CHAPTER - 8
SHANTHI PREMADAYI – SECRETS OF SADHANA
Usually Yogis neither write their autobiographies nor disclose the secrets of their success in their spiritual practices. Paramahamsa Yogananda wrote his autobiography. So also Viswamjee disclosed the secrets of his Yoga Saadhana in “Shanti Prema Dayi”. Those who aspire for spiritual development through practicing austerities must delve deep into all those secrets in the proper spirit and digest and absorb them. Only then they can climb up the ladder step by step and reach the destination. Just visiting centers of pilgrimage, going round the temples and reciting mantras, or performing japas or rituals for the sole purpose of fulfillment of desires by themselves can be nothing but an exercise in futility for a true aspirant. We have to gain knowledge and wisdom through experience. Owing to our karmas (deeds) devotion will be awakened in us. That spirit of devotion or Bhakti will become the stepping stone for Jnana. Jnana will lead to salvation or Moksha.
In short external worship should bring about enlightenment of the mind and change into internal worship. In the case of some it may take years for this change to take place while in the case of yet some others it may even take a few births. It is only due to their ignorance and want of knowledge of the secrets of Saadhana they take such a long time to undergo that change. They are unaware that the external worship should gradually give place to internal worship. When once they realize that metamorphosis of external worship into internal worship is a pre requisite for attainment of Siddhi. They naturally evince keen interest in gaining such a stage. Let us, therefore, see how Masterji reveals all those secrets, which were experienced by him.
Masterji wrote a book containing hundred verses entitled, “Shanti Premadayi Satya Sai”, Apparently considering Sri Satya Sai as his Guru. But a close scrutiny of the book will reveal that, in truth, Masterji considered his Atma (Self) as Satya Sai. Sri Satya Sai is the god who does not have any physical name or form. If we have understood this secret, it means we have understood the entire theme of the book.
As Dr. Jammulamadaka Madhavaramasarma garu, one of the celebrated Sanskrit Scholars of the age has expressed in his Foreword, feeling of the Self (Pure Consciousness) is clearly discernible in every syllable in the book. The book, a distinctly superb one for the matter, vividly reveals the goal visualized by Viswamjee and the extraordinary experiences and stages he gained through Saadhana Indeed it is a Book apart.
“Sai is present in every atom and is moving in every particle. Sai is nothing but the image of the living world”. That verse is a clear indication of the mighty efforts put forth and the severe austerities practices by Masterji to gain such a universal outlook on life. Naturally every reader of the book will feel inclined to know how Masterji could attain that stage.
First of all it has to be realised that the body is the temple and heart the pedestal of God. When once that secret is understood the body cannot but be kept pure. In spiritual practices internal cleanliness gets priority over external cleanliness. Unity and Purity of thought, word and deed has to be assured. Otherwise spiritual practices will just be an exercise in futility.
Concentrate your mind on the work you have taken up and do it with heart and soul. Think and speak. Your words must not just slip from the tip of the tongue but should come from the bottom of your heart. Unity of thought, word and deed will lead will lead to attainment of salvation (Moksha). Without realising this aspect, to go on reciting the Mantram for crores of times, or to perform rituals and to give charities all mechanically, will be of no avail spiritually. An unclean mirror cannot reflect light. Good mind, good word and good conduct will be favoured by God. An impure heart and presence of god ill go together. Viswamjee warns pseudo aspirants (Saadhakas) against sweet tongue but with bitter mind. “That will never do good to you. Instead that may defame you”.
Form pure minds with emerge pure thoughts and tendency to do good deeds which again will result in nothing but good, says Viswamjee As Newton says action will have an equal and opposite reaction. Viswamjee says with particular emphasis how important good intellect, good thought and good practice are for a Saadhaka. If good quality seeds are sown on good soil good crops will grow and the yield too will be good. Good begets good bad begets bad, Good means positive or Dharma. Bad means Negative or Adharma. A harmonious blending of these two powers is nature. These two are known as Sura and Asura Tatvas (traits). It appears as if there is a disproportionately great amount of bad or Adharma in this world as of now, and that bad or Adharma is swallowing the good or the Dharma. But that is only more apparent than real. Fundamentally too it is against law of nature. In order to drive away darkness from the house, a small light is enough. There is no need for a lamp, which is as big as the house. Bhagavadgita makes the same point clear in many ways. Do not do bad things. But that is not enough. Also do not utter bad words and do not hear bad words. Do not entertain bad thoughts even, A Saadhaka should always see the good around him. If, on the other hand, he sees bad, he must realise that it is nothing but what is within himself and try to get rid of it through Saadhana.
