13 Beautiful Stories

American Gita Society Webpage, Stories by Jay Mazo

THE HIGHER TEACHINGS

The disciple approached a master to find out about the eternal light of God. The master
meditated within, and the following wisdom was revealed. The eternal light is God’s first
manifestation by which this universe is created and sustained. God’s highest essence is light.
Hence by inwardly seeing the divine light in meditation, the soul shines as God’s awakened
son. The eternal light throughout history has incarnated as God radiant souls to teach
mankind the wisdom that man’s soul exists in oneness as part of the Universal Spirit. God’s
light which in an impersonal way created this universe, can take a personal form such as a
spiritual awakening in man’s soul by the practice of meditation. We must have a clear steady
vision to see the light. Our consciousness should be one pointed, and our mind must be empty
of obstructing thoughts. In purity, silence, and aspiration the light of God will manifest
during meditation.

The disciple wanted to know how God could be seen. The master entered a state of silence
and received a clear answer. God can be seen by our inner eyes, but not in this changing outer
world of finite matter. When man sees God’s highest spiritual form of light, he becomes a
spiritual teacher with the divine work of bringing all truth seeking souls into the light. He
teaches that during meditation focusing on the third eye, we are to keep our mind empty of all
disturbing worldly thoughts and desires. The ultimate aim of all meditation is to realize
within our true spiritual identity as separate from the movements of nature’s activities. Thus
if we practice this inner silence regularly everyday, peace of mind and an awareness in the
soul of God’s blissful presence will radiantly manifest. Then the door to God’s eternal
kingdom will open within the truth seeker’s soul.

The disciple asked how freedom in God could be found. The master remembered what his
own teacher had taught long ago. Freedom in God is the theme of the divine drama of
existence. God is free because there are no limits to His expression in creation. At all times
God has absolute knowledge and will to accomplish His vision. In God’s cosmic play the
seed of freedom has been planted to grow in man’s soul. Man must light the flame of freedom
by discovering his divine identity. Freedom comes when the chains of ignorance, limitation,
and ego are broken by the sword of wisdom. Liberation causes man to live in total awareness
of his soul’s oneness with the Supreme Being. Divine grace flows into the spiritual seeker
who has lit the heavenly burning flame of constant aspiration. All pursuits of pleasure and
happiness are in reality a reflection of the soul’s striving to find the one eternal light which
brings fulfillment to life. Lasting freedom comes as an internal mystic experience to the
aspirant who has dedicated his whole life as an offering to the Divine. The liberated soul is in
direct contact with God’s presence, will, and knowledge. His vision spans the galaxies
throughout the eternal cosmic cycles. The little ego is dead and has been replaced by the
active divine witness who now guides and commands the life of the emancipated sage. The
wall of separation between the soul and the Supreme Being has disappeared, and only the
bliss of divine oneness and love eternally remain.
The disciple wanted to know how such freedom could be lived daily. The master waited for
divine inspiration to express itself in these words. Freedom has to be lived in God everyday
of the year throughout one’s life. Each day of the year must present a new opportunity to
discover and experience God’s reality. By aspiring to live the spiritual adventure, a divine
transformation will take place in our life. God’s freedom is always here. All we have to do to
realize this is to remove the obstacles of desire, ego, and ignorance in order to let the divine
sun shine through the soul. The true aim of man’s existence is to pursue and discover oneness
with God through meditation and devotion. By centering the consciousness on the divine
ideal, the aspirant at last realizes and becomes one with the Supreme Being. True freedom is
found only in the heart filled with God. Where there is eternal love, infinite wisdom, and
creative power there is freedom in God.

The disciple wanted to find the way to realize truth. The master, from his many years of
experience, gave the solution. To realize truth one must inquire Who Am I. Realization is the
goal that is reached when the seeker knows his identity. To realize the highest goal, the
seeker must practice such spiritual disciplines as prayer, renunciation, self inquiry, and
meditation. Truth is the target which all of man’s strivings try to reach. Truth is eternal
because it is a quality that is the essence of both God and man’s immortal soul. When the
mystic discovers that his real nature is being a part of God’s oneness that is the final truth.
When the devotee finds that a divine power pervades the universe that is the living truth.
When the saint understands that a Cosmic Mind exercises its will to direct all of creation that
is the eternal truth. Truth is man’s destination because all souls are growing toward the light
of God’s sun. The search for truth must become the guiding principle in man’s whole
existence.

The disciple asked how to find the truth since man’s mind is unsteady. The master smiled and
gave this advice. Each moment of the day man must ask where is God to be found. Truth can
be realized only in a mind that is at peace. The seeker must learn by practice how to reduce
his thoughts to zero so that he can become the silent witness observer. This is the way to find
the truth by experiencing the divine presence which manifests in the void of man’s expanded
silent consciousness. To realize the truth you must hear within the divine call to wake up,
search for, and finally discover the truth of God’s reality in this very lifetime. There is no
time to waste for the soul that understands that a higher reality waits to be discovered which
alone can give man lasting peace and happiness. Meditation is the spiritual beacon that guides
and inspires aspirants along the journey leading to self realization.

The disciple was puzzled about where is the point when God and man meet. The master
searched deep within his consciousness to present these spiritual teachings. The God point is
the supreme moment in the life of the mystic when he reaches union with the Divine. This
spiritual state happens when the arrow of man’s soul flies straight into the divine target. God
is at the center of existence. But the normal consciousness is obstructed from seeing truth by
the veil of nature’s world of matter. The problem to be solved by man is how to return to his
original state of pure existence. To be aware of a problem is the first step in approaching its
solution. First man must believe that reaching God is the true meaning of his brief life on
earth. Hence man must make God the target of his aspiration. The arrow which man shoots
toward the God target is his practice of spiritual discipline. The most powerful arrow to shoot
at the God target comes from meditation’s bow. Man must concentrate his mind on hitting the
divine center of existence. The speed and accuracy of man’s spiritual arrow depend upon his
soul’s aspiration and devotion. Aspiration gives the soul’s arrow power, but devotion is the
magnet that attracts it to hitting the God target. The God point is when the arrow of man’s
soul merges with the target of divine consciousness. When the God point occurs the mystic
experiences union with God’s light, bliss, power, peace, and wisdom. Then the soul becomes
a realized point of divine sunlight.

The disciple wanted an explanation about what is the divine target. The master saw the
answer by intuition and presented the teachings in this clear form. The divine target is like a
wheel having spokes radiating from the hub’s center. The spiritual disciplines of meditation,
devotion, discrimination, and dedicated action are like spokes that all lead back into the
wheel’s hub. Life is like a wheel spinning with 365 spokes through space each year. Be it
through meditation, devotion, discrimination, or dedicated action the soul’s arrow when
accurately aimed will pierce the divine target. When the God point is reached, the soul arrow
and the divine target become of one essence. The aspirant must lift the bow of meditation,
shoot the soul arrow, and merge with the God point. When the God point is known, then the
soul experiences infinite peace, power, divine bliss, light, and wisdom. The supreme goal is
reached when the awakened soul flies straight into the God point’s divine target. The disciple
theoretically understood the master’s teachings but needed some practical examples in life to
make the abstract more concrete. The master decided to make his teachings easier by
presenting them in the form of God stories in which ordinary people were confronted by the
challenges of life and managed to realize the divine presence.

THE YOGI AND THE TWO QUEENS

Thousands of years ago there lived in Rajasthan a yogi called Sivapremaraja, who was the
chosen disciple of Sankartapasmuni. One day two queens visited the yogi. Queen Ayesha of
Persia thought only of the yogi’s material comforts and gave him much money. Queen Ratna
of Nepal wanted to learn the yogi’s spiritual knowledge, and so she stayed with him day and
night. The yogi asked both queens who they thought he was. Queen Ayesha said that he was
a poor holy man and that with her support, some ashrams could be built. The yogi agreed, but
asked Queen Ayesha to think where God’s temple is. On the other hand, Queen Ratna said
that only through meditation in the yogi’s presence would his identity be revealed. The yogi
looked at each equally. He knew that he was only a humble devotee of Sankartapasmuni,
whose spiritual powers flowed through him. Suddenly, to test the faith of both queens, the
yogi took on all their karma at once and appeared to have died. Queen Ayesha lost her faith
in her guru at once and had his body cremated. Queen Ratna loved her guru beyond the body
and sent word to Sankartapasmuni about his disciple’s death. The old yogi replied that no
disciple of his would ever fall to death prematurely and that the power of tapas would bring
Sivapremaraja back to life. Queen Ayesha returned to Persia having learnt nothing. Queen
Ratna sat silently chanting her guru mantra over his burnt ashes. Two months passed and
nothing happened. Just then, in a dark cave, Sankartapasmuni started chanting Aum Namah
Sivaya. By the power of his tapas, the old yogi called on the god to release his beloved
devotee Sivapremaraja. Suddenly, in front of the meditating Queen Ratna, an explosion
thundered, a trisula rose from the earth, and then a stone linga emerged. The linga split in two
and by the grace of his old guru and the faith of his disciple Queen Ratna, there appeared the
resurrected body of Sivapremaraja. Then Sivapremaraja told his disciple Queen Ratna that
the real yogi lives by God’s power and is free from body and money attachments.

