A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Z

Autobiography of a YOGI

P >> Paramhansa Yogananda >> Autobiography of a YOGI




"Babaji can be seen or recognized by others only when he so
desires. He is known to have appeared in many slightly different
forms to various devotees-sometimes without beard and moustache,
and sometimes with them. As his undecaying body requires no food,
the master seldom eats. As a social courtesy to visiting disciples,
he occasionally accepts fruits, or rice cooked in milk and clarified
butter.

"Two amazing incidents of Babaji's life are known to me," Kebalananda
went on. "His disciples were sitting one night around a huge fire
which was blazing for a sacred Vedic ceremony. The master suddenly
seized a burning log and lightly struck the bare shoulder of a
chela who was close to the fire.

"'Sir, how cruel!' Lahiri Mahasaya, who was present, made this
remonstrance.

"'Would you rather have seen him burned to ashes before your eyes,
according to the decree of his past karma?'

"With these words Babaji placed his healing hand on the chela's
disfigured shoulder. 'I have freed you tonight from painful death.
The karmic law has been satisfied through your slight suffering by
fire.'

"On another occasion Babaji's sacred circle was disturbed by the
arrival of a stranger. He had climbed with astonishing skill to
the nearly inaccessible ledge near the camp of the master.

"'Sir, you must be the great Babaji.' The man's face was lit with
inexpressible reverence. 'For months I have pursued a ceaseless
search for you among these forbidding crags. I implore you to accept
me as a disciple.'

"When the great guru made no response, the man pointed to the rocky
chasm at his feet.

"'If you refuse me, I will jump from this mountain. Life has no
further value if I cannot win your guidance to the Divine.'

"'Jump then,' Babaji said unemotionally. 'I cannot accept you in
your present state of development.'

"The man immediately hurled himself over the cliff. Babaji instructed
the shocked disciples to fetch the stranger's body. When they
returned with the mangled form, the master placed his divine hand
on the dead man. Lo! he opened his eyes and prostrated himself
humbly before the omnipotent one.

"'You are now ready for discipleship.' Babaji beamed lovingly on
his resurrected chela. 'You have courageously passed a difficult
test. Death shall not touch you again; now you are one of our
immortal flock.' Then he spoke his usual words of departure, 'DERA
DANDA UTHAO'; the whole group vanished from the mountain."

An avatar lives in the omnipresent Spirit; for him there is no
distance inverse to the square. Only one reason, therefore, can
motivate Babaji in maintaining his physical form from century to
century: the desire to furnish humanity with a concrete example
of its own possibilities. Were man never vouchsafed a glimpse of
Divinity in the flesh, he would remain oppressed by the heavy mayic
delusion that he cannot transcend his mortality.

Jesus knew from the beginning the sequence of his life; he passed
through each event not for himself, not from any karmic compulsion,
but solely for the upliftment of reflective human beings. His
four reporter-disciples-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-recorded the
ineffable drama for the benefit of later generations.

For Babaji, also, there is no relativity of past, present, future;
from the beginning he has known all phases of his life. Yet,
accommodating himself to the limited understanding of men, he has
played many acts of his divine life in the presence of one or more
witnesses. Thus it came about that a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya was
present when Babaji deemed the time to be ripe for him to proclaim
the possibility of bodily immortality. He uttered this promise
before Ram Gopal Muzumdar, that it might finally become known for
the inspiration of other seeking hearts. The great ones speak their
words and participate in the seemingly natural course of events,
solely for the good of man, even as Christ said: "Father . . . I
knew that thou hearest me always: but BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHICH
STAND BY I SAID IT, that they may believe that thou hast sent me."
{FN33-2} During my visit at Ranbajpur with Ram Gopal, "the sleepless
saint," {FN33-3} he related the wondrous story of his first meeting
with Babaji.

"I sometimes left my isolated cave to sit at Lahiri Mahasaya's feet
in Benares," Ram Gopal told me. "One midnight as I was silently
meditating in a group of his disciples, the master made a surprising
request.

"'Ram Gopal,' he said, 'go at once to the Dasasamedh bathing GHAT.'

"I soon reached the secluded spot. The night was bright with moonlight
and the glittering stars. After I had sat in patient silence for
awhile, my attention was drawn to a huge stone slab near my feet.
It rose gradually, revealing an underground cave. As the stone
remained balanced in some unknown manner, the draped form of
a young and surpassingly lovely woman was levitated from the cave
high into the air. Surrounded by a soft halo, she slowly descended
in front of me and stood motionless, steeped in an inner state of
ecstasy. She finally stirred, and spoke gently.

