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The nameless man who brought the young child Nagaraj soon realized he was dealing
with no ordinary human and set him free. The boy joined a small band of wandering
yogis as by now he was thoroughly purged of any attachments to people or places
and only wanted the experience of God. He spent many years in the classic Wander-
jahre of Indian yogis, and soon accumulated a formidable reputation for learning,
and as an invincible debater on theological subjects. The more he succeeded the
less content he felt, for while he knew, he had not experienced. At the age of eleven,
he made a long journey to Katirgama, a sacred shrine in Sri Lanka. He met the first
of his great gurus here, the Siddha Boganathar.
The Siddhas are a semi-historical, semi-legendary group of yogis who had an enormous
formative influence on the culture and religion of South India but especially that
of Tamil Nadu. They were the Renaissance men of their time, much learned in many
disciplines, compilers of vast volumes, and setting high standards for spiritual
striving. Siddha Boganathar had established a Skanda temple at Katirgama which had
no image of god but merely a Yantra, an abstract geometric design which
is the energy signature of that particular aspect of divinity. The temple still
exists. For six months the boy wonder Nagaraj practiced extensive yogic disciplines
under the great master. He rapidly experienced the various stages of Samadhi, until
a great day when he incarnated the consciousness of Murugan or Skanda within him.
Since that day he has resembled a young man, as befits the Kumara [Peur Aeternus
- Eternal Youth] form of the god. However, the last accomplishment of Siddha Yoga
eluded him, the complete transformation of the organic being by the descent of the
divine.
Boganathar advised Nagaraj to seek the help of the great sage Agasthya. This worthy
is one of the great culture heroes of India, a rishi or seer of the highest possible
stature in the universe and his status in the Tamil region is not less than that
of a god. Nagaraj made the trip back to India and the shrine of Courtrallam in Tamil
Nadu, where there is one of the 64 Shakti Peetams, or Shrines of the Divine Mother,
which have special significance. He resolved to stay there in meditation until Agasthya
initiated him as a disciple. For 48 days he endured. The body was on the verge of
collapse but the will was adamant. The great Agasthya finally appeared and taught
him the secrets of Kriya Kundalini Pranayama, a series of meditative and
breathing techniques, formidably difficult but capable of awakening the highest
levels of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment. Its final aim is the transformation
of all five bodies or Koshas, the physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual.
Since the energy released by such practices is enormous and even dangerous, his
guru advised him to travel to Badrinath, one of India's most ancient and sacred
spots in the Himalayas, where for at least four millennia, yogis have been adding
to the power of the spot with their meditations.
For eighteen months Nagaraj practiced the Kriyas. Finally he entered the unique
state of Soruba Samadhi - a merging with the divine that renders the body ageless,
incorruptible and immortal. India has many examples of saints who, upon death, become
a mass of light and melt away into the ether or into their favorite form of god
- it is one of the standard templates of the faith. It is akin to the Rapture, the
transformation into light of all the true believers before the End of Days. Even
George Lucas uses this belief in Star Wars. Whenever a great Jedi dies, he converts
completely to energy that merges with the universe. To bypass this seemingly inevitable
end and become physically immortal is Babaji's great achievement. In the
great days of Indian mythology, many great rishis had achieved this end, but it
was still a rare and spectacular achievement. To pull it off in what is universally
regarded as a spiritually degenerate epoch is a staggering, unheard of, achievement.
Babaji automatically becomes the most powerful spiritual power on the planet for
those who believe.
As said earlier, Babaji is reputed to brood over the world like a benevolent mother
hen, intervening decisively whenever humanity's stupidity rises to dangerous levels.
Almost all spiritual and yogic impulses arising in present day India are credited
to him and his silent influence. His sister, who was Nagalakshmi Deviyar in
the world, became his disciple and she too achieved the deathless state of Soruba
Samadhi. She is also credited with keeping the great master on the earthly plane
when he once announced his resolution to quit it. Babaji answered all his
disciples' agonized protests with the question, 'Does it make a difference to my
work if I am in a body or not?" "In that case," answered the witty Mataji, "please
do not forsake the body at all." In a narrative full of portentous seriousness,
this strikes an authentic note of humor. It is just how a favorite younger sister
would have persuaded a brother. A similar situation had a different ending when
the great Buddha hinted, three times at that, to his beloved cousin and disciple
Ananda that the Tathagatha could choose to be immortal if he was so pleaded with.
Ananda was dense and the moment passed, but he alone of all Buddha's disciples did
not attain to Nirvana for his great blunder. Perhaps Babaji was testing his faithful
and they obviously seemed to have done better. A third person is now supposed to
have made the transition to physical immortality. He is Swami Pranabananda, also
known as Dadaji, or Grandfather, and he too was a long time disciple of Babaji in
his previous incarnation. This time round he has attained Soruba Samadhi.
The Deathless Master looks like a drawn sword in the few pictures of him that have
been allowed to emerge. There is not a single curve in that face. Even his hair
is straight as an arrow. There is a lean and efficient sense of power that palpably
radiates off him. The eyes are extraordinary pools of infinite depth. Babaji is also
known as the Maha-Avatar, the great incarnation of god. His sister looks
rather like him, though she seems to be taller. Many spiritual practitioners report
encounters with one of the Three. It is becoming somewhat normal now, and India
always takes such things in her ancient stride with great insouciance. Many books
are written about Babaji, there is an organization dedicated to propagating his
yoga which also organizes tours to sacred places associated with him, and as I said
there is even a temple at his birthplace. The Babaji energy is rushing through an
India that seems to be greatly appreciative of it.
For more information on Babaji, books, music, religious tours etc. please contact
Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas Trust
P.O. Box 5608,
Malleswaram West
Bangalore
India -560 055.
Email:babajiindia@lycos.com or
kriyayog@vsnl.com
Website:babajikriyayoga.org
and www.babaji.ca
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- Rohit Arya
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