Face of Jesus Christ sighted 40 years back over the Somail Desert.

This amazing sighting was photographed by an unknown US Marine over the Somali Desert.
About 40 years back this was published in an Indian weekly called "Blitz".
The description given by the paper said that the face of Christ spread over a distance of nearly 500 miles in the sky.

My Paintings

Sublime Journey Towards GOD

SUBLIME JOURNEY TOWARDS GOD

by

Swami Dattavadhut

Chapter 1

Thus God Almighty Became a Human Being

     In the beginning of Time, there was only Cosmic Energy and nothing else across all Universes. This Cosmic Energy is what we all worship as God Almighty. Thereupon, God Almighty willed that Cosmic Energy manifest Itself in various forms. Hence, God Almighty manifested Himself as several Divine Flames. Each and every Divine Flame, in turn, manifested Itself as a Celestial Man and Woman.*

      All the Universes are the playground of God Almighty. All forms in which the Almighty manifested Himself such as these Celestial Men and Women were embodiments of Light and Pure Bliss, and were truly omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. All these forms of Cosmic Energy are what we worship as the Almighty, or Gods and Goddesses. In yogic parlance, such a divine manifestation is called Supreme Causal Body (Mahakaran- Deha).

      From the above, readers would understand that every human being, good or bad, is, inherently, a Supreme Causal Body i.e. God Almighty Himself.

       Thereafter, as part of His Cosmic Play, God Almighty created the Causal Body. The Causal Body also appears like a flame, about two inches in size, and is located between the two eyebrows of a human being. The Causal Body is the abode of man’s Subconscious Mind, which is the repository of each and every karma (deed) i.e. each thought, word and action indulged by man’s soul in each of its birth till date. The Subconscious Mind takes man’s soul to its rightful place after the demise of his current birth.

      This Causal Body subsists on imagination. When a yogi, or an aspirant, is able to will himself to stop imagining forever, then his Causal Body extinguishes Itself and the yogi, or the aspirant, becomes God Almighty.

      To become God Almighty is our birthright - and every human should and must strive for it. The aspirant who attains the state of Causal Body is called a Saint.

      Prior to creating the Subconscious Mind, the Almighty was living in the form of Gods and Goddesses in separate pure Causal Bodies. However, God became disenchanted with this Cosmic Play because each and every aspect of this Divine Play became instantaneously known to all the Players viz. whatever was the will of any Causal Body was not only fulfilled instantaneously, but also became instantly known to every other Causal Body. This created disenchantment in the Cosmic Play and, hence, God Almighty created the Subconscious Mind and also an Astral Body. Whilst the Almighty kept the Subconscious Mind in the Causal Body, He kept Intellect and Mind in the Astral Body. In addition, the Almighty bound the Astral Body by a Code of Conduct. The Astral Body is what we refer to as a ‘Soul’ or a ‘Spirit’.

      The Astral Body subsists on thoughts.

      When a yogi, or an aspirant, is able to will himself to stop thinking forever, then his Astral Body dissolves completely, and he enters the Causal Body.

     

      Thus God made His Divine Play enchanting by creating the Astral Body.

      Each and every human has an Astral Body. (Other aspects of Creation like animals, birds, plants, trees, etc. also have an Astral Body as well as ‘mind’ and ‘emotions’; however, they are not part of the subject of this book.) As mentioned above, this Astral Body is what we call as a Soul (or Spirit). A human’s Astral Body appears very similar to his Physical Body, and is of the same form and size. When the Astral Body (Soul or Spirit) departs from man’s Physical Body, then his Physical Body is considered to be dead. Readers would now understand that we, truly speaking, are not a material Physical Body but a subtle Astral Body (Soul or Spirit); and the Physical Body is only a vehicle that is to be used by the Soul (or Spirit) to come closer to God Almighty, which is our true Self. This sublime journey is what we all know as the Path of Self-realization.

      When we are asleep, the Astral Body sometimes leaves our Physical Body to do astral-travelling for several thousands of miles. During such astral-travelling, the Astral Body remains connected to our Physical Body by a silver cord that emerges from our navel. This cord looks as bright as silver. At the time of death of our Physical Body, the Astral Body (Soul or Spirit) comes out and the silver cord is cut automatically.

