The Song of the Seeker

Pranams. 

Something very profound, something very joyous for my heart, happened this morning, and I consider it as one of the best gifts that I ever received. No one was crowding at the gates and the gates were all open. Thanks to all of you. [soft clapping] Yes, it requires that. [loud clapping] Thank you and I hope this shall continue. 

I wanted to speak on our Heartfulness programmes, which are gaining momentum every day. Every now and then we are able to learn new things from our older practices, add up new ways of presenting our system, and find new channels through which we can propagate our system. While I was in Ahmedabad, the way we are hearing the peacock choruses here, I was listening there as well. When one peacock starts, after a few seconds another peacock starts, and it goes on. There must have been a time in India when there were no highways and tractors to scare them away. When one peacock sang its music, let out its sound, one nearby in the next village resonated with that. That created another one echoing in another village. Imagine that situation all over India. 

In our Sahaj Marg movement, I think we can learn something from peacocks – one voice giving voice to another person. One impulse from one abhyasi creates an impulse in a seeker, who becomes an abhyasi and touches another seeker, who becomes an abhyasi and touches another seeker, who becomes an abhyasi. Each time we conduct this relaxation, meditation and transmission, we should request, we should give confidence to the newcomer to also adopt the same way of relaxing others the very same day.

Once a newcomer has learnt this art of relaxing, you can give them a card or printout and say, “You can do the same thing with your parents or your family members or your friends. Try it out and see how you can help others also relax.” And if they are so touched by the first day’s experience of Sahaj Marg meditation, you can also encourage them: “If your parents are willing, the very same evening you can sit with them. Start the sitting and say, ‘Please start, mummy or papa.’ Before that you make an arrangement with a preceptor that they will be sitting: ‘I am sitting with my parents or with my friends, so please give us a sitting.’”

So right from the first day itself you are enabling seekers who have just experienced meditation to experiment on others as well. My observation shows that a newcomer is able to attract, pull towards himself or herself, many more abhyasis than a person who has spent thirty years in Sahaj Marg. Because after having spent thirty years or such a long time, we have exhausted our channels. Our contacts have gone so far. So that is our hope – that seekers should be enabled the very same day. That will also boost their confidence that, “There is nothing hocus-pocus about this thing. I can also enable others to relax.” It is one thing to experience relaxation yourself, and it is a different thing when you can relax others. So this will give them tremendous confidence on the path. 

A lot of enthusiasm has churned up all over the Mission about this relaxation and things like that. Some of us have understood it very well, and a small minority have not. If you have not understood it, please don’t rush into it. Wait until you are trained to deliver such programmes. There is nothing very special about it. What are we doing actually? We are giving relaxation commands. Before that we have already given the method that this is how you meditate, and later on we are requesting them, “Now you meditate with one of our preceptors, who is going to give a sitting.” That’s all.

There is no lecture involved, but the manner, the style in which we deliver this simple product has to be extremely well planned, not only with centre coordinators, zonal coordinators and Heartfulness facilitators, but also with the organisation that we are working with. We should have enough volunteers with us, who can be giving pamphlets, collecting other data, and answering some questions they may have. So form a team. Don’t rush into it. Don’t become a solo fighter in this. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Take it easy. Be relaxed yourself. There is no point rushing without being trained properly in this game. Slow and steady: that should be our focus. 

Again and again we request you, “Please, if you have any suggestion don’t wait for the right moment to ask someone, “Kisko yeh bejna,?” “To where should I send this question? To whom should I recommend my suggestion?’” We have simplified the email address, suggestions@srcm.org, and if you have any inquiries… even I don’t know sometimes who is the Zonal-in-Charge of a particular state or who is the Heartfulness coordinator in a particular state. It is not important that you have everything in your head. Write an email to inquiries@srcm.org and you will get the answer promptly so then you can follow it up.