"'I am Mataji, {FN33-4} the sister of Babaji. I have asked him and
also Lahiri Mahasaya to come to my cave tonight to discuss a matter
of great importance.'

"A nebulous light was rapidly floating over the Ganges; the strange
luminescence was reflected in the opaque waters. It approached
nearer and nearer until, with a blinding flash, it appeared by the
side of Mataji and condensed itself instantly into the human form
of Lahiri Mahasaya. He bowed humbly at the feet of the woman saint.

"Before I had recovered from my bewilderment, I was further
wonderstruck to behold a circling mass of mystical light traveling
in the sky. Descending swiftly, the flaming whirlpool neared our
group and materialized itself into the body of a beautiful youth who,
I understood at once, was Babaji. He looked like Lahiri Mahasaya,
the only difference being that Babaji appeared much younger, and
had long, bright hair.

"Lahiri Mahasaya, Mataji, and myself knelt at the guru's feet. An
ethereal sensation of beatific glory thrilled every fiber of my
being as I touched his divine flesh.

"'Blessed sister,' Babaji said, 'I am intending to shed my form
and plunge into the Infinite Current.'

"'I have already glimpsed your plan, beloved master. I wanted to
discuss it with you tonight. Why should you leave your body?' The
glorious woman looked at him beseechingly.

"'What is the difference if I wear a visible or invisible wave on
the ocean of my Spirit?'

"Mataji replied with a quaint flash of wit. 'Deathless guru, if it
makes no difference, then please do not ever relinquish your form.'
{FN33-5}

"'Be it so,' Babaji said solemnly. 'I will never leave my physical
body. It will always remain visible to at least a small number of
people on this earth. The Lord has spoken His own wish through your
lips.'

"As I listened in awe to the conversation between these exalted
beings, the great guru turned to me with a benign gesture.

"'Fear not, Ram Gopal,' he said, 'you are blessed to be a witness
at the scene of this immortal promise.'

"As the sweet melody of Babaji's voice faded away, his form and
that of Lahiri Mahasaya slowly levitated and moved backward over
the Ganges. An aureole of dazzling light templed their bodies as
they vanished into the night sky. Mataji's form floated to the cave
and descended; the stone slab closed of itself, as if working on
an invisible leverage.

"Infinitely inspired, I wended my way back to Lahiri Mahasaya's
place. As I bowed before him in the early dawn, my guru smiled at
me understandingly.

"'I am happy for you, Ram Gopal,' he said. 'The desire of meeting
Babaji and Mataji, which you have often expressed to me, has found
at last a sacred fulfillment.'

"My fellow disciples informed me that Lahiri Mahasaya had not moved
from his dais since early the preceding evening.

"'He gave a wonderful discourse on immortality after you had left
for the Dasasamedh GHAT,' one of the chelas told me. For the first
time I fully realized the truth in the scriptural verses which state
that a man of self-realization can appear at different places in
two or more bodies at the same time.

"Lahiri Mahasaya later explained to me many metaphysical points
concerning the hidden divine plan for this earth," Ram Gopal
concluded. "Babaji has been chosen by God to remain in his body
for the duration of this particular world cycle. Ages shall come
and go--still the deathless master, {FN33-6} beholding the drama
of the centuries, shall be present on this stage terrestrial."

Chapter 33 Footnotes

{FN33-1} MATTHEW 8:19-20.

{FN33-2} JOHN 11:41-42.

{FN33-3} The omnipresent yogi who observed that I failed to bow
before the Tarakeswar shrine (../chapter 13).

{FN33-4} "Holy Mother." Mataji also has lived through the centuries;
she is almost as far advanced spiritually as her brother. She remains
in ecstasy in a hidden underground cave near the Dasasamedh GHAT.

{FN33-5} This incident reminds one of Thales. The great Greek
philosopher taught that there was no difference between life and
death. "Why, then," inquired a critic, "do you not die?" "Because,"
answered Thales, "it makes no difference."

{FN33-6} "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying
(remain unbrokenly in the Christ Consciousness), he shall never
see death."-JOHN 8:51.



CHAPTER: 34

MATERIALIZING A PALACE IN THE HIMALAYAS

"Babaji's first meeting with Lahiri Mahasaya is an enthralling
story, and one of the few which gives us a detailed glimpse of the
deathless guru."

These words were Swami Kebalananda's preamble to a wondrous tale.
The first time he recounted it I was literally spellbound. On many
other occasions I coaxed my gentle Sanskrit tutor to repeat the
story, which was later told me in substantially the same words by
Sri Yukteswar. Both these Lahiri Mahasaya disciples had heard the
awesome tale direct from the lips of their guru.

