A Leap of Faith

Like any other morning, I looked at the rising sun from my balcony, closed my eyes and visualized that at my Ajna chakra while reciting my daily prayers. “O’ Sun God, please bless everyone with the light of knowledge, with showers of love as well as dispel the darkness of ignorance.” In the round orange ball between my eyes, I saw Om Swamiji’s smiling face. It was a unique experience. My mind ignored it as it might be the effect of watching His videos all the time mostly in the free time. However, during COVID times every time is a free time. Nevertheless, the image did not fade until I finish my routine prayers.

On the same day, I visualized Him as my deity. And every other God that I worship. Although I daily meditate on the Guru in the wee hours but this spiritual experience was different! I had never read about such experience nor had I ever experience it before. Therefore, I decided to ask Google Baba. Bolo Google Baba ki jai!

I came across this video about Nath Sampradaya (T 3:30- 4:15) in which 92 years old Dr. Himmat Singh Sinha told that Guru leads you to the God therefore; in this whole universe, no God is higher than the Guru is. The greatest God is the Guru. This statement made me curious to know more about Nath Sampradaya. I opened the Wikipedia page and read a beautiful story about Maha Yogi Gorakshnath, a revered figure in Nath tradition. Once he asked all his disciples to jump from the branch of a huge tree on a trident. Because of fear of death, all his disciples backed. Only one disciple took the bold step and decided to jump. A leap of faith! As he jumped, the invisible hand of Maha Yogi hold him and blessed him with enlightenment.

“Guru is God. A word from him is a word from God. He shows you the right divine path. He makes you immortal and divine.” These quotes are from the book ‘Divine Bliss’ by Swami Sivananda. 

I am ready to jump. Are you?

To be continued...

P.S. – Yesterday, when I opened Wikipedia page, this story was right there. But today when I decided to tag it on my post, I found it missing. I thought I might have opened a wrong page. I went through the history of my internet search to open the same page. Surprisingly, it was still missing.

क्या कहेंगें आप इसे आंखों का धोखा या गुरु कृपा?

या हर समय बदलता विकिपीडिया?

Pic : Unsplash

Freedom from piercing pain

                       

It bled. It hurt. That broken thorn, prickly thorn struck deep in my heart. Exactly ten years back, it struck there, leaving me heart struck. I tried to pull it out, unfortunately, it broke mid-way through. It hurt me. It pained me. With time, it penetrated deep causing a twinge of guilt. To forget that piercing pain, most of the time I barefooted walked on a razor-sharp sword and sometimes on burning coal to forget that smoldering ache.

A saint in a black robe appeared from a thin air who keenly observed that tapas. I bowed him. Seeing my only desire for God realization, his microscopic eyes with numerous siddhis searched for the cause of old pain. I was as calm as a bomb. He stared. He searched. A storm of thoughts came from nowhere and I was caught in it. He came to know about the gentle falling of silken rose thriving in vigor, shape and beauty, vanishing of scarlet fascination, a sudden piercing of thorn, and a torn thorn. To relieve me of that stale strain, he gently pulled it out with ease and care. Nevertheless, even the gentle movement of that deeply struck thorn pained me like hell. A dormant volcano of anger erupted from me. You are not a true sage! Ignoring my instant harsh reaction, he completely pulled out that worn and torn thorn to ease my pain and to relive me. The hot molten lava merged with the ocean of compassion forming a new estuary of pure love.

As black color absorbs all light, the saint in black robe absorbed all agony. Surprisingly after taking out that tiny thorn, there should be a hole but there was no hole. He immediately filled the cavity with compassion, a feeling unknown to me. On practicing that divine emotion, I came to know that the sharp thorn of pain had now transformed into a bright red rose, blooming brightly and blessing others with the fragrance.

After two years, the crown experiencing Kundalini sensations bowed down to His Padma feet and thought a happiest thought it could. ‘I am forever grateful!’

P.S. 1. अपना सुलगना किस को दिखाऊं ;)
Nothing to worry guys, I just have a mild fever. :D

2. From now onward, my name is Rose ;), nah Gulabo. :D

Pic: Pixabay

Male Heart in a Female Body

“I am scared!” He said while we were strolling. At that time, I was in mid-thirties and he was in early twenties.