Queen Ayesha returned to Persia and found her kingdom suffering from a famine and a
plague. She wondered why her people were being punished so cruelly. Then a blind beggar
told her that for the sin of burning the Hindu holy man while in communion with God, her
kingdom would have to perish. Queen Ayesha got angry and ordered the blind beggar to be
jailed, but he immediately vanished from her sight. At the same time, the blind beggar came
in a dream to the mountain bandit chieftain named Pelgaz Kasim. In his dream the blind man
told Pelgaz Kasim that because of Queen Ayesha’s sin toward the Hindu holy man, her
kingdom would collapse as soon as he attacked it. So at midnight, Pelgaz Kasim led his
mountain tribes in the invasion of Queen Ayesha’s kingdom. Although heavily outnumbered,
fate made Pelgaz Kasim victorious. With her army annihilated, Queen Ayesha was taken
prisoner. Pelgaz Kasim told her that her crime was very great, and that she would have to
choose between death or total exile from Persia. Queen Ayesha chose exile. Wherever she
wandered the people cursed her and said she was the evil murderer of a holy man. After
months of lonely wandering in the desert, her clothes were in rags and her beauty had
vanished. Yet fate was blindly leading her to cross the Indian border into Rajasthan. Queen
Ayesha was in mental agony, but she now knew that all her sufferings stemmed from her
premature cremation of Sivapremaraja. The desert sun was too much for her. She collapsed
totally unconscious. Then she had a dream that a flame stood burning in midair and a voice
thundered saying: "I am the flame and guide of your soul and can never die." While she was
still unconscious, a lady on a horse rode toward her. It was Sivapremaraja’s devotee, Queen
Ratna. Queen Ayesha was put on the horse and swiftly taken to Sivapremaraja’s ashram. Her
bad karma caused by ignorance was soon to end.

Queen Ayesha awoke and looked into the eyes of the blind beggar that came to her court at
Persia. Suddenly the blind beggar changed his body into that of Sivapremaraja. Queen
Ayesha started crying. "Oh Guru Maharaj, you have taught me a bitter lesson by taking
everything away from me so that at last you would possess only my soul to direct," she
moaned. The guru replied: "Ayesha, once you realize that only your soul is real, then you can
know God. The guru’s love is undying in spite of the disciple’s unfaithfulness. I forgive you,
but in order for your karma to be purified, you must die tomorrow." She answered: "now I
have complete faith in you and will prepare to meet death." As expected, Queen Ayesha died
early next morning of a heart attack. Sivapremaraja ordered that there should be no cremation
of her dead body. The guru was in control of this little game of maya. He then left his body
and went into samadhi. In the realm of death, Queen Ayesha passed through many fires
where people had to suffer to wipe out their evil karma. Yet she did not suffer because she
now had faith in her guru’s protection. Suddenly she came face to face with Lord Siva. The
god told her that by her newly acquired faith in her guru, she would be transported to
experience the soul’s liberation on the heavenly plane. Queen Ayesha now experienced
herself as a body made up of luminous points of light. She saw a pink lotus descend on top of
a mountain. The petals unfolded and there sat her guru, Sivapremaraja. The guru said: "now I
will show you the secret of divine existence." Flames shot out of his eyes and Queen Ayesha
felt an electric explosion within her being. Now she was everywhere at once. Her eyes saw
the world pervaded by light, her heart felt an unending warm bliss, and her mind experienced
thoughtless peace. She looked at her guru Sivapremaraja and saw unending galaxies
revolving in his body. "This is enough for now," said her guru as he touched her forehead.
Queen Ayesha awoke back to life and remembered all that had happened. She had lost her
worldly kingdom, but by her faith in her guru, she had attained entrance into the kingdom of
God.

REALIZATION IN THE FOREST

Long before men had formed countries with their gods, there lived a strong woodcutter
named Kabinda. Each morning he would leave his village and go into the forest to chop
wood. In those bygone days, the earth had many forests and few men. On this particular day,
while cutting wood, Kabinda heard the sky explode with thunder and lightning. Torrents of
endless raindrops attacked the tall green trees. Kabinda was afraid of the violent sky and ran
deeper into the forest seeking shelter. After running for half an hour during the blinding
rainstorm, Kabinda ran into a long dark cave. Near the cave there were skeletons of human
corpses. Kabinda stopped running and sat down in the dark cave to catch his breath.
Exhausted from running he fell asleep for the rest of the day. When he woke up refreshed, he
was about to meet a new challenge that would change his life.

Kabinda explored the dark cave. Suddenly he saw two flashing eyes and a huge mouth
roaring screams that meant death. Kabinda did not want to find the answer behind this terror.
He instinctively ran out of the dangerous cave. Slowly the roaring sound died down as
Kabinda reached the light of the cave’s entrance. A man with golden skin was seen at the foot
of a huge forest tree. Kabinda asked the forest hermit his name. The golden man, with a
serene smile, told Kabinda that his name was Mugesin. Kabinda wanted to know how
Mugesin came to live in this deep uninhabited forest. Then the forest hermit told his tale.

Many years ago, Mugesin was a rich merchant in another village. He had wealth but not real
happiness. Mugesin wanted to know what is the power that gives meaning to life. Mugesin
then left his village and asked this question to everyone he met. A woman at a well told
Mugesin that he would have to find the answer alone in the deep forest. So Mugesin walked
with courage deeper and deeper into the forest. At last he reached a tall tree which became his
abode to seek truth. Many wild fruits grew on this tree and a quiet stream flowed nearby.
While sitting under this tree in his quest for truth, Mugesin heard a loud terrible roar coming
closer and closer to devour him. But Mugesin, unlike Kabinda, decided to face this deadly
terror straight on and not run for his life. In the face of Mugesin’s determination to continue
his search under the tree, the roaring terror realized that it had met its match and slowly went
away leaving Mugesin’s life. After many seasons of living in the forest Mugesin gained
illumination, and his body began to shine with a golden bronze color. Mugesin had realized
the inner peace that pervades this universe.

Mugesin told Kabinda to be courageous, return to the cave, and seek for the light instead of
merely shelter from the rainstorm. Kabinda made the cave his home and only left it once each
evening to eat fruits and drink cool water from the nearby stream. Kabinda heard the same
loud roar of death in the cave, but this time he became iron willed and remained seated in his
search for truth. Kabinda thought that if Mugesin could defeat the terror of life, he could also
conquer it. Slowly, after many months, the terrible roar was no more heard in the dark cave.
In fact, a strange glowing light was illuminating his cave day and night. The light shone from
within Kabinda. The roar of death now became mystic ringing music in Kabinda’s ear. His
eyes shone with radiant ecstasy. The truth that an infinite Spirit of light and peace pervaded
this universe dawned within Kabinda’s awakened consciousness.

The next morning, after Kabinda left the cave as a liberated forest sage, several former
village friends met him. They now saw a different, radiant, and wise Kabinda who no longer
was a simple woodcutter. Kabinda told them the truth he discovered in the cave and his
meeting with Mugesin under the tree. But none of Kabinda’s village friends could ever see
Mugesin. Mugesin now had attained a level of spiritual existence beyond this material world
and, only in rare moments of grace, would he appear again on earth to help a single brave
truth seeker such as Kabinda. Kabinda spent the rest of his earthly life in the forest cave
instructing now and then the few seekers that came to receive his guidance.
 THE DEAD LIVE TWICE

Few in life are given a second chance to achieve the goal they failed at. This is a story about a
mystic named Chadru who gave up his spiritual practices, got married, and became a king
temporarily. Our tale begins late one afternoon with King Somanath and his daughter
Kamalika riding through the forest in search of wild game to hunt. Suddenly the roar of an
angry tiger echoed through the forest. King Somanath instantly shot a poisoned arrow at the
great beast’s head. The wounded animal felt the death drug speeding through his blood and
ran blindly through the forest with Somanath and Kamalika shooting their winged shafts
continuously. The hunted and the hunters raced through the forest in their struggle lost in the
wheel of life. The tiger acted as he was born to be, but King Somanath, through his exercise
of royal power, had let his ego grow to be no better than that of an animal. His daughter
Kamalika was also very self willed and had vowed that she would only marry the man she
chose. The afternoon slowly glided into night with the hunting drama of the king and his
daughter still chasing the wounded tiger deeper into the dark jungle.

