Pilgrimage to Palani on Mohanji’s Birthday

Posted on by Rajesh Kamath

Palani in South India is one of the most powerful temples of Lord Murugan (the second son of Lord Shiva and commander-in-chief of the deities). Legend has it that Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati were given the fruit of wisdom by Sage Narada (the sage of the deities) at their home in Mount Kailash to be given to one of their children, Lord Ganesha (the elder son of Lord Shiva) and Lord Murugan. Sage Narada suggested to give it to the one who was the first to circumambulate the universe. Lord Murugan took off on his mount, the peacock, while the wise Lord Ganesha chose to circumambulate his parents (Shiva and Shakti) and claimed that he had circled the universe as one’s parents constitute the universe. Lord Shiva accepted Lord Ganesha’s premise and gifted him the fruit of wisdom. Lord Murugan was furious at Lord Ganesha’s strategy considering it duplicitous, renounced the world, vowed never to return to his parents, and chose to reside at a hillock in South India. Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati came to the hillock and tried to placate their son who refused to return with them. They reminded Lord Murugan that he himself was the source of all knowledge and wisdom. Hence, the name of the hillock, Palani (Pazham Nee – you are the fruit)

Mohanji’s family has a pass from Palani for two people to attend the last shayan puja (ritualistically putting the Lord to sleep) in the night. This puja is special because it is unavailable to the general public and allows one closest access to the deity right inside the sanctum sanctorum. The usual view is through the door which adjoins a hall that then leads to the sanctum. Since the opportunity was available, Mohanji suggested that two people could go and participate in this pooja. Immediately I decided to go, and after a conversation with Madhu, he jumped on the opportunity too, especially since he was in Chennai that week. The fact that he spoke Tamil also made travel easier. He enquired with our local contact and we learnt that external participation in this puja had been discontinued due to COVID… Further, there was news that many Indian states were clamping down interstate access to reduce the spread of COVID which increased the risk of getting stuck in that state until the travel restrictions were eased.

Normally, I don’t care much about these issues but this time I was apprehensive especially because it was just a general darshan (holy sighting of the deity) and not the special one as Mohanji had mentioned. When I discussed my concerns with Madhu and Shaju, they both gave a “why worry when there is Mohanji” answer. Hence, throwing caution to the winds, we decided to continue as instructed. Madhu also pointed out a nice synchronicity to our planned trip to Palani, We had the blessings of visiting Kataragama on Mohanji’s birthday 2020. Kataragama was the location of Sage Boganathar’s gurukul (residential school) where Mahavatar Babaji and Mohanji studied together (as revealed by a saint from Chennai and confirmed by Devi Amma later). It was here that Sage Boganathar taught Mahavatar Babaji the science of kriya yoga. There is a strong Mahavatar Babaji connection to Palani as will be revealed later. Hence, the Babaji (and Siddha tradition) connection to this year’s trip on Mohanji’s birthday was too obvious to ignore. Palani is the location of Sage Boganathar’s jeeva (live) samadhi (his final resting place).

Sage Boganathar is considered to be the second most important Siddha Master after Sage Agastya who is considered the head of the Siddha Tradition. The Siddha Tradition (siddha means perfected one) finds its roots in ancient South India and is considered to be as ancient as the creation of the four Yugas (ages). Sage Agastya was one of the Sapta Rishis – the seven illustrious sages who were handed over Supreme Knowledge by Lord Shiva Himself to spread through the Universe. Sage Agastya is considered equivalent to the Prajapatis – the creators who were mind born sons of Lord Brahma, the Supreme Creator – who carried on the task of creation through the multitude of universes. Like Mohanji, Boganathar was also a well-heeled traveler (in the days without passports, visas and immigration control) who had traveled the world especially the Far East and the Middle East having visited Tibet, China, Mecca, Medina etc. It is said that he was known in the Far East as Lao Tzu and his disciple Bodhidharma took the ancient art of kalari (traditional Indian martial arts) and founded the Shaolin temple.

Palani is also considered the home of siddha medicine (an extensive medical science and practice that combines divinity and herbs) which is said to have come from Lord Murugan himself through Sage Agastya and his disciples such as Sage Boganathar. In consultation with the eighteen foremost Siddhas among the Siddha Tradition, Sage Boganathar created an idol of Lord Murugan using the nava pashaana (the nine deadly poisons made from 4000 rare herbs). He is said to have used Mahavatar Babaji as the likeness to create the idol since Mahavatar Babaji was an incarnation of Lord Murugan Himself. This is the Mahavatar Babaji connection to Palani mentioned earlier. This unique idol has the property that water or liquids that are poured on it have powerful rejuvenative powers and are believed to cure all human diseases. In other words, the nine poisons in combination work to impart the most therapeutic and life giving essences to the liquids poured on it. It is said that Sage Boganathar made nine such idols that will be revealed in due time. Sage Boganathar lived for more than three hundred years and is believed to have made his own samadhi here. With this history, imagine the good fortune of getting the blessings of merely visiting such a place. In our case, we were given the blessings to be there by our Guru (Mohanji) Himself. Seems very silly now in retrospect to have had any apprehensions at all. A reminder to just follow the Guru’s instructions without question rather than use the mind (the source of much folly) and mess up the divine order (pun intended).

We arrived in Coimbatore separately (Madhu from Chennai, me from Bangalore) at 7 a.m. and took a taxi from the airport to Palani. The two closest airports to Palani are Coimbatore and Madurai. We didn’t have a specific plan and chose to play it by the ear. We booked a room at the temple accommodation, dropped off our baggage, took a quick shower and headed out. We had been asked by our local contact to reach the temple by 10:30 a.m. and check the ground scenario. We decided to first have a morning darshan and then purchase a pass for the privilege to pull the Lord’s chariot when He is taken around the temple in the evening to see all his devotees who are waiting in earnest to see the Lord up close and personal. We planned to attend the last puja after the chariot pulling. This allowed enough time to allow divine intervention to sprout some connections for us to attend the elusive, exclusive late night puja.

The temple complex is atop a small hill and it took us 30min to climb the 500 odd steps as we paid our obeisance at the several small temples of Lord Ganesha in His different aspects. The many shrines of Lord Ganesha denote the affectionate elder brother running around his younger sibling Lord Murugan to take him back to their abode at Mount Kailash. Many of the shrines have Lord Murugan sitting on Lord Ganesha’s lap symbolizing their eternal love for each other. There is another disciple of Sage Agastya called Pulippani who is said to ride on a tiger. His ashram and shrine are on top of a hillock and the steps leading to his shrine are close to the entrance of the walkway to the main shrine.

There are also temples of various siddha Masters including Sage Edumbar the protector of the hills. It is said that Sage Edumbar carries the two hillocks of Palani on either ends of a huge rod. There is a background story with Sage Edumbar and Lord Murugan. After Sage Agastya left, the powerful Sage Edumbar encountered the young Lord Murugan and tried to forcefully remove him. With a short kick, the young Lord fatally disposed off the powerful Sage. Sage Agastya entreated the young Lord on his disciple’s behalf and thus pleased, the young Lord revived Sage Edumbar. He further ordained that while he would reside at the top of the hillock, Sage Edumbar would have his place in the middle and the first puja (ritual worship) would be given to Sage Edumbar.

As we walked to the top, shouts of “Murugan arohara” could be heard from the pilgrims climbing the mountain (arohara is a shortened form of “ara haro hara” – Oh Murugan, Lord Almighty, please remove our sufferings and grant us salvation). We encountered several dogs, monkeys and beggars and realized that we had, in our haste, forgotten rule number one of Mohanji travel – carrying biscuits and bananas to serve our two and four-legged friends. Since there were no shops on the hill, nothing could be done so we pressed on with the climb. When we reached the top, we headed to the main temple of Lord Murugan. The normal view was from a barricade that was set up further ten to fifteen feet away from the door that opened into the hall that led to the sanctum. Further, the devotees could only be there for a few seconds before the security pushed them away to make way for the ones behind.

A person opened the barricade and took us right up to the door that allowed us the most amazing darshan of Lord Murugan in his child form. Lord Murugan like Mahavatar Babaji is depicted as a young boy and maintains that form always. There are seven different forms that Lord Murugan is adorned for each of the intervals in the day (cosmic form, hermit, hunter, child, king, saint and so on). The person also did a private puja for us at the shrine and allowed us ample time to stay there and view the Lord in peace, away from the hustle and bustle, and pushing and shoving. Fully satisfied, we left for the Boganathar samadhi. The samadhi temple is beautiful with large life-size paintings of Sage Boganathar and Mother Bhuvaneshwari (who Sage Boganathar meditated upon) at the entrance of the temple on either side. Atop the entrance is a life-size statue of Sage Boganathar sitting deep in meditation. The energy was amazing and one can feel the great Master’s presence all around, even outside the temple.

We entered the temple and walked around the circular path leading to the samadhi that is situated on the other side of the entrance. The wall along the path on either side is painted with murals that tell the stories of Sage Boganathar, Lord Murugan and the Palani temple. A few times, we tried to sit on the walkway and meditate but were flushed out by the priests. Madhu being the inquisitive one tried to ask the presiding priest about the various aspects of the samadhi mentioned on the walls. Since the priest was busy attending to the devotees, he excused himself from Madhu’s rapid-fire round. We paid our respects at the samadhi and headed out. We sat outside the temple but were soon flushed out from there since they were cleaning the place and were performing the noon puja (ritual) which was done by the priests and is not available to the public.