"My first meeting with Babaji took place in my thirty-third year,"
Lahiri Mahasaya had said. "In the autumn of 1861 I was stationed
in Danapur as a government accountant in the Military Engineering
Department. One morning the office manager summoned me.

"'Lahiri,' he said, 'a telegram has just come from our main office.
You are to be transferred to Ranikhet, where an army post {FN34-1}
is now being established.'

"With one servant, I set out on the 500-mile trip. Traveling by
horse and buggy, we arrived in thirty days at the Himalayan site
of Ranikhet. {FN34-2}

"My office duties were not onerous; I was able to spend many hours
roaming in the magnificent hills. A rumor reached me that great saints
blessed the region with their presence; I felt a strong desire to
see them. During a ramble one early afternoon, I was astounded to
hear a distant voice calling my name. I continued my vigorous upward
climb on Drongiri Mountain. A slight uneasiness beset me at the
thought that I might not be able to retrace my steps before darkness
had descended over the jungle.

"I finally reached a small clearing whose sides were dotted
with caves. On one of the rocky ledges stood a smiling young man,
extending his hand in welcome. I noticed with astonishment that,
except for his copper-colored hair, he bore a remarkable resemblance
to myself.

"'Lahiri, you have come!' The saint addressed me affectionately in
Hindi. 'Rest here in this cave. It was I who called you.'

"I entered a neat little grotto which contained several woolen
blankets and a few KAMANDULUS (begging bowls).

"'Lahiri, do you remember that seat?' The yogi pointed to a folded
blanket in one corner.

"'No, sir.' Somewhat dazed at the strangeness of my adventure, I
added, 'I must leave now, before nightfall. I have business in the
morning at my office.'

"The mysterious saint replied in English, 'The office was brought
for you, and not you for the office.'

"I was dumbfounded that this forest ascetic should not only speak
English but also paraphrase the words of Christ. {FN34-3}

"'I see my telegram took effect.' The yogi's remark was incomprehensible
to me; I inquired his meaning.

"'I refer to the telegram that summoned you to these isolated parts.
It was I who silently suggested to the mind of your superior officer
that you be transferred to Ranikhet. When one feels his unity with
mankind, all minds become transmitting stations through which he
can work at will.' He added gently, 'Lahiri, surely this cave seems
familiar to you?'

"As I maintained a bewildered silence, the saint approached and
struck me gently on the forehead. At his magnetic touch, a wondrous
current swept through my brain, releasing the sweet seed-memories
of my previous life.

"'I remember!' My voice was half-choked with joyous sobs. 'You are
my guru Babaji, who has belonged to me always! Scenes of the past
arise vividly in my mind; here in this cave I spent many years of
my last incarnation!' As ineffable recollections overwhelmed me,
I tearfully embraced my master's feet.

"'For more than three decades I have waited for you here-waited
for you to return to me!' Babaji's voice rang with celestial love.
'You slipped away and vanished into the tumultuous waves of the life
beyond death. The magic wand of your karma touched you, and you
were gone! Though you lost sight of me, never did I lose sight
of you! I pursued you over the luminescent astral sea where the
glorious angels sail. Through gloom, storm, upheaval, and light I
followed you, like a mother bird guarding her young. As you lived
out your human term of womb-life, and emerged a babe, my eye was
ever on you. When you covered your tiny form in the lotus posture
under the Nadia sands in your childhood, I was invisibly present!
Patiently, month after month, year after year, I have watched over
you, waiting for this perfect day. Now you are with me! Lo, here
is your cave, loved of yore! I have kept it ever clean and ready
for you. Here is your hallowed ASANA-blanket, where you daily sat
to fill your expanding heart with God! Behold there your bowl, from
which you often drank the nectar prepared by me! See how I have
kept the brass cup brightly polished, that you might drink again
therefrom! My own, do you now understand?'

"'My guru, what can I say?' I murmured brokenly. 'Where has one
ever heard of such deathless love?' I gazed long and ecstatically
on my eternal treasure, my guru in life and death.

"'Lahiri, you need purification. Drink the oil in this bowl and lie
down by the river.' Babaji's practical wisdom, I reflected with a
quick, reminiscent smile, was ever to the fore.

"I obeyed his directions. Though the icy Himalayan night was descending,
a comforting warmth, an inner radiation, began to pulsate in every
cell of my body. I marveled. Was the unknown oil endued with a
cosmical heat?

