THE TRANSFORMATION

There are two things that guide our way of life. The first one is Divine Grace and the second one,
yet the most important one is our karmic imprints. Divine Grace will not wipe out the existing
karma; however future karmas will not accrue. Divine Grace is possible only when we surrender
unto the Divine through our mind. There are certain practices to reach the goal of our lives,
Liberation or cessation from transmigration. Living is always painful to everyone. Difficulties
and challenges will come from any source. Neither happiness nor sadness is perennial. Most of
the times, they will take turn to be with us. This is how karma acts. Now the question arises
about the purpose of following spiritual path. When we are praying day in and day out to God,
why He makes us to suffer. Sufferings are due to our karmic account and prayers have nothing to
do with experiencing our accrued karmas. What we had sown, so we have to reap.
There is a distinct differentiation between religious life and spiritual life. Former is related to
body and mind and latter is related to prna (breathing), mind and consciousness. Religious life
is always associated with the material world. For example, performing puja, yaja, etc. They are
called ritualistic worship, where we have to use both our body and mind. Here mind is active. On
the other hand, in spiritual life, mind is to be quietened down though prna, which gives us
access to purest consciousness. The purest form of consciousness is Brahman. (Conscience is
different from consciousness.)
Transformation from ritualistic path to spiritual path is difficult, as we are used to these kinds of
worships for a long time. However, ritualistic path is absolutely necessary for a strong spiritual
path. Ritualistic path lays strong foundation for perfect spiritual path by inculcating certain dos
and donts. Based on ones exposure to ritualistic path, one puts his or her step forward towards
the Divine by entering into spiritual path. All Upanis ad-s, philosophies and Vednta teach
spiritual path. Though the goal is same (Liberation), there are many paths to the destination. In
general, following are the steps in spiritual path.
1. Spiritual path begins under the guidance of a teacher or spiritual guide, who is often called as
Guru. Without a Self-realized Guru, moving forward in spiritual life will be too confusing. First
step in this direction is initiation of a mantra. There should be only one mantra and too many
mantras will cause confusion resulting in stagnation. All gods are same and this is the first thing
that should be understood in spiritual path. This is what Upanis ad-s and Vednta reveal. In the
initial stages, a devata is visualised with a particular form. This is only to improve the level of
our dhran a (intense concentration of the mind upon some object).
2. Immediately after initiation, the initiated mantra is chanted with a murmur with lip
movements. This is necessary to ensure proper pronunciation of the mantra. A mantra loses its
potency if it is pronounced improperly. First, a japa ml is used and the number of repetitions
are counted. Later on, when one becomes conversant with the mantra, japa ml is dispensed
with and he or she starts mental recitation. Concertation at this stage is fixed on either on the
mantra or on the devata.
Each bjks ara causes subtle vibrations in our psychic body and combination of various
bjks ara-s cause movement of energy from lower parts of our body to the upper part of our
body.

3. When the intensity of vibration is profoundly felt, dhran a on the form of devata is shifted to
the vibration. We have to note here that form of devata is unreal and the feeling of energy is real
and is experienced. This is a crucial state. There will be a confusion in this stage as to where to
concentrate on the mantra, or on the devata or on the vibration at the forehead. This stage has
to be divided into three parts and each part can approximately vary from 15 days to a month or
even more, according to intensity of practice. In the first part, mantra is to be concentrated. This
is the period where one should attempt to align his or her breath with the mantra. When mantra
and breath are synchronised, mantra is embedded in our subconscious mind and this is the stage
where the mantra is made to repeat in the mind perpetually. In the second stage, mental rendition
of the mantra enables us to focus on the form of devata more profoundly. After the mantra is
made to sync with breath, we should consciously attempt to slow down our breathing rate. All
these combinations cause subtle vibrations at our forehead area and over a period of time, this
vibration is more intensified, which makes us to fix our attention here. During this time, our
concentration on the form of devata wanes away. This is the stage when mind gradually gets
detached from the material world. That is, we are not disturbed by external sound and bodily
discomforts. Now meditation is triggered automatically, without our conscious efforts.
4. From this point onwards, we are not associated with any form of devata. We learn that God is
omnipresent and there is no need for us to seek Him outside our body. Now with this in our
minds, we begin to mediate using various techniques as advised by Guru. During this stage, our
mind is purged of all impurities and as a result, our consciousness (awareness) also becomes
pure. The purest form of consciousness is God. Mind is the cause of my and when the mind is
pure, obviously we reach the Self within. Here again, there are many stages and these stages are
nothing but the intensity of meditation which leads to samdhi, known as trance. During samdhi
we become one with the Self within and regain our consciousness after sometime. From this
point onward, no Guru is needed and Divine Force will take us over and lead to the end of our
spiritual journey.
5. We have to always remember that first we have to understand and realize my, only then the
Self within can be realized. Divine Force or my is known as akti and the Self within is known
as Shiva. To put it in other way, unless akti is realized, Shiva cannot be realized.
6. During meditative sessions, we have to keep away from lamps and incense sticks, as they will
affect the quality of prna. It is not necessary that one should sit on the floor and meditate. One
can sit on a chair or a couch. If one is resting his or her back against the wall, there should be a
pillow between the wall and the spine.
6. Gurus guidance and instructions overrides every other thing.

BASIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES

1. Yogic breathing:
Before we proceed to actual breathing practice, it is important to understand and
practice diaphragm breathing, also known as yogic breathing. In many of us, when
we inhale, our abdomen contracts and when we exhale our abdomen expands. If
this is the trend of breathing, it should be modified in such a way that when we
inhale, our abdomen should expand and when we exhale, our abdomen should be
contracted to the extent possible
2. N i ohana Prn yma:
(Based on Hat hayoga Pradpaka and Yoga Cd man iUpanis ad)
Hat hayoga Pradpaka has allotted an entire chapter (chapter 2 consisting of 78
verses) for prn yma. This chapter begins by saying, After mastering sana-s,
attaining self-control and diet control, one should practice prn yma. When the
breath is not steady, mind is also not steady. When nd i-s are impure, prn a does
not enter sus u mna. Nd i -s impurities can be removed by inhaling through left
nostril and after holding as long as possible, exhale through the right nostril. Again
inhale slowly through the right nostril (through which exhalation was made) and
again holding for a specified time, should exhale through the left nostril. This
should be practiced for three months and all the nd i-s will be purified. Yoga
Cd man i Upanis ad also conveys the same meaning, except that it says that
complete purity of nd i-s can be attained in two months of practice.
There are twelve stages in nd i odhana prn yma. Stages depend upon the
duration of inhalation (praka), holding of breath within (kumbhaka) and
exhalation (rechaka). For practicing the first three stages, no particular sitting
postures have been suggested. However, it would be ideal to sit in padmsana
(lotus posture) or (ardhapadmsana) half lotus posture. These postures will be
discussed in later parts of this series.
To begin with, one can take any comfortable posture to sit. While sitting, there
should be no tension in any parts of the body. Little finger and the ring fingers
should be used to close the left nostril. Middle and index fingers should either be
folded or extended outwards. These two fingers should not be placed at jcakra,
as this could cause varying degrees of pressure on both the nostrils. Thumb should
be used to close the right nostril. While closing the nostrils, very moderate pressure
is to be applied on the nostrils. Similarly, instead of closing the tip of the nostrils,
an inch above the tip of nose can be used to block the breath. However, one should

not hold the breath beyond their holding capacity. Holding capacity will increase
over a period of time. Always inhalation should be faster and exhalation should be
longer.
There are twelve stages in nd i odhana prn yma. All the twelve stages can be
mastered in a matter of two months. It is easier to practice the first six stages and it
is going to be difficult to practice the next six stages, as the holding period and
exhalation period is more here. Holding period mentioned here are only indicatory
and one should not hold breath beyond ones capacity. Holding breath beyond
ones enduring capacity will even cause death.
In two months, we have 60 days and the chart below will explain how all the
twelve stages can be practiced in 60 days. This chart is only indicatory in nature.
Numerals in inhalation, retention and exhalation are only in counts and not in
seconds. Approximately 1 to16 can be counted in 8 seconds. Let us take the
example of retention period in XII below. This means that breath should be held
here for 32 seconds or less. But this will be too strenuous. Therefore, it is advisable
to stop at VII below and further practice should be based on ones holding capacity.
Stage

