Prakash Diwash or Enlightenment Day

Maharajji’s Enlightenment

On 3rd October 2007, the festival called Prakash Diwash or Enlightenment Festival will be celebrated at Sacha Dham. It is held every year to commemorate the spiritual enlightenment of our beloved Master Shri Hans Raj Maharajji which took place on 3rd October 1955. Surprisingly, he had arrived at the great Guru Sacha Baba’s ashram in Allahabad only the evening before.

How did he arrive there? At that time, Maharajji was working as an accountant in the Indian civil service in Allahabad. Unfortunately he developed a chronic form of dysentery which was exhausting and which resisted different treatments prescribed by doctors. This discouraged Maharajji so much that he did not know what to do to return to health. Then, a fellow office worker, Swami Navalji, suggested he go and see Sacha Baba, a very great saint living in Allahabad, who would heal him. At that time, Maharajji had already moved away from religion, although as a child and a young man he had ardently desired to realize the Divinity, so great was his aspiration. It must be said that from a very young age he would often see Great Beings in his visions and dreams. But with time, this aspiration had progressively disappeared. He no longer believed in religion and saints.

However, having followed medical treatment in vain, he accepted his colleague’s offer, for after all, one never knows where the solution to a problem might come from. He therefore went to Sacha ashram in Arail, Allahabad, where he was received very kindly by the Master, Sacha Baba. The latter gave him a room with all he needed for his stay at the ashram and recommended that he go and participate in a session of devotional songs which was going on. The following morning, Maharajji decided to meditate at dawn. It was during this meditation that an extraordinary mutation took place in his consciousness and his whole being, causing him to reach divine realization. He had come for his physical body to be healed, but he had received healing for his whole being! He had attained Self-realization. This was a marvellous event which became the turning point in his life and which, later on, would have profound effects on thousands of men throughout the world.

With time, Maharajji became progressively attached to Sacha Baba and he had only one aim : to help his Master awaken the consciousness and hearts of men to Wisdom, Love, Peace and the Beauty of God. In order to achieve this, he left his job as an accountant and abandoned everything in order to Serve God and his Master.

Serving God

For several decades, Maharajji travelled throughout India to share his Master’s teachings with all those who he could reach. He completely forgot himself in this task. Little by little, disciples gathered around him and in 1974, Sacha Baba asked him to create his own ashram in Rishikesh, at the foot of the Himalayas : Sacha Dham or “The place of Ultimate Truth” (or “Holy Place”). Thus Sacha Dham was born, where Maharajji settled. Since then, he has always lived in Rishikesh and up until the time of Sacha Baba’s mahasamadhi (his leaving this world) in 1983, Maharajji, who has always nourished deep love for his Master, went to see him regularly. He has always said that he works in the name of God and that of Sacha Baba, and whatever he does, he attributes it to his Master, taking no personal merit, even when he works what men call miracles.

For those who have spent even a few days with Maharajji, the life of this great saint is an immense sacrifice made out of love for all men. His example, while evoking in each of us the greatest respect and the deepest veneration, remains a model from which we should draw inspiration for the good of all beings. Indeed, all beings are in fact ourselves, in spite our consciousness which has been muddled by ignorance, thus leading us believe that we are different and distinct from others.

Intense Moments of Spiritual Communion

The Prakash Diwash Festival is an opportunity to remind disciples that the aim of life is to achieve this divine realization, for with time, one lets oneself go and forgets one’s highest aspirations. Moreover, during this same festival where a puja (a highly significant religious ceremony) is celebrated, Maharajji gives special impetus to his disciples’ spiritual development by granting them certain specific energies which are usually grouped together under the term “blessings”, but all blessings do not have the same aim and the same impact. On Prakash Diwash day, enlightenment is given special importance! Many of his disciples come together at Sacha Dham to benefit from these unique moments of spiritual communion and deepen their ties with the Master. For those who are far away, it is always possible to share these moments with Maharajji and the assembly of his disciples by connecting inwardly with them, for we are taught that time and space do not really exist.

Special Blessings

So on this special day, without neglecting his task of directing humanity towards a higher spiritual state, Maharajji devotes great attention to pouring blessings upon his disciples wherever they are in the world. It is true that Maharajji blesses his disciples all year long, but this day is a special one, and so special energy is transmitted. On this day, the channel between the Master and his disciples widens, and disciples who focus on Maharajji, opening their hearts even more to receive his blessings, will receive particular grace according to the efforts they have made in the past year to connect with the holy river (the Master), who purifies them like the holy Ganges purifies dirty water which flows into it.

Indeed, Maharajji has often said that the more one loves a true Master, the more easily one is purified, for the love one shows to him opens a canal through which the Master can work to take away negative things which keep us away from God, while transmitting positive energy to allow the divine spirit of God in us to manifest. Indeed, the Guru is God’s representative who He sends to guide disciples seeking more and more light. And since the aim of all disciples is to achieve union with God, it is the Guru who plays the role of intermediary between them and God. God has therefore given great power (the power of Shiva) to the Guru to cut away whatever is negative from the disciple’s personality and heart. He has also been endowed with the necessary shakti or spiritual power to make the disciple grow little by little into a great spiritual tree. This enlightened person will finally be able to communicate freely with the Divinity and in turn cooperate with God to help others return to the divine state which all men have to reach one day.

What is therefore important, is what happens in one’s heart throughout the year, and not just on Enlightenment Day. Knowing that it is the Guru who leads us from darkness to light, it is necessary to constantly focus our hearts on Maharajji throughout the year, while carrying out the specific sadhana he has recommended. Then we are sure that whatever particular blessing the Guru has to bestow on us, we will be able to receive all of it.

Kind Attention to Humanity

Disciples, of course, show deep gratitude to Maharajji for devoting his life to humanity and his pupils. Maharajji in turn, asks his disciples to pray for humanity, so that all may turn to God, and that hardship and even lives may be spared from disasters in the coming months and years. He also wants his disciples, through their prayers, to help humanity so that all their needs may be fulfilled. The Sacha lineage has seen to it that this can become reality; that progressively all hearts will turn towards God, and that the basic material necessities of all men will be met.

May Maharajji’s peace, love and light descend on us all !

Maharajji Mahaprabhu Ki Jay !

The New Car (Aurora, Germany)

Maharajji has done many things for my family and I, and I am very grateful to him for this. One day, I had a car accident, and the insurance company said that I was not to repair my car because it was almost ten years old. This was a big problem for me, because I lived very far from the place where I worked, and I needed a car to get there. What was I to do? My husband was unemployed and my salary alone was not enough to buy a new one. We therefore decided to ask Maharajji to help us, although I was a bit reticent since he had already helped us a lot and I did not want to bother him again. However Maharajji accepted and said that I would be able to buy a new car.

Encouraged by his promise, I went to choose a suitable one. Having done so, there was now the problem of paying. I consulted two banks for a loan, but they needed my husband’s payslip as well as mine and so I was not able to get one. Fortunately the concessionaire had his own bank, so I applied there for a loan. While discussing the terms, I kept on hoping not to be told to bring in my husband’s pay slip along with mine for the loan, but fortunately only mine was asked for. I was offered 10,000€, the sum I needed to buy the car. I was relieved, and felt deep gratitude towards Maharajji for what he had done.

Although I was surprised to get such a big loan with only my salary, this surprise wore off very quickly, for I knew that with Maharajji’s help anything is easy. However, about six months later, I needed a small loan of 2,000€. When I applied to a bank for it, I was told that I would need both my husband’s pay slip and mine. Not being able to give my husband’s, I tried other banks, but was given the same answer, and so I had to give up.

