13 beautiful stories

8/9/2019 13 Beautiful Stories

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13 Beautiful Stories

American Gita Society Webpage, Stories by Jay Mazo

THE HIGHER TEACHINGS

The disciple approached a master to find out about the eternal light of God. The master

meditated within, and the following wisdom was revealed. The eternal light is Gods first

manifestation by which this universe is created and sustained. Gods highest essence is light.

Hence by inwardly seeing the divine light in meditation, the soul shines as Gods awakened

son. The eternal light throughout history has incarnated as God radiant souls to teach

mankind the wisdom that mans soul exists in oneness as part of the Universal Spirit. Gods

light which in an impersonal way created this universe, can take a personal form such as a

spiritual awakening in mans soul by the practice of meditation. We must have a clear steadyvision to see the light. Our consciousness should be one pointed, and our mind must be empty

of obstructing thoughts. In purity, silence, and aspiration the light of God will manifest

during meditation.

The disciple wanted to know how God could be seen. The master entered a state of silence

and received a clear answer. God can be seen by our inner eyes, but not in this changing outer

world of finite matter. When man sees Gods highest spiritual form of light, he becomes a

spiritual teacher with the divine work of bringing all truth seeking souls into the light. He

teaches that during meditation focusing on the third eye, we are to keep our mind empty of all

disturbing worldly thoughts and desires. The ultimate aim of all meditation is to realize

within our true spiritual identity as separate from the movements of natures activities. Thusif we practice this inner silence regularly everyday, peace of mind and an awareness in the

soul of Gods blissful presence will radiantly manifest. Then the door to Gods eternal

kingdom will open within the truth seekers soul.

The disciple asked how freedom in God could be found. The master remembered what his

own teacher had taught long ago. Freedom in God is the theme of the divine drama of

existence. God is free because there are no limits to His expression in creation. At all times

God has absolute knowledge and will to accomplish His vision. In Gods cosmic play the

seed of freedom has been planted to grow in mans soul. Man must light the flame of freedom

by discovering his divine identity. Freedom comes when the chains of ignorance, limitation,

and ego are broken by the sword of wisdom. Liberation causes man to live in total awarenessof his souls oneness with the Supreme Being. Divine grace flows into the spiritual seeker

who has lit the heavenly burning flame of constant aspiration. All pursuits of pleasure and

happiness are in reality a reflection of the souls striving to find the one eternal light which

brings fulfillment to life. Lasting freedom comes as an internal mystic experience to the

aspirant who has dedicated his whole life as an offering to the Divine. The liberated soul is in

direct contact with Gods presence, will, and knowledge. His vision spans the galaxies

throughout the eternal cosmic cycles. The little ego is dead and has been replaced by the

active divine witness who now guides and commands the life of the emancipated sage. The

wall of separation between the soul and the Supreme Being has disappeared, and only the

bliss of divine oneness and love eternally remain.


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The disciple wanted to know how such freedom could be lived daily. The master waited for

divine inspiration to express itself in these words. Freedom has to be lived in God everyday

of the year throughout ones life. Each day of the year must present a new opportunity to

discover and experience Gods reality. By aspiring to live the spiritual adventure, a divine

transformation will take place in our life. Gods freedom is always here. All we have to do to

realize this is to remove the obstacles of desire, ego, and ignorance in order to let the divinesun shine through the soul. The true aim of mans existence is to pursue and discover oneness

with God through meditation and devotion. By centering the consciousness on the divine

ideal, the aspirant at last realizes and becomes one with the Supreme Being. True freedom is

found only in the heart filled with God. Where there is eternal love, infinite wisdom, and

creative power there is freedom in God.

The disciple wanted to find the way to realize truth. The master, from his many years of

experience, gave the solution. To realize truth one must inquire Who Am I. Realization is the

goal that is reached when the seeker knows his identity. To realize the highest goal, the

seeker must practice such spiritual disciplines as prayer, renunciation, self inquiry, and

meditation. Truth is the target which all of mans strivings try to reach. Truth is eternalbecause it is a quality that is the essence of both God and mans immortal soul. When the

mystic discovers that his real nature is being a part of Gods oneness that is the final truth.

When the devotee finds that a divine power pervades the universe that is the living truth.

When the saint understands that a Cosmic Mind exercises its will to direct all of creation that

is the eternal truth. Truth is mans destination because all souls are growing toward the light

of Gods sun. The search for truth must become the guiding principle in mans whole

existence.

The disciple asked how to find the truth since mans mind is unsteady. The master smiled and

gave this advice. Each moment of the day man must ask where is God to be found. Truth can

be realized only in a mind that is at peace. The seeker must learn by practice how to reduce

his thoughts to zero so that he can become the silent witness observer. This is the way to find

the truth by experiencing the divine presence which manifests in the void of mans expanded

silent consciousness. To realize the truth you must hear within the divine call to wake up,

search for, and finally discover the truth of Gods reality in this very lifetime. There is no

time to waste for the soul that understands that a higher reality waits to be discovered which

alone can give man lasting peace and happiness. Meditation is the spiritual beacon that guides

and inspires aspirants along the journey leading to self realization.

The disciple was puzzled about where is the point when God and man meet. The master

searched deep within his consciousness to present these spiritual teachings. The God point isthe supreme moment in the life of the mystic when he reaches union with the Divine. This

spiritual state happens when the arrow of mans soul flies straight into the divine target. God

is at the center of existence. But the normal consciousness is obstructed from seeing truth by

the veil of natures world of matter. The problem to be solved by man is how to return to his

original state of pure existence. To be aware of a problem is the first step in approaching its

solution. First man must believe that reaching God is the true meaning of his brief life on

earth. Hence man must make God the target of his aspiration. The arrow which man shoots

toward the God target is his practice of spiritual discipline. The most powerful arrow to shoot

at the God target comes from meditations bow. Man must concentrate his mind on hitting the

divine center of existence. The speed and accuracy of mans spiritual arrow depend upon his

souls aspiration and devotion. Aspiration gives the souls arrow power, but devotion is themagnet that attracts it to hitting the God target. The God point is when the arrow of mans


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soul merges with the target of divine consciousness. When the God point occurs the mystic

experiences union with Gods light, bliss, power, peace, and wisdom. Then the soul becomes

a realized point of divine sunlight.

The disciple wanted an explanation about what is the divine target. The master saw the

answer by intuition and presented the teachings in this clear form. The divine target is like awheel having spokes radiating from the hubs center. The spiritual disciplines of meditation,

devotion, discrimination, and dedicated action are like spokes that all lead back into the

wheels hub. Life is like a wheel spinning with 365 spokes through space each year. Be it

through meditation, devotion, discrimination, or dedicated action the souls arrow when

accurately aimed will pierce the divine target. When the God point is reached, the soul arrow

and the divine target become of one essence. The aspirant must lift the bow of meditation,

shoot the soul arrow, and merge with the God point. When the God point is known, then the

soul experiences infinite peace, power, divine bliss, light, and wisdom. The supreme goal is

reached when the awakened soul flies straight into the God points divine target. The disciple

theoretically understood the masters teachings but needed some practical examples in life to

make the abstract more concrete. The master decided to make his teachings easier bypresenting them in the form of God stories in which ordinary people were confronted by the

challenges of life and managed to realize the divine presence.

THE YOGI AND THE TWO QUEENS

Thousands of years ago there lived in Rajasthan a yogi called Sivapremaraja, who was the

chosen disciple of Sankartapasmuni. One day two queens visited the yogi. Queen Ayesha of

Persia thought only of the yogis material comforts and gave him much money. Queen Ratna

of Nepal wanted to learn the yogis spiritual knowledge, and so she stayed with him day and

night. The yogi asked both queens who they thought he was. Queen Ayesha said that he was

a poor holy man and that with her support, some ashrams could be built. The yogi agreed, but

asked Queen Ayesha to think where Gods temple is. On the other hand, Queen Ratna said

that only through meditation in the yogis presence would his identity be revealed. The yogi

looked at each equally. He knew that he was only a humble devotee of Sankartapasmuni,

whose spiritual powers flowed through him. Suddenly, to test the faith of both queens, the

yogi took on all their karma at once and appeared to have died. Queen Ayesha lost her faith

in her guru at once and had his body cremated. Queen Ratna loved her guru beyond the body

and sent word to Sankartapasmuni about his disciples death. The old yogi replied that no

disciple of his would ever fall to death prematurely and that the power of tapas would bring

Sivapremaraja back to life. Queen Ayesha returned to Persia having learnt nothing. Queen

Ratna sat silently chanting her guru mantra over his burnt ashes. Two months passed andnothing happened. Just then, in a dark cave, Sankartapasmuni started chanting Aum Namah

Sivaya. By the power of his tapas, the old yogi called on the god to release his beloved

devotee Sivapremaraja. Suddenly, in front of the meditating Queen Ratna, an explosion

thundered, a trisula rose from the earth, and then a stone linga emerged. The linga split in two

and by the grace of his old guru and the faith of his disciple Queen Ratna, there appeared the

resurrected body of Sivapremaraja. Then Sivapremaraja told his disciple Queen Ratna that

the real yogi lives by Gods power and is free from body and money attachments.

