Namah shivay
Baba ji has, all through maintained that “I am always with you”, almost echoing the scriptures which proclaim that God is everywhere. But I have literally experienced this. It happened most prominently and in a manifest manner when I was in South Africa. I had gone to distribute food and toys in an orphanage for the deaf and mute. The children there communicated with gestures. I remember a very special incident in which I saw a child making obscene and expletive gestures at another child. But the other child was smiling. So I asked my host what was happening to be told that the first boy was trying to abuse the other boy, but the latter refused to look at the boy who is abusing with his gestures. And that is why the boy poking aggressive gestures is getting so frustrated. The boy would like to give a piece of his mind but till the other boy looks at him, he wont know what this boy is saying. The other boy had his back towards the abuses and he had his face towards me as I was carrying the gifts for him. May be that’s why he was smiling too. And thats when it dawned upon me that we all have this choice. The boy chose to face me rather than the negativity. And he was happy due to this. If he had put his back towards me then all he would know wouldve been the abuse. But even though he would be affected by the abuse, the fact that i am still there holding a goody bag for him would not change.it all comes down to what he chose and whatever he chose, it is that very choice which will ultimately affect him.
A Guru is a Spiritual Being who is always around us holding a goody bag in his hand. He is like the sun which is always shining. And it is up to us if we choose to acknowledge him or not. He is never changing. He is the ocean of unconditional love which is always flowing like a river, unaffected by the ravages of senses. He is Nirgun or beyond good or bad qualities and traits. If people benefit by His light, He is calm. if people walk away he is calm .
Lucky are those who can find that Spiritual Being and live their lives with their faces towards the happiness and divinity.
The question however remains who is a Guru ? What is a disciple? Today I would like to tell you about my experience and of those around me about the most important elements of life.
First we must understand that Who a Siddha Guru is and how we as laymen can know and find the Ultimate state for ourselves.
Today there are many misleading guides around. Every nook and corner comes with its own path, with its own guru. Some practicing vaam marg while some practicing saam marg. Others just making a quick buck. And that is why it becomes the duty of a disciple to first prepare himself, just as you prepare yourself before a journey.
Before you start your search for the one true guide, remember that like energy attracts like energy. If our IQ levels and morals are low, we will be attracted to a guru of the same nature. if we are lazy, we will be attracted to a lazy guru . The word disciple comes from discipline and one must become disciplined before seeking a guide to salvation. Preparation is important.
If a man has a desire to become a neurosurgeon, and he goes to a doctor and tells him to show him how to operate, the doctor can’t. You must have basic knowledge of anatomy and that is why when a person develops a spiritual thirst, he should find a guru who can gradually bring progressive growth through discipline and purity, that is the path of a true guru is to bring ultimate growth in your life. He will never say “I will bypass all basics and just work on advanced levels directly. it is the law of nature. Stronger the foundation stronger the structure.
Through the grace of divinity I have come to understand that a true Siddha Guru has a certain classification of traits. A Siddha Guru is a One who will work for your growth, who will help you walk in the right direction, who will always shine for your benefit. Whereas others worry about their benefit, whatever may happen to you is of no concern to them.
The first trait which I observed in a Siddha was knowledge. I remember when I was young, like all boys my age I loved debating with my father. I would read a book and go to him. But as I would talk, he would already be in the know of the contents of the book and to my surprise, even better than me. And then He would claim that he never reads. I started to doubt that how He had all this knowledge without reading the books. Thinking that he must be secretly reading in the night, I started keeping a watch on him. I tried to find out where he read his books. Day and night I spied and searched but to no avail. ever I didn’t find Him reading at any time. Frustrated with the same, I confronted Him and questioned Him as to how on Earth could He know everything of a book without reading it. He smiled and told me that everything in this world has a vibrational frequency. Just like a radio has the power to transmit waves from the atmosphere , so does this body . He explained to me that what a poet or writer would call an inspiration or a eureka experience is nothing but the poet or writer connecting to a part of the universe and matching his frequency to that part of the universe guides the work of the innovator. Baba ji explained that all the knowledge is already around us , waiting for someone to match frequency with it and transmit to the humanity and when He would read a book, He would read what the writer had experienced when he connected to the same frequency of the writer. That way Babaji didnt have to learn the taste of a mango but experience that inspiration first hand.
The siddhas are a master of frequency and hence a master of knowledge. I see people claiming to be siddhas but failing this very first test. They may claim that they are connected to the highest of masters, come from the longest of lineages but you see in marketing jargon it is known as brand association or brand building. This means that when a new product is launched in the market, the easiest way to sell is to place the product in the hands of a superstar. People will start associating the product with greatness of the superstar and flock to buy the product.
You will find many people using this technique by associating themselves with gods and gurus of the bygone eras, claiming that they have learnt from them but you will find their learning and knowledge is generally as empty as their hollow claims. Such people will associate themselves with the glories of great men but not their hard work and dedication. They stoop to such a level they may even quote “avatar purush” to justify laziness and lethargy.
