears no m arks of age on his body; he appears to be no m ore than a youth of twenty-five. Fair-skinned, of m edium build and height, Babaji's beautiful, strong body radiates a perceptible glow. His eyes are dark, calm , and tender; his long, lustrous hair is copper-colored. A very strange fact is that Babaji bears an extraordinarily exact resem blance to his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya. The sim ilarity is so striking that, in his later years, Lahiri Mahasaya m ight have passed as the father of the youthful-looking Babaji. Swam i Kebalananda, m y saintly Sanskrit tutor, spent som e tim e with Babaji in the Him alayas. "The peerless m aster m oves with his group from place to place in the m ountains," Kebalananda told m e. "His sm all band contains two highly advanced Am erican disciples. After Babaji has been in one locality for som e tim e, he says: 'Dera danda uthao.' ('Let us lift our cam p and staff.') He carries a sym bolic danda (bam boo staff). His words are the signal for m oving with his group instantaneously to another place. He does not always em ploy this m ethod of astral travel; som etim es he goes on foot from peak to peak. "Babaji can be seen or recognized by others only when he so desires. He is known to have appeared in m any slightly different form s to various devotees-som etim es without beard and m oustache, and som etim es with them . As his undecaying body requires no food, the m aster seldom eats. As a social courtesy to visiting disciples, he occasionally accepts fruits, or rice cooked in m ilk and clarified butter. "Two am azing incidents of Babaji's life are known to m e," Kebalananda went on. "His disciples were sitting one night around a huge fire which was blazing for a sacred Vedic cerem ony. The m aster suddenly seized a burning log and lightly struck the bare shoulder of a chela who was close to the fire. "'Sir, how cruel!' Lahiri Mahasaya, who was present, m ade this rem onstrance. "'Would you rather have seen him burned to ashes before your eyes, according to the decree of his past karm a?' "With these words Babaji placed his healing hand on the chela's disfigured shoulder. 'I have freed you tonight from painful death. The karm ic law has been satisfied through your slight suffering by fire.' www.holybooks.com "On another occasion Babaji's sacred circle was disturbed by the arrival of a stranger. He had clim bed with astonishing skill to the nearly inaccessible ledge near the cam p of the m aster. "'Sir, you m ust be the great Babaji.' The m an's face was lit with inexpressible reverence. 'For m onths I have pursued a ceaseless search for you am ong these forbidding crags. I im plore you to accept m e as a disciple.' "When the great guru m ade no response, the m an pointed to the rocky chasm at his feet. "'If you refuse m e, I will jum p from this m ountain. Life has no further value if I cannot win your guidance to the Divine.' "'J um p then,' Babaji said unem otionally. 'I cannot accept you in your present state of developm ent.' "The m an im m ediately hurled him self over the cliff. Babaji instructed the shocked disciples to fetch the stranger's body. When they returned with the m angled form , the m aster placed his divine hand on the dead m an. Lo! he opened his eyes and prostrated him self hum bly before the om nipotent one. "'You are now ready for discipleship.' Babaji beam ed lovingly on his resurrected chela. 'You have courageously passed a difficult test. Death shall not touch you again; now you are one of our im m ortal flock.' Then he spoke his usual words of departure, 'Dera danda uthao'; the whole group vanished from the m ountain." An avatar lives in the om nipresent Spirit; for him there is no distance inverse to the square. Only one reason, therefore, can m otivate Babaji in m aintaining his physical form from century to century: the desire to furnish hum anity with a concrete exam ple of its own possibilities. Were m an never vouchsafed a glim pse of Divinity in the flesh, he would rem ain oppressed by the heavy m ayic delusion that he cannot transcend his m ortality. J esus knew from the beginning the sequence of his life; he passed through each event not for him self, not from any karm ic com pulsion, but solely for the upliftm ent of reflective hum an beings. His four reporter-disciples-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and J ohn-recorded the ineffable dram a for the benefit of later generations. For Babaji, also, there is no relativity of past, present, future; from the beginning he has known all phases of his life. Yet, accom m odating him self to the lim ited understanding of m en, he has played m any acts of his divine life in the presence of one or m ore witnesses. Thus it cam e about that a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya was present when Babaji deem ed the tim e to be ripe for him to proclaim the possibility of bodily im m ortality. He uttered this prom ise before Ram Gopal Muzum dar, that it m ight finally becom e known for the inspiration of other seeking hearts. The great ones speak their words and participate in the seem ingly natural course of events, solely for the good of m an, even as Christ said: "Father . . . I knew that thou hearest m e always: but because of the people w hich stand by i said it, that they m ay believe that thou hast sent m e." 3 3 -2 During www.holybooks.com m y visit at Ranbajpur with Ram Gopal, "the sleepless saint," 3 3 -3 he related the wondrous story of his first m eeting with Babaji. "I som etim es left m y isolated cave to sit at Lahiri Mahasaya's feet in Benares," Ram Gopal told m e. "One m idnight as I was silently m editating in a group of his disciples, the m aster m ade a surprising request. "'Ram Gopal,' he said, 'go at once to the Dasasam edh bathing ghat.' "I soon reached the secluded spot. The night was bright with m oonlight and the glittering stars. After I had sat in patient silence for awhile, m y attention was drawn to a huge stone slab near m y feet. It rose gradually, revealing an underground cave. As the stone rem ained balanced in som e unknown m anner, the draped form of a young and surpassingly lovely wom an was levitated from the cave high into the air. Surrounded by a soft halo, she slowly descended in front of m e and stood m otionless, steeped in an inner state of ecstasy. She finally stirred, and spoke gently. "'I am Mataji, 3 3 -4 the sister of Babaji. I have asked him and also Lahiri Mahasaya to com e to m y cave tonight to discuss a m atter of great im portance.' "A nebulous light was rapidly floating over the Ganges; the strange lum inescence was reflected in the opaque waters. It approached nearer and nearer until, with a blinding flash, it appeared by the side of Mataji and condensed itself instantly into the hum an form of Lahiri Mahasaya. He bowed hum bly at the feet of the wom an saint. "Before I had recovered from m y bewilderm ent, I was further wonder- struck to behold a circling m ass of m ystical light traveling in the sky. Descending swiftly, the flam ing whirlpool neared our group and m aterialized itself into the body of a beautiful youth who, I understood at once, was Babaji. He looked like Lahiri Mahasaya, the only difference being that Babaji appeared m uch younger, and had long, bright hair. "Lahiri Mahasaya, Mataji, and m yself knelt at the guru's feet. An ethereal sensation of beatific glory thrilled every fiber of m y being as I touched his divine flesh. "'Blessed sister,' Babaji said, 'I am intending to shed m y form and plunge into the Infinite Current.' "'I have already glim psed your plan, beloved m aster. I wanted to discuss it with you tonight. Why should you leave your body?' The glorious wom an looked at him beseechingly. "'What is the difference if I wear a visible or invisible wave on the ocean of m y Spirit?' "Mataji replied with a quaint flash of wit. 'Deathless guru, if it m akes no difference, then please do not ever relinquish your form .' 3 3 -5 "'Be it so,' Babaji said solem nly. 'I will never leave m y physical body. It will always rem ain visible www.holybooks.com to at least a sm all num ber of people on this earth. The Lord has spoken His own wish through your lips.' "As I listened in awe to the conversation between these exalted beings, the great guru turned to m e with a benign gesture. "'Fear not, Ram Gopal,' he said, 'you are blessed to be a witness at the scene of this im m ortal prom ise.' "As the sweet m elody of Babaji's voice faded away, his form and that of Lahiri Mahasaya slowly levitated and m oved backward over the Ganges. An aureole of dazzling light tem pled their bodies as they vanished into the night sky. Mataji's form floated to the cave and descended; the stone slab closed of itself, as if working on an invisible leverage. "Infinitely inspired, I wended m y way back to Lahiri Mahasaya's place. As I bowed before him in the early dawn, m y guru sm iled at m e understandingly. "'I am happy for you, Ram Gopal,' he said. 'The desire of m eeting Babaji and Mataji, which you have often expressed to m e, has found at last a sacred fulfillm ent.' "My fellow disciples inform ed m e that Lahiri Mahasaya had not m oved from his dais since early the preceding evening. "'He gave a wonderful discourse on im m ortality after you had left for the Dasasam edh ghat,' one of the chelas told m e. For the first tim e I fully realized the truth in the scriptural verses which state that a m an of self-realization can appear at different places in two or m ore bodies at the sam e tim e. "Lahiri Mahasaya later explained to m e m any m etaphysical points concerning the hidden divine plan for this earth," Ram Gopal concluded. "Babaji has been chosen by God to rem ain in his body for the duration of this particular world cycle. Ages shall com e and go- still the deathless m aster, 3 3 -6 beholding the dram a of the centuries, shall be present on this stage terrestrial." Chapter 33 Footnotes 33- 1: Mat t hew 8: 19- 20. 33- 2: John 11: 41- 42. 33- 3: The om nipresent yogi who observed t hat I failed t o bow before t he Tarakeswar shrine ( chapt er 13) . 33- 4: " Holy Mot her." Mat aj i also has lived t hrough t he cent uries; she is alm ost as far advanced spirit ually as her brot her. She rem ains in ecst asy in a hidden underground cave near t he Dasasam edh ghat . 33- 5: This incident rem inds one of Thales. The great Greek philosopher t aught t hat t here was no difference bet ween life and deat h. " Why, t hen," inquired a crit ic, " do you not die?" " Because," answered Thales, " it m akes no difference." 33- 6: " Verily, verily, I say unt o you, I f a m an keep m y saying ( rem ain unbrokenly in t he Christ Consciousness) , he shall www.holybooks.com never see deat h." - John 8: 51. CHAPTER: 34 Materializing A Palace In The Himalayas "Babaji's first m eeting with Lahiri Mahasaya is an enthralling story, and one of the few which gives us a detailed glim pse of the deathless guru." These words were Swam i Kebalananda's pream ble to a wondrous tale. The first tim e he recounted it I was literally spellbound. On m any other occasions I coaxed m y gentle Sanskrit tutor to repeat the story, which was later told m e in substantially the sam e words by Sri Yukteswar. Both these Lahiri Mahasaya disciples had heard the awesom e tale direct from the lips of their guru. "My first m eeting with Babaji took place in m y thirty-third year," Lahiri Mahasaya had said. "In the autum n of 1861 I was stationed in Danapur as a governm ent accountant in the Military Engineering Departm ent. One m orning the office m anager sum m oned m e. "'Lahiri,' he said, 'a telegram has just com e from our m ain office. You are to be transferred to Ranikhet, where an arm y post 3 4 -1 is now being established.' "With one servant, I set out on the 50 0 -m ile trip. Traveling by horse and buggy, we arrived in thirty days at the Him alayan site of Ranikhet. 3 4 -2 "My office duties were not onerous; I was able to spend m any hours roam ing in the m agnificent hills. A rum or reached m e that great saints blessed the region with their presence; I felt a strong desire to see them . During a ram ble one early afternoon, I was astounded to hear a distant voice calling m y nam e. I continued m y vigorous upward clim b on Drongiri Mountain. A slight uneasiness beset m e at the thought that I m ight not be able to retrace m y steps before darkness had descended over the jungle. "I finally reached a sm all clearing whose sides were dotted with caves. On one of the rocky ledges stood a sm iling young m an, extending his hand in welcom e. I noticed with astonishm ent that, except for his copper-colored hair, he bore a rem arkable resem blance to m yself. "'Lahiri, you have com e!' The saint addressed m e affectionately in Hindi. 'Rest here in this cave. It www.holybooks.com was I who called you.' "I entered a neat little grotto which contained several woolen blankets and a few kam andulus (begging bowls). "'Lahiri, do you rem em ber that seat?' The yogi pointed to a folded blanket in one corner. "'No, sir.' Som ewhat dazed at the strangeness of m y adventure, I added, 'I m ust leave now, before nightfall. I have business in the m orning at m y office.' "The m ysterious saint replied in English, 'The office was brought for you, and not you for the office.' "I was dum bfounded that this forest ascetic should not only speak English but also paraphrase the words of Christ. 3 4 -3 "'I see m y telegram took effect.' The yogi's rem ark was incom prehensible to m e; I inquired his m eaning. "'I refer to the telegram that sum m oned you to these isolated parts. It was I who silently suggested to the m ind of your superior officer that you be transferred to Ranikhet. When one feels his unity with m ankind, all m inds becom e transm itting stations through which he can work at will.' He added gently, 'Lahiri, surely this cave seem s fam iliar to you?' "As I m aintained a bewildered silence, the saint approached and struck m e gently on the forehead. At his m agnetic touch, a wondrous current swept through m y brain, releasing the sweet seed-m em ories of m y previous life. "'I rem em ber!' My voice was half-choked with joyous sobs. 'You are m y guru Babaji, who has belonged to m e always! Scenes of the past arise vividly in m y m ind; here in this cave I spent m any years of m y last incarnation!' As ineffable recollections overwhelm ed m e, I tearfully em braced m y m aster's feet. "'For m ore than three decades I have waited for you here-waited for you to return to m e!' Babaji's voice rang with celestial love. 'You slipped away and vanished into the tum ultuous waves of the life beyond death. The m agic wand of your karm a touched you, and you were gone! Though you lost sight of m e, never did I lose sight of you! I pursued you over the lum inescent astral sea where the glorious angels sail. Through gloom , storm , upheaval, and light I followed you, like a m other bird guarding her young. As you lived out your hum an term of wom b-life, and em erged a babe, m y eye was ever on you. When you covered your tiny form in the lotus posture under the Nadia sands in your childhood, I was invisibly present! Patiently, m onth after m onth, year after year, I have watched over you, waiting for this perfect day. Now you are with m e! Lo, here is your cave, loved of yore! I have kept it ever clean and ready for you. Here is your hallowed asana- blanket, where you daily sat to fill your expanding heart with God! Behold there your bowl, from which you often drank the nectar prepared by m e! See how I have kept the brass cup brightly polished, www.holybooks.com that you m ight drink again therefrom ! My own, do you now understand?' "'My guru, what can I say?' I m urm ured brokenly. 'Where has one ever heard of such deathless love?' I gazed long and ecstatically on m y eternal treasure, m y guru in life and death. "'Lahiri, you need purification. Drink the oil in this bowl and lie down by the river.' Babaji's practical wisdom , I reflected with a quick, rem iniscent sm ile, was ever to the fore. "I obeyed his directions. Though the icy Him alayan night was descending, a com forting warm th, an inner radiation, began to pulsate in every cell of m y body. I m arveled. Was the unknown oil endued with a cosm ical heat? "Bitter winds whipped around m e in the darkness, shrieking a fierce challenge. The chill wavelets of the Gogash River lapped now and then over m y body, outstretched on the rocky bank. Tigers howled near-by, but m y heart was free of fear; the radiant force newly generated within m e conveyed an assurance of unassailable protection. Several hours passed swiftly; faded m em ories of another life wove them selves into the present brilliant pattern of reunion with m y divine guru. "My solitary m usings were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. In the darkness, a m an's hand gently helped m e to m y feet, and gave m e som e dry clothing. "'Com e, brother,' m y com panion said. 'The m aster awaits you.' "He led the way through the forest. The som ber night was suddenly lit by a steady lum inosity in the distance. "'Can that be the sunrise?' I inquired. 'Surely the whole night has not passed?' "'The hour is m idnight.' My guide laughed softly. 'Yonder light is the glow of a golden palace, m aterialized here tonight by the peerless Babaji. In the dim past, you once expressed a desire to enjoy the beauties of a palace. Our m aster is now satisfying your wish, thus freeing you from the bonds of karm a.' 3 4 -4 He added, 'The m agnificent palace will be the scene of your initiation tonight into Kriy a Yoga. All your brothers here join in a paean of welcom e, rejoicing at the end of your long exile. Behold!' "A vast palace of dazzling gold stood before us. Studded with countless jewels, and set am idst landscaped gardens, it presented a spectacle of unparalleled grandeur. Saints of angelic countenance were stationed by resplendent gates, half-reddened by the glitter of rubies. Diam onds, pearls, sapphires, and em eralds of great size and luster were im bedded in the decorative arches. "I followed m y com panion into a spacious reception hall. The odor of incense and of roses wafted through the air; dim lam ps shed a m ulticolored glow. Sm all groups of devotees, som e fair, som e dark- skinned, chanted m usically, or sat in the m editative posture, im m ersed in an inner peace. A vibrant joy pervaded the atm osphere. www.holybooks.com "'Feast your eyes; enjoy the artistic splendors of this palace, for it has been brought into being solely in your honor.' My guide sm iled sym pathetically as I uttered a few ejaculations of wonderm ent. "'Brother,' I said, 'the beauty of this structure surpasses the bounds of hum an im agination. Please tell m e the m ystery of its origin.' "'I will gladly enlighten you.' My com panion's dark eyes sparkled with wisdom . 'In reality there is nothing inexplicable about this m aterialization. The whole cosm os is a m aterialized thought of the Creator. This heavy, earthly clod, floating in space, is a dream of God. He m ade all things out of His consciousness, even as m an in his dream consciousness reproduces and vivifies a creation with its creatures. "'God first created the earth as an idea. Then He quickened it; energy atom s cam e into being. He coordinated the atom s into this solid sphere. All its m olecules are held together by the will of God. When He withdraws His will, the earth again will disintegrate into energy. Energy will dissolve into consciousness; the earth-idea will disappear from objectivity. "'The substance of a dream is held in m aterialization by the subconscious thought of the dream er. When that cohesive thought is withdrawn in wakefulness, the dream and its elem ents dissolve. A m an closes his eyes and erects a dream -creation which, on awakening, he effortlessly dem aterializes. He follows the divine archetypal pattern. Sim ilarly, when he awakens in cosm ic consciousness, he will effortlessly dem aterialize the illusions of the cosm ic dream . "'Being one with the infinite all-accom plishing Will, Babaji can sum m on the elem ental atom s to com bine and m anifest them selves in any form . This golden palace, instantaneously created, is real, even as this earth is real. Babaji created this palatial m ansion out of his m ind and is holding its atom s together by the power of his will, even as God created this earth and is m aintaining it intact.' He added, 'When this structure has served its purpose, Babaji will dem aterialize it.' "As I rem ained silent in awe, m y guide m ade a sweeping gesture. 'This shim m ering palace, superbly em bellished with jewels, has not been built by hum an effort or with laboriously m ined gold and gem s. It stands solidly, a m onum ental challenge to m an. 3 4 -5 Whoever realizes him self as a son of God, even as Babaji has done, can reach any goal by the infinite powers hidden within him . A com m on stone locks within itself the secret of stupendous atom ic energy; 3 4 -6 even so, a m ortal is yet a powerhouse of divinity.' "The sage picked up from a near-by table a graceful vase whose handle was blazing with diam onds. 'Our great guru created this palace by solidifying m yriads of free cosm ic rays,' he went on. 'Touch this vase and its diam onds; they will satisfy all the tests of sensory experience.' "I exam ined the vase, and passed m y hand over the sm ooth room -walls, thick with glistening gold. Each of the jewels scattered lavishly about was worthy of a king's collection. Deep satisfaction spread over m y m ind. A subm erged desire, hidden in m y subconsciousness from lives www.holybooks.com now gone, seem ed sim ultaneously gratified and extinguished. "My stately com panion led m e through ornate arches and corridors into a series of cham bers richly furnished in the style of an em peror's palace. We entered an im m ense hall. In the center stood a golden throne, encrusted with jewels shedding a dazzling m edley of colors. There, in lotus posture, sat the suprem e Babaji. I knelt on the shining floor at his feet. "'Lahiri, are you still feasting on your dream desires for a golden palace?' My guru's eyes were twinkling like his own sapphires. 'Wake! All your earthly thirsts are about to be quenched forever.' He m urm ured som e m ystic words of blessing. 'My son, arise. Receive your initiation into the kingdom of God through Kriy a Yoga.' "Babaji stretched out his hand; a hom a (sacrificial) fire appeared, surrounded by fruits and flowers. I received the liberating yogic technique before this flam ing altar. "The rites were com pleted in the early dawn. I felt no need for sleep in m y ecstatic state, and wandered around the palace, filled on all sides with treasures and priceless objets d'art. Descending to the gorgeous gardens, I noticed, near-by, the sam e caves and barren m ountain ledges which yesterday had boasted no adjacency to palace or flowered terrace. "Reentering the palace, fabulously glistening in the cold Him alayan sunlight, I sought the presence of m y m aster. He was still enthroned, surrounded by m any quiet disciples. "'Lahiri, you are hungry.' Babaji added, 'Close your eyes.' "When I reopened them , the enchanting palace and its picturesque gardens had disappeared. My own body and the form s of Babaji and the cluster of chelas were all now seated on the bare ground at the exact site of the vanished palace, not far from the sunlit entrances of the rocky grottos. I recalled that m y guide had rem arked that the palace would be dem aterialized, its captive atom s released into the thought- essence from which it had sprung. Although stunned, I looked trustingly at m y guru. I knew not what to expect next on this day of m iracles. "'The purpose for which the palace was created has now been served,' Babaji explained. He lifted an earthen vessel from the ground. 'Put your hand there and receive whatever food you desire.' "As soon as I touched the broad, em pty bowl, it becam e heaped with hot butter-fried luchis, curry, and rare sweetm eats. I helped m yself, observing that the vessel was ever-filled. At the end of m y m eal I looked around for water. My guru pointed to the bowl before m e. Lo! the food had vanished; in its place was water, clear as from a m ountain stream . "'Few m ortals know that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of m undane fulfillm ents,' Babaji observed. 'The divine realm extends to the earthly, but the latter, being illusory, cannot include the essence of reality.' "'Beloved guru, last night you dem onstrated for m e the link of beauty in heaven and earth!' I www.holybooks.com sm iled at m em ories of the vanished palace; surely no sim ple yogi had ever received initiation into the august m ysteries of Spirit am idst surroundings of m ore im pressive luxury! I gazed tranquilly at the stark contrast of the present scene. The gaunt ground, the skyey roof, the caves offering prim itive shelter-all seem ed a gracious natural setting for the seraphic saints around m e. "I sat that afternoon on m y blanket, hallowed by associations of past- life realizations. My divine guru approached and passed his hand over m y head. I entered the nirbikalpa sam adhi state, rem aining unbrokenly in its bliss for seven days. Crossing the successive strata of self- knowledge, I penetrated the deathless realm s of reality. All delusive lim itations dropped away; m y soul was fully established on the eternal altar of the Cosm ic Spirit. On the eighth day I fell at m y guru's feet and im plored him to keep m e always near him in this sacred wilderness. "'My son,' Babaji said, em bracing m e, 'your role in this incarnation m ust be played on an outward stage. Prenatally blessed by m any lives of lonely m editation, you m ust now m ingle in the world of m en. "'A deep purpose underlay the fact that you did not m eet m e this tim e until you were already a m arried m an, with m odest business responsibilities. You m ust put aside your thoughts of joining our secret band in the Him alayas; your life lies in the crowded m arts, serving as an exam ple of the ideal yogi-householder. "'The cries of m any bewildered worldly m en and wom en have not fallen unheard on the ears of the Great Ones,' he went on. 'You have been chosen to bring spiritual solace through Kriy a Yoga to num erous earnest seekers. The m illions who are encum bered by fam ily ties and heavy worldly duties will take new heart from you, a householder like them selves. You m ust guide them to see that the highest yogic attainm ents are not barred to the fam ily m an. Even in the world, the yogi who faithfully discharges his responsibilities, without personal m otive or attachm ent, treads the sure path of enlightenm ent. "'No necessity com pels you to leave the world, for inwardly you have already sundered its every karm ic tie. Not of this world, you m ust yet be in it. Many years still rem ain during which you m ust conscientiously fulfill your fam ily, business, civic, and spiritual duties. A sweet new breath of divine hope will penetrate the arid hearts of worldly m en. From your balanced life, they will understand that liberation is dependent on inner, rather than outer, renunciations.' "How rem ote seem ed m y fam ily, the office, the world, as I listened to m y guru in the high Him alayan solitudes. Yet adam antine truth rang in his words; I subm issively agreed to leave this blessed haven of peace. Babaji instructed m e in the ancient rigid rules which govern the transm ission of the yogic art from guru to disciple. "'Bestow the Kriy a key only on qualified chelas,' Babaji said. 'He who vows to sacrifice all in the quest of the Divine is fit to unravel the final m ysteries of life through the science of m editation.' "'Angelic guru, as you have already favored m ankind by resurrecting the lost Kriy a art, will you not increase that benefit by relaxing the strict requirem ents for discipleship?' I gazed www.holybooks.com beseechingly at Babaji. 'I pray that you perm it m e to com m unicate Kriy a to all seekers, even though at first they cannot vow them selves to com plete inner renunciation. The tortured m en and wom en of the world, pursued by the threefold suffering, 3 4 -7 need special encouragem ent. They m ay never attem pt the road to freedom if Kriy a initiation be withheld from them .' "'Be it so. The divine wish has been expressed through you.' With these sim ple words, the m erciful guru banished the rigorous safeguards that for ages had hidden Kriy a from the world. 'Give Kriy a freely to all who hum bly ask for help.' "After a silence, Babaji added, 'Repeat to each of your disciples this m ajestic prom ise from the Bhagavad Gita: "Sw alpam asy a Dharm asy a, Tray ata Mahato Bhoy at"-"Even a little bit of the practice of this religion will save you from dire fears and colossal sufferings."' 3 4 -8 "As I knelt the next m orning at m y guru's feet for his farewell blessing, he sensed m y deep reluctance to leave him . "'There is no separation for us, m y beloved child.' He touched m y shoulder affectionately. 'Wherever you are, whenever you call m e, I shall be with you instantly.' "Consoled by his wondrous prom ise, and rich with the newly found gold of God-wisdom , I wended m y way down the m ountain. At the office I was welcom ed by m y fellow em ployees, who for ten days had thought m e lost in the Him alayan jungles. A letter soon arrived from the head office. "'Lahiri should return to the Danapur 3 4 -9 office,' it read. 'His transfer to Ranikhet occurred by error. Another m an should have been sent to assum e the Ranikhet duties.' "I sm iled, reflecting on the hidden crosscurrents in the events which had led m e to this furtherm ost spot of India. "Before returning to Danapur, I spent a few days with a Bengali fam ily at Moradabad. A party of six friends gathered to greet m e. As I turned the conversation to spiritual subjects, m y host observed gloom ily: "'Oh, in these days India is destitute of saints!' "'Babu,' I protested warm ly, 'of course there are still great m asters in this land!' "In a m ood of exalted fervor, I felt im pelled to relate m y m iraculous experiences in the Him alayas. The little com pany was politely incredulous. "'Lahiri,' one m an said soothingly, 'your m ind has been under a strain in those rarefied m ountain airs. This is som e daydream you have recounted.' "Burning with the enthusiasm of truth, I spoke without due thought. 'If I call him , m y guru will www.holybooks.com appear right in this house.' "Interest gleam ed in every eye; it was no wonder that the group was eager to behold a saint m aterialized in such a strange way. Half- reluctantly, I asked for a quiet room and two new woolen blankets. "'The m aster will m aterialize from the ether,' I said. 'Rem ain silently outside the door; I shall soon call you.' "I sank into the m editative state, hum bly sum m oning m y guru. The darkened room soon filled with a dim aural m oonlight; the lum inous figure of Babaji em erged. "'Lahiri, do you call m e for a trifle?' The m aster's gaze was stern. 'Truth is for earnest seekers, not for those of idle curiosity. It is easy to believe when one sees; there is nothing then to deny. Supersensual truth is deserved and discovered by those who overcom e their natural m aterialistic skepticism .' He added gravely, 'Let m e go!' "I fell entreatingly at his feet. 'Holy guru, I realize m y serious error; I hum bly ask pardon. It was to create faith in these spiritually blinded m inds that I ventured to call you. Because you have graciously appeared at m y prayer, please do not depart without bestowing a blessing on m y friends. Unbelievers though they be, at least they were willing to investigate the truth of m y strange assertions.' "'Very well; I will stay awhile. I do not wish your word discredited before your friends.' Babaji's face had softened, but he added gently, 'Henceforth, m y son, I shall com e when you need m e, and not always when you call m e. 3 4 -10 ' "Tense silence reigned in the little group when I opened the door. As if m istrusting their senses, m y friends stared at the lustrous figure on the blanket seat. "'This is m ass-hypnotism !' One m an laughed blatantly. 'No one could possibly have entered this room without our knowledge!' "Babaji advanced sm ilingly and m otioned to each one to touch the warm , solid flesh of his body. Doubts dispelled, m y friends prostrated them selves on the floor in awed repentance. "'Let halua 3 4 -11.h tm l be prepared.' Babaji m ade this request, I knew, to further assure the group of his physical reality. While the porridge was boiling, the divine guru chatted affably. Great was the m etam orphosis of these doubting Thom ases into devout St. Pauls. After we had eaten, Babaji blessed each of us in turn. There was a sudden flash; we witnessed the instantaneous dechem icalization of the electronic elem ents of Babaji's body into a spreading vaporous light. The God-tuned will power of the m aster had loosened its grasp of the ether atom s held together as his body; forthwith the trillions of tiny lifetronic sparks faded into the infinite reservoir. "'With m y own eyes I have seen the conqueror of death.' Maitra, 3 4 -12 one of the group, spoke www.holybooks.com reverently. His face was transfigured with the joy of his recent awakening. 'The suprem e guru played with tim e and space, as a child plays with bubbles. I have beheld one with the keys of heaven and earth.' "I soon returned to Danapur. Firm ly anchored in the Spirit, again I assum ed the m anifold business and fam ily obligations of a householder." Lahiri Mahasaya also related to Swam i Kebalananda and Sri Yukteswar the story of another m eeting with Babaji, under circum stances which recalled the guru's prom ise: "I shall com e whenever you need m e." "The scene was a Kum bha Mela at Allahabad," Lahiri Mahasaya told his disciples. "I had gone there during a short vacation from m y office duties. As I wandered am idst the throng of m onks and sadhus who had com e from great distances to attend the holy festival, I noticed an ashsm eared ascetic who was holding a begging bowl. The thought arose in m y m ind that the m an was hypocritical, wearing the outward sym bols of renunciation without a corresponding inward grace. "No sooner had I passed the ascetic than m y astounded eye fell on Babaji. He was kneeling in front of a m atted-haired anchorite. "'Guruji!' I hastened to his side. 'Sir, what are you doing here?' "'I am washing the feet of this renunciate, and then I shall clean his cooking utensils.' Babaji sm iled at m e like a little child; I knew he was intim ating that he wanted m e to criticize no one, but to see the Lord as residing equally in all body-tem ples, whether of superior or inferior m en. The great guru added, 'By serving wise and ignorant sadhus, I am learning the greatest of virtues, pleasing to God above all others-hum ility.'" 34- 1: Now a m ilit ary sanat orium . By 1861 t he Brit ish Governm ent had already est ablished cert ain t elegraphic com m unciat ions. 34- 2: Ranikhet , in t he Alm ora dist rict of Unit ed Provinces, is sit uat ed at t he foot of Nanda Devi, t he highest Him alayan peak ( 25,661 feet ) in Brit ish I ndia. 34- 3: " The sabbat h was m ade for m an, and not m an for t he sabbat h." - Mark 2: 27. 34- 4: The karm ic law requires t hat every hum an wish find ult im at e fulfillm ent . Desire is t hus t he chain which binds m an t o t he reincarnat ional wheel. 34- 5: "What is a miracle?-'Tis a reproach, 'Tis an implicit satire on mankind." -Edward Young, in Night Thoughts. 34- 6: The t heory of t he at om ic st ruct ure of m at t er was expounded in t he ancient I ndian Vaisesika and Nyaya t reat ises. " There are vast worlds all placed away wit hin t he hollows of each at om , m ult ifarious as t he m ot es in a sunbeam ." - Yoga Vasisht ha. www.holybooks.com 34- 7: Physical, m ent al, and spirit ual suffering; m anifest ed, respect ively, in disease, in psychological inadequacies or " com plexes," and in soul- ignorance. 34- 8: Chapt er I I : 40. 34- 9: A t own near Benares. 34- 10: I n t he pat h t o t he I nfinit e, even illum ined m ast ers like Lahiri Mahasaya m ay suffer from an excess of zeal, and be subj ect t o discipline. I n t he Bhagavad Git a, we read m any passages where t he divine guru Krishna gives chast isem ent t o t he prince of devot ees, Arj una. 34- 11: A porridge m ade of cream of wheat fried in but t er, and boiled wit h m ilk. 34- 12: The m an, Mait ra, t o whom Lahiri Mahasaya is here referring, aft erward becam e highly advanced in selfrealizat ion. I m et Mait ra short ly aft er m y graduat ion from high school; he visit ed t he Maham andal herm it age in Benares while I was a resident . He t old m e t hen of Babaj i's m at erializat ion before t he group in Moradabad. " As a result of t he m iracle," Mait ra explained t o m e, " I becam e a lifelong disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya." CHAPTER: 35 The Christlike Life Of Lahiri Mahasaya "Thus it becom eth us to fulfill all righteousness." 3 5-1 In these words to J ohn the Baptist, and in asking J ohn to baptize him , J esus was acknowledging the divine rights of his guru. From a reverent study of the Bible from an Oriental viewpoint, 3 5-2 and from intuitional perception, I am convinced that J ohn the Baptist was, in past lives, the guru of Christ. There are num erous passages in the Bible which infer that J ohn and J esus in their last incarnations were, respectively, Elijah and his disciple Elisha. (These are the spellings in the Old Testam ent. The Greek translators spelled the nam es as Elias and Eliseus; they reappear in the New Testam ent in these changed form s.) The very end of the Old Testam ent is a prediction of the reincarnation of Elijah and Elisha: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the com ing of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." 3 5-3 Thus J ohn (Elijah), sent "before the com ing . . . of the Lord," was born slightly earlier to serve as a herald for Christ. An angel appeared to Zacharias the father to testify that his com ing son J ohn would be no other than Elijah (Elias). "But the angel said unto him , Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth www.holybooks.com shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his nam e J ohn. . . . And m any of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him 3 5-4 in the spirit and pow er of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to m ake ready a people prepared for the Lord." 3 5-5 J esus twice unequivocally identified Elijah (Elias) as J ohn: "Elias is com e already, and they knew him not. . . . Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of J ohn the Baptist." 3 5-6 Again, Christ says: "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until J ohn. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to com e." 3 5-7 When J ohn denied that he was Elias (Elijah), 3 5-8 he m eant that in the hum ble garb of J ohn he cam e no longer in the outward elevation of Elijah the great guru. In his form er incarnation he had given the "m antle" of his glory and his spiritual wealth to his disciple Elisha. "And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon m e. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see m e when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. . . . And he took the m antle of Elijah that fell from him ." 3 5-9 The roles becam e reversed, because Elijah-J ohn was no longer needed to be the ostensible guru of Elisha-J esus, now perfected in divine realization. When Christ was transfigured on the m ountain 3 5-10 it was his guru Elias, with Moses, whom he saw. Again, in his hour of extrem ity on the cross, J esus cried out the divine nam e: "Eli, Eli, lam a sabachthani? that is to say, My God, m y God, why hast thou forsaken m e? Som e of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This m an calleth for Elias. . . . Let us see whether Elias will com e to save him ." 3 5-11 The eternal bond of guru and disciple that existed between J ohn and J esus was present also for Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya. With tender solicitude the deathless guru swam the Lethean waters that swirled between the last two lives of his chela, and guided the successive steps taken by the child and then by the m an Lahiri Mahasaya. It was not until the disciple had reached his thirtythird year that Babaji deem ed the tim e to be ripe to openly reestablish the never-severed link. Then, after their brief m eeting near Ranikhet, the selfless m aster banished his dearly-beloved disciple from the little m ountain group, releasing him for an outward world m ission. "My son, I shall com e whenever you need m e." What m ortal lover can bestow that infinite prom ise? Unknown to society in general, a great spiritual renaissance began to flow from a rem ote corner of Benares. J ust as the fragrance of flowers cannot be suppressed, so Lahiri Mahasaya, quietly living as an ideal householder, could not hide his innate glory. Slowly, from every part of India, the devotee-bees sought the divine nectar of the liberated m aster. The English office superintendent was one of the first to notice a strange transcendental change in his em ployee, whom he endearingly called "Ecstatic Babu." "Sir, you seem sad. What is the trouble?" Lahiri Mahasaya m ade this sym pathetic inquiry one m orning to his em ployer. "My wife in England is critically ill. I am torn by anxiety." www.holybooks.com "I shall get you som e word about her." Lahiri Mahasaya left the room and sat for a short tim e in a secluded spot. On his return he sm iled consolingly. "Your wife is im proving; she is now writing you a letter." The om niscient yogi quoted som e parts of the m issive. "Ecstatic Babu, I already know that you are no ordinary m an. Yet I am unable to believe that, at will, you can banish tim e and space!" The prom ised letter finally arrived. The astounded superintendent found that it contained not only the good news of his wife's recovery, but also the sam e phrases which, weeks earlier, Lahiri Mahasaya had repeated. The wife cam e to India som e m onths later. She visited the office, where Lahiri Mahasaya was quietly sitting at his desk. The wom an approached him reverently. "Sir," she said, "it was your form , haloed in glorious light, that I beheld m onths ago by m y sickbed in London. At that m om ent I was com pletely healed! Soon after, I was able to undertake the long ocean voyage to India." Day after day, one or two devotees besought the sublim e guru for Kriy a initiation. In addition to these spiritual duties, and to those of his business and fam ily life, the great m aster took an enthusiastic interest in education. He organized m any study groups, and played an active part in the growth of a large high school in the Bengalitola section of Benares. His regular discourses on the scriptures cam e to be called his "Gita Assem bly," eagerly attended by m any truth-seekers. By these m anifold activities, Lahiri Mahasaya sought to answer the com m on challenge: "After perform ing one's business and social duties, where is the tim e for devotional m editation?" The harm oniously balanced life of the great householder-guru becam e the silent inspiration of thousands of questioning hearts. Earning only a m odest salary, thrifty, unostentatious, accessible to all, the m aster carried on naturally and happily in the path of worldly life. Though ensconced in the seat of the Suprem e One, Lahiri Mahasaya showed reverence to all m en, irrespective of their differing m erits. When his devotees saluted him , he bowed in turn to them . With a childlike hum ility, the m aster often touched the feet of others, but seldom allowed them to pay him sim ilar honor, even though such obeisance toward the guru is an ancient Oriental custom . A significant feature of Lahiri Mahasaya's life was his gift of Kriy a initiation to those of every faith. Not Hindus only, but Moslem s and Christians were am ong his forem ost disciples. Monists and dualists, those of all faiths or of no established faith, were im partially received and instructed by the universal guru. One of his highly advanced chelas was Abdul Gufoor Khan, a Moham m edan. It shows great courage on the part of Lahiri Mahasaya that, although a high-caste Brahm in, he tried his utm ost to dissolve the rigid caste bigotry of his tim e. Those from every walk of life found shelter under the m aster's om nipresent wings. Like all God-inspired prophets, Lahiri www.holybooks.com Mahasaya gave new hope to the outcastes and down-trodden of society. "Always rem em ber that you belong to no one, and no one belongs to you. Reflect that som e day you will suddenly have to leave everything in this world-so m ake the acquaintanceship of God now," the great guru told his disciples. "Prepare yourself for the com ing astral journey of death by daily riding in the balloon of God-perception. Through delusion you are perceiving yourself as a bundle of flesh and bones, which at best is a nest of troubles. 