Don’t Worry, I’ll Always Be with You

 

Guruji performing prana pratishtha to Rajarajeshvari Devi on Saturday, January 19, 1991 after She arrived to Rochester from the Stroudsburg peetam.

In the picture (from left to right) VP Raghavan, Saru Haran, Sundara, Balasingam Janahan and Haran Aiya.

(by Balasingam Janahan):

I was fortunate enough to have known this master—whom I proudly called my Guruji—in the flesh for 27 years. Over the course of those years, he took me on an adventure from which I have yet to return. And that is what the teachings contained herein can do for you. Guruji’s ability to understand the nuances of the body, mind and spirit—and the differences between people hailing from different places and times—enabled him to write various methodologies for understanding the self. You can pick and choose the ones that call out to you and for you, and begin your own journey today.

Guruji saw the divine in every individual he encountered. He saw each of us as a vessel holding and manifesting the divine in some precious and unique way—and therefore he saw each of us as worthy of worship.

In that firm conviction, he marched boldly forward to explain and impart the unorthodox teachings practiced by ancient Tantrikas of yore to all who desired to learn. His calling was to share the authentic, well-guarded teachings of Sri Vidya with any true seeker, so that anyone who wished to could get a glimpse of his experiences for themselves.

And while his efforts did stir up controversy within many orthodox traditions, Guruji never swayed from instilling the teachings that he felt were relevant for this time and age. For he knew, once an individual put the seed of these teachings into practice, that seed would germinate and grow, and—through the compassionate grace of the Divine Mother—the recipient would come to find their own inner guide to reaching their higher purpose.

I think it’s safe to say that Guruji was always a practicing sādhaka. I was a direct witness of him practicing what he preached. His discipline was to wake up at 2 a.m. and commence his sadhana. It would end just at the time when most of us were waking up to start the day. This routine was prolonged even further when he was in the process of building the Sri Meru temple at Devipuram. I watched him use his photographic memory to recall descriptive details of the goddesses he saw in his meditation so that they could be conveyed to the temple sculptors.

Guruji’s total dedication to and focus on this task was unparalleled, and I made it my mission to emulate his example and bring it into my own sadhana. And though I may have had many doubts and setbacks along the path, I am proud to say that there was never a day that I stopped practicing my sadhana—and this was directly due to Guruji’s example, and to the strict disciplinarian I saw in him.

Accordingly, I must inform you that these are the prerequisites to gaining success in the practices compiled in this book. If you are serious about making progress, it is my humble suggestion that you take heed of these steps that the master followed himself:

1. Choose your sadhana.

2. Over time, strive to understand and master its details and intricacies.

3. Persistently continue to pursue your sadhana with laser-like focus.

4. Realize the fruits of your efforts.

Guruji followed these four steps himself, coating them with a generous dose of discipline—and what he attained from these practices was what many of us disciples saw as effulgence radiating though his eyes.

Toward the later part of his life, I was blessed to frequently visit my master in his hometown of Visakhapatnam, India, where we shared many great meals and conversations. On the last day of one such visit, I was massaging his leg, which was swollen and troubling him greatly. He watched my face intently as I tried to hide my moistened eyes, and finally he said, “I know what you are worried about, Jana. You are afraid of what will become of you after I leave this body, of how you will continue to progress on the path.” Before I could answer him, he smiled, touched my head and said, “Don’t worry. I will always be with you.”

And to this day I truly believe he never left me, and that his energy will continue to vibrate with eternal truth, through the knowledge he gifted to this world.