Jyoti Subramanian's Blog

Having written so much about the Guru-Shishya Parampara, it was but natural that I arrived at this topic by and by. I have touched upon this topic in my book One Master one disciple – peeling of an onion, but new realisations and gnosis dawn upon any serious practitioner as the neuron in the brain light up during meditation as it did for me. This phrase ऋण भङ्गुर came to me while in meditation and was an ah ha moment as new light shone upon an old subject.

This is a short post on a much maligned and over explained tradition of gurudakshina, an offering expected of a shishya when receiving diksha into a particular sadhana from a teacher. The incident that always comes to my mind when a gurudakshina is mentioned is the example of Ekalavya and Dronacharya. The morality of the incident, the motives behind the demand by Dronacharya, can and have been endlessly debated and is not the purview of this post. I mention this here to lay out the ancient act of repaying the Guru for teachings imparted. An act that continues to exist till today, interpreted in various ways to suit various needs.

As always the topic in my posts are drawn from my own inner churning and meant to provoke thought, they are not meant for debate or arguments. On the spiritual path one has one’s own realisations and they hold true for one and that’s how it should be. Each person responsible or their own actions arising from their realisation.


Gurudakshina in the 21st Century

In today’s context, teachers and gurus, mostly of yoga and spiritual techniques have bent over backwards to explain this tradition of gurudakshina. Many do this to gloss over the excessive and exorbitant fee charged by them. The idea seems to be the higher your fee the more your stature as a guru, for you see you can never repay the guru for the teachings imparted so it doesn’t matter how much you pay, it’s never enough.

Added to the fee may be the material desires of the teacher, to own an expensive car, a house, land, travel and so on passed on to the student in the fee. So the fee charged is not just for the teaching but includes baser needs of the teacher that have to be satisfied. Yog that was meant as a sacred learning to be imparted in an atmosphere of sanctity, sans greed, has today become means of livelihood for many and with that has come the dichotomy of fitting this sacred practice into a mercenary mould.

The plethora of spiritual teachers today have given rise to a plethora of explanations about this topic, some genuine, some mere excuses, many a repetitive litany.

A paradox like no other

After having said all this about the current pattern of charging of fee by teachers of new age spirituality, I will be amiss if I don’t mention a contrary point.

It stands to reason that if the end goal of self-realisation is achieved by the disciple by diligently adhering to the principles laid out by their guru; they can never repay the guru for this service. My own sentiments for my Guru is surely impacted by this understanding. No matter the human qualities of the guru, your progress on the path will determine your obligation to the Guru. This assessment by nature is very personal and self imposed, it cannot be determined by another. Yes, it’s a paradox and involves what is called the vivek buddhi inherent in every learner, it may be dormant but will emerge with sadhana, sometimes of many lives.

Personal Turmoil

As a teacher for over 26 years, first within an organisation and now on an individual capacity I had struggled much with the morality of the asking in this offering. A fixed fee that kept rising steeply over the years, often beyond the reach of ordinary folks. The question that greatly bothered me was, is the practice only for the affluent? What about the sincere seekers with paltry means? I had in my own level always accommodated everyone who was sincerely seeking to learn. From the beginning I had always felt the dakshina was more in the purview of the taught rather than the teacher. It’s the student who decides what the lessons are worth to them, rather than the teacher putting a value on their wisdom, for true wisdom flows for all without bias.

But so greatly ingrained is the topic that it took a while to break free of it and the penultimate realisation came with the two words ऋण भङ्गुर II

ऋण भङ्गुर – a liberation

They were two simple words but they illumined my being with, for me, the understanding of this ancient practice. The realisation that the dakshina liberates both the guru and the shishya from obligation to one another in the grosser level. Once this gross cord is cut all that remains is the cord of love that binds the Guru and the shishya in an eternal dance towards the ultimate liberation, when the guru liberates the shishya even from this fixed orbit to chart their own course free of the gurus influence.

Now when I share the practice with new seekers I allow them to decide the dakshina they want to give. With no attachment to the amount given, I am twice liberated.

The conversations, accusations, debates and discussions on the events surrounding the Mahakumbh echoes from the Indian Parliament to news channels. Water tests are being brandished around, the water is clean, the water has fecal bacteria in it, claims and counter claims. Hours of social media bytes, heated opinions from those who may not even have visited this gathering.

And then oblivious to this and despite it the silent influx of millions of simple folks from the villages and towns of India making their way to Prayagraj. They come by train, busses, trucks, tractor trollies, in shared tempo travellers and jeeps, they bike and walk, they come alone or with their families often the elderly with a single focus to take the dip at the prayag and take the blessings of the sadhus. An event that has come after 144 years and none of us alive will see the next one in this life.

My own sojourn at Prayagraj.

I had personally been at the Ardh Kumbh at this very same Prayagraj in 2019. Invited by an akhara to share the practice of Hamsa Yoga. I was reluctant, not wanting to enter the domains of mandaleshwars and mahamandaleshwars and pithadheeswars. But when I asked my Guru he said, “Of course you must go. How many people get an opportunity such as this?” So go I did. I was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome and even more so when they offered me prime location to hold my sessions right in front of the Pithadheeshwars tent. I was there for three days. They offered me a personal tent and invited me to stay for the next few months, as the crowds were slowly increasing and expected to swell in the coming days. But I realised that this was not my area of comfort. I am more used to having personal and up close connection with the people I share my Guru’s practice with.

I took a dip at the prayag, the experience is indescribable. One is not prepared or the swift underpull of the Saraswati. Externally the Ganga and the Yamuna flow very passively here but the moment you let yourself down from the side of the platform your feet literally go side ways. The boatman kept advising me to hold on tight. “Pakad ke rakhiye,” he kept repeating. Once again the exhilaration of the immersion is only felt by those who take it with full openness. Not as an Instagrammable moment. After that I took a dip in the Ganga and the Yamuna alternatively everyday I was there, once at midnight under a full moon. I returned with a sense of some shift having occurred in my being.



Immersion at Kashi

Throwback to Kashi in 2011, I would take a boat every morning and find a relatively less populated ghat to get off the boat and meditate immersed in the river. One such ghat was Gai Ghat or Nandi Ghat closely associated with my Guru in this life and the other was Chausathi Ghat connected with my past Guru.

I would sit immersed in Ma Ganga in the early morning hours. The meditation was a dissolving in the loving energy of the sacred river and often as I sat thus, I would see huge mound of rubbish floating down the river in front of me with a few water birds perched on them and bobbing along. Not once did I feel the water was unclean. And this is what all the detractors and supporters forget that for the yogi devotee the river is always sacred, no matter what floats on it.