As planned earlier, we went to purchase our pass and passed our time at the office reception area, attending to pending email/messages and tasks. After a while, Madhu suggested that we head back to the temple complex since he wanted to do kriya at the Sage Boganathar’s samadhi. We returned to the Sage Boganathar’s samadhi temple and chose our respective spots to meditate. I could feel the presence of Sage Boganathar and had the intuition that Mahavatar Babaji (the likeness for the idol of Lord Murugan) in the main Murugan shrine worshipped his Guru Sage Boganathar who in turn worshipped Lord Murugan. Kind of like a mutual admiration society. A little while later, I ceased my meditation and looked around for Madhu. I found him seated with the presiding priest of the Sage Boganathar samadhi just outside the temple towards the right and approached them.

Madhu told me that when the priest saw Madhu outside the temple he asked Madhu to sit with him and get clarifications to Madhu’s earlier queries that he was unable to address inside the temple, due to the milling crowds. Since he spoke only Tamil, Madhu did most of the talking (and translating). The priest told us that most people come to the main Lord Murugan shrine, just pass through the Sage Boganathar samadhi and go away. He heard the priests driving us out several times during our futile attempts to sit in the samadhi temple. He also noticed that we went inside a couple of times for extra darshan and Madhu had asked him to explain the structure of the samadhi since flowers were blocking the view. Hence, he felt that we were serious seekers and keen to learn. Hence, he called out to Madhu when we came back to the temple.

The priest informed us that this was Boganathar’s jeeva (live) samadhi and Boganathar was, in fact, meditating under the structure in nirvikalpa samadhi (one with the supreme consciousness), delivering blessings and benedictions to the world. Some people were performing abhishekams to the temple wall next to us with rose water. When I looked at the priest quizzically, he dismissed it with disdain, probably hinting it as a charlatan way of some of the temple priests to make money off gullible devotees. We spoke to him about Mohanji and gave him Mohanji’s picture card. He stared at it for a long time and spoke about Mohanji with a lot of familiarity. We informed him that it was Mohanji’s birthday and asked him to pray for Mohanji on this auspicious occasion. He affirmed that he would do the needful.

Out of the blue, a question popped in my mind at that moment, “Does this place have a secret location and a secret sadhana?” It surely wasn’t something that arose from a logical enquiry. I asked Madhu to check with the priest. The priest was silent for a while, then got up and asked us to follow. A few metres away there was a small alcove where some priests were hanging around earlier. It was a nondescript place that was small and empty except for a few wooden box-like structures and had a couple of cast iron doors, one facing the entrance and the other to the right. The left side of the place was the wall of the Sage Boganathar samadhi temple. Earlier, the priests were sitting on the box-like structures and working with some of the devotees there. It looked ordinary and there was nothing to attribute any special importance to that place.

The priest told us that the door to the right led to Mother Bhuvaneshwari and the door in front led to Lord Shiva. In ancient times, Sage Boganathar would be seated at the center of this place and would meditate upon both deities. He told us, “Your Guru loves you deeply and unconditionally. Hence, he sent you here to allow you to experience this unique place (not just Palani but the place where he had taken us). The two Gurus (Mohanji and Sage Boganathar) have worked together to deliver you this experience and they have used me as a conduit to present it.” The priest made us sit there, took out a small red silky pouch from his waist which had a plastic ziploc bag with wet sandalwood paste that was applied on the Murugan idol (the statue made of the nine poisons) in the main shrine. This sandalwood is called rakkal chandanam and is given as a rare prasadam (consecrated offering) in the morning for devotees to eat.

A story about Lord Murugan and Sage Agastya reveals the significance of the sandalwood applied on the Lord. When Lord Murugan reached the hillock at Palani, he was roaming around and playing with the animals there such as snakes, peacocks, and so on. His activities disturbed Sage Agastya who was residing on the hill with his disciples that included Sage Edumbar. In his impatience, the sage failed to recognize the young Lord. The sage requested the young Lord to stop the disturbance and go elsewhere. The young Lord retorted, “Old man, if you are getting disturbed, it is you who should leave.” The sage was enraged by the gall of the child to speak to him so disrespectfully. He chanted mantras to finish off the child.

But the child remained unmoved and unaffected, continuing to play and laugh at the sage. This puzzled the sage since no mere mortal or sage could have withstood the deadly incantation. The child gave the sage a piece of dried sandalwood paste from his forehead and asked the sage to taste it. Though skeptical, Sage Agastya put the piece in his mouth and was immediately thrown off balance into space with no knowledge of where he was or how to get back. He immediately realized that the child was none other than the son of his Master, Lord Shiva. He apologized, was brought back to the hillock at Palani and became a disciple of Lord Murugan.

I suddenly remembered that an old man had come to us during our visit to the main shrine and given both of us a sizable ball of sandalwood paste. When I tried to apply it to my forehead, he shook his head and asked me to consume it. Sheer grace from Mohanji to receive this powerful offering and doubly so now from this priest at the Sage Boganathar samadhi. The priest took out a very small quantity the size of a peppercorn and gave it to each of us. He said it was very powerful and a great aid to meditation. The usual quantity dispensed was the size of a mustard seed but since we were meditating there, he gave us a larger quantity. He asked us to place the sandalwood under the tongue and meditate there. He said he would return later, to continue our discussions.

I couldn’t meditate for a long time as my mind was furiously trying to make sense of all that was happening. I opened my eyes and saw the priest sitting in front of me with his back towards me. Madhu was to my right doing his kriya practice. I closed my eyes again trying to meditate. My mind was not agitated but neither was it in a mood to be silent or go within. Later when I checked with Madhu, he had the same experience that he couldn’t concentrate and his mind was in overdrive. After a while, Madhu came around and then our conversation with the priest continued. He enquired about our immediate families. Madhu informed him of his parents, wife and kids. Madhu mentioned that I was a bachelor. His eyes lit up and he said, “Excellent.” He mentioned that he was a bachelor as well and had dedicated his life to Sage Boganathar and the Siddha Tradition. He said that bachelorhood was a great blessing from one’s Master to allow one to lead a life without the pull of terrestrial obligations. He elaborated on the power of the wet sandalwood paste (that he had given us) and suggested a sadhana related to the same. I asked him if he had seen Boganathar. He responded with a cryptic “He is in me.”

He then asked us to go back to our temple room, rest for some time and return to the Sage Boganathar samadhi temple at 6 p.m. It was around 2 p.m. He told us to take the afternoon lunch prasadam from the temple. He took us to the place where they were giving the lunch prasadam, went inside and brought three packets of food. The food was packed in a banana leaf that was neatly packed in a newspaper and was piping hot. He then told us to meet him back at 6 p.m. and took our leave. We wondered why he had given us three packets when it was just the two of us. We decided to offer it to one of the pilgrims in the temple complex.

As if on cue, a middle aged person came to us and asked us for the location where he could collect the lunch prasadam. We pointed him to the location and also offered him the extra packet which he gladly accepted. The divine grace of Mohanji to allow us to perform annadaan (food donation) before consuming our food. The lunch prasadam was a simple but tasty lemon rice with some pickle. We polished it off in no time and started our journey to the bottom. There is a cable car system as well that allows people to go back and forth and avoid the steps completely. However, we chose to walk down the steps and soon reached the bottom. Before we returned to our temple accommodation, we went to the bus station and checked on the bus timings to plan our onward journey (me to Palakkad, Madhu to Madurai and then to Chennai).

On our way from the temple accommodation to the entrance of the steps leading to the shrine, I noticed a place where they were tonsuring people who offered their hair as an offering to the Lord. Madhu mentioned that this is supposedly a standard practice in many temples in the South. There were many shining pates around which meant that many used the service. Some of the pates were anointed with sandalwood to cool them down. Before I met Mohanji, I had visited an ashram deep in the Himalayas a couple of times where the Master (when in the flesh) would require his followers and visitors to shave their heads before entering the ashram. Anyone who refused was denied entry. It was a symbolic offering of the ego before one enters.

Since then, I had done this on several occasions when I felt an inner calling. I felt the same in Palani as well but was unsure. The bald pates floating around me were egging me to go for it. I finally prayed internally to lead me if it was necessary for this trip. Before we entered our room, we stopped outside the temple accommodation to get some tender coconut water. When I looked up, I saw an image advertising the tonsure service. I took it as a cue for me to go forth and lose the hair. The barber did not take much time to give me a shining face and head. Through the process, I visualized surrendering to Mohanji all the resistance and ego within me and requested him to accept my symbolic surrender. I headed from there to our room. A quick shower and a short rest later, we were headed back to the temple complex.

We stopped by for a coffee when an old lady came by asking for money. We offered her food instead which she gladly accepted. She had coffee and a takeout meal and blessed us profusely. She was a gentle nudge from Mohanji to take biscuits and bananas with us before climbing the steps. We did the needful and distributed them all along the way to the top to all the dogs, monkeys, beggars as well as the street vendors. As we reached the temple complex, we headed straight to the Sage Boganathar samadhi temple. We waited outside the temple entrance and were joined soon by the presiding priest. He asked us to join him inside and take another darshan since he wanted to explain the different aspects of the samadhi. We of course relished the idea of going in there again and knowing more.

