Spirituality, Meditation and Self Realization

Avdhoot Baba Shivananda

Spirituality and worldly affairs run parallel to each other. There is a widespread misconception
among the people regarding spirituality. Spiritual quest, they believe, calls for renunciation of
worldly affairs. And those worldly pursuits warrant an end to spiritual pursuits. Many people
regard meditation as the ritual to be performed at the end of their lives. If someone is asked to
attend a Satsang he shrugs off the invitation saying “this is the time to enjoy life. Meditation can
wait till its time comes.” This is wrong. If an individual is totally engrossed in materialistic world
then in his twilight years, if he wishes to chant Ram’s name and turn to meditation, he will not be
successful. For the simple reason that his materialistic preoccupations will subdue his desire to
meditate. Upon meditation, he will discover that his materialistic cravings will overwhelm his
Dhyan Sadhna. More importantly his zest or enthusiasm for meditation will be found lacking.

In ancient times the regimen for self-elevation was superb. A child was sent to Brahma charya
Ashram in his formative years. Here he was imparted contemporary as well as spiritual
knowledge by his Guru. In the later course of his life, when he assumed his worldly and domestic
responsibilities his spiritual values were strongly in place. Taking a cue from this, you must
ensure that spiritual conditioning of your child should begin well in earnest as soon as he arrives
in this world. You need enlightenment or power to enjoy the benefits of this worldly life. This
Shakti comes to you solely through Dhyan and spirituality. Many people come to me and say:
“Babaji we amassed wealth, we have everything going for us in terms of prosperity and family life,
yet we do not have peace and tranquility.” Someone went to the extent to say that his body was
rendered incapable of enjoying the luxuries of life. According to him, while he subsisted on frugal
cereal diet his servants feasted on the choicest of foods cooked in his house. This pained him
immensely. Had he struck a proper balance between his worldly and spiritual life right from the
outset, things would not have come to such a pass. Many people have this notion that anybody
who is spiritual will have no interest in his worldly life. He will no longer be a practical person. This
is far from being true. Actually, a spiritually inclined person has many advantages. He
experiences an enhanced state of consciousness, besides witnessing a substantial increase in
his willpower. Hence it is quite natural for a spiritually aware person to be more successful in life
as opposed to the person who does not possess a spiritual outlook.

Now let us come to the vexed issue of renunciation and spirituality. Many people hold the view
that renunciation is the gateway to spirituality. This logic is absolutely erroneous. Out of the
twenty-four hours that you have got, you can spend two hours easily to nourish your soul and the
remaining twenty-two can be comfortably utilized for the day to day life. Worldly existence with its
all incumbent factors is equally essential in terms of priority, as is the spiritual quest. Spiritual
perspective shapes your personality. It teaches you how to be a responsible father, how to be a
caring husband, how to be a dutiful wife, how to be a compassionate and obedient son or
daughter. In essence, it inculcates a strong sense of dedication towards your apparent
responsibilities. On the other hand, you will never realize God by relinquishing the world.
Whereas you can easily realize Him while staying rooted to your worldly existence. This begets
an important question. Where do you search for God? Outside? The truth of the matter is
Paramatma or God is present very much inside your own self.