I fully realized then that it was indeed a miracle to have been able to borrow 10,000€ alone since I was systematically refused 2,000€ everywhere with just my salary. Maharajji had been so simple about it, no fuss, no problem. I must say that I had had such deep faith in Maharajji, that I had not doubted his words and everything had seemed so natural. With him, even miracles come so naturally.

A Very Useful Loss (Liloue, France)

My son’s car had disappeared. After searching for it in vain for several days, I was lamenting this loss when I heard a voice say,
“You are crying for the car which was going to carry away your son!”

Maharajji had taken the car away and protected my son from a very serious accident. Maharajji is truly loving and is always with us.

A Providential Ticket (Cez, France)

For many weeks I had been waiting to get official permission for prolonged leave so as to go to India to be with Maharajji. This exceptional leave was granted one Friday, a week before my departure date.

As I was going to be absent for many weeks, I had to take care of many problems relating to my work before leaving. So every half-day, from Monday to Friday, during the five days before my trip, I was extremely busy with different appointments and meetings. I was to leave the following Saturday. I then realized on Sunday evening that I had not yet applied for my visa at the Indian consulate. I was only able to find time in my programme to make the application on Monday morning and get the visa on Tuesday afternoon.

Since the consulate had been closed on the Friday before, the very long queue on that Monday morning was already almost fifty metres long when I arrived. I had never seen such a long one. After waiting for more than three hours, when I was ten metres from the consulate, we saw that many people were coming out more and more quickly. In answer to our queries, some of them informed us that no more tickets were being given out for applications to be submitted, and that they had been told to come back the following morning. They therefore advised us to stop waiting, since it was now a waste of time.

It would be very difficult for me to come back the following morning. While inwardly asking Maharajji to help, I continued advancing with the queue, and so did most of the other people in line, as they wanted to hear for themselves that they would not be received. After several minutes, at last I entered the hall of the consulate where I was indeed told by the personnel that only those with tickets could remain there, and that the others would have to come back the following morning.

I remained, however, waiting for Maharajji to do something. What exactly? I had no idea, but I could not bring myself to leave for then it would be difficult for me to get the visa in time and the departure date could not be changed. I persisted in waiting for several minutes in one of the queues with those who had tickets, although having none, I would certainly be sent away when I reached the counter. I continued praying to Maharajji for help.

Suddenly, someone beside me said that there was a ticket on the ground, just at my feet. I immediately picked it up. No one nearby had lost his. I was therefore able to keep it and so go up to the counter where I gave in my application.

I even got the visa for the following afternoon as I had wished, while most of the other people had no other choice than to come back two days later because of the high number of applications to be dealt with.

I really had the feeling that it was indeed Maharajji who had answered my prayer in that way.

Guru Purnima 2007

On the calendar of religious festivals in India there is to be found a special festival, Guru Purnima, devoted to the Master, called Guru in that country. This festival is celebrated every year at full moon in the Hindu month of Ashad throughout India and in Hindu temples across the world. This year, at Sacha Dham, Maharajji’s ashram in Rishikesh, it will be celebrated on Monday, 30th July.
On this occasion, disciples from all over India and even from abroad will participate. On that day, there will be a ceremony in the ashram temple and Maharajji will deliver a message to all his disciples. The ceremony will end with the blessings which the holy Master will shower on all, present or absent.
It is highly recommended that we inwardly connect ourselves to this ceremony and to Maharajji on that special day.

Why is there Such a Festival?
From a historical and traditional point of view, this festival is celebrated in memory of the great Instructor and Master, Vyasa who, it is said, wrote the Vedas and certain other important books of the Hindu Scriptures. Vyasa, also called Veda-Vyasa, has thus become the Guru of Hinduism. Later on, this festival was held to honour all the Gurus who, from age to age continue to spread divine light for the benefit of all beings.
The word “Guru” (Master ), is formed from two syllables of which the first “Gu” means “darkness”, “ignorance”, and the second “Ru” meaning “light”. The word “Guru” therefore means the one who dispels darkness and brings light.

Destructive Doubt
One often hears this question: Why is it that in India there are many saints and through all the ages, without exception, contrary to other parts of the world? In fact, one of the main explanations is to be found in this special relationship which Indians have with their Master, their Guru. Indeed, for Indians who are just as monotheistic as those who claim to be so in other parts of the world, God, who is inaccessible in His transcendance (Parabrahman is the Absolute, the transcendent One), manifests Himself fully through those who have attained spiritual realization, so as to be accessible to men. Consequently, for a Hindu, the Master, the Guru represents the living incarnation of the Divinity.

This attitude creates in the student a true link of confidence and firm faith in his Instructor. The effect of this is that the disciple more easily has access to the soul of the Master, for there is a spiritual law according to which, if a believer or a disciple doubts his Master or any Divinity, he can never create a spiritual relationship with him. Why is that so? It has been explained that doubt raises an impassable barrier between the disciple and the Master (or the Divinity). From the time a barrier is created, the light from the Master cannot reach the one who doubts, and so he remains in darkness. There is a good reason why Scriptures in all religions have always recommended that the believer have faith. It was not at all because there was the desire to have submissive people, who never thought about what they were told, but on the contrary is was so that people would not raise a barrier between them and the Divinity. One who doubts can follow all the yogas and disciplines he likes, but this will be to no avail for each spiritual discipline is not only a set of techniques, but also a psychic and spiritual link which connects the Master and the disciple.

Consequently, when, through faith, confidence and sadhana, the disciple gains access to the Master’s soul, the latter can transfer directly to him his own light and knowledge on the subtle planes.

Masters Act According to the Law of Harmony
Does one find elsewhere than in India disciples with the same attitude of confidence and faith in their Master? In these regions other than in India, does the society acknowledge the existence of Masters? Do they not try systematically to discredit anyone who calls himself a spiritual teacher? Isn’t he often suspected of being an imposter or a person trying to live at the expense of others? Unfortunately, the few cases of fraud are seen as being the rule and today in certain countries, the word “spirituality” itself is looked upon with suspicion. It is therefore not surprising that those regions of the world do not produce as many Masters, and the very few ones who incarnate there are obliged to work anonymously.

Masters act according to the law of harmony. A Master manifests himself in a place where the spiritual atmosphere is conducive to his physical existence from the vibratory point of view on one hand, but also that of his spiritual work on the other. He cannot carry out his work where no open hearts aspire to infinity. No doctor would want to operate a sick person in a place full of germs. Thoughts of suspicion, doubt and mistrust towards a Master are like germs and cannot attract him for they are very inharmonious. And do not count on him to waste his time justifying who he is. He will only shake the dust off his feet and go far away from there.

The Bridge of Confidence and Faith
If, on the other hand there is faith, if there is confidence, and if, added to this there is a sincere effort to seriously follow one’s sadhana, then one has started off on the highway to spiritual enlightenment. Faith alone is not enough, but without it, nothing can be done.
All those who have read the Gospels remember that Lord Jesus Christ insisted on one having firm faith. We remember the example of how Peter, who was walking quite well on the water as his Master had told him to, started to sink as soon as he became afraid (Matthew 14:25-33). We also remember the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who, with faith, asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus did so saying “Go your way, your faith has made you well” and he immediately recovered his sight. (Mark 10:46-53)

The Bhagavad Gita, in chapter 4, verses 39 and 40 stresses :
"The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued all the senses, obtains (this) knowledge; and, having obtained the knowledge, he goes at once to the supreme peace.
The ignorant, the faithless, the doubting self proceeds to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other nor happiness for the doubting."

Hindus who have understood these spiritual laws for millenniums know, and rightly so, the place of the Master on the Earth, and they are right to consider that God is the Guru and that the Guru is God. This can seem shocking to certain people, but in the long run, which other country has seen as many saints as India? Hasn’t this country’s practice proved to be effective? Time alone decides what the value of each thing in the world is...

