Guru on His Life

Forty-four years ago I was fourteen years old. I used to do strange things when I was young. I can remember what I did at three and four. When I was born the doctors were shocked. They couldn't see my face because my hair was so long it was over my face and down to my bum. The doctors cut off eight inches. I didn't realise the significance of this. When I was five I knew things that today kids only know at fourteen. I knew about life at five - I knew about the 'stork'. I was born with my past life memories. I used to watch everyone playing with the spinning top but I never used to play. I didn't know how. When people were talking, the adults say that kids shouldn't listen to the conversation but I could understand what they we're talking about. At fourteen, we lived in wood-and-iron house. People used to come and steal the wood. One day at I saw a cloud and a man was walking naked out of the cloud. He would come and stand by the window. He seemed big but was the size of the window frame. I'm thinking: “Who's this man?” He had a can in his hand like Agasthiar. He said, “I'm your guru”.

I told my mother and she said it was nonsense. So she went and told my father (he was a barman and used to come home late from work) that I didn't play with the other kids, I didn't eat properly. Mom was making breyani and Dad called me to drive with him to go to Doctor Christopher. He told me that some people hallucinate sometimes. We got to the doctor and went inside. The nurse takes out a card. My dad spoke to the doctor. When I asked him why we were there, he said I had heavy temperature the previous night. We went into the doctor's room and he told him my story. Dr Christopher was Christian and said that I must see a psychologist.

So my dad took me to hospital and they put me in a cage, like a cot with a lid. Then the ambulance took me to the mad hospital. I didn't complain. I didn't know why I was there. My mother was fighting with my dad about it. The next morning at the hospital they gave me some hot water and told me it was tea but I told them it wasn't tea. Then they gave me a cup of Ellis Brown and told me that was tea, trying to convince me that there was something wrong with me. After that they phoned doctor to tell him that I was fine and they sent me back to St Aidens Hospital. My ma came that night and when she saw me in a cage she started screaming so loudly that she woke everyone up. She was screaming that “even our dogs don't go in a cage ...”. She was shouting, kicking and rolling on the floor. The staff had to medicate her to calm her down. I told my dad that I was fine. After that I never told anyone about my experiences.

So, when I was about seventeen I became critically sick. I didn't go to school for a hundred-and-twenty-six days. I had an injection every day and stayed in bed. Eventually it subsided. My guru came back while I was sick and told me not to discuss my experiences. Shortly after this I was riding in the back of a van with my uncle. The van was a Dodge Fargo and my grandfather was driving, when a car flew past us too fast. I thought to myself, “He's going too fast, he must crash and somersault”. And then he crashed and the car flipped and I was too scared to think after that. 11.30pm was the time when my Guru would come to visit. When he visited me that evening he said, “Good experience you had today. You're going to have more experiences.”

My parents took me to see my first guru, Narainswami, for a blessing because I was writing matric. He told me that when he died all his energy would pass to me. He was very powerful. I'm thinking to tell him that I already have the powers. Then I finished matric, went oversees, came back home, and I din't go to visit him. He had given me a locket containing some salt from the moon. When I was given six weeks to live a couple of years ago, I gave the locket to Seelan and forgot about it. Oversees I forgot about the locket, having fun with fast cars, girls and discos. I used to run my own disco but we never had alcohol there. I met Tammy, got married at twenty-seven and my guru died when I was thirty-six. On the day he died, I collapsed at 4.15pm. My eyes were rolled back in my head. My mom and dad went to see my guru about this only to be told that he had died at 4.15pm, when he had transferred all his power to me. So I thought I'd test it. There were queues of people outside my door for healing. People in wheelchairs walked again. But I don't do that any more. Ashok was my camphor-man. I would rattle away astrology. It was so powerful that murthis used to move. One guy came for help but he lied to me. Ashok put down the tray with the camphor and I told the man not to lie but to tell me the truth. Then the Hanuman murthi jumped into the fire. The man was terrified and told me the truth.

We have that Shivalingam. We could not pick it up so we rolled it to the door. Everyone was looking at the 600cm high pedestal wondering how we were going to get it up there. I went to the back and spoke to my guru and then they picked it up without any effort. Lots of stories I can tell you. One day the car stalled on me and eventually went dead at the Umgeni off-ramp. The battery was dead and there were too many people around. I opened the bonnet and did reiki for the battery and the engine. The workers on the side of the road were looking at me like I'm mad. Then I sat in the car, turned the ignition and it started first-time. The workers were jumping up and down.

