ENLIGHTENMENT SPRING WITH HIMALAYA'S
THE COMMON PEOPLE KEPT ASKING SATYANANDA QUESTIONS. AND WHILE HE WAS STILL REPLYING, SOME COULD NOT HELP TALKING STIMULTANEOUSLY, HARDLY LISTENING TO HIM. AT ONE POINT HE SAID, IT IS BETTER TO OPEN YOUR EARS AND CLOSE YOUR MOUTHS INSTEAD OF VICE VERSA. VANITY FRUSTRATES THE FULFILLMENT OF YOUR WILL. TRUTH CANNOT BE IMPARTED TO THOSE WHO DO NOT LISTEN. TO DISCOVER THE VAST UNKNOWN DEPTHS OF GOD, SILENCE IS IMPERATIVE. HOW ELSE WOULD YOU ACHIEVE THE JOY WHICH YOU ARE CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONCIOUSLY SEEKING?
QUIET DESCENDED ON THE CROWD LIKE A DOVE. SATYANANDA STAYED THERE FOR A QUITE A NUMBER OF DAYS SHARING INTIMATE DIALOGUE AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE YOGIS. HE INITIATED TWO OF THEM AS HIS NEW DISCIPLES, RENAMING THEM SHRADHAVAN, AND NISHTHAVAN.
THEREAFTER, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS SIX DISCIPLES, HE MOVED WITH COURAGE AND NOBILITY FROM PLACE TO PLACE UNTIL THEY COURAGE DWARKA ON THE WEST COAST. WHILE HE WAS SITTING ON THE TEMPLE VERANDAH WITH HIS DISCIPLES ON HIS RIGHT, SOME PRIESTS AND PILGRIMS CAME FORWARD AND SAT QUIETLY AROUND THEM.
ONE OF THE PRIESTS ASKED SATYANANDA, DOES THE THE PATH OF DEVOTION OF GOD LEAD TO RELEASE OR DOES ONLY THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE, THAT IS, SELF-INQUIRY, LEAD TO IT?
SATYANANDA GAVE A PLEASANT SMILE AND RETURNED THE QUESTION, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY RELEASE?
THE PRIEST FUMBLED AND HESITATED TO FIND WORDS. IT SEEMED THAT HE HAD NEVER THOUGH ON HIS OWN WHAT RELEASE MEANT- THAT HE HAD PERHAPS BEEN REPEATING THE WORD ALL HIS LIFE MECHANICALLY, LIKE A PARROT, BECAUSEHE HAD READ OR HEARD ABOUT IT! EVENTUALLY, HE CAME OUT WITH, FREEDOM FROM SORROW, FEELING PEACE AND HAPPINESS, NO WORRIES OR MISERIES, NO POVERTY AND THE REST.
SATYANANDA SPOKE, THEN DO YOU THINK, EVEN IN YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION, THAT WHEN YOU REALIZE GOD THROUGH THE PATH OF DEVOTION YOU WILL STILL RETAIN SORROW, WORRIES, MISERIES AND CONFUSION?
NO,
LET US ANALYSE IT FURTHER, WHAT IS IT THAT CONSTITUES MISERIES OR FEELINGS OF SORROW, AND HOW DOES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ONCE YOU REALIZE GOD OR TRUE SELF?
SATYANANDA TOOK A SHORT BREATH AND ASKED, WHO IS FEELING THE SORROW AND MISERIES?
A PERSON, YOU, ME AND EVERYONE, RELIED THE PRIEST. WHAT IS PERSON, AND ME? SATYANANDA ASKED AGAIN.
THE PRIEST GOT STUCK, AND BEFORE HE COULD FIND AN ANSWER, ANOTHER PRIEST SAID IN A RATHER LOUD TONE, SOUL OR INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS?
IN SHORT, EGO? EXPRESSED SATYANANDA.
YES, CAME THE REPLY FROM BOTH PRIESTS.
THEN IS IT NOT CLEAR THAT WHEN YOU MERGE INTO GOD OR SPIRIT - MEANING THAT EGO NO LONGER EXISTS - YOU ARE RELEASED FROM SORROW AND MISERIES? IN OTHER WORDS, IS NOT EGO THE SOLE BASIS OF MISERIES, AND DOES NOT RELEASE FROM SORROW MEAN RELEASE FROM EGO?
RIGHT, AGREED THE PRIESTS.