The stone altar at the bottom houses Sage Boganathar’s samadhi. Above the altar is a three dimensional Sri Chakram (a geometric representation of the primoridal Divine Mother) also known as Mahameru. Above the Sri Chakra is a throne that was created by Sage Boganathar himself that is crowned by the Maragatha (emerald) Shiva Lingam (a representation of the Supreme Unmanifested Consciousness or Divine Masculine). To the left of the Shiva Lingam are Lord Dandapani (Lord Murugan in his ascetic form holding a staff) and Lord Subramanya (Lord Murugan in his beatific form). Above the Lingam is Mother Bhuvaneshwari, the primordial source of all Creation. In addition to the exalted energy of the great Sage, the priest mentioned that the samadhi is extremely powerful due to the presence of all these powerful deities. Except for the stone altar and the deities on either side of the Lingam, most of the altar is covered with heaping flowers. He lifted the flowers a bit to allow us to see the underlying idols. It is said that under the temple, there is a secret cave route between Boganathar’s samadhi and Lord Murugan’s shrine.

The priest did a special ritual for us at the samadhi. He gave us flowers from the altar, kumkum (a sacred red dyed powder used for the Divine Mother), vibhuti (sacred ash) and other consecrated offerings. He also returned the picture card of Mohanji that we had given him for blessing at Sage Boganathar’s samadhi. He had done an abhishekam (ritual bathing) on the picture card with vibhuti (sacred ash), kept it on the samadhi and prayed for Mohanji. When done, we went back to our special place, meditated there for some time, took his leave and headed for the chariot procession ceremony that was due soon.

We took the opportunity to circumambulate the temple. Soon the golden chariot with the idol of Lord Murugan was brought out to allow him to see all his devotees around the temple complex and vice versa. The golden chariot is very ornate and bedecked with lights and has flags at the six corners of the hexagonal altar. The idol of the Lord is decorated with flowers, ornaments and decorative and embroidered clothes. It is truly a wonderful and beautiful sight. People await their turns to pull the chariot at each of the marked places around the temple complex. The system is well orchestrated and the people were well behaved without any pushing or shoving. When it was our turn, I found it hard to believe that we were pulling the chariot of Lord Muruga in Palani – a truly rare and amazing opportunity. All thanks to the grace of Mohanji who had orchestrated this trip so beautifully. With each step of the chariot pulling, I expressed my deepest heartfelt gratitude.

We decided to head back to the sage Boganathar temple one last time since Madhu wanted to do one last round of kriya there. As he sat down for kriya, I just sat facing the entrance of the samadhi temple. Soon all the priests gathered outside the temple and one of them climbed on top of the temple entrance to worship the Sage Boganathar statue there. He bathed it with rose water and cleaned the statue and wiped it. He then anointed Sage Boganathar’s with sandalwood, turmeric and kumkum. He then bedecked the statue with garlands and also placed several flowers around his matted hair. Sage Boganathar looked beautiful and alive, sitting deep in meditation showering blessings on the the devotees admiring his resplendent form. Finally, they waved incense sticks and lamps to complete the ritual.

From there, we moved back to the main shrine. Towards the exit from the Sage Boganathar samadhi temple, there is a open temple which has shrines of the eighteen Siddhas. Sage Agastya, Sage Boganathar, Sage Gorakhnath and Sage Macchindranath (the foremost Masters of the Nath Tradition), Sage Patanjali (who devised the ancient system of traditional yoga), Sage Dhanvantari (who evolved the ancient systems of medicine), Valmiki (the composer of the epic, the Ramayana) and so on. Madhu prayed deeply to Patanjali for the success of the Himalayan School of Traditional Yoga. I found an incense stick at a Shiva temple outside the main shrine. Using the incense stick, we did an aarati to Mohanji for his birthday, outside the main shrine. It was a fitting finale to close our pilgrimage.

Lessons living with Mohanji – Day 8

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

Day 8 Lesson: Service brings purification

By Christopher Greenwood

I have always wanted to use my talents and skills for a positive impact in the world, and I’m happy to be able to do that with the Mohanji Platforms. I’ve been able to meet beautiful people and full hearts from all over the world and contribute something positive to the world.

Besides the outward results, I’ve learned that this work brings deep purification for our karma, including our lineage karma, i.e., our ancestors, our children and our children’s children. 

We inherit the merits and demerits of our family lineages. If our ancestors did good things during their lives, we receive this, and if they have done badly, we also take the share of that burden. We essentially inherit more than we know. 

Sometimes it is the lineage that can hold us back in life. Selfless service or Karma Yoga brings strong purification, and Mohanji has founded various platforms for the world where it is possible for everyone to serve in their individual capacity. When we are serving in any of the platforms, we are both serving the world and ourselves. 

It’s good to remind ourselves that Mohanji does not need any of it. It is not for him. It is for us, our lineages, our purification, our liberation, and for the benefit of the world.

—

Good morning everybody. Today, I wanted to talk more about Mohanji platforms and Karma Yoga because Mohanji said that one of his greatest achievements would be the Mohanji platforms. This isn’t because he wants any recognition or praise. It’s because of the benefits the platforms bring to the world and the people working selflessly across these platforms. If I put the ideas and thoughts about Mohanji being a spiritual Master, it’s really his work, and the platforms are something I connect to. It’s what he talks much about because he’s actually putting into practice what he speaks and giving back to the world, adding value every day. 

I’ll just quickly run through these platforms one by one because maybe there are some people who don’t know the extent of them; we have the Mohanji Foundation itself, which is focused on the programs, the teachings, the practices and methods that Mohanji has provided. There is Ammucare and ACT Foundation which have been established since 2003. They provide education, hunger relief, health, disaster relief, serving the helpless, giving dignity to the poor and much more.

Side by side, we now have Act4Hunger, which is purely a food distribution platform. We also have the disaster management platform, which has been set up mainly in the Delhi region, in preparation for any major natural disasters, such as earthquakes or even man-made calamities such as riots. They’ve got a response team and a training program to support that. 

We also have the World Consciousness Alliance. This platform is raising awareness about human consciousness through the performing arts, entertainment, and interviews with notable speakers. The Early Birds Club cultivates strong, stable people through a powerful morning routine of waking up early and doing positive affirmations. It is subdivided into Early Birds Clubs for adults, teens and kids. There is also the Mohanji Youth Club, the Himalayan School of Traditional Yoga, Language, Dance, and Martial arts, which are teaching these modalities (yoga, language, dance and martial arts) based on the original authentic teachings. 

And then we have other platforms, too, such as the Altruistic Association of India, focusing on performing altruistic activities. There’s Invest In Awareness, the corporate program bringing the teachings to the business world and creating ethical businesses. We have media outlets, such as Guru Light for pilgrimages and book publications, the Awakening Times, an online magazine, and finally, M House Media. 

When you see the range of platforms, it’s really extensive. I think anyone working for these platforms can tell you that it brings a real sense of self-esteem because we’re working for a much higher cause. Actually, something I didn’t really know until living with Mohanji is that there are many subtle benefits of being a part of these platforms, benefits which are not so obvious to us with the eyes. This is especially important when you consider karma yoga, the act of serving selflessly. 

I definitely won’t be able to tell you the finer details of karma. But let me attempt, please, to share some basics, which I’ve picked up from Mohanji. When I say I’ve learned or I’ve picked up, I’m essentially repeating my understanding of what he has told me. He said that broadly speaking, as human beings, we have three main strands of karma that make up our body. I wouldn’t say our body, but our being. There’s the society karma – the karma of the society in which we’re born into. And then we have our own individual karma, what we’ve brought from previous lives, what we’ve earned, our merits and demerits. And then we have our lineage karma, which is based on our family, i.e. the lineage of the family we were born into. 

Mohanji said that when we have large karmic baggage, it’s normally associated with our lineage. It feels like we can put in lots and lots and lots of individual effort, but sometimes just the weight of that burden can pull us back. He described it as us having a body that is essentially a rented house. We’re born from our mother. We’re born from our father. And as the individual soul enters, it has mixed, like milk and water, all three aspects of karma. So you’re never really sure what’s yours individually and what’s your lineages’. And if within the family, even generations and generations back, there’ve been some very dark people, heavy people, for example, torturers, that stays with the lineage. And so we share that burden. 

Thus, we’re all connected to our lineage, but it’s not visible. However, when we do good work, good things, it serves and benefits us, our future life and future generations, and the previous generations. I myself can’t prove that to someone, and I won’t even try because personally, this is where faith comes in, in my opinion. I trust the people who practice Mai-Tri and Mohanji Transformation Method, and I trust Mohanji himself as well. After living with him for eight months and having been connected to him for even longer, I can see that all these activities are completely for the benefit of the world. There’s nothing for himself. It’s just giving. When you realise what they see, they can actually see a person’s karmic implications through Mai-Tri and Mohanji Transformation Method. 

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, if it’s not something that you generally believe, that we do have karma, and that we have lineage karma, what’s the best way to reduce it? The answer is through service, through Karma Yoga. The advantage of service is that it heavily purifies. It’s complete purification. Mohanji told me, imagine if there were some feudal lords in your family, and maybe they snatched money from poor people, they made people suffer, they were greedy, or nasty. When we start serving selflessly, we’re sharing and giving. Doing the opposite of what was done before reduces the burden of what other people have collected within our lineage. Thus, serving someone, as simple as feeding a bird that feeds its children, you’re then feeding the bird and the children as well. This is how activities of a positive nature can help. Now that I’ve shared this, I’m really asking the question, and I think it’s a good question: Who are all these platforms I mentioned before for? And why do they exist?

Well, it’s definitely not for Mohanji himself because he doesn’t need anything. They exist for us. They exist as opportunities and places where we can come with our gifts, we can come with our skills, and we can serve the world selflessly. In that bargain, we begin to purify ourselves and our lineages, all those people that existed in the past and all those people that are to come. Mohanji also said that if you’re doing great work in this life, those people who could be born now from that lineage will also benefit. So I think when you look at that, the Mohanji platforms are like a big purification machine. 