After the age of fifty-five and up until sixty-five, there is more energy at the crown chakra, so it is easier to meditate when concentrating energy at this area. Youngsters are restless so we ask them to concentrate on their breathing during meditation. From the tip of the nose to the bridge of the nose.

A devotee asks: What is the relationship between thought and energy?
Swami answers: Thought is energy. Thought will always manifest. Maybe not today, but some time, whether you like it or not. Thought is energy. Energy is manifested from thought. If you kick someone: thought, energy, action. Thought can come from many things. As you grow, you store things in your mind-bank. A child is not born with hate, he learns it. You look at people's character. We are born innocent but we don't die innocent.

A Special Message

On card you've been given, there's a story written about a man who gave what he had. He gave everything he had including unconditional love. One day in the future it might mean something to you.

Masters and sages like to teach from the astral more than the physical plane. It seems very sad, but its not really. I was in a similar situation in 2001 when I sent devotees this message. Those devotees are no longer here so I'm sending it to you new devotees. It's about each one of you. You will find one line in there for you. Keep it for when you're feeling down and unwanted. Read the card to pick you up.

On this journey we meet many kinds of people. We must be able to adapt and adopt. If we can't, we shouldn't be here. The journey is more than that. We try to create a 24/7 energy for you each Friday to last until the next Friday. You'll meet all kinds of people on your journey, some good and some bad. By these things we judge others. But on a spiritual journey we shouldn't have judgment. We had a harmonium player here once, called Appa. He looked like me. One day Tammy asked him to take his shirt off so she could iron it because it was creased. He said, "What's the point of ironing the outside if the inside isn't ironed?". You are comparing others to your standards. If your journey is non-judgemental then it will be beautiful. We should create a situation of brotherhood and sisterhood. Each of us must see the others as family and not members of an organisation. Sri Prabuphada said, “I have a dream to build a house with one nation, one spirit”. But our sense of judgement wants to be better than others. I'm saying this because we lack brother- and sisterhood. The children don't have this problem, only the adults. So, all of you, we need to develop this sense of brotherhood and sisterhood.

The most precious gifts from God are sharing, caring and giving. We can't do any of these if we judge. That is what this is all about. Having that love can take you beyond this physical plane. Try and transcend. It can only be done if you have purity. You must see everyone as yourself. There's no difference. Let's create brotherhood and sisterhood and continue to another level. There'll be some changes here at the Gayathri Peedam from Sunday. You can see the structure built outside. Babaji Pooja will be at ten on Sunday morning and Pournami at four in the afternoon. We have a guest speaker. Please come.

Mahanavagraha

The Gayathri manthra without the first line, ‘Om Bhur Bhuva Swaha’ is actually called the Savathri Mantra. And with the ‘Om Bhur Bhuva Swaha’ added it’s the Gayathri Mantra. ‘Shankara’ is derived from the story of Lord Shiva when he was meditating in a sea shell. That’s why we use the word ‘shank’. It comes from the word ‘sank’ and means ‘shell’.

This is the last Mahanavagraha for this year and, really, if you missed this one you have a long wait for the next one. This may create problems for you in the new year. As I said to some people this morning, I have received the predictions for 2011 in my meditation and they are not looking good at all. The financial graph will be on a downward scale for the whole of 2011. That is why we need these prayers. When you find excuses not to do them, you’re digging your own grave and covering yourself. This is an important prayer. 2011 is not looking good. This will be the trend right up to 2012. By that time we hope to have a new generation, a new beginning. If we do have, we’re lucky; if we don’t we’ll have a problem. Those people who have done all these poojas and have remembered God continuously, you have a chance of a new world, a new beginning. Some of you think I sit here and do this to earn money. I do this for you. Those that were with me last night will realise that I’ve been sitting in this chair since seven o’clock last night and I didn’t sleep a wink. I was here, getting instructions and setting up the kalsas. All is done for you, so I expect you to regard this prayer as your own and really be sincere within yourself and, once you are, you’ll be able to reach God and receive what God gives. So that is why we’re doing this the way we - are and I’m giving everyone a chance. I didn’t call the children up because it won’t affect them financially. We’ll do the hawan that concludes this part, then the nine kalsas, wash the murthi, dress the murthi, do the offering then we’ll come back and do this pooja.