Gautam Buddha visited his home after attaining enlightenment. His wife asked him was it not
possible for him to attain what he attained without being an ascetic? Yes, it was very much
possible, Buddha replied, “but”, he continued, at that stage I was obs essed by my quest for
enlightenment and there was nobody to guide me, hence I renounced everything to pursue my
objective. This goes out to prove that enlightenment can be attained by staying well within the
parameters of domestic life. Various Maharishis and enlightened souls have attained Siddhadom
following their daily life routines. They attained Moksha and Self-Realization that way. This is the
simplest way to Realization. This truth is the essence of realization. When you are able to fully
comprehend these simple facts, the gateway to your Moksha becomes clearly visible to you.
There is a lot to meditation than meets the eye. It is a multi-dimensional process that revolves
around the quest for salvation. Meditation is your own medium for soul searching and self-
refinement. Thus, you become more amenable to receive the Higher energies. It is here that role
of divine stimulants like Kundalini Shakti is the backbone of your spiritual evolution. It helps you to
transcend the barrier of individual consciousness to merge with universal consciousness. An
ordinary person utilizes only four percent of his total mind power. Rest ninety six percent lies
unused. Now with this state of mind, a person aspires to achieve different goals. The goals can
be anything ranging from excelling in studies to scaling new heights in other fields. Little does he
realize that the driving force behind this aspiration was provided by the four percent of cerebral
power that he used. The remaining ninety-six percent of his cerebral power was still languishing
in darkness. Despite this our man in question decides to pick up the challenge to excel on behalf
of his dormant brainpower. Now that ninety-six percent of dormant mind power is restless to
prove its utility but there is no way it can be channeled for its maximum use. Similarly an alcoholic
pledges to turn himself into a teetotaler. Here also only a meager four percent of his mind power
has chosen to abstain from drinking. But the rest ninety-six percent of his inner power is inclined
favorably towards drinking. With the result that major part of his inner self is still infested with
vices. At the stroke of seven in the evening these vices will emerge from the darker side of his
brain and pervade the remaining four percent of the same. As this happens, the resolve to
abstain along with the positive mind energy is laid to waste.

Opposed to this, any person whose Kundalini is aroused, will not face any kind of above
mentioned predicament, because his consciousness is refined and developed by Kundalini
Shakti. It can be best understood by utilizing the afore-mentioned paradox. The Kundalini
Sadhna, which begins with the four percent mind, scythes through the darker side of your mind
illuminating and expanding the consciousness in its wake, till the time hundred percent of your
cerebral power is harnessed from its dormant position to the benefit of your own Self. The
development of Kundalini Shakti in your body corresponds with an enhanced state of other
powers and of course a steady rise in your will power. With resurgence of Kundalini Shakti, all the
hidden and latent powers inside you are revitalized and awakened. This includes your spiritual
powers and will power. You posses everything inside you. Shivatva the part of Paramatma is
present inside you. You only have to arouse it. Once aroused it banishes the darkness from your
self and illuminates your entire persona. This illumination ushers in happiness and prosperity in
your life. The upward progression of Kundalini Sadhna cleanses the Chakras and rids the Self of
all the incumbent negativity. In the process the accumulated Karmas from previous life are also
exterminated. This extermination of past karmas eradicates sorrow, hardships and precludes all
possibilities of their reoccurrence.

Babaji had a disciple who himself was an accomplished Siddha. Prior to meeting Baba, this noble
soul wandered throughout the country in his ascetic days. In that period he never asked for
anything not even food. If someone gave him food he ate it, or else he stayed hungry. At times he
used to be without food for days altogether. In between, gripped by severe hunger, he used to eat
anything, irrespective of the fact whether that was edible or not. Consequently, he developed
stomach ailment due to his rigorous lifestyle. He reveals that after his Shaktipat when he
experienced Kundalini arousal, he was struck down by terrible bouts of diarrhea. Concerned by
his condition, his disciples wanted to take him to hospital. He politely turned their request down.
His condition according to him, never warranted medical attention. Rather, it was related to his
altered state of consciousness in the wake of Kundalini arousal. Whatever was coming out of his
body, he said, was in reality hardships, ailments and other similar entities which were being
evicted well before they could affect him in any way. This was the wonder of Kundalini Shakti.

Kundalini Shakti completely negates all the ills and ailments thereby lending a healthy glow to the
body. Students experience a stark change and rapid increase in their intelligence and retentive
powers and concentration. On his own, a person acquires divine knowledge of Shastras. As he
meditates, he is able to see his past, present and future. Not only that, he also visualizes the
future events of his life. There is nothing magical about all these qualities. Powers responsible for
such divine forces are present well inside the darker recesses of the mind. Meditation aided by
Kundalini Shakti illuminates those darker areas of your Self and in this way all your hidden
powers are brought to the fore. No wonder Sages and Maharishis have laid supreme importance
on Kundalini Shakti. In holy scriptures it has been specifically mentioned that you attain Moksha
only when your Kundalini Shakti rises from Mooladhara Chakra at the base and reaches
Sahasrara Chakra at the top. Thus, it connects with Shiva that is present in Saharara Chakra
paving the way for your Moksha or final ascension. Therefore Sadhak should always strive for
Shaktipat, Gurukripa which would eventually take them to the Kundalini arousal.