Chadru was also a strong willed hero, but one who since his earliest childhood had sought to
realize God instead of exercising power over other men. Chadru liked the peace of the jungle
where no ordinary man ventured to tread. His place for meditation was a most unusual abode.
He had dug a pit measuring six feet deep where no being could disturb his spiritual pursuits.
Years of meditation passed by for Chadru, and he felt with each moment that he was getting
closer to his divine goal. But the goal cannot be won without passing the test given by the
Supreme Maker. God sent the wounded tiger to test the strength of Chadru’s penance. The
tiger was losing much blood as the poisoned arrow brought death closer. In his last moment
of revenge upon mankind the wounded tiger lunged into the pit where Chadru was
contemplating God. God came to Chadru in the wild blazing eyes of a savage ten foot tiger.
With one final blow, the tiger struck out in all his fury at the sitting Chadru and died with
human blood in his mouth.

With the moon shedding light in the jungle, King Somanath and his daughter Kamalika saw
the ghastly sight of a dead tiger and a bleeding ascetic lying in a pit. King Somanath got off
his horse and climbed down into the pit to find out how the mauled ascetic was. Somanath
slowly brought the unconscious ascetic out of the pit. Then when dawn came, Somanath and
Kamalika slowly brought the unconscious Chadru back to the royal capital. Kamalika had
learnt medicine from her family priest, and within a week Chadru opened his eyes and saw
the king’s daughter. Kamalika felt that it was her destiny to marry the man she had nursed
back from the shadow of death. Her father agreed and ordered Chadru to accept the hand of
his daughter and to become crown prince. Chadru, by the fierce final blow of the tiger on his
head, had forgotten his own identity. He was very grateful to Kamalika for saving his life.
Before the marriage took place, Somanath spent ten days teaching Chadru on royal duties and
policy since he would eventually become king. Satisfied that Chadru had learnt his lessons on
kingly statecraft well, Somanath caused the marriage festival to be celebrated by everyone in
the kingdom.

During the marriage celebration, all the priests and sages gave their blessings to Kamalika
and Chadru. Suddenly a tall saint with reddish hair startled everyone with his declaration that
as soon as Chadru would see his son, he would remember his identity and renounce the
kingdom. Six months after the marriage, King Somanath died during a hunting expedition
when his horse stumbled on a rock and threw him off. So now Chadru, the man with no
identity, became the king. After some time Chadru got used to exercising his functions as
king and accepted that identity of himself. One night Kamalika told her husband Chadru that
she was pregnant. Chadru was delighted and hoped a son would be born to carry on the royal
line in the kingdom. Everybody by then had forgotten the prediction of the red haired saint at
the marriage. The moon gave forth its silver light to this happy kingdom as Kamalika gave
birth to a healthy son. Chadru looked intently into the eyes of his newborn child and was
shocked with the vision that unfolded. Through the reflection in his son’s eyes he gazed into
his own past. He had been the greatest yogi in this kingdom who had renounced power and
sex in his quest for God realization. Then his memory saw the awful test sent to him by God
in the form of the deadly tiger. He saw himself knocked out by the tiger and losing all his
spiritual consciousness. Now Chadru knew his real identity. He prayed with tears of a child to
God for a second chance in this lifetime to achieve God realization. Then Chadru saw the tall
red haired saint with ashes on his body command him to go immediately into the forest to
find God if he was sincere.

Kamalika’s son grew up to be king under his loving mother’s guidance. King Sivapriya was
happy in all matters of life except that he wanted to meet his father. Kamalika told her son
Sivapriya that nobody in the kingdom knew where Chadru had gone after his birth. Word was
sent throughout all the kingdoms that the beautiful princess Aditi was holding a contest of
strength and skill among all the kings to select her husband. So King Sivapriya, with the
blessings of his mother Kamalika, rode off to seek a wife. His horse grew tired after miles of
rapid riding and stopped during the evening to drink some water from a stream. A strange
light glowed from a distance. The forest was all dark except this radiance. After the horse had
satisfied its thirst and was rested, the king decided to ride toward the origin of this light. After
a while, the king came to a clearing in the jungle and saw an old man sitting under a tree with
beams of light radiating from his body. Sivapriya saw that this man bore some close physical
resemblance to himself. Sivapriya looked into the blissful eyes of the saint who had found
God. The son knew that he had found his father.

SALVATION

He was the most notorious and feared outlaw of the kingdom. Nobody was safe when his
bandit gang would begin their raids of plunder. Once his father had refused to pay taxes to the
king. So the king killed his father and confiscated his land. Thereafter Ganataka had sworn
savage revenge against King Dharmavira. From his vast mountain hideout, Ganataka’s
outlaw riders would attack and rob travelers and trade caravans with no fear of being caught.
Ganataka had many scars on his chest and face to prove his bravery in battle. On his black
stallion, with his sword and arrows, he had no equal match in the kingdom. But his heart was
always full of the dark fires of revenge for his father’s unjust murder. Ganataka was
invincible as a fighter, but inwardly he had no peace of mind from all the robberies and
murders that he had committed. He was a hunted man for whose capture or death the king
had offered a huge reward. There was a price on his head and bitterness in his heart. In his
mountain hideout, with his outlaw gang, he was free from the law, but inside himself he was
a slave to the beast of his violent passions.

King Dharmavira decided that alone he was not strong enough to defeat Ganataka’s bandit
gang. So the king wanted an alliance to make himself more powerful. He gave his daughter in
a marriage alliance to a neighboring kingdom after long days of careful negotiations. After
celebrating the marriage, the armies of both kingdoms united to plan a punishing blow to
Ganataka. The armies of both kingdoms approached Ganataka’s mountain hideout late in the
night. Then they began their cruel plan of extermination. They poured oil all around the
mountain hideout. At the signal of a thunderous drum they set fire to everything around the
mountain hideout. Ganataka and his men awoke to see awesome walls of fire swiftly
approaching them on every side. There was no hope except to make a suicidal dash for
freedom. But on every side the united armies of the two kingdoms sat on their horses waiting
to annihilate Ganataka’s men. Ganataka’s men fought savagely to break out of the deadly
trap, but the arrows of the two united armies began to take their fierce toll. All around
Ganataka his men were being murdered. Ganataka’s black stallion made one final charge.
Three arrows caught the brave fighter as he slumped down in the saddle with his arm in a
tight grip around his horse's neck. A cry of victory went up from the two armies, as they were
confident that they had finally wiped out Ganataka’s fierce gang. Now there was peace in
Dharmavira’s kingdom with the annihilation of Ganataka’s outlaw gang.

A black stallion thundered across the plains with a bleeding rider slumped on its back. Mile
after mile the horse galloped with some unfulfilled mission yet to be accomplished. At the
day’s end, it entered the forest and its speed grew slower and slower. The weight on the
horse’s back seemed to grow heavier for the thirsty animal. It approached a stream of running
water. There was a man bathing in the water. He was the forest rishi named Sivalaya. He led
the life of a peaceful hermit who spent all his time in the worship of Lord Siva. As the black
stallion stopped to drink the fresh water, Ganataka’s still body fell to the ground. Sivalaya ran
to the fallen body and carried the once great outlaw bandit to his thatched hut. The rishi
prayed to God to spare his life. The life as an outlaw for Ganataka had come to an end. Lord
Siva reviewed the karma of the outlaw’s past and present lifetimes. The great god who annuls
fate looked into the future. There was a great need for a saint to enlighten the people instead
of choosing to remain hidden in the forest like Sivalaya.

Ganataka’s soul hovered over the region of death. He saw awful picture images of all the
innocent people he had robbed and murdered. He saw the grim fearsome image of the god of
death approaching him with a noose to punish him for his sins. Suddenly a small light
expanded and vibrated a message of hope. "Turn to Me with all your soul, and I will be in
your heart for eternity. I protect all those who surrender to Me. The choice is always for you
to make. I am willing to embrace you now." The point of light now became a huge divine
person with three eyes, ashes all over his milky body, and a golden trident. Ganataka gazed
into the eyes of Lord Siva, and his heart surrendered to the divine will. "Oh Lord I am always
yours," cried Ganataka’s now radiant awakened soul. The still body of Ganataka now began
to show slight signs of breathing. Sivalaya smiled and knew that the crisis to Ganataka’s life
had now passed. The proud former outlaw chief slowly opened his eyes and whispered: "I
will give my life for God’s service."

