Vishuddhananda Paramahansa (14 March 1853 – 14 July 1937) popularly known as Gandha Baba.
Gandha Baba had acquired many super-natural powers through the constant practice of Mantra Japa (meditation), Tapasya (penance) and Samadhi (super-consciousness). But he used to utilize these Siddhis only for the benefit of mankind. Whenever requested, he used to provide relief to all relatives or non-relatives in their bodily and mental sufferings and all kinds of troubles. Many people suffering from chronic and virulent diseases were cured just by a single benevolent gaze from him or by the exercise of his will-power.
He combined an inscrutable mystery with an inexhaustible variety. He enchanted and haunted, soothed and sustained. His loving touch chastened and exalted, transmuted and exhilirated. He was simple as a child and baffling as the sphinx. He held eternity in the hollow of his palm. He raised creatures of dust to the heights of emphyrean. In him indeed, incompatibles automatically reconciled themselves. Such a one was Yogirajadhiraj Shri Vishuddhanand Paramahansadeva, popularly known as Gandha Baba, Perfume Saint, to the world and as 'Baba' to his disciples.
Sri Gandhbabaji - birth and Childhood
There is a small village by the name of Bandul situated fourteen miles north-east of Burdwan in the state of West Bengal (India) near a place called Bhandar-dihi. There lived, since a very long time, a
Chattopadhyaya Brahmin family, well-known for their piety, a way of life and hospitality. In this family was born, in 1853, a son to Shri Akhil Chandra Chattopadhyaya and his wife Shrimati Raj Rajeshwari Devi. The whole atmosphere at the time of his birth was supremely calm, the air gentle and fragrant and everything around looking at its best so that it appeared as if nature too was rejoining and extremely happy at the birth of this great soul. From its very birth, the baby exhibited extraordinary magnetic attraction for his parents and visitors through his charing features, smile and grace. He impressed everyone as a soul descended from the higher world. In consideration of his very simple innocent nature his parents called him Bhola Nath - Bhola in Sanskrit means innocent.
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| Baba's birthplace |
Glimpses of Greatness
From his very childhood Bholanath gave evidence of uncommon spiritual and moral gifts. He exhibited great strength of character, determination, untiring strength and fearlessness. Once Bholanath was severely reprimanded by his uncle Chandranath for no fault. This uncalled-for reprimand touched Bholanath's sensitivity to the core. His self-consciousness was aroused. He thought that since a man is only an instrument in the hands of God, the real doer being God himself, so the reprimand that his uncle had given him must really be the doing of Shri Shyam Sunder, the deity. So thinking, he took hold of the idol of Shyam Sunder from his Puja-room, clasped it to his chest and jumped into the house-pond with a view to commit suicide for the insult meted out to him by God through his uncle Chandranath.
But the wonder of wonders happened. The pond was full of deep water. Nevertheless whichever way Bholanath moved, the water became shallow and never reached above his knees. Even Bholanath was surprised. Soon it was evening time and the lamp in the puja-room was lighted. It was discovered that the idol of Shri Shyam Sunder was missing. A search for it started. When the search-party came to the pond, they were wonder struck to withness the scene. They took Bholanath with the idol of Shyam Sunder to the house with great jubilation. Here was yet another example of Bholanath's belief that God alone was the doer of everything.
Complete change in the way of life
One day, in about 1866 A.D. or so, when Bholanath was about 13 years old, he was coming down the steps from the roof of his house. Accidentally he stepped upon the dog sitting at the foot of the stairs. The dog instantly bit him. It was a mad dog and its poison soon spread throughout the body causing excruciating pain. The pain became intolerable so much so that Bholanath started crying, his body twisting, turning and smarting. No treatment proved to be of any avail and finally everybody lost hope of Bholanath's life. Hindus believe that if one breathes his last on the bank of the pious river Ganga or in its stream, he gets salvation. Accordingly Bholanath, having despaired of his life, one evening started treading towards the bank of the Ganga (Gangaghat) with a view to put an end to his life there, as his end now seemed certain.
But the Almighty had some other plans for Bholanath. On reaching the bank he saw a Sannyasi taking his bath in the river Ganga. He was struck with wonder to see that a column of water would rise up when the Sanyasi would emerge from the water and would go down with his dip under the water and curiously the phenomenon was repeated with every dip. The Sanyasi spotted Bholanath and called out to him in a deep sweet voice saying, "My dear child, why are you so upset with the excrutiating pain? Just wait a minute. I will cure you of this in no time." And so saying, he got out of the water and came to the boy on the bank and placed his hand on the boy's head. Bholanath felt as if a slab of ice had been placed on his burning head. He experienced great relief, all the unbearable pain vanished and hope of life revived in him once again. Thereafter the Sanyasi pulled out a herb from the shrubs on the bank and gave it to Bholanath to chew and told him that the whole poison of the mad-dog-bite will be now expelled from his body with his urine and he will become perfectly fit and healthy once again. He also assured him of a long life and told him that he will, in due course of time, become a famous Yogi. Thereafter he told him to return home.
Bholanath felt great reverence and gratefulnesss towards the Sanyasi. The thought of taking initiation from the Sanyasi and living with him, the one who had bestowed a new life on him, came to his mind. Apprehensively, Bholanath expressed his intense desire before his reverent mother. Surprisingly the mother gave him permission to go with the Sanyasi. The Sanyasi taught one Yogasan (yogic posture) to Bholanath and gave him a bij-mantra. He also told him that he was not his Guru. For the present he should stay at home, practice the asan and mantra. These will purify his mind and body. In due time, he shall come and take him to his Guru.
By and by two years passed yet there was no trace of the Sanyasi. Bholanath used to visit a shop in Burdwan market for purchasing day-to-day requirements. One day he heard a story about a strange Sanyasi and this revived his old memory. He longed to go and see the Sanyasi and he obtained his mother's permission and went to Bandul with his friend Haripada. On reaching their destination they met the Sanyasi in the morning. Bholanath reverently made obeisance and his friend Haripada did the same. Bholanath requested the Sanyasi to take him along with him this time as promised earlier. On enquiry Bholanath explained to the Sanyasi that Haripada was an intimate friend of his and he too was very earnest to stay with and under the guidance of the Sanyasi who was no other than the great Siddha Yogi Swami Nimanand Paramahansa of the secret Gyanganj Yogashram in Tibet. He asked them both to come to him in the evening. It is only through the Almighty's extreme grace and compassion that one out of a million succeed in their goal of self-realization which these two youths, Bholanath and Haripada, set for themselves that day.
All set for the great journey to Gyanganj, the Sanyasi asked them to confirm if they were still keen to accompany him which they did without the slightest hesitation. He once again emphatically reiterated to them all the pit-falls, difficulties and sufferings likely to be encountered on the way. Thereupon, Swami Nimanand tied cloth bandages on the eyes of each so that they could not see anything. Holding one on either side by each hand, he let them over forested hills and plains by air route. The two felt as if they were walking on a smooth silken carpet. By morning the first lap of the journey was covered. Their bandages were removed and they found themselves on top of a barren hillock on which stood a grand temple, surrounded by hill ranges on all its four sides. They realized that they had reached some place far away from Bengal. On enquiry they found that they were at the temple of Vindhya-Vasini Ahsta-Bhuja Devi in Vindhyachal town in the district of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh state of India.
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| Vindyavasini devi |
On enquiry, they were told by Swami Nimanand, "This is the normally inaccessible and secret Yogashram situated in the midst of the mid-asian highlands, Tibet, known by the name of Gyanganj Yogashram. After a stay of nine to ten days at the Ashram, Bholanath and Haripada were both presented by Swami Nimanand before His Reverent Holiness Shri Mahatapa, for initiation. Shri Mahatapa first transmitted spiritual energy into each one of them by placing his hand on their heads and thereafter gave Bij-mantra to each of them. Both of them thus became Guru Bhais of Swami Nimanand, who was an earlier disciple of Mahatapa Maharaj.
Baba's Personality
The Personality of Yogiraj Vishuddhanand Paramahansa - Shri Vishuddhanand Paramahansadeva's physical body was extraordinary, his spiritual practices were wonderful and his way of life exceptional in many ways. His character was spotless. He had a strict sense of discipline, regularity and adherence to rules and regulations. He was very kind-hearted and considerate. He possessed a very keen intellect and would accomplish jobs with dexterity and skill. He had an independent nature and his behaviour with all was always very charming and courteous. He was a self-realized Yogi of exemplary character. Very rarely in the world today, do you come across a pure and pious soul like him, in whom you find a very balanced mixture of grandeur coupled with extreme compassion. He had reached the very climax in all three Yogas of Karma, Gyan & Bhakti and finally attained Prem. Through very austere spiritual practices and the extraordinary grace of Deities, he acquired complete knowledge of all the truths and realities of the inner and outer worlds and thereafter attained the supreme state of self-realization.
Baba's body
As a result of austere practice, Baba did not need to inhale the polluted air from the outside atmosphere. He would rather breathe self-purified air from within his body and that too through his navel and not through the nose as we humans normally do. His body had been highly purified and that is why the air inside his body was pure too. His body always emitted the Padma Gandha (lotus fragrance) continuously. This stage is reached when one attains the ability to confine the movement of his breath through Sushumna Nadi. Thereafter one's body, breath and mind all get purified serially one after the other. Baba's perspiration and faeces matter were also full of fragrance, unlike ours. At the time of worship the whole worship-room used to get filled with lotus- fragrance. His body was surcharged with electromagnetic current of such high intensity that poisonous insects like wasps, hornets, black- bees, mosquitos etc. would die instantly they bit him. Once a disciple put a question to Baba, "Baba, is there any difference between a Yogi's body and that of an ordinary person? Seemingly they look so much alike." Baba just pushed his hand through a wall which was quite a distance away, by just elongating his arm and his hand was visible on the other side of the wall. Similarly on another occasion, a disciple, after obtaining special permission, was pressing Baba's legs (Baba would not normally allow anybody to touch his feet or body). Suddenly quite a few 'sphatics', transparent crystal balls oozed out of Baba's legs. Baba pushed these big crystal balls back into his legs through the tiny pores of his body.