Kundalini arousal in turn will lead to a fulfilling worldly and spiritual life. Kundalini is the best
nourishment or reward for your soul. For your physical body there is no dearth of stimulants and
rewards. And everything related to your physical body is transitional or terminal, which will not
remain with you forever. But your spiritual nourishment is going to hold you in good stead forever.
It will never desert your soul. It is said, if you die after your Kundalini has risen to Visuddhi Chakra
at the throat, in your next birth, you will be born in a noble and virtuous family. You will perpetually
remain in the ambit of Devbhava (Divine grace). Hence, you will find the same everywhere right
from your family, environment and rest of the things. These factors will facilitate your meditational
pursuits, as you would not be bogged down by struggle for sustenance for your family. Above
everything else, you will find your Kundalini Shakti stationed at the same point where you left it in
your previous birth, i.e. Visuddhi Chakra. In our Siddha family, there are numerous children who
display these traits. From the looks in their eyes, it becomes clear that they are Sadhaks. I have
seen six year old kids in a state of Shambhavi, which is not possible for fully grown ups. These
kids are in a world of their own. About Shambhavi, it is said, if a person is in a state of
Shambhavi, his mind is filled with elixir. Excellent lineage or pedigree is indicative of the spiritual
merits of the previous birth. More so because a person carries the impressions of his virtuous
deeds into his next birth. Hence he continues from that position in his present birth. At a relatively
younger age he will find his Guru. So much so, that some newborn babies are given Diksha. Yes,
people frequently come to me and seek Diksha for their infants. I am sure in the turbulent times or
Kalyug, these children will come to the rescue of humanity.

Now let us come to the prime important subject of Guru. Essentially Guru is your vehicle for
divinity and salvation. He charts the course of your spiritual voyage. Guru, is a reciprocal entity.
Which means he is subject to your Sadhna. It is the merit of your Sadhna, which alone decides
the type of Guru you will get. Above all, Guru is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Even the
parents are Gurus. During infancy mother is a Guru. The child learns the fundamentals of life
from her. She teaches him to eat, drink and walk. That’s why the first word that a child utters is
“Maa”. Then comes Brahman or the teacher who imparts the Mantra. He is also a Guru. Thus
begins man’s journey of existence. During his life, he finds many Gurus. Each Guru performs his
designated task and leaves, without asking for anything in return. Entry of a Guru in your life is
commensurate with your spiritual quest. Finally it culminates on one Guru who is called Param
Guru.

Param Guru is entrusted with the divine task of piloting your spiritual transcendence to its final
destination. Param Guru is endowed with divine attributes. Company of a highly spiritual Guru
and Sadhna with utmost devotion are the two basic pre-requisites for spiritual evolution. One
must always fervently pray to God to give him the Guru, who himself has achieved Moksha. Guru,
embodied with these credentials is the sole medium for Moksha. Secondly, you are nobody to
search for a Guru as one Siddha had once remarked. He has said ‘its not for you to search for a
Guru, rather it is for the Guru to seek you out’. This is universal fact. As you advance deeply into
your Sadhna, it’s the Guru who seeks you out. You never realize that it’s not your prerogative to
look for a Guru. Without any fore knowledge a Guru materializes in your life. Guru’s advent in
your life in this manner has a strong and irrefutable logic. If by any chance, even if Param Siddha
Guru happens to appear in your life at a time when your Sadhna has not reached the desirable
state, then in all probability you would not be able to recognize him, as your perspectives will
remain clouded by ignorance. You may wonder whether he is really a true Guru or not. That can
happen to anybody. Guru and his Gyan (wisdom) do not conform to any conventional norms. One
has to strive diligently to seek Guru and his wisdom. Secondly, Guru’s knowledge is not
hereditary so that it is automatically transferred from father to his son.

