Inherited ‘Sankalpa’

 

My father was on deathbed. He wanted to spend his last moments at home with family members rather than looking at conventional ceiling of Intensive Care Unit of any reputed hospital. Keeping his wish in mind, my doc brother converted his room into ICU with all the necessary instruments and equipment. Patient monitor, ventilator and you name it and it was there!

Slowly his body was degenerating organ by organ. It was painful to see him going bit by bit. With our moist eyes, my brother and I who were standing beside his bed on either side were gently caressing his hands to soothe him. We were trying hard not to cry in front of him. The whole environment was gloomy. All of a sudden, my mother who was tenderly rubbing his feet told him, “You have distributed all your wealth and property between your children. Also make them heir of your ‘Sankalpa’!”

My brother and I were perplexed. 

She started explaining, “After retirement as an agriculture scientist, your father took a vow to plant 1000 trees per year. And you both must know how hard he was working for this noble cause! He had searched along the length and breadth of the semi arid area of North West India- nurseries, fields and forests to find the best varieties of trees. The brackish underground water had made the task harder as a few varieties of trees could only withstand that high amount of salinity. The harsh weather in both summer and winter would kill most of the saplings within one year of plantation. Even on withstanding these harsh conditions, many trees die because of termite attacks. The crickets, insects and nematodes attacks causes’ stunned growth and sometimes they even destroy the plant when the attack is severe. Even after such a high mortality rate of young trees that leads to frustration, he is determined and consistence towards his target. As you, both know he is unstoppable! No obstacle could compel him to quit from doing what he wishes to do.”  

Saddened eyes of my father now had a spark!

“Should we plant flowering or fruiting trees?” I asked controlling my tears.

“Each species of trees in an ecosystem has a specific niche—a role to play. We all know, trees nourish soil, help in water conservation, ease carbon sequestration, improve biodiversity, and increase the number of pollinators and natural pest predators like birds. However, every tree has its own unique feature as peepal tree provides more oxygen or dry leaves of neem tree acts as organic pest controller, twisted stem of pelu tree acts as windbreaker, nodules present in khejadi roots enriches the soil with nitrogen or jungli beer provides food to many small sized birds.” She showered all her knowledge, accumulated from editing his agri-based research papers, presentations and books.

All ears were on her.

She continued,“Repeated irrigation of brackish water and frequent use of fertilizers has turned the fertile land into barren. Therefore, it will be better to go for native trees like babul, pelu, kher, frans, neem, mahaneem/ bakaan, khejadi, papdi, sahajan, karanj, shireesh, jungle jalebi etc. The locally indigenous trees can withstand scanty rainfall as well as foggy and misty weather. They are pest and disease resistant therefore they grow faster than ornamental trees. Not only their shade facilitates moisture conservation but also nutrient rich litter of dry leaves of these trees revitalises the soil each season which will help exotic trees to grow subsequently.”

It was his words from her mouth.

“Your father love flowering trees like gulmohar, amaltas, neeli gulmohar, bottle brush, balam khera as they all bloom in summers when they are leafless or have less leaves, which make flowers more conspicuous for pollinators and a beautiful magnificent site for us! Fruiting trees like bel, amala, imali, lehsuaa, toot, shahtoot, kajoor, kaith, cheeku and some citrus can be planted after checking the pH of soil. Nevertheless, remember one thing that does not pluck the fruits of any tree in the first fruiting season. Give them back to nature. Leave them for bulbul, myna and parrots.”

He nodded.

“As the rainfall is scanty near about 50 cm each year and all of it in almost one or two months of monsoon, you can not go for more varieties in ornamental trees however kachnar, devils tree, palm, kadamb and silver oak will survive.”

He held our hands firmly, put a light pressure and ordered, “Thousand trees every monsoon.”

His eyes were twinkling.

It was time to check his oxygen levels so my brother put the oximeter on his index finger.

We began to chant his favourite mantra.

 

After his demise, I planted more than 1000 trees. Because of drought like conditions and carelessness of my employee who did not bother to water, resulted in only 2% survival rate. My time, energy and money were wasted. My heart cried and a part of me died. Then, I decided to modify my ‘sankalpa’ to not only just plant trees but to nurture them until they become self sustainable.

From the past four years, I have invested my good amount of funds on planting, tending, watering, weeding and pruning of trees. Previous year, because of extreme shortage of funds, I had to sell my gold jewellery to fulfil my inherited ‘Sankalpa’.