Baba's Gaze
Through the intensity of his gaze, he set ablaze the silk sheet lying on the shoulders of the astrologer-pundit during his stay at Burdwan. Also a Shiva-Linga crystal brought by a Sadhu to test Baba's Yoga-Shakti could not withstand Baba's gaze and was blown to pieces. On another occasion, Baba extracted the chronic disease of a very sick person through his gaze. When he fixed it on to a Banalinga, the Banalinga could not withstand the intensity of Baba's gaze and burst.
Baba's Food
Baba used to eat only once in a day, at about 10a.m., after the morning Bhog and Arati of the Deities was over. If for any special reason he failed to take his meals by this time, he used to forego his meals altogether for that day. His food usually consisted of rice, mung or chana dal, cooked along with raw papaya in it. Amongst vegetables he particularly preferred ochcha (very small karela), zamikand, kashiphal or sitaphal, brinjal, patal or parwal and ninua or torai. Before partaking his food, his first morsel would invariably be a bit of 'Kumari Prasad'. This might consist of one or two batashas, one or two pieces of banana, a rasogulla or chamcham or a bit of bundi or khir - any one or two of these picked out of leftover from the pattal (plate formed of big leaves of trees) of a Kumari after she had finished eating plus a little halwa of Gopalji's Bhog. Baba considered a 'Kumari' to be the true manifestation on this earth of God mother, 'Jagadamba'.
Baba's Sleep
Baba would go to sleep at 9.00 p.m. exactly by the watch and get up at 11.00 p.m. He used to say that sleep during these two hours is most refreshing and sound. It is equal to four hours sleep from 11.00 p.m. to 3.00 a.m. and equal to six to eight hours later during day time. After awaking at 11.00 p.m., he would attend the call of nature, brush his teeth, massage oil on to his body and take a bath. Thereafter from 11.30 p.m. till 3.30 a.m. he would sit on his Asan and perform his Kriya worship. Then he would take yet another half an hour or more to descend from that exhalted supersensuous state of trance to the normal human plane, when he would be in a mood and like to converse with disciples and devotees.
His Nature
Baba was very simple-hearted. His nature was like that of a child, full of innocence, love, humility, straightforwardness, truth and honesty.
There was not an iota of deceit or conceit in him. He was ever gentle and courteous in behaviour and familiarity always brought him closer to you. He was very kind and compassionate particularly towards the poor and those in distress. Besides being very generous at heart he had a very charitable disposition.
Baba's truthfulness
Baba was inflexible in his opposition to untruth. He is never known to have spoken a lie throughout his whole life. He advised his disciples also never to take the line of untruth, irrespective of the consequences. But if any truth was unpleasant, he advised against stating it, suggesting silence in such cases. If, however, a fact had to be stated, 'Truth and nothing but the Truth' was his motto. He would say that once one got established in Truth, anything, thereafter coming out of his mouth, would happen exactly as uttered. His character was spotless and his conduct exemplary.
Simplicity of Nature
Baba related a story of his own stupidity as follows: "I was no less foolish than the poet Kalidas. Kalidas was cutting that very branch of the tree on which he was sitting; my performance was even a shade better in stupidity." It was like this: "Once quite a few of us Sanyasis had gone in a group to Vindhyachal hills. One day we saw a ripe mango on the branch of a mango tree, on top of the hill. Quite a few of us spotted it simultaneously and all rushed to the tree and climbed up. Without a thought of consequences, I was the first to leap from the branch to catch hold of the mango, but came crashing down on to the rocky floor fifty feet below and became unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I found myself being flown over the Vindhyachal hills by my Guru Swami Bhriguram Paramahansa. Seeing him, I got a bit frightened. He placed me there and called me 'a stupid fool' for the way I had behaved. I just kept quiet. Then he asked me to eat the mango.
On first impulse I refused. At this, he said, "But why not? Was it not for this very mango that all this untoward incident has taken place? Now eat it up." I did as I was told. Owing to the fall from the tree on to the rocks, I had received many cuts and bruises on my body and thighs. After applying ointment on to my wounds, he said, "Now promise that you will not repeat such a stupid thing again." I replied, "But why not? I shall do so again." He was aghast at hearing my reply and just kept staring at me. Seeing him wonder-struck, I just said, "Sir, I can afford to be stupid again. After all, nothing has happened to me. And as long as you are there to protect me, I see absolutely no reason for me to be afraid of anything." Dada Gurudeva, Swami Bhriguram laughed and after placing his hand of blessing over my head, he left. This shows how stupidly straightforward and simple-minded Baba Vishuddhanand was.
Baba's Devotion to Duty - Karma
Baba was a great exponent of extreme one-pointed devotion to duty as per the tenets of the Shastras, and proper conduct in every sphere of life. He was never satisfied with mere showmanship but wanted sincere service and unfailing application to one's Karma or Kriya. Baba used to say, "Unless you do your duty assiduously, no amount of reading the Shastras, even for a million of years, is going to give you Gyan (knowledge). Scriptures can only show you the way but you shall reach your goal only by treading it yourself sincerely and steadily, bit by bit. You can change your destiny even by dint of persistent arduous practice. Unceasing effort is of inestimable value. Yogabhyas is the real purpose of life and continuous effort in that direction, the real Karma."
Baba's Non-Attachment
As per the orders of his Guru, Maharshi Mahatapa, Baba adopted the life of a householder. But during his whole lifetime he never got engrossed in worldliness (materialism) and false attachment. He kept himself mentally aloof from all attachment to worldly beings of things. His wife bore him two sons and a daughter. The elder son was named Durgadas and the younger Haridas. In the year 1911, a little after the establishment of the Ashram at Bondul, Baba lost his wife and the same year his mother also. And soon after, he lost his son Haridas and the daughter also. The death of a single close relative causes so much mental agony and here Baba had to face the death of wife, mother, son and daughter, four of them, in quick succession. This could have turned any human being insane, but Baba bore the losses and grief with great fortitude. Taking it all very philosophically as the will of the Creator, he did not allow his mental equilibrium and tranquility of mind to be disturbed and kept calm and composed. He proved to the hilt, the dictum of the Shastras that "One who has attained self-realization is no longer affected by the sad happenings and griefs of this world." Such was Baba's non-attachment.
Baba's Implicit Faith In the Veracity of the Shastras (scriptures)
Shri Baba had implicit faith in the veracity of the Shastras. He used to emphatically state that every word of what was stated in the Hindu Shastras was true. It is only to those who fail to interpret them accurately at times, that some statements made therein appear to be wrong. Whenever anybody brought any apparent incongruity to Baba's notice, he would prove the veracity of the Shastras by practical demonstration and remove the last iota of doubt from his mind.
Baba's Compassion
Once when asked about his relationships with his disciples, i.e., Guru- Shishya-Sambandh, Baba said, "It is the same as between father and son. I keep watch over you at all times, save you from pitfalls and accidents, cure your diseases, help you out from difficult situations and am all the time engaged in forthering your spiritual progress."
Baba's Main Teachings
One cannot attain divinity without devotion and pure love. Real devotion gives rise to true love. But purpose-oriented devotion for the fulfillment of a desire can never lead to true love. In fact, it is wrong to term it as 'devotion'. Every aspirant should keep away from this sort of devotion.
Evolution of true knowledge is essential for the achievement of real devotion. The knowledge derived from the study of scripture is empty purposeless knowledge. True knowledge is not acquired till the mind (Chitta) gets purified and mind purification depends on the appropriate performance of religious rites and Kriya.
One who implicitly follows the Kriya prescribed by the Guru with devotion, steadiness, regularity and faith, while keeping his conduct and character pure and above board at the same time, is bound to achieve true knowledge (Jnan). Yogis call this aforesaid action itself as yoga. As against this, to engage yourself in other types of work is not Yoga and that does not conduce to Chitta purification either. Hence if one keeps his conduct and character unblemished and applies himself wholeheartedly in the practice of Yoga, steadfastly without a break for a long time, he is bound to achieve mind-purification and self-realization. The knot in the heart gets unfastened, all doubts vanish and aggregated ill effects of Karmas of innumerable previous births get anihilated.
Some of Baba's Teachings and Instructions
1. Perform the Kriya (religious commandment) given by the Guru regularly and implicitly according to his instructions and all shall be well. The grace of God is bound to descend on you in due time.
2. Give up self-praise and talking ill of others completely. These traits are very harmful. Never waste time in these.
3. When tragedies and ill-times overtake you, increase your mantra- japa, both in terms of time and number.
4. Never trust anybody in a hurry. Test him thoroughly first, else you will be duped.
5. Every bit and particle of this world is against your interest. You are your only friend and well-wisher. So depend on your own efforts and do not look up to others for help as they are likely to fail you in your times of need and distress.
6. During your Sadhana (spiritual endeavour) constancy and regularity in practice are of prime importance. Reading of scriptures is only dry intellectual gymnastics. Dramatised Bhakti is also not Bhakti in the real sense. True Jnan and real Bhakti are very prestigious and difficult-to- attain stages in spiritual advancement. These develop automatically one after the other, only after constant and regular austere spiritual practice over a long period.
7. To depend solely on the grace of God is not an act of wisdom. Grace is no doubt very sublime and is also being showered upon us by Mahashakti all the time. Without it there is no hope of our advancement towards salvation either. But this grace can only be attained through constant practice of Yogic Kriya which can lead to the attainment of even the unattainable.
8. Do not let anything ever worry you. "I (your Guru) am always there with you." After performing your Kriya properly for some time, you will yourself realize the truth of my statement. I shall see that all your legitimate wishes are fulfilled and you are never in want.
9. To bring a mood of calm repose in the mind before you start your meditation first invite the following thought: "The world was there before I was born and it will be there even after I am gone. So, nothing really depends on me, hence why should I be in a state of tension? It is only with calm consciousness that I can help myself and help others. The Divine remains calm despite all the turmoils in the world. It is the Divine spark in me, present as my soul, that sustains me. Let me concentrate on that. Let me get a few moments of leave from the demands of my body, from the desires of my life and from the restlessness of mind and enter into my soul - my true Self. Let peace and calm sustain me."
