Sid was sitting strumming at his guitar singing a beautiful old Hindi movie song. Some of our close friends were over for dinner and we were enjoying this after dinner entertainment. Sid was of course a good singer, and a poet. Another friend, Anu, followed suit and sang another favorite with Sid accompanying her on the guitar finding the chords impromptu.
"That was amazing Anu!" I exclaimed as everyone clapped. "Come on Lalla, you should sing a Bhajan. You sing them so well," said Anu. I laughed and said, "Another day". "Hey, you guys are going to Mt. Madonna next weekend right?" asked Jameel. "Yah, looking forward to that. Need a break," Sid replied, putting away his guitar. "I've heard it's such a peaceful place. My friend did his yoga course there. I would love to go there sometime," Jameel said. "And it has a beautiful Hanuman temple, set on the hill, just like the temples in the Himalayas," I added, getting up. All our friends helped us clean up and load the dishwasher before leaving.
The following Thursday Sid and I were off to Mt. Madonna retreat center for three nights to take the Kriya initiation course being given by spiritual master Sri M. One of my friends, Savitha, had read his book, "Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master," and had already taken the Kriya initiation from him the previous year. As she highly recommended Sri M, I watched his interviews on YouTube, and I could sense he was a genuine master. Sri M belonged to the lineage of Sri Guru Babaji, the Maha Avatar Babaji of Paramahansa Yogananda. Therefore the Kriya Sri M taught was the same as Yogananda's. However; Sri M and his master Maheshwarnath Babaji were part of the 'Nath Sampradaya', which is a school of thought or tradition that descends from Adi Nath (Shiva). Sri M, I found out, was very knowledgeable. He had also studied Kashmiri Shaivism and met Swami Lakshmanjoo. As I was still a keen Krishn bhakt (devotee), it wasn't the Kriya initiation that excited me, it was spending time with a realized master that attracted me.
The drive to Mount Madonna center was beautiful as we drove through the evergreen forest up the coastal hills. My spirit was lifted as soon as we reached. It was one of my favorite places. Tucked in the hills, amongst tall evergreen and redwood trees, this spiritual sanctuary overlooked the Monterey bay, a beautiful view. On the hillside was the Hanuman mandir (temple), which was built by Baba Hari Das who was a disciple of the great saint, Neem Karoli Baba. The temple resembled the Hanuman temples in and around Neem Karoli Baba's ashram in Kaichi near Nainital in the foothills of the Himalayas.
After paying our obeisance at the temple to Sri Hanuman, we checked in and were given a room in the conference center where the meditation center for the course was located. Savitha and her husband also checked in and we went to the dining hall for dinner. After dinner there was a welcome and initiation session in the meditation hall. Sri M briefly came in to talk to us and give us a rough outline of the course. He seemed so modest and sweet, no fuss, no trail of devotees. He was wearing plain clothes, pants and shirt, not the typical outfit of Hindu Gurus. It was a small group of us, less than a hundred, which he wanted, and so he wasn't into increasing his followers. He made eye contact with all of us and after the session he walked by and talked to several of us individually. We just did Pranams as he walked by us as we didn't have any questions. Many of us stayed behind and minged. We met some very nice people who had come from all parts of the country, and we all shared our spiritual stories. The vibrations of Mount Madonna had set in and we went to sleep with so much peace.
One the first full day of the course Sri M gave us some foundational knowledge in the tradition of Kriya Yoga. He also taught us the "Hum-Sau" Pranayama or Kriya (the precursor to the ultimate Kriya technique). He said that this "Hum-Sau" technique was more than enough for those who were ready, and that collecting techniques is not necessary, but then assured the eager ones that he will give us the Kriya for which we came.
The next day we sat early waiting to be initiated into the secret and mysterious Kriya. There was pin drop silence as he started giving us an introduction to the Kriya. One of the central aspects in Kriya Yoga is the Kundalini Shakti and the seven Chakras. The Kundalini is represented as a coiled serpent that lies dormant at the base of the spine. With Kriya Yoga this Shakti (energy) can be awakened, and with practice this serpent-like energy can slowly rises up the seven chakras to the top of the head. Sri M also explained the Kriya procedure, as we all listened attentively, while some were writing down notes.
