Gita Verses

Math. and Spirituality

Freewill and Karma
All about Reincarnation
The Pinnacle of Religion
Buddhism and the Gita
Shri Aurobindo
Spiritual Techniques
We're all Crack Pots
The Day of the Lord
13 Beautiful Stories
Gita Study
13 Beautiful Stories[Home]
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