Miraculous Experiences: Part I with Shiva Kavacham

Written by Rajesh Kamath

The unwavering consciousness of a realized Master is the veritable engine that effects the spiritual transformation of the people who come into contact with him thus taking them towards the ultimate goal of liberation. This consciousness – unruffled stillness like still water or perfect mirror – reflects the true nature of the seeker who comes in contact with the Guru. Some are frightened to see their own true form and run away. They are usually blinded by the material world. They are not aware of how bound they are.

Some accept it and decide to walk towards the ultimate goal of personal liberation. The connection of the individual to this consciousness depends on his or her degree of awareness, faith and surrender. Bhaav (devotion or attitude of gratitude with reverence) is the essential ingredient which is a gift of the Master’s grace made eligible through the perseverance and persistence of the individual.

The Master provides several methods that help in deepening the connection – His words (written or spoken), spiritual methods and techniques, energy transfer and, in some cases, spiritual experiences. However, a realized Master’s operating level is not restricted to the physical planes. The work that the Master does in other subtler dimensions is far more transformative and yet not always perceptible and tangible to the individual. It is the pure grace of the Master that flows out of his deep compassion and love to provide and use all available avenues to uplift the individual and move him closer to liberation.

“There are various stages in stillness. Momentary, Partial, Occasional, Induced, Non-induced, Perpetual, Situational so on and so forth to Total or Eternal. Each state has its own level of mastery. Each stage has its value. And the highest is ‘forever still’ where there is no return to non-stillness. Anything else can have a return back possibility. There can be a fallback. This is where you need the presence of an “internally still master”, irrespective of what he is externally. And beware. It is not so easy to handle such a master. He is as powerful as the complete consciousness can be.”

Mohanji

Mohanji’s blogs and books (such as the Power of Purity) are a testament to the power of Truth in the form of the written word. They have attracted spiritual seekers from across the world who have felt the depth and lucidity, that can only come from the Source, delivered in a direct and incisive manner. The words are imbued with His vibrations and hence work in subtle ways to inspire and guide spiritual seekers to seek the highest goal of mankind – liberation – and address their deepest doubts and fears.

Mohanji has also provided several methods and techniques free of charge such as the meditations (Power of Purity, 360°, Blossoms of Love, Bliss of Silence, Freedom meditation), Consciousness Kriya, Conscious Walking, Conscious Dancing, Mai-Tri method, Shaktipat, etc. These techniques were received by Him in deep communion in an elevated state of consciousness. Hence, these techniques are divinely empowered to connect deeper with His Consciousness and can be incorporated into one’s spiritual practices to take one further in his or her spiritual goals.

As Mohanji always says, “I always do my job. You do yours”. The Master’s words and techniques are an extension of the same Guru principle. A master delivers only with the purpose of elevating or cleansing the receiver. His intentions are always pure. As Mohanji always says, marry the methods and do not judge or criticise the giver. Everything that is thus delivered has power. The power must be respected.

Too often, people tend to accumulate techniques like they gather material possessions. When the mind refuses to persevere long enough to bear fruit to the use of a technique, the individual either berates the technique or tries to find another that is “more” potent according to his limited mind, ignoring the suggestions of the guru with unlimited mind.

Thus, the individual gets entangled in a mind trap in the search for the “next best” technique or in a lot of cases the “next best” Guru. This can also sometimes lead to perceived superiority of knowing (albeit superficially) a plethora of tools and techniques resulting in mental indigestion and the accompanying malady of knowledge diarrhea – ready to poop undigested knowledge at unsuspecting seekers at the first chance. 🙂

“If you cannot recognise the eyes, you cannot recognise the consciousness. Eyes are the gateway to the consciousness.”

Mohanji

As Paramahansa Yogananda had said so beautifully in one of his Cosmic Chants, “If I find not, I will not blame Thy Sea. I will find fault with my diving”. It also reminds me of a story of the Master, Lahiri Mahasaya, from the Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. One of his disciples tells the Master that he thinks he is ready for the second initiation into Kriya. He requests the Master to consider his request. Lahiri Mahasaya asks the disciple to be seated while he thinks over his request.

Soon another disciple, Brinda the postman, enters into the ashram. Lahiri Mahasaya asks Brinda whether he would like to be initiated into the second level of Kriya. Brinda falls at the Master’s feet and tells him not to burden him any further. The bliss introduced by performing the first level of Kriya had incapacitated him completely to the point where he was incapable of performing his regular duties.

He told the Master that he had come to seek the Guru’s help to be released from his job so he could spend more time doing the Kriya that he had currently received. He couldn’t handle any more initiations. The Master tells the complaining disciple, “See! Brinda swims in the Ocean of Spirit.” The complaining disciple gets shamefaced and accepts the shortcomings and inconsistencies in his practices rather than any fault in the techniques.

