Reshape by Saints

8/12/2019 Reshape by Saints

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Dedication

I bow at the lotus feet of my Beloved Divine Mother, Master Krishna, Jesus Christ,Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yuteswar !iri, beloved "aramhansa Yo#ananda, and the

saints of all reli#ions$ %lso to %nandamoyee Ma, &arayan Swami, Kailash "ati, 'aniMata, and many (imalayan masters and swamis) and lastly to Swami %tmananda, Daya

Mata, Swami Kriyananda, and *ulsi Bose$

Foreword

by Durga Smallen

I met Devi Muherjee for the first time in the +all of -./$ My husband and I were

leadin# a 0il#rima#e to India with our lon#1time friends andgurubhais,23David and

%sha "raver$ 4ur s0iritual tea5her, Swami Kriyananda, had told us stories about Devi$*hey had been brother mons to#ether in Yo#oda Satsan#a So5iety 2YSS3, the Indian

bran5h of Self1'eali6ation +ellowshi0 2S'+3$ *he two or#ani6ations were founded by our

#uru, "aramhansa Yo#ananda$ Devi had joined YSS in India, and Swamiji had joined

S'+ at Mt$ 7ashin#ton, Los %n#eles, the international head8uarters$ *hey met inCal5utta in 45tober, -9., and both lived in the YSS ashrams until Kriyananda left S'+

in -/:$

"aramhansa Yo#ananda in -:/

Devi, his wife (assi 20ronoun5ed (ashi3, and their son Manash now live in Cal5utta and

serve as the meditation #rou0 leaders of %nanda, the or#ani6ation founded by SwamiKriyananda in -/.$ Devi and his family are dee0 and sin5ere devotees of "aramhansa

Yo#ananda, and dear friends of us at %nanda who now them$ *heir dedi5ation to !odand !uru, and also their divine friendshi0 for Kriyananda, is dee0ly ins0irin#$

Devi and (assi live in the home of Yo#ananda;s 5lose boyhood friend, *ulsi Bose,

(assi;s father, and ee0 their home o0en twenty1four hours a day to anyone who wishes

to meditate in the rooms where Yo#ananda meditated, and also %nandamoyee Ma, Sri
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Yuteswarji, Balaram Bose 2a dire5t dis5i0le of Sri 'amarishna "aramhansa3, Swami

traordinary e>0erien5es in their 0resen5e, e>0erien5es that bestowed on him dee0 soul

0ea5e and a sense of inner fulfillment$

7hen I ased Devi why he had wanted to mae these lon# tres, he re0lied, ?I wanted to

meditate in holy 0la5es, and I wanted my life to be sha0ed by saints$@

(e met !od1reali6ed bein#s in, and outside, the small villa#es that are the heart of thatama6in# land of sa#es and saints whose lives are far removed from what most 0eo0le

5onsider the ?normal@ the hubbub and bustle of daily 5ommer5e$

%s he states in his boo, however, ?Aven thou#h I had met a few hi#hly advan5ed yo#is

in my travels, u0 to January, -99, I never felt an in5lination to a55e0t a #uru$@ In thatmonth it was that he met his own destined #uru, on5e1livin# in form but now in

formlessness, "aramhansa Yo#ananda$

I ho0e you enjoy Devi;s boo as mu5h as I have$ You will 5ome to now this man asmu5h throu#h his vibrations as throu#h the story he relates$ I ho0e that you, too, will beim0ressed and #rateful for the e>am0le of his moment1to1moment fo5us on the divine,

whi5h turns many a 0ros0e5tive disaster into a divine blessin#$

Footnotes

Brothers and sisters in the family of the

same guru, or spiritual teacher.

IntroductionI was born in &orth Cal5utta on Mar5h :th, -:, at my family;s home$ 7hen I was si>

months old my father died, and my mother was obli#ed to leave our home owin# to5ertain 0roblems with our 0ro0erty$ Mother and I went to live in the home of my mother;s

brother in South Cal5utta$


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%t seventeen, a 5lose friend and I joined the army$ In the end we joined the resistan5e

movement a#ainst British rule, and were eventually jailed for five months$ %fter my

release in -9, I was a55e0ted into %shutosh Colle#e, where, in - 2the year Indiawon its inde0enden5e from !reat Britain3, I re5eived my B$%$ de#ree$ +rom -- to

-9, I was em0loyed as a refri#eration en#ineer, and in that 5a0a5ity was sent

throu#hout India$ *hus, 0erha0s, be#an my ?5areer@ as a travellerE

Durin# that 0eriod of my life I had very few friends$ My mind 5ould not a55e0t wine,dan5in#, smoin#, and other so15alled ?0leasures@ of youth, so I e0t to myself mu5h of

the time$ My mother arran#ed for me to marry when I was twenty1ei#ht, but, havin# no

desire for marria#e, I de5lined$

In -//, durin# a visit to the #reat woman saint %nandamoyee Ma, I re5eived an answer

from her to my burnin# 8uestionF ?Should I live the rest of my life in (imalayan

solitudeG@

?You 5annot do so,@ she said$ ?You will have to return and enter family life$ Your wife,however, will belon# to Yo#ananda;s s0iritual family, and will herself be a devotee$@

%nother #reat saint, Kailash "ati, with whom I stayed in 'anihet, a (imalayan town,

told me the same thin# later on$

I had already met (assi, my wife to be, on th May in -99 at the Yo#oda Satsan#aSo5iety ashram outside Cal5utta, but had had no interest in marryin# at that time$ In -/-,

however, on Hrd +ebruary, we were finally married$ 4ur son Manash was born th

January, -$ I am my mother;s only son, and Manash also is my and (assi;s only son$

Manash, (assi, and me

Chapter 1

I Find My uru


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mahasamadhi2a #reat yo#i;s final e>it from the body3 only three years earlier, on Mar5h

th, -9:$ !a6in# into these men;s eyes, I felt they had somethin# that I, too, wanted$

Bein# with them in5reased my 6eal for the Divine$

%s the day advan5ed, Jim 7ood too me to the dinin# room, where the mons had

#athered for their midday meal$ Swami %tmananda told us a few mira5ulous stories ofYo#ananda;s life$ 2*he Master;s life seemed to me to have been one lon# mira5leE3

Swami %tmananda 2or ?Swamiji,@ as I learned to 5all him3 then invited me to attend the5elebration on 9th January in 5ommemoration of the Master;s birthday$ *his was four

days from then$ I a55e0ted with ala5rity$ %s I returned home, it was with ea#er

anti5i0ation of the 5omin# event$

*hat day dawned, and I left home for the ashram in Dashineswar, arrivin# earlier than

most of the #uests, who 5ame at last in #reat numbers$ I s0ent the entire day there$ *he

most wonderful 0art of the 5elebration was wat5hin# my newly made friends tae their

brahmacharya2renun5iation3 vows$ Jim 7ood too the nameBrahmachari

Paramananda.*he Swiss boy, (ablu6, too the name Gyanananda,meanin# ?Blissthrou#h divine wisdom$@

%s I left the ashram later that evenin#, my mind was overflowin# with joy$ *he Master

was in my mind the whole time$ My thou#hts e0t re0eatin#, ?(e is the one for you$ Itwould be absurd to loo anywhere elseE@

Swami %tmanandaji and "aramananda both told me to 5ome every Sunday forsatsanga

2s0iritual fellowshi03 and have lun5h with them after the servi5e$ I soon found myself#oin# there almost weely to join the seven dedi5ated mons who lived there to#ether$

"aramananda in -9

7e honored Yo#ananda;s mahasamadhion th Mar5h of that year by meditatin# all

ni#ht, from F in the afternoon until F the ne>t mornin#$ +or me it was an ama6in#e>0erien5e$ I;d been 0art of this #rou0 only three months$ %tmanandaji had tau#ht me

basi5 te5hni8ues of meditation durin# one of my first visits to the ashram, but I never

thou#ht I;d be able to meditate so lon#$ Yet the ?effort@ 0roved effortlessE I refle5ted, it


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5ertainly must have been the Master;s #ra5e$ Meditation has remained my life10ra5ti5e

ever sin5e$

%fterwards, we were #ivenprasadof blessed sweets$ *hen %tmanandaji invited me to5ome on th May for his own birthday$ It astonished me that one thousand devotees and

dis5i0les attended that event$

Bein# in the ashram, above all durin# meditation there, I 5ame to a00re5iate who

%tmanandaji wasF a man who 5ared dee0ly for all who 5ame to him) fearless, ind, andoverflowin# with love$ (e always #ave to his #uru any thans we e>0ressed for what

he;d #iven us, and whenever he s0oe to us of Yo#ananda, tears filled his eyes$ (is

familiarity with the divine tea5hin#s was dee0ly ins0irin# to me$ I drew from him all thatI 5ould$

Swamiji 2?ji@ im0lies a note of res0e5t3 had 5ome onto this 0ath in -H9 when he

re5eived diksha2s0iritual initiation3 from "aramhansa Yo#ananda$ (e was born "raash

Das, but after tain# Kriya initiation was nown as "raash Brahma5hari$ It wasn;t until-9H when he be5ame a swami that he was 5alled Swami %tmananda$ Swamiji #rew u0

in Cal5utta and in his early adult years o0erated an harmonium and 0iano business, Das

Co$, with his father$ %s they were 8uite well1to1do, Swamiji was able to devote all his

later years to brin#in# souls to !od$

Swamiji had #iven me a meditation te5hni8ue nown asyoti mudraon my first arrival$

*his is a te5hni8ue by whi5h the meditator 5an behold the inner li#ht and throu#h it

be5ome aware of the 0resen5e of !od$ Swamiji used to tal to the dis5i0les everymornin# and evenin# about this 0ath1its te5hni8ues of meditation, its way of life, the

attitudes a devotee ou#ht to develo0$ I had never before nown 0ea5e lie this$ 7e were

irresistibly drawn to Swamiji;s dee0 devotion to !od and !uru$ Inevitably, he was dee0lyloved in return by all those around him$

(e was also an ins0irin# sin#er, and often 5hanted with us$ It was, indeed, throu#h musi5

that he tau#ht best$

Meanwhile, I had finished readin#Autobiography of a Yogi.It made me thin of the

Bhagavad Gita:It was s5ri0ture$ Aven today, it is the only boo I read$ Someone on5eased me if I believed in the mira5les des5ribed in it$ %ll I 5ould say in re0ly was, ?I have

seen many mira5les myself in the (imalayas$ %dvan5ed yo#is 5an do anythin# they

want$@ %s a saint whom I often visited hi#h in the (imalayas would say, ?"ast, 0resent,

futureF It;s all the sameE@

I did not now at the time that my own mother was ariyaban20ra5titioner ofriya

Yoga,the hi#hest te5hni8ue of meditation3, nor that she had already readAutobiography

of a Yogimany years earlier$ It was only when she reali6ed how serious I was be5omin#about these tea5hin#s that she told me she had taen the holy Kriya initiation, throu#h

"an5hanon Bhatta5harya,23a dire5t and hi#hly advan5ed dis5i0le of Lahiri Mahasaya,