Glittering of gold would not satisfy me, what a blooming of bottlebrush tree could!

 

Pic : A young babul tree with nest as thorny branches protect it from predators like cats, shikaras and snakes.

Feed others before you feed yourself

 

My mantra of life is to feed others before I feed myself. It is my way to express gratitude to nature for blessing me with delicious and nutritive food. It has been near about more than twenty years that I eat something only after I have feed someone else. Earlier my rules were very strict that I even did not drink water before feeding other living creature. Like many other kind heart people, it is my routine to feed cows, stray dogs and birds in the morning.

Down the memory lane, when I was in my mid-twenties, I was staying with my family at guesthouse in PUSA institute, Delhi. Instead of driving, my brother and I decided to go for a morning walk. I was holding a small jhola (bag) containing food items for cow, dog and birds. PUSA institute has huge shady and flowery trees of numerous varieties. On them, plenty of birds of all kinds lived. Under a shady tree, on a not so smooth slab I put some rice grains for feathered friends.

We walked and talked. He about the books, he had read and I about the movies that I had watched. He about the friends and I about the relatives. He about the dreams and I about the Truth.

He pointed towards a small black dog that was sniffing something in the heap of dry leaves. I went closed to it and fed it with biscuits. It was so hungry, it wanted more but there were no more biscuits left in the jhola. I instructed, “Enough for today. Excess of biscuits is harmful for health.”

The sun rose above the horizon and became brighter and warmer. We strolled on the road that seemed endless. Although we were, a bit tired as we had been walking for more than two hours but there was no place to sit and take rest. Therefore, we keep moving.

We reached the end of PUSA institute boundary, crossed the main road and entered the streets of nearby colony most probably it was Inderpuri. In search of a cow, we were roaming from one lane to another. My brother, who started feeling hungry by this time, noticed a halwai preparing hot bread pakodas. He wanted to have some but did not want to have it alone. Reluctantly he strolled a few more feet, noticed a calf at the far end of a narrow street.

He pleaded, “Di, ab isse se kam chal lo!” (Didi, now, feed this poor creature!)

Thinking if calf was here, so its mother would also be nearby, I moved further alone. Before I could reach it, I saw two cows standing in the side lane.

On returning, I saw him waiting for me holding a huge brown paper bag containing something fried and a Bisleri water bottle.

I took three sips of cold water to quench my thirst. We both started back munching steaming hot bread pakodas. I thanked nature for blessing me with delicious breakfast and a caring brother!

Pic : I am feeding a baby nilgai. :)

Thank you email to a stranger

Surf! Surf!! Surf!!!

As soon as I got time, I found myself searching internet with one single topic in my mind ‘Experiences in meditation’. I typed different related words in various search engines to explore a wider circle. After hours and hours of searching, what I got was irrelevant and junk information only.

 

After reading a book by Swami Sivananda, I made a firm decision that I wanted to awaken my Kundalini Energy. I tried a specific pranayama mentioned there to wake up the sleeping coiled serpent. Less than 10 times, I performed and I could feel the sensations in my Muladhara Chakra. Unbelievable but true!

 

The energy was moving, which I could feel while doing meditation or just before sleeping. It was behaving as a wild energy travelling across various body parts with different intensities. It was driving me crazy! To search out the reason for this bewilderment, I was searching net as the books I had didn’t contain much information about it.

 

It was 2013, my search continued until one day I landed on a site, which explained it so well. According to that, Kriyas are involuntary body movements, which happen after Kundalini Awakening. The spontaneous movements are the result of the Prana, the intense energy moving through 72,000 Nadis cleaning our spiritual and physiological blocks. They are integral part of Kundalini Yoga and they are different during different phases of spiritual growth. There are 125,000 types of spiritual experiences. The sole purpose of these experiences is the cleaning of our physical and subtle body. In short, we can call them ‘Broom’. (On the same topic, I watched Om Swamiji videos many years later here and here)

On subscribing, I received a newsletter from that site on 25^th May, 2013. I wrote back though not sure for a human reply, “Thanks for creating such an informative website for beginners!”

Hurray! I received ‘Thanks’.

Now, I wrote a detailed letter. I thanked him sincerely for clarifying my doubts, removing fear of future and showing me the right path. After exchange of few emails, he shared some useful resources for a seeker who were in search of God Realization.

