Grace of Master to me !

         Vazhga Valamudan. It is said that you meet the Master only when the time arrives. Mine was a long wait.

         I am from an orthodox family and so have been following the rituals as ordained to the extent possible. But with passage of time there was lot of confusion about some practices and also about the ways of the world. It is at this juncture, I happened to read Mahatma Gandhi’s Autobiography “My experiments with Truth”. Two things which made a mark in me were:

         1. He would go on indefinite fast for some violence in the country: I compared myself who could not tolerate hunger even for five minutes. I thought I should do something about it though I did not dare to do anything then. Two years later, I decided to follow some form of fast – which is bound to make you laugh – the fast would be on Saturdays from 6 pm to midnight i.e. I could eat anything up to 5.59 pm and can theoretically start eating at 12.01 am! Which I religiously practices for a few years!

         2. Gandhi states that whenever he had some big problem, he would read some verses from Bhagavat Gita and that would give him solution and solace. It is again two years later that I could get a book with Bhagavat Gita text and its translation by Mahatma Gandhi himself written in very simple language. I made it a point read at least five verses everyday not as a religious scripture but to absorb the meaning of the book which has won the praise of scholars all over. One lead to the other and slowly I started reading more and more of different religious and spiritual works. As a part of official training, I learnt yogasanas and this further increased the spiritual quest. But as I read more and listened to more and more of lectures of many Spiritual masters, paradoxically while some clarity came about, they gave rise to more fundamental questions.

          It is during this period, that my uncle informed that a Swami is visiting him and my mother and my sister met him. Next day they wanted to meet him again and wanted me and my brother also to accompany them. Reluctantly we accompanied them, for, we were weary of the present day Godmen, many of whom, according to us, were cheats.

          When we actually met him, we were taken by surprise for, he did not wear the saffron colored robe of a Sanyasi nor any religious marks on his face, nor did he claim to be God or as having extra-ordinary powers of some kind. He was wearing a simple but clean white dhoti and Kurta. Of course there was calmness and kindness in his eyes and face. His smile seemed genuine.

          He spoke in very simple English with no bombastic words or in anyway showing off his scholarship. But what he spoke seemed to come from the very depth of his being. Later, when he personally initiated me to meditation, I could feel strong serge of energy inside me and later felt a great sense of peace. I thought to myself that he is not just a simple old nice person but a man who is quite different from anyone I have met so far. For the next few days when he was in town, whenever I had an opportunity, I attended his lectures, formal and informal. I bothered him with so many questions which were bothering me for many years. He was able to give simple, straight forward answers which just floored me. He was able to clarify great philosophical truths with the aid of everyday life experiences. He never attempted to force his views, never got agitated even when provocative questions were asked. When I was not asking questions, I was carefully watching each one of his actions to decide whether he can be trusted. He was passing all the tests with flying colors!

         That one week was really one of the most wonderful weeks in my life. The experience of the pulsating life energy while meditating, explanation for this and other mystic phenomenon in a scientific way without recourse to obscure beliefs etc. were something which I had never ever dreamt in my life.

         By the end of the week, it was becoming clear to me that this was the Master I was looking for, for so many years. I asked him what I can do for him in return to what he has been giving. He simply said : “Time will come”. I did not understand the full import of that statement but looking back, I could see that my life has been influenced by his grace ever since.

-Sr. Professor G. Balachandran