Many weeks later Ganataka’s body had fully healed from its wounds. Now he was ready to
leave Sivalaya’s safe forest retreat and enter Dharmavira’s kingdom to give his life for God’s
service. Ganataka was a changed man. He began to sing songs in praise of Lord Siva
everywhere he went. Ganataka vividly felt Siva’s presence in his heart. Meanwhile Ganataka
was all but forgotten in Dharmavira’s peaceful kingdom. After giving birth to a royal son,
Dharmavira’s daughter Suseela had become very sick. Both kings offered a reward to anyone
who could cure Suseela. All the doctors who had visited her failed. Only the grace of God
could save Suseela. So as divine fate would have it, Ganataka found himself singing songs
imploring Siva to grant Suseela a new lease on life as was previously done for himself. The
music of his soul enthralling hymns seemed to soar up to heaven itself. Lord Siva
remembered his devotee Ganataka and willed it for Suseela to fully recover. Dharmavira was
also at Suseela’s bedside. He recognized Ganataka by his scars of battle. But upon his
daughter’s recovery Dharmavira was so overjoyed that he tightly embraced his once bitter
enemy Ganataka. With tears of gratefulness, Dharmavira shouted with joy: "great are the
ways of God."

TRANSMISSION

He knew that he was about to die soon. So the Mohant of the monastery gathered his eight
chief disciples and told them to prepare for seven tests that would determine his successor.
For seventy years the Mohant had led this monastery built on a mountain. He was loved and
worshipped by the people of the surrounding villages. By his supernatural yogic powers he
could heal the sick, bless the farmers with good crops, and grant babies to childless couples.
His reputation had spread well beyond the mountain monastery. But he refused invitations to
foreign kingdoms saying that God placed holy men all over the world to suit the different
tastes of the people. The one hundred and twenty year old Mohant was known for his
desireless humility besides his supernatural yogic powers. In the old days, the local people
said, he had lived for eighteen years on top of a huge tree meditating on the sun. After
attaining realization of God as the cosmic infinite light, the Mohant had the ability to reflect
this through his big blazing eyes. But with kindness and patience he tried to teach his eight
chief disciples the secrets of Hatha Yoga, the Upanishads, and meditation.

The mountain monastery was built in such a way that one would have to pass through seven
rooms in order to enter the holy meditation shrine of the Mohant. The eight chief disciples
that were to participate in the seven tests determining the Mohant’s successor were Kumar,
Chandra, Dilip, Ravindra, Jagdish, Mukunda, Shankar, and Gopal. So the Mohant sat in front
of them in the first room and told them to begin practicing the yogic heat breathing exercises.
The eight disciples began to take deep rhythmic inhalations followed by rapid forceful
expulsions. After fifteen minutes seven of the disciples had made their bodies hot with drops
of perspiration running down their forehead. But Ravindra had failed in this first test, and so
he was eliminated for consideration. Then the seven successful disciples entered the second
room and were ordered to meditate oblivious to all distractions that they would encounter.
After the disciples had closed their eyes the Mohant projected a phantom roaring tiger to test
their firmness. Six of the disciples succeeded in entering a deep meditation state. But Chandra
became frightened by the tiger’s roars and opened his eyes. Hence he was eliminated for
consideration. The first two tests determined yogic powers of endurance and the next three
tests were to determine conquest of desire.

The six successful disciples were led into the third room and told to wait. Suddenly a
beautiful young lady with smiling eyes entered carrying a tray of sweets that she distributed
to each. Five of the disciples did not raise their gaze above her feet. Jagdish looked at her
beautiful body and was eliminated from the competition when the Mohant entered the room.
Next the five successful disciples were led into the fourth room and presented with a piece of
gold by the Mohant as a reward for their successful endeavors. Four of the disciples
immediately showed detachment by returning the piece of gold to the Mohant. But Gopal
would not part with his gold piece and was automatically eliminated from the competition.
Then the four successful disciples entered the fifth room. The Mohant walked in and
pretended to collapse dead before their feet. While the previous two tests were designed to
measure sex and money temptations, this test was created to reveal the lust for power. Three
of the disciples were extremely shocked and began to lament over the Mohant’s apparently
lifeless body. But Shankar argued that he should be the next Mohant since he was living in
the mountain monastery longer than the other disciples. This was not to be since the Mohant
opened his eyes, and an embarrassed Shankar was eliminated from the competition. So two
final tests remained for the three surviving candidates.

The three successful disciples entered the sixth room and prepared to discuss spiritual
philosophy before the realized Mohant. "What is the most important thing on the spiritual
path?" asked the Mohant. "Charity to help others, rooted in a realization that one is part of a
universal Godhead" replied Dilip. "To surrender to the spiritual master and follow his
teachings wholeheartedly" said Kumar. "To be detached from the world and pursue one’s
own liberation" replied Mukunda. The Mohant evaluated the three answers. The first two
answers he considered to be rooted in the foundation of desireless action transcending the
individual ego. But the third answer was too self centered, and with such an attitude one
would be unfit to serve others. Hence Mukunda was eliminated from the competition. Finally
the last test was to begin. Kumar and Dilip entered the seventh room and saw a cup of milk in
front of them. "The disciple who first takes this cup of milk will be disqualified," said the
Mohant. So Kumar and Dilip sat without food in the seventh room for three days. Kumar
began to feel very weak and dizzy. But he would rather die than touch the cup of milk. Dilip
felt more compassion for Kumar. Having his friend alive was more important than becoming
the head of a monastery. So Dilip touched the cup of milk first and poured it into Kumar’s
dry lips. The Mohant read the thoughts of each and decided that Dilip would be the successor
because of his kindness and self sacrifice.

The Mohant walked with Dilip into his holy meditation shrine. He sat before Dilip and
entered into deep meditation. Dilip saw that the Mohant’s body became brighter and brighter
until it merged in God’s descending pure white light. Only a handful of ashes remained of the
Mohant’s body. With tender love Dilip put these ashes in his hands and contemplated the
meaning of this experience. Suddenly the ashes became transformed into a sparkling golden
lotus. Dilip became identified inwardly with the lotus. He closed his eyes and felt his soul
climbing up a stalk within his spinal column until he reached the head summit of a thousand
lotus petals. Now he was expanding world after world into God’s infinite light. He was in
tune with the Creator’s cosmic mind. Throughout his expanded being he became identified
with the eternal mystic Aum sound. Eternal wisdom descended into his previous human
brain. His body began to undergo a strange transformation until it took a shape nearly
identical with the old Mohant when he was a young disciple. Hence, by his guru’s mysterious
grace, the process of transmission had been accomplished. Dilip was now the Mohant of the
mountain monastery.

THE FISHERMAN’S DISCOVERY

Closer and closer the boat sailed toward the shore of a small fishing village. Among the party
of men that landed there was a golden Brahmin youth. Shankaracharya was on one of his
many travels throughout India to establish the supremacy of Vedanta. Before entering this
sleepy little fishing village, Shankaracharya prayed to the goddess of knowledge, Sarasvati,
to make these humble fishermen receptive to the truth of Vedanta. Besides holding scholarly
debates in vast royal courts throughout India he also, with less fanfare, went to the common
people living in villages. The sanyasi saint wanted all mankind to be receptive to the truth
that this life was pervaded by a divine reality of which each soul was an integral part. All the
people gathered at the little temple to hear the message of the golden Brahmin youth. After an
hour of quoting the Vedas, chanting hymns to the divine powers of God, and answering
questions from the people it looked like his short visit to this fishing village was a success.
Suddenly a young fisherman rushed up through the little gathering and spat in
Shankaracharya’s face. "I spit upon your Vedanta" cried Apu. "Nature is the only truth, and it
is the vast ocean which supports our life with food. Where is your God that I can see it?"
Shankaracharya looked Apu in the eyes and declared that Apu himself would reveal the truth
of Vedanta to the fishing village. Only the great master Shankaracharya had the vision to see
the past lives of Apu.