10. I am aware of each and every thing that you do, so never try to deceive me by telling lies.
11. Electrical energy gets accumulated particularly in the fore-finger of the right hand, which should not therefore be used for rubbing teeth or pointing out the direction, else it leads to unneccessary waste of the accumulated electrical energy.
12. Spiritual progress depends upon the loftiness of character. Never hurt anybody's feelings. Keep your senses under control and follow the truth in body, mind and speech. Keep unswerving faith in the Guru and be patient, compassionate and forgiving.
13. Dear Son, all your happiness or suffering is a result of your earlier deeds. Do not add further to these. Give up doing bad and unholy deeds now at least, so that you do not create new sins, the consequences of which you will have to suffer in future.
14. You develop interest in the Kriya through constant practice, so much so that in due course of time you will not be able to give it up even if you will want to. In the beginning, you will have to force yourself to sit for your Kriya, but later you will start feeling greatly perturbed whenever you are not able to do so. The Guru can only advise you, explain to you and demonstrate the technique to you but the actual performance will have to be done by you and you alone. So, for your own benefit, get down to the practice of Kriya wholeheartedly and arduously; only talking will not help. Once you get firmly established in the practice of Kriya, you will not be able to leave it thereafter.
15. Through the practice of Kriya, keep meditating upon the 'Mother' in your heart all the time; the Mother who is the source of all Creation, directly perceptible. Mother who cannot otherwise be achieved even through Yoga and is superior even to 'Brahma' and is the reality behind the psychological manifestation of the Supreme Emotion. Instead of getting influenced by external emotions, always keep your mind in communion with the Mother. Once you are able to stay in that state, there is nothing further to be done.
16. While you are in the physical body, you cannot but be doing one thing or other. Then why not engage yourself in the pursuit of such an act as will absolve your all binding actions for all time. At the exact moments of sunrise and sunset, sit down for your Kriya daily without fail. Even if your mind is not steady, do not bother about it. Learn to depend solely on your Guru, then no demon will be able to do any harm to you - be certain about it.
17. My disciples will not be born again and thus will not have to undergo the sufferings in a mother's womb again. My elder Gurudeva Shri Bhriguramji Paramahansadeva has created an abode for them where they shall all reside, after their death in this world.
18. The first requirement for spiritual advancement is character which must be kept unblemished and next come light meals and less sleep. As you progress in your Kriya the last two come by themselves. Peace and tranquility is the natural outcome of spiritual practice.
19. You acquire riches and property as a result of your past actions. What is ordained in your destiny, that much you will certainly get. But even so it is not wise to sit back aboslutely inactive. You must make all efforts to procure them.
20. Every thing is within your very self. Only it has become overladen with dirt and filth as an outcome of undesirable tendencies and associations of previous lives. Once you are able to get rid of that covering, you will be able to see and recognize your real self. Just as you cannot see your face in a mirror covered with dirt and to do so you have to clean the mirror by rubbing, wiping and washing, so also once you keep rubbing off the dirt of the mind through the constant repetition of the Guru-given-mantra, the mind will become purified in due course and then you will be able to see your real self once again. The aforesaid 'rubbing, wiping and washing of the mind' is really the Yogabhyas Karma viz the incessant friction between the mantra and the mind through constant repetition of the former. Get up early in the morning at about 3.30 or 4.00 a.m. and try to do your Kriya upto sunrise for two to three hours at one stretch and so also in the evening, daily. In the evening start about half an hour before sunset and continue for an hour and a half beyond it. Besides this, make it a habit to mentally repeat the mantra at all other times also while you are working with your hands etc. in the course of your job. Do not waste your time on other useless things. Your japa should co-ordinate with the rhythm of exhalation and inhalation of breath called Ajapa Jap.
21. It is not proper to tell anybody about your Kriya, or vision of any deity, or any spiritual dream. Any discussion on these subjects may inhibit further expositions of a similar healthy experiences and may even prove harmful. These indications are only precursors to coming events and stabilization of certain good atributes in a person. In such an event, you must preserve these most secretly within yourself and intensify your spiritual practices with greater vigour. By talking about such experiences their further revelation may get stopped, it may then take a very long time for their revival and even never repeat in this life.
22. Whenever you have to, speak the truth and truth only. If anybody feels dissatisfied at your speaking the truth let him feel so; if you lose a friend thereby, do not mind it; but never be afraid of speaking the truth. Tell the truth and openly. Of course, this does not mean that you should put anybody into trouble by telling the truth unasked and without any purpose. Do not tell the truth even if it is unpalatable unless compelled to do so. But if you are forced to relate, tell the truth only otherwise keep quiet.
23. Never get suddenly agitated over an issue. Seeing a wee-bit or hearing a part of an incident, to flare up suddenly is not right. First try to understand the pros and cons of a thing wholly and properly, investigate all the aspects of it, think over it intelligently, try to get to the bottom of the whole affair, before losing your temper. Otherwise many a time one has to repent and eat the humble pie.
24. Do not feel astonished at any happening in this world. Difficulties arise only when you feel flabbergasted and upset. Householders have to do and arrange for all sorts of things for the satisfaction of their relations - wife, sons, daughters and wife's relations. You will have to behave with people differently according to the relationship you have with each one of them since you have to live and work amongst them. You need money all the time, irrespective of your field of activity. To procure this you will have to engage yourself in some type of business. But be careful not to use unfair means therein and spoil your name and fame by falling into dishonest ways. Do every thing honestly. You will have to perform some kind of work to earn a living, but you must not lose your sense of justice, honesty and fair-play during its performance. Work in an unattached manner like mercury in a vessel or water drops on a petal of lotus which stay there but do not stick and keep quite unattached. All the time that you are working with your hands, feet or other limbs of the body, you must keep your mind fixed on God and His name. Keep reciting His name and Mantra uninterruptedly with each breath, Ajapajap.
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Yogis of his calibre have been very few in this world, who could transmit spirituality with just a touch or a look and convert even the most degraded amongst men into saints in a matter of moments. Such Yogis are the teachers of all teachers, the highest manifestation of God in man. We cannot see God except through them and hence we worship them. Since ages India has been the home of true Yogis, people who have transcended the lower self and have attained Siddhis (extrasensory-perceptions) and psycho-kinesis, i.e., the power of man's mind and will, to move objects at a distance, what in common parlance are called 'mirracles'.
His numberless miracles relate to subjects like travel through space; bringing back the dead to life; converting one form of matter into another; producing scents, sweets and fruits; seeing things far distant; multiplying small amounts of food etc. into large quantities; appearing simultaneously in several distant places at the same instant; healing the sick and deformed; telepathy; clairvoyance; precognition; power to read minds; to see through walls and go across them without hindrance; to foretell future events and even to mentally cause or change the motion of physical objects. These miracles go to prove to us mortals his super-human powers by which he infused 'Confidence in Divinity' for the upliftment of society and alleviated its sufferings.
According to Yogiraj, 'Religion consists of realization; not of reason, theories, documents, doctrines, scriptures and rituals - which all are only aids to religion. We have to realize religion through constant practice and this realization is a long process. There are no jumping steps, we have to work up the ladder step by step. To attain 'realization' we have to pass through the concrete and then come to the abstract, like the children learn the alphabet through pictures.
From the age of fourteen, Baba spent the next twelve years under rigorous training in 'Yoga' and 'Natural Sciences' like Surya-Vijnan, solar science, Chandra-vijnan, lunar science,Vayu-vijnan, wind-science, Nakshatra-Vijnan, stellar science, Shabda-Vijnan, sound science and Kohana-Vijnan, Instant of Time Science, etc., in the very ancient secret Gyanganj Yogashram in Tibet, and attained excellence in all of them.
Shri Vishuddhanand was an exception amongst Yogis. Through his yogic power of Iccha-shakti, he planted grapes on the branch of a Jamun tree and that of a castor tree and transformed an old Jawa-flower-tree into one of rose. While enunciating the principle of Rishi Patanjali, "Jatyantar parinamah prakrityapurat", viz. that one thing can be converted into another by transplanting into it the deficient particles of the latter after attracting the same from nature, he practically demonstrated conversion of a rose flower into jawa, a jawa flower into a coral and a bela flower into a sphatik (crystal ball).
Baba shunned fruitless gossip. He would sit quietly for hours in the presence of his disciples, giving them time and opportunity for introspection and nam-japa. He was very kind, compassionate and generous at heart and helpful to one and all. He had developed the feelings of friendship and happiness (instead of jealousy) at seeing the prosperity of others, and indifference to sin instead of hate and repulsion. He had overcome his ego completely. He was never after name and fame and did not like making disciples indiscriminately. Baba was a great appreciator of fine qualities and good character in people. He particularly loved children and enjoyed their company. He played with them and showed them little tricks and miracles. He entertained them with jokes and funny stories with morals.
In effect, Baba's greatness comprised of a combination of sweetness, affability, great super-natural powers to do things, supreme knowledge, compassion for all and assistance to the needy. Baba used to say, "Attachment is the cause of unhappiness and this cycle of birth and death. Self-realization through the control of mind is the only way to salvation. "His main aim was to wake up his disciples and devotees from the slumber caused by the indriyas, which delude one first into thinking that they give one real happiness, to find later that the happiness was only transient and unreal.
Self-realization is possible only through constant practice of Yoga-kriya. Through constancy in Kriya, one can change even his destiny. One's own sadhana (effort) and the Kripa (grace) of Mahashakti, both are necessary for success in God-realization. However, sadhana by itself will beget Kripa and provide the needed prop in the form of a Guru (preceptor). God himself descends in the form of a real Guru, takes hold of the 'being' and helps him in his salvation. One only needs to surrender completely to the Guru and act according to his instructions. This total unqualified surrender is the key to success.
Baba's main stress was on Kriya-karma. He would say, "Karmebhyo Namah' i.e., "Do it ! Doit! Keep doing it !"
Baba kept a constant vigil over his disciples. He knew from day-to-day nay moment-to-moment, what they were thinking, talking and doing, even when hundreds of miles away from them. In times of emergency he would even appear before them in physical or subtle astral form as appropriate and help them out of a difficult situation, e.g., in the form of a railway porter, a beggar or a mendicant, etc. Gurudeva had taken total responsibility for his disciples. He used to say, "I place each one of you in the state and situation needed for your advancement. I also give you and do for you just as much as is really necessary. The sole aim of life is to get back to your real self and get established permanently in your own conscious self. Man is suffering because he has got torn away from his moorings - his real self, the supreme self. Once he is able to establish his contact with the self again, all his troubles and miseries will automatically come to an end."