A Summary of the Present Task

As we have seen, according to Maharajji and the Masters of the Sacha lineage, a great cycle is starting off at the present moment, and will progressively bring light to the world. From now on, each person must turn his consciousness towards God in order to be in harmony with the powerful vibrations and energies of this cycle. Turning towards God does not at all mean retiring to monastic and religious orders as formerly. Turning towards God today means making God the centre of one’s life by devoting to Him even a minimum of one hour a day in prayer, meditation or any other valid spiritual practice. But along with this spiritual practice, one must have a loving heart, be tolerant, open to others, concerned about the Common Good. At the same time, one must live a normal family life, carry out one’s professional activities, thus serving society to the best of one’s ability.

A Great Adventure
It is not simple to follow such a discipline, especially in the beginning, for each of us has already acquired so many habits in life that it is difficult to change them. However, whoever wants to achieve such results always does everything in his power to succeed. Each person, when he is motivated enough, always manages to move mountains. Why wouldn’t he succeed in the greatest adventure in his life called the “quest for the Divinity within”? This is the first reason for his coming into the world, it must never be forgotten. Maharajji does not invite anyone to adopt a particular religion. He rather teaches a technique of yoga, an inner attitude based on the heart to find the God within each of us, who is the reflection of the universal God. Maharajji always stresses the importance of the heart, which could be summarized thus : live with your heart, see others with your heart, do everything with your heart, for the heart is the centre of love in man and love is God.

Be Courageous
Much courage is needed to take this step. But is there anything in this world which is of great worth and for which courage and hard personal work are not necessary? Many people remember Lord Jesus Christ’s parable of the hidden treasure in the Gospels when speaking about the Kingdom of God, a symbolical name for the state acquired by those who have attained spiritual realization.

“The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
This is exactly, almost word for word what Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita. (6:22 – 23)
“After Self-Realization, one does not regard any other gain superior to it. Established in this state, one is not moved even by the greatest calamity.”
“The (state of) severance of union with sorrow is known by the name of yoga. This yoga should be practised with firm determination and perseverance, without any mental reservation or doubts."

What Prometheus Accomplished
Naturally, a wise person does not take this path to the Kingdom of God to enjoy eternal beatitude, for that would be selfish behaviour, although not of a low type. Each human being is potentially a Prometheus, the Greek Titan who stole divine fire to give men, although it was a great sacrifice for him. Consequently, a kind-hearted person with a sense of duty takes the path of realizing the Divinity especially because it is necessary to help suffering humanity, show men in a practical manner and step by step the way to peace and endless freedom without hindrance. That is why all true Masters sacrifice themselves. They remain among men to serve them although they do not have anything to learn here. Joy, happiness and divine blessings are only flowers found on the way, but they are not the goal. So with steadfast determination, let us take the path leading to the conquest of our eternity and immortality. In doing so, we will become an agent of the Divinity for the good of all beings who are, in fact ourselves, in spite of how things may appear because of maya (illusion).

A World-wide Chain of Pilgrims
It is marvellous that from now on, this quest for the Divinity within is an adventure which is both collective and individual, in that the entire humanity is involved in it, even though today everybody is not aware of it. But progressively, as the years go by, circumstances will be created and each person will become consciously involved. We will be even stronger if we hold one another’s hands to go up the path together, and lean on one another !

May Maharajji’s peace shine in our hearts and in all our being !

Meditation

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10)

Meditation is a very ancient technique that gives man access to the treasures of God which are in his heart. Its purpose is to create a channel of communication between the physical body and the soul, then with the Atma. There are several techniques for meditation, but we will not list them here.

Besides creating a channel between the upper and lower parts of our being, meditation calms the mind, refines the emotions and purifies the physical body, so that the outer man progressively becomes receptive to the influence of the soul. This results in the development of intuition which manifests itself more and more frequently. More and more often the disciple experiences a certain inner peace which he had never felt before, and which becomes stronger as he practices meditation. He then becomes more tolerant and loving.

It is Said That Patience is a Virtue!

With time, if the disciple meditates regularly, one day the outer man and the soul merge and become one, resulting in the soul’s perfectly ruling the outer man. It must be known that it is necessary to live many lives before these results are manifested, for in nature everything develops slowly. That is why one has to be very patient. Concerning this point, the Masters advise us to always practice meditation without seeking any results, for it is sure that once we have followed the programme given, this will ineluctably bear fruit in due time, when God sees that the disciple is ready... Maharajji usually says that it is little by little that the disciple becomes transformed. In fact, when the disciple meditates, inner transformation takes place in his subtle bodies and in what is called chakras. (We have already indicated in a preceding article how much it is dangerous to try to artificially develop one’s chakras through “miraculous” experiences found in books or on the advice of people who do not know what they are doing”.)

The Master sees these transformations with his divine eyes before they manifest outer effects. However, the disciple himself notices nothing in the beginning; he therefore concludes that nothing is happening and often becomes discouraged. This is a common mistake. Practising sadhana is like a farmer sowing seeds in the soil. When he has finished this simple work, nothing seems to happen in the first few days. But the farmer knows from experience what will take place, and so does not become impatient. He does what is necessary, i.e. weed the ground and prevent the seeds from being eaten by birds and small animals. He then waits as long as necessary, and in general after a few days, a small, frail plant comes up out of the soil, on its way irresistibly up towards the heights! The farmer was not worried before the germination, because he knows that seeds go through different phases of transformation in the soil, and that this entire cycle must be completed before the shoot appears above the ground.

Cumulations of the Past

Of course, we see that certain disciples get results quickly, and seem to progress extremely rapidly. This is not due to a miracle or to God showing favouritism, for God is never unfair, and basically miracles do not exist. What seems to us to be rapid progress is due to the fact that these disciples had already attained or got close to those levels in their past lives and so in this life, they simply get back up to that level first of all, before going beyond it, if they pursue their sadhana. Indeed, in each life, one must first of all get back up to the level one had in one’s last life before progressing when one becomes an adult. In fact, the different bodies of a child cannot bear the high vibrations of the soul and consequently, the spiritual level reached in the last life is toned down.

Nothing is Better than a Sure Guide

It can be added that the best thing is to practice meditation under the guidance of one's Master. Certain people will reply that they do not need a Master because they find meditation techniques in books and that all they need to do is just use them, and then all is fine! We will ask these people if they want to visit or cross a forest in an unknown country if it is better to just trust the descriptions given by friends, follow information given in a guide book, or rather go with a person from that region who knows the forest well? Everyone will agree that is is better to choose a guide from the region rather than descriptions from friends or books, however detailed they may be!

And why have we drawn a parallel between meditation and visiting or crossing a forest? Simply because when one meditates, one’s consciousness goes on high planes which are not the physical plane one is used to. So one needs to be guided by a person who is used to being there and who knows them as we know the physical plane. Furthermore, there are certain ways of meditating which can be prejudicial to the disciple. If he has a Master, the latter will step in on the subtle planes to correct these errors.

In Good Hands

Maharajji intervenes in that way from time to time to help his disciples when it is necessary to set right certain situations, whether the disciples be in Rishikesh or at the other end of the world, for his divine eye constantly watches over his disciples. This help can be given through intuition, dreams or direct spiritual perception. If the disciple has spiritual faculties which are developed enough, he can then clearly hear the voice of the Master recommending that he do this or that or correct some wrong way of doing things. But that is not all. The Master is also the one who, when he judges that the disciple has made sufficient progress, gives him additional spiritual energy to raise his consciousness up to a level which the latter alone would never have been able to reach.