3 5-12 Meditate unceasingly, that you m ay quickly behold yourself as the Infinite Essence, free from every form of m isery. Cease being a prisoner of the body; using the secret key of Kriy a, learn to escape into Spirit." The great guru encouraged his various students to adhere to the good traditional discipline of their own faith. Stressing the all-inclusive nature of Kriy a as a practical technique of liberation, Lahiri Mahasaya then gave his chelas liberty to express their lives in conform ance with environm ent and up bringing. "A Moslem should perform his nam aj 3 5-13 worship four tim es daily," the m aster pointed out. "Four tim es daily a Hindu should sit in m editation. A Christian should go down on his knees four tim es daily, praying to God and then reading the Bible." With wise discernm ent the guru guided his followers into the paths of Bhakti (devotion), Karm a (action), Jnana (wisdom ), or Raja (royal or com plete) Yogas, according to each m an's natural tendencies. The m aster, who was slow to give his perm ission to devotees wishing to enter the form al path of m onkhood, always cautioned them to first reflect well on the austerities of the m onastic life. The great guru taught his disciples to avoid theoretical discussion of the scriptures. "He only is wise who devotes him self to realizing, not reading only, the ancient revelations," he said. "Solve all your problem s through m editation. 3 5-14 Exchange unprofitable religious speculations for actual God-contact. Clear your m ind of dogm atic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance; the Divine Voice has the answer to every dilem m a of life. Though m an's ingenuity for getting him self into trouble appears to be endless, the Infinite Succor is no less resourceful." www.holybooks.com LAHIRI MAHASAYA Disciple of Babaji and Guru of Sri Yukteswar The m aster's om nipresence was dem onstrated one day before a group of disciples who were listening to his exposition of the Bhagavad Gita. As he was explaining the m eaning of Kutastha Chaitany a or the Christ Consciousness in all vibratory creation, Lahiri Mahasaya suddenly gasped and cried out: "I am drowning in the bodies of m any souls off the coast of J apan!" The next m orning the chelas read a newspaper account of the death of m any people whose ship had foundered the preceding day near J apan. The distant disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya were often m ade aware of his enfolding presence. "I am ever with those who practice Kriy a," he said consolingly to chelas who could not rem ain near him . "I will guide you to the Cosm ic Hom e through your enlarging perceptions." Swam i Satyananda was told by a devotee that, unable to go to Benares, the m an had nevertheless received precise Kriy a initiation in a dream . Lahiri Mahasaya had appeared to instruct the chela in answer to his prayers. If a disciple neglected any of his worldly obligations, the m aster would gently correct and discipline him . "Lahiri Mahasaya's words were m ild and healing, even when he was forced to speak openly of a chela's faults," Sri Yukteswar once told m e. He added ruefully, "No disciple ever fled from our m aster's barbs." I could not help laughing, but I truthfully assured Sri Yukteswar that, sharp or www.holybooks.com not, his every word was m usic to m y ears. Lahiri Mahasaya carefully graded Kriy a into four progressive initiations. 3 5-15 He bestowed the three higher techniques only after the devotee had m anifested definite spiritual progress. One day a certain chela, convinced that his worth was not being duly evaluated, gave voice to his discontent. "Master," he said, "surely I am ready now for the second initiation." At this m om ent the door opened to adm it a hum ble disciple, Brinda Bhagat. He was a Benares postm an. "Brinda, sit by m e here." The great guru sm iled at him affectionately. "Tell m e, are you ready for the second technique of Kriy a?" The little postm an folded his hands in supplication. "Gurudeva," he said in alarm , "no m ore initiations, please! How can I assim ilate any higher teachings? I have com e today to ask your blessings, because the first divine Kriy a has filled m e with such intoxication that I cannot deliver m y letters!" "Already Brinda swim s in the sea of Spirit." At these words from Lahiri Mahasaya, his other disciple hung his head. "Master," he said, "I see I have been a poor workm an, finding fault with m y tools." The postm an, who was an uneducated m an, later developed his insight through Kriy a to such an extent that scholars occasionally sought his interpretation on involved scriptural points. Innocent alike of sin and syntax, little Brinda won renown in the dom ain of learned pundits. Besides the num erous Benares disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, hundreds cam e to him from distant parts of India. He him self traveled to Bengal on several occasions, visiting at the hom es of the fathers-in-law of his two sons. Thus blessed by his presence, Bengal becam e honeycom bed with sm all Kriy a groups. Particularly in the districts of Krishnagar and Bishnupur, m any silent devotees to this day have kept the invisible current of spiritual m editation flowing. Am ong m any saints who received Kriy a from Lahiri Mahasaya m ay be m entioned the illustrious Swam i Vhaskarananda Saraswati of Benares, and the Deogarh ascetic of high stature, Balananda Brahm achari. For a tim e Lahiri Mahasaya served as private tutor to the son of Maharaja Iswari Narayan Sinha Bahadur of Benares. Recognizing the m aster's spiritual attainm ent, the m aharaja, as well as his son, sought Kriy a initiation, as did the Maharaja J otindra Mohan Thakur. A num ber of Lahiri Mahasaya's disciples with influential worldly position were desirous of expanding the Kriy a circle by publicity. The guru refused his perm ission. One chela, the royal physician to the Lord of Benares, started an organized effort to spread the m aster's nam e as "Kashi Baba" (Exalted One of Benares). 3 5-16 Again the guru forbade it. www.holybooks.com "Let the fragrance of the Kriy a flower be wafted naturally, without any display," he said. "Its seeds will take root in the soil of spiritually fertile hearts." Although the great m aster did not adopt the system of preaching through the m odern m edium of an organization, or through the printing press, he knew that the power of his m essage would rise like a resistless flood, inundating by its own force the banks of hum an m inds. The changed and purified lives of devotees were the sim ple guarantees of the deathless vitality of Kriy a. In 1886, twenty-five years after his Ranikhet initiation, Lahiri Mahasaya was retired on a pension. 3 5-17 With his availability in the daytim e, disciples sought him out in ever-increasing num bers. The great guru now sat in silence m ost of the tim e, locked in the tranquil lotus posture. He seldom left his little parlor, even for a walk or to visit other parts of the house. A quiet stream of chelas arrived, alm ost ceaselessly, for a darshan (holy sight) of the guru. To the awe of all beholders, Lahiri Mahasaya's habitual physiological state exhibited the superhum an features of breathlessness, sleeplessness, cessation of pulse and heartbeat, calm eyes unblinking for hours, and a profound aura of peace. No visitors departed without upliftm ent of spirit; all knew they had received the silent blessing of a true m an of God. The m aster now perm itted his disciple, Panchanon Bhattacharya, to open an "Arya Mission Institution" in Calcutta. Here the saintly disciple spread the m essage of Kriy a Yoga, and prepared for public benefit certain yogic herbal 3 5-18 m edicines. In accordance with ancient custom , the m aster gave to people in general a neem 3 5-19 oil for the cure of various diseases. When the guru requested a disciple to distil the oil, he could easily accom plish the task. If anyone else tried, he would encounter strange difficulties, finding that the m edicinal oil had alm ost evaporated after going through the required distilling processes. Evidently the m aster's blessing was a necessary ingredient. Lahiri Mahasaya's handwriting and signature, in Bengali script, are shown above. The lines occur in a letter to a chela; the great m aster interprets a Sanskrit verse as follows: "He who has attained a state of calm ness wherein his eyelids do not blink, has achieved Sam bhabi Mudra." (signed) "Sri Shy am a Charan Deva Sharm an" The Arya Mission Institution undertook the publication of m any of the guru's scriptural www.holybooks.com com m entaries. Like J esus and other great prophets, Lahiri Mahasaya him self wrote no books, but his penetrating interpretations were recorded and arranged by various disciples. Som e of these voluntary am anuenses were m ore discerning than others in correctly conveying the profound insight of the guru; yet, on the whole, their efforts were successful. Through their zeal, the world possesses unparalleled com m entaries by Lahiri Mahasaya on twenty-six ancient scriptures. Sri Ananda Mohan Lahiri, a grandson of the m aster, has written an interesting booklet on Kriy a. "The text of the Bhagavad Gita is a part of the great epic, the Mahabharata, which possesses several knot- points (vy as-kutas)," Sri Ananda wrote. "Keep those knot-points unquestioned, and we find nothing but m ythical stories of a peculiar and easily-m isunderstood type. Keep those knot-points unexplained, and we have lost a science which the East has preserved with superhum an patience after a quest of thousands of years of experim ent. 3 5-2 0 It was the com m entaries of Lahiri Mahasaya which brought to light, clear of allegories, the very science of religion that had been so cleverly put out of sight in the riddle of scriptural letters and im agery. No longer a m ere unintelligible jugglery of words, the otherwise unm eaning form ulas of Vedic worship have been proved by the m aster to be full of scientific significance. . . . "We know that m an is usually helpless against the insurgent sway of evil passions, but these are rendered powerless and m an finds no m otive in their indulgence when there dawns on him a consciousness of superior and lasting bliss through Kriy a. Here the give-up, the negation of the lower passions, synchronizes with a take-up, the assertion of a beatitude. Without such a course, hundreds of m oral m axim s which run in m ere negatives are useless to us. "Our eagerness for worldly activity kills in us the sense of spiritual awe. We cannot com prehend the Great Life behind all nam es and form s, just because science brings hom e to us how we can use the powers of nature; this fam iliarity has bred a contem pt for her ultim ate secrets. Our relation with nature is one of practical business. We tease her, so to speak, to know how she can be used to serve our purposes; we m ake use of her energies, whose Source yet rem ains unknown. In science our relation with nature is one that exists between a m an and his servant, or in a philosophical sense she is like a captive in the witness box. We cross-exam ine her, challenge her, and m inutely weigh her evidence in hum an scales which cannot m easure her hidden values. On the other hand, when the self is in com m union with a higher power, nature autom atically obeys, without stress or strain, the will of m an. This effortless com m and over nature is called 'm iraculous' by the uncom prehending m aterialist. "The life of Lahiri Mahasaya set an exam ple which changed the erroneous notion that yoga is a m ysterious practice. Every m an m ay find a way through Kriy a to understand his proper relation with nature, and to feel spiritual reverence for all phenom ena, whether m ystical or of everyday occurrence, in spite of the m atter-of-factness of physical science. 3 5-2 1 We m ust bear in m ind that what was m ystical a thousand years ago is no longer so, and what is m ysterious now m ay becom e lawfully intelligible a hundred years hence. It is the Infinite, the Ocean of Power, that is at the back of all m anifestations. "The law of Kriy a Yoga is eternal. It is true like m athem atics; like the sim ple rules of addition and subtraction, the law of Kriy a can never be destroyed. Burn to ashes all the books on m athem atics, www.holybooks.com the logically-m inded will always rediscover such truths; destroy all the sacred books on yoga, its fundam ental laws will com e out whenever there appears a true yogi who com prises within him self pure devotion and consequently pure knowledge." J ust as Babaji is am ong the greatest of avatars, a Mahavatar, and Sri Yukteswar a Jnanavatar or Incarnation of Wisdom , so Lahiri Mahasaya m ay justly be called Yogavatar, or Incarnation of Yoga. By the standards of both qualitative and quantitative good, he elevated the spiritual level of society. In his power to raise his close disciples to Christlike stature and in his wide dissem ination of truth am ong the m asses, Lahiri Mahasaya ranks am ong the saviors of m ankind. His uniqueness as a prophet lies in his practical stress on a definite m ethod, Kriy a, opening for the first tim e the doors of yoga freedom to all m en. Apart from the m iracles of his own life, surely the Yogavatar reached the zenith of all wonders in reducing the ancient com plexities of yoga to an effective sim plicity not beyond the ordinary grasp. In reference to m iracles, Lahiri Mahasaya often said, "The operation of subtle laws which are unknown to people in general should not be publicly discussed or published without due discrim ination." If in these pages I have appeared to flout his cautionary words, it is because he has given m e an inward reassurance. Also, in recording the lives of Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, and Sri Yukteswar, I have thought it advisable to om it m any true m iraculous stories, which could hardly have been included without writing, also, an explanatory volum e of abstruse philosophy. New hope for new m en! "Divine union," the Yogavatar proclaim ed, "is possible through selfeffort, and is not dependent on theological beliefs or on the arbitrary will of a Cosm ic Dictator." Through use of the Kriy a key, persons who cannot bring them selves to believe in the divinity of any m an will behold at last the full divinity of their own selves. 35- 1: Mat t hew 3: 15. 35- 2: Many Biblical passages reveal t hat t he law of reincarnat ion was underst ood and accept ed. Reincarnat ional cycles are a m ore reasonable explanat ion for t he different st at es of evolut ion in which m ankind is found, t han t he com m on West ern t heory which assum es t hat som et hing ( consciousness of egoit y) cam e out of not hing, exist ed wit h varying degrees of lust ihood for t hirt y or ninet y years, and t hen ret urned t o t he original void. The inconceivable nat ure of such a void is a problem t o delight t he heart of a m edieval Schoolm an. 35- 3: Malachi 4: 5. 35- 4: " Before him ," i.e., " before t he Lord." 35- 5: Luke 1: 13- 17. 35- 6: Mat t hew 17: 12- 13. 35- 7: Mat t hew 11: 13- 14. 35- 8: John 1: 21. 35- 9: I I Kings 2: 9- 14. www.holybooks.com 35- 10: Mat t hew 17: 3. 35- 11: Mat t hew 27: 46- 49. 35- 12: " How m any sort s of deat h are in our bodies! Not hing is t herein but deat h." - Mart in Lut her, in " Table- Talk." 35- 13: The chief prayer of t he Moham m edans, usually repeat ed four or five t im es daily. 35- 14: " Seek t rut h in m edit at ion, not in m oldy books. Look in t he sky t o find t he m oon, not in t he pond." - Persian Proverb. 35- 15: As Kriya Yoga is capable of m any subdivisions, Lahiri Mahasaya wisely sift ed out four st eps which he discerned t o be t hose which cont ained t he essent ial m arrow, and which were of t he highest value in act ual pract ice. 35- 16: Ot her t it les best owed on Lahiri Mahasaya by his disciples were Yogibar ( great est of yogis) , Yogiraj ( king of yogis) , and Munibar ( great est of saint s) , t o which I have added Yogavat ar ( incarnat ion of yoga) . 35- 17: He had given, alt oget her, t hirt y- five years of service in one depart m ent of t he governm ent . 35- 18: Vast herbal knowledge is found in ancient Sanskrit t reat ises. Him alayan herbs were em ployed in a rej uvenat ion t reat m ent which aroused t he at t ent ion of t he world in 1938 when t he m et hod was used on Pundit Madan Mohan Malaviya, 77- year- old Vice- Chancellor of Benares Hindu Universit y. To a rem arkable ext ent , t he not ed scholar regained in 45 days his healt h, st rengt h, m em ory, norm al eyesight ; indicat ions of a t hird set of t eet h appeared, while all wrinkles vanished. The herbal t reat m ent , known as Kaya Kalpa, is one of 80 rej uvenat ion m et hods out lined in Hindu Ayurveda or m edical science. Pundit Malaviya underwent t he t reat m ent at t he hands of Sri Kalpacharya Swam i Beshundasj i, who claim s 1766 as his birt h year. He possesses docum ent s proving him t o be m ore t han 100 years old; Associat ed Press report ers rem arked t hat he looked about 40. Ancient Hindu t reat ises divided m edical science int o 8 branches: salya ( surgery) ; salakya ( diseases above t he neck) ; kayachikit sa ( m edicine proper) ; bhut avidya ( m ent al diseases) ; kaum ara ( care of infancy) ; agada ( t oxicology) ; Rasayana ( longevit y) ; Vagikarana ( t onics) . Vedic physicians used delicat e surgical inst rum ent s, em ployed plast ic surgery, underst ood m edical m et hods t o count eract t he effect s of poison gas, perform ed Caesarean sect ions and brain operat ions, were skilled in dynam izat ion of drugs. Hippocrat es, fam ous physician of t he 5t h cent ury B.C., borrowed m uch of his m at eria m edica from Hindu sources. 35- 19: The East I ndian m argosa t ree. I t s m edicinal values have now becom e recognized in t he West , where t he bit t er neem bark is used as a t onic, and t he oil from seeds and fruit has been found of ut m ost wort h in t he t reat m ent of leprosy and ot her diseases. 35- 20: " A num ber of seals recent ly excavat ed from archaeological sit es of t he I ndus valley, dat able in t he t hird m illennium B.C., show figures seat ed in m edit at ive post ures now used in t he syst em of Yoga, and warrant t he inference t hat even at t hat t im e som e of t he rudim ent s of Yoga were already known. We m ay not unreasonably draw t he conclusion t hat syst em at ic int rospect ion wit h t he aid of st udied m et hods has been pract iced in I ndia for five t housand years. . . . I ndia has developed cert ain valuable religious at t it udes of m ind and et hical not ions which are unique, at least in t he wideness of t heir applicat ion t o life. One of t hese has been a t olerance in quest ions of int ellect ual belief- doct rinet hat is am azing t o t he West , where for m any cent uries heresy- hunt ing was com m on, and bloody wars bet ween nat ions over sect arian rivalries were frequent ." - Ext ract s from an art icle by Professor W. Norm an Brown in t he May, 1939 issue of t he Bullet in of t he Am erican Council of Learned Societ ies, Washingt on, D.C. 35- 21: One t hinks here of Carlyle's observat ion in Sart or Resart us: " The m an who cannot wonder, who does not habit ually wonder ( and worship) , were he president of innum erable Royal Societ ies and carried . . . t he epit om e of all laborat ories and observat ories, wit h t heir result s, in his single head,- is but a pair of spect acles behind which t here is no eye." www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 36 Babaji's Interest In The West "Master, did you ever m eet Babaji?" It was a calm sum m er night in Seram pore; the large stars of the tropics gleam ed over our heads as I sat by Sri Yukteswar's side on the second-story balcony of the herm itage. "Yes." Master sm iled at m y direct question; his eyes lit with reverence. "Three tim es I have been blessed by the sight of the deathless guru. Our first m eeting was in Allahabad at a Kum bha Mela." The religious fairs held in India since tim e im m em orial are known as Kum bha Melas; they have kept spiritual goals in constant sight of the m ultitude. Devout Hindus gather by the m illions every six years to m eet thousands of sadhus, yogis, swam is, and ascetics of all kinds. Many are herm its who never leave their secluded haunts except to attend the m elas and bestow their blessings on worldly m en and wom en. "I was not a swam i at the tim e I m et Babaji," Sri Yukteswar went on. "But I had already received Kriy a initiation from Lahiri Mahasaya. He encouraged m e to attend the m ela which was convening in J anuary, 1894 at Allahabad. It was m y first experience of a kum bha; I felt slightly dazed by the clam or and surge of the crowd. In m y searching gazes around I saw no illum ined face of a m aster. Passing a bridge on the bank of the Ganges, I noticed an acquaintance standing near-by, his begging bowl extended. "'Oh, this fair is nothing but a chaos of noise and beggars,' I thought in disillusionm ent. 'I wonder if Western scientists, patiently enlarging the realm s of knowledge for the practical good of m ankind, are not m ore pleasing to God than these idlers who profess religion but concentrate on alm s.' "My sm ouldering reflections on social reform were interrupted by the voice of a tall sannyasi who halted before m e. "'Sir,' he said, 'a saint is calling you.' "'Who is he?' "'Com e and see for yourself.' "Hesitantly following this laconic advice, I soon found m yself near a tree whose branches were www.holybooks.com sheltering a guru with an attractive group of disciples. The m aster, a bright unusual figure, with sparkling dark eyes, rose at m y approach and em braced m e. "'Welcom e, Swam iji,' he said affectionately. "'Sir,' I replied em phatically, 'I am not a swam i.' "'Those on whom I am divinely directed to bestow the title of "swam i" never cast it off.' The saint addressed m e sim ply, but deep conviction of truth rang in his words; I was engulfed in an instant wave of spiritual blessing. Sm iling at m y sudden elevation into the ancient m onastic order, 3 6 -1 I bowed at the feet of the obviously great and angelic being in hum an form who had thus honored m e. "Babaji-for it was indeed he-m otioned m e to a seat near him under the tree. He was strong and young, and looked like Lahiri Mahasaya; yet the resem blance did not strike m e, even though I had often heard of the extraordinary sim ilarities in the appearance of the two m asters. Babaji possesses a power by which he can prevent any specific thought from arising in a person's m ind. Evidently the great guru wished m e to be perfectly natural in his presence, not overawed by knowledge of his identity. "'What do you think of the Kum bha Mela?' "'I was greatly disappointed, sir.' I added hastily, 'Up until the tim e I m et you. Som ehow saints and this com m otion don't seem to belong together.' "'Child,' the m aster said, though apparently I was nearly twice his own age, 'for the faults of the m any, judge not the whole. Everything on earth is of m ixed character, like a m ingling of sand and sugar. Be like the wise ant which seizes only the sugar, and leaves the sand untouched. Though m any sadhus here still wander in delusion, yet the m ela is blessed by a few m en of Godrealization.' "In view of m y own m eeting with this exalted m aster, I quickly agreed with his observation. "'Sir,' I com m ented, 'I have been thinking of the scientific m en of the West, greater by far in intelligence than m ost people congregated here, living in distant Europe and Am erica, professing different creeds, and ignorant of the real values of such m elas as the present one. They are the m en who could benefit greatly by m eetings with India's m asters. But, although high in intellectual attainm ents, m any Westerners are wedded to rank m aterialism . Others, fam ous in science and philosophy, do not recognize the essential unity in religion. Their creeds serve as insurm ountable barriers that threaten to separate them from us forever.' "'I saw that you are interested in the West, as well as the East.' Babaji's face beam ed with approval. 'I felt the pangs of your heart, broad enough for all m en, whether Oriental or Occidental. That is why I sum m oned you here. www.holybooks.com "'East and West m ust establish a golden m iddle path of activity and spirituality com bined,' he continued. 'India has m uch to learn from the West in m aterial developm ent; in return, India can teach the universal m ethods by which the West will be able to base its religious beliefs on the unshakable foundations of yogic science. "'You, Swam iji, have a part to play in the com ing harm onious exchange between Orient and Occident. Som e years hence I shall send you a disciple whom you can train for yoga dissem ination in the West. The vibrations there of m any spiritually seeking souls com e floodlike to m e. I perceive potential saints in Am erica and Europe, waiting to be awakened.'" At this point in his story, Sri Yukteswar turned his gaze fully on m ine. "My son," he said, sm iling in the m oonlight, "you are the disciple that, years ago, Babaji prom ised to send m e." I was happy to learn that Babaji had directed m y steps to Sri Yukteswar, yet it was hard for m e to visualize m yself in the rem ote West, away from m y beloved guru and the sim ple herm itage peace. "Babaji then spoke of the Bhagavad Gita," Sri Yukteswar went on. "To m y astonishm ent, he indicated by a few words of praise that he was aware of the fact that I had written interpretations on various Gita chapters. "'At m y request, Swam iji, please undertake another task,' the great m aster said. 'Will you not write a short book on the underlying basic unity between the Christian and Hindu scriptures? Show by parallel references that the inspired sons of God have spoken the sam e truths, now obscured by m en's sectarian differences.' "'Maharaj,' 3 6 -2 I answered diffidently, 'what a com m and! Shall I be able to fulfill it?' "Babaji laughed softly. 'My son, why do you doubt?' he said reassuringly. 'Indeed, Whose work is all this, and Who is the Doer of all actions? Whatever the Lord has m ade m e say is bound to m aterialize as truth.' "I deem ed m yself em powered by the blessings of the saint, and agreed to write the book. Feeling reluctantly that the parting-hour had arrived, I rose from m y leafy seat. "'Do you know Lahiri?' 3 6 -3 the m aster inquired. 'He is a great soul, isn't he? Tell him of our m eeting.' He then gave m e a m essage for Lahiri Mahasaya. "After I had bowed hum bly in farewell, the saint sm iled benignly. 'When your book is finished, I shall pay you a visit,' he prom ised. 'Good-by for the present.' "I left Allahabad the following day and entrained for Benares. Reaching m y guru's hom e, I poured out the story of the wonderful saint at the Kum bha Mela. www.holybooks.com "'Oh, didn't you recognize him ?' Lahiri Mahasaya's eyes were dancing with laughter. 'I see you couldn't, for he prevented you. He is m y incom parable guru, the celestial Babaji!' "'Babaji!' I repeated, awestruck. 'The Yogi-Christ Babaji! The invisible-visible savior Babaji! Oh, if I could just recall the past and be once m ore in his presence, to show m y devotion at his lotus feet!' "'Never m ind,' Lahiri Mahasaya said consolingly. 'He has prom ised to see you again.' "'Gurudeva, the divine m aster asked m e to give you a m essage. "Tell Lahiri," he said, "that the stored-up power for this life now runs low; it is nearly finished."' "At m y utterance of these enigm atic words, Lahiri Mahasaya's figure trem bled as though touched by a lightning current. In an instant everything about him fell silent; his sm iling countenance turned incredibly stern. Like a wooden statue, som ber and im m ovable in its seat, his body becam e colorless. I was alarm ed and bewildered. Never in m y life had I seen this joyous soul m anifest such awful gravity. The other disciples present stared apprehensively. "Three hours passed in utter silence. Then Lahiri Mahasaya resum ed his natural, cheerful dem eanor, and spoke affectionately to each of the chelas. Everyone sighed in relief. "I realized by m y m aster's reaction that Babaji's m essage had been an unm istakable signal by which Lahiri Mahasaya understood that his body would soon be untenanted. His awesom e silence proved that m y guru had instantly controlled his being, cut his last cord of attachm ent to the m aterial world, and fled to his ever-living identity in Spirit. Babaji's rem ark had been his way of saying: 'I shall be ever with you.' "Though Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya were om niscient, and had no need of com m unicating with each other through m e or any other interm ediary, the great ones often condescend to play a part in the hum an dram a. Occasionally they transm it their prophecies through m essengers in an ordinary way, that the final fulfillm ent of their words m ay infuse greater divine faith in a wide circle of m en who later learn the story. "I soon left Benares, and set to work in Seram pore on the scriptural writings requested by Babaji," Sri Yukteswar continued. "No sooner had I begun m y task than I was able to com pose a poem dedicated to the deathless guru. The m elodious lines flowed effortlessly from m y pen, though never before had I attem pted Sanskrit poetry. "In the quiet of night I busied m yself over a com parison of the Bible and the scriptures of Sanatan Dharm a. 3 6 -4 Quoting the words of the blessed Lord J esus, I showed that his teachings were in essence one with the revelations of the Vedas. To m y relief, m y book was finished in a short tim e; I realized that this speedy blessing was due to the grace of m y Param -Guru-Maharaj. 3 6 -5 The chapters first appeared in the Sadhusam bad journal; later they were privately printed as a book by one of m y Kidderpore disciples. www.holybooks.com "The m orning after I had concluded m y literary efforts," Master continued, "I went to the Rai Ghat here to bathe in the Ganges. The ghat was deserted; I stood still for awhile, enjoying the sunny peace. After a dip in the sparkling waters, I started for hom e. The only sound in the silence was that of m y Ganges-drenched cloth, swish- swashing with every step. As I passed beyond the site of the large banyan tree near the river bank, a strong im pulse urged m e to look back. There, under the shade of the banyan, and surrounded by a few disciples, sat the great Babaji! "'Greetings, Swam iji!' The beautiful voice of the m aster rang out to assure m e I was not dream ing. 'I see you have successfully com pleted your book. As I prom ised, I am here to thank you.' "With a fast-beating heart, I prostrated m yself fully at his feet. 'Param -guruji,' I said im ploringly, 'will you and your chelas not honor m y near-by hom e with your presence?' "The suprem e guru sm ilingly declined. 'No, child,' he said, 'we are people who like the shelter of trees; this spot is quite com fortable.' "'Please tarry awhile, Master.' I gazed entreatingly at him . 'I shall be back at once with som e special sweetm eats.' "When I returned in a few m inutes with a dish of delicacies, lo! the lordly banyan no longer sheltered the celestial troupe. I searched all around the ghat, but in m y heart I knew the little band had already fled on etheric wings. "I was deeply hurt. 'Even if we m eet again, I would not care to talk to him ,' I assured m yself. 'He was unkind to leave m e so suddenly.' This was a wrath of love, of course, and nothing m ore. "A few m onths later I visited Lahiri Mahasaya in Benares. As I entered his little parlor, m y guru sm iled in greeting. "'Welcom e, Yukteswar,' he said. 'Did you just m eet Babaji at the threshold of m y room ?' "'Why, no,' I answered in surprise. "'Com e here.' Lahiri Mahasaya touched m e gently on the forehead; at once I beheld, near the door, the form of Babaji, bloom ing like a perfect lotus. "I rem em bered m y old hurt, and did not bow. Lahiri Mahasaya looked at m e in astonishm ent. "The divine guru gazed at m e with fathom less eyes. 'You are annoyed with m e.' "'Sir, why shouldn't I be?' I answered. 'Out of the air you cam e with your m agic group, and into the thin air you vanished.' "'I told you I would see you, but didn't say how long I would rem ain.' Babaji laughed softly. 'You were full of excitem ent. I assure you that I was fairly extinguished in the ether by the gust of your restlessness.' www.holybooks.com "I was instantly satisfied by this unflattering explanation. I knelt at his feet; the suprem e guru patted m e kindly on the shoulder. "'Child, you m ust m editate m ore,' he said. 'Your gaze is not yet faultless-you could not see m e hiding behind the sunlight.' With these words in the voice of a celestial flute, Babaji disappeared into the hidden radiance. "That was one of m y last visits to Benares to see m y guru," Sri Yukteswar concluded. "Even as Babaji had foretold at the Kum bha Mela, the householder-incarnation of Lahiri Mahasaya was drawing to a close. During the sum m er of 1895 his stalwart body developed a sm all boil on the back. He protested against lancing; he was working out in his own flesh the evil karm a of som e of his disciples. Finally a few chelas becam e very insistent; the m aster replied cryptically: "'The body has to find a cause to go; I will be agreeable to whatever you want to do.' "A short tim e later the incom parable guru gave up his body in Benares. No longer need I seek him out in his little parlor; I find every day of m y life blessed by his om nipresent guidance." Years later, from the lips of Swam i Keshabananda, 3 6 -6 an advanced disciple, I heard m any wonderful details about the passing of Lahiri Mahasaya. "A few days before m y guru relinquished his body," Keshabananda told m e, "he m aterialized him self before m e as I sat in m y herm itage at Hardwar. "'Com e at once to Benares.' With these words Lahiri Mahasaya vanished. "I entrained im m ediately for Benares. At m y guru's hom e I found m any disciples assem bled. For hours that day 3 6 -7 the m aster expounded the Gita; then he addressed us sim ply. "'I am going hom e.' "Sobs of anguish broke out like an irresistible torrent. "'Be com forted; I shall rise again.' After this utterance Lahiri Mahasaya thrice turned his body around in a circle, faced the north in his lotus posture, and gloriously entered the final m ahasam adhi. 3 6 -8 "Lahiri Mahasaya's beautiful body, so dear to the devotees, was crem ated with solem n householder rites at Manikarnika Ghat by the holy Ganges," Keshabananda continued. "The following day, at ten o'clock in the m orning, while I was still in Benares, m y room was suffused with a great light. Lo! before m e stood the flesh and blood form of Lahiri Mahasaya! It looked exactly like his old body, except that it appeared younger and m ore radiant. My divine guru spoke to m e. www.holybooks.com "'Keshabananda,' he said, 'it is I. From the disintegrated atom s of m y crem ated body, I have resurrected a rem odeled form . My householder work in the world is done; but I do not leave the earth entirely. Henceforth I shall spend som e tim e with Babaji in the Him alayas, and with Babaji in the cosm os.' "With a few words of blessing to m e, the transcendent m aster vanished. Wondrous inspiration filled m y heart; I was uplifted in Spirit even as were the disciples of Christ and Kabir 3 6 -9 when they had gazed on their living gurus after physical death. "When I returned to m y isolated Hardwar herm itage," Keshabananda went on, "I carried with m e the sacred ashes of m y guru. I know he has escaped the spatio-tem poral cage; the bird of om nipresence is freed. Yet it com forted m y heart to enshrine his sacred rem ains." Another disciple who was blessed by the sight of his resurrected guru was the saintly Panchanon Bhattacharya, founder of the Calcutta Arya Mission Institution. 3 6 -10 I visited Panchanon at his Calcutta hom e, and listened with delight to the story of his m any years with the m aster. In conclusion, he told m e of the m ost m arvelous event in his life. "Here in Calcutta," Panchanon said, "at ten o'clock of the m orning which followed his crem ation, Lahiri Mahasaya appeared before m e in living glory." Swam i Pranabananda, the "saint with two bodies," also confided to m e the details of his own supernal experience. "A few days before Lahiri Mahasaya left his body," Pranabananda told m e at the tim e he visited m y Ranchi school, "I received a letter from him , requesting m e to com e at once to Benares. I was delayed, however, and could not leave im m ediately. As I was in the m idst of m y travel preparations, about ten o'clock in the m orning, I was suddenly overwhelm ed with joy to see the shining figure of m y guru. "'Why hurry to Benares?' Lahiri Mahasaya said, sm iling. 'You shall find m e there no longer.' "As the im port of his words dawned on m e, I sobbed broken-heartedly, believing that I was seeing him only in a vision. "The m aster approached m e com fortingly. 'Here, touch m y flesh,' he said. 'I am living, as always. Do not lam ent; am I not with you forever?'" From the lips of these three great disciples, a story of wondrous truth has em erged: At the m orning hour of ten, on the day after the body of Lahiri Mahasaya had been consigned to the flam es, the resurrected m aster, in a real but transfigured body, appeared before three disciples, each one in a different city. "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this m ortal shall have put on www.holybooks.com im m ortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 3 6 -11 36- 1: Sri Yukt eswar was lat er form ally init iat ed int o t he Swam i Order by t he Mahant ( m onast ery head) of Buddh Gaya. 36- 2: " Great King" - a t it le of respect . 36- 3: A guru usually refers t o his own disciple sim ply by his nam e, om it t ing any t it le. Thus, Babaj i said " Lahiri," not " Lahiri Mahasaya." 36- 4: Lit erally, " et ernal religion," t he nam e given t o t he body of Vedic t eachings. Sanat an Dharm a has com e t o be called Hinduism since t he t im e of t he Greeks who designat ed t he people on t he banks of t he river I ndus as I ndoos, or Hindus. The word Hindu, properly speaking, refers only t o followers of Sanat an Dharm a or Hinduism . The t erm I ndian applies equally t o Hindus and Moham m edans and ot her inhabit ant s of t he soil of I ndia ( and also t hrough t he confusing geographical error of Colum bus, t o t he Am erican Mongoloid aboriginals) . The ancient nam e for I ndia is Aryavart a, lit erally, " abode of t he Aryans." The Sanskrit root of arya is " wort hy, holy, noble." The lat er et hnological m isuse of Aryan t o signify not spirit ual, but physical, charact erist ics, led t he great Orient alist , Max Muller, t o say quaint ly: " To m e an et hnologist who speaks of an Aryan race, Aryan blood, Aryan eyes and hair, is as great a sinner as a linguist who speaks of a dolichocephalic dict ionary or a brachycephalic gram m ar." 36- 5: param - guru is lit erally " guru suprem e" or " guru beyond," signifying a line or succession of t eachers. Babaj i, t he guru of Lahiri Mahasaya, was t he param - guru of Sri Yukt eswar. 36- 6: My visit t o Keshabananda's ashram is described on pp. 405- 408. 36- 7: Sept em ber 26, 1895 is t he dat e on which Lahiri Mahasaya left his body. I n a few m ore days he would have reached his sixt y- eight h birt hday. 36- 8: Facing t he nort h, and t hrice revolving t he body, are part s of a Vedic rit e used by m ast ers who know beforehand when t he final hour is about t o st rike for t he physical body. The last m edit at ion, during which t he m ast er m erges him self in t he Cosm ic AUM, is called t he m aha, or great , sam adhi. 36- 9: Kabir was a great sixt eent h- cent ury saint whose large following included bot h Hindus and Moham m edans. At t he t im e of his deat h, t he disciples quarreled over t he m anner of conduct ing t he funeral cerem onies. The exasperat ed m ast er rose from his final sleep, and gave his inst ruct ions. " Half of m y rem ains shall be buried by t he Moslem rit es; " he said, " let t he ot her half be crem at ed wit h a Hindu sacram ent ." He t hen vanished. When t he disciples opened t he coffin which had cont ained his body, not hing was found but a dazzling array of gold- colored cham pak flowers. Half of t hese were obedient ly buried by t he Moslem s, who revere his shrine t o t his day. I n his yout h Kabir was approached by t wo disciples who want ed m inut e int ellect ual guidance along t he m yst ic pat h. The m ast er responded sim ply: " Pat h presupposes dist ance; I f He be near, no pat h needest t hou at all. Verily it m aket h m e sm ile To hear of a fish in wat er at hirst ! " 36- 10: Panchanon est ablished, in a sevent een- acre garden at Deogarh in Bihar, a t em ple cont aining a st one st at ue of Lahiri Mahasaya. Anot her st at ue of t he great m ast er has been set by disciples in t he lit t le parlor of his Benares hom e. 36- 11: I Corint hians 15: 54- 55. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 37 I Go To America "Am erica! Surely these people are Am ericans!" This was m y thought as a panoram ic vision of Western faces passed before m y inward view. Im m ersed in m editation, I was sitting behind som e dusty boxes in the storeroom of the Ranchi school. A private spot was difficult to find during those busy years with the youngsters! The vision continued; a vast m ultitude, 3 7-1 gazing at m e intently, swept actorlike across the stage of consciousness. The storeroom door opened; as usual, one of the young lads had discovered m y hiding place. "Com e here, Bim al," I cried gaily. "I have news for you: the Lord is calling m e to Am erica!" "To Am erica?" The boy echoed m y words in a tone that im plied I had said "to the m oon." "Yes! I am going forth to discover Am erica, like Colum bus. He thought he had found India; surely there is a karm ic link between those two lands!" Bim al scam pered away; soon the whole school was inform ed by the two- legged newspaper. 3 7-2 I sum m oned the bewildered faculty and gave the school into its charge. "I know you will keep Lahiri Mahasaya's yoga ideals of education ever to the fore," I said. "I shall write you frequently; God willing, som eday I shall be back." Tears stood in m y eyes as I cast a last look at the little boys and the sunny acres of Ranchi. A definite epoch in m y life had now closed, I knew; henceforth I would dwell in far lands. I entrained for Calcutta a few hours after m y vision. The following day I received an invitation to serve as the delegate from India to an International Congress of Religious Liberals in Am erica. It was to convene that year in Boston, under the auspices of the Am erican Unitarian Association. My head in a whirl, I sought out Sri Yukteswar in Seram pore. "Guruji, I have just been invited to address a religious congress in Am erica. Shall I go?" "All doors are open for you," Master replied sim ply. "It is now or never." "But, sir," I said in dism ay, "what do I know about public speaking? Seldom have I given a lecture, www.holybooks.com and never in English." "English or no English, your words on yoga shall be heard in the West." I laughed. "Well, dear guruji, I hardly think the Am ericans will learn Bengali! Please bless m e with a push over the hurdles of the English language." 