For me, when I see it that way, it’s a whole other dimension of how this can really help people’s lives. I hope I’ve explained that well because it’s a topic that I’m repeating from my understanding, as best as I can, because I can’t actually see karma. But I feel that through my efforts, working with the Foundation and Mohanji, there’s much more lightness to life. I’m personally experiencing a benefit, and I’m sure many other people within the platform also feel that. 

I hope you enjoyed this lesson today, or this insight about the real purpose of Mohanji Platforms is – they are a place of service, and of purification for the people working through them, and the benefit of the society.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 28th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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All that grace and why February 23rd is my second birthday

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Lea Kosovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dear reader,

If you don’t have time and patience, or as Baba says, saburi, please don’t trouble reading this. It is a personal story, a testimony of the healing power and grace that flows through the Mai-Tri Method, and a thank you note to all who have been there for me during this year of heavy processes.

Mohanji’s call

I came to Sri Lanka for the Ramayana Trails (pilgrimage with Mohanji), almost crawling. If you want to get to Sri Lanka, a plane is the only option, but even getting into one was mission impossible for me at that time. But I made it somehow. At the retreat, there were over 100 attendees, maybe even more. Would you believe me if I said that I had not ‘seen’ (almost) any of them? We were together all the time, visiting different places mentioned in the epics of Ramayana, but I was not able to notice anyone. It was like I was drifting in a different universe.

I kept asking myself how I could be there and what was the reason. As days passed, I felt the tension growing. Intuition was telling me that something big was about to happen. I have to be truthful to myself and you and say that the tourist part of me was enjoying Lanka. But this testimony is not about that at all. Inside of me, I was suffocating. On February 23rd, which is the date of my beloved Mohanji’s birthday, I received the biggest gifts of all from him – health. Suspicious ones will ask how that is possible. And how can someone gift you with health? Well, I guess you all are familiar with the phrase ‘You have to believe in miracles for miracles to happen.’ But also, keep the faith, work hard, and be willing to surrender fully.

Mai-Tri, a method that saved my life

After the beautiful birthday ceremony, a dream come true moment, I was called for a private conversation with Mohanji. One Mai-Tri practitioner (let’s name him D) was also there with me. To my surprise, Mohanji was in a different mood than usual. I was expecting us to talk, but he was determined to give me a present I never thought of getting. In a very doctor-patient manner, he explained that I need to take my condition seriously, gave precise instructions to D, and asked only one thing from me – patience. I was not aware of what he meant by that, but I promised anyway. I remember crying a lot.

Day after, D, who was also my travel buddy, and I, left the retreat as we were supposed to travel back home in two days. I remember one scene at the airport in Colombo, when we said goodbye to people who were leaving Sri Lanka before us. I had a slight nervous break-down and was sitting outside on my suitcase, mentally asking for answers and comfort from Mohanji. At that moment, a girl, Mohanji’s devotee and serious Mai-Tri practitioner approached me, looked me in the eyes uttering the exact words Mohanji shared with me during that private meeting. She repeated it word by word. I was amazed to see how he delivers answers and love in the most unusual ways every single time.

The next morning, we woke up in Colombo. The day was beautiful. I was watching the city from the hotel terrace, thinking about how wonderful and precious present life is. Instructions for D regarding my treatments were simple, to do it every day, next two months, or more, if necessary. My next Mai-Tri happened later that day. It started normally, in a nice and clean hotel room, with the smell of incense sticks. But in the first five minutes, it became obvious that it will not be easy. From the intensity of energy induced into my body, the whole room was heating. I started making strange sounds like they would help me stick till the end.

The session lasted for 15 minutes. Many people have done Mai-Tri for me before, and all treatments were special and effective. This one was a bit different, maybe more powerful. Probably it felt like that because it was adjusted for my ailment. After every treatment, the Mai-Tri practitioner talks with the client, sharing his experience and insights gathered during the process. D tried to explain what was going on, but I was not ready to listen, so I went straight to bed.

The sacred mountain Sri Pada

When my quiet time was over, I went to D to check our travel plans to find out that many airports are closing due to the pandemic. We tried to buy airplane tickets, but our cards got rejected over and over. Nothing was possible. It was like someone decided that we should stay in Sri Lanka. Having no plan or money, we surrendered everything to Mohanji and the Masters of the Tradition and tried to stay as flexible as possible.

The next morning was our check-out from the hotel in which we were staying before and after the retreat. Our credit cards were blocked, and all other options were closed. While we were sitting in the living room thinking about what to do, we got a message from a Tuk-Tuk driver whom we met the first day at the airport. The message was, “It would be my pleasure if you would join me for a ceremony at the temple opening in my village 3hrs away from Colombo. I can come to pick you up today; bring clothes and everything you need for a 3-day stay.” We laughed. This was exactly how the Masters operate. If there is something you need to experience, they will arrange it in the best possible way.

It took us 15 minutes to pack our things and get ready for the unknown. The ride was out of the ordinary. The Tuk-Tuk bumped along the rutted track while our eyes absorbed stunning landscapes. It looked and felt as if we were travelling to the end of the world. We reached the village late in the night. It was in a remote area, and no internet was available. The home-owners gave us a room and wished us a good night at 7 pm. For me, it was strange, as I was not familiar with the customs. The next morning they explained that they wake up at 3 am and go to bed by 7-8 pm latest.

That night in the hills was one of the worst ever. I remembered many past lives and experienced my connection with D in many of them. When I saw him in the morning, feelings of hate came out of me. It shocked us both. If I had a teleport machine at that moment, I would have said, “Take me away as far as possible.” Later I came back to my senses, figuring how blessed I was to see all of that in my dream.

The temple celebration was in the afternoon. Not knowing what to do, I went for a walk to find a spot with an internet connection and check where we were. It turned out that we were 3hrs away from the sacred mountain Sri Pada, a place I wanted to visit before starting the trip to Sri Lanka. Our host was so happy when I mentioned it and promised to take us the following day.

There are some simple rules to follow for the Sri Pada pilgrimage. As it is one of the holiest places in Sri Lanka, the average visit per day is 150,000 people. The mountain is 2240 meters tall. Due to high temperatures during the day, walks to the top are done by night. It takes 7-8hrs to reach the highest point, and many find it difficult. Excited about the opportunity, we did not have time to think about it. It took us 4hrs to get to the starting point. 

The Tuk-Tuk ride was anything but comfortable. I think it was around 9 pm when we bathed in the holy Kelani River and started our hike. It was already dark, and I could not see the surroundings, just a long line of people climbing the steps. I have never experienced anything similar in my life. Everyone moved as one, chanting without fail all the way. At one point, it looked like something was carrying all of us. 

Pilgrims of many religions walk up the mountain. For Buddhists, the footprint is of Lord Buddha; for Hindus of Lord Shiva, for Muslims and Christians, it is of Adam. I’ve learned later that the mountain was the legendary Mount Trikuta, from Ramayana times. I’ve realized that visiting Sri Pada was another Mohanji’s present.

Sri Pada – Google image

I will not go into the details of the hike. What happened on the way is not possible to put in words. Some things just have to stay only yours. But I’ll share a few points. While walking up, all faces on the way were familiar. It felt like a family who is on the pilgrimage through many lifetimes. I had knee surgery a year before, and the walk was not always comfortable for me. When I lost my power, out of nowhere, Baba sent me satka (short stick), a beautiful, orange, perfectly made satka. It saved me in many ways. I also had a private escort to the top and back. A black and white dog, some would say a Master, followed me with every step.

It was very difficult for me on an emotional level as well. I never knew that so much rage and heavy things were stored inside. All of them surfaced at once, close to the peak. I rang the bell on the top to announce my presence and lost myself in the grace of my beloved Mohanji while touching the holy ground.

The next Mai-Tri happened on the day of our return from Sri Pada. My body became seriously sick due to all the cleansing. I couldn’t stop vomiting, and my temperature was high all the time. We realized that the pilgrimage had enhanced my healing, but we were also worried as the condition worsened. I ended up in Colombo hospital, but everything went well, and we returned home safely.

72 days of constant Mai-Tri

When we reached the Balkans, Covid was ruling the world. Lockdowns were our new lifestyle. But with me, it was more than that. I had to deal with my shadow self every single day, and it was almost unbearable. Cleansing of lifetimes. Hurt, guilt, paranoias, insults, hidden emotions, patterns, traumas… In many ways, I felt seriously damaged. The biggest quest was to come out of it alive. Of course, surrender to the Master and full faith was unquestionable, but still, there is so much in us, preventing us from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

D was extremely patient and observant. He forced me to dig deep to comprehend. Some days I was rejecting; some days not. Mostly I was crying, screaming, and pretending that everything was OK. I could not work, talk to other people, listen to music, or indulge in any activities. Nature was my only savior, one thousand years old oak trees, my only friends. For 72 days, I was struggling and waiting for it to pass.

When we thought that the treatments were coming to an end, D messaged Mohanji. He replied, thanked him for the detailed report, and sent a separate message to me. It said something like this: “I’m happy with your recovery; here is the number of your new Mai-Tri practitioner, contact her immediately.” I was in shock. My new Mai-Tri practitioner? Why? Isn’t my process over?

Brahma Kamal

I’ve decided to name this part Brahma Kamal, a sacred flower that reminds me of my last Mai-Tri practitioner. It is found in the Himalayas, and a rare few can see it bloom. But if you get that chance, it brings good luck and prosperity. And she did that for me. She brought even more. When I first messaged her, she (let’s call her K) replied within seconds. I explained that Mohanji gave me instructions to talk to her, and I mentioned my confusion about why he did so.