You know, Deepak is here at the gate, just to tell you all, when I look at you all, so many of you here, I feel inside me a sense of disappointment. I’ll tell you why. Daily, I have a maximum of four hours sleep. You can call any time. At five o’clock in the morning you’ll get me on my phone. If you call me any time in the night, even at 12 o’clock, I’ll answer. I’ll never tell you that I’m sleepy. I may say that I’m tired, but not sleepy. The maximum amount of sleep we should have is four hours. Forget that the teacher told you eight hours, that’s for them. They rest at school then they rest at home for another eight hours. Really, you must start to train your body. We have twenty-four hours. In twenty-four hours we need to do three things equally: worship God, maintain the household and do our normal duties. If you take three divided by twenty-four, it will give you eight hours. So for eight hours we should be remembering God alone. For eight hours we should be earning money, with eight hours left for sleep and family. I’ve got yogis here, real yogis. I think I have to call them spitting-bug yogis. If you are doing yoga, the maximum amount of sleep is four hours. Your basic sleep should be two hours. Just the word ‘sleep’ makes some of you sleep. That is why we are having so many health conditions. We are sleeping too much. The Bhagavad Gita tells us that he who eats too much or too little, or who sleeps too much or too little, is not a yogi - he’s a boghi. He who sleeps all the time is a roghi. The rule is to have breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, at supper like a beggar. You follow the rule eat like a king, eat like a king, eat like a king, and sleep like a king's dog, one way. You need to adjust yourselves, especially these young ones. Look at Alexei. I thought he was making Kali trance, one swing, nodding off. He’s fifteen, and already he has a sleep problem. Ashok is awake, he didn’t sleep the whole night. Oh yes, he fell off the bench. He only yawned five times. Steven is laughing. Steven saw us working and went to sleep in the van. When he realised it was uncomfortable, he rushed his wife home and had a nice sleep.

Vanakam everyone. That brings us to the conclusion of the mahanavagraha pooja and the Shankara pooja. One thing I can tell you, when you go home you’re not going to sleep. When you go now, except for some people from Ottawa, you’re going to be wide awake. I know why you’re hungry, too. You didn’t have breakfast. We’re providing you with lunch. Nothing extravagant: about four pickles, dahl, brinjal, broccoli, vegetable fried rice, panneer butter masala… why are you laughing? Because you’re hoping it’s true. We have goddess, Annapoorna, here all the time in the form of Angi, always ready to cook for you with love, devotion and divine dedication. So please partake of the meal before you go.

Tomorrow we’re going to Ladysmith for sacred mantra chants. I don’t know how many of you are coming with us. We’re going in a group. We'll have a fun day, chant mantras, dance and sing. So if you want to come with us and enjoy being merry before Christmas, please join us. But let me know so that we can make sure we either leave at the same time or meet at a certain point.

You can go anywhere, to any temple, they won’t give you the opportunity of washing the murthis the way we do. They believe that only the priest is allowed to wash the murthi, and only married people. Sometimes they go further and say only married men can perform the ritual. At the Gayathri Peedam, we don’t have those rules. If you have divinity within you, if you love God and are here sincerely with devotion and dedication then you can do it. We have three or four females doing the abishegam at the temple here for Babaji, for the Shiva Lingam, for the Mother’s shrine, and for this shrine; and they are all fine. Nothing happened to them yet and Shiva didn’t marry them yet. That’s the story. If you are female and you wash the lingam, then you are married to Shiva; and Shiva grabs you. He’s a funny god, that one, if he does that. There’s no such thing. If you are destined to get married, if your karma is such that pain is part of it, then you’ll get married; really. And if your karma is such that you shouldn’t have that kind of pain then you won’t get married. And some of us get married, and then we get unmarried after a couple of years. Why? Because we can’t handle the pain. There’s no rule in any book that teaches ladies cannot wash the lingam. Some of the greatest saints in India were female. Aveya and Mira were female. They were great and their devotion to their worship was greater than that of males. So don’t let people tell you stories – all those who washed the lingam last night between eleven and midnight, you are the fortunate ones. Most of them were female. And they were here early this morning. They were nicely energised when they got home. If you washed and your husband didn’t wash, then you fall off to sleep in the prayer.

So enjoy the meal, thank you very much for being part of this prayer. It means more to you than to me. It means more to me that you did it. Those who missed it - you missed out a big portion of 2010. As it comes you’ll see why I’m saying this; and as you progress you’ll see why I said this. God bless you . Enjoy your meal. Vanakam, Hari Om. Namaskar.