Yo#ananda;sparam!param#uru, or #uru;s #uru$ Yo#ananda 5alled him ?Bhatta5harya
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Mahasaya$@ 2Mahasayameans ?#reat1souled$@ *o this day a 0i5ture of him han#s in

Yo#ananda;s meditation room at his boyhood home at !ar0ar 'oad$3

+rom the time I was si> years old until the be#innin# of 7orld 7ar II my mother wentoften by train on the several1hour journey it too to rea5h "an5hanon;s lovely ashram,

where he lived with his dis5i0les$ *he ashram was situated on seventeen a5res of land inDeo#har, a small town in the state of Bihar about miles northeast of Cal5utta$ %s I

was only a small boy, I would 0lay outside while she sat, absorbed in his s0irit$=nfortunately, I didn;t reali6e at the time that my mother was in the 0resen5e of a #reat

saintE

&ow, twenty years later, she told me mira5les of his life$ She said that many times whilevisitin# her #uru, Babaji 2the first, still1livin#, in our line of #urus3 would 5ome visit him

alsoE In fa5t, Babaji 5ame to #ive Bhatta5harya instru5tions1usin# him, as she 0ut it, as his

se5retaryE2:3

?Don;t 5ome tomorrow,@ Bhatta5haryaji would tell dis5i0les who wanted to see him$ ?Ishall be busy with Babaji$@

It soon be5ame 5lear that there was somethin# here, in the YSS order, for me$ My mind

tried to tell me to #o ba5 to my familiar world, but my heart e0t re0eatin#, almost lie a

mantra, ?Stay with them$@ +inally I 0a5ed u0 my few belon#in#s, left home and job, andjoined Yo#oda Satsan#a So5iety$ *his was in May, -99$ My two 5losest friends in the

order, "aramananda and !yanananda, were very ha00y$ I too Kriya Yo#a initiation from

%tmanandaji, and he advised me to stay with them at our nearby Barana#ore %shram$2H3Ilived there for a year, after whi5h I transferred to the main math2monastery3 in

Dashineswar$

4n 9th January, -9/, I too the vows of brahmacharyaand the namearunananda,

whi5h means ?bliss throu#h 5om0assion$@ %lso, on this day I met other dis5i0les ofMasterF *ulsi Bose 2Yo#ananda;s boyhood friend who too Kriya initiation from him at

the a#e of twenty3) *ulsi;s wife, Martan Ma)23*ulsi;s father (ari &arayan, or, as Master

5alled him, ?Baba Mahasaya$@ 2Babameans ?father@)Mahasayameans, as I have said,

?#reat souled$@3 4ther relatives I met that day were two 5ousins of Master;s, "rabhas!hose and "raash) 'amarishna !hosh 2who be5ame nown to us as !a#an1da2933,

who was the son of Master;s elder brother %nanta, and lived in Seram0ore)2/3Sananda

and Bishnu !hosh, Master;s youn#er brothers) *hamu1di,23Master;s youn#er sister) andmany others$
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%fter my Brahma5harya vows in -9/

Avery Sunday, and on other s0e5ial o55asions, I traveled the seven miles toDashineswar$ Aventually I 5ame to re#ard all of these 0eo0le as not only Master;s

family, but as my own family as well$

Swami %tmananda, who had nown !a#an sin5e -, loved the devotion with whi5h he

san#, and would announ5e with #reat enthusiasm, ?!a#an will lead the sin#in# todayE@!a#an1da had one of the sweetest, most melodious voi5es I have ever heard$ I soon

be5ame one of his #reatest admirers, and would as him to sin# those of Master;s 5hants

that I new, and that he himself 0arti5ularly loved, su5h as ?7ill *hat Day Come to Me,

MaG,@ ?(e (ari SundaraE 24 !od BeautifulE3@ and other son#s to Divine Mother Kali$ (ewould sin# for hours at a time$ (ow his voi5e thrilled meE I would say to him, ?4h, Da,

let ussing"@ 7henever he san#, he for#ot even food$

Many stories of Master were told the day I too my vows$ *hamu1di, Master;s sister,des5ribed a literally hauntin# event that had ha00ened to her as a youn# #irlF

?4ne day, Mejda 2the name Master;s brothers and sisters 5alled him) it means, se5ond1

eldest brother;3 lost a set of #olden buttons inlaid with diamond fittin#s, #iven him by our

father and for that reason 0re5ious to him$ Mejda was with his friends *ulsi1da and"raash Das 2%tmanandaji3, and ased them what they thou#ht he should do about it$

*ulsi1da su##ested that he 5all forth a s0irit and as it to tell him where the buttons were$Mejda then sent for me and, wantin# to use me to find the buttons, hy0noti6ed me on thes0ot$

@I lost outward 5ons5iousness$ %ll of a sudden, an evil s0irit 5ame into my body and said,

4ne of your best friends too that set of buttons at Shyamba6ar$2.3You will find it in a

small bo> underneath a 5ot in the left1hand 5orner of his bedroom$;


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?Mejda and *ulsi1da left immediately on their motor5y5le for the friend;s home, and

found him there$ *he youn# man was sho5ed to see them, and seemed very nervous$

Mejda went to his bedroom, found the bo>, and o0ened it$ *here were his buttonsE (isfriend be#an 5ryin#$ Mejda said to him, Do not enter my or *ulsi1da;s home ever a#ain$;

@*hey hurried ba5 home, where I was still lyin# un5ons5ious$ Mejda thaned the evils0irit, then ased him to #o$ *he s0irit, however, lied it where he was, and re0lied, I

will #o only if you #ive me my freedom$; Mejda said, (ow 5an I do thatG You are an evils0iritE;

?*he s0irit then said, If you don;t, I won;t leave$ I;d rather ill herE; Master insisted, but

the s0irit sim0ly wouldn;t listen$ Master then turned to "raash Das and said, 5almly butwith dee0 intensity, (and me the 0i5ture of Lahiri Mahasaya$; (oldin# that 0hoto#ra0h,

he said, Avil s0irit, I will tou5h this body with the 0hoto#ra0h in my hand if you don;t

leave$; *he s0irit 5ried out, %ll ri#htE %ll ri#htE I am #oin#$ But you must 0ray for my

freedom$; Mejda a#reed, and said that in time he would attain salvation$ *hen he blessed

the s0irit$

@%s soon as the s0irit was #one, Mejda be#an 0rayin# for me until I returned to

5ons5iousness$ (e then #ave me some hot mil, and told me that my dis0osition was

very soft$;2-3(e blessed me, but it too another hour for me to feel well$

?Mejda never a#ain used hy0nosis for his own ends$@

Footnotes

$ "an5hanon Bhatta5harya was one of the three dis5i0les of Lahiri Mahasaya who

witnessed the manifestation of the #reat #uru;s 0hysi5al form after he;d left hisbody in death$

Ba5 to te>t

:$ By ?se5retary@ is meant, one assumes, someone who 5ould 0rodu5e for him some

s0iritual treatise, as in the 5ase of Sri Yuteswar, whom he ased to write theboo, #h$ %o&y Sci$nc$'or one who 5ould 5arry out 5ertain tass for him, just as

when he #ave Master instru5tions and advi5e re#ardin# his wor$

Ba5 to te>t

H$ %t that time, YSS had two ashrams outside Cal5utta not far from ea5h other$ In-/, however, the Barana#ore ashram was sold$

Ba5 to te>t

$ Martanis the hi#hest e>0ression of the term, Mother$ Master #ave her that name,and always 5alled her that$

Ba5 to te>t
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9$ *he suffi>, ?da,@ means ?elder brother$@ I 5alled him, sim0ly, ?Da@ as a term of

affe5tion$ I felt toward him this sense of familial 5loseness$

Ba5 to te>t

/$ Its ori#inal name, whi5h is still used by the 0eo0le of the town, was Sri (am Pur,

whi5h means, ?City of Lord 'ama$@ It wasn;t until mu5h later, in -/ inSeram0ore, that I #ot to meet !a#an;s wife Meera$ Master had not only 0i5ed her

out as the ideal wife for !a#an, but had also 0erformed the weddin# 5eremonyhimself, in -H/$ 4ver two thousand 0eo0le had attended the 5eremonyE I found

her sweet, 5om0assionate, and 5om0letely devoted to !od and !uru$ Martan and

Meera !hosh were very #ood friends, and to this day Meera and I have a dee0and sin5ere friendshi0 in !od$

Ba5 to te>t

$ ?Di@ is a suffi> si#nifyin#, ?older sister,@ whi5h of 5ourse she was in relation to

us, thou#h she was youn#er than Master$

Ba5 to te>t

.$ % sho00in# 0la5e about two miles from their home$

Ba5 to te>t

-$ (e may have meant, ?too sus5e0tible$@

Chapter !

" #re$ in the %imalayas

In the month of June, one of Master;s dis5i0les, Dr$ J$ ($ Clar, an S'+ member and amedi5al do5tor, 5ame to Cal5utta$ (e stayed at the YSS ashram in Barana#ore$ 4ne day

he ased Swamiji if he new of anyone who 5ould lead him on a tour of holy 0la5es in

India$ Swamiji new that I;d traveled around the 5ountry and that I;d had somee>0erien5e of hiin# in the mountains, so he ased me to a55om0any our #uest$ I

enthusiasti5ally a#reed$

% few days later, we set off on our tour that was to last thirty1five days$ 4ur first sto0 was

the 5ity of Benares,23said to be the oldest still1inhabited 5ity in the world$ %nandamoyeeMa, the world1famous woman saint whom Yo#ananda des5ribes reverently in

Autobiography of a Yogi,had one of her ashrams there$ My first meetin# with her was atthis ashram$ I immediately understood why Master had des5ribed her as the ?Joy1"ermeated Mother$@ She and he had #reat soul1love for one another$ She referred to him

as ?Baba,@ her 5ommon a00ellation for men, but one that seemed to have s0e5ial meanin#

in his 5ase$

7e stayed there for four days, and were able to visit her twi5e a day$ Aa5h time sheblessed us$ I was 5a0tivated by her and by her trans0arent love for !od$ 4n many
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o55asions she would #o intosamadhi2e5stasy3 before us, sometimes for only half an

hour, sometimes for hours at a time$ In her divine love she was lie a ma#net$ *his, I felt,

must have been what Master was lieE

%nandamoyee Ma never stayed lon# at any of her ashrams, movin# about to #ive more of

her devotees a 5han5e to be with her as mu5h as 0ossible$ % stran#e fa5t I noted was thatshe never ate with her own hand$ (er 5lose women dis5i0les would feed her, lie a 5hild$

%s we were leavin#, she ased us to return as often as we 5ould$ My heart was full tooverflowin#$ %fter that first en5ounter I never let a year #o by without visitin# her at least

on5e or twi5e$ It wasn;t lon# before she would now immediately when I had 5ome, and

would 5all out to me, ?Come u0 hereE Sit beside me$@ 7e were very 5lose, and I treasureevery moment that I was able to absorb myself in her vibrations$

4ne time she ased me to 5hant for her$ I san# the well1nown mahamantra,or ?#reat

mantra,@%ar) rishna, har) rishna, rishna rishna, har), har)" %ar) (am, har)

