Revealing Light
Thursday, November 19th, 2020
A self-ignited passion for conquering higher realms of consciousness led her finally to The Master Supreme, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai, with Whose blessings she got meticulously engaged in a search for her Inner Truth. As she traverses the path today, living in Prasanthi Nilayam, she is confident that The Road is Ahead… The Light is On…, and her journey is proceeding. … A tribute to the blessed womanhood on the blessed Ladies’ Day! This article is by Smt Sudha Chakravarthi, sourced from a private publication titled ‘The Lotus Path – Walking With Sai’, released in Prasanthi Nilayam some years ago (2007) during the occasion of Ladies’ Day.
I completed my formal education to my satisfaction. Then, with the eagerness of my youth, I thought I should raise myself to what could be considered a higher level of consciousness. Interesting as the subject of Politics, Economics and History were, they gave me no sense of completeness. I therefore took up the study of religion and metaphysics. I was blessed to meet philosophers, priests and intellectuals to make my search fruitful. However, sacred texts alone gave me an insight into the weightier issues of life.
Religious studies were very close to my heart. During the course of my study I found the concept of maya, more popularly known as illusion, intriguing. The great Vaishnavite saint Sri Ramanuja called maya as “Shell Silver” which was not silver at all. Metaphor of rope and snake is only too familiar to anyone studying Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada. The Jains named it “the whirling peacock feathers” and the Buddhists called it the “firecycle”, i.e. a coconut cup filled with fire, when spun. After considerable study of maya, I ought to have been satisfied, but my efforts at unravelling this concept pushed me to exploring forms of reality.
I played then with the Bhakti cult. Markata Nyaya and Marjaraka Nyana sounded interesting. Do I cling to my mother philosophy and let her leap to various concepts or do I let my mother concept pick me up and take me wherever she wanted. I found both satisfying. I continued my studies. It was at this time that the most sacred day of my life till then dawned. I came to Puttaparthi, and the minute I saw Swami, all my faculties sang in joy “This is IT”. Repeatedly, I felt that I was in the presence of Dakshinamurthi where unasked questions were answered in silence. The “divine greed” prompted me to seek more and more darshan, sparshan and sambhashan. Then with the smooth flow of time, new meanings, interpretations and answers were downloaded into my brain.
Seshadri Swami of Arunachalam, when asked by a seeker, “Who am I”? told thus: “Collect a handful of stones, each representing a quality or state such as joy, sorrow, happiness, grief, greed, anger, relationship and so on. Ask yourself whether each or any of them represents you. Discard each of them if you find that it does not represent you. When you find that none of them represents you, and you are left with nothing, knew then that it is you.”
Similar question was put to Ramana Rishi (Maharshi), and he replied, “You are, when you take away what you are not.” This greatly puzzled me. My search for answers to such questions continued even through the study of Christian mysticism. Readings of Meister Eckhart left a strong impression on me. His statement – “If I am to know God directly, I must become completely God and God I, so that God and this I become one I”, was constantly in my mind. I felt that there must be a way by which I can raise the human I to the Divine I, so that I can get my view of the world but the ‘God’s Eye’ view of the world.
“Who am I?” was the question which did not seem to be the foundation of God realisation. I keenly absorbed Swami’s discourses with as much joy and concentration as the private interviews He granted. I tried not to miss even subtle nuances in His discourses. I felt the ancient acharyas must have decided to shed some light on me. Hence, in a discourse, Bhagawan said, “We are all God. The difference between you and Me is that I have ‘realised’ what I AM and you have not yet.” The directness and simplicity of the pronouncement had a sudden impact. Was this a nanosecond of Brahmanubhava, satori, enlightenment or what? All I can say is that I felt a strange peace descend upon me, and left me with the constant feeling that my God, Lord, Acharya, soul’s Companion has given meaning to my Eternal Atma.
The Road is Ahead…The Light is On…My journey proceeds.
II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II
Posted in Sai Spiritual Showers |