Seven years later Apu was on his small fishing boat, when suddenly a great cyclone
appeared. He knew that he was lost. Apu thought that not even God, if there was one, could
save him. The waves violently smashed his small boat. Suddenly some heavy weight started
pulling at his fishing net. All Apu wanted to do was to escape with his life from this fierce
storm. Then he collapsed unconscious in his battered boat. But a miracle happened, and a
huge gust of wind blew Apu’s boat and the heavy object caught in his fishing safely ashore.
The next afternoon Apu woke up and stared at the golden figure caught in his fishing net.
Was this a dream or was he actually awake? All Apu could be certain was that he was
thankful for escaping with his life from that terrible storm at sea. The shining image
continued to remain before his eyes until at last he accepted its reality. It resembled the great
goddess that Shankaracharya had often worshipped at Kanchipuram. Apu was fascinated with
this gift from the ocean. So he built a little thatched hut and installed the goddess. Apu sat
down and thought what mystery does the ocean hold.

Now Apu was no longer a fisherman. Each day that he sat down in contemplation hastened
his spiritual growth. At first he meditated on the vast ocean and its seawave roar. Finally he
merged in the ocean and went beyond his mind’s ideas into an infinite state of consciousness.
He saw little bubbles floating in a cosmic ocean. Thousands of these bubbles radiated picture
images showing a vast panorama of Apu’s past lives. He was a merchant, a soldier, a priest, a
farmer, a hunter, a criminal, and played numerous other roles in life. The outer circumstances
were always different, but one luminous spark remained eternally the same. Apu witnessed
his unchanging soul occupying so many different bodies throughout numerous lifetimes. In
each life the central character always played his role and never looked beyond the passing
show of events for a greater constant reality and reason for living. Now Apu saw that all these
life bubbles floated in a luminous conscious ocean which was a mind of light without any
limits. Apu became that conscious ocean and expanded beyond the range of mortal vision. He
saw all life parading in the great cycles repeating themselves throughout eternity. All of
creation was proceeding from the idea of an infinite Cosmic Mind.

Suddenly Apu reviewed the events of his present life. He saw himself insulting a great saint
who had come to enlighten his village. But in past lifetimes Apu saw that he was always a
humble disciple learning spiritual wisdom from this great master. The mystic vision ended.
The golden Brahmin youth was now again visiting the village. Apu opened up his eyes and
began to preach his guru’s Vedanta truth to the quiet fishing village.

THE JEWEL ISLAND

It was a lovely marriage. Sundar, the son of a cloth merchant, had just wed Usha, the
daughter of a jewel merchant. Both families and the whole town were overjoyed at the
marriage celebration. The two most powerful business families of the town had concluded an
alliance. But for the just married couple the facts of money meant nothing when compared to
the joys of youthful romance. For them it was a marriage of love, not money. When the priest
recited the prayers they looked into each other’s eyes and knew they had found a treasure that
was beyond the value of money. One month after the marriage it was decided by Usha’s
father Prachar that Sundar would be his partner in the jewel trade. Sundar agreed because
there was a great challenge in traveling to far off places to seek the best values in jewel
trading. The profits were great but the risk of life was greater. Usha loved to be with Sundar,
but she agreed with her father that a good husband must prove himself to be a hero that could
conquer all the challenges involved in jewel trading voyages.

Sundar also wanted to prove to his wife Usha that he had the courage to succeed in his own
right. Unlike Prachar, he was not greedy for business profits. The only thing about the
forthcoming jewel trading voyage that made Sundar sad was that he would have to be
temporarily separated from his loving wife Usha. One early morning Prachar and Usha
waved goodbye to Sundar and twenty five other men as they set sail to seek their profits in a
jewel trading voyage. The days grew into weeks, and Usha was tearfully missing her young
husband. Prachar told his daughter Usha that he had confidence that Sundar would return
with a rich treasure of precious jewels. All was tranquil at sea until suddenly a dark cloud
appeared overhead. Then there was wind and rain. The sea went wild with its huge waves
attacking the ship. The sail was blown down, and water began going over the deck of the
ship. There was no hope for survival. The ship went down. All the crew perished except
Sundar. Sundar hung on to a big chunk of wood and swam until it seemed like he was living
in a sea of eternity. Time had stopped for him. He was swimming for his dear life, not
knowing where it would all end.

Twelve hours later, in a semiconscious state, he reached a tranquil shore. Sundar thanked
God that he was still alive and prayed that he might eventually rejoin his wife Usha.
Meanwhile Sundar’s immediate concern was to explore the island that he had reached. He
was hungry and began to search for food. It seemed strange to Sundar that this island was so
quiet. Although there was no animal life, there was fresh spring water descending from a
mountain. After drinking that reviving water, Sundar decided to explore the mountain. The
next day he began climbing the mountain. It was too good to be true. Many small caves on
the mountain had gold and diamonds. But precious jewels in themselves are worthless when
one is lost on a far off island. Sundar would trade all these expensive treasures just to be once
again with his wife Usha. Sundar again prayed to God that he would live to leave this jewel
island and rejoin Usha. He decided to continue his search on the mountain. At last he found
one cave that did not have gems, which could be traded on the jewel market. A glowing
crystal image of a goddess with a red cobra coiled around it suddenly startled Sundar’s
vision.

In Sundar’s presence the crystal image seemed to vibrate with light. When one calls for
God’s help there is always an answer. Now the red cobra swiftly glided off the crystal
goddess and entered Sundar’s body. The young treasure hunter felt a massive explosion
racing up his spinal column. The red cobra was now a dot of energy shooting up Sundar’s
central nervous system. Then it reached the summit of his head. Now there was a new
consciousness awake in Sundar’s mind. The crystal goddess in the cave became alive in his
being. "I am the Chintamani jewel residing on the island of delight inside your soul. Most
men seek the jewels of this world hoping that they will yield all the objects desired. But I
know you are different. In past lifetimes, in another age, you worshipped me constantly in
this cave with your sincere prayer ‘Mother of the universe reveal thy love.’ This jewel island
is of another purer age, and soon it will disappear. But before my crystal image vanishes take
its third eye and wear it as a locket. Whenever you or your wife gaze at this crystal locket
with the prayer ‘Mother of the universe reveal thy love’, I will appear within your
consciousness and bless you. I protect my devotees throughout eternity." The words and
vision of the crystal goddess had faded in Sundar’s awakened consciousness. But he took the
third eye of the crystal goddess for a locket and again prayed to leave the jewel island and
soon be with his wife Usha.

Prachar had a dream. He told Usha that a lady whose body was made of crystal jewels came
to him telling the location of the jewel island where Sundar was stranded. Usha asked Prachar
what he wanted most, the jewels or Sundar. Prachar was honest and told his daughter that he
wanted both the jewels and Sundar to return. So Prachar built a bigger ship and sailed toward
the jewel island. But all was not so tranquil on the jewel island. Deep rumbling noises were
exploding inside the earth. Finally, Prachar and his crew reached the island. Sundar embraced
his father in law and showed him where all the jewels were. Then Prachar told Sundar about
his dream of the crystal goddess, and Sundar told Prachar about his experiences in the cave.
Just as they had boarded the big ship and set sail for home, the jewel island exploded in one
gigantic volcanic eruption and disappeared into the sea without a trace. Sundar and Prachar
returned safely home. With all the jewels Prachar was rich beyond his wildest expectations.
Suddenly he remembered the crystal goddess of his dream, and all worldly greed left him.
Prachar built a magnificent temple to the crystal goddess, and every year distributed large
sums in charity to all those who were in need. Sundar, with the rediscovered knowledge that
he had been a devotee of the crystal goddess in past lifetimes, began teaching his wife Usha
the secret of the crystal locket. By meditation and prayer they discovered within God’s
spiritual wishfulfilling Chintamani jewel that put them in the divine presence.

THE BIGGEST MIRACLE

"Make way, make way for Shandu the magician." A ten foot tall grey elephant with a dark
man wearing a turban slowly approached the royal palace of King Bhadrayu. The day was
sunny, and the kingdom was at peace. On such days the king took great delight in being
entertained. The king had seen many illusions performed by magicians, but there was one
trick that he longed to witness. That feat of magic was the ancient Indian rope trick. Many
had heard of it being done in the past, but none had ever seen it performed in their lifetime.
King Bhadrayu offered the most precious prize to anyone in his kingdom who could do this
trick. He knew that he was growing old and had failed to have a son, and so he offered his
daughter Chandrika to the clever man who could perform this feat of magic. The possessor of
such skill would alone be fit to rule his kingdom. Many had answered his invitation, but all
had failed. The only reward for their effort was a royal execution. So on this bright summer
day the magician Shandu decided to leave the jungle and accept King Bhadrayu’s challenge.
Once Shandu was a prince in another kingdom but by the decree of dark fate, he was driven
into the jungle after being defeated in war.

