WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:04.360 Chapter twelve of Autobiography of a Yogi. This is a 2 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:08.039 LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. 3 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:12.480 For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. 4 00:00:12.759 --> 00:00:18.160 Read by Christine Rucker. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. 5 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:23.800 Years in my master's hermitage, you have come, Shri Yuktashwar 6 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:26.800 greeted me from a tiger skin on the floor of 7 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:32.399 a balconied sitting room. His voice was cold, his manner unemotional. Yes, 8 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.320 dear Master, I am here to follow you. Kneeling, I 9 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:39.280 touched his feet. How can that be? You ignore my 10 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:43.679 wishes no longer, Guruji, Your wish shall be my law. 11 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:48.640 That is better. Now I can assume responsibility for your life. 12 00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:53.799 I willingly transfer the burden Master. My first request, then, 13 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:57.039 is that you return home to your family. I want 14 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:01.479 you to enter college in Calcutta. Your education should be 15 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:06.480 continued very well, Sir, I hid. My consternation would importunate 16 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:11.920 books pursue me down the years. First Father, Now, Shri Yuktashwar. 17 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:15.400 Some day you will go to the West. Its people 18 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:19.760 will lend ears more receptive to India's ancient wisdom. If 19 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:25.439 the strange Hindu teacher has a university degree, you know best, Guruji. 20 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:29.000 My gloom departed the reference to the West. I found 21 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:33.799 puzzling remote, but my opportunity to please Master by obedience 22 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:38.239 was vitally immediate. You will be near in Calcutta. Come 23 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:43.079 here whenever you find time, every day, if possible. Master, gratefully, 24 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:45.799 I accept your authority in every detail of my life. 25 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:51.079 On one condition, yes, that you promise to reveal God 26 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:56.159 to me. An hour long verbal tussle ensued. The Master's 27 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:00.359 word cannot be falsified. It is not lightly. Given the 28 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:05.079 implications in the pledge open out vast metaphysical vistas. A 29 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:08.280 guru must be on intimate terms, indeed with the Creator 30 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:12.439 before he can obligate him to appear. I sensed Sri 31 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:17.439 Yuktaschwar's divine unity and was determined as his disciple to 32 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:24.039 press my advantage. You are of exacting disposition. Then Master's 33 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:29.000 consent rang out with compassionate finality. Let your wish be 34 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:33.759 my wish. Lifelong shadows lifted from my heart. The vague 35 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:37.759 search hither and yon was over. I had found eternal 36 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:41.919 shelter in a true Guru. Come, I will show you 37 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:46.759 the hermitage. Master rose from his tiger mat I glanced 38 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.120 about me. My gaze fell with astonishment on a wall 39 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:56.000 picture garlanded with the spray of jasmine Lahiri Mahasayah. Yes, 40 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:03.479 my divine Guru, Sri Yuktshchwars was reverently vibrant. Greater he 41 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:07.439 was as man and Yogi than any other teacher whose 42 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:12.479 life came within the range of my investigations. Silently I 43 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:16.520 bowed before the familiar picture. Soul homage sped to the 44 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:20.879 peerless master, who, blessing my infancy, had guided my steps 45 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:24.599 to this hour. Led by my Guru, I strolled over 46 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:28.199 the house and its grounds. Large, ancient, and well built, 47 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:32.919 the hermitage was surrounded by a massive pillared courtyard. Outer 48 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:37.560 walls were moss covered. Pigeons fluttered over the flat gray roof, 49 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:42.960 unceremoniously sharing the ashrump quarters. A rear garden was pleasant 50 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:48.400 with jackfruit, mango and plantain trees. Balustraded balconies of upper 51 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.879 rooms in the two storied building faced the courtyard from 52 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:56.759 three sides. A spacious ground floor hall with ceilings supported 53 00:03:56.759 --> 00:04:00.879 by Colonnades was used. Master said chiefly during the annual 54 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:06.759 festivities of Turkhapuja. A narrow stairway led to Shri Yuktshwar's 55 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:11.080 sitting room, whose small balcony overlooked the street. The ashram 56 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:15.919 was plainly furnished. Everything was simple, clean and utilitarian. Several 57 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:20.399 Western style chairs, benches and tables were in evidence. Master 58 