Notion Press

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First Published by Notion Press 2020 Copyright © R. Ravindranath Amingad 2020 All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-64892-661-7

This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

References taken from Books of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada and used with permission from the BBT. Contents

Foreword ix Acknowledgements xi Introduction v A. Surfing 1 1. The reamD 3 2. The earchS for the Unseen 14 3. TheTree of Devotion— Vrksha 27 4. Tattva 37 5. Become Human First 47 6. The ourneyJ Begins 63 B. Snorkelling 71 7. The ancingD God with the Eating God 73 8. The leepingS God 104 9. NA Dhanam NA Janam NA Sundarim 131 10. Vrndavana Ramyasthana 147 11. Maya in Mayapura? 172 12. The Art of Dying, a Way to Immortality 187 C. Scuba Diving 203 13. The ysteriesM of Creation 205 14. Scuba Diving into the Spiritual World 220 15. The bodeA Made of Cintamani 237 16. Goloka Navadvipa—End of the Journey 267 vii A. SURFING Chapter 1 The Dream

“Srivatsav, Srivatsav.” Hearing someone call his name, Srivatsav’s sleep was broken. He looked at his watch, which was showing ten in the morning. Was it a dream? he wondered. Ignoring the voice, he tried to go back to his sleep. “My dear son, get out of ignorance,” he heard the voice say. Curious, Srivatsav got up from the bed and went out to see who it was. But there was no one outside. It wasn’t possible for someone to be teasing him and hiding somewhere because his house was in a remote locality. Who is asking me to get out of ignorance? Srivatsav wondered. And where did he go so quickly? Srivatsav was puzzled. It must have been a dream, he thought. But that voice… It was so sweet and filled with so much love. It cannot be a dream; it was very commanding and gentle. “My dear son, get out of ignorance.” The words were buzzing in his mind. His whole body trembled when he remembered the voice. He lit a cigarette and started smoking. He took out the bottle of whisky kept under the bed and started drinking.

3 Easy Journey to Goloka

Was it an illusion or a dream? Srivatsav thought for a while. Then he went back to sleep. But he continued to hear the same voice every night. He remembered an incident that happened a few weeks ago. ***

The whole day, Srivatsav had been wandering the roads of Kolkata like a mad man, not knowing where to go as he was very depressed and had so many problems. He had already consumed a large quantity of alcohol and smoked a few packets of cigarettes since that morning. He sat near the banks of the Hooghly River. Srivatsav was a young man in his mid-twenties, living in Kolkata. He had discontinued his education halfway but was always very inquisitive. He had lost both parents to a road accident a few years ago. They left nothing behind except debts for him to repay, which added to his problems as he did not have a job. Srivatsav had been addicted to bad habits right from his school days. But since he lost his parents, his life had become even more miserable. He did not have money for his daily needs and engaged in illegal means of earning money by stealing from people. He was addicted to smoking and drinking alcohol right from an early age, and recently was addicted to drugs. Earlier, he had stabbed his friend to steal money and buy cigarettes. He was then jailed. With no money in hand, he was chased by lenders to recover their debts. Srivatsav was frustrated and wanted to put an end to his life.

4 Kanai Das

Noticing no one was around, Srivatsav was about to jump into Hooghly river. Suddenly, he felt strong hands around him, clutching him tightly, foiling his leap. With great consternation, he turned around to behold his unsolicited saviour. He beheld a tall and robust Babaji with a full beard and decked with countless rudraksha beads around his neck. It seemed he had appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing nothing except for a simple loincloth; his hair and beard were long, stringy and matted; his body was smeared with ash, and his eyes were red but very effulgent. “Who are you? Why are you trying to commit suicide?” demanded the Babaji. He made Srivatsav sit next to him and cajoled him into explaining his attempt at ending his life. With tears in his eyes, Srivatsav narrated his story. “I’m Srivatsav Dutta from Kolkata. A few years ago, my parents died in a road accident. They were so pious, but God was so unkind. How could He allow this to happen to them?” Srivatsav was frustrated. “I confess that I have done many abominable things in my life for the sake of money, but was it God’s punishment, taking away my parents?” Srivatsav choked as he remembered his caring mother. “I was addicted to intoxication right from childhood because of my association with a bad friend circle. I’ve committed so many sins in my life. For the sake of a petty amount, I have injured so many people. I even tried to kill my friend to steal his money. I’ve been jailed many times. Lenders from whom my parents and I borrowed are chasing me to return the money. I’m unable to get rid of my bad habits and am frustrated with all these problems. I cannot continue to live like this. I have no

