How we met ... Part - XIX ... with Vishuddhanandji and Amar Jyoti Ji

Guru – destroyer of our beliefs and mental barriers

I had been to many a part of Himachal Pradesh from 11^th to 18^th of July.  It was a fascinating experience – ever changing mountain panorama and much more.

First day we stayed in a Circuit House in Narkanda.  It is in deep forests – very tranquil.  Cooks prepare delicious cuisines for the guests.  Next morning we rose in our beds and as usual me and my wife started meditating – the experience was deep – perhaps an effect of peace of deep forests and may be something mysterious likely in a place which has been a place of sadhana of large number of seekers.  Before breakfast we went to a beautiful temple (Hatu) on the top of a nearby (8 Kms) mountain.  It is neat and clean and has beautiful carvings of many a deity.  Its beauty is further enhanced by the beautiful view of thick forests and mountains all around.

On way to Sangla, we had our lunch at Sarahan and visited ancient Bhadrakaali temple located there.  Sangla again is beautiful valley and from there we went to Chitkul – last village on Indian side and then proceeded to Kalpa near Recang Peo.  Recang Peo is the headquarter of district Kinnaur.  It is surrounded by snow clad Himalyan peaks and if one is lucky one can see a 30-40 feet long Shivling (known as kinner Kailash) located on a distant mountain (these peaks are normally covered with clouds) across a deep valley.  We had the fortune of beholding beautiful view of Kinner Kailash.

Next on our itinerary were Nako, Tabo and Kaza – these places are situated in almost barren mountains with different colours and textures and offer a rare scenic beauty.  In the morning we went to Komic village – highest village (14,700 feet) with a population of 114 and a nearby village Langza – highest polling station in Asia.

Near Kaza, there is Key – a Buddhist monastery headed by 19^th incarnation of a master.  We had the fortune of having his blessings (he had returned to the monastery only a day before), photographs with him and had lunch in the monastery.  In the night we stayed at Losar (at a height of about 13,500 feet).

Road from Losar to Rohtang paas is very rough and flowing mountain streams with large stones cross the road at about a dozen places – it was a difficult day accompanied with light drizzle from time to time.

The best was yet to come. 

We reached Palampur on 18^th evening and straight away drove to an Ashram as the saint there does not give durshan after 4 pm – we reached there at about 3.45 pm.  This is the Ashram where a 137 year old saint, Sri Sri 1008 Sri Vishuddhanand Saraswati lives.  At this age (though he appears quite old) he prepares Khir as a prasad for his devotees every day.  People say that this Prasad is not exhausted irrespective of number of devotees visiting him and that the patra in which it is kept is an akshay patra.  He does not talk much and when time was up and his assistants asked us to rise, he indicated to us to sit for some time more.  Me and my wife sitting just in front of him had eye contact with him for quite some time.  We must have surely been purified by his glance – a rare grace.

That evening we then went to Baidyanaath temple.  Elaborate pooja was performed by the priest.  We were sitting around the Shivlinga in the Garbha Graha.  The priest also narrated to us the legend behind this temple.  He explained that the place where I was sitting, Ravana did his tapasya sitting there for 1200 years.  When Shiva did not give him darshan, considering no use of such a body, he cut his head and offered it to Shiva.  It got joined again.  Since such surgery can be done only by a Vaidya, this temple came to be known as Baidyanaath.  Since Shiva did not give him darshan even after that, he continued cutting his head and offering it and that is how he came to have 10 heads and became dashanan.  On the request of devatas then Shiva gave him darshan.  He requested Shiva to go with him to Lanka.  He agreed with the condition that on way to Lanka he should not keep him down.  And as the legend goes, as he was on his way to Lanka, devatas conspired to create strong urge for urination in him and he had to request someone to hold the Shivlinga for a while.  And as he could not come back within agreed time, the person kept the Shivlinga down at Deoghar, Bihar and Ravana could not then lift it from there.  That is how Baidyanath temple came to be established at Deoghar as well.

Then it was time for us to visit another saint, Swami Amar Jyoti, who is said to be 148 years old.  When we went in an exquisitely built hall a little after 6.00 pm, havan, which is a daily practice there, was being performed by five persons.  The hall is adorned with a painting of legendry Mahaavtar Baba with beautiful garland over it.  Swamiji is one of the disciple of Mahaavtar baba (many others initiated by Mahaavtar baba or his disciples include Lahiri Mahshaya referred to in the Autobiography of a Yogi and Shri ‘M’, a saint living at a place 3 hours drive from Bangalore on Andhra border).

A little while later a stoutly built agile tall man in white choga (looked around 55 years of age) entered the hall – a breathtaking spectacle.  There was no mistaking that he was Swami Amar Jyoti.  We offered pranam and charan sparsh to him.  He did not allow any of us to bow down fully and touch his feet, instead he took us in his arms and kissed our foreheads – an unusual and rare way to bless.