1.      Yahoo group of Sivananda daily teachings (now inactive).

2.      Swami Anubhavanada who shares excellent practical view of life. Guru Shopping 1 of 6 @ Melb 2012 - YouTube

3.      OmSwami who writes blogs from his Ashram in Himachal Pradesh…wonderful thoughts: http://www.omswami.com (now os.me ) His view of what is God - What is God? - YouTube

I am sure there are many more. But as long as you read the above they will keep you on track to the Divine.

In Oct, 2020 there was a Black Lotus Task to express gratitude verbally or through email. I emailed him.

Thankyou for introducing Om Swamiji's teachings to me in 2013. I had a personal meeting with him in Nov, 2018 and June, 2019. He changed my life and helped me in becoming calmer and kinder. I have subscribed his teaching on os.me and Black Lotus App. Hope you are good. 

He replied, “GREAT! I am happy about it. Thanks.”

Stern faced woman

“She does so much charity- feeding stray dogs; provide water for birds and small animals but there is no happiness on her face. I never noticed her smiling!” I told my yoga students when I saw that stern faced woman passing through the pavement.

My students were fonder of gossiping than yoga after all they were like their teacher. :)

One elderly student narrated her story, “Many years back her husband accidentally fell in the water tank situated in their farm house. It was a deep tank, full of water. It was almost impossible to come out of that tank. Somehow, he came out. God saved him and he decided to devote his rest of life to God. He took sanyasa and constructed an ashram in the farmhouse. Now he lived there and never visited the city. She raised her children alone who were young at that time although they were financially sound but you know how hard it is being a single mother. Her children are now well settled. To keep a balance, half month she stayed with her children and other half in the ashram.”

When I became divine for a day ....... :)

 

It was Thursday, my fast day! Around 7:45am, I had my breakfast which include mostly fruits and dry fruits with my eyes glued on Om Swamiji’s Hindi discourse ‘Attainment of Siddhis Part -3’. I was chewing and swallowing food too slowly and of course somewhat mindfully. I was feeling that I was doing a yagya!

 

 At 12:15 pm, it was papaya time! On my fast days, most of the time I consume papaya in lunch. It is delicious and loaded with nutrients. Its vibrant ochre yellow colour made my dull fast plate attractive. Beside it, roasted channa, sweet samak, sautéed makhanas, apple, grapes, orange and a bowl full of aloo curd (without spices) were there. My philosophy of life is ‘Jindagi mein kuch achchhaa ho ya na ho per khanna badiya hona chahiye.’ (Whether life blessed with anything decent or not but food should always be pleasing!)  

 

I could not have my meals without watching cartoon or movie clippings but I had replaced this bad habit with watching YouTube videos and discourses by Om Swamiji. I watched and I ate, I ate and I watched. Once again, I was watching ‘Attainment of Siddhis Part-3’ during my lunchtime. My speed of consuming regular meals in 15 minutes slowed down to 30 minutes. It was the sweet taste of papaya that I was enjoying or relishing my meal like a God or both.

 

My third meal was also as if I was doing my trikal sandhya. I sipped mango shake little by little as if I was feeding divine in me very gently and patiently.

 

There was one person in my each circle – outer and inner who had given me good amount of tension and stress, with the result of that my mind on the slightest thought of theirs kept throwing arrows of negativity at them. They hurt me and I was hurting them with my powerful thoughts. Next day, it was different! I was divine. I was God. I felt no negativity for them instead the awakened divine in me wished to thank them for giving me so much stress and tension. If I were never so much stressed, I would have never meditated so hard. The continuous stress in my outer and inner circle mostly from them forced me to meditate incessant to calm my mind. I meditated. I meditated more. I had glimpse of MA! :)

 

The whole day I kept expressing my gratitude to both of them for being in my life! :)

 

I decided to make it my practice to eat mindfully and feel divine while having meals. However, that experience never repeated. Oh! That must be papaya magic!

Triangle in meditation

When I closed my eyes for meditation for the first time, I saw only darkness- a vast ocean. I continued my practice for a few months; a tiny dot started appearing in between that darkness. The size, colour and stability of that dot changed for the next few months. Then, it became brighter, wider and steady, with a distinct recognisable colour. It was just an elemental light representing a particular element out of five elements Prithvi – Earth, Agni –Fire, Vayu –Wind, Akasa –Sky, Apas/ Jal –Water. The appearance of light confirmed my progress in concentration but for further advancement, the dazzling dot had to be ignored.