(am, (am (am, har), har)"She loved to sin# this 5hant with me, and thereafter oftensan# it with her dis5i0les$

7henever I re5all those times, tears 5ome to my eyes in lovin# #ratitude for all that she

tau#ht meF surrender to the Infinite, non1atta5hment, inner 0ea5e, devotion to !od and

!uru$ (er fa5e, divinely beautiful, would be wreathed in smiles and surrounded by anaura of heavenly li#ht and #ra5e$ She seemed to me not to belon# to this world$ %t times,

thou#h looin# dire5tly at us, she was obviously far away, mentally$ %lthou#h 0hysi5ally

sittin# before us, inwardly she was soarin# to the hei#hts of divine 5ons5iousness$

% devotee of Ma;s has written, ?*he 5entral theme of (er tea5hin#, in endless variations,

wasF *he su0reme 5allin# of every human bein# is to as0ire to Self1reali6ation$ %ll otherobli#ations are se5ondary$ 4nly a5tions that indle man;s divine nature are worthy of the

name of a5tion$ She often told us, In whatever 5ir5umstan5es you may find yourself0la5ed, tell yourselfF @It is all ri#ht) this is ne5essary for me$ It is (is way of drawin# me

to (is feet, so let me be 5ontent$? By (im alone should your heart be 0ossessed$ Your

sorrow, your 0ain, your a#ony is indeed my own sorrow$ *his body it was in this fashion

that Ma referred to herself understands everythin#$;@

%s I wanted to now everythin# I 5ould of her saintly life, I on5e ased her, ?7hen did

you find !odG@

She re0lied, ?7hen I was si> years old, and livin# with my father, mother, brother, andsister in my native villa#e near Da55a a 5ity in what is now Ban#ladesh, we all went tothe festivities in 5elebration of the #oddess Dur#a the festivities are 5alledDurgapu*a$

2:3I was seated on the #round, wat5hin# 0eo0le as they 5ame forward to honor Dur#a$

Suddenly I saw a moon formin# u0on the fa5e of Dur#a;s ima#e$ It a00roa5hed me veryslowly, then entered my heart$ I lost outward 5ons5iousness for ten or fifteen minutes$ It

wasn;t until my brother and sister #ot u0 to leave that, seein# me seated without motion,


12/58

they shoo me and said It;s time to #o homeE; 4nly then did I 5ome out of that tran5e$ %t

that 0oint I beheld the li#ht leave me and return to the Dur#a murti2ima#e3$@

(earin# this story, I was thrilled in my heart$ ?7as that your firstsamadhi+@ I ased Ma$She lau#hed and answered, ?I do not now$@

7e left Benares the ne>t mornin# for Delhi, and then 'anihet, this time travelin# by

train$ %fter a lon# :1hour ride, we finally arrived at the se5luded inn where we were to

stay$ It was owned by a very ni5e An#lish lady, Mrs$ Clar 2not related to the man I wastravellin# with3$ She had been married to a British military major$ %fter his death she

bou#ht this house, in5ludin# many a5res surroundin# it, as a means of 0rovidin# herself

with a steady in5ome$ She loved it here in the lonely hill station of 'anihet, overlooin#as it did the snow15a00ed (imalaya mountains, des0ite the fa5t that the area was

fre8uented by ti#ers and other wild animals$ She had four lar#e, woolly she0herd do#s to

ee0 her 5om0any and also to 0rote5t her$ She was able to serve many 0il#rims on their

travels to and from various ashrams and mountain retreats$ *his was the 0erfe5t s0ot for

us, for Dr$ Clar was a dee0 meditator, and sou#ht solitude mu5h of the time$ *he0rimitive as0e5ts of the inn 0leased him$ %s he said often to me, ?&o ele5tri5ityF no

harmE@

Dr$ Clar was a sim0le 0erson, and a very #ood devotee$ (is heart was always full oflove$ Many days we meditated to#ether, and he would share with me s0iritual blessin#s

and insi#hts he had re5eived$ (e told me, ?Master would say, Call !odF (e is always

nearby;@ %s lon# as my body lives, I will never for#et the blessin#s of our friendshi0, andwill feel his love$

4ne afternoon Mrs$ Clar invited us for tea$ She addressed the do5torF ?Bein# a Catholi5,

why do you follow an Indian !uruG Do you 5onsider him above ChristG@ Dr$ Clarre0lied, ?I do not see any barrier between my !uru and Jesus Christ$ 'ather, I have 5ometo now who Christ was throu#h Master$@ She then ased me if I believed in Christ$ ?4f

5ourseE@ I said$ ?Jesus Christ had 0erfe5t Self1reali6ation$ I love him as I love my !uru$@

+rom the inn we visited Babaji;s 5ave, hi#her u0 near the !o#ash 'iver on Drona !iri

mountain where, in ./, Lahiri Mahasaya re5o#ni6ed his #uru, Babaji, from formerlives$ It was here that Babaji initiated Lahiri Mahasaya into the sa5red Kriya Yo#a

te5hni8ue in a #olden 0ala5e whi5h, as we read inAutobiography of a Yogi,Babaji

materiali6ed for him$ 7e also visited the an5ient Drona !iri *em0le, dedi5ated to MaKali,2H3and meditated there for hours$ *he mountain was named afterDronacharya,the

famed tea5her of the "andavas and Kauravas in theMahabharata.2*his holy e0i5

5ontains the best1loved s5ri0ture in India, theBhagavad Gita.3 It was here that Dronaestablished his in#dom$ (ow u0liftin# it was to be where Babaji on5e lived, and where

Lahiri Mahasaya, meetin# him a#ain in this lifetime, re5eived initiation into Kriya Yo#aE

% beautiful saint, a munior ?silent sa#e,@ lived there also$ 7e felt #reat blessin#s

emanatin# from him as we sat in his 0resen5e$ 7e also enjoyed our 8uiet time to#etherdurin# what 0roved to be a #ood four1hours; wal there from Mrs$ Clar;s$


13/58

*he ne>t day we left her inn for Delhi, from whi5h 0oint we 0ro5eeded to the hill town of

Simla, where we remained for si> days$ Sin5e Yo#anandaji and Sri Yuteswar had made a

0il#rima#e here, Dr$ Clar, desirous of followin# in their footste0s, wanted also to visithere$ (e also wanted to meditate in the%anuman Mandirhi#h on Jau (ill$

%lon# the way to this tem0le, many moneys 2(anuman is nown as the ?money #od@35ame out and #reeted us, 5hatterin# away$ *hey were well1behaved moneys, howeverE

Dr$ Clar had bou#ht bananas, sweets, and nuts for them, and as we entered the area themoneys stret5hed out their hands for their treat$ +ortunately, we were well 0rovidedE

Soon we returned to Cal5utta23for a wee to visit Master;s boyhood home at !ar0ar

'oad, and my own home as well$ 7e had a meal with *ulsi Bose and his family, and with%tmanandaji$ %fterwards we visited the Kali *em0le in Dashineswar, and two other

tem0lesF Belur Math, founded by Swami


14/58

Chapter &

" 'isit from Mt. (ashington

% few wees after that, Sister Sailasuta, a dire5t dis5i0le of Yo#ananda;s from the S'+Mt$ 7ashin#ton monastery, 5ame to Cal5utta$ She showed dee0 reveren5e for her #uru,

and radiated to everyone #reat joy and ener#y from a heart that was warm and e>0ansive$7e soon be5ame #ood friends$ Master #ave her the ni5name of Sailasuta, meanin#

?dau#hter of the mountains,@ be5ause she was a #ood hier$ 4h, how she loved to re5all

how Master had 5alled her thatE 2%fter his 0assin#, she too Sailasuta as her monasti5name be5ause of the fondness of those memories$3 She was a fast hier, and whenever we

5limbed a hill to#ether she was always ?u0 there@ while I was still ?down here@E

Sister Sailasuta with me and (assi

4ne day she ased me to a55om0any her to "uri, where Sri Yuteswar had had a seaside

ashram$ *he ashram was now owned by YSS$

7e were 0rivile#ed, in "uri, to be able to visit Sri Bhu0en Sanyal Mahasaya, a dire5t

dis5i0le of Lahiri Mahasaya, and to meditate in his 0resen5e every evenin#$ (e used tosay, ?Don;t #ossi0F Just meditateE@ %t our re8uest, he would often relate the tea5hin#s of

Lahiri Mahasaya, hisgurud$va,or tell us stories about him$ 7ith #reat enthusiasm he

s0oe of thin#s he had heard dire5tly from Lahiri;s wife, Kashi Moni$

?4ne day,@ he said, ?a few dis5i0les had #athered at !uruji;s home$ Some of them hade>0ressed a desire for the hi#her Kriya Yo#a initiations$ !uruji looed at them, smilin#$

Just then, the front door o0ened$ In 5ame the 0ostman, Brinda Bha#at$ Lahiri #reeted himF

%h, BrindaE 7ould you lie to re5eive the se5ond Kriya initiationG;

@;4h, 0lease, Master, noE; Brinda 0rotested$ 7hat would I do with hi#her initiationsG I5ame here to as a favorF I am so filled with !od;s 0resen5e already that I am hardly able

to deliver my mail$ "lease, !uruji, would you re8uest the Divine "ostmaster to release


15/58

me from my wor, so that I 5an devote more time to the initiation I have re5eived

alreadyG; *hose im0atient devotees were shamed to silen5eE?

I was told on a number of o55asions that Lahiri Mahasaya used to bestow the hi#herKriya initiations a55ordin# to what the 0eo0le themselves a5tually needed1that is to say,

a55ordin# to what would truly be effe5tive for them, and not just for the sae of @#ettin#more,? #reedily$ Some of his dis5i0les never re5eived more than one initiation, even

thou#h they were with him for many years$ Lahiri Mahasaya would say to them, @4ne isenou#h for you$? 4thers, su5h as Sanyal Mahasaya, re5eived three initiations$ I now of

four that Sri Yuteswar re5eived$

4n another o55asion Sanyal Mahasaya told us, @4ne of Lahiri Mahasaya;s 5lose dis5i0lesand her husband wanted to 5ome to !uruji;s home for a 0uja 5eremony$ *hey were late in

#ettin# to the train station, however, and arrived just as the train was 0ullin# out$

%n>iously they 0rayed to our #uru for hel0$ Suddenly, the train sto00edE *he en#ineer

ste00ed down$ *he stationmaster ran out$ !eneral 5on5ernE 7hat 5ould the trouble beG

Meanwhile, the 5ou0le boarded the train$ *he 0u66led en#ineer #ot ba5 on and triedon5e a#ain to #et the train movin#$ *his time it started out of the station as if nothin# had

ha00enedE *he 5ou0le 5ould not doubt that this was a mira5le 5aused by !uruji;sintervention$

?*he followin# mornin#, when they rea5hed Lahiri Mahasaya;s home, he s5olded them

with a smile sayin#, &e>t time, be on timeE I had to 5all on !od;s 0ower to #et you on

that train$;@

%nother time Sanyal told us, ?4ne mornin# Lahiri Mahasaya;s wife Kashi Moni 2!uru

Ma,; as we lied to 5all her3 rushed into the Master;s room to s5old him about the

household finan5es1or, rather, the la5 of them$ She s0oe loudly, but didn;t find himthere$ *hinin# he must have #one outside, she raised her voi5e even louder$ Suddenlyshe beheld her husband1who was her #uru, also1seated in the lotus 0ose near the 5eilin#,

sus0ended in airE

@;It is all nothin#, don;t you seeG; he said to her$ (ow 5ould a nothin# lie me 0rovide

su00ort for your earthly needsG; Beside herself with terror, she im0lored his for#iveness$Nuietly, then, she sli00ed out of the room$ &ever a#ain did she thin of him as her

husband$ (e was only her divine #uruE Kashi Moni learned to see Lord Shiva, Destroyer

of delusion, in the form of her husband$ Soon afterward, a dis5i0le of his offered materialsu00ort for the family$?