As I was lost in my thoughts, he repeated, “I am extremely scared!” It was dusk not dark; we were in a congested market not in a lonely forest. I could not understand the reason of his fear.

“What happened?” I enquired.

“Everyone here is......”

I looked around there were raidiwalas selling fruits, vegetables and plastic items to labourers and worker class; surprisingly they all belonged to a particular community, as it was evident from their physical appearance and costumes. A few minutes earlier, both of us just got down from company’s luxury bus while returning from the three-day trip to Agra. As there were other members to drop off at various locations, we got off on the main road, a bit away from our destination.

“How far is your shop?” I asked to divert his tensed mind.

“About 200 meters away.”

“In which direction?”

He pointed in the lane on the left side and said, “That cream color building adjacent to the blue one.”

I could not realize the reason of his fear as not only his shop but also my car was faintly visible from there. As soon as we got down from bus, his kind-hearted boss took away our luggage on bike; hence, I could run fast without luggage if by chance anything fearful happened. I could scream aloud which would be audible to his boss as well as to my driver. I could punch hard as I was holding keys in my hands. I could hit the culprit with my purse like in Hollywood movies or I could throw vegetables and fruits on the offender like in Bollywood movies. With so many options in hand, there was no need to panic. Moreover, everybody in the market seemed to be busy with his affair. Nobody seemed to be bothered or had even noticed our presence.

By the time, we had crossed the market and now we were in the not so narrow lane.

“You can hold my hand.” I said to make the atmosphere light.

He tried to prove the seriousness of the situation. “Even senior police officers leave this area during night. If they stay here, the mob attacked them.”

“hmmm...”

“I am fresher, and this is my first job. I have no other option but to do it. I did not like this place as I am vegetarian and most of the restaurants here serve non-vegetarian food. If I feel hungry during the lunch time, I have no other option but to eat bananas.”

Poor chap!

He continued his story, “I have no friends here. I work hard so that company’s executive staff transferred me to some other place, just any place even a small village. I can live anywhere except this town.”

I tried to change the topic, “Your boss is a nice person. See how cooperative he is! He gave his Agra trip pass to you. He took away our luggage and bags.”

“Yes, he is. I do not want to stay here at night. The last bus to Sohna has left at 6 pm. Now, it is 6:35. How will I go home? It is very dangerous to travel in a tempo or three-wheeler at night in this area. I am scared. I am confused. What to do?” On a cold winter evening, I noticed few drops of perspiration on his temple.

Because of security reasons, I never gave lift to anybody. To relieve him, I had to change my mind and asked him to drop him to Sohna. Aandha kya chahe do aankein! (A blind man has the desire for only two eyes! Meaning Fulfillment of a desired wish) He gladly jumped into the car. As it was quiet dark outside, his sense of fearfulness began to engulf him once again. To calm him, I chatted with him for the next 30 minutes about his life, his family, his education, his dreams, his plans and more.

After dropping off him to the main chowk of Sohna, I asked my driver to take the car to my house in Gurugram.

Looking at the twinkling stars, I thought he had a female heart in a male body whereas I had a male heart in a female body!

Pic : Stocksnap

My Tiny Wings of Transformation

Splash! An unwanted muddy shower!

A car drove through a muddy puddle on a side road and drenched me as I was walking to a nearby market for repairing of my mobile. I noticed big strains of mud on my clothes. Surf Excel hai na! May be the car driver did not notice the muddy puddle or maybe there was not enough space to avoid that puddle. I consoled myself that it was neither driver’s bad intention nor fault but just an accident or a mere coincidence. I ignored it and absorbed my mind in my mindful practice.

A few minutes later, I realized that on any other day I would have screamed or shouted on the driver for spoiling not only my clothes but my mood also. Or at least I would have cursed him/her in my heart for reckless driving in rainy season. However, today was different!

My attitude towards the driver was changed. I was seeing the things from his/her angle. I was trying to put myself in his/her shoes. I was trying to understand the problems he/ she might be facing while driving after repeated heavy rains – potholes, puddles and pedestrian problems.