The real Saadhaka (aspirant) is one who can see good even in bad. The misconception commonly prevalent in the world is that not doing bas is synonymous with doing good. By speaking good, people will gain Vaksiddhi. Listening to what is good or virtuous helps in the enrichment of philosophical view and attainment of purity within Saadhana is out of bounds for one who is obvious of what is good. Listening to “Sath” is congenial for Sadhana while listening to “Asath” does the apposite. It will be like throwing pearls before swine.
When you allow the mind to get polluted forgetting what is pure how can you hope to enjoy peace in this world? That is how Masterji presents the society in its true colours without mincing words. Masterji says that one who treads the divine path should subject himself to a thorough self-examination or introspection with a view to identifying the evil forces influencing his mind and take firm steps to drive them away. He is bound to fall if he moves away even by one inch from the predetermined virtuous path. A Saadhaka should not either utter bad words, or do bad deeds or possess bad thoughts. Even if he commits a mistake by chance he should boldly own it and try to rectify it in no time. He should never try to cover it up or justify it with his egoistic attitude. Masterji has a word of caution against pseudo-devotees who freely move about in the guise of devotees just to make a living.
“Never say bad words or do bad deeds. How can false step take you near the goal?”
Saadhaka’s heart should ever be pure. Whether it is done knowingly or unknowingly, a mistake is a mistake. Without rectifying the mistake one should not continue with Sadhana. Sadhaka should have a definite aim and a definite goal, which he should be ever conscious of. He should invariably possess a strong determination to achieve the same. If once he leaves it off in the middle we do not know how long it will take for him to come back to the original path. Without being disturbed by or afraid of the hurdles, a Sadhaka should be bold enough to march forward towards his goal with self- confidence.
“Sai does not bless either those who lack determination of those who slacken their efforts midway. One should be perseverant in order to be sure of Sai’s Blessings,” says Masterji. Again he says how a Saadhaka should proceed in order that he may not loosen his grip. In the beginning a Sadhaka may get confused. So necessarily he needs a guide. The guide has to direct him at every step and take him in the right direction for some distance. Also the guide has to show him the goal. Now a days the whole world is polluted. We are unable to distinguish between what is genuine and what is otherwise. There are many people who declare themselves as Gurus, who are eager to give messages, who want to attract the public with their oratory and lectures. They want to exploit the gullible public for their selfish ends. We have to be very wary with such Gurus. The one who desists from worldly pleasures, the one who is devoid of desires, selfishness, anger and avarice, the one whose heart ever flows with milk of love, compassion, mercy and human kindness is a real Guru. Sadguru is one who, giving up ego and attachment, moves about freely showering love and affection on one and all. He is Bliss personified. It is very difficult to get such a Guru.
In these days when ordinary glass-pieces are easily passed off as diamonds, one cannot get a real diamond unless one is extremely lucky.
Again without mincing words Viswamjee warns that all those who pose as Gurus and knock off money, are not Gurus in the true sense of the term. If the Guru is very capable it does not take long for the disciple’s spiritual practices to yield fruit. Guruji’s determination, touch, blessing and kindness helps the disciple gain self-realization. The Guru takes over the obstructions and other weaknesses of the disciple on himself and leads him to the top most rung of the ladder. The one who does like that is a real Guru. Others are pseudo Gurus who squeeze the blood of the disciple with a view to making as much money and fame as possible for themselves. They mesmerize people saying cock and bull stories and claiming possession of rare occult powers. We have to be on our guard with such Gurus. Yogis are many and so too are their paths. But their destination is the same. A person seeking spiritual development should have connection with only one Yogi. “Tadvignanartham Sadgurumeva Adhigachathi” says Chandyoga upanishat. AS PER PUR LUCK WE GET THE GURU we deserve. Viswamjee’s life confirms this. Bearing his won experience in mind Masterji points out how a disciple benefits or suffers by approaching a Sadguru or a pseudo Guru respectively.
Now-a-days along with superstitions and blind practices, the so called devotion to God also has increased manifold. But that is only more apparent than real. We see temples and shrines galore. They are multiplying day by day. There is no dearth of poojas and charities. Wherever you go, either to a temple, a Baba or a pilgrimage centre, there you see tens of thousands of devotees. They are able to deposit their wealth of goodness (Punyam) in the bank of dharma but they are unable to withdraw that wealth whenever they are like, as well. Bath may remove the external dirt. What should be done to remove the inner impurities? Noble thoughts accompanied by constant recitation of God’s name and involvement in good deeds only can assure such internal cleanliness.