She scheduled a Mai-Tri session later that day and promised just to scan my condition. That happened in May. Now it is February, and just a few days ago, she finalized my treatments. We spent nine months together. Every day, every month, without skipping or procrastinating. Sometimes K resembled a precise surgeon. She was sharp, strict, and on some occasions, very insistent. My condition was complex on many levels and, she helped me reach the bottom and face all fears and lack of love towards myself. She pushed me so deep to show a whole new universe of emotions hidden inside of me. 

She removed many spirits and entities. It’s not just negative beings that can live inside of us. Many lost souls and all different kinds of energies can find a way in. When our energy is not optimized, when we are not stable enough, anyone can enter. Anyone. And there are many. Not even all Mai-Tri practitioners know how to differentiate all of them. MTM (Mohanji Transformation Method) practitioners can. Some connect with your feelings; some enter because they have no other place to go; some try to fulfil their wishes and emotions through you… Anyways, I was sad to see some of them leaving my body. I felt that strange bond that had probably lasted for a long time. But K was insisting. 

Despite the many emotional challenges, I progressed tremendously. Before all this happened, I was not able to pronounce a single word in Sanskrit properly. Not to mention memorizing mantras. I thought it would never be possible for me. She inspired me to take sadhana seriously and guided me on the way. I’ve learned so much. Not just learned, I fell in love with many things – fragrances of different saints, stories from scriptures, mantras, silence.

Grace kept flowing throughout my system as many Masters came to support me. The harder it was, the more powerful it felt. K kept me alert and always pushed me a step further. It was far from easy. I remember the day when I first saw myself in the mirror. After 39 years, I was finally able to notice my reflection. Amazing feeling. I cried all day.

Both of us reported to Mohanji about my condition. At one point, he asked me to go to the hospital and do check-ups for the lungs, blood, kidneys, thyroid gland, urine, ovaries, heart… When the results came, I was speechless. Everything was fine. K was so happy to hear about it. Like a mother when she finds out that her child has recovered completely. After 365 days, on February 23rd, my process was finally over. Another miracle of his. That’s why I choose to celebrate this day as my second birthday, always to stay connected to the grace he offered me.

Being an instrument of Mohanji is a great blessing but also an extreme responsibility. The keystone of care relies on confidentiality between the Mai-Tri practitioner and the person interested in treatment. There are many sensitive lines that one must be aware of. Treasuring those helps a client to open for the next levels. K treated me and my condition as something sacred. I felt blessed all the time to have her on my side. She never compromised this relationship in any way. Her purity gave me the strength to go all the way.

If you are lucky enough to get the opportunity to try this treatment, embrace it without hesitation. Have full faith, even if your mind cannot comprehend it. Be persistent and patient. You will reap many rewards. And be aware. The Mai-Tri practitioner is helping you, but he is not there to do the things for you. Hard work is your work. Otherwise, it’s pointless. Mai-Tri is not a crutch that you are supposed to carry all your life. It is a method that helps you fly. Keep that in mind. 

At the lotus feet of my beloved Father, Mohanji

I surrender myself at the lotus feet of Mohanji. His presence changed everything. Thank you, Mohanji, for coming for me in this life. Thank you for being supportive, a friend, a mentor, a doctor, a partner. Thank you for making me realize that you and I are one. Let this experience encourage others to use Mai-Tri as something that will make them fly.

Special thanks to all Mai-Tri practitioners who supported my recovery: Tea, Barbara, Devi, Dragana, D, Ivana, Milica, Swami Bhaktananda, Preeti D, Ana, Izabela, and my dearest K. Love you all!

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 25th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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Lessons living with Mohanji – Day 7

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials
sandra 4

Day 7 Lesson: Get it moving!

By Christopher Greenwood

“Get it moving” is a phrase you hear Mohanji say a lot when you are working closely with him. He is practical, and rather than discussing ideas, he wants to see action. Results. Because that means people in the world are being benefited. 

“True wealth is what we give to this Earth and not what we take” is one of my favourite quotes from Mohanji, and I’m learning by living with him to increase my capacity to move into action.

I have also learnt that he has a vision, a purpose and a mission to fulfil. He is uncompromising in this. He does not judge anyone, but the work has to happen, which means if I’m not willing, able, or delaying, then the task will be done another way. The first time he asks, and I agree, the details will be given with full clarity, all the details. The second time he asks will be a reminder. The third time the task is with someone else. 

This is not a nice feeling as my ego takes a big hit, but it shapes my attitude and understanding that we all have a job to do together, for a higher purpose. The more we can apply, the more people are benefited in the world. 

Also, none of this is to benefit Mohanji. It’s for the people. 

Less discussion, more action, “Get it moving!”

—

Good morning everybody. Today, I wanted to talk about an aspect of Mohanji – an attitude related to his sheer relentlessness of activity, driven by a very clear sense of purpose, a vision to raise people worldwide with the highest awareness possible. The highest possible qualities that a human can have is kindness and compassion. If you observe Mohanji, he acts more than he speaks; he does more than he says. All his platforms exist, and they’re each powerful in their own right. The philosophy is very simple, and that’s action. Get it moving. ‘Do it’ and ‘Get it moving’ is something that we, the people close to him, more often toggled. Just get it moving, move, get the momentum going. For him as well, if you can’t do it, then there’s no point in talking. In fact, he will quite often say to me if I come for an idea: ‘Don’t speak to me, they’re just words. I want to see the action.’ That’s how he is. He doesn’t entertain just chitchat, discussion, theorizing philosophy; he’s more about practical action. Are you doing something? Especially for me: ‘What are you doing? What more are you doing?’

So, everything that he talks about in his teachings, he’s actually doing himself. The platforms that he’s created, if you look at them, are so vast and varied in number that it’s amazing witnessing what he’s done. And this is living by one of his quotes, which is probably my favourite – ‘True wealth is what we give to this Earth and not what we take.’ 

red jacket

And every day, he’s delivering this. People will be aware of the main platforms we have, such as the World Consciousness Alliance, EBC, Mohanji Foundation, the teachings, the meditations, etc. But right now, as we speak, there’s much more being planned and executed too. For example, on the 23rd of October, he signed the land registry in Ganeshpuri, on which the first ashram or Center of Benevolence will be placed. Since then, he has been giving absolute clarity on how that can be set up, how it can be established, and how it will be a complete reference point for the Tradition. 

When he gives vision to people or has an idea, he’s giving absolute clarity. It always comes with something new, something innovative that’s bringing value. So again, he doesn’t just philosophize; he gives direct, actionable clarity. He is uncompromising when it comes to getting work done. And what that translates for me, here in the office, working closely with him, is fast-paced, dynamic. It’s completely aligned to a purpose, which means he’s going to make it happen one way or the other. But this doesn’t mean he thinks bad about anybody or that he judges people; that is definitely not what he does. But with or without you, with or without me (I include myself in this), he’s clear about what he wants to achieve. 

So how he generally works is that he’ll ask me once, and that first time he’ll give me all the vision, everything that needs to be done about it. I love the opportunity to ask any questions, clarify everything. The second time, he’ll remind me: ‘Have you done this?’ And then the third time, he’ll speak to somebody else and get it done that way. There’ve been some small tasks that I may have forgotten, or I didn’t give as much importance as I should have. And sooner or later, I see that someone else has done it. 

So that’s when I get the message: First time, asked, given the clarity, opportunity to ask all the questions. The second time reminded. The third time, it’s gone to somebody else. Sometimes, he will even take it on himself, which is not a good feeling when you know how busy he is already. I know how busy he is, and then, because I forgot something, I find him having done it himself. And it’s a message in itself. 

So, this reminds the close team and me that we have to have movement – we’re creating movement, and it’s phenomenal, really. And it’s all under that one sentence: ‘Get moving.’ If you look around at the platforms, each of them has that diversity. And if you take ACT Foundation, or Ammucare, which has been running for over 17 years now, serving people all over the world, it’s based on those three principles: First, focus on the right action, do what needs to be done now. Second, the right presentation of the activity, which can become an inspiration for somebody else. And thirdly, we discuss, talk about what we can do. So, first is always the right action. 

And another thing I’ve learned in this, which was a real benefit for me, is that it doesn’t always mean perfection; it means getting moving. That means that once something has started, we can always change it, it can always be improved, and it can always evolve. I used to get stuck on really making sure that everything was right; everything was correct; I had everything in place before starting. This habit is gone now, which brings a real sense of esteem. Because, if I think back, and maybe people listening can also think back, how many times you would have put off starting something, or made up a reason why we couldn’t begin: like believing that you don’t have the skills or worried about what others will think. It’s often those times when if we just moved and got something going, that something would have been created, and we don’t know how it would have evolved. 

For example, the Early Birds Club, which is running now, was formed based on this principle. I think it was conceived as an idea, as a concept. And then launched within a day, I think one or two days. And obviously, it was rough at the start getting that all together. And slowly, there’s been improvements made. Now there are many clubs across the world; there are regular weekly events taking place, great speakers are coming on, adding value to people’s lives. The whole philosophy is really fantastic; this idea of waking up early, using those early hours of the morning to connect with ourselves so that we can be more stable in our life and then have more time for society. So that still has some potential to go, but it’s an example where that philosophy of just keeping moving, less talk and more action have brought value to people’s lives, and it can go further. 

This was the lesson that I can take away from this, and I wanted to share today. Let’s take more action and, ‘Get it moving’, as Mohanji would say.

chris and Mohanji

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 21th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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Grace in selfless service

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Sunita Madan, India

He’s got the whole world in his hands.

He’s got the whole world in hands.

He’s got you and me brother in his hands.