I continued my practice for years and years and one day I saw a triangle in meditation. SwamiSivananda says, “One whose food is moderate, whose anger has been controlled, who has given up all love for society, who has subdued his passions, who has overcome all pairs (heat and cold etc.) who has given up his egoism, who does not bless anyone nor take anything from others – such a man during meditation obtains it (the triangle) in the face.”

 Actually, this happens in the lockdown. Due to COVID 19 spread, I was confined to my home. I had no other option then to meditate. With restaurant and hotel closed, I was left with no other option then to eat healthy and nutritive home cooked food. I hardly get any business calls in a day so my anger was in check. It was useless to get angry at a virus because it was of no use to shout at someone who could not hear you. There was no reason to lose temper therefore, I could maintain my calmness and silence with ease. I could not meet relatives and friends to shower my love on them as I was confined to my home and I did not have much liking for chatting on mobile so I was in a sort of solitude. There were not pairs like friends and enemies but only one thing to protect everyone from that deadly virus. ‘Vasudev Kutumbkam’ was my dominant thought at that time as virus could affect anybody and everybody. I was praying for the society under Om Swamiji’s guidance. His words helped me to shed ‘I’ and to think about ‘US’. Beside all this, I was attending many online Sivananda Yoga classes – Open Class, Kids Yoga, Advance Yoga, 108 Surya Namaskar Class, Backward Bending, Forward Bending, Chakra Opener, Mandala Meditation. I even attended Yoga for Seniors because it was free.   

 In such a difficult situation, Nature forced me rather blessed me with a vision of triangle in meditation!

My little effort to improve my command on English

 Once in my early twenties, I decided to improve my English by reading a book. I brought ‘The Discovery of India’ from library and started reading it with Oxford Dictionary beside me to check the meaning of difficult words. I had hardly read one paragraph then my brother peeked into my room. He was shocked to see me reading a book. He said, “Didi, in holidays are you reading a book?”

I replied, “Yes. To improve my command on English.”

“Which book?”

“The Discovery of India”

“रहने दो दीदी, नेहरू कब्र में से उठ कर आ जायेगा।" (Nehru will come out of his grave in surprise!)

MA Kali laughed!

“Which fruit do you like to eat?” I said to a dark colour girl in shabby clothes with dishevelled hair.

Her face was stern. May be she did not understand my accent!

I requested the shop vendor to ask her.

“Which fruit do you want to eat? Apple, Orange or Banana?” He asked in a loud voice and the words she could get.

She smiled. She smiled more. She giggled. She giggled more.

“Tell quickly! What do you like?”

She laughed uncontrollably.

“Speak up!” He raised his voice a bit.

In between her laughs, she said with great difficulty. “Apple.”

I picked up some fresh apples from the crate and handed over them to the shopkeeper for weighing.

“1 Kg for Rs. 90/-.” He told.

After completing my Nav Durga Sadhana, I had to donate the set aside money (Rs. 10/- per day) for a noble cause for a girl. It was a coincidence that it totalled the same. I paid the money and turned back. She was still laughing. I handed over the packet to her. She was laughing and swinging in a rhythmic manner.

Crazy!

“Eat one.” I asked her. I was not sure whether she would get any apple to munch on reaching home.

She took a bite from the reddest one. Now, she was laughing hysterically and simultaneously trying to chew the bite. She lost her grip on the apple. And it was on the dusty floor. She laughed. She picked it up. Her hair was frowzled. Her teeth were shinning white. Her tongue was lolling. Her red lips were beaming. She looked darker.

She laughed wildly.

MA Kali was laughing!

A stray pup’s fate

“Come Tommy Come.” A kid of near about 6-7 years old asked a pup who was walking on the pavement.

Tommy was busy exploring the world, did not give an ear to his command.

“Say in Haryanavi (a dialect of Hindi), it will obey you. It didn’t understand English after all it is a stray pup.” I said amusingly. How do I know it is a stray pup?

In the morning, while returning from vegetable market I noticed that a pup of same colour and size was trying to enter the society gate. The security man just touched a latha to it to shoo away. It screaming loudly and ran away. It hid himself in the nearby bushy hedges and the security guard could not find it again. But how he entered the gate amidst so much security?