Yogis never die !
Shri Vishuddhanand Paramahansadeva passed away in July 1937, but he presents himself even today in different forms, at so many places simultaneously before his disciples and devotees, to cure them of their illnesses, protect them against accidents and help them out of their predicaments and troubles.
It appears only relevant to give here a few facts about Baba for a proper understanding of the personality of the great soul in the correct perspective.
1. Baba most frequently taught through actions and self-example what most preceptors tried to teach through words.
2. He could sometimes speak in parables, leaving his devotees to work out the answer.
3. He had the peculiar art of giving information to particular individuals in the midst of a group in a way that they alone could understand and not the other members of the group.
4. Another peculiarity of Baba was that instead of answering a question directly he would sometimes send the questioner to someone who is found to be reading the same very thing in a scripture and thus get an answer to his question.
5. Baba was living and operating in other worlds also besides this world in invisible forms.
6. Shri Baba had the power to guide the dead as well as those living.
7. He belonged to a hidden spiritual hierarchy. He travelled at will in subtle body and spoke of his travels over great distances of space and time to his disciples at times.
8. Even when in flesh in this earthly life, he was not confined to his physical body. It may truly be said of him that he is alive even now though he took mahasamadhi in 1937.
9. He never spoke untruth and meaningless jargon. Only those who were familiar with his ways could make out the meaning of what he said or did and that too only when it was intended for their understanding.
10. He had the most detailed knowledge of distant events and circumstances. Also, whether he directed the actions of some other person, or himself materialized in a distant place to play his part there, he could do so without interrupting his normal activities at his ashrams at Kashi, Burdwan or Calcutta.
11. Baba used to say, "Having undertaken responsibility for you, I will never allow any of you disciples to escape from me. Only keep faith and I will do the rest. I will give you what you want if it be to your benefit and wish that you will in due time desire what I want to give you. Wherever you may be, think of me and I will be with you."
12. Baba exerted a tremendous influence over his devotees, causing a remarkable change in their life-style for their spiritual upliftment.
P.Vishuddhanandji at Burdwan
Swami Vishuddhanand Paramahansa was a liberated, realized Yogi of ideal character, pure and pious in his day-to-day living, an ideal in the practice and application of the principles of Karma-yoga, Gyan-yoga and Bhakti-yoga, an extraordinaary combination of grandeur and sweetness. He attained salvation, the highest state beyond all sense- perception, after achieving knowledge and mastery over all the principles and philosophy of the world within and the world without through strenuous and austere spiritual practices and extraordinary grace of God. He had completely annihilated his ego and established stable and perpetual communion (yoga) with Maha-Shakti. There was not the slightest trace of self-ego left in him, it was all pure perception only.
In the year 1911 Baba shifted to Burdwan. Many extraordinary incidents took place furing his stay there. In Burdwan people respected Baba with great devotion. But one wily person got obsessed by the wicked desire to find out the method and rituals of Baba's Puja, even though he was fully aware that Baba performed his Puja in a closed room and nobody was permitted to see how and what he did then. So one day this gentleman got an opportunity and surreptitiously slipped into Baba's prayer room and hid himself inside before ahnik time.
At the appropriate time, Baba entered the Puja-room to perform his Puja-kriya and bolted the door from inside. He first started with the Paranayam-kriya as usual. As he inhaled air from the atmosphere and retained it within himself, all the air in the room got transfixed and it became impossible for the hidden person to breathe. When his throat got almost suffocated due to lack of air, he shouted, "Baba He!". Hearing the yell Baba looked in that direction and on spotting the fellow, understood what the matter was. He immediately released the air and established the equilibrium and by so doing saved the life of that individual.
Thereafter Baba scolded that person and said, "Look, never again should you dare to test a Yogi or try to see his Kriya stealthily. If I had not noticed you instantly, your body would have been chaired to ashes in a jiffy." That man felt very ashamed, humbly begged pardon and got out of the room.
Establishment of Ashrams, to mention only three out of six of them
1. Vishuddhashram at Burdwan
As per direction of Shri Bhriguram Paramahansa, the first Ashram was established by Baba in Burdwan. It was named after Baba as 'Vishuddhashram'. Bhriguram Swami had framed and sent a set of rules to regulate the proper working of this Ashram, which apply equally to the other Ashrams established by Baba. Out of that set of rules, two are particularly important: - Whenever any subject regarding Yoga or scriptures or of a confidential nature be under discussion with a particular disciple, nobody else should be there, not even another codisciple. It should be clearly understood and kept in mind that the exposure of a secret subject can result in harm to the whole congregation. - Permission for entry and stay in the Ashram must not be granted to anybody who comes on worldly business, or mundane matter or for pleasure and recreation.
2. The Ashram at Bondul (distt. Burdwan)
Shri Baba established the second Ashram in 1911 at his native village Bondul. After the construction of the Bondul Ashram was completed, one day Baba received a letter from Shri Bhriguram Paramahansa which contained the following directions regarding the Ashrams: "These Ashrams do not belong to you. They are the property of your disciples. This rule applies not only to Bondul Ashram but to the Vishuddhashram at Burdwan and to all other Ashram.' Baba merely acted as custodian, with no self-interest or attachment to these Ashrams. During his lifetime
alone he formed a trust and set of rules for their proper working ad management after his death.
3. Vishuddhanand-Kanan-Ashram at Kashi (Varanasi)
Baba desired that at this Ashram also, there should be adequate provision for training and research in Yoga and natural Sciences, on the same pattern as in Gyanganj Yogashram. But due to some unknown reason (maybe witholding of sanction from Gyanganj) Baba had to finally shelve this scheme.
The Nav-Mundi Asan at Kashi Harihar Banlinga Banduleshwar at Bandul
When Shri Baba failed to get the approval of his proposal to set up 'Centre for training in Yoga and sciences' at Kashi from his superior authorities of Gyanganj, then he dedicated the fruits of over forty years of his arduous penance and austerities for the well-being and upliftment of his disciples and devotees by establishing 'Navmundi Asan' on 14th February 1935 at Kashi Ashram. But unless one is endowed with purity of body, good samskaras (vasanas carried over from earlier births) and the special grace of the Guru, it is not possible to sit on this Siddhasan and perform Kriya.
Gyanganj (Jnan-ganj) Yogashram in Tibet
The Gyanganj (Jnanganj) Yogashram - the ancient name of this Yogashram was 'Indra Bhawan'. This ancient Ashram was renovated and restored to its pristine glory again by Swami Gyananand Paramahans, a disciple of Maharshi Mahatapa. Under his able administration and responsible management it started functioning properly once again under the new name Gyanganj.
Gyanganj is an extraordinary spiritual training centre. The Brahmacharis, Brahmacharinis and Paramahansas of this centre, after getting established in the state Aham-Brahmasmi, roam about in the universe as, when and where they like.
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Shri Vishuddhananda's childhood name was Bholanath Chattopadhyaya. Siddha Yogi Swami Nimanand Paramahansa of the secret Gyanganj Yogashram in Tibet took Bholnath to Gyanganj ashram. Yogiraj Vishuddhanand Paramhansadeva was the first Yogi-Saint to introduce and propagate Surya-Vijnan, solar science, into the world for the first time. Up till then this science was confined to the precints of the ancient secrets of Yogashram at Gyanganj in the Himalayas in Tibet and was known only to the ancients. Baba stayed in Gyanganj Ashram for 12 years. Surya i.e., Sun or Savita means 'source of creation'. According to Surya-Vijnan there are 360 rays of the sun which go to
form the whole creation of the Universe. Baba converted cotton wool, flowers and leaves into stones, wood, etc. by the incidence of appropriate rays of the Sun. He demonstrated practically how minute particles of ingredients of various objects could be dispersed or assembled and destroyed or created through the procès of Surya- Vijnan. As a result of his adherence to the strict rules of the Brahmacharya period, Bholanath had freed himself from the influence of ego and had also developed the spirit of surrender to the will of the Supreme Power.
Matter is indestructible
Shri Baba demonstrated practically that matter is indestructible.
1st Instance
He asked Shri Gopinath to write something on a piece of paper, burn it and pulverize the ashes by his hands. Thereafter he resurrected from its ashes that very same paper with the sentences written on it by Gopinath.
2nd Instance
Another day, Baba had a pail full of milk thrown into the river Ganga in Varanasi at one Ghat. After a couple of days he reclaimed that pail-full of milk from the Ganga at another ghat of Varanasi.
3rd Instance
Even if a person passes away from the world of curse (Mrityulok) to heaven (Brahmalok), a yogi can bring him back in the world, through his yogic power. For example, Baba brought back his dead father in bodily into this world at Bondul at the earnest request of his elder brother Shri Bhutnath. The above proved beyond doubt that nothing is ever lost or destroyed in Nature.
Materialization of the Dead Father in Physical Form
Once Bhootnath told Vishuddhanand, "Bholanath! I have heard that through spiritual practice you have acquired extraordinary powers. For a long time I have a yet unfulfilled desire in my heart. If you could fulfil the same, I will consider myself blessed. I want to see our late father in physical form just for once, I hear that the soul is eternal though man is mortal. The changes take place only in the physical form of the body.
