There is always something new to learn from every interaction with Guruji. This is true even for students who have been with Guruji over decades. New students not only help in revising all that was learnt over years but they also bring a fresh perspective to life’s questions. As long as there is life there will be learning. The process is hastened and enriched when we live under the guidance of a Rishi. In one of the informal meetings with Guruji we learnt that life’s challenges are opportunities for our highest potential to manifest.

Mr. Kaustubh started the interaction with a question. “Namaste Guruji, I have joined the Path just a few months back. I have a question regarding maintaining love and peace in mind at all times. I have to be aggressive in my professional work environment, being silent does not help. I try to restore my peace after a bout of aggression. However sometimes it is just too difficult. Probably I am not the only one who is really struggling; especially those who live outside Taponagara feel this more. Guruji, is it even possible to always be calm and exude love and peace?”

“You have been with us for only a few months hence such questions,” Guruji replied. “The world we live in puts us in situations wherein we have to be aggressive. However, we have to make sure that it is only on the surface; never lose your cool at your core. Parents often scold their children, but it does not reduce their affection. This is how we should deal with the world.

“Is it possible to always have love and peace? Yes, it is. I have seen this in my Guru. Keep your tough attitude at the surface only. It takes consistent effort to master this approach. That’s why I say it is easier when you carry Divine Light. Not only should you carry Light at all times, also be aware of it.

“You can deal with the world without losing peace; it is possible with Divine Light.”

Seated at the very back Ms. Bhudevi shared her pain, joy, anxieties, solution, efforts, hope, questions all in a five-minute extempore. Probably the ordeals of everyday life with all the corruption, lies and travesty in the name of goodness had taken a toll on her. Though the cry for instant justice against all that is bad echoed very strongly in her words she was not bereft of hope. “Why is there so much negativity around, why does Divine Light not make things happen every time, or am I not good enough?” She had absolute faith in Light and in Guruji, yet the pressures of reality had grated her confidence.

At one point Guruji even asked her to speak slowly so that he could understand and answer correctly. He wasn’t just patiently listening to her; he was also sending her a lot of Light to console her innocent heart and to give her strength.

“You see, each one of us faces difficulties in life when we live in this world. I too have many problems, you do not know the extent of challenges I face. But you see I keep my faith in Divine Light, Rishis and God. I pray to Light to help me. Light may not solve all the problems but it will soften the impact. It may not work miracles each time. We may not succeed all the time; when we fail we have to accept the situation.

“One may question as to why we should go through very painful situations. It could be our Karma. Life is a learning process and each of us has to carry our own crosses. I have gone through many tests. Though I was right and the benevolent Rishis were with me I went through a very tough phase in my life. And I had Light in me all the time. I wondered why but I never complained. I tried to understand, I could not. It is then I realized the value of acceptance. We may not know exactly why we suffer but God knows and he takes care. He helps at a pace He knows best and in ways which we may not understand. We have to have faith.”
Like the last cry of a naive wailing child she continued with her anguish against corruption and how frustrating it was for her, and as an understanding loving father Guruji continued to soothe her wounds.

“It is very difficult to comment on your statements; I can seriously and generally say that this is life. There is rampant corruption and injustice everywhere. It will take time for everything to get cleansed. First, know that things will change for the better. We are getting help. Second, we can go on grumbling and complaining, it will not help. I have said this very often that we live in Pralaya times and the world is imperfect. We have to continuously spread Light and deal with the world patiently and sensibly. Things will change. I believe Meditations bring us enough strength and lot of wisdom to deal with the world.

“I am angry about the state of affairs too. I am seventy-two years old and have seen a lot in life, yet at my age I face difficult situations and problematic people. I cannot express all that I feel. At the end of the day this is our world; have great love and patience with it. That’s all I can say.”

She seemed to feel better for the moment but there was another bout, “No matter how simple and honest we may be ultimately we get hurt, not the aggressors…..”

“…..as I said, for these things there are no clear cut answers. We have to go through the processes. Perhaps one day you will understand why this is happening to you. Each situation is different. It is difficult to generalize. Always remember, we are still in the transitory time, the world around us is imperfect and there is a lot of injustice around us.”

Is shrewdness an important survival trait in the jungle of modern life or is it an innocence killer? Ms. Vaishali Joshi wanted to understand if it is unspiritual to safeguard our own interests in human relationships. The answer might seem like an obvious one but there are different degrees of complexity in life’s situations. With the aid of our wisdom we should apply Guruji’s guidance appropriately.

Guruji explained that when we know from past interactions that some people are likely to be opportunistic and if we cannot avoid further dealings then we have to protect our interests. He has taught us many times that allowing others to exploit our goodness is not Spiritual. We have to draw a line.

Mr. Karthik N. sought guidance in the area of maintaining balance between the Material and the Spiritual. “Guruji, sometimes during Meditations we get into different transcendental states after which we don’t feel like talking to anybody. Even during the other times of the day when we practise the Ocean of Light technique, sometimes we get into those deep states. After experiencing a great amount of silence it is an arduous task to get back to the real world and continue our activities. Guruji, you would have experienced states which are much more advanced, how do you manage to interact with people after that?”

With a gentle understanding smile Guruji answered, “You see it is not difficult at all. If you carry love, lots of love, you can always manage. Patience is a derivative of Love. Besides it is my job to attend to people and their issues. Have love even for the person with whom you have to be tough. This doesn’t happen automatically. We have to consciously train ourselves. How? Well, devise your own ways.