Queen Ayesha returned to Persia and found her kingdom suffering from a famine and a

plague. She wondered why her people were being punished so cruelly. Then a blind beggar

told her that for the sin of burning the Hindu holy man while in communion with God, herkingdom would have to perish. Queen Ayesha got angry and ordered the blind beggar to be


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jailed, but he immediately vanished from her sight. At the same time, the blind beggar came

in a dream to the mountain bandit chieftain named Pelgaz Kasim. In his dream the blind man

told Pelgaz Kasim that because of Queen Ayeshas sin toward the Hindu holy man, her

kingdom would collapse as soon as he attacked it. So at midnight, Pelgaz Kasim led his

mountain tribes in the invasion of Queen Ayeshas kingdom. Although heavily outnumbered,

fate made Pelgaz Kasim victorious. With her army annihilated, Queen Ayesha was takenprisoner. Pelgaz Kasim told her that her crime was very great, and that she would have to

choose between death or total exile from Persia. Queen Ayesha chose exile. Wherever she

wandered the people cursed her and said she was the evil murderer of a holy man. After

months of lonely wandering in the desert, her clothes were in rags and her beauty had

vanished. Yet fate was blindly leading her to cross the Indian border into Rajasthan. Queen

Ayesha was in mental agony, but she now knew that all her sufferings stemmed from her

premature cremation of Sivapremaraja. The desert sun was too much for her. She collapsed

totally unconscious. Then she had a dream that a flame stood burning in midair and a voice

thundered saying: "I am the flame and guide of your soul and can never die." While she was

still unconscious, a lady on a horse rode toward her. It was Sivapremarajas devotee, Queen

Ratna. Queen Ayesha was put on the horse and swiftly taken to Sivapremarajas ashram. Herbad karma caused by ignorance was soon to end.

Queen Ayesha awoke and looked into the eyes of the blind beggar that came to her court at

Persia. Suddenly the blind beggar changed his body into that of Sivapremaraja. Queen

Ayesha started crying. "Oh Guru Maharaj, you have taught me a bitter lesson by taking

everything away from me so that at last you would possess only my soul to direct," she

moaned. The guru replied: "Ayesha, once you realize that only your soul is real, then you can

know God. The gurus love is undying in spite of the disciples unfaithfulness. I forgive you,

but in order for your karma to be purified, you must die tomorrow." She answered: "now I

have complete faith in you and will prepare to meet death." As expected, Queen Ayesha died

early next morning of a heart attack. Sivapremaraja ordered that there should be no cremation

of her dead body. The guru was in control of this little game of maya. He then left his body

and went into samadhi. In the realm of death, Queen Ayesha passed through many fires

where people had to suffer to wipe out their evil karma. Yet she did not suffer because she

now had faith in her gurus protection. Suddenly she came face to face with Lord Siva. The

god told her that by her newly acquired faith in her guru, she would be transported to

experience the souls liberation on the heavenly plane. Queen Ayesha now experienced

herself as a body made up of luminous points of light. She saw a pink lotus descend on top of

a mountain. The petals unfolded and there sat her guru, Sivapremaraja. The guru said: "now I

will show you the secret of divine existence." Flames shot out of his eyes and Queen Ayesha

felt an electric explosion within her being. Now she was everywhere at once. Her eyes sawthe world pervaded by light, her heart felt an unending warm bliss, and her mind experienced

thoughtless peace. She looked at her guru Sivapremaraja and saw unending galaxies

revolving in his body. "This is enough for now," said her guru as he touched her forehead.

Queen Ayesha awoke back to life and remembered all that had happened. She had lost her

worldly kingdom, but by her faith in her guru, she had attained entrance into the kingdom of

God.

REALIZATION IN THE FOREST

Long before men had formed countries with their gods, there lived a strong woodcutter

named Kabinda. Each morning he would leave his village and go into the forest to chopwood. In those bygone days, the earth had many forests and few men. On this particular day,


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while cutting wood, Kabinda heard the sky explode with thunder and lightning. Torrents of

endless raindrops attacked the tall green trees. Kabinda was afraid of the violent sky and ran

deeper into the forest seeking shelter. After running for half an hour during the blinding

rainstorm, Kabinda ran into a long dark cave. Near the cave there were skeletons of human

corpses. Kabinda stopped running and sat down in the dark cave to catch his breath.

Exhausted from running he fell asleep for the rest of the day. When he woke up refreshed, hewas about to meet a new challenge that would change his life.

Kabinda explored the dark cave. Suddenly he saw two flashing eyes and a huge mouth

roaring screams that meant death. Kabinda did not want to find the answer behind this terror.

He instinctively ran out of the dangerous cave. Slowly the roaring sound died down as

Kabinda reached the light of the caves entrance. A man with golden skin was seen at the foot

of a huge forest tree. Kabinda asked the forest hermit his name. The golden man, with a

serene smile, told Kabinda that his name was Mugesin. Kabinda wanted to know how

Mugesin came to live in this deep uninhabited forest. Then the forest hermit told his tale.

Many years ago, Mugesin was a rich merchant in another village. He had wealth but not realhappiness. Mugesin wanted to know what is the power that gives meaning to life. Mugesin

then left his village and asked this question to everyone he met. A woman at a well told

Mugesin that he would have to find the answer alone in the deep forest. So Mugesin walked

with courage deeper and deeper into the forest. At last he reached a tall tree which became his

abode to seek truth. Many wild fruits grew on this tree and a quiet stream flowed nearby.

While sitting under this tree in his quest for truth, Mugesin heard a loud terrible roar coming

closer and closer to devour him. But Mugesin, unlike Kabinda, decided to face this deadly

terror straight on and not run for his life. In the face of Mugesins determination to continue

his search under the tree, the roaring terror realized that it had met its match and slowly went

away leaving Mugesins life. After many seasons of living in the forest Mugesin gained

illumination, and his body began to shine with a golden bronze color. Mugesin had realized

the inner peace that pervades this universe.

Mugesin told Kabinda to be courageous, return to the cave, and seek for the light instead of

merely shelter from the rainstorm. Kabinda made the cave his home and only left it once each

evening to eat fruits and drink cool water from the nearby stream. Kabinda heard the same

loud roar of death in the cave, but this time he became iron willed and remained seated in his

search for truth. Kabinda thought that if Mugesin could defeat the terror of life, he could also

conquer it. Slowly, after many months, the terrible roar was no more heard in the dark cave.

In fact, a strange glowing light was illuminating his cave day and night. The light shone from

within Kabinda. The roar of death now became mystic ringing music in Kabindas ear. Hiseyes shone with radiant ecstasy. The truth that an infinite Spirit of light and peace pervaded

this universe dawned within Kabindas awakened consciousness.

The next morning, after Kabinda left the cave as a liberated forest sage, several former

village friends met him. They now saw a different, radiant, and wise Kabinda who no longer

was a simple woodcutter. Kabinda told them the truth he discovered in the cave and his

meeting with Mugesin under the tree. But none of Kabindas village friends could ever see

Mugesin. Mugesin now had attained a level of spiritual existence beyond this material world

and, only in rare moments of grace, would he appear again on earth to help a single brave

truth seeker such as Kabinda. Kabinda spent the rest of his earthly life in the forest cave

instructing now and then the few seekers that came to receive his guidance.