I was transformed. My old mould of mud was broken and now, my pure self was clearly visible. How was that possible? I tried my very best to sincerely do the practice as suggested by Om Swamiji in Guru Purnima Disciple Zoom Event. In less than a week, the results were evident.

I was happy like a butterfly with my new wings of transformation! :)

Dear readers, those who did not attend Guru Purnima Disciple Zoom Event can do any Sadhana suggested by Om Swamiji in Devi Bhagavatam – Hindi. In my view, there was not much difference between the two as He advised both. :) My prayers and best wishes to all of you so that you all will be able to watch the recording of that event soon! :)

Pic : When tiger takes rebirth as butterfly then it looks something like this! ;)

Guidelines for a Group Meeting with Om Swamiji

 

 

In the group meeting, all the points are to be followed as I have already mentioned in guidelines for a personal meeting with Om Swamiji plus these that I am writing here.

 1. Which gift should I buy for Om Swamiji? This thought came to my mind when I was travelling to Sri Badrika Ashram to meet Om Swamiji for the first time. Which gift I took for Him; let it be a secret! If you are going to Sri Badrika Ashram and meeting Om Swamiji for the first time, then this question must have arisen in your mind. A legendary executive pen, a writing set, a moon lamp, a fragrant flower, a baby pillow, a box of sweets or chocolates or any other decorative item you would like to present to Him. To select an appropriate gift, you must have been surfing online gift selling sites or keenly searching gift shops to choose your kind of present. However, my recommendation would be to take some dry twigs. Ya, you hear me right, dry wood which is known as samidha. In ancient times, whenever a disciple first time went to meet the Guru, he took the samidha to offer his Guru. If Guru accepted the disciple, he also accepted firewood as a present. 

      2. Take a pen or pencil along with a piece of paper with you to note down the important points suggested by Him. As in a group meeting there will be around ten persons, if each asks one question then a total of ten questions. It will be difficult to remember answers to all those questions but if you jot down important points then it will be easy for you to recall those gems of wisdom later on. Moreover, you will also be able to share them with others.

      3. You have to raise your hand to ask questions, or you can ask when your turn comes you have to decide on the spot as I have never attended any group meeting with Him, and these suggestions are based on others experiences of attending group meetings.

     4. In a personal meeting you get only 2 minutes time but in group meetings the time may vary from 10-20 minutes depending upon how good questions the group members ask. 

It hardly matters how much time you get in His presence, but you must enjoy each and every moment spent in His Divine presence. You can bask in His fountain of love that you will experience in His presence. You are lucky, as many are still waiting in the queue and have not got the chance to meet Him in either group or personal meeting.

You can reach out to me by dropping a comment in the comment section.

Guidelines for a Personal Meeting with Om Swamiji

Aha! My personal meeting with Om Swamiji got approved.

I was on cloud nine!

As soon as we got an email from Om Swamiji’s office that a personal meeting had been scheduled with Him, we all had the same reaction. Happy! HAPPY! Yeh!

But the time allocated is only 2 minutes i.e.,120 seconds. We have to pay obeisance, express gratitude, seek forgiveness, ask a question and listen carefully to His answer; all in 120 seconds. We should plan it properly to execute in the blessed time frame. For those who will be visiting Sri Badarika Ashram and having one-on-one meet with Him for the first time, I have jotted down some points for your convenience. Try to follow all if possible.

1.      When you meet Him, you should wear upper garment of white color. If you are wearing any colored jacket, top or shirt then you can drape white/cream color shawl or just white color cotton dupatta around you.

2.      Before you step on the white color asana spread in front of Him. Sit down in vajrasana (kneel down, gently sit back on your legs and taking your weight off your knees) on the floor close to the asana. Bend down forward till your head touches the asana and mentally express gratitude to Guru for providing the asana. Lift your head, fold your hands and then step on the asana to take your seat. Before taking a seat, you can do dandvat pranama if you wish to.

3.      After you sit comfortably, fold your hands and close your eyes and do the pranama, charanspash (mentally) or chant the mantra

गुरुर्ब्रह्मा ग्रुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः। गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥

GururBrahma GururVishnu GururDevo Maheshwaraha

Guru Saakshaat ParaBrahma Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha

Please do this step as per your feelings and devotion towards Him.

