bandha
paasha miha dukha kaaranam
raaga dwesha miha kashta kaaranam
Guru-paada pujyathe moksha kaaranam
ataha Guru-bhakthi kevalamiha sarwaguna
kaaranam
Our Gurudev is a boundless fountain of knowledge, love
and compassion, radiant eyes flowing with blessings, and a disarming smile,
makes the toughest nut crack, melts any heart, and seeps through the hardest
rock. You sit in his aura and feel the difference!!
Who is God? How to find God? And after finding him
what to do? These are some of the questions that would arise in the mind of a
ten-year old boy. For hours he would sit at the entrance of the village temple
and ponder. He would often be seen walking deep into the paddy fields all by
himself. Before long he would find himself sitting beneath the boughs of a
spreading tree, deep in meditation. As a child he was fascinated by the saints,
their talks and their saffron robes but would avoid "spiritual melas" of any
kind. Destiny of this remarkable youngster has brought him to be known popularly
as BABA today.
Born of extremely religious parents, Baba was brought up in
accordance with the ancient spiritual tradition. His mother, a
very pious lady would often rebuke him on the pretext that people
would take advantage of his simplicity, nevertheless she insisted
“be simple to be simple”. His father though an engineer
by profession, was an acharya of the Hindu scriptures, and would
dedicate the evenings with the local children imparting lessons
in simplicity and honest living through stories. Perhaps, this
tradition of jnaana yajna is what Baba has inherited and
is practicing himself, even today.
Gurudev worships God in the form of Lord Shiva.
Even in his early twenties, Baba was
found sitting under a tree and preaching to his colleagues. Baba loves to share
his knowledge with people around him. He loves to ponder over a word, go deep
into it, analyze, criticize, assimilate and then share his hypothesis with
people! He is of the firm conviction that one should not believe in something
just because some one has said, or one has read in a book. Finding out the truth
yourself is realization. Even during the
Upanishad
study classes that he conducts for his disciples, he insists that they should
conceive, then contemplate and find results on their own. A great soul and
perfect in meditation, Baba preaches that humanity has traversed enough through
the external materialistic world of
maya,
and it is only jnaana, which can cut through this veil of
maya.
Born in a small village called Thiruvazhiad, in Kerala, Baba qualified to be an engineer, underwent training as a furnace technologist and served a multi-national company till he took voluntary retirement to dedicate himself for the upliftment of the humanity, a task entrusted upon him by the Supreme Power. He was a brilliant student and a scholar in Sanskrit, and his Vedic chanting reverberates, conforming his unanimity with mantras, janma after janma. He has mastered the art of traditional meditation, and psychic healing from his father.
"A Divine soul", is how Swami Chidanand Saraswati of Rishikesh describes him, on whose invitation Baba visited Rishikesh and was also asked to preach to the sanyasis in the ashram.
Not a soul stirs when Baba speaks and he can capture the audience for hours with his authoritative and mesmerizing speech enhanced by a mystifying gleam in his eyes. One may say that all saints talk the same, all pravachans are the same - perhaps, yes. But the presentation, the examples, the expression of thoughts, which touch the heart, is what makes the difference. Every word that Baba speaks is charged, every word is powerful, and every word needs to be weighed.
Baba finds humour in small, mundane things of life. His child-like innocence, the sparkle in his eyes, the boyish grin on his face, and the irresistible charm, is what captures the hearts of people from all walks of life and they open up their world to him. At the same time, a man of iron-will, nothing escapes his keen acumen. Baba's silence speaks more than his words! The mere presence of Baba in the room emits vibrations, which quietens the emotional turmoil and stills the ever-wandering mind. Baba's entrance to a room sends people talking in hushed whispers. When Baba is silent and withdrawn, nobody dares to speak. You sit in His aura and immediately experience an inner peace - no doubts, no fears, no questions!
With an intense desire to realize the truth, Baba still meditates everyday. He has an in-depth study of the Hindu scriptures and can preach with equal deftness on the Bhagwad Gita, Srimad Bhaagwatham and the various Upanishads. His boundless humility brings forth the remark, "It is not me who is talking, it is the Divine Power speaking through me", when people stare in amazement at the philosophy he preaches and the teachings he derives from situations in life. In very simple language, Baba brings out the true meaning of the scriptures. He is well versed with Hindi as well as English. A huge reservoir of knowledge, a big receptacle to hold many things, a true sanyaasi, Baba practices what he preaches: to live in detachment and not be attracted by sensual pleasures. Sensual pleasures merely give a "sense" of pleasure and every pleasure comes along with pain, every pleasure ends in pain; a pleasure is only an intimation of a bigger pain's arrival, says Baba. A great religious teacher, Baba's teachings inspire many to dedicate their life in search of truth and knowledge.
