Devotee Experience

Bhagavan always travels with us.
5th September 2019.

From the day I met Bhagavan, I began to have such divine experiences. Last Thursday night due to my job, I came across three drunken men who were travelling with me. They were consistently hassling me and were very dangerous. At this point, I recalled the image of Swami carrying out the Arthmatha pooja in the morning. I prayed thinking of Bhagavan to somehow save me from his dangerous situation. Surprisingly, just as they were going to attack me, a flower fell from nowhere and landed on the dashboard. The three men went silent and were shocked and asked me repeatedly "How did the flower get there?"and "Where did it even come from?" and soon somehow they fell asleep suddenly.

When I was speaking to Bhagavan next morning, He had made it clear that the flower was sent to me from up above in aid of my protection. I only give my pure love and devotion to Bhagavan and He has saved me through this miraculous and divine experience.

Thank you Bhagavan

29th November 2012
Shri. Bahitharan's home - #10, Camathen, South Wales, UK
Time: 11:15pm

Babaji's completed the satsangh and started walking around the home. From the living room Babaji walked into the kitchen and was appreciating the home. Babaji said to Mrs. Bahitharan that next visit to Wales Babaji will stay in their home, and that Babaji will come with a big team of devotees!

Babaji's completed the satsangh and started walking around the home. From the living room Babaji walked into the kitchen and was appreciating the home. Babaji said to Mrs. Bahitharan that next visit to Wales Babaji will stay in their home, and that Babaji will come with a big team of devotees!

Mrs. Bahitharan was overjoyed and extended an invite heartfully! Just then Babaji asked ' do you have a garden?', for which Mrs. Bahitharan said 'YES' and instantly was pleased to show the garden. She rushed to throw open the door to the delight of Babaji and all of us. Babaji walked into the garden saying 'next visit we can conduct a beautiful Satsangh here'. Then Babaji looked up to the sky to see the beautiful full moon ( it was just a day after the full moon) with a magnificent halo around it, which was slowly expanding...colourful concentric circles that magnified the brilliance of the moon! Just then Babaji told me 'look at the moon... Keep looking...' as I was gazing at the moon Babaji appeared and immediately Shirdi Sai Baba appeared!! I was elated! I screamed with Joy!! I said 'Baaaaaaba' and started crying like a baby!! I just hugged Babaji and couldn't let go of Babaji!! I prostrated to Babaji and thanked profusely!! Just couldn't say anything!!! Babaji laughed heartily and said 'why are you crying?' I said 'Baba, I was craving for this experience for so many years' I love YOU Baba... I love YOU'. Tears continued to roll down my eyes, at the amusement of other devotees who were eager to experience what I was blessed with!! Babaji caressed my face slowly from the top of my head downwards towards my forehead, and then my face and asked 'are you Happy?'. I was frozen!! what can I say?? No words in any language can express the feeling of seeing God, and that too on the moon...on the Full Moon. Moreover my beloved Guru giving me that experience in HIS HOLY presence, especially on a Thursday, in a sacred placed, which is the land of Skanda ( Lord Muruga). Wales is a blessed land - a temple dedicated to Lord Muruga had been established by a Sri Lankan about 25 years ago, known as 'Skanda Vel,' which is visited by thousands from all over the world. The temple is currently managed by Europeans who have surrendered to Lord Skanda and devoted their lives for the protection and propagation of righteousness. Their selfless service provides solace to seekers who visit Skanda Vel from world over.

Hi Professor:
My recent visit to Kerala was amazing and had added a new experience and uplifted my inner soul to a higher level. Babaji has transformed my way of life! The simple lifestyle of Babaji's close devotees in the Kozhikode and Palakkad Ashrams has moved my soul and enhanced my love for all living beings around me. My recent visit to Kerala was amazing and had added a new experience and uplifted my inner soul to a higher level. Babaji has transformed my way of life!