Sanyal Mahasaya said that his #uru often told his dis5i0les, @;Bon!$, kon!$, mon!$" *hat

is to say, 7hether in a forest, in your room at home, or only in your own mind, be

always with !od$;?

7e visited Sanyal Mahasaya several times more$ Avery time he blessed us, we felt the

0resen5e of the Divine$ (e would often 8uote Lahiri Mahasaya;s advi5e, @If you don;t


16/58

invite !od to be your summer #uest, he won;t 5ome to you in the winter of your life$?

*hrou#hout my life I have remembered the ins0iration I drew from Sanyal Mahasaya$

It was in -/: that Bhu0endra Sanyal left his body$

%fter a few days in "uri, we left to visit 'an5hi, the town where Yo#ananda;s s5hool firstbe5ame firmly established$ It was here also that Master had his vision tellin# him to #o to

%meri5a, and showin# him many future dis5i0les in that 5ountry$ I 5ouldn;t hel0 thinin#

that Sailasuta was one of those dis5i0lesE

%nandamoyee Ma had an ashram also in 'an5hi, where we visited every afternoon forsatsang,and to re5eive her blessin#$ Many times we sat before her in meditation, not

s0eain# for lon# 0eriods$ She went often intosamadhi,or 5hanted softly$ 7e went only

with the 0ur0ose of bein# in her holy vibrations$

+our days later we returned to Cal5utta and the Dashineswar ashram$ 4ne day after our

arrival, Swami %tmanandaji ased me 0lease to build a retainin# wall to 0revent the banof mud at one of the ashram boundary lines from sli00in# into the river$ +or three months

I was 0revented, therefore, from visitin# saints in the (imalayan foothills$ I;d be5omea55ustomed to trein# there, roamin# about as I 0leased and meetin# advan5ed souls in

se5luded 5aves or huts$ But I was #rateful also to be in my #uru;s ashram, and 0assed the

summer months there ha00ily$

+inally the wall 2and also a #uest room3 was finished$ I was free at last, then, to return tomy beloved mountains$

*his time I went to 'anihet and stayed on5e a#ain at Mrs$ Clar;s hotel$ % well1nown

fortune teller, named 'ani Ma, lived nearby$ %t some 0oint I befriended her$ It didn;t taeme lon#, however, to reali6e that fortune tellin# was not a worthy o55u0ation for her$ Iased her, @7hy do you s0end so mu5h of your time in this wayG 7hy not tea5h the

0eo0le who 5ome here with shallow 8uestions the 0ath of meditationG In that way, they

mi#ht #et their own answers$ *hat, surely, would be mu5h more hel0ful to them$? 'aniMa was a sin5ere devotee of Lord 'ama$ I 5ould see she had mu5h dee0er thin#s to #ive

0eo0le$

4ne evenin# around - 0$m$, as I was walin# slowly ba5 from visitin# 'ani Ma, my

thou#hts on the 5onversation earlier that evenin#, I heard a noise and looed u0$ % lar#eti#ress was on a ro5 above the road, 5rou5hed as if ready to lea0 down on meE (er #a6e

was fo5used intently on my fa5eE I loudly 5hanted, @Jai 'amE Jai 'amE Jai !uruE?

*he ti#ress turned away and jum0ed down towards the valley below$ I don;t 0retend to

now for 5ertain why she didn;t atta5 me, but I have always believed it was by the #ra5eof my #reat #uru$ &eedless to say, I was overwhelmed with #ratitude$

% few days later, this same ti#ress1an obviously 0ersistent beastE1returned and entered the

#rounds surroundin# Mrs$ Clar;s hotel$ *he ti#ress was just about to atta5 one of the


17/58

do#s that always #uarded the inn, when allfourdo#s 5har#ed her$ *hey 5lawed at her

fa5e fero5iously, and tore out her eyes$ Aventually they su55eeded in illin# her$ 4ne of

the do#s was seriously wounded, and I had to 5all the lo5al 0oli5e$ *here was no re5ourse,unfortunately, but to shoot her$

My heart 0ounded for a lon# time after this e0isode$ %mon# my other emotions, therefle5tion 5ame that I never would have believed that do#s 5ould ill a ti#erE *he ways of

&ature are often stran#e$ Avery 5reature has a 5ertain destiny1determined amon# loweranimals, so Master wrote, by @#rou0 arma$? I 5ertainly felt 0art, that day, of the

ma#nifi5en5e of 5osmi5 Mother &atureE

Soon thereafter I met a very advan5ed soul, Kailash "ati, who lived on Kalia (ill aboutfour miles from 'anihet$ "il#rims sometimes as the sadhus they meet to tell them their

fortunes$ If a sadhu of dee0 intuition sees somethin# that may be hel0ful for a 0erson to

now, he may s0ea$ 4therwise, he will remain silent$ I myself do not believe in asin#

for su5h thin#s$ I travel in the mountains only to be with #reat souls who s0end their lives

in !od, or in seein# (im$ I therefore never ased Kailash "ati for any favor$ (e wasvery ha00y to see that I;d 5ome for 0urely s0iritual reasons$ 4ver the si> years that I #ot

to visit him, I had a 5han5e to meditate with him for lon# 0eriods of time$ Aa5h of thosemeditations holds 0re5ious memories for me$ I would sit with him while he remained in

samadhifor hours at a time$

Before I left the first time, he en5oura#ed me to visit a #reat yo#i, (ari !auri, in the small

nearby town of &aini *al, #ivin# me dire5tions to the saint;s home$ (e hinted that the tri0would not be easy, but it didn;t dawn on me that the way there would 0rove dan#erous$ It

wasn;t until the summer of -9. that I finally #ot my 5han5e to #o see him$ Mu5h of the

trail was, in fa5t, so narrow that in many 0la5es it was only on$!and!a!ha&f!f$$t!id$"

4n the outsirts of &aini *al there is a lar#e, serene lae$ % mandir, or sa5red tem0le,stands majesti5ally at the north end of the lae$ I stayed at a small inn for the ni#ht$ *he

ne>t mornin# I left for the (ari !auri Mandir, thou#h in fa5t I was seein# the livin# (ari

!auri$

Someone lo5al to the area told me I would find it three and a half ilometers behind the!overnor;s forest bun#alow$ I went first to the tem0le and bowed to &aini Devi, the

murtiof Divine Mother that is worshi0ed there$ *hen I be#an to wal in sear5h of (ari

!auri$ +rom the dire5tions I;d been #iven, I new that after several ilometers I wouldsee a lar#e tree, from whi5h 0oint I must turn left and 5limb a hill toward the ashram$

%s I was walin# I taled mentally to my Divine Mother Kali, sin#in# (er 0raises$ In

doin# so, however, I was 0ayin# insuffi5ient attention to my surroundin#s, and missed the

lar#e tree$ More than a mile farther on, I reali6ed that I was lost$ I sto00ed in 5onfusion$Just then a youn# #irl, ty0i5al of the hill 0eo0le, 5ame towards me with a bundle of wood

in her arms$ It sur0rised me to see a hill #irl alone in that dee0 jun#le$ =sually, 0eo0le

travelin# there would #o in #rou0s of fifteen or more for 0rote5tion$


18/58

@7here are you #oin#G? she ased me$ @%re you lostG? She s0oe in the a55ent of hill

0eo0leF similar to (indi, but sli#htly different also$ She added, @Don;t #o any further$

*here are ti#ers livin# beyond this s0ot$ Come, follow me$?

I ased her why she was walin# alone so dee0 in the forest, but she only smiled and

re0eated, @+ollow me$?

%fter about fifteen minutes we 5ame to the tall, stately tree I had been told to loo out for$

(ere she said, @!o u0 this 0ath here$ It;s just a few minutes farther$? I turned from#lan5in# at the 0ath to than her$ *o my ama6ement, she was no lon#er thereE I shouted

loudly$ Still, I heard no res0onse$

My body 0ers0ired and my eyes filled with tears, for I reali6ed just 7ho this little #irl

had been$ +ervently I thaned my Divine Mother Kali$ %fter waitin# a few minutes,ho0in# to 5at5h a #lim0se of (er, I 0ro5eeded on my way$

(ari !auri was waitin# for me before the #ate$ @7el5ome, wel5omeE? he said$ @DivineMother saved you$ &e>t time, wat5h where you are #oin#E +ollow Kailash "ati;s

instru5tions$?

In his mandir I found a beautiful statue of Kali$ 7e meditated before it for four hours$

*he whole time I 5hanted, @Kali, KaliE? I 5ould not 5he5 my tears$ %fterwards, this

saintly man invited me in to eat kitchuri2a sim0le dish of ri5e, daal, and ve#etables3 with

him$

%s we were eatin#, (ari !auri told me he had met "aramhansa Yo#ananda while he lived

in the =nited States for four years worin# as an ele5tri5al en#ineer$ (e had #reat love

and re#ard for Master$ %fter a while, I said it was time for me to leave as I didn;t want toim0ose on his time any lon#er$ (owever, he ased me first to 5ome into his small hut$ Ithad a room 5ontainin# two beds, and another room for meditation and asanas 2yo#a

0ostures3$ *he 0la5e had very 0owerful vibrations$ Inside was a woman, whom he

introdu5ed to me as !auri$

@Do you now who she isG? he ased$ I told him I thou#ht she must be his 0artner in

tantra.@She is that also,? he re0lied, @but she is far more$ She is my mother, my sister,

my friend, and last of all my le#itimate wife$? Both of them said, @May Divine Mother

Kali bless you$@

*he ne>t day I left for Benares to s0end three days with %nandamoyee Ma, after thatreturnin# on5e more to Dashineswar$

Chapter )

"n *fficial 'isit from S+F


19/58

=0on my arrival ba5, in -9., %tmanandaji informed me that in mid145tober Daya

Mata, the 0resident of Self1'eali6ation +ellowshi0, would be 5omin# with a #rou0 of

monasti5s from the Self1'eali6ation +ellowshi0 head8uarters in Los %n#eles, California$*his would be S'+;s first offi5ial visit to YSS$

7e mons wored very hard from then on to #et everythin# ready for their arrival$ Soon,everythin# was ?s0i5 and s0an$@