      The Almighty has formulated a Code of Conduct for the Astral Body. In the following section, we will dwell upon some divine rules governing the Astral Body. For this purpose, we will refer to the Astral Body (i.e. the Soul or Spirit), which lives inside a man’s Physical Body, as man:

i.    Man (Astral Body) will forget that he himself is God Almighty till such time he is able to forever stop nurturing thoughts and imagination.

ii.   Be it a man or a woman, every karma (deed) of a human being is faithfully recorded in the Subconscious Mind that is in their Causal Body.

iii.  The Soul (Astral Body) will not attain salvation till the seed of each and every karma recorded in its Subconscious Mind, is not entirely eradicated.                          

iv.  Every karma (deed) gives birth to several kinds of thoughts and imagination, and their resultant consequences. [As per the dictates of this particular divine rule, a Soul (or Spirit) is unable to discover the Path to Salvation despite undergoing several thousands of human-births.]

v.   Man has to necessarily bear the consequences of each and every karma (deed) committed by him – As You Sow, so shall You Reap! 

vi.  Just as a farmer who sows a hundred seeds bears fruit umpteen times over, similarly, a human being will gain umpteen times of what he donates in charity.

     

vii. The one who serves others, will receive help from people many times over; one who loves others selflessly, will receive love many times over.

viii.One who will hurt or cause injury and harm unto others, will have to undergo the same manifold in several future births.

ix.  Greed and selfishness will invite a lot of agony and pain in man’s life.

x.   Wealthy or poor, man will always be restless and never be peaceful and happy; he will only attain peacefulness and joy when he merges into his Supreme Causal Body i.e. God Almighty Himself. This is called the state of Self-realization.

      Thus, by binding the Soul (Astral Body) by several Divine Rules, God Almighty manifested Himself as a human being made of bone and flesh.

     

      In this manner, several celestial Men and Women were manifested by God in the beginning. Thereafter, these celestial Men and Women used to create humans, of any desired form, gender and youthfulness, as per the power of their mental-resolve or will. After several years of such Cosmic Play, the Almighty decreed that humans be procreated through physical intercourse.

      The above traces the journey of how God Almighty devolved into a human being. Now, I would like to retrace the sublime spiritual journey of how a human being can evolve into God Almighty:

Physical Body that subsists on air, food and water → Astral Body (Soul or Spirit) that subsists on thoughts → Causal Body that subsists on imagination → Supreme Causal Body that is God Almighty Himself, which remains ever-connected to Cosmic Energy.

     

      As is evident from above, there is God Almighty in each one of us, and I would like to share a few real-life situations in evidence of the same:

i.    Everybody thinks – “I am right...”     This feeling arises from the fount of the godly aspect of righteousness within. However, when this feeling of righteousness mixes with ego, greed, selfishness, etc. in our day-to-day lives, our spiritual journey goes astray and consequences are disastrous.

ii.   Everybody thinks – “I want joy, I want happiness...” This feeling arises in each one’s mind because he, originally, is a divine ocean of joy and bliss. Each one’s Subconscious Mind remembers this divine bliss and joy. However, when this divine feeling arises and mixes with ego, greed, selfishness, etc. in the man’s mind, his pursuit of joy gets derailed and he vainly seeks happiness in worldly things. Needless, the consequences are extremely disappointing and varied.

      Thus, driven by various kinds of thoughts and imagination, man gets perpetually entangled in fulfilling his worldly desires. For this, he repeatedly takes birth and dies as per his karma viz. sometimes as a prince, other times as a beggar, and sometimes as a lower-form of an animal or beast due to extremely evil karma. To liberate himself from this Cycle of Birth and Death and to merge unto God Almighty, which is his true Self (Supreme Causal Body), man has to necessarily surrender himself to God Almighty Who resides nowhere but within, in man’s own heart. Ironically, instead of searching for God within, man seeks Him without in scriptures, pilgrimages, etc.