The simple lifestyle of Babaji's close devotees in the Kozhikode and Palakkad Ashrams has moved my soul and enhanced my love for all living beings around me. At first I thought that I was not welcome to visit Babaji. I have no idea why I felt like that. In any case, I was grateful to see Prashanth Swamy there to receive me at the airport and he took care of me. Perhaps I felt this way because I was told that Babaji was not around and that Babaji had gone on a yathra and he would be later going to Chennai. So I spent the night at a hotel in Kozhikode. My mind was very disturbed and I could not sleep. The next day I was picked up by Prashanth Swamy and we went to Babaji's temple and after having had a walk around the temple and offering a small prayer, we made our way to the school. We were met by both the little angels and the teachers as well. I had bought some chocolates and books for the children.

I hope those books were useful. I had a brief chat with the Head teacher and talked to her about how I could help them with their needs. I was made to understand that the school was in need of a computer for administration purposes. I had decided to donate the computer to the school but I have to look for sponsors first and I am positive that with the Grace of Babaji, I will make this happen. Professor! I am writing to you because I want to do so much for Babaji and assist Him in his quest to help the poor and needy. I experience a great need to want to be part of it. I need to know what the school needs other than cash, including such items as stationery, textbooks and other related materials. I hope I will get a list of items that are needed.

Give me a couple of months and I will sort it all out. I would like to work closely with you to help you as well. My Palakkad trip was great! I visited Mayiladikundram on the way and spent a night in Palakkad, traveling to Chennai the next day met all the Chennai devotees there and then left for England on January 11, 2011. I did meet Babaji in Chennai and all the disappointment that I had nurtured within me came to an end when Babaji explained to me why what happened had happened. It was He said test! Professor! Please keep me informed and I will do what I can to help with the blessings of Babaji. I would like to serve with love.

Love
Siva Munusamy

July 25, 2010
Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! My beloved Ganesha! Brother of Karthikeya!
Lord of all Scribes! Lord of the Ganas!
Remover of Obstacles! Ocean of Compassion!
May this tribute to the Supreme Guru

Touch the hearts of all! I met Sadguru Murali Krishna for the first time on July 28, 2007 when he had come to inaugurate the establishment of the Bangalore Ashram. The late Sri Ravindran had gifted him an acre of lush virgin land with a lot of fruit, coconut and teak trees. Except for the vegetation and a simple two room roughly hewn cottage, there was little to attract attention. It was the month of July. It was the rainy season and the ground was muddy and wet. I had heard of Swamiji for the past two years from my close friend Sri Gokul Raj. Ever since I first heard of him, I had entertained no doubts of his divinity. There were no doubts at all. Inexplicably, I knew in my heart that he was a self-realized master and that I was destined to see him.

The occasion presented itself in July 2007. It was a difficult period in my life with challenges in several domains. Like a tree yearning to be covered with leaves, my heart yearned for the Grace of a Mahatma. This thirst had taken me to the moving story of Lord Jesus and the astonishing story Lord Buddha, it had attracted me to the effulgence of Sri Ramana Maharishi, I had been engulfed by the extraordinary account of Sri Yogananda Paramahamsa, Sri Yukteshwar, Lahiri Mahasya a nd Babaji, I had been hugged by Mata Amritanandamayi, the Divine Mother, whom I love dearly and from childhood, I was nurtured on the tales of my beloved Sai Baba of Shirdi. My father was an ardent devotee of Baba and I always felt very close to him.

Since the year 1999, I was in search of inner peace and I went relentlessly after my objective. Of course this search must have begun as it indeed did, much earlier but I became conscious of its force and intensity in 1999. I must have done the circumambulation or girivalam of Arunachala several dozen times and I often use to weep with tears streaming down my cheeks looking at Arunachala, that ocean of boundless love, grace and compassion, praying in the form of begging Lord Shiva to cast His merciful glance in my direction! Had not the Sage of Arunachala said, “Arunachala is like fire. If you go near it, you cannot remain untouched by it.” I went with a mere teaspoon but the Lord gifted me with immeasurable truckloads loads of Grace! My prayer was answered in ways that never cease to astonish me even today! I am unable to explain it but its power and mystery remain with me in all their majesty and splendor. Words begin to fail me.