As in the Lahiri Mahasaya story, the intent of the article is to showcase the effectiveness and efficacy of every technique or medium provided by the Master through the light of experiences of fellow seekers. My endeavour in this post and the subsequent ones to follow, is to share and present the experiences of individuals from different cultures spread across different geographies to demonstrate universal nature of these experiences without a cultural or geographical bias. These are stories and experiences that have been shared over personal meetings and conversations both in person, over the phone and virtual (Whatsapp, Facebook, etc).

I would like to start the first part of this post with the Shiva Kavacham. Why start this post with the Shiva Kavacham – one may ask? It is not one of the well known techniques like the Power of Purity or 360°. It is a lesser known technique – a new kid on the block. Hence, it is a good first choice since we can bring it to people’s notice. Secondly, it is exclusive and the condition for exclusivity is the fundamental tenet of the Guru principle – Bhaav. Putting both together, there is a certain aspirational quality about exclusivity that makes people strive harder in their spiritual practices. 🙂

A brief overview and background on the Shiva Kavacham. The Shiva Kavacham recited by Mohanji is a very powerful experience to every listener. Mohanji has repeatedly said that there is nothing beyond it. It is for merging with the aspect of Shiva which is formless brightness – the manifested and unmanifested together.

Mohanji had mentioned that maintaining the sanctity of the Shiva Kavacham was of paramount importance. Mohanji insisted that it must be listened with utmost reverence and sacredness and, consciously like meditation, with hundred percent concentration and bhaav. He forbade it to be treated as background music. It was typically played after group meditations as a continuation of gratitude, where all participants maintained silence and deep reverence.

In the past, the person who had received this unique and sacred gift could share it only if the recipient had deep bhaav to Mohanji, Lord Shiva, Lord Dattatreya and his numerous avatars, Hanumanji, Sai Baba, Jesus or any other Master of the Tradition; and was properly informed to treat the gift with respect and reverence

This behooved the recipients to ensure that they used this gift with the sacredness and reverence that it deserved and that they exercised deep discrimination in sharing it with only those people who would value and respect it. Very recently, he relented to make it more accessible to a wider audience so more people could benefit.

Without further ado, we move on to the experiences that people have had with the Shiva Kavacham emphasising the sacredness of the Shiva Kavacham. We hope that people derive the importance of the Shiva Kavacham from these experiences and use it in a proper manner to derive supreme benefit from this sacred gift.

Biba Mohan from Serbia shared this beautiful experience from the UK Retreat in July 2015: “I will never forget the lovely little wooden ‘Gidney hut’ in Gilwell Park near London in which our retreat group recently experienced a true explosion of energy and Grace – Shiva Kavacham after Shaktipat (energy transfer), followed by Sai aarati (ritual worship) while in Mohanji’s expanded presence created the ground for a take off into a most blissful inner state. My body as if turned into a stone statue, mind in perfect stillness, consciousness expanded, as if pulled upward I suddenly got immersed into the purest vibrant Love – no words can describe the magnificence of such a state. For a second, the eyes of Shirdi Baba appeared in my inner vision and then tears, warm tears of eternal gratitude were all that moved over my otherwise frozen body. While the Shirdi aarati was playing, I made a feeble attempt to get back into the body and get up to join Mohanji, but the body would not move, not even one finger. And deep inside I did not want to leave this blissful state, for nothing that one can experience in the physical world can ever come close to it. It was more than an hour or so later that I could slowly come out – strong sensations in the heart chakra (energy center) followed, tears of gratitude that soon turned into loud sobbing (for no reason known to mind), continuous shivers, and waves of great awe and gratitude. The golden colors on this image will always warm my heart – the Grace of Sai and Mohanji that transcends all the boundaries of human existence.. Deepest pranaams (salutations) into eternity, Biba”

Yohan from the UK relates his profound experience of the Shiva Kavacham during the same UK Retreat – “After the Power of Purity meditation in the Gidney Cabin, the Shiva Kavacham was played in Mohanji’s presence. I could see the energy of Shiva flowing through Mohanji but nothing could have prepared me for what followed. My entire physical and energy bodies were filled with pure golden yellow light. I could feel the billions of cells in the body starting to separate and each one being cleansed by this light. Each cell was releasing accumulated “stuff” and memories of pain. I saw many many souls of my ancestral lineage and from previous lives appearing, acknowledging, clearing and healing our previous relationships. Mohanji appeared in his light form (comparable to the old negative film rolls with the outline of his face and hair filled with immense golden light). Pure love enveloped my entire being and I was being bathed in the arms of the Creator – the pure consciousness that sustains entire universes. I wanted to merge and to be in the absolute void of stillness but circumstances and time meant this was not possible yet. My sincere gratitude to Mohanji for creating and holding this space of immense energy and for the cleansing on all levels”.