We should always try to move in the company of virtuous people. In other words participation in Satsangs is a must. By what we will have the peace and tranquility much sought after in life which ultimately leads to liberation. We should try for the development of the mind through good thoughts, good words and good deeds, but never be contented just with external rituals. Primarily the saadhaka must give higher priority to inner purity than external purity. If a saadhaka feels satisfied with rituals alone his spiritual progress will just be next to nil. Like Vemana Yogi, Viswa Yogi also preaches that mechanical adherence to customs without inner purity is just useless, and that every saadhaka must, therefore, initially achieve self-purification. Going to temples, visiting pilgrimage centers, performing poojas, undertaking charities, etc., are completely useless. They have their own distinct role to play in the religious life of a person. We must perform them. But we must not be contented with them alone because thy have a limited purpose. Idol is an idol, it can never be the Bhagavan. In the initial stages for the purpose of concentration of the mind, idols may be necessary. Once the mind is tamed, the idol is not needed, any more. The whole creation appears like Brahma.
Karma is essential to get rid of Karma. A thorn can be removed only with the aid of a bigger thorn. In order to get rid of Prarabda Karma we have to perform good deeds (Sat Karma). As we go on doing good deeds indefinitely sakama Karma gets transformed into Nishkama Karma. By that process the Sadhaka becomes real sanyaasi, a sage (Jnani) and a Jeevan Mukta.
Virtuous Karmas (deeds) will help devotion (Bhakti) get established. Deep devotion leads to renunciation destroying attachment and desire. Destruction of attachment to mundane things results in disappearance of ignorance. That is what is known as the Jeevanmukta stage.
Simply performing pujas and abhisekhams as a ritual is not enough. That puja is performed with immense faith and with body, mind and spirit (Tikaranasudhi) alone is liked by God.
The real puja is that in which heart is offered to God like a flower. The rest of it is pujas just for name sake. Offering heart should be understood as complete surrender. The saadhaka should not be satisfied with mere external pujas until and unless they lead to inner worship.
Masterji says that Lord Viswanadha will not be satisfied with mere abhisekham with water collected from all rivers on the earth. Only that abhisekham performed with unflinching faith and devotion will please Lord Shiva. It is only then He showers his choicest blessings on the devotees. Any ritual devoid of aathma tatva is of little consequence.
Addressing Goddess Bhavatharini whom he worships daily, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa used to say with tears rolling down his cheeks “Mother, see one more day has gone a waste. When are you going to bless me with your Darshan?”. Likewise a real devotee should open his heart and pour forth his wailing before God without any inhibitions. Only such calls coming from the bottom of the heart of the devotee can reach God and move to bless the devotee with the knowledge of the self and self realization.
Thus he will develop universal outlook on life, realizing that “Service to man is service to God”.
Saadhaka has to face many obstacles in the initial stages. As soon as he sits for japam he feels lazy, sleepy, tired, bored and so stars yawning. These are some funny experiences. As the saadhana progresses problems of a different type arise. Mind becomes uneasy, gets excited at times craving for fulfillment of material wants and comforts. Saadhaka has to cross this stage with tremendous patience. As the saadhaka crosses tamogunam (inertia) band stapes into Rajagunam, he develops ego, feeling proud himself. He wants others to recognize his powers and to respect him. He feels very anxious to exhibit his powers and attract the public. Saadhaka dress and style of speaking change accordingly. He may be blessed with some capacities to perform miracles. In case he feels egoistic and enamoured of them he is lost forever. Saadhaka should remember that Siddhis and other similar powers are only obstructions to Mantra Siddhi and atmadarshan and so ignore them adopting an attitude of disinterestedness. Pure sathwagunam must dominate. For such a great man struggles for the welfare of the society without ego or selfish motive or desire, all the siddhis ill be at his back and call. But he should never think of using them for self-aggrandizement. Otherwise they will throw him into hell.
Masterji says that sleep and laziness are ones enemies and anger is poison. Jealousy or envy worse than both. It is very difficult to narrate how dangerous anger is. Words just fail us. Anger is one of the deadliest enemies of the saadhaka. See how great Rishi no less than Vishwamitra himself could conquer lust but not anger. When we discuss about Arishadvargas, we presume that Karma is synonymous, with lust connected with woman. That is not correct. Kama means desire. That may be related to a woman, wealth or wine. Anger is worst of all. Within no time it spreads throughout the body and spoils the mind. Worldly desires are endless. They are a continuous process like a perennial water spring. For other vices there may be antidote. But for Kama there is nothing of that sort. The how to overcome this?. Masterji suggests a way, namely following the teachings of the great saints and sadgurus.
Sai Nama Japam cools every thing even the most agitated mind. That gives the most needed solace. That is food for peace. Satguru removes all the foul ideals like “I am physical body, there is God or Spirit”, from the mind of the saadhaka and enables him realize that desire is the root cause for the vices in the world. He changes the saadhaka into a yogi having no desires.