For many years Shandu had lived in the jungle practicing Tantric yoga to gain supernatural
powers in the hope of regaining his kingdom. He worshipped the fearsome Naga serpents and
could command them to do his bidding by his awesome mantra power. He contemplated the
clouds and by his mystic rites to Indra had power over the weather. He concentrated on the
lord of death, Yama and learnt the science of reviving the deceased. He prayed to the spirits
of the ether and could cause objects to be transported from their world to this world. Shandu
had gradually acquired the power to fly through the air with the grace of the wind god Vayu.
He cam to King Bhadrayu’s palace armed with every Tantric power, except one. Shandu had
not conquered desire. He falsely saw reality in the changing illusions that were created by the
power of his mind’s concentration. He lived trapped by the wild desires of his own mind. He
was a stranger to the realm of the cosmic truth of God’s existence. For Shandu the only god
was his mind’s lust for power. This mental god he had cultivated well by exercising it in the
visualization of ideas to such an extent until the ideas became materialized into the shapes of
earthly reality.

"Show me what magic you possess," came the stern voice of King Bhadrayu. Shandu cast a
blazing glance at his elephant and whispered some secret words into the ethers. Suddenly the
huge beast collapsed dead at his feet. Feeling an air of confidence, Shandu calmly
commanded "arise oh servant of the master." In an instant the elephant arose perfectly normal
like nothing had happened. Shandu cast his glowing eyes at the sunny sky, and quickly
clouds appeared over the royal palace, and the rains began. Chandrika cried out "father tell
him to restore this sunny day." So Shandu quickly invoked Indra, and the sun shone
peacefully again. Shandu looked at Chandrika and desired to marry her. He prayed to the
spirits of the ether, and instantaneously a diamond necklace appeared which he put around
the trembling Chandrika. Chandrika admired Shandu’s magic powers but thought that he was
very arrogant. At last King Bhadrayu said "oh Shandu, you have impressed my kingdom with
the powers of your magic illusions, but still you have not shown us the Indian rope trick."

Shandu sat still for ten minutes concentrating on a cobra that he kept in a basket. Shandu
opened his eyes and took a flute out of his pocket. He tenderly put the flute to his lips and
played a melody that put everybody in trance. King Bhadrayu and his people all felt that they
were leaving their body and flying toward heaven. Slowly the cobra unwound itself and slid
out of the basket. It began expanding and extended its body all the way up to a cloud that
appeared one thousand feet above King Bhadrayu’s palace. The giant magic cobra had now
become a rope that Shandu was climbing in front of his entranced audience. Higher and
higher Shandu went until he finally disappeared into the cloud. He had courage and ambition,
but he was not prepared for the mystery that awaited him in the glowing cloud. "Shandu, we
have been awaiting you" came two voices deep inside the cloud. Shandu, the master of
illusion, could not believe what his own eyes were now seeing. The divine holy couple and
origin of all Tantric yoga, Siva and Parvati, met him face to face. "Your feats of magic are
mere child’s play compared with the divine creative power that sustains all the worlds," said
Parvati. The Divine Mother, at the command of Lord Siva, raised her hand and streams of
luminous cosmic bubbles flowed out which became endless universes pervaded everywhere
by the divine holy couple. Parvati showed Shandu visions of all his lives, always striving for
power but never satisfied. She showed him how he was trapped by his mind’s desires since
he was blind to searching for God’s reality. Then the Divine Mother touched Shandu’s heart.
He felt the ecstatic bliss of being a soul that was expanding into infinity, while yet being in
one place at the same time. Shandu realized that beyond life and death the bliss of God was
the only reality. Shandu bowed touching the feet of the divine holy couple and prayed for
forgiveness for his mind’s ignorance.

Slowly Shandu descended from the cloud and reached the royal palace. By now the cloud had
disappeared. King Bhadrayu and his people were amazed by Shandu’s magic. King Bhadrayu
offered Shandu his daughter Chandrika and his kingdom. But then Shandu did the biggest
miracle of his life. He renounced his craving for power. Shandu told the people his vision of
Siva and Parvati in the cloud. The people looked up, and all saw the holy couple blessing the
kingdom with beams of light descending from their hands. Shandu had now experienced
something greater than all the illusions of magic. By the grace of the divine holy couple
Shandu the magician had become transformed into a saint who saw beyond this fleeting
transient world. Shandu’s whole being now experienced God’s reality everywhere. All the
people witnessed the radiant light coming out of his bliss filled body, and they also felt the
reality of the divine presence pervading their soul.

THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM

It was so dark and still that one could feel an invisible presence overlooking the coming
battle. Two kingdoms were preparing to destroy themselves for land and glory. Inside a blue
tent housing the king, a conference was going on between the king and Lomar, his general.
The king’s strategy was for Lomar to attack the enemy center with a third of the army and
then the rest of the king’s army would strike from the rear. But the distance between hopeful
plans and reality is sometimes as wide as the space between two mountain cliffs.

The sun arose waking up thousands of warriors on both sides. The bright glistening sky
overhead and the vast plain of the sandy earth below became a huge arena waiting to witness
the explosion of the coming war. Both sides were armed and all tense for the grand killing to
begin. Suddenly Lomar’s band of cavalry rode headlong toward the enemy’s center with
arrows and shouting filling the sky. The enemy king’s response was to form his troops into a
half moon semicircle to trap the attacking thrust of Lomar’s cavalry. Something went wrong
with the plan of Lomar’s king to attack from the rear. They delayed too long, and Lomar was
forced to turn around and ride in swift retreat. The enemy army sped on in hot pursuit.
Suddenly a frightening scene appeared to Lomar’s outnumbered retreating cavalry. The
battlefield ended as they rode toward a mountain cliff whose bottom seemed to have no end.
Ten feet separated the mountain cliff from another large stretch of land that appeared as an
impossible hope for freedom. The horses were racing too fast to be stopped.

Suddenly Lomar awoke all alone. The sun had set. The brave warrior felt ashamed of his
retreat. He was a stranger in a new unexplored land. A gentle wave of string music was
coming closer. A luminous misty cloudlike form was manifesting before his startled eyes. A
golden robed woman touched his hand. Lomar felt her hand and knew that this touch was not
that of an earthly woman. Amela told Lomar that she was his guide. Lomar asked her where
he was to go. Amela told Lomar when he was a boy he always dreamed of what lay beyond
the perilous mountain cliff. Amela taught Lomar that there is a universal king who made his
devoted subjects live in eternal freedom. Lomar said he was ready to see the king of freedom.
Amela made Lomar promise never to let go of her hand in their journey, no matter what
happened.

While holding Amela’s golden hand, a giant golden eagle with wings of fire waited to help
their journey to the king of freedom. They both sat on the bird of heaven, and the journey
beyond earthly reality began. This Garuda bird was a celestial eagle that the gods rode upon
in heaven. Higher and higher they went as the earth and the stars began to recede into
nothingness. There was only an endless wall of light stretching everywhere. Suddenly a
ringing music with bells and a flute came nearer and nearer. An infinite tree was seen
growing from a vast garden. A little child was lying asleep on a lotus leaf. Amela told Lomar
to prepare himself to meet the king of freedom. The divine child opened his blue eyes, and
the tree and garden disappeared. Lomar suddenly felt that his guide Amela had also vanished.
Only the divine child existed. He played on his flute and became all the worlds and, at his
will, became again just a sleeping boy. Lomar knew within his heart that he had met the king
of freedom who no earthly mind could comprehend.
The smiling divine child told Lomar that in many lives he struggled hard to realize God’s
presence. Lomar asked the blue boy how he knew about past lives. The divine child told
Lomar that as the eternal king of freedom he lives beyond time and body limitations in a
playful way that no human mind could comprehend. The divine child promised to teach
Lomar more about the realization of God in his next lifetime. After spending vast ages in the
celestial kingdom of the golden lotus, Lomar was again reborn on earth.

It was so dark and still that one could feel an invisible presence overlooking the coming
battle. Two kingdoms were preparing to destroy themselves for land and glory. The sun arose
waking up thousands of warriors on both sides. So Arjuna woke up that day finding Krishna
by his side.