“There are times when you may have to point out another person’s mistakes and hard feelings that follow do not vanish into thin air. It is easy to love the Rishis, they are perfect. I say you have to send Light and Love especially to those who hurt you. Make a conscious attempt then it won’t be difficult. This is why Sadhana means putting in effort.

“People keep asking me for sure shot methods to contact the Rishis. Love is the only technique, love one and all. If you think you have love but still the contact doesn’t happen it just means that it is insufficient. You have to manifest more love. How much? You must experience Divine Unconditional Love. You must experience a Rishi, a Divine Personality or God. Then you know what love is. And for this we have to meditate.”

“Continuing on what Karthik asked,” Ms. Keerthi Bisarahalli asked, “Guruji, sometimes we get angry with a person, we may even quarrel and it takes about fifteen minutes or half an hour to recover from that. How do I do it instantaneously?”

“First of all everybody make a note for future reference that Keerthi will take fifteen minutes or half an hour to calm down,” Guruji’s remark lightened the moment. “But, seriously, if you have a lot of love within you then you can come out in a second. Make efforts until it becomes second nature. Become love; that is the whole essence of Sadhana – to become.

“You have to become Light; not just carry Light. Be good naturally, don’t just practice goodness. Every bit of us has to be truthful. It is possible. The point is take Sadhana more seriously.”

Ms. Jana Sumathi, a dedicated meditator from Chennai, never misses informal meetings with Guruji even though she rarely asks questions. In a very soft, reverent voice she requested for guidance. “Namaste Guruji. I am not able to enter very deep states in Meditation, however, when I read your books I get so absorbed that after reading just a few pages I can’t even move. Is it okay?”

“There is nothing wrong. You see, each one is made differently. You would have entered deep meditational states for a few seconds but you are not able to recall. Also not many enter stillness by reading our books. Some may have mild experiences while it could be intense for others. It doesn’t matter because we are all journeying together.”

After we attend energizing sessions like the bi-monthly Ra Group Meet or the Shambala Group Meet the impact of the energies can be felt for a day or two. Then it fades. According to Ms. Vidya Vishwamitra she has noticed that the impact stays continuously. She wanted to know if this is because of the increase in the Divine energies on earth.

Guruji explained that we contribute to the continuance of the energies if we hold on to the intensity forever. We usually allow it to fade.
Her next question was about the choices we make and all that results from it. “Guruji, I have a question on the choices that we make and the experiences that we create. I am here because I chose to, but what about the miracles and accidents, are these also our choices?”

“We choose tracks in life, some lead to benefits and some to losses. Because we have chosen to be with the Rishis we get many blessings, since we chose to meditate and positivise many silent miracles unfold in our lives. Under the shelter of Spirituality a lot of Grace is bestowed upon us.

“We don’t choose accidents; they happen. A meditator is always protected even during the life period called ‘Ganda’ when accidents are most likely. Sometimes even mild embarrassments and humiliations are prevented. When we choose to surrender ourselves to God or Masters, a lot of protection is given. Only good things are allowed into our lives.”

Rishis provide us energy shields which prevent negative thoughts and energy from entering us. They also help us energize the shields regularly. Upon joining this Path the Rishis give us an energy shield. Those who take Sadhana seriously and join the Shambala and Ra Groups are provided with two more shields. Only our own non-positive thoughts and emotions can puncture them and allow mayhem in. Freewill operates everywhere.

If we could look into our past and see the choices we have made, the tracks we have chosen and the lives we have lived, will it help our onward journey? And is there a way to find out. Vidya asked if going into deep Samadhi is the only technique. The answer she received thrilled us.

“Yes there are simpler ways. If you have genuine clear questions to gather information about your past so as to further your Spiritual advancement then the past will be revealed to you. Just keep the questions in you; somehow the answers will come. This is a natural process. How does it work? Well, the Universe knows, there is a Higher Intelligence all around us. When our pure intention to get information for Spiritual progress is registered, the Universe will bring forth the revelations. It could come as an intuitive flash, a message in a book or through a person; the Omniscient Intelligence will employ any method to get through to you.”

Brilliant, we do not have to depend on hypnotic regressions alone to know our past. The Universe is our therapist!

As a word of caution Guruji added, “If you try to get information for adventure alone then no matter how much you try and irrespective of the methods you employ, the information will not come through. There are many good reasons why our past is kept inaccessible. What we seek to know from the past may not be of use to us now. For us the most important reality from our past is that we were with the Rishis about fifty one thousand years ago; this should motivate us.”

He closed with a glib one-liner, “We are like old relatives for the Rishis.”

The past cannot always give us directions for the future since each situation is unique. Similar is unlike being the same! The times we live in are tough but, as Guruji said, there is help and changes are taking place. Vidya’s next point proved this.

She mentioned that how a legal matter which had been unfairly kept pending over decades was cleared within a month. Her parents who had been trying to resolve this found that just by holding Light the authorities who could clear the matter easily relented. Long standing issues got cleared in a few days; yet another silent miracle.

We are near the dawn of the Light Age. Everybody’s life will change for the better. All issues, whether emotional, financial or health, will get resolved when we follow the solutions and guidance given by the Spiritual Masters. This point is not just a palliative for the painful present. There is evidence. Ms. Uma Maheshwari told the gathering that during a Light Channeling session at a school an innocent young child had a vision. She saw that everyone in the whole world was meditating. Did she see the future? We will know in a year or two.