I remember this put very succinctly in the book Seven Sacred Rivers by Bill Aitken. He writes, and I’m just recalling the memory of my reading, that during one of his early visits to India he accompanied his friend in Allahabad to the prayag in the foggy morning hour of 5am. His shock was apparent when his friend a native from the city had pulled off his kurta, ran and plunged into the river. Bill saw cans and bottles and other stuff floating on it. As he hesitated, his friend looked at him and said, ” It’s ok Bill. The river is clean, it’s only the rubbish in it.” According to Bill, at this curious explanation he had taken off his clothes and plunged into the river in a daring act. He goes on to say that how he believes that because of this one leap of faith he felt while many of his western friends succumbed to cholera and other water borne disease, some lost their lives and others had to go back, Bill remained in India for 30 years more following his passion of motorcycling his way following the source to the mouth of seven sacred rivers of this land.

What they don’t Get

And this is what the detractors do not get. That besides the physical river there is a sacred Pran that connects the millions who come take the dip. No matter someone dies, no matter someone is sick, the sacredness of the river is sacrosanct. No matter the cost to their health, the hardships they may face, this is an event of their lifetime. So what should we do? Should we not question the authorities? Should we not demand better facilities? Cleaner rivers? Of course we must but we must also keep in mind that this immersion is far beyond that. The time decided by an ancient knowledge of astronomy, the perfect alignment of stars, rooted in the civilisation of this land, driven by a force of devotion, dovetails into a gathering of gigantic proportions, this is unstoppable.

The Prayag within

Of course for the advanced yogi practitioner the prayag is elsewhere. Carried within their own body the yogi takes a dip at will in the agnya chakra in the true prayag of the Ida, Pingala and the Sushumna. While the external razzmatazz continues the yogi stays still in the prayag within.

I use the word yogi as gender neutral like actor, so please don’t get your pants in a twist. Also I couldn’t increase the size of the photos so please bear with that.

Author Interview JYOTI SUBRAMANIAN

Can you walk us through your personal and professional journey while highlighting how yoga impacted the same?
As most people of my generation born in the 50’s and 60″s I was introduced to yoga first
at home by my parents and then formally at school. Yog then became a way of life even if I was not consciously aware of it at that time. Taking refuge in the practice of Asans and Pranayam during stressful periods in life became natural. As a mother of 2, an entrepreneur running my own housekeeping business and helping with the larger family farm, there were many such moments and the childhood inculcation into the practice of yoga came very handy to manoeuvre my way through difficulties. Introduction to Kriya Yoga occurred in my mid thirties as a result, I feel, of the conscientious adherence to yoga since childhood. It prepared the soil so to speak for the seeds of higher sadhana when dropping all other activities I got wholly into the sharing of Kriya Yoga with others as instructed by my Guru and have been doing so for the past 25 years.

What inspired you to write “Yog Uninterrupted” and how do you hope it
will impact its readers?
Yog Uninterrupted started as a collection of my writings, blogs and articles scattered in various newspapers into one book, as a request from my students. But as I started writing an overwhelming tsunami of information and realisations of over 55 years on this path made their way into the book making it a work of my lifetime understanding of this very personal and individual journey. The intention of the book is not to preach but to provoke thought so the reader and practitioner of yog can apply their own realisations to this study. We are so fortunate to have so many stalwarts of not just yoga but many other paths leaving behind their philosophical musings, I strongly feel it is very important to pen down ones own journey for others who may want to study, debate, disagree or agree with our philosophy. This inculcates a heathy spiritual content over changing times, keeps ideas from atrophying and at the same time shows the relevance of ancient wisdom in modern times.


Writing about personal spiritual experiences can be challenging. Were there any particular challenges you faced while writing this book?
In this I have been very blessed as I am led by some inner grace to express my spiritual experiences in simple words. Seemingly difficult experiences flowed easily through my pen onto the paper. I still use the pen and paper before using the computer as many realisations and inner awakening come at odd
times and the pen and the paper are by my side. One challenge was to decide what to share and what was too personal but even in that decision there was a divine intervention that guided me. This is particularly true of the two Gayatri with their tantr that I received in my state of dhyan. I eventually shared them in the book after being instructed to do so by an inner divine guidance.

Your book dives deep into the Yog Sutras of Patanjali. Could you share one or two key insights that you believe are particularly relevant in today’s world?
The more you are drawn into the substance of yog the more you understand the relevance of the Yama and Niyama. the Yama are Ahinsa (absence of violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Aparigraha (non-hoarding), Brahmacharya (living in tune with nature). The Niyama are Shaucha (cleanliness of outer and inner), Santosha (a sense of content joy), Tapa (consolidation of energy), svadhyaya (study of the self), IshvaraPranidhan (alert surrender to the divine will). To live in tune with these tenets are self evident in todays world and especially in the new business of yoga where many of these tenets are subverted to build a brand, root out competition and get on the get rich bandwagon.



How has your deep engagement with the YogSutras and your sadhana under Yogiraj Siddhanath transformed you personally?
The practice and close proximity to a guru has brought immense peace and the ability to live a life sans complication. The clarity to observe situations and act without getting entangled in the drama. As a
grandmother today I can take care of my grandchildren without the stickiness of attachments and resulting joy or sorrow in how their life unfolds or that of my girls. This encompasses all aspects of life. The mind is no more turbulent. Earlier external
situations dictated my response, today my inner calm transforms the outer.

Can you tell us more about the online repertoire of yoga practices you are creating? What can participants expect from this platform?
In my years of teaching I come across people whose first response to meditation is to say I can’t even sit for a minute or that my thoughts drive me crazy and I just cannot meditate. In my YouTube channel I have tried to introduce people to the first steps to start the process, the practice given here is 5-10 min. Begin with training the breath and the mind will follow is the adage. The online repertoire will deal with getting deeper into the practice, through more in-depth techniques. Covid taught me that the response to online sessions are very beneficial to those who cannot get to studios due to nature of work and or finances. Online sessions gives one a freedom to explore without feeling the pressure of time and/or money also anonymity to start with. Unlike many online courses mine will have the option of having an open group session and private sessions. The idea is not to make it exorbitant but allow access to everyone.

Are there any new projects or books that you are currently working on? If yes, tell us more about it.
Interestingly I am looking at doing some audio books for children next. Retelling stories to my grandchildren from my imagination has opened a whole new world of possibilities. Many of my stories are made up to inculcate the yama and niyama of yog sadhana without overt emphasis on them or treading on a high moral ground. The stories emphasise the need to be in tune with nature, have integrity in ones dealings, be minimalistic as a means to be joyous oneself and share the joy with others. I am also more confident to do an audio recording after recently completing a recording of my first book One Master one disciple- peeling of an onion, which is 10 hours plus long.

Finally, what advice would you give to those who are just beginning their journey into yoga and spiritual exploration?
The one quality one must have is to be alert and study what is being offered. A blind follower is the last thing one must be on the path of yog. The other is to be realistic when assessing the benefits and being just to the teacher and to oneself while doing it, this is important. Personally for me, not losing my sense of humour has always been a boon on the path, also not being dogmatic and avoiding trying to convert others as soon as one has ‘found’ the path!