“Where did you find it?” A little girl of the same age asked that boy. He replied, “I can share it with you if you promise me not to tell anybody else, not even to your best friend.” “God promise!” “In the morning, I went out to buy a packet of pencils and I saw it shivering near the bushes. I gently lift it and hid it in my bag.” He smiled.

“Tommy, eat. Look she has bought churama dipped in milk for you.” The kid took the polythene from the hesitant girl and opened it nicely so that Tommy could put its mouth inside and gulp. The food was sufficient for its three meals. It started eating slowly, after eating a potion, left it and started roaming here and there. The kids were not satisfied. “Tommy have some more. Come Tommy. Be a good boy.” He lovingly said. Tommy took a few more morsels to please them.

After a while, I noticed that the boy was holding Tommy’s neck so that it could not turn his head and said to the girl who still had a fear for Tommy, “Come near and pat it gently! It will not say anything.” Tommy did not move. It was now an obedient boy!

“Tommy, you can play with my balloon.” The girl gave her balloon. Tommy sniffed, touched and kicked it.

“Shhh! Do not make any noise. Tommy is tired. It is sleeping.” The boy instructed the other kids who joined their group. They were all standing close to the bench in the society garden on which it was sleeping. The girl gently moved her arm over Tommy. The boy inquired, “Why are you disturbing it?” The girl softly said, “I was just flying a housefly who sat on its left eye.”

“Whose dog is this?” A grumpy fat aunty asked almost each and everyone in the garden and then reported the matter to the security guard.

The security guard chased it but Tommy was an Olympic athlete. Somehow, he caught him to throw it on the other side of the boundary wall of the society. “Oops! He bit me!” He shouted, lost his grip and it was out of his hands.

 “Do not hurt this poor creature. I will take him out of the main gate.” The boy pleaded. He started playing with it and took him in the direction of main gate of the society.

At night, I heard a sharp piercing cry of a pup; it was so harsh and loud that I woke up. Thereafter continuously, it screamed. I was disturbed. It would stop as soon as chaos was over. But it didn’t stop. What should I do in this chilling winter? Should I search it out in cold dark night? What if I am not able to find it? Might be the shrieks are coming from the other side of the boundary wall as at night far off noise seemed to be close. Moreover, I recalled that I was having a maun vrat (Silence until I finish my particular prayers and charity). What should I do now? My mind would not be silent if a poor creature is in pain. So keeping mouth closed will be of no use. I called security guard and inquired, “A pup is screaming from quite some time. What’s the matter?”

“From which side sound is coming?” He asked.

“Temple side.”

“I will check.”

After 15 minutes, I could only hear the rhythmic horns of the trucks moving fast on the Highway

Annadaan –Mahadaan

 

“Ma, are chole bhature ready?” I used to ask my mother as soon as I opened my eyes every year on 3^rd December until I mastered the art of cooking.

“Ya, chole are ready and I will fry hot bhaturas for you after we all do hawan and you do charity.” This would be my mother’s reply as she was always been an early riser.

My mother’s response would always astir my celebration mood.

For every occasion my menu was fixed – chole bhature. Not only that but whenever I eat out my menu was already decided – chole bhature. I did not like to go in restaurants that did not serve chole bhature. Although I loved to try chole bhature in different restaurants from dhabas to luxurious hotels.

As my age increased, the size and quantity of bhaturas decreased on my plate. With God’s grace, the quantity of donation of chole bhature improved with each passing year.

According to Shrimad DeviBhagwat Mahapuran अन्नदानं महादानं (annadaanam mahadaanam) which means donating foodstuffs is the greatest charity and अन्नदानात्परं दानं न भूतं न भविष्यति। (aanadaanatperam daanm na bhutam n bhavesyate) There is no charity as grand as donation of foodstuffs, neither in the past nor in the future. Because of generous believer in these philosophies, I love to donate edible items as much as possible.

My daily charity includes feeding birds, squirrels and stray animals like cow, bull and dog. I collect my organic kitchen waste like vegetable peels, green leftovers, broccoli stalks and feed stray animals with them. On every weekend, I cook ladoos or halwa to feed stray dogs. It is pleasing as well as sometimes embarrassing that five or six stray dogs always escort me whenever I visit a local market. While travelling in car whenever I notice a group of monkeys, I feed them with fruits, roasted channa or any other edible item that I am carrying in my bag at that time. I feel it is our duty to feed them, as there are no fruiting trees left on the roadside and there is not much food for them in the fields.