Dear Readers,
We will be uploading the articles every fortnight henceforth.
The concluding part of the last article will be uploaded shortly.
Warm Regards,
Seema

The times we live in has brought in newer challenges. Each seeker’s life showcases these trials as well as triumphs they have experienced. Meditation has made students more observant about their inner Spiritual journey, especially in the context of the shift in human consciousness. In an informal meeting with Guruji we sought guidance, clarified doubts and received much more. He strengthened our wings to fly higher; he boosted our confidence to be more independent and with his ever so magnanimous gentle smile assured us that he is ever present as our perpetual safety net.

Ms. Soumya Ajay asked a question about time which most certainly impacts every one. It had to do with the hastened pace of time. “Namaste Guruji. There is a correlation between the mind and time. So, how can we accomplish more things in lesser time, in the sense that if we can stop the continuous inner mental chatter, can we experience more time available to us on a daily basis?”

“We do not have a direct control over the pace of time. Generally speaking we cannot expand or compress it at will. We can pray to the Light Masters and request for such an event to happen. They do give such rare experiences,” pausing for a moment, he continued with a blissful smile. “Perhaps you are going to experience this.”

He shared his meditational experience wherein when he was faced with paucity of time but wanted to meditate for longer duration. He sat for two hours of clock time but qualitatively had covered three hours. The benevolent Rishis always make such miracles happen when the cause is Universal.

“The reason I asked this question is, earlier I used to feel I would do more things in a day,” Soumya continued, “but now, my whole day is consumed just by attending to the minimum daily activities. Can’t we do anything, except praying God and Rishis?”

“No. We can’t do anything,” Guruji emphasized. “Let us understand why time is moving faster. Humanity is going through an intense period of Pralaya or transformation, which results in turbulence at all levels, right from personal to global. Watch the current affairs in your city and the world; there is so much surfacing of negativities that just watching news makes one feel deeply anguished. So the Masters have increased the pace of time to reduce the period of turmoil. Logically it is difficult to explain and understand this, but in God’s Creation many such metaphysical wonders are possible.”

“Guruji, the pace leaves me with a feeling of having not accomplished many things each today. Probably we should just let things happen at its own pace.”

“Yes. I too experience that. I want to do so many things each day but am unable to do so; we have to manage somehow.”

Not too long ago, in a similar context, Guruji had emphasized the importance of prioritizing. Shambala Principles has a simple technique to schedule the day’s activities.

Mr. Ravindra Singh Gaur shared his experience with elasticity of time during Meditation. “Guruji, invariably during Meditation I feel that I have meditated longer than what the clock shows.”

“Like I mentioned, perhaps in your case, the time is expanded,” Guruji said and appreciated his student’s awareness and acknowledgement of the phenomenon. “Though many experience this they have not been observant of such subtle miracles.

“Always be alert to the different ways of God. Always. You will observe so many wonderful things happening in your life which usually just gets ignored. People generally spend too much of their attention and time on the small details of mundane matters. When you recognize such beautiful acts of God you will know how much He loves us.”

Reiterating what he has stated several times before, Guruji repeated to underline the importance of a Spiritual reality – “It is no exaggeration when I say, even the smallest genuine wish is fulfilled; may be not in the next moment, but somehow, somewhere, sometimes, we have to be aware of the occurrence. If not in this lifetime then maybe in some other.”

In every session with Guruji there are exalted moments of epiphany, when he edifies us with pure knowledge which resonates deeply with our most Divine essence. Such a stage was reached in this meeting when Mr. Sandeep, a fairly new student, spoke about his experience with his Spiritual practices.

“Guruji, I have been on this Path for about a year and I think I have meditated on almost all the days. But of late I find that I am meditating less; I have wondered if the initial enthusiasm is wearing off. Fortunately it is not so, but something keeps me from meditating like I used to.”

Guruji answered, “You see, there are many factors at work here. One new factor is like this, more than ever before we, as a whole, are like one entity. If someone is lagging behind, we cannot move ahead fast. We have to wait for those who are trailing. We have to help them keep pace with us. So naturally our progress is impacted. Our personal Meditations become difficult henceforth because we have to carry the whole world with us; not just this small group, but all of humanity.

“We have entered a period of time when we have to work for the world. So whenever your personal progress seems slow know that it is not your individual failure. Be proud that you are actually taking the whole world along with you. These are not merely words. I know what I am talking about because I see this process from a closer perspective. I know this process. I am a part of it and so is each one of you.

“Future times will be tougher for all those who are seriously involved in the Spiritual processes. Somehow at some unconscious level we have committed ourselves to this great cause of taking this entire world, and all life on it, towards the New Age. We have volunteered but everyone is not as committed, and they need not be. We chose. We volunteered to work for the Rishis. Seeing their selfless service and sacrifices, we also chose to sacrifice our option of final salvation or Mukti and requested them to allow us to serve as well.

“Individually we can shine and progress spiritually; Mukti is not all that difficult to gain when we are under the Rishis. But with great love for the Rishis we have taken up this responsibility. We are making progress though it is slow.”

Looking at me directly he instructed, “Write this very clearly. It is very important.” My hand shuddered momentarily as I scribbled without putting legibility at stake.

“All of us who are with the Rishis are conditioned to think like this despite personal sacrifices because fifty one thousand eight forty years ago, in the last Pralaya period, we have worked for them like this.”

Barely recovering from what he had just heard, Sandeep managed to express a few words, “Thank you Guruji, all this while I wanted to expedite my Spiritual progress so that I could eventually qualify to work for the Rishis, but as it turns out, in ways I do not know, I am already serving them.”