Swami Mohan Bhaktananda from Durban, South Africa related the following experience with the Shiva Kavacham –
“The first time I heard the Shiva Kavacham was at the retreat held in South Africa a few months ago. Mohanji asked us to put the Shiva Kavacham on and asked us to keep our eyes closed and listen to it. I did not expect much more than to enjoy his voice singing, which I love. I closed my eyes and the Shiva Kavacham started. I noticed immediately that my breathing changed. It became deeper and fuller. I started drowning in the energy of the mantras. It not only has the power of Shiva’s protection mantras, but more importantly, it has the amazing energy of Mohanji in it.

My spine began to burn and my body temperature increased. I started to sweat. I felt an intense heat in my tummy area. Although these were happening, it was as if I was just watching it happen to myself. I experienced it but at the same time did not experience it. Slowly the trees and chirping birds disappeared. The walls and glass windows of the room disappeared. The entire room vanished into a blissful void. The other devotees seemed to merge into the void. Even I did not exist and merged into this void.

All that was left was Mohanji. I always have had faith in Mohanji. From the first time I spoke to him, I knew he was Shiva. As he blessed me and as he grew my love, I realised he was Parabrahma. But for the first time, Mohanji blessed me with touching his true nature. It was only a taste. Just a drop of what he is, but enough to change and break concepts I had of him. Words cannot describe what I felt Mohanji to be. Because it was a state of beingness and not a state where logic prevailed. No words have been created to describe what is at the first level past Mohanji’s physical body. I can’t even describe it as bliss or auspicious. Because these too are words that describe a state. Seeing Mohanji during the Shiva Kavacham, showed me (or rather experienced me) that he is beyond states, even beyond the dynamic Prakrithi or the static Purusha states. If I am forced to use words, then he is the ‘causeless cause’. He is the cause of every single thing that happens. The cause of the planets moving, the cause of gravity, the cause of sunshine, the cause of devotion, the cause of energy flow, the case of love, the cause of bhakti, the cause of Gods with form, and He is the cause of the formless everlasting blissfully Parabramha itself. He was here before the formless God was born, because formless is still a form. He is the cause of formlessness.

The physical feeling during this time was just bliss. Tears rolled down my cheeks and again I was just watching this all happen. From my experience the Shiva Kavacham not only brings protection, which is a powerful strong impenetrable ring of fire, but brings peace, stillness and a consciousness beyond the body.”

Jay from Dubai, UAE shared his experience with the Siva Kavacham –
“The most intensive of all was the Shiva Kavacham. This stotram is very, very strong. It has deep meanings. It exemplifies the intriguing and unfathomable sides of Shiva. In fact, it takes us through all the fascinating faces of Shiva. What became more powerful for all of us, even for those who didn’t understand a word, was the way the stotram was recited by Mohanji. The briskness and crispness of the recitation, along with the power of his voice, as well as the stress on each word made it extremely energizing. We were spellbound whenever we heard the stotram. Each time I heard it I could not resist my tears though I wasn’t crying. My hands automatically went to the folding posture and I felt as if I was merging into Shiva. The sense of fearlessness it gave was incomprehensible.”

Palak Mehta from Pune, India shared her experience with the Shiva Kavacham – “Huge blocks get removed when I listen to the Shiva Kavacham. I just get completely stable. Sometimes I can’t meditate but Shiva Kavacham changes the energy of the whole environment. A lot of times when I need to concentrate, I can focus easily after listening to it. Shiva Kavacham is our true nature. Shiva Kavacham in Mohanji’s voice is alive. It takes you beyond the mind. Mohanji’s voice is the vibration of the universe itself. It fills you up with the same vibrations by removing all the clutter and taking you back to your original state – pure light. This makes me realise how vulnerable we are to this tool called the mind. Once it is silent, everything is perfect.”

One of the devotees, Anita mentioned that she was hearing the Shiva Kavacham after taking a bath. She could feel all the glass panes on the windows in the room shaking and vibrating. This happened for as long as the Shiva Kavacham was played and it subsided thereafter. The volume was moderate and it was obviously not because of the volume that the window panes vibrated.

Mohanji had recited and recorded the Shiva Kavacham in a studio in Kerala in between trips to the passport office in a hurry. There was no way he could concentrate because of busy schedules, incoming calls and a press interview. Yet he did it within the limited time, in one go. One of his followers, Mr. Srijith, had facilitated the arrangements to do the recording. Unfortunately, he could  not get a copy. He requested a local devotee of Mohanji in Palakkad who promptly transferred it to Srijith’s phone.

