Report on Master’s visit to Centers in North India
For the past one and a half months, Master has been traveling to various centres in North India. Starting on the 14th of May, this lengthy tour program has spanned across Rajasthan, New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarkhand, Uttar Pradesh and finally Kolkata. Master is currently at Kharagpur (near Kolkata) and will complete the final leg of the trip later this week when He is expected to return to Chennai from Kolkata.
Since He travelled entirely by road covering nearly two thousand kilometers, He was able to visit numerous centers much to the delight of all the abhyasis in the region. Some pearls from the journey are provided below, in the form of various excerpts from the travelogues of abhyasis who have been traveling with Master:
(First section contributed by Br. N. Prakash, Tiruppur)
Jaipur (May 14 – 19)
Master had dinner at about 08:00 PM and he announced that from tomorrow, for the next five days or so, we would have coffee at about 06:30 a m, satsangh at 07:30, brunch at 09:00, high tea at 03:00 p m and dinner at 08 00 p m. He said that he is moving satsangh during the celebrations to 06:30 a m, for he found that real fervor is missing. When said that some may not be able to come, Master said, as Babuji used to say, those who are there will be in my vision. Master added, of course, I will include them in the sitting, but that is not as good as being present. He explained when I am having food here, I think of those who do not have it and this would have some benefit, but it would not fill the stomach. I felt it was a revelation that Master is not only including people in the satsangh but think of others while having his food too and that benefits them.
When the talk veered to Whispers, Master referred to a recent message from Babuji where He writes of the day when Master would join Him in the Brighter World , it would be a moment of rejoicing and then together they would discover other worlds. Master said that this is what he has been saying for long, even before these messages, that the moment he arrives in the Brighter World, after initial pleasantries, Babuji would send him off somewhere on work!
Delhi (May 19 – 21)
We spent almost an hour early in the morning with Master in his room. At 5 AM he was ready for departure, scheduled at 7AM! He was all cheer. He was talking on various matters. One thing that I remember was, everyone has “coloured glasses.” Each and every one looks at things through these "coloured glasses." We see what we want to see. We believe what we want to believe. I asked him , how to overcome this, to which he replied, 'Overcoming, we have to do from inside'.
Master and his entourage started from Jaipur at 06:40 AM. We drove smoothly up to midway, a place called Behror where we stopped for about half an hour, had our brunch and then started. Master was very relaxed and happy. When we reached our ashram in Gurgaon, He was happy, relaxed and all energy. One piece of utter wisdom from him when a question of choice came up - whenever we face choices, it is a test of human wisdom. He added, 'remember whenever we have a choice, it is the time to pray'.
Ambala & Ludhiana (May 21 - 24)
[Paraphrasing...]
- Knowledge has no place, but it is the strength of the soul which is essential.
- Just relax and let Him do the work on you.
A discussion ensued about the past, its influence on the present. Master said, keep this as a philosophy, ' that nothing that has happened, could have been prevented '. He continued, as far as the future, attend to the present with your heart, then the future is taken care of.
What is sincerity? Dictionary meaning - doing without giving up. Another meaning is, doing with your heart. Third meaning can be, do as what the heart says. We must have the courage to tell our mind not to interfere. Babuji used to say that it is okay to tell lies to others, but never do it to yourself, for then you don’t have hope.
About argument, what is the use of winning an argument, but losing your soul. What shall profit a man, who has gained the whole world, but lost his soul. Babuji never used to argue, but he would say, 'ah, ah, you know better' and walk away.
Chandigarh (May 29 – 31)
There was a very illuminating discussion about grooming children. This ensued as a result of a few questions from a sister abhyasi about her difficulties in upbringing her children.
[Paraphrasing...]
- The tricky age is 13 yrs to 18 yrs. They have to be handled with love and understanding. They have to be treated as equals, not as parents giving instructions to the children.
A Tamil saying goes 'when the child has grown up to your shoulder, he or she is your friend'. - Discipline with love, understanding. More of love, less of discipline. Understanding of the circumstances and society is required.
- We need to make them understand that discipline is for their own good.
- As regards younger children, patience is required. When uncontrollable, we just need to divert their minds.
- He gave the example of a child in a London toy shop – a very uncontrollable child. Master just took the child to a particular, wonderful toy train set in the shop with trains running simultaneously on their course, with all the attendant activities beautifully synchronized and the child was completely absorbed in it and it forgot everything else, including his tantrums!
A couple came to meet him. Before they spoke, Master said, “Don't introduce yourselves, for I know you very well! I may not know your name, but I know you!” Then he narrated how Babuji would just look at a person, a glance at his heart, open and close his eyelids, as if a shutter opens and closes, and the person is registered and never forgotten. Master in his humility, added, that this is what he is trying to learn from his Master. A very poignant statement !
Rudrapur (June 2 – 4)
After satisfactory brunch, Master sat outside, under a mango tree and conversed freely for about half an hour, before returning to his computer again.