“Yes we are. This new revelation happened yesterday. Be proud that you are doing something higher that just individual Sadhana. We all are working for the Rishis on their project. Amara had mentioned once that when we work for a higher cause, there will be tests. So be prepared. All of us need not go through severe tests. But in our own ways, in our family, at our work place, our commitment is tested. We do carry our own small crosses. But to carry the cross for all of humanity is an honour.

Leaning forward slightly Guruji said, “The Rishis have achieved great heights due to their Tapas. They have attained the highest levels of godhood. They need not look back and try to help us. Yet they chose to because they love God and want to serve Him. To serve God, Rishis and hence humanity is higher than personal Spiritual pursuits.”

As he withdrew himself within his own heart full of unfathomable love for the Rishis he relaxed his posture a bit. He now seemed to speak from the core of his Higher Self. “I always feel that it is a great privilege to be with the Rishis. Just to be with them is enough. It expands our goal. From being a mere human being we become Universal beings. We think and act for the greater good. There is no glory greater than this.”

Engulfed in an elated state of bliss, just hearing his words, was like being in the Ocean of Light.

This article will be continued in the next upload.

A lecture tour was arranged in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur over two days in the last week of January 2011. The local city volunteers had been making preparations for over a month. The programs were overbooked days in advance.

A small group travelled with Guruji. From Taponagara our journey began in the early hours before dawn. As we drove to the Bangalore International Airport Guruji mentioned that he had been gathering a special Divine Energy for three days so that he could transmit it to all those who would meet him. He also emphasised that the energies behind the words in his speech were very important.

Surprisingly Mumbai welcomed us with a Bangalore-like cloudy weather. After a warm greeting, we headed straight to the well-organised venue where a refreshing cup of coffee reset our bio-clock. Guruji ascended to a beautiful platform with floral decorations. A large gathering of Spiritual seekers sat in a devout state of open-hearted reception. The convention started with the practice of experiencing the Ocean of Light. Throughout Guruji’s speech there was a palpable silence. The atmosphere was charged with Divine energy as his voice reverberated in the stillness of the hall.

Written questions from students were submitted beforehand; Guruji read each aloud and answered. What followed was much more than just a personal blessing from the Master, as he announced that he wanted a quick one-to-one interaction during the blessings.

Pune beckoned us, so after lunch we quickly took the expressway to this culture capital. Passing through rolling hillsides, picturesque vistas and tunnels we reached the residence of a postal guidance student, Mrs. Purnima Parulekar. Elaborate colourful Rangoli cheered weary travellers. We were welcomed into a well-organised living room adorned with beautiful artefacts. Mrs. Parulekar brought to Guruji’s notice that a certain crystal butterfly had started reflecting blue colour with some other shades after her last visit to Taponagara. This triggered an unexpected iGuruji session that took place over refreshments.

“Could there be any reason behind this strange phenomenon?” someone asked.

“The Ra Energy she carried from Taponagara is causing this,” Guruji replied.

About twelve of us were seated around Guruji when someone commented. “I like Pune for some reason I do not understand. I have never stayed here but have passed by and halted for a few hours. There is a different vibratory frequency as compared to Mumbai, somehow.”

Guruji: “There are certain things undiluted in Pune. It is a cultural centre. Even the language they speak here is quiet uncorrupted. It is surrounded by hills which makes a difference. And it is a very important place.”

It is popularly believed that the city gets its name from the Sanskrit word for purity – Punya.

“Alandi, the place where Sant Jnaneshwar is doing Tapas is not very far from here,” Guruji continued, “I can feel his energies sitting right here.”

With a pleasant surprise in his eyes he looked at us and said, “His energies can be felt in a radius of 108 kilometres.”

We allowed a few moments to assimilate what we had just heard. Many questions followed about the great Spiritual Master. Does he look like a young boy? When will he emerge from his Tapas? Guruji told us a lot.

“He is doing Tapas in his physical body. He is so pure that if he wants he can take a Light Body or even emerge as is. My Guru Maharshi Amara used to do a lot of work Astrally and physically for the Rishis. He was once assigned a job in Sant Jnaneshwar’s Samadhi which he had to do in his Astral body. There is a tree near the Samadhi and its underground roots were touching the Tapasvi’s head. It had to be cut without disturbing the Tapasya. Amara told us that while executing the job he saw that Sant Jnaneshwar looks like a boy in his late teens. His body is so fresh as if he has just taken a bath.

“Everyday some Apsaras appear, they clean the place and light lamps. Imagine in a sealed Samadhi a lamp is burning. There are many such unbelievable things which appear like fairy tales but they are true.”

We were all listening with rapt attention. “How and when will he come out of the Samadhi?” someone asked.

“He will not emerge in today’s times; we definitely don’t know when. But when he will open his eyes a way will be made for him. All the rocks and structure around him will just melt and he will simply get up and come out.”

The Rishis have many powers at their disposal. Guruji had once mentioned that when a Rishi enters a cave and sits for Tapas, the cave entrance will get closed by a rock. When he wants to come out, the rock will melt and the cave opens.

Many questions followed. “Is Sant Jnaneshwar working for the Shift into the Light Age?”

Guruji: “No. He is not working in the conventional sense, but he is gathering energies. In his times he started teaching people but nobody could understand him. So he decided to perform Tapas instead of wasting time communicating with people. Whenever people are ready he will appear.”

“Guruji, his temple is so vibrant with energies. One can easily feel it.”

