I’ve come across many saints during my lifetime. I have not only seen, but have conversed with them and have received their blessings, their guidance. They have helped me from time to time whenever I wanted their help. I possess reverence and admiration for such holy sages and saints.
I prayed for years together for their assistance when I was staying in holy Himalayas conducting penance or religious austerities with an unquenchable thirst for self-realization. A time came during my lifetime when I wanted to open the doors of super-consciousness. It was not easy for me. I meditated daily and regularly with enthusiasm but I could not open the celestial temple doors of super-consciousness. I could not travel beyond the ego sense and dive deep in a super-conscious state, so I prayed to the almighty saints residing in the Himalayas for their assistance. One day to my bewilderment, I had an experience which I put before you.
I was residing in the holy place of Dev Prayag during those days. Dev Prayag, a small town in the Himalayas is situated some 45 miles beyond Rishikesh on the way to Badrinath. During those days I observed silence and prayed intensely for the assistance of the Almighty Lord and asked for the divine help of realized saints. It continued for months together. As a consequence of such constant regular prayers, I had a unique experience.
It was a time after midnight. I was seated on my couch praying. My eyes were open. There was darkness in the room; in fact nothing but darkness was surrounding me. I could hear the sweet auspicious sound of the Ganges. To my astonishment, I saw one illuminated figure in front of me, seated on the floor of the house where I resided. It was a naked figure, there was no cloth wrapped around his body and there was illumination all around his body. I was bewildered to behold him. I got up from my couch and went before him and prostrated to him and with my amazement he kept his thumb on my spinal cord – a place where yogic scripture say there is Muladhar Chakra.
He kept his thumb just at the bottom of the spinal cord. As he touched me with his thumb I entered into a Samadhi State (Awastha) within a minute or so. I lost my body consciousness without my knowledge or predetermination. It was the power of that great saint. I could not recognize him because I never saw his photograph anywhere previously nor have I heard about his name. But, he was a great saint and that was sufficient for me. As a consequence of my prolonged and constant earnest prayers he appeared before me in order to help me and he indeed helped me in his own way.
I lost my body consciousness. I dived deep. It was Nirvikalp samadhi, a super-conscious state - a state without any Sankalp-Vikalp. My mind became tranquil. After half an hour or so, I came into a wakeful state. Again I felt the touch of his thumb at the bottom of my spinal cord. He was seated in front of me. He told me, “your prayers have been answered. I’ve come to help you as a consequence of your earnest prayers. Now everything would be all right in your sadhana. Whatever needs to be done has been done and its consequence or results will be achieved afterwards. This experience is sufficient for you. My blessings are with you. My congratulations are with you. You shall proceed on the path of spiritual progress day by day and you will become superman.”
The figure of that saint disappeared gradually from the surrounding atmosphere. The illumination ceased gradually and again there was darkness pervaded in the surrounding atmosphere. Nothing was there.
This was a very astonishing experience for me and as a result of that experience I was very happy. My mind became peaceful, I felt tranquility of mind and afterwards whenever I sat into meditation I lost body consciousness in a minute or two. There were no endeavors to be made or any strain. It was all on account of the divine grace showered by that great saint who appeared before me. I’m not aware who that great saint was. I do not know him. I could not meet him again but that is immaterial. He helped me. The assistance was needed and it was provided by that divine personality.
There are so many divine personalities dwelling in the auspicious land of the Himalayas, but earnest seekers are needed. Many strive for worldly pleasures, worldly enjoyments, worldly happiness, prosperity, grandeur, etc. but very few people seek for spiritual advancement or dream of attaining the Supreme Self. They have no thirst for self-realization.
(From Shri Yogeshwarji's lecture on "Self-Realization" at Reservoir Hills, Hindu Seva Samaj, South Africa)