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THE DEAD LIVE TWICE

Few in life are given a second chance to achieve the goal they failed at. This is a story about a

mystic named Chadru who gave up his spiritual practices, got married, and became a king

temporarily. Our tale begins late one afternoon with King Somanath and his daughter

Kamalika riding through the forest in search of wild game to hunt. Suddenly the roar of anangry tiger echoed through the forest. King Somanath instantly shot a poisoned arrow at the

great beasts head. The wounded animal felt the death drug speeding through his blood and

ran blindly through the forest with Somanath and Kamalika shooting their winged shafts

continuously. The hunted and the hunters raced through the forest in their struggle lost in the

wheel of life. The tiger acted as he was born to be, but King Somanath, through his exercise

of royal power, had let his ego grow to be no better than that of an animal. His daughter

Kamalika was also very self willed and had vowed that she would only marry the man she

chose. The afternoon slowly glided into night with the hunting drama of the king and his

daughter still chasing the wounded tiger deeper into the dark jungle.

Chadru was also a strong willed hero, but one who since his earliest childhood had sought torealize God instead of exercising power over other men. Chadru liked the peace of the jungle

where no ordinary man ventured to tread. His place for meditation was a most unusual abode.

He had dug a pit measuring six feet deep where no being could disturb his spiritual pursuits.

Years of meditation passed by for Chadru, and he felt with each moment that he was getting

closer to his divine goal. But the goal cannot be won without passing the test given by the

Supreme Maker. God sent the wounded tiger to test the strength of Chadrus penance. The

tiger was losing much blood as the poisoned arrow brought death closer. In his last moment

of revenge upon mankind the wounded tiger lunged into the pit where Chadru was

contemplating God. God came to Chadru in the wild blazing eyes of a savage ten foot tiger.

With one final blow, the tiger struck out in all his fury at the sitting Chadru and died with

human blood in his mouth.

With the moon shedding light in the jungle, King Somanath and his daughter Kamalika saw

the ghastly sight of a dead tiger and a bleeding ascetic lying in a pit. King Somanath got off

his horse and climbed down into the pit to find out how the mauled ascetic was. Somanath

slowly brought the unconscious ascetic out of the pit. Then when dawn came, Somanath and

Kamalika slowly brought the unconscious Chadru back to the royal capital. Kamalika had

learnt medicine from her family priest, and within a week Chadru opened his eyes and saw

the kings daughter. Kamalika felt that it was her destiny to marry the man she had nursed

back from the shadow of death. Her father agreed and ordered Chadru to accept the hand of

his daughter and to become crown prince. Chadru, by the fierce final blow of the tiger on hishead, had forgotten his own identity. He was very grateful to Kamalika for saving his life.

Before the marriage took place, Somanath spent ten days teaching Chadru on royal duties and

policy since he would eventually become king. Satisfied that Chadru had learnt his lessons on

kingly statecraft well, Somanath caused the marriage festival to be celebrated by everyone in

the kingdom.

During the marriage celebration, all the priests and sages gave their blessings to Kamalika

and Chadru. Suddenly a tall saint with reddish hair startled everyone with his declaration that

as soon as Chadru would see his son, he would remember his identity and renounce the

kingdom. Six months after the marriage, King Somanath died during a hunting expedition

when his horse stumbled on a rock and threw him off. So now Chadru, the man with noidentity, became the king. After some time Chadru got used to exercising his functions as


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king and accepted that identity of himself. One night Kamalika told her husband Chadru that

she was pregnant. Chadru was delighted and hoped a son would be born to carry on the royal

line in the kingdom. Everybody by then had forgotten the prediction of the red haired saint at

the marriage. The moon gave forth its silver light to this happy kingdom as Kamalika gave

birth to a healthy son. Chadru looked intently into the eyes of his newborn child and was

shocked with the vision that unfolded. Through the reflection in his sons eyes he gazed intohis own past. He had been the greatest yogi in this kingdom who had renounced power and

sex in his quest for God realization. Then his memory saw the awful test sent to him by God

in the form of the deadly tiger. He saw himself knocked out by the tiger and losing all his

spiritual consciousness. Now Chadru knew his real identity. He prayed with tears of a child to

God for a second chance in this lifetime to achieve God realization. Then Chadru saw the tall

red haired saint with ashes on his body command him to go immediately into the forest to

find God if he was sincere.

Kamalikas son grew up to be king under his loving mothers guidance. King Sivapriya was

happy in all matters of life except that he wanted to meet his father. Kamalika told her son

Sivapriya that nobody in the kingdom knew where Chadru had gone after his birth. Word wassent throughout all the kingdoms that the beautiful princess Aditi was holding a contest of

strength and skill among all the kings to select her husband. So King Sivapriya, with the

blessings of his mother Kamalika, rode off to seek a wife. His horse grew tired after miles of

rapid riding and stopped during the evening to drink some water from a stream. A strange

light glowed from a distance. The forest was all dark except this radiance. After the horse had

satisfied its thirst and was rested, the king decided to ride toward the origin of this light. After

a while, the king came to a clearing in the jungle and saw an old man sitting under a tree with

beams of light radiating from his body. Sivapriya saw that this man bore some close physical

resemblance to himself. Sivapriya looked into the blissful eyes of the saint who had found

God. The son knew that he had found his father.

SALVATION

He was the most notorious and feared outlaw of the kingdom. Nobody was safe when his

bandit gang would begin their raids of plunder. Once his father had refused to pay taxes to the

king. So the king killed his father and confiscated his land. Thereafter Ganataka had sworn

savage revenge against King Dharmavira. From his vast mountain hideout, Ganatakas

outlaw riders would attack and rob travelers and trade caravans with no fear of being caught.

Ganataka had many scars on his chest and face to prove his bravery in battle. On his black

stallion, with his sword and arrows, he had no equal match in the kingdom. But his heart was

always full of the dark fires of revenge for his fathers unjust murder. Ganataka wasinvincible as a fighter, but inwardly he had no peace of mind from all the robberies and

murders that he had committed. He was a hunted man for whose capture or death the king

had offered a huge reward. There was a price on his head and bitterness in his heart. In his

mountain hideout, with his outlaw gang, he was free from the law, but inside himself he was

a slave to the beast of his violent passions.

King Dharmavira decided that alone he was not strong enough to defeat Ganatakas bandit

gang. So the king wanted an alliance to make himself more powerful. He gave his daughter in

a marriage alliance to a neighboring kingdom after long days of careful negotiations. After

celebrating the marriage, the armies of both kingdoms united to plan a punishing blow to

Ganataka. The armies of both kingdoms approached Ganatakas mountain hideout late in thenight. Then they began their cruel plan of extermination. They poured oil all around the


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mountain hideout. At the signal of a thunderous drum they set fire to everything around the

mountain hideout. Ganataka and his men awoke to see awesome walls of fire swiftly

approaching them on every side. There was no hope except to make a suicidal dash for

freedom. But on every side the united armies of the two kingdoms sat on their horses waiting

to annihilate Ganatakas men. Ganatakas men fought savagely to break out of the deadly

trap, but the arrows of the two united armies began to take their fierce toll. All aroundGanataka his men were being murdered. Ganatakas black stallion made one final charge.

Three arrows caught the brave fighter as he slumped down in the saddle with his arm in a

tight grip around his horse's neck. A cry of victory went up from the two armies, as they were

confident that they had finally wiped out Ganatakas fierce gang. Now there was peace in

Dharmaviras kingdom with the annihilation of Ganatakas outlaw gang.

A black stallion thundered across the plains with a bleeding rider slumped on its back. Mile

after mile the horse galloped with some unfulfilled mission yet to be accomplished. At the

days end, it entered the forest and its speed grew slower and slower. The weight on the

horses back seemed to grow heavier for the thirsty animal. It approached a stream of running

water. There was a man bathing in the water. He was the forest rishi named Sivalaya. He ledthe life of a peaceful hermit who spent all his time in the worship of Lord Siva. As the black

stallion stopped to drink the fresh water, Ganatakas still body fell to the ground. Sivalaya ran

to the fallen body and carried the once great outlaw bandit to his thatched hut. The rishi

prayed to God to spare his life. The life as an outlaw for Ganataka had come to an end. Lord

Siva reviewed the karma of the outlaws past and present lifetimes. The great god who annuls

fate looked into the future. There was a great need for a saint to enlighten the people instead

of choosing to remain hidden in the forest like Sivalaya.

Ganatakas soul hovered over the region of death. He saw awful picture images of all the

innocent people he had robbed and murdered. He saw the grim fearsome image of the god of

death approaching him with a noose to punish him for his sins. Suddenly a small light

expanded and vibrated a message of hope. "Turn to Me with all your soul, and I will be in

your heart for eternity. I protect all those who surrender to Me. The choice is always for you

to make. I am willing to embrace you now." The point of light now became a huge divine

person with three eyes, ashes all over his milky body, and a golden trident. Ganataka gazed

into the eyes of Lord Siva, and his heart surrendered to the divine will. "Oh Lord I am always

yours," cried Ganatakas now radiant awakened soul. The still body of Ganataka now began

to show slight signs of breathing. Sivalaya smiled and knew that the crisis to Ganatakas life

had now passed. The proud former outlaw chief slowly opened his eyes and whispered: "I

will give my life for Gods service."