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:23.920 invited me to stay overnight. A supper of vegetable curry 59 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:29.399 was served by two disciples who were receiving hermitage training. Guruji, 60 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:32.839 please tell me something of your life. I was squatting 61 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:35.959 on a straw mat near his tiger skin. The friendly 62 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.879 stars were very close, it seemed beyond the balcony. My 63 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:44.040 family name was Priya nath Karar. I was born here 64 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:48.120 in Serampoor, where a father was a wealthy businessman. He 65 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:52.480 left me this ancestral mansion, now my hermitage. My formal 66 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:56.360 schooling was little. I found it slow and shallow. In 67 00:04:56.480 --> 00:05:01.040 early manhood, I undertook the responsibilities of a householder and 68 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:04.959 have one daughter, now married. My middle life was blessed 69 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.920 with the guidance of Lahiri ma Hasayah. After my wife died, 70 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:12.279 I joined the Swami order and received the new name 71 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:18.079 of Shi yuktschwar Hiiti. Such are my simple annals. Master 72 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:22.920 smiled at my eager face. Like all biographical sketches, his 73 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:28.279 words had given the outward facts without revealing the inner man. Guruji, 74 00:05:28.439 --> 00:05:30.759 I would like to hear some stories of your childhood. 75 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:33.959 I will tell you if you each one with a 76 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:39.399 moral she Yuptashwar's eyes twinkled with his warning. My mother 77 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:42.319 once tried to frighten me with an appalling story of 78 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:45.920 a ghost in a dark chamber. I went there immediately 79 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:50.720 and expressed my disappointment at having missed the ghost. Mother 80 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:54.720 never told me another horror tale. Moral look fear in 81 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:58.480 the face, and it will cease to trouble you. Another 82 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:02.000 early memory is my wish for an ugly dog belonging 83 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:05.480 to a neighbor. I kept my household in turmoil for 84 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.839 weeks to get that dog. My ears were deaf to 85 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:15.399 offers of pets with more prepossessing appearance. Moral attachment is blinding. 86 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:19.959 It lends an imaginary halo of attractiveness to the object 87 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:24.399 of desire. A third story concerns the plasticity of the 88 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:28.720 youthful mind. I heard my mother remark occasionally a man 89 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:32.560 who accepts a job under anyone is a slave. That 90 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:37.519 impression became so indelibly fixed that even after my marriage, 91 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:42.000 I refused all positions I made expenses by investing my 92 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:47.199 family endowment in Land. Moral good and positive suggestion should 93 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.720 instruct the sensitive ears of children. Their early ideas long 94 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:57.680 remain sharply etched. Master fell into tranquil silence around midnight. 95 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.079 He led me to a narrow cot. Sleep was sound 96 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:05.360 and sweet the first night under my guru's roof. Sri 97 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:09.160 Yuktschwar chose the following morning to grant me his crea 98 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:13.319 Yoga initiation, the technique I had already received from two 99 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:18.879 disciples of Lahiri Mahasayah, Father and my tutor, Swami Kabbala Nanda. 100 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:23.959 But in Master's presence I felt a transforming power. At 101 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.000 his touch, a great light broke upon my being, like 102 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:33.920 glory of countless suns blazing together. A flood of ineffable bliss, 103 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:38.800 overwhelming my heart to an innermost core, continued during the 104 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:42.399 following day. It was late that afternoon before I could 105 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:46.360 bring myself to leave the hermitage. You will return in 106 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:51.240 thirty days as I reached my Calcutta home, the fulfillment 107 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:55.319 of Master's prediction entered with me. None of my relatives 108 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:58.480 made the pointed remarks I had feared about the reappearance 109 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:02.160 of the soaring bird. I climbed to my little attic 110 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:06.240 and bestowed affectionate glances, as though on a living presence. 111 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:10.399 You have witnessed my meditations and the tears and storms 112 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:13.879 of my sadana. Now I have reached the harbor of 113 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:18.639 my divine teacher Son. I am happy for both of us. 114 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:23.199 You have found your Guru, as in miraculous fashion I 115 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:27.879 once found my own. The holy hand of Lahiri Mahsaiah 116 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:33.080 is guarding our lives. Your Master has proved no inaccessible 117 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:38.320 Himalayan saint, but one near by. My prayers have been answered. 