THE LOST CALF

One afternoon a group of cowherd boys were relaxing in the bright green meadow. The cows
were slowly wandering through the pasture nibbling bits of grass. Next to some of the cows
their frisky calves were jumping with the joy of youthful spring. Just as the cowherd boys
knew who their parents were, each calf knew with the instinct of love who was their mother.
This link of affection was happily shared by the cows moving through the pasture. Suddenly
one tan cow let out with an awful cry. The cow ran this way and that way. The cowherd boys
woke up from their afternoon sleep. All the other cows were tranquil except this one agitated
cow. This cow knew with the instinct of a mother that her lovely little calf was missing from
the meadow. The cowherd boys counted the cows in the fields and found that one calf was
indeed missing from the herd. So they decided to bring the cows back to the village and let
one cowherd boy remain to search for the missing calf. When something is lost in this world,
one must carefully search for it until it is found. Surya was young and alert and had much
courage for this task.

Surya knew that his mission would be made more difficult with the darkness of evening
approaching. Still he moved quickly through the grass searching for clues that would reveal
the trail of the innocent calf. He searched for areas growing food and near water. His ears
listened carefully for the sound that a frightened calf would make. The sun set and the moon
arose, but still Surya would not give up in his quest. By now Surya had long since left the
green meadow and was passing through a forest. He heard many strange sounds but was not
afraid. The one who had set out in search of a lost calf found that he himself was lost in the
night. He approached a riverbank and found the hollow of a huge tree to sleep in. An old
spider web on the entrance showed that the tree hollow was empty inside. Surya, with
youthful imagination, began to marvel at the beauty of the spider’s web. From out of the
center he gazed at soft strands projecting an expanding circular masterpiece of beauty.
Surya’s eyes grew heavy with weariness, and soon he was asleep within the empty tree
hollow. That night he had a dream that changed his whole life. He dreamed he existed as a
mind floating in infinite space. A point of light appeared in the cosmic void. Suddenly many
forms started projecting themselves out of this central sun. But at the center there was a
divine being that Surya felt was simultaneously radiating from his heart center. Surya saw
that all existence was a living part of the mysterious cosmic whole. God was the cosmic
spider of light and from his mind’s manifested web of thought there flowed outward all of
creation. The divine being of light was always hidden in the center of existence. But since all
of creation was projected outward, God remained unknown. Surya realized his soul as a
living part of that hidden divine creator. The imagery of the spider’s web had worked to
awaken his spiritual consciousness during the dream. Suddenly the sound of a vibrating flute
woke him up from his dream. The music of the flute was coming from the riverbank. Surya
got up and left the tree hollow to see where this entrancing music was coming from. The
silver beams of the moon above aided him in reaching the scene of the music’s origin.

What Surya saw was even more fantastic than the dream he had in the empty tree hollow.
There was dancing and music that was out of this world. He saw a circle of dancers holding
hands, and in the center was a huge being dancing alone playing a flute. All the dancers were
each holding the hand of that same mysterious person whose huge form in the center was
directing this dance of joy. The entrancing music of the flute liberated the souls of the
dancers from their body consciousness. They all felt united with the blue boy in the center of
the dance. Their souls had answered the divine call, and now they all merged in the flute
player. Suddenly there was no dance, only the flute player remained. Because all the
individual dancers were only a projection of Krishna’s cosmic play. Surya stood entranced
with ecstasy gazing into the eyes of Sri Krishna. "You came searching for a lost calf, but it
was your soul that was lost from its creator. Now by your good karma in many lifetimes you
have found the divine person. I am always with you in your heart, but now you are aware of
my presence." Just as Sri Krishna had finished speaking these words, his huge shape of blue
light became smaller and smaller and melted into Surya’s opened heart.

INNOCENCE

"One, two, three...one hundred. Where are the rest of the gold coins in the royal treasury?"
demanded King Vishnupriya. After the king had finished his annual treasury audit, it was
found that nearly all the royal wealth had mysteriously disappeared from the treasury. The
king questioned his prime minister Rajan but got no answer. The king next talked with his
army commander general Ugrapati about the theft. Now that the kingdom was financially
broke there was a real danger that it would be an easy prey for any invading army. Both the
prime minister Rajan and the army commander Ugrapati were considered to be the two most
powerful men in the kingdom. King Vishnupriya suspected that one of these two ministers
were behind the treasury theft in a plot to seize control of the kingdom. The prime minister
Rajan had proven himself to be the most clever astute politician of his time, and the defense
minister Ugrapati had proven himself to be the most successful military commander with a
string of many battle conquests to his credit. The pressing question facing King Vishnupriya
was how to determine which one of his two powerful ministers had secretly looted the royal
treasury.

The king decided to search the houses of the two ministers. Ugrapati’s mansion was found to
be full of detailed maps of all the neighboring kingdoms. But no unusual amount of royal
coins were discovered there. After three hours of searching Rajan’s house, there was found a
freshly covered hole in the back wall. The king’s servants broke through the wall and found
over five hundred gold coins. Still the bulk of the missing royal treasury was not found. But
all the evidence pointed to Rajan as the treasury thief. Rajan protested his innocence to the
king. Nobody would believe his innocence. There were now two choices left open to Rajan.
First he could meekly let himself be wrongly punished for a crime that he did not commit, or
his second choice could be to escape with his life immediately from the kingdom. Rajan
looked at the hostile faces of King Vishnupriya and defense minister Ugrapati. Rajan saw that
just in front of the royal palace was his trusted white horse. So Rajan surprised the king’s
guards by bursting out of the palace window with one terrific jump. Now Rajan was on his
white stallion riding for his dear life with hundreds of royal troops chasing him in hot pursuit.
While Rajan’s white horse gained speed, he kept thinking to himself about where was there
justice in this world when might apparently seemed to make right. By nightfall the mighty
white stallion had raced through plain and forest in its quest to escape the royal cavalry that
was pursuing Rajan. Under the cover of darkness Rajan reached the shore of a vast river. He
was afraid that now with the deep river in front of him and the royal cavalry somewhere
behind him in the darkness, his liberty would soon end. "Are you coming my way?" called a
boy steering a small wooden boat. Rajan had no choice but to put his life in the hands of this
young unknown boatman. "Where do you come from?" asked Rajan. "I come from the other
side of the shore. Please step onto my boat. I have taken many others before to the safe side
of the far off shore" answered the mysterious boatman. So Rajan abandoned his loyal white
stallion and got onto the little boat to seek a life of freedom safe from the clutches of a hostile
world. "I know the way to safety. Please put all your trust in me, and you shall be free of all
worldly fear" said the confident master of the boat carrying Rajan to freedom.

Rajan reached the other shore and in terror saw himself between two huge armies composed
of endless hordes of roaring warriors. "Have no fear. I protect all those who surrender their
lives to me," said the child who had previously assumed the disguise of the boatman. Rajan
saw a huge hand lifting him above the two battling armies. A gigantic cosmic being whose
body was composed of all the universes was tenderly holding Rajan. Rajan saw himself as a
little speck existing within the enormous endless body of the unbelievable deity that he was
now witnessing. Then Rajan saw his soul as a point of light that now began expanding
beyond the stars and galaxies. He saw the past, present, and future. Rajan discovered that he
too was in reality this Universal Godhead. It did not make sense to his mind that he could be
a tiny soul and yet exist simultaneously as the Divine. The Divine Being that Rajan was now
experiencing inwardly and outwardly slowly began to speak. "I too was accused of theft long
ago. They said I stole the Shyamantaka jewel from King Satrajit. You Rajan have lived a pure
life inwardly, and I will prove your innocence when you return to the kingdom.

