Few more thoughts about Yogananda!

After going through the interesting account of Yogananda from his autobiography, readers will understand many mystic truths about human life on earth. First of all, there is rebirth for everyone until one finally become ‘zero’ effect of the past. Neither good nor bad will trigger his return to earth again. When all experiences of both good and bad deeds are undergone, one becomes ‘zero’. Buddha called it as “Nirvana’ or nakedness. But it is not physical nakedness. The soul has become completely free of the past effects and it becomes absolutely free to become one with the cosmic self.

When one performs many noble deeds on earth, he becomes eligible to ascend a sublime level of conscious named as the abode of demigods or angels. There, worldly grief or pain is completely absent. One enjoys bliss until his merits lasts. Afterwards, he is pushed back to earth for a chance to realize himself. This is possible only on earth. The heaven like place cannot give one, permanent happiness. It is like a deposit in your account in a bank. But one has to withdraw the deposit at some point of time. It cannot remain forever in the bank. After taking it out, your bank balance may become nil. At that point, one is no more eligible to transact from his account. Similarly, after enjoying the joy and happiness in heaven, one has to come down to earth. This is equally true in the case of a man who has lot of bad deeds to his account. He has to undergo ‘hellish’ experience in the mind and only after clearing the burden, he becomes eligible to come back on earth to work out for his salvation!

Once Sathya Saibaba has clarified to the devotees that there is no physical place called heaven or hell, one being above in the sky and one below our earth! He emphasized that there are seven levels of thoughts. The one leading to bliss and the other leading to intense grief! It is only in the mind and it is not a place to dwell. Hence, the mind accommodates both joyful and sorrowful thoughts but they are at different levels and not on the same levels. An anology can be given here. Sound waves are classified in different cycles as ‘hertz’. Radio programs are transmitted by different stations. If all are in the same wave length, we will get a confused reception of those sounds. Hence the radio stations are broadcasting in different wave lengths! Likewise, the blissful thoughts are of different from sorrowful thoughts. Those who are destined to remain sorrowful due to their past deeds will be receptive to the thoughts of sorrow. Those who have performed good deeds will be receptive to blissful thoughts. Shri Yogananda in fact got these clarifications from his yoga guru Shri Yukteswar when he manifested before him in the hotel room. There, an interesting conversation took place and the Guru has condescend to explain the place called ‘hiranya loka’ where all beings are in perpetual bliss and the eligibility to enter that particular place etc.

Those human beings, who were virtuous and selfless, always caring for all with the same love, after spending the effects of their past births, are eligible to enter the Hiranya loka. There also several categories of souls are occupying. Each one is placed in one particular group according to their wisdom and past effects. But, all the occupants are always in blissful joy. They transmit their thoughts amongst one another by light waves. They do not talk like humans do. There are beautiful flowers and trees in that place. There are exciting lakes. There are heavenly fruits. Highly advanced souls remain permanently in the abode of god. Sometimes, taking pity on the erring human beings, they descend on to the earth in human form and guide the people by their life and messages. They are pure and selfless in nature. Such one is Swami Yuktheswar Giri, Lahiri Mahasaya and Mahaavatar Babaji. Out of this Maha avatar Babaji is a rare soul, whose age is more than 160 years are so. He will be invisibly guiding the people in Kriya Yoga till he chooses to cast away his body. He looks always like a young man and not like his disciples.

Wherever great festivals are celebrated, they present themselves in such places invisibly, blessing one and all. In fact, Swami Yogananda was mysteriously guided by Babaji in his tasks in Western countries. Yogananda has never lectured before. When he was asked to talk, he remembered and prayed to Yukteswar to guide him. His guru told him in his conscious, “You can talk, proceed! His guru mysteriously filled his mind with all the sentences and thoughts required for lecturing. Yogananda was not aware what he spoke. But the audience applauded him profusely. Yogananda thanked his guru in his mind for the timely help.

With one more episode, I would like to conclude this hub. When Yogananda passed away in a foreign country, his body was supple even after many hours. No distortion happened in his body till it was put in Mahasamadhi. Even three hours prior to his passing, Yogananda was blissfully smiling. He was not an ordinary human being but a Divine child!