Any final thoughts that you would like to add?
Yog is a path that does not discriminate. Anyone can practice it. There is no external worship. In the final stages of yog one realises one is divine. Then there is no practice, the crutch drops. I’d like to quote from my book here,
“There is no doing or non-doing, there is only becoming;
There is no becoming because I already Am; There is no I.”

Yog Uninterrupted Kindle and Hardcover
One Master one disciple- peeling of an onion Kindle and Paperback
Audiobook One Master one disciple -peeling of an onion

Ayulife YouTube Channel

of Alignment and Misalignment on Lunar Eclipse

First published in Esamskriti https://www.esamskriti.com/sa/Life/TIPS-for-Recording-an-Audio-Book–1.aspx

Recently, I decided to convert my autobiography One Master one disciple- peeling of an onion, into an audio book. 

By nature preferring written books, I had not invested any time in listening to audio books. It was only recently, after having moved to the US, that I ‘saw’ how many people listen to audio books, while going for a walk, jog or driving. Long commute times and hectic lifestyles had made this a feasible way for people to indulge in their reading habits while getting about their daily chores. This started the germination of the seed to explore audio narration as a mode of literary expression.

Especially interesting is the fact that so far I had ignored this form of expression; having been brought up in an environment of oral recitation of the Ved and Upanishad, the Bhagavad Gita, renditions of Adi Shankaracharya and mantras and chants that had been passed on and kept alive for ages, I should have been more aware of the power of the spoken word. 

My psyche was not jogged to the spoken word inspite of accompanying my parents, as a child, to talks of Swami Chinmayananadaji and many Sundays spent in such recitations in my Baal Vihar classes not to miss all those hours on AIR (All India Radio) listening to Havamahal and more recently catching snippets of storytelling by Neelesh Mishra. 

First Steps

However, once the idea took hold, I started right in earnest to explore the ways and means to achieve this. As is my habit the first option was Do it Yourself; since for years I was engaged in start-up work for my guru, organising events, venturing into uncharted territories, cities and countries to spread awareness of my Guru and his work on Mahavatar Babaji’s Kriya Yoga. Thus, the thought of DIY came rather naturally to me. 

I started reading up on home recording studio setups. Tips to convert a clothes cupboard or wardrobe into a home audio recording studio or a portion of a garage were aplenty. All of them required investment into some tools- recording equipment, buffers to reduce echo, stop sounds from penetrating through the walls, water pipes and flushes. It didn’t help that my neighbour played his drums at all odd hours, along with the barking dogs and the gardeners with their gas powered tools in the neighbourhood, soundproofing seemed a distant dream.

Finally, I decided to take the professional route and engage a recording studio with a sound engineer. This was in the United States and most studios charged an hourly fee which increased if you also wanted a professional engineer to sit through your recordings, which I did.

ACX, the Amazon audible platform had strict specs for the quality of recordings and this was far beyond my expertise. Even though the web is full of sites that give expert help on the use of apps to get the desired outputs. The younger generation may take this as a challenge but I did not want the hassle. 

Space Mint Studio in Los Angeles. 

Finding a Studio

Next I started a tour of recording studios in the neighborhood. That was an adventure by itself. Some were seedy and not very clean whilst others smelled of weed from musicians who had used the studio the previous night. The majority of them however were quite professional and had dedicated spaces for small and large recording needs. Once I contacted them, most studios responded immediately and most were helpful with their inputs once they learnt I was new to this. 

Almost all of them suggested that I engage a professional narrator, someone who was familiar with this medium. But it was my story and I wanted to be the one narrating. I was not going to be daunted by the task ahead. 

Eventually, I was lucky to find a studio that was only a 15 minute commute. Evan Myki, who owned the studio The Space Mint and was also the sound engineer, was very encouraging and helpful. The studio was in his residence and the energy was warm and welcoming. A one person show which was quite after my own heart. 

Place to sit and record. 

Learning about Narration Tips

Once I decided to do the narration myself, started a flurry of reading up on what to do for voice quality, dehydration, stomach rumbles and yes the biggest deterrent of them all Phlegm! 

How long I would be able to record each day was another point to ponder over since most studios required a minimum of two hours of booking. Read on.

Eventually I came upon a regimen that I am sharing with those who wish to walk this path. I started this a fortnight before I started recording.

1. Gave up all caffeinated drinks, coffee being my only one. 

2. Drank more water, room temp, with more awareness, gulping the poured water like we do in southern India, without sipping. It helped in keeping the epiglottis clear and throat muscles strong. 

3. Started a morning tea drink consisting of mulatthi (liquorice), chotti elaichi (cardamom), and adrak (ginger). 

4. Continued with Neti, followed by a practice of my personal dynamic pranayam. 

5. Yogasan to boost upper chest and respiratory organs including neck, upper back and diaphragm. 

6. Yogic face exercises. 

7. I also practiced the svar अ आ इ ई etc and varnamala- क ख ग घ in an exaggerated manner. Intoning them loudly, often in the shower! 

8. Practiced my saptsvarmala as in music सा रे गा मा with other combinations 

9. I gave up all gluten and milk inclusive food- roti and parathas, dahi, milk, ghee, bread, pasta and pizzas. This was a miracle as the throat became completely clear in a few days of abstinence. I am continuing this even after the recording. 

10. I found that eating a besan ka chilla, with spinach and carrots, dhania and ginger before the recording kept my stomach rumbles in control. Some trial and errors moments did happen as fruit made my stomach rumble even though it is good for hydration, especially melons, apples and oranges. 

11. Also learnt that the more I chew my food the less the effort the stomach has to make!

It is amazing how sensitive the recording equipment is and how it catches any other sound including the breath. Consistent practice of pranayam for decades helped me with the breath work while reading. Also being a recent grandmother and reading aloud to my granddaughter for the past two years prepared me for this task, albeit unknowingly. 

Recording in progress. 

All in all the recording went very well and after the first day I realised I could go on recording for two hours straight without a pause. The complete book of 300 pages took me 18 hours of recording over 10 days. Now it is in the editing process. In that sense it is similar to a written book that requires painstaking edits. Similarly, this might require some re-recording later. The editing tools are quite advanced now and many extraneous sounds can be eliminated if the narrator has given space for the edit. 

Another interesting thing that I noticed was that many of the recordings of Indian authors have been done by American or British counterparts, for e.g. the narration of Paramahamsa Yogananda’s book Autobiography of a Yogi is by Ben Kingsley. Here, there seems to be a reluctance to use Bharatiya voices for recording spiritual books. I too was gently pressurized to get a more ‘understandable’ accent. But hey, I studied in a missionary school and learnt the Queen’s English not for nothing!

Well the book should soon be available on Audible and other audio book platforms. It did cost me a bit of money to indulge in this wish. It made realise why audio books are more expensive than written ones!

All studio photo credits Evan Myki, The Spacemint Studio, Los Angeles. 