A few pearls, paraphrased:
- Where love is, there life is involved.
- Nothing valuable can be got, if we are not prepared to give our life for it.
- Love means concern. Love means commitment. Love means living for others and not for oneself.
Naukuchiatal (June 4 – 6)
There was a mention of the last evening's sitting where an abhyasi felt that his soul has left him and even after the sitting the condition persisted. Master said that the soul always wants to leave, but the ego prevents it from it for its own purpose. Even the fear is an expression of ego, as a result, the soul is effectively checked. It is like a prison, all the preparations, structures, are for the purpose of confinement.
There was this talk of a flock birds coming regularly at a fixed hour in the morning, coming and sitting in Master's cottage's balcony in Naukuchiatal, as if to pay their pranams and today since there are people, they are not coming. Master said they will come once they find that we are peaceful !
Then the conversation moved to the power of thought. Master related in one evening he was sitting in Manapakkam cottage, outside in the open. There were a big bunch of birds sitting on the tree above him. Master looked at them and thought, ' thank God there is no cat here'. And instantly all the birds flew away - the power of thought!
Satkhol (June 6 – 13)
Master was visibly happy to be in Satkhol and despite having some difficulty in breathing due to the altitude, He continued with his busy schedule of sittings, work at his computer and always attending to abhyasis who came to be with Him.
Once while sitting with a group of abhyasis, in the pleasant morning sunshine outside his cottage at Satkhol, Master was speaking in his inimitable sweet Hindi about his work schedule. He said that Revered Babuji Maharaj would tell him that it was Lalaji’s grace that more work was being given to him, even as he would finish the work at hand. He said people do not understand the need for it – that work was the main and perhaps the only reason that the Masters exist in the material world. If there was no continuity of work, they would chose to go back to the Original Home where they came from. It is much like someone who is away from home on an official tour – once he completes the work he has travelled to undertake, he feels restless to go back home.
Later, Master gave a beautiful analogy to elucidate the role of difficulties and challenges that a human being faces in life: A girl gets married and joins her husband’s family and gets involved with it. She very soon is embroiled in her affairs and her father’s house, where she came from, is far away from her consciousness. After several years of marriage, one day, she is beset by insurmountable difficulties and it is THEN that she remembers her father and his home where she has come from. She writes a letter to him, asking for help, and the father responds. In much the same manner, difficulties come to us to remind us about our original home from where we have strayed, so much so that we do not seem to even have a memory of it. This is what the Maxim says: Take miseries as Divine blessings for your own good and be thankful.
(Next section contributed by Br. Bhargav Krishna, Chennai)
Rudrapur – Shahjahanpur (Saturday, 13th of June)
Master departed from Rudrapur at 8.15 a.m. and proceeded towards Shahjahanpur via Bareilly. The monotony of the drive was broken only by an eventful traffic jam. The convoy halted at a PAC (Police Armed Constabulary) guesthouse for some respite, where Master was greeted by the enthusiastic abhyasis of Bareilly centre. After a 45-minute break, the journey to Shahjahanpur resumed.
Master arrived at Shahjahanpur Ashram by 1.40 p.m. and was greeted by a sea of people. The outpouring of love was without parallel, something one has come to expect from the people of this region. His first stop upon arriving was the Samadhi of Babuji Maharaj where he paid due respects to His Guru.
Evening satsangh was conducted by Master at 6.30 P.M. and lasted for an hour. The Meditation Hall was packed to the rafters and arrangements had to be made to seat a large part of the over 2500 strong crowd outside the hall in pandals [tents], given the limited capacity of the Meditation hall. The atmosphere was superbly still and it was a memorable occasion for one and all. After Satsangh, Master retired for the night.
Shahjahanpur (Sunday, 14th of June)
Following the 6.30 a.m. Satsangh conducted by Master, the audience were treated to a rendition of Br. Charanpreet Singh’s soul-stirring Bhajans [devotional songs].
He left for the home of Babuji Maharaj by 9.45 am and on arrival, gave a short sitting of thirty minutes. After the sitting, He regaled those present with stories of the first ever Basant Panchami celebrated here with a grand total of 40 persons attending (Babuji included!).
On His return to the Ashram, He attended the concluding session of the ongoing Hindi Language Training Program and gave a 10-minute sitting to the scholars.
In the evening, Master completed the registration formalities for the proposed Fatehgarh Ashram Site by signing the relevant documents and then conducted evening satsangh. The stillness and peace that one experiences in Shahjahanpur is quite simply out of this world. Paraphrasing Master, 'sittings of one hour or more simply fly by'.
Shahjahanpur – Fatehgarh (Monday, 15th of June)
Master left Shahjahanpur at 9 ‘o clock in the morning, en route to Fatehgarh. Shahjahanpur being such a fantastically unique place, leaving is a sorrowful occasion. It encapsulates perfectly, what it is to be a Sahaj Margi in the modern world. Being in Shahjahanpur gives one the experience of what it feels to be an island of tranquility in an ocean of chaos.