On a later day, when he was travelling with his family in his car, his wife requested him to play it in the car via Bluetooth. Realizing the sacredness of the Shiva Kavacham, and remembering Mohanji’s instructions, he initially declined saying that it was not supposed to be played casually in the car. However his wife and family insisted and he finally gave in and proceeded to play it on his mobile phone. To his surprise, after completion of the chant, the mobile phone went dead. He tried various methods but it refused to start.

Once he reached home, he went to a service center to get it repaired. They tried their best with it for several days but they could neither repair it nor diagnose what was wrong with it. They finally gave up and said that it was beyond repair. Not taking their word, he went to two other service centers to get a second opinion and third opinion, but the same drama played out. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. After being repeatedly told that the mobile was as good as dead, he finally gave up on it and handed it to his two year old daughter to play with it.

His daughter is deeply connected to Mohanji. While playing with it, his daughter starting gesturing to him while pointing at the mobile phone screen saying “BABA. BABA.” He was deeply shocked to see that the mobile phone had been switched on with a picture of Mohanji on the screen. The child always called Mohanji “BABA” even though they tried to coax her to call him Mohanji. He told the local devotee, who had given him the copy, that he had learnt his lesson. He had received a precious gift but had not treated it with the respect that it deserved. Hence, this entire episode served as a reminder for the same.

Bhavan, also from Kerala, got a copy of the Shiva Kavacham from one of the local Mohanji devotees. On receiving it, he decided to play it on his mobile phone to check it out. But after a while, the sound coming from the earphone stopped by itself. He tried to figure what was wrong and eventually came to the conclusion that the earphone was damaged. He was a bit surprised by the occurrence since the earphones were working perfectly fine a while back. He later went and purchased another set of earphones from the shop. He then proceeded to play the Shiva Kavacham again and the same thing happened all over again. He couldn’t believe it that two sets of earphones that were perfectly working could get damaged. He called up the local devotee and related the sequence of events to him. The local devotee chided him for treating the Shiva Kavacham so casually and asked him to, henceforth, treat it as a powerful technique that needs to be treated with reverence. Bhavan took this message to heart.

I wanted to share two experiences that I had with the Shiva Kavacham. I had instantly felt its powerful effects when I first listened to it with deep concentration in Mohanji’s presence. At that time, Mohanji had categorically mentioned that the Shiva Kavacham should not be heard more than three times in a day.

Later on, I had a misguided brainwave that if one hearing had so much power, I could significantly amplify its effects by playing it all night while I was sleeping. When I did this for the second night in a row, I awoke in the middle of the night and observed a white mist covering the ceiling. In the center of the mist was a bald head with two huge eyes staring back at me.

Since I have always been scared of ghosts and the bodyless entities, that would have normally scared the crap out of me. However, this sight just made me curious. No fear at all, which was surprising. Then the thought of Mohanji immediately occurred to me. As if on cue, the vision instantly disappeared and the ceiling looked normal again.

Subsequently, I related this experience to Mohanji. Mohanji told me that the entity was a Shiva gana that got attracted to the powerful energy field of Shiva created by my inadvertent act of playing it continuously for so long. Mohanji reproached me for treating the Shiva Kavacham so casually.

Since Shiva encompasses all the energies in the universe, the Shiva ganas come in all varieties – from evil to benign. We never know who may show up to greet us! Further, our constitution may be unable to handle the high energies generated via this practice causing serious imbalances. Luckily for me, Mohanji’s protection saved the day.

This was not enough of a lesson for me. I am a slow learner and, as mentioned earlier, need repeated lessons to drive the message home and hammer it in place. I finally learnt it only after I had another misguided experience.

During travel, I decided to take some time off to do my Kriya practice. I went into an inner room and locked the door to avoid getting disturbed. My fertile mind cooked up another brainwave of increasing the efficacy of Kriya by listening to the Shiva Kavacham while doing Kriya. A little while into the practice, the door opened with a loud creaking sound.

Since I had locked the door, I was surprised but kept my eyes closed assuming that the latch may have come loose. As if in response, the door creaked again with an even louder sound. I immediately opened my eyes but nothing was amiss. On finishing my Kriya practice, I checked the latch and it was fine. Mysteriously, the door had unlocked by itself.

When I related this experience to Mohanji, Mohanji told me, “I came there to kick your butt”. This time, Mohanji firmly told me not to treat the Shiva Kavacham casually and to cease all experimentations immediately. He said that Kriya is extremely sacred and insisted not to mix anything with Kriya. Same with the Shiva Kavacham . This time round, I got the message loud and clear.

In closing, I hope that the experiences will inculcate a sense of gratitude in the readers for any gifts that are received through the grace of a Master, induce them to treat the gifts with utmost respect and reverence and drive them to actively use the gifts consciously, consistently, persistently, and with complete awareness to further their spiritual growth.

|| Om Shri Krishnaaya Mohanaaya Namah ||

Update: Those who are interested in listening to the Siva Kavacham can find it here on iTunes.

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