The Flowers of Ardent Aspiration

Naturally, for different reasons, certain seekers will not be able to leave their country to go and find a Master living in India or elsewhere. In that case, through spiritual aspiration, prayer and devotion towards the Master one has chosen, one places oneself under his spiritual guidance. The Master is an essentially spiritual being and he knows who, in the entire world, aspires to be guided by him. So if the seeker is worthy, the Master will guide and protect him even if they have never met each other in this life. We have reported such a case in this blog with the story of the Dutch nun in the section “His Disciples’ Stories”. This nun had never physically met Maharajji, but he guided her whenever necessary. Many sincere seekers have successfully experienced this solution. On the other hand, if it is possible to go and see the Master, nothing is better than to go and spend some time with him, for he can better help a student who is available for a short time, free from the daily cares of the world.

Indeed, here we are speaking about energies, and these energies can only be given by the Master when conditions are right, otherwise the opposite results may happen. Seriously ill people are only operated on by doctors when the requirements for hygiene and whatever is necessary for the operation are met, so as not to put the patient’s life in danger. Masters act in the same way. They cannot grant too great a quantity of energy to a person who is deeply immersed in the world, drinks alcohol regularly (one could give other examples of ways of living which are dangerous when one wants to attain high planes of consciousness), whose mind is not calm or who does not sufficiently master his emotions. When one is near a Master, one usually makes an effort to be pure enough and this makes the transmission of energies easier.

Do not do one thing and its opposite

One last thing before finishing this article. Formerly, people who wanted to practice meditation and a sadhana, generally retired to monasteries, caves or isolated places to escape from the turmoil of life and solicitations of all kinds. This is no longer what is suitable today. Maharajji says that we should practice spirituality wherever we are, and at the same time carry out our duties to society. Each cycle has its requirements. However, this advice does not mean that someone who wants to progress spiritually can give in to whatever goes on in this modern world. One must be, as the saying goes, “in the world but not of it”. Indeed, certain habits are not conducive to progress, in particular indulging in a lot of alcohol, too much meat, too much sensual practices, being too materialistic. Here, it is not a case of morality for, generally speaking, morality is only a deformed image of a natural law which has not been perceived clearly. If we say that these above practices are contrary to progress, that is because they weigh down the subtle bodies instead of refining them. Therefore to indulge in them while following one’s sadhana is like wanting to go somewhere and then taking one step forward and two backwards. What will the result be?

Having said that, all those who up to now have been living like that are not less worthy to start a sadhana than others. Who can throw a stone at his brother, don’t we all go through that stage? What is important is to progressively break with the habits of the past. In the end, Mary Magdalene whose life had not been a model of virtue before the meeting with Jesus, turned out to be more virtuous than certain disciples who had been with the Christ in Palestine from the very beginning ... It is the devotion which one shows to the Path, the Master and to God which counts and not what one is today. When one has a lot of devotion, weaknesses are easily overcome!

May Maharajji’s peace be with all!

Spiritual Realization From a Technical Point of View

The Aim of Life
In a preceding article, we said that man was on the Earth for a specific purpose, i.e. to attain divine realization, also known by several other names such as Self-realization, spiritual enlightenment, cosmic enlightenment, liberation, the Mastery of Life . In fact, all these names designate this state where man realizes, no longer intellectually but permanently, in his every day life, in his whole being, that he is one with the Divinity and with the whole creation. Not only is he, from then on, aware of his immortality, but Wisdom and the Love of God have also become a part of him to the point that he no longer lives for himself as he had been doing for ages, but lives to serve God and for the good of all beings. While the ordinary man’s love for others is always motivated by more or less selfish factors, a realized person, on the other hand, loves each being without any condition, even those who hate him, for his nature has simply become love and no ounce of wrong-doing or indifference is to be found in him.

The Sadguru
He is no longer attracted to worldly things. Never again will he pursue any personal or selfish goals. One who has attained this state is called a Master (he is also given other names) for from then on, he perfectly masters his mental, emotional and physical nature, as well as the laws of nature and spiritual laws. Only the person who has reached this summit is called Sadguru, the true Master, the true Guru, the true Instructor, for having trodden the entire path which leads from dark valleys of ignorance to the summit of the mountain of enlightenment, he is perfectly capable and has all the necessary experience to guide his brothers and sisters who accept to be trained in order to reach this same sublime goal.

A God Who is Unaware of his True Nature
When one reads the Scriptures of different religions of the world, one is struck by the recurrence of the number seven. This is because God always expresses Himself in the manifested world through a combination of seven energies in order to realize His goals. And this is what the Greeks, for example, mentioned in their mythology, an echo of the primordial and eternal wisdom, in giving a lyre with seven strings which sing the mysteries of nature. Therefore it will not be surprising to learn that man also is a being made up of seven bodies which correspond to states of consciousness of the same number, of which the most gross is that of the physical body, and the most subtle is that of the Atma (Spirit), a pure ray of God in man. It is this Atma which makes man a true son of God or a god as the Lord Jesus Christ said in Palestine,
“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, 'I said, Ye are gods' ?” (Bible, John 10:34)
Lord Krishna had taught the same thing three thousand years before, to his beloved disciple Arjuna,
“He who sees that the imperishable Supreme Lord is equally dwelling in all the perishable beings, truly sees.” (Bhagavad Gita 13:28)

The Blocked Path
However, this divinity in man must be realized, activated - so to speak, for it remains latent as long as he has not attained Self-realization. Indeed, the average man does not at all live according to the consciousness of the Atma, the divine Spirit, since he basically expresses himself through what is called the triple lower personality made up of the physical, emotional and concrete mind bodies (indeed there exists an abstract mind to which the average man does not have access.)

Such a man does not even have access to his soul, which is not as high as the Atma, for it is found half-way between the top and the bottom, in the abstract mind, at the place where the parts consisting of the lower man and the spiritual man meet, and where intuition starts to manifest.

And why is he not aware of the soul and the Atma which, however, are are in his being? Quite simply because in order for the physical man to have access to these states of consciousness, he must clear away, rebuild and embellish the path which nature had initially built for him at the time of his involution (descent from the divine plane to the gross physical plane). With time, this initial and natural path became overrun and obstructed by weeds, the forest of errors and landslides caused by physical, emotional and mental growth which was a necessary stage to gain experience on the Earth and consciously acquire wisdom and love. It can therefore be clearly seen that ordinary man had the divinity within him, but cannot manifest it because he has lost the way.

Very Rare Moments of Grace
One can express the same idea by saying that concerning ordinary man, there is no direct, permanent communication between the soul and the physical brain because of the barrier made up of his thoughts, emotions and physical body which is not adapted. The result is that this man depends only on his brain, emotions and the needs of his dense physical body. Even more so, he can receive nothing from his Atma, which is higher. The fact that he is disconnected in this way from divine wisdom causes him to make many mistakes in his life. This situation is similar to the one where a very small child who is left alone on the ground floor while his parents (the soul and the Atma) live on the upper floors. Not being guided wisely, he will do many wrong things. One can notice that from time to time when man is in a state of great distress or when he is in great need of a solution for some serious problem, momentarily, he will completely surrender. The barrier made up of the lower self is then broken down, the veil is torn for a short moment thus allowing the soul, which always watches over him, to guide and protect, to give him advice through dreams or a remarkable flash of intuition.

But let us come back to the topic. Spiritual realization or enlightenment is obtained when the Atma rules over one’s whole being, from top to bottom, and when man in his physical body lives according to the Will, Love and Wisdom of God which emanate from his Atma, for there is direct communication, from the lower bodies to the higher ones, without obstruction between the Atma and the physical brain. That is spiritual realization from a technical point of view.