Daya Mata and her sister Mataji 2who later too the name %nanda Mata, and was also aboard member3, Swami Kriyananda, and Sister 'evati, arrived at Cal5utta;s Dum Dum

air0ort at noon on the a00ointed day, in a drivin# monsoon rain$ % lar#e 5ontin#ent1some

fifty of us1were on hand to #reet them with #arlands to symboli6e our love$ *heir lu##a#ewas 5olle5ted, and we drove to the Barana#ore ashram$

%t this time I was livin# in the Dashineswar math,or monastery$ %tmanandaji, however,

ased me to 5ome every day to Barana#ore and loo after our visitors$ Dayama was most

ind to me$ She e>5laimed, ?You 5ome all the way from Dashineswar every day onfootG@ Nuietly she #ave me money to buy a bi5y5le so as to mae the journey easier$

Many evenin#s she would 5ome to the math in Dashineswar also, for meditation$ Some

evenin#s, while #lidin# alon# the !an#es in a lar#e rented rowboat, she told me stories

about Master and of how he had affe5ted the lives of all those around him$

In the early years, she said on one of those evenin#s, Master was fa5ed with #reatfinan5ial diffi5ulties$ &o money was available to 0ay the bills or the mort#a#e, or even to

#ive the devotees enou#h to live on$ (e was dee0ly 5on5erned$ 7as Divine Mother

0leased with the wor he was doin# for (erG ?Mother,@ he 0rayed, ?I never wanted all

thisE I;ve done it only to 0lease You$ If You are not satisfied, I will #ladly return to India$@+or many months he re5eived no answer to this 0rayer$

+inally She a00eared to himE In a #lorious vision She said, ?I am your sto5s and bonds$

7hat more dost thou need than that thou hast MeG Dan5e of life and dan5e of deathFKnow that these 5ome from Me, and as su5h, rejoi5eE@


20/58

main head8uarters of YSS at that time, the name elsewhere, with Master;s a00roval,

remained un5han#ed$

Yogodawas a name 5reated by "aramhansa Yo#ananda$ It was intended as a 5ontra5tionof two wordsFyoga,and da,?da@ in this 5ase meanin# ?that whi5h #ives$@ % so5iety, in

other words, that tea5hes, or ?#ives,@ yo#a$ Binay Dubey, a late visitor to the wor 2it wasonly 5onsiderably later that he be5ame a member3,23obje5ted to this name$

?Yo#a,@ he said, ?is s0elled with an a.It is not yo#o$;@ *hen he was reminded that hehimself, when s0eain# Ben#ali, 0ronoun5ed yo#a with the Ben#ali a55ent, -*oga.

+inally Dubey a#reed that ?yo#oda@ mi#ht be 5onsidered a le#itimate 5oina#e$ It would

have been hi#hly in5onvenient, 5ertainly, to 5han#e the name after all these yearsE

I mention this in5ident to say that from this time onward a new s0irit be#an enterin# YSS$Binayendra &ath Dubey was not at this time even a member$ Yet he never hesitated to tell

Daya Ma thin#s that, he insisted, the 0eo0le in %meri5a, and all of us in India, and even a

#reat Indian master 2Yo#ananda3 ou#ht 2a55ordin# to him3 to have nown$ (is0resum0tion of our i#noran5e was e>traordinary$

Nuelled on his obje5tion to the name, ?Yo#oda,@ he then 0ro5eeded to 0oint out that the

or#ani6ation, whi5h at that time bore the name, ?Yo#oda Sat1San#a So5iety@ with ?Sat1

San#a@ hy0henated, ou#ht not to be abbreviated ?YSS,@ but rather to have a third ?s@F inother words, ?YSSS$@ *his seemed a trivial 0oint to us, a mere te5hni5ality hardly worth

even 5onsiderin#$ Dubey, however, made an issue of it, and des0ite everyone;s la5 of

interest e0t on insistin#$ *he obvious was 0ointed out to himF that ?YSSS@ was awwardto 0ronoun5e$ &o matter$ 7e learned in time that Dubey;s nature was to 0ersist, even in

minor matters, until he;d #ot his way$ %t last, a 5om0romise was a#reed u0onF Sat1San#a

was 5ombined into one word$ *hus, the offi5ial name be5ame Yo#oda Satsan#a So5iety,and the abbreviation, as before, YSS$

4ne 5ould not but wonder at this fuss over su5h a small issue$ In time, however, it

be5ame 5lear that by this little o0enin# he had #ained entry into the ?inner san5tum@ of

or#ani6ational 0ower, and areas that normally would be o0en only to inside, lon#1term

members$

Dubey;s intrusion was not so mu5h noti5ed by Dayama, who was herself new to the

Indian s5ene, as it was by us Indians, who had been servin# Master;s wor in this 5ountry

for many years$ (is 0resum0tion1for so we 5ould only 5onsider it1thou#h relatively minor

at first, 5ontinued unabated$ *hou#h he was still not a member, and not even a devotee ofthis 0ath, he made in5reasin#ly bold re5ommendations even to the 0oint of de5larin#

for5efully 2as one who, bein# himself Indian, was ?in the now@ on su5h thin#s3 who

ou#ht to #ive Kriya initiation) how Kriya should be #iven) what a tea5her;s role needed tobe in the or#ani6ation, and other 8uite fundamental matters$ (e ur#ed that a&&0ower be

5entrali6ed in the 0erson of the S'+OYSS 0resident, even to her havin# the sole ri#ht to

#ive Kriya initiation$ 24thers, he said, should be 0ermitted to #ive Kriya only as herre0resentatives3$ (e ur#ed the su0reme s0iritual im0ortan5e of the 0resident, even as the


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?livin# #uru@ of all who too Kriya initiation$ 4ther matters also he stressed on subje5ts

8uite 5entral to the or#ani6ation, and not at all in ee0in# with the 0attern Master himself

had established$ Dubey insisted that his ideas musthave been Master;s wish also, as thiswas how these thin#s were done in India$ (e even insisted that Master, when he wore

7estern 5lothes in the streets of Los %n#eles, must at least have e0t an oran#e

hander5hief in his 0o5et1?4therwise,@ he de5lared, wavin# a fin#er affirmatively, ?hewas noswamiE@

Dubey mana#ed ultimately so far to influen5e the dire5tion of YSS;s, and ultimately

S'+;s, #rowth that some of the 5ustoms most 5learly established by Master were

drasti5ally 5han#ed$ (ow, we all wondered, 5ould one man have #ained so mu5hinfluen5e in a s0iritual or#ani6ation to whi5h he was a veritable new5omerG It was not as

thou#h he had 5ommitted himself to the or#ani6ation, or even to the yo#i5 life$ (e was, in

fa5t, what one mi#ht 5all a s0iritual drifter$

7ell, more of this im0ortant issue later$

*o resume my storyF 4ne day we drove into Cal5utta to visit Master;s family home at

!ar0ar 'oad$ It was from here that Master had left for %meri5a to be#in his world1wide

mission$ %nd it was here also, in his small ?atti5 room,@ where, as he 0ut it, ?I found

!od$@ (is youn#er brother Sananda Lal lived there now, with his wife "arul, and theirson and dau#hter (are Krishna and Shefali$ 7e meditated in the atti5 room, and heard

from them many stories of our #uru;s life$

+rom there we 5ontinued on to *ulsi Bose;s home, where Master stayed after his return toIndia in -H9$ (ere, in the family meditation room, Master had meditated 5ountless

times$ Sri Yuteswar, Master;s #urudeva, had also blessed this s0ot) also %nandamoyee

Ma and other #reat souls$ %t *ulsi1da;s home we met others of Master;s dis5i0les$ *heS'+ re0resentatives were filled with love for this ?#rand family$@

*ulsi was reserved by nature, s0eain# little$ (is ways were sim0leF a stri5tly ve#etarian

diet, and no 5i#arettes or al5ohol$ 4ut of dee0 res0e5t for Master, born of an

understandin# of who Master was, *ulsi1da always did whatever Master ased him to do$

*he two of them were dee0ly devoted to one another throu#hout their lives$

*ulsi told Daya Mata and the others many in5idents of Master;s early life, and s0oe

#lowin#ly of what Master had always meant to him$ (e invited the %meri5ans to stay for

dinner, whi5h Martan Ma and Daha 2their 5oo3 had 0re0ared for them$ Daha had

joined the family even before their dau#hter, (assi, was born$ She had also 5ooed for SriYuteswar, for 'i5hard 7ri#ht 2Dayama;s brother, who a55om0anied Master to India in

-H93, and for many other devotees$

?4ne tou5hin# event o55urred one mornin# durin# the winter months,@ *ulsi1da toldthem, ?Yo#ananda 5ame downstairs and saw Martan Ma shiverin# a little from the 5old$

(e too the shawl from around his shoulders and 0la5ed it lovin#ly around hers, sayin#,

&ow, Mother, you won;t be 5old any lon#er$; 4h, how #reat was his affe5tion for herE@


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*hat shawl now resides, beautifully dis0layed, in the Shrine of the Masters museum at

%nanda t

Chapter

#ulsi Bose, -oganandas Boyhood

Friend

*ulsi1da on5e told me how he had 5ome to now Master$ ?4ne afternoon,@ he said, ?in

May, --, I was restin# on a ben5h in !reer "ar, near my home$ I had just 5om0letedan invi#oratin# run, and was thinin# about the bi# ho5ey mat5h that was s5heduled the

ne>t day$ %ll of a sudden, I saw this lon#1haired boy 5ome u0 to me$ I didn;t re5o#ni6ehim, and was 5ertain we had never met before$ (e ased, %ren;t you *ulsi BoseG;

@%stonished, I re0lied, But who areyou+

?%#ain he said, +irst, tell meF %re you *ulsi BoseG; Yes,; I re0lied, I am$; (e sat down

beside me on the ben5h$ *hen he ased me, %ren;t you a ho5ey 0layer and a runnerG;

@By this time I was sur0rised not only by this boy;s abru0tness, but by his 0ersistent

interest in me$ I had just barely #ot out a haltin# Yes $ $ $; when, sure of me now, he 5ut in8ui5ly, %ll ri#ht, let;s run to#etherE; I didn;t see why we shouldn;t, so we started out at

a fast 5li0$

?+or the first la0 we were runnin# side by side$ By the end of the se5ond la0, however, he

was ten feet ahead of me$ I 5ouldn;t believe my eyesE I was a very #ood runner, and

besides, I new all the runners in our vi5inity$ 7ho was this boyG 7here did he 5ome

fromG

@I was breathin# 8uite heavily from my efforts to beat this u0startE Yet how 5ould I 8uitG I

didn;t want to be defeatedE So I said, Let;s do it a se5ond time$; *his time, I ran as fast as

I 5ould$ Still, I 5ouldn;t beat him$

?+inally I ased him, (ow is it you 5an run so fastG Your stride is not that of a runner atall$; (e re0lied, I will tea5h you$ Come to my home toni#ht$;