He took me by hand and made me sit by the side of the main persons performing havan and asked him to make me participate in the performing havan.  Rest of us were taken by him outside the hall in a beautiful verandah overlooking beautiful landscape and mountain ranges.  After performing havan, I joined others sitting in chairs with him in the verandah.  We had nice tea, dry fruits and biscuits and got back into the hall as it was dark by then and mosquitoes started troubling a few of us.  We sat on the floor in front of him.  Sensing that my wife may have problem in sitting on the floor for long, he asked her to take a moodha.

At that time one Sardarji came to visit him in connection with creation of a statue of Nandi to be mounted on a 45 foot high pole in Gaushala.  Swamiji has been offered about 100 acres of land in district Hoshiarpur by a devotee.  He has plans to plant mango trees on that land and have a Gaushala in shades around a 100x100 meter lawn.  He showed us the outlay.  Swamiji elaborately discussed the deficiencies in the cast for the statue prepared by Sardarji and asked me to visit his Gaushala where truly beautiful cows and a bull were there.  He also asked one of his foreign devotees who is an artist to make a sketch of Nandi from the photograph of the young bull in his Gaushala to assist Sardarji.  He was discussing all this for long as a normal businessman would do.

No preaching.  Conducts himself like anyone else.  Great.

When I was performing havan, others were chit chatting with Swamiji outside.  Later, my wife narrated some of this to me. 

Around 1938 he lived in Amarnath cave for about 5 years.  His passport, for many years, bore that address.  He also told my wife and others that earlier he was not wearing his present white robe, had very long hairs and that he used to keep half of them in front part of the body and other half on the back and tied them with a rope.

He also shared one incident when he was proceeding towards a forest.  People around told him not to venture into that forest as a ferocious lioness kills everyone who goes that side.  On being asked about the reason, they told him that one shepherd had taken her two cubs.  He asked for the cubs and wanted to proceed with the cubs towards the forest.  People around were apprehensive but he told them not to feel concerned as he is going there to return the cubs and that no harm will come to him.  He went to the forest and was confronted with the lioness in an aggressive posture.  He let one of the cubs go towards her.  She was calmed.  He then let another cub go.  Both started having her milk.  Swamiji also joined in and had her milk.  Later the thought of taking one of her cubs arose in his mind.  Sensing that, the lioness threw one of her cubs towards him like a football.  He took the cub and proceeded back.  He and the lioness were turning around from time to time to see and continued departing till they could no longer see each other.

Swamiji brought up the cub on milk and vegetarian eatables.  Once he had to leave for some pilgrimage and left the cub with army personnel with the request to give him milk and vegetarion food only, but they started giving him meat.  Soon, the cub grew large and started hunting for goats and sheep from the nearby villages.  When Swamiji was back, on complaint from the villagers about the attacks of young lion, he got gold rings and silver kadas made for him.  Rings were put in his ears and kadas in his feet (Nath sampradaya has this kind of tradition) before Swamiji took him back to the forest and left him there.

My colleague who is in contact with him also told me that he has been going to Kailash Mansarover twice a year since 1902 and that he has visited it from every possible rout.  One of his disciple showed me one of his photographs sitting on the frozen Mansarover lake in his usual white robe (choga).  He also said that he does not eat anything and also does not take water – consequently no need for toilet.  When we were there with him and were taking tea, dry fruits and biscuits; my wife offered these things to him also, he declined saying in lighter vein that there should be someone to see also when others are taking – no assertion and no pretensions.

My wife asked him for allowing us to take a photograph with him, again in a lighter vein he gracefully declined by saying that if he did so, we will not visit him next morning.  While departing, he asked us to have prasad in the Ashram.  We took prasad and came back. 

I obviously have strong desire to visit him as many times as possible before I leave Chandigarh on my retirement this December.

Whenever I meet a saint, I usually narrate my experience to my Guruji, Shri G V Mungale.  To share the truth, I had a little doubt if he really does not take any food or water.  When I told Guruji about it, sensing my doubt, he said people have doubts or get surprised when they hear something like this.  And setting my doubts to rest, he said that the fact is that saints (yogis) like these have everything directly from Panch Mahabhootas and have no such needs as we have.

On coming back I also reflected on one of the happenings – he took me alone by hand and made me take part in havan.  Many years back (sometime in 2006 or so), I was asked by Nithyanandji to take part in three day long Yagnas (havan) at Salem.  I went there but left the place in half a day.  Swami Virajeshwaraji used to celebrate three events in his Ashram (Ram Navami, Guru Poornima and Geeta Jayanti) and elaborate havan was part of each of these functions as well.  There appears to be an indication for me in these exposures / happenings.  When Gurus in such exalted states find havan to be necessary, how long can my resistance last?  In fact I come from a family of Arya Samajis and performing havan was common happening in our house when I was a child.

In my earlier posts I have shared my experiences as to how my reservations / resistance to japa and writing Ram Nam had to give way to these useful practices.  Performing Havan may be next in line.

Real freedom (moksha) is when we are free of all beliefs and mental barriers.  In a subtle way (even without our knowledge) and with infinite patience Guru alone does it to us! He is the destroyer of ignorance!!  His compassion is boundless!!!