inhalation

retention

exhalation

ratio

uration

slow

nil

slow

NA

3 days

II

slow

nil

slow

1:0:1

3 days

III

1:0.5:1

3 days

IV

1:1:1

3 days

1:4: 2

3 days

VI

16

1:4:2

3 days

VII

24

12

1:4:2

4 days

VIII

32

16

1:4:2

5 days

IX

10

40

20

1:4:2

6 days

12

48

24

1:4:2

8 days

XI

14

56

28

1:4:2

9 days

XII

16

64

32

1:4:2

10 days

TOTAL

60 ays

This schedule is for a period of sixty days. One can make minor adjustments in the
number of days. In particular, Stages VII to XII should be practiced very carefully.
One should not hold breath beyond ones capacity. Once stage XII is reached, one
should continue to practice this forever. Further, unless perfection is attained in a
particular stage, next stage should not be practiced. It is also not mandatory that
one should follow this 60 day schedule and can comfortably be extended to suit
ones convenience. From stage VII, one can allow sufficient gap between two
rounds. Numbers in inhalation, retention and exhalation are counts. One can count
mentally. The basic principle is that inhalation, retention and exhalation should be
in the ratio of 1:4:2. Under any circumstances, retention should not exceed 4 times
of inhalation, As far as exhalation is concerned, counts be increased if possible. As
a principle, inhalation should be faster and exhalation should be slower.
It is important that prn yma, bandha-s and mudra-s should be practiced only in
empty stomach and should not be practiced when hot weather prevails. It is
advisable that these practices should be done only during early morning or late
night, when stomach is empty. In general, there should at least be three hours gap
between food and practice. Any deviation from the prescribed norms will cause
general health impairment.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE - DIVYA

PADMANABHAN

Just like every other event/happening in my life, I knew about meditating from my mother,
grandmother, aunt and so many other people I saw in my day-to-day life. At one point in time, I
thought that it was not meant for me and didn't show a pinch of interest in it. But, there was
always this nagging thought at the back of my mind, to try to experience it once, to really know
what meditation is or what meditating feels like.
And then one day, out of the blue, a friend of mine introduced me to a person. He first got me
talking about myself. Basically he was working on me like a psychiatrist to bring out the things
in my mind, infuse me with a lot of "dont-worry-everything-is-fine" and similar positive ideas.
And then he altered the mantras that I already chanted, to suit the current happenings in my life.
And once I was progressing with it, he got me started on meditation. And exactly one year into it,
he has made me capable enough to talk or write about it with clarity.
Before I elaborate on my points of view, I wish to roughly define meditation. Meditation means,
looking into oneself, understanding the self and the relationship between the individual self and
the Ultimate being.
The outcome of meditation is a peaceful state of existence, a certain inexplicable happiness and
the eventually resulting state of being in Samadhi- achieving oneness with the Universal
Consciousness.
When I began meditating and as I continue to do so, there's one point that strikes me like a
boulder: none of the meditating experiences are new. They are as lucid as sleeping. In fact, I
really think everybody goes through some meditation, in at least one thing they do in their daily
lives. It could be working, cooking, singing, driving, or travelling or even bathing. And there's
one fact that needs more mention than everything else: each living creature actually meditates
every day, when asleep. The sense of freshness and calm, the peace of mind that we all feel as
soon as we wake up every morning, is because we have all been in a deep sleep meditation.
Every living and non-living existence has direct access to be in the Universal Consciousness.
In reality, Vedanta is all about observing sleep... All of us feel a sense of sukham (I don't think
there's an exact translation for the word "sukham") in sleep - whoever it may be and wherever
one may be. We never want to wake up from sleep. Remember how happy each one of us feel
when we realise that there's some more time left to continue sleeping before we have to wake up
and attend to our daily chores. That happiness is priceless. And that is because, while asleep, we
experience oneness with the Parabrahmam, or universal consciousness. We forget our body, our
mind is turned off and our ego is not working.
And this happens to everybody, isn't it? Irrespective of whether its a multi-millionaire or a
beggar on the streets; whether a man bound by morals or the person who is serving a sentence in
the prison, we all go back to being one with the Parabrahmam in deep sleep.
Conscious meditation helps experiencing the happy state in sleep, in the waking state as well.
The intensity of this happiness we experience might vary in our waking state, but definitely, it
does exist, in some subtle manner. And meditation is all about becoming aware of this.
In my opinion, any action done out of creativity or inspiration in the waking state results in
perfection because the doer of the action has to forget one's individuality to be able to attain even
a little amount of perfection. And when someone forgets one's ego, individuality and involves
oneself deeply into the action that results in meditation.