Sid and I were sitting somewhere in the middle of the hall. Sri M first demonstrated all the steps that are followed before and after the Kriya technique. Then we practiced it together for the first time. During the Kriya our eyes were closed, and at one point I felt a ray of energy emanate from Sri M and enter my forehead (the third eye). It felt sort of like a gentle electric current that traveled through my body. I didn't think of it then but pondering on this later I realized that this is what is perhaps called the 'Shaktipat', a spiritual initiation by the way of transmitting spiritual energy from one being to another. After the Kriya, with my eyes still closed, I felt my energy shoot up, as though I was about to have an out of body experience.
In the meditation after the Kriya, I saw a golden light between my eyebrows (the third eye). Then I seemed to surge or travel with this ray of light outward into space reaching a grand light form like the sun. I was inside this golden globe of light which seemed like a living being communicating with me. After sometime I receded with the golden ray back into my body. Soon after the meditation ended. As I opened my eyes slowly I saw a golden glow everywhere. Though I could also see the physical bodies and objects, everything was filled with different densities of golden light. Even the space between objects was filled with flowing scintillating golden light. I winkled a few times but it remained. When I looked at Sri M there was a huge aura of golden light around him, and a silver apparition that overlay his physical body. I interpreted that as the presence of Sri Guru Babaji. His face had a brilliant glow and I could barely look at him. I don't think anyone else could see this except me.
People were asking some questions, and some shared their experiences. Sid turned and looked at me to gauge my experience, but my mind was silent and I was still mesmerized. When the session was over and I stood up, I had so much energy that I felt a bit "high". Sid was finally able to ask me, "How was your experience?" "Brilliant...amazing!" I replied, "How was yours?" Sid smiled and said, "Very nice! Divine". I still kept seeing this golden light everywhere as we walked to the dining hall. While we were having lunch I told Sid about my Kriya experience and he said I should share it with Sri M. It was good to have lunch and feel more grounded.
We had more sessions in the day but we ended early, so after dinner all the participants got together for a spontaneous Kirtan Satsang in the veranda outside the meditation hall. Sid played his guitar. I was relieved to finally go to bed. At night I seemed to go on an astral travel. Everyone travels out of their bodies into astral realms while they sleep, we just don't remember it. However; this time I was aware. I traveled out into space in the form of a little girl, and there I met Sri M who appeared as a gray serpent with yellow eyes. We had a telepathic conversation. Out into space there was a realm with different hues of blue. Perhaps that was Narayan's Vaikunth Lokh? I pointed in that direction and pleading like a child, I asked Sri M to take me back there. Sri M looked at me with compassion and said, "What do I do with you?" I kept looking at him in anticipation. That vision ended there and I returned to my body awareness. In the morning I shared my experience with Sid, and wondered what he would make of it. "Don't discount it Lalla. I suggest you ask Sri M. He's the master. Don't hesitate, this is your chance".
It was the last day, we were back in the hall, and Sri M was seated in front starting the session. As I had a few times before in my life, I could see his astral body through his physical body. What I saw was the same gray serpent with yellow eyes! The astral body is translucent and fills the space within the frame of the body. His astral form of the serpent was so prominent that it made me uncomfortable. Was I hallucinating? I knew that the Nath Gurus of the Nath Sampradaya were associated with Nagas, i.e., serpents. In his autobiography, Sri M had mentioned this association. The Kundalini is of the form of a serpent, and in the masters whose Kundalini had fully risen, this etheric serpent can perhaps be seen. I wanted to confirm my vision and understanding so during the Q&A session I asked Sri M to tell us about the Nath Sampradaya. He was so happy to explain it to us, and he also mentioned Sai Baba connection to the Naths. Afterwards when we lined up to take his blessings one by one, he smiled and blessed me saying, "Alakh Niranjan!" [Alakh Niranjan is a term used by Nath yogis to describe the Supreme] I still had to confirm if the serpent form I was seeing was for real, so after the session I followed him out of the hall to the exit door. I called out to him, "Sri M...". He turned around and stopped. I asked, "Sri M, are the Naths associated with Nagas?" He looked at me for a second, then laughed, saying, "Do you see me as a Naga?" I replied fervently, "Yes! yes! I do! I can only see you as a Naga". He said jokingly, "And what if I hiss?" and walked away towards his car. Ah! For me he had just confirmed that what I was seeing was real and I was not hallucinating.