I even love to feed different species with my hands. Surprisingly, I had fed biscuits to tree pie on my palm. I had fed baby nilgai with chapatti, rabbit with Armenian cucumber and langoor with roasted channa. I have also fed herbivorous animals like camel, horse, donkey, elephant, goat, sheep etc. It is my ardent wish to feed tiger on my palm. ;)

In the winter season, when there is ample of organic vegetables from farm, I prepare different types of pickles and then gladly distribute them among my employees. I love to prepare meals like puri, chole, halwa after completing any Sadhana especially Devi Sadhana and distribute them in my locality. Whenever I eat out in a restaurant, I always bear my driver’s meal expenses. I generously donate on various occasions in bhandaras in the temples so that the nutritious and delicious food reaches even to those who cannot afford it. On solar eclipse, Diwali, Makarsankranti or any other festival, I prefer to distribute fruits to janitors and sweepers.

Tula daan means charity equivalent to one’s weight. From my birth until today, my weight is measured and foodstuffs of equal weight are donated to needy person(s). The optimistic thing about this daan is that my weight is still on increasing trend. ;)

So today, is the day for feeding others with chole bhature. It is my humble request with everyone to celebrate 3^rd December after my death as chole bhature day! :)

How many times do you breathe in a minute?

 

“How many times do you breathe in a minute?” The teacher asked the class of trps students, a training course for income tax return filing. “When I say ‘START’, begin counting your breathes and after one minute I will say ‘STOP’ then you all have to stop counting and tell me the number of times you have breathed in one minute.”

In February 2007, I was one of the students of this class. Every student stated the number of breaths around 18 except me.

“It can’t be 5!” He said surprisingly. “Chandrika, do not take long breaths like in pranayama. Just breathe normally.”

I counted again by taking short breaths as much as possible. This time it was 7! I must be doing it incorrectly. Leave it. My mind went back to the teacher’s voice.

“A normal person breathes 12-25 times in a minute. I am breathing 32 times in a minute and my doctor tells me that I will not be able to live a long life like a tortoise.” He chuckled. “He asks to quit smoking, as I am chain smoker. I drink heavily on weekends and I love nightlife. I have a girl friend, she is C.A. like me. Tell me something about yourself, any student.” 

The students were as bore as the subject.

He would then explain where they first met, what she liked, what were their future plans. All of sudden he would then start teaching the subject matter again. He used this trick to grasp the attention of students, as most of us were non-commerce students with no knowledge of income as well as tax. Moreover, we found it too difficult to focus on advance level of the subject matter without any foundation of money matters. He must be the only teacher on earth to teach income tax with a tinge of romance!

Now, I stay in Delhi and NCR. In polluted air, my normal breathing rate is 2-3 times per minute. If I am in a forest, sanctuary or in Himalayas then it drips. When I am doing meditation or pranayama it drops further and sometimes stops for a short period.

A person with stressed mind will have shorter breaths and a person with peaceful mind will have longer breaths that mean a tenses person will breathe more number of times in a minute than a calm person. If a person is in deep thinking or meditating then the breathing will be slow or suspended for some time. The breathing becomes irregular and unsteady if the mind is filled with negative emotions like anger, jealousy, envy and hatred. Mind and breathing are interrelated if you control one the other will be controlled involuntarily.

The easiest way to slow down your breaths is to exhale for longer time. Inhale gently and exhale slowly and completely. One can also practice yogic breathing with the proper use of diaphragm. Breathe in slowly; expand abdomen, then rib cage and finally the upper portion of lungs. Make the maximum use of your lung capacity. While inhaling imagines that, all the positive virtues like happiness, joy, peace and calmness are moving in. Breathe out gently, contract abdomen, then rib cage and finally relax upper portion of lungs. Concentrate on the air going out and imagining that all the negative emotions like anger, fear, hatred and stress are moving out.

How many times do you breathe in a minute? Count it. With practice, slow down it to experience happiness from within.

P.S. 1. Pic - Sketch is drawn by me.