I remember reading about a company who released a new product which was an anti histamine (anti allergic) but failed drastically. So the marketers pondered over how to get back the investment. So they saw that the product had a side effect of drowsiness and remarketed the product as a tonic for weight gain in children. As children would drink it, they used to get drowsy, sleepy and as a result of inactivity gain weight .These are marketing gimmicks. Just as the devil justified the forbidden apple to eve ,many devils try to justify and market their path to you. At such times a sadhak must be alert. He must observe the words just as carefully and with the same precision as a jeweler observes the diamonds. He must become a supatra, a vessel of gold ,neither impressed nor depressed. He should just stay as an observer and he must only submit if he sees truth in the words said. Also, a sentence has many meanings but a Guru is the one who can explain all meanings including the right one .
The second trait of a siddha is experience.A true Guru is the one who talks with experience. It is like this. When you go for surgery, you go to an expert who has practiced many times but not a philosopher who has not practiced but thinks on what is the best surgery . I usually saw that when Baba ji was asked advice on family matters, He was an expert as he would talk experience. He had a conviction as whatever He would say He already had tried on us .Baba ji was an expert in all fields. I saw Him as an expert when He was a husband , He was an expert in sports being a national level player , He was an experts in academics , an expert in his profession , an expert father , an expert farmer; the list goes on. Its as if He had the midas touch and whatever He would touch, became gold and hence spirituality for Him was not an escape. So unlike people who could not accomplish anything in life and so dawned the cloak of god to sustain themselves. A sadhak must examine the background of his Guru.
Only a Guru who has tasted and experienced Higher Achievement can guide you to achieve. A true Siddha is the one who will never see the difference between men and women because through his experience he has learned that all is energy. There will be no special importance accorded to either men or women. He is like the sun. Whoever seeks his energy, He is his. You will always see that a Siddha Guru will always be running a ann shetra that is day and night people would be fed by him. When I was young, this is the sewa which was given to me---the kitchen sewa. And every day I would feel proud that SO MANY PEOPLE WOULD EAT AT THE ASHRAM AND ONE DAY I WAS BOASTING THAT ALMOST A 500 PEOPLE ATE ,BUT BABAJI LAUGHED AS THAT WAS JUST ONE CITY BABAJIS WORK HAPPENS IN ALL CITIES AND COUNTRIES SO I COULD IMAGINE HOW MANY PEOPLE EAT THANKS TO MY GURU.
Through his experience a Siddha becomes the ocean of unconditional love and you will always see that a true Siddha will always espouse a cause. Baba ji’s cause is to serve all who long for food , for necessities and love. Everyday children in many parts of the world thank Baba ji for toys, food and clothing. Every day, cows are rescued from slaughter and put in a heaven which Baba ji has created for them. In the Rajhasthan gowshala there are no walls. Just open areas where the greenest of grass are grown, where lakes are made and trees have been planted to provide shade for the cows. The cows are never tied and are just left to enjoy, So much happiness they get that many old cows also become pregnant.
Everyday so many retired people from old age homes across the globe thank Baba ji for all that is provided to them and a sadhak should see that if only such divine activities and tranquil atmosphere with utmost emphasis on pure intention behind every such action are happening around a man can merit him the designation of a master and true Guru. Only if a Guru is truly experienced and has come into spirituality for the sheer reason that he loves you, is he a master. Only if he talks his experience which is mammoth and for real, only then is he a master .
The third trait of a Siddha is tapasaya. A sadhak must be aware of the spiritual antecedents of his Guru. This includes who were his masters? Where did He and His master meditate?
Most of my respect for Baba ji came only because Ive seen Him meditate all his life.
When I was very young, Baba ji left his executive level post and started farming in Rajasthan near Alwer, where today Baba ji’s gowshala stands. He was a master farmer. He introduced new techniques to the locals and can be credited for the green revolution in that area. He would research for the best seeds and methods and use them while farming. He became responsible for inflow of much wealth and development in that area. But all this while, He never stopped meditating. He had created a hut in which He would sit and meditate. I remember that I used to study in Delhi and sometimes the phone would be from the farm helps. They would say “Come fast Baba saab has not come out for ten days”. I and ma would rush to Rajasthan to feed Babaji. Sometimes the hired help would call to say “Baba saab dikhne band ho gaye hain jaldi aayo”.
And that was Baba jis life. Work 100%, tapasya 100%.200% life.
The basis of Shiv Yog today , He transformed through tap. And thats what He teaches today that “I am not special. I became what I am through tapa and that tapa I will teach to you so you can transform the way i did.
A sadhak must know about his Guru--- how many years he mediated. I know that Baba jis tapa was 38 long years. Many people of late have come to claim that they have meditated in Himalayas. At that time get a map and ask where exactly? Generally you will find there is no answer but if there is, go to that place and see if something happens to you. And if doesn’t, continue your search .Baba jis tapobhoomi is so powerful that if you just sit where His hut used to be, you go in a state of trance, a state of supreme bliss as if it is a portal to the highest dimension, a place so magical, so mystical, so divine, so powerful and most of all--- tangible .