“That is true. His energies are there. When people sit quietly in the temple, even without Meditation, they receive the energies. That is the beauty of Divine Energies. One need not understand about the energies, devotion will bring the benefits automatically. You will receive more energies when you go there physically. But if you sit anywhere within the 108 kilometres radius, close your eyes and request him for energies, you will receive.”

“If we draw his energies like that won’t it disturb his Tapas, Guruji?

“No.”

“Is he emanating automatically?”

“Yes. This is a very interesting point; he has collected so much of Tapas Shakti, that it has formed an energy field which is independent of him. You can talk to that field. If you ask for energies the field will respond to you, not him. You will not be disturbing him directly.

“Also, he is gathering energies and he is not in deep Samadhi. There is a difference. Your prayers will not disturb him but if you go there Astrally then it will. There are beings guarding his Samadhi.”

“Guruji, was there any particular reason why Jnaneshwar Maharaj decided to sit in Samadhi whereas Tukaram Maharaj whose town was hardly thirty five kilometres away decided to convert himself into Light body and leave?"

“You see Tukaram Maharaj took birth with a certain mission. Once he accomplished it he left. However Sant Jnaneshwar did not have any such agenda. After he incarnated he wanted to teach some things, pass on energies and knowledge. Unfortunately, people at the time they could not receive it; they did not understand him at all.”

Mr. Vishwas Dixit from Mumbai was a bit hesitant in expressing his observation, but he finally did. “Guruji, I had a lot of problems before I met you today, but the moment I fell at your feet, the very moment I entered you aura, those things got dissolved.”

A very pleased Guruji said, “Because you mentioned let me tell you this, you see, I have been gathering energies for the past three days. I am carrying the field of energy. I am gathering even as I speak. Along with my words these energies also reach you. When you met me in the morning you came in contact with that field of energy. You can experience it.”

“Yes Guruji, in fact, even when you were sitting in Manoj’s car and we were following you to Pune I could feel it, though this might sound incredible.”

“I am aware of it. It is a very strong field that I am carrying. The content of my speeches is the same for all the three cities, the lectures are important but the energies I spread are more important. It is the energies which work on the people.”

“Guruji, do these energies affect people unknowingly?”

“Yes. Definitely. That is the magnificence of Divine energies; whether the seeker is educated or a simpleton, and no matter what the scale of the problems they have, the energies help everyone. Those who are more receptive will absorb more.”

Mr. Manoj wanted to understand a little bit more about energies. He asked how one could feel and distinguish between energies. He also wanted to know what causes different types of energies and what is the fundamental source.

Guruji explained, “The energy that I am carrying right now is from the core of God. I can’t say much more than that. Besides I have my own energies, which by the way, each one has. These also may come to you. I have prayed to my Guru for blessings too. So the source of energy depends on from where you receive it. I consciously and sincerely pass on energies to everyone.”

“I am receiving energies right now, how would you know that I am receiving?”

“To put it crudely, the energy that comes from me to you sends me a message. I can feel it. This world is full of such amazing realities, the more you understand the more there is to it....”

“....right now I am feeling very light in your presence....”

“....yes, for me such informal meetings are more important than formal lectures.”

“....for people like us, it is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity...”

“We have to leave in exactly fifteen minutes for the convention hall, so let’s end this session,” came an abrupt call from Mrs. Parulekar.

We reached the venue and as soon as Guruji got off his car a crowd almost thronged him and we could not even see him amidst the ardent students. After the lecture and Q&As, audience members rushed to the dais for the personal blessings; this went a bit past the hired time of the hall.

We spent the night at a hotel in Pune; Guruji met a few students for serious personal guidance in the restaurant. Even on the way from the Hall he had company from students. After a late dinner at 11pm we realised that it had been nineteen hours of constant talking, commuting, flying, etc. with very short naps, and yet, Guruji did not look exhausted.

Nagpur received us at dawn the next day. After an affectionate reception, we found two splendid hours of rest before breakfast. The venue was a temple complex; Guruji visited the sanctum-sanctorum before starting the session.

Personal blessing in every place was filled with seekers pouring their heart out to Guruji. In return, they were filled with the Special Energy which was carried with the singular objective of helping each in every aspect of their life. Spoken and unspoken worries found solace and questions found answers. Gratitude poured forth from each. One senior citizen profusely thanked Guruji because with the Light Channelling technique he could rid himself of cancer! He even brought his x-ray and medical documents to prove this.

In each city Guruji’s speech heralded the Light Age. He explained the 2012 scenario, its likely unfoldment, the opportunities it presents, etc in the simplest possible manner.
On the way back, after we bid au revoir, we realised that Guruji had blessed about a thousand seekers, and he said that he still had a lot of the Special Energy left with him.

The Rishis have guided us throughout our Spiritual education right from the nascent times when we struggled with the very basics to the more advanced levels; and will do so beyond the levels hitherto unknown. During various conversations with Guruji he has given some striking insights into Spiritual realities, misconceptions and the human condition. This article presents some gems of wisdom which we have received from him.

“It is popularly believed that when someone hurts us deeply and repeatedly it must be because of a Soul contract. Which means that at the level of the soul, and usually before birth, the victim and the victimiser both have agreed to enact the difficult situation so that the victim can evolve and master his weaknesses while in the material world; is it so?” Guruji: “I do not think so. We go through bad times mostly due to our Karmas and the lessons we need to learn. The soul chooses its experiences to work out its Karma, but it need not be in partnership or agreement with another soul. We attract the problems or lessons of our lives, not the ‘villains’ who create them.”

