I was introduced to Prarthana (Prayer through chanting of Mantra), as mentioned in my earlier post, by Mungale Sir which found easy acceptance in me.
Reflecting back, I feel that the ground for it was prepared earlier by one of the Osho’s books titled “Hidden Mysteries” sent to me by Swami Anand Gautam sometime in the year 2001 or so. In this book Osho says that he had been speaking against mantra chanting, temples and places of pilgrimages for the reason that many a seeker reading their efficacy from the scriptures get into these without knowing the ‘keys’ (keys are hidden – known only to the masters) which make them work for one’s evolution and thus loose the opportunity. He goes onto add that effort of an individual through meditation cannot take one far, it is as if is trying to cross an ocean by rowing a boat. If one knew the keys, place of pilgrimages are something like a place where favourable winds are blowing, one opens the pal and one sails through effortlessly with the winds.
Soon after that once I had been in Delhi and felt like buying some low priced editions of Osho's books from the publisher. There I picked up about 25 books containing lectures on saints of Bhakti period like Raidas, Rajjab, Paltu, Nanak etc. though apparently I was not a Bhakta. I relished reading each of these books and my attitude was getting molded effortlessly (reading Shastras is thus crucial).
Supported by such attitudinal modification, the understanding from the book "Hidden Mysteries", referred to above, was further strengthened when I became receptive to energies in the temples and also around evolved one’s in the year 2004 (consequence of following practices given by Sadguru Jaggi Vasudeva for about one and half year on the base built by Osho in 17 years before that).
Thus I was smoothly led into Prarthana and my faith in its efficacy was strengthened by the feedback from my wife. But how could a Pooja performed by someone else (a priest) help a person, still did not make sense to me.
At this point in time Mungale Sir asked me if I could get a good piece of Sandal Wood for him for Pooja as one could get good quality in Bangalore. Since I did not know where to get it, I asked some of my friends. One of them told me that he will get it for me. When he came with a piece of Sandal Wood, I asked him from where did he get it. I wanted to know so that next time, if needed, I will get it myself. He told me that he also did not know but got it from one Swami V. S. Nayak. I was surprised to know that he knew Nayakji closely and could get me an appointment for someone (I myself had nothing to ask) whenever needed.
Actually having been told about him by my friend (Krishna Sahay), I tried to contact him a few times for resolution of problems of my friends and relatives, but could not get to him for a few months. Search for Sandalwood led me to Nayakji and opened yet another chapter in my quest.
As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Shri V. S. Nayak was an upasak (worshipper) of Mukambika Devi and a Siddha. He could see past and future of a person and offer solutions through Poojas performed in temples (mainly Kuke Subramaniya Temple, near Mangalore). When in the temple and by the side of the idol of the deity, he used to see the life of the person in the flame of a lighted camphor as if he were watching a TV – after coming out of that temple room if somebody asked for some clarification, he used to say, "Do whatever I had said then. I do not know anything now". Meaning that instructions were a download from Devi and do not reside in his mind.
One day, I was just telling the experiences narrated to me by my friend to other friends. Two of them became very interested in meeting Nayakji. I got an appointment for them. Since one of them was a lady, I asked my wife also to accompany. Once their sitting with Nayakji was over, he asked us (me and my wife) to come inside the Devi temple where he gives predictions. Though we were not interested but having been asked by Swamiji, it was not appropriate for us to decline.
So we sat by his side facing the deity. He burned a Camphor tablet and looking into its flames told me that your spiritual quest will not progress further because of Sarp Dosha (a Dosha caused by killing of a Sarp by someone in the family). He further added that the spiritual quest is linked to awakening of Kunadalini (coiled Sarp at the lowest end of spine) which will not happen unless this Dosha is got removed by two day long Poojas at Kuke Subramaniya Temple. And let me add that this Pooja is performed at fixed (nominal) amount in the temple controlled by Government and no benefit would accrue to Swamiji.
Though, at that time, I did not believe that Pooja performed by a priest can make a difference, having invested over 20 years of effort in spiritual quest, I did not want to take even an outside risk particularly when no harm could accrue to me by getting the Pooja performed and the recommendation was not motivated by monetary consideration.