Building the golden path
Consequently, one sees from what has been said previously, that consciously progressing on the spiritual path (for there is an unconscious initial stage which precedes these two end stages made up of numerous lives during which earthly experiences and karma constitutes one’s path of progress) takes place in two great stages. First of all, contact must be established between physical man and his soul, and then using the soul, he must build a golden bridge to the Atma. For this, there are several disciplines which the Masters teach us in order to rebuild the path between physical man and his spiritual counterpart. Among them, there is, for example, meditation and japa (repitition of a mantra) which, combined with philosophic understanding and a certain healthy lifestyle, allows us to reach the goal one day if we are steadfast and regular in our effort. Each true Master knows what best suits his disciples.

Can Everyone Practise Spirituality?

The Soul Must be Nourished

We have said that Maharajji is now working hard and without interruption to turn the hearts of men to God. The question which one could ask is whether all men on the Earth are able to practise spirituality today. One could first of all answer that he who has a soul (and everyone does) must nourish this soul in the same way that he who has a body must nourish it. And the soul is nourished by spiritual practice. One could also say that apart from some rare exceptions, today humanity on the whole is advanced enough for all its units to turn to such a practice. Things are more logical than they seem at first glance, as we will briefly explain.

The Great Journey
According to Eastern teachings and also that of certain Western mystical brotherhoods, men have not come to the Earth by chance. There is a divine Plan which governs his stay here which is a very long journey, the aim of which is to acquire more divine wisdom. Consequently, when the time for what we usually call “creation” comes, (which is, in fact, only the awakening to a new activity of God’s life in the manifested universe after a period of rest, these cycles of activity-rest being repeated endless), successive waves of life descend from the divine plane to come down to the Earth so as to start their period of learning and return to God’s bosom once they have acquired wisdom. This whole process of coming down and going back up to the Divinity could rightly be called the Great Journey and it has been going on for millions of years... And humanity on the whole is beginning to start its upward journey. Naturally, certain human units started off before others, for certain reasons which we will not mention here so as not to make our article too complex. These units in advance are those who are Masters, including those of the Sacha lineage.

The two Guides
This period of learning during the Great Journey takes place under the aegis of two great divine laws, that of Cause and Effect or karma and that of successive rebirths. These two laws lead to a third which is the law of Love-Wisdom, love and wisdom being the two sides of the same coin.

The Law of Justice
The law of Cause and Effect is a law according to which each cause produces a similar effect or consequence. It is also rightly called the law of Compensation. For example, if someone does something good for someone else, sooner or later he will benefit from an act of similar kindness from another person when he most needs it, this other person only being the intermediary used by the law of Cause and Effect. On the other hand, if he acts wrongly, thus causing his brother to suffer, sooner or later someone else will act towards him in a similar way, and so he will suffer in the same way, at the most suitable time, in order to learn the lessons which he most needs to learn. This law is called the law of karma in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. It is a law of justice which, in both the spiritual and material domains, gives each one exactly what he deserves. In short, and as it is often said, each person reaps exactly what he has sown. The aim of this law is not to punish, but to guide people unfailingly through time (and thus during different lives), towards wisdom and love by making people understand the right lessons to be learnt from their behaviour, whether in the domain of thought, word or deed.

Moreover, as long as an individual creates karma, whether it be the type which brings satisfaction (this is usually called “good” karma) or suffering (“bad” karma), he cannot attain perfection and has to come back again and again to reap the fruit of this karma. Only a selfless action does not create either good or bad karma. This is stressed in the Bhagavad Gita 3:19,
“Therefore, always perform your duty efficiently and without attachment to the results, because by doing work without attachment one attains the Supreme..”

The Law of Time
The law of successive births or the law of Reincarnation is the one according to which as long as an individual has not attained divine wisdom, he must come back to the Earth as often as necessary to continue his training. Consequently man lives several successive lives which bring him closer and closer to divine perfection. Finally, all this seems logical for in the material world, as long as a young person in a school has not yet passed the diploma which he needs to get a job, he comes back year after year to study in a school or university. A person who would require that man reach perfection in only one life to go and sit with God and His angels would not at all be wise...

An Essential Knowledge
If one wanted to make an analogy between the Great Journey and school, one would say that spiritual perfection is to the Great Journey as the final diploma is to the school, the law of karma representing the mark scheme (the karma gained by a person represents his marks) while the successive lives play the role of the different school years.

Put together, these two laws explain in most cases, the differences in material wealth and the level of spiritual evolution between men. However, there are exceptions concerning material things, since, for example, the wealth which a robber gets by looting is not at all provided by karma, but by the temporary violation of this law. Later on, this law will catch up with the robber and will demand that he completely pay for his acts, for no one can escape from its justice.

When one does not know about these two important laws, it sometimes happens that one thinks that finally, either God does not exist in the way religions present Him, or that if He existed, he would be unjust because there is too much misery and suffering in the world and He does nothing about it, when He is said to be a God of love. This partial understanding has puzzled so many people, and even leads to atheism.

How To be Useful?

The Solid Foundations
We have just given the story of the Sacha lineage according to tradition. The illustrious Masters who showed the way, Kacha Baba, Sacha Baba Girnari, and Sacha Baba Kulanandji have laid the solid foundations on which the Temple of a new era can be built. Their work, on the inner planes, certainly reached the whole world, but the people in countries other than India did not at all know about such an undertaking and so they could not consciously cooperate. Today, under Maharajji’s guidance and according to Sacha Baba Kulanandji’s predictions, this work will be be known all over the world.

Which Direction Will Humanity Take?
As we have said in a preceding article, disciples came from the five continents from the 1980s to be guided by Maharajji, although there had never ever been any publicity about him or any book written. Today, the work of his disciples and of all men of goodwill, while carrying out their spiritual training, is to help Maharajji by informing everyone that this important cycle of the transformation of consciousness and hearts has started. Indeed, it is important for men to know for it is up to us, both individually and collectively, to decide whether we want to enter a civilization governed by light, wisdom, love and brotherhood. On the contrary, we can decide to continue in the present direction, which is leading us little by little to the precipice because of our ignorance and its consequences which are selfishness, injustice and all kinds of violence, be they physical or moral.

Creating a Worldwide Good Climate
By informing a large number of people in the world and creating in this way the desire of men and women of goodwill to follow a sadhana which they themselves have freely chosen, a good atmosphere will be created which will greatly contribute to the success of this undertaking and consequently to the plans of the Great Beings. This is so because it is well known that when several people get together with the same spiritual intention, this meeting in itself automatically brings down divine assistance. We remember that for the sadhana Maharajji recommends that each person should start off by doing an hour a day whether in prayer, meditation or the reciting of a mantra. Later on he can spend more time on it, depending on his inner needs.

Each person, wherever he is, must try to understand that it is his duty out of love for himself and for all beings to turn to his soul so as to use its wisdom, love and spiritual power for the benefit of all.

Peace, as Elusive as the Wind
Maharajji once said,
“If your perspective changes, every action becomes worship. You see God in everything and everyone and at the same time your lower nature is transformed in a positive way.”
We all have an urgent need to change the perspective from which we have considered life up until now. Some of us have been satisfied to just live a life where one tries to find happiness according to the way society defines it. Other believe that getting as much material riches as possible will bring them happiness and peace. Yet others have looked for this happiness and peace through fame, intellectual erudition or by other means. And we all discover bitterly, that unfortunately this is not the case, for if one day our situation satisfies us, the following day this satisfaction disappears. Happiness and peace of heart seem to slip away indefinitely, playing hide and seek with us. Each of these directions seems to lead to a dead-end. And finally, all of them are only some of the many ways in which the mind, not receiving any light from the heart, plays tricks on men, dangling things in front of them which, in fact, are only mirages...