Many weeks later Ganatakas body had fully healed from its wounds. Now he was ready to

leave Sivalayas safe forest retreat and enter Dharmaviras kingdom to give his life for Gods

service. Ganataka was a changed man. He began to sing songs in praise of Lord Siva

everywhere he went. Ganataka vividly felt Sivas presence in his heart. Meanwhile Ganataka

was all but forgotten in Dharmaviras peaceful kingdom. After giving birth to a royal son,

Dharmaviras daughter Suseela had become very sick. Both kings offered a reward to anyone

who could cure Suseela. All the doctors who had visited her failed. Only the grace of God

could save Suseela. So as divine fate would have it, Ganataka found himself singing songs

imploring Siva to grant Suseela a new lease on life as was previously done for himself. The

music of his soul enthralling hymns seemed to soar up to heaven itself. Lord Siva

remembered his devotee Ganataka and willed it for Suseela to fully recover. Dharmavira wasalso at Suseelas bedside. He recognized Ganataka by his scars of battle. But upon his


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daughters recovery Dharmavira was so overjoyed that he tightly embraced his once bitter

enemy Ganataka. With tears of gratefulness, Dharmavira shouted with joy: "great are the

ways of God."

TRANSMISSION

He knew that he was about to die soon. So the Mohant of the monastery gathered his eight

chief disciples and told them to prepare for seven tests that would determine his successor.

For seventy years the Mohant had led this monastery built on a mountain. He was loved and

worshipped by the people of the surrounding villages. By his supernatural yogic powers he

could heal the sick, bless the farmers with good crops, and grant babies to childless couples.

His reputation had spread well beyond the mountain monastery. But he refused invitations to

foreign kingdoms saying that God placed holy men all over the world to suit the different

tastes of the people. The one hundred and twenty year old Mohant was known for his

desireless humility besides his supernatural yogic powers. In the old days, the local people

said, he had lived for eighteen years on top of a huge tree meditating on the sun. After

attaining realization of God as the cosmic infinite light, the Mohant had the ability to reflectthis through his big blazing eyes. But with kindness and patience he tried to teach his eight

chief disciples the secrets of Hatha Yoga, the Upanishads, and meditation.

The mountain monastery was built in such a way that one would have to pass through seven

rooms in order to enter the holy meditation shrine of the Mohant. The eight chief disciples

that were to participate in the seven tests determining the Mohants successor were Kumar,

Chandra, Dilip, Ravindra, Jagdish, Mukunda, Shankar, and Gopal. So the Mohant sat in front

of them in the first room and told them to begin practicing the yogic heat breathing exercises.

The eight disciples began to take deep rhythmic inhalations followed by rapid forceful

expulsions. After fifteen minutes seven of the disciples had made their bodies hot with drops

of perspiration running down their forehead. But Ravindra had failed in this first test, and so

he was eliminated for consideration. Then the seven successful disciples entered the second

room and were ordered to meditate oblivious to all distractions that they would encounter.

After the disciples had closed their eyes the Mohant projected a phantom roaring tiger to test

their firmness. Six of the disciples succeeded in entering a deep meditation state. But Chandra

became frightened by the tigers roars and opened his eyes. Hence he was eliminated for

consideration. The first two tests determined yogic powers of endurance and the next three

tests were to determine conquest of desire.

The six successful disciples were led into the third room and told to wait. Suddenly a

beautiful young lady with smiling eyes entered carrying a tray of sweets that she distributedto each. Five of the disciples did not raise their gaze above her feet. Jagdish looked at her

beautiful body and was eliminated from the competition when the Mohant entered the room.

Next the five successful disciples were led into the fourth room and presented with a piece of

gold by the Mohant as a reward for their successful endeavors. Four of the disciples

immediately showed detachment by returning the piece of gold to the Mohant. But Gopal

would not part with his gold piece and was automatically eliminated from the competition.

Then the four successful disciples entered the fifth room. The Mohant walked in and

pretended to collapse dead before their feet. While the previous two tests were designed to

measure sex and money temptations, this test was created to reveal the lust for power. Three

of the disciples were extremely shocked and began to lament over the Mohants apparently

lifeless body. But Shankar argued that he should be the next Mohant since he was living inthe mountain monastery longer than the other disciples. This was not to be since the Mohant


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opened his eyes, and an embarrassed Shankar was eliminated from the competition. So two

final tests remained for the three surviving candidates.

The three successful disciples entered the sixth room and prepared to discuss spiritual

philosophy before the realized Mohant. "What is the most important thing on the spiritual

path?" asked the Mohant. "Charity to help others, rooted in a realization that one is part of auniversal Godhead" replied Dilip. "To surrender to the spiritual master and follow his

teachings wholeheartedly" said Kumar. "To be detached from the world and pursue ones

own liberation" replied Mukunda. The Mohant evaluated the three answers. The first two

answers he considered to be rooted in the foundation of desireless action transcending the

individual ego. But the third answer was too self centered, and with such an attitude one

would be unfit to serve others. Hence Mukunda was eliminated from the competition. Finally

the last test was to begin. Kumar and Dilip entered the seventh room and saw a cup of milk in

front of them. "The disciple who first takes this cup of milk will be disqualified," said the

Mohant. So Kumar and Dilip sat without food in the seventh room for three days. Kumar

began to feel very weak and dizzy. But he would rather die than touch the cup of milk. Dilip

felt more compassion for Kumar. Having his friend alive was more important than becomingthe head of a monastery. So Dilip touched the cup of milk first and poured it into Kumars

dry lips. The Mohant read the thoughts of each and decided that Dilip would be the successor

because of his kindness and self sacrifice.

The Mohant walked with Dilip into his holy meditation shrine. He sat before Dilip and

entered into deep meditation. Dilip saw that the Mohants body became brighter and brighter

until it merged in Gods descending pure white light. Only a handful of ashes remained of the

Mohants body. With tender love Dilip put these ashes in his hands and contemplated the

meaning of this experience. Suddenly the ashes became transformed into a sparkling golden

lotus. Dilip became identified inwardly with the lotus. He closed his eyes and felt his soul

climbing up a stalk within his spinal column until he reached the head summit of a thousand

lotus petals. Now he was expanding world after world into Gods infinite light. He was in

tune with the Creators cosmic mind. Throughout his expanded being he became identified

with the eternal mystic Aum sound. Eternal wisdom descended into his previous human

brain. His body began to undergo a strange transformation until it took a shape nearly

identical with the old Mohant when he was a young disciple. Hence, by his gurus mysterious

grace, the process of transmission had been accomplished. Dilip was now the Mohant of the

mountain monastery.

THE FISHERMANS DISCOVERY

Closer and closer the boat sailed toward the shore of a small fishing village. Among the party

of men that landed there was a golden Brahmin youth. Shankaracharya was on one of his

many travels throughout India to establish the supremacy of Vedanta. Before entering this

sleepy little fishing village, Shankaracharya prayed to the goddess of knowledge, Sarasvati,

to make these humble fishermen receptive to the truth of Vedanta. Besides holding scholarly

debates in vast royal courts throughout India he also, with less fanfare, went to the common

people living in villages. The sanyasi saint wanted all mankind to be receptive to the truth

that this life was pervaded by a divine reality of which each soul was an integral part. All the

people gathered at the little temple to hear the message of the golden Brahmin youth. After an

hour of quoting the Vedas, chanting hymns to the divine powers of God, and answering

questions from the people it looked like his short visit to this fishing village was a success.Suddenly a young fisherman rushed up through the little gathering and spat in


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Shankaracharyas face. "I spit upon your Vedanta" cried Apu. "Nature is the only truth, and it

is the vast ocean which supports our life with food. Where is your God that I can see it?"

Shankaracharya looked Apu in the eyes and declared that Apu himself would reveal the truth

of Vedanta to the fishing village. Only the great master Shankaracharya had the vision to see

the past lives of Apu.

Seven years later Apu was on his small fishing boat, when suddenly a great cyclone

appeared. He knew that he was lost. Apu thought that not even God, if there was one, could

save him. The waves violently smashed his small boat. Suddenly some heavy weight started

pulling at his fishing net. All Apu wanted to do was to escape with his life from this fierce

storm. Then he collapsed unconscious in his battered boat. But a miracle happened, and a

huge gust of wind blew Apus boat and the heavy object caught in his fishing safely ashore.