Maharshi Vyas is an appropriate example in this context. His son Shukant Dev Shakumri, was a
highly erudite person. Being son of Siddha Maharishi Shakumri had mastered many param
Siddhis. Shakumri provided Moksha to Raja Parikshit by imparting the knowledge of Srimat
Bhagwat to him. Despite his exalted credentials Shakumri was not able to attain Moksha for
himself, as he was not a self realized soul. Hence he was not able to attain eternal peace. This
incident underscores the peculiarity of the whole issue. That Siddhaguru was not able to impart
the divine knowledge to his own son. The knowledge that could perhaps have qualified his son to
attain Moksha. Now this factor illustrates the point that Guru Shisya relationship is entirely
different from father-son relationship. For divine knowledge Guru is a must. Maharishi Vyas was
unable to enlighten Shakumri because that knowledge required the tutelage of another Guru. So
finally when Shakumri asked him why he was not able to attain eternal peace? The legendary
sage replied: “you did not get eternal peace because you did not have a Guru who could have
guided you to self realization, without which eternal peace is not possible.

A perplexed Shakumri wanted to know ‘who was the most appropriate Guru for him other than
his father Maharishi Vyas the Param Siddha?’ It was this very mindset that ‘my father is an
accomplished Siddha’, which turned out to be the biggest impediment in Shakumri’s path to
eternal peace. Such feelings instilled a superiority complex in him. Your father’s status is
inconsequential as far as your own self is concerned. On the contrary what are you, matters the
most. You can never relate your existence to your father. Nevertheless, Shakumri was ordered by
his father to go to Raja Janak, who his father believed was the appropriate Guru for him. Under
his tutelage Shakumri could progress to eternal peace. Shakumri had his own reservations about
Raja Janak’s ability with regards to divine knowledge. Raja Janak, in reality, was a Siddha. Even
today people subscribe to the belief that holy persons and Siddhas are only those who lead a
very frugal and detached existence meaning they are always ill clad and ill fed. Under such ill
placed notions it becomes hard to believe that any king could also be a Siddha. To buttress their
contention, people reel off verses from Geeta to prove that only a pauper can be a true Siddha!
How easily people forget that first person to preach the tenets of Mahabharat to the world was
none other than Krishna, ruler by birth.

In compliance with his father’s wishes Shakumri went to Raja Janak. He found Raja Janak
surrounded by a bevy of female attendants, who were fanning him. This sight made him wonder
how come a person who is the centre of so much female attention be a Siddha? This brought him
to another widespread fallacy that is rampant even to this day. That male and female can coexist
and yet at the same time pursue their respective Dhyan Sadhna. On the flip side, people have no
qualm in worshipping Shiva-Parvati and Laxmi Narayan. In the same fashion, Shakumri found it
hard to accept Raja Janak as a true Siddha whom he found in the company of women. He
believed that Brahmacharya (celibacy) was the first pre-requisite of Siddha hood. Even today the
same perception prevails in the minds of many people. Female for them is the end of
Bramhacharya. Even I was faced with this question many a times. I took them to task and told
them clearly if your Brahmacharya is so fickle that it cannot withstand female company then you
are not a true Brahmacharya in the first place. Such people are worse off than a common man
obsessed with agnostic pursuits. Brahmachary a does not mean only celibacy. Brahmacharya
means Brahma like conduct. When the element of Paramatma is present inside, a person resides
in a state of eternal bliss. In that state, there is automatically no desire left for the fairer sex.
Simply because that person is operating in a bliss which is thousand times more gratifying than
the desire to cohabit, so naturally such people are hardly bothered by the company of female or
male. He is only concerned with Parabrahma who resides in both man and woman. Parabrahma
is neither male nor female. This is the true state of Akhand Brahmacharya, where one sees only
the Parabrahma in every individual, irrespective of his or her gender. Parabrahma is Anant
meaning eternal and Ajanma-birthless.

