( This blog is based on personal experiences and does not necessarily reflect the views of Sri Kanchi Madam or the Heartfulness System and Practices. ) The other day, I was viewing a YouTube video in Tamil language on Jagadguru Shri Chandrashekararendra Saraswati, who was the 64thJagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, a Hindu Monastery (called Madam in Tamil), located in the temple town of Kanchipuram in South India. He had a long reign as the Head of the Kanchi Madam from 1907 to 1994. Affectionately called Mahaperiyava (meaning a venerable sage), he was easily one of the most revered, loved, and popular Hindu sages of that period, especially in the South of India. In this video there is a reference to an Australian Youth who went all over the world to meet various religious heads and sought an answer to the fundamental existential question, “What is the objective/purpose of human life ?” Apparently not satisfied with the replies which he had elicited from the heads of religious institutions all over the world, he decided to seek an answer from Mahaperiyava, and thus came to His presence. Initially, Mahaperiyava asked some of the learned pundits present on the occasion to answer his question, but seeing their reluctance to give an answer, He decided to satisfy the Youth’s curiosity Himself. The Sage made a reference to the ancient Hindu scripture Shrimad Bhagavatam, which contains the story of the child devotee, Prahalada. This boy patiently endured acute harassment and torture from his father who was a demon King, who tormented him only because he refused to worship any other than Vishnu as God. Quoting Prahalada, Mahaperiyava told the Australian Youth that the purpose of life is to shower unbridled, unconditional Universal Love to all His creation. The Sage, who had spoken in Tamil, then asked someone to translate and explain this to the Australian youth in English. But the young man did not need any translation. Though he did not understand a word of Tamil, he could get the essence of what the Sage was conveying and he could actually experience the Love, which he, in turn, had to give to others. The incident set me thinking in many directions. I remember three significant events in my life. I had met the Revered Sage on a few occasions in my teens during my visits to my uncle’s place at Kanchipuram. Though I never knew why, I always eagerly looked forward to be in His presence. I confess that I can recollect nothing much about those visits, i.e. the occasion, the physical environment etc., but I remember that the atmosphere prevailing was indeed something different and special which pulled me to go to the Sage several times. Few words were spoken, but the environment was indeed unique. Now I realize that I was drawn to Him by the very Love about which He spoke to the Australian Youth in the abovementioned video. Thereafter, though I met a few saints and was acquainted with several religious and spiritual practices, nothing touched my heart sufficiently to take them up with any seriousness. However, I do remember another great occasion which I can now connect to the feelings generated during my interaction with the Mahaperiyava . This was on my visit to Kabirwad, near Bharuch in Gujarat located in an island on the river Narmada. Here was the place where Saint Kabir had spent time and meditated. Again the special element could not be described, but there was a deep desire to visit this place again, which regretfully never materialized. Later on when I took up practice of Heartfulness Meditation, I learnt that Sant Kabir was highly evolved on the spiritual path. The atmosphere at Kabirwad which left a permanent mark in me was another reflection of the same Universal Love. The third occasion which I can connect to happened a few months after I was initiated in the practice of Heartfulness Meditation. I confess that initially my approach towards this practice of meditation was flippant and causal, with an attitude that nothing could be possibly achieved by simply sitting with eyes closed for a few minutes. But soon after, I had to change my mind. One day while meditating with a Heartfulness Trainer on a special occasion with a group of other aspirants, I had a profound experience of the effect of Yogic Transmission. Incidentally, this Yogic Transmission, which can only be experienced and not explained, is a specialty of Heartfulness Meditation1. On that occasion, my heart was filed with a tremendous feeling of calmness, peace and unbridled Love which I had never experienced before. It was also surprising to note that in that gathering, though I was surrounded by a group which was culturally, and socially remote to me, yet I felt so much at home that I had no desire to leave the place or the company of the aspirants. To use the word "Divine" to describe the atmosphere on the occasion may be correct, but on observing that the word Divine has been too commonly used to describe people or events ( such as divine person, divine child, divine music, divine figures etc.), I hesitate to use that expression. I will therefore restrain myself and describe the environment as something wondrous, joyful and unique. I told myself that this experience was some kind of illusion or a play of my mind, but it returned to bless me ,at odd times and places, often when I was not meditating. Notably, the feelings were experienced invariably in the dirtiest of all places, near foul smelling toilets, railway station and garbage dumps, bring an understanding that the Love which originates from the Adi or Source can be everywhere. This necessitated a great unlearning on my part, as I was from a social background where a lot of emphasis was laid on physical cleanliness, in the approach to the Divine. Surprisingly, once I took up my meditation practice earnestly, this experience disappeared. Another significant point to be noted was that at that point of time I had not yet physically met the then Global Guide of the system, Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, who had actually channelized the Yogic Transmission ( also called Pranahuti) through the trainers to create the atmosphere which I have described. Under the Heartfulness System, it is wondrous to note that the physical presence of the Global Guide is not a pre-requisite to feel the effects of Yogic Transmission. I can now relate that this third experience gave me a brief exposure to the Ultimate condition, which is to be attained by sincere practice of Heartfulness. The state of Universal love is attained naturally, progressively encompassing first the family and near ones, then the neighborhood and progressively goes on to cover the entire world, in consonance with the expansion of the consciousness attained through the practice of Heartfulness. Revered Shri Kamlesh Patel, Global Guide, Heartfulness movement says, " My ideas are to bring every spiritual tradition under one roof. Hope it happens soon."
1. Heartfulness meditation is a practical technique that can be used in parallel with any other spiritual approach. For further information on Heartfulness Meditation log on to www.heartfulness.org. Find a Heartfulness Trainer near you at https://heartspots.heartfulness.org.
2. Please note that all Heartfulness Meditation sessions including those with a Heartfulness Trainer are always free of charge.