Reading Shastras and being in a holy place

Last month I was with Supeji with three of my friends who came in contact with me in the Ashram of Nithyanandji.

One of them had been very closely associated with the meditation programmes conducted by Nithyanandji and his trained teachers. He was so close to Swamiji that cremation of his father was performed by Swamiji in his Ashram.

I was quite impressed by his joyful state and used to enjoy long chats with him. Once when I told him that with my eyes closed, I am relaxed and maintain awareness of my body but not when my eyes are open, he had said that you are already capable of that – just try. In fact it was he who convinced me to get initiated into healing after I had done one of the programmes called NSP. As he had said, it helped me immensely.

Later, in 2006 when Ashram activities expanded and emphasis started shifting to resource mobilization and creation of infrastructure, he felt that the Ashram is going on the lines as any other organized institution and is likely to degenerate. He, therefore, got dissociated from active participation in the Ashram activities.

Out of the other two friends, I find that one of them is quite assured and relaxed now than what she was in the year 2007 when I met her first during Himalya Yatra (at that she had too many questions to ask). They got disenchanted with Swamiji after the recent controversies about his conduct.

But as I can see it, all of us are helped on our path by Swamiji. When I said this, though I cannot reproduce his exact words, I heard Supeji say something like, “No doubt about his evolution. But nobody, not even a saint, can escape one’s Prarabdha. If someone has to suffer loss of reputation, it will happen – no matter what. Further, when one declares himself to be God and starts getting Pooja offered to him, one has to pay a price for that.”

To another question relating to sadhana put up by one of my friends – how to go about it, I heard him say something like,

“Read shatras. And there is way to read shastras. Read a few slokas (also translation if one does not understand Sanskrit) narrating a scene, close your eyes and visualize that scene. Go through the emotion as if you are one of the characters in the shastra.

Reading shastra is a process for realization. When, while reading, one goes through a particular emotion (say anger, hatred, moha etc.), that emotion is purged and one becomes free of that gradually. And this can be willed. While sitting to read a shastra, one can suggest it to oneself that reading it is going to purify me and lead to my realization.

Similarly being in a place of pilgrimage is also a process of realisation. One should not be in hurry to just visit a place or a temple and rush elsewhere. One should stay in a holy place for a few days. Read Sthan Purana (story about the place and Leelas performed there by God) and visit places / temples mentioned in such Purana a few times and be there for sometime.

In fact all the spots where God performed Leela, which we know today, were re-found by the seers by being in these places and by following the directions (regarding location) given in shastras.”