Aum

Chapter 2

Easy Sadhanas (Practices) for Achieving Rapid Spiritual Progress

      In this chapter, I am going to enumerate eight vital sadhanas (spiritual practices), each of which will enable an aspirant to attain Self-realization. Only the first practice namely, Nada-sadhana (or Laya-yoga), is slightly difficult.

1.   Nada-sadhana (Laya-yoga)

      God lives within man in the form of breath. Nada-sadhana (Laya-yoga) means to concentrate on the celestial sound of one’s breathing. By concentrating on his breathing, man can achieve spiritual progress and come closer to God Almighty.

      Nada-sadhana (Laya-yoga) is performed as follows:

-     Sit straight, absolutely motionless, facing the East or North or North-east direction, and breathe deeply so as to direct the breath towards the Adnya-chakra.

-     During such inhalation and exhalation, you will hear a sound ‘Suuu…’. Listen attentively to this sound. This is called Laya-yoga. Some aspirants also call this practice as Om- sadhana.

      Nada-sadhana (Laya-yoga) is extremely important to attain Self-realization. I strongly advise you to do this sadhana daily for at least one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.

      The one whose prarabdha (fate) is pure, such a person can attain the highly exalted state of Paramahans by doing Nada-sadhana. However, if his fate is not adequately pure, then the aspirant will face obstacles from forces in the Unseen World. To overcome these obstacles, the aspirant should indulge in devotion to a satvic Deity. He should chant a couple of mantras or stotras (hymns) in praise of his satvic Deity for at least 10,000 times.

      In the beginning, the aspirant may experience a whirlpool of thoughts in his mind. As a result, he’s likely to get swayed in the current of these thoughts, and find it difficult to perform Nada-sadhana (Laya-yoga). If the aspirant gets distracted in this manner, then he needs to resolutely try again and again to perform Laya-yoga. If the aspirant is still unable to perform this practice despite repeated attempts, then he should stop trying and wander about in the open air for about 15-20 minutes. Thereafter, he should repeatedly chant his satvic Deity’s mantra or hymn for at least 30 minutes and, then again, try to perform Laya-yoga. If the aspirant continually performs this practice, then thoughts gradually diminish in his mind and, eventually, cease to enter his mind. In yogic parlance, this exalted thought-free state of mind is called Savikalpa-samadhi, which is a deep meditative thought-free state wherein the aspirant is conscious of doing meditation.

      When an aspirant begins to perform meditation, he sees darkness in front of his closed eyes in the beginning. This darkness is called Bhootakash. God’s Kingdom lies exactly beyond this darkness i.e. Bhootakash. In order to transcend this darkness, the aspirant has to either chant God’s Name or stotras (hymns), or concentrate on his breathing. Concentration on breathing is adequate for higher-level aspirants; however, for lower-level aspirants, it is essential to repeatedly chant God’s Name or stotras (hymns) in their mind. Gradually, lower-level aspirants will be able to concentrate on their breathing even as they mentally chant God’s Name or hymn. Progressively, the aspirant is able to experience how his breath is getting directed towards his Adnya-chakra, and circling around the chakra. At this stage, his mind temporarily becomes non-existent, as a result of which, mental chanting of God’s Name or hymns automatically cease, and the aspirant attains Savikalpa-samadhi.

      Progressively, this darkness (Bhootakash) vanishes, and a cloudy sky begins to appear in one’s meditation. This is called Chittakash. This cloudy sky takes on different hues like red, pink, blue, turquoise blue, etc. In due course, the aspirant envisions a jyoti i.e. a flame. In yogic parlance, this jyoti (flame) is called Kala. This jyoti (flame) is about two inches in size. This jyoti (flame) is nothing but the aspirant’s Causal Body. From this jyoti (flame), many Adepts, Yogis, Gods and Goddesses, and Deities emerge, and give darshan (holy visitation) to the aspirant and bless him. The aspirant experiences bliss, and knowledge and joy spring forth from his heart.