The next afternoon Apu woke up and stared at the golden figure caught in his fishing net.

Was this a dream or was he actually awake? All Apu could be certain was that he was

thankful for escaping with his life from that terrible storm at sea. The shining image

continued to remain before his eyes until at last he accepted its reality. It resembled the great

goddess that Shankaracharya had often worshipped at Kanchipuram. Apu was fascinated withthis gift from the ocean. So he built a little thatched hut and installed the goddess. Apu sat

down and thought what mystery does the ocean hold.

Now Apu was no longer a fisherman. Each day that he sat down in contemplation hastened

his spiritual growth. At first he meditated on the vast ocean and its seawave roar. Finally he

merged in the ocean and went beyond his minds ideas into an infinite state of consciousness.

He saw little bubbles floating in a cosmic ocean. Thousands of these bubbles radiated picture

images showing a vast panorama of Apus past lives. He was a merchant, a soldier, a priest, a

farmer, a hunter, a criminal, and played numerous other roles in life. The outer circumstances

were always different, but one luminous spark remained eternally the same. Apu witnessed

his unchanging soul occupying so many different bodies throughout numerous lifetimes. In

each life the central character always played his role and never looked beyond the passing

show of events for a greater constant reality and reason for living. Now Apu saw that all these

life bubbles floated in a luminous conscious ocean which was a mind of light without any

limits. Apu became that conscious ocean and expanded beyond the range of mortal vision. He

saw all life parading in the great cycles repeating themselves throughout eternity. All of

creation was proceeding from the idea of an infinite Cosmic Mind.

Suddenly Apu reviewed the events of his present life. He saw himself insulting a great saint

who had come to enlighten his village. But in past lifetimes Apu saw that he was always a

humble disciple learning spiritual wisdom from this great master. The mystic vision ended.The golden Brahmin youth was now again visiting the village. Apu opened up his eyes and

began to preach his gurus Vedanta truth to the quiet fishing village.

THE JEWEL ISLAND

It was a lovely marriage. Sundar, the son of a cloth merchant, had just wed Usha, the

daughter of a jewel merchant. Both families and the whole town were overjoyed at the

marriage celebration. The two most powerful business families of the town had concluded an

alliance. But for the just married couple the facts of money meant nothing when compared to

the joys of youthful romance. For them it was a marriage of love, not money. When the priest

recited the prayers they looked into each others eyes and knew they had found a treasure thatwas beyond the value of money. One month after the marriage it was decided by Ushas


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father Prachar that Sundar would be his partner in the jewel trade. Sundar agreed because

there was a great challenge in traveling to far off places to seek the best values in jewel

trading. The profits were great but the risk of life was greater. Usha loved to be with Sundar,

but she agreed with her father that a good husband must prove himself to be a hero that could

conquer all the challenges involved in jewel trading voyages.

Sundar also wanted to prove to his wife Usha that he had the courage to succeed in his own

right. Unlike Prachar, he was not greedy for business profits. The only thing about the

forthcoming jewel trading voyage that made Sundar sad was that he would have to be

temporarily separated from his loving wife Usha. One early morning Prachar and Usha

waved goodbye to Sundar and twenty five other men as they set sail to seek their profits in a

jewel trading voyage. The days grew into weeks, and Usha was tearfully missing her young

husband. Prachar told his daughter Usha that he had confidence that Sundar would return

with a rich treasure of precious jewels. All was tranquil at sea until suddenly a dark cloud

appeared overhead. Then there was wind and rain. The sea went wild with its huge waves

attacking the ship. The sail was blown down, and water began going over the deck of the

ship. There was no hope for survival. The ship went down. All the crew perished exceptSundar. Sundar hung on to a big chunk of wood and swam until it seemed like he was living

in a sea of eternity. Time had stopped for him. He was swimming for his dear life, not

knowing where it would all end.

Twelve hours later, in a semiconscious state, he reached a tranquil shore. Sundar thanked

God that he was still alive and prayed that he might eventually rejoin his wife Usha.

Meanwhile Sundars immediate concern was to explore the island that he had reached. He

was hungry and began to search for food. It seemed strange to Sundar that this island was so

quiet. Although there was no animal life, there was fresh spring water descending from a

mountain. After drinking that reviving water, Sundar decided to explore the mountain. The

next day he began climbing the mountain. It was too good to be true. Many small caves on

the mountain had gold and diamonds. But precious jewels in themselves are worthless when

one is lost on a far off island. Sundar would trade all these expensive treasures just to be once

again with his wife Usha. Sundar again prayed to God that he would live to leave this jewel

island and rejoin Usha. He decided to continue his search on the mountain. At last he found

one cave that did not have gems, which could be traded on the jewel market. A glowing

crystal image of a goddess with a red cobra coiled around it suddenly startled Sundars

vision.

In Sundars presence the crystal image seemed to vibrate with light. When one calls for

Gods help there is always an answer. Now the red cobra swiftly glided off the crystalgoddess and entered Sundars body. The young treasure hunter felt a massive explosion

racing up his spinal column. The red cobra was now a dot of energy shooting up Sundars

central nervous system. Then it reached the summit of his head. Now there was a new

consciousness awake in Sundars mind. The crystal goddess in the cave became alive in his

being. "I am the Chintamani jewel residing on the island of delight inside your soul. Most

men seek the jewels of this world hoping that they will yield all the objects desired. But I

know you are different. In past lifetimes, in another age, you worshipped me constantly in

this cave with your sincere prayer Mother of the universe reveal thy love. This jewel island

is of another purer age, and soon it will disappear. But before my crystal image vanishes take

its third eye and wear it as a locket. Whenever you or your wife gaze at this crystal locket

with the prayer Mother of the universe reveal thy love, I will appear within yourconsciousness and bless you. I protect my devotees throughout eternity." The words and


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vision of the crystal goddess had faded in Sundars awakened consciousness. But he took the

third eye of the crystal goddess for a locket and again prayed to leave the jewel island and

soon be with his wife Usha.

Prachar had a dream. He told Usha that a lady whose body was made of crystal jewels came

to him telling the location of the jewel island where Sundar was stranded. Usha asked Pracharwhat he wanted most, the jewels or Sundar. Prachar was honest and told his daughter that he

wanted both the jewels and Sundar to return. So Prachar built a bigger ship and sailed toward

the jewel island. But all was not so tranquil on the jewel island. Deep rumbling noises were

exploding inside the earth. Finally, Prachar and his crew reached the island. Sundar embraced

his father in law and showed him where all the jewels were. Then Prachar told Sundar about

his dream of the crystal goddess, and Sundar told Prachar about his experiences in the cave.

Just as they had boarded the big ship and set sail for home, the jewel island exploded in one

gigantic volcanic eruption and disappeared into the sea without a trace. Sundar and Prachar

returned safely home. With all the jewels Prachar was rich beyond his wildest expectations.

Suddenly he remembered the crystal goddess of his dream, and all worldly greed left him.

Prachar built a magnificent temple to the crystal goddess, and every year distributed largesums in charity to all those who were in need. Sundar, with the rediscovered knowledge that

he had been a devotee of the crystal goddess in past lifetimes, began teaching his wife Usha

the secret of the crystal locket. By meditation and prayer they discovered within Gods

spiritual wishfulfilling Chintamani jewel that put them in the divine presence.

THE BIGGEST MIRACLE

"Make way, make way for Shandu the magician." A ten foot tall grey elephant with a dark

man wearing a turban slowly approached the royal palace of King Bhadrayu. The day was

sunny, and the kingdom was at peace. On such days the king took great delight in being

entertained. The king had seen many illusions performed by magicians, but there was one

trick that he longed to witness. That feat of magic was the ancient Indian rope trick. Many

had heard of it being done in the past, but none had ever seen it performed in their lifetime.

King Bhadrayu offered the most precious prize to anyone in his kingdom who could do this

trick. He knew that he was growing old and had failed to have a son, and so he offered his

daughter Chandrika to the clever man who could perform this feat of magic. The possessor of

such skill would alone be fit to rule his kingdom. Many had answered his invitation, but all

had failed. The only reward for their effort was a royal execution. So on this bright summer

day the magician Shandu decided to leave the jungle and accept King Bhadrayus challenge.