What I have received from our beloved Sadguru can never be repaid even with my life. Today, I cannot conceive of a life without him. The love that he gives us cannot be described in words. Some say love is indescribable. This is true! It is! This has been my experience. I tried meeting him in June 2007 but every time I made the effort, something would go wrong. My efforts were in vain. Until one day in frustration, I decided to fly from Bangalore to Chennai and then to Calicut with Sri Gokul and see him. Within a couple of hours of my booking the tickets, I received a message from Gokul that Swamiji was coming to Bangalore and that I could see him on July 28, 2007.

I met him that day in the evening. He looked regal and majestic. He had a beautiful and captivating smile that lit up his face and it seemed to be there almost all the time. When I came near him, I clutched both his feet in desperation and muttered in Tamil: “Swamiji, you must save me!” He was as I have always come to know him since that date, calm, purposeful and ever firmly grounded in a state of divine exaltation. I could not control myself. I broke down and cried without feeling any sense of shame or restraint. With tears streaming down my face, I told him again: “Only you can save me!”

He responded with a beatific smile on his face: “I was expecting you here today. Now that you have come, I will not allow you to go or to leave me. Do you know why? Because you are mine! You have always been mine! In your previous life, you were born into a Rishi parampara. Even then I was taking care of you. But in this life (his smile became mischievous); I set a net to trap you two years ago. Now that you have come here, I will not allow you to go. You belong to me! You will be with me!”

“Let me see. How many of you are there in your family? You have a wife, a son and a daughter. Do you not? All of you are under my direct protection. Live without fear! Why do you fear when I am there? Like a frog parched with summer thirst, you have been waiting for the monsoon rain for decades, have you not? Today I am going to shower you with that rain. You have reached your destination. There is no place to go. You have come to me. You must help this Ashram grow! One person in every family in Bangalore should visit this holy ashram at least once in a lifetime and chant this holy mantra – Om Sharavanabhava – because in this Kali Yuga, this mantra has the power to help a seeker dive into his inner self.”

By this time, I had begun to recover. Then he asked me to come a little nearer to him, which I did. He then whispered an incident that had occurred in my past (almost twenty years earlier) which was known only to my wife and few of my friends. This was no big dark secret. It was a very painful episode in my life. He explained the significance of what had transpired in my life then in terms that I found completely astonishing and revelatory. Years of ignorance and darkness gave way to effulgence and luminosity. In one mighty stroke, he made me aware of his divinity and his omniscience! He made it very clear to me that he was my Guru and from the very first day, he spoke to me authoritatively like a Guru does to a sishya or disciple. It was at that precise moment that I became profoundly and deeply conscious of the fact that I had met my Guru! I knew I had arrived at my destination. There was nothing more to be accomplished in this respect.

He quickly confirmed that fact. He then told me that he knew why I had come to see him. Once again, he told me the cause and he was absolutely on target. Within a few seconds, he outlined the solution to the problem that I had come to him with and reassured me that he would take care of it, that I had nothing to fear and to leave everything in his hands. He then asked me if I was going regularly to Tiruvannamalai. I said that I was. He told me then that I was a Shiva bhakta and that soon he would soon be seeing me in Tiruvannamalai. This visit was to take place sooner than later. Finally, he asked me to come the next day. The next day (July 29, 2007) happened to be Guru Poornima. I needed very little persuasion to see him once again.

When I was returning home, I was already beginning to experience a certain calmness of mind and serenity in temperament. The next day I asked Gokul to ask him two questions including (a) when would my problem be over and (b) will he grace me to author his biography? When I approached him the next day, (it was once again early evening), he went into an exalted state. His voice was commanding yet compassionate. Responding to the first question, he said: “The winds are so turbulent that even the mighty trees shake. If I hold on to them very hard, they will break. So I have put a rope around them. Your problem will be taken care of within a period of six months.”