118 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:41.840 You have not, in your search for God, been permanently 119 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.720 removed from my sight. Father was also pleased that my 120 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:50.159 formal studies would be resumed. He made suitable arrangements. I 121 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:53.720 was enrolled the following day at the Scottish Church College 122 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:58.480 in Calcutta. Happy months sped by my readers have doubtless 123 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:02.200 made the perspicacious surmise that I was little seen in 124 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:08.399 the college classrooms. The Serampore hermitage held allure too irresistible. 125 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:14.159 Master accepted my ubiquitous presence without comment. To my relief, 126 00:09:14.200 --> 00:09:17.519 he seldom referred to the halls of learning, though it 127 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:20.039 was plain to all that I was never cut out 128 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.799 for a scholar. I managed to attain minimum passing grades 129 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:28.519 from time to time. Daily life at the Ashram flowed smoothly, 130 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:34.039 infrequently varied. My Guru awoke before dawn, lying down or 131 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:37.080 sometimes sitting on the bed. He entered a state of 132 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:41.639 some hahdi. It was simplicity itself to discover. When Master 133 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:47.279 had awakened, abrupt halt of stupendous snores, a sire to, 134 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:52.679 perhaps a bodily movement, then a soundless state of breathlessness. 135 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:57.519 He was in deep yogic joy. Breakfast did not follow. 136 00:09:57.720 --> 00:10:01.200 First came a long walk by the Ganges. Those morning 137 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:05.440 strolls with my Guru, how real and vivid. Still in 138 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:09.000 the easy resurrection of memory, I often find myself by 139 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:12.799 his side. The early sun is warming the river, His 140 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:17.480 voice rings out, rich with the authenticity of wisdom. A bath, 141 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:23.120 then the midday meal. Its preparation, according to Master's daily directions, 142 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:26.919 had been the careful task of young disciples. My Guru 143 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:30.720 was a vegetarian before embracing monk hood. However, he had 144 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:34.240 eaten eggs and fish. His advice to students was to 145 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:38.440 follow any simple diet which proved suited to one's constitution. 146 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:43.039 Master ate little, often rice colored with turmeric or juice 147 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:46.759 of beets or spinach, and lightly sprinkled with buffalo ghee 148 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:50.639 or melted butter. Another day he might have lentil doll 149 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:56.480 or channa curry with vegetables for dessert, mangoes or oranges 150 00:10:56.559 --> 00:11:01.559 with rice pudding, or jackfruit juice. Visitors disappeared in the afternoons. 151 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.840 A steady stream poured in from the world into the 152 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:09.559 hermitage tranquility everyone found in Master an equal courtesy and 153 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:13.399 kindness to a man who has realized himself as a soul, 154 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:17.000 not the body or the ego. The rest of humanity 155 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:22.480 assumes a striking similarity of aspect. The impartiality of saints 156 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:28.080 is rooted in wisdom. Masters have escaped Maya, its alternating 157 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:33.080 faces of intellect and idiocy no longer cast an influential glance. 158 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:37.799 Sri Yukfeshwar showed no special consideration to those who happened 159 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:41.679 to be powerful or accomplished. Neither did he slight others 160 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:45.960 for their poverty or illiteracy. He would listen respectfully to 161 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:49.480 words of truth from a child and openly ignore a 162 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:53.799 conceited pundit. Eight o'clock was the supper hour, and sometimes 163 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.799 found lingering guests, My Guru would not excuse himself to 164 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:02.639 eat alone. None left his ash hungry or dissatisfied. Shri 165 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:07.840 Yufteshwar was never at a loss, never dismayed by unexpected visitors. 166 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:12.600 Scanty food would emerge a banquet under his resourceful direction. 167 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:17.039 Yet he was economical. His modest funds went far. Be 168 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:21.799 comfortable with your purse. He often said, extravagance will buy 169 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:27.240 you discomfort, whether in the details of hermitage entertainment, or 170 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:31.559 his building and repair work, or other practical concerns. Master 171 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:36.879 manifested the originality of a creative spirit. Quiet evening hours 172 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:41.000 often brought one of my Guru's discourses Treasures against time. 173 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:45.759 His every utterance was measured and chiseled by wisdom. A 174 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:51.240 sublime self assurance marked his mode of expression. It was unique. 