Once Shandu was a prince in another kingdom but by the decree of dark fate, he was driven

into the jungle after being defeated in war.

For many years Shandu had lived in the jungle practicing Tantric yoga to gain supernatural

powers in the hope of regaining his kingdom. He worshipped the fearsome Naga serpents and

could command them to do his bidding by his awesome mantra power. He contemplated the

clouds and by his mystic rites to Indra had power over the weather. He concentrated on the

lord of death, Yama and learnt the science of reviving the deceased. He prayed to the spirits

of the ether and could cause objects to be transported from their world to this world. Shandu

had gradually acquired the power to fly through the air with the grace of the wind god Vayu.

He cam to King Bhadrayus palace armed with every Tantric power, except one. Shandu had

not conquered desire. He falsely saw reality in the changing illusions that were created by the

power of his minds concentration. He lived trapped by the wild desires of his own mind. Hewas a stranger to the realm of the cosmic truth of Gods existence. For Shandu the only god


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was his minds lust for power. This mental god he had cultivated well by exercising it in the

visualization of ideas to such an extent until the ideas became materialized into the shapes of

earthly reality.

"Show me what magic you possess," came the stern voice of King Bhadrayu. Shandu cast a

blazing glance at his elephant and whispered some secret words into the ethers. Suddenly thehuge beast collapsed dead at his feet. Feeling an air of confidence, Shandu calmly

commanded "arise oh servant of the master." In an instant the elephant arose perfectly normal

like nothing had happened. Shandu cast his glowing eyes at the sunny sky, and quickly

clouds appeared over the royal palace, and the rains began. Chandrika cried out "father tell

him to restore this sunny day." So Shandu quickly invoked Indra, and the sun shone

peacefully again. Shandu looked at Chandrika and desired to marry her. He prayed to the

spirits of the ether, and instantaneously a diamond necklace appeared which he put around

the trembling Chandrika. Chandrika admired Shandus magic powers but thought that he was

very arrogant. At last King Bhadrayu said "oh Shandu, you have impressed my kingdom with

the powers of your magic illusions, but still you have not shown us the Indian rope trick."

Shandu sat still for ten minutes concentrating on a cobra that he kept in a basket. Shandu

opened his eyes and took a flute out of his pocket. He tenderly put the flute to his lips and

played a melody that put everybody in trance. King Bhadrayu and his people all felt that they

were leaving their body and flying toward heaven. Slowly the cobra unwound itself and slid

out of the basket. It began expanding and extended its body all the way up to a cloud that

appeared one thousand feet above King Bhadrayus palace. The giant magic cobra had now

become a rope that Shandu was climbing in front of his entranced audience. Higher and

higher Shandu went until he finally disappeared into the cloud. He had courage and ambition,

but he was not prepared for the mystery that awaited him in the glowing cloud. "Shandu, we

have been awaiting you" came two voices deep inside the cloud. Shandu, the master of

illusion, could not believe what his own eyes were now seeing. The divine holy couple and

origin of all Tantric yoga, Siva and Parvati, met him face to face. "Your feats of magic are

mere childs play compared with the divine creative power that sustains all the worlds," said

Parvati. The Divine Mother, at the command of Lord Siva, raised her hand and streams of

luminous cosmic bubbles flowed out which became endless universes pervaded everywhere

by the divine holy couple. Parvati showed Shandu visions of all his lives, always striving for

power but never satisfied. She showed him how he was trapped by his minds desires since

he was blind to searching for Gods reality. Then the Divine Mother touched Shandus heart.

He felt the ecstatic bliss of being a soul that was expanding into infinity, while yet being in

one place at the same time. Shandu realized that beyond life and death the bliss of God was

the only reality. Shandu bowed touching the feet of the divine holy couple and prayed forforgiveness for his minds ignorance.

Slowly Shandu descended from the cloud and reached the royal palace. By now the cloud had

disappeared. King Bhadrayu and his people were amazed by Shandus magic. King Bhadrayu

offered Shandu his daughter Chandrika and his kingdom. But then Shandu did the biggest

miracle of his life. He renounced his craving for power. Shandu told the people his vision of

Siva and Parvati in the cloud. The people looked up, and all saw the holy couple blessing the

kingdom with beams of light descending from their hands. Shandu had now experienced

something greater than all the illusions of magic. By the grace of the divine holy couple

Shandu the magician had become transformed into a saint who saw beyond this fleeting

transient world. Shandus whole being now experienced Gods reality everywhere. All the


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people witnessed the radiant light coming out of his bliss filled body, and they also felt the

reality of the divine presence pervading their soul.

THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM

It was so dark and still that one could feel an invisible presence overlooking the comingbattle. Two kingdoms were preparing to destroy themselves for land and glory. Inside a blue

tent housing the king, a conference was going on between the king and Lomar, his general.

The kings strategy was for Lomar to attack the enemy center with a third of the army and

then the rest of the kings army would strike from the rear. But the distance between hopeful

plans and reality is sometimes as wide as the space between two mountain cliffs.

The sun arose waking up thousands of warriors on both sides. The bright glistening sky

overhead and the vast plain of the sandy earth below became a huge arena waiting to witness

the explosion of the coming war. Both sides were armed and all tense for the grand killing to

begin. Suddenly Lomars band of cavalry rode headlong toward the enemys center with

arrows and shouting filling the sky. The enemy kings response was to form his troops into ahalf moon semicircle to trap the attacking thrust of Lomars cavalry. Something went wrong

with the plan of Lomars king to attack from the rear. They delayed too long, and Lomar was

forced to turn around and ride in swift retreat. The enemy army sped on in hot pursuit.

Suddenly a frightening scene appeared to Lomars outnumbered retreating cavalry. The

battlefield ended as they rode toward a mountain cliff whose bottom seemed to have no end.

Ten feet separated the mountain cliff from another large stretch of land that appeared as an

impossible hope for freedom. The horses were racing too fast to be stopped.

Suddenly Lomar awoke all alone. The sun had set. The brave warrior felt ashamed of his

retreat. He was a stranger in a new unexplored land. A gentle wave of string music was

coming closer. A luminous misty cloudlike form was manifesting before his startled eyes. A

golden robed woman touched his hand. Lomar felt her hand and knew that this touch was not

that of an earthly woman. Amela told Lomar that she was his guide. Lomar asked her where

he was to go. Amela told Lomar when he was a boy he always dreamed of what lay beyond

the perilous mountain cliff. Amela taught Lomar that there is a universal king who made his

devoted subjects live in eternal freedom. Lomar said he was ready to see the king of freedom.

Amela made Lomar promise never to let go of her hand in their journey, no matter what

happened.

While holding Amelas golden hand, a giant golden eagle with wings of fire waited to help

their journey to the king of freedom. They both sat on the bird of heaven, and the journeybeyond earthly reality began. This Garuda bird was a celestial eagle that the gods rode upon

in heaven. Higher and higher they went as the earth and the stars began to recede into

nothingness. There was only an endless wall of light stretching everywhere. Suddenly a

ringing music with bells and a flute came nearer and nearer. An infinite tree was seen

growing from a vast garden. A little child was lying asleep on a lotus leaf. Amela told Lomar

to prepare himself to meet the king of freedom. The divine child opened his blue eyes, and

the tree and garden disappeared. Lomar suddenly felt that his guide Amela had also vanished.

Only the divine child existed. He played on his flute and became all the worlds and, at his

will, became again just a sleeping boy. Lomar knew within his heart that he had met the king

of freedom who no earthly mind could comprehend.


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The smiling divine child told Lomar that in many lives he struggled hard to realize Gods

presence. Lomar asked the blue boy how he knew about past lives. The divine child told

Lomar that as the eternal king of freedom he lives beyond time and body limitations in a

playful way that no human mind could comprehend. The divine child promised to teach

Lomar more about the realization of God in his next lifetime. After spending vast ages in the

celestial kingdom of the golden lotus, Lomar was again reborn on earth.

It was so dark and still that one could feel an invisible presence overlooking the coming

battle. Two kingdoms were preparing to destroy themselves for land and glory. The sun arose

waking up thousands of warriors on both sides. So Arjuna woke up that day finding Krishna

by his side.

THE LOST CALF

One afternoon a group of cowherd boys were relaxing in the bright green meadow. The cows

were slowly wandering through the pasture nibbling bits of grass. Next to some of the cows

their frisky calves were jumping with the joy of youthful spring. Just as the cowherd boysknew who their parents were, each calf knew with the instinct of love who was their mother.