And with respect to the second question, he exclaimed with the innocence of a child: “I am only an infant! You must help me grow! How can you want to write a book about me when I am only a child! So you want a write a book on me? You will not only author a book on me but you will be the author of all my Vedas. By my grace, you will receive the intelligence to grasp what I teach you. The first line of your first book will be, ‘This is the Veda I was taught by my Guru, Sadguru Murali Krishna, on the holy day of Guru Poornima.’ I will teach you all the Vedas. Learn the first Veda from me today. This world is a product of the actions of humankind. But there is a substratum – (absolute reality) – that has no equal. It is one without a second whose tatva (principle) people do not understand. The world must be taught this principle. You will be my instrument. It must be actively espoused, spread and taught. I have chosen you to spread my word. You will be my vehicle. And you must do this job!” I was overwhelmed!

He had a number of garlands around him. He suddenly took off one of them and put it around my neck. He said: “See I am marrying you today! When you are married to me, how can you leave me? Even if you try to leave me, I will put a rope around your legs and pull you back. You belong to me!” He then touched the watch I was wearing and continued: “From today your time belongs to me. I will take over your time. Whatever destination you want to reach, you will reach through my grace. Secondly, I have already entered into your pen. It will sing my praise! And finally, your feet; I will not allow the thorns of worldly existence to prick your feet. Do you why?” I replied by saying I did not. He said: “Because I reside in them!” I was deeply and irreversibly moved! I broke into tears for the umpteenth time.

Later that evening at around 6 pm just as I was about to enter Gokul’s vehicle, I was called to see Swamiji. He was sitting inside on a bare platform. He was solemn, dignified and of royal bearing. As soon as he saw me, he smiled. I touched his feet and once again broke down. I said: “You have given me such a lot of love yesterday and today. I do not know what I have done to deserve that.” He was very pleased! He at once said by cupping both his palms around both my cheeks: “My child! Tell me what else is there other than love that I can give you? Is it not the only thing that is eternal in this universe? Is that not the only truth that actually lasts forever? Just as you have been brought here by somebody else, you will bring others to me.”

Once again a naughty smile came over his facial features. He said: “People tell me that you love your students just as much as you love your children. Is this true?” I remained silent as I did not know what to say. He said: “There are a lot of children in this world who are suffering because they do not have a father, mother or Guru. You will be responsible for bringing such children to me and I will heal them. I will give you a lot of work to do and you must complete that work.” Then he suddenly hit me on my chest and said: “I will take care of your body and you take care of my word.” He then gave me a couple of things that he asked to carefully keep. And then I left.

I had gone to him in a near broken state. I had all but collapsed on the inside though I had allowed nobody to get a sense of what was going on inside me. And he firmly plucked out the thorns from my heart and threw them on the roadside with a wave of his hand, taking my pain away and making me light once again. He did all this with no fuss or fanfare, as if it was all an integral part of a days’ work. I felt as if a huge burden was lifting from my shoulders and I could breathe normally again. In those days, I used to drink and smoke with gay abandon. Two days later after consuming a few drinks, I called Gokul before going to bed. He told me that he was about one hundred and twenty kilometers from Palani and that Swamiji was in his car. I asked him to hand the mobile to Swamiji.

I greeted Swamiji by saying Pranamam. He replied likewise. His voice was crystal clear, deep and sonorous. It was as if he had expected my call. He then said: “Today you must give me my Guru dakshina (my fee for initiation)!” I said I was willing to give him anything, including my life and that I was willing to put it on a plate and give it to him. I could hear him laugh! This was the only occasion I tried to be smart with him. I told him that I needed to do some drinking as I was a Professor who was in contact with a lot of my peers worldwide and from time to time I needed to do some social drinking. I soon realized that I was talking rubbish but one of the many reasons why I love my Guruji so much was that he never interrupted me. He did not ask me to shut up though he could very easily have done that and with good reason.