Masterji warns again and again that without purity of heart, one cannot achieve anything. Visiting pilgrimage centers is an external; saadhana. No doubt, health may improve by bathing in different Tirtha’s. if it is done properly, along with health, devotion also may improve. But Ganga Mata’s Darshan can be felt through meditation also. Those who want to have the aim of their life fulfilled, have to bath in the tirtham of their body. Ida, Pingala and Sushumna nadis (nerves) in our body are no other than Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathy rivers. The focal point between eyebrows is called Triveni Sangamam. A dip in here means a dip in the flow of nectar that springs from Sahasraram and hence enables one to get rid of all his sins”, So says “Jnana Sankalini Tantram”
People generally bathe in the Ganga River. But they cannot have a bath in the Ganga inside the body. There it is only the mind and life (breath) that can have a dip. If one can accomplish it he becomes a realized should. then how to perform that difficult task. In this connection Sri Yogi Raj Sri Shyamacharna Laahiri Mahasaya, during his kriya yoga saadhana, suggested a way. That is what is called “Inward Meditation”.
There is no need for one to have a dip either in the Ganga or Kurukshetra provided his heart gets well established in purity and peace through inward saadhana.
One can stabilize the mind through Pranayama. Man says that just as any metal can be purified by fire so also the parts of the body can be purified throughout Pranayama. As breath gets stabilized through Pranayama, the unstable mind also gets established. Later on all the senses become stable. As far as Atma is concerned external pilgrimages are of little use.
In Jnana Sankalini Tantram, Siva tells Parvati “People under the influence Tamassu (ignorance) move from one pilgrimage center to another in search of Mukti or liberation. Oh! Parvati, How can they attain Mukti if they do not know what is Atmatirtham?”
Masterji can visualize Aatma. Hence he suggests the Pranayama as the only means to change the outer worship into inner puja. God is not elsewhere. He is in you only. Viswamjee questions the people “why do you run here and there in search of God, when He is you only?”. People worship the idols as they cannot conceive of and contemplate on the Atma. It is a sign of sheer ignorance.
Ovary is there as the replica of the cosmos containing within it all the worlds, all the Teerthas and everything else. Those who possess the capacity to look inside can perceive them all.
Due to ignorance people ignore the Atma and get engrossed in idol worship. Whatever they thus do it just useless. It is an exercise in futility. God has declared “I exist in all beings, in all elements and in all objects. I dislike people worshipping idols while ignoring this truth and caring for living beings”. Masterji also tells us as Sri Krishna says in Bhagavatam. But after seeing the idols, photos and the pujas performed by Masterji in the rented room at Railpet in Guntur, a doubt arises in us as to how he practices one thing and teaches us another. Those who can visualize Atma do not have objection for idol worship. Even though they themselves are in truth, far above it, they advise others to perform idol worship as the first step only until they reach the higher stage. All sages, being pace setters do like that only for the sake of others. Viswamjee is no exception.
In Saadhana we hear about “Mantrasiddhi and Atma Sakshatkaram”. Darshan is a divine experience. It is inexplicable. Siddhi means crossing one stage and entering another stage. Viswamjee says that acquiring Siddhi means crossing the border. When the saadhaka sheds all the selfishness, attachment, ego, and pride prevalent so far in him and reaches the stage of “Aham Brahmasmi”. “Tatwamasi”, it is called Siddhi. After reaching that stage, the saadhaka comes to know who he is. That means he gets the darshan of Atma.
“you are neither the body nor the mind, you are none but the immortal Atma within the body”. The moment he realizes that truth, he becomes a self-realized soul (Jeevanmukta). He turns into a muni. Instead of going a waste through speech energy remains in him in a potential form. He becomes a powerhouse, a center of energy. He is virtually a personification of knowledge for whom silence becomes the medium of communication and becomes more eloquent than speech.
Later the saadhaka reaches the stage beyond knowledge (Jnaanaateeta). The distinction between the knower, knowledge and the learner vanishes. He changes into ATHREE. He discerns the divine light between eyebrows.
Another turning point is perceptible in a saadhaka who has gained Mantra Siddhi and become a Yogi. As soon as he realizes that there is no difference between him and his Guru (God or Atma), even that little shade of darkness that was eclipsing his Atma vanishes with the result that pure consciousness shines forth like the mid summer sun. Saadhaka Atma becomes one with Paramathma and shines like the divine light. The saadhana of the aspirant (saadhaka) has become fruitful.
It will become a voluminous book if an attempt is made here to elaborate all the secrets of Saadhana revealed by Masterji in his prestigious book “Shanti Premadayi”. Those who are interested may read that book and understand the facts. It is perennial process, an endless action. It looks like an endless beginning. Saadhana is end-less.