He’s got you and me sister in his hands.

He’s got the little baby toddler in his hands.

He’s got the whole world in his hands.

(Song by Laurie London)

As human beings, our nature is love. Our role as individuals and collectively as human beings is to be compassionate, tolerant, peaceful, non-violent, creative and responsible.

I believe in the path of love, peace, harmony and bliss and the omnipresent higher power which connects all beings in the universe whenever required. I bow in deep reverence to this divine presence which creates this inexplicable connectedness. For me, this divine presence is my Guru Mohanji. I have been in sheer joy and wonder at Mohanji’s leelas which repeatedly shows his deep love for all even the strays on the road.

The last fortnight has been tumultuous where I observed my Guru Mohanji working through me. I was instrumental in a lot of events which occurred one at a time. It all began when we received an email from a lady called Sujatha – who requested financial help. Her case was truly sad.

As Ammucare volunteers, we reach out to many, and it’s all about selfless service to society. So taking it up as yet another seva, I decided to look into the matter the following day. The lady had sent some gory pictures and details about her accident. It was already very late at night, and I was apprehensive of the unknown, so I decided to procrastinate till the next morning. But it was not to be. As I was about to retire for the night, I felt strong energy goading me to make that call to the lady. It seemed to be very intense instructions from an unseen force that I was compelled to call her.

A tired voice was at the other end. The words just flowed as I gently and lovingly spoke to her. She held onto the phone and cried. It was a long call. She purged all her pains, her difficulties, her trauma. I could feel her intense suffering and pain. Here is a first-person account of what transpired the next day onwards in her own words as WhatsApp messages.

“I was touched by the way you spoke to me, and I felt like you were holding my hands and not letting me fall, no words to express my devotion to Baba and Mohanji. I felt it was the angel, who the Almighty had sent after talking to you. Last night I slept peacefully after a long time. I troubled you last evening. I could not share my pain with anyone like this; I feel very pained. People do not respect if we are not financially stable.

I lit the diya in front of Mohanji’s picture and listened to Shiva Kavacham rendered by our Guru Mohanji. The voice is mesmerizing. It made me forget everything for some time; thank you for being there for me. To be honest, the first time I spoke to you, I was sitting with a bottle of pesticide (please pardon me). Your call came at that moment. I wanted to quit. I got tired of this life and struggle. Not a soul to share anything with. I was blessed to have you as an elder sister, mother, friend and guide. Your words are very soothing. Can I call you Amma? I got a mother and Guru after a long wait of hardship. How do I thank you? How do I show my respects to my Guru Mohanji?

Today there was no salt, no oil, nothing at home. I was offering Mohanji just plain rice, and the doorbell rang. I saw two guys standing with many boxes saying they were in my name. I said they are not mine. (For the last three months, I have not had proper food, just porridge.) After seeing all the grocery that Ammucare sent, it took me some time to come to my senses.

Guru Mohanji saved my family and me. I do not know how to react or express my gratitude. All these miracles and blessings are nothing but divine intervention. I was wondering all these years if something good will ever happen to me in this lifetime. Is there any soul on this Earth who will ever care for me? Yes, I have you, my Guruji Mohanji and my Sai. My Guruji’s actions and kindness touched me. Because of him, I have got my prasad.

I will never forget these days if my life. Felt like the sky opened up for me. Wish I could touch Mohanji’s feet. Love you Amma. It was a feast at home today that I shared with Mohanji. I celebrated Onam, Vishu, Diwali, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, New Year and Sankranthi – all in one day. Post lunch, I slept as if there is no tomorrow.

I will always remember this day. There is nothing more beautiful than someone going out of their way to make others happy. In my case, it is my Mohanji who reached out to me. I feel blessed. This is the second lease of my life. I owe this to you and Mohanji. It was your call that saved my life that fateful day. In fact, I had lost all hope.” Isn’t it amazing how the Guru works through others? Every word I uttered was literally put in my mouth by none other than Mohanji.

Every day the counselling sessions were powerful. Mohanji led every step I took. How beautifully my sweet Father Mohanji eased the situation, brought solace, hope, peace and contentment. It’s been two weeks now, and Mohanji changed everything for this family. Wonderful donors appeared who helped Ammucare to reach out to Sujatha. Deep gratitude to one and all.

Sujatha has accepted Mohanji as her Guru and has surrendered completely to him. She feels his presence often. The Guru Principle, the Guru Tattva, the Guru element watches over us all the time once we surrender. Of course, we need to have unshakeable faith in the Guru Tattva; then there is no need for anything else. The grace of God takes the form of Guru.

Sujatha who nearly attempted suicide was saved in the nick of time by Guru’s grace. There was no food. The Guru provided it all. No money to pay the rent. The Guru blessed her with the required amount, or else they would have been homeless. She could sleep in peace as the Guru held her hand. The Guru truly has the whole world in his hands. He’s got everyone in his hands.

My deep gratitude to Mohanji for everything. My prayer is that – may each step of mine be a circumambulation of you. May all that I consume be offerings to you (prasad). May all my thoughts, words and actions be offered as flowers at your feet. Bless me so that my life is complete. Bless me so that at death, I merge with you.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 18th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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Lessons living with Mohanji – Day 6

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials
chris and Mohanji

Day 6 Lesson –More than meets the eyes

by Christopher Greenwood

The past few days have seen me encounter some of the practical lessons I’ve picked up living with Mohanji, and today I wanted to share a story which taught me through experience, that there is much more than I can perceive.

Mohanji has said many things happen in and around the house as many people/beings frequently visit it. This is a story of a disabled celestial crow that arrived at the house. We looked after her, and after she passed away, we received a very unexpected blessing.

—

Good morning, everybody. I hope you’re doing really well. In the past days, I’ve shared some of the more practical lessons that I’ve learned since living with Mohanji. And today I wanted to share a story, which for me, happened at the house and confirmed that there’s more happening than what I can perceive, and what I can experience. So through my limited terrestrial eyes, I can only see a certain amount. But this was something which really opened up my awareness to other possibilities.

I know that other people who are close to Mohanji see him working in many other ways. For example, Mai-Tri practitioners and Mohanji Transformation Method practitioners see the incredible work that he does for people. For me, though, it’s very matter of fact, practical. I think that’s probably the best because, in my role, I need to be able to function practically, if I started having visions or experiences, I’d probably lose focus quite quickly.

But saying that, I know more things are happening at the house – an example of which was a disabled bird that arrived at the house. Now usually, we put out food for all the birds and the beings. Mohanji has also said before that many beings come to this house to take food. From time to time, as we’re eating, they come, and he points out a different looking bird, usually the really majestic crows. He explains that they’re celestial beings coming to feed from here in the form of a bird. One can actually notice a difference because we have a local family here – the same birds, the squirrels, and also a cat that comes by day-to-day. But these are often much more different and distinct in looks.

One day a disabled crow, whose whereabouts we were unaware of, managed to find its way into the garden. Its legs were badly deformed so that they were bent underneath which rendered it unable to stand or fly. It would almost flap, and then it would fall forward on its beak and use the same to drag its body and crawl along the ground. So it was a combination of just flapping and pulling itself along. We provided it with some food, and she stayed for some time. She would sit out there in the garden at the back where there was food for her. It was quite nice; she quickly became very comfortable here.

In the morning, Rajesh does his homa in the early hours on the patio that’s outside the doors of the area where we have the dining table. So if you’re inside the house, you have the dining table, you have some patio doors, which back out onto the garden. Then there’s the patio piece, and then the grass, some shrubs and a wall. If you’ve seen the online homas, then you’ll probably have a good idea of that.

When I come down in the mornings to get a drink in the early hours, the door would be open, Rajesh would be doing the homa, and you’d see the crow sit very close to Rajesh just watching the homa. And it went on like this for a few days. When we asked Mohanji what we should do, he replied, “Just leave her, it is probably a celestial being that had come here for some reason. It probably came to help somebody in the house who had an unnatural death in the family. So just keep feeding her, giving her water, and she’ll be fine.”

So we did this, and Rajesh even made a small shelter in the back, because when it started to rain, she would get absolutely soaked as she couldn’t really go anywhere. So she had a home, and she’d go back in there at night-time and in the morning would come out, have food and go back. It got to the point where you could even feed her the food from your hand. In fact, she became quite loud and demanding – in the morning if she hadn’t had food on time, she would start squawking and really shout. Sometimes she’d even move around the sides of the house ending up shouting again because she got stuck, at the cue of which Ananth would go and pick her up and bring her back.

This went on for a few weeks. But one day we noticed that she didn’t seem so well. The next day we thought of calling the people who come and collect injured birds, but she had unfortunately passed away in the morning. The boys asked Mohanji what the best thing to do was, and he said to bury her on the north side of the house. Now it just so happened, as things came together, some plants arrived at the house from Preeti for planting. The gardener was also booked to come that day and dig the holes for the plants. So we had a small ceremony, the bird was wrapped in the Sai Baba shawl. A hole was dug, we all said goodbye, and we filled up the hole and planted a plant in its remembrance.

Now, this is where it became something special for me. Mohanji said before that it was a celestial bird. At lunchtime, or just before lunchtime, a strange situation occurred, where we all gathered around the table for food. Everybody happened to gather in one place at the same time, and this normally doesn’t happen. Usually, someone’s either in the room or in the kitchen or somewhere else. It’s very, very rare that that happens, and everyone was in one place. We were talking; I can’t remember the discussion.