Instead, he said: “I will allow you one month from today. You can do what you like in the next thirty days. But after one month, this must absolutely stop. Your stopping your drinking is the fee that I demand that you pay me.” He had completely outsmarted me! His request was so breathtakingly reasonable that it was hard to refuse! I told him that his grace would enable me to keep the promise he had elicited from me. He enigmatically replied: “Let me see.” Much later I realized that when he seemed harsh, it was actually a sign of deep love and affection.

Exactly thirty days later, he called me (August 29, 2007) and asked me to come the next day to Tiruvannamalai and meet him at Sri Ramanasramam at 11 am. I did that. He asked me to come with Sri Gokul and we left for Arunachala the next day. Gokul was speeding. Half an hour before our destination, we hit an old lady who stopped in the middle of the road. We were right in the middle of a village. We were soon surrounded. I was badly shaken and so was Gokul. Even while I was wondering what was going on, I instinctively reached out and thought of my Guru. I thought he would not have asked us to come today had there not been a good reason to do so. I mentally left everything in his hands.

A huge crowd gathered and I thought there was going to be an awful lot of trouble ahead of us. The lady had a somersault twice before she finally hit our windshield (it was severely cracked) before falling to the ground. We quickly took her to the hospital in Tiruvannamalai. I informed Ramanasaramam and they were most kind and cooperative. They even called the police constable who was in charge of the region who helped us clear all formalities. Miraculously apart from a small scratch on her head and shock, the lady was perfectly fit as a fiddle! It was a miracle! Her son keeps calling Gokul even today for saving his mother’s life!

I left Gokul at the hospital at 10.45 and headed for Ramanasramam where I had booked two rooms for Swamiji the previous day. I reached him on time. He asked everybody to leave the room and I was alone with him. Once again, he was all love and compassion. I told him we had had an accident and he replied by saying: “I know that! See!” And he stretched out his right hand and asked me to smell his palm. I did that and it actually smelt of burnt rubber! I was absolutely nonplussed! Flabbergasted would be a better word!

He then very calmly proceeded to tell me that the old lady was supposed to succumb to an accident and die from a car that was supposed to come from the opposite direction. Instead he decided to save her life by letting her get into an accident in the reverse direction through our vehicle! I was speechless with wonder! He then asked me to sit on his lap and pressed his fingers on various parts of my spine. He also patted me on various parts of my chest and back (I believe he was removing negative energy from my system and releasing all energy centers that were internally blocked) and he then answered several personal questions I put to him.

I received personal instructions concerning some issues on which I needed clarity. While patting my back and my chest, he said that he has to transform the water in my system into milk and then into ghee or rarified butter! He finally gave me a small ball of vibhoodi or sacred ash and camphor and asked me to eat it. He then said that I would cease drinking from that day. I ate it in his presence. And I did! It was as simple as that! I faced no problems of any kind including craving or temptation. No credit is due to me for this resistance as it was entirely a product of his grace.

The same afternoon we went to the Dakshinamoorthy temple bordering Ramanasramam and Swamiji began chanting the Dakshinamoorthy mantra. It was beautiful hearing him. His tone was steady, not wavering up or down and the chanting intense. He must have chanted the mantra about a thousand times (we repeated after him) because it took a good hour and a half, perhaps more. That evening we had the rare privilege of completing the girivalam of Arunachala with Swamiji. It was absolutely delightful. When we were crossing the plot of land I had purchased in Arunachala a couple of years earlier, I showed Swamiji the spot from the main road. He suddenly became child-like and clutched my hands and said, “Where is it? Show it to me?” I pointed in that direction and he told me in a somber tone of voice: “My child, Arunachala is not for married life. You must build an ashram there, not a house, and call me when you have completed it.” We returned at 10.30 pm, ate dinner in his room and left for Bangalore at 2 am in the next morning. Before leaving him, I asked him to put his foot upon my head and bless me which he at once did. I began to experience a deep love swelling in my breast for Guruji.

I began visiting him every month from then. Sometimes it was Calicut, sometimes it was Palakkad and sometimes Guruvayur. On December 31, 2007, he called me in the morning and asked me to meet him at Palani at 3 am the next day. I boarded a flight the same day, reached Coimbatore at 7.30 pm and took a taxi to Palani and booked myself into a lodge the same night. I was to revisit that lodge many times in the future.