Karmas are Spiritual results of our actions. We also undergo Karmas of the times, the country and society we live in. We do inherit some of our parents’ Karmas as well. In an effort to aid the Spiritual progress of disciples the Spiritual Masters even take over some of the Karmas to relieve them of their burden. In fact they exhaust their Spiritual energy gathered during their Tapas or Meditation over hundreds of years on dissolving accrued Karmas of others.

There is a quote – Our life outside mirrors what is inside. Is this an absolute statement? Guruji helped us understand that this is mostly true but not absolutely precise. It is not as though all that is in our lives, the good, bad and the ugly, is absolutely indicative of how we are inside.”

Many people, books, synchronous incidents in our lives are messengers; they are not the message in themselves. The messenger can change; it could be anyone or anything. We do not manifest them. But the message, situation or lesson we receive is a part of our manifestation. Each and every thing we go through may not be absolutely our own creation.

“Guruji, can we manifest our wishes into reality by visualization? Can we attract wealth and other benefits into our lives?”

Guruji: “It is possible. The Laws of Nature are such that if we attract something into our lives which is not due for us to experience then it comes with a package. There could be many things which come with the wish fulfilment which we may not want.”

Then how do we average human beings in a world full of attractive material things get what we want without collateral damage? What we understand from Guruji is that we can pray to God; make our wish known to the Universe and work towards wish-fulfilment. We can try hard but simultaneously be in a mode of surrender to the results of our efforts. We as souls came to God’s world to experience; God knows when it is safest for us to have the experiences we aspire for. We have to trust the Universe’s decisions. ‘Ask and ye shall receive’ is not a famous quote for nothing.

We have the entire spectrum of emotions in us, love, hate, anger, compassion, all the opposites and every shade in between. Anger is fine if it is against Adharma or injustice; which means anger is not always negative. The intent behind the emotion defines it qualitatively as positive or negative. It helps to build the bank of positive emotions and demolish the minefield of negative emotions. Some suggest that sheer awareness of the emotion generated helps. It is said that awareness dissolves anger and hate, however it multiplies love.

We requested Guruji to help us understand this better. He said, “Awareness is like turning a flashlight on the emotion being generated in us. When we are aware a Higher Intelligence or our soul’s wisdom guides us. But mere awareness is not enough, what we choose to do with the emotion makes all the difference.”

Awareness is the first step towards checking the vibrations we generate. How do we maintain such awareness with the kind of lives we live? It can be done by observing ourselves! This might sound paradoxical but paradoxes in truth are not some esoteric lofty theoretical possibilities. We the souls observe our ego, the collective intelligence of the body-mind-intellect complex. Ego is also defined as the attitude of the soul; left to its own devices this attitude builds and becomes an entity in its own right. Then the soul takes this identity too seriously and wavers from its Divinity. Hence, the act of observing ourselves means the soul observes the ego, maintains a distance and does not lose control over it.

This is easier said than done. Here Meditation helps. After sufficient practice, in moments of deep stillness we experience how our thoughts/emotions are different from us.
Guruji gave us some tips while discussing this. “Be aware of the all-pervading omnipresent Presence or God which is around us all the time. Shift your awareness to the Ocean of Light. Then you will be able to observe yourself, others and situations in life from a Higher perspective.”

Any further elaboration will intellectualize the message. Only experience will help us understand.

If we compare our current maturity to what it was same time last year we will certainly see progress. Even if we have “failed” in some ways, there would have been some unarticulated learning. In retrospect we often feel we could have made better choices if only we knew any better. If we could access the wisdom garnered in earlier lifetimes then there would be a good chance that our lives could have been more fruitful. Each life incarnation teaches us a lot. Each lifetime layers us with its social conditioning, educational, circumstantial and other limitations. Can we learn lessons so deeply that they manifest unfalteringly in us for all lifetimes to come?

We requested Guruji to give us a technique to help us imbibe life’s lessons for all times to come.

The eternal Rishis always have answers, here’s their guidance, “The degree of internalization makes the wisdom last forever. If you believe in a positive trait, for example detachment, then accept it completely from your very core. Then many processes get initiated, some occur at different levels of our existence yet unknown to us. You can start the process by understanding intellectually and genuinely. Our beliefs should become us.”

This is amongst the most important guidance given to us by Guruji. And this will help us over lifetimes.

In the same conversation Guruji also added another dimension to the aforementioned point. “Even relationships can last over lifetimes.” The depth to which we feel affection for another person can immortalize earthly human associations.

What keeps us from making human equations pleasant for long? The usual hitches - emotional overloads, expectations, other’s eccentricities and a host of other seemingly irreconcilable differences. Guruji gave a very beautiful tip in managing relationships, he said, “When you accept a person, do so completely, that is, his or her positives and negatives.”

There are many other tips Guruji has given on the same subject, like, we should give others space to be themselves; we should not suffocate others with our emotional demands. There is one summary statement from him - “If you can manage human relationships sensibly then that is a sign of Spiritual progress.”

These words from Guruji can address most of the relationship problems in anybody’s life.

He has always put a lot of emphasis on respecting human life. Even the human foibles are an adventure which souls seek to live. He often refers to the Hollywood movie – The City of Angels – which showcases how powerful angels willingly take the risk of human existence to experience touch, taste, and a relationship. Quoting from his own life Guruji had once said, “At the higher level I have access to a lot of information about my life’s situations, yet I allow my human-self to undergo all that life offers, pain, joy, uncertainty, anxiety and all the other human emotions.”

We have seen him valuing sentiments attached to the moments he has spent with people, places and even anniversaries in his human life of seven decades. He has always taught us to respect our human experience and keep it balanced and detached.