3 7-3 When I broke the news of m y plans to Father, he was utterly taken aback. To him Am erica seem ed incredibly rem ote; he feared he m ight never see m e again. "How can you go?" he asked sternly. "Who will finance you?" As he had affectionately borne the expenses of m y education and whole life, he doubtless hoped that his question would bring m y project to an em barrassing halt. "The Lord will surely finance m e." As I m ade this reply, I thought of the sim ilar one I had given long ago to m y brother Ananta in Agra. Without very m uch guile, I added, "Father, perhaps God will put it into your m ind to help m e." "No, never!" He glanced at m e piteously. I was astounded, therefore, when Father handed m e, the following day, a check m ade out for a large am ount. "I give you this m oney," he said, "not in m y capacity as a father, but as a faithful disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. Go then to that far Western land; spread there the creedless teachings of Kriy a Yoga." I was im m ensely touched at the selfless spirit in which Father had been able to quickly put aside his personal desires. The just realization had com e to him during the preceding night that no ordinary desire for foreign travel was m otivating m y voyage. "Perhaps we shall not m eet again in this life." Father, who was sixty- seven at this tim e, spoke sadly. An intuitive conviction prom pted m e to reply, "Surely the Lord will bring us together once m ore." As I went about m y preparations to leave Master and m y native land for the unknown shores of Am erica, I experienced not a little trepidation. I had heard m any stories about the m aterialistic Western atm osphere, one very different from the spiritual background of India, pervaded with the centuried aura of saints. "An Oriental teacher who will dare the Western airs," I thought, "m ust be hardy beyond the trials of any Him alayan cold!" One early m orning I began to pray, with an adam ant determ ination to continue, to even die praying, until I heard the voice of God. I wanted His blessing and assurance that I would not lose m yself in the fogs of m odern utilitarianism . My heart was set to go to Am erica, but even m ore strongly was it resolved to hear the solace of divine perm ission. www.holybooks.com I prayed and prayed, m uffling m y sobs. No answer cam e. My silent petition increased in excruciating crescendo until, at noon, I had reached a zenith; m y brain could no longer withstand the pressure of m y agonies. If I cried once m ore with an increased depth of m y inner passion, I felt as though m y brain would split. At that m om ent there cam e a knock outside the vestibule adjoining the Gurpar Road room in which I was sitting. Opening the door, I saw a young m an in the scanty garb of a renunciate. He cam e in, closed the door behind him and, refusing m y request to sit down, indicated with a gesture that he wished to talk to m e while standing. "He m ust be Babaji!" I thought, dazed, because the m an before m e had the features of a younger Lahiri Mahasaya. He answered m y thought. "Yes, I am Babaji." He spoke m elodiously in Hindi. "Our Heavenly Father has heard your prayer. He com m ands m e to tell you: Follow the behests of your guru and go to Am erica. Fear not; you will be protected." After a vibrant pause, Babaji addressed m e again. "You are the one I have chosen to spread the m essage of Kriy a Yoga in the West. Long ago I m et your guru Yukteswar at a Kum bha Mela; I told him then I would send you to him for training." I was speechless, choked with devotional awe at his presence, and deeply touched to hear from his own lips that he had guided m e to Sri Yukteswar. I lay prostrate before the deathless guru. He graciously lifted m e from the floor. Telling m e m any things about m y life, he then gave m e som e personal instruction, and uttered a few secret prophecies. "Kriy a Yoga, the scientific technique of God-realization," he finally said with solem nity, "will ultim ately spread in all lands, and aid in harm onizing the nations through m an's personal, transcendental perception of the Infinite Father." With a gaze of m ajestic power, the m aster electrified m e by a glim pse of his cosm ic consciousness. In a short while he started toward the door. "Do not try to follow m e," he said. "You will not be able to do so." "Please, Babaji, don't go away!" I cried repeatedly. "Take m e with you!" Looking back, he replied, "Not now. Som e other tim e." Overcom e by em otion, I disregarded his warning. As I tried to pursue him , I discovered that m y feet were firm ly rooted to the floor. From the door, Babaji gave m e a last affectionate glance. He raised his hand by way of benediction and walked away, m y eyes fixed on him longingly. After a few m inutes m y feet were free. I sat down and went into a deep m editation, unceasingly thanking God not only for answering m y prayer but for blessing m e by a m eeting with Babaji. My whole body seem ed sanctified through the touch of the ancient, ever-youthful m aster. Long had it been m y burning desire to behold him . www.holybooks.com Until now, I have never recounted to anyone this story of m y m eeting with Babaji. Holding it as the m ost sacred of m y hum an experiences, I have hidden it in m y heart. But the thought occurred to m e that readers of this autobiography m ay be m ore inclined to believe in the reality of the secluded Babaji and his world interests if I relate that I saw him with m y own eyes. I have helped an artist to draw a true picture of the great Yogi-Christ of m odern India; it appears in this book. The eve of m y departure for the United States found m e in Sri Yukteswar's holy presence. "Forget you were born a Hindu, and don't be an Am erican. Take the best of them both," Master said in his calm way of wisdom . "Be your true self, a child of God. Seek and incorporate into your being the best qualities of all your brothers, scattered over the earth in various races." Then he blessed m e: "All those who com e to you with faith, seeking God, will be helped. As you look at them , the spiritual current em anating from your eyes will enter into their brains and change their m aterial habits, m aking them m ore God-conscious." He went on, "Your lot to attract sincere souls is very good. Everywhere you go, even in a wilderness, you will find friends." Both of his blessings have been am ply dem onstrated. I cam e alone to Am erica, into a wilderness without a single friend, but there I found thousands ready to receive the tim e-tested soulteachings. I left India in August, 1920 , on The City Of Sparta, the first passenger boat sailing for Am erica after the close of World War I. I had been able to book passage only after the rem oval, in ways fairly m iraculous, of m any "red-tape" difficulties concerned with the granting of m y passport. During the two-m onths' voyage a fellow passenger found out that I was the Indian delegate to the Boston congress. "Swam i Yogananda," he said, with the first of m any quaint pronunciations by which I was later to hear m y nam e spoken by the Am ericans, "please favor the passengers with a lecture next Thursday night. I think we would all benefit by a talk on 'The Battle of Life and How to Fight It.'" Alas! I had to fight the battle of m y own life, I discovered on Wednesday. Desperately trying to organize m y ideas into a lecture in English, I finally abandoned all preparations; m y thoughts, like a wild colt eyeing a saddle, refused any cooperation with the laws of English gram m ar. Fully trusting in Master's past assurances, however, I appeared before m y Thursday audience in the saloon of the steam er. No eloquence rose to m y lips; speechlessly I stood before the assem blage. After an endurance contest lasting ten m inutes, the audience realized m y predicam ent and began to laugh. www.holybooks.com I stand on the dais before one of my classes in America. This class of a thousand yoga students was held in Washington, D.C. The situation was not funny to m e at the m om ent; indignantly I sent a silent prayer to Master. "You can! Speak!" His voice sounded instantly within m y consciousness. My thoughts fell at once into a friendly relation with the English language. Forty-five m inutes later the audience was still attentive. The talk won m e a num ber of invitations to lecture later before various groups in Am erica. I never could rem em ber, afterward, a word that I had spoken. By discreet inquiry I learned from a num ber of passengers: "You gave an inspiring lecture in stirring and correct English." At this delightful news I hum bly thanked m y guru for his tim ely help, realizing anew that he was ever with m e, setting at naught all barriers of tim e and space. Once in awhile, during the rem ainder of the ocean trip, I experienced a few apprehensive twinges about the com ing English-lecture ordeal at the Boston congress. "Lord," I prayed, "please let m y inspiration be Thyself, and not again the laughter-bom bs of the audience!" The City Of Sparta docked near Boston in late Septem ber. On the sixth of October I addressed the congress with m y m aiden speech in Am erica. It was well received; I sighed in relief. The m agnanim ous secretary of the Am erican Unitarian Association wrote the following com m ent in a published account 3 7-4 of the congress proceedings: "Swam i Yogananda, delegate from the Brahm acharya Ashram of Ranchi, India, brought the greetings of his Association to the Congress. In fluent English and a forcible delivery he gave an address of a philosophical character on 'The Science of Religion,' which has been printed in pam phlet form for a wider distribution. Religion, he m aintained, is universal and it is one. We www.holybooks.com cannot possibly universalize particular custom s and convictions, but the com m on elem ent in religion can be universalized, and we can ask all alike to follow and obey it." Due to Father's generous check, I was able to rem ain in Am erica after the congress was over. Four happy years were spent in hum ble circum stances in Boston. I gave public lectures, taught classes, and wrote a book of poem s, Songs Of The Soul, with a preface by Dr. Frederick B. Robinson, president of the College of the City of New York. 3 7-5 Starting a transcontinental tour in the sum m er of 1924, I spoke before thousands in the principal cities, ending m y western trip with a vacation in the beautiful Alaskan north. With the help of large-hearted students, by the end of 1925 I had established an Am erican headquarters on the Mount Washington Estates in Los Angeles. The building is the one I had seen years before in m y vision at Kashm ir. I hastened to send Sri Yukteswar pictures of these distant Am erican activities. He replied with a postcard in Bengali, which I here translate: 11th August, 1926 Child of m y heart, O Yogananda! Seeing the photos of your school and students, what joy com es in m y life I cannot express in words. I am m elting in joy to see your yoga students of different cities. Beholding your m ethods in chant affirm ations, healing vibrations, and divine healing prayers, I cannot refrain from thanking you from m y heart. Seeing the gate, the winding hilly way upward, and the beautiful scenery spread out beneath the Mount Washington Estates, I yearn to behold it all with m y own eyes. Everything here is going on well. Through the grace of God, m ay you ever be in bliss. SRI YUKTESWAR GIRI Years sped by. I lectured in every part of m y new land, and addressed hundreds of clubs, colleges, churches, and groups of every denom ination. Tens of thousands of Am ericans received yoga initiation. To them all I dedicated a new book of prayer thoughts in 1929-W hispers From Eternity , with a preface by Am elita Galli-Curci. 3 7-6 I give here, from the book, a poem entitled "God! God! God!", com posed one night as I stood on a lecture platform : From the depths of slumber, As I ascend the spiral stairway of wakefulness, I whisper: God! God! God! Thou art the food, and when I break my fast Of nightly separation from Thee, I taste Thee, and mentally say: www.holybooks.com God! God! God! No matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind Ever keeps turning on Thee; And in the battle din of activity My silent war cry is ever: God! God! God! When boisterous storms of trials shriek, And when worries howl at me, I drown their clamor, loudly chanting: God! God! God! When my mind weaves dreams With threads of memories, Then on that magic cloth I find embossed: God! God! God! Every night, in time of deepest sleep, My peace dreams and calls, Joy! Joy! Joy! And my joy comes singing evermore: God! God! God! In waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping, Serving, meditating, chanting, divinely loving, My soul constantly hums, unheard by any: God! God! God! Som etim es-usually on the first of the m onth when the bills rolled in for upkeep of the Mount Washington and other Self-Realization Fellowship centers!-I thought longingly of the sim ple peace of India. But daily I saw a widening understanding between West and East; m y soul rejoiced. I have found the great heart of Am erica expressed in the wondrous lines by Em m a Lazarus, carved at the base of the Statue of Liberty, the "Mother of Exiles": From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door. www.holybooks.com 37- 1: Many of t hose faces I have since seen in t he West , and inst ant ly recognized.. 37- 2: Swam i Prem ananda, now t he leader of t he Self- Realizat ion Church of All Religions in Washingt on, D.C., was one of t he st udent s at t he Ranchi school at t he t im e I left t here for Am erica. ( He was t hen Brahm achari Jot in.) 37- 3: Sri Yukt eswar and I ordinarily conversed in Bengali. 37- 4: New Pilgrim ages Of The Spirit ( Bost on: Beacon Press, 1921) . 37- 5: Dr. and Mrs. Robinson visit ed I ndia in 1939, and were honored guest s at t he Ranchi school. 37- 6: Mm e. Galli- Curci and her husband, Hom er Sam uels, t he pianist , have been Kriya Yoga st udent s for t went y years. The inspiring st ory of t he fam ous prim a donna's years of m usic has been recent ly published ( Galli- Curci's Life Of Song, by C. E. LeMassena, Paebar Co., New York, 1945) . CHAPTER: 38 Luther Burbank -- A Saint Amidst The Roses "The secret of im proved plant breeding, apart from scientific knowledge, is love." Luther Burbank uttered this wisdom as I walked beside him in his Santa Rosa garden. We halted near a bed of edible cacti. "While I was conducting experim ents to m ake 'spineless' cacti," he continued, "I often talked to the plants to create a vibration of love. 'You have nothing to fear,' I would tell them . 'You don't need your defensive thorns. I will protect you.' Gradually the useful plant of the desert em erged in a thornless variety." I was charm ed at this m iracle. "Please, dear Luther, give m e a few cacti leaves to plant in m y garden at Mount Washington." A workm an standing near-by started to strip off som e leaves; Burbank prevented him . "I m yself will pluck them for the swam i." He handed m e three leaves, which later I planted, rejoicing as they grew to huge estate. The great horticulturist told m e that his first notable trium ph was the large potato, now known by his nam e. With the indefatigability of genius, he went on to present the world with hundreds of www.holybooks.com crossed im provem ents on nature-his new Burbank varieties of tom ato, corn, squash, cherries, plum s, nectarines, berries, poppies, lilies, roses. I focused m y cam era as Luther led m e before the fam ous walnut tree by which he had proved that natural evolution can be telescopically hastened. "In only sixteen years," he said, "this walnut tree reached a state of abundant nut production to which an unaided nature would have brought the tree in twice that tim e." Luther Burbank, beloved friend, poses with me in his Santa Rosa garden. Burbank's little adopted daughter cam e rom ping with her dog into the garden. "She is m y hum an plant." Luther waved to her affectionately. "I see hum anity now as one vast plant, needing for its highest fulfillm ents only love, the natural blessings of the great outdoors, and intelligent crossing and selection. In the span of m y own lifetim e I have observed such wondrous progress in plant evolution that I look forward optim istically to a healthy, happy world as soon as its children are taught the principles of sim ple and rational living. We m ust return to nature and nature's God." "Luther, you would delight in m y Ranchi school, with its outdoor classes, and atm osphere of joy and sim plicity." My words touched the chord closest to Burbank's heart-child education. He plied m e with questions, interest gleam ing from his deep, serene eyes. "Swam iji," he said finally, "schools like yours are the only hope of a future m illennium . I am in revolt against the educational system s of our tim e, severed from nature and stifling of all www.holybooks.com individuality. I am with you heart and soul in your practical ideals of education." As I was taking leave of the gentle sage, he autographed a sm all volum e and presented it to m e. 3 8 1 "Here is m y book on The Training Of The Hum an Plant," 3 8 -2 he said. "New types of training are needed-fearless experim ents. At tim es the m ost daring trials have succeeded in bringing out the best in fruits and flowers. Educational innovations for children should likewise becom e m ore num erous, m ore courageous." I read his little book that night with intense interest. His eye envisioning a glorious future for the race, he wrote: "The m ost stubborn living thing in this world, the m ost difficult to swerve, is a plant once fixed in certain habits. . . . Rem em ber that this plant has preserved its individuality all through the ages; perhaps it is one which can be traced backward through eons of tim e in the very rocks them selves, never having varied to any great extent in all these vast periods. Do you suppose, after all these ages of repetition, the plant does not becom e possessed of a will, if you so choose to call it, of unparalleled tenacity? Indeed, there are plants, like certain of the palm s, so persistent that no hum an power has yet been able to change them . The hum an will is a weak thing beside the will of a plant. But see how this whole plant's lifelong stubbornness is broken sim ply by blending a new life with it, m aking, by crossing, a com plete and powerful change in its life. Then when the break com es, fix it by these generations of patient supervision and selection, and the new plant sets out upon its new way never again to return to the old, its tenacious will broken and changed at last. "When it com es to so sensitive and pliable a thing as the nature of a child, the problem becom es vastly easier." Magnetically drawn to this great Am erican, I visited him again and again. One m orning I arrived at the sam e tim e as the postm an, who deposited in Burbank's study about a thousand letters. Horticulturists wrote him from all parts of the world. "Swam iji, your presence is just the excuse I need to get out into the garden," Luther said gaily. He opened a large desk-drawer containing hundreds of travel folders. "See," he said, "this is how I do m y traveling. Tied down by m y plants and correspondence, I satisfy m y desire for foreign lands by a glance now and then at these pictures." My car was standing before his gate; Luther and I drove along the streets of the little town, its gardens bright with his own varieties of Santa Rosa, Peachblow, and Burbank roses. "My friend Henry Ford and I both believe in the ancient theory of reincarnation," Luther told m e. "It sheds light on aspects of life otherwise inexplicable. Mem ory is not a test of truth; just because m an fails to rem em ber his past lives does not prove he never had them . Mem ory is blank concerning his wom b-life and infancy, too; but he probably passed through them !" He chuckled. The great scientist had received Kriy a initiation during one of m y earlier visits. "I practice the technique devoutly, Swam iji," he said. After m any thoughtful questions to m e about various www.holybooks.com aspects of yoga, Luther rem arked slowly: "The East indeed possesses im m ense hoards of knowledge which the West has scarcely begun to explore." Intim ate com m union with nature, who unlocked to him m any of her jealously guarded secrets, had given Burbank a boundless spiritual reverence. "Som etim es I feel very close to the Infinite Power," he confided shyly. His sensitive, beautifully m odeled face lit with his m em ories. "Then I have been able to heal sick persons around m e, as well as m any ailing plants." He told m e of his m other, a sincere Christian. "Many tim es after her death," Luther said, "I have been blessed by her appearance in visions; she has spoken to m e." We drove back reluctantly toward his hom e and those waiting thousand letters. "Luther," I rem arked, "next m onth I am starting a m agazine to present the truth-offerings of East and West. Please help m e decide on a good nam e for the journal." We discussed titles for awhile, and finally agreed on East-W est. After we had reentered his study, Burbank gave m e an article he had written on "Science and Civilization." "This will go in the first issue of East-W est," I said gratefully. As our friendship grew deeper, I called Burbank m y "Am erican saint." "Behold a m an," I quoted, "in whom there is no guile!" His heart was fathom lessly deep, long acquainted with hum ility, patience, sacrifice. His little hom e am idst the roses was austerely sim ple; he knew the worthlessness of luxury, the joy of few possessions. The m odesty with which he wore his scientific fam e repeatedly rem inded m e of the trees that bend low with the burden of ripening fruits; it is the barren tree that lifts its head high in an em pty boast. I was in New York when, in 1926, m y dear friend passed away. In tears I thought, "Oh, I would gladly walk all the way from here to Santa Rosa for one m ore glim pse of him !" Locking m yself away from secretaries and visitors, I spent the next twenty-four hours in seclusion. The following day I conducted a Vedic m em orial rite around a large picture of Luther. A group of m y Am erican students, garbed in Hindu cerem onial clothes, chanted the ancient hym ns as an offering was m ade of flowers, water, and fire-sym bols of the bodily elem ents and their release in the Infinite Source. Though the form of Burbank lies in Santa Rosa under a Lebanon cedar that he planted years ago in his garden, his soul is enshrined for m e in every wide-eyed flower that bloom s by the wayside. Withdrawn for a tim e into the spacious spirit of nature, is that not Luther whispering in her winds, walking her dawns? www.holybooks.com His nam e has now passed into the heritage of com m on speech. Listing "burbank" as a transitive verb, Webster's New International Dictionary defines it: "To cross or graft (a plant). Hence, figuratively, to im prove (anything, as a process or institution) by selecting good features and rejecting bad, or by adding good features." "Beloved Burbank," I cried after reading the definition, "your very nam e is now a synonym for goodness!" LUTHER BURBANK SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA U.S.A. December 22, 1924 I have examined the Yogoda system of Swami Yogananda and in my opinion it is ideal for training and harmonizing man's physical, mental, and spiritual natures. Swami's aim is to establish "How-to-Live" schools throughout the world, wherein education will not confine itself to intellectual development alone, but also training of the body, will, and feelings. Through the Yogoda system of physical, mental, and spiritual unfoldment by simple and scientific methods of concentration and meditation, most of the complex problems of life may be solved, and peace and good-will come upon earth. The Swami's idea of right education is plain commonsense, free from all mysticism and nonpraciticality; otherwise it would not have my approval. I am glad to have this opportunity of heartily joining with the Swami in his appeal for international schools on the art of living which, if established, will come as near to bringing the millennium as anything with which I am acquainted. 38- 1: Burbank also gave m e an aut ographed pict ure of him self. I t reasure it even as a Hindu m erchant once t reasured a pict ure of Lincoln. The Hindu, who was in Am erica during t he Civil War years, conceived such an adm irat ion for Lincoln www.holybooks.com t hat he was unwilling t o ret urn t o I ndia unt il he had obt ained a port rait of t he Great Em ancipat or. Plant ing him self adam ant ly on Lincoln's doorst ep, t he m erchant refused t o leave unt il t he ast onished President perm it t ed him t o engage t he services of Daniel Hunt ingt on, t he fam ous New York art ist . When t he port rait was finished, t he Hindu carried it in t rium ph t o Calcut t a. 38- 2: New York: Cent ury Co., 1922. CHAPTER: 39 Therese Neumann, The Catholic Stigmatist "Return to india. I have waited for you patiently for fifteen years. Soon I shall swim out of the body and on to the Shining Abode. Yogananda, com e!" Sri Yukteswar's voice sounded startlingly in m y inner ear as I sat in m editation at m y Mt. Washington headquarters. Traversing ten thousand m iles in the twinkling of an eye, his m essage penetrated m y being like a flash of lightning. Fifteen years! Yes, I realized, now it is 1935; I have spent fifteen years in spreading m y guru's teachings in Am erica. Now he recalls m e. That afternoon I recounted m y experience to a visiting disciple. His spiritual developm ent under Kriy a Yoga was so rem arkable that I often called him "saint," rem em bering Babaji's prophecy that Am erica too would produce m en and wom en of divine realization through the ancient yogic path. This disciple and a num ber of others generously insisted on m aking a donation for m y travels. The financial problem thus solved, I m ade arrangem ents to sail, via Europe, for India. Busy weeks of preparations at Mount Washington! In March, 1935 I had the Self- Realization Fellowship chartered under the laws of the State of California as a non-profit corporation. To this educational institution go all public donations as well as the revenue from the sale of m y books, m agazine, written courses, class tuition, and every other source of incom e. "I shall be back," I told m y students. "Never shall I forget Am erica." At a farewell banquet given to m e in Los Angeles by loving friends, I looked long at their faces and thought gratefully, "Lord, he who rem em bers Thee as the Sole Giver will never lack the sweetness www.holybooks.com of friendship am ong m ortals." I sailed from New York on J une 9, 1935 3 9 -1 in the Europa. Two students accom panied m e: m y secretary, Mr. C. Richard Wright, and an elderly lady from Cincinnati, Miss Ettie Bletch. We enjoyed the days of ocean peace, a welcom e contrast to the past hurried weeks. Our period of leisure was short-lived; the speed of m odern boats has som e regrettable features! Like any other group of inquisitive tourists, we walked around the huge and ancient city of London. The following day I was invited to address a large m eeting in Caxton Hall, at which I was introduced to the London audience by Sir Francis Younghusband. Our party spent a pleasant day as guests of Sir Harry Lauder at his estate in Scotland. We soon crossed the English Channel to the continent, for I wanted to m ake a special pilgrim age to Bavaria. This would be m y only chance, I felt, to visit the great Catholic m ystic, Therese Neum ann of Konnersreuth. Years earlier I had read an am azing account of Therese. Inform ation given in the article was as follows: (1) Therese, born in 1898, had been injured in an accident at the age of twenty; she becam e blind and paralyzed. (2) She m iraculously regained her sight in 1923 through prayers to St. Teresa, "The Little Flower." Later Therese Neum ann's lim bs were instantaneously healed. (3) From 1923 onward, Therese has abstained com pletely from food and drink, except for the daily swallowing of one sm all consecrated wafer. (4) The stigm ata, or sacred wounds of Christ, appeared in 1926 on Therese's head, breast, hands, and feet. On Friday of every week thereafter, she has passed through the Passion of Christ, suffering in her own body all his historic agonies. (5) Knowing ordinarily only the sim ple Germ an of her village, during her Friday trances Therese utters phrases which scholars have identified as ancient Aram aic. At appropriate tim es in her vision, she speaks Hebrew or Greek. (6) By ecclesiastical perm ission, Therese has several tim es been under close scientific observation. Dr. Fritz Gerlick, editor of a Protestant Germ an newspaper, went to Konnersreuth to "expose the Catholic fraud," but ended up by reverently writing her biography. 3 9 -2 As always, whether in East or West, I was eager to m eet a saint. I rejoiced as our little party entered, on J uly 16th, the quaint village of Konnersreuth. The Bavarian peasants exhibited lively interest in our Ford autom obile (brought with us from Am erica) and its assorted group-an Am erican young m an, an elderly lady, and an olive-hued Oriental with long hair tucked under his coat collar. Therese's little cottage, clean and neat, with geranium s bloom ing by a prim itive well, was alas! www.holybooks.com silently closed. The neighbors, and even the village postm an who passed by, could give us no inform ation. Rain began to fall; m y com panions suggested that we leave. "No," I said stubbornly, "I will stay here until I find som e clue leading to Therese." Two hours later we were still sitting in our car am idst the dism al rain. "Lord," I sighed com plainingly, "why didst Thou lead m e here if she has disappeared?" An English-speaking m an halted beside us, politely offering his aid. "I don't know for certain where Therese is," he said, "but she often visits at the hom e of Professor Wurz, a sem inary m aster of Eichstatt, eighty m iles from here." The following m orning our party m otored to the quiet village of Eichstatt, narrowly lined with cobblestoned streets. Dr. Wurz greeted us cordially at his hom e; "Yes, Therese is here." He sent her word of the visitors. A m essenger soon appeared with her reply. "Though the bishop has asked m e to see no one without his perm ission, I will receive the m an of God from India." Deeply touched at these words, I followed Dr. Wurz upstairs to the sitting room . Therese entered im m ediately, radiating an aura of peace and joy. She wore a black gown and spotless white head dress. Although her age was thirty-seven at this tim e, she seem ed m uch younger, possessing indeed a childlike freshness and charm . Healthy, well- form ed, rosy-cheeked, and cheerful, this is the saint that does not eat! Therese greeted m e with a very gentle handshaking. We both beam ed in silent com m union, each knowing the other to be a lover of God. Dr. Wurz kindly offered to serve as interpreter. As we seated ourselves, I noticed that Therese was glancing at m e with naive curiosity; evidently Hindus had been rare in Bavaria. "Don't you eat anything?" I wanted to hear the answer from her own lips. "No, except a consecrated rice-flour wafer, once every m orning at six o'clock." "How large is the wafer?" "It is paper-thin, the size of a sm all coin." She added, "I take it for sacram ental reasons; if it is unconsecrated, I am unable to swallow it." "Certainly you could not have lived on that, for twelve whole years?" "I live by God's light." How sim ple her reply, how Einsteinian! "I see you realize that energy flows to your body from the ether, sun, and air." www.holybooks.com A swift sm ile broke over her face. "I am so happy to know you understand how I live." "Your sacred life is a daily dem onstration of the truth uttered by Christ: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the m outh of God.'" 3 9 -3 Again she showed joy at m y explanation. "It is indeed so. One of the reasons I am here on earth today is to prove that m an can live by God's invisible light, and not by food only." "Can you teach others how to live without food?" She appeared a trifle shocked. "I cannot do that; God does not wish it." As m y gaze fell on her strong, graceful hands, Therese showed m e a little, square, freshly healed wound on each of her palm s. On the back of each hand, she pointed out a sm aller, crescentshaped wound, freshly healed. Each wound went straight through the hand. The sight brought to m y m ind distinct recollection of the large square iron nails with crescent-tipped ends, still used in the Orient, but which I do not recall having seen in the West. The saint told m e som ething of her weekly trances. "As a helpless onlooker, I observe the whole Passion of Christ." Each week, from Thursday m idnight until Friday afternoon at one o'clock, her wounds open and bleed; she loses ten pounds of her ordinary 121-pound weight. Suffering intensely in her sym pathetic love, Therese yet looks forward joyously to these weekly visions of her Lord. I realized at once that her strange life is intended by God to reassure all Christians of the historical authenticity of J esus' life and crucifixion as recorded in the New Testam ent, and to dram atically display the ever-living bond between the Galilean Master and his devotees. Professor Wurz related som e of his experiences with the saint. "Several of us, including Therese, often travel for days on sight- seeing trips throughout Germ any," he told m e. "It is a striking contrast-while we have three m eals a day, Therese eats nothing. She rem ains as fresh as a rose, untouched by the fatigue which the trips cause us. As we grow hungry and hunt for wayside inns, she laughs m errily." The professor added som e interesting physiological details: "Because Therese takes no food, her stom ach has shrunk. She has no excretions, but her perspiration glands function; her skin is always soft and firm ." At the tim e of parting, I expressed to Therese m y desire to be present at her trance. "Yes, please com e to Konnersreuth next Friday," she said graciously. "The bishop will give you a perm it. I am very happy you sought m e out in Eichstatt." www.holybooks.com Therese shook hands gently, m any tim es, and walked with our party to the gate. Mr. Wright turned on the autom obile radio; the saint exam ined it with little enthusiastic chuckles. Such a large crowd of youngsters gathered that Therese retreated into the house. We saw her at a window, where she peered at us, childlike, waving her hand. From a conversation the next day with two of Therese's brothers, very kind and am iable, we learned that the saint sleeps only one or two hours at night. In spite of the m any wounds in her body, she is active and full of energy. She loves birds, looks after an aquarium of fish, and works often in her garden. Her correspondence is large; Catholic devotees write her for prayers and healing blessings. Many seekers have been cured through her of serious diseases. Her brother Ferdinand, about twenty-three, explained that Therese has the power, through prayer, of working out on her own body the ailm ents of others. The saint's abstinence from food dates from a tim e when she prayed that the throat disease of a young m an of her parish, then preparing to enter holy orders, be transferred to her own throat. On Thursday afternoon our party drove to the hom e of the bishop, who looked at m y flowing locks with som e surprise. He readily wrote out the necessary perm it. There was no fee; the rule m ade by the Church is sim ply to protect Therese from the onrush of casual tourists, who in previous years had flocked on Fridays by the thousands. We arrived Friday m orning about nine-thirty in Konnersreuth. I noticed that Therese's little cottage possesses a special glass-roofed section to afford her plenty of light. We were glad to see the doors no longer closed, but wide-open in hospitable cheer. There was a line of about twenty visitors, arm ed with their perm its. Many had com e from great distances to view the m ystic trance. Therese had passed m y first test at the professor's house by her intuitive knowledge that I wanted to see her for spiritual reasons, and not just to satisfy a passing curiosity. My second test was connected with the fact that, just before I went upstairs to her room , I put m yself into a yogic trance state in order to be one with her in telepathic and televisic rapport. I entered her cham ber, filled with visitors; she was lying in a white robe on the bed. With Mr. Wright following closely behind m e, I halted just inside the threshold, awestruck at a strange and m ost frightful spectacle. www.holybooks.com THERESE NEUMANN Famous Catholic Stigmatist who inspired my 1935 pilgrimage to Konnersreuth, Bavaria Blood flowed thinly and continuously in an inch-wide stream from Therese's lower eyelids. Her gaze was focused upward on the spiritual eye within the central forehead. The cloth wrapped around her head was drenched in blood from the stigm ata wounds of the crown of thorns. The white garm ent was redly splotched over her heart from the wound in her side at the spot where Christ's body, long ages ago, had suffered the final indignity of the soldier's spear-thrust. Therese's hands were extended in a gesture m aternal, pleading; her face wore an expression both tortured and divine. She appeared thinner, changed in m any subtle as well as outward ways. Murm uring words in a foreign tongue, she spoke with slightly quivering lips to persons visible before her inner sight. As I was in attunem ent with her, I began to see the scenes of her vision. She was watching J esus as he carried the cross am idst the jeering m ultitude. 3 9 -4 Suddenly she lifted her head in consternation: the Lord had fallen under the cruel weight. The vision disappeared. In the exhaustion of fervid pity, Therese sank heavily against her pillow. At this m om ent I heard a loud thud behind m e. Turning m y head for a second, I saw two m en carrying out a prostrate body. But because I was com ing out of the deep superconscious state, I did not im m ediately recognize the fallen person. Again I fixed m y eyes on Therese's face, deathly pale under the rivulets of blood, but now calm , radiating purity and holiness. I glanced behind m e later and saw Mr. Wright standing with his hand against his cheek, from which blood was trickling. "Dick," I inquired anxiously, "were you the one who fell?" www.holybooks.com "Yes, I fainted at the terrifying spectacle." "Well," I said consolingly, "you are brave to return and look upon the sight again." Rem em bering the patiently waiting line of pilgrim s, Mr. Wright and I silently bade farewell to Therese and left her sacred presence. 3 9 -5 The following day our little group m otored south, thankful that we were not dependent on trains, but could stop the Ford wherever we chose throughout the countryside. We enjoyed every m inute of a tour through Germ any, Holland, France, and the Swiss Alps. In Italy we m ade a special trip to Assisi to honor the apostle of hum ility, St. Francis. The European tour ended in Greece, where we viewed the Athenian tem ples, and saw the prison in which the gentle Socrates 3 9 -6 had drunk his death potion. One is filled with adm iration for the artistry with which the Greeks have everywhere wrought their very fancies in alabaster. We took ship over the sunny Mediterranean, disem barking at Palestine. Wandering day after day over the Holy Land, I was m ore than ever convinced of the value of pilgrim age. The spirit of Christ is all- pervasive in Palestine; I walked reverently by his side at Bethlehem , Gethsem ane, Calvary, the holy Mount of Olives, and by the River J ordan and the Sea of Galilee. Our little party visited the Birth Manger, J oseph's carpenter shop, the tom b of Lazarus, the house of Martha and Mary, the hall of the Last Supper. Antiquity unfolded; scene by scene, I saw the divine dram a that Christ once played for the ages. On to Egypt, with its m odern Cairo and ancient pyram ids. Then a boat down the narrow Red Sea, over the vasty Arabian Sea; lo, India! 39- 1: The rem arkable inclusion here of a com plet e dat e is due t o t he fact t hat m y secret ary, Mr. Wright , kept a t ravel diary. 39- 2: Ot her books on her life are Therese Neum ann: A St igm at ist Of Our Day, and Furt her Chronicles Of Therese Neum ann, bot h by Friedrich Rit t er von Lam a ( Milwaukee: Bruce Pub. Co.) . 39- 3: Mat t hew 4: 4. Man's body bat t ery is not sust ained by gross food ( bread) alone, but by t he vibrat ory cosm ic energy ( word, or AUM) . The invisible power flows int o t he hum an body t hrough t he gat e of t he m edulla oblongat a. This sixt h bodily cent er is locat ed at t he back of t he neck at t he t op of t he five spinal chakras ( Sanskrit for " wheels" or cent ers of radiat ing force) . The m edulla is t he principal ent rance for t he body's supply of universal life force ( AUM) , and is direct ly connect ed wit h m an's power of will, concent rat ed in t he sevent h or Christ Consciousness cent er ( Kut ast ha) in t he t hird eye bet ween t he eyebrows. Cosm ic energy is t hen st ored up in t he brain as a reservoir of infinit e pot ent ialit ies, poet ically m ent ioned in t he Vedas as t he " t housand- pet aled lot us of light ." The Bible invariably refers t o AUM as t he " Holy Ghost " or invisible life force which divinely upholds all creat ion. " What ? know ye not t hat your body is t he t em ple of t he Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" - I Corint hians 6: 19. 39- 4: During t he hours preceding m y arrival, Therese had already passed t hrough m any visions of t he closing days in Christ 's life. Her ent rancem ent usually st art s wit h scenes of t he event s which followed t he Last Supper. Her visions end wit h Jesus' deat h on t he cross or, occasionally, wit h his ent om bm ent . 39- 5: Therese has survived t he Nazi persecut ion, and is st ill present in Konnersreut h, according t o 1945 Am erican news dispat ches from Germ any. www.holybooks.com 39- 6: A passage in Eusebius relat es an int erest ing encount er bet ween Socrat es and a Hindu sage. The passage runs: " Arist oxenus, t he m usician, t ells t he following st ory about t he I ndians. One of t hese m en m et Socrat es at At hens, and asked him what was t he scope of his philosophy. 'An inquiry int o hum an phenom ena,' replied Socrat es. At t his t he I ndian burst out laughing. 'How can a m an inquire int o hum an phenom ena,' he said, 'when he is ignorant of divine ones?'" The Arist oxenus m ent ioned was a pupil of Arist ot le, and a not ed writ er on harm onics. His dat e is 330 B.C. CHAPTER: 40 I Return To India Gratefully I was inhaling the blessed air of India. Our boat Rajputana docked on August 22, 1935 in the huge harbor of Bom bay. Even this, m y first day off the ship, was a foretaste of the year ahead-twelve m onths of ceaseless activity. Friends had gathered at the dock with garlands and greetings; soon, at our suite in the Taj Mahal Hotel, there was a stream of reporters and photographers. Bom bay was a city new to m e; I found it energetically m odern, with m any innovations from the West. Palm s line the spacious boulevards; m agnificent state structures vie for interest with ancient tem ples. Very little tim e was given to sight-seeing, however; I was im patient, eager to see m y beloved guru and other dear ones. Consigning the Ford to a baggage car, our party was soon speeding eastward by train toward Calcutta. 