This link of affection was happily shared by the cows moving through the pasture. Suddenly

one tan cow let out with an awful cry. The cow ran this way and that way. The cowherd boys

woke up from their afternoon sleep. All the other cows were tranquil except this one agitated

cow. This cow knew with the instinct of a mother that her lovely little calf was missing from

the meadow. The cowherd boys counted the cows in the fields and found that one calf was

indeed missing from the herd. So they decided to bring the cows back to the village and let

one cowherd boy remain to search for the missing calf. When something is lost in this world,

one must carefully search for it until it is found. Surya was young and alert and had much

courage for this task.

Surya knew that his mission would be made more difficult with the darkness of evening

approaching. Still he moved quickly through the grass searching for clues that would reveal

the trail of the innocent calf. He searched for areas growing food and near water. His ears

listened carefully for the sound that a frightened calf would make. The sun set and the moon

arose, but still Surya would not give up in his quest. By now Surya had long since left the

green meadow and was passing through a forest. He heard many strange sounds but was not

afraid. The one who had set out in search of a lost calf found that he himself was lost in the

night. He approached a riverbank and found the hollow of a huge tree to sleep in. An old

spider web on the entrance showed that the tree hollow was empty inside. Surya, with

youthful imagination, began to marvel at the beauty of the spiders web. From out of thecenter he gazed at soft strands projecting an expanding circular masterpiece of beauty.

Suryas eyes grew heavy with weariness, and soon he was asleep within the empty tree

hollow. That night he had a dream that changed his whole life. He dreamed he existed as a

mind floating in infinite space. A point of light appeared in the cosmic void. Suddenly many

forms started projecting themselves out of this central sun. But at the center there was a

divine being that Surya felt was simultaneously radiating from his heart center. Surya saw

that all existence was a living part of the mysterious cosmic whole. God was the cosmic

spider of light and from his minds manifested web of thought there flowed outward all of

creation. The divine being of light was always hidden in the center of existence. But since all

of creation was projected outward, God remained unknown. Surya realized his soul as a

living part of that hidden divine creator. The imagery of the spiders web had worked toawaken his spiritual consciousness during the dream. Suddenly the sound of a vibrating flute


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woke him up from his dream. The music of the flute was coming from the riverbank. Surya

got up and left the tree hollow to see where this entrancing music was coming from. The

silver beams of the moon above aided him in reaching the scene of the musics origin.

What Surya saw was even more fantastic than the dream he had in the empty tree hollow.

There was dancing and music that was out of this world. He saw a circle of dancers holdinghands, and in the center was a huge being dancing alone playing a flute. All the dancers were

each holding the hand of that same mysterious person whose huge form in the center was

directing this dance of joy. The entrancing music of the flute liberated the souls of the

dancers from their body consciousness. They all felt united with the blue boy in the center of

the dance. Their souls had answered the divine call, and now they all merged in the flute

player. Suddenly there was no dance, only the flute player remained. Because all the

individual dancers were only a projection of Krishnas cosmic play. Surya stood entranced

with ecstasy gazing into the eyes of Sri Krishna. "You came searching for a lost calf, but it

was your soul that was lost from its creator. Now by your good karma in many lifetimes you

have found the divine person. I am always with you in your heart, but now you are aware of

my presence." Just as Sri Krishna had finished speaking these words, his huge shape of bluelight became smaller and smaller and melted into Suryas opened heart.

INNOCENCE

"One, two, three...one hundred. Where are the rest of the gold coins in the royal treasury?"

demanded King Vishnupriya. After the king had finished his annual treasury audit, it was

found that nearly all the royal wealth had mysteriously disappeared from the treasury. The

king questioned his prime minister Rajan but got no answer. The king next talked with his

army commander general Ugrapati about the theft. Now that the kingdom was financially

broke there was a real danger that it would be an easy prey for any invading army. Both the

prime minister Rajan and the army commander Ugrapati were considered to be the two most

powerful men in the kingdom. King Vishnupriya suspected that one of these two ministers

were behind the treasury theft in a plot to seize control of the kingdom. The prime minister

Rajan had proven himself to be the most clever astute politician of his time, and the defense

minister Ugrapati had proven himself to be the most successful military commander with a

string of many battle conquests to his credit. The pressing question facing King Vishnupriya

was how to determine which one of his two powerful ministers had secretly looted the royal

treasury.

The king decided to search the houses of the two ministers. Ugrapatis mansion was found to

be full of detailed maps of all the neighboring kingdoms. But no unusual amount of royalcoins were discovered there. After three hours of searching Rajans house, there was found a

freshly covered hole in the back wall. The kings servants broke through the wall and found

over five hundred gold coins. Still the bulk of the missing royal treasury was not found. But

all the evidence pointed to Rajan as the treasury thief. Rajan protested his innocence to the

king. Nobody would believe his innocence. There were now two choices left open to Rajan.

First he could meekly let himself be wrongly punished for a crime that he did not commit, or

his second choice could be to escape with his life immediately from the kingdom. Rajan

looked at the hostile faces of King Vishnupriya and defense minister Ugrapati. Rajan saw that

just in front of the royal palace was his trusted white horse. So Rajan surprised the kings

guards by bursting out of the palace window with one terrific jump. Now Rajan was on his

white stallion riding for his dear life with hundreds of royal troops chasing him in hot pursuit.


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While Rajans white horse gained speed, he kept thinking to himself about where was there

justice in this world when might apparently seemed to make right. By nightfall the mighty

white stallion had raced through plain and forest in its quest to escape the royal cavalry that

was pursuing Rajan. Under the cover of darkness Rajan reached the shore of a vast river. He

was afraid that now with the deep river in front of him and the royal cavalry somewhere

behind him in the darkness, his liberty would soon end. "Are you coming my way?" called aboy steering a small wooden boat. Rajan had no choice but to put his life in the hands of this

young unknown boatman. "Where do you come from?" asked Rajan. "I come from the other

side of the shore. Please step onto my boat. I have taken many others before to the safe side

of the far off shore" answered the mysterious boatman. So Rajan abandoned his loyal white

stallion and got onto the little boat to seek a life of freedom safe from the clutches of a hostile

world. "I know the way to safety. Please put all your trust in me, and you shall be free of all

worldly fear" said the confident master of the boat carrying Rajan to freedom.

Rajan reached the other shore and in terror saw himself between two huge armies composed

of endless hordes of roaring warriors. "Have no fear. I protect all those who surrender their

lives to me," said the child who had previously assumed the disguise of the boatman. Rajansaw a huge hand lifting him above the two battling armies. A gigantic cosmic being whose

body was composed of all the universes was tenderly holding Rajan. Rajan saw himself as a

little speck existing within the enormous endless body of the unbelievable deity that he was

now witnessing. Then Rajan saw his soul as a point of light that now began expanding

beyond the stars and galaxies. He saw the past, present, and future. Rajan discovered that he

too was in reality this Universal Godhead. It did not make sense to his mind that he could be

a tiny soul and yet exist simultaneously as the Divine. The Divine Being that Rajan was now

experiencing inwardly and outwardly slowly began to speak. "I too was accused of theft long

ago. They said I stole the Shyamantaka jewel from King Satrajit. You Rajan have lived a pure

life inwardly, and I will prove your innocence when you return to the kingdom.

Suddenly the sun arose and Rajan found himself returned back to the shore where his trusty

white stallion was waiting for him. Rajan returned to the kingdom with faith that God was

always protecting him since he realized his soul as part of the Cosmic Godhead. King

Vishnupriya looked into Rajans eyes and saw the courage of an innocent man. Still the

evidence pointed to Rajan as the treasury thief, and it was the duty of the king to have him

executed. If Rajan would die, Ugrapati would also become the prime minister. King

Vishnupriya decided to secretly search the powerful Ugrapatis house again. There were

dozens of military maps of neighboring kingdoms and also one map of a deserted Vishnu

temple on the outskirts of the royal capital. Rajan stood the next morning before the royal

executioner with serenity in his heart. Since Rajans experience of cosmic consciousness onthe other shore, he felt Krishna protecting his life. As the executioner raised his sword over

Rajans neck, a sudden burst of wind blew the sword to the ground. Then a thunderous

explosion came from the deserted Vishnu temple. The doors opened and a bright light glowed

inside from the ancient image of the Lord. The discus in one of his four arms began revolving

and throwing out sparks of fire. A whirling circle shot out of the temple doors into the royal

palace and severed the head of Ugrapatis thick neck. Divine justice had triumphed. Shortly

afterwards King Vishnupriya, using Ugrapatis temple map, found the stolen treasure money

hidden beneath the old temples floor. Rajan never became prime minister again. Instead he

became the priest of the newly rebuilt Vishnu temple which attracted devotees to come for

worship even beyond the kingdom. And so the people had discovered a treasure beyond the

value of worldly gold.


