Daaji then went to meet the American Telugu Association (ATA) members who had gathered in the conference hall and were waiting for him at 11:30 am. Mr. Srivatsan from the USA, the nephew of Chariji Maharaj, met Daaji there.
Daaji spoke to them briefly. He said that brother Madhava Reddy had been after him for so many days about how to welcome the members of ATA. Daaji felt that he could welcome them with meditation. It is all he has to truly offer and accordingly, he started something. He hoped that they would continue with that rhythm wherever they went so that it would become a part of their life. God is always merciful in giving us things. We need to open our hearts in the right way and with the right attitude. He had always been against traditions even though they do keep us within the boundaries. But it does not serve the full purpose. Even if Lord Krishna says he dwells in every heart yet we try to find the lord outside. This is a fundamental flaw.
He explained that during his many conversations on some Sundays with ATA members and their families he had told them to try to find even one word in the Vedas about Temples.
In a short and tantalisingly bold speech in the register that reminded one of Swami Vivekananda’s brave soliloquy, he shook the foundations of the Indian psyche when he said, “In the Vedas, you won't find even one reference to temples. Why? Because the sages of those days were able to perceive the presence of God in their hearts without any dependency on outside objects, symbols, or mantras. How did the gesture of ‘namaste’ come into the picture? These days it has become a mere superficial ritual. The actual meaning is that when we say Namaste, we bow before the God who dwells within the other and there is reciprocal acknowledgement. Even if we understand this knowledge, we fail to create the feeling in our hearts. If I don't feel it within myself then how will I feel it in others?
So worshipping starts within ourselves. By going inwards. This journey of going inwards is the process of mediation whose culmination is samadhi. And samadhi is the beginning of our spirituality, not the end of it. It has been badly misunderstood in traditional yoga that it is the end of spiritual sadhana. Samadhi means that you have attained the state that prevailed before creation where there was perfect balance. Once we have that perfect balanced state then we can move ahead on the spiritual path.
When we have a perfect balance there is nothing to ask for, there is no conflict within yourself. Religion makes us beggars. It creates dirty corruption and politics. Even when we're children, often it is parents and other elders who teach us to perform rituals like offering prasad, donating some money etc so that we would in turn be rewarded with so much more in return from God.
You must have seen these elections recently held here in Telangana. Powerful politicians went to beg for victory at the altar of the famous Tirupati temple. When they all go there, don’t you think that even God would get confused about which one out of them should he favour?
So we try to bribe God. Women take off their gold jewellery and place them before the idols in these temples. Do you really think it will help us find favour with God? It will only serve the trustees of the temple. So many people are desperate to become trustees at such a temple in greed for the gold and money left by devotees for God.
Let's not fool ourselves. When we bow down in front of such Gods it is either in fear or in temptation. If God were ever to fulfil his devotees' wishes of paying them a visit and living with them in real life, the devotees would be unable to withstand his presence, not even for 12 hours at a stretch. They would literally run from that level of purity. Like when they wash pigs. The pigs are not happy about it, isn't it? They want to run into the mud again and again. We have become like pigs. That purity is eluding us. So even if God is within us we are unable to withstand his presence. I know some of you may have an agenda during your stay in India of going to such temples so I wanted to give you some advice, but it is up to you to do as you feel”. With that scathing and audacious words, he ended his brief address, then led them into a meditation session from 11.48 am to 12.04 pm. He took time to meet each one of them in person and also met the practitioners waiting for him on his way out. Shri Deepak Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs met Daaji momentarily at the entrance of the auditorium.
Along with him were,
1. Manish Kumar, Chief Engineer, CPWD, Delhi
2. Sanjay Kumar, Dy Director, Horticulture
3. Jyotimitra Raghuvansh, Architect
They had come to see the horticultural and agroforestry practices being followed in Kanha. Daaji gladly explained about the experiments conducted at Kanha to grow a rainforest. “We are now sure”, he told them, that “these rain guns will function to make forests anywhere”. We can attempt to grow a rainforest in this manner, in multiple locations. Such rainforests would positively impact the environment. In Delhi, the AQI (Air Quality Index) needs such innovative projects. We can even try to grow them on terraces. It will help to cool down the environment, settle the dust and remove impurities from the air.
Daaji took a group photo with ATA members. Before leaving he was speaking to some of the members of ATA. Madhu Bommineni, ATA president, told Daaji that she was hoping that after retirement she would be able to come and stay in Kanha. Daaji replied that he wished that she would stay in the US because there was a purpose to her being there by offering her services for the good of humanity.
She said, but being here in Kanha will be of spiritual benefit to me. To this, Daaji replied cryptically that even if Babuji would not approve of that he made such promises, he would still guarantee that she would not have to worry about her spiritual growth because it would be taken care of if she continued to serve in the US. However, she could always come back to Kanha from time to time when her heart called for it. But only for a short stay, he added. Daaji has been saying this to several practitioners who have asked him for his permission to stay in Kanha. Why?
Because the need for spirituality is growing exponentially in the world. Beloved Babuji Maharaj’s dream of bringing Heartfulness to every household, is Daaji’s single-minded focus. He never rests in his endeavour to fulfil his beloved’s vision. So he gives his attention in full measure to the abhyasi’s spiritual needs. And this insouciance for one’s own spiritual upliftment in favour of the benefit of humanity, which in some way reflects the hallmark of Daaji’s own colossal generosity, is what makes us real devotees.