4 0 -1 Our arrival at Howrah Station found such an im m ense crowd assem bled to greet us that for awhile we were unable to dism ount from the train. The young Maharaja of Kasim bazar and m y brother Bishnu headed the reception com m ittee; I was unprepared for the warm th and m agnitude of our welcom e. Preceded by a line of autom obiles and m otorcycles, and am idst the joyous sound of drum s and conch shells, Miss Bletch, Mr. Wright, and m yself, flower-garlanded from head to foot, drove slowly to m y father's hom e. My aged parent em braced m e as one returning from the dead; long we gazed on each other, speechless with joy. Brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins, students and friends of years long past were grouped around m e, not a dry eye am ong us. Passed now into the archives of m em ory, the scene of loving reunion vividly endures, unforgettable in m y heart. As for m y m eeting with Sri Yukteswar, words fail m e; let the following description from m y www.holybooks.com secretary suffice. "Today, filled with the highest anticipations, I drove Yoganandaji from Calcutta to Seram pore," Mr. Wright recorded in his travel diary. "We passed by quaint shops, one of them the favorite eating haunt of Yoganandaji during his college days, and finally entered a narrow, walled lane. A sudden left turn, and there before us towered the sim ple but inspiring two-story ashram , its Spanish-style balcony jutting from the upper floor. The pervasive im pression was that of peaceful solitude. "In grave hum ility I walked behind Yoganandaji into the courtyard within the herm itage walls. Hearts beating fast, we proceeded up som e old cem ent steps, trod, no doubt, by m yriads of truthseekers. The tension grew keener and keener as on we strode. Before us, near the head of the stairs, quietly appeared the Great One, Swam i Sri Yukteswarji, standing in the noble pose of a sage. "My heart heaved and swelled as I felt m yself blessed by the privilege of being in his sublim e presence. Tears blurred m y eager sight when Yoganandaji dropped to his knees, and with bowed head offered his soul's gratitude and greeting, touching with his hand his guru's feet and then, in hum ble obeisance, his own head. He rose then and was em braced on both sides of the bosom by Sri Yukteswarji. "No words passed at the beginning, but the m ost intense feeling was expressed in the m ute phrases of the soul. How their eyes sparkled and were fired with the warm th of renewed soulunion! A tender vibration surged through the quiet patio, and even the sun eluded the clouds to add a sudden blaze of glory. "On bended knee before the m aster I gave m y own unexpressed love and thanks, touching his feet, calloused by tim e and service, and receiving his blessing. I stood then and faced two beautiful deep eyes sm ouldering with introspection, yet radiant with joy. We entered his sitting room , whose whole side opened to the outer balcony first seen from the street. The m aster braced him self against a worn davenport, sitting on a covered m attress on the cem ent floor. Yoganandaji and I sat near the guru's feet, with orange-colored pillows to lean against and ease our positions on the straw m at. "I tried and tried to penetrate the Bengali conversation between the two Swam ijis-for English, I discovered, is null and void when they are together, although Swam iji Maharaj, as the great guru is called by others, can and often does speak it. But I perceived the saintliness of the Great One through his heart-warm ing sm ile and twinkling eyes. One quality easily discernible in his m erry, serious conversation is a decided positiveness in statem ent-the m ark of a wise m an, who knows he knows, because he knows God. His great wisdom , strength of purpose, and determ ination are apparent in every way. "Studying him reverently from tim e to tim e, I noted that he is of large, athletic stature, hardened by the trials and sacrifices of renunciation. His poise is m ajestic. A decidedly sloping forehead, as if seeking the heavens, dom inates his divine countenance. He has a rather large and hom ely nose, www.holybooks.com with which he am uses him self in idle m om ents, flipping and wiggling it with his fingers, like a child. His powerful dark eyes are haloed by an ethereal blue ring. His hair, parted in the m iddle, begins as silver and changes to streaks of silvery-gold and silvery-black, ending in ringlets at his shoulders. His beard and m oustache are scant or thinned out, yet seem to enhance his features and, like his character, are deep and light at the sam e tim e. "He has a jovial and rollicking laugh which com es from deep in his chest, causing him to shake and quiver throughout his body-very cheerful and sincere. His face and stature are striking in their power, as are his m uscular fingers. He m oves with a dignified tread and erect posture. "He was clad sim ply in the com m on dhoti and shirt, both once dyed a strong ocher color, but now a faded orange. "Glancing about, I observed that this rather dilapidated room suggested the owner's nonattachm ent to m aterial com forts. The weather-stained white walls of the long cham ber were streaked with fading blue plaster. At one end of the room hung a picture of Lahiri Mahasaya, garlanded in sim ple devotion. There was also an old picture showing Yoganandaji as he had first arrived in Boston, standing with the other delegates to the Congress of Religions. "I noted a quaint concurrence of m odernity and antiquation. A huge, cut-glass, candle-light chandelier was covered with cobwebs through disuse, and on the wall was a bright, up-to-date calendar. The whole room em anated a fragrance of peace and calm ness. Beyond the balcony I could see coconut trees towering over the herm itage in silent protection. "It is interesting to observe that the m aster has m erely to clap his hands together and, before finishing, he is served or attended by som e sm all disciple. Incidentally, I am m uch attracted to one of them -a thin lad, nam ed Prafulla, 4 0 -2 with long black hair to his shoulders, a m ost penetrating pair of sparkling black eyes, and a heavenly sm ile; his eyes twinkle, as the corners of his m outh rise, like the stars and the crescent m oon appearing at twilight. "Swam i Sri Yukteswarji's joy is obviously intense at the return of his 'product' (and he seem s to be som ewhat inquisitive about the 'product's product'). However, predom inance of the wisdom aspect in the Great One's nature hinders his outward expression of feeling. "Yoganandaji presented him with som e gifts, as is the custom when the disciple returns to his guru. We sat down later to a sim ple but well- cooked m eal. All the dishes were vegetable and rice com binations. Sri Yukteswarji was pleased at m y use of a num ber of Indian custom s, 'fingereating' for exam ple. "After several hours of flying Bengali phrases and the exchange of warm sm iles and joyful glances, we paid obeisance at his feet, bade adieu with a pronam , 4 0 -3 and departed for Calcutta with an everlasting m em ory of a sacred m eeting and greeting. Although I write chiefly of m y external im pressions of him , yet I was always conscious of the true basis of the saint-his spiritual glory. I felt his power, and shall carry that feeling as m y divine blessing." www.holybooks.com From Am erica, Europe, and Palestine I had brought m any presents for Sri Yukteswar. He received them sm ilingly, but without rem ark. For m y own use, I had bought in Germ any a com bination um brella-cane. In India I decided to give the cane to Master. "This gift I appreciate indeed!" My guru's eyes were turned on m e with affectionate understanding as he m ade the unwonted com m ent. From all the presents, it was the cane that he singled out to display to visitors. "Master, please perm it m e to get a new carpet for the sitting room ." I had noticed that Sri Yukteswar's tiger skin was placed over a torn rug. "Do so if it pleases you." My guru's voice was not enthusiastic. "Behold, m y tiger m at is nice and clean; I am m onarch in m y own little kingdom . Beyond it is the vast world, interested only in externals." As he uttered these words I felt the years roll back; once again I am a young disciple, purified in the daily fires of chastisem ent! As soon as I could tear m yself away from Seram pore and Calcutta, I set out, with Mr. Wright, for Ranchi. What a welcom e there, a veritable ovation! Tears stood in m y eyes as I em braced the selfless teachers who had kept the banner of the school flying during m y fifteen years' absence. The bright faces and happy sm iles of the residential and day students were am ple testim ony to the worth of their m any-sided school and yoga training. Yet, alas! the Ranchi institution was in dire financial difficulties. Sir Manindra Chandra Nundy, the old Maharaja whose Kasim bazar Palace had been converted into the central school building, and who had m ade m any princely donations was now dead. Many free, benevolent features of the school were now seriously endangered for lack of sufficient public support. I had not spent years in Am erica without learning som e of its practical wisdom , its undaunted spirit before obstacles. For one week I rem ained in Ranchi, wrestling with critical problem s. Then cam e interviews in Calcutta with prom inent leaders and educators, a long talk with the young Maharaja of Kasim bazar, a financial appeal to m y father, and lo! the shaky foundations of Ranchi began to be righted. Many donations including one huge check arrived in the nick of tim e from m y Am erican students. Within a few m onths after m y arrival in India, I had the joy of seeing the Ranchi school legally incorporated. My lifelong dream of a perm anently endowed yoga educational center stood fulfilled. That vision had guided m e in the hum ble beginnings in 1917 with a group of seven boys. In the decade since 1935, Ranchi has enlarged its scope far beyond the boys' school. Widespread hum anitarian activities are now carried on there in the Shyam a Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Mission. The school, or Yogoda Sat-Sanga Brahm acharya Vidyalaya, conducts outdoor classes in gram m ar and high school subjects. The residential students and day scholars also receive vocational www.holybooks.com training of som e kind. The boys them selves regulate m ost of their activities through autonom ous com m ittees. Very early in m y career as an educator I discovered that boys who im pishly delight in outwitting a teacher will cheerfully accept disciplinary rules that are set by their fellow students. Never a m odel pupil m yself, I had a ready sym pathy for all boyish pranks and problem s. Sports and gam es are encouraged; the fields resound with hockey and football practice. Ranchi students often win the cup at com petitive events. The outdoor gym nasium is known far and wide. Muscle recharging through will power is the Yogoda feature: m ental direction of life energy to any part of the body. The boys are also taught asanas (postures), sword and lathi (stick) play, and jujitsu. The Yogoda Health Exhibitions at the Ranchi Vidy alay a have been attended by thousands. Instruction in prim ary subjects is given in Hindi to the Kols, Santals, and Mundas, aboriginal tribes of the province. Classes for girls only have been organized in near-by villages. The unique feature at Ranchi is the initiation into Kriy a Yoga. The boys daily practice their spiritual exercises, engage in Gita chanting, and are taught by precept and exam ple the virtues of sim plicity, self-sacrifice, honor, and truth. Evil is pointed out to them as being that which produces m isery; good as those actions which result in true happiness. Evil m ay be com pared to poisoned honey, tem pting but laden with death. Overcom ing restlessness of body and m ind by concentration techniques has achieved astonishing results: it is no novelty at Ranchi to see an appealing little figure, aged nine or ten years, sitting for an hour or m ore in unbroken poise, the unwinking gaze directed to the spiritual eye. Often the picture of these Ranchi students has returned to m y m ind, as I observed collegians over the world who are hardly able to sit still through one class period. 4 0 -4 Ranchi lies 20 0 0 feet above sea level; the clim ate is m ild and equable. The twenty-five acre site, by a large bathing pond, includes one of the finest orchards in India-five hundred fruit treesm ango, guava, litchi, jackfruit, date. The boys grow their own vegetables, and spin at their charkas. A guest house is hospitably open for Western visitors. The Ranchi library contains num erous m agazines, and about a thousand volum es in English and Bengali, donations from the West and the East. There is a collection of the scriptures of the world. A well-classified m useum displays archeological, geological, and anthropological exhibits; trophies, to a great extent, of m y wanderings over the Lord's varied earth. The charitable hospital and dispensary of the Lahiri Mahasaya Mission, with m any outdoor branches in distant villages, have already m inistered to 150 ,0 0 0 of India's poor. The Ranchi students are trained in first aid, and have given praiseworthy service to their province at tragic tim es of flood or fam ine. In the orchard stands a Shiva tem ple, with a statue of the blessed m aster, Lahiri Mahasaya. Daily prayers and scripture classes are held in the garden under the m ango bowers. www.holybooks.com Branch high schools, with the residential and yoga features of Ranchi, have been opened and are now flourishing. These are the Yogoda Sat- Sanga Vidyapith (School) for Boys, at Lakshm anpur in Bihar; and the Yogoda Sat-Sanga High School and herm itage at Ejm alichak in Midnapore. A stately Yogoda Math was dedicated in 1939 at Dakshineswar, directly on the Ganges. Only a few m iles north of Calcutta, the new herm itage affords a haven of peace for city dwellers. Suitable accom m odations are available for Western guests, and particularly for those seekers who are intensely dedicating their lives to spiritual realization. The activities of the Yogoda Math include a fortnightly m ailing of Self- Realization Fellowship teachings to students in various parts of India. It is needless to say that all these educational and hum anitarian activities have required the selfsacrificing service and devotion of m any teachers and workers. I do not list their nam es here, because they are so num erous; but in m y heart each one has a lustrous niche. Inspired by the ideals of Lahiri Mahasaya, these teachers have abandoned prom ising worldly goals to serve hum bly, to give greatly. Mr. Wright form ed m any fast friendships with Ranchi boys; clad in a sim ple dhoti, he lived for awhile am ong them . At Ranchi, Calcutta, Seram pore, everywhere he went, m y secretary, who has a vivid gift of description, hauled out his travel diary to record his adventures. One evening I asked him a question. "Dick, what is your im pression of India?" "Peace," he said thoughtfully. "The racial aura is peace." 40- 1: We broke our j ourney in Cent ral Provinces, halfway across t he cont inent , t o see Mahat m a Gandhi at Wardha. Those days are described in chapt er 44. 40- 2: Prafulla was t he lad who had been present wit h Mast er when a cobra approached ( see page 116) . 40- 3: Lit erally, " holy nam e," a word of greet ing am ong Hindus, accom panied by palm - folded hands lift ed from t he heart t o t he forehead in salut at ion. A pronam in I ndia t akes t he place of t he West ern greet ing by handshaking. 40- 4: Ment al t raining t hrough cert ain concent rat ion t echniques has produced in each I ndian generat ion m en of prodigious m em ory. Sir T. Vij ayaraghavachari, in t he Hindust an Tim es, has described t he t est s put t o t he m odern professional " m em ory m en" of Madras. " These m en," he wrot e, " were unusually learned in Sanskrit lit erat ure. Seat ed in t he m idst of a large audience, t hey were equal t o t he t est s t hat several m em bers of t he audience sim ult aneously put t hem t o. The t est would be like t his: one person would st art ringing a bell, t he num ber of rings having t o be count ed by t he 'm em ory m an.' A second person would dict at e from a paper a long exercise in arit hm et ic, involving addit ion, subt ract ion, m ult iplicat ion, and division. A t hird would go on recit ing from t he Ram ayana or t he Mahabharat a a long series of poem s, which had t o be reproduced; a fourt h would set problem s in versificat ion which required t he com posit ion of verses in proper m et er on a given subj ect , each line t o end in a specified word, a fift h m an would carry on wit h a sixt h a t heological disput at ion, t he exact language of which had t o be quot ed in t he precise order in which t he disput ant s conduct ed it , and a sevent h m an was all t he while t urning a wheel, t he num ber of revolut ions of which had t o be count ed. The m em ory expert had sim ult aneously t o do all t hese feat s purely by m ent al processes, as he was allowed no paper and pencil. The st rain on t he facult ies m ust have been t errific. Ordinarily m en in unconscious envy are apt t o depreciat e such effort s by affect ing t o believe t hat t hey involve only t he exercise of t he lower funct ionings of t he brain. I t is not , however, a pure quest ion of m em ory. The great er fact or is t he im m ense concent rat ion of m ind." www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 41 An Idyl In South India "You are the first Westerner, Dick, ever to enter that shrine. Many others have tried in vain." At m y words Mr. Wright looked startled, then pleased. We had just left the beautiful Cham undi Tem ple in the hills overlooking Mysore in southern India. There we had bowed before the gold and silver altars of the Goddess Cham undi, patron deity of the fam ily of the reigning m aharaja. "As a souvenir of the unique honor," Mr. Wright said, carefully stowing away a few blessed rose petals, "I will always preserve this flower, sprinkled by the priest with rose water." My com panion and I 4 1-1 were spending the m onth of Novem ber, 1935, as guests of the State of Mysore. The Maharaja, H.H. Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, is a m odel prince with intelligent devotion to his people. A pious Hindu, the Maharaja has em powered a Moham m edan, the able Mirza Ism ail, as his Dewan or Prem ier. Popular representation is given to the seven m illion inhabitants of Mysore in both an Assem bly and a Legislative Council. The heir to the Maharaja, H.H. the Yuvaraja, Sir Sri Krishna Narasingharaj Wadiyar, had invited m y secretary and m e to visit his enlightened and progressive realm . During the past fortnight I had addressed thousands of Mysore citizens and students, at the Town Hall, the Maharajah's College, the University Medical School; and three m ass m eetings in Bangalore, at the National High School, the Interm ediate College, and the Chetty Town Hall where over three thousand persons had assem bled. Whether the eager listeners had been able to credit the glowing picture I drew of Am erica, I know not; but the applause had always been loudest when I spoke of the m utual benefits that could flow from exchange of the best features in East and West. Mr. Wright and I were now relaxing in the tropical peace. His travel diary gives the following account of his im pressions of Mysore: "Brilliantly green rice fields, varied by tasseled sugar cane patches, nestle at the protective foot of rocky hills-hills dotting the em erald panoram a like excrescences of black stone-and the play of colors is enhanced by the sudden and dram atic disappearance of the sun as it seeks rest behind the solem n hills. "Many rapturous m om ents have been spent in gazing, alm ost absent- m indedly, at the ever- www.holybooks.com changing canvas of God stretched across the firm am ent, for His touch alone is able to produce colors that vibrate with the freshness of life. That youth of colors is lost when m an tries to im itate with m ere pigm ents, for the Lord resorts to a m ore sim ple and effective m edium -oils that are neither oils nor pigm ents, but m ere rays of light. He tosses a splash of light here, and it reflects red; He waves the brush again and it blends gradually into orange and gold; then with a piercing thrust He stabs the clouds with a streak of purple that leaves a ringlet or fringe of red oozing out of the wound in the clouds; and so, on and on, He plays, night and m orning alike, ever-changing, ever-new, ever-fresh; no patterns, no duplicates, no colors just the sam e. The beauty of the Indian change in day to night is beyond com pare elsewhere; often the sky looks as if God had taken all the colors in His kit and given them one m ighty kaleidoscopic toss into the heavens. "I m ust relate the splendor of a twilight visit to the huge Krishnaraja Sagar Dam , 4 1-2 constructed twelve m iles outside of Mysore. Yoganandaji and I boarded a sm all bus and, with a sm all boy as official cranker or battery substitute, started off over a sm ooth dirt road, just as the sun was setting on the horizon and squashing like an overripe tom ato. "Our journey led past the om nipresent square rice fields, through a line of com forting banyan trees, in between a grove of towering coconut palm s, with vegetation nearly as thick as in a jungle, and finally, approaching the crest of a hill, we cam e face-to-face with an im m ense artificial lake, reflecting the stars and fringe of palm s and other trees, surrounded by lovely terraced gardens and a row of electric lights on the brink of the dam -and below it our eyes m et a dazzling spectacle of colored beam s playing on geyserlike fountains, like so m any stream s of brilliant ink pouring forth-gorgeously blue waterfalls, arresting red cataracts, green and yellow sprays, elephants spouting water, a m iniature of the Chicago World's Fair, and yet m odernly outstanding in this ancient land of paddy fields and sim ple people, who have given us such a loving welcom e that I fear it will take m ore than m y strength to bring Yoganandaji back to Am erica. "Another rare privilege-m y first elephant ride. Yesterday the Yuvaraja invited us to his sum m er palace to enjoy a ride on one of his elephants, an enorm ous beast. I m ounted a ladder provided to clim b aloft to the how dah or saddle, which is silk-cushioned and boxlike; and then for a rolling, tossing, swaying, and heaving down into a gully, too m uch thrilled to worry or exclaim , but hanging on for dear life!" Southern India, rich with historical and archaeological rem ains, is a land of definite and yet indefinable charm . To the north of Mysore is the largest native state in India, Hyderabad, a picturesque plateau cut by the m ighty Godavari River. Broad fertile plains, the lovely Nilgiris or "Blue Mountains," other regions with barren hills of lim estone or granite. Hyderabad history is a long, colorful story, starting three thousand years ago under the Andhra kings, and continuing under Hindu dynasties until A.D. 1294, when it passed to a line of Moslem rulers who reign to this day. The m ost breath-taking display of architecture, sculpture, and painting in all India is found at Hyderabad in the ancient rock- sculptured caves of Ellora and Ajanta. The Kailasa at Ellora, a huge m onolithic tem ple, possesses carved figures of gods, m en, and beasts in the stupendous proportions of a Michelangelo. Ajanta is the site of five cathedrals and twenty-five m onasteries, www.holybooks.com all rock excavations m aintained by trem endous frescoed pillars on which artists and sculptors have im m ortalized their genius. Hyderabad City is graced by the Osm ania University and by the im posing Mecca Masjid Mosque, where ten thousand Moham m edans m ay assem ble for prayer. Mysore State too is a scenic wonderland, three thousand feet above sea level, abounding in dense tropical forests, the hom e of wild elephants, bison, bears, panthers, and tigers. Its two chief cities, Bangalore and Mysore, are clean, attractive, with m any parks and public gardens. Hindu architecture and sculpture achieved their highest perfection in Mysore under the patronage of Hindu kings from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries. The tem ple at Belur, an eleventh-century m asterpiece com pleted during the reign of King Vishnuvardhana, is unsurpassed in the world for its delicacy of detail and exuberant im agery. The rock pillars found in northern Mysore date from the third century B.C., illum inating the m em ory of King Asoka. He succeeded to the throne of the Maurya dynasty then prevailing; his em pire included nearly all of m odern India, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan. This illustrious em peror, considered even by Western historians to have been an incom parable ruler, has left the following wisdom on a rock m em orial: This religious inscription has been engraved in order that our sons and grandsons m ay not think a new conquest is necessary; that they m ay not think conquest by the sword deserves the nam e of conquest; that they m ay see in it nothing but destruction and violence; that they m ay consider nothing as true conquest save the conquest of religion. Such conquests have value in this world and in the next. My companions and I pose before the "dream in marble," the Taj Mahal at Agra. www.holybooks.com Asoka was a grandson of the form idable Chandragupta Maurya (known to the Greeks as Sandrocottus), who in his youth had m et Alexander the Great. Later Chandragupta destroyed the Macedonian garrisons left in India, defeated the invading Greek arm y of Seleucus in the Punjab, and then received at his Patna court the Hellenic am bassador Megasthenes. Intensely interesting stories have been m inutely recorded by Greek historians and others who accom panied or followed after Alexander in his expedition to India. The narratives of Arrian, Diodoros, Plutarch, and Strabo the geographer have been translated by Dr. J . W. M'Crindle 4 1-3 to throw a shaft of light on ancient India. The m ost adm irable feature of Alexander's unsuccessful invasion was the deep interest he displayed in Hindu philosophy and in the yogis and holy m en whom he encountered from tim e to tim e and whose society he eagerly sought. Shortly after the Greek warrior had arrived in Taxila in northern India, he sent a m essenger, Onesikritos, a disciple of the Hellenic school of Diogenes, to fetch an Indian teacher, Dandam is, a great sannyasi of Taxila. "Hail to thee, O teacher of Brahm ins!" Onesikritos said after seeking out Dandam is in his forest retreat. "The son of the m ighty God Zeus, being Alexander who is the Sovereign Lord of all m en, asks you to go to him , and if you com ply, he will reward you with great gifts, but if you refuse, he will cut off your head!" The yogi received this fairly com pulsive invitation calm ly, and "did not so m uch as lift up his head from his couch of leaves." "I also am a son of Zeus, if Alexander be such," he com m ented. "I want nothing that is Alexander's, for I am content with what I have, while I see that he wanders with his m en over sea and land for no advantage, and is never com ing to an end of his wanderings. "Go and tell Alexander that God the Suprem e King is never the Author of insolent wrong, but is the Creator of light, of peace, of life, of water, of the body of m an and of souls; He receives all m en when death sets them free, being in no way subject to evil disease. He alone is the God of m y hom age, who abhors slaughter and instigates no wars. "Alexander is no god, since he m ust taste of death," continued the sage in quiet scorn. "How can such as he be the world's m aster, when he has not yet seated him self on a throne of inner universal dom inion? Neither as yet has he entered living into Hades, nor does he know the course of the sun through the central regions of the earth, while the nations on its boundaries have not so m uch as heard his nam e!" After this chastisem ent, surely the m ost caustic ever sent to assault the ears of the "Lord of the World," the sage added ironically, "If Alexander's present dom inions be not capacious enough for his desires, let him cross the Ganges River; there he will find a region able to sustain all his m en, if the country on this side be too narrow to hold him . 4 1-4 "Know this, however, that what Alexander offers and the gifts he prom ises are things to m e utterly useless; the things I prize and find of real use and worth are these leaves which are m y www.holybooks.com house, these bloom ing plants which supply m e with daily food, and the water which is m y drink; while all other possessions which are am assed with anxious care are wont to prove ruinous to those who gather them , and cause only sorrow and vexation, with which every poor m ortal is fully fraught. As for m e, I lie upon the forest leaves, and having nothing which requires guarding, close m y eyes in tranquil slum ber; whereas had I anything to guard, that would banish sleep. The earth supplies m e with everything, even as a m other her child with m ilk. I go wherever I please, and there are no cares with which I am forced to cum ber m yself. "Should Alexander cut off m y head, he cannot also destroy m y soul. My head alone, then silent, will rem ain, leaving the body like a torn garm ent upon the earth, whence also it was taken. I then, becom ing Spirit, shall ascend to m y God, who enclosed us all in flesh and left us upon earth to prove whether, when here below, we shall live obedient to His ordinances and who also will require of us all, when we depart hence to His presence, an account of our life, since He is J udge of all proud wrongdoing; for the groans of the oppressed becom e the punishm ent of the oppressor. "Let Alexander then terrify with these threats those who wish for wealth and who dread death, for against us these weapons are both alike powerless; the Brahm ins neither love gold nor fear death. Go then and tell Alexander this: Dandam is has no need of aught that is yours, and therefore will not go to you, and if you want anything from Dandam is, com e you to him ." With close attention Alexander received through Onesikritos the m essage from the yogi, and "felt a stronger desire than ever to see Dandam is who, though old and naked, was the only antagonist in whom he, the conqueror of m any nations, had m et m ore than his m atch." Alexander invited to Taxila a num ber of Brahm in ascetics noted for their skill in answering philosophical questions with pithy wisdom . An account of the verbal skirm ish is given by Plutarch; Alexander him self fram ed all the questions. "Which be the m ore num erous, the living or the dead?" "The living, for the dead are not." "Which breeds the larger anim als, the sea or the land?" "The land, for the sea is only a part of land." "Which is the cleverest of beasts?" "That one with which m an is not yet acquainted." (Man fears the unknown.) "Which existed first, the day or the night?" "The day was first by one day." This reply caused Alexander to betray surprise; the Brahm in added: "Im possible questions require im possible answers." www.holybooks.com "How best m ay a m an m ake him self beloved?" "A m an will be beloved if, possessed with great power, he still does not m ake him self feared." "How m ay a m an becom e a god?" 4 1-5 "By doing that which it is im possible for a m an to do." "Which is stronger, life or death?" "Life, because it bears so m any evils." Alexander succeeded in taking out of India, as his teacher, a true yogi. This m an was Swam i Sphines, called "Kalanos" by the Greeks because the saint, a devotee of God in the form of Kali, greeted everyone by pronouncing Her auspicious nam e. Kalanos accom panied Alexander to Persia. On a stated day, at Susa in Persia, Kalanos gave up his aged body by entering a funeral pyre in view of the whole Macedonian arm y. The historians record the astonishm ent of the soldiers who observed that the yogi had no fear of pain or death, and who never once m oved from his position as he was consum ed in the flam es. Before leaving for his crem ation, Kalanos had em braced all his close com panions, but refrained from bidding farewell to Alexander, to whom the Hindu sage had m erely rem arked: "I shall see you shortly in Babylon." Alexander left Persia, and died a year later in Babylon. His Indian guru's words had been his way of saying he would be present with Alexander in life and death. The Greek historians have left us m any vivid and inspiring pictures of Indian society. Hindu law, Arrian tells us, protects the people and "ordains that no one am ong them shall, under any circum stances, be a slave but that, enjoying freedom them selves, they shall respect the equal right to it which all possess. For those, they thought, who have learned neither to dom ineer over nor cringe to others will attain the life best adapted for all vicissitudes of lot." 4 1-6 "The Indians," runs another text, "neither put out m oney at usury, nor know how to borrow. It is contrary to established usage for an Indian either to do or suffer a wrong, and therefore they neither m ake contracts nor require securities." Healing, we are told, was by sim ple and natural m eans. "Cures are effected rather by regulating diet than by the use of m edicines. The rem edies m ost esteem ed are ointm ents and plasters. All others are considered to be in great m easure pernicious." Engagem ent in war was restricted to the Kshatriy as or warrior caste. "Nor would an enem y com ing upon a husbandm an at his work on his land, do him any harm , for m en of this class being regarded as public benefactors, are protected from all injury. The land thus rem aining unravaged and producing heavy crops, supplies the inhabitants with the requisites to m ake life enjoyable." 4 1-7 www.holybooks.com The Em peror Chandragupta who in 30 5 B.C. had defeated Alexander's general, Seleucus, decided seven years later to hand over the reins of India's governm ent to his son. Traveling to South India, Chandragupta spent the last twelve years of his life as a penniless ascetic, seeking selfrealization in a rocky cave at Sravanabelagola, now honored as a Mysore shrine. Near-by stands the world's largest statue, carved out of an im m ense boulder by the J ains in A.D. 983 to honor the saint Com ateswara. The ubiquitous religious shrines of Mysore are a constant rem inder of the m any great saints of South India. One of these m asters, Thayum anavar, has left us the following challenging poem : You can control a mad elephant; You can shut the mouth of the bear and the tiger; You can ride a lion; You can play with the cobra; By alchemy you can eke out your livelihood; You can wander through the universe incognito; You can make vassals of the gods; You can be ever youthful; You can walk on water and live in fire; But control of the mind is better and more difficult. In the beautiful and fertile State of Travancore in the extrem e south of India, where traffic is conveyed over rivers and canals, the Maharaja assum es every year a hereditary obligation to expiate the sin incurred by wars and the annexation in the distant past of several petty states to Travancore. For fifty-six days annually the Maharaja visits the tem ple thrice daily to hear Vedic hym ns and recitations; the expiation cerem ony ends with the lakshadipam or illum ination of the tem ple by a hundred thousand lights. The great Hindu lawgiver Manu 4 1-8 has outlined the duties of a king. "He should shower am enities like Indra (lord of the gods); collect taxes gently and im perceptibly as the sun obtains vapor from water; enter into the life of his subjects as the wind goes everywhere; m ete out even justice to all like Yam a (god of death); bind transgressors in a noose like Varuna (Vedic deity of sky and wind); please all like the m oon, burn up vicious enem ies like the god of fire; and support all like the earth goddess. "In war a king should not fight with poisonous or fiery weapons nor kill weak or unready or weaponless foes or m en who are in fear or who pray for protection or who run away. War should be resorted to only as a last resort. Results are always doubtful in war." Madras Presidency on the southeast coast of India contains the flat, spacious, sea-girt city of Madras, and Conjeeveram , the Golden City, capital site of the Pallava dynasty whose kings ruled www.holybooks.com during the early centuries of the Christian era. In m odern Madras Presidency the nonviolent ideals of Mahatm a Gandhi have m ade great headway; the white distinguishing "Gandhi caps" are seen everywhere. In the south generally the Mahatm a has effected m any im portant tem ple reform s for "untouchables" as well as caste-system reform s. The origin of the caste system , form ulated by the great legislator Manu, was adm irable. He saw clearly that m en are distinguished by natural evolution into four great classes: those capable of offering service to society through their bodily labor (Sudras); those who serve through m entality, skill, agriculture, trade, com m erce, business life in general (Vaisy as); those whose talents are adm inistrative, executive, and protective-rulers and warriors (Kshatriy as); those of contem plative nature, spiritually inspired and inspiring (Brahm ins). "Neither birth nor sacram ents nor study nor ancestry can decide whether a person is twice-born (i.e., a Brahm in);" the Mahabharata declares, "character and conduct only can decide." 4 1-9 Manu instructed society to show respect to its m em bers insofar as they possessed wisdom , virtue, age, kinship or, lastly, wealth. Riches in Vedic India were always despised if they were hoarded or unavailable for charitable purposes. Ungenerous m en of great wealth were assigned a low rank in society. Serious evils arose when the caste system becam e hardened through the centuries into a hereditary halter. Social reform ers like Gandhi and the m em bers of very num erous societies in India today are m aking slow but sure progress in restoring the ancient values of caste, based solely on natural qualification and not on birth. Every nation on earth has its own distinctive m isery-producing karm a to deal with and rem ove; India, too, with her versatile and invulnerable spirit, shall prove herself equal to the task of caste-reform ation. So entrancing is southern India that Mr. Wright and I yearned to prolong our idyl. But tim e, in its im m em orial rudeness, dealt us no courteous extensions. I was scheduled soon to address the concluding session of the Indian Philosophical Congress at Calcutta University. At the end of the visit to Mysore, I enjoyed a talk with Sir C. V. Ram an, president of the Indian Academ y of Sciences. This brilliant Hindu physicist was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his im portant discovery in the diffusion of light-the "Ram an Effect" now known to every schoolboy. Waving a reluctant farewell to a crowd of Madras students and friends, Mr. Wright and I set out for the north. On the way we stopped before a little shrine sacred to the m em ory of Sadasiva Brahm an, 4 1-10 in whose eighteenth-century life story m iracles cluster thickly. A larger Sadasiva shrine at Nerur, erected by the Raja of Pudukkottai, is a pilgrim age spot which has witnessed num erous divine healings. Many quaint stories of Sadasiva, a lovable and fully-illum ined m aster, are still current am ong the South Indian villagers. Im m ersed one day in sam adhi on the bank of the Kaveri River, Sadasiva was seen to be carried away by a sudden flood. Weeks later he was found buried deep beneath a m ound of earth. As the villagers' shovels struck his body, the saint rose and walked briskly away. Sadasiva never spoke a word or wore a cloth. One m orning the nude yogi uncerem oniously entered the tent of a Moham m edan chieftain. His ladies scream ed in alarm ; the warrior dealt a savage sword thrust at Sadasiva, whose arm was severed. The m aster departed unconcernedly. www.holybooks.com Overcom e by rem orse, the Moham m edan picked up the arm from the floor and followed Sadasiva. The yogi quietly inserted his arm into the bleeding stum p. When the warrior hum bly asked for som e spiritual instruction, Sadasiva wrote with his finger on the sands: "Do not do what you want, and then you m ay do what you like." The Moham m edan was uplifted to an exalted state of m ind, and understood the saint's paradoxical advice to be a guide to soul freedom through m astery of the ego. The village children once expressed a desire in Sadasiva's presence to see the Madura religious festival, 150 m iles away. The yogi indicated to the little ones that they should touch his body. Lo! instantly the whole group was transported to Madura. The children wandered happily am ong the thousands of pilgrim s. In a few hours the yogi brought his sm all charges hom e by his sim ple m ode of transportation. The astonished parents heard the vivid tales of the procession of im ages, and noted that several children were carrying bags of Madura sweets. An incredulous youth derided the saint and the story. The following m orning he approached Sadasiva. "Master," he said scornfully, "why don't you take m e to the festival, even as you did yesterday for the other children?" Sadasiva com plied; the boy im m ediately found him self am ong the distant city throng. But alas! where was the saint when the youth wanted to leave? The weary boy reached his hom e by the ancient and prosaic m ethod of foot locom otion. 41- 1: Miss Blet ch, unable t o m aint ain t he act ive pace set by Mr. Wright and m yself, rem ained happily wit h m y relat ives in Calcut t a. 41- 2: This dam , a huge hydro- elect ric inst allat ion, light s Mysore Cit y and gives power t o fact ories for silks, soaps, and sandalwood oil. The sandalwood souvenirs from Mysore possess a delight ful fragrance which t im e does not exhaust ; a slight pinprick revives t he odor. Mysore boast s som e of t he largest pioneer indust rial undert akings in I ndia, including t he Kolar Gold Mines, t he Mysore Sugar Fact ory, t he huge iron and st eel works at Bhadravat i, and t he cheap and efficient Mysore St at e Railway which covers m any of t he st at e's 30,000 square m iles. The Maharaj a and Yuvaraj a who were m y host s in Mysore in 1935 have bot h recent ly died. The son of t he Yuvaraj a, t he present Maharaj a, is an ent erprising ruler, and has added t o Mysore's indust ries a large airplane fact ory. 41- 3: Six volum es on Ancient I ndia ( Calcut t a, 1879) . 41- 5: Neit her Alexander nor any of his generals ever crossed t he Ganges. Finding det erm ined resist ance in t he nort hwest , t he Macedonian arm y refused t o penet rat e fart her; Alexander was forced t o leave I ndia and seek his conquest s in Persia. 41- 5: From t his quest ion we m ay surm ise t hat t he " Son of Zeus" had an occasional doubt t hat he had already at t ained perfect ion. 41- 6: All Greek observers com m ent on t he lack of slavery in I ndia, a feat ure at com plet e variance wit h t he st ruct ure of Hellenic societ y. 41- 7: Creat ive I ndia by Prof. Benoy Kum ar Sarkar gives a com prehensive pict ure of I ndia's ancient and m odern www.holybooks.com achievem ent s and dist inct ive values in econom ics, polit ical science, lit erat ure, art , and social philosophy. ( Lahore: Mot ilal Banarsi Dass, Publishers, 1937, 714 pp., $5.00.) Anot her recom m ended volum e is I ndian Cult ure Through The Ages, by S. V. Venat esvara ( New York: Longm ans, Green & Co., $5.00) . 41- 8: Manu is t he universal lawgiver; not alone for Hindu societ y, but for t he world. All syst em s of wise social regulat ions and even j ust ice are pat t erned aft er Manu. Niet zsche has paid t he following t ribut e: " I know of no book in which so m any delicat e and kindly t hings are said t o wom an as in t he Lawbook Of Manu; t hose old graybeards and saint s have a m anner of being gallant t o wom en which perhaps cannot be surpassed . . . an incom parably int ellect ual and superior work . . . replet e wit h noble values, it is filled wit h a feeling of perfect ion, wit h a saying of yea t o life, and a t rium phant sense of well- being in regard t o it self and t o life; t he sun shines upon t he whole book." 41- 9: " I nclusion in one of t hese four cast es originally depended not on a m an's birt h but on his nat ural capacit ies as dem onst rat ed by t he goal in life he elect ed t o achieve," an art icle in East - West for January, 1935, t ells us. " This goal could be ( 1) kam a, desire, act ivit y of t he life of t he senses ( Sudra st age) , ( 2) art ha, gain, fulfilling but cont rolling t he desires ( Vaisya st age) , ( 3) dharm a, self- discipline, t he life of responsibilit y and right act ion ( Kshat riya st age) , ( 4) m oksha, liberat ion, t he life of spirit ualit y and religious t eaching ( Brahm in st age) . These four cast es render service t o hum anit y by ( 1) body, ( 2) m ind, ( 3) will power, ( 4) Spirit . " These four st ages have t heir correspondence in t he et ernal gunas or qualit ies of nat ure, t am as, raj as, and sat t va: obst ruct ion, act ivit y, and expansion; or, m ass, energy, and int elligence. The four nat ural cast es are m arked by t he gunas as ( 1) t am as ( ignorance) , ( 2) t am as- raj as ( m ixt ure of ignorance and act ivit y) , ( 3) raj as- sat t va ( m ixt ure of right act ivit y and enlight enm ent ) , ( 4) sat t va ( enlight enm ent ) . Thus has nat ure m arked every m an wit h his cast e, by t he predom inance in him self of one, or t he m ixt ure of t wo, of t he gunas. Of course every hum an being has all t hree gunas in varying proport ions. The guru will be able right ly t o det erm ine a m an's cast e or evolut ionary st at us. " To a cert ain ext ent , all races and nat ions observe in pract ice, if not in t heory, t he feat ures of cast e. Where t here is great license or so- called libert y, part icularly in int erm arriage bet ween ext rem es in t he nat ural cast es, t he race dwindles away and becom es ext inct . The Purana Sam hit a com pares t he offspring of such unions t o barren hybrids, like t he m ule which is incapable of propagat ion of it s own species. Art ificial species are event ually ext erm inat ed. Hist ory offers abundant proof of num erous great races which no longer have any living represent at ives. The cast e syst em of I ndia is credit ed by her m ost profound t hinkers wit h being t he check or prevent ive against license which has preserved t he purit y of t he race and brought it safely t hrough m illennium s of vicissit udes, while ot her races have vanished in oblivion." 