Superphysics
SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT AND ITS’ DOWNFALL
6 minutes • 1211 words
Table of contents
One summer evening, I was fortunate to have a walk with Baba. When we reached the crossing near the Jamalpur Railway Station, we met the then General Secretary of Ananda Marga , Shri Pranay Kumar Chatterjee, who was coming on a bicycle. He was in western dress and by now he was an acarya. As his cycle was moving on a slope, he lowered his speed and mentally saluted Baba. Baba also accepted his salutation and gave his blessings. The General Secretary did not stop and moved on towards his destination.
Nagina! Have you seen acaryas in such modern dress before?
I replied in the negative. “So far, I have seen acaryas mostly in traditional Indian dress only, with a tuft of hair or ‘shikha’ in the middle of their head, having a conspicuous triangular red mark, ‘tilak’, on their forehead. They were either clean shaven or with cropped hair, wearing a sacred thread which would be dangling against their fat bodies, all too fattened by eating at others costs. This had been the mark of recognition of acaryas so far”.
Now you will find Ananda Marga acaryas in this modern attire.
Shri P.K. Chatterjee, who had just passed us was a very good sadhaka and every Margii had great respect and regard for him. It was even rumoured that he had perfected his sadhana and achieved its goal.
I enquired from Baba, “Baba, can one fall even after attaining the savikalpa and nirvikalpa stage?” Baba replied in the affirmative. I again enquired as to why and how it happens.
If a sadhaka does sadhana with great intensity regularity and for long hours, he attains savikalpa and nirvikalpa soon.
But the burden of his samskaras will still remain. If his samskaras are good, there is nothing to worry about. But it is also possible that in the coming times the bundle of samskaras unfolding in him are not good.
In such circumstances it is in the interest of welfare of the sadhaka that he keeps close contact with the guru, otherwise there is the fear of fall.
When samskaras are not good, they are bound to reveal their effect and shape and will disturb the sadhaka. But if the sadhaka is in contact with the guru, then the guru, by His grace, makes the sadhaka exhaust these samskaras in a controlled manner.
It may be necessary to give greater self-confidence or experience to a sadhaka in such time so that he may bear the change in the normal way and may not deviate from the path. This is possible when the sadhaka is in contact with the guru.
But even after attaining the goal of sadhana, bad samskaras may be left over and due to their pressure his contact with the guru may be severed. In that eventuality these samskaras will move that sadhaka towards a fall. Without the guru’s grace, all the efforts of such a sadhaka are in vain and his fall is inevitable.
Therefore, the guru kindly withdraws the state of nirvikalpa and savikalpa from him before his fall so that the coming generation on the spiritual path may not be confused by his high spiritual attainments and low mental states”.
To withdraw the attainment of nirvikalpa from the sadhaka, the guru comes in the savikalpa stage. This is a very painful task, yet it has to be performed”.
In this context I could not restrain my curiosity and greed to know about myself and I enquired whether I would ever attain the savikalpa and nirvikalpa stage in my life. Baba replied in the affirmative, but added, “At the time of death you will get both savikalpa and nirvikalpa simultaneously.”
It is the greatness of the grace of Baba that even a crooked sinful and world engrossed fellow like me could get such a blessing from Him.
GURU PUJA AND VARNAGHYADANA
One evening after the walk, Baba was seated on the grave. For many days, I was keen to enquire about the process and the meaning of guru puja. Therefore, breaking the silence, I enquired from Baba, “Baba, in the mantra of guru puja, the words ‘tatpadam darshitam’ occur. Here, what is the meaning of “padam” and what is the meaning of darshitam?”
Baba said, “In this context ‘padam’ means ‘rank’ and ‘darshitam’ means ‘attained.’
I said, “Then the meaning of the first two lines of guru puja mantra is that like God, guru is also pervading the animate and inanimate creation.” Baba corrected me and said, “Not ‘like God’. But God Himself, Who is pervading all creation is the guru”.
I was still curious, so Baba continued, “Guru puja has three names (1) Guru Puja (2) Varnaghyadan and (3) Nimitahar.
There are three couplets in the guru puja mantra. You recite them audibly and every time you offer either mentally or physically flowers to the guru. This is guru puja.
Secondly at the end of the last couplet you offer flowers of your chosen colour to the guru this is also either mental or in reality. This process is varnaghyadan. ‘Varna’ means ‘colour’, and every tendency or vrtti of the mental world has its own colour. A person is most attracted to the colour of whatever vrtti dominates the mind at a given moment. Therefore, it is advised to offer the flower of your chosen colour. At the time of guru puja the color of the most dominant propensity at that time will naturally come to the mind of the sadhaka. By offering that colour to the guru one will get rid of that vrtti or propensity.
Thirdly, ‘nimitahar’. The colours that the sadhaka offers to the guru is His staple and regular food. These propensities are obstacles in the path of the sadhaka andwhen one has offered them at the feet of the guru, the guru very kindly accepts that colour.
Therefore, the sadhaka has to do gurupuja and varnaghyadan regularly morning and evening without fail. By omitting this you starve the guru. But the sadhaka has to be extremely careful at the time of guru puja and varnaghyadan, lest a mistake be in the process and the guru may not accept the offering. ‘Nimitahar’ is entirely at the sweet will of the guru and He may accept or may not accept.” I asked, “Is varnaghyadan the surest way to get rid of the propensities for the sadhaka?”
Baba replied in the affirmative. “By doing it along with sadhana, the speed of sadhana is accelerated. Do you know why? Is not guru puja done at the end of the sadhana? Why?”
I replied that I did not know.
Baba pointed out, “If the propensities that disturbed the concentration of mind at the time of doing sadhana and have disturbed your dhyana are fresh in your mind, then they should be offered to the guru at the end of sadhana. By following this practice regularly a sadhaka is cleansed of those propensities. There are some people whose minds fail to imagine or visualise the correct colours – for them, purchase papers of all the seven colours from the market, and they should be kept in pieces with them so that they may select one of them when they mentally offer the flower”.