     

      Progressing further in his meditation, the aspirant transcends Chittakash and enters in the Chidakash. After entering Chidakash, the aspirant envisions a Neel-bindu (blue dot). Sometimes, this blue-dot looks like a gas-lighter spark, and sometimes it is of the size of a mustard seed. This Neel-bindu (blue dot) is nothing but the aspirant’s Supreme Causal Body. Many times, a Mahayogi emerges out of the Neel-bindu (blue dot) and gives darshan (holy visitation) to the aspirant. Sometimes, the aspirant’s own form emerges from the Neel-bindu (blue dot). Chidakash is also called the region of Supreme Absolute (Mahashunya). At this stage, the aspirant now needs to only perform the required sadhana (practice) to merge with Chidakash i.e. Supreme Absolute. In yogic parlance, merging with the Supreme Absolute is called Nirvikalpa-samadhi.

      Prior to attaining this exalted state of Nirvikalpa-samadhi, an aspirant is blessed with several divine experiences as per his spiritual stature. Some such divine experiences are mentioned below:

i.    The aspirant sees with his own eyes his crystal-like luminous Astral Body.

ii.   On many occasions, he envisions Deities in his Astral Body.

iii.  Some aspirants envision their seven Chakras i.e. Centres of Knowledge, and also beeja-mantras in their body as well as on the petals of their plexuses.

iv.  Some aspirants envision Deities in place of their Chakras.

v.   Some aspirants are blessed with the darshan (holy visitation) of Adepts, Gods and Goddesses, Who provide spiritual guidance to the aspirant.

vi.  Devotees receive a lot of joy on meeting such aspirants. They also achieve spiritual progress.

     

            Whichever Deity’s mantra is continually chanted by the aspirant, that same Deity manifests Himself (or Herself) before the aspirant, and gives him guidance and divine powers. In this manner, the aspirant achieves mantra-siddhi (i.e. bringing a mantra to full potency) of mantras pertaining to many Gods and Goddesses. Further, he also receives darshan (holy visitation) of many Gods and Goddesses.

            After the mind becomes thought-free, the aspirant attains Savikalpa-samadhi and enters in Chittakash. I have already mentioned above the various divine experiences the aspirant will receive on entering Chittakash. When the mind becomes totally free from imagination, then the aspirant attains Nirvikalpa-samadhi i.e. the pinnacle accomplishment through Laya-yoga.

            Even after attaining Nirvikalpa-samadhi, the aspirant is not be able to indefinitely live in this highly blissful state of consciousness because of demands of daily existence. Thus, even though he’s able to attain Nirvikalpa-samadhi whilst sitting or lying prone, he has to necessarily interrupt his blissful state of existence to attend to worldly duties. In the following section, we will dwell upon the spiritual bounty that an aspirant will gain based on how long he’s able to remain in the exalted state of Nirvikalpa-samadhi:

      -     7-minute Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant gains a lot of energy, radiance and enters into deep sleep.      

      -     15-minute Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant gains a lot of energy and many divine powers.

      -     1-hour Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant begins to gain knowledge of others’ fate.

      -     3-hour Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant gains knowledge about all the nadis (energy-meridians) in the human body.

      -     5-hour Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant can read others’ mind like an open book.

      -     7-hour Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant’s body begins to levitate in the air, or float on water.

      -     12-hour Nirvikalpa-samadhi: the aspirant can travel anywhere in the Universe with his Astral Body.

      -     1-day (24-hour) Nirvikalpa-samadhi: Adepts, Yogis, Siddhas, Mahasiddhas, Gods and Goddesses manifest Themselves before the aspirant and give him guidance.

      -     3-day Nirvikalpa-samadhi: The aspirant attains the capability to spiritually uplift hundreds of thousands of low-level spirits including earth-bound spirits.

      -     7-day Nirvikalpa-samadhi: The aspirant attains the capability to spiritually uplift Deities and Family-Deities of his devotees.

      -     1-month Nirvikalpa-samadhi: The aspirant attains various kinds of yogic powers.

      -     1-year Nirvikalpa-samadhi: The aspirant attains Siddha-state completely.

      -     12-year Nirvikalpa-samadhi: The aspirant becomes God Almighty.

2.   So-Hum sadhana

      To mentally chant ‘So’ during inhalation and ‘Hum’ during exhalation in meditation is called So-Hum sadhana. This is also called ajapajapa, which means automatic chanting from birth till death. This sadhana (practice) will also enable the aspirant to merge with the Supreme Absolute. Again, prior to merging with the Supreme Absolute through So-Hum sadhana, the aspirant will receive the same divine experiences as he would receive in Nada-sadhana (Laya-yoga).