5 Easy Journey to Goloka other option but to end my life.” Srivatsav continued with tears in his eyes, “Moreover, my parents left nothing but problems for me. It is an arduous struggle for me to survive without any support; hence, I resorted to crime.” “My dear Srivatsav,” Aghori Baba, as he had introduced himself, said. “This world is false and full of problems. We cannot expect to be happy here.” “That’s why I want to end my life by jumping into this river,” Srivatsav said, breaking off the Baba. “It’s not the solution, my dear son.” Baba touched Srivatsav’s head affectionately. “But why did God create this world with so many problems? I’ve lost all faith in God.” Srivatsav interrupted him again. “God?” Aghori Baba laughed. “Which God are you talking about? Sastra says ‘Aham brahmasmi (I am the )’. It means ‘I am the God’. explain that whoever knew truth this also became Brahman. Once we realize God and merge with Him, we also become God. You are God; I am God; we are all God.” “Do you mean God does not exist?” asked Srivatsav. “Brahman is the Supreme God. He is nothing but a great energy. God is an effulgence, which is the source of everything and is the ultimate truth.” Aghori Baba paused and continued, “One should give up his ego and bodily consciousness and then merge with Brahman to become one with God. The material world is false. Everyone in this world has to come under the clutches of Maya. No one can escape from Maya.” Baba smiled.

6 Ramananda Kanai Das

“Can’t even God escape from Maya?” Srivatsav questioned. “When God comes to this material world, he will also come under the clutches of Maya and has to suffer,” Baba continued. “But when you merge with the Brahman, you also become God.” “If I am also God, why am I suffering? Does it mean that we can never get out of problems?” asked Srivatsav, his hopes weakening. “When you realize God and merge with Brahmajyoti, you will also be the same. As I said, you will be liberated by merging with Brahmajyoti. There are no problems in Brahmajyoti. When we don’t have problems, it means everything is supreme bliss.” Aghori Baba closed his eyes in ecstasy. “But dear Aghori Baba,” Srivatsav was getting excited, “what is this Brahmajyoti? How far is it from this place? Where can I find it? How can I merge with it? What happens to me after I merge?” “Brahmajyoti is the source of everything. There is nothing beyond that. There are no problems in Brahmajyoti. It is up there, beyond this material world. It is very far from this world but also very close when you meditate upon it. The only way to reach Brahmajyoti is by meditating and following my instructions. When we merge into Brahmajyoti, we become part of it and also become God. It is the state of Sayujya Mukti. When we go there, for us, there is no body, mind or intelligence. We will be in a complete Brahmananda stage. My Guru says, ‘That abode to which having gone, no one returns. The sun or other sources do not illumine that abode. It is the

7 Easy Journey to Goloka

Highest Abode of Brahman’. That abode is Brahmajyoti. It is the supreme destination for us to enjoy eternal bliss.” Baba said with ecstasy on his face. “That is very interesting. Please let me know how I can go there. What is the process I need to follow?” Srivatsav was very curious. “My dear son, you need to strictly practice the Iahbannum process. One should sit in proper posture and chant the four-syllable by closing his eyes and controlling his breath. You should focus on the space between your eyebrows. If you constantly practice this, over a period of time, you will be able to see the effulgence of Brahman. In due course of continuous practice, you feel that your body is floating in the air. As you continue to practice this Iahbannum yoga system, you will enter into Samadhi. You will experience moving out of your body and will eventually merge into Brahman effulgence.” Baba explained. “But why only this four-syllable mantra?” asked a curious Srivatsav. “It is a very secret and powerful mantra given by my Guru. You should meditate on Brahman effulgence by reciting this four-syllable mantra to be liberated from this world and be happy by merging with Brahmajyoti. Once you are out of this false material world and become one with God, there is only happiness, as there are no more problems.” Baba said. “Does it mean that God has no form at all? How does he take a form when he appears in this material world?” asked Srivatsav.

8 Ramananda Kanai Das

“The scriptures say that even appears in this material world from Brahmajyoti. That Brahmajyoti is supreme and is the source of Krishna’s human form.” Baba explained further, “Brahmajyoti is the Supreme Brahman. He doesn’t have Janma, Karma, Name, Form or Qualities; thus, he never commits any mistakes. It is clearly evident from this that God is impersonal and has no form. God sometimes comes down from Brahmajyoti to this material world by taking a human form. Upanishads say, ‘There was nonexistence in the beginning, from which existence was born’. It means that, in the beginning, the Lord had no physical existence or form. It was only effulgence from which God comes to this world in different forms.” “It sounds interesting. But tell me one thing, what will we do by getting liberated and merging with Brahmajyoti?” asked Srivatsav. “After so much suffering in this world, what more you want to do in Brahmajyoti, my son? Once we merge with Brahman, we become God. There is nothing to do for us in Brahmajyoti except enjoy the ultimate, supreme bliss. There is no other place as blissful as Brahmajyoti. Since there are no problems, there exists supreme bliss. That bliss is beyond any other happiness we get in this creation. We just have to enjoy the bliss in Brahmajyoti.” Aghori Baba said with ecstasy. “That means it is a state of absence of problems, that’s all? Does it mean that happiness is nothing but the absence of problems?” Srivatsav was inquisitive. “Well, as darkness is the absence of light, happiness is the absence of problems. When there are no problems in