So we went to the temple and were there for two days as a part a group of large number of persons who came for Pooja (one priest for each family). We took bath in a nearby river early in the morning and went to temple for Pooja. Pooja was very elaborate and food (prasadam) was to be taken from the temple only. Temple is very well managed and is set in picturesque surroundings. We felt good.
Next month (May 2006), Sachin Tendulkar also went to Kuke Subramaniya Temple. At that time he was having fitness problems (back problem and tennis elbow) for quite some time which was affecting his game. The Pooja was performed by Nayakji himself and there was a lot of media coverage. After that Tendulkar has performed brilliantly and there has been no fitness problem.
As for me, though I cannot say it with certainty, if it were a consequence of Pooja, I had the good fortune to be with a number of masters and was blessed by three masters by their visits to my house in next one year or so. Nobody had ever visited my house earlier.
Visit by a master to one’s house is considered as a most auspicious event in one’s life and bodes well for all aspects of life more so for one’s spiritual quest.
My reservations about the efficacy of Poojas performed by priests fell off. In fact Bhagwan Krishna in Bhagwat Gita says that those who perform prescribed Poojas, Yagnas and Rituals to propitiate different deities, definitely get prescribed results. But he adds that like all other worldly things, these gains are impermanent. They will sooner than later vanish. So instead of seeking worldly objects through these Karmas, one should seek him!
Mr. Nayak was a very affectionate and a fat man. His loving hug made us so joyous. He always insisted on our taking prasadam at his place. We also participated in Chandi Homes arranged by him twice. On those days he appeared to be possessed by Devi (did not appear to be in his senses) and used to bless the devotees with many things, mostly worldly. When I touched his feet he blessed by saying “Devi ke purna anugraha ko prapt ho (receive complete grace of Devi)!” It was such a joyous and blessed moment!
After that we used to often go to him, not for asking anything but for the sheer joy of meeting him. I also took few of my friends and relatives for predictions to him and they got the Poojas performed as advised.
Now something about how Nayakji became a worshipper and how attained to Siddhies. He was a senior executive in a multinational company given to all good things in life, a party goer and a good eater. One night Devi came in his dreams asking him to give up drinks and western dress. Obviously he did not take notice of it – who takes such a dream seriously? The dream was repeated. He again did not take notice. Then he found that the western outfits in his cupboard are burnt. When he left a bottle of whisky on the table and went for fetching a glass, the bottle vanished. And these instances got repeated. He was, obviously, disturbed and agitated. Some of his friends told him it could be the work of some evil spirit or of a Tantrik and seek help of some Tantrik.
But he was a man of courage and did not seek external help for resolution of this problem. Instead he shouted in his flat asking the evil doer to appear before him. And Devi appeared with a smile and told him to do what she had asked him in his dreams as she had chosen him for some work. He was not given any option and was made to comply. He was instructed and trained by Devi in the performance of rituals relating to Devi Upasana directly by appearing in person or by leaving written instructions on the walls of the house. He had to give up his job and became very poor – family was in a very precarious condition.
One day Devi asked him to get up early in the morning and take bath at 4 in the morning. He said I will not take bath with cold water. If she wants him to get ready, she has to arrange for warm water. She did it for him.
On another occasion, to test him, Devi lied besides him in bed as a beautiful young nude girl. When he observed her presence and before he could get carried away, he suddenly became aware that it may be Devi herself. As soon as this realization dawned on him Devi was standing with an affectionate smile.
Narrating this incident Nayakji told me that for a Guru or a Siddha it is necessary to become free of sexual desire (turn celibate) as he would be coming in contact with young female devotees. Mind should not get an opportunity to surreptitiously come back and deceive one in believing that it a mere body to body relationship and that one has gone beyond that (a saint recently came in controversy because of this). Otherwise it may lead to his fall.
Slowly he was trained in rituals and finally when he passed all the tests, Devi asked him what does he want? He said, he did not want anything and it is she who has picked him up so she can give whatever she wants to give. But he added that he only wants one thing that when anybody approaches him with some problem, he should not be telling him that this is the result of his past Karmas and that nothing can be done. If one has to necessarily suffer consequences of one’s past actions, where is the need for going to a Siddha or temple or for praying to God? She said OK and blessed him with power to see the problems of devotees and offer solutions.