175 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:54.759 He spoke as none other in my experience ever spoke. 176 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:58.600 His thoughts were weighed in a delicate balance of discrimination 177 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:03.360 before he permitted an outward garb. The essence of truth, 178 00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:08.240 all pervasive, with even a physiological aspect, came from him 179 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:12.200 like a fragrant exudation of the soul. I was conscious 180 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:14.639 always that I was in the presence of a living 181 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:19.679 manifestation of God. The weight of his divinity automatically bowed 182 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:24.080 my head before him. If late guests detected that Shri 183 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:29.039 Yuktaschwar was becoming engrossed with the infinite, he quickly engaged 184 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:33.279 them in conversation. He was incapable of striking a pose 185 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:37.480 or flaunting his inner withdrawal. Always one with the Lord, 186 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:41.759 he needed no separate time for communion. A self realized 187 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:45.399 master has already left behind the stepping stone of meditation. 188 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:50.879 The flower falls when the fruit appears, but saints often 189 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:55.919 cling to spiritual forms for the encouragement of disciples. As 190 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:59.279 midnight approached, my Guru might fall into a doze with 191 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:03.320 the natural of a child. There was no fuss about bedding. 192 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:06.679 He often lay down without even a pillow on a 193 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:10.720 narrow davenport, which was the background for his customary tiger 194 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:15.440 skinned seat. A night long philosophical discussion was not rare. 195 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:19.879 Any disciple could summon it by intensity of interest. I 196 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:24.399 felt no tiredness, then no desire for sleep. Master's living 197 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:28.960 words were sufficient. Oh it is dawn, let us walk 198 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:32.440 by the Ganges. So ended many of my periods of 199 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:38.200 nocturnal edification. My early months with Shri Yuktaschwar culminated in 200 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:43.559 a useful lesson how to outwit a mosquito. At home. 201 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:47.159 My family always used protective curtains at night. I was 202 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:51.480 dismayed to discover that in the Serampoor hermitage this prudent 203 00:14:51.559 --> 00:14:55.559 custom was honored in the breach, yet the insects were 204 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:59.039 in full residency. I was bitten from head to foot. 205 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:03.480 My took pity on me. Buy yourself a curtain and 206 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:06.919 also one for me. He laughed and added, if you 207 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:12.200 buy only one for yourself, all mosquitoes will concentrate on me. 208 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:16.440 I was more than thankful to comply. Every night that 209 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:19.720 I spent in Serampoor, my Guru would ask me to 210 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:25.519 arrange the bedtime curtains. The mosquitoes one evening were especially virulent, 211 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:30.360 but Master failed to issue his usual instructions. I listened 212 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:35.200 nervously to the anticipatory hum of the insects getting into bed, 213 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:39.639 I threw a propitiatory prayer in their general direction. Half 214 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:43.600 an hour later, I coughed pretentiously to attract my Guru's attention. 215 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.159 I thought I would go mad with the bites and 216 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:51.320 especially the singing drone. As the mosquitos celebrated bloodthirsty writes. 217 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:56.639 No responsive stir from Master. I approached him cautiously. He 218 00:15:56.840 --> 00:16:00.600 was not breathing. This was my first observation of him 219 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:04.759 in the yogic trance. It filled me with fright. His 220 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:08.720 heart must have failed. I placed the mirror under his nose. 221 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:13.240 No breath vapor appeared to make doubly certain. For minutes, 222 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:16.639 I closed his mouth and nostrils with my fingers. His 223 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:20.840 body was cold and motionless. In a daze, I turned 224 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:26.399 toward the door to summon help. So budding experimentalist my 225 00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:31.279 poor nose. Master's voice was shaky with laughter. Why don't 226 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:33.879 you go to bed? Is the whole world going to 227 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:40.759 change for you? Change yourself? Be rid of the mosquito consciousness. Meekly, 228 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:45.159 I returned to my bed. Not one insect ventured near. 229 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:48.960 I realized that my guru had previously agreed to the 230 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:53.080 curtains only to please me. He had no fear of mosquitos. 