We have great works in art and literature, because the artists and the writers became one with the
art of creation.
We have beautiful singers and expert musicians today because, they forget themselves while
performing and merge into the music they create
We get tasty food every day because our mothers have become expert cooks, so deeply involved
and committed to the art of cooking. In fact, traditionally, cooking is supposed to be a sacred
yagna that nourishes one's body, mind and soul
Exclusively for absolute beginners like myself:
To understand what a meditative state is, its necessary we experience the state atleast
once. Definitely, it's not rocket science. And here are a few suggestions on how we can go about
it:
Comfortable posture: Get in to a relaxing posture, after washing your hands and feet. It might
be sitting on a chair, squatting on the floor or lying down on the back and close your eyes. But
the key is to relax.
Relax: Give a suggestion to yourself to relax. You can probably put yourself on a countdown of
ten to relax. Ultimately, you need to make sure that your posture doesn't distract your relaxation
state
Unerstan your min: It's a sure thing that once you are settled with your body, your mind
starts working overtime. Thoughts start flooding, and you will be surprised at how many
unnecessary things come to your notice. But, the point here is, you need to know that this flood
of thoughts, which is called the mind is not the real you. So, start a chant.
Chant: Now, consciously begin a chant in your mind. But the chant should be something
positive or neutral but never a negative idea. Here are some suggestions for a chant:
1) I am happy (alternatively, Anandoham in Sanskrit)
2) I am fine.
3) God's name. Any name of your favourite deity. Could be Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Jesus, Allah,
etc.
As you begin chanting and continue to do so, you notice that you are consciously continuing to
chant but your thoughts keep coming up, they overwhelm you and gradually your chant stops
and you are concentrating on your thoughts. When this happens, give a suggestion to yourself to
chant again but never try to control your thoughts
Observe yourself: As you continue to chant in spite of the various obstacles your mind seems to
throw, an understanding dawns on you that the chanting part of you is parallel to your thoughts,
but not the one and the same. Now, observe your thoughts. Don't control your thoughts. Just
observe and witness your thoughts. Over time, you will also observe that the thoughts have
slowed down or stopped altogether

See yourself being somewhere eep within: At this point, you will probably notice that you are
already in a deep place within yourself. Your breathing would have slowed down. You can feel
that you exist in a remote place within yourself, all happy and absolutely peaceful. This is the
meditative state. You might not see images or visuals, but some light or absolute darkness. In the
meditative state, you are entirely aware of all things around you but still, you feel like you are in
deep sleep.
Stay there as long as you can: Try and stay in this meditative state for as long as you can. And
when you think that you are coming out of the state of silence, you can give suggestions to
yourself.
Time to put new ieas into yourself: You can give self-suggestions to solve the problems in
your life or to find answers to your questions. You can visualise that your health improves, your
career soars to a new high and your relationships are getting stronger. It can be any positive
visualisation
Thank the universe for proviing you: Showing gratitude towards the universe, makes you
feel good and actually fosters abundance
Guie yourself back to the waking state: Slowly, and gradually, guide yourself back to the
normal waking state. It just feels like waking up from sleep. You feel energetic and happy, which
is a reflection of your deep meditation. There are no hard and fast rules to meditation and no
fixed time frames. Though, its possible that initially, you may take 30-45 minutes and
experiences vary in terms of intensity from person to person. As you continue to practise, the
time you need to get into the deep meditative state reduces to something as less as 2 or 5
minutes.
Coming to the point I was trying to make:
We can actually notice ourselves being in the meditative state, when we do something we like or
something that naturally comes to us like singing, cooking, cleaning, writing or being at work.
Its just that we miss out on observing that we are in a state different from our individual
consciousness while we are deeply involved in an action.
We are all given abundant chances to understand that we are one with Parabrahmam. It is
unfortunate that most us fail to observe this fact. And conscious meditation is a process that
teaches us to observe, simply witness and just be.
Indeed, everybody meditates. Any real happiness we experience is a reflection of the
Parabrahmam. So happiness is not in the things you see outside, but in the eyes of the seer,
within you.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE - JAMES