Author Jyoti is a Kriyacharya. Her blog is , U tube Channel

To read all articles by author

Last night was full moon and lunar eclipse, it was also Kartik Purnima, Dev Deepavali and Gurpurab. Yes, a pretty auspicious time for many. Yogis to purohits to devotees all use this period to meditate, worship, shower adulations or pray, each according to their own understanding and devotion, as do the lovers of astronomy. I was fortunate to be in Tubac, Arizona for yesterdays event experience, with clear cloudless skies, no light pollution and an unhindered open horizon. As the shadow of the earth progressed over the bright full moon and cloaked the earth with darkness, the stars shined ever so much more brilliantly until the moon now totally eclipsed, turned crimson. Much to be grateful about.

First the alignment

As a yog practitioner, I have for many decades now viewed an eclipse as an alignment of the earth, the moon and the sun according a unique opportunity to align those centres in our own body that correspond to them. The Vedic pind-brahmand philosophy lays much emphasis on the microcosm carrying in entirety the blueprint of the macrocosm and while some revere the external others turn their awareness inwards at such moments using the event to take a leap to understand the universe within.

Before I go further there’s something I need to make clear.  I always write propelled by my own experience and realisations strongly believing that no sadhak should take as absolute others realisations. The layers of the mystical are profound and the joy of self discovery can never be understated. Texts and philosophical literature are someone else’s Truth and have only an intellectual value for me and easy to disregard if they don’t pass my self scrutiny. We each one of us have to find our own truth without a need for validation, I sincerely believe. To move on on this path of self discovery with confidence towards what makes us truly happy all we need is a will to do so and the tools to take us forward appear magically. Of course all results are greatly influenced by the fruits of our past karma and present personal efforts.

Here I will note down some musings on these physical eclipse occurrence and how I understand it to affect our body, emotions and mind. These applied realisations have greatly enabled me to bring balance in my life. I have also included a link to a meditation I recorded after this event at the end of this section.

As mentioned earlier during an eclipse, whether full or partial, there is a corresponding full or partial alignment of the sun, the earth and the moon and this reflects in our body in different ways, I have found. Our left and the right naadis in yogic terms the Ida and Pingala correspond to the Chandra (moon) and Surya (sun), connecting to the two polarities in our brain- the right and left hemispheres. The earth corresponds to our mool prakriti, the innate nature of our body, While consciously aligning these spheres during the eclipse we enable ourselves to flow with the circadian rhythm of the universe reducing conflict in our emotional and mental body- the manomaya kosha. Living without conflict with nature ones nature becomes that of stillness and the physical body receives the benefit of health of such peaceful living without stress.

Another realisation I experienced is that of the moon, the sun and the earth aligned along the spine. The moon in the Agnya Chakra indicating the mind, the Sun in the Anhad Chakra as distributor of Pran and the earth on the muladhar representing everything physical, earth, water, fire air and the space occupied when alive, in death all these return to the source.

Finally, as the moon corresponds to the mind, and it is well known how the lunar cycle effects our mind, when the shadow of the earth passes over the moon enveloping it fully and then the moon reemerges as the shadow passes, it as if a veil is removed, a veil of ignorance and the mind full of awe rebirths into a clarity facing the brilliant sun. This outer light is reflected in the inner transformation of the yogi practitioner.

click this Practicing Alignment on Eclipse Days

Misalignment Galore

-my God/Guru is greater than yours

Of course after this wonderful alignment with nature and the sun and the moon and the earth, I had to open my phone! Being a festive day, I had received many forwards, wishes for Kartik Purnima, for Dev Deepavali, and Gurpurab, usually I delete them all without seeing but I had to open this one didn’t I , a forward for Gurpurab. Gurpurab is the birth centenary of Guru Nanak Devji, the first Sikh Guru. It was originally from a UK based Sikh organisation, forwarded many times WhatsApp informed me and now forwarded to me by a well meaning friend and it caught my attention. It had a picture of Nanak’s father holding baby Nanak in his arms, and in front of them stood bowing in supplication, many divine beings, of whom I recognised Brahma because of the multiple heads, Vishnu because of the blue body, and Shiva because of the snake around the neck and many other Devi’s and Devata’s, all from the Hindu diaspora. It wasn’t a very well executed picture but it started a flow of thought as to why to make our own Guru or God greater we have to show others down as inferior to them?

Sometimes these representations are malicious, but often it is just the devotion of the devotee to showcase their own as somehow better, greater and grander. Everyone has done this in history and still continue to do so, Vaishnavites show Vishnu as superior to Shiva, followers of Gorakhnath show Krishna washing Gorakhs feet, the worshippers of Shakti show her as more than Shiva, saying Shiva is Shav without Shakti, amongst disciples there is always a rush to prove their own gurus as the true one. This is just within the boundary of one religion, my father once told me how when they were kids in the late 1930’s, Christian missionaries would come to their small village in Kerala and demonstrate how an idol of Krishna sinks when thrown into the well but the idol of Jesus Christ floats. The idol of Krishna was made of metal and Jesus of wood! All the children watching could see that and found it quite foolish. Wonder how many tenets of the religion is broken whith these actions? I am mostly amused by this show, but it is a point to be noted and care taken not to fall into this trap ourselves in the rush to preach and share.

I feel this maybe one of the reason that I found myself pulled towards yog sadhana, where all these concepts can be on a different level of understanding. The body becomes the temple, and all the deities are accommodated within, Shiva and Shakti, Brahma and Vishnu, Ganesh and Hanuman; The Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, all equally important or not, their roles dictated by the state the practicing yogi is in. A journey of Self-discovery untainted by the external show. All the forms reveal an inner symphony without any discordant note, to the one who is sensitive.

Finally, for the yogi, these deities if present, losing their physical attributes amalgamate into Still Love, as they did for me. A core centre of stillness that only translates as Love, shorn of all rites and rituals internal or external. The inner and the outer Guru can stand alone, without support of validation, comparison and or competition.

After a few months of hiatus, I recently started a process very close to my heart, sharing some simple yogic practices arising out of my sadhana on an open platform. Along with the written word on my blogs and book, I have now included the spoken via my YouTube channel- ayulife.

www.youtube.com/ayulife

Yog is a very private and personal journey, in my understanding. Even though thousands may receive the same set of practice, may practice the same Asans, Pranayam and methods of Dharana, it flowers in each of us uniquely because we are each unique and one of a kind. Even though the final result may be the same of Self-Realisation, the path will vary dictated by our individual nature and set of karma.