But don’t be silent, especially zonal coordinators and centre coordinators. Don’t remain silent. There will be enthusiastic abhyasis who will say, “Sir, please arrange something in our institution. There are people waiting for it.” If you can’t handle it, report to us. We will send teams from other centres who can manage these programmes. If you don’t have 3 time or willingness or interest, don’t refuse and don’t remain silent, it will be counterproductive. You will become a deaf peacock otherwise.

Well, we have got to keep on singing this song all throughout the world and make our Hierarchy, our Masters, happy. The foundation for all this has been laid by our beloved Master. Babuji keeps talking about the fact that Sahaj Marg will spread throughout the world. Glory to our Master who made it possible. We have to move forward now at a micro level. You have to take the Sahaj Marg movement to heights. There is nothing parallel in this world, in this universe, with our transmission or pranahuti. We can invoke this pranahuti at will, at any time. Any abhyasi can do it. We have seen it. The moment you close your eyes, connect yourself, sometimes even before you complete the prayer, the transmission has already engulfed you. If that can happen to us, it can happen to somebody else also. You have to tell the world, “We have a unique thing with us, you must experience this.” The experience itself will convince them that, “Yes, there is something.” 

Sahaj Marg has only this; there is no knowledge imparted. It is only experience, experience and experience. There will be some philosophical people trying to discourage us. Sometimes when we go to colleges with U-Connect programmes there are rowdy boys and girls or even teachers who try to insult us. Don’t be discouraged, because more than ninety-nine percent of the feedback is that they all love it. Don’t be discouraged by that minority

Another request is at a family level. We should not create disturbance in our family life. For example, your spouse may not agree to your participating in this bhandara. Why create a fight? Why create a bitter environment at home and prevent your spouse forever coming into Sahaj Marg. Would you lose anything if you had stayed back home and listened to your partner? I don’t think so, because our Masters do understand our difficulties. In fact, in such scenarios, they will be even more attentive. So don’t force your way and create a ruckus, a kind of typhoon at home. Create peace. Keep the peaceful environment at home: “Okay, you don’t want me to go? So be it. I am fine with it.” Don’t fight. 

One of the reasons why we requested parents not to bring children to the bhandara is this. Both of them come here. Children need one of their parents at times. The child would demand the mother or father but they would fight, “No, I have got to sit today. I already babysat the child yesterday.” And there is a fight in this peaceful environment. That is one of the biggest reasons why I had requested, “Please don’t bring your children here.” Then slightly grown up children say: “Uncle, there is nothing to do here. We get bored here.” And it is true that we have no real enjoyable activity for children who do not really understand what philosophy is all about, spirituality is all about, meditation is all about.

About elders there is also a reason. During the Tiruvallur celebration, one elderly abhyasi of age eighty plus came from Jharkhand or Bihar. He came out of the train at the Chennai 4 station for something and the train left. He was stranded alone. An elderly person from North India was stranded on the Chennai platform with a poor health condition, no phone, and no money in his pocket! Imagine what must have gone through this old man’s mind and we were all wondering what happened to him. Did he fall off the train? We called the police, we called so many people, but no news. Only when abhyasis returned back home, they told us that he had returned back home. They found him at home. Somebody must have put him in the train and said: “Okay, this train will take you back to Bihar or Jharkhand.”

Another abhyasi in Tiruvallur had a high blood pressure condition, walking around in sheer frustration with a haemorrhage. And that person was not taking blood pressure medication, though it was prescribed. Had there been someone assisting this lady abhyasi, we could have avoided her death. But who would think such things? Centre coordinators at the centre level must insist, must know their abhyasis well and tell them, “If you are not well, even if you are young, please don’t attend such bhandaras.” 

Many a time, when we refuse, at that time people become even more adamant. It is like saying to a diabetic: “You shouldn’t be eating sweets.” But, no, he will always fight with his wife: “I have got to have a sweet.” The more you refuse, the more adamant they become. So certain requests when they are made, please stick to them and don’t argue with us. You will only be helping the organisers to perform their job better. 

So with these few words, a lot of thanks, especially for the morning, about which I was so afraid that there would be chaos. But I found there was a lot of bliss, peace and quiet. I hope this will also continue in future bhandaras. 

Thank you.