"Bitter winds whipped around me in the darkness, shrieking a fierce
challenge. The chill wavelets of the Gogash River lapped now and
then over my body, outstretched on the rocky bank. Tigers howled
near-by, but my heart was free of fear; the radiant force newly
generated within me conveyed an assurance of unassailable protection.
Several hours passed swiftly; faded memories of another life wove
themselves into the present brilliant pattern of reunion with my
divine guru.

"My solitary musings were interrupted by the sound of approaching
footsteps. In the darkness, a man's hand gently helped me to my
feet, and gave me some dry clothing.

"'Come, brother,' my companion said. 'The master awaits you.'

"He led the way through the forest. The somber night was suddenly
lit by a steady luminosity in the distance.

"'Can that be the sunrise?' I inquired. 'Surely the whole night
has not passed?'

"'The hour is midnight.' My guide laughed softly. 'Yonder light
is the glow of a golden palace, materialized here tonight by the
peerless Babaji. In the dim past, you once expressed a desire to
enjoy the beauties of a palace. Our master is now satisfying your
wish, thus freeing you from the bonds of karma.' {FN34-4} He added,
'The magnificent palace will be the scene of your initiation tonight
into KRIYA YOGA. All your brothers here join in a paean of welcome,
rejoicing at the end of your long exile. Behold!'

"A vast palace of dazzling gold stood before us. Studded with
countless jewels, and set amidst landscaped gardens, it presented
a spectacle of unparalleled grandeur. Saints of angelic countenance
were stationed by resplendent gates, half-reddened by the glitter
of rubies. Diamonds, pearls, sapphires, and emeralds of great size
and luster were imbedded in the decorative arches.

"I followed my companion into a spacious reception hall. The odor
of incense and of roses wafted through the air; dim lamps shed
a multicolored glow. Small groups of devotees, some fair, some
dark-skinned, chanted musically, or sat in the meditative posture,
immersed in an inner peace. A vibrant joy pervaded the atmosphere.

"'Feast your eyes; enjoy the artistic splendors of this palace,
for it has been brought into being solely in your honor.' My guide
smiled sympathetically as I uttered a few ejaculations of wonderment.

"'Brother,' I said, 'the beauty of this structure surpasses the
bounds of human imagination. Please tell me the mystery of its
origin.'

"'I will gladly enlighten you.' My companion's dark eyes sparkled
with wisdom. 'In reality there is nothing inexplicable about this
materialization. The whole cosmos is a materialized thought of the
Creator. This heavy, earthly clod, floating in space, is a dream
of God. He made all things out of His consciousness, even as man
in his dream consciousness reproduces and vivifies a creation with
its creatures.

"'God first created the earth as an idea. Then He quickened it;
energy atoms came into being. He coordinated the atoms into this
solid sphere. All its molecules are held together by the will of
God. When He withdraws His will, the earth again will disintegrate
into energy. Energy will dissolve into consciousness; the earth-idea
will disappear from objectivity.

"'The substance of a dream is held in materialization by the
subconscious thought of the dreamer. When that cohesive thought
is withdrawn in wakefulness, the dream and its elements dissolve.
A man closes his eyes and erects a dream-creation which, on awakening,
he effortlessly dematerializes. He follows the divine archetypal
pattern. Similarly, when he awakens in cosmic consciousness, he
will effortlessly dematerialize the illusions of the cosmic dream.

"'Being one with the infinite all-accomplishing Will, Babaji can
summon the elemental atoms to combine and manifest themselves in
any form. This golden palace, instantaneously created, is real,
even as this earth is real. Babaji created this palatial mansion out
of his mind and is holding its atoms together by the power of his
will, even as God created this earth and is maintaining it intact.'
He added, 'When this structure has served its purpose, Babaji will
dematerialize it.'

"As I remained silent in awe, my guide made a sweeping gesture. 'This
shimmering palace, superbly embellished with jewels, has not been
built by human effort or with laboriously mined gold and gems. It
stands solidly, a monumental challenge to man. {FN34-5} Whoever
realizes himself as a son of God, even as Babaji has done, can
reach any goal by the infinite powers hidden within him. A common
stone locks within itself the secret of stupendous atomic energy;
{FN34-6} even so, a mortal is yet a powerhouse of divinity.'

"The sage picked up from a near-by table a graceful vase whose handle
was blazing with diamonds. 'Our great guru created this palace by
solidifying myriads of free cosmic rays,' he went on. 'Touch this
vase and its diamonds; they will satisfy all the tests of sensory
experience.'