The Power of Mantra

 

To quench my quest for meditation, I picked up the book ‘Meditation and Mantras’ by Swami Vishnu Devananda from the bookshelf of Nehra Library, Hisar which was one of the best libraries in India. Although it had a vast collection of books and journals mostly related to agriculture and its allied subjects even though it had a good collection of general books. In 1999, I often visited that library for my research work and sometimes just to pass the time.

I flipped the pages and saw a smiling photo of Swami Sivananda, founder of Divine Life Society. His irresistible smile was full of peace, kindness and compassion. His face was radiating with sheer bliss. Swami Vishnu Devananda had dedicated this book to his master.

To know why saints were always smiling, I got that book issued in my name. After thorough reading, I came to know about different ways of doing meditation as the theory and practical applicability were explained in detail. I was excited to try at least one but was not sure whether I would be doing it for long time or for a brief period just for fun.

I opted for the easiest one - Japa Meditation. It is building up or accumulating power of mantras by repeating them with love and devotion. There are different types of mantras. Saguna mantras (with form) e.g. Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanana, Hari Om, nirguna mantras (without form) e.g. OM, abstract mantras e.g. Soham (I am That I am), Aham Brahma Asmi (I am Brahman) and beej mantras e.g. Aim, Hreem were listed. As there are, many paths to the top of a mountain so there are many mantras to God realisation. Which one should I chose? I did not know the correct pronunciation of beej mantras so I could not opt for them. Abstract mantras were abstruse and nirguna mantras were esoteric. I was left with only one option -Saguna mantras. It was easy to concentrate on the image of deity. The author emphasised that neither mantra nor deity once selected can be changed. To maintain good speed one has to stick to one path, one mantra and one deity to avoid spread of his/her energies in exploring all the other alternative paths.

I feared that if I selected a difficult mantra, I might lose interest after some time or might found it hard to chant because of change in responsibilities with time. As I would be bound to one mantra and one deity therefore, I chose the easiest mantra and the simplest of all the deities so that I could stick to it throughout my life.

I fixed an hour for chanting, focusing and meditating on that mantra facing East at the same place. To my surprise, I started having experiences in meditation as mentioned in that book just after a few months. Experiences only assured me that I was moving on the right path but for further progress, I had to ignore them completely. My goal was not the vibrant lights but the Darshan of the deity. According to Divine Life Society, if one does the chanting of mantra 13 crores of times with faith and devotion, the deity manifest itself in front of him/her.

With time, my responsibilities increased and I could not afford to sit for meditation for long hours then I decided to chant the mantra while doing my daily activities like car driving, waiting for business meeting, cooking, walking, swimming and even while moving in an elevator. My hands were busy with the work but my mind was remembering God all the time rather most of the time. I had chanted that mantra crores and crores of times. Yet I had not chanted it 13 crores times!

Constant repetition of God’s name had helped me to put a check on my negative emotions to some extent. I was not satisfied with my progress as they sprang up every now and then. The Nature showered It’s kindness and manifested in the form of Human Guru as Om Swamiji who not only helped in removing my unpleasant emotions but also showed the right divine path. His presence, words and teachings removed the thick dark forest of ignorance and purified me. His grace and presence spiritually elevated me. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge and compassion. He helped me in lifting my head from the quagmire of worldly maya.

Swami Sivananda says, “The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant. Grace of God takes the form of the Guru. To see the Guru is to see God.”

P.S.- 1. If you missed out the story of Kalavati told by Om Swamiji then you can watch it here.

2.  Amidst my chanting routine, I never forget to take my daily dose of Pingu, Shaun the Sheep or Chip and Dale to keep the kid inside me alive. ;)

3. Pic was clicked by me at Kishangarh, Rajasthan

Namopathy - A panacea

 

“Ma, please tell a story.” I requested in feeble voice as I saw her entering my room. I made such requests nearly 10-12 times a day sometimes even more.

She replied, “As soon as I am free, I will narrate you interesting story from the new book. It is about a bear that lived in the snow. The book is full of coloured pictures. But right now, I am busy with household chores and looking after your younger brother.”

“The bear lives in the forest not in the snow.”

“It is a different story.”

I lied down quietly on the bed eagerly waiting for the different story.

I was on bed at the age of four and a half years. My whole body was covered with different sizes and shapes of pustules. The pain was unbearable. But I did not cry. I did not shed tears. My only way to escape from reality of aches was into the world of imagination!

My father hardly got ant time to tell me a story but whenever he got some, he used to tell me the same story about the monkey and the crocodile from the Panchtantra.

