We were in Bangalore. I called Swami Amitananda and he said, “Come now!” We left the next morning. There's only one other person I've met who has seen God, and Apaji has seen God. There’s no two ways about it. He waited for me until two o'clock while I sat with Swami Amritananda. Apaji came out we greeted each other. He doesn't speak but his devotees knew what he wanted. Anyway, we met and the first thing he said to Amritananda in Tamil was, “Tell him I will go to South Africa if he takes me”. People were stunned because others from the USA had sent him tickets and he wouldn’t go there. He reminds me so much of Swami Murugesu. The devotees sat there with me until midnight. We didn't even notice the mosquitoes. He sat in his rocking chair and asked if anyone had questions. No one wanted to leave. He has definitely seen God.
The next morning when we left he asked me to stay. He wanted us to stay over that night but we knew there was no room. These are rare opportunities. I’ll say it again: if you want to meet a man who has seen God, he has. He lives simply; sleeps outside. He did many things while we were there that his devotees say he doesn't usually do. So if you’re all in partnership with me, we'll bring him and Amritananda to South Africa.
So just now I'll tell more experiences to the lucky ones who stay. Tomorrow is Ganesha Pooja from 6am to 2pm, and Navagraha at two o’clock. Poornashuti (complete cleansing) Ganapati Abishekam is tomorrow. To do this pooja we need a very special shell, and we found the very shell on this trip. We even met the man who found the shell. It opens on the right. We also found another shell for blowing.
To follow the master you have to become an idiot. If you have mind intelligence, you cannot hear. So why do we put our hands together when we pray? We are joining ourselves with God. Why do we go clockwise around the temple? Because most people are right-brained. Why do we turn aarti three times, three times, three times? The first three times are for Brahma, then for Vishnu, then for Shiva.
A devotee asks: What's the difference between spirit and soul?
Swami Answers: Some schools will tell you they are the same, others that they are different. Spirit is the activation of the soul. We can't say his spirit left his body. Think of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between power and energy? They are the same thing. Power is force times velocity. Spirit is force or energy. Without the force there won't be any power. That is how you look at spirit and soul.
A devotee asks: When Swami has an encounter that takes over Swami’s body, what is it that takes over, the spirit or soul?
Swami answers: It is the spirit. Is it correct to say that each person has a soul and a spirit? Yes. So, without spirit the soul cannot exist. Spirit is the force behind the work, but prana is like the lever in exerting the force. When the soul goes into another body, what happens to the spirit? The spirit will still remain in the body.
A devotee asks: When we offer the panda (rice ball) to the fire, who is it actually being offered to?
Swami Answers: Fire is regarded as the mouth of God. Fire consumes. So when we make that offering it is to whatever deity, whatever aspect of God, we are praying to at the time. When you are dead you are cold. When you alive, you are warm. God am the life in every existence. Fire is considered life, so we offer the rice ball to God through the fire. That is why when they did pittarpak (offering to the ancestors) the idea was right but the method wrong. We don't know where our ancestors are. In the olden days a plate of food was offered to the fire, not left outside like today.
The next morning when we left he asked me to stay. He wanted us to stay over that night but we knew there was no room. These are rare opportunities. I’ll say it again: if you want to meet a man who has seen God, he has. He lives simply; sleeps outside. He did many things while we were there that his devotees say he doesn't usually do. So if you’re all in partnership with me, we'll bring him and Amritananda to South Africa.
So just now I'll tell more experiences to the lucky ones who stay. Tomorrow is Ganesha Pooja from 6am to 2pm, and Navagraha at two o’clock. Poornashuti (complete cleansing) Ganapati Abishekam is tomorrow. To do this pooja we need a very special shell, and we found the very shell on this trip. We even met the man who found the shell. It opens on the right. We also found another shell for blowing.
To follow the master you have to become an idiot. If you have mind intelligence, you cannot hear. So why do we put our hands together when we pray? We are joining ourselves with God. Why do we go clockwise around the temple? Because most people are right-brained. Why do we turn aarti three times, three times, three times? The first three times are for Brahma, then for Vishnu, then for Shiva.
A devotee asks: What's the difference between spirit and soul?
Swami Answers: Some schools will tell you they are the same, others that they are different. Spirit is the activation of the soul. We can't say his spirit left his body. Think of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between power and energy? They are the same thing. Power is force times velocity. Spirit is force or energy. Without the force there won't be any power. That is how you look at spirit and soul.
A devotee asks: When Swami has an encounter that takes over Swami’s body, what is it that takes over, the spirit or soul?
Swami answers: It is the spirit. Is it correct to say that each person has a soul and a spirit? Yes. So, without spirit the soul cannot exist. Spirit is the force behind the work, but prana is like the lever in exerting the force. When the soul goes into another body, what happens to the spirit? The spirit will still remain in the body.
A devotee asks: When we offer the panda (rice ball) to the fire, who is it actually being offered to?
Swami Answers: Fire is regarded as the mouth of God. Fire consumes. So when we make that offering it is to whatever deity, whatever aspect of God, we are praying to at the time. When you are dead you are cold. When you alive, you are warm. God am the life in every existence. Fire is considered life, so we offer the rice ball to God through the fire. That is why when they did pittarpak (offering to the ancestors) the idea was right but the method wrong. We don't know where our ancestors are. In the olden days a plate of food was offered to the fire, not left outside like today.
