GURU PUJA SPECIAL EDITIONpeace of mind that he direly looked for. A persistent
restlessness troubled him every moment. In those
days, Bodhidharma had gone from India to China.
Shen Hua was fortunate to meet him and shared his
plight. At that time, Bodhidharma bestowed upon
him Divine Knowledge and made him realise his
inner Divine Self. Aha! Shen Hua experienced a
phenomenal shift in his state of inner being! It was
as if, he was lifted from the dungeons of moroseness
to the bright, radiant sky of peace and liveliness!
What years of reading could not give, it was
experienced in just a click when Bodhidharma
initiated him into the realisation of the Self.
Shen Hua later wrote about this remarkable
incident in his memoirs. He explicitly quoted the
words of Bodhidharma in his text–
All scriptures and the secular knowledge are
merely the picture of a lamp. These texts only
describe the method of making a lamp. You may go
on studying these pictures and methods; cram
them; or, keep them tightly embraced with
yourself– you won't derive even a modicum of
benefit. The picture of a lamp cannot give light.
When the darkness of ignorance and melancholy
intensifies, then the picture of lamp and its method
of making are of no use. The inner being continues
to flutter in anguish and restlessness. However,
attaining the refuge of a True Guru is like getting a
lighted lamp, which spreads radiance in all
directions. When one comes face to face with this
light by the grace of a Guru, then, the darkness of
illusions and delusions doesn't exist for long.
BRAHM GYAN IS FAR BEYOND
TANTRAS AND SIDDHIS
T V Kapali Sastry was a renowned scholar in
tantras from South India. He had several siddhis at
his disposal. Magical feats were kindergarten stuff
for him. Influenced by these tantric siddhis and
powers, a lot of people became his followers.
Among them were also present a few true spiritual
aspirants who had joined him with the hope of
attaining the Divine Knowledge. One of them was
M P Pandit.
Despite having such a vast storehouse of
knowledge of the tantric siddhis and magical
powers, Kapali remained sad and dissatisfied from
inside. Sastry's inner being was well aware of the
core reason behind this sadness. It was due to the
absence of the true spiritual knowledge, which
could not be deciphered through those tantric
siddhis. The expanse of those siddhis was much
below the domain of the Self. His inner restlessness
grew day by day. One day, an intense prayer
sprouted from his inner being in the feet of the
Goddess, whom he used to worship– “O Mother!
Show me the way. This inner emptiness is no longer
bearable.” As the prayer had emanated from the
deep recesses of his heart, the Goddess manifested
in his dream one night, and said– “Go and seek the
refuge of a Satguru. He alone can satiate your inner
quest, your inner emptiness.” Sastry's inner being
put forth his helplessness to the Goddess– “O
Mother! Where shall I find a Satguru? Kindly guide
me.” The Goddess said unequivocally– “Maharishi
Aurobindo Ghosh, who is immersed in deep sadhna
in Pondicherry, is the Satguru of the present times.”
On receiving this divine guidance, Sastry did
not wait any further. Along with M P Pandit, who
was also a true seeker, he left for Pondicherry. When
they reached there, people received them with a
surprise. They could not understand how Sastry, the
master of extraordinary siddhis, arrived there.
When Sastry went to meet Sri Aurobindo, a smile
flashed across Aurobindo's face. He mischievously
asked, “Sastry, why have you come to me?” Sastry
did not hesitate in admitting his incapability to
discover the Self through his tantric powers. He
humbly admitted, “O Master, please save me from
this devastating misery. I surrender all these siddhis
at your feet, which could not give me that sense of
inner completion I direly hunt for.” M P Pandit also
followed Sastry's footsteps and fell in the feet of theJULY 2019 AKHAND GYANETERNAL WISDOM 29