      So-Hum means ‘I am That’, ‘or ‘I am God Almighty’. The insightful reader would now come to know that God Almighty – Who’s the Eternal Ocean of Bliss and Joy, and also the Ever-Fulfilling Tree of Man’s Wishes, and Who resides nowhere else but in man’s heart, is always making the proclamation – ‘So-Hum.., So-Hum.., So-Hum..’ through every breath of man from birth till death.

      Hunger and thirst drive the Physical Body to eat food and drink water; similarly, the Ego, which lives in the Astral Body, drives man’s Mind and Intellect and leads him astray most of the time in his life; further, the Subconscious Mind in the Causal Body continuously records the karma (deeds) indulged by man’s Ego every moment of his life and, accordingly, determines the consequences to be faced by man in this life or thereafter. 

      When man’s Ego is totally destroyed, then his Mind, Intellect and Physical Body get aligned in absolute harmony, and he merges into the Supreme Causal Body. As a result, God-consciousness awakens within him. Such a Soul is called The Enlightened One, Adept, Yogi, Siddha, Saint, etc.         

      Most Yogis stop their spiritual journey at Siddha-avastha i.e. state of Self-realization. Very few proceed further.      

3.   Akash-dhyan (Meditating on the Sky)

      In this practice, the aspirant should sit straight, absolutely motionless, facing the East or North or North-east direction, and gaze at the sky with wide-open eyes. The aspirant should perform this practice daily for at least 20 minutes in the morning and also for 20 minutes in the evening. After completing the practice, one should wash one’s eyes with cold water at least 4-5 times. Progressively, the aspirant should increase his practice-duration by one minute every week.

      After six months, the aspirant should stop gazing at the sky and, instead, begin to meditate with closed eyes. During this meditation, he should contemplate on the sky and also concentrate on his fontanel.

      After performing this practice i.e. Akash-dhyan for 2-3 years, the aspirant directly enters into Chidakash i.e. he merges with the Supreme Absolute.

4.   Pratibimb-dhyan (Meditating on One’s Image)  

      For this practice, a good quality full-size mirror is essential. The aspirant should sit straight, absolutely motionless, facing the East or North or North-east direction in front of a full-size mirror. Thereupon, he should gaze at his image and concentrate on the mid-point between the eyebrows of his image.            

     

      Beginning with 15 minutes of this practice daily, the aspirant should gradually increase the practice-duration by five minutes every week, eventually practising Pratibimb-dhyan for about three hours daily.

      This practice (Pratibimb-dhyan) enables the aspirant to enter Shunya i.e. region of The Absolute.

      When the aspirant attains mastery over Pratibimb-dhyan, he is bestowed with certain divine powers that enable him to produce and transmit as many of his images anywhere in the world to perform the necessary work.

5.   Jyoti-dhyan (Meditating on the Flame)

      This practice requires a lamp filled with pure ghee (clarified butter) to be lit, and kept on a table so that it is directly in one’s line of sight. In the beginning, the aspirant should gaze at the flame without blinking his eyelids for at least 15 minutes. He should do this practice (Jyoti-dhyan) daily and, gradually, increase its duration by five minutes every month. He should keep increasing the practice-duration till he’s able to do Jyoti-dhyan continuously for an hour.

      After practising one hour of Jyoti-dhyan daily for one full year, the aspirant should try to meditate with his eyes closed and concentrate on his fontanel. As mentioned earlier, he will receive several divine experiences and, eventually, attain Nirvikalpa-samadhi.

6.   Crystal gazing

      This practice requires a piece of pure, spotless and transparent crystal, or acrylic, about 3-4 inches in height. Everyday, the aspirant should gaze at this piece of pure crystal (or acrylic) for 15-20 minutes. Gradually, he should increase this crystal-gazing to 30 minutes. Whilst gazing at the crystal, the aspirant should concentrate on his breathing.

      This practice makes the aspirant’s Astral Body pure and transparent. He begins to envision Gods and Goddesses in his own Astral Body.