SATYANANDA CONTINUED, LET US NOW COME BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION . IF EGO DISSOLVES IN BOTH THE PATHS OF DEVOTION AND SELF-INQUIRY, IN TERMS OF RELEASE, THERE IS NO ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. DO YOU AGREE WITH ME?
YES, REPLIED PRIESTS.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE EXISTS IN APPROACH ONLY. THAT IS ON THE PATH OF DEVOTION, DEVOTION IS PREDOMINANT AND KNOWLEDGE IS BORN EVENTUALLY, AND ON THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE, SELF - INQUIRY IS PREDOMINANT AND DEVOTION IS BORN EVENTUALLY. BOTH LEAD TO SELF-SURRENDER, WHICH IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF RELEASE.
AN ATMOSPHERE OF QUIET ENVELOPED THEM. ALL AT ONCE, A BEATIFUL PEACOCK WITH CLOSED PLUMES SAILD SERENELY ABOVE THEM IN THE SKY, LIKE A BOAT MOVING GRACEFULLY UPON THE WATERS. AN AMAZING FEAT! DOWN BELOW THE TEMPLE VERANDAH, IN THE COMPOUND, A POLIO-STRICKEN BEGGAR WAS SITTING ON THE DUSTY GROUND. HE HAD BEEN WATCHING THEM ALL ALONG BUT COULD NOT UNDERSTAND A WORD. HIS WHOLE OUTER ATTENTION WAS ON SATYANANDA, BUT HIS INNER ATTENTION WAS ON HIS POLIO. FINDING ALL QUIET NOW, HE LIMPTED TOWARD THE VERANDAH.
TOUCHING HIS FOREHEAD TO THE EDGE OF THE MARBLE FLOOR, BE SPOKE WITH UTMOST DEVOTION IN A HALTING AND SAD VOICE, PLEASE BLESS ME SO THAT I GET RID OF THIS DREADFUL DISEASE.
SATYANANDA LOOKED AT THE POOR MAN BENIGNLY AND CAME NEAR THE EDGE. HE TOUCHED HIS PALM SOMEWHERE ON THE AILING MAN'S NECK, AND GENTLY MASSAGED HIS SPINE THERE FROM SOME TIME. THE MAN'S EYES SLOWLY BEGAN TO CLOSE, AND SOON THE LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. UPASAK AND BHAKTIDEV RUSHED TO HOLD HIM, SLOWLY LAYING HIM ON THE GROUND. THE MAN RESTED THERE, AS IF ASLEEP, FOR SOME TIME. THEN HIS BODY BEGAN TO SHOW SIGNS OF RECOVERY AND GRADUALLY HE OPENED HIS EYS. SATYANANDA COMMANDED HIM, GET UP. THE MAN GOT UP - CURED AND WHOLE.
THE WHOLE AUDIENCE ACCLAIMED LOUDLY IN ONE VOICE, VICTORY OF MAHARAJ!
THE PRIESTS STEPPED FORWARD, TOUCHED THE FEET OF SATYANANDA, AND WITH TENDER LOVE IN THEIR EYES SAID, WE WISH TO BE THY DISCIPLES IF THOU THINKS THAT WE ARE WORTHY.
HE PICKED ONE OF THEM AND RENAMED HIM PAVITRA. AND THUS THE EIGHT RESUMED THEIR UNENDING JOURNEY.
PEOPLE FOLLOWED THEM TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN AND THE PARTY HEADED TOWARD MOUNT ABU.
ON THE WAY A YOUNG FELLOW TRAVELER WHO HAD LONG BEEN WANDERING IN SEARCH OF A TRUE MASTER WAS MAGNETICALLY ATTRACTED TO SATYANANDA. THE MAN, WHO SEEMED SINCERE AND FAITHFUL, BOWED DOWN TO HIM AND ASKED REVERENTLY, HAVE YOU SEEN GOD?
YES, CAME THE SIMPLE AND DIRECT ANSWER.
CAN YOU BLESS ME WITH HIS VISION? PLEADED THE MAN.
YES, PROVIDED YOU FULFILL THE PREREQUISITIES AND GET SUFFICIENTLY PURIFIED TO BEHOLD HIS VISION. CAME THE DIRECT GUIDANCE FROM SATYANANDA.
THE MAN SPONTANEOUSLY SURRENDERED HIMSELF AT THE FEET OF SATYANANDA WHO READILY ACCEPTED HIM AND INTIATED HIM AS SHARANDEV.
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