41- 10: His full t it le was Sri Sadasivendra Saraswat i Swam i. The illust rious successor in t he form al Shankara line, Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya of Sringeri Mat h, wrot e an inspiring Ode dedicat ed t o Sadasiva. East - West for July, 1942, carried an art icle on Sadasiva's life. CHAPTER: 42 Last Days With My Guru "Guruji, I am glad to find you alone this m orning." I had just arrived at the Seram pore herm itage, carrying a fragrant burden of fruit and roses. Sri Yukteswar glanced at m e m eekly. www.holybooks.com "What is your question?" Master looked about the room as though he were seeking escape. "Guruji, I cam e to you as a high-school youth; now I am a grown m an, even with a gray hair or two. Though you have showered m e with silent affection from the first hour to this, do you realize that once only, on the day of m eeting, have you ever said, 'I love you'?" I looked at him pleadingly. Master lowered his gaze. "Yogananda, m ust I bring out into the cold realm s of speech the warm sentim ents best guarded by the wordless heart?" "Guruji, I know you love m e, but m y m ortal ears ache to hear you say so." "Be it as you wish. During m y m arried life I often yearned for a son, to train in the yogic path. But when you cam e into m y life, I was content; in you I have found m y son." Two clear teardrops stood in Sri Yukteswar's eyes. "Yogananda, I love you always." "Your answer is m y passport to heaven." I felt a weight lift from m y heart, dissolved forever at his words. Often had I wondered at his silence. Realizing that he was unem otional and selfcontained, yet som etim es I feared I had been unsuccessful in fully satisfying him . His was a strange nature, never utterly to be known; a nature deep and still, unfathom able to the outer world, whose values he had long transcended. A few days later, when I spoke before a huge audience at Albert Hall in Calcutta, Sri Yukteswar consented to sit beside m e on the platform , with the Maharaja of Santosh and the Mayor of Calcutta. Though Master m ade no rem ark to m e, I glanced at him from tim e to tim e during m y address, and thought I detected a pleased twinkle in his eyes. Then cam e a talk before the alum ni of Seram pore College. As I gazed upon m y old classm ates, and as they gazed on their own "Mad Monk," tears of joy showed unasham edly. My silvertongued professor of philosophy, Dr. Ghoshal, cam e forward to greet m e, all our past m isunderstandings dissolved by the alchem ist Tim e. A Winter Solstice Festival was celebrated at the end of Decem ber in the Seram pore herm itage. As always, Sri Yukteswar's disciples gathered from far and near. Devotional sankirtans, solos in the nectar-sweet voice of Kristo-da, a feast served by young disciples, Master's profoundly m oving discourse under the stars in the thronged courtyard of the ashram -m em ories, m em ories! J oyous festivals of years long past! Tonight, however, there was to be a new feature. "Yogananda, please address the assem blage-in English." Master's eyes were twinkling as he m ade this doubly unusual request; was he thinking of the shipboard predicam ent that had preceded m y first lecture in English? I told the story to m y audience of brother disciples, ending with a fervent tribute to our guru. "His om nipresent guidance was with m e not alone on the ocean steam er," I concluded, "but daily throughout m y fifteen years in the vast and hospitable land of Am erica." www.holybooks.com After the guests had departed, Sri Yukteswar called m e to the sam e bedroom where-once only, after a festival of m y early years-I had been perm itted to sleep on his wooden bed. Tonight m y guru was sitting there quietly, a sem icircle of disciples at his feet. He sm iled as I quickly entered the room . "Yogananda, are you leaving now for Calcutta? Please return here tom orrow. I have certain things to tell you." The next afternoon, with a few sim ple words of blessing, Sri Yukteswar bestowed on m e the further m onastic title of Param hansa. 4 2 -1 "It now form ally supersedes your form er title of sw am i," he said as I knelt before him . With a silent chuckle I thought of the struggle which m y Am erican students would undergo over the pronunciation of Param hansaji. 4 2 -2 "My task on earth is now finished; you m ust carry on." Master spoke quietly, his eyes calm and gentle. My heart was palpitating in fear. "Please send som eone to take charge of our ashram at Puri," Sri Yukteswar went on. "I leave everything in your hands. You will be able to successfully sail the boat of your life and that of the organization to the divine shores." In tears, I was em bracing his feet; he rose and blessed m e endearingly. The following day I sum m oned from Ranchi a disciple, Swam i Sebananda, and sent him to Puri to assum e the herm itage duties. 4 2 -3 Later m y guru discussed with m e the legal details of settling his estate; he was anxious to prevent the possibility of litigation by relatives, after his death, for possession of his two herm itages and other properties, which he wished to be deeded over solely for charitable purposes. "Arrangem ents were recently m ade for Master to visit Kidderpore, 4 2 -4 but he failed to go." Am ulaya Babu, a brother disciple, m ade this rem ark to m e one afternoon; I felt a cold wave of prem onition. To m y pressing inquiries, Sri Yukteswar only replied, "I shall go to Kidderpore no m ore." For a m om ent, Master trem bled like a frightened child. ("Attachm ent to bodily residence, springing up of its own nature [i.e., arising from im m em orial roots, past experiences of death]," Patanjali wrote, 4 2 -5 "is present in slight degree even in great saints." In som e of his discourses on death, m y guru had been wont to add: "J ust as a long-caged bird hesitates to leave its accustom ed hom e when the door is opened.") "Guruji," I entreated him with a sob, "don't say that! Never utter those words to m e!" Sri Yukteswar's face relaxed in a peaceful sm ile. Though nearing his eighty-first birthday, he looked well and strong. www.holybooks.com Basking day by day in the sunshine of m y guru's love, unspoken but keenly felt, I banished from m y conscious m ind the various hints he had given of his approaching passing. "Sir, the Kum bha Mela is convening this m onth at Allahabad." I showed Master the m ela dates in a Bengali alm anac. 4 2 -6 "Do you really want to go?" Not sensing Sri Yukteswar's reluctance to have m e leave him , I went on, "Once you beheld the blessed sight of Babaji at an Allahabad kum bha. Perhaps this tim e I shall be fortunate enough to see him ." "I do not think you will m eet him there." My guru then fell into silence, not wishing to obstruct m y plans. When I set out for Allahabad the following day with a sm all group, Master blessed m e quietly in his usual m anner. Apparently I was rem aining oblivious to im plications in Sri Yukteswar's attitude because the Lord wished to spare m e the experience of being forced, helplessly, to witness m y guru's passing. It has always happened in m y life that, at the death of those dearly beloved by m e, God has com passionately arranged that I be distant from the scene. 4 2 -7 Our party reached the Kum bha Mela on J anuary 23, 1936. The surging crowd of nearly two m illion persons was an im pressive sight, even an overwhelm ing one. The peculiar genius of the Indian people is the reverence innate in even the lowliest peasant for the worth of the Spirit, and for the m onks and sadhus who have forsaken worldly ties to seek a diviner anchorage. Im posters and hypocrites there are indeed, but India respects all for the sake of the few who illum ine the whole land with supernal blessings. Westerners who were viewing the vast spectacle had a unique opportunity to feel the pulse of the land, the spiritual ardor to which India owes her quenchless vitality before the blows of tim e. The woman yogi, Shankari Mai Jiew, only living disciple of the great Trailanga Swami. www.holybooks.com The turbaned figure seated directly beside her is Swami Benoyananda, a director of our Ranchi yoga school for boys in Bihar. The picture was taken at the Hardwar Kumbha Mela in 1938; the woman saint was then 112 years old. Krishnananda, at the 1936 Allahabad Kumbha Mela, with his tame vegetarian lioness. Second-floor dining patio of Sri Yukteswar's Serampore hermitage. I am seated (in center) at my guru's feet. The first day was spent by our group in sheer staring. Here were countless bathers, dipping in the holy river for rem ission of sins; there we saw solem n rituals of worship; yonder were devotional offerings being strewn at the dusty feet of saints; a turn of our heads, and a line of elephants, caparisoned horses and slow-paced Rajputana cam els filed by, or a quaint religious parade of www.holybooks.com naked sadhus, waving scepters of gold and silver, or flags and stream ers of silken velvet. Anchorites wearing only loincloths sat quietly in little groups, their bodies besm eared with the ashes that protect them from the heat and cold. The spiritual eye was vividly represented on their foreheads by a single spot of sandalwood paste. Shaven-headed swam is appeared by the thousands, ocher-robed and carrying their bam boo staff and begging bowl. Their faces beam ed with the renunciate's peace as they walked about or held philosophical discussions with disciples. Here and there under the trees, around huge piles of burning logs, were picturesque sadhus, 4 2 -8 their hair braided and m assed in coils on top of their heads. Som e wore beards several feet in length, curled and tied in a knot. They m editated quietly, or extended their hands in blessing to the passing throng-beggars, m aharajas on elephants, wom en in m ulticolored saris- their bangles and anklets tinkling, fakirs with thin arm s held grotesquely aloft, brahm acharis carrying m editation elbow-props, hum ble sages whose solem nity hid an inner bliss. High above the din we heard the ceaseless sum m ons of the tem ple bells. On our second m ela day m y com panions and I entered various ashram s and tem porary huts, offering pronam s to saintly personages. We received the blessing of the leader of the Giri branch of the Swam i Order-a thin, ascetical m onk with eyes of sm iling fire. Our next visit took us to a herm itage whose guru had observed for the past nine years the vows of silence and a strict fruitarian diet. On the central dais in the ashram hall sat a blind sadhu, Pragla Chakshu, profoundly learned in the shastras and highly revered by all sects. After I had given a brief discourse in Hindi on Vedanta, our group left the peaceful herm itage to greet a near-by swam i, Krishnananda, a handsom e m onk with rosy cheeks and im pressive shoulders. Reclining near him was a tam e lioness. Succum bing to the m onk's spiritual charm not, I am sure, to his powerful physique!-the jungle anim al refuses all m eat in favor of rice and m ilk. The swam i has taught the tawny- haired beast to utter "Aum " in a deep, attractive growl-a cat devotee! Our next encounter, an interview with a learned young sadhu, is well described in Mr. Wright's sparkling travel diary. "We rode in the Ford across the very low Ganges on a creaking pontoon bridge, crawling snakelike through the crowds and over narrow, twisting lanes, passing the site on the river bank which Yoganandaji pointed out to m e as the m eeting place of Babaji and Sri Yukteswarji. Alighting from the car a short tim e later, we walked som e distance through the thickening sm oke of the sadhus' fires and over the slippery sands to reach a cluster of tiny, very m odest m ud-andstraw huts. We halted in front of one of these insignificant tem porary dwellings, with a pygm y doorless entrance, the shelter of Kara Patri, a young wandering sadhu noted for his exceptional intelligence. There he sat, cross-legged on a pile of straw, his only covering-and incidentally his only possession-being an ocher cloth draped over his shoulders. "Truly a divine face sm iled at us after we had crawled on all fours into the hut and pronam ed at the feet of this enlightened soul, while the kerosene lantern at the entrance flickered weird, www.holybooks.com dancing shadows on the thatched walls. His face, especially his eyes and perfect teeth, beam ed and glistened. Although I was puzzled by the Hindi, his expressions were very revealing; he was full of enthusiasm , love, spiritual glory. No one could be m istaken as to his greatness. "Im agine the happy life of one unattached to the m aterial world; free of the clothing problem ; free of food craving, never begging, never touching cooked food except on alternate days, never carrying a begging bowl; free of all m oney entanglem ents, never handling m oney, never storing things away, always trusting in God; free of transportation worries, never riding in vehicles, but always walking on the banks of the sacred rivers; never rem aining in one place longer than a week in order to avoid any growth of attachm ent. "Such a m odest soul! unusually learned in the Vedas, and possessing an M.A. degree and the title of shastri (m aster of scriptures) from Benares University. A sublim e feeling pervaded m e as I sat at his feet; it all seem ed to be an answer to m y desire to see the real, the ancient India, for he is a true representative of this land of spiritual giants." I questioned Kara Patri about his wandering life. "Don't you have any extra clothes for winter?" "No, this is enough." "Do you carry any books?" "No, I teach from m em ory those people who wish to hear m e." "What else do you do?" "I roam by the Ganges." At these quiet words, I was overpowered by a yearning for the sim plicity of his life. I rem em bered Am erica, and all the responsibilities that lay on m y shoulders. "No, Yogananda," I thought, sadly for a m om ent, "in this life roam ing by the Ganges is not for you." After the sadhu had told m e a few of his spiritual realizations, I shot an abrupt question. "Are you giving these descriptions from scriptural lore, or from inward experience?" "Half from book learning," he answered with a straightforward sm ile, "and half from experience." We sat happily awhile in m editative silence. After we had left his sacred presence, I said to Mr. Wright, "He is a king sitting on a throne of golden straw." We had our dinner that night on the m ela grounds under the stars, eating from leaf plates pinned together with sticks. Dishwashings in India are reduced to a m inim um ! www.holybooks.com Two m ore days of the fascinating kum bha; then northwest along the J um na banks to Agra. Once again I gazed on the Taj Mahal; in m em ory J itendra stood by m y side, awed by the dream in m arble. Then on to the Brindaban ashram of Swam i Keshabananda. My object in seeking out Keshabananda was connected with this book. I had never forgotten Sri Yukteswar's request that I write the life of Lahiri Mahasaya. During m y stay in India I was taking every opportunity of contacting direct disciples and relatives of the Yogavatar. Recording their conversations in volum inous notes, I verified facts and dates, and collected photographs, old letters, and docum ents. My Lahiri Mahasaya portfolio began to swell; I realized with dism ay that ahead of m e lay arduous labors in authorship. I prayed that I m ight be equal to m y role as biographer of the colossal guru. Several of his disciples feared that in a written account their m aster m ight be belittled or m isinterpreted. "One can hardly do justice in cold words to the life of a divine incarnation," Panchanon Bhattacharya had once rem arked to m e. Other close disciples were sim ilarly satisfied to keep the Yogavatar hidden in their hearts as the deathless preceptor. Nevertheless, m indful of Lahiri Mahasaya's prediction about his biography, I spared no effort to secure and substantiate the facts of his outward life. Swam i Keshabananda greeted our party warm ly at Brindaban in his Katayani Peith Ashram , an im posing brick building with m assive black pillars, set in a beautiful garden. He ushered us at once into a sitting room adorned with an enlargem ent of Lahiri Mahasaya's picture. The swam i was approaching the age of ninety, but his m uscular body radiated strength and health. With long hair and a snow-white beard, eyes twinkling with joy, he was a veritable patriarchal em bodim ent. I inform ed him that I wanted to m ention his nam e in m y book on India's m asters. "Please tell m e about your earlier life." I sm iled entreatingly; great yogis are often uncom m unicative. Keshabananda m ade a gesture of hum ility. "There is little of external m om ent. Practically m y whole life has been spent in the Him alayan solitudes, traveling on foot from one quiet cave to another. For a while I m aintained a sm all ashram outside Hardwar, surrounded on all sides by a grove of tall trees. It was a peaceful spot little visited by travelers, owing to the ubiquitous presence of cobras." Keshabananda chuckled. "Later a Ganges flood washed away the herm itage and cobras alike. My disciples then helped m e to build this Brindaban ashram ." One of our party asked the swam i how he had protected him self against the Him alayan tigers. 4 2 9 Keshabananda shook his head. "In those high spiritual altitudes," he said, "wild beasts seldom m olest the yogis. Once in the jungle I encountered a tiger face-to-face. At m y sudden ejaculation, the anim al was transfixed as though turned to stone." Again the swam i chuckled at his m em ories. "Occasionally I left m y seclusion to visit m y guru in Benares. He used to joke with m e over m y www.holybooks.com ceaseless travels in the Him alayan wilderness. "'You have the m ark of wanderlust on your foot,' he told m e once. 'I am glad that the sacred Him alayas are extensive enough to engross you.' "Many tim es," Keshabananda went on, "both before and after his passing, Lahiri Mahasaya has appeared bodily before m e. For him no Him alayan height is inaccessible!" Two hours later he led us to a dining patio. I sighed in silent dism ay. Another fifteen-course m eal! Less than a year of Indian hospitality, and I had gained fifty pounds! Yet it would have been considered the height of rudeness to refuse any of the dishes, carefully prepared for the endless banquets in m y honor. In India (nowhere else, alas!) a well-padded swam i is considered a delightful sight. 4 2 -10 Mr. Wright, myself, Miss Bletch -- in Egypt www.holybooks.com Rabindranath Tagore, inspired poet of Bengal, and Nobel Prizeman in literature Mr. Wright and I pose with the venerable Swami Keshabananda and a disciple at the stately hermitage in Brindaban After dinner, Keshabananda led m e to a secluded nook. "Your arrival is not unexpected," he said. "I have a m essage for you." I was surprised; no one had known of m y plan to visit Keshabananda. "While roam ing last year in the northern Him alayas near Badrinarayan," the swam i continued, "I lost m y way. Shelter appeared in a spacious cave, which was em pty, though the em bers of a fire glowed in a hole in the rocky floor. Wondering about the occupant of this lonely retreat, I sat near the fire, m y gaze fixed on the sunlit entrance to the cave. "'Keshabananda, I am glad you are here.' These words cam e from behind m e. I turned, startled, and was dazzled to behold Babaji! The great guru had m aterialized him self in a recess of the cave. Overjoyed to see him again after m any years, I prostrated m yself at his holy feet. "'I called you here,' Babaji went on. 'That is why you lost your way and were led to m y tem porary abode in this cave. It is a long tim e since our last m eeting; I am pleased to greet you once m ore.' "The deathless m aster blessed m e with som e words of spiritual help, then added: 'I give you a m essage for Yogananda. He will pay you a visit on his return to India. Many m atters connected with his guru and with the surviving disciples of Lahiri will keep Yogananda fully occupied. Tell him , then, that I won't see him this tim e, as he is eagerly hoping; but I shall see him on som e other occasion.'" I was deeply touched to receive from Keshabananda's lips this consoling prom ise from Babaji. A www.holybooks.com certain hurt in m y heart vanished; I grieved no longer that, even as Sri Yukteswar had hinted, Babaji did not appear at the Kum bha Mela. Spending one night as guests of the ashram , our party set out the following afternoon for Calcutta. Riding over a bridge of the J um na River, we enjoyed a m agnificent view of the skyline of Brindaban just as the sun set fire to the sky-a veritable furnace of Vulcan in color, reflected below us in the still waters. The J um na beach is hallowed by m em ories of the child Sri Krishna. Here he engaged with innocent sweetness in his lilas (plays) with the gopis (m aids), exem plifying the supernal love which ever exists between a divine incarnation and his devotees. The life of Lord Krishna has been m isunderstood by m any Western com m entators. Scriptural allegory is baffling to literal m inds. A hilarious blunder by a translator will illustrate this point. The story concerns an inspired m edieval saint, the cobbler Ravidas, who sang in the sim ple term s of his own trade of the spiritual glory hidden in all m ankind: Under the vast vault of blue Lives the divinity clothed in hide. One turns aside to hide a sm ile on hearing the pedestrian interpretation given to Ravidas' poem by a Western writer: "He afterwards built a hut, set up in it an idol which he m ade from a hide, and applied him self to its worship." Ravidas was a brother disciple of the great Kabir. One of Ravidas' exalted chelas was the Rani of Chitor. She invited a large num ber of Brahm ins to a feast in honor of her teacher, but they refused to eat with a lowly cobbler. As they sat down in dignified aloofness to eat their own uncontam inated m eal, lo! each Brahm in found at his side the form of Ravidas. This m ass vision accom plished a widespread spiritual revival in Chitor. In a few days our little group reached Calcutta. Eager to see Sri Yukteswar, I was disappointed to hear that he had left Seram pore and was now in Puri, about three hundred m iles to the south. "Com e to Puri ashram at once." This telegram was sent on March 8th by a brother disciple to Atul Chandra Roy Chowdhry, one of Master's chelas in Calcutta. News of the m essage reached m y ears; anguished at its im plications, I dropped to m y knees and im plored God that m y guru's life be spared. As I was about to leave Father's hom e for the train, a divine voice spoke within. "Do not go to Puri tonight. Thy prayer cannot he granted." www.holybooks.com "Lord," I said, grief-stricken, "Thou dost not wish to engage with m e in a 'tug of war' at Puri, where Thou wilt have to deny m y incessant prayers for Master's life. Must he, then, depart for higher duties at Thy behest?" In obedience to the inward com m and, I did not leave that night for Puri. The following evening I set out for the train; on the way, at seven o'clock, a black astral cloud suddenly covered the sky. 4 2 11 Later, while the train roared toward Puri, a vision of Sri Yukteswar appeared before m e. He was sitting, very grave of countenance, with a light on each side. "Is it all over?" I lifted m y arm s beseechingly. He nodded, then slowly vanished. As I stood on the Puri train platform the following m orning, still hoping against hope, an unknown m an approached m e. "Have you heard that your Master is gone?" He left m e without another word; I never discovered who he was nor how he had known where to find m e. Stunned, I swayed against the platform wall, realizing that in diverse ways m y guru was trying to convey to m e the devastating news. Seething with rebellion, m y soul was like a volcano. By the tim e I reached the Puri herm itage I was nearing collapse. The inner voice was tenderly repeating: "Collect yourself. Be calm ." I entered the ashram room where Master's body, unim aginably lifelike, was sitting in the lotus posture-a picture of health and loveliness. A short tim e before his passing, m y guru had been slightly ill with fever, but before the day of his ascension into the Infinite, his body had becom e com pletely well. No m atter how often I looked at his dear form I could not realize that its life had departed. His skin was sm ooth and soft; in his face was a beatific expression of tranquillity. He had consciously relinquished his body at the hour of m ystic sum m oning. "The Lion of Bengal is gone!" I cried in a daze. I conducted the solem n rites on March 10 th. Sri Yukteswar was buried 4 2 -12 with the ancient rituals of the swam is in the garden of his Puri ashram . His disciples later arrived from far and near to honor their guru at a vernal equinox m em orial service. The Am rita Bazar Patrika, leading newspaper of Calcutta, carried his picture and the following report: The death Bhandara cerem ony for Srim at Swam i Sri Yukteswar Giri Maharaj, aged 81, took place at Puri on March 21. Many disciples cam e down to Puri for the rites. One of the greatest expounders of the Bhagavad Gita, Swam i Maharaj was a great disciple of Yogiraj Sri Shyam a Charan Lahiri Mahasaya of Benares. Swam i Maharaj was the founder of several Yogoda Sat-Sanga (Self-Realization Fellowship) centers in India, and was the great inspiration behind the yoga m ovem ent which was carried to the West by Swam i Yogananda, his www.holybooks.com principal disciple. It was Sri Yukteswarji's prophetic powers and deep realization that inspired Swam i Yogananda to cross the oceans and spread in Am erica the m essage of the m asters of India. His interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures testify to the depth of Sri Yukteswarji's com m and of the philosophy, both Eastern and Western, and rem ain as an eyeopener for the unity between Orient and Occident. As he believed in the unity of all religious faiths, Sri Yukteswar Maharaj established Sadhu Sabha (Society of Saints) with the cooperation of leaders of various sects and faiths, for the inculcation of a scientific spirit in religion. At the tim e of his dem ise he nom inated Swam i Yogananda his successor as the president of Sadhu Sabha. India is really poorer today by the passing of such a great m an. May all fortunate enough to have com e near him inculcate in them selves the true spirit of India's culture and sadhana which was personified in him . I returned to Calcutta. Not trusting m yself as yet to go to the Seram pore herm itage with its sacred m em ories, I sum m oned Prafulla, Sri Yukteswar's little disciple in Seram pore, and m ade arrangem ents for him to enter the Ranchi school. "The m orning you left for the Allahabad m ela," Prafulla told m e, "Master dropped heavily on the davenport. "'Yogananda is gone!' he cried. 'Yogananda is gone!' He added cryptically, 'I shall have to tell him som e other way.' He sat then for hours in silence." My days were filled with lectures, classes, interviews, and reunions with old friends. Beneath a hollow sm ile and a life of ceaseless activity, a stream of black brooding polluted the inner river of bliss which for so m any years had m eandered under the sands of all m y perceptions. "Where has that divine sage gone?" I cried silently from the depths of a torm ented spirit. No answer cam e. "It is best that Master has com pleted his union with the Cosm ic Beloved," m y m ind assured m e. "He is eternally glowing in the dom inion of deathlessness." "Never again m ay you see him in the old Seram pore m ansion," m y heart lam ented. "No longer m ay you bring your friends to m eet him , or proudly say: 'Behold, there sits India's Jnanavatar!'" Mr. Wright m ade arrangem ents for our party to sail from Bom bay for the West in early J une. After a fortnight in May of farewell banquets and speeches at Calcutta, Miss Bletch, Mr. Wright and m yself left in the Ford for Bom bay. On our arrival, the ship authorities asked us to cancel our passage, as no room could be found for the Ford, which we would need again in Europe. "Never m ind," I said gloom ily to Mr. Wright. "I want to return once m ore to Puri." I silently www.holybooks.com added, "Let m y tears once again water the grave of m y guru." 42- 1: Lit erally, param , highest ; hansa, swan. The hansa is represent ed in script ural lore as t he vehicle of Brahm a, Suprem e Spirit ; as t he sym bol of discrim inat ion, t he whit e hansa swan is t hought of as able t o separat e t he t rue som a nect ar from a m ixt ure of m ilk and wat er. Ham - sa ( pronounced hong- sau) are t wo sacred Sanskrit chant words possessing a vibrat ory connect ion wit h t he incom ing and out going breat h. Aham - Sa is lit erally " I am He." 42- 2: They have generally evaded t he difficult y by addressing m e as sir. 42- 3: At t he Puri ashram , Swam i Sebananda is st ill conduct ing a sm all, flourishing yoga school for boys, and m edit at ion groups for adult s. Meet ings of saint s and pundit s convene t here periodically. 42- 4: A sect ion of Calcut t a. 42- 5: Aphorism s: I I : 9. 42- 6: Religious m elas are m ent ioned in t he ancient Mahabharat a. The Chinese t raveler Hieuen Tsiang has left an account of a vast Kum bha Mela held in A.D. 644 at Allahabad. The largest m ela is held every t welft h year; t he next largest ( Ardha or half) Kum bha occurs every sixt h year. Sm aller m elas convene every t hird year, at t ract ing about a m illion devot ees. The four sacred m ela cit ies are Allahabad, Hardwar, Nasik, and Uj j ain. Early Chinese t ravelers have left us m any st riking pict ures of I ndian societ y. The Chinese priest , Fa- Hsien, wrot e an account of his eleven years in I ndia during t he reign of Chandragupt a I I ( early 4t h cent ury) . The Chinese aut hor relat es: " Throughout t he count ry no one kills any living t hing, nor drinks wine. . . . They do not keep pigs or fowl; t here are no dealings in cat t le, no but chers' shops or dist illeries. Room s wit h beds and m at t resses, food and clot hes, are provided for resident and t raveling priest s wit hout fail, and t his is t he sam e in all places. The priest s occupy t hem selves wit h benevolent m inist rat ions and wit h chant ing lit urgies; or t hey sit in m edit at ion." Fa- Hsien t ells us t he I ndian people were happy and honest ; capit al punishm ent was unknown. 42- 7: I was not present at t he deat hs of m y m ot her, elder brot her Anant a, eldest sist er Rom a, Mast er, Fat her, or of several close disciples. ( Fat her passed on at Calcut t a in 1942, at t he age of eight y- nine.) 42- 8: The hundreds of t housands of I ndian sadhus are cont rolled by an execut ive com m it t ee of seven leaders, represent ing seven large sect ions of I ndia. The present m aham andaleswar or president is Joyendra Puri. This saint ly m an is ext rem ely reserved, oft en confining his speech t o t hree words- Trut h, Love, and Work. A sufficient conversat ion! 42- 9: There are m any m et hods, it appears, for out wit t ing a t iger. An Aust ralian explorer, Francis Birt les, has recount ed t hat he found t he I ndian j ungles " varied, beaut iful, and safe." His safet y charm was flypaper. " Every night I spread a quant it y of sheet s around m y cam p and was never dist urbed," he explained. " The reason is psychological. The t iger is an anim al of great conscious dignit y. He prowls around and challenges m an unt il he com es t o t he flypaper; he t hen slinks away. No dignified t iger would dare face a hum an being aft er squat t ing down upon a st icky flypaper! " 42- 10: Aft er I ret urned t o Am erica I t ook off sixt y- five pounds. 42- 11: Sri Yukt eswar passed at t his hour- 7: 00 P.M., March 9, 1936. 42- 12: Funeral cust om s in I ndia require crem at ion for householders; swam is and m onks of ot her orders are not crem at ed, but buried. ( There are occasional except ions.) The bodies of m onks are sym bolically considered t o have undergone crem at ion in t he fire of wisdom at t he t im e of t aking t he m onast ic vow. www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 43 The Resurrection Of Sri Yukteswar "Lord Krishna!" The glorious form of the avatar appeared in a shim m ering blaze as I sat in m y room at the Regent Hotel in Bom bay. Shining over the roof of a high building across the street, the ineffable vision had suddenly burst on m y sight as I gazed out of m y long open third-story window. The divine figure waved to m e, sm iling and nodding in greeting. When I could not understand the exact m essage of Lord Krishna, he departed with a gesture of blessing. Wondrously uplifted, I felt that som e spiritual event was presaged. My Western voyage had, for the tim e being, been cancelled. I was scheduled for several public addresses in Bom bay before leaving on a return visit to Bengal. Sitting on m y bed in the Bom bay hotel at three o'clock in the afternoon of J une 19, 1936-one week after the vision of Krishna-I was roused from m y m editation by a beatific light. Before m y open and astonished eyes, the whole room was transform ed into a strange world, the sunlight transm uted into supernal splendor. Waves of rapture engulfed m e as I beheld the flesh and blood form of Sri Yukteswar! "My son!" Master spoke tenderly, on his face an angel-bewitching sm ile. For the first tim e in m y life I did not kneel at his feet in greeting but instantly advanced to gather him hungrily in m y arm s. Mom ent of m om ents! The anguish of past m onths was toll I counted weightless against the torrential bliss now descending. "Master m ine, beloved of m y heart, why did you leave m e?" I was incoherent in an excess of joy. "Why did you let m e go to the Kum bha Mela? How bitterly have I blam ed m yself for leaving you!" www.holybooks.com -by B. K. Mitra in "Kalyana-Kalpatur" KRISHNA, ANCIENT PROPHET OF INDIA A modern artist's conception of the divine teacher whose spiritual counsel in the Bhagavad Gita has become the Hindu Bible. Krishna is portrayed in Hindu art with a peacock feather in his hair (symbol of the Lord's lila, play or creative sport), and carrying a flute, whose enrapturing notes awaken the devotees, one by one, from their sleep of maya or cosmic delusion. "I did not want to interfere with your happy anticipation of seeing the pilgrim age spot where first I m et Babaji. I left you only for a little while; am I not with you again?" "But is it y ou, Master, the sam e Lion of God? Are you wearing a body like the one I buried beneath the cruel Puri sands?" "Yes, m y child, I am the sam e. This is a flesh and blood body. Though I see it as ethereal, to your sight it is physical. From the cosm ic atom s I created an entirely new body, exactly like that cosm ic-dream physical body which you laid beneath the dream -sands at Puri in your dream world. I am in truth resurrected-not on earth but on an astral planet. Its inhabitants are better able than earthly hum anity to m eet m y lofty standards. There you and your exalted loved ones shall som eday com e to be with m e." "Deathless guru, tell m e m ore!" Master gave a quick, m irthful chuckle. "Please, dear one," he said, "won't you relax your hold a little?" "Only a little!" I had been em bracing him with an octopus grip. I could detect the sam e faint, fragrant, natural odor which had been characteristic of his body before. The thrilling touch of his www.holybooks.com divine flesh still persists around the inner sides of m y arm s and in m y palm s whenever I recall those glorious hours. "As prophets are sent on earth to help m en work out their physical karm a, so I have been directed by God to serve on an astral planet as a savior," Sri Yukteswar explained. "It is called Hirany aloka or 'Illum ined Astral Planet.' There I am aiding advanced beings to rid them selves of astral karm a and thus attain liberation from astral rebirths. The dwellers on Hiranyaloka are highly developed spiritually; all of them had acquired, in their last earth- incarnation, the m editation-given power of consciously leaving their physical bodies at death. No one can enter Hiranyaloka unless he has passed on earth beyond the state of sabikalpa sam adhi into the higher state of nirbikalpa sam adhi. 4 3 -1 "The Hiranyaloka inhabitants have already passed through the ordinary astral spheres, where nearly all beings from earth m ust go at death; there they worked out m any seeds of their past actions in the astral worlds. None but advanced beings can perform such redem ptive work effectually in the astral worlds. Then, in order to free their souls m ore fully from the cocoon of karm ic traces lodged in their astral bodies, these higher beings were drawn by cosm ic law to be reborn with new astral bodies on Hiranyaloka, the astral sun or heaven, where I have resurrected to help them . There are also highly advanced beings on Hiranyaloka who have com e from the superior, subtler, causal world." My m ind was now in such perfect attunem ent with m y guru's that he was conveying his wordpictures to m e partly by speech and partly by thought-transference. I was thus quickly receiving his idea-tabloids. "You have read in the scriptures," Master went on, "that God encased the hum an soul successively in three bodies-the idea, or causal, body; the subtle astral body, seat of m an's m ental and em otional natures; and the gross physical body. On earth a m an is equipped with his physical senses. An astral being works with his consciousness and feelings and a body m ade of lifetrons. 4 3 -2 A causal-bodied being rem ains in the blissful realm of ideas. My work is with those astral beings who are preparing to enter the causal world." "Adorable Master, please tell m e m ore about the astral cosm os." Though I had slightly relaxed m y em brace at Sri Yukteswar's request, m y arm s were still around him . Treasure beyond all treasures, m y guru who had laughed at death to reach m e! "There are m any astral planets, teem ing with astral beings," Master began. "The inhabitants use astral planes, or m asses of light, to travel from one planet to another, faster than electricity and radioactive energies. "The astral universe, m ade of various subtle vibrations of light and color, is hundreds of tim es larger than the m aterial cosm os. The entire physical creation hangs like a little solid basket under the huge lum inous balloon of the astral sphere. J ust as m any physical suns and stars roam in space, so there are also countless astral solar and stellar system s. Their planets have astral suns and m oons, m ore beautiful than the physical ones. The astral lum inaries resem ble the aurora www.holybooks.com borealis-the sunny astral aurora being m ore dazzling than the m ild-rayed m oon-aurora. The astral day and night are longer than those of earth. "The astral world is infinitely beautiful, clean, pure, and orderly. There are no dead planets or barren lands. The terrestrial blem ishes- weeds, bacteria, insects, snakes-are absent. Unlike the variable clim ates and seasons of the earth, the astral planets m aintain the even tem perature of an eternal spring, with occasional lum inous white snow and rain of m any-colored lights. Astral planets abound in opal lakes and bright seas and rainbow rivers. "The ordinary astral universe-not the subtler astral heaven of Hiranyaloka-is peopled with m illions of astral beings who have com e, m ore or less recently, from the earth, and also with m yriads of fairies, m erm aids, fishes, anim als, goblins, gnom es, dem igods and spirits, all residing on different astral planets in accordance with karm ic qualifications. Various spheric m ansions or vibratory regions are provided for good and evil spirits. Good ones can travel freely, but the evil spirits are confined to lim ited zones. In the sam e way that hum an beings live on the surface of the earth, worm s inside the soil, fish in water, and birds in air, so astral beings of different grades are assigned to suitable vibratory quarters. "Am ong the fallen dark angels expelled from other worlds, friction and war take place with lifetronic bom bs or m ental m antric 4 3 -3 vibratory rays. These beings dwell in the gloom drenched regions of the lower astral cosm os, working out their evil karm a. "In the vast realm s above the dark astral prison, all is shining and beautiful. The astral cosm os is m ore naturally attuned than the earth to the divine will and plan of perfection. Every astral object is m anifested prim arily by the will of God, and partially by the will- call of astral beings. They possess the power of m odifying or enhancing the grace and form of anything already created by the Lord. He has given His astral children the freedom and privilege of changing or im proving at will the astral cosm os. On earth a solid m ust be transform ed into liquid or other form through natural or chem ical processes, but astral solids are changed into astral liquids, gases, or energy solely and instantly by the will of the inhabitants. "The earth is dark with warfare and m urder in the sea, land, and air," m y guru continued, "but the astral realm s know a happy harm ony and equality. Astral beings dem aterialize or m aterialize their form s at will. Flowers or fish or anim als can m etam orphose them selves, for a tim e, into astral m en. All astral beings are free to assum e any form , and can easily com m une together. No fixed, definite, natural law hem s them round-any astral tree, for exam ple, can be successfully asked to produce an astral m ango or other desired fruit, flower, or indeed any other object. Certain karm ic restrictions are present, but there are no distinctions in the astral world about desirability of various form s. Everything is vibrant with God's creative light. "No one is born of wom an; offspring are m aterialized by astral beings through the help of their cosm ic will into specially patterned, astrally condensed form s. The recently physically disem bodied being arrives in an astral fam ily through invitation, drawn by sim ilar m ental and spiritual tendencies. www.holybooks.com "The astral body is not subject to cold or heat or other natural conditions. The anatom y includes an astral brain, or the thousand- petaled lotus of light, and six awakened centers in the sushum na, or astral cerebro-spinal axis. The heart draws cosm ic energy as well as light from the astral brain, and pum ps it to the astral nerves and body cells, or lifetrons. Astral beings can affect their bodies by lifetronic force or by m antric vibrations. "The astral body is an exact counterpart of the last physical form . Astral beings retain the sam e appearance which they possessed in youth in their previous earthly sojourn; occasionally an astral being chooses, like m yself, to retain his old age appearance." Master, em anating the very essence of youth, chuckled m errily. "Unlike the spacial, three-dim ensional physical world cognized only by the five senses, the astral spheres are visible to the all-inclusive sixth sense-intuition," Sri Yukteswar went on. "By sheer intuitional feeling, all astral beings see, hear, sm ell, taste, and touch. They possess three eyes, two of which are partly closed. The third and chief astral eye, vertically placed on the forehead, is open. Astral beings have all the outer sensory organs-ears, eyes, nose, tongue, and skin-but they em ploy the intuitional sense to experience sensations through any part of the body; they can see through the ear, or nose, or skin. They are able to hear through the eyes or tongue, and can taste through the ears or skin, and so forth. 