I finally met him at 5 pm the next day. Not 3 am. This was because his car had developed some problems along the way. In those days, I used to easily break down on seeing him. I am more controlled today. When he came up the steps of the holy abode of Lord Murugan, I touched his feet. I had brought a garland for him in the morning and put it around him. He said: “Do you know how much I have been thinking of you! You have been in my thoughts! Come with me! We have to do a lot of important things today.” He then held me tightly, kissed me on my forehead and firmly took me around the temple. We were soon at the entrance.

He then said: “You have been my devotee for the past six months and in this period, you have done everything I have asked you to do. So I am going to bless you today.” His voice changed! He saw my Amma bracelet on my wrist and said: “It is difficult for an ordinary man to understand Amma! She has so much tapas (literally means ‘heat’ but in this context, it refers to penance) that she can walk on the water! But the ordinary individual goes with a small spoon but Amma empties lorry loads of grace. But the ordinary individual does not have the strength to hold on to what she gives him”. I waited. And then he pulled himself up and said forcefully: “I am not like that! I am Subramanya! I first whitewash my devotees and only after that do I bless them! Do you know why? Because when I clean them, what I give them will stay with them forever!” It was a moment that I am not likely forget! Ever!

Then he began to be naughty! He turned out to me very innocently and asked me whether I had brought any sweets for him that day! I froze with embarrassment! This was because I was in the habit of taking some sweets or savories to him whenever I met him and this time I had forgotten to do so because he had asked me to meet him very early in the morning and nothing was open at that time in the morning except flowers. As a result, I had taken a garland of flowers. I used my presence of mind that told him that I had brought a different kind of sweet for him. He at once became childlike and endearingly asked me: “What is it? Where is it? Give it to me!” I was completely lost! I told him that I had brought him my mind to surrender it to him. That was my offering.

But he was relentless! He said: “Ah! That is all very well, but where are my sweets? I want my sweets!” I was close to tears! I then told him that once we came down from the temple, I would buy him whatever sweet he wanted. He then turned to me and continued: “In that case, you must give up smoking from today.” Suddenly his voice changed and he said: “This child will stop smoking from today.” He turned to me a little later and said: “You know you should not smoke anymore because when you do, the smoke passes through my lungs!” I could not believe my ears! I again had tears in my eyes! I resolved then to stop smoking. With a minor hiccup, I gave up the habit completely.

But the whitewashing was still not over! He later called me to Delhi in the summer of 2008 (May). On the day of my arrival in the evening, (it was in the Constitution Club), he called me late in the night and said: “Do you know there are so many sages in the Himalayas who perform tapas just to have one glimpse of me. But in your case, I entered your life and pulled you! Do you understand what I am saying?” I told him I did. I was strongly reminded of Lord Jesus who chose his own apostles and said that he would make them fishers of men.

After a brief stay in Delhi, we went to Haridwar and Rishikesh with him. It was a delightful visit. We bathed in the sacred Ganges on many occasions and on one such occasion in the morning, I lost my foothold and caught his feet. For some reason, I found myself thinking of my father. I still missed him deeply. Hot tears were rolling down my eyes and I was looking down trying to hide them. He asked me why I was crying. And I told him. He said my ancestors are waiting for me in Rishikesh. When I was hugging his feet, he blessed me and said: “Yes! Hold on firmly to my feet!” What it meant was this: “In the raging waters of this samsara (worldly existence), my feet are your only refuge! Cling to them!”

Toward the end of our stay, one evening he asked us to come down into the Ganga with him. A few days earlier, he had had asked me one morning, (it was our very first morning in Haridwar) to purchase 14 garlands of wooden beads. He was sitting on one of the rocks and he looked absolutely divine with all the 14 necklaces in his hand! Not a muscle in his body moved! He was in a meditative posture and I have a beautiful photograph of him in this posture. It is enclosed with this note. It was nearing 7 pm. He then addressed all the fourteen of us: “You must be wondering why I have brought you all away from your families and made you spend more than a week with me. You must consider me mad. But actually what you are witnessing today is the rarest of rare occurrences in any person’s life. Such an opportunity is not given to many.” The water was cold. It was getting dark. All of us experienced an unmistakable deeper presence that evening. There was no smile on Swamiji’s features. On the contrary, his countenance was stern, almost forbidding.