But the yogi, through his yogic powers, can resurrect the soul in its physical bodily form. The yogi, through his yogic powers, can resurrect the same as it were in the past at any time. I know you can fulfil my desire if you so wish. I have no other wish." Bholanath said, "Dear brother, what you have stated is quite true. There is nothing that cannot be accomplished by yogic power or super-science. After the battle of Mahabharat at Kurukshetra, Maharshi Vyasadeva had resurrected, her dead relatives before the very eyes of the grief- stricken Gandhari, in fulfilment of her wish. A yogi can do this through his will-power. The same can also be accomplished by the application of super-science. But, dear brother, what will you gain by simply seeing our late father? Only know that the soul never dies. Death only changes the form. You will not be able to keep your equanimity at seeing our dead father now, in his old physical form. Therefore, it will be better that you accept the will of God in whatever has already come to pass and do not press to see our late father in phyiscal form now." But Bhootnath persisted and pressed his wish. Bholanath was well aware that anybody, on seeing his dead relative, cannot normally keep his sanity intact and develops insanity. Hence he tried very hard indeed to dissuade his brother, but Bhootnath was insistent. In the end, Bholanath acceeded to his request. A room was set as per instructions of Bholanath. In it a cot was placed and on it a new bedding was spread. At the appointed hour, their late father appeared in his usual physical form and took his seat on the bed. He even replied to the questions put to him. He stayed thus for about fifteen minutes and then departed. But the sight in bodily form of the late father left a deep harmful impact on the mind of Bhootnath.
Pre-Knowledge of Future Events
Bholanath (now Swami Vishuddhanand) used to visit Burdwan now and then. Once he found his elder brother Bhootnath suffering from a chronic disease. The treatment there was giving him no relief. Bholanath cured him by his yogic power, just by a sheer gaze at him. But before leaving, he told Bhootnath in no uncertain terms that he was not ever to take onions or eggs. He also impressed this point on Bhootnath's wife and warned her of the consequences. But Bhootnath was never a person to follow rules or restrictions for any length of time. He started taking onions and eggs again. After some time, the disease reappeared in Bhootnath in a virulent form. He became worse day by day and no medicine was able to provide him any relief. You can imagine the feelings of the mother under such circumstances. Although Bholanath was at that time in a very distant place, even there he could get the inkling of his brother's condition and the state of mental agony of his mother. For a yogi, distance is of no consequence and Vishuddhanand appeared instantly at his village Bondul. There he explicitly explained to his mother that Bhootnath, having disobeyed the instructions, could not be cured anymore. Simultaneously he indicated the date and time of the death of Bhootnath to the mother and disappeared. Needless to say that Bhootnath died exactly on the same day and time as had been prophecised by Bholanath. The mother became miserably grief stricken. Bholanath again appeared on the scene. He relieved the mother of the grief by a simple touch of his hand. Swami Vishuddhanand had acquired many supernatural powers through the constant practice of Mantra Jap (meditation), Tapasya (penance) and Samadhi (superconsciousness). But he used to utilize these Siddhis only for the benefit of mankind. Whenever requested, he used to provide relief to all relatives or non-relatives in their bodily and mental sufferings and all kinds of troubles. Many people suffering from chronic and virulent diseases were cured just by a single benevolent gaze from his or by exercise of his will-power. There was no end to his yogic powers and it is impossible to comprehend, leave alone describe all of them.
Bholanath in Gyanganj (Jnanganj) Ashram
Bholanath embarked on his regular training in Yoga in Gyanganj Yogashram, under the expert guidance of Shri Bhriguram Paramahansa. His sharp intellect and rigorous application enabled him to atain complete mastery over the eight stages of Yoga, one by one, in a period much shorter than other aspirants who inspite of having started earlier, had not yet attained the same proficiency. Shri Bhriguram Paramahansa was greatly impressed by Bholanath's intensity of purpose and dedication. In appreciation thereof, he gave away the "Harihara Banalinga" - Shivalingam which was in use in the Ashram, for testing the progress of trainees - to Bholanath as a prize. This was a Shivalinga in Gyanganj Yogashram which was exceptionally powerful. It was used for testing the progress of trainees in Yogic Tratak. Ordinary aspirants of Yoga could not fix their gaze at it steadily for any length of time. Only Brahmacharis and Yogis fully established in Yoga technique were able to fix their gaze upon it for a while. Its colour would change after every three hours interval and its hue would thus change eight times during the twenty-four hours of day and night.
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| Harihara Banalinga |
Gurudeva, Shri Mahatapa Maharaj, approved the action of Shri Bhriguram and blessed Bholanath. This Banalinga could stand the gaze of Bholanath during his meditation. Ordinary Linga could not normally stand his gaze and would get shattered to pieces. After some time Bhriguram Swami directed Bholanath (Vishuddhanand) to instal this Banalinga in the village of his birth viz. Bondul, in a temple and have an Ashram built alongside. The Swami made it clear that it was to be installed in Bondul and Bondul ony. He even indicated the spot for its installation saying that on digging at the mentioned spot Trishul (Trident) would be found about two metres below the ground. The Harihara Banalinga was installed during auspicious Muhurta (moment) under the name of Bonduleshwara.
In this way, under the instructions of Swami Bhriguram Paramahansa, Bholanath developed into a perfect Yogi. He spared no pains to learn natural sciences under the tutelage of Swami Shyamanand Paramahansa. He learned Vayu-Vijnan (science of natural sciences), Nakshatra-Vijnan (astrology), Chandra-Vijnan (lunar science), Swara- Vijnan (science of sound vibrations), Kshana-Vijnan (science of instant of time) and Surya-Vijnan (solar science) etc. Like in Yoga, Bholanath attained great prificiency and mastery in all above sciences also.
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| Vishuddhananda with wife |
Vishuddhanand had unlimited faith in his Guru and he accepted the command of his Guru even though it was not to his own liking. After having lived as a Sanyasi for four years, Swami Vishuddhanand did not like the idea of marriage. He, however, implicity believed in the dictum that the Guru's commands, deeds and thoughts are always directed toward promoting the good of the disciple. Hence, when his Guru, Mahatapa Maharaj, asked him to marry, he bowed down to his command and agreed to lead the life of a householder. With all humility, he only enquired of his Guru, "Gurudeva, I hope my marriage will not stand in the way of my progress in Tapa, i.e., practice of austerity." The Guru replied, "No, with my blessings the influence of your Tapa will increase day by day after marriage instead of declining" and this proved to be true. After his marriage Vishuddhanand pursued his spiritual austerities with even greater vigour and tenacity. He soon attained the stage of Tirth-Swami and during that period he acquired many additional Yogic Siddhis.
After marriage, Vishuddhanand went to his in-laws' place at Manteshwar. There he went to the pond for his daily bath. The pond was overladen with water weeds. While bathing, he was bitten on his chest by a snake. He immediately came out of the pond. Blood was flowing out of the bitten spot. Vishuddhanand entered the Shiva temple at the pond and told his brother-in-law to ensure that nobody entered the temple till such time as he prayed inside it, irrespective how long he took inside, so nobody disturbed him. The whole day went by, the whole night passed. Only on the second day in the morning, the door of the temple was opened from inside and he emerged. His eyes were blood-red and the whole body was wet with perspiration, but there was no visible sign of snake-bite poison, except the dent's of snakes fangs on his chest.
Paramahansa Vishuddhanandji's Siddhis
There was no end to Shri Baba's super-natural powers. But he did not consider those to be of much intrinsic value. The sole purpose behind his exhibiting them to his disciples and devotees was to increase their faith in God and worship, in religion and in the unbounded and unlimited power of the Mahashakti.
During his life-time his disciples and devotees had witnessed many of his miracles at different times, in different places and under varying circumstances and environments. Even after his demise on 14th July 1937, his disciples and devotees till today continue to witness them. It has thus been correctly stated in our scriptures that a Guru never dies. He lives for ever in astral form and keeps guiding his disciples.
With regards to these miracles Baba one day told his disciples , "In my childhood I used to think that all this talk about miracles and supernatural powers in our scriptures is nothing but a fabrication of
imagination. But after going to Gyanganj, I was stunned to see what all was possible. That place appeared to me like a magic-land full of wonders. Every thing and event seemed to come within the scope of possibility."
Baba keeps a watch over his disciples at all times
One Sunday during his stay at Vishuddhashram, Burdwan, Baba was stressing the need for regular practice of Kriya and the surety of good outcome therefrom. One of the disciples, an advocate of the High Court in Calcutta, who had come to visit Baba, complained that he did not seem to be making any progress in the spiritual realm. Baba enquired, "Are you regular and sincere in the performance of your Kriya? He replied, "Yes, Baba". Then Baba said, 'Look, only the day before, as you were going to sit for your Kriya in your Puja-room in Calcutta, a client called for you. Did you not instantly wrap up your Puja asan and come out to meet him? And then you kept on discussing the client's legal suit with him for full two hours and thereafter never did your Kriya that night? Now, if this is the way you do your Kriya how do you expect any progress?"
The advocate admitted the fact and felt very ashamed. Another disciple asked, "Baba, do you keep vigil over our actions all the while?" Baba said, "Yes, I have to, being your Guru."
The Attainment of Yogic Powers by Shri Vishuddhanand
Many of the blessed disciples of Yogiraj Shri Vishuddhanand have variously described many wonderful miracles brought about by him.
But it would be interesting and instructive to know also the pains-taking and sustained practice undergone by him before he was able to attain these marvellous powers. Bholanath spent twelve long years as a Brahmachari in the Gyanganj Yogashram in Tibet under training and strenuous practice of the various branches of Science and Yoga. After his initiation into the Yoga-technology and appropriate instruction and practice, as was customary, he had to undertake a pilgrimage to all the pilgrim centres throughout the length and breadth of India and stay for long periods all alone in the mountain caves, depending solely on the Divine Mother - the force which motivates the whole universe. He stayed in dense forests, in caves braving the severe chilly winds and scorching sun and amongst ferrocious beasts.
The purpose of these stringent rules was to educate the aspirants to learn to depend on and have faith in the Divine. Bholanath was subjected to many physical obstructions and impediments but was always saved from them by the grace of his Guru. He transcended all the good and evil circumstances, obeyed all the stringent rules and not for once even swerved from his cherished path. Being bitten by a dog during his childhood or by a cobra after his marriage were both physical impediments.
As a result of his adherence to the strict rules of the Brahmacharya-period, Bholanath had freed himselef from the influence of ego and had also developed the spirit of surrender to the will of the Supreme Power. He did not now suffer from any kind of fear or any form of agitation like anger, hatred, jealousy. God alone used to be his silent guide in all matters.