The Hidden Treasure
We must admit that only our souls possess the key to our happiness. As for material things, we must put them in their rightful place, for the Sacha lineage is neither for asceticism, which is destructive and arid nor for unbridled materialism, which is a source of attachment and suffering. Intellectual knowledge had greatly contributed to our scientific and cultural progress, and so is praiseworthy. However this intellectual knowledge by itself cannot be an end in itself, otherwise it will lead us away from our inner divinity. Is it not said that the uncontrolled mind is the slayer of the Real? In our quest for the only true treasures in life i.e. wisdom, happiness and peace, we have forgotten one basic thing, which is that a part of us is human and is made up of our personality, while the other part is divine and is our soul, our atma. To neglect one of these parts to the detriment of the other can only lead to an unbalanced state. Aren’t two legs needed to walk?

The Perfect Way
It is therefore obvious that one must follow the middle way in everything if one want to act wisely and make sure progress. And it is the way of the heart that Maharajji recommends, the heart being the centre of gravity in man, where he meets himself in his essential aspect and where he finds inner peace which is rightly called “the peace of heart”. There, he also meets his human brothers and his God in love and no longer in confrontation, and then, as the Bible says, his joy is perfect, the perfect joy which Indians call ananda, i.e. bliss and which is said to be a part of the very essence of man. One should therefore be able to find it if one knows how to search in the right place.

Speaking about the Sacha lineage, Maharajji one day said,
“The sun has risen over India so that the entire humanity will find happiness. For this, you and I need to be idealistic. That is the Will of God, that is my promise and my work.”
If, on the wings of noble ideals we contribute to bringing light and peace to all men, in spite of the many obstacles on the path, we will be sure to succeed, without the slightest shadow of a doubt, for our hearts will work in unison with That of God’s!

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 8, end)

Go to Part 1

The mahasamadhi of Sacha Baba Kulanandji
According to a popular saying, all good things must come to an end. Perhaps in this way God wants to incite us to keep on going forward rather that getting attached to a particular situation, however marvellous it may be, as long as we have not yet returned to our Heavenly father’s house. So one September day in 1983, disaster struck his disciples and all those who love true spirituality when just after the Janmasthami festival which celebrates the great avatar Shri Krishna’s anniversary, and which was also Sacha Baba’s, the great saint left our world definitively after a short illness which had not at all seemed serious. Everyone was at first stupefied, then became despondent. Maharajji and the other disciples organized the funeral rites in homage of the incarnation of God who had so brilliantly illuminated our horizons.

He had taken care of the future
He left behind him excellent disciples, certain of whom created ashrams to carry on the teachings and ideals of love, light and universal fbrotherhood of their Master. The torch of the Sacha Mission was taken up by Maharajji so as to continue this work of awakening hearts and consciousness. We have already spoken about his work, and that of those who help him in this formidable task: this is to be found in the very first article of the site and is entitled “Shri Hans Raj Maharajji” which you can find in the topic “Introducing Maharajji”. (End)

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 7)

Sacha Baba Kulanandaji and his disciples
One of the first things he insisted on was that his disciples should remain in society while carrying out their sadhana. Concerning this he said, “It is the destiny of each individual to work”. He thought it was not honest in a hard-working country like India, to definitively go away to a forest or a cave under the pretext that one was trying to find God. According to him “each of man’s actions should be united to God” and so even in the middle of daily action, in one’s work, one’s family, one progresses spiritually, for then everything is done for God and not out of personal interests. It may be stressed here that the divine Master did not exclude short spiritual retreats form time to time, but he did not want seekers to indefinitely cut themselves off from the world. Quoting the Bhagavad Gita, he often said “Perfection in action is yoga” thus stressing spiritual perfection which is reached through right and entirely selfless action, always dedicated to God. This is the very basis of Karma Yoga. However, his teachings went beyond this particular path, for he was also a being of profound devotion and perfect love for all beings. In fact, like all accomplished Masters, he was at the junction of all paths which he had united within himself through his high spiritual state.

Spiritual faculties belong to God
He also warned the disciple against catering to his ego, in particular when some of his spiritual faculties start working. He reminded him that these faculties belong to God and not to the disciple who only benefits from them. If he thinks that they are his and that he has become an important person, then not only will he lose everything but he will also put an end to his spiritual growth. His fall will be that of one who is unable to resist the temptation of pride.

An alchemist of souls
Sacha Baba Kulananandji had an extraordinary effect on each disciple because he was the living incarnation of God. In a preceding article, we have already spoken about the case of Shri Hans Raj Maharajji who came to him as a simple patient to be healed of a devastating illness which had been sapping his strength for a long time, and who became enlightened on the very next day after coming to the Master. There is also this teacher who was looking for a spiritual Master and who hurried to meet Sacha Baba when he was told about him. When the Master saw him coming, he said, “Close your eyes” and the teacher obeyed. A bright light then appeared to him, lasting for about fifteen minutes. When he opened his eyes at last, important changes had taken place in his consciousness, and he became an ardent disciple of the Master. Sacha Baba was a true divine alchemist who possessed the key to the soul of each living being who came to him. He turned it when he judged the time was right, for he could read each person like an open book.

God's Great Plan
Going beyond his disciples, he saw the great Plan of God which includes the entire humanity and has always brought men towards more perfection in all domains down the ages. He had especially come down from the high planes to participate in a powerful way in the accomplishment of this great Plan. (Continued in Part 8)

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 6)

In the abode of Yogis
Six months later, his Master appeared to Kulanandji in a vision and recommended that he go and complete his spiritual training in the Himalayas. He obeyed and settled in a cave in Deoprayag on the road to Badrinath, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in India.
In those mountains, known to be the country of eminent saints, Kulanandji followed very strict spiritual practice, and in less than three years, reached a very high degree of perfection. One must add to this the fact that he incorporated all the powers of his Master and so became the incarnation of Sacha Baba. That was why Swami Kulanandji was later known as “Sacha Baba”, and has been called by that name ever since. However, in order to distinguish him from his Master Sacha Baba Girnari, we will call him Sacha Baba Kulanandji in all our articles.

Sacha Baba Kulanandji leaves the Himalayas
In 1947, Sacha Baba Kulanandji was divinely instructed to carry on the spiritual transformation of the world that his Master had started. He therefore came down from the Himalayas and travelled all over India for seven years to see and understand how people actually lived. He saw how they suffered from so many hardships. He was so touched that as soon as he arrived at Jagannath temple in Puri, which was the end of his journey, from his soul spontaneously sprang a song which he sang:

Prabhu Aap Jago, Paramatma Jago,
Mere Sarva Jago, Saravatra Jago,
Dukhaantak Khel Kaa Ant Karo.
Sukantak khel prakash karo.

Wake up Blessed One ! Beloved One wake up
Wake up my very own, wake up my all,
Wake up in the whole world, Wake up in every heart,
End this era of pain and sorrow,
Light up the era of joy and bliss.

It was Sacha Baba’s soul invoking God. Then he went to the seaside nearby. There he saw a scene of unbelievable beauty, for Lord Vishnu was there in all His glory, in radiant light which covered the whole world.

The marvellous work promised
In 1953, Sacha Baba Kulanandji founded an ashram in Allahabad called Sacha ashram, near Triveni Sangham, a confluence of three of the most sacred rivers in India: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Indeed, in a vision, his Master had told him to found an ashram in Allahabad and have the mantra Prabhu Aap Jago chanted there, for, as his Master explained, this song which he had chanted for the first time at the Jagnnath temple in Puri was in fact a very powerful mantra which was to be used for the spiritual awakening of the entire humanity. After the foundation of the ashram, when everything was ready in 1960, the mantra was indeed sung for twelve years straight. This cycle ended in 1972 and was marked by a great religious festival during which one of the most sacred and powerful fire ceremonies, the lakschandi Mahayagna was organized. The aim of this ceremony was to awaken humanity and contribute to bringing peace and harmony in the world during that period of cold war and very dangerous international tension.