7.   Meditating on the Saffron Colour

      For this practice, at least one square foot of silk saffron cloth is required. This saffron cloth may be placed as a table cover, and positioned in such a manner that the morning sun’s rays reflect off it. The aspirant should gaze at the shining saffron cloth for 2-3 minutes and, thereafter, close his eyes. He will immediately see a turquoise blue-coloured bindu (dot) about 20 mm in size. The aspirant should focus on this turquoise blue bindu till it vanishes. After it vanishes, he should open his eyes and, yet again, gaze at the shining saffron cloth. He should perform this practice at least 5-6 times at a stretch.

  

      After doing this practice for a few months, the aspirant begins to experience a certain kind of joy.

8.   Meditating on the Rising and Setting Sun 

      The aspirant should see the rising and setting Sun daily for at least 30 seconds continuously, and then close his eyes and try to visualize the rising (or setting) Sun along with the sky. The aspirant should do this practice at least 15 times in the morning as well as in the evening.

      After a few months of meditating on the rising (or setting) Sun in this manner, the aspirant begins to regularly envision the Sun and the sky in his dreams. If he begins to receive such dreams, then the aspirant should understand that he’s indeed achieving spiritual progress. Thereupon, he should increasingly focus on mediating on the rising (or setting) Sun and, in addition, begin to practice So-Hum sadhana. Apart from doing both these sadhanas, the aspirant should also chant God’s Name or hymn daily for at least one hour.           

      After doing these practices diligently for at least 2-3 years, the aspirant’s Kundalini (Serpent-Power) is likely to get awakened.

Aum

Chapter 3

Conversations with A Master

Q1.            Swamiji, You proclaim that there is God Almighty in each one of us If this is true, then, does this mean that there are more than 6 billion Gods on this planet?    

A1.            Yes, there is nothing else but God Almighty all around, within and without. Billions of fishes live in the ocean with water inside and outside them; however, they lead independent and individual lives without realizing that they are indeed living in water. Similarly, billions of humans live in God Almighty without realizing that God Almighty i.e. Cosmic Energy is inside and outside their being.

Q2.            Swamiji, Who is the Controller of the Universe? 

A2.            To help understand my answer better, let me illustrate it with an example:

            Some people get together and decide to create a team game, let’s say Soccer. For this, they formulate the playing rules of the Game as well as rules that govern the Player’s conduct on the field of play. If a Player conducts himself appropriately, then he is duly rewarded; on the other hand, if he violates the rules, then he is duly punished. Thus, consequences and results of each Soccer Game are determined by the above-formulated rules and guidelines. Further, to administer and ensure the proper conduct of the Game, they create various Committees as well as Guidelines that govern the functioning of these Committees. All this ensures that the Game of Soccer is played till eternity even as individual members of a Team or Committee change over time…    

            …similarly, God Almighty, in the very beginning, manifested Himself as several Maharishis (Great Sages) on earth. Whilst all these Maharishis were originally manifested by God Almighty, a few of these Maharishis, in course of time, also took human-birth on earth to spiritually uplift mankind. All these Maharishis are the Controllers of the Universe. These Great Souls formulated the Rules of Living for all aspects of Creation on earth including humans, animals, birds, trees, etc. Millions of Gods and Goddesses, Deities, demi-Gods, etc. render service to these Maharishis to ensure absolute, faultless governance of the Universe including all living beings on earth. In this manner, God Almighty’s Creation has been in existence since time immemorial, and will continue to do so till eternity…

            There are three types of Siddhas.

            i.    Nitya-Siddha: These type of Siddhas have been in existence since the beginning of the Universe. Some of the Nitya-Siddhas take human-birth for the spiritual upliftment of mankind.

            ii.   Sadhana-Siddha: Some aspirants whole-heartedly dedicate themselves to sadhanas (spiritual practices), and become a Siddha. They are called Sadhana-Siddhas. Many aspirants perform Nada-sadhana (i.e. Laya-yoga) or So-Hum sadhana and become Sadhana-Siddhas.

            iii.  Kripa-Siddha: Some devout persons devotedly do Guru-seva and, by the Guru’s Grace, become a Siddha. They are called Kripa-Siddhas.