Baba is always in a state of
detachment in the midst of numerous distractions. One cannot be released from
samsaara
by running away to a jungle, he says. His life is marked by
vairagya
and
nishkaama karma,
which alone can lead one to God, he insists. Samarpana or surrender of Ego is
essential to attain the Supreme.
Baba says, Ego is result of Moha and Vikshepa (desire and
dejection) happening at every instance in us. Baba draws hundreds and thousands
to him inwardly and unnoticed by them. Baba is the personification of
dedication, devotion, emancipation and enlightenment. His real worth and high
spiritual quality is not known to many. The calmness reflects the jnaani in Him,
the comfortable smile that he always wears, reflects the depth in Him. A man of
few words, Baba speaks only what is necessary and when necessary, but what he
speaks is dipped in
jnaana.
Gurudev is so simple, compassionate, loving, and
caring.
He knows of your problems before you can
start talking about it, he is always available to everyone, he makes everyone
feel special. His disarming smile at once makes you feel at ease. Each moment
spent with him is satsang; every word he speaks is veda vakya.
He has answers to all our spiritual quests. He is the real Guru as described by
Adi Shankaracharya in his praise of Dakshinamurti. The Divine Guru
is sitting on a raised platform under vatavriksha and the disciples
are squatting on the earth. The Guru is young while the disciples are old:
Gurostu Mounam Vyakhyanaam, Shishyatu Chhinna Sanshayaha.
When Gurudev regressed into his past lives, he found
that he had been a Saint or a Rishi in six of his previous lives.
This was confirmed when Gurudev was identified by Goswami Maharaj
about seven years ago. Goswami Maharaj confirmed that they had been
together in
Mathura
about 4000 years ago. It is his past karmic samakaaras which reflect in his
present life.
He lives in the midst of emotional surges of pain
and pleasure . His moods change by the minute. One minute he is a small child
full of excitement when he narrates an experience, and the next moment he is
suddenly the stern Master. God resides in every cell of his being. In pain or in
pleasure, the very first words that emanate from Him are "Shambho
Mahadeva, Mahadeva, Mahadeva" . Mahadeva
resides within him. He gets carried away when he narrates experiences (his own
ones or others') and stories about God and Godliness. His face lights up, when
he talks of Lord Shiva, he becomes emotional, and suddenly you feel that it is
not him who is talking, it is Lord Shiva in person who is talking to us. Many of
his disciples have various incidents to narrate of such occasions.
The Supreme knowledge melts and just flows through
Baba for the benefit of both the disciples and the spiritual aspirants alike.
Baba's teaching kindles a light and creates passion and hunger for God in a
human being. Through Baba's blessings many lives have changed, many people are
transformed. Knowing the scriptures and chanting the
shlokas
are not enough, one has to evoke the knowledge from within. Baba stresses to
read one's own life as a book, to analyze, criticize and correct oneself.
A Grandmaster in Reiki, Baba's Reiki classes impart a lot of spiritual teachings, which leaves deep impact on the minds of the people. There are many who confirm having found their spiritual Guru after attending the Reiki classes. Baba combines his knowledge of Vaastu shastra with Reiki to balance the energy in homes, offices and factories, and does not believe in any demolition or restructuring of the premises. The Past Life Regression Seminar that he conducts has helped many disturbed people to come out of their inhibitions and traumas and lead a meaningful life thereafter. While Baba does not believe in "display" of spiritual eminence, miraculous healing results have been experienced by various people at all three levels - body, mind and spirit, with the Divine healing energy, which flows through his equally Divine hands.
Guru is light, Guru is life, Guru lights up your life.
Guru scolds, Guru loves, Guru gives, Guru forgives.
Guru stands by you, Guru defends you.
Guru carries you in his arms, Guru leads you by the fingers
Guru knows you, Guru understands you.
Guru gives wisdom, Guru gives knowledge.
Guru only gives, Guru never asks
Guru is Great, Guru is Supreme
Guru is Shiva, Guru is Shakti.
Guru is Father, Guru is Mother
Guru is yours, Guru is all in one.
Guru is a flame of the light, which burns to show you the light.
Enkindle the Light of Guru in your Heart and watch it dispel the
darkness of ignorance.
Feel the Light of the Guru emanate from your being and light
others around you.
BE ONE WITH THE GURU, REALIZE THE LIGHT, REALIZE YOURSELF.