I went running to Sid to tell him about my exchange with Sri M, I was so excited and he so happy. What a wonderful end to an extraordinary course. I did not realize it immediately but over the next many days, a realization slowly and gently opened up within me. Was it that Sri M had just played the role of a Guru for me? Was the energy transfer I felt the Kripa or Anugrah (divine grace) that I had read about in books? Was it that divine grace that gave me the vision of golden light, the astral travel, and the subtle serpent body of Sri M? Had I just been initiated by my Guru? Wow, what a revelation! Sri M, I found out, was in the Bay Area for some private meetings and events, and I had to meet him again. Over the last few years I had started writing articles for spiritual websites and local newspapers, and was keen on interviewing Sri M to reveal this hidden jewel to sincere seekers who were looking for guidance. I contacted Sri M's local coordinator, Naresh, and got an appointment to interview him in a few days. I was thrilled, to say the least, and a bit nervous as well. I gathered a list of questions from seasoned spiritual aspirants and had to add some of my own. That night, when I was thinking of what questions I would ask Sri M, I felt his presence come into my room through the window like a bubble and then came next to me. I wondered if it was really him. Then he told me (telepathically) that he had a surprise for me when I come.
On the day of the interview Sid and I arrived at Naresh's home in Silicon Valley. Sid would assist me by being the cameraman. We were doing a live event on social media and had spread the word about it. Sri M came out from his room wearing casual clothes, we greeted each other, and he remarked that he remembered me from the course. He was so humble and treated us as his equal, with no airs about being a realized master. He and I sat on either side of the cough and we began our conversation. It was a very engaging exchange, and I was focusing on understanding his answers. In one of his replies he started narrating a story about the musk deer by the famous saint Kabir of the fifteenth century. I was looking at Sri M and it happened again. Within the frame of his body, I saw another man, and instinctively I knew it was Kabir. I was not astounded or distracted, in fact I took it with the flow of his narration, and continued with the rest of the interview without anyone knowing what I had just witnessed. After the camera was off I asked Sri M a couple of other questions that I didn't want recorded, one being about ancient civilizations and Naga Lokh. He told me briefly that he had experiential knowledge of an ancient age as he had astrally traveled to this time that existed prior to the ice age. I wanted to know more, but he had to leave for an appointment so he asked me to come back and continue the conversation. We thanked him, touched his feet and left.
On the drive home I told Sid about my experience, and wondered if Sri M was Kabir in a previous life, or was it Kabir who came within him to channel the story. Soon after reaching I messaged Naresh to give me Sri M's personal email as I wanted to ask him a question. I then emailed Sri M right away relaying the experience I had, asking him if he was indeed Sant Kabir in his previous life, and requested a confirmation on whether I should trust my intuition. He replied to me the next day saying, "Excellent intuition. Love and blessings. M". I was so happy to receive his reply, and even though he worded it carefully, I knew he was giving me the validation I seeked. He was seasoned enough to know not to specially say in writing that he was a famous saint in his previous life, that would stir controversy. I tried to meet him again to continue our conversation but it didn't happen then, and I hoped that the right time would come in the future.
My curiosity about Sri M had risen so I devoured his two book, "Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master," and it's sequel, "The Journey Continues," which is about Sri M's past lives so I found it even more fascinating. I read about Sri M and his Guru's encounter with Shirdi Sai Baba, and heard his talks mentioning his connection with Baba. There were many jaw dropping passages in the book about his past lives, such as the narration about extra terrestrials. Even more, he mentions that the Rishis were highly evolved beings of an extra-terrestrials' race that came to the planet on spaceships, landing on Mount Kailash. The passages related to this went on to say that their spaceship had broken down, and they had to wait a long time for help to come from their planet, and as their extra-terrestrial bodies could not acclimatized with this planet, two Rishis died here. Their bodies lay in mummified form in a Himalayan cave guarded by some Buddhist monks. Sri M along with his Guru saw these bodies and the parts of their spaceship left behind. I had an inclining that these ancient Rishis who lived for so long could not be of human origin. Even the Avatars, Sri Ram and Krishn must be highly evolved beings who incarnated here. So many secrets and truths about our history has been lost. They had nothing to do with religion, there is no religion in space, it's only man made religions on earth. It is about the Supreme, and cosmic order, universal existence, knowledge, and love.
I could feel the presence of Sri Guru Babaji when I practiced Kriya, and I could sense that I could communicate with him and have a connection with him. This true Guru took full responsibility of his disciple, of all disciples, and only wanted what was beneficial for those who had faith in them. I felt protected, blessed and loved. It has to be divine Grace that I had such a Guru in my live. I often felt tears of gratitude flow down my cheeks after Kriya and meditation. With his Grace and continuous spiritual practice I felt more positive, compassionate, peaceful and my intuition also became more pronounced.
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