Q. How does fasting help sadhana?

A: Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi said,' a fast in the body is a feast for the mind’. Fasting surely helps sadhana. You see, human body is a machine and every machine needs rest and servicing. Fasting is that servicing. It’s good to fast once in a week or a fortnight. Every religion has fasting as one part of their spiritual practice. Ramadan in Islam, Lent in Christianity, Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av in Judaism, Poornima/ Ekadashi/ Navaratri in Hinduism.

The food or the dietary intake is made up of three parts: one subtle part creates the mind (antakarana) and virya (vital fluid), the second creates the body, and the third part mala (waste) is excreted and discharged. Scriptures recommend mitahara (moderate eating). This is how mitahara is practiced: take half stomachful of wholesome food. Fill a quarter with pure water. Leave the rest free (for air). That’s also fasting!

Q. What do you mean by vrata? Is it what the women usually do?

A: Oh no! Why should it only be women? Both men and women will have to do vrata. Vrata means a rule, vow, observance, discipline, law or duty. The word vrata is rooted in the Vedic concept of rita, which mean order and regularity. “Vr” means will, rule, discipline and “rta” means order. Vrata means orderly conduct or discipline. Depending upon the occasion and day, vratas are called ekadashi vrata, chaturmasa vrata etc. If one undertakes of vrata of partaking of havishya food11 (food fit for oblation) in the months of Magh and Vaishakh, one can achieve chitta shuddhi extremely swiftly.

Do you know the meaning of the word ‘Upavasa’? ‘Upa’ means near, 'vasa' means to abide or live. To live close to God! That’s upavasa. Remember, we cannot win over the mind with our own might. Oh, brother! Catch hold of Thakur, just hold fast to Thakur. He will do everything.

Q. Is the fruit (merit) of ‘charanamrit-paan’ ’ indeed very powerful?

A: Scriptures declare God and Goddess as ‘archa-avatar’ (iconic forms of the divine). Charanamrut & Charan-Tulasi of Bhagavan’s vigrah (icon) has ajastra (stupendous) & alaukik (supernatural) power of sattva particles and devotional essence. It confers health/healing, enriches devotion, grants paap-dhauti (cleansing of sins) etc. The benefits are manifold and miraculous. This is a “Maha-Vijnana”. This is also a “MahaRasayana”.

Q. I have read in a book that Swami Vivekananda had non-vegetarian food. He said there was no harm in it. Both Jains and Vaishnavas don’t eat onion and garlic, but Jains in addition also eschew the stuff that grows underground. Many in Bengal think fish is not non-vegetarian and there are others who think eggs are vegetarian. Maharaj, what is your opinion concerning this matter? How is it that you follow this despite having transcended the worldly concerns?

A: The dietary prohibitions continue to be binding till the very end even for a sannyasi. They are relaxed only in the case of a paramhamsas like Ramakrishna, Vivekananda or Thakur Omkarnath. I am not a paramhamsa, I need to be vigilant about these things. My brother Gopal had incidentally asked the same question to Thakur Omkarnath. What are the dietary observances for you? You know what he said in reply: ‘Consult your shastras, and tell me: what is the conduct that a paramhamsa must adopt?’ In fact, there is no rule for a paramhamsa.

Q. This sadhaka experienced a trauma due to the intensity of experiences. Is there anything he should be watchful about?

A: Two very important niyamas are a must for this sadhaka. Observance of celibacy is the first. This can be acquired gradually. Avoidance of onion and garlic, which are rajasic foods, is the second.

Q. Whether it’s satvik ahara (purification of diet) or it’s yathaakaal upaasanaa (prayers at appropriate time), we are unable to do it –in these circumstances what is the way to our liberation?

A: Gaining liberation is not easy. It’s like qualifying MA exam. You think of passing your senior secondary in the school, then higher secondary, BA etc. Sri Sri Thakur has said, ‘the easiest way to liberation is chanting of Naam!’

Vitthal Maharaj was in Vellore for his treatment; his disciples went to bring him to Bangalore for a few days of rest. One of them was holding fast to a sankalpa of singing Hare Krishna Naam. They waited in his room singing Naam. He had gone to the hospital to see the doctor for one last time. When he returned, he heard the strains of Naam in the room. “Wah! Wah! Naam...” said he, overjoyed. His face was glowing despite all the illness. He had shaved his head recently. Now, he poured few tumblers of water on his head and freshened up.