Then a huge black crow or raven landed on the wall outside the window. Mohanji pointed our attention to it. It wasn’t acting like a bird, it was chattering, and it had its wings outstretched. Mohanji said it was a being from the Kailash Mountain which is, for those who don’t know, the abode of Shiva. It had come to bless everybody and had its wings outstretched. Because birds can’t obviously lift their wings as a human would bless, and it probably came because it was happy how the disabled or celestial crow had been cared for, and then laid to rest. Mohanji said this was a very rare thing to see and a real blessing.

I luckily managed to take a photo of the bird in that position as well. So I’ll share it here. I hope you enjoyed the story. And thank you to everyone for listening and sharing comments with me.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 14th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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Thirst for love

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials
beautiful Mohanji


By Vikas Musale, India

My pranaams to the reader; thank you, and I am blessed to receive an opportunity to be a part of Shri Mohanji’s group.

I was recently fortunate to meet Devi Amma (a spiritual Master from South India) and receive her blessings. When I prayed to her that I wanted to walk the path of spirituality and serve mankind, she asked me to go to Shri Mohanji. Coincidentally, the 21-day program was initiated, and that is how I became a part of Mohanji’s group. Before I share my experiences with the beloved Masters and Acharyas during my sessions, I want to share a little about myself. My apologies for the length, but I just wanted to pour out my feelings and gratitude.

Since 2001, soon after my PGDBM from Sri Sringeri Sharada Institute of Management, New Delhi, I worked for different branded IT multinational companies. Today, I am counted as one among the so-called leadership teams in the corporate. I never allowed the designation and power to mix with my humble service to the people who report to me across the globe. I have always adopted a situational leadership style and blended it with my technology learning. I receive feedback from people worldwide that I am seen as a friend, mentor, guide, to even a tough taskmaster. I have never compromised on values and always uphold righteous acts for the self and others. Possibly, because of my sincerity and righteous approach/actions, I have become an individual whom people would love to hate either at peer level or the hierarchy above me.

Due to the pandemic, there is a sense of job insecurity and uneasiness, nor do I know what is in store for me tomorrow. Probably as a divine assurance, I was handed a book to read, “Autobiography of an Avadhoota – Avadhoota Nadananda” by one of my well-wishers. Tears rolled down from my eyes while I was going through it. I was overwhelmed to learn how he surrendered himself to his Guru Mata Tara and the way the respected Avadhoota was taken care of. I was unsure why, but a similar feeling was aroused in me, and I just surrendered myself to the Guru Mandala and prayed – ‘I want to do the right thing to the people around me, be it on my professional or personal level. Whatever happens to my dependent family, which looks up to me as a bread earner, and me, I leave it with you.’ A definite ray of hope is still to be seen while I am walking this corporate life with trust and faith in the Guru Mandala.

My personal life, like many others, has gone through many ups and downs. I lost my father some time ago. While I was making him comfortable on my lap during his last moments, he left for his heavenly abode. He took his last breath on my lap. There I was totally lost in pin-drop silence as to what to do next? That night will remain as a memory forever in me. The person whom I looked up to all my life was no longer with me. It was a difficult moment to digest. For close to 32 years, he’s never hugged me, not that it should not have crossed his mind, but perhaps his up-bringing and his 30+ professional life was such that hugging someone was perhaps a sign of weakness. I felt that any moment, he would wake up from his sleep and give me a nice warm and tight hug. This was the only thing I was craving since my childhood. I was waiting for him to wake up to complete what he owes me, but of course in vain.

While recovering from this loss, another blow struck me, and this time it was my elder brother. He had undergone many hardships, and, eventually, it all stopped. He had a massive cardiac arrest. My family and I are still recovering from all of this. My situation is such that I am not permitted to display my tears/pains, my dependents look up to me, and I am bothered by the impact if I discount an ounce of my courageous face I show to them daily. That is a roller coaster I am going through now.

Now about the 21-day program and working with beloved Masters and Acharyas, it has been a phenomenal journey so far. I am still learning a lot from them. The way they have initiated the course, the discipline on food habits and daily routine, the way they are walking with each one of us sadhakas is really impressive. Organizing such an event worldwide is no child’s game, tremendous coordination, support, discussions, material preparation and being available as per agreed time is not only tiring but a mammoth task. We sadhakas sitting on the other side of the desk, receive such huge efforts seamlessly, we feel the ease of receiving guidance and working on the activities on time daily.


I bow to all the Masters and the Acharyas and express my supreme pranaams and gratitude for bestowing such grace on all of us. Unsure what good deed I must have done in the past to be part of and receive such love and grace. I empathize with the whole group as I run a global team too and I can relate to the pains, pressure and pleasure the team would be put through to conduct this event at such a massive scale, and I humbly pray the event to reach success beyond imagination with Shri Mohanji’s grace.

The way daily activities are arranged is also impressive; a combination of practicals and theory. Practicals relate to sharpening and refining our physical bodies by performing yoga under the guidance of trained yogis to prepare our body to receive positive energy and health. The mind/brain is invoked to receive grace and what is right in the form of following Guru’s acts in MAST reading, and guided meditation sessions lead by the blessed Acharyas. Every meditation session is unique, and it is a feeling or a taste that can only be experienced. Despite the hardships I shared above, I still find myself in mental peace, harmony, composure, and calm. I see the mist ahead of me, and I need to work towards the intended destination.

A deep desire has surfaced in me after learning about Shri Mohanji from the recent sessions. I pray humbly for forgiveness if I am asking for more things. I feel a sense of emptiness in me, and I yearn to quench the thirst of the love and care I always craved for from my beloved, biological father. There is a sense of being lost in the dark and not knowing where to go, running from pillar to post to overcome the sense of incompleteness within me. There are questions – what should I do next? Why are things happening to me the way they are happening around me? What should I do to overcome and get away from their clutches?

If permitted by Father Mohanji, I would like to receive the same or a better warm and tight hug from him, where I want to weep like a child in his arms, forget myself, dissolve myself in him and be with him until no one else and nothing is left in me. Start afresh as his child and walk the path wherever he directs. I sincerely beg for forgiveness if I have unknowingly asked for anything beyond which I should not have asked for, and pray to ignore the silly child in me.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 11th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

Kalpataru series – He knows best

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials
mohanji spore

By Shivani Manghani, UK 

A lovely testimonial of a wish to buy a new home fulfilled with grace and protection. Shivani describes how Mohanji took care to ensure her family moved to the best home, avoiding any troubles along the way.

This Testimonial is a very small example to show how Mohanji works his magic to ensure that his devotees are always protected from the world’s adversities.  

To give a brief background, I have never met Mohanji, but I feel a sense of deep connection to him after listening to his knowledge sharing sessions on several platforms. However, I have spoken to Subhasree, a Mohanji Acharya, and the one thing that stayed with me after the conversation with her was, “Welcome to the Mohanji family! You have a strong connection to him, without it, you would have never called.” 

This particular incident that I’m writing about happened in the last few months. My husband and I have been thinking of moving houses for about five years now, and it has just never happened. With our son having no outdoor space access, we decided to take another chance during this pandemic. We had seen this particular house that we loved and offered for it on the same day. The sellers decided to respond within a few days after they got all the offers on the table.  

As I’m quite superstitious, the one thing that bothered me was the house number. The house number was 71, which when added up, adds to number 8, which is not an auspicious number. However, I brushed that to the side as the house itself was amazing.  

The one thing I prayed to Mohanji during this process was to bless us with a house that is best for us, and I just kept my faith and patience in him.  

A few months later, after several rounds of negotiating, our offer finally got accepted, and we were delighted. Time passed by, and for some reason despite our offer being accepted, the process of initiating the purchase did not commence, so we decided to let this house go. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed; however, in my heart, I knew that Mohanji knows what’s best for us.  

A few weeks later, we saw another house around the corner, and there were close to 15 people waiting to view this particular property. My hopes were close to nil, considering the competition. 

When we went to see the house, the one thing that struck my attention was the house number…. Number 9! This was Sai’s number! We were super excited as we are ardent Sai devotees. I still didn’t raise my expectations to avoid disappointments; however, deep in my heart, I trusted Mohanji.  

We made an offer on the same day and to our surprise, our offer got accepted immediately. I could only be grateful to Mohanji as we were both truly delighted. The process was initiated and completed in an exceptionally smooth manner. Now, this didn’t end there.  

I already knew that this house that Mohanji had blessed us with was the best one for us, but Mohanji also decided to let us know why he didn’t let the process of purchasing house number 71 begin. 

To our surprise, we got to know that the buyers who were in the process of buying house number 71, tried to offer on house number 9, months after our offer had been accepted. Our sellers were too kind to tell us this, and they also mentioned that they would never break our trust by taking any other offer in the middle of the buying process. We also got to know that the sellers of house number 71 decided not to sell the house months into the buying process. This caused both the buyer and the seller of house number 71, a lot of money and several months of lost time. 

After listening to this, I had goosebumps as Mohanji not only saved us from this disastrous situation but also blessed us with an amazing home. I am utterly and truly grateful to a Master I have never met physically but who has protected us in every way possible. He is the bright light guiding us, and I am very lucky to be a part of his family.  

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 9th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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Lessons living with Mohanji – Day 5

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team
Mohanji Arunachala

Day 5 Lesson – Living consciously

by Christopher Greenwood

When I arrived at the house, I was received with a welcome as a guest. In the early days, I would often sit at the table for breakfast and lunch with Mohanji. Before anybody eats in the house, food is offered to the beings around the house – birds, squirrels, and even ants. One time during lunch, I noticed how clean Mohanji’s plate was – it was spotless. And I made a mindless comment about him having such a clean plate; I was not thinking.