@;But where is your homeG; I said$ &umber !ar0ar 'oad,; he re0lied$

?;7hy, that is the home of Bha#abati BabuE;
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@;Yes,; he re0lied$ I am his son Muunda$ *oni#ht I will tell you also how I found you,

and why$ +rom now on,; he added, I will 5all you *ulsi1da$;

?%t midni#ht I rea5hed Muunda;s home at !ar0ar 'oad$ (e was standin# outsidewaitin# for me$ 7e entered the house to#ether and went to his room on the #round floor$

(e shut the door, and we sat down, arran#in# our le#s in the lotus 0ose$ (e then tou5hedmy forehead, and my mind be5ame 5om0letely still$ (e tau#ht me some yo#a meditation

te5hni8ues, and we remained there the whole ni#ht$ Before leavin# the house early thene>t mornin# I #ot to hear the story of how and why he had found me$

@;It has not been 8uiet here at home,; Muunda said, with so many 5hildren runnin# all

over the 0la5e, and #uests always 5omin#$ I;ve found it disturbin# not to have time forsolitude and meditation$ 4ne day I 5ried to Divine Mother Kali, ?"lease #ive me one

#ood, devoted friend with a 8uiet home where I 5an be more with You$@ Later, I was

walin# down the street near our house when suddenly I went into a tran5e$ In vision I

saw a youn# man about my own a#e 0layin# in front of what seemed to be his family

home$ Divine Mother said to me, ?*hat boy is a #ood devotee, and loves Me very mu5h$You will #et all the hel0 you want from him and his family$@ (earin# these words, my

eyes filled with tears$ Mentally I bowed at (er feet, thanin# (er for (er love for me$ Itwas soon after that we met$;

*he 0aintin# of Krishna by (ari &arayan Bose, father of *ulsi Bose

?I invited Muunda to our house the ne>t evenin# for dinner$ (e 5ame over in theafternoon and I introdu5ed him to my father, (ari &arayan Bose$ +ather was very ha00y

on seein# him, and told him, It feels as thou#h you were a 0art of our family alreadyE

7hat is time when re5o#nition is so suddenG; @Muunda did be5ome an honorary

member of our family$ (e used to address my father asBaba Mahasaya2+ather with a


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#reat soul;3$ Aver sin5e that afternoon in the 0ar, we two boys s0ent mu5h of our time

to#ether$?

*he followin# year, Muunda;s 5ousin "rabhas1da joined the two friends$ *o#ether theywould #o to Dashineswar and sit under thePanchavati,orB$&tree, on the tem0le

#rounds, for ni#ht meditations$

*ulsi 5ontinued, @4ne day, in --, I was talin# with Muunda about the advan5ed

yo#i5 state 5alledsamadhi.(e said to me, Come sit here beside me$ "ra5ti5e the Kriya Ihave tau#ht you$; I did so$ (e then tou5hed my forehead$ Suddenly I lost outer

5ons5iousness$ My awareness be#an s0iralin# u0wards$ I saw 5ountless radiant bein#s,

beautiful s5enes1other worldsE

?;(ow was itG; he ased$ I told him what I had seen and how beautiful it all was$ "lease,;I said, show me how I 5an be in that state all the time$; (e lau#hed and re0lied, *hese

e>0erien5es are not for you in this lifetime$ You must wait till your ne>t life$ Meanwhile,

do Kriya every day, and live a very sim0le e>isten5e$;

@4ne day,? *ulsi 5ontinued, @my father, 5on5erned for my future, ased Muunda if Iwould #o to the (imalayas and live out my life as a yo#i$ Muunda answered him,

*ulsi1da will not #o there$ (e will stay here with you, marry, and have three dau#hters,

one of whom however will not live lon#$; Averythin# 5ame to 0ass as he;d said$ Imarried, had three dau#hters, and one of them died when she was only four years old$

*he other two lived$?

I must add here, 0arentheti5ally, that the youn#est dau#hter, (assi, years later be5ame my

wife$

*ulsi;s a55ount 5ontinuesF

@*wo years later, when my father heard that Muunda wanted a 0la5e in whi5h to hold

meditation 5lasses, he 0ur5hased the 0lot of land behind our home and #ave it to us boys,

alon# with the money to build a three1room that5hed hut where we 5ould have ourmeditations and be alone with !od$ It was in this way that Muunda be#an his very first

s5hool$?

Swami Kebalanandaji, a dee0 yo#i and noted Sansrit s5holar, soon be#an tea5hin# there$

(e was a devotee of Lahiri Mahasaya, who 5alled him Shastri Mahasaya,whi5h is to say,

@Learned in the soul1meanin# of the s5ri0tures$? Muunda was thrilled to have su5h adivine mentor$ *o#ether they s0ent many hours daily, learnin# the tea5hin#s of the #reat

ones$


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%tmananda at the home of *ulsi Bose$

+riends who were sin5ere in their sear5h for !od often joined Muunda and *ulsi1da in

their new s5hool$ In -/ a devotee offered Muunda a 0ie5e of land in Dihia that 5ouldserve as a better 0la5e for a ra0idly #rowin# s5hool$ *hen it was, also, that Muunda too

his monasti5 vows from his #uru Sri Yuteswar, be5omin# nown from then on as Swami

Yo#ananda$

Sri Yuteswarji 5ame to *ulsi;s home to see Yo#ananda;s s5hool ashram before theymoved to Dihia$ It wasn;t lon#, however, before they had to leave Dihia also, owin# to

an outbrea of malaria$ In this dilemma, the Maharaja of Kashimba6ar 5ame to the

res5ue$ (e offered Swami Yo#ananda a 0lot of land in 'an5hi, Bihar$ *o those #rounds, in-., Yo#ananda eventually moved his s5hool$ In this salubrious 5limate, a #rowin# body

of students 5ame in order to learn @the ways of !od and mathemati5s$? *wo years 0assed$

*hen Divine Mother 5alled Yo#ananda to %meri5a$

*ulsi1da, in s0eain# to Daya Mata and the others of her #rou0, re5alled fondly, @(enever for#ot me$ (e would write often from %meri5a and tell me and my family of his

e>0erien5es in that new land$ It was hard to ima#ine what his life was really lie$ I

wondered if I would ever see him a#ain$

?*hen, in -:/, my father 0assed away$ In -: I married Martan Ma$ !uruji had 0i5edher out for me, and blessed her and also our first dau#hter$@

Later, when Master returned to India in -H9, he stayed with *ulsi and Martan Ma in

their home$ (e also blessed their third 5hild in Martan;s womb, sayin#, ?*his 5hild will

be a #irl, and will be very devoted$@ (e #ave Martan an a00le ?for the baby,@ whose


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name was (assi, whi5h means, ?Lau#hter$@ Indeed, (assi has always been blessed with a

ha00y dis0osition$

*ulsi and Master traveled to#ether to many 0la5es$ 4ne day they were meditatin#to#ether with "raash Das and Jitendra 2Jiten3 Ma6umdar,23when one of *ulsi;s 5ousins

rushed into the room 5ryin# ur#ently, ?Come 8ui5lyE It;s my wife) she;s dyin#E@

*he two do5tors in attendan5e had told him there was no ho0e for her re5overy$ *he

5ousin new Master, however, and had dee0 faith in him$ *herefore, ?ho0in# a#ainstho0e,@ he had 5ome here for hel0$ Master told the others to 5ome alon#$

4n arrivin# at the 5ousin;s home, Master went immediately into the bedroom$ *here,

asin# the others to wait outside, he 5losed the door$ Meanwhile, another hi#hly res0e5ted

0hysi5ian 5ame to see what he 5ould do$ (e too was obli#ed to wait outside$ More thanforty1five minutes 0assed$ +inally, Master 5ame out of the room) the 5ousin;s wife 5ame

with him, walin# without assistan5eE *he do5tors, all three of whom were there, were

astounded$ *his, they e>5laimed, was truly a mira5le$

Master said to the husband, ?%fter we leave, she will slee0 one or two days$ Don;t bealarmed, and don;t 5all her$ She will be all ri#ht, and will eventually re#ain her full

stren#th$@

&ot a word 0assed between the friends after they left$ *hey were over5ome by what

they;d witnessed$ 4n arrivin# at *ulsi;s home, Master ased Daha to 5oo him a 5urry$'ajaram, a youn# man who served as the houseee0er, later #ave him a massa#e to hel0

restore the ener#y he;d #iven out$

%fter that, the 5ousin;s wife 5ame fre8uently to see Master, and eventually too initiationand dis5i0leshi0 from him$

?4ne day,@ *ulsi1da said, ?!uruji too us to Shantinik$tan2%bode of "ea5e;3 to visit the

#reat 0oet 'abindranath *a#ore$ !uruji told us he was a hi#hly advan5ed soul$ %fter we;d

been there awhile, and were 0re0arin# to start ba5 to Cal5utta, Master ased *a#ore,(ow do you feel 2meanin#, about his life3G; *he 0oet re0lied s0ontaneously in 0oeti5

styleF

Yes, I am a *raveler$

&othin# 5an hold me ba5$

"leasure and 0ain see to bind me,But, ahE my home lies far beyond$

(is non1atta5hment im0ressed me dee0ly$

*ulsi understood *a#ore;s desire to be released from banal offi5e wor, for he too had

never held a traditional job$ Indeed, he had never held any job at allE (e s0ent all his timedoin#sadhana,as Master had ased him to do$


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It was about this time that Master announ5ed a wish to 0ur5hase a lar#e 0ie5e of land on

the ban of the !an#es$ "raash Das be#an the sear5h for the 0erfe5t ashram settin#$ %t

last they found, in Dashineswar, a three1and1a1half1a5re 0ie5e ri#ht on the !an#es$Master went twi5e to see it, and finally de5ided to buy it$ (e sent "raash Das to fi> the

0ri5e, tellin# him, @%s soon as I return to %meri5a, I will send you the money for the final

0ur5hase$@

Master left India at the end of -H/$ "raash Das sent him a hundred 0hoto#ra0hs of theland, from different 0ers0e5tives$ *he 0ro0erty was finally 0ur5hased in -H-$ Master

was very ha00y$ It be5ame a 0la5e of #reat 0ea5e1ideal for meditationE

Footnotes

$ 7ho a55om0anied Muunda on the famous e0isode, ?*wo "enniless Boys inBrindaban,@ fromAutobiography of a Yogi.