When gurus look down upon human body and emotions as limitations and unholy burdens, our Guruji teaches us to respect them as a human adventure which our soul has chosen. The world that we live in has been misunderstood and condemned as illusory but Guruji has taught us that the world is temporary. This is the correct meaning of the saying ‘Jagan Mithya’. Unfortunately it has been misconstrued.

There is another important insight Guruji has given us about human existence. “Human beings are not designed to be alone. It is human nature to share, to communicate. If we have chosen Tapas in a secluded cave then that is a different matter. The communication we have need not be with fellow human beings only, we can be in the company of God; we can share anything and everything with Him.”

Again quoting from his personal experience he added, “When we are in communion with God there need not be any exchange of words. Just be in His Presence. Be.”

Through the dark ages we have lost the original import of many concepts, a lot was misunderstood and even explained wrongly with deliberate intent by some power hungry guides. For example, the Sanskrit word Sanyasi means Sa + Nyasi (a circle) the one who is perfect like a circle; a circle which encompasses all that is life and the centre of which is God. It has nothing to do with marital status as is popularly believed.

Guruji has emphatically explained many times that Spiritual life does not mean looking down on human life. His famous quote is – ‘Celebrating life is celebrating God’s presence on earth.’

The pristine guidance we have received from Guruji naturally makes us wish for a constant link with him. Would it not be nice if we could get immediate access to the ancient wisdom of the Rishis while we are right in the middle of our life’s dealings? While Guruji has given many techniques for direct contact with the Masters, he once gave us two valuable tips. First, feel the contact with the Rishis and second, start with reverence but also feel free to be a little emotional about the Masters. The eternal Spiritual Guides, the Rishis, are like our loving grandparents. Their unconditional love is beyond the scope of our understanding.

These insights and many others are a part of our education. A lot has been taught, some has been learnt, and there is more. God’s Creation offers endless experiences at many levels of existence. And at each level we will have our benevolent Rishis guiding us; at times by living life at our level.

Supernatural experiences are like gems scattered along the Spiritual path leading towards the ultimate treasure of Enlightenment. Whether it is a simple vision of Light orbs, a glimpse of a Light Master or just a mental projection of a higher communication with Divine Beings, each experience inspires us to know more of what lies on the other side of the veil of “space-time reality”. Hallucinations some might call these, but if seeing with naked eyes is the only way of believing, then all tricks and illusions are true. While we sharpen our inner intuitional guidance to tell us if an experience is genuine or just a figment of our imagination, we verify with Guruji.

During a three hour Meditation in the Great Ra Hall at Antar-Manasa a meditator saw a pulsating globe of blue light. She knew that it was something special; she could not understand what it was. However as per Guruji’s guidance she stayed unexcited about the vision and continued with the meditational practice. It was later confirmed by Guruji that the globe was a Light Master or Rishi from the Ra Universe. Was there a message? No, it was a blessing.

Another meditator who was going through an intense phase of learning lessons from life the hard way, had an unexpected Astral travel experience during Meditation. It was revealed later that she was granted this Astral travel recall to assure her that the Light Masters are with her through all phases of life. It is interesting to note that supernatural experiences can be bestowed by the Masters as a consolation; there aren’t messages every time.

A person while meditating was blessed with a third-eye vision of Master V meditating in ochre robes under a tree. Such visions happen even during non-meditating hours. Someone walked into the Amara Samadhi Meditation room, kneeled in respect and while sitting down for a few moments of silence saw through the Samadhi stone the urn which holds the sacred ashes of Amaraji! This person was taken aback and wanted to close her eyes to not see the urn out of respect, but her eyes were closed already and the vision persisted. Guruji confirmed that this was a blessing.

Some visions are from our past lives, like it happened in the case of Mr. Sunil Bisarahalli. He once asked Guruji, “Recently, I had some flashes of scenes from my past lives. I know so because I could not recognize any of the people. It continued and suddenly there were no thoughts, and if I could draw my emotions in a line then it was an absolutely straight line; there were no ups or downs. Strangely this happened when I was taking a bath. Also, this experience persisted for more than two days. It came to a point wherein the visions continued and I could still deal with the world despite the state of no thought and no emotions. I have had such experiences earlier but it led to confusion and even fear, so this time I prayed for understanding, which, has not happened. Please help me understand Guruji.”

After checking intuitively Guruji replied, “It is difficult to explain in great detail but these were messages for sure. Those whom you saw were important to you in those lifetimes. To realize the inherent messages we will need to spend some time in solitude. But do not worry, whatever these experiences had to convey, they would have reached you at a different level and you would be perhaps, following it at this level without being aware of it completely. These things are possible.”

Though the messages are not always explicit at a conscious level they do their work at the subtle levels and impact the choices we make in our life. The Universal Intelligence which guides us through messages in its infinite affection will also make sure that we get the point, somehow.

Then there are the dream visions. A meditator had such vivid dreams about the shift of the Ages and the likely apocalyptic incidents around it that everything was in real colour; it is generally understood that dreams are supposed to be in black and white. Lord Kalki, the Second Sun and other related features were seen. And yet Guruji confirmed it all as a dream. He also helped us understand that there are times when a dream-like vision borders with an Astral recall. Our mind projects a lot.

Many have narrated visions of fire, snake, book, etc. From Guruji we understand that there are different energies to which our mind assigns meaning with forms. Like a person saw the history of the world in the Akashic Records in a red book. Guruji clarified that what the person saw was a field of energy with contains the necessary information, but it is not in the form of a book.