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THE FIRST CUSTOMER

It was market day, and the doctor strode down the hot dusty road. To everyone in the city he

was known as the angel of mercy. Five years before there was a war whose aftermath spread

a plague that killed hundreds. Among those lost in the plague was the doctors wife. Ever

since that tragic loss, he dedicated himself to healing and comforting the sick. The doctorsperception of life had grown beyond that of the average man. He regarded all men as part of

his family. Whenever he visited the ruler of the kingdom, he would talk about the futility of

war. War was a disease of the nations consciousness whose deadly poison eventually

manifested as an unknown plague killing more people than all the battles combined. But

unfortunately the majority of the people were not receptive to the doctors ideas of universal

brotherhood. Still the doctor was a dedicated crusader who would not stop in spreading his

message of peace and hope to all those suffering people in need. His ideas of mental hygiene

were well ahead of his time. But the people greeted the good doctor with respect everywhere

he went since they were grateful for all the many loved ones that were restored to good

health.

The doctor continued walking through the market place. Each road presented the different

products offered by the merchants. Some sold food, others sold clothing, many games of

chance took place, every form of entertainment was offered, and yet the variety of goods and

services seemed endless on market day. The roads were full of continuously moving

customers. Everyone looked, bargained, and then selected. The slow jingle of exchanged

coins was continuous throughout that day. It seemed that everything had a price and that all

ones desires could be satisfied by money. This was the day that drew all the people together

for a great interchange of mutual needs and services. Yes, everyone in the kingdom was

bound together by the great wheel of commerce. They all were part of this living ocean.

Everywhere the doctor went he saw that one sold and another bought. He too had basic needs

to be supplied on market day. The sun began to set and at last the good doctor had made all

his basic purchases and chatted with his many friends. Now it was time to return home. He

thought that he had visited every shop in the market place until he discovered a little shop at

the end of the road.

From behind a half opened door came a voice saying: "what do you want?" This was a most

fascinating voice because the doctor felt like the question had come from within his own

heart. "I do not know" replied the doctor. "Then open the door fully" came the voice from

inside. So the doctor entered the strange shop not knowing what to expect. Inside the shop he

saw beautiful carpets on the floor, smelled perfume pervading the air and felt vibrantly

refreshed. In the corner sat a mysterious proprietor. "You are the first customer in a long timebecause most of the people do not have the time or patience to look for my shop" said the

orange robed proprietor. "But what do you sell?" asked the puzzled doctor. "I do not sell

anything. I can only give what you are willing to receive" replied the peacefully sitting

merchant. "I wish I could find a way to end all suffering. Please show me some magic

formula if you can" said the doctor. "I am not a miracle man my good doctor. All I can show

you is that the lasting answer to all of lifes problems comes from within" replied the patient

merchant. Then the merchant took the doctor by the hand, and they both left the shop.

"Look throughout this whole market place and tell me what you see" asked the mysterious

merchant. The doctor carefully surveyed the entire market place and found it to be empty. All

the shops had closed. All the customers had returned home. Only the mysterious merchantand his own self remained in the market place. "You know life is like this market place. It


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flows constantly with activity and rest, but behind all the transactions there is a higher reason

of being. Today you opened the door to your soul. But beyond the house of the body there is

an immortal king. If only people could rise above the daily routine of lifes market place and

search for this eternal treasure, then there would be no more sickness of broken lives in this

world." After hearing these teachings of the mysterious merchant, the doctor tried to

penetrate beyond the twin diamond fires of the wise merchants eyes. Suddenly there was nomerchant, no market place, and no doctor. All dissolved in one huge blazing light pervading

the universe. Everything revealed itself as part of one gigantic heart of love. In the

consciousness of the Divine Healer there was no sickness, no health, no patient, no doctor,

because all flowed in harmony with Gods light.

The next day the doctors mind returned to the market place. But he felt like a new man. He

glowed with inner light and wisdom. All the people knew that their beloved doctor had

become a saint by tasting the nectar of divine love. The mysterious merchant had always

existed, but until yesterday he was hidden deep in the heart of the doctor. Every man has this

soul of divine nectar waiting for the first customer to taste the ecstasy of union with God.

IMMORTAL LOVE

In the early days of creation there lived a divine couple in love. The woman was radiantly

beautiful and brought joy wherever she moved. The man was serious and brought peace

wherever he resided. It was a strange union of opposites between lifes creativity and Spirits

withdrawal. Each needed and lived for the other. The whole universe was their palace of love.

Everywhere they went life reflected their bliss and serenity. But on the dark side of the

universe there were the masters of materialism. These wizards of the lower powers planned to

turn creation in a path entirely opposite that seen by the divine couple. The masters of

materialism wanted a world to develop that was governed only by ego, strife, and short lived

sensual pleasures. So all the lords of the lower powers decided to perform a sacrifice whose

success would determine the future course of lifes evolution in this world. Everyone was

invited to attend this pompous grand sacrifice except the divine couple. With the ingredients

of wealth, desire, and violence being magically poured into the sacrificial flame the ceremony

of the masters of materialism moved ever closer to completion. Only one force could stop this

sacrifice of the wizards of the lower powers.

The divine woman of bliss and beauty decided to end this dark sacrifice by throwing her life

into the flames. So while her divine husband was lost in the Spirits contemplation, she

separated from him and went toward the place where the sacrifice was being held. She was an

uninvited guest, and her appearance startled all the masters of materialism. It was an absolutecontrast of characteristics. On one side was all the darkness and limits of egos growth in

matter, while on the divine womans side was all the hope and possibilities of the Spirits

growth in creation. To make the worlds evolution into Spirit safe, she jumped into the flames

of the evil sacrifice. Her body was burnt to ashes, but she vowed never to separate from her

ascetic husband. She would return and join with the divine ascetic in a love that would never

die for the welfare of all of creation.

The divine ascetic awoke from his meditation with a shock of anger. He saw in his yogic

vision his wifes supreme sacrifice to end the scheme of the lords of the lower powers to

conquer and control the future evolution of life in the universe. From out of the divine

ascetics third eye materialized a fiery ghost of vengeance armed with a trident and a sinistergrin. The ancient yogi commanded the ghost of vengeance to march toward where the


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sacrifice was being held and to annihilate it from the face of the earth. So bowing low to the

lord of yoga, the ghost of vengeance set off to destroy the evil sacrifice being armed with his

thunderbolt trident. Soon the ghost of vengeance reached the spot where the pompous

sacrifice of the masters of materialism was being held. Without showing any trace of mercy

the ghost of vengeance began to immediately destroy, with his punishing trident, every article

and utensil used in the sacrifice. The area of the sacrifice swiftly became one chaoticshambles. Next the ghost of vengeance, with supernatural speed, appeared to be everywhere

at once engaged in the cruel task of slaughtering all the evil wizards of the lower powers.

There was no escape for anyone responsible for the death of the ascetics wife. Finally with

his mission of destruction completed, the ghost of vengeance returned to his lord of yoga and

became absorbed into his third eye.

Now all existence seemed full of loneliness and sorrow for the once great ascetic. Every place

he wandered, he was haunted by the lovely face of his departed wife. There was no peace of

mind for the divine ascetic. He tried to lose himself in meditation, but instead only tears of

loneliness ran down his eyes. His love for his wife remained although the ages slowly passed

on. The divine ascetics only meditation was a hope beyond hope to be again reunited withhis departed wife. Then a new age arose. In this cosmic cycle divine love would triumph over

death and materialism. The goddess reentered this world by being born on the same icy high

Himalayan Mountain that Siva was meditating on. Siva suddenly felt loves warm embrace

expanding in his heart. The great yogi opened his eyes and saw Parvati worshipping her

husband.

OM TAT SAT

SWAMIJIS MESSAGE

Aum. My best wishes for publishing this book. The author JayMazo came to my Bangalore Ashram in 1970 and was initiated intomeditation. After following my instructions he is revealingthrough this book his experiences received in meditation to theworld. Those who read this book should also learn meditation andthen spread the practice among the people. By doing this they willattain peace of mind. This is my advice.

With Blessings, SivaBalaYogi, Bangalore, India 1973

13 beautiful stories

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