Suddenly, he turned to me and asked: “Look above me in the sky, what do you see?” I said I see the moon. Then he pointed to the Ganga aarti that was taking place on the other side of the river at Rishikesh (the aarti in Haridwar is a greater spectacle than its counterpart in Rishikesh where it is more modest) and again asked me what I saw. I said Ganga Devi. He then said: “The moon means Lord Shiva or Purusha the Supreme Person, while Ganga means Nature or Prakriti. In between is me, your Guru. Today I have prepaid all your ancestral debts. Only your Guru can accomplish this task. No other entity can do this task. I have done this today for all of you.” There was nobody who was not deeply and profoundly moved. The ambience was very somber.

He concluded his discourse by telling us that all of us must take a vow never to touch non-vegetarian food from that day and that in our lifetime we must persuade at least ten people to turn completely vegetarian. He then distributed the garlands to each one of us and asked us to wear it on our person at all times. His last demand from me was the easiest to fulfill because I was vegetarian by nature and disposition and ate non-vegetarian food occasionally. This was not difficult to give up. Of the three, this was certainly the easiest for me.

Today it will be three years since I came to bask under the Grace of Sadguru Murali Krishna who is today widely coming to be known as Sadguru Sri Sharavana Baba. Each time I meet him, I learn something valuable and develop but only a little. Far from clearing, the mystery has actually deepened. But my restlessness has given way to certain equanimity of mind that is today hard to disturb or derail. I recall writing an impassioned letter to Mata Amritanandamayi, the Divine Mother in June 2007, when she was in New York. I told Her that I was tired of worldly existence, that I have tried to be a good father, a good husband, a good teacher and a good friend to those who approach me but now I am tired. I want to serve my Guru and merge in His feet. I do not recall my exact words but I do remember telling her that I was weary of worldly existence and did not want it anymore. And that she must take over that responsibility.

I firmly believe that it was the Divine Mother who sent me to my beloved Guru and made it possible for me to touch his feet. I salute Her mercy and compassion! Three years have passed since Sadguru Sri Sharavana Baba has allowed us the privilege of being with him with all our faults, deficiencies and failings. But his answer to us is always the same. It never wavers! And that answer takes the form of unconditional love! His infinite patience, his boundless compassion, his precious instruction to help us remove our follies and foibles are an eloquent testimony to the selfless nature of his divine mission.

My European friends find it hard to understand how we Indians can surrender ourselves with faith and devotion to a human being. Their faith in what they call “science” and “reason” has blinded them to their own Master (whom I recognize as mine as well) who preached the value of faith by saying that if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could move mountains! I am puzzled how easily the Western world has forgotten these commandments. I gently remind my Western friends that if you put yourself in God’s place, the position is unenviable. This is because human beings refuse to believe in the existence of God (actually their own divinity) because they claim they cannot see Him. But when out of His infinite mercy and compassion, He takes birth to provide love, relief and succor, human beings dismiss Him by saying, “He is not God, but a mere human being!” God loses both ways! But the truth is that the Supreme Being is both with form and without form and yet he is beyond both.

Europeans are also puzzled by Hindus worshipping dozens of gods and goddesses. Our festivals puzzle and amuse them. Deep inside they have the feeling that we are idolaters and they take recourse to the Old and New Testament to validate their prejudice. I find this very puzzling! According to the age old tenets of Sanatana Dharma or the Eternal Religion, , we believe the universe is composed of 330 million life forms and the Hindu humbly bows his head in submission and prayer to each and every one of them by seeing each one of them as an emanation of the Supreme Being! To equate this submission to idolatry is quite simply incredulous!