An Illustration of Vayu-Vijnan (Wind-Science)
Once Shri Gopinath's Rudraksha rosary broke up. He took the beads and silk thread to Shri Baba for getting it wreathed in the way prescribed in the Shastras (scriptures) Baba kept the beads and the silk thread in the Gomukhi (silk bag for keeping the rosary) and clasped the silk bag in his hand. He turned round the Gomukhi in his hand a couple of times and handed it back to Gopinath. The whole process took hardly a couple of minutes. On examining the rosary it was found to have been beautifully wreathed with the silk thread, with the Sumeru bead affixed in the proper place and style. The knots were also tied in proper scriptural fashion. On enquiry, Baba replied that the job had been done by the technology of Vayu-Vijnan (Wind-Science). Regarding the short time taken, Baba explained that once you enter into the state of super-concentration, even long-time consuming acts can be accomplished in minutes.
In this particular case, Baba used the technique of Vayu-Vijnan but by and large Baba would display and talk about Surya-Vijnan and produce things by that science.
Production of Lord Krishna's Fragrance through Surya-Vijnan
On another occasion in 1920, Shri Gopinath Kaviraj was sitting with Baba at the Ashram at Puri. A few other disciples were also present. He casually mentioned the description of Lord Krishna's Gandha (fragrance) given in Chaitanya Charitamrit and other books and enquired if that was so in reality or it was only an allegory in the Scriptures.
Baba told Gopinath Kaviraj to start naming ingredients, one by one, which formed the Krishna-Gandha, as per description given in Govind- Lilamrit. Gopinath started naming them: blue lotus, musk, etc. As each name was being pronounced, so also Shri Baba moved his hand each time in space. By the time Gopi Dada named the last ingredient, Baba brought his hand close to Gopinath and other disciples and asked them to smell the Krishna-Gandha (Lord Krishna's fragrance). Baba told Gopinath that as he kept naming each ingredient Baba kept attracting the same out of the Sun's rays by the process of Surya-Vijnan and by the time the last ingredient was added the fragrance was created. Gopinath and other disciples present smelled the fragrance which was marvellously sweet and enchanting.
Immense Capabilities of Surya-Vijnan
Shri Gopinath Kaviraj and scores of other disciples were direct witnesses to the creation of valuable diamonds, gems and pearls of different types and shades; ornaments of gold; sweets of various descriptions like Chamshams, Rasogullas, Sandes etc.; fruits like grapes, pomegranates, apples and pine-apples etc; flowers like lotus, rose, jasmine, pandanus (Kevra), Parijat (a flower of paradise) etc.; cow's ghee; coconut oil and numerous other articles, through Surya-Vijnan.
Mahamahopadhya Pandit Gopinath Kaviraj Ji
Baba presented all these articles, prepared through Surya-Vijnan, to his disciples some of whom have preserved many of these intact in their possession even till today, proving beyond doubt thereby that it was not a case of magic, hypnotism or hallucination but one of pure scientific knowledge and its application. Baba converted cotton wool, flowers and leaves into stones, wood, etc. by incidence of appropriate rays of the Sun. He demonstrated practically how minute particles of ingredients of various objects could be dispersed or assembled and destroyed or created through the process of Surya-Vijnan.
Transformation of one object into another
Once some disciples requested Baba to elucidate by actual demonstration how one object is converted or transformed into another.
Baba picked up a rose out of the flowers offered by devotees, lying before him on the bed on which he was seated, and enquired, "What do you want this rose to be converted into?" Seeing no jawa flower round about, a disciple requested Baba to convert the rose into a jawa flower. Baba held the rose in his left hand and by means of magnifying glass in his right hand, he focussed the rays of the Sun on to the rose. A gradual change started taking place. First a reddish glow appeared and slowly the rose started disappearing till finally a fully blossomed jawa flower appeared in its place. To satisfy his lingering doubt, Gopinathji took this jawa flower to his home and it remained for quite a few days till it gradually faded away in the normal way. On being asked about the process employed, Baba replied that he had used Surya-Vijnan for this transformation although the same transformation could have been achieved, though more slowly, through the agency of any other natural science such as Chandra-Vijnan or Vayu-Vijnan. Also, this very transformation from a rose flower into a jawa flower could have been brought about by the exercise of pure Ichcha Shakti (will power) by a Siddha Yogi.
Thus any and everything in this world is possible as regards creation, maintenance and destruction, either by Yoga or by Natural Science, both.
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Dr. Paul Brunton:
MY wanderings in Bengal must hasten into the limbo of unrecorded experience, and my unexpected contacts near Buddha-Gaya with three Tibetan lamas, who proffer an invitation to their mountain monastery, must likewise follow suit, for I am eager to enter the sacred city of Benares. The train thunders across the great iron bridge near the city, its noise heralding, no doubt, modernity's further invasion of an antiquated and static form of society. The holy Ganges can hardly remain holy much longer when alien and infidel men send snorting fire-chariots across its greyish-green waters.
So this is Benares!
A huge crowd of pilgrims jostle each other while I pass out of the station and step into a waiting carriage. As we drive along the dusty road I become aware of a new element in the
atmosphere. I try to ignore it but, with increasing insistence, it forces itself upon my attention.
So this is India's holiest city! Well, it possesses a most unholy smell! Benares is reputed to be the oldest populated town in India. Its odour fully confirms its reputation. The unsavoury air seems insupportable. I begin to lose courage.
Shall I order the driver to take me back to the station? Is it not better to be an arrant infidel and breathe clean air than acquire piety at such a monstrous price? And then I reflect that time will somehow acclimatize one even to this air, as it acclimatizes one to more unfamiliar things still in this stale land. But Benares! you may be the hub of Hindu culture, yet please learn something from the infidel whites and temper your holiness with a little hygiene!
I learn that the stench arises partly because the roads are paved with a mixture of cow-dung and earth, and partly because the old moat which surrounds the city has been used by the people of many generations as a convenient refuse heap.
If Indian chronicles can be credited, Benares was an established city as long ago as twelve hundred years before the Christian Era. Just as pious Englishmen journeyed to the holy city of Canterbury in the Middle Ages, so have Indians flocked from every part of their country to the holy city of Benares. Hindus come in their wealthy state or poverty-stricken condition to receive its blessing, while the ailing come to eke out their last days, for death here will take the soul straight into Paradise.
The next day I wander afoot through old Kashi - as the Hindus prefer to call their city - and explore the labyrinth of crooked streets which compose it. There is a purpose behind my aimless wandering, for I bear in my pocket a paper which describes the location of the house of a Yogi wonder-worker, whose disciple I met in Bombay.
I pass through stuffy streets along which a carriage would be too wide to pass. I make my way through crowded bazaars, where seethe the people of a dozen different races, and where mangy dogs and innumerable flies add to the bustle. Old women with grey hair and shrunken breasts; young women with supple figures and smooth, brown limbs; pilgrims fingering their rosaries and muttering the same sacred words which they have already repeated perhaps fifty thousand times; the gaunt figures of ash-besmeared elderly ascetics; all these and other types throng the narrow ways. Among a tangle of streets which are full of turmoil, noise and colour, I come accidentally upon the Golden Temple, which is famed among the orthodox throughout India. Ash-bedabbled ascetics, whose uncouth appearance is repellent to Western eyes, crouch around the entrance. Worshippers flow in and out in an endless stream. Several carry lovely flower garlands and thus give a gay colour to the scene. The pious touch the stone door-posts with their foreheads as they leave the temple and then, turning, start in momentary surprise on beholding the white infidel. I become conscious again of the invisible barrier between these men and myself, the profound barrier between white and brown skin.
Two domes, made of thick sheets of gold, glisten in the quivering sunlight; screeching parrots swarm on the nearest tower. The Golden Temple is given over to the god Shiva. Where is he now, I wonder, this god to whom these Hindus cry, before whom they pray, and to whose stone representations I have seen them offer scented flowers and cooked rice?
I move on and stand near the threshold of another temple, where I watch the god Krishna being worshipped. Lighted camphor burns before a golden idol; the temple bells peal out their insistent calls for his attention; and the sounds of conch horns stray up to his unhearing ears. A lean and austere priest comes out and looks questioningly at me, and I proceed upon my way.
Who can count the multitude of images and idols which teem within the temples and houses of Benares? Who can explain these serious-looking Hindus - so often childish, yet sometimes so profoundly philosophical?
Through the dark alleys I thread my way, afoot and alone, seeking the house of the wonder-worker. At length I emerge from the swarming streets into wider roads. A straggling, ragged column of little boys, thin youths and a few men, swing past me in single file. Their leader carries a makeshift banner, with something indecipherable inscribed upon the flag. They shout queer catchwords and occasional snatches of song. They look at me with hostile faces and scowling eyes as they go by, so that I sense the political nature of this motley procession. Last night, in a packed bazaar, with no European or policeman anywhere in sight, someone behind me hisses out a threat to shoot me. At once I wheel round - only to behold a crowd of bland faces, for the young fanatic (I guess his youth by the sound of his voice) has disappeared around a corner into the darkness. And so I gaze with pity upon this ragged procession which now disappears down the road. Politics, that deceptive siren who promises everybody everything, has gathered a few more victims into her insidious arms.
I come at last to a street where the houses are large and well built and where the compounds are spacious and trimly kept.
I quicken my pace until I reach a gate, upon whose post the name VISHUDHANANDA is inscribed on a stone tablet. I enter the compound, for this is the house which I seek, and approach someone who lounges on the veranda. He is a young man with an unintelligent face. I ask him in Hindustani:
"Where is the teacher?" but he shakes his head and gives me to understand that no such person is known here. I utter the teacher's name, but again receive a negative reply. The result is disappointing, but I am determined not to be beaten. An inward monitor warns me that the young man thinks no European can possibly have any business here, and that he has jumped to the conclusion I am really seeking some other house.
I look again at his face and write him down as stupid. Ignoring his gesticulations, I walk straight into the house. In an inner room I come upon a semicircle of dark faces. A group of well-dressed Indians squat around the floor. A bearded old man reclines upon a couch at the far end of the room. His venerable appearance and seat of honour are enough to inform me that here is the object of my quest. I raise my hands in salutation, palms touching.
"Peace, master!" I make the conventional Hindustani greeting.