ayulife is a sincere and joyful attempt at expressing my deep felt and realised understanding of yog, which is one of the six systems- the shad-darshana of Vedic Sanatan way of realisations. System is a very limiting way of describing what is really ‘seeing’ with an inner eye, in-depth and without filters.
The six are each in themselves a vast insight into the philosophy on which is based the present day Hindu “religion’ itself a limiting term for this ocean of enlightened text. I am just giving a brief by line here which according to me is a very inadequate explanation of such profound subjects, but just a taste of the brilliance of the Indic intellect and its range and what it has offered to those like us on the path to savour and explore and discard. All 6, with many sections and sub sections overlap each other and influence the practitioners of one or the other.
.
The shad- darshanas and their originator.
1. Nyaya Darshana- the path of logic and reasoning, removing of ignorance brings and end to suffering, right knowledge brings liberation to the human soul. Rishi Gautama
2. Vaisheshika Darshana- metaphysics, the study of atom (anu), of materials from gross to subtle, of their similarities and differences, of those that exist and the lack of existence, the eternal and non-eternal and Karma- action and reaction, creation and dissolution, to name a few. Rishi Kannada Kashyapa
3. Yog Darshana- the path of uniting the individual spirit to the universal spirit via the 8 limbs of yam, niyam, asan, pranayam, pratyahar, dharana, dhayn and samadhi. Rishi Patanjali
4. Samkhya Darshana- a non-theistic path of dualism, there’s no room for Isvara or God here. The study of of Purusha and Prakriti- the moving and unmoving principles, of evolution from material and external pleasures to pure consciousness. Rishi Kapila and IsvaraKrishna
5. Purva-Mimamsa Darshana (Karma Kanda)- Establishes the authority of the Vedas, the magical power of mantras and yagnyas, potency of rituals, the existence of a soul, duties and obligations, embodying the philosophy of Karma Yoga and requirement to move through the 4 varna ashram of brahmacharya, grihasta, vanaprastha and Sanyasa. Rishi Jamini
6. Vedanta Darshana ( Uttara Mimamsa)- Focussing on the Upanishads rather than the ritualistic components Vedanta actually means the end or the conclusion of the vedas. It’s like a synopsis of the 4 vedas Rig, Yajur, Sama and Athrva, taking the nectar from these. It includes the concept of dvait (dualism), advaita (non dualism). Rishi Badarayana

One must remember that the Indic Sanatan philosophy has a strong base of accepting and refuting deep rooted systems and this right is extended to every student of these systems.

I was introduced to these concepts as a child just by being born into a family in which these topics were the norm at home. Discussions and debates amongst my elders revolved around these topics. At a very early age I had started discarding many of these “truths” and was clearly gravitating to the path of Yog, which I find very liberating in its simplicity. You will find many of the concepts from the other darshanas that have influenced me not by reading but directly through realisations, in my writing as well as on my channel.

In ayulife it will be my sincere effort to share those that have helped me over the decades to come to a state of clarity, equilibrium and equipoise and hope it helps others too. Once again I share the link here. Do subscribe and I thank you all in advance for your support.

www.YouTube.com/ayulife

Published in Esamskriti 18. July. 2020
https://www.esamskriti.com/e/Yoga/Worldwide/Vasudhaiva-Kutumbhakam,-Not-A-Deer-But-A-Seer-1.aspx


There was a dilemma in my mind as I wrote this blog post that it should not come out as a rant but as a study of the subject of this philosophy in present day context. As always I have followed a stream of thought in my mind and anyone is welcome to disagree with the prognosis I have attempted to arrive at.

This thought process started when I heard this beautiful rendition of an ancient chant performed by The London Symphony and various artists. The process of the thought though went from feeling mellow at the auditory experience of this divine chant to the intellectual interpretation in today’s context to a realisation far beyond in the spiritual field, in course of a few days from the first moment of thought contact. 

(You can listen to the performance by clicking on the mantra below)

अयं बन्धुरयं नेतिगणना लघुचेतसाम्।
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥ 
-(महोपनिषद्,अध्याय४,श्‍लोक७१) 

Meaning of the mantra.

“This one is a friend; this other does not count, is for the small-minded. For those of a magnanimous character, the entire earth is one family.”- Mahōpaniṣad, VI.71.

My mind marvelled at the antiquity and the depth of the Sanatan philosophy in which is rooted the modern day ism of the hindus. At a time when the world is talking of “lives” matter, of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, of environmental degradation; this wisdom of the earth as family was prevalent on a land thousands of years ago, expressed simply and succinctly in a language as ancient as the thought. 

But what is more of a marvel is that both the language and the philosophy is still a living phenomenon as a prayer and an adage even today.
Also to be noted the shlok says vasudha meaning earth and not just manav humans. 

Called one of the loftiest Vedantic thought, this shlok is etched on the entrance of the Indian Parliament. Many Vedic chants show this inclusiveness in their realisations. More on this in another article. 

Modern Usage

The term “Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam,” the world as a family, is a popular saying often repeated by present day Gurus and Saints and even politicians in India as they try to showcase the all-encompassing nature of the Hindu religion to the world, the politicians to emphasise the secular nature of the country. 

In their eagerness either due to real innocence or carelessness or craftiness, they forget to warn their followers of the pitfalls of such a philosophy applied without filters in today’s sectarian world.
However, this sentiment of caution had been expressed in a story from the Hitopadesha I had heard as a child and which came to mind when I heard this music and was mulling over the philosophy behind it. 

The Hitopadesha is a compilation of stories for children, drawn from the more ancient Panchatantra written by Vishnu Sharma dated 1200 BCE to 300 CE. The Panchatantra were written as lessons to teach the art of ruling- (raj) niti- to three princes, who were sent by their father the King to a Brahmin in the forest. 

In order to make it interesting to the young princes the stories involve animal figures and were woven together to educate the children in the intricacies of politics and ruling a kingdom. It talks of friends and foes, of making allies and causing dissent amongst enemies for benefit, of war and peace, of loss and profit from alliances and results of hasty actions. 

As an adult I went back to read the original unabridged version and was quite literally blown away at the elaborate detail with which the lessons were taught. Atreatise on politics, it is worth inclusion as text in school and college curriculum, which will of course get labelled a move towards Hindutva, seeing the state of the country today.

The later Aesops fables, the Arabian Nights, Grimms fairy tales and many western ballads draw from the Panchatantra for their inspiration. 

The first known translation is into Persian and Arabic around 750 CE, while one version reached Europe in the 11th century. Versions are also found in Indonesia, Laos and Thailand. The french teller of fables, fabulist La Fontaine acknowledged his indebtedness to this work.

“Sanskrit literature is very rich in fables and stories; no other literature can vie with it in that respect; nay, it is extremely likely that fables, in particular animal fables, had their principal source in India.”- Max Muller, On the Migration of Fables (source Wikipedia for this info).  Max Muller is credited with systematically trying to demolish the Hindu education system replacing it with the Christian Missionary schools, one of whose product is me. Obviously his intent to subvert the Bharatiya mind has sort of backfired with many like me now able to express better our rooted sentiments about Indic philosophy, in English language!

Lesson of the Panchatantra/Hitopadesha

However, coming back to the present chant of vasudhaiva kutumbhakam, in the story the wily jackal quotes this very shloka to befriend the naive deer. 

To calm the trepidation of the deer and gain confidence the jackal keeps repeating that we can be friends, for after all we are all one family, that people who think otherwise are mean spirited. The motive being to lead the deer to the pack to be killed and devoured. 

The crow, a former friend of the deer keeps warning the deer who foolishly follows the jackal in a euphoric state of bonhomie. In the childhood recital of the story the deer escapes through the intervention of the crow. 