Our challenge as abhyasis is to carry this condition with us, thereby acting as beacons of light to those yet uninitiated to spirituality.
Master arrived in Fatehgarh at the home of an abhyasi brother home at 10.30 a.m., and after a break of fifteen minutes, completed the registration of the Ashram land, signing all the relevant documents in the presence of the Registrar.
By 4 ‘o clock, Master was up and drove down to the Samadhi of Lalaji Maharaj, where he paid his respects to the Adi Guru of Sahaj Marg. After the conclusion of the same, He proceeded to the Ashram site, where satsangh was held in a tent erected for the day. After satsangh, he returned home and turned in for the night.
Fatehgarh – Kanpur (Tuesday, 16th of June)
Master left for Kanpur from Fatehgarh at 8 a.m and after a drive of about two and a half hours, arrived at the Ashram site, about 20 km outside the city. A temporary meditation tent and cottage were erected and some 600 abhyasis had assembled.
Master got out of the car and went straight to the Meditation tent to conduct satsangh. After Satsangh, Master was prompted into giving a speech to the Abhyasis of Kanpur centre. The centre had been known for its disciplinary issues in the past and it is about this that Master spoke. He advised those present that although the centre had garnered a poor reputation, there was still time to change and the way to do it was to imbibe in oneself two qualities, Discipline and Unity (“Anushasan aur Ekta”).
After a post-prandial nap, Master was in a light-hearted mood and spent almost 2 hours with all present, ending the evening with a short sitting.
Kanpur (Wednesday, 17th of June)
Master left the Kanpur at 9 a.m, bound for Allahabad, but due to some unexpected technical difficulties, the trip had to be cancelled and He decided to stay back in Kanpur for an extra day!
He spent most of the morning resting, gathering what energy he could for the final stage of His tour. In the afternoon, Master gave a sitting to all those present and decided on his course of travel, eventually settling on leaving for Lucknow a day earlier and also invited the abhyasis of Allahabad to Lucknow to be with Him.
Kanpur-Unnao-Lucknow (Thursday, 18th of June)
Master left Kanpur en route to Lucknow with a brief stop planned at the ashram at Unnao center along the way.
He left at 8 a.m. and arrived at Unnao ashram within the hour. The purpose of his visit to the ashram was to see the additional land the Mission had purchased to convert the ashram into a retreat center for the North. On arrival, he headed to the Meditation Hall and conducted Satsangh, which lasted 40 minutes.
He was on the road again by 10.15 a.m and reached Lucknow, through a circuitous route, by noon.
He spent the rest of the day resting in bed, recovering from a tiresome workload.
Lucknow (Friday, 19th of June)
Master was at his desk, working, by 5.30 a.m and Satsangh was conducted by Him at 7.30 a.m. and lasted an hour. Over 2500 abhyasis from Lucknow, Allahabad and neighbouring centers attended. Satsangh had clearly drained Him and by the time He got back to the cottage, He was visibly exhausted and went straight to bed. What was disappointing was that even when He was so visibly worn out, people queued outside, demanding to meet with Him.
After a well-deserved rest, he awoke at about 9, had his brunch and went straight back to work. After finishing his work by noon, He spent some time with the abhyasis gathered at his cottage.
In the evening, He once again conducted satsangh at 6.30 p.m and returned to the cottage where a special evening was planned. The abhyasis of Lucknow center were invited to have dinner with Master with the specialty being 'chaat'. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
Lucknow-Kolkata (Saturday, 20th of June)
Master conducted morning Satsangh at 7.30 a.m and after brunch, continued to work till 10.30 a.m. After his work was finished, he watched a movie for an hour and a half and then decided to rest since the flight was scheduled to depart at 3.45 p.m.
By about 12.50 p.m, news had filtered through that the departure of the flight had been delayed till 5.45 p.m. and so Master was afforded a little more rest to prepare for the final leg of his journey. But unfortunately, the rest of the day was a struggle for Him.
When Master and the group arrived at the airport, they were rushed straight off to boarding and were on the plane by 5.15 p.m. Then the crew reported that there was a technical glitch and the plane was stranded on the tarmac for a tortuous hour and a half in the sweltering 44º C heat. The flight finally did take off at about 6.45 p.m, by which time all the food on-board was exhausted and there was none available. Even water was at a premium!
Master landed at Kolkata Airport at 8.15 p.m. and despite being physically exhausted, greeted the abhyasis with good cheer. He arrived at the Ashram by 9.00 p.m. and went straight to work despite his obvious exhaustion. The kind of work ethic He shows is an example for every one of us who think from time-to-time, “Oh, I feel I’ve done enough for the day. I’ll leave the rest for tomorrow”. He shows us that doing one’s duty is always paramount and one’s comfort should always be an afterthought. It is an attitude that we should strive to inculcate in ourselves.