I recall the times when I am in the West and the way people there decorate their bodies to look good, smell good and feel good! Unfortunately the habit is catching up with us in India as well. I once again remind my Western friends that if anything can be called idolatry, that kind of obsession with the body qualifies as idolatry! Sadguru Sharavana Baba always reminds us to pay attention to the inside and allow our internal atma to guide our external actions, not the other way around. As Sri Ramana Maharishi once said, the body itself is a disease and it is important to ask ourselves whether we are the body or the mind or the intellect. On enquiry, we will discover that we are neither of those entities.

In a beautiful discourse that Babaji delivered in Paris in May this year, he asked us to relentlessly pursue the answer to the question Who am I? (Nan Yar?). This question is a veritable Brahmastra in the spiritual quest and one which Babaji exhorts his devotees to persist because in many ways, it contains the key.

I met a colleague a few days ago and she told me that I have changed hugely in the last fifteen years that she has known me. I then realized what my Guru had done to me internally and the way it was reflecting externally and I quickly uttered a prayer in my heart invoking his name! What he has taught all of us is the inestimable value of prayer, faith, devotion and surrender. He once said that prayer is so powerful that it can even restore to you what you thought you had lost. I have personally experienced this truth because he helped me regain what I thought I had lost in both my worldly life and in my spiritual quest: the ability to view imperfection perfectly.

May His grace help the universe overcome the challenges it faces and may His will prevail! Know that He is none other than Lord Subramanya who has taken birth to remove the dreaded poison of the ego (ahamkara and mamkara or “I” and “mine”) and spread His hood of loving protection to those who seek refuge in Him!

Om Sharavanabhava!

I went to london to send the album. I was down with fever and struggling to drive. Iwas chanting his name. On my return the front tyre blew. Due to his grace nothing happened. Normally at motorway speed the car goes out of control. Could not get the tyre out and had to get the RAC out. The spare tyre was flat and had a nail in it. At that time of the night to get a new tyre with call out charges it would have cost around£400. Prayed to swami pumped up the tyre with the nail. started to drive home. Found that the motorway was closed and had to tahe a long detour. Chanted swami's name all the way and he got me home safely.

I used to be very confused saying my prayers. I would be very frightened that if i missed saying my praying to either Lord Ganesha or Lord Shanmuga or Lord Shiva or any other god, harm would befall me upon that day and my prayers as a result were becoming very stressed and characterized by tension. One day as we were getting into the car, you called us to the madom and we watched you perform the pooja and that changed me forever. Watching you was an experience that I will never forget. It changed me irreversibly. Now I pray that irrespective of the form that you might assume, I remain grateful. Please accept my prayers and bless us.

The enclosed picture of Shridi Sai Baba with other gods reminds of a similar thought. I am amazed by your ability to read my thoughts and your wisdom in guiding me ever so very subtly. I am hugely grateful to you for your Grace. As the Supreme Guru, you live in our hearts and every day I am witness to this divine manifestation of your guidence. My grateful thanks to you! It would not be incorrect to say that you you picked me off the streets. My thoughts of anger are now changing to blessings. Evil thoughts are getting out of my mind. Revered Guru: I believe that this is the result of your indomitable power and Grace. It is akin to magic! My wife and Iwould worry about the fact that we live far away and we are unable to attend your talks and listen to your golden words. That worry is no more. Now both of us feel the deep truth that you dwell within our hearts and are guiding us without a pause. The only longing I have is to touch your lotus feet which I forever do in my thoughts. Thank you dearest Guru once again and forgive me my mistakes.

Your devoted servant,
Rasu Perumainar

I had a wonderful experiece of swami's grace. Guru Poornima was fast approaching on July 3, 2012 and we were with Babaji in Singapore. The trip to Malaysia had gone off splendidly and Babaji was very happy with His visit to the country as He was able to connect with literally hundreds of devotees. He was pleased with the elaborate arrangements that had been made for His visit and was very happy that it had concluded well.

Bangalore
Friday, July 06, 2012