The lesson of this story was to beware the princes of foes befriending them by quoting and professing a philosophy of inclusiveness with an ulterior motive of defeating them.

India and Earth family

Leading from there I thought of India in present day scenario, struggling to upkeep her image of a secular country and society. Battered by narratives of pseudo liberals and a far left determined in its hatred of Hindu thought and philosophy, by majority and minority appeasement politics, struggling still to free herself from the emotional burden of 700 years of Islamic rule and then over 400 years of the French and Portuguese in certain parts and the British in the rest of the country. 

A country that gave refuge to the persecuted Parsis, the family of Prophet Mohammed and the Tibetans to name a few, is today being called to prove her inclusiveness! I was moved to tears at this thought.

In this context the story of the jackal and deer needs to be more understood, I felt. 

When in the name of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam (secularism) forces with an agenda (the jackal) lead the good at heart and easily misled folks, who are majority of people, (deer) and the wise seers (crows), who keep warning and are either ignored and called names or are in fact labelled anti peace forces and conspiracy theorists, it is time to take note. 

I feel one reason for India’s being conquered time and again has been an adherence to this deep rooted mind set of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam and the dilemma it creates in the mind of its people.

This was the first extent of my process of thought how when the philosophy of a country and its majority people is inclusiveness, has to deal with narratives that are fashioned to prove otherwise by forces whom they have to be warned of and somehow exclude from this earth as all-embracing family philosophy.

A very difficult task indeed and which could cause a mental psychotic breakdown in the sensitive or make them put their head in the sand and refuse to engage or keep on embracing the fox as they are torn apart.

As I practice and teach Yog Sadhana and heart centre expansion, unconditional love is a by-product of the yog sadhana as the human transforms into the divine.

It is a moot point to understand how to amalgamate the qualities of a warrior with a lover without losing either.

But I am emboldened when I think of our texts like the Bhagavad Gita which extol to fight to protect the weak, to uphold dharma, of personages like Adi Shankaracharya who came at a time when the Buddhist outlook, it was felt was robbing the Bharatiya mind-set of its warrior like qualities. May be foresaw the future, I wonder! 

The invasions and the long stint of being ruled by foreigners subjected Indians to genocide and systemic conversions and economic loot, to famines, taxes and subjugation of our culture? Our Sikh Gurus started preparing well in time for the great fight, gurus like Swami Samarth Ram Das took heed and started training soldiers and warriors for the war. 

There was no dichotomy in being a spiritual practitioner, warrior and saviour.

As a result of which India is one of the only country to have survived with its indigenous culture and ancient customs still alive and thriving, visible from the shlok, the subject of this blog. The rest of the world crumbled under Islam and Christian conquests. 

Deer and Jackal in the Marketplace

Then cruising along this thought stream my mind came to the field of the market of ideologies, spirituality and religion. 

The simple seekers (deer) who are led on a merry dance by charlatan saints, priests, gurus, granthis and maulvis, by mentors and influencers (jackal), do include any others I may have forgotten here! Promising the followers everything from a state of eternal bliss, to virgins in heaven, to a promised land, an egalitarian society. In their greed for name and fame they quote vasudhaiva kutumbhakam or its equivalent! The seer who warns the seekers of the ulterior motives of such charlatans is often shamed and brought down. (That does not mean everyone who is brought down is a seer!)

As a deer today, the danger may not be about being killed but you may be recruited, inducted, radicalised or indoctrinated into the ideology or religious belief system of the jackal, whoever it might be, left or right. Without being aware you become a means for attracting more deer to be slaughtered or recruited.

The corporate world is not free from this phenomenon either; the world seemed to me to be divided today, into deers and jackals with very few seers, people with the ability to see with clarity.

In our personal inner spheres too the senses, and the mind (deer), led outwards by sensual and material attractions (jackal) and our vivek buddhi – the discerning intellect seer (crow) can keep warning us in vain.

At a time like this how can one be sure one is the deer and not the jackal?

When the deer sees without doubt, the jackal for what IT is, the deer becomes the seer. 

For me, this clarity of perception only comes as our biases and conditioning is cleared. This can be achieved in many ways, the path of Yog Sadhana being one of them. It is the heightening of our intuitive perception that cuts through the obvious and the apparent and can get to the core motive of the other, and yes of oneself. 

Constantly introspecting to see if one is a deer being influenced by a jackal or a jackal recruiting other deers. A seer is a person who is neither but has the wisdom to be aware of both.

The seer, in my realisation, is always rooted firmly in the soil of vasudhaiva kutumbhakam, seeing the earth as one family and embracing all. And though the seer, warns about the fox, can see clearly the motive and agenda and can take any action to deter the jackal from devouring the deer, emotionally, physically and mentally, there is no hate for nor fear of the jackal in the action.

Until this final realisation comes, one swings like a pendulum or seesaw between deer and the seer unless one is the jackal, in which case we are part of a larger pack and may require an immense effort to self-extricate and get away or paying heed to a seer may help us do that. 

In conclusion, for me, applied introspection in every situation is the way to identify our roles as deer, jackal or seer.

First published in Esamskriti
https://www.esamskriti.com/e/Spirituality/Tantra/Shaktipat-~-a-constant-shower-of-Grace-1.aspx

Words are inadequate and fail utterly to describe the experience or realisation of the experience of spiritual occurrences such as this “fall of grace.” I learned this as I struggled to put on paper the realisations that I have had over many years now, the word experience itself a very inadequate word for – well the experience of being a recipient of this grace and the realisations that it leads to! 

Spelled variously Shaktipaat, Shaktipat, Shaktipata, Saktipata, this phenomenon is, as are many other concepts of Sanatana Dharma, a very personal perception. A constant stream of Shakti, emanating from a fountainhead such as a Guru, an image or idol of a revered deity or from nature, according to me. But whichever medium it might be, the source is always the immaculate, all pervading divine consciousness. It varies in intensity and degree depending on the source who bestows it, to the blessed who receives it; from the manner it descends or rises; from gross to subtle; partial or total. With great responsibility, I am writing this based on my own absorption of this phenomenal Grace over many years and have tried to give a description of the various nuances in which I perceive it. If the readers want a scholarly in-depth text on this subject I would suggest they read Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka/Tantrasara, wherein he has detailed the various forms of descent of this energy, its source, scope and magnitude, refuting some and putting forth others. A sincere seeker will be able to glean from this a practical understanding of this esoteric occurrence. Kashmir Shaivism is a rich source for this topic and though Shaktipat is an intensely personal realisation and even though I truly believe that matters of the spirit are best based on one’s own realisations and progress, yet it gladdens the heart to read and connect with others who have passed on this path before us and left an impression via their writings and treatise for us to peruse and enlighten our knowledge of the subject. I have to point out here that there is a difference between studying a concept and understanding it and experiencing it through Shaktipat, after the experience is a point of no return to old patterns. Now you really Know!