4 3 -4 "Man's physical body is exposed to countless dangers, and is easily hurt or m aim ed; the ethereal astral body m ay occasionally be cut or bruised but is healed at once by m ere willing." "Gurudeva, are all astral persons beautiful?" "Beauty in the astral world is known to be a spiritual quality, and not an outward conform ation," Sri Yukteswar replied. "Astral beings therefore attach little im portance to facial features. They have the privilege, however, of costum ing them selves at will with new, colorful, astrally m aterialized bodies. J ust as worldly m en don new array for gala events, so astral beings find occasions to bedeck them selves in specially designed form s. "J oyous astral festivities on the higher astral planets like Hiranyaloka take place when a being is liberated from the astral world through spiritual advancem ent, and is therefore ready to enter the heaven of the causal world. On such occasions the Invisible Heavenly Father, and the saints who are m erged in Him , m aterialize Them selves into bodies of Their own choice and join the astral celebration. In order to please His beloved devotee, the Lord takes any desired form . If the devotee worshiped through devotion, he sees God as the Divine Mother. To J esus, the Fatheraspect of the Infinite One was appealing beyond other conceptions. The individuality with which the Creator has endowed each of His creatures m akes every conceivable and inconceivable dem and on the Lord's versatility!" My guru and I laughed happily together. "Friends of other lives easily recognize one another in the astral world," Sri Yukteswar went on in his beautiful, flutelike voice. "Rejoicing at the im m ortality of friendship, they realize the indestructibility of love, often doubted at the tim e of the sad, delusive partings of earthly life. www.holybooks.com "The intuition of astral beings pierces through the veil and observes hum an activities on earth, but m an cannot view the astral world unless his sixth sense is som ewhat developed. Thousands of earth-dwellers have m om entarily glim psed an astral being or an astral world. "The advanced beings on Hiranyaloka rem ain m ostly awake in ecstasy during the long astral day and night, helping to work out intricate problem s of cosm ic governm ent and the redem ption of prodigal sons, earthbound souls. When the Hiranyaloka beings sleep, they have occasional dream like astral visions. Their m inds are usually engrossed in the conscious state of highest nirbikalpa bliss. "Inhabitants in all parts of the astral worlds are still subject to m ental agonies. The sensitive m inds of the higher beings on planets like Hiranyaloka feel keen pain if any m istake is m ade in conduct or perception of truth. These advanced beings endeavor to attune their every act and thought with the perfection of spiritual law. "Com m unication am ong the astral inhabitants is held entirely by astral telepathy and television; there is none of the confusion and m isunderstanding of the written and spoken word which earthdwellers m ust endure. J ust as persons on the cinem a screen appear to m ove and act through a series of light pictures, and do not actually breathe, so the astral beings walk and work as intelligently guided and coordinated im ages of light, without the necessity of drawing power from oxygen. Man depends upon solids, liquids, gases, and energy for sustenance; astral beings sustain them selves principally by cosm ic light." "Master m ine, do astral beings eat anything?" I was drinking in his m arvelous elucidations with the receptivity of all m y faculties-m ind, heart, soul. Superconscious perceptions of truth are perm anently real and changeless, while fleeting sense experiences and im pressions are never m ore than tem porarily or relatively true, and soon lose in m em ory all their vividness. My guru's words were so penetratingly im printed on the parchm ent of m y being that at any tim e, by transferring m y m ind to the superconscious state, I can clearly relive the divine experience. "Lum inous raylike vegetables abound in the astral soils," he answered. "The astral beings consum e vegetables, and drink a nectar flowing from glorious fountains of light and from astral brooks and rivers. J ust as invisible im ages of persons on the earth can be dug out of the ether and m ade visible by a television apparatus, later being dism issed again into space, so the God-created, unseen astral blueprints of vegetables and plants floating in the ether are precipitated on an astral planet by the will of its inhabitants. In the sam e way, from the wildest fancy of these beings, whole gardens of fragrant flowers are m aterialized, returning later to the etheric invisibility. Although dwellers on the heavenly planets like Hiranyaloka are alm ost freed from any necessity of eating, still higher is the unconditioned existence of alm ost com pletely liberated souls in the causal world, who eat nothing save the m anna of bliss. "The earth-liberated astral being m eets a m ultitude of relatives, fathers, m others, wives, husbands, and friends, acquired during different incarnations on earth, 4 3 -5 as they appear from tim e to tim e in various parts of the astral realm s. He is therefore at a loss to understand whom to love especially; he learns in this way to give a divine and equal love to all, as children and www.holybooks.com individualized expressions of God. Though the outward appearance of loved ones m ay have changed, m ore or less according to the developm ent of new qualities in the latest life of any particular soul, the astral being em ploys his unerring intuition to recognize all those once dear to him in other planes of existence, and to welcom e them to their new astral hom e. Because every atom in creation is inextinguishably dowered with individuality, 4 3 -6 an astral friend will be recognized no m atter what costum e he m ay don, even as on earth an actor's identity is discoverable by close observation despite any disguise. "The span of life in the astral world is m uch longer than on earth. A norm al advanced astral being's average life period is from five hundred to one thousand years, m easured in accordance with earthly standards of tim e. As certain redwood trees outlive m ost trees by m illennium s, or as som e yogis live several hundred years though m ost m en die before the age of sixty, so som e astral beings live m uch longer than the usual span of astral existence. Visitors to the astral world dwell there for a longer or shorter period in accordance with the weight of their physical karm a, which draws them back to earth within a specified tim e. "The astral being does not have to contend painfully with death at the tim e of shedding his lum inous body. Many of these beings nevertheless feel slightly nervous at the thought of dropping their astral form for the subtler causal one. The astral world is free from unwilling death, disease, and old age. These three dreads are the curse of earth, where m an has allowed his consciousness to identify itself alm ost wholly with a frail physical body requiring constant aid from air, food, and sleep in order to exist at all. "Physical death is attended by the disappearance of breath and the disintegration of fleshly cells. Astral death consists of the dispersem ent of lifetrons, those m anifest units of energy which constitute the life of astral beings. At physical death a being loses his consciousness of flesh and becom es aware of his subtle body in the astral world. Experiencing astral death in due tim e, a being thus passes from the consciousness of astral birth and death to that of physical birth and death. These recurrent cycles of astral and physical encasem ent are the ineluctable destiny of all unenlightened beings. Scriptural definitions of heaven and hell som etim es stir m an's deeper-thansubconscious m em ories of his long series of experiences in the blithesom e astral and disappointing terrestrial worlds." "Beloved Master," I asked, "will you please describe m ore in detail the difference between rebirth on the earth and in the astral and causal spheres?" "Man as an individualized soul is essentially causal-bodied," m y guru explained. "That body is a m atrix of the thirty-five ideas required by God as the basic or causal thought forces from which He later form ed the subtle astral body of nineteen elem ents and the gross physical body of sixteen elem ents. "The nineteen elem ents of the astral body are m ental, em otional, and lifetronic. The nineteen com ponents are intelligence; ego; feeling; m ind (sense-consciousness); five instrum ents of know ledge, the subtle counterparts of the senses of sight, hearing, sm ell, taste, touch; five instrum ents of action, the m ental correspondence for the executive abilities to procreate, excrete, www.holybooks.com talk, walk, and exercise m anual skill; and five instrum ents of life force, those em powered to perform the crystallizing, assim ilating, elim inating, m etabolizing, and circulating functions of the body. This subtle astral encasem ent of nineteen elem ents survives the death of the physical body, which is m ade of sixteen gross m etallic and nonm etallic elem ents. "God thought out different ideas within Him self and projected them into dream s. Lady Cosm ic Dream thus sprang out decorated in all her colossal endless ornam ents of relativity. "In thirty-five thought categories of the causal body, God elaborated all the com plexities of m an's nineteen astral and sixteen physical counterparts. By condensation of vibratory forces, first subtle, then gross, He produced m an's astral body and finally his physical form . According to the law of relativity, by which the Prim e Sim plicity has becom e the bewildering m anifold, the causal cosm os and causal body are different from the astral cosm os and astral body; the physical cosm os and physical body are likewise characteristically at variance with the other form s of creation. "The fleshly body is m ade of the fixed, objectified dream s of the Creator. The dualities are everpresent on earth: disease and health, pain and pleasure, loss and gain. Hum an beings find lim itation and resistance in three-dim ensional m atter. When m an's desire to live is severely shaken by disease or other causes, death arrives; the heavy overcoat of the flesh is tem porarily shed. The soul, however, rem ains encased in the astral and causal bodies. 4 3 -7 The adhesive force by which all three bodies are held together is desire. The power of unfulfilled desires is the root of all m an's slavery. "Physical desires are rooted in egotism and sense pleasures. The com pulsion or tem ptation of sensory experience is m ore powerful than the desire-force connected with astral attachm ents or causal perceptions. "Astral desires center around enjoym ent in term s of vibration. Astral beings enjoy the ethereal m usic of the spheres and are entranced by the sight of all creation as exhaustless expressions of changing light. The astral beings also sm ell, taste, and touch light. Astral desires are thus connected with an astral being's power to precipitate all objects and experiences as form s of light or as condensed thoughts or dream s. "Causal desires are fulfilled by perception only. The nearly-free beings who are encased only in the causal body see the whole universe as realizations of the dream -ideas of God; they can m aterialize anything and everything in sheer thought. Causal beings therefore consider the enjoym ent of physical sensations or astral delights as gross and suffocating to the soul's fine sensibilities. Causal beings work out their desires by m aterializing them instantly. 4 3 -8 Those who find them selves covered only by the delicate veil of the causal body can bring universes into m anifestation even as the Creator. Because all creation is m ade of the cosm ic dream -texture, the soul thinly clothed in the causal has vast realizations of power. "A soul, being invisible by nature, can be distinguished only by the presence of its body or bodies. The m ere presence of a body signifies that its existence is m ade possible by unfulfilled desires. 4 3 - www.holybooks.com 9 "So long as the soul of m an is encased in one, two, or three body- containers, sealed tightly with the corks of ignorance and desires, he cannot m erge with the sea of Spirit. When the gross physical receptacle is destroyed by the ham m er of death, the other two coverings-astral and causal-still rem ain to prevent the soul from consciously joining the Om nipresent Life. When desirelessness is attained through wisdom , its power disintegrates the two rem aining vessels. The tiny hum an soul em erges, free at last; it is one with the Measureless Am plitude." I asked m y divine guru to shed further light on the high and m ysterious causal world. "The causal world is indescribably subtle," he replied. "In order to understand it, one would have to possess such trem endous powers of concentration that he could close his eyes and visualize the astral cosm os and the physical cosm os in all their vastness-the lum inous balloon with the solid basket-as existing in ideas only. If by this superhum an concentration one succeeded in converting or resolving the two cosm oses with all their com plexities into sheer ideas, he would then reach the causal world and stand on the borderline of fusion between m ind and m atter. There one perceives all created things- solids, liquids, gases, electricity, energy, all beings, gods, m en, anim als, plants, bacteria-as form s of consciousness, just as a m an can close his eyes and realize that he exists, even though his body is invisible to his physical eyes and is present only as an idea. "Whatever a hum an being can do in fancy, a causal being can do in reality. The m ost colossal im aginative hum an intelligence is able, in m ind only, to range from one extrem e of thought to another, to skip m entally from planet to planet, or tum ble endlessly down a pit of eternity, or soar rocketlike into the galaxied canopy, or scintillate like a searchlight over m ilky ways and the starry spaces. But beings in the causal world have a m uch greater freedom , and can effortlessly m anifest their thoughts into instant objectivity, without any m aterial or astral obstruction or karm ic lim itation. "Causal beings realize that the physical cosm os is not prim arily constructed of electrons, nor is the astral cosm os basically com posed of lifetrons-both in reality are created from the m inutest particles of God-thought, chopped and divided by m ay a, the law of relativity which intervenes to apparently separate the Noum enon from His phenom ena. "Souls in the causal world recognize one another as individualized points of joyous Spirit; their thought-things are the only objects which surround them . Causal beings see the difference between their bodies and thoughts to be m erely ideas. As a m an, closing his eyes, can visualize a dazzling white light or a faint blue haze, so causal beings by thought alone are able to see, hear, feel, taste, and touch; they create anything, or dissolve it, by the power of cosm ic m ind. "Both death and rebirth in the causal world are in thought. Causal- bodied beings feast only on the am brosia of eternally new knowledge. They drink from the springs of peace, roam on the trackless soil of perceptions, swim in the ocean-endlessness of bliss. Lo! see their bright thoughtbodies zoom past trillions of Spirit-created planets, fresh bubbles of universes, wisdom -stars, spectral dream s of golden nebulae, all over the skiey blue bosom of Infinity! www.holybooks.com "Many beings rem ain for thousands of years in the causal cosm os. By deeper ecstasies the freed soul then withdraws itself from the little causal body and puts on the vastness of the causal cosm os. All the separate eddies of ideas, particularized waves of power, love, will, joy, peace, intuition, calm ness, self-control, and concentration m elt into the ever-joyous Sea of Bliss. No longer does the soul have to experience its joy as an individualized wave of consciousness, but is m erged in the One Cosm ic Ocean, with all its waves-eternal laughter, thrills, throbs. "When a soul is out of the cocoon of the three bodies it escapes forever from the law of relativity and becom es the ineffable Ever- Existent. 4 3 -10 Behold the butterfly of Om nipresence, its wings etched with stars and m oons and suns! The soul expanded into Spirit rem ains alone in the region of lightless light, darkless dark, thoughtless thought, intoxicated with its ecstasy of joy in God's dream of cosm ic creation." "A free soul!" I ejaculated in awe. "When a soul finally gets out of the three jars of bodily delusions," Master continued, "it becom es one with the Infinite without any loss of individuality. Christ had won this final freedom even before he was born as J esus. In three stages of his past, sym bolized in his earth- life as the three days of his experience of death and resurrection, he had attained the power to fully arise in Spirit. "The undeveloped m an m ust undergo countless earthly and astral and causal incarnations in order to em erge from his three bodies. A m aster who achieves this final freedom m ay elect to return to earth as a prophet to bring other hum an beings back to God, or like m yself he m ay choose to reside in the astral cosm os. There a savior assum es som e of the burden of the inhabitants' karm a 4 3 -11 and thus helps them to term inate their cycle of reincarnation in the astral cosm os and go on perm anently to the causal spheres. Or a freed soul m ay enter the causal world to aid its beings to shorten their span in the causal body and thus attain the Absolute Freedom ." "Resurrected One, I want to know m ore about the karm a which forces souls to return to the three worlds." I could listen forever, I thought, to m y om niscient Master. Never in his earth-life had I been able at one tim e to assim ilate so m uch of his wisdom . Now for the first tim e I was receiving a clear, definite insight into the enigm atic interspaces on the checkerboard of life and death. "The physical karm a or desires of m an m ust be com pletely worked out before his perm anent stay in astral worlds becom es possible," m y guru elucidated in his thrilling voice. "Two kinds of beings live in the astral spheres. Those who still have earthly karm a to dispose of and who m ust therefore reinhabit a gross physical body in order to pay their karm ic debts could be classified, after physical death, as tem porary visitors to the astral world rather than as perm anent residents. "Beings with unredeem ed earthly karm a are not perm itted after astral death to go to the high causal sphere of cosm ic ideas, but m ust shuttle to and fro from the physical and astral worlds only, conscious successively of their physical body of sixteen gross elem ents, and of their astral body of nineteen subtle elem ents. After each loss of his physical body, however, an undeveloped www.holybooks.com being from the earth rem ains for the m ost part in the deep stupor of the death-sleep and is hardly conscious of the beautiful astral sphere. After the astral rest, such a m an returns to the m aterial plane for further lessons, gradually accustom ing him self, through repeated journeys, to the worlds of subtle astral texture. "Norm al or long-established residents of the astral universe, on the other hand, are those who, freed forever from all m aterial longings, need return no m ore to the gross vibrations of earth. Such beings have only astral and causal karm a to work out. At astral death these beings pass to the infinitely finer and m ore delicate causal world. Shedding the thought-form of the causal body at the end of a certain span, determ ined by cosm ic law, these advanced beings then return to Hiranyaloka or a sim ilar high astral planet, reborn in a new astral body to work out their unredeem ed astral karm a. "My son, you m ay now com prehend m ore fully that I am resurrected by divine decree," Sri Yukteswar continued, "as a savior of astrally reincarnating souls com ing back from the causal sphere, in particular, rather than of those astral beings who are com ing up from the earth. Those from the earth, if they still retain vestiges of m aterial karm a, do not rise to the very high astral planets like Hiranyaloka. "J ust as m ost people on earth have not learned through m editation- acquired vision to appreciate the superior joys and advantages of astral life and thus, after death, desire to return to the lim ited, im perfect pleasures of earth, so m any astral beings, during the norm al disintegration of their astral bodies, fail to picture the advanced state of spiritual joy in the causal world and, dwelling on thoughts of the m ore gross and gaudy astral happiness, yearn to revisit the astral paradise. Heavy astral karm a m ust be redeem ed by such beings before they can achieve after astral death a perm anent stay in the causal thought-world, so thinly partitioned from the Creator. "Only when a being has no further desires for experiences in the pleasing-to-the-eye astral cosm os, and cannot be tem pted to go back there, does he rem ain in the causal world. Com pleting there the work of redeem ing all causal karm a or seeds of past desires, the confined soul thrusts out the last of the three corks of ignorance and, em erging from the final jar of the causal body, com m ingles with the Eternal. "Now do you understand?" Master sm iled so enchantingly! "Yes, through your grace. I am speechless with joy and gratitude." Never from song or story had I ever received such inspiring knowledge. Though the Hindu scriptures refer to the causal and astral worlds and to m an's three bodies, how rem ote and m eaningless those pages com pared with the warm authenticity of m y resurrected Master! For him indeed existed not a single "undiscover'd country from whose bourn no traveller returns"! "The interpenetration of m an's three bodies is expressed in m any ways through his threefold nature," m y great guru went on. "In the wakeful state on earth a hum an being is conscious m ore or less of his three vehicles. When he is sensuously intent on tasting, sm elling, touching, listening, www.holybooks.com or seeing, he is working principally through his physical body. Visualizing or willing, he is working m ainly through his astral body. His causal m edium finds expression when m an is thinking or diving deep in introspection or m editation; the cosm ical thoughts of genius com e to the m an who habitually contacts his causal body. In this sense an individual m ay be classified broadly as 'a m aterial m an,' 'an energetic m an,' or 'an intellectual m an.' "A m an identifies him self about sixteen hours daily with his physical vehicle. Then he sleeps; if he dream s, he rem ains in his astral body, effortlessly creating any object even as do the astral beings. If m an's sleep be deep and dream less, for several hours he is able to transfer his consciousness, or sense of I-ness, to the causal body; such sleep is revivifying. A dream er is contacting his astral and not his causal body; his sleep is not fully refreshing." I had been lovingly observing Sri Yukteswar while he gave his wondrous exposition. "Angelic guru," I said, "your body looks exactly as it did when last I wept over it in the Puri ashram ." "O yes, m y new body is a perfect copy of the old one. I m aterialize or dem aterialize this form any tim e at will, m uch m ore frequently than I did while on earth. By quick dem aterialization, I now travel instantly by light express from planet to planet or, indeed, from astral to causal or to physical cosm os." My divine guru sm iled. "Though you m ove about so fast these days, I had no difficulty in finding you at Bom bay!" "O Master, I was grieving so deeply about your death!" "Ah, wherein did I die? Isn't there som e contradiction?" Sri Yukteswar's eyes were twinkling with love and am usem ent. "You were only dream ing on earth; on that earth you saw m y dream - body," he went on. "Later you buried that dream -im age. Now m y finer fleshly body-which you behold and are even now em bracing rather closely!-is resurrected on another finer dream -planet of God. Som eday that finer dream -body and finer dream -planet will pass away; they too are not forever. All dream bubbles m ust eventually burst at a final wakeful touch. Differentiate, m y son Yogananda, between dream s and Reality!" This idea of Vedantic 4 3 -12 resurrection struck m e with wonder. I was asham ed that I had pitied Master when I had seen his lifeless body at Puri. I com prehended at last that m y guru had always been fully awake in God, perceiving his own life and passing on earth, and his present resurrection, as nothing m ore than relativities of divine ideas in the cosm ic dream . "I have now told you, Yogananda, the truths of m y life, death, and resurrection. Grieve not for m e; rather broadcast everywhere the story of m y resurrection from the God-dream ed earth of m en to another God- dream ed planet of astrally garbed souls! New hope will be infused into the hearts of m isery-m ad, death-fearing dream ers of the world." www.holybooks.com "Yes, Master!" How willingly would I share with others m y joy at his resurrection! "On earth m y standards were uncom fortably high, unsuited to the natures of m ost m en. Often I scolded you m ore than I should have. You passed m y test; your love shone through the clouds of all reprim ands." He added tenderly, "I have also com e today to tell you: Never again shall I wear the stern gaze of censure. I shall scold you no m ore." How m uch I had m issed the chastisem ents of m y great guru! Each one had been a guardian angel of protection. "Dearest Master! Rebuke m e a m illion tim es-do scold m e now!" "I shall chide you no m ore." His divine voice was grave, yet with an undercurrent of laughter. "You and I shall sm ile together, so long as our two form s appear different in the m ay a-dream of God. Finally we shall m erge as one in the Cosm ic Beloved; our sm iles shall be His sm ile, our unified song of joy vibrating throughout eternity to be broadcast to God-tuned souls!" Sri Yukteswar gave m e light on certain m atters which I cannot reveal here. During the two hours that he spent with m e in the Bom bay hotel room he answered m y every question. A num ber of world prophecies uttered by him that J une day in 1936 have already com e to pass. "I leave you now, beloved one!" At these words I felt Master m elting away within m y encircling arm s. "My child," his voice rang out, vibrating into m y very soul-firm am ent, "whenever you enter the door of nirbikalpa sam adhi and call on m e, I shall com e to you in flesh and blood, even as today." With this celestial prom ise Sri Yukteswar vanished from m y sight. A cloud-voice repeated in m usical thunder: "Tell all! Whosoever knows by nirbikalpa realization that your earth is a dream of God can com e to the finer dream -created planet of Hiranyaloka, and there find m e resurrected in a body exactly like m y earthly one. Yogananda, tell all!" Gone was the sorrow of parting. The pity and grief for his death, long robber of m y peace, now fled in stark sham e. Bliss poured forth like a fountain through endless, newly opened soul-pores. Anciently clogged with disuse, they now widened in purity at the driving flood of ecstasy. Subconscious thoughts and feelings of m y past incarnations shed their karm ic taints, lustrously renewed by Sri Yukteswar's divine visit. In this chapter of m y autobiography I have obeyed m y guru's behest and spread the glad tiding, though it confound once m ore an incurious generation. Groveling, m an knows well; despair is seldom alien; yet these are perversities, no part of m an's true lot. The day he wills, he is set on the path to freedom . Too long has he hearkened to the dank pessim ism of his "dust-thou-art" counselors, heedless of the unconquerable soul. I was not the only one privileged to behold the Resurrected Guru. www.holybooks.com One of Sri Yukteswar's chelas was an aged wom an, affectionately known as Ma (Mother), whose hom e was close to the Puri herm itage. Master had often stopped to chat with her during his m orning walk. On the evening of March 16, 1936, Ma arrived at the ashram and asked to see her guru. "Why, Master died a week ago!" Swam i Sebananda, now in charge of the Puri herm itage, looked at her sadly. "That's im possible!" She sm iled a little. "Perhaps you are just trying to protect the guru from insistent visitors?" "No." Sebananda recounted details of the burial. "Com e," he said, "I will take you to the front garden to Sri Yukteswarji's grave." Ma shook her head. "There is no grave for him ! This m orning at ten o'clock he passed in his usual walk before m y door! I talked to him for several m inutes in the bright outdoors. "'Com e this evening to the ashram ,' he said. "I am here! Blessings pour on this old gray head! The deathless guru wanted m e to understand in what transcendent body he had visited m e this m orning!" The astounded Sebananda knelt before her. "Ma," he said, "what a weight of grief you lift from m y heart! He is risen!" 43- 1: I n sabikalpa sam adhi t he devot ee has spirit ually progressed t o a st at e of inward divine union, but cannot m aint ain his cosm ic consciousness except in t he im m obile t rance- st at e. By cont inuous m edit at ion, he reaches t he superior st at e of nirbikalpa sam adhi, where he m oves freely in t he world and perform s his out ward dut ies wit hout any loss of Godrealizat ion. 43- 2: Sri Yukt eswar used t he word prana; I have t ranslat ed it as lifet rons. The Hindu script ures refer not only t o t he anu, " at om ," and t o t he param anu, " beyond t he at om ," finer elect ronic energies; but also t o prana, " creat ive lifet ronic force." At om s and elect rons are blind forces; prana is inherent ly int elligent . The pranic lifet rons in t he sperm at ozoa and ova, for inst ance, guide t he em bryonic developm ent according t o a karm ic design. 43- 3: Adj ect ive of m ant ra, chant ed seed- sounds discharged by t he m ent al gun of concent rat ion. The Puranas ( ancient shast ras or t reat ises) describe t hese m ant ric wars bet ween devas and asuras ( gods and dem ons) . An asura once t ried t o slay a deva wit h a pot ent chant . But due t o m ispronunciat ion t he m ent al bom b act ed as a boom erang and killed t he dem on. 43- 4: Exam ples of such powers are not want ing even on eart h, as in t he case of Helen Keller and ot her rare beings. 43- 5: Lord Buddha was once asked why a m an should love all persons equally. " Because," t he great t eacher replied, " in t he very num erous and varied lifespans of each m an, every ot her being has at one t im e or anot her been dear t o him ." 43- 6: The eight elem ent al qualit ies which ent er int o all creat ed life, from at om t o m an, are eart h, wat er, fire, air, et her, m ot ion, m ind, and individualit y. ( Bhagavad Git a: VI I : 4.) 43- 7: Body signifies any soul- encasem ent , whet her gross or subt le. The t hree bodies are cages for t he Bird of Paradise. www.holybooks.com 43- 8: Even as Babaj i helped Lahiri Mahasaya t o rid him self of a subconscious desire from som e past life for a palace, as described in chapt er 34. 43- 9: " And he said unt o t hem , Wheresoever t he body is, t hit her will t he eagles be gat hered t oget her." - Luke 17: 37. Wherever t he soul is encased in t he physical body or in t he ast ral body or in t he causal body, t here t he eagles of desireswhich prey on hum an sense weaknesses, or on ast ral and causal at t achm ent s- will also gat her t o keep t he soul a prisoner. 43- 10: " Him t hat overcom et h will I m ake a pillar in t he t em ple of m y God, and he shall go no m ore out ( i.e., shall reincarnat e no m ore) . . . . To him t hat overcom et h will I grant t o sit wit h m e in m y t hrone, even as I also overcam e, and am set down wit h m y Fat her in his t hrone." - Revelat ion 3: 12, 21. 43- 11: Sri Yukt eswar was signifying t hat , even as in his eart hly incarnat ion he had occasionally assum ed t he weight of disease t o light en his disciples' karm a, so in t he ast ral world his m ission as a savior enabled him t o t ake on cert ain ast ral karm a of dwellers on Hiranyaloka, and t hus hast en t heir evolut ion int o t he higher causal world. 43- 12: Life and deat h as relat ivit ies of t hought only. Vedant a point s out t hat God is t he only Realit y; all creat ion or separat e exist ence is m aya or illusion. This philosophy of m onism received it s highest expression in t he Upanishad com m ent aries of Shankara. CHAPTER: 44 With Mahatma Gandhi At Wardha "Welcom e to Wardha!" Mahadev Desai, secretary to Mahatm a Gandhi, greeted Miss Bletch, Mr. Wright, and m yself with these cordial words and the gift of wreaths of khaddar (hom espun cotton). Our little group had just dism ounted at the Wardha station on an early m orning in August, glad to leave the dust and heat of the train. Consigning our luggage to a bullock cart, we entered an open m otor car with Mr. Desai and his com panions, Babasaheb Deshm ukh and Dr. Pingale. A short drive over the m uddy country roads brought us to Maganvadi, the ashram of India's political saint. Mr. Desai led us at once to the writing room where, cross-legged, sat Mahatm a Gandhi. Pen in one hand and a scrap of paper in the other, on his face a vast, winning, warm -hearted sm ile! "Welcom e!" he scribbled in Hindi; it was a Monday, his weekly day of silence. Though this was our first m eeting, we beam ed on each other affectionately. In 1925 Mahatm a Gandhi had honored the Ranchi school by a visit, and had inscribed in its guest-book a gracious tribute. www.holybooks.com The tiny 10 0 -pound saint radiated physical, m ental, and spiritual health. His soft brown eyes shone with intelligence, sincerity, and discrim ination; this statesm an has m atched wits and em erged the victor in a thousand legal, social, and political battles. No other leader in the world has attained the secure niche in the hearts of his people that Gandhi occupies for India's unlettered m illions. Their spontaneous tribute is his fam ous title-Mahatm a, "great soul." 4 4 -1 For them alone Gandhi confines his attire to the widely-cartooned loincloth, sym bol of his oneness with the downtrodden m asses who can afford no m ore. Mahatma Gandhi I enjoy a quiet lunch with India's political saint at his hermitage in Wardha, August, 1935. "The ashram residents are wholly at your disposal; please call on them for any service." With characteristic courtesy, the Mahatm a handed m e this hastily-written note as Mr. Desai led our party from the writing room toward the guest house. Our guide led us through orchards and flowering fields to a tile- roofed building with latticed windows. A front-yard well, twenty-five feet across, was used, Mr. Desai said, for watering stock; near-by stood a revolving cem ent wheel for threshing rice. Each of our sm all bedroom s proved to contain only the irreducible m inim um -a bed, handm ade of rope. The whitewashed kitchen boasted a faucet in one corner and a fire pit for cooking in another. Sim ple Arcadian sounds reached our ears-the cries of crows and sparrows, the lowing of cattle, and the rap of chisels being used to chip stones. Observing Mr. Wright's travel diary, Mr. Desai opened a page and wrote on it a list of Saty agraha www.holybooks.com 4 4 -2 vows taken by all the Mahatm a's strict followers (saty agrahis): "Nonviolence; Truth; Non-Stealing; Celibacy; Non-Possession; Body- Labor; Control of the Palate; Fearlessness; Equal Respect for all Religions; Sw adeshi (use of hom e m anufactures); Freedom from Untouchability. These eleven should be observed as vows in a spirit of hum ility." (Gandhi him self signed this page on the following day, giving the date also-August 27, 1935.) Two hours after our arrival m y com panions and I were sum m oned to lunch. The Mahatm a was already seated under the arcade of the ashram porch, across the courtyard from his study. About twenty-five barefooted saty agrahis were squatting before brass cups and plates. A com m unity chorus of prayer; then a m eal served from large brass pots containing chapatis (whole-wheat unleavened bread) sprinkled with ghee; talsari (boiled and diced vegetables), and a lem on jam . The Mahatm a ate chapatis, boiled beets, som e raw vegetables, and oranges. On the side of his plate was a large lum p of very bitter neem leaves, a notable blood cleanser. With his spoon he separated a portion and placed it on m y dish. I bolted it down with water, rem em bering childhood days when Mother had forced m e to swallow the disagreeable dose. Gandhi, however, bit by bit was eating the neem paste with as m uch relish as if it had been a delicious sweetm eat. In this trifling incident I noted the Mahatm a's ability to detach his m ind from the senses at will. I recalled the fam ous appendectom y perform ed on him som e years ago. Refusing anesthetics, the saint had chatted cheerfully with his disciples throughout the operation, his infectious sm ile revealing his unawareness of pain. The afternoon brought an opportunity for a chat with Gandhi's noted disciple, daughter of an English adm iral, Miss Madeleine Slade, now called Mirabai. 4 4 -3 Her strong, calm face lit with enthusiasm as she told m e, in flawless Hindi, of her daily activities. "Rural reconstruction work is rewarding! A group of us go every m orning at five o'clock to serve the near-by villagers and teach them sim ple hygiene. We m ake it a point to clean their latrines and their m ud-thatched huts. The villagers are illiterate; they cannot be educated except by exam ple!" She laughed gaily. I looked in adm iration at this highborn Englishwom an whose true Christian hum ility enables her to do the scavengering work usually perform ed only by "untouchables." "I cam e to India in 1925," she told m e. "In this land I feel that I have 'com e back hom e.' Now I would never be willing to return to m y old life and old interests." We discussed Am erica for awhile. "I am always pleased and am azed," she said, "to see the deep interest in spiritual subjects exhibited by the m any Am ericans who visit India." 4 4 -4 Mirabai's hands were soon busy at the charka (spinning wheel), om nipresent in all the ashram room s and, indeed, due to the Mahatm a, om nipresent throughout rural India. www.holybooks.com Gandhi has sound econom ic and cultural reasons for encouraging the revival of cottage industries, but he does not counsel a fanatical repudiation of all m odern progress. Machinery, trains, autom obiles, the telegraph have played im portant parts in his own colossal life! Fifty years of public service, in prison and out, wrestling daily with practical details and harsh realities in the political world, have only increased his balance, open-m indedness, sanity, and hum orous appreciation of the quaint hum an spectacle. Our trio enjoyed a six o'clock supper as guests of Babasaheb Deshm ukh. The 7:0 0 P.M. prayer hour found us back at the Maganvadi ashram , clim bing to the roof where thirty saty agrahis were grouped in a sem icircle around Gandhi. He was squatting on a straw m at, an ancient pocket watch propped up before him . The fading sun cast a last gleam over the palm s and banyans; the hum of night and the crickets had started. The atm osphere was serenity itself; I was enraptured. A solem n chant led by Mr. Desai, with responses from the group; then a Gita reading. The Mahatm a m otioned to m e to give the concluding prayer. Such divine unison of thought and aspiration! A m em ory forever: the Wardha roof top m editation under the early stars. Punctually at eight o'clock Gandhi ended his silence. The herculean labors of his life require him to apportion his tim e m inutely. "Welcom e, Swam iji!" The Mahatm a's greeting this tim e was not via paper. We had just descended from the roof to his writing room , sim ply furnished with square m ats (no chairs), a low desk with books, papers, and a few ordinary pens (not fountain pens); a nondescript clock ticked in a corner. An all-pervasive aura of peace and devotion. Gandhi was bestowing one of his captivating, cavernous, alm ost toothless sm iles. "Years ago," he explained, "I started m y weekly observance of a day of silence as a m eans for gaining tim e to look after m y correspondence. But now those twenty-four hours have becom e a vital spiritual need. A periodical decree of silence is not a torture but a blessing." I agreed wholeheartedly. 