An instrument for all
However, the Prabhu Aap Jago mantra is still sung daily in all the ashrams of the Sacha lineage during religious ceremonies and by disciples in their daily sadhana, for it is an excellent means of contributing to the awakening of humanity. All people of goodwill everywhere in the world can use it to participate in this magnificent undertaking. In this way, one can work towards the awakening of all beings as well as one’s own at the same time.

Some aspects of Sacha Baba Kulanandji’s work
The work that Sacha Baba Kulanandji carried out during his whole life was gigantic, and it went from the training of excellent disciples to the raising of the consciousness of humanity through work on the spiritual planes. It is not known either by the general public how much he did to eradicate famine in India. There is an instructive story about this, and we may tell it later on, but for the moment let us get back to his work as a whole. In a way, he also reduced the distance between man and God by special work on the inner planes.
In fact, not only had Sacha Baba been a great avatar in a past life, but was also one in this life, and time will bear witness to the immense work he accomplished. (Continued in Part 7)

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 5)

The promising young man
In 1936, a young man named Kulanandji who had just finished school, came to ask him to help him find a job. He came with his uncle Shrikant, a disciple who had been with Sacha Baba Girnari for a long time. To the young man’s request, the Master replied that if he stayed with him he would have a marvellous job. He therefore stayed and soon became an excellent disciple. It is said that his spiritual progress was rapid. He was so loving and helpful to everyone that he was highly appreciated by Sacha Baba Girnari and his fellow disciples. When his parents asked him to go back home to get married and live a non-religious life, he answered that he had decided to become a brahmachari [1] and that his whole life would be dedicated to God and all men. He had to face many trials, but he overcame all of them.

Very curious disciples
Something surprising happened the same day Kulanandji went to meet Sacha Baba Girnari for the first time. The Master, seeing the young man coming towards him, got up and embraced him. This was unusual, for in general a Master never gets up to go and meet a visitor. Something happened later on one day, which could give some indication as why the Master had done so. While the Master was with his disciples that day, one after the other they asked him questions about what they had been in last life. The Master, from whom nothing is hidden, answered each one. But only one disciple had not asked anything, and that was Kulanandji. When the Master mentioned that to him, Kulanandji replied that this question had never crossed his mind. Then the Master let him know that he had been a great avatar [2] in his past life...

The mahasamadhi of Sacha Baba Girnari
Later on, he became the Master’s personal attendant. Consequently, he was with him all the time and accompanied him on his many trips around the country. It is said that his confidence in the Master and his devotion were unequalled. However, on 16th June 1944, while they were both in Varanasi (Benares), Girnari Baba left his body, for he considered that his role in the mission he had started on the Earth was finished, and he knew this mission would soon be in good hands.

I will be with you for ever!
This was a great loss for all his disciples, and especially for Kulanandji whose heart was broken by this event. But Kulanandji had seen all the miracles his Master had worked and was hoping so much he would come back to life that he did not want him to be buried right away. As he did not stop crying over the loss of his Master, the latter appeared to him and told him that he was always with him and that he was indeed the Atma of his beloved disciple. It was true that he had left his physical body, but he would continue to teach and guide him, and also watch over him. Kulanandji therefore found peace of mind once more. (Continued in Part 6)

[1] He had taken a vow of chastity for life.

[2] Descent of God among men, generally in the body of a great saint or a great initiate, and having special powers to accomplish a particular mission.

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 4)

The well-being of the people

Girnari Baba also cared a lot about poor people, and so he enjoined Maharajas and those who had any power at all to see to the well-being of the people they were in charge of. He was goodness itself. For example, during the Ardh-Khumba Mela in 1936 and the Maha-Khumbha Mela in 1942 in Allahabad which gathered millions of pilgrims as it usually did, there were crowds which came everyday to Girnari’s temporary camp. They came for the free meals, and among this large number of people, some asked for blankets, since the Khumba Mela is usually held in January or February when it is very cold in Allahabad. What is strange is that the divine Master managed to feed all those people and give out blankets to all those who asked for them, while no one knew where he got the money from to buy those things. The story is also told how he went to a a region in India which had been suffering from drought for a very long time, causing devastating famine. Girnari Baba spoke to the people there, gave specific advice and made it rain regularly so that this region became prosperous.

A great Siddha

Eminent saints in India acknowledged that he was a great Rishi and Siddha. That is perhaps one of the reasons why he was chosen to be president of the Fakiri Parliament, which was an assembly of Hindu and Muslim saints whose aim was to instil spiritual values into the society. He presided over the destiny of this prestigious assembly for about twenty-five years until he left this world. Having foreseen the Second World War which was about to start off, he tried to shorten the period it would last for, and lessen its effects on the whole world. (Continued in Part 5)

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 3)

Girnari Baba and the transformation of men

After Girnari Baba had received Kacha Baba’s powers, he continued his spiritual work all over India where he constantly travelled. Not only did he work for the spiritual upliftment of the people, but also for the improvement of living conditions in India and in the whole world. Many years before the Second World War, Girnari Baba told certain political leaders that a great spiritual transformation was about to begin and that it was necessary for men as well as nations to turn to God. He explained to them that life in our physical world was only the shadow of life in the spiritual world. Consequently, if men did not follow spiritual truth, there would be no harmony between these two worlds, and this would result in ignorance concerning divine wisdom with its consequences such as disorder, wars, illnesses, poverty and the whole range of suffering which unfortunately afflict man here below. Unfortunately, what he said was not taken seriously enough.

Invisible work

It must be stressed here that a Master does not need to travel physically from country to country to touch the entire humanity. He does this quite simply from the high spiritual planes on which humanity is one being. This is done through instant inner harmonisation with these planes, and consequently, it will never be a spectacular thing which disciples or the average man can see.

The Gayatri Mantra

It is said that Girnari Baba used the Gayatri Mantra a great deal for the training of his disciples. It dates from the times of the Veda and possesses great transforming powers. But one cannot reduce the spiritual food a true Master gives his disciples to just one instrument, important though it may be. Indeed, in a way the Master is like a mother who brings up her child; there is, of course, the basic food for the family, but depending on the child’s health or his period of growth, she also gives him many other types of specific food which play an important preventive and curative role in his health and growth.

Tilling the soil
Let us remember that most of what a Master does for his disciple is not known by the latter, for the Master always works for the welfare of his student on high planes. The only thing he notices from time to time, provided that he follows his sadhana correctly, is that added to the usual slow progress, there is some unexpected progress. Naturally, the student should not think that only his sadhana brings about this result. His sadhana does indeed help him to make progress, but it is not the most important factor for enlightenment.

However, if this sadhana had not existed, there would have been no progress at all, for its purpose is essentially to prepare the student by raising his consciousness to the minimum required, and by purifying his subtle bodies so as to receive safely , the powerful energy which his Master will pour upon him when the “soil” is ready. One could therefore say, like mathematicians, that a sadhana followed carefully is a necessary condition, but is not enough where the essential stages of spiritual progress are concerned. Maharajji has declared several times that in order to attain realization, the student must do his sadhana perfectly and at the same time have a deep inner connection with his Master. This sadhana and heart to heart connection with the Master is like, in a way, the work of farmers who till the soil before planting ... (Continued in Part 4.)

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 2)

Kacha Baba, a life dedicated to serving men

Kacha Baba was an extraordinary saint. Although he deplored the degenerate state of humanity, he had profound love for all beings. He had an ashram in Jalhupur and was surrounded by disciples. All his life, he worked ardently to raise the consciousness of the entire humanity. His work concerned both the material and spiritual well-being of men, for like all true saints, he knew that one had to live a balanced life by giving each thing the right importance. He was blind but people say that he moved around like everybody else, as if he did not have that disability. He had no need at all for for a guide or a walking stick to find his way.