I proffer my introduction and present myself as a writer travelling in India, yet withal a student of their native philosophy and mysticism. I make it clear that the disciple whom I encountered was careful to explain that his teacher never made a public exhibition of his wonderful powers, and that even under the shadow of privacy he rarely displayed them to strangers. Nevertheless, in view of my deep interest in their ancient wisdom I crave their indulgence and beg to be treated as an exception.
The students stare blankly at each other and then turn towards the teacher, as if in wonderment at his response. Vishudhananda is a man of more than seventy years of age, I judge. A short nose and a long beard adorn his face. I am struck by the large size of his eyes, which are deeply pouched.
The sacred thread of a Brahmin hangs around his neck.
The old man fixes his eyes coldly upon me, as though I were a specimen to be studied under a microscope. I feel something weird and uncanny touch my heart. Indeed, some strange force seems to pervade the whole room, and I feel slightly uneasy.
At length he addresses some words, in a dialect which I recognize as Bengalee, to a disciple, who turns and informs me that no audience can be granted unless I bring Pundit Kavirj, who is Principal of the Government Sanskrit College, to act as interpreter. The pundit's perfect knowledge of English, combined with his long standing as a disciple of Vishudhananda, perfectly fits him to act as a medium between us.
"Come with him tomorrow afternoon' says the teacher.
"I shall expect you at the hour of four."
I am forced to retreat. On the road I hail a passing carriage and drive through the winding streets to the Sanskrit College.
The Principal is not there. Someone thinks he may be at home, so I drive on for another half-hour until I find him at last in a tall, ancient house with a projecting upper storey, whose appearance is strangely like that of a medieval Italian building.
The pundit sits on the floor of a top room, surrounded on every side by small hills of books, papers and scholastic paraphernalia. He has the Brahmin's typical high brow, thin long nose and lighter complexion. His face is refined and scholarly.
I explain my errand; there is a slight hesitation on his part; and then he agrees to accompany me next day. The appointment fixed, I withdraw. I ride down to the Ganges and dismiss the carriage. I saunter along the river bank which, for the benefit of bathing pilgrims, is built into long rows of stone steps. The feet of many centuries have worn down the steps until they are rugged and uneven. How untidy and irregular is the water-front of Benares! Temples tumble into the water; glistening domes are neighbours to squat, square, decorated palaces which rise to varying heights; while the whole hotch-potch of buildings mingles the ancient and the modern indiscriminately.
Priests and pilgrims swarm everywhere. I come across some pundits teaching their pupils in small, open rooms. The walls are plainly whitewashed; the teachers sit on rugs; and the pupils squat respectfully around, absorbing the cobwebbed doctrines of their creed. A bearded ascetic's appearance causes me to make enquiries. He has rolled over and over in the dust for four hundred miles.
A strange way to make one's pilgrimage to Benares! Farther on I meet another weird-looking individual. He has held one arm aloft for years. The sinews and ligaments of his unfortunate limb have almost withered, while the flesh which covers it has shrivelled to parchment. How account for such futile austerities, unless, indeed, the unending tropical sun has made the minds of these men a trifle mad? It may be that existence in a temperature of one hundred and twenty degrees in the shade has helped to unbalance these unfortunate members of a race which is already so prone to religious hysteria.
The next day, precisely at four o'clock, Pundit Kavirj and I drive into the courtyard of the teacher's house. We enter the large room and greet him. About six other disciples are present.
Vishudhananda asks me to come a little closer, so I squat down a few feet away from his couch.
"Do you desire to see one of my wonders?" is his first question.
" If the master wishes to grant this favour, I shall be extremely pleased."
"Give me your handkerchief, then. If you have a silk one, so much the better," translates the Pundit. "Any scent which you desire will be created for you, with nothing but a lens and the sun's rays as equipment."
Fortunately I do carry a silk handkerchief and pass it to the wonder-worker. He takes out a small burning lens and then explains that he wishes to concentrate the sun's rays but, owing to the orb's present position and the sheltered aspect of the room, that cannot be done with directness. The difficulty will easily be overcome, however, by sending one of the disciples outside into the courtyard. The man will use a hand mirror, catch the rays, and then reflect them through an open window into the room.
"I shall now create a scent for you out of the air!" announces Vishudhananda. "Which would you like?"
"Can you produce white jasmine? "
He takes up my handkerchief in his left hand and holds the burning lens above it. For the brief space of two seconds, a gleaming ray of sunlight hovers upon the silken fabric; then he puts down the lens and hands back the handkerchief.
I put it to my nose, and am rewarded with the delightful fragrance of white jasmine!
I examine the handkerchief but can discover no trace of moisture, no evidence that some liquid perfume has been dropped on it. I am puzzled and look half-suspiciously at the old man. He offers to repeat the demonstration.
The second time I choose attar of roses. I watch him narrowly during the further experiment. Every move which he makes, every bit of space around him is scrutinized with all the care I can muster. I examine his puffy hands and his spotless white robe with critical eyes, but can detect nothing suspicious. He repeats his former procedure and evokes the perfume of attar of roses, which strongly impregnates another corner of the handkerchief.
My third choice is violets. Here again he is equally successful. Vishudhananda is quite emotionless about his triumph.
He treats the whole demonstration as a sort of everyday affair, as a mere minor event. His grave face never once relaxes.
"And now I shall choose the scent," he unexpectedly declares. "I shall create the perfume of a flower which grows only in Tibet." He concentrates some sunlight upon the last, unscented corner of the handkerchief and lo! it is done he has evoked a fourth perfume, which I fail to recognize.
Slightly bewildered, I put the piece of white silk into my pocket. The feat appears to border on the miraculous. Has he concealed the perfumes upon his person? Has he hidden them in his robe? Then he would need to carry a formidable stock because, until I spoke, he could not know which scent I should choose. His simple robe could hardly contain such an ample stock as would be requisite. Besides, not once has his hand disappeared into the folds of his robe.
I ask for permission to inspect the lens. The latter proves to be quite an ordinary magnifying glass, set in a wire frame with a small wire handle. I can see nothing suspicious about it.
There is an additional safeguard, for what it is worth, in the fact that Vishudhananda is being watched, not only by me but also by the half-dozen disciples around us. The Pundit has already informed me that, without a single exception, they are all men of high standing, good education and responsibility. Hypnotism offers a possible explanation. The value of this explanation can be simply tested. When I return to my quarters, I shall show the handkerchief to other persons. Vishudhananda has another and greater piece of wonderworking to show me. It is one he seldom performs, though.
He tells me that he needs strong sunlight for this second feat; now, the sun is sinking and evening is approaching.
So I am to come again at high noon of a later day of the week. He will then display his amazing feat of temporarily restoring life to the dead!
I leave him and drive home, where I show the handkerchief to three persons. Each one finds that it still bears strong traces of the perfumes. The feat, therefore, cannot be accounted for on the hypothesis of hypnotism. Nor is it much easier to regard the whole affair as a piece of trickery.
Once again I am in the house of the magician. The latter tells me that he can restore life only to a small animal; usually he experiments with a bird.
A sparrow is strangled and left exposed to our gaze for about an hour, so that we can assure ourselves that it is really dead. Its eyes are motionless, its body sad and stiff; I cannot discover a single sign which might betray the presence of life in the little creature.
The magician picks up his magnifying glass and concentrates a ray of sunlight into an eye of the bird. I wait while a few minutes pass uneventfully. The old man sits bent over his strange task, his large eyes fixed in a glassy stare, his face cold, emotionless and non-committal. Suddenly, his lips open and his voice breaks out into a weird, crooning chant in some language which is unknown to me. A little later the bird's body begins to twitch. I have seen a dog twitch its suffering frame in the same manner, when the spasms of approaching death have overtaken it. Then comes a slight fluttering of the feathers and within a few minutes the sparrow is on its legs, hopping around the floor. Truly the dead have come to life! During its next phase of this strange existence, the bird gathers sufficient strength to fly up into the air, where it busies itself for a while in finding new perching points as it flies around the room. The thing seems so incredible that I pull body and wits together, in an effort to reassure myself that everything and everyone surrounding me is real, tangible and not hallucinatory.
A tense half-hour passes, while I watch the fluttering efforts of the revived creature. At last a sudden climax provides me with a fresh surprise. The poor sparrow falls through the air and lies motionless at our feet. It remains there without stirring. An examination reveals it as breathless and quite dead.
"Could you have prolonged its life still further?" I ask the magician.
"That is the most I can show you at present/' he replies, with a slight shrug. The Pundit whispers that greater things are hoped for from future experiments. There are other things his master can do, though I must not over-use his indulgence and make him play the part of a street showman. What I have seen already must satisfy me. I feel once again the pervading sense of mystery which fills the place. The stories of Vishudhananda' other powers only heighten this feeling.
I learn that he can bring fresh grapes seemingly out of the air and deliver sweetmeats out of sheer nothingness; that if he takes a faded flower in his hand it will soon regain its pristine
freshness.
What is the secret of these apparent miracles? I try to elicit some hint and receive an extraordinary reply. It is one of those explanations which do not really explain. The real secret still remains hidden behind the square forehead of the Benares wonder-worker, and he has so far not revealed it even to his closest disciple.
He tells me that his birthplace was in Bengal. At the age of thirteen he was bitten by a poisonous animal. His condition became so serious that his mother despaired of his life and took him down to the Ganges to die. According to the Hindu religion, there can be no holier or happier death than beside this river. He was carried into the sacred stream while the mourning family gathered on the banks for the funeral ceremonies. He was lowered into the water. And then a miracle happened. The deeper they dipped him, the more the water sank around his body. When he was raised again, the water rose upward in harmony until it reached its normal level. Again and again he was dipped; again and again the waters sank of their own accord. In short, the Ganges refused to receive the boy as its dying guest!
A Yogi sat on the banks of the river and watched the proceedings. He got up and predicted that the boy was reserved to live and achieve greatness, and that his destiny was most fortunate, inasmuch as he would become a famous Yogi.
The man then rubbed some herbs on the poisoned wound and went away. Seven days later he returned and told the parents that the boy was now quite cured, and indeed it was so. But, during the interim a strange thing had happened to the child.