Thereafter with the blessing of Devi, he constructed a beautiful Mukambika Devi Temple in Bangalore and devoted his life to serve the devotees till he left us early in the year 2009.
To be contd. …
P. S. : In coming posts I will be discussing not only about ‘How I was put on to the Path and got connected to the Gurus’ but also about some of my fellow travelers. Therefore, instead of ‘How was I’, the header is changed to ‘How were we’.
Soon after that once I had been in Delhi and felt like buying some low priced editions of Osho's books from the publisher. There I picked up about 25 books containing lectures on saints of Bhakti period like Raidas, Rajjab, Paltu, Nanak etc. though apparently I was not a Bhakta. I relished reading each of these books and my attitude was getting molded effortlessly (reading Shastras is thus crucial).
Supported by such attitudinal modification, the understanding from the book "Hidden Mysteries", referred to above, was further strengthened when I became receptive to energies in the temples and also around evolved one’s in the year 2004 (consequence of following practices given by Sadguru Jaggi Vasudeva for about one and half year on the base built by Osho in 17 years before that).
Thus I was smoothly led into Prarthana and my faith in its efficacy was strengthened by the feedback from my wife. But how could a Pooja performed by someone else (a priest) help a person, still did not make sense to me.
At this point in time Mungale Sir asked me if I could get a good piece of Sandal Wood for him for Pooja as one could get good quality in Bangalore. Since I did not know where to get it, I asked some of my friends. One of them told me that he will get it for me. When he came with a piece of Sandal Wood, I asked him from where did he get it. I wanted to know so that next time, if needed, I will get it myself. He told me that he also did not know but got it from one Swami V. S. Nayak. I was surprised to know that he knew Nayakji closely and could get me an appointment for someone (I myself had nothing to ask) whenever needed.
Actually having been told about him by my friend (Krishna Sahay), I tried to contact him a few times for resolution of problems of my friends and relatives, but could not get to him for a few months. Search for Sandalwood led me to Nayakji and opened yet another chapter in my quest.
As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Shri V. S. Nayak was an upasak (worshipper) of Mukambika Devi and a Siddha. He could see past and future of a person and offer solutions through Poojas performed in temples (mainly Kuke Subramaniya Temple, near Mangalore). When in the temple and by the side of the idol of the deity, he used to see the life of the person in the flame of a lighted camphor as if he were watching a TV – after coming out of that temple room if somebody asked for some clarification, he used to say, "Do whatever I had said then. I do not know anything now". Meaning that instructions were a download from Devi and do not reside in his mind.
One day, I was just telling the experiences narrated to me by my friend to other friends. Two of them became very interested in meeting Nayakji. I got an appointment for them. Since one of them was a lady, I asked my wife also to accompany. Once their sitting with Nayakji was over, he asked us (me and my wife) to come inside the Devi temple where he gives predictions. Though we were not interested but having been asked by Swamiji, it was not appropriate for us to decline.
So we sat by his side facing the deity. He burned a Camphor tablet and looking into its flames told me that your spiritual quest will not progress further because of Sarp Dosha (a Dosha caused by killing of a Sarp by someone in the family). He further added that the spiritual quest is linked to awakening of Kunadalini (coiled Sarp at the lowest end of spine) which will not happen unless this Dosha is got removed by two day long Poojas at Kuke Subramaniya Temple. And let me add that this Pooja is performed at fixed (nominal) amount in the temple controlled by Government and no benefit would accrue to Swamiji.
Though, at that time, I did not believe that Pooja performed by a priest can make a difference, having invested over 20 years of effort in spiritual quest, I did not want to take even an outside risk particularly when no harm could accrue to me by getting the Pooja performed and the recommendation was not motivated by monetary consideration.
So we went to the temple and were there for two days as a part a group of large number of persons who came for Pooja (one priest for each family). We took bath in a nearby river early in the morning and went to temple for Pooja. Pooja was very elaborate and food (prasadam) was to be taken from the temple only. Temple is very well managed and is set in picturesque surroundings. We felt good.
Next month (May 2006), Sachin Tendulkar also went to Kuke Subramaniya Temple. At that time he was having fitness problems (back problem and tennis elbow) for quite some time which was affecting his game. The Pooja was performed by Nayakji himself and there was a lot of media coverage. After that Tendulkar has performed brilliantly and there has been no fitness problem.