Chapter /

+anchi 0 #hen, a #re$ to Badrinath

%fter the %meri5ans had been with us about two wees, Dayama said one mornin#,

?7ould you lie to #o with us to 'an5hi todayG@ I said, ?4f 5ourseE@ I joined our S'+#uests$ Binay Dubey 5ame alon# also$ "aramananda had 0ur5hased a bi# Studebaer 5ar

in whi5h we;d already traveled to many 0la5es that Dayama had wanted to see$ In 'an5hi

we stayed at ?7ood (ouse,@ whi5h "aramananda;s father, J$B$ 7ood, had built$ Mr$7ood was a dis5i0le of Master who often 5ame to India from his home in +lorida to stay

for months at a time1residin# mostly, however, at the Barana#ore ashram$

4ne day we had a so55er #ame$ Kriyananda 5a0tained the tea5hers) I 5a0tained the

students$ I hadn;t reali6ed that Kriyananda was so #ood at so55erE 7e all enjoyed the#ame very mu5h$ %fterwards, Dayama #ave us all 5andy and en5oura#ed us to 0lay often$

7e returned to Cal5utta after twelve days$ *hen the S'+ #rou0 went on to Delhi and

Kashmir$ Dubey went with them a#ain$

In time I develo0ed a #ood friendshi0 with Kriyanandaji$ %mon# other thin#s, he s0oemu5h about Master$ 4ne day he sur0rised me by sayin# that Master had tau#ht him tomae samosas 2whi5h he 5alledsingharas, Ben#ali fashion3 and other Indian foods$ *his

im0ressed me very mu5hE Sometimes also he s5olded me #ently for s0endin# so mu5h

time in the mountains$ ?7hy don;t you stay here with us moreG@ he ased, teasin#ly$ ?7eneed your hel0$@ But my heart lon#ed for the (imalayas$ Besides, he new that I wored

very hard every time I 5ame ba5, and e>0ressed a00re5iation for this servi5e$ But he was


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5on5erned for YSS, whi5h he 0er5eived as barely bum0in# alon#, when there was so

mu5h to do here for Master;s wor$

In %0ril of -9-, I set out for a (imalayan tour, leavin# from 'ishiesh23on foot withtwo mons from the Sivananda2:3ashram$ *he tri0 we 0lanned was 9 miles, round1

tri0$ It too us many wees to 5om0lete$ Meanwhile, Kriyanandaji, infe5ted by some ofmy ?wanderlust,@ made a tri0 on his own to Kashmir$ &ot, however, on footE

In India it is 5onsidered e>tremely aus0i5ious, and is every devotee;s lifelon# dream, tomae a 0il#rima#e to the (imalayas$ Centuries a#o, when the world was shrouded in

s0iritual darness and i#noran5e, the #reat master Swami Shanara inje5ted new life into

India by 0romotin# reli#ious and national unity$ In 0ursuit of that mission, he establishedfour*yotirmaths, or edu5ation 5enters for mons, to diffuse divine li#ht throu#hout the

land$ (e established these maths in the four 5orners of India$ *hese 5enters still e>ist, and

are lo5ated in Mysore 2in the south3, "uri 2in the east3, Dwara 2in the west3, and

Badrinath 2in the north, hi#h above 'ishiesh3$ %ll of these 0la5es have dee0 s0iritual

si#nifi5an5e and 0ower, and have been honored by (indus for millennia$

In the (imalayas there are also four sa5red s0ots 5onne5ted with Badrinath and main# a

holy 0il#rima#e loo0F Badrinath of 5ourse, then Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and !an#otri$ 7e

ho0ed to 5om0lete the entire loo0 safely with the blessin#s of our #urus and of the saintswe;d meet alon# the way$

*he first day we left very early in the mornin#, headin# for !an#otri$ 7e left with li#ht

hearts, our minds and hearts fo5used on what we fully e>0e5ted would be ane>traordinary adventure$ 7hat lay ahead of usG 7ould we even be able to 5om0lete our

lon# journeyG

Soon, alon# the way, we met a few swamis livin# in 5aves dee0 in the forest$ 'ea5hin#

!an#otri, we 5ould see the im0ressive Gomukh,the be#innin# of the !an#es, where?!an#a@ 2the Indian name for the 'iver !an#es3 emer#es throu#h what is thou#ht to

resemble the mouth of a 5ow 2 Go:?5ow@) in an5ient Sansrit, as the sa#e Sri %urobindo

dis5overed, it also means ?li#ht@) and mukh:?mouth@3$ (ere !an#a emer#es as a

beautiful waterfall 5reated by a meltin# #la5ier$ +rom this 0oint she be#ins her downwardjourney to the 0lains$ !omuh emer#es from the foot of the im0ressive Shivlin# "ea

2/9Hm3, whose snow1laden slo0es shimmered hi#h above us in the #lare of the summer

sun, brilliant a#ainst the dee0 blue sy$ &ineteen ilometers beyond !an#otri lies!omuh at a hei#ht of Hm$

%s we a00roa5hed !an#otri, the 5ountry o0ened out before us into a valley surrounded

by ja##ed, snow15overed 0eas$ *he slo0es were 5overed by bir5h trees, their truns

wra00ed in bar whi5h looed lie 0a0er tissue$ *his material was used in an5ient timesfor re5ordin# the s5ri0tures, after the s5ien5e of writin# be5ame not so mu5h a dis5overy

as a ne5essity owin# to the in5reasin# shortness of human memory$ *he mountain slo0es

also 5ontain #rou0s of #iant boulders) they seem to stand #uard as hu#e sentinels in avalley of the #ods$
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*he river flows north here, #ivin# the villa#e its name !an#otriF ?!an#a turned north$@

4ne misste0 on this 0ath, and a 0erson would fall 9, feetE

7alin# .1 hours a day, we eventually 5ame to #riyugnarayan,an an5ient &arayanKrishna tem0le$ (ere we sto00ed for the ni#ht to visit Muni Baba, a hi#hly advan5ed soul

who hadn;t s0oen for fifty years$ %s we #reeted him, he indi5ated with hand #esturesthat he would be ha00y for us to meditate with him$ Later on, he blessed us$ &o one 5ould

tell what he ate$ 7hen I ased him, he sim0ly raised his hands to heaven as if to say, ?By!od;s #ra5e$@ *here was a de0th of stillness around him, a sure si#n of a !od1reali6ed

soul$

*he followin# day we left for 'udra "raya#, famous now for the e>0loits of Jim Corbett,the An#lish hunter who saved hundreds of villa#ers from the 0redations of a lar#e feline

that he later des5ribed in a boo named, #h$ Man!/ating 0$opard of (udra Prayag.(e

also slew many man1eatin# ti#ers in the (imalayas, es0e5ially in theumaonhills2H3in

the %lmora distri5t$ 4ne of these ti#ers had illed over :9 0eo0le$ Corbett and others

had noti5ed that the ti#er was not illin# the #oats, 5ows, and other animals that are itsusual food, but only human bein#s$ *he villa#ers 0leaded with Jim to hunt it down and

destroy it$ So, in order to 5reate a lure for the beast, he built a three1sided bun#alow withno roof, and ased a few men to #o inside the stru5ture and wait for the ti#er to 5ome$ I

ima#ine a 5ertain de5rease in their enthusiasm at this 0ointE (e assured them, however,

?Don;t be afraid$ I will be here, and will 0rote5t you from harm$@ (e then 5limbed u0 atall man#o tree above the 0retense bun#alow, and waited$

*oward midni#ht the ti#er 5ould be heard a00roa5hin#$ Jim Corbett, seein# it,

intentionally made a noise$ *he ti#er #lan5ed u0 at him, main# itself an easy tar#et$ Jim

instantly shot it dead$

Corbett;s adventures with these deadly animals resulted in the lo5al residents reverin#him as a ind of savior$ *hat man#o tree is now famous$

%t 0$m$ we arrived at the small town, and saw li#hts in the room where 0eo0le were

stayin# overni#ht$ Sur0rised, then alarmed, we saw 0oli5e all over the area, 5arryin#

#uns$ *hey told us not to move, not nowin# who or what we were$ *hey told us they;djust 5au#ht seven 0ersons with matted hair and beards in the very room where we had

been 0lannin# to stay$ *hese men were not sadhus at all, but only 0retended to be so$ In

fa5t, they were dacoitsF 5utthroats and robbers$ *he 0oli5e ased us to a55om0any them,alon# with the da5oits, u0 to the 0oli5e station$ *he su0erintendent of 0oli5e too the

da5oits outside and 0ro5eeded to beat them severely with bamboo sti5s$ 7e were

stunned and horrified, thou#h hel0less to do anythin# but 0ray for the mis5reants$ *hesemen were, after all, only fellow human bein#s 5au#ht in one of the many webs of

delusion$

*he su0erintendent then 5alled us into a room to interro#ate us$ I showed him our letters

of invitation, our va55ination 5ertifi5ates, and a letter from YSS$ (e was satisfied onseein# these do5uments, and said, ?I 5an see that there are no da5oits in this #rou0E@ *hey
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then offered us tea and samosas$ *he su0erintendent ased one 0oli5eman to hel0 us find

our rooms, and reassured us that we would be #uarded all ni#ht$ &o more in5idents

o55urred, and we left the ne>t mornin# for Kedarnath$

&ow we had to 5ross Guptakashi.It was here, in surroundin#s ri5h with 5olorful and

in5redibly beautiful lands5a0es, that Shiva is said to have 5ome to hide from the"andavas, who were seein# him out to as redem0tion for any sins they may have

5ommitted durin# the #reat war of theMahabharata.*o es5a0e dete5tion, the Lord livedin5o#nito$ *he town here, therefore, is 5alled !u0ta 2hidden3 Kashi$

+rom this s0ot we 0ro5eeded to !auri Kund, where "arvati is said to have meditated for

hundreds of years to win Lord Shiva as her 5onsort$ 7ater from this kund2hot s0rin#s3falls into the Mandaini 'iver, whi5h flows nearby$ +rom here, the tem0le of Kedarnath

is distant about seven ilometers$ It is at this 0oint that the as5ent be5omes 8uite stee0$

*here is no bus to taeF 4ne must #o either by foot or by 0ony$ *hou#h the tre is

diffi5ult, it is also marvelous to see the waterfalls des5endin# #ra5efully on either side of

the 0ath$ Star mountains all around us were dotted with tiny tem0les and friendly, warmchattis, or rest 0la5es, refreshin# to tired limbs$ *he 5hattis were set on barren #round, but

were surrounded by fields of al0ine flowers of every shade of 5olor, whi5h stret5hed outon both sides of the way$ *he =1sha0e of the Mandaini


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5ave$ %to0 that 5ave there is a tree whi5h has been there for :, years$ Its #irth is :9

feetE

4nly nineteen miles to #oE %s I had obtained a 0ass from the Indian !overnment to 5rossthe heavily #uarded Manna "ass, fifteen miles from Badrinath, we had no trouble #ettin#

to the Badrinarayan *em0le the ne>t mornin#$ (owever, even in these ma#nifi5entsurroundin#s of beauty and remote stillness, the world insisted on intrudin#E (alfway

there we had to sto0 while the army blasted o0en a mineE It was noon finally when werea5hed our tem0le destination$

Badrinath is 5onsidered the su0reme 0il#rima#e s0ot for (indus$ !od (imself, it is

believed, lives there in human form as Badrinarayan$ Shiva 0romised the #oddessLashmi that he would 0reserve the valley of Badrivan as a 0la5e of silen5e and

meditation, without intrusion from worldly 0ursuits$ *he shrine is fifty feet tall, and

stands on the very ban of the %lananda 'iver$ Its faPade is multi5olored and

0ainstain#ly ornamentedF *ruly, it is a labor of love$ *he tem0le 5ommands a majesti5

view of the %lananda, whi5h the ima#ination thins of as 0raisin# !od joyfully with amusi5al roar$ 4ne 5an almost intuit what the #reat yo#is feel who 5ome here for

meditation$ *he vibrations are not only dee0ly 0ea5eful, but 5onvey an all10ervadin#sense of a5tual #aietyE