231 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:56.519 His yogic power was such that he either could will 232 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:01.240 them not to bite, or could escape to an inner vulnerability. 233 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:05.799 He was giving me a demonstration. I thought, that is 234 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:10.200 the yogic state I must strive to attain. A yogi 235 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.519 must be able to pass into and continue in the 236 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:19.960 super consciousness, regardless of multitudinous distractions never absent from this earth, 237 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:23.480 whether in the buzz of insects or the pervasive glare 238 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:27.359 of daylight, the testimony of the senses must be barred. 239 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:32.079 Sound and sight come then, indeed, but to worlds fairer 240 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:37.079 than the banished Eden. The instructive mosquitoes served for another 241 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:40.839 early lesson at the ashram. It was the gentle hour 242 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:45.440 of dusk. My Guru was matchlessly interpreting the ancient texts 243 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:49.319 at his feet. I was in perfect peace. A rude 244 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:54.680 mosquito entered the ideal and competed for my attention. As 245 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:58.839 it dug a poisonous hypodermic needle into my thigh. I 246 00:17:58.920 --> 00:18:06.000 automatically raised an avenging hand reprieve from impending execution. An 247 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:09.880 opportune memory came to me of one of Patanjoly's yoga 248 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:17.920 aphorisms that on ahimsa harmlessness, Why didn't you finish the job? Master? 249 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:22.319 Do you advocate taking life? No, but the death blow 250 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:27.079 already had been struck in your mind. I don't understand. 251 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:32.559 Patanjoly's meaning was the removal of desire to kill? Sri 252 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:37.680 Yuktschwar had found my mental processes an open book. This 253 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:42.839 world is inconveniently arranged for a literal practice of ahimsa. 254 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:47.759 Man may be compelled to exterminate harmful creatures. He's not 255 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:53.440 under similar compulsion to feel anger or animosity. All forms 256 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.640 of life have equal right to the air of Maya. 257 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.920 The saint who uncovers the secret of creation will be 258 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:06.000 in harmony with its countless bewildering expressions. All men may 259 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:11.400 approach that understanding. Who curb the inner passion for destruction? Guruji? 260 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:15.480 Should one offer himself a sacrifice rather than kill a 261 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:21.000 wild beast? No man's body is precious. It has the 262 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:26.240 highest evolutionary value because of unique brain and spinal centers. 263 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:31.359 These enable the advanced devotee to fully grasp and express 264 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:36.440 the loftiest aspects of divinity. No lower form is so equipped. 265 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:39.680 It is true that one incurs the debt of a 266 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:42.440 minor sin if he is forced to kill an animal 267 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:46.480 or any living thing. But the Vedas teach that wanton 268 00:19:46.599 --> 00:19:50.039 loss of a human body is a serious transgression against 269 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:55.440 the karmic law. Aside in relief, scriptural reinforcement of one's 270 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:59.960 natural instincts is not always forthcoming. It so happened that 271 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:02.920 I never saw a Master at close quarters with a 272 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:07.240 leopard or a tiger, but a deadly cobra once confronted him, 273 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:11.160 only to be conquered by my Guru's love. This variety 274 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.200 of snake is much feared in India, where it caused 275 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:18.680 more than five thousand deaths annually. The dangerous encounter took 276 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:23.400 place at Puri, where Shiyuk Tushwar had a second hermitage, 277 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:28.880 charmingly situated near the Bay of Bengal. Prafula, a young 278 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:32.880 disciple of later years, was with Master on this occasion. 279 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:38.240 We were seated outdoors near the ashram. Prafulla told me 280 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:44.519 a cobra appeared nearby, and four foot length of sheer terror. 281 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:50.480 Its hood was angrily expanded as it raced towards us. 282 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:55.599 My Guru gave a welcoming chuckle, as though to a child. 