Suddenly the sun arose and Rajan found himself returned back to the shore where his trusty
white stallion was waiting for him. Rajan returned to the kingdom with faith that God was
always protecting him since he realized his soul as part of the Cosmic Godhead. King
Vishnupriya looked into Rajan’s eyes and saw the courage of an innocent man. Still the
evidence pointed to Rajan as the treasury thief, and it was the duty of the king to have him
executed. If Rajan would die, Ugrapati would also become the prime minister. King
Vishnupriya decided to secretly search the powerful Ugrapati’s house again. There were
dozens of military maps of neighboring kingdoms and also one map of a deserted Vishnu
temple on the outskirts of the royal capital. Rajan stood the next morning before the royal
executioner with serenity in his heart. Since Rajan’s experience of cosmic consciousness on
the other shore, he felt Krishna protecting his life. As the executioner raised his sword over
Rajan’s neck, a sudden burst of wind blew the sword to the ground. Then a thunderous
explosion came from the deserted Vishnu temple. The doors opened and a bright light glowed
inside from the ancient image of the Lord. The discus in one of his four arms began revolving
and throwing out sparks of fire. A whirling circle shot out of the temple doors into the royal
palace and severed the head of Ugrapati’s thick neck. Divine justice had triumphed. Shortly
afterwards King Vishnupriya, using Ugrapati’s temple map, found the stolen treasure money
hidden beneath the old temple’s floor. Rajan never became prime minister again. Instead he
became the priest of the newly rebuilt Vishnu temple which attracted devotees to come for
worship even beyond the kingdom. And so the people had discovered a treasure beyond the
value of worldly gold.
 THE FIRST CUSTOMER

It was market day, and the doctor strode down the hot dusty road. To everyone in the city he
was known as the angel of mercy. Five years before there was a war whose aftermath spread
a plague that killed hundreds. Among those lost in the plague was the doctor’s wife. Ever
since that tragic loss, he dedicated himself to healing and comforting the sick. The doctor’s
perception of life had grown beyond that of the average man. He regarded all men as part of
his family. Whenever he visited the ruler of the kingdom, he would talk about the futility of
war. War was a disease of the nation’s consciousness whose deadly poison eventually
manifested as an unknown plague killing more people than all the battles combined. But
unfortunately the majority of the people were not receptive to the doctor’s ideas of universal
brotherhood. Still the doctor was a dedicated crusader who would not stop in spreading his
message of peace and hope to all those suffering people in need. His ideas of mental hygiene
were well ahead of his time. But the people greeted the good doctor with respect everywhere
he went since they were grateful for all the many loved ones that were restored to good
health.

The doctor continued walking through the market place. Each road presented the different
products offered by the merchants. Some sold food, others sold clothing, many games of
chance took place, every form of entertainment was offered, and yet the variety of goods and
services seemed endless on market day. The roads were full of continuously moving
customers. Everyone looked, bargained, and then selected. The slow jingle of exchanged
coins was continuous throughout that day. It seemed that everything had a price and that all
one’s desires could be satisfied by money. This was the day that drew all the people together
for a great interchange of mutual needs and services. Yes, everyone in the kingdom was
bound together by the great wheel of commerce. They all were part of this living ocean.
Everywhere the doctor went he saw that one sold and another bought. He too had basic needs
to be supplied on market day. The sun began to set and at last the good doctor had made all
his basic purchases and chatted with his many friends. Now it was time to return home. He
thought that he had visited every shop in the market place until he discovered a little shop at
the end of the road.

From behind a half opened door came a voice saying: "what do you want?" This was a most
fascinating voice because the doctor felt like the question had come from within his own
heart. "I do not know" replied the doctor. "Then open the door fully" came the voice from
inside. So the doctor entered the strange shop not knowing what to expect. Inside the shop he
saw beautiful carpets on the floor, smelled perfume pervading the air and felt vibrantly
refreshed. In the corner sat a mysterious proprietor. "You are the first customer in a long time
because most of the people do not have the time or patience to look for my shop" said the
orange robed proprietor. "But what do you sell?" asked the puzzled doctor. "I do not sell
anything. I can only give what you are willing to receive" replied the peacefully sitting
merchant. "I wish I could find a way to end all suffering. Please show me some magic
formula if you can" said the doctor. "I am not a miracle man my good doctor. All I can show
you is that the lasting answer to all of life’s problems comes from within" replied the patient
merchant. Then the merchant took the doctor by the hand, and they both left the shop.

"Look throughout this whole market place and tell me what you see" asked the mysterious
merchant. The doctor carefully surveyed the entire market place and found it to be empty. All
the shops had closed. All the customers had returned home. Only the mysterious merchant
and his own self remained in the market place. "You know life is like this market place. It
flows constantly with activity and rest, but behind all the transactions there is a higher reason
of being. Today you opened the door to your soul. But beyond the house of the body there is
an immortal king. If only people could rise above the daily routine of life’s market place and
search for this eternal treasure, then there would be no more sickness of broken lives in this
world." After hearing these teachings of the mysterious merchant, the doctor tried to
penetrate beyond the twin diamond fires of the wise merchant’s eyes. Suddenly there was no
merchant, no market place, and no doctor. All dissolved in one huge blazing light pervading
the universe. Everything revealed itself as part of one gigantic heart of love. In the
consciousness of the Divine Healer there was no sickness, no health, no patient, no doctor,
because all flowed in harmony with God’s light.

The next day the doctor’s mind returned to the market place. But he felt like a new man. He
glowed with inner light and wisdom. All the people knew that their beloved doctor had
become a saint by tasting the nectar of divine love. The mysterious merchant had always
existed, but until yesterday he was hidden deep in the heart of the doctor. Every man has this
soul of divine nectar waiting for the first customer to taste the ecstasy of union with God.

IMMORTAL LOVE

In the early days of creation there lived a divine couple in love. The woman was radiantly
beautiful and brought joy wherever she moved. The man was serious and brought peace
wherever he resided. It was a strange union of opposites between life’s creativity and Spirit’s
withdrawal. Each needed and lived for the other. The whole universe was their palace of love.
Everywhere they went life reflected their bliss and serenity. But on the dark side of the
universe there were the masters of materialism. These wizards of the lower powers planned to
turn creation in a path entirely opposite that seen by the divine couple. The masters of
materialism wanted a world to develop that was governed only by ego, strife, and short lived
sensual pleasures. So all the lords of the lower powers decided to perform a sacrifice whose
success would determine the future course of life’s evolution in this world. Everyone was
invited to attend this pompous grand sacrifice except the divine couple. With the ingredients
of wealth, desire, and violence being magically poured into the sacrificial flame the ceremony
of the masters of materialism moved ever closer to completion. Only one force could stop this
sacrifice of the wizards of the lower powers.

The divine woman of bliss and beauty decided to end this dark sacrifice by throwing her life
into the flames. So while her divine husband was lost in the Spirit’s contemplation, she
separated from him and went toward the place where the sacrifice was being held. She was an
uninvited guest, and her appearance startled all the masters of materialism. It was an absolute
contrast of characteristics. On one side was all the darkness and limits of ego’s growth in
matter, while on the divine woman’s side was all the hope and possibilities of the Spirit’s
growth in creation. To make the world’s evolution into Spirit safe, she jumped into the flames
of the evil sacrifice. Her body was burnt to ashes, but she vowed never to separate from her
ascetic husband. She would return and join with the divine ascetic in a love that would never
die for the welfare of all of creation.

The divine ascetic awoke from his meditation with a shock of anger. He saw in his yogic
vision his wife’s supreme sacrifice to end the scheme of the lords of the lower powers to
conquer and control the future evolution of life in the universe. From out of the divine
ascetic’s third eye materialized a fiery ghost of vengeance armed with a trident and a sinister
grin. The ancient yogi commanded the ghost of vengeance to march toward where the
sacrifice was being held and to annihilate it from the face of the earth. So bowing low to the
lord of yoga, the ghost of vengeance set off to destroy the evil sacrifice being armed with his
thunderbolt trident. Soon the ghost of vengeance reached the spot where the pompous
sacrifice of the masters of materialism was being held. Without showing any trace of mercy
the ghost of vengeance began to immediately destroy, with his punishing trident, every article
and utensil used in the sacrifice. The area of the sacrifice swiftly became one chaotic
shambles. Next the ghost of vengeance, with supernatural speed, appeared to be everywhere
at once engaged in the cruel task of slaughtering all the evil wizards of the lower powers.
There was no escape for anyone responsible for the death of the ascetic’s wife. Finally with
his mission of destruction completed, the ghost of vengeance returned to his lord of yoga and
became absorbed into his third eye.

Now all existence seemed full of loneliness and sorrow for the once great ascetic. Every place
he wandered, he was haunted by the lovely face of his departed wife. There was no peace of
mind for the divine ascetic. He tried to lose himself in meditation, but instead only tears of
loneliness ran down his eyes. His love for his wife remained although the ages slowly passed
on. The divine ascetic’s only meditation was a hope beyond hope to be again reunited with
his departed wife. Then a new age arose. In this cosmic cycle divine love would triumph over
death and materialism. The goddess reentered this world by being born on the same icy high
Himalayan Mountain that Siva was meditating on. Siva suddenly felt love’s warm embrace
expanding in his heart. The great yogi opened his eyes and saw Parvati worshipping her
husband.

OM TAT SAT

SWAMIJI’S MESSAGE

Aum. My best wishes for publishing this book. The author Jay
Mazo came to my Bangalore Ashram in 1970 and was initiated into
meditation. After following my instructions he is revealing
through this book his experiences received in meditation to the
world. Those who read this book should also learn meditation and
then spread the practice among the people. By doing this they will
attain peace of mind. This is my advice.

With Blessings, SivaBalaYogi, Bangalore, India 1973