He was given the name Kacha Baba because he ate only raw food. The story is told that one day he asked a man to bring him some food. This man went home and asked his wife to quickly prepare some delicious food for the great saint. After some time, as the food took a long time to come, Kacha Baba went to the man’s home and the man then understood, but a bit too late, that Kacha Baba only wanted uncooked food. He therefore gave him the food he wanted. A few moments later, the man’s wife discovered that her kitchen was filled with many delicious dishes which had appeared out of nowhere ! (Continued in Part 3)

History of the Sacha Lineage (Part 1)

The saint who was a few centuries old

From a historical point of view, the story of the Sacha lineage starts at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, there lived a great saint whose origin and name were unknown. He was so old that some people that he was 250 years old, while others thought he was more than 400 years old. He had no ashram, for he constantly travelled around India, and his disciples were to be found all over the country. However, he frequently went to stay on the Girnar mountain in Gujarat, and that is why he became known as “Sacha Baba Girnari”, i.e. “the Father of Truth from the Girnar Mountain,” or the “great saint from the Girnar mountain”. He was also more simply called “Grinari Baba”. It was said that he was the incarnation of Devarishi Narada. His spiritual stature and powers were so great that he drew huge crowds and inspired great devotion. His disciples came from all levels of the society, from the humblest to Maharajahs, from illiterate people to intellectuals, from the poorest to the richest. And all these men and women gathered at his feet wherever he stayed temporarily.

Why start afresh?

One day, while he was on the Girnar mountain, he wondered who the greatest saint in the world was. The answer to this question came as a vision where he saw that it was a saint who was living in Jalhupur near Benares. He immediately set off to find him. He did indeed find him. According to tradition, this meeting took place in 1906.However Girnari Baba was intrigued to see that the great saint was reciting a mantra for the purpose of dissolving the world. The destruction of the world! So Girnari Baba asked him why he, his illustrious host was doing that. Kacha Baba replied that humanity had completely degenerated, and was now only a shadow of itself, so deeply it had fallen into ignorance of divine wisdom while only spending its time enjoying worldly pleasures, which inevitably caused great suffering in the form of diverse illnesses and problems. So, out of compassion, to avoid man’s falling more deeply into such a negative and painful situation, he wanted to dissolve the world, after which a new one would appear, and in which true virtue and love would rule the life of each human being.

But Girnari Baba did not see things that way. He knew that Kacha Baba possessed immense powers which could progressively transform men and bring them to live according to virtue and love as Kacha Baba desired. He therefore told the latter,“If you transfer your power to me, then I will transform humanity little by little and bring men to God without it being necessary to destroy the world.”

Everything in life must be merited

Kacha Baba did not give an answer this request right away, but submitted Girnari Baba to a series of trials which lasted several years, to see if he had the necessary qualities to lead such a mission. When, after these long years, Kacha Baba saw that Girnari Baba had succeeded in all the tests, he told him that after few days, he Kacha Baba would die, and on that occasion he would transfer his powers to him. What he said did indeed happen, and his powers were transmitted to Girnari Baba. He was thus ready to carry out the gigantic task which he intended to do – that of bringing humanity to God.But who was Kacha Baba, to be given such vast powers which allowed one to destroy the world, or transform it? It is said that he was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu Himself. He won great fame at the time and is still well-known today. (Continued in Part 2)

Tea For One Hundred People (S., India)

In the beginning, when Maharajji used to visit my city Jagraon, he would give satsangs in different houses of devotees. One day, he said to my father,
“I will come to your house to give a satsang there”
“I have no space because my house is too small !” replied my father.
“I will only take up a little space”
“No, I have no space” replied my father, who did not agree to this .
“So I will come alone” said Maharajji.
“Under this condition it is Ok” concluded my father.

After few days, Maharajji came to our house and he sat in our guest room. Then he said to my father,
“Hey, look, you say that you have no space but I have taken up very little space”.
A little later, Maharajji added :
“I will go onto the roof of your house for a certain time”.
So he went onto the roof which was like a terrace.
Our neighbours saw him on the roof and came to our house to have his darshan. Shortly after that Maharjji started the satsang and about hundred people came to attend this satsang on the roof. Maharajji asked my mother to give chai to all these people especially as we were in winter. I must explain that in India, what we call chai is usually prepared with about two-thirds tea and one-third milk. This is the way Indians make tea. But the problem was that we had only around one litre of milk at home and normally, it was far insufficient to prepare chai for all these people. But she accepted to prepare this chai without telling Maharajji about the milk.

Surprisingly, she was able to prepare the chai for all the people with this little quantity of milk while keeping to the proportions of one third of milk to two thirds of tea for each of the participants. This feat was due to Maharajji’s grace.

Are There Still Saints in India ? Part 3 (End)

Part 1

Part 2

This defied all the laws of physics !

Now, when I went back to Delhi, I started doing this mantra japa. Then one day, after coming back from Dubai, I started doing small havans (a type of fire ceremony) in my room and I started doing this mantra more seriously. One day during the afternoon I felt tired. I lay down on the bed, and with a particular awareness, I could see a God and Goddess on the roof of our flat with a book in front of them. The pages of this book were being turned over by the wind which was blowing. The whole atmosphere was charged with divinity.

Another day, I saw that through some astral process I had again come into Mahatma Hans Rajji’s room. Before going in, through the roof I saw a boy lying on the floor sleeping; and then the boy told Mahatma Hans Rajji that some ghost had come into his room. But he replied,
“Oh no, there is no ghost here. It is only one of my devotees, but in his spiritual body.”
So he took out a little piece of prasad, a piece of burfi (a type of Indian sweet) and dropped it. I took it and came back.
While coming here to the ashram through this astral process, near the room, I saw Lord Shiva on the sandy beach, and then I saw Mahatma Hans Rajji in the form of Lord Shiva. So I was quite surprised and it developed my devotion to him.

So I continued my japa and various things started happening. I had a lot of visions of Lord Shiva and many other things. Then one day, the entire process culminated, during the night. It must have been about one thirty in the morning because all the lights were off and I was sleeping in my room. Suddenly, I felt something moving my eyelids, while I was asleep. I wondered who could be trying to disturb my sleep, who wanted to open my eyes? So I opened them to see who was moving my eyelids, and I saw a whitish-bluish light, and it was focused on a particular photograph of a saint called Swami Shivananda (great saint who lived in Rishikesh up to 1963) which was in my room.

I remember that suddenly the light took the form of a bearded saint. And out came the face of Mahatma Hans Rajji. I was so surprised. This defied all the laws of physics! Moreover, I had studied physics as a student, and so I wondered how it was possible that such a light could be focused in such a way without any tungsten wire or without a bulb, or without any particular medium. And suddenly out of Mahatma Hans Rajji’s two eyes flashed a small whitish-blue light which entered my eyes. When it entered me, I closed my eyes suddenly, and when I opened them again, I saw that the light which had been focused on Swami Shivananda’s photograph had gone. Suddenly I felt a command, “Go and sit in the next room.”

So I obeyed and got out of bed and went to the next room. I sat there in padma asana (sitting on the floor, cross-legged) Suddenly I lost total consciousness of the outer physical world and of my body; my mind had stopped. I had an experience which lasted for about two and a half hours because at about four thirty the birds started singing and my consciousness became externalized.

This is how the experience usually goes. When the Guru’s grace dawns, the mind stops and the breath is stilled. Sunyatha (absolute stillness) occurs and then the Self Being - the swyambhu (the Self-Existent) flashes forth in all its divinity as existence, conscious awareness and bliss, bringing forth everything in divine love. That was my experience which I wrote down when it happened. (End)