One day, when I get bored of repeated narrations, I said, “Papa, why do you always tell me the same story? I do not want to listen it repeatedly. Please tell me some other story.”

“I tell you the truth. I do not know any story. I learnt this story only for you.” My father replied. “I am busy. Whatever time I get, I give it you instead of giving it to your infant bro.” As he stood up from the chair to go away, I asked him to repeat the same tale. It was better to hear the same story instead of none.

My naniji (maternal grandmother) knew many stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. She was an excellent narrator of folk tales and fairy tales. She was never short of stories. However, she occasionally visited us because of her household responsibilities and her health. She could tell stories for hours and hours without taking a break. Her visit was always a jackpot for me!

 “Once, there was a school going boy named Chandan who used to live in a village with her mother. They were very poor as his father was no more and her mother earned little by selling cow’s milk.” My nanaji (my maternal grandfather and my mother’s uncle) narrated this to me. He came to know that my health was deteriorating fast and I would not be able to live for more days. All the doctors in the town were consulted but nobody knew what the disease was! Allopathic medicines were worsening my condition day by day. My parents were tensed. To relieve us, one day he came to our home after his office hours.   

“He had to cross a dense forest to go to school which was situated in the nearby village. His classmates were rich who came to school on carts but Chandan was the only boy in the school who came on foot. One day, the teacher asked all students to bring milk from their home. All the students were rich who can easily spare milk. Chandan could not bring the milk as her mother sold the milk in lieu of wheat floor for the dinner. Next day, everybody brought milk except Chandan. The teacher scolded him. Without giving any ear to his story, he forced him to bring milk immediately. He disappointedly went to his home and told the whole story to his mother. Her mother said, “Why does the teacher need so much milk?”

 “The teacher’s daughter marriage has been fixed day after tomorrow and the teacher has to give a good feast to the bharatis.”

“Go and ask Gopala (protector of cow and a name for Lord Krishna), He will arrange it for you.”

He started back for school. In the middle of the forest, he closed his eyes and cried “Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala,

Gopala, Gopala, Gopala,Gopala, Gopala, Gopala.”

“What happened next?” I asked.

“He is calling God for help. Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala. (One mala – 108 times)”

Lord Krishna manifested in front of him and asked politely, “My child, why are you calling me? What do you need?”

He shared his problem with God. He listened to him and gave him a lauta (small vessel). He took it and looked in it. It had very little milk.

He said, “The milk is not enough. The teacher wanted the full lauta, moreover this lauta is too small. Gopala, atleast fill it to the brim.”

Krishna said, “Give this lauta to your teacher.” And He disappeared.

Half-heartedly he took the path to the school. He gave lauta to the teacher. The teacher mocked at the size of the lauta. The teacher poured the milk in the bucket. The bucket got filled and some milk spitted on the floor. Surprisingly, the mini lauta still had milk in it. The teacher rushed to his house which was nearby and filled drums, kadhais, patilas, and all the big vessels he had. But lauta still had milk. The greedy teacher started filling all the small vessels like glass, katori (bowl) etc. with milk. The lauta still had milk. The teacher got tired of, realised his mistake, and asked for forgiveness.

That very day, my nani suggested the name of a vaidji (Ayurvedic doctor) to my father. Next day, in the morning we were in his clinics. The vaidji checked my eyes, tongue, nadi etc. and told that the medicines given to her reacted; the blood became impure which resulted in pustules. He suggested that every morning I should take fresh neem juice, mishri (sweet granules to beat bitterness) and roasted channa (helps in fresh blood formation) before eating anything. He also prescribed medicated oil for applying on my ruptured skin.

My father fed me bitter medicines and my nanaji (grandfather) told me stories of Chandan in which he was trapped in some trouble, called Gopala for help and then some magic happens for three-four months until I was cured. My nanaji gradually increased the number of malas in between the stories. One such story had 108 malas of Gopala which means 11664 times.

According to Swami Sivananda, “When Allopathy, Homeopathy, Chromopathy, Naturopathy, Ayurvedopathy and other ‘pathies’ fail to cure a disease, the Divine Namopathy alone can save you, The Name of the Lord is a sovereign specific, a sheet anchor, an infallible panacea and a cure all for diseases.

Gopala saved me! :)

P.S. – Photo clicked by me