4 4 -5 The Mahatm a questioned m e about Am erica and Europe; we discussed India and world conditions. "Mahadev," Gandhi said as Mr. Desai entered the room , "please m ake arrangem ents at Town Hall for Swam iji to speak there on yoga tom orrow night." As I was bidding the Mahatm a good night, he considerately handed m e a bottle of citronella oil. "The Wardha m osquitoes don't know a thing about ahim sa, 4 4 -6 Swam iji!" he said, laughing. The following m orning our little group breakfasted early on a tasty wheat porridge with m olasses and m ilk. At ten-thirty we were called to the ashram porch for lunch with Gandhi and the saty agrahis. Today the m enu included brown rice, a new selection of vegetables, and cardam om seeds. www.holybooks.com Noon found m e strolling about the ashram grounds, on to the grazing land of a few im perturbable cows. The protection of cows is a passion with Gandhi. "The cow to m e m eans the entire sub-hum an world, extending m an's sym pathies beyond his own species," the Mahatm a has explained. "Man through the cow is enjoined to realize his identity with all that lives. Why the ancient rishis selected the cow for apotheosis is obvious to m e. The cow in India was the best com parison; she was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give m ilk, but she also m ade agriculture possible. The cow is a poem of pity; one reads pity in the gentle anim al. She is the second m other to m illions of m ankind. Protection of the cow m eans protection of the whole dum b creation of God. The appeal of the lower order of creation is all the m ore forceful because it is speechless." Three daily rituals are enjoined on the orthodox Hindu. One is Bhuta Yajna, an offering of food to the anim al kingdom . This cerem ony sym bolizes m an's realization of his obligations to less evolved form s of creation, instinctively tied to bodily identifications which also corrode hum an life, but lacking in that quality of liberating reason which is peculiar to hum anity. Bhuta Yajna thus reinforces m an's readiness to succor the weak, as he in turn is com forted by countless solicitudes of higher unseen beings. Man is also under bond for rejuvenating gifts of nature, prodigal in earth, sea, and sky. The evolutionary barrier of incom m unicability am ong nature, anim als, m an, and astral angels is thus overcom e by offices of silent love. The other two daily y ajnas are Pitri and N ri. Pitri Yajna is an offering of oblations to ancestors, as a sym bol of m an's acknowledgm ent of his debt to the past, essence of whose wisdom illum ines hum anity today. Nri Yajna is an offering of food to strangers or the poor, sym bol of the present responsibilities of m an, his duties to contem poraries. In the early afternoon I fulfilled a neighborly N ri Yajna by a visit to Gandhi's ashram for little girls. Mr. Wright accom panied m e on the ten-m inute drive. Tiny young flowerlike faces atop the long-stem m ed colorful saris! At the end of a brief talk in Hindi 4 4 -7 which I was giving outdoors, the skies unloosed a sudden downpour. Laughing, Mr. Wright and I clim bed aboard the car and sped back to Maganvadi am idst sheets of driving silver. Such tropical intensity and splash! Reentering the guest house I was struck anew by the stark sim plicity and evidences of selfsacrifice which are everywhere present. The Gandhi vow of non-possession cam e early in his m arried life. Renouncing an extensive legal practice which had been yielding him an annual incom e of m ore than $ 20 ,0 0 0 , the Mahatm a dispersed all his wealth to the poor. Sri Yukteswar used to poke gentle fun at the com m only inadequate conceptions of renunciation. "A beggar cannot renounce wealth," Master would say. "If a m an lam ents: 'My business has failed; m y wife has left m e; I will renounce all and enter a m onastery,' to what worldly sacrifice is he referring? He did not renounce wealth and love; they renounced him !" Saints like Gandhi, on the other hand, have m ade not only tangible m aterial sacrifices, but also the m ore difficult renunciation of selfish m otive and private goal, m erging their inm ost being in www.holybooks.com the stream of hum anity as a whole. The Mahatm a's rem arkable wife, Kasturabai, did not object when he failed to set aside any part of his wealth for the use of herself and their children. Married in early youth, Gandhi and his wife took the vow of celibacy after the birth of several sons. 4 4 -8 A tranquil heroine in the intense dram a that has been their life together, Kasturabai has followed her husband to prison, shared his three-week fasts, and fully borne her share of his endless responsibilities. She has paid Gandhi the following tribute: I thank you for having had the privilege of being your lifelong com panion and helpm ate. I thank you for the m ost perfect m arriage in the world, based on brahm achary a (self-control) and not on sex. I thank you for having considered m e your equal in your life work for India. I thank you for not being one of those husbands who spend their tim e in gam bling, racing, wom en, wine, and song, tiring of their wives and children as the little boy quickly tires of his childhood toys. How thankful I am that you were not one of those husbands who devote their tim e to growing rich on the exploitation of the labor of others. How thankful I am that you put God and country before bribes, that you had the courage of your convictions and a com plete and im plicit faith in God. How thankful I am for a husband that put God and his country before m e. I am grateful to you for your tolerance of m e and m y shortcom ings of youth, when I grum bled and rebelled against the change you m ade in our m ode of living, from so m uch to so little. As a young child, I lived in your parents' hom e; your m other was a great and good wom an; she trained m e, taught m e how to be a brave, courageous wife and how to keep the love and respect of her son, m y future husband. As the years passed and you becam e India's m ost beloved leader, I had none of the fears that beset the wife who m ay be cast aside when her husband has clim bed the ladder of success, as so often happens in other countries. I knew that death would still find us husband and wife. For years Kasturabai perform ed the duties of treasurer of the public funds which the idolized Mahatm a is able to raise by the m illions. There are m any hum orous stories in Indian hom es to the effect that husbands are nervous about their wives' wearing any jewelry to a Gandhi m eeting; the Mahatm a's m agical tongue, pleading for the downtrodden, charm s the gold bracelets and diam ond necklaces right off the arm s and necks of the wealthy into the collection basket! One day the public treasurer, Kasturabai, could not account for a disbursem ent of four rupees. Gandhi duly published an auditing in which he inexorably pointed out his wife's four rupee discrepancy. I had often told this story before classes of m y Am erican students. One evening a wom an in the hall had given an outraged gasp. "Mahatm a or no Mahatm a," she had cried, "if he were m y husband I would have given him a black eye for such an unnecessary public insult!" www.holybooks.com After som e good-hum ored banter had passed between us on the subject of Am erican wives and Hindu wives, I had gone on to a fuller explanation. "Mrs. Gandhi considers the Mahatm a not as her husband but as her guru, one who has the right to discipline her for even insignificant errors," I had pointed out. "Som etim e after Kasturabai had been publicly rebuked, Gandhi was sentenced to prison on a political charge. As he was calm ly bidding farewell to his wife, she fell at his feet. 'Master,' she said hum bly, 'if I have ever offended you, please forgive m e.'" 4 4 -9 At three o'clock that afternoon in Wardha, I betook m yself, by previous appointm ent, to the writing room of the saint who had been able to m ake an unflinching disciple out of his own wiferare m iracle! Gandhi looked up with his unforgettable sm ile. "Mahatm aji," I said as I squatted beside him on the uncushioned m at, "please tell m e your definition of ahim sa." "The avoidance of harm to any living creature in thought or deed." "Beautiful ideal! But the world will always ask: May one not kill a cobra to protect a child, or one's self?" "I could not kill a cobra without violating two of m y vows- fearlessness, and non-killing. I would rather try inwardly to calm the snake by vibrations of love. I cannot possibly lower m y standards to suit m y circum stances." With his am azing candor, Gandhi added, "I m ust confess that I could not carry on this conversation were I faced by a cobra!" I rem arked on several very recent Western books on diet which lay on his desk. "Yes, diet is im portant in the Saty agraha m ovem ent-as everywhere else," he said with a chuckle. "Because I advocate com plete continence for saty agrahis, I am always trying to find out the best diet for the celibate. One m ust conquer the palate before he can control the procreative instinct. Sem i-starvation or unbalanced diets are not the answer. After overcom ing the inward greed for food, a saty agrahi m ust continue to follow a rational vegetarian diet with all necessary vitam ins, m inerals, calories, and so forth. By inward and outward wisdom in regard to eating, the SATYAGRAHI'S sexual fluid is easily turned into vital energy for the whole body." The Mahatm a and I com pared our knowledge of good m eat-substitutes. "The avocado is excellent," I said. "There are num erous avocado groves near m y center in California." Gandhi's face lit with interest. "I wonder if they would grow in Wardha? The saty agrahis would appreciate a new food." "I will be sure to send som e avocado plants from Los Angeles to Wardha." 4 4 -10 I added, "Eggs are a high-protein food; are they forbidden to saty agrahis?" www.holybooks.com "Not unfertilized eggs." The Mahatm a laughed rem iniscently. "For years I would not countenance their use; even now I personally do not eat them . One of m y daughters-in-law was once dying of m alnutrition; her doctor insisted on eggs. I would not agree, and advised him to give her som e egg-substitute. "'Gandhiji,' the doctor said, 'unfertilized eggs contain no life sperm ; no killing is involved.' "I then gladly gave perm ission for m y daughter-in-law to eat eggs; she was soon restored to health." On the previous night Gandhi had expressed a wish to receive the Kriy a Yoga of Lahiri Mahasaya. I was touched by the Mahatm a's open- m indedness and spirit of inquiry. He is childlike in his divine quest, revealing that pure receptivity which J esus praised in children, ". . . of such is the kingdom of heaven." The hour for m y prom ised instruction had arrived; several saty agrahis now entered the room Mr. Desai, Dr. Pingale, and a few others who desired the Kriy a technique. I first taught the little class the physical Yogoda exercises. The body is visualized as divided into twenty parts; the will directs energy in turn to each section. Soon everyone was vibrating before m e like a hum an m otor. It was easy to observe the rippling effect on Gandhi's twenty body parts, at all tim es com pletely exposed to view! Though very thin, he is not unpleasingly so; the skin of his body is sm ooth and unwrinkled. Later I initiated the group into the liberating technique of Kriy a Yoga. The Mahatm a has reverently studied all world religions. The J ain scriptures, the Biblical New Testam ent, and the sociological writings of Tolstoy 4 4 -11 are the three m ain sources of Gandhi's nonviolent convictions. He has stated his credo thus: I believe the Bible, the Koran, and the Zend-Avesta 4 4 -12 to be as divinely inspired as the Vedas. I believe in the institution of Gurus, but in this age m illions m ust go without a Guru, because it is a rare thing to find a com bination of perfect purity and perfect learning. But one need not despair of ever knowing the truth of one's religion, because the fundam entals of Hinduism as of every great religion are unchangeable, and easily understood. I believe like every Hindu in God and His oneness, in rebirth and salvation. . . . I can no m ore describe m y feeling for Hinduism than for m y own wife. She m oves m e as no other wom an in the world can. Not that she has no faults; I daresay she has m any m ore than I see m yself. But the feeling of an indissoluble bond is there. Even so I feel for and about Hinduism with all its faults and lim itations. Nothing delights m e so m uch as the m usic of the Gita, or the Ram ay ana by Tulsidas. When I fancied I was taking m y last breath, the Gita was m y solace. Hinduism is not an exclusive religion. In it there is room for the worship of all the prophets of the world. 4 4 -13 It is not a m issionary religion in the ordinary sense of the term . It has no doubt www.holybooks.com absorbed m any tribes in its fold, but this absorption has been of an evolutionary, im perceptible character. Hinduism tells each m an to worship God according to his own faith or dharm a, 4 4 -14 and so lives at peace with all religions. Of Christ, Gandhi has written: "I am sure that if He were living here now am ong m en, He would bless the lives of m any who perhaps have never even heard His nam e . . . just as it is written: 'Not every one that saith unto m e, Lord, Lord . . . but he that doeth the will of m y Father.' 4 4 -15 In the lesson of His own life, J esus gave hum anity the m agnificent purpose and the single objective toward which we all ought to aspire. I believe that He belongs not solely to Christianity, but to the entire world, to all lands and races." On m y last evening in Wardha I addressed the m eeting which had been called by Mr. Desai in Town Hall. The room was thronged to the window sills with about 40 0 people assem bled to hear the talk on yoga. I spoke first in Hindi, then in English. Our little group returned to the ashram in tim e for a good-night glim pse of Gandhi, enfolded in peace and correspondence. Night was still lingering when I rose at 5:0 0 A.M. Village life was already stirring; first a bullock cart by the ashram gates, then a peasant with his huge burden balanced precariously on his head. After breakfast our trio sought out Gandhi for farewell pronam s. The saint rises at four o'clock for his m orning prayer. "Mahatm aji, good-by!" I knelt to touch his feet. "India is safe in your keeping!" Years have rolled by since the Wardha idyl; the earth, oceans, and skies have darkened with a world at war. Alone am ong great leaders, Gandhi has offered a practical nonviolent alternative to arm ed m ight. To redress grievances and rem ove injustices, the Mahatm a has em ployed nonviolent m eans which again and again have proved their effectiveness. He states his doctrine in these words: I have found that life persists in the m idst of destruction. Therefore there m ust be a higher law than that of destruction. Only under that law would well-ordered society be intelligible and life worth living. If that is the law of life we m ust work it out in daily existence. Wherever there are wars, wherever we are confronted with an opponent, conquer by love. I have found that the certain law of love has answered in m y own life as the law of destruction has never done. In India we have had an ocular dem onstration of the operation of this law on the widest scale possible. I don't claim that nonviolence has penetrated the 360 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 people in India, but I do claim it has penetrated deeper than any other doctrine in an incredibly short tim e. It takes a fairly strenuous course of training to attain a m ental state of nonviolence. It is a disciplined life, like the life of a soldier. The perfect state is reached only when the m ind, body, and speech are in proper coordination. Every problem would lend itself to solution if we determ ined to m ake the law of truth and nonviolence the law of life. www.holybooks.com J ust as a scientist will work wonders out of various applications of the laws of nature, a m an who applies the laws of love with scientific precision can work greater wonders. Nonviolence is infinitely m ore wonderful and subtle than forces of nature like, for instance, electricity. The law of love is a far greater science than any m odern science. Consulting history, one m ay reasonably state that the problem s of m ankind have not been solved by the use of brute force. World War I produced a world-chilling snowball of war karm a that swelled into World War II. Only the warm th of brotherhood can m elt the present colossal snowball of war karm a which m ay otherwise grow into World War III. This unholy trinity will banish forever the possibility of World War IV by a finality of atom ic bom bs. Use of jungle logic instead of hum an reason in settling disputes will restore the earth to a jungle. If brothers not in life, then brothers in violent death. War and crim e never pay. The billions of dollars that went up in the sm oke of explosive nothingness would have been sufficient to have m ade a new world, one alm ost free from disease and com pletely free from poverty. Not an earth of fear, chaos, fam ine, pestilence, the danse m acabre, but one broad land of peace, of prosperity, and of widening knowledge. The nonviolent voice of Gandhi appeals to m an's highest conscience. Let nations ally them selves no longer with death, but with life; not with destruction, but with construction; not with the Annihilator, but with the Creator. "One should forgive, under any injury," says the Mahabharata. "It hath been said that the continuation of species is due to m an's being forgiving. Forgiveness is holiness; by forgiveness the universe is held together. Forgiveness is the m ight of the m ighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of m ind. Forgiveness and gentleness are the qualities of the self-possessed. They represent eternal virtue." Nonviolence is the natural outgrowth of the law of forgiveness and love. "If loss of life becom es necessary in a righteous battle," Gandhi proclaim s, "one should be prepared, like J esus, to shed his own, not others', blood. Eventually there will be less blood spilt in the world." Epics shall som eday be written on the Indian saty agrahis who withstood hate with love, violence with nonviolence, who allowed them selves to be m ercilessly slaughtered rather than retaliate. The result on certain historic occasions was that the arm ed opponents threw down their guns and fled, sham ed, shaken to their depths by the sight of m en who valued the life of another above their own. "I would wait, if need be for ages," Gandhi says, "rather than seek the freedom of m y country through bloody m eans." Never does the Mahatm a forget the m ajestic warning: "All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." 4 4 -16 Gandhi has written: I call m yself a nationalist, but m y nationalism is as broad as the universe. It includes in its sweep all the nations of the earth. 4 4 -17 My nationalism includes the well-being of the whole world. I do www.holybooks.com not want m y India to rise on the ashes of other nations. I do not want India to exploit a single hum an being. I want India to be strong in order that she can infect the other nations also with her strength. Not so with a single nation in Europe today; they do not give strength to the others. President Wilson m entioned his beautiful fourteen points, but said: "After all, if this endeavor of ours to arrive at peace fails, we have our arm am ents to fall back upon." I want to reverse that position, and I say: "Our arm am ents have failed already. Let us now be in search of som ething new; let us try the force of love and God which is truth." When we have got that, we shall want nothing else. By the Mahatm a's training of thousands of true saty agrahis (those who have taken the eleven rigorous vows m entioned in the first part of this chapter), who in turn spread the m essage; by patiently educating the Indian m asses to understand the spiritual and eventually m aterial benefits of nonviolence; by arm ing his people with nonviolent weapons- non-cooperation with injustice, the willingness to endure indignities, prison, death itself rather than resort to arm s; by enlisting world sym pathy through countless exam ples of heroic m artyrdom am ong saty agrahis, Gandhi has dram atically portrayed the practical nature of nonviolence, its solem n power to settle disputes without war. Gandhi has already won through nonviolent m eans a greater num ber of political concessions for his land than have ever been won by any leader of any country except through bullets. Nonviolent m ethods for eradication of all wrongs and evils have been strikingly applied not only in the political arena but in the delicate and com plicated field of Indian social reform . Gandhi and his followers have rem oved m any longstanding feuds between Hindus and Moham m edans; hundreds of thousands of Moslem s look to the Mahatm a as their leader. The untouchables have found in him their fearless and trium phant cham pion. "If there be a rebirth in store for m e," Gandhi wrote, "I wish to be born a pariah in the m idst of pariahs, because thereby I would be able to render them m ore effective service." The Mahatm a is indeed a "great soul," but it was illiterate m illions who had the discernm ent to bestow the title. This gentle prophet is honored in his own land. The lowly peasant has been able to rise to Gandhi's high challenge. The Mahatm a wholeheartedly believes in the inherent nobility of m an. The inevitable failures have never disillusioned him . "Even if the opponent plays him false twenty tim es," he writes, "the saty agrahi is ready to trust him the twenty- first tim e, for an im plicit trust in hum an nature is the very essence of the creed." 4 4 -18 "Mahatm aji, you are an exceptional m an. You m ust not expect the world to act as you do." A critic once m ade this observation. "It is curious how we delude ourselves, fancying that the body can be im proved, but that it is im possible to evoke the hidden powers of the soul," Gandhi replied. "I am engaged in trying to show that if I have any of those powers, I am as frail a m ortal as any of us and that I never had anything extraordinary about m e nor have I now. I am a sim ple individual liable to err like any other fellow m ortal. I own, however, that I have enough hum ility to confess m y errors and to retrace m y steps. I own that I have an im m ovable faith in God and His goodness, and an www.holybooks.com unconsum able passion for truth and love. But is that not what every person has latent in him ? If we are to m ake progress, we m ust not repeat history but m ake new history. We m ust add to the inheritance left by our ancestors. If we m ay m ake new discoveries and inventions in the phenom enal world, m ust we declare our bankruptcy in the spiritual dom ain? Is it im possible to m ultiply the exceptions so as to m ake them the rule? Must m an always be brute first and m an after, if at all?" 4 4 -19 Am ericans m ay well rem em ber with pride the successful nonviolent experim ent of William Penn in founding his 17th century colony in Pennsylvania. There were "no forts, no soldiers, no m ilitia, even no arm s." Am idst the savage frontier wars and the butcheries that went on between the new settlers and the Red Indians, the Quakers of Pennsylvania alone rem ained unm olested. "Others were slain; others were m assacred; but they were safe. Not a Quaker wom an suffered assault; not a Quaker child was slain, not a Quaker m an was tortured." When the Quakers were finally forced to give up the governm ent of the state, "war broke out, and som e Pennsylvanians were killed. But only three Quakers were killed, three who had so far fallen from their faith as to carry weapons of defence." "Resort to force in the Great War (I) failed to bring tranquillity," Franklin D. Roosevelt has pointed out. "Victory and defeat were alike sterile. That lesson the world should have learned." "The m ore weapons of violence, the m ore m isery to m ankind," Lao-tzu taught. "The trium ph of violence ends in a festival of m ourning." "I am fighting for nothing less than world peace," Gandhi has declared. "If the Indian m ovem ent is carried to success on a nonviolent Saty agraha basis, it will give a new m eaning to patriotism and, if I m ay say so in all hum ility, to life itself." Before the West dism isses Gandhi's program as one of an im practical dream er, let it first reflect on a definition of Saty agraha by the Master of Galilee: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: 4 4 -2 0 but whosoever shall sm ite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Gandhi's epoch has extended, with the beautiful precision of cosm ic tim ing, into a century already desolated and devastated by two World Wars. A divine handwriting appears on the granite wall of his life: a warning against the further shedding of blood am ong brothers. MAHATMA GANDHI'S HANDWRITING IN HINDI www.holybooks.com Mahatm a Gandhi visited m y high school with yoga training at Ranchi. He graciously wrote the above lines in the Ranchi guest-book. The translation is: "This institution has deeply im pressed m y m ind. I cherish high hopes that this school will encourage the further practical use of the spinning wheel." (Signed) MOHANDAS GANDHI Septem ber 17, 1925 A national flag for India was designed in 1921 by Gandhi. The stripes are saffron, white and green; the charka (spinning wheel) in the center is dark blue. "The charka sym bolizes energy," he wrote, "and rem inds us that during the past eras of prosperity in India's history, hand spinning and other dom estic crafts were prom inent." 44- 1: His fam ily nam e is Mohandas Karam chand Gandhi. He never refers t o him self as " Mahat m a." 44- 2: The lit eral t ranslat ion from Sanskrit is " holding t o t rut h." Sat yagraha is t he fam ous nonviolence m ovem ent led by Gandhi. 44- 3: False and alas! m alicious report s were recent ly circulat ed t hat Miss Slade has severed all her t ies wit h Gandhi and forsaken her vows. Miss Slade, t he Mahat m a's Sat yagraha disciple for t went y years, issued a signed st at em ent t o t he Unit ed Press, dat ed Dec. 29, 1945, in which she explained t hat a series of baseless rum ors arose aft er she had depart ed, wit h Gandhi's blessings, for a sm all sit e in nort heast ern I ndia near t he Him alayas, for t he purpose of founding t here her now- flourishing Kisan Ashram ( cent er for m edical and agricult ural aid t o peasant farm ers) . Mahat m a Gandhi plans t o visit t he new ashram during 1946. 44- 4: Miss Slade rem inded m e of anot her dist inguished West ern wom an, Miss Margaret Woodrow Wilson, eldest daught er of Am erica's great president . I m et her in New York; she was int ensely int erest ed in I ndia. Lat er she went t o Pondicherry, where she spent t he last five years of her life, happily pursuing a pat h of discipline at t he feet of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. This sage never speaks; he silent ly greet s his disciples on t hree annual occasions only. 44- 5: For years in Am erica I had been observing periods of silence, t o t he const ernat ion of callers and secret aries. 44- 6: Harm lessness; nonviolence; t he foundat ion rock of Gandhi's creed. He was born int o a fam ily of st rict Jains, who revere ahim sa as t he root - virt ue. Jainism , a sect of Hinduism , was founded in t he 6t h cent ury B.C. by Mahavira, a www.holybooks.com cont em porary of Buddha. Mahavira m eans " great hero" ; m ay he look down t he cent uries on his heroic son Gandhi! 44- 7: Hindi is t he lingua franca for t he whole of I ndia. An I ndo- Aryan language based largely on Sanskrit root s, Hindi is t he chief vernacular of nort hern I ndia. The m ain dialect of West ern Hindi is Hindust ani, writ t en bot h in t he Devanagari ( Sanskrit ) charact ers and in Arabic charact ers. I t s subdialect , Urdu, is spoken by Moslem s. 44- 8: Gandhi has described his life wit h a devast at ing candor in The St ory Of My Experim ent s Wit h Trut h ( Ahm edabad: Navaj ivan Press, 1927- 29, 2 vol.) This aut obiography has been sum m arized in Mahat m a Gandhi, His Own St ory, edit ed by C. F. Andrews, wit h an int roduct ion by John Haynes Holm es ( New York: Macm illan Co., 1930) . Many aut obiographies replet e wit h fam ous nam es and colorful event s are alm ost com plet ely silent on any phase of inner analysis or developm ent . One lays down each of t hese books wit h a cert ain dissat isfact ion, as t hough saying: " Here is a m an who knew m any not able persons, but who never knew him self." This react ion is im possible wit h Gandhi's aut obiography; he exposes his fault s and subt erfuges wit h an im personal devot ion t o t rut h rare in annals of any age. 44- 9: Kast urabai Gandhi died in im prisonm ent at Poona on February 22, 1944. The usually unem ot ional Gandhi wept silent ly. Short ly aft er her adm irers had suggest ed a Mem orial Fund in her honor, 125 lacs of rupees ( nearly four m illion dollars) poured in from all over I ndia. Gandhi has arranged t hat t he fund be used for village welfare work am ong wom en and children. He report s his act ivit ies in his English weekly, Harij an. 44- 10: I sent a shipm ent t o Wardha, soon aft er m y ret urn t o Am erica. The plant s, alas! died on t he way, unable t o wit hst and t he rigors of t he long ocean t ransport at ion. 44- 11: Thoreau, Ruskin, and Mazzini are t hree ot her West ern writ ers whose sociological views Gandhi has st udied carefully. 44- 12: The sacred script ure given t o Persia about 1000 B.C. by Zoroast er. 44- 13: The unique feat ure of Hinduism am ong t he world religions is t hat it derives not from a single great founder but from t he im personal Vedic script ures. Hinduism t hus gives scope for worshipful incorporat ion int o it s fold of prophet s of all ages and all lands. The Vedic script ures regulat e not only devot ional pract ices but all im port ant social cust om s, in an effort t o bring m an's every act ion int o harm ony wit h divine law. 44- 14: A com prehensive Sanskrit word for law; conform it y t o law or nat ural right eousness; dut y as inherent in t he circum st ances in which a m an finds him self at any given t im e. The script ures define dharm a as " t he nat ural universal laws whose observance enables m an t o save him self from degradat ion and suffering." 44- 15: Mat t hew 7: 21. 44- 16: Mat t hew 26: 52. 44- 17: " Let not a m an glory in t his, t hat he love his count ry; Let him rat her glory in t his, t hat he love his kind." - Persian Proverb. 44- 18: " Then cam e Pet er t o him and said, Lord, how oft shall m y brot her sin against m e, and I forgive him ? t ill seven t im es? Jesus sait h unt o him , I say not unt o t hee, Unt il seven t im es: but , Unt il sevent y t im es seven." - Mat t hew 18: 21- 22. 44- 19: Charles P. St einm et z, t he great elect rical engineer, was once asked by Mr. Roger W. Babson: " What line of research will see t he great est developm ent during t he next fift y years?" " I t hink t he great est discovery will be m ade along spirit ual lines," St einm et z replied. " Here is a force which hist ory clearly t eaches has been t he great est power in t he developm ent of m en. Yet we have m erely been playing wit h it and have never seriously st udied it as we have t he physical forces. Som eday people will learn t hat m at erial t hings do not bring happiness and are of lit t le use in m aking m en and wom en creat ive and powerful. Then t he scient ist s of t he world will t urn t heir laborat ories over t o t he st udy of God and prayer and t he spirit ual forces which as yet have hardly been scrat ched. When t his day com es, t he world will see m ore advancem ent in one generat ion t han it has seen in t he past four." 44- 20: That is, resist not evil wit h evil. ( Mat t hew 5: 38- 39) www.holybooks.com CHAPTER: 45 The Bengali "Joy-Permeated" Mother "Sir, please do not leave India without a glim pse of Nirm ala Devi. Her sanctity is intense; she is known far and wide as Ananda Moyi Ma (J oy- Perm eated Mother)." My niece, Am iyo Bose, gazed at m e earnestly. "Of course! I want very m uch to see the wom an saint." I added, "I have read of her advanced state of God-realization. A little article about her appeared years ago in East-W est." "I have m et her," Am iyo went on. "She recently visited m y own little town of J am shedpur. At the entreaty of a disciple, Ananda Moyi Ma went to the hom e of a dying m an. She stood by his bedside; as her hand touched his forehead, his death-rattle ceased. The disease vanished at once; to the m an's glad astonishm ent, he was well." A few days later I heard that the Blissful Mother was staying at the hom e of a disciple in the Bhowanipur section of Calcutta. Mr. Wright and I set out im m ediately from m y father's Calcutta hom e. As the Ford neared the Bhowanipur house, m y com panion and I observed an unusual street scene. Ananda Moyi Ma was standing in an open-topped autom obile, blessing a throng of about one hundred disciples. She was evidently on the point of departure. Mr. Wright parked the Ford som e distance away, and accom panied m e on foot toward the quiet assem blage. The wom an saint glanced in our direction; she alit from her car and walked toward us. "Father, you have com e!" With these fervent words she put her arm around m y neck and her head on m y shoulder. Mr. Wright, to whom I had just rem arked that I did not know the saint, was hugely enjoying this extraordinary dem onstration of welcom e. The eyes of the one hundred chelas were also fixed with som e surprise on the affectionate tableau. I had instantly seen that the saint was in a high state of sam adhi. Utterly oblivious to her outward garb as a wom an, she knew herself as the changeless soul; from that plane she was joyously greeting another devotee of God. She led m e by the hand into her autom obile. "Ananda Moyi Ma, I am delaying your journey!" I protested. www.holybooks.com "Father, I am m eeting you for the first tim e in this life, after ages!" she said. "Please do not leave yet." We sat together in the rear seats of the car. The Blissful Mother soon entered the im m obile ecstatic state. Her beautiful eyes glanced heavenward and, half-opened, becam e stilled, gazing into the near-far inner Elysium . The disciples chanted gently: "Victory to Mother Divine!" I had found m any m en of God-realization in India, but never before had I m et such an exalted wom an saint. Her gentle face was burnished with the ineffable joy that had given her the nam e of Blissful Mother. Long black tresses lay loosely behind her unveiled head. A red dot of sandalwood paste on her forehead sym bolized the spiritual eye, ever open within her. Tiny face, tiny hands, tiny feet-a contrast to her spiritual m agnitude! I put som e questions to a near-by wom an chela while Ananda Moyi Ma rem ained entranced. "The Blissful Mother travels widely in India; in m any parts she has hundreds of disciples," the chela told m e. "Her courageous efforts have brought about m any desirable social reform s. Although a Brahm in, the saint recognizes no caste distinctions. 4 5-1 A group of us always travel with her, looking after her com forts. We have to m other her; she takes no notice of her body. If no one gave her food, she would not eat, or m ake any inquiries. Even when m eals are placed before her, she does not touch them . To prevent her disappearance from this world, we disciples feed her with our own hands. For days together she often stays in the divine trance, scarcely breathing, her eyes unwinking. One of her chief disciples is her husband. Many years ago, soon after their m arriage, he took the vow of silence." The chela pointed to a broad-shouldered, fine-featured m an with long hair and hoary beard. He was standing quietly in the m idst of the gathering, his hands folded in a disciple's reverential attitude. Refreshed by her dip in the Infinite, Ananda Moyi Ma was now focusing her consciousness on the m aterial world. "Father, please tell m e where you stay." Her voice was clear and m elodious. "At present, in Calcutta or Ranchi; but soon I shall be returning to Am erica." "Am erica?" "Yes. An Indian wom an saint would be sincerely appreciated there by spiritual seekers. Would you like to go?" "If Father can take m e, I will go." This reply caused her near-by disciples to start in alarm . www.holybooks.com "Twenty or m ore of us always travel with the Blissful Mother," one of them told m e firm ly. "We could not live without her. Wherever she goes, we m ust go." Reluctantly I abandoned the plan, as possessing an im practical feature of spontaneous enlargem ent! "Please com e at least to Ranchi, with your disciples," I said on taking leave of the saint. "As a divine child yourself, you will enjoy the little ones in m y school." "Whenever Father takes m e, I will gladly go." A short tim e later the Ranchi Vidy alay a was in gala array for the saint's prom ised visit. The youngsters looked forward to any day of festivity-no lessons, hours of m usic, and a feast for the clim ax! "Victory! Ananda Moyi Ma, ki jai!" This reiterated chant from scores of enthusiastic little throats greeted the saint's party as it entered the school gates. Showers of m arigolds, tinkle of cym bals, lusty blowing of conch shells and beat of the m ridanga drum ! The Blissful Mother wandered sm ilingly over the sunny Vidy alay a grounds, ever carrying within her the portable paradise. "It is beautiful here," Ananda Moyi Ma said graciously as I led her into the m ain building. She seated herself with a childlike sm ile by m y side. The closest of dear friends, she m ade one feel, yet an aura of rem oteness was ever around her-the paradoxical isolation of Om nipresence. "Please tell m e som ething of your life." "Father knows all about it; why repeat it?" She evidently felt that the factual history of one short incarnation was beneath notice. I laughed, gently repeating m y question. "Father, there is little to tell." She spread her graceful hands in a deprecatory gesture. "My consciousness has never associated itself with this tem porary body. Before I cam e on this earth, Father, 'I was the sam e.' As a little girl, 'I was the sam e.' I grew into wom anhood, but still 'I was the sam e.' When the fam ily in which I had been born m ade arrangem ents to have this body m arried, 'I was the sam e.' And when, passion-drunk, m y husband cam e to m e and m urm ured endearing words, lightly touching m y body, he received a violent shock, as if struck by lightning, for even then 'I was the sam e.' "My husband knelt before m e, folded his hands, and im plored m y pardon. "'Mother,' he said, 'because I have desecrated your bodily tem ple by touching it with the thought of lust-not knowing that within it dwelt not m y wife but the Divine Mother-I take this solem n vow: I shall be your disciple, a celibate follower, ever caring for you in silence as a servant, never speaking to anyone again as long as I live. May I thus atone for the sin I have today com m itted www.holybooks.com against you, m y guru.' "Even when I quietly accepted this proposal of m y husband's, 'I was the sam e.' And, Father, in front of you now, 'I am the sam e.' Ever afterward, though the dance of creation change around m e in the hall of eternity, 'I shall be the sam e.'" Ananda Moyi Ma sank into a deep m editative state. Her form was statue- still; she had fled to her ever-calling kingdom . The dark pools of her eyes appeared lifeless and glassy. This expression is often present when saints rem ove their consciousness from the physical body, which is then hardly m ore than a piece of soulless clay. We sat together for an hour in the ecstatic trance. She returned to this world with a gay little laugh. "Please, Ananda Moyi Ma," I said, "com e with m e to the garden. Mr. Wright will take som e pictures." "Of course, Father. Your will is m y will." Her glorious eyes retained the unchanging divine luster as she posed for m any photographs. Tim e for the feast! Ananda Moyi Ma squatted on her blanket-seat, a disciple at her elbow to feed her. Like an infant, the saint obediently swallowed the food after the chela had brought it to her lips. It was plain that the Blissful Mother did not recognize any difference between curries and sweetm eats! As dusk approached, the saint left with her party am idst a shower of rose petals, her hands raised in blessing on the little lads. Their faces shone with the affection she had effortlessly awakened. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy m ind, and with all thy strength:" Christ has proclaim ed, "this is the first com m andm ent." 4 5-2 Casting aside every inferior attachm ent, Ananda Moyi Ma offers her sole allegiance to the Lord. Not by the hairsplitting distinctions of scholars but by the sure logic of faith, the childlike saint has solved the only problem in hum an life-establishm ent of unity with God. Man has forgotten this stark sim plicity, now befogged by a m illion issues. Refusing a m onotheistic love to God, the nations disguise their infidelity by punctilious respect before the outward shrines of charity. These hum anitarian gestures are virtuous, because for a m om ent they divert m an's attention from him self, but they do not free him from his single responsibility in life, referred to by J esus as the first com m andm ent. The uplifting obligation to love God is assum ed with m an's first breath of an air freely bestowed by his only Benefactor. On one other occasion after her Ranchi visit I had opportunity to see Ananda Moyi Ma. She stood am ong her disciples som e m onths later on the Seram pore station platform , waiting for the train. "Father, I am going to the Him alayas," she told m e. "Generous disciples have built m e a herm itage in Dehra Dun." www.holybooks.com As she boarded the train, I m arveled to see that whether am idst a crowd, on a train, feasting, or sitting in silence, her eyes never looked away from God. Within m e I still hear her voice, an echo of m easureless sweetness: "Behold, now and always one with the Eternal, 'I am ever the sam e.'" 45- 1: I find som e furt her fact s of Ananda Moyi Ma's life, print ed in East - West . The saint was born in 1893 at Dacca in cent ral Bengal. I llit erat e, she has yet st unned t he int ellect uals by her wisdom . Her verses in Sanskrit have filled scholars wit h wonderm ent . She has brought consolat ion t o bereaved persons, and effect ed m iraculous cures, by her m ere presence. 45- 2: Mark 12: 30. CHAPTER: 46 The Woman Yogi Who Never Eats "Sir, whither are we bound this m orning?" Mr. Wright was driving the Ford; he took his eyes off the road long enough to gaze at m e with a questioning twinkle. From day to day he seldom knew what part of Bengal he would be discovering next. "God willing," I replied devoutly, "we are on our way to see an eighth wonder of the world-a wom an saint whose diet is thin air!" "Repetition of wonders-after Therese Neum ann." But Mr. Wright laughed eagerly just the sam e; he even accelerated the speed of the car. More extraordinary grist for his travel diary! Not one of an average tourist, that! The Ranchi school had just been left behind us; we had risen before the sun. Besides m y secretary and m yself, three Bengali friends were in the party. We drank in the exhilarating air, the natural wine of the m orning. Our driver guided the car warily am ong the early peasants and the twowheeled carts, slowly drawn by yoked, hum p-shouldered bullocks, inclined to dispute the road with a honking interloper. "Sir, we would like to know m ore of the fasting saint." "Her nam e is Giri Bala," I inform ed m y com panions. "I first heard about her years ago from a www.holybooks.com scholarly gentlem an, Sthiti Lal Nundy. He often cam e to the Gurpar Road hom e to tutor m y brother Bishnu." "'I know Giri Bala well,' Sthiti Babu told m e. 'She em ploys a certain yoga technique which enables her to live without eating. I was her close neighbor in Nawabganj near Ichapur. 4 6 -1 I m ade it a point to watch her closely; never did I find evidence that she was taking either food or drink. My interest finally m ounted so high that I approached the Maharaja of Burdwan 4 6 -2 and asked him to conduct an investigation. Astounded at the story, he invited her to his palace. She agreed to a test and lived for two m onths locked up in a sm all section of his hom e. Later she returned for a palace visit of twenty days; and then for a third test of fifteen days. The Maharaja him self told m e that these three rigorous scrutinies had convinced him beyond doubt of her non-eating state.' "This story of Sthiti Babu's has rem ained in m y m ind for over twenty- five years," I concluded. "Som etim es in Am erica I wondered if the river of tim e would not swallow the y ogini 4 6 -3 before I could m eet her. She m ust be quite aged now. I do not even know where, or if, she lives. But in a few hours we shall reach Purulia; her brother has a hom e there." By ten-thirty our little group was conversing with the brother, Lam badar Dey, a lawyer of Purulia. "Yes, m y sister is living. She som etim es stays with m e here, but at present she is at our fam ily hom e in Biur." Lam badar Babu glanced doubtfully at the Ford. "I hardly think, Swam iji, that any autom obile has ever penetrated into the interior as far as Biur. It m ight be best if you all resign yourselves to the ancient jolt of the bullock cart!" As one voice our party pledged loyalty to the Pride of Detroit. "The Ford com es from Am erica," I told the lawyer. "It would be a sham e to deprive it of an opportunity to get acquainted with the heart of Bengal!" "May Ganesh 4 6 -4 go with you!" Lam badar Babu said, laughing. He added courteously, "If you ever get there, I am sure Giri Bala will be glad to see you. She is approaching her seventies, but continues in excellent health." "Please tell m e, sir, if it is absolutely true that she eats nothing?" I looked directly into his eyes, those telltale windows of the m ind. www.holybooks.com GIRI BALA This great woman yogi has not taken food or drink since 1880. I am pictured with her, in 1936, at her home in the isolated Bengal village of Biur. Her non-eating state has been rigorously investigated by the Maharaja of Burdwan. She employs a certain yoga technique to recharge her body with cosmic energy from the ether, sun, and air. "It is true." His gaze was open and honorable. "In m ore than five decades I have never seen her eat a m orsel. If the world suddenly cam e to an end, I could not be m ore astonished than by the sight of m y sister's taking food!" We chuckled together over the im probability of these two cosm ic events. "Giri Bala has never sought an inaccessible solitude for her yoga practices," Lam badar Babu went on. "She has lived her entire life surrounded by her fam ily and friends. They are all well accustom ed now to her strange state. Not one of them who would not be stupefied if Giri Bala suddenly decided to eat anything! Sister is naturally retiring, as befits a Hindu widow, but our little circle in Purulia and in Biur all know that she is literally an 'exceptional' wom an." The brother's sincerity was m anifest. Our little party thanked him warm ly and set out toward Biur. We stopped at a street shop for curry and luchis, attracting a swarm of urchins who gathered round to watch Mr. Wright eating with his fingers in the sim ple Hindu m anner. 