In my writing I have taken care not to allude to the Universal Consciousness as a he and to the Shaktipat energy has a she, because for me they are Not. This energy can take what role it must for the best evolution of the receiver, ever versatile the form can be many the essence one, finally revealing the nature of pure Consciousness- Brahman. I continue, after once again reiterating that the following realisations are based on my own understanding and is in no way a debate or refuting of other systems that may be contrary. Herein lies the beauty of Sanatana Dharma that gives the seeker the independence to realise divinity as per their spiritual or scholarly status through various paths.  

Shaktipat- as a blessing from the Guru & Guru Tattva

The very first time I “received” the Shaktipat was remotely even before I had met my Guru and this grace was instrumental in my journey towards him, his teachings and his ashram. This happened in 1998, I was sitting with a group of people in a seminar in Chandigarh a city in Northern India, when all of a sudden my body felt light and weightless, the room expanded and stretched out, the people sitting next to me seemingly drifted far away and the space between us filled with light and I saw a vision of a person standing and beckoning me. I later came to know the person to be Yogiraj Satgurunath and the place as his forest ashram in the outskirts of Pune, Maharashtra, India. The feeling of weightlessness and joy stayed with me for many days. Subsequently after meeting Yogiraj later that month and visiting the ashram, I have been constantly in the abha of the Guru’s Shaktipat for over 24 years. This was truly a divine guidance as, though well known today, Gurunath was not very visible publicly at that moment of time and his ashram was hidden away nestled in the forest of Sita mai Dara. 

Over the years as consciousness expanded, I understood that a truly realised guru is constantly radiating this energy Shakti to all without bias. An overflow of their enlivened pran, the energy is neither calculatedly bestowed nor received but is an absorption. Each person absorbs it to the extent of their capacity to absorb.  There are many factors that come into play here, according to my understanding. Let us for a moment perceive the Guru as the Sun, just as the sun radiates light the guru radiates the Shaktipat, this perception about the Sun is more real than imagined, but we will come to that later. The efficacy of the light that enters is proportional to whether one is out in the open, inside or in a dungeon deep underground, the degree of darkness to be dispelled and the extent of it.  In the personal realm this availability relates to the state of the panchakoshas, the extent of naadi shodan and the degree of sahaj bhaav, the tamasic, rajasic or sattvic nature of the individual. The descent of this energy can bring about transformation in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual states of the recipient, giving a boost to the evolution of their consciousness and bringing to light truths that were hitherto not in the conscious realm. 

Descent of Grace from the Deity to the devotee

A living realised Guru’s contribution to the enhancing of the consciousness of the disciple is well documented and cannot be refuted. However, a disciples’ shaktipat absorption after once activated by the Satguru can lead them to this absorption from many sources as required for their individual progress along the path in sync with their Karma, prarabdh and sanchit. Once on a visit to Kashi in 2011, I was sitting in meditative silence in front of the statue of the Mahavatar Babaji at Lahiri Baba’s samadhi sthal. Almost playfully Babaji’s face transformed into the image of Mataji then back to Babaji, this play continued for a while. For me in that moment, as I was bathed in the energy flowing from the figure, the different aspects of masculine and feminine became one. As this realisation of Oneness poured in I was swept into the knowingness of non duality. In the Divine, all polarities become indivisible, inclusive and merged, yet are none. One yet None, my mind dissolved. The aspects of Purusha and Prakriti became crystal clear.  

Though a realised Guru is one source of this grace, the divine flow of energy cannot be confined to only a single medium, is my understanding. There are examples of many seemingly normal persons, quietly engaged in their daily lives who had no present guru but received the flow of energy directly from an image or idol, through a vision or darshan, transforming their very beingness. Just as Vasugupta was led to the Shankaropala to discover the Shiva Sutras after a vision of Shiva or as some say a divine Siddha. 

Since everything in the universe concerns the spiritual, including scientific discoveries, Shaktipat can transform a person into a brilliant mathematician or poet as we have seen in the case of personas such as Ramanujan and Kalidasa, both of whom attribute their sudden illumination to blessings from the Devi. In my understanding both were the result of the grace of Shaktipat from a divine source through the idol of the devi. We find that the Santana astronomers, scientists, inventors, rishis and yogis would readily attribute their knowledge and wisdom to a divine source, not so much in the western world. Though the Eureka moment of Archimedes in the bath for me is a Shaktipat moment. The firing of the neuron, a connect of the synapse bringing to light information and knowledge hitherto, in fact just moments ago hidden, but revealed in a flash is definitely a result of the fall of grace as the divine reveals itself to the devotee, in this case the scientist devoted to the study of the subject. 

For me a Shaktipat is always accompanied by what I like to call the epiphany or Aha moment – a sudden brilliant deeper enlightening realisation accompanied always by a freedom from bondage. This happens without fail, whether its on a personal level of understanding ones limitations or in the universal level of our limitlessness, the result is always liberation. The final liberation, of course, is from the cyclic punarapi maranam, punarapi jananam, of birth, death and rebirth into ignorance and suffering. 

Nature as dispenser of Shaktipat

There are many spots all over the world where visitors feel the grace of Shakti, after all what is Shakti, if not nature. The river Ganga, Narmada and Tungabhadra, the mountain Arunachala, Kailash, and Govardhan to name a few. There are instances of people taking a dip in a river and emerging transformed; Ramana Maharshi said it was the spiritual power of Arunachala that had brought about his Self-Realisation. Now we come to one of the greatest dispensers of Shakti, the Surya, in whose radiance we all live and breathe. 

In the year 2003/2004 I was leading a farmers movement against land acquisition in Chandigarh, where the administration was engaged in taking over farmers land for various developmental projects without due diligence and proper dispensation. The full force of the administration’s might, the police, CID, IB etc were pitted against the agitating farmers including me, looking for ways to arrest and detain us. One morning I was doing my Surya sadhana called the Siddhanath Surya Yoga as taught by my Guru. As I faced the Sun and went through the movements of pranayam, I felt the sun blaze even more and articles resembling astra and shastra, emanating from the sun and entering my aura. A feeling of immense courage and love enveloped and emboldened me. As it happens after this incident our movement took on more vigour and the administration could not do much harm and we went on to stop completely the acquisition policies of the administration and it holds till today with a caveat from the Supreme Court.  

The penultimate example of Shaktipat from the Surya is that of Brahmarisi Vishwamitra, who received the sacred Surya Gayatri as a result of his tapa and oneness with the Sun! The effect of this mantra is felt even today by those who chant it bathing them in the effulgence of the sun.

The Inner Surge of Shaktipat

Shaktipat, in tantra, is an established medium by which the Self reveals itself to itself and in that revelation expands the consciousness of the individual self towards their true nature as the universal Self. In fact it is a bit of an anomaly since there are no two selves. As the divine is all pervading and is not separated from the individual, the grace of Shaktipat can also rise from within, revealing the individual and universal to be of one nature. 