4.      Just in one sentence thank Him for his videos, books, his teachings, or sadhana suggested by Him whichever you are benefitted from. Do not forget to mention Sadhana App, if you feel that your spiritual progress has been improved with its usage.

5.      Ask for forgiveness, it is optional.

6.      Ask only one question, focus only on one point. Frame a question that is neither too short nor too lengthy. Do a thorough research on internet as well as in the books so that your question is a specific question related to your topic. Ask Him a difficult question, nah very difficult question. Constructing a tough question is not a child’s play as He had already answered millions of questions. You must ask only one question preferably related to your spiritual growth. You can even seek solution to any problem in your materialistic life but then you will be delaying your spiritual progress. Speak as less as possible so that you can listen to His words more.

7.      Avoid asking too many questions if you ask more. In that case His words will be final, and you cannot modify it. But if you do not ask many questions then you have the option to modify any practice according to your comfort zone and as per your need and time.

8.      Or you can even ask for one blessing for your materialistic growth or spiritual growth. Either question or blessing the choice is yours.

9.      One important point, please keep your hands folded in front of Him. You can cross your fingers or just Namaste pose whichever you are convenient with. While talking, do not unfold or move your hands.

10.  Towards the end, feel obliged that He blessed you with His precious time and guided you. Say, Thank you. Do charansparsh or pranama before leaving the room.

I hope you all will find these points useful and will be able to make the optimum use of 120 seconds. Best wishes. :)

If you have any query related to this post, please feel free to write in the comment section or drop a mail to me using contact form.

Gifts for Om Swamiji

While moving on hard, slippery and precipitous spiritual path, my pace was unexpectedly accelerated after practicing the short and crisp tips advised by Om Swamiji. My footing on the path became firmer and I felt an eruption of fountain of divine ecstasy, everlasting joy and unruffled peace within me. Earlier I was travelling on a bicycle with a punctured tire and now, I was in a high-speed bullet train or rather it would not be exaggerating if I would say Soyuz rocket, the safest spacecraft. I wanted to thank Him. To express my gratitude, I wished to buy gifts for Him.

As you all know, saying yes to gifts goes against His principle. Gifts, big or small, burden and overwhelm Him. So, He says that if we love Him, don’t offer or get material gifts for Him. We can use them elsewhere, anywhere. He will be happier.

In my school days, I was too fragile and would fall off ill very frequently. Due to weak immune system, common cold, cough, measles, fever, mumps, diarrhea, allergies and infections were my besties who did not want to leave me alone. Moreover, one of them would always accompany me. Their company came at a high cost of missing my school for several days, taking bitter medicines, swallowing bland food and confining to a corner of double bed. 

My parents tried hard to keep me away from infections by putting restrictions on me like playing only in a neat and clean gardens and terraces with kids with sound health and not in dirty and dingy streets with heaps of garbage with shabby and disheveled kids. I was instructed to change my route if I ever saw filth pile or grubby street beggar on my way. Slowly, I developed the habit of taking a big roundabout around any filth, garbage or rag pickers.

Some days back, in the market, I saw four rag picker young children carrying gunny bags stuffed with paper, plastic and other materials. I decided to give them gifts to overcome my fear of being caught up by germs and to shed the soiled barrier in between us. I bought bananas from the nearby fruit shop and handed one to each of them. They wanted more without finishing it. I asked them to eat as many as they could. The elder one who was about six years old ate two bananas and went away. The two small girls followed his steps. The younger one who was about two and a half years old, a cute boy ate one whole banana, took second, finished it too and asked for more. How hungry he must have been! I gave him the last one that I was holding in my hand. He grabbed it. He smiled.

His genuine and sweet smile resembled Swamiji’s. His soft smile, his white teeth, his magnetic eyes were the same. His smile was like a sudden beam of light illuminating the darkest corners of my heart. It purified my heart as well as filled my heart with universal love. I felt Swamiji dwells in all. His face once again brightened up with adorable smile, a divine smile. I was now sure, Swamiji smiled.

Before I could bow to thank him for giving me a good opportunity to give gifts to him. He quickly ran away to join his peer group.