                             

Q3.            How do Planets and Constellations affect man’s life on earth?

A3.            Planets and Constellations are not merely bodies in space made of boulders, stone and soil; in fact, billions of powerful Cosmic Beings, unknown to mankind, live on each Planet and Constellation. These powerful Cosmic Beings are Unseen Forces that prevail upon all living beings on earth as per their karmic record.

Q4.            Whilst it’s important for an aspirant to sit absolutely motionless while doing sadhanas (spiritual practices), some persons may find it difficult to do so i.e. sit absolutely motionless. For such persons, what should they do to achieve spiritual progress?

A4.            For those who find it difficult to sit absolutely motionless and do sadhanas, such people can do japa, chanting of stotras (hymns), etc. This will enable them to proceed slowly on the spiritual path.

Q5.            Swamiji, are there any spiritual states to attain beyond Nirvikalpa-samadhi?

A5.            There are many states beyond Nirvikalpa-samadhi. However, I am not permitted to share it with you all.

Q6.            It is said that Rishis are performing austerities in the Himalayas as well as in other mountain ranges of India? Is this true?

A6.            It is absolutely true that Great Souls like Rishis are performing austerities in the Himalayas, the Sahyadri mountains, Mount Abu, the Niligiris, Girnar mountains, the Alps in Europe, and even in the North Pole. Many Great Sages are performing austerities in all these places since aeons.                                   

           

Q7.            God Almighty is the fount of Bliss and Joy, and He lives in each of our hearts. Then, why is man’s life so miserable, and why is there so much plight and sorrow in the world?

A7.            God Almighty lives in man’s heart, and He tries to draw man’s attention to Him through every breath he takes. However, instead of seeking godly joy within, man is always trying to attain happiness and joy outside in material things. Hence, his life becomes a misery and the world finds itself plunged in sorrow.

Q8.            How many dimensions are there in the Universe?

A8.            There are nine dimensions in the Universe. We call them Navdurga. Durg means fort, difficult to conquer. The head of each dimension is called Durga. Thus, there are Navdurga.

            Our ancient Sages conveyed knowledge with the help of pictures and symbols. They say, a picture speaks a thousand words; however, man, instead of gaining knowledge from these pictures and symbols, he began to make images of the same and worship it.

            Sages drew the symbol of ‘Aum ’ and conveyed to man the knowledge of ‘Aum’, and the how ‘Aum ’ is present in various parts of his body. Instead of passing down the knowledge about Aum to future generations, man, instead, created Lord Ganesha, the Elephant-God, and began worshipping Him.

Q9.            Why does man face poverty?

A9.            As per Divine Law, every man should do charity. Those who don’t do charity, they are destined to face poverty in their old age or next birth.

Q10.    Is a woman reborn as a man, and is a man reborn as a woman?

A10.    Yes. As per one’s karma, a human being is born as a woman or a man.

Q11.    What does Khechari-mudra mean?

A11.    Doing Khechari-mudra enables the aspirant to direct his breath towards the Sahasrar-chakra, as a result of which, he can make rapid spiritual progress. This Khechari-mudra can be performed in four ways:

            i.    Folding one’s tongue backwards, one should try to insert it inside the hole behind the ‘uvula’ (i.e. the soft tissue dangling at the back of one’s throat).

            ii.   Gaze at the mid-point between one’s own eyebrows.

iii.    Mentally contemplate on one’s fontanel.

            iv.  The tongue is joined to the bottom of one’s mouth. Some aspirants cut this joint and try to elongate one’s tongue to do Khechari-mudra. This is highly dangerous and not advisable.

Q12.    How is Shambhavi-mudra performed?

A12.    Concentrating on one’s mind for 24 hours at a stretch is called Shambhavi-mudra. Doing Shambhavi-mudra enables the apsirant’s Soul to merge with God Almighty.

Q13.    When a person dies, how will others come to know whether his Soul (or Spirit) has gone to Heaven or Hell?

A13.    If the Soul has departed from the body through the mouth, or nose, or eyes or ears, then it goes to Heaven; else, if the Spirit has departed from the anal path or the urinary path, then it goes to Hell.

Aum