In the afternoon we went behind the tem0le, and there met several swamis$ 4ne of these

was in maun2silen5e3) one was insamadhi'a third invited us to meditate with him, and

taled to us some, mostly of !od$ (e advised us, ?*hin of !od as your very own +ather,Mother, and +riend$ "ray to (im for everythin# you need$ !od is 0leased above all when

you meditate and 5on5entrate on (im$ *hat is the way to rea5h (is abode$ 7ithout

meditation, you will have a lon# waitE@

*he ne>t mornin# I left for the Manna "ass, whi5h too us three hours by foot$ +ourtimes I had to show my travel 0ass, as this entire area was under stri5t army 5ontrol$ 4ur

way too us alon# the Indian side, but a5ross from us lay China$ 7e stra##led bravely

down &il Kanta mountain, aware of Indian wat5htowers everywhere$

%fter rea5hin# the 0ass I saw a swami tain# his bath at a hot s0rin#s near by$ I too abath there also, #reetin# him$ ?I have 5ome for your darshan,@ I said$ %fter our baths, he

ased me to follow him$ Soon we rea5hed his lar#e 5ave$ % fire bla6ed inside in a dee0

0it$ 7e sat around the warmth of the flames and meditated for four hours on Lord Shiva$*his #reat yo#i too no food for nine months of the year, rarely s0oe, and s0ent most of

his time insamadhi.(e seldom emer#ed from his 5ave e>5e0t to bathe in the hot s0rin#s$

%s we were leavin# to 0ro5eed ba5 to Badrinath, I 0ronamed and said, ?Baba, will you

bless meG@ By way of a re0ly he saidF

?You see the %lananda below usG It flows from &il Kanta on its way to the o5ean1su5h a

lon# way awayE 7hat tremendous love she must have for the o5eanE It taes so lon# to

rea5h it, but no one 5an sto0 her owin# to the for5e of her love$ Your love for !od should


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be lie thatF 0atient, 5onstant, undeterred$ Lie a mi#hty river, the for5e of divine

devotion will wash away any obstru5tions on your way$ Kee0 on, with love, until you

rea5h !od;s o5ean$@

I waled 8ui5ly now, be5ause I wanted to rea5h the Badrinarayan *em0le before dar$

4n5e a#ain, however, the army 0atrols e0t sto00in# me to 5he5 my 0ass$ +inally, as Iwas nearin# my destination, a tall, robust1looin# offi5er said to me, ?Come to my

offi5e$@ I 0rotested, ?But Sir, I have a 0assE@ It didn;t matter) he insisted I follow himanyway$ %s I sat in a 5hair in his offi5e1this was 5ertainly a 5han#e in s5eneryE1my mind

was on Lord Shiva$

*he offi5er ased me where I was from$ ?+rom Ben#al,@ I said$ 7ith a #reat lau#h hesaid, ?I am very ha00y to see someone all the way from Ben#alE@ (e then too me to his

bedroom and ased someone to brin# me a 5ot$ (e served me with deli5ious tea and

sna5s, then started talin# about his life in the army$

(e said he;d s0ent a few months in a Chinese jail$ %s he des5ribed it, it didn;t strie meas bein# at all a #ood 0la5e to stayE I rose then, to 5ontinue on my journey, but he said,

?&o, stay here toni#ht as my #uest$@ 7e had a deli5ious meal$ *he followin# mornin# he

ased someone to dro0 me off at the tem0le #ate$

(avin# had a most memorable e>0erien5e in these sa5red mountains, we returned toJoshimath, 'udra "raya#, and Karna "raya#, s0endin# forty1five days on foot in rea5hin#


33/58

water just outside his 5ave, and 5at5hin# fishE Barin# at #uests was all ri#ht with him,

and only a manifestation of their natural e>uberan5e, but he did not lie their eatin# fish$ I

wondered if 5ertain of his #uests had 8uestioned whether eatin# 0eo0le mi#ht have metwith his a00rovalE

I was stayin# at the #uest house nearby$ 4ne ni#ht he ased me to 5ome and meditatewith him in his 5ave at midni#ht$ I went #ladly$ %fter a time, however, I 5ouldn;t hel0

bein# 5ons5ious of the loud sounds of the jun#le ni#htF ti#ers, do#s, and other wild5reatures$ Swamiji said to me, ?You hear those noisesG Listen to them$ *ry to hear 4m in

them, and you find you #o dee0 into meditation$@ 7e meditated the whole ni#ht$ 7hat an

advan5ed soul this swami wasE I felt dee0ly 0rivile#ed to s0end time with him$ (e was a#reat man of !od$

Footnotes

$ 'ishiesh, or ?City of Sa#es,@ 5ontains many ashrams alon# the !an#es 'iver

bans in a beautiful rural settin# in the foothills of the #reat (imalayas$ Lo5atednear the 0oint where the mi#hty river emer#es from the mountains, it is the s0ot

from whi5h 0il#rims leave for the hi#h 5ountry$ Several miles below it is

(aridwar, or (ardwar, ?Doorway to the (imalayas@F land of%ari2Krishna3 or

%ara2Shiva3, de0endin# on whom you worshi0$ *he (imalayas #enerally are

thou#ht of as the ?abode of Shiva$@

Ba5 to te>t

:$ Swami Sivananda was a master yo#i and the founder and head of the world1nown Divine Life So5iety, whi5h has mons and re0resentatives in many lands,

sharin# the an5ient yo#a tea5hin#s$

Ba5 to te>t

H$ Swami Kriyananda used to tae se5lusion in this area$Ba5 to te>t

$ *he reader will have noted that at 5ertain 0la5es I have #iven the measurements in

feet, and at others in meters$ *he reason is that, with India;s 5om0aratively re5ent5han#e to the metri5 system, I am obli#ed to ?straddle the fen5e$@ Some of the

measurements I new already, a55ordin# to the older system$ 4thers I have had to

loo u0 in modern #uideboos$

Ba5 to te>t

9$ 1asisthawas a well1nown rishi in an5ient times$ (e is believed to have livedhere$

Chapter 2

3ilgrimage to South India
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%fter s0endin# a few days in Delhi, we traveled south$ %t Madras we visited many

tem0les, then left for the island of 'ameshwaram, 5rossin# the o5ean waters by train$

(ere stands a very lar#e Shiva tem0le, one of the most im0ortant tem0les in the south$ Its5onstru5tion was started in the :th 5entury, but it has been added to in subse8uent

5enturies$ Its ma#nifi5ent 5orridors are lined with finely 5arved 0illars$ 4ne of these

5orridors is , feet lon#EQthe lon#est in India$

*he twenty1si> mile tri0 ba5 to Madurai, from where we;d de0arted, landed us near thehu#e tem0le to Divine Mother, Meenashi$ It sits on fifteen a5res of land$ Its beautifully

5arved and 0ainted #ods, #oddesses, and animals 5om0letely 5over the nine1story1hi#h

29 feetE3 #ate) it is truly awesome$ *housands of 0il#rims 5ome daily to see it, and toworshi0 Divine Mother;s murti there$

%fter two days we left for Kanyaumari, the southernmost ti0 of India, where the Bay of

Ben#al, the %rabian Sea, and the Indian 45ean all 5onver#e$ *here is a wonderful

memorial there, built to 5ommemorate the s0ot where Swami teen ofus boys from %shutosh Colle#e had first joined the res5ue and relief efforts at the time of

the (indu1Muslim riots from %u#ust, -/, to %u#ust, -$

Mahatmaji told us one evenin#, ?Kee0 faith in !od$ %lways tell the truth$ Do ja0a

25allin# re0eatedly to !od in the mind3 of 'am &am all the time$ %nd live fearlessly$ Beaware that Lord 'ama is always with you$ (e will 0rote5t you$ You mi#ht die today, or

live another hundred yearsF You 5annot now$ So do your duty faithfully, always thinin#

of (im$ *hat is my own 0ra5ti5e$ May 'am;s blessin#s be on you all$@

*hen he san# one of his own favorite son#sF ?'a#u0ati 'a#hava 'aja 'am, "atita "avanaSita 'am$ Ishwara, %llah *ere namF Sabo Sunmati de Bha#avanE@ *hen he went into

silen5e$

7e saw him every afternoon after our res5ue wor for the day was finished$ Avery day hetaled and san#, and we re0eated our evenin# 0rayers to#ether$

Many 0oliti5ians would 5ome, Muslim, (induF %ll were wel5ome$ (e emanated divinelove, and also 0ower$ ?If you always s0ea the truth,@ he would say, ?!od;s 0ower within

you will in5rease$@


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+ormerly I had met a swami at the Kanyaumari *em0le who told me the lo5al 0eo0le

5alled him ?the "istol Swami,@ be5ause he e0t a 0istol with him at all timesE (e #ave me

his home address, sayin# that if ever I returned there he would let me stay with him$ (ewas an e>1Major !eneral of the Indian %rmy$ %fter his return from duty in Badrinarayan,

he had joined the swami order throu#h the 'amarishna order at Belur Math$ Later I saw

him also durin# my tre to Kedarnath$

&ow here I was a#ain in Kanyaumari$ %fter tain# a bath in the o5ean, I ased a youn#boy if he new where the "istol Swami was$ (e too me to his ashram$ *he swami

#reeted me, and we taled about my (imalayan 0il#rima#e$

I then added that this was 0robably my last visit here, as I was #ettin# older and no lon#erfound trein# so easy as it on5e had been for me$ (e 0ut me u0 in a house near the

o5ean, where I sle0t until : at ni#ht$ Suddenly I awoe, aware of someone movin# about

in the room$ I be#an to 0ers0ire with a00rehension$ I 5ould mae out no form, and no one

answered when I 5alled$ Drinin# a #lass of water, I lay down a#ain, and, finally, sle0t$

%fter another hour, I awoe on5e more with a jolt$ My 5ot was shain#E Avidently a s0irit

of some ind was in the room, dashin# about and no5in# on the door and the windows$

I sat u0 and assumed vajrasana 2the firm 0ose3$ %ddressin# the s0irit in a firm voi5e, I

said, ?(elloE@ as loudly and 5oura#eously as I 5ould$ ?%55e0t my love and 0ronams$ I0lan to stay here another five days$ If my 0resen5e disturbs you, mae a sound$ If it

doesn;t, be 8uietE I will 0ray for you all, and tomorrow I will do a 0uja at the

Kanyaumari *em0le for you for the salvation of your souls$@ +rom then on, they e0t8uiet, #ivin# me no more trouble$

Aarly the ne>t mornin# I went to the tem0le for 0uja$ %s I was 0erformin# the holy rite, a

0ujari 20riest who 0erforms sa5red rites3 ased me, ?%re you stayin# at the "istolSwami;s #uest houseG@ I re0lied, ?Yes, I am$@

?&o one has been able to stay in that house, be5ause of the 0resen5e of evil s0irits$@ I

didn;t tell him I was doin# 0uja for those very s0iri

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