It was already late, Maharaj’s attendant was requested not to cook. Gurudeva could have his lunch directly in Bangalore.

Those who had made his acquaintance in his brief stay for all the medical examinations, came one by one and offered pranaam to him. He thanked them for their care and attention.

When he was in the car with the disciples he said: “Actually, we were not expecting both of you to come so early. We thought you would be here by eleven and then we could all have lunch and proceed to Bangalore. In fact, last night I sat with the cook and discussed the whole menu at length. But you did not give me the opportunity to offer you bhojan. भजन तो बहुत करते हो, तुम लोगो को थोडा भोजन भी देना था।... from my side! Anyway, no problem!”

The fact that Vitthal Maharaj should have spent time discussing about what to cook for them brought tears to their eyes. Perhaps, they should have let the cook do the cooking, but little did they know that they were to be Gurudeva’s guests that afternoon. “The loss is mine and mistake is also mine. I should have informed you that you would be having lunch here!” he added.

What can compare with the infinite compassion of the Guru...He is more than a mother and a father!

Antarmukhi

If you become antar-mukhi (inward looking) the whole world comes to you, such is the power of the Self.

When I was in Omkareshwar, I barely left the ashram. But there is one place that beckoned me. A few steps ahead of Anandamayee Ma’s ashram, on the parikrama pathway, is a small hut that goes by the name of Safed Kutir; one mahatma lived in it. I used to be drawn to this man. He was always deeply absorbed in his dhyana; unclothed, seated with one leg on the other, just managing to cover his private parts, and completely oblivious of the world around. I was curious about his history, where he came from, and how he landed there.

The sadhu hailed from East Bengal. Once in his village, in his younger years, he was witness to a sight where a yogi and his wife were seated in deep dhyana and the villagers had congregated around them. Both the yogi and his wife had almost reached a state of samadhi, they were so deeply immersed. This particular sight left a very deep imprint in the mind of the young boy, who upon growing up, yearned for higher knowledge. He went about searching for a Guru who would show him the light, but to his utter dejection, he found none. Left completely frustrated, the young man decided to end his life. He landed in the middle of a jungle and noticed a spot where he found a shivalingam. He thought to himself, what better way to end one’s life than to bang one’s head on a shivalingam! But as soon as he touched the lingam, a saint appeared from nowhere! He was Lokenath Baba, a popular saint from Bengal.

Baba said to him, “Tumi paabe (You will get Him)”. Realizing his folly, he quickly came back to his senses and gave up on the idea of ending his life.

His quest then took him to Vrindavan where he had darshan of Radha Ma and he became a realized soul, a mahatma. He wandered further till he reached Omkareshwar.

He seldom ate. The local shopkeepers offered him rotis which he declined. He told me, ‘along with their rotis, they’re giving me their hidden kamanas (desires). If I accept the rotis, I accept their desires too, and I don’t want to do that. Can I have rotis from your ashram (Omkar Math)?’ I was more than happy to offer service.

One day, the mahatma expressed his desire to do a bhandara (feed people in the neighbourhood). He wanted utensils. He spent some time planning, but realised it would be difficult to manage bhandara for so many people in his small kutir. So, he decided to conduct the bhandara in Omkar ashram. I gladly agreed. But he again changed his mind and this dilemma went on for some more time until he finally decided to conduct it in his own hut.

He was in mauna, he would go from shop to shop and just tap on the desired food items with his stick and in no time, rice, daal, sabzi reached him. It was almost like rice and other such food items walked up to his kutir. Finally, the bhandara took place. There was congregation of countless number of people, a sea of humanity! You see, if you become antar-mukhi (inward looking), the whole world comes to you, such is the power of the Self.

That mahatma left Omkareshwar after some time, I didn’t know his whereabouts. After a couple of years, when I visited Vrindavan, I learnt from the native people that some elevated soul lived in the cave called Yamini Gufa. I thought I must visit this saint and I climbed up to reach the gufa. It was same mahatma!

After meeting him, as I came down, I asked the villagers if people go for his darshan up in the cave. The villagers replied that he had once organized a bhandara and there were so many people who had thronged to the cave that a pathway had been created. Thanks to this pathway, more and more were going for his darshan now. Like I told you, if you become antar-mukhi (inward looking), the whole world comes to you; such is the power of the Self.