One morning earlier this year as I sat in meditation in the predawn hour, there was a silent rising from the depths of my consciousness, like a gentle emergence of a colossal shivling from the depth of a still ocean. Stillness was the quality of this rising, stillness was the very essence of the core. The following phrase manifested without any vibration or movement, मम आत्मं निरञ्झनह्, accompanied by the experience of the stillness of my innermost core as Love. Still Love. Love without ripples. This is what the term nirajhanah meant to me. Then there was an outpouring of this stillness, and I realised that Pran was this energy in motion, pran is love in motion. In a flash I ‘experienced’ the divine in every breath. The still love at the core of each of my inhalation and exhalation and the stillness at the pause.  

In the final stage, falling like gentle rain or striking like lightning as the Self reveals itself in totality, there is complete merging and the two become one. According to me, once this realisation has been had, it’s not possible to go back to old patterns of behaviour and suffering. One is truly a jeevan mukt, living in this world yet free of it.

A Recap

Over the years I notice that I have pondered much on the subject of the Guru/shishya, Master/disciple principle; though not premeditated I see in myself a fascination with this phenomenal bond in the spiritual arena. Of course this bond exists in normal teacher/student relationships too. Even those who are not actively on the path of spiritual discovery might see in themselves an influence by a teacher or professor, a mentor whose guidance has brought them to the present stage of life.

An example of my predisposition with this topic is the title of my book One Master one disciple which chronicles my journey in the Presence of my Guru, a journey that began with a mystical meeting in 1998 and continues; four years ago I wrote a blog on Gurus, shishyas and the Satguru and now here I am once again on a topic that is as intricate as it is mystical, fraught with strong opinions, understandings and misunderstandings bordering on the vacuous or intellectual. Yet, I am compelled to continue after my usual reiteration that the realisations here are mine alone and opposing views and realisations are equally valid- for those who have them, as these are for me. As noted earlier, my blogs are a way of light conversation, a time out from sadhana, in fact the topic is often the result of the sadhana- inner introspection.

The Principle Guru

I now realise that as my sadhana takes roots, my understanding of this Guru principle is deepening. As my inner discernment or rather as Yogiraj my Guru coins it- incernment, takes me towards a state of clarity unclouded by external factors or inner turmoil, I acknowledge this inner presence that reflects the outer Presence of the Satguru. This learning is for me is a great step towards true discipleship. Yogiraj in his book Babaji, the lightning Standing Still has included a chart with two headings, World Teacher and World King. In my humorous way I have always imagined a third column in this chart, that of ‘world disciples’ for those who would like to come in every lifetime to accompany these Teachers and Kings and are happy in that role and content to fill that column in every life! Ah a whimsical thought accompanied by a humble pranam .

Very early on I had understood that one of the foremost accomplishment of the external Satguru is to turn the disciple inwards towards the inner guru, as Yogiraj Siddhanath did and continues to do, with me and his many disciples. In fact, by their very nature Satguru’s perform this act of revelation; stopping and reversing the flow of attention from the external to the inner Guru. Of course each disciple makes this journey at their own pace. This process of reversal and inner wisdom is a part of the yogic path, as layers of the koshas, from gross to subtle are purified through the given practice, the inner guide starts to shine forth. As the veil dissolves the disciple realises the externally present and their inner Guru to be of the same essence.

The Flux Motion

As the yogi practitioners apply themselves to the practice given by their Satguru, a process is put into motion similar to the process of the germination of a seed. As the disciple is saturated with the Satgurus grace the dormant and or latent seed of the Vivek Buddhi in the disciple awakens and begins to expresses itself. The practice and the presence of the living master works like the water and sun helping the disciple to realise their full potential. There are of course many permutations and combinations to this development, the fertility of the soil, the receptivity of the seed itself, the surrounding environment and climate of the society in which the disciple interacts. But I have realised that when the seed is ready to sprout the water and the sun- the Satguru will find them to start the process of awakening.

As the seed sprouts it not only germinates and moves up towards the sun but also puts down roots to harness nourishment from the soil. Ditto with the disciple encouraged and nourished by the grace and loving guidance of the master and the rooting into the practice of the given technique of inner understanding, the disciple expresses the spiritual radiance in all their actions, manifested and unmanifested. This is a great learning experience and many years and lifetimes may go in this process, as one lifetime may not be enough to accomplish the required level of inner wisdom to finally let go, the ego of it all.

The Veil of the Panchakoshas

Often I hear people referring to how they listen to their inner guide for all matters spiritual and that they don’t need an external Guru or a practice for guidance. But, according to me, it’s not an easy matter to be able to connect to this inner guide, or to be sure the guidance that is coming is not dictated by one’s own desires or wants.

The body is made up of 5 layers or koshas, the annamaya physical body of food, the pranamaya body of breath/pran, the manomaya the body of mind and emotion, the vignyanamaya body of intellect and the anandamaya body of intuition, each contributing to refraction of information received and executed, all influencing one another and the five senses that collect information. Beyond these is the soul, also covered with its samskars and past karmas. Within this multilayered shell is the hidden spark of the inner guru.

For the inner Guru to shine forth unhindered the external layers have to reach a state of clarity and stillness unhindered by turbulence. To accomplish this, many tools are used by those on this path- various pranayam techniques, mantra frequencies, chakra sadhana etc. For practicing yogis a natural adherence to the 8 limbs of yog sadhana. In some cases sitting in the Presence of a master aids in accomplishing this state, depending upon the stature of the Master and readiness of the disciple this can be speedy or slow. Only conscious effort brings the disciple to this stage of unperturbed equilibrium is my realisation.

The wonder is that as the outer Satguru’s grace and our own effort with the practice builds the bridge from out to in, the already present inner Guru expresses in to out completing the formation of the bridge. On a lighter note my mind conjures up the building of the Eurotunnel, where work began on both ends and the Chunnel then met perfectly in the middle. Of course no spiritual pun intended…about France and UK, about who is Master and who disciple, lets leave it to the football teams to decide that

The Final Turnabout

In the end we return to the seed that has sprouted and grown roots and shoots akin to the disciple fully nurtured with all the inner wisdom, expressing it in all facets of their lives. The final service the Satguru does is to now reverse the process to a withdrawal where the seed pulls back into itself its outer manifestations and the disciple moving inwards rests in the inner Nothingness, knowing that it is of the same essence as the essence of the external Satguru and Master. The disciple during practice may have already become aware of this similarity of essence, of the clear stream of consciousness that connects the innermost core of the Satguru with their own innermost core, devoid of all external paraphernalia. Nay the disciple may have already learnt to ‘listen’ internally to this essence of the Satguru, the true gnosis. But in the final retracing and resting in this state is the purpose of the yog sadhana accomplished.

This seems to be the primary function of the Satguru, to assist in forming the bridge that transports the disciple to the inner guru and rest in THAT.

For this great service a disciple can never repay the SatGuru.

Note* This germinating seed is just one of my analogies, there are and can be many as this whole process of the Guru/disciple phenomena is very fascinating and has as many permutations combinations as there are Gurus and shishyas. My realisation of the Outer & Inner Guru, however remains constant.