Excerpts from Living with the Himalayan Masters of Swami Rama

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Hi,

 

Thank you for sharing with us some extracts from the book.

 

, narasimhaye <no_reply

wrote:

>

>

> Ravishankar Gopal

>

> Excerpts from " Living with the Himalayan Masters " of Swami Rama

>

>

> Radhe Krishna to All,

>

>

> Once, the author of this Book - Swami Rama - was ordered by his Guru to

> go to Darjeeling and stay in a graveyard there for forty-one days and

> practice a particular sãdhana. The Guru had insisted that he (Swami

> Rama) should exercise patience for forty-one days and practice the

> sãdhana. Losing patience, he should not discontinue it before the

> stipulated time. Swami Rama, as ordered by the Guru, began to live in

> the graveyard. He built a small hut there and began to practise the

> prescribed sãdhana.

>

> For thirty-nine days he practiced the sãdhana as advised by his Guru.

> He did not fear living all alone in a graveyard. He lit a fire there for

> cooking his food. On the thirty-ninth day all of a sudden his resolve

> changed. " There has been no change even after thirty-nine days of

> sãdhana. I have moved into a graveyard, where one would dread to

> come, on the mere words of the Guru! How can the Guru who commands me to

> do this be a good one? Should I not write letters to my friends? " With

> such thoughts he poured water over the fire and put it off. He pulled

> down the hut and began to walk towards the town.

>

> While he passed a house he heard a melodious song and the sound of dance

> steps. The singer, a girl, was repeatedly singing a line. She was a

> prostitute.

>

> " The oil in the lamp of life is decreasing. Night still remains. Enjoy

> all that you have to in life " - the line carried this meaning. Swami

> Rama was surprised, as he felt that these words were meant for him. He

> turned back and ran to the graveyard. He continued his sãdhana for

> the remaining two days and completed it. On the forty-first day he

> underwent the experience that his Guru had predicted. Leaving the

> graveyard he went directly to the prostitute's house. Seeing him, the

> prostitute said to him, " Swami! You have come to the wrong place. Go

> away from here! " and closed the door. The watchman at the gates chased

> Swami Rama away. But, Swami Rama said to him, " To me she is like my

> mother. She has rendered me a great help. I have come only to thank

> her. " The girl came out and he explained all that had happened to him.

>

> That girl had also heard about Swami Rama's Guru. At once, she said to

> Swami Rama, " From this very moment I am going to change my way of life, "

> and began to do japa of Rama Nãma incessantly. She went to

> Vãrãnasi (Kasi/Benares). She stayed on a boat house on the Ganga .

> At dusk she would come to the banks of the Ganga and perform kirtan of

> the Maha Mantra. Thousands of people began to join her in her kirtan. On

> her boat house she had written the words, " I am not a Sãdhu: I had

> been a prostitute. Do not bow down to me. "

>

> For all questions she would offer the only reply, 'Ram, Ram'. One

> evening, addressing the people who had gathered there, she said,

> " Tomorrow at dawn I shall attain to the Divine Feet of the Lord. Throw

> my body into the Ganga as food to the fish. Just as predicted, the next

> morning she attained to the Divine Feet of the Lord.

>

> The Lord's Name ('Bhagavan Nãma') purifies us however sinful a life

> we might have led.

>

> Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan :

> Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

> Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

>

>

>

> Ravishankar Gopal

>

> ============

>