Shakumri was oblivious of this knowledge. For him Raja Janak was another self-indulgent man
with a strong inclination for wordly pleasures. How could he be my Guru, wondered Shakumri.
Thus he returned back. He went to Maharishi Vyas under the impression that his father had
perhaps erred in sending him to Raja Janak. “Father are you sure whether it was Raja Janak
whom you deemed fit to be my Guru?” he asked. “How could you send a great Brahmachari and
a Yogi like me to him for Diksha?” he continued. His father emphasized his views again and
asked Shakumri to approach Raja Janak for Diksha. And so he went again to Raja Janak. There
he found Raja Janak in the course of his royal bath, assisted by royal maids. Shakumri was taken
aback by what he perceived to be a show of misconduct not befitting a Siddha. Again he returned
and narrated his experience to his father. All through while Maharishi Vyas remained steadfast on
his vi ew that Raja Janak was the right Guru for Shakumri. In this manner Shakumri made nine
trips to Raja Janak, only to return empty handed each time. On his ninth visit as he came out of
the royal palace of Raja Janak, a divine power, under the guise of a Brahma, told him “O
Shakumri you went to Raja Janak nine times. Each time you saw a reflection of your own hidden
lust in him. What you saw was in truth a reflection of your own suppressed desires and yearnings.
Each time you criticized Raja Janak, you lost equal number of Siddhis present inside you. With
the result, now you are absolutely devoid of any divine powers that you once possessed.”

Shakumri realized his mistake and he wanted to atone for it. Thus a chastened Shakumri
approached Raja Janak who had the foreknowledge of Shakumri’s arrival. Raja Janak ordered
his guards to stop Shakumri at the gate and then keep him waiting for three days. In his earlier
days Shakumri might have taken it as a grave offence to his exalted status of a Siddha not to
mention being the son of the greatest sage! But now he was a changed man. After three days,
Raja Janak asked his guards to send Shakumri to his royal harem, where queens were instructed
to look after him in the best possible manner. Shakumri was a man of utmost restraint now; he
studiously avoided any act, which may have been construed as misconduct. Later he was taken
to Raja Janak, “O King please take me as your disciple” pleaded Shakumri. Raja Janak, being a
Param Siddha was wanted to rid Shakumri of all his vices. So he asked “what are you going to
give me in return for my tutelage?” S hakumri was prepared to give anything as Gurudakshina.
“Anything that you wish my lord” said Shakumri. Raja Janak then asked him to give him the most
useless thing as Gurudakshina. Shakumri was elated as he thought it to be the easiest thing to
do. He went out and took a fallen twig, but then he realized it had some use too. Then he picked
up an iron object only to relent after he realized its use. Each time he picked up some object he
discovered its value or use. He was frantically searching for some appropriate Gurudakshina. His
efforts continued till the time he collapsed from fatigue under a tree. A foul smell woke him up
from his slumber. Shakumri discovered someone has defecated near him while he was asleep.
The excrement with its concomitant stench appeared to be the most useless thing to Shakumri.
An unusual thing happened as he tried to pick up the filth. The excreta jumped out of his hand as
he tried to gather it. It kept on occurring till he heard a voice. “Stop you filthy creature! Don’t you
dare pollute me by touching me”, a voice rang out from the mound of trash that he held so dearly.
Shakumri was flabbergasted to hear that. To his mind excrement of man was the dirtiest of all the
objects and here it was, forbidding him not to pollute it. The voice continued, “I came to earth in
the form of very pure milk. Even the cowherd was ecstatic to see me. Later he took me to a sweet
shop where I was turned into a sweet. My aroma drove everyone crazy. From the shop I was
taken to a temple and offered as Prasad to God. It was the beginning of my ordeal. You people
ate me up and after sometime transformed me into my present repulsive form. Therefore you are
the most worthless of the entire lot.”

These words had a miraculous effect on Shakumri. He knelt before Raja Janak and wailed “O
King Janak now I have realized that even the body of an animal serves a purpose. Compared to
everything my body has no utility. Therefore, it is the most worthless of entire objects.” Thus,
Shakumri realized the essence of ego. It was his ego, which was his biggest obstacle. And Raja
Janak had rid him of his ego. Now he was on the threshold of self-realization. Ego, is the biggest
impediment in the way of self-realization. “I” and “Mine” syndrome never allows you to progress
spiritually. You can attain self-realization within seconds if you want. It is very simple. The
moment you remove the “I” from your system He will be there. ‘He’ is your self-realization. It is
you who have blocked His access. The very minute you step aside He will come over. You will
fade out, the moment you make way for Him. That’s how you attain salvation.