The key to be sure that a psychic or mystical experience is not a mental projection is a flawless sharp intuition. A very important question was once asked in this regard, “Guruji, some eight years back you had mentioned that we should not pursue experiences during Meditations otherwise our mind will create one for us. Since then, I have prayed that my mind should not project false experiences no matter how thrilling it is. I have prayed and it has worked. Again, Guruji, I have also trained myself intellectually to not overrate psychic experiences and desire only stillness during Meditation. Even then, Guruji, despite the prayers and the strong intention sometimes it happens. Again the mind is by default designed to give us experiences we seek. So if we pray to the mind to not manufacture experiences will it stop doing its natural job?”

Guruji’s answer: “In spite of requests the mind will naturally give us experiences. You see, you pray consciously to not have false experiences, but somewhere deep within you want the thrill, you would like to see Light or a form. Unwittingly you are superseding your own request and at such times the mind obliges.”

Cautious that the eager seeker is not dissuaded he added, “It is natural to seek sublime experiences. What we have to do is to not worry about these things and ignore most of the psychic experiences. Do not get carried away.”

He also gave crystal clear guidelines. “First, during the experience, don’t try to analyze, don’t try to understand and I also suggest that don’t even try to ignore. Just be. Second, after you have the experiences check with your intuition. If it seems genuine, make note of only such experiences; if not genuine then just brush them aside. Remember psychic experiences do not indicate your Spiritual progress. Analyze to some extent, but let your intuition guide you.”

Guruji has guided earlier that if we have had a real sublime experience then we will have a lingering sense of peace or some sort of a residual after effect. Even the recall is clearer. In case we have had an ethereal contact message from Guruji then we will feel peace and love in that moment.

There was also a request to know if there is any guaranteed way of making sure that there are no false mental projections at all.

“Not until we reach a certain area of stillness in the Ocean of Consciousness during deep Meditations. Our awareness has to reach a level of expansion, a stage which we should be able to easily enter, then the mind will not trouble us,” Guruji explained.

From a deep realm of inner knowing he said, “You will be able to feel that state of expansion….you will be aware that you are in the Ocean of Consciousness. Such stages will come, we have to be patient.”

Meditational experiences are sometimes manifested at the physical level. Here’s an example. A meditator once asked Guruji, “Sometimes during Meditation when I try to feel the Divine Energy there is a smile on my face. What exactly causes it?”

“It could be due to the experience of a deep state of inner stillness,” Guruji answered.

Many have observed that after a certain degree of stillness during Meditation the back becomes comfortably straight, for some at times the stomach pulls in. One person even reported an increase in body temperature. Broadly speaking, such things happen due to the Spiritual energies and processes. However, such incidents are neither conditions nor symptoms of deep Meditations.

There have been instances wherein after Meditation a person could open his eyes, move his head and see his body but could not move it for some time. Upon his request Guruji had explained as follows.

“The Astral Body would have been away from the physical body and after Meditation when you wanted to get up it came back and was trying to synchronize. This took some time. During Meditation sometimes there is a partial separation of the Astral Body.”

During Meditations many seem to receive messages from the Masters. Quite a lot of these have been mental projections. Those who have attempted contacting the Rishis will know the extent to which the slightest preconceived notion colours the content of the communication. In the context of hearing the inner voice a meditator had once narrated a perplexing incident to Guruji.

“Guruji, last night I had a bout of insomnia, not sure of what to do I tried to put my awareness in my Spiritual Body or Anandamaya Kosha. The very moment it happened, I saw the Kosha and I heard myself voicelessly scream ‘oh my God’. This confuses me. My soul or ‘I’ lives in the Spiritual Body all the time so what was the surprise factor, who screamed in me?”

“It is an interesting experience,” Guruji had replied. “The Koshas or subtle bodies – mental, intellectual and even physical – each have their voice; the soul has its intuition. The ego or collective intelligence of the body, mind and intellect complex also has an identity and hence a voice of its own. The scream could be from the ego.”

A few first time meditators have had a bizarre physical experience. Their head mildly nods or sways during Meditation. In most cases it is due to incorrect “spiritual” practices in previous lives which bring grosser energies. In some cases it is due to association with lower entities and spirits. However, with Guruji’s help they have been cleared of such low energies.

Those who claim that they feel physical pain due to raising Kundalini or activation of chakras need to understand that a truly Spiritual practice can never bring suffering. A strong expectation that Kundalini moves up through a Nadi can give us a physical sensation in that area.

The Spiritual domain has endless mysteries. Hopefully the imminent New Age will open our higher faculties and we will be able to comprehend much more than what we can right now. Many phenomena need to be studied and understood under the guidance of the Astral Masters. At this juncture of time the whole focus is on positivisation and total inner transformation to become Beings of Light. In the meanwhile it is important to keep in mind the following guidelines from Guruji:

Do not pursue psychic or Astral experiences during Meditation. Experiencing Divine Light, reaching deeper states of Stillness are the goals while meditating.
Supernatural experiences do not indicate Spiritual progress.
Do not discuss experiences with others; it could lead to ego inflation, jealously, etc.
The objective of taking up a Spiritual journey is to metamorphose into a Divine Being. Anything that gets in the way should be kept away, including higher capacities and powers.
In the final analysis, it is important to reiterate that supernatural experiences are just interesting occurrences along the way; small previews of what lies ahead. Each one of us has the Divine potential for much more than the best of sublime experiences. Until we realise that potential, an attitude of Vairagya or detachment from experiences will certainly help.