9 Easy Journey to Goloka

Brahmajyoti, why do we need to worry? It is the state of absolute supreme bliss. Krishna said in the (8.20) that ‘there is another eternal abode which is never destroyed even after the destruction of everything else’. That eternal world Krishna talked about is nothing but Brahman. Brahmajyoti is never destroyed because it is the source of everything. We just need to get into that place by following Iahbannum yoga.” Baba explained. “Which scripture says that once we merge with Brahman, we can get rid of all the problems?” “Shvetashvatara Upanishad confirms this.” Aghori Baba continued, “Tasyābhidhyānād yojanāt tattvabhāvād bhūyaś cānte viśvamāyānivṛttiḥ, which means ‘one can merge with him by constant . He will attain that supreme Brahman at the end by constant meditation on Him, by the termination of all the illusions’. Please don’t waste your time with these questions anymore. It is not good to be too inquisitive. If you want to get rid of problems and enjoy the bliss in Brahmajyoti, you should have blind faith to accept and follow what I am saying. We are like droplets of rainwater. Once those droplets merge into the ocean of water, it is the same as the ocean; there is no difference. In the same way, we, the jivas, once merged with Brahman, become the same as God. There won’t be any difference between God and us once we merge.” “Dear Baba, now I have faith that by following your instructions, I will reach Brahmajyoti very soon,” Srivatsav said.

10 Ramananda Kanai Das

“Developing shraddha or faith is the first stage in the process of merging into Brahman. You are on the right path, my dear son. Please read these books; you will understand better. I will instruct you more about the process of Iahbannum yoga when I meet you next time. My ashram is nearby.” Aghori Baba gave Srivatsav a few books and told him the location of his ashram. Srivatsav regularly visited Baba’s ashram to know more about the process of Iahbannum yoga and meditation. But somehow, he did not practice it seriously. ***

Is Baba chasing and reminding me to practice Iahbannum yoga? Srivatsav thought. He drank a few more glasses of alcohol and then started reading the books given by Aghori Baba. Srivatsav decided to try what Baba has instructed. He sat on a mat in a posture Aghori Baba recommended, closed his eyes and started reciting the four-syllable mantra. He was in an erect position and was controlling his breath. He tried to focus on the point between his eyebrows by reciting the mantra. Srivatsav was trying to see the light between his eyebrows. But within a few minutes, he felt restless and not able to continue sitting in the same posture. He was also tired and gave up finally. He met with the Aghori Baba again at his ashram and took his guidance. When he told Baba about the mysterious voice, Baba just smiled and kept quiet. Srivatsav continued to practice Iahbannum yoga every day. He was also reading the books given by Baba. He understood that God has no form and that He was only an impersonal effulgence. He met Aghori Baba many times and was convinced with the

11 Easy Journey to Goloka philosophy of Brahmajyoti. He realized that liberation by merging into Brahmajyoti was the only way for the cessation of all material pangs. Finally, after many months of practice, he was able to concentrate on the light in his mind and start meditating on it. He started synchronizing his body, breath and the mind. Initially, he felt that his body was frozen and tied with a rope. He was unable to move his limbs, but he was very blissful in that stage; he continued to meditate on the light in his mind. Srivatsav continued to practice Iahbannum yoga, and very soon, he started experiencing his body becoming lighter and floating in the air. While meditating, he could see that the light was growing bigger and bigger. Once, Srivatsav sat in meditation and continued for a few days without eating anything. He was taking a little water every day and continued to meditate, focusing on the light. Soon his meditation was so austere that he didn’t even drink water for many days. His mind almost stopped functioning and was only focusing on the effulgence. Srivatsav started experiencing unlimited happiness as his senses were cut off from the external energy; he reached the stage of Samadhi. Srivatsav was experiencing the expansion of the effulgence, which dragged him towards it. He was blissful and felt his body becoming lighter and lighter. Srivatsav realized that he was slowly moving towards the effulgence but could see his body still sitting in a deep meditation posture. He felt that he was being freed from the illusion of material existence. He could see his motionless body in a sitting posture as he was pulled towards the effulgence.

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“Is it my dead body? Am I being merged into the effulgence?” Srivatsav asked himself. He realized he was being pulled with force into the effulgence. Suddenly, he heard a voice. “My dear Srivatsav, get out of this ignorance.” Will he be successful in merging with the Impersonal Brahman?

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