283 00:20:56.039 --> 00:21:00.960 I was beside myself with consternation to see Master engaged 284 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:05.519 in a rhythmical clapping of hands. He was entertaining the 285 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:12.440 thread visitor. I remained absolutely quiet, inwardly ejaculating what fervent 286 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:16.880 players I could must. The serpent, very close to my Guru, 287 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:22.680 was now motionless, seemingly magnetized by his curacing attitude. The 288 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:28.599 frightful hood gradually contracted. The snake slithered between Master's feet 289 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:33.640 and disappeared into the bushes. Why my Guru would move 290 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:36.799 his hands and why the cobra would not strike them 291 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:41.440 were inexplicable to me. Then Prafula concluded, I have since 292 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:44.920 come to realize that my divine Master is beyond fear 293 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:48.960 of hurt from any living creature. One afternoon, during my 294 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.640 early months at the Ashram, I found Sri Yuktshwar's eyes 295 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:57.519 fixed on me piercingly. You are too thin, Makunda. His 296 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:01.519 remark struck a sensitive point that my sunken eyes and 297 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:05.119 emaciated appearance were far from my liking. Was testified to 298 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:09.720 by rows of tonics in my room at Calcutta. Nothing availed. 299 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:15.000 Chronic dyspepsia had pursued me since childhood. My despair reached 300 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:18.279 an occasional zenith when I asked myself if it were 301 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:21.079 worth while to carry on this life with a body 302 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:27.319 so unsound. Medicines have limitations, the creative life force has none. 303 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:32.160 Believe that you shall be well and strong. Shri Yukteschwar's 304 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:36.160 words aroused a conviction of personally applicable truth which no 305 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:39.680 other healer and I had tried many had been able 306 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:44.240 to summon within me day by day. Behold, I waxed 307 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:48.839 two weeks after Master's hidden blessing. I had accumulated the 308 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:53.240 invigorating weight which eluded me in the past. My persistent 309 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:58.519 stomach ailments vanished with a life long permanency. On later occasions, 310 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:02.960 I witnessed my Guru's instantaneous divine healings of persons suffering 311 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:09.759 from ominous disease tuberculosis, diabetes, epilepsy, or paralysis. Not one 312 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:12.359 could have been more grateful for his cure than I 313 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:16.920 was at sudden freedom from my cadaverous aspect years ago, 314 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:20.839 I too was anxious to put on weight. She Yuktaschwar 315 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:25.759 told me during convalescence. After a severe illness, I visited 316 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:30.680 Lehiri Mahasaiyah in Benars. Sir, I have been very sick 317 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:35.960 and lost many pounds. Ah she yuktaschwar. You made yourself 318 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:39.440 unwell and now you think you are thin. This reply 319 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:42.960 was far from the one I had expected. My Guru, however, 320 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:47.400 added encouragingly, let me see, I am sure you ought 321 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.400 to feel better tomorrow. Taking his words as a gesture 322 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:55.759 of secret healing toward my receptive mind, I was not surprised. 323 00:23:55.799 --> 00:23:59.400 The next morning, at a welcome accession of strength, I 324 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:03.480 sought out my master and exclaimed exultingly, Sir, I feel 325 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:09.200 much better today. Indeed, today you invigorate yourself. No, Master, 326 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:12.519 I protested, it was you who helped me. This is 327 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:16.960 the first time in weeks that I have had any energy. Oh. Yes, 328 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:21.480 your malady has been quite serious. Your body is frail, 329 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:24.880 yet who can say how it will be tomorrow? The 330 00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:28.000 thought of possible return of my weakness brought me a 331 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:32.119 shudder of cold fear. The following morning, I could hardly 332 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:37.680 drag myself to Lahirima Siyah's home. Sir, I am ailing again. 333 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:43.839 My Guru's glance was quizzical. So once more you indispose 334 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:47.920 yourself go to Deva. I realize now that day by 335 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:52.119 day you have been ridiculing me. My patience was exhausted. 336 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:58.000 I don't understand why you disbelieve my truthful reports. Really, 337 00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:01.440 it has been your thoughts that have made you feel 338 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:05.880 alternately weak and strong. My Master looked at me affectionately. 339 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:10.480 You have seen how your health has exactly followed your expectations. 