His entire mentality and character had changed, and instead of being content to remain at home with his parents, he thirsted to become a wandering Yogi. Henceforth he worried his mother constantly until, a few years later, she granted him permission to leave home. He went forth in quest of the Yoga adepts.
He made his way to Tibet, that trans-Himalayan land of mystery, in the hope of finding his destined teacher among its reputed miracle-working hermits. For it is an idea strongly inherent in the Indian mind that the aspirant must become a personal disciple of someone who has himself mastered the mysteries of Yoga, if he is to succeed in the same quest. The young Bengalee sought for such a man among the solitary hermits who dwell in huts or caves, sometimes when the mountains were swept by howling, icy blizzards, but he returned home disappointed.
Years passed uneventfully, yet his desire found no abatement. Once more he crossed the border and wandered the bleak wastes of Southern Tibet. In a simple habitation among the mountain fastnesses he discovered a man who proved to be the long-sought teacher.
I hear, next, one of those incredible statements which might once have moved me to satiric laughter, but now actually startles me. For I am solemnly assured that this Tibetan master is no less than one thousand two hundred years old! The assertion is made as calmly as a prosaic Westerner might mention that he is forty.
This amazing legend of longevity has cropped up at least twice before. Brama, the Yogi of the Adyar river, once told me that his master in Nepal was over four hundred years old, while a holy man whom I encountered in Western India said that there was a Yogi living in an almost inaccessible mountain
cave on the Himalayas who was so old - over one thousand years, was the figure given me - that the lids of his eyes actually drooped heavily with age! I had dismissed both these assertions as being too fantastic, but now I must again entertain a repetition of them, for this man before me hints at being on the track of the elixir of life.
The Tibetan teacher initiated young Vishudhananda into the principles and practices of the Yoga of Body Control. Under this rigorous training, the disciple developed powers of body and mind which were supernormal. He was also initiated into a strange art which he calls Solar Science. For twelve years, despite the hardships of life in a snow-bound region, he continued his pupilage at the feet of the Tibetan possessor of immortal life. His training finished, he was sent back to India. He crossed the mountain passes, descended into the plains, and in due course himself became a teacher of Yoga.
He settled for a while at Puri, on the Bay of Bengal, where he still maintains a large bungalow. The flock of disciples which gathered around him belong exclusively to the higher class of Hindus. They comprise wealthy merchants, rich landowners, Government officials and even a Rajah. I get the impression - perhaps I am wrong - that humbler folk are not encouraged. How did you perform those wonders you showed me?"
I ask bluntly.
Vishudhananda crosses his plump hands.
"What you have been shown is not the result of Yoga practice. It is the result of a knowledge of Solar Science. The essence of Yoga is the development of will power and mental concentration on the part of the Yogi, but in Solar Science practice those qualities are not required. Solar Science is merely a collection of secrets and no special training is necessary to make use of them. It can be studied in exactly the same way that any of your Western material sciences are studied."
Pundit Kavirj supplements the hint that this strange art is more akin to the science of electricity and magnetism than to any other.
I feel as much in the dark as before, so the master vouchsafes some further information.
"This Solar Science which now comes from Tibet is nothing new. It was well known to the great Yogis of India in very ancient times. But now, except for a rare few, it has almost been lost to this country. There are life-giving elements in the sun's rays, and if you knew the secret of separating or selecting those elements, you, too, could do wonders. And there are etheric forces in sunlight which have a magic power, once you get control of them."
"Are you teaching these Solar Science secrets to your disciples?"
"Not yet, but I am preparing to do so. Certain disciples will be selected and the secrets imparted to them. Even now we are building a large laboratory where study classes, demonstrations and experiments will be carried on."
"Then what are your disciples learning at present?"
"They are being initiated into Yoga."
The pundit takes me to inspect the laboratory. It is a modern structure several storeys high and distinctly European in design. The walls are built of red brick and large gaps take the place of windows. These gaps await the coming of huge sheets of plate glass, for the research work to be conducted in the laboratory will involve the reflection of sunlight through red, blue, green, yellow and colourless glass.
The pundit tells me that no Indian works can make glass of the size required to form the giant windows, and therefore the edifice cannot be completed. He asks me to make enquiries in England, but emphasizes that Vishudhananda wants his specifications to be adhered to completely. These include the condition that the makers should guarantee their glass to be absolutely free from air bubbles, and that the coloured glass should be quite transparent. Each sheet is to measure twelve feet in length, eight feet in width and one inch in thickness.
The laboratory building is surrounded by spacious gardens, which are girdled and screened from prying eyes by rows of feather-branched palm trees. I return to the wonder-worker and sit down before him. The disciples have thinned out; only two or three are left. Pundit Kavirj squats beside me, his study-worn face fixed in devoted regard of his master.
Vishudhananda momentarily glances at me and then studies the floor. Dignity and reserve mingle in his manner; his face is preternaturally solemn, and the faces of his disciples reflect his solemnity. I attempt to penetrate behind his mask of gravity, but can perceive nothing. The mind of this man is as impenetrable to my Western mentality as is the inmost shrine of the Golden Temple in yonder town. He is steeped in the strange lore of Oriental magic. I feel strongly that though he has shown me his wonders even before I express a second request, nevertheless he has put up a psychic barrier between us which I shall never cross. My welcome is but a surface one; Western investigators and Western disciples are not wanted here.
He drops an unexpected remark quite suddenly.
"I could not initiate you as my own pupil unless I secure permission beforehand from my Tibetan master. This is a condition under which I have to work."
Has he read the thoughts which run through my brain?
I gaze at him. His slightly bulging forehead betrays a faint pucker. Anyway, I have expressed no desire to become his disciple. I am in no undue hurry to become anyone's disciple.
But of one thing I feel sure - such a request would bring forth a negative answer.
"But how can you communicate with your master if he is in far-off Tibet?" I query." I wrote to the largest manufacturers of plate glass in Great Britain, but they refused to undertake the task because the technical conditions laid down by Vishudhananda were impossible of fulfilment. They declared that it was beyond the wit of any manufacturer to devise a process which would guarantee the absence of any air bubbles in the sheets; that the glass could not be coloured without diminishing its transparency to the sun's rays; that plate glass could not be made satisfactorily thicker than one quarter of an inch; and that the sheets would have to be made in halves if breakage on the long journey to Benares was to be avoided.
"We are in perfect touch upon the inner planes," he replies.
I am conscious of listening, but not of comprehending. Yet his unexpected remark has turned my mind away from his miracles for a while. I fall into a pensive mood. Unwittingly I find myself asking:
"Master, how can one find enlightenment?"
Vishudhananda does not reply; instead, he puts me another question.
"Unless you practise Yoga, how can you obtain enlightenment?" I think the matter over for a few seconds.
"Yet I am told that without a teacher it is extremely difficult to understand Yoga, let alone practise it successfully. Genuine teachers are hard to find."
His face remains indifferent and imperturbable.
"When the seeker is ready, the master always appears."
I express my doubts. He spreads out a plump hand.
"A man must first make himself ready; then, no matter where he is, he will eventually find a teacher. And if the master does not come in the flesh, he will appear to the inward eye of the seeker."
"How shall one begin, then?"
"Mark off a part of your time every day to sit in the simple posture which I shall show you. That will help to prepare you. Take care also to curb anger and control passion." Vishudhananda proceeds to show me the Lotus posture, with which I am already familiar. Why he calls this a simple posture, with its intertwined and folded legs, I cannot understand. "What adult European can achieve such a contortion!"
I exclaim.
"The difficulty lies only in the early attempts. It becomes easy if practised every morning and evening. The important thing is to fix an exact time of the day for this Yoga practice, and to keep regularly to that time. At first five minutes' effort is enough. After one month, you can lengthen the time to ten minutes; after three months, to twenty minutes, and so on. Take care to keep the spine straight. This exercise will enable a man to acquire physical poise and mental calmness. Calmness is necessary for the further practice of Yoga."
"Then you teach the Yoga of Body Control?"
"Yes. Do not imagine that the Yoga of Mind Control is superior to it. Just as every human being both thinks and acts, so there must be training for both sides of our nature.
The body acts on the mind, and the mind interacts on the body; they cannot be separated in practical development."
I become aware once again of an inner reluctance on the part of this man to submit to further questioning. A mental coldness fills the atmosphere. I decide to withdraw soon, but fling a last question at him.
"Have you discovered whether there is any goal, any purpose, in life?"
The disciples break their gravity and smile at my simplicity. Only an infidel, ignorant Westerner could ask such a question. Do not all the sacred Hindu books, without exception, indicate that God holds this world in His hand for His own purpose? The teacher does not answer me. He relapses into silence, but glances at Kaviraj, who thereupon supplies the answer. "Certainly, there is a purpose. We have to attain spiritual perfection, to unite with God."
And then, for the next hour, the room remains silent. Vishudhananda fingers the large pages of a thick book, whose paper cover is printed in Bengalee. The disciples stare, sleep or meditate. A soothing, mesmeric influence begins to steal over me. I feel that if I stay long enough, I shall either fall asleep or fall into some kind of a trance, so I pull my faculties together, thank the teacher, and take my departure.
After a light meal I pick my way through tortuous alleys in this motley city, which seems to attract saints and sinners alike. It lures the pious from all over the land into its crowded homes, but it also draws the impious, the ruffianly and the vicious, to say nothing of the priestly parasites.
The jingling temple bells along the bank of the Ganges peal out their call to evening worship. Night is advancing rapidly on the greying sky. Sunset adds another to its own sounds, for the muezzins call to the followers of the Prophet to come to prayer.
I sit on the bank of this ancient river, this much-revered Ganges, and listen to the rustling fronds of palms, which sway slightly in the temporary breeze....
आज मैं सन1935का कल्याण गीता प्रेस गोरखपुर का योगाकं पढ़ रहा था जिसमें आदरणीय पण्डित गोपीनाथजी का लिखा लेख सूर्य विज्ञान पढ़ा जिसमें आदरणीय महाराजजी का आदर के साथ उल्लेख किया गया है मैंने नेट पर उनके द्वारा स्थापित शिवलिंग बणडूलेश्वर मन्दिर दर्शन करने का निर्णय लिया है ओर सारे सस्थान देखने का प्रण किया है
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