"I examined the vase, and passed my hand over the smooth room-walls,
thick with glistening gold. Each of the jewels scattered lavishly
about was worthy of a king's collection. Deep satisfaction spread
over my mind. A submerged desire, hidden in my subconsciousness
from lives now gone, seemed simultaneously gratified and extinguished.

"My stately companion led me through ornate arches and corridors
into a series of chambers richly furnished in the style of an
emperor's palace. We entered an immense hall. In the center stood
a golden throne, encrusted with jewels shedding a dazzling medley
of colors. There, in lotus posture, sat the supreme Babaji. I
knelt on the shining floor at his feet.

"'Lahiri, are you still feasting on your dream desires for a golden
palace?' My guru's eyes were twinkling like his own sapphires.
'Wake! All your earthly thirsts are about to be quenched forever.'
He murmured some mystic words of blessing. 'My son, arise. Receive
your initiation into the kingdom of God through KRIYA YOGA.'

"Babaji stretched out his hand; a HOMA (sacrificial) fire appeared,
surrounded by fruits and flowers. I received the liberating yogic
technique before this flaming altar.

"The rites were completed in the early dawn. I felt no need for
sleep in my ecstatic state, and wandered around the palace, filled
on all sides with treasures and priceless OBJETS D'ART. Descending
to the gorgeous gardens, I noticed, near-by, the same caves and
barren mountain ledges which yesterday had boasted no adjacency to
palace or flowered terrace.

"Reentering the palace, fabulously glistening in the cold Himalayan
sunlight, I sought the presence of my master. He was still enthroned,
surrounded by many quiet disciples.

"'Lahiri, you are hungry.' Babaji added, 'Close your eyes.'

"When I reopened them, the enchanting palace and its picturesque
gardens had disappeared. My own body and the forms of Babaji
and the cluster of chelas were all now seated on the bare ground
at the exact site of the vanished palace, not far from the sunlit
entrances of the rocky grottos. I recalled that my guide had remarked
that the palace would be dematerialized, its captive atoms released
into the thought-essence from which it had sprung. Although stunned,
I looked trustingly at my guru. I knew not what to expect next on
this day of miracles.

"'The purpose for which the palace was created has now been served,'
Babaji explained. He lifted an earthen vessel from the ground. 'Put
your hand there and receive whatever food you desire.'

"As soon as I touched the broad, empty bowl, it became heaped
with hot butter-fried LUCHIS, curry, and rare sweetmeats. I helped
myself, observing that the vessel was ever-filled. At the end of my
meal I looked around for water. My guru pointed to the bowl before
me. Lo! the food had vanished; in its place was water, clear as
from a mountain stream.

"'Few mortals know that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of
mundane fulfillments,' Babaji observed. 'The divine realm extends
to the earthly, but the latter, being illusory, cannot include the
essence of reality.'

"'Beloved guru, last night you demonstrated for me the link of
beauty in heaven and earth!' I smiled at memories of the vanished
palace; surely no simple yogi had ever received initiation into the
august mysteries of Spirit amidst surroundings of more impressive
luxury! I gazed tranquilly at the stark contrast of the present
scene. The gaunt ground, the skyey roof, the caves offering primitive
shelter-all seemed a gracious natural setting for the seraphic
saints around me.

"I sat that afternoon on my blanket, hallowed by associations of
past-life realizations. My divine guru approached and passed his
hand over my head. I entered the NIRBIKALPA SAMADHI state, remaining
unbrokenly in its bliss for seven days. Crossing the successive
strata of self-knowledge, I penetrated the deathless realms of
reality. All delusive limitations dropped away; my soul was fully
established on the eternal altar of the Cosmic Spirit. On the eighth
day I fell at my guru's feet and implored him to keep me always
near him in this sacred wilderness.

"'My son,' Babaji said, embracing me, 'your role in this incarnation
must be played on an outward stage. Prenatally blessed by many lives
of lonely meditation, you must now mingle in the world of men.

"'A deep purpose underlay the fact that you did not meet me this
time until you were already a married man, with modest business
responsibilities. You must put aside your thoughts of joining our
secret band in the Himalayas; your life lies in the crowded marts,
serving as an example of the ideal yogi-householder.

"'The cries of many bewildered worldly men and women have not fallen
unheard on the ears of the Great Ones,' he went on. 'You have been
chosen to bring spiritual solace through KRIYA YOGA to numerous
earnest seekers. The millions who are encumbered by family ties and
heavy worldly duties will take new heart from you, a householder
like themselves. You must guide them to see that the highest yogic
attainments are not barred to the family man. Even in the world,
the yogi who faithfully discharges his responsibilities, without
personal motive or attachment, treads the sure path of enlightenment.

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