This was when he told me about the karmic implications of wasting food. Even a grain of rice has an impact, as this has the potential to become a field of rice. He shared a story about this.

Whilst I thought I lived consciously, I realized that there is always more I can do, especially as I feel responsible for making this Earth better for the generations to come. Simple but powerful changes can begin at home.

—

Good morning, everybody. I hope you had a great day yesterday. 

Today, one of the lessons which I’ve learned living with Mohanji is about living consciously. And this is living consciously with our own environment and the impact that we have on Earth. This is from an observation of Mohanji, and I feel it’s a really important awareness to have in our lives, as it’s about the consumption of what we have in the world, of the basics such as food and water. 

In a previous recording, I shared that the majority of Mohanji’s teachings aren’t necessarily spoken, and you have to have a keen eye to observe. And they can be incredibly profound. And I’ve also heard somebody say that if you don’t keep a close eye on Mohanji, he could easily slip away. Because he’s not overtly teaching here when we’re in the house – we’re not sitting down in a satsang and sharing. But everything he is doing can actually, potentially become a lesson if we have the eyes to see. And one of the overarching teachings which Mohanji shared to many is that everything we do here on Earth comes with a price. We have Earth, and we’re using it as a platform for our experience. So, what we think, what we say, what we do – it all has some cost. And he believes that we should be leaving it a better place than when we arrived. 

So, when I first arrived at the house, there would be some days where I would have breakfast and lunch at the same time as Mohanji. At that time, I was a new guest, and I would join everyone at the food table. Everybody eats each meal together. Before we eat, all the fresh food cooked that day is first offered to all the beings around the house. So it’s placed out for all the birds that come – the crows, the various other Indian birds that I don’t know the name of. And then you have the squirrels come as well. They will then flick over the food on the ground, so the ants get to eat as well. So everyone’s fed before we eat. And the food is also offered to the deities. 

And during this time, I observed Mohanji and how he was eating – he only took very little food and was very conscious. He didn’t load the plate – he took a small amount and then would add more, as and when he needed it. I also noticed that nothing gets wasted; it’s all eaten. So everything is gone – the plate is completely clean, even right down to the last grain of rice. I think I just made a thoughtless comment at that time about him having a clean plate. And this is when he told me that everything here has a price and that we should respect everything – all our materials. He said that wasting food actually comes with a karmic price because even a grain of rice (if you’re wasting that grain) had the potential to become a whole field of rice. 

He then shared a story of a saint who was found in the gutters, near some grand wedding party. It was a grand event, a really big affair where hundreds of people were dancing, celebrations, and singing. As with many Indian weddings, there was plenty of food there, offered in a variety. When the people who were having food on their plates had enough, they would chuck the remaining food and the plates into the gutter. Normally the cows would come and eat that food. And he (the saint) was there, eating leftovers. When somebody saw him, they took pity on him because they thought he was a homeless man and he was hungry. They wanted to invite him to the wedding to come and eat some of the fresh food. But he actually said no. He said, “No, I need to do this. I’m helping them because they don’t know what they’re doing, throwing all this away.” 

So that was the message for me there, and it was quite an impact. He also shared that if someone is serving food and the other person doesn’t eat, that burden goes to the person who served it. It had an impact on me; I instantly had a flashback to last Christmas, to my large family; I think there were maybe 20-25 of us; we had them around to mine and my brother’s house, and we cooked for them. I remembered all these plates coming back from all the kids, all half-full, and myself just chucking all the food into the bin. And I just had the realization that this is probably happening daily all over the world. Most of the time we’re not aware of what we’re doing – that’s overconsumption. And then people are probably overeating too – eating more than what they actually need, and it’s just coming out the other end, undigested. People glorify food; they glorify the amount they eat, the quantity, the size, and the variety of foods they have. And I then also thought that this is not just with food, it’s probably the same with water too. 

With Mohanji, we are really conscious of the amount of water we use and everything else like electricity. Since I’m here, I’m using the Indian bucket system for showers and baths – which if you’re not aware of it, is that you fill up a bigger bucket with the water and then use a smaller one to wash. I appreciate that now because I’ve become aware of how much water I used to waste. 

So this consciousness, just from that small observation, has completely shifted my awareness to be more conscious about what I’m using. And these are just the basics – food and water. I can apply that same thinking and logic to everything else that I consume here now. Also, to my personal products – how much am I using, why am I using it, where it comes from, where it’s made, and the impact of it. Technology, cars, washing machines, everything that we have, we’re taking things from the Earth all the time. 

And for Mohanji, it even comes down to the extent where the other day, I noticed how conscious he is about the use of products and his impact as he’s walking on this Earth. For example, when we do satsangs, he has water and might use a tissue to wipe his mouth. When he had finished for the day, I wanted to throw it away, and he said, “What are you doing? I can still use that.” So even down to that level of keeping a tissue is the responsibility that he feels: We should take good care of everything that’s being used. 

That’s the lesson for today, just from a small observation. I hope you enjoyed it. And maybe you can take that into your life. If everybody had this awareness around the world, it would probably be a very different place now. Thank you very much, and speak to you soon.

P.S. I asked Mohanji how we can reduce any karmic burden from food waste. He said by feeding the beings of the air, land, water, and human beings. 

P.P.S. I’ve asked my brother to reduce the amount of food for Christmas this year because there’s always wastes.

chris and Mohanji

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 7th February 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team

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Blossoms of Love

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team
mohanji blue jacket

by Hanumatananda

I offer this experience sharing at the lotus feet of Mohanji, as without his grace, this experience would not have been possible. 

I had a glimpse into another dimension; a dimension where the heart centre is expanded, a dimension where different rules govern. I will try to narrate the experience as best as I can, as it is hard to describe in words such subtle realms.

On 23rd January 2021, we had an online program with breathing exercises, mantra chanting, and meditation, culminating in a Satsang with Mohanji. Around 60 people were at the meditation, and my role was to conduct the preparation exercises for the meditation led via an audio recording by Devi Mohan. The three pre-meditation exercises lasted for 15 minutes, and after that, we started the meditation Blossoms of Love. I’ve done this meditation only a couple of times before, and since I was conducting it, I’ve never had the chance to dive deeper into it. 

But this time, I could relax completely and immerse myself fully into it. Devi’s voice was so soothing and gentle, smoothly leading into a state of pure unconditional love. I felt each word she said as a healing balm on an open wound. It was so soothing. The background music was also so appropriate that each sound helped relax me even deeper.

Then came a moment where I felt a huge shift in my awareness. I felt as if my heart centre expanded throughout the universe, pulsating unconditional love for all, including myself. This was so unusual, as I tend to judge myself and others, but now these judgmental thoughts were simply not there. I was open completely for them to re-appear; I was so special that no negative thought could disturb me in this state. I was completely accepting of everything, good and bad. It did not matter what will next appear on my mental screen; it was all OK. It was a state I longed for, even without knowing. I lived in the dark, but my soul was craving for this state. All the problems I thought I had or even had, now were not problems any more. They were just passing life situations which came and will go as many other situations before them. All my fears now seemed baseless. All my worries were now met by a “So what?” There was no guilt, no urge for revenge. All my problems disappeared. 

I didn’t want to ever get out of this state. I realized this is the only state worth living for. All else is a silent death. Only with an expanded heart, life has any meaning. So, this was my realization – I live by default with a closed heart. I live like that because I feel safe like that. I reason that if I keep my heart closed, I won’t ever get hurt. Which is partially true, but then is that life at all? Yes, I was hurt before so many times. But now I felt that only hurt people hurt others. It is not anyone’s fault; there’s no one to blame. Forgive. Forget. Let go and move on.

The mind is a monkey. It has to jump in and share its opinion on this glimpse of the state of pure love. So, my next thought was – if I live like this, with a wide-open heart, the world will dry my heart into pieces easily. So, how do I protect it? How do I live with an open heart and at the same time keep it protected?

Only when the heart opens, we realize it has been closed all along. This is the irony. I have been so used to living with my heart centre closed, that I didn’t even question if something is wrong. Yes, I lived a life of silent death.

Then, we were guided by Devi’s voice to come back to the body and open the eyes. Even though I came out of the meditation, the experience was so profound that I was still feeling it. Part of the experience of that dimension stayed with me. With it, a deep yearning stayed as well for this experience to become my continuous state.

At the Satsang, I shared my experience with the group and asked Mohanji the burning question I was left with after the meditation – How do I live with an open heart and keep it protected as well?

Mohanji answered, “This is the truth – that we do have closed hearts because we live in the society. Many times, because of various experiences in society, we live with a closed heart. But please remember one thing, the one who has created us is also maintaining us. Right? The one who has created us, or our Creator, or whatever created us, also maintains us. So, you can just rest on that thought – that you are protected, you are loved, you are taken care of. If this experience has come to you, that means – there is more coming. So, be positive. Be optimistic. And share your good experiences with people. Guide them, support them, bring them up into a greater level of awareness, and you will feel the whole dimensional shift happening. 

When we see people as people outside, we see nothing. When we see people as consciousness outside us, we see everything. So, this is very simple. Please remember if you are born, you’re also living. All these years you lived on earth, you ate food, you slept, you had companionship, you had guidance, you had everything. And you still have everything. 

You will have everything in the future. So, trust that factor. We can call it God, we can call it Guru, you can call it anything you like. But, that factor has constantly been working.”

As always, Mohanji’s guidance was simple and practical. Through His grace, I had a glimpse into another dimension where unconditional love is the main currency. I shall remember to live from the heart centre and rest assured that He will keep me protected as always. 

At Your Lotus Feet, Father!

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 4th February 2021

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