As for me, though I cannot say it with certainty, if it were a consequence of Pooja, I had the good fortune to be with a number of masters and was blessed by three masters by their visits to my house in next one year or so. Nobody had ever visited my house earlier.
Visit by a master to one’s house is considered as a most auspicious event in one’s life and bodes well for all aspects of life more so for one’s spiritual quest.
My reservations about the efficacy of Poojas performed by priests fell off. In fact Bhagwan Krishna in Bhagwat Gita says that those who perform prescribed Poojas, Yagnas and Rituals to propitiate different deities, definitely get prescribed results. But he adds that like all other worldly things, these gains are impermanent. They will sooner than later vanish. So instead of seeking worldly objects through these Karmas, one should seek him!
Mr. Nayak was a very affectionate and a fat man. His loving hug made us so joyous. He always insisted on our taking prasadam at his place. We also participated in Chandi Homes arranged by him twice. On those days he appeared to be possessed by Devi (did not appear to be in his senses) and used to bless the devotees with many things, mostly worldly. When I touched his feet he blessed by saying “Devi ke purna anugraha ko prapt ho (receive complete grace of Devi)!” It was such a joyous and blessed moment!
After that we used to often go to him, not for asking anything but for the sheer joy of meeting him. I also took few of my friends and relatives for predictions to him and they got the Poojas performed as advised.
Now something about how Nayakji became a worshipper and how attained to Siddhies. He was a senior executive in a multinational company given to all good things in life, a party goer and a good eater. One night Devi came in his dreams asking him to give up drinks and western dress. Obviously he did not take notice of it – who takes such a dream seriously? The dream was repeated. He again did not take notice. Then he found that the western outfits in his cupboard are burnt. When he left a bottle of whisky on the table and went for fetching a glass, the bottle vanished. And these instances got repeated. He was, obviously, disturbed and agitated. Some of his friends told him it could be the work of some evil spirit or of a Tantrik and seek help of some Tantrik.
But he was a man of courage and did not seek external help for resolution of this problem. Instead he shouted in his flat asking the evil doer to appear before him. And Devi appeared with a smile and told him to do what she had asked him in his dreams as she had chosen him for some work. He was not given any option and was made to comply. He was instructed and trained by Devi in the performance of rituals relating to Devi Upasana directly by appearing in person or by leaving written instructions on the walls of the house. He had to give up his job and became very poor – family was in a very precarious condition.
One day Devi asked him to get up early in the morning and take bath at 4 in the morning. He said I will not take bath with cold water. If she wants him to get ready, she has to arrange for warm water. She did it for him.
On another occasion, to test him, Devi lied besides him in bed as a beautiful young nude girl. When he observed her presence and before he could get carried away, he suddenly became aware that it may be Devi herself. As soon as this realization dawned on him Devi was standing with an affectionate smile.
Narrating this incident Nayakji told me that for a Guru or a Siddha it is necessary to become free of sexual desire (turn celibate) as he would be coming in contact with young female devotees. Mind should not get an opportunity to surreptitiously come back and deceive one in believing that it a mere body to body relationship and that one has gone beyond that (a saint recently came in controversy because of this). Otherwise it may lead to his fall.
Slowly he was trained in rituals and finally when he passed all the tests, Devi asked him what does he want? He said, he did not want anything and it is she who has picked him up so she can give whatever she wants to give. But he added that he only wants one thing that when anybody approaches him with some problem, he should not be telling him that this is the result of his past Karmas and that nothing can be done. If one has to necessarily suffer consequences of one’s past actions, where is the need for going to a Siddha or temple or for praying to God? She said OK and blessed him with power to see the problems of devotees and offer solutions.
Thereafter with the blessing of Devi, he constructed a beautiful Mukambika Devi Temple in Bangalore and devoted his life to serve the devotees till he left us early in the year 2009.
To be contd. …
P. S. : In coming posts I will be discussing not only about ‘How I was put on to the Path and got connected to the Gurus’ but also about some of my fellow travelers. Therefore, instead of ‘How was I’, the header is changed to ‘How were we’.
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