340 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:15.599 Thought is a force, even as electricity or gravitation. The 341 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:19.960 human mind is a spark of the almighty consciousness of God. 342 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:24.160 I could show you that whatever your powerful mind believes, 343 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:29.319 very intensely, would instantly come to pass. Knowing that Lahiri 344 00:25:29.400 --> 00:25:33.319 Mahsiah never spoke idly, I addressed him with great awe 345 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:36.519 and gratitude. Master, if I think I am well and 346 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:41.279 have regained my former weight, shall that happen? It is 347 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:46.200 so even at this moment my Guru spoke gravely, his 348 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:51.519 gaze concentrated on my eyes. Lo I felt an increase 349 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:56.799 not alone of strength, but of weight. Lahiri Mahasiah retreated 350 00:25:56.920 --> 00:26:00.519 into silence. After a few hours at his feet. I 351 00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:03.319 returned to my mother's home, where I stayed during my 352 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:07.559 visits to Banarus. My son, what is the matter? Are 353 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:11.799 you swelling with dropsy? My mother could hardly believe her eyes. 354 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:15.799 My body was now of the same robust dimensions it 355 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:20.119 had possessed before my illness. I weighed myself and found 356 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:24.119 that in one day I had gained fifty pounds. They 357 00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:28.319 remained with me permanently. Friends and acquaintances who had seen 358 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:32.039 my thin figure were aghast with wonderment. A number of 359 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:35.480 them changed their mode of life and became disciples of 360 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:40.079 Lahiri Mahasiah. As a result of this miracle, my guru, 361 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:43.279 awake in God, knew this world to be nothing but 362 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:48.200 an objectivized dream of the Creator. Because he was completely 363 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:52.359 aware of his unity with the divine dreamer, Lahiri Mahasiah 364 00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:56.799 could materialize or de materialize, or make any change he wished. 365 00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:00.880 In the cosmic vision, all creation is going governed by law. 366 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:05.799 Sri Yuktashwar concluded. The ones which manifest in the outer 367 00:27:06.039 --> 00:27:11.160 universe discoverable by scientists are called natural laws, but there 368 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:15.200 are subtler laws ruling the realms of consciousness, which can 369 00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:19.400 be known only through the inner science of yoga. The 370 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:23.920 hidden spiritual planes also have their natural and lawful principles 371 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:27.640 of operation. It is not the physical scientist, but the 372 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:31.759 fully realized master who comprehends the true nature of matter. 373 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:36.599 Thus Christ was able to restore the servant's ear after 374 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:40.079 it had been severed by one of the disciples. Sri 375 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:44.400 Yuktishwar was a peerless interpreter of the scriptures. Many of 376 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:48.240 my happiest memories are centered in his discourses. But his 377 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:53.279 jeweled thoughts were not cast into ashes of heedlessness or stupidity. 378 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:57.359 One restless movement of my body, or my slight lapse 379 00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:01.759 into absent mindedness, sufficed to put an abrupt period to 380 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:06.279 Master's exposition. You are not here. Master interrupted himself one 381 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:10.039 afternoon with this disclosure. As usual, he was keeping track 382 00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:15.200 of my attention with a devastating immediacy. Guruji, My tone 383 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:18.720 was a protest. I have not stirred, my eyelids have 384 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:23.599 not moved. I can repeat each word you have uttered. Nevertheless, 385 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:27.200 you were not fully with me. Your objection forces me 386 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:30.559 to remark that in your mental background you were creating 387 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:35.640 three institutions. One was a Sylvan retreat on a plane, 388 00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:39.599 another on a hilltop, a third by the ocean. Those 389 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:44.799 vaguely formulated thoughts had indeed been present, almost subconsciously. I 390 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:48.480 glanced at him apologetically, What can I do with such 391 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:52.759 a master who penetrates my random musings? You have given 392 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:56.680 me that right. The subtle truth I am expounding cannot 393 00:28:56.680 --> 00:29:01.480 be grasped without your complete concentration. Unless necessary, I do 394 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:06.000 not invade the seclusion of others' minds. Man has the 395 00:29:06.079 --> 00:29:10.480 natural privilege of roaming secretly among his thoughts. The unbidden 396 00:29:10.599 --> 00:29:14.839 Lord does not enter there. Neither do I venture intrusion. 397 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:21.480 You are ever welcome. Master. Your architectural dreams will materialize later. 398 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:26.359 Now is the time for study. Thus, incidentally, my Guru 399 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:29.720 revealed in his simple way, the coming of three great 400 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:33.519 events in my life. Since early youth, I had had 401 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:38.240