4 6 -5 Hearty appetites caused us to fortify ourselves against an afternoon which, unknown at the m om ent, was to prove fairly laborious. Our way now led east through sun-baked rice fields into the Burdwan section of Bengal. On through roads lined with dense vegetation; the songs of the m ay nas and the stripe-throated bulbuls stream ed out from trees with huge, um brellalike branches. A bullock cart now and then, the rini, rini, m anju, m anju squeak of its axle and iron-shod wooden wheels contrasting sharply www.holybooks.com in m ind with the sw ish, sw ish of auto tires over the aristocratic asphalt of the cities. "Dick, halt!" My sudden request brought a jolting protest from the Ford. "That overburdened m ango tree is fairly shouting an invitation!" The five of us dashed like children to the m ango-strewn earth; the tree had benevolently shed its fruits as they had ripened. "Full m any a m ango is born to lie unseen," I paraphrased, "and waste its sweetness on the stony ground." "Nothing like this in Am erica, Swam iji, eh?" laughed Sailesh Mazum dar, one of m y Bengali students. "No," I adm itted, covered with m ango juice and contentm ent. "How I have m issed this fruit in the West! A Hindu's heaven without m angoes is inconceivable!" I picked up a rock and downed a proud beauty hidden on the highest lim b. "Dick," I asked between bites of am brosia, warm with the tropical sun, "are all the cam eras in the car?" "Yes, sir; in the baggage com partm ent." "If Giri Bala proves to be a true saint, I want to write about her in the West. A Hindu y ogini with such inspiring powers should not live and die unknown-like m ost of these m angoes." Half an hour later I was still strolling in the sylvan peace. "Sir," Mr. Wright rem arked, "we should reach Giri Bala before the sun sets, to have enough light for photographs." He added with a grin, "The Westerners are a skeptical lot; we can't expect them to believe in the lady without any pictures!" This bit of wisdom was indisputable; I turned m y back on tem ptation and reentered the car. "You are right, Dick," I sighed as we sped along, "I sacrifice the m ango paradise on the altar of Western realism . Photographs we m ust have!" The road becam e m ore and m ore sickly: wrinkles of ruts, boils of hardened clay, the sad infirm ities of old age! Our group dism ounted occasionally to allow Mr. Wright to m ore easily m aneuver the Ford, which the four of us pushed from behind. "Lam badar Babu spoke truly," Sailesh acknowledged. "The car is not carrying us; we are carrying the car!" Our clim b-in, clim b-out auto tedium was beguiled ever and anon by the appearance of a village, www.holybooks.com each one a scene of quaint sim plicity. "Our way twisted and turned through groves of palm s am ong ancient, unspoiled villages nestling in the forest shade," Mr. Wright has recorded in his travel diary, under date of May 5, 1936. "Very fascinating are these clusters of thatched m ud huts, decorated with one of the nam es of God on the door; m any sm all, naked children innocently playing about, pausing to stare or run wildly from this big, black, bullockless carriage tearing m adly through their village. The wom en m erely peep from the shadows, while the m en lazily loll beneath the trees along the roadside, curious beneath their nonchalance. In one place, all the villagers were gaily bathing in the large tank (in their garm ents, changing by draping dry cloths around their bodies, dropping the wet ones). Wom en bearing water to their hom es, in huge brass jars. "The road led us a m erry chase over m ount and ridge; we bounced and tossed, dipped into sm all stream s, detoured around an unfinished causeway, slithered across dry, sandy river beds and finally, about 5:0 0 P.M., we were close to our destination, Biur. This m inute village in the interior of Bankura District, hidden in the protection of dense foliage, is unapproachable by travelers during the rainy season, when the stream s are raging torrents and the roads serpentlike spit the m ud-venom . "Asking for a guide am ong a group of worshipers on their way hom e from a tem ple prayer (out in the lonely field), we were besieged by a dozen scantily clad lads who clam bered on the sides of the car, eager to conduct us to Giri Bala. "The road led toward a grove of date palm s sheltering a group of m ud huts, but before we had reached it, the Ford was m om entarily tipped at a dangerous angle, tossed up and dropped down. The narrow trail led around trees and tank, over ridges, into holes and deep ruts. The car becam e anchored on a clum p of bushes, then grounded on a hillock, requiring a lift of earth clods; on we proceeded, slowly and carefully; suddenly the way was stopped by a m ass of brush in the m iddle of the cart track, necessitating a detour down a precipitous ledge into a dry tank, rescue from which dem anded som e scraping, adzing, and shoveling. Again and again the road seem ed im passable, but the pilgrim age m ust go on; obliging lads fetched spades and dem olished the obstacles (shades of Ganesh!) while hundreds of children and parents stared. "Soon we were threading our way along the two ruts of antiquity, wom en gazing wide-eyed from their hut doors, m en trailing alongside and behind us, children scam pering to swell the procession. Ours was perhaps the first auto to traverse these roads; the 'bullock cart union' m ust be om nipotent here! What a sensation we created-a group piloted by an Am erican and pioneering in a snorting car right into their ham let fastness, invading the ancient privacy and sanctity! "Halting by a narrow lane we found ourselves within a hundred feet of Giri Bala's ancestral hom e. We felt the thrill of fulfillm ent after the long road struggle crowned by a rough finish. We approached a large, two-storied building of brick and plaster, dom inating the surrounding adobe huts; the house was under the process of repair, for around it was the characteristically tropical fram ework of bam boos. www.holybooks.com "With feverish anticipation and suppressed rejoicing we stood before the open doors of the one blessed by the Lord's 'hungerless' touch. Constantly agape were the villagers, young and old, bare and dressed, wom en aloof som ewhat but inquisitive too, m en and boys unabashedly at our heels as they gazed on this unprecedented spectacle. "Soon a short figure cam e into view in the doorway-Giri Bala! She was swathed in a cloth of dull, goldish silk; in typically Indian fashion, she drew forward m odestly and hesitatingly, peering slightly from beneath the upper fold of her sw adeshi cloth. Her eyes glistened like sm ouldering em bers in the shadow of her head piece; we were enam ored by a m ost benevolent and kindly face, a face of realization and understanding, free from the taint of earthly attachm ent. "Meekly she approached and silently assented to our snapping a num ber of pictures with our 'still' and 'm ovie' cam eras. 4 6 -6 Patiently and shyly she endured our photo techniques of posture adjustm ent and light arrangem ent. Finally we had recorded for posterity m any photographs of the only wom an in the world who is known to have lived without food or drink for over fifty years. (Therese Neum ann, of course, has fasted since 1923.) Most m otherly was Giri Bala's expression as she stood before us, com pletely covered in the loose-flowing cloth, nothing of her body visible but her face with its downcast eyes, her hands, and her tiny feet. A face of rare peace and innocent poise-a wide, childlike, quivering lip, a fem inine nose, narrow, sparkling eyes, and a wistful sm ile." Mr. Wright's im pression of Giri Bala was shared by m yself; spirituality enfolded her like her gently shining veil. She pronam ed before m e in the custom ary gesture of greeting from a householder to a m onk. Her sim ple charm and quiet sm ile gave us a welcom e beyond that of honeyed oratory; forgotten was our difficult, dusty trip. The little saint seated herself cross-legged on the verandah. Though bearing the scars of age, she was not em aciated; her olive-colored skin had rem ained clear and healthy in tone. "Mother," I said in Bengali, "for over twenty-five years I have thought eagerly of this very pilgrim age! I heard about your sacred life from Sthiti Lal Nundy Babu." She nodded in acknowledgm ent. "Yes, m y good neighbor in Nawabganj." "During those years I have crossed the oceans, but I never forgot m y early plan to som eday see you. The sublim e dram a that you are here playing so inconspicuously should be blazoned before a world that has long forgotten the inner food divine." The saint lifted her eyes for a m inute, sm iling with serene interest. "Baba (honored father) knows best," she answered m eekly. I was happy that she had taken no offense; one never knows how great yogis or yoginis will react to the thought of publicity. They shun it, as a rule, wishing to pursue in silence the profound soul research. An inner sanction com es to them when the proper tim e arrives to display their lives www.holybooks.com openly for the benefit of seeking m inds. "Mother," I went on, "please forgive m e, then, for burdening you with m any questions. Kindly answer only those that please you; I shall understand your silence, also." She spread her hands in a gracious gesture. "I am glad to reply, insofar as an insignificant person like m yself can give satisfactory answers." "Oh, no, not insignificant!" I protested sincerely. "You are a great soul." "I am the hum ble servant of all." She added quaintly, "I love to cook and feed people." A strange pastim e, I thought, for a non-eating saint! "Tell m e, Mother, from your own lips-do you live without food?" "That is true." She was silent for a few m om ents; her next rem ark showed that she had been struggling with m ental arithm etic. "From the age of twelve years four m onths down to m y present age of sixty-eight- a period of over fifty-six years-I have not eaten food or taken liquids." "Are you never tem pted to eat?" "If I felt a craving for food, I would have to eat." Sim ply yet regally she stated this axiom atic truth, one known too well by a world revolving around three m eals a day! "But you do eat som ething!" My tone held a note of rem onstrance. "Of course!" She sm iled in swift understanding. "Your nourishm ent derives from the finer energies of the air and sunlight, 4 6 -7 and from the cosm ic power which recharges your body through the m edulla oblongata." "Baba knows." Again she acquiesced, her m anner soothing and unem phatic. "Mother, please tell m e about your early life. It holds a deep interest for all of India, and even for our brothers and sisters beyond the seas." Giri Bala put aside her habitual reserve, relaxing into a conversational m ood. "So be it." Her voice was low and firm . "I was born in these forest regions. My childhood was unrem arkable save that I was possessed by an insatiable appetite. I had been betrothed in early years. "'Child,' m y m other often warned m e, 'try to control your greed. When the tim e com es for you to live am ong strangers in your husband's fam ily, what will they think of you if your days are spent in nothing but eating?' www.holybooks.com "The calam ity she had foreseen cam e to pass. I was only twelve when I joined m y husband's people in Nawabganj. My m other-in-law sham ed m e m orning, noon, and night about m y gluttonous habits. Her scoldings were a blessing in disguise, however; they roused m y dorm ant spiritual tendencies. One m orning her ridicule was m erciless. "'I shall soon prove to you,' I said, stung to the quick, 'that I shall never touch food again as long as I live.' "My m other-in-law laughed in derision. 'So!' she said, 'how can you live without eating, when you cannot live without overeating?' "This rem ark was unanswerable! Yet an iron resolution scaffolded m y spirit. In a secluded spot I sought m y Heavenly Father. "'Lord,' I prayed incessantly, 'please send m e a guru, one who can teach m e to live by Thy light and not by food.' "A divine ecstasy fell over m e. Led by a beatific spell, I set out for the Nawabganj ghat on the Ganges. On the way I encountered the priest of m y husband's fam ily. "'Venerable sir,' I said trustingly, 'kindly tell m e how to live without eating.' "He stared at m e without reply. Finally he spoke in a consoling m anner. 'Child,' he said, 'com e to the tem ple this evening; I will conduct a special Vedic cerem ony for you.' "This vague answer was not the one I was seeking; I continued toward the ghat. The m orning sun pierced the waters; I purified m yself in the Ganges, as though for a sacred initiation. As I left the river bank, m y wet cloth around m e, in the broad glare of day m y m aster m aterialized him self before m e! "'Dear little one,' he said in a voice of loving com passion, 'I am the guru sent here by God to fulfill your urgent prayer. He was deeply touched by its very unusual nature! From today you shall live by the astral light, your bodily atom s fed from the infinite current.'" Giri Bala fell into silence. I took Mr. Wright's pencil and pad and translated into English a few item s for his inform ation. The saint resum ed the tale, her gentle voice barely audible. "The ghat was deserted, but m y guru cast round us an aura of guarding light, that no stray bathers later disturb us. He initiated m e into a kria technique which frees the body from dependence on the gross food of m ortals. The technique includes the use of a certain m antra 4 6 -8 and a breathing exercise m ore difficult than the average person could perform . No m edicine or m agic is involved; nothing beyond the kria." In the m anner of the Am erican newspaper reporter, who had unknowingly taught m e his www.holybooks.com procedure, I questioned Giri Bala on m any m atters which I thought would be of interest to the world. She gave m e, bit by bit, the following inform ation: "I have never had any children; m any years ago I becam e a widow. I sleep very little, as sleep and waking are the sam e to m e. I m editate at night, attending to m y dom estic duties in the daytim e. I slightly feel the change in clim ate from season to season. I have never been sick or experienced any disease. I feel only slight pain when accidentally injured. I have no bodily excretions. I can control m y heart and breathing. I often see m y guru as well as other great souls, in vision." "Mother," I asked, "why don't you teach others the m ethod of living without food?" My am bitious hopes for the world's starving m illions were nipped in the bud. "No." She shook her head. "I was strictly com m anded by m y guru not to divulge the secret. It is not his wish to tam per with God's dram a of creation. The farm ers would not thank m e if I taught m any people to live without eating! The luscious fruits would lie uselessly on the ground. It appears that m isery, starvation, and disease are whips of our karm a which ultim ately drive us to seek the true m eaning of life." "Mother," I said slowly, "what is the use of your having been singled out to live without eating?" "To prove that m an is Spirit." Her face lit with wisdom . "To dem onstrate that by divine advancem ent he can gradually learn to live by the Eternal Light and not by food." The saint sank into a deep m editative state. Her gaze was directed inward; the gentle depths of her eyes becam e expressionless. She gave a certain sigh, the prelude to the ecstatic breathless trance. For a tim e she had fled to the questionless realm , the heaven of inner joy. The tropical darkness had fallen. The light of a sm all kerosene lam p flickered fitfully over the faces of a score of villagers squatting silently in the shadows. The darting glowworm s and distant oil lanterns of the huts wove bright eerie patterns into the velvet night. It was the painful hour of parting; a slow, tedious journey lay before our little party. "Giri Bala," I said as the saint opened her eyes, "please give m e a keepsake-a strip of one of your saris." She soon returned with a piece of Benares silk, extending it in her hand as she suddenly prostrated herself on the ground. "Mother," I said reverently, "rather let m e touch your own blessed feet!" 46- 1: I n nort hern Bengal. 46- 2: H. H. Sir Bij ay Chand Maht ab, now dead. His fam ily doubt less possesses som e record of t he Maharaj a's t hree invest igat ions of Giri Bala. 46- 3: Wom an yogi. www.holybooks.com 46- 4: " Rem over of Obst acles," t he god of good fort une. 46- 5: Sri Yukt eswar used t o say: " The Lord has given us t he fruit s of t he good eart h. We like t o see our food, t o sm ell it , t o t ast e it - t he Hindu likes also t o t ouch it ! " One does not m ind hearing it , eit her, if no one else is present at t he m eal! 46- 6: Mr. Wright also t ook m oving pict ures of Sri Yukt eswar during his last Wint er Solst ice Fest ival in Seram pore. 46- 7: " What we eat is radiat ion; our food is so m uch quant a of energy," Dr. George W. Crile of Cleveland t old a gat hering of m edical m en on May 17, 1933 in Mem phis. " This all- im port ant radiat ion, which releases elect rical current s for t he body's elect rical circuit , t he nervous syst em , is given t o food by t he sun's rays. At om s, Dr. Crile says, are solar syst em s. At om s are t he vehicles t hat are filled wit h solar radiance as so m any coiled springs. These count less at om fuls of energy are t aken in as food. Once in t he hum an body, t hese t ense vehicles, t he at om s, are discharged in t he body's prot oplasm , t he radiance furnishing new chem ical energy, new elect rical current s. 'Your body is m ade up of such at om s,' Dr. Crile said. 'They are your m uscles, brains, and sensory organs, such as t he eyes and ears.'" Som eday scient ist s will discover how m an can live direct ly on solar energy. " Chlorophyll is t he only subst ance known in nat ure t hat som ehow possesses t he power t o act as a 'sunlight t rap,'" William L. Laurence writ es in t he New York Tim es. " I t 'cat ches' t he energy of sunlight and st ores it in t he plant . Wit hout t his no life could exist . We obt ain t he energy we need for living from t he solar energy st ored in t he plant - food we eat or in t he flesh of t he anim als t hat eat t he plant s. The energy we obt ain from coal or oil is solar energy t rapped by t he chlorophyll in plant life m illions of years ago. We live by t he sun t hrough t he agency of chlorophyll." 46- 8: Pot ent vibrat ory chant . The lit eral t ranslat ion of Sanskrit m ant ra is " inst rum ent of t hought ," signifying t he ideal, inaudible sounds which represent one aspect of creat ion; when vocalized as syllables, a m ant ra const it ut es a universal t erm inology. The infinit e powers of sound derive from AUM, t he " Word" or creat ive hum of t he Cosm ic Mot or. CHAPTER: 47 I Return To The West "I have given m any yoga lessons in India and Am erica; but I m ust confess that, as a Hindu, I am unusually happy to be conducting a class for English students." My London class m em bers laughed appreciatively; no political turm oils ever disturbed our yoga peace. India was now a hallowed m em ory. It is Septem ber, 1936; I am in England to fulfill a prom ise, given sixteen m onths earlier, to lecture again in London. England, too, is receptive to the tim eless yoga m essage. Reporters and newsreel cam eram en swarm ed over m y quarters at Grosvenor House. The British National Council of the World www.holybooks.com Fellowship of Faiths organized a m eeting on Septem ber 29th at Whitefield's Congregational Church where I addressed the audience on the weighty subject of "How Faith in Fellowship m ay Save Civilization." The eight o'clock lectures at Caxton Hall attracted such crowds that on two nights the overflow waited in Windsor House auditorium for m y second talk at nine-thirty. Yoga classes during the following weeks grew so large that Mr. Wright was obliged to arrange a transfer to another hall. The English tenacity has adm irable expression in a spiritual relationship. The London yoga students loyally organized them selves, after m y departure, into a Self-Realization Fellowship center, holding their m editation m eetings weekly throughout the bitter war years. Unforgettable weeks in England; days of sight-seeing in London, then over the beautiful countryside. Mr. Wright and I sum m oned the trusty Ford to visit the birthplaces and tom bs of the great poets and heroes of British history. Our little party sailed from Southam pton for Am erica in late October on the Brem en. The m ajestic Statue of Liberty in New York harbor brought a joyous em otional gulp not only to the throats of Miss Bletch and Mr. Wright, but to m y own. The Ford, a bit battered from struggles with ancient soils, was still puissant; it now took in its stride the transcontinental trip to California. In late 1936, lo! Mount Washington. The year-end holidays are celebrated annually at the Los Angeles center with an eight-hour group m editation on Decem ber 24th (Spiritual Christm as), followed the next day by a banquet (Social Christm as). The festivities this year were augm ented by the presence of dear friends and students from distant cities who had arrived to welcom e hom e the three world travelers. The Christm as Day feast included delicacies brought fifteen thousand m iles for this glad occasion: gucchi m ushroom s from Kashm ir, canned rasagulla and m ango pulp, papar biscuits, and an oil of the Indian keora flower which flavored our ice cream . The evening found us grouped around a huge sparkling Christm as tree, the near-by fireplace crackling with logs of arom atic cypress. Gift-tim e! Presents from the earth's far corners-Palestine, Egypt, India, England, France, Italy. How laboriously had Mr. Wright counted the trunks at each foreign junction, that no pilfering hand receive the treasures intended for loved ones in Am erica! Plaques of the sacred olive tree from the Holy Land, delicate laces and em broideries from Belgium and Holland, Persian carpets, finely woven Kashm iri shawls, everlastingly fragrant sandalwood trays from Mysore, Shiva "bull's eye" stones from Central Provinces, old Indian coins of dynasties long fled, bejeweled vases and cups, m iniatures, tapestries, tem ple incense and perfum es, sw adeshi cotton prints, lacquer work, Mysore ivory carvings, Persian slippers with their inquisitive long toe, quaint old illum inated m anuscripts, velvets, brocades, Gandhi caps, potteries, tiles, brasswork, prayer rugs-booty of three continents! One by one I distributed the gaily wrapped packages from the im m ense pile under the tree. www.holybooks.com "Sister Gyanam ata!" I handed a long box to the saintly Am erican lady of sweet visage and deep realization who, during m y absence, had been in charge at Mt. Washington. From the paper tissues she lifted a sari of golden Benares silk. "Thank you, sir; it brings the pageant of India before m y eyes." "Mr. Dickinson!" The next parcel contained a gift which I had bought in a Calcutta bazaar. "Mr. Dickinson will like this," I had thought at the tim e. A dearly beloved disciple, Mr. Dickinson had been present at every Christm as festivity since the 1925 founding of Mt. Washington. At this eleventh annual celebration, he was standing before m e, untying the ribbons of his square little package. "The silver cup!" Struggling with em otion, he stared at the present, a tall drinking cup. He seated him self som e distance away, apparently in a daze. I sm iled at him affectionately before resum ing m y role as Santa Claus. The ejaculatory evening closed with a prayer to the Giver of all gifts; then a group singing of Christm as carols. Mr. Dickinson and I were chatting together som etim e later. "Sir," he said, "please let m e thank you now for the silver cup. I could not find any words on Christm as night." "I brought the gift especially for you." "For forty-three years I have been waiting for that silver cup! It is a long story, one I have kept hidden within m e." Mr. Dickinson looked at m e shyly. "The beginning was dram atic: I was drowning. My older brother had playfully pushed m e into a fifteen-foot pool in a sm all town in Nebraska. I was only five years old then. As I was about to sink for the second tim e under the water, a dazzling m ulticolored light appeared, filling all space. In the m idst was the figure of a m an with tranquil eyes and a reassuring sm ile. My body was sinking for the third tim e when one of m y brother's com panions bent a tall slender willow tree in such a low dip that I could grasp it with m y desperate fingers. The boys lifted m e to the bank and successfully gave m e first-aid treatm ent. "Twelve years later, a youth of seventeen, I visited Chicago with m y m other. It was 1893; the great World Parliam ent of Religions was in session. Mother and I were walking down a m ain street, when again I saw the m ighty flash of light. A few paces away, strolling leisurely along, was the sam e m an I had seen years before in vision. He approached a large auditorium and vanished within the door. www.holybooks.com Mr. E. E. Dickinson of Los Angeles; he sought a silver cup Sri Yukteswar and myself in Calcutta, 1935. He is carrying the gift umbrella-cane www.holybooks.com A group of Ranchi students and teachers pose with the venerable Maharaja of Kasimbazar (at center, in white). In 1918 he gave his Kasimbazar Palace and twentyfive acres in Ranchi as a permanent site for my yoga school for boys. "'Mother,' I cried, 'that was the m an who appeared at the tim e I was drowning!' "She and I hastened into the building; the m an was seated on a lecture platform . We soon learned that he was Swam i Vivekananda of India. 4 7-1 After he had given a soul-stirring talk, I went forward to m eet him . He sm iled on m e graciously, as though we were old friends. I was so young that I did not know how to give expression to m y feelings, but in m y heart I was hoping that he would offer to be m y teacher. He read m y thought. "'No, m y son, I am not your guru.' Vivekananda gazed with his beautiful, piercing eyes deep into m y own. 'Your teacher will com e later. He will give you a silver cup.' After a little pause, he added, sm iling, 'He will pour out to you m ore blessings than you are now able to hold.' "I left Chicago in a few days," Mr. Dickinson went on, "and never saw the great Vivekananda again. But every word he had uttered was indelibly written on m y inm ost consciousness. Years passed; no teacher appeared. One night in 1925 I prayed deeply that the Lord would send m e m y guru. A few hours later, I was awakened from sleep by soft strains of m elody. A band of celestial beings, carrying flutes and other instrum ents, cam e before m y view. After filling the air with glorious m usic, the angels slowly vanished. "The next evening I attended, for the first tim e, one of your lectures here in Los Angeles, and knew then that m y prayer had been granted." We sm iled at each other in silence. "For eleven years now I have been your Kriy a Yoga disciple," Mr. Dickinson continued. "Som etim es I wondered about the silver cup; I had alm ost persuaded m yself that Vivekananda's words were only m etaphorical. But on Christm as night, as you handed m e the square box by the tree, I saw, for the third tim e in m y life, the sam e dazzling flash of light. In another m inute I was www.holybooks.com gazing on m y guru's gift which Vivekananda had foreseen for m e forty-three years earlier-a silver cup!" 47- 1: The chief disciple of t he Christ like m ast er Sri Ram akrishna. CHAPTER: 48 At Encinitas In California "A surprise, sir! During your absence abroad we have had this Encinitas herm itage built; it is a 'welcom e-hom e' gift!" Sister Gyanam ata sm ilingly led m e through a gate and up a tree-shaded walk. I saw a building jutting out like a great white ocean liner toward the blue brine. First speechlessly, then with "Oh's!" and "Ah's!", finally with m an's insufficient vocabulary of joy and gratitude, I exam ined the ashram -sixteen unusually large room s, each one charm ingly appointed. The stately central hall, with im m ense ceiling-high windows, looks out on a united altar of grass, ocean, sky-a sym phony in em erald, opal, sapphire. A m antle over the hall's huge fireplace holds the fram ed likeness of Lahiri Mahasaya, sm iling his blessing over this far Pacific heaven. Directly below the hall, built into the very bluff, two solitary m editation caves confront the infinities of sky and sea. Verandahs, sun-bathing nooks, acres of orchard, a eucalypti grove, flagstone paths leading through roses and lilies to quiet arbors, a long flight of stairs ending on an isolated beach and the vast waters! Was dream ever m ore concrete? "May the good and heroic and bountiful souls of the saints com e here," reads "A Prayer for a Dwelling," from the Zend-Avesta, fastened on one of the herm itage doors, "and m ay they go hand in hand with us, giving the healing virtues of their blessed gifts as widespread as the earth, as farflung as the rivers, as high-reaching as the sun, for the furtherance of better m en, for the increase of abundance and glory. "May obedience conquer disobedience within this house; m ay peace trium ph here over discord; free-hearted giving over avarice, truthful speech over deceit, reverence over contem pt. That our m inds be delighted, and our souls uplifted, let our bodies be glorified as well; and O Light Divine, m ay we see Thee, and m ay we, approaching, com e round about Thee, and attain unto Thine www.holybooks.com entire com panionship!" Encinitas, California, overlooking the Pacific. Main building and part of the grounds of the Self-Realization Fellowship This Self-Realization Fellowship ashram had been m ade possible through the generosity of a few Am erican disciples, Am erican businessm en of endless responsibilities who yet find tim e daily for their Kriy a Yoga. Not a word of the herm itage construction had been allowed to reach m e during m y stay in India and Europe. Astonishm ent, delight! During m y earlier years in Am erica I had com bed the coast of California in quest of a sm all site for a seaside ashram ; whenever I had found a suitable location, som e obstacle had invariably arisen to thwart m e. Gazing now over the broad acres of Encinitas, 4 8 -1 hum bly I saw the effortless fulfillm ent of Sri Yukteswar's long-ago prophecy: "a herm itage by the ocean." A few m onths later, Easter of 1937, I conducted on the sm ooth lawns at Encinitas the first of m any Sunrise Services. Like the m agi of old, several hundred students gazed in devotional awe at the daily m iracle, the early solar fire rite in the eastern sky. To the west lay the inexhaustible Pacific, boom ing its solem n praise; in the distance, a tiny white sailing boat, and the lonely flight of a seagull. "Christ, thou art risen!" Not alone with the vernal sun, but in the eternal dawn of Spirit! Many happy m onths sped by; in the peace of perfect beauty I was able to com plete at the herm itage a long-projected work, Cosm ic Chants. I set to English words and Western m usical notation about forty songs, som e original, others m y adaptations of ancient m elodies. Included were the Shankara chant, "No Birth, No Death"; two favorites of Sri Yukteswar's: "Wake, Yet Wake, O m y Saint!" and "Desire, m y Great Enem y"; the hoary Sanskrit "Hym n to Brahm a"; old Bengali songs, "What Lightning Flash!" and "They Have Heard Thy Nam e"; Tagore's "Who is in m y Tem ple?"; and a num ber of m y com positions: "I Will be Thine Always," "In the Land Beyond m y Dream s," "Com e Out of the Silent Sky," "Listen to m y Soul Call," "In the Tem ple of Silence," and "Thou Art m y Life." For a preface to the songbook I recounted m y first outstanding experience with the receptivity of www.holybooks.com Westerners to the quaintly devotional airs of the East. The occasion had been a public lecture; the tim e, April 18, 1926; the place, Carnegie Hall in New York. "Mr. Hunsicker," I had confided to an Am erican student, "I am planning to ask the audience to sing an ancient Hindu chant, 'O God Beautiful!'" "Sir," Mr. Hunsicker had protested, "these Oriental songs are alien to Am erican understanding. What a sham e if the lecture were to be m arred by a com m entary of overripe tom atoes!" I had laughingly disagreed. "Music is a universal language. Am ericans will not fail to feel the soulaspiration in this lofty chant." 4 8 -2 During the lecture Mr. Hunsicker had sat behind m e on the platform , probably fearing for m y safety. His doubts were groundless; not only had there been an absence of unwelcom e vegetables, but for one hour and twenty-five m inutes the strains of "O God Beautiful!" had sounded uninterruptedly from three thousand throats. Blase' no longer, dear New Yorkers; your hearts had soared out in a sim ple paean of rejoicing! Divine healings had taken place that evening am ong the devotees chanting with love the Lord's blessed nam e. The secluded life of a literary m instrel was not m y role for long. Soon I was dividing every fortnight between Los Angeles and Encinitas. Sunday services, classes, lectures before clubs and colleges, interviews with students, ceaseless stream s of correspondence, articles for East-W est, direction of activities in India and num erous sm all centers in Am erican cities. Much tim e was given, also, to the arrangem ent of Kriy a and other Self-Realization Fellowship teachings into a series of studies for the distant yoga seekers whose zeal recognized no lim itation of space. J oyous dedication of a Self-Realization Church of All Religions took place in 1938 at Washington, D.C. Set am idst landscaped grounds, the stately church stands in a section of the city aptly called "Friendship Heights." The Washington leader is Swam i Prem ananda, educated at the Ranchi school and Calcutta University. I had sum m oned him in 1928 to assum e leadership of the Washington Self-Realization Fellowship center. "Prem ananda," I told him during a visit to his new tem ple, "this Eastern headquarters is a m em orial in stone to your tireless devotion. Here in the nation's capital you have held aloft the light of Lahiri Mahasaya's ideals." Prem ananda accom panied m e from Washington for a brief visit to the Self-Realization Fellowship center in Boston. What joy to see again the Kriy a Yoga band who had rem ained steadfast since 1920 ! The Boston leader, Dr. M. W. Lewis, lodged m y com panion and m yself in a m odern, artistically decorated suite. "Sir," Dr. Lewis said to m e, sm iling, "during your early years in Am erica you stayed in this city in a single room , without bath. I wanted you to know that Boston possesses som e luxurious apartm ents!" www.holybooks.com The shadows of approaching carnage were lengthening over the world; already the acute ear m ight hear the frightful drum s of war. During interviews with thousands in California, and through a world-wide correspondence, I found that m en and wom en were deeply searching their hearts; the tragic outer insecurity had em phasized need for the Eternal Anchorage. "We have indeed learned the value of m editation," the leader of the London Self-Realization Fellowship center wrote m e in 1941, "and know that nothing can disturb our inner peace. In the last few weeks during the m eetings we have heard air-raid warnings and listened to the explosion of delayed-action bom bs, but our students still gather and thoroughly enjoy our beautiful service." Another letter reached m e from war-torn England just before Am erica entered the conflict. In nobly pathetic words, Dr. L. Cranm er Byng, noted editor of The W isdom Of The East Series, wrote: "When I read East-W est I realized how far apart we seem ed to be, apparently living in two different worlds. Beauty, order, calm , and peace com e to m e from Los Angeles, sailing into port as a vessel laden with the blessings and com fort of the Holy Grail to a beleaguered city. "I see as in a dream your palm tree grove, and the tem ple at Encinitas with its ocean stretches and m ountain views, and above all its fellowship of spiritually m inded m en and wom en, a com m unity com prehended in unity, absorbed in creative work, and replenished in contem plation. It is the world of m y own vision, in the m aking of which I hoped to bear m y little part, and now . . . "Perhaps in the body I shall never reach your golden shores nor worship in your tem ple. But it is som ething and m ore, to have had the vision and know that in the m idst of war there is still a peace that abides in your harbors and am ong your hills. Greetings to all the Fellowship from a com m on soldier, written on the watchtower waiting for the dawn." The war years brought a spiritual awakening am ong m en whose diversions had never before included a study of the New Testam ent. One sweet distillm ent from the bitter herbs of war! To satisfy a growing need, an inspiring little Self-Realization Church of All Religions was built and dedicated in 1942 at Hollywood. The site faces Olive Hill and the distant Los Angeles Planetarium . The church, finished in blue, white, and gold, is reflected am idst the water hyacinths in a large pool. The gardens are gay with flowers, a few startled stone deer, a stained- glass pergola, and a quaint wishing well. Thrown in with the pennies and the kaleidoscopic wishes of m an has been m any a pure aspiration for the sole treasure of Spirit! A universal benignity flows from sm all niches with statues of Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar, and of Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, St. Francis, and a beautiful m other-of- pearl reproduction of Christ at the Last Supper. Another Self-Realization Church of All Religions was founded in 1943 at San Diego. A quiet hilltop tem ple, it stands in a sloping valley of eucalypti, overlooking sparkling San Diego Bay. Sitting one evening in this tranquil haven, I was pouring out m y heart in song. Under m y fingers was the sweet-toned organ of the church, on m y lips the yearning plaint of an ancient Bengali www.holybooks.com devotee who had searched for eternal solace: In this world, Mother, none can love me; In this world they do not know love divine. Where is there pure loving love? Where is there truly loving Thee? There my heart longs to be. My com panion in the chapel, Dr. Lloyd Kennell, the San Diego center leader, was sm iling a little at the words of the song. "Tell m e truly, Param hansaji, has it been worth it?" He gazed at m e with an earnest sincerity. I understood his laconic question: "Have you been happy in Am erica? What about the disillusionm ents, the heartaches, the center leaders who could not lead, the students who could not be taught?" "Blessed is the m an whom the Lord doth test, Doctor! He has rem em bered now and then to put a burden on m e!" I thought, then, of all the faithful ones, of the love and devotion and understanding that lay in the heart of Am erica. With slow em phasis I went on, "But m y answer is: Yes, a thousand tim es yes! It has been worth-while; it has been a constant inspiration, m ore than ever I dream ed, to see West and East brought closer in the only lasting bond, the spiritual!" Silently I added a prayer: "May Babaji and Sri Yukteswarji feel that I have done m y part, not disappointing the high hope in which they sent m e forth." I turned again to the organ; this tim e m y song was tinged with a m artial valor: The grinding wheel of Time doth mar Full many a life of moon and star And many a brightly smiling mornBut still my soul is marching on! Darkness, death, and failures vied; To block my path they fiercely tried; My fight with jealous Nature's strongBut still my soul is marching on! www.holybooks.com New Year's week of 1945 found m e at work in m y Encinitas study, revising the m anuscript of this book. "Param hansaji, please com e outdoors." Dr. Lewis, on a visit from Boston, sm iled at m e pleadingly from outside m y window. Soon we were strolling in the sunshine. My com panion pointed to new towers in process of construction along the edge of the Fellowship property adjoining the coast highway. "Sir, I see m any im provem ents here since m y last visit." Dr. Lewis com es twice annually from Boston to Encinitas. "Yes, Doctor, a project I have long considered is beginning to take definite form . In these beautiful surroundings I have started a m iniature world colony. Brotherhood is an ideal better understood by exam ple than precept! A sm all harm onious group here m ay inspire other ideal com m unities over the earth." "A splendid idea, sir! The colony will surely be a success if everyone sincerely does his part!" "'World' is a large term , but m an m ust enlarge his allegiance, considering him self in the light of a world citizen," I continued. "A person who truly feels: 'The world is m y hom eland; it is m y Am erica, m y India, m y Philippines, m y England, m y Africa,' will never lack scope for a useful and happy life. His natural local pride will know lim itless expansion; he will be in touch with creative universal currents." Dr. Lewis and I halted above the lotus pool near the herm itage. Below us lay the illim itable Pacific. "These sam e waters break equally on the coasts of West and East, in California and China." My com panion threw a little stone into the first of the oceanic seventy m illion square m iles. "Encinitas is a sym bolic spot for a world colony." "That is true, Doctor. We shall arrange here for m any conferences and Congresses of Religion, inviting delegates from all lands. Flags of the nations will hang in our halls. Dim inutive tem ples will be built over the grounds, dedicated to the world's principal religions. "As soon as possible," I went on, "I plan to open a Yoga Institute here. The blessed role of Kriy a Yoga in the West has hardly m ore than just begun. May all m en com e to know that there is a definite, scientific technique of self-realization for the overcom ing of all hum an m isery!" www.holybooks.com Speakers at a 1945 Interracial Meeting in San Francisco during the convening of the Peace Conference. (Left to right) Dr. Maneck Anklesaria, John Cohee, myself, Hugh E. MacBeth, Vince M. The Self-Realization Church of All Religions in Washington, D.C., whose leader, Swami Premananda, is here pictured with me www.holybooks.com My venerable father, seated in the tranquil lotus posture, Calcutta, 1936 Far into the night m y dear friend-the first Kriy a Yogi in Am erica- discussed with m e the need for world colonies founded on a spiritual basis. The ills attributed to an anthropom orphic abstraction called "society" m ay be laid m ore realistically at the door of Everym an. Utopia m ust spring in the private bosom before it can flower in civic virtue. Man is a soul, not an institution; his inner reform s alone can lend perm anence to outer ones. By stress on spiritual values, self- realization, a colony exem plifying world brotherhood is em powered to send inspiring vibrations far beyond its locale. August 15, 1945, close of Global War II! End of a world; dawn of an enigm atic Atom ic Age! The herm itage residents gathered in the m ain hall for a prayer of thanksgiving. "Heavenly Father, m ay never it be again! Thy children go henceforth as brothers!" Gone was the tension of war years; our spirits purred in the sun of peace. I gazed happily at each of m y Am erican com rades. "Lord," I thought gratefully, "Thou hast given this m onk a large fam ily!" 48- 1: A sm all t own on Coast Highway 101, Encinit as is 100 m iles sout h of Los Angeles, and 25 m iles nort h of San Diego. 48- 2: I t ranslat e here t he words of Guru Nanak's song: O God beautiful! O God beautiful! In the forest, Thou art green, In the mountain, Thou art high, In the river, Thou art restless, In the ocean, Thou art grave! To the serviceful, Thou art service, To the lover, Thou art love, To the sorrowful, Thou art sympathy, www.holybooks.com To the yogi, Thou art bliss! O God beautiful! O God beautiful! At Thy feet, O I do bow! This free e-book has been downloaded from www.holybooks.com: http://www.holybooks.com/autobiography-of-a-yogi-paramahansa-yogananda/ www.holybooks.com