Also a true master who has worked hard will always teach to his disciples, hard work and discipline. Just like Ramkrishna waited till Vivekanand desired kali as much as desiring of breath.
A true Guru will always hold purification as his priority. When I was a child, Baba ji used to heal everybody and how would I know they would get healed? They would stop coming of they werent healed. But the trouble was that again, after a few months the disease would recur. This was because their lifestyles did not change. What caused the disease in the first place did not rectify. it was at that time Baba ji thought He will work not to rid these people of their disease but the cause which was their negatice qualities, And a true Guru will never give painkiller (symptomatic cure), rather he will teach a way of life. A life of sadhna ,a life of discipline (a causative cure ).
At this time, what a sadhak must make out the wheat from the chaff ie a true Guru from a fake guru. Questions must be raised as to whether the teacher is giving a magical remedy which allows me to be lazy and a dum dum. (A dishonest teacher will contend to his disciples---You don't change, don't work, let this talisman or chant work for you whereas a true Guru will compel you to ask these questions of yourself: Is it a way that can change me or transform me forever? There are no short cuts to achieve anything and so am I ready to pay the price for my goals ?
And once one encounters a Guru who is an epitome of learning, experience and tapasya it is at that time that the sadhak must change. Just like the soil is readied for the seed, the disciple must ready himself.
The first thing which I learnt is acceptance. That is the sadhak must bring these teachings in each and every aspect of his life. For example I remember I met a sadhak who told me, “Generally I am a good person. It is only when I am in a situation do I become bad. It is like saying that generally I am a good swimmer but as I enter the water I drown. The teachings must be accepted as a way of life in all aspects of it. It is like this - When a river continues to flow in a valley it becomes the path ,in the same way ,if i continue to think in a manner, neuropathways are formed in the brain. That is, my thoughts become a reflex, an unconscious behavior like driving etc. In the same way I must follow the teachings till they become a reflex.
After acceptance must come surrender. , just like a scientist talks about atoms and theories ,because all his life he researched in laboratories ,and if one wants and he is ready he can recreate the experiments ,in the same way a guru talks about god , as all his life he has researched in the lab within and if the disciple is ready he can recreate that phenomena in that disciple . Just like we may have never seen an atom but we don't question the books, in the same way a sadhak once surrendered must not question his Guru. His faith is his true wealth , he must strive to recreate the same phenomena within.
Baba jis Guru had once told him when he was a child that when you go for urination ,hold the urine 5 times as it passes. Baba ji did not question and just followed. Later he found he became a master of moolbandh and he had complete control over his lower chakras. In the same manner, when I was young I used to get very angry and Baba ji told me to practice martial arts. I never questioned him but continued and as I became a master of the body, I became a master of my mind and eventually a master of my emotions .Hence a sadhak must develop complete surrender to his Guru because what we think is third dimensional and his wisdom is multidimensional.
Finally comes commitment.
Understand the fact that a plant may be shifted from one nursery to another and it will remain a plant, but if the plant is given a fertile soil to take roots, never disturbed, only then can it become a tree laden with fruits.
Just like a man has one wife , one mother ,one father he must have one Guru ,the one who will truly purify him ,the one who will be there for him always. A man must emotionally connect to the one who loves him the most .
in every man there is a potential energy(Guru tatva ) ,a powerful force capable of granting him supreme knowledge, guidance and divinity. A Guru is more than just a guide. He is the one who wakens this potential in a man. That is why the chakra associated with the Guru is called Ajna chkra , the chakra of vision. There is one thing known as learning and there is one thing known as wisdom. Learning can be performed from everywhere ---from books, from teachers etc. But the wisdom to see the truth can only be achieved once the Guru awakens the tatva within. That is why you will see many interpretations of scriptures. A Guru is the one who can remove filters of negativities from our perception . So I can always remain in bliss and rise above maya.
Lord Dattatray is an example. He was the son of maharshi Atri and Mata Ansuya . So in him he already had evolved dna ,much potential energy ,and his Guru was maharshi Kapil ,who gave him the divine sight and activated his inner Guru tatva ,which in turn enabled him to get the gyan from different life forms .
That one is always needed who can transform me. And once I am transformed, I can truly understand life , and like Dattatray, wherever I look, there is a lesson to be learned . A man with a Guru is truly free . He need not go around in circles ,whirlpools of logic and maya. Once he is connected to that one guru his Agya chakra can only then be awakened ,and only then with the Guru s grace can Brahma ,Vishnu and Vdra granthis can be dissolved just like Ramakrishna dissolved Vivekanandas ,like Krishna dissolved Arjunas misgivings ,like Matsendranath dissolved Gorakshnaths impurities ,like kapil dissolved Dattatrays etc.
The process of emerging after merging.
And that is what i learnt. All my life He, was always there.I may have deviated but now i choose to return to Him .
The reason of my happiness ,the cause of my healing ,the purpose of my life ,my love ,my father,my Guru ,my Baba, my truth Avdhoot Shivanand
Ishan Shivanand
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