Inspiring
Glimpses in life
Explaining the reason of feeling
peaceful energy in holy places, Paramhansa Yogananda said, “There is great
value in visiting places, where saints lived. Such places are forever permeated
with the vibration left there by the divine souls, who walked those grounds;
there vibration will remain, until this earth is dissolved.”
The truth of his saying can be
experienced, only when one visits holy places, with unbiased, open and
receptive heart. But when and how it happens, is difficult to explain. But the
truth is, vibrations of such places can create such powerful impact in mind,
which can change perception in seconds.
I had such experience, when I
visited the ancient holy city of Benaras (Kashi). With a strong faith to be
liberated, people travel from distant parts of the country, just to die in
Kashi dham.
After offering puja at Vishwanath
temple I decided to attend Ganga arati at Dashaswamedh ghat, in the evening.
Every evening that glittering show with lights and chants attracts thousands of
people from all over the world.
I was lucky to view that
spectacular show, though it was very tough to push through the tremendous
crowd.
After that, we decided to see the
beauty of all ghats, city lights, and silently flowing Ganga river in the
darkness of night. We got into a boat, which was already full with other
passengers.
After viewing the gradual fading
lights of many ghats at the river bank, when finally we reached at the last
Harish Chandra ghat, it was totally dark outside. There, a complete opposite
view drew my attention. I could see, in the total darkness in that silent
place, only few flickering flames were coming out from almost a finished
burning pyre. Not a single soul was there to witness those last flickers,
except a thirsty dog, who was standing nearby, and was licking water from the
river bank.
The whole environment threw a magic
spell on my mind. In seconds, I was totally drowned into my inner silence. It
was so deep, no noise could penetrate it. Sitting with everybody, I was alone
in my deep and peaceful silence, totally undisturbed. Later, on my return
journey, that inner stability helped me to pass through the same terrible crowd
with a smiling face and undisturbed mind. I realized that, it is not the
outside situations, but what really matters is our inner attitude and
stability, and when that gets reflected outside, it makes outside pleasant or
unpleasant to us.
This time while visiting my son in
California, I visited two beautiful temples in Encinitus, and Lakeshrine in
L.A. both these temples and hermitages were founded by Paramhansa Yogananda to
disseminate the universal teachings of Kriya yoga, sacred spiritual science
originating millennium ago in India.
Both these places have beautiful
meditation gardens, which attract thousands of people from all over the world.
In Encinitus the spectacular view of unlimited horizon, where the perfect
blending of the Pacific Ocean with the blue sky has taken place, makes one
stand still and speech less. Heart fills with reverence and gratitude’s to have
an opportunity to view such marvelous painting of God in the vast canvas of
nature.
Atop the bluff, Swami Yogananda
used to sit and meditate for hours together. When local surfer saw a Sadhu,
with a long flowing hair and orange robe meditating there for day and night,
they named that point as Swami Point. In this hermitage, he spent many years,
in divine commune and expressed his direct experience with God through his
writings.
Lakeshrine temple in L.A has its
different charm. The shining lake in the middle, with picture perfect swans in
it, the whole place looked like a hidden paradise to find peace and clarity. We
were charmed to see the beautiful garden landscaped with trees and flowers around
the world. Benches dotting the ground, statues of deities from different
religions, welcomed visitors of all religion to come, sit, relax, meditate and
enjoy moments of silence.
We stopped at the Dutch wind mill
chapel, where services were formerly held. We saw the house boat, where master
lived and meditated for hours.
As we entered and sat in the small
meditation hall, I prayed to feel the presence of master's blessings. Without
much effort, my mind calmed down, all diverse thoughts disappeared. With one pointed concentration, I could feel lightness
in my body. As if I was slightly lifted up from the ground and was very slowly
being cradled with motherly affection. It was also an unusual experience, of
being and not being together. In Banaras my consciousness was withdrawn inside,
in inner silence; and here my consciousness was lifted up from the ground
reality. I realized, whether I withdraw
myself in inner silence; or fly high in the freedom of bliss, the message is
the same.
The message was, to witness and
participate with life, not from the worldly plane. Miseries are felt, only when
we get sucked in by worldliness. Inner stability is more powerful than
situations. Only by lifting our consciousness up in our blissful nature, or
diving deep in silence, we realize, life is a passing shadow. Nothing to be
disturbed about it, it is like flickering flames, waiting to be blown off by
time. I know, those inspiring moments like pole star will light up and guide my
understanding through the dark patches of life, and I will successfully share
my courage, clarity and confidence with all.
