Srinatha Raghavan keeps on posting more wonderful pieces on the Guru on fb. Here are some.
The Master would proclaim, "Only through the countless merits accrued in countless lives, can you ever cross paths with a Siddha Guru!"
~ The Siddha Master doesn't lead a Disciple to the Destination, He makes the Disciple the Destination.
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The Master would proclaim, "There is no need for any spiritual discipline for these three - The ones who serve their aged Parents, the ones who serve their Guru and the ones who serve without expecting anything in return..."
~ Mastery in Servitude!
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The Master would say, "Never go behind someone, who promises you Enlightenment; because no one can give you something, that already belongs to you..."
"What was the Master's greatest teaching?" asked someone.
He remembered the Master's words fondly and said, "God becomes Man, so Man can become God..."
~ It takes the highest realization to even utter these simple yet most poignant words.
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When the Master calls, you better heed!
Went to Ganeshpuri for Bal Bojan (Feeding of Children) and Narayan Seva (Service of the Poor) as promised after doing the Siddha Path Meditation Course.
The Master would say, "If you want to be successful in your Sadhana (Spiritual Pursuits) then feed as many hungry stomachs as possible."
Going to Ganeshpuri is like going back home, with so much peace and love in every little thing there. Somehow that place still retains its old world charm and tranquillity, despite commercialisation fast catching it.
The Tansa river was swelling with water, with a lush coat of fresh greenery enveloping it from all sides. Baba was as usual at his majestic best, sitting like a Royal Siddha on his throne, over his Samadhi. The Mid Day Aarti was filled with so much energy and devotion, that it made my heart skip a beat.
Also visited my favourite place, the Jeevant Samadhi of Shaligrama Swami, the Man Friday of Baba Nityananda. This particular place resonates with an unearthly silence and energy. When Swami Saligrama was alive, he would welcome all the visitors who would come to see Baba personally to his humble abode and serve them with simple yet delicious food. Swami Shaligrama would never accept any donation or money from the visiting patrons, yet he would never face any shortage of resources. He would make lavish arrangements to feed thousands of people and serve them with his own hands.
When bewildered people would ask him, from where he got all the resources, he would smile and look at Bade Baba with eyes filled with love and respect. Bade Baba too would give Shaligram Swami the highest respect.
Whenever anyone afflicted by the venom of the world would come to Baba, he would send them to the Swami, telling them, "He is the Snake Charmer, who knows how to remove the Poison..."
So many memories associated with that blessed place, that I can keep writing and never end for good.
Peace.
The self-effacing Sri Shaligrama Swami was a great Siddha Yogi himself, whom Bade Baba would address as "Agni" who had the power to consume all the dirt of Samsara. Miracles and Super Normal Powers would naturally manifest around the Swami, but the Swami was so humble and down to earth, that it made him most endearing to Baba.
Saligrama Swami would start and end his day with the Darshan of Baba. Apart from that, they seldom spoke to each other, but their communication was nothing less than perfect. If Saligrama Swami had fever or even a headache, Baba would instantly know and send him Milk or Tea, like a loving Mother.
If Baba needed anything, it was Saligrama Swami who would come rushing to his aide and do everything inhumanely possible for his Master.
Once the Master wanted to taste a particular type of Lemon, which was out of season and way out of Ganeshpuri, where the Master was, but Saligrama Swami somehow managed to procure it. When the Master saw the lemon, he simply smiled and said amusingly to the Swami, "A Magician is never fooled by his own Magic..."
They loved each other so much that they became one with each other. At times Baba would behave like Saligrama Swami and the Swami like Baba - such was their identification with each other!
Bade Baba would say, "Treat Saligrama with the highest respect, for if he gets annoyed, not even this one can save you!"
Guru Bhakti is the greatest, as even all the gods bow down to the one who has an ounce of Guru Bhakti in his/her heart.
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There were two close disciples of the Master and both were so way different from each other. One wanted everything from the Master and He got it; while the other wanted nothing, so the Master gave him nothing, but all of himself.
There was a time,
When I used to run to Him,
Seeking some blessing or the other,
Ah! Now has come a time,
When I go expecting nothing,
Not even a blessing really,
All this heart now craves,
Is to see His beautiful form,
So it can drown itself in the silence,
Of the Formless-Bliss-Absolute!
When love wells in the Heart,
There is nothing it wants anymore,
All it knows is to give and give even more,
Even to the One who owns everything,
And wants nothing in return.
Whoever came to the Master,
Would seek something or the other in return for their Devotion,
The Master too would oblige and fulfil all their wishes,
Some would come for amassing more wealth,
While others would come wanting good health,
There would be those who would come,
So to redeem messed up Court cases,
And also those who wanted to find some great treasure,
The Master would bless them to achieve fulfilment,
But He would often silently lament to himself,
"All come wanting to receive what they want,
Is there but anyone who will receive what I want to give?"
The Master's wish was fulfilled,
When came a young man who loved the Master,
So much that he did not seek anything in return,
All he did was love and love even more so much that,
The Master himself asked the man one day,
"Swami what is it you seek from me?"
The young Swami with eyes flowing with tears said,
"Nothing!"
This heartfelt statement stirred something very deep,
In the heart of the Master that,
He gave the Swami the Highest blessings one could ever get,
The Master said, "From now on YOU are ME and I am YOU!"
Ah! The Disciple became the Master and the Master became a Disciple...
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The Master would seldom answer the Questions posed by his Disciples. He would simply look away or postpone giving the answer.
When someone asked as why doesn't he answer the questions, he would smile and answer, "The Question must consume the Questioner and only then the answer can redeem them..." He would laugh and add, "Many want to know, but only a few really know, what to do, after they come to know!"
~ Know what will you do with the answer and then you can frame a better Question!
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Once a hardened Cynic met the Master and asked, "Can you give me what you have?"
The Master looked straight into his eyes and said, "I can, but the question is, can you take it?"
This straight forward reply stirred something deep in the Cynic, who would become a great Master himself in the later years.
Much later when someone asked, what had really transpired on that fateful encounter, the one time Cynic said, "My Ego was broken right within me and I realised that I was nothing, not even near to what I had thought myself to be..."
~ A Teacher teaches, but a Master awakens!
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A Devotee once came to the Master and inquired, "How does a person who has attained the Highest Realization look like?"
The Master smiled and slipped into deep meditative silence and an unearthly light shone on his face, communicating the Highest Truth of Self-Realization.
The one who asked the question, sat there rooted with tears of reverence and gratitude streaming down his eyes.
This is the Pic!
There was an aged Monk who loved the Master with all his heart. He would come all the way from Mangalore, to visit the Master in Ganeshpuri, braving all odds of the travel. The Master would welcome him like a Mother would a prodigal child. The Monk although older than Baba, would press Baba's leg, who would look silently into empty space.
Once while he was pressing Baba's legs, Baba looked unto him suddenly and exclaimed, "Swami, why come here, when I can come there and be with you forever!"
These words sent a wave of thrill in the Swami's entire being and his old eyes lit up like a child. Baba smiled looking at the old Monk and said, "No need to come here now. Go and install an image of me at your place in Kanhangad and I will grace Seekers through that for ages to come."
Swami Jananada was sad and happy at the same time, for he wouldn't get to meet the Master in flesh and blood, but was happy, because of the Master's promise to exist always in the Spirit.
Those words still ring true even today, long after both the Master and the Disciple have shed their bodies. The Temple today bears witness to many miracles of faith, as the spirit of Baba Nityananda still continues to live through the statue, that Swami Janananda lovingly built, as an ode to his beloved Master.
Guru kripa he kevalam!