COWAN
What I am about to talk about is my experiences with spirituality. I have been asked to share my
story for the benefit for others who are interested in finding God. Let me assure you that what the

scriptures speak of is real. It is not a dream that you will never reach. You can achieve the goal of
liberation, without any doubt whatsoever. If you do exactly what I have done, there is no
question you will succeed in this very lifetime. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants, the
ancient rishis who discovered a way to bring the divine into our lives. Many people do yoga and
learn about hundreds of different techniques and rules and restrictions, but others like myself,
simply did one thing over and over again until Divine Grace made the process automatic. This is
truly all that is needed.
My name is James, I am 29 years old and live in Australia. At the time of this writing, March 13
2015, it would be 15 months ago I began mantra japa sadhana under the guidance of Ravi,
progressing from Bala to Maha Shodasi. I am not vegetarian, have done very little yoga, perhaps
5 or 6 classes of hatha yoga. I also have had very limited knowledge of any religious scriptures,
or spiritual concepts and had never chanted a mantra before. I don't know why, but I just felt I
wanted to chant and see what would happen, and was initiated by Ravi the very day I discovered
this site. I didn't really have a goal in mind when I started sadhana, and I can't say I was really
attached to getting something out of it. I read about liberation as a concept, but I did not think
about this at all. I was also concerned that I wasn't good enough for any kind of liberation
because I ate meat, knew nothing about yoga and felt that there were many around me who were
much better people than I was. At that time, I felt I was nobody.
I was taught to align the Maha Shodasi mantra with my breath, with each line of the mantra
mentally recited according to inhalation and exhalation while focusing on ajna chakra. This was
the only method taught. By aligning with the breath, I was taught that the mantra would
eventually repeat perpetually in my subconscious mind. It was called ajapa in Tantra. I had many
doubts along the way, but Ravi always gave me encouragement and reassurance. I very much
enjoyed japa, and sometimes did it for 8 hours continuously.
Very early in my sadhana I experienced the feeling of bliss when reciting the Maha Shodasi
mantra. I had never experienced anything like it before. Sometimes the bliss was so strong that I
would cry. I was told by Ravi this was the presence of the Divine Mother. I never had darshan of
Her, but the bliss started to stay with me always, even when I was not reciting, and this was more
than enough. I did not need to see any kind of form or vision because I knew she was with me. I
felt the bliss come from my heart region and it would go from there to the rest of my body. Often
the bliss would cover my whole body from head to toe until I could not sense where my body
was. When this occurred, I would simply lie in bed and observe what was happening in the
moment, and feel the bliss. At this stage, I was actually meditating but did not realise this. I did
not know much about meditation at all.
After about 7 or 8 months of japa, I noticed that the mantra was sometimes repeating itself in my
mind throughout the day, without any effort. It would happen unexpectedly, often when I wasn't
doing anything in particular, or if I was sitting and observing my thoughts. I also noticed that
sometimes I would hear the mantra in my dreams. It was the vibration that was felt and known
rather than heard. When I would wake in the morning the mantra was the first thing I heard in
my mind but in the early stages I heard it for a while and then it would vanish. I took this as a
sign of encouragement to keep doing intense sadhana so the mantra could stay with me always.
It was only a few weeks after I noticed the mantra repeating itself on occasion that the mantra
began repeating 24 hours a day. Every waking moment was mantra and in my dreams it was
mantra. I was very amazed that this could even happen and many of my doubts vanished by this

point. I was just surrendering to what was happening. The mantra repeating always was like a
refuge for my mind. No matter what was happening in my life, I just always came back to the
mantra. It was like the loveliest song I ever heard, my favourite song. I look back with sheer joy
thinking of the grace I experienced during that period. It makes me smile even now.
I also recall during that period that I observed a state of mind where it appeared my mind was
completely free of thoughts. This occurred every few days. For instance, when I was driving my
car, at times there was no mantra at all, no thoughts, I was just witnessing what was happening in
the present moment. There was no effort in these moments, and since I was clear in mind it
seemed everything around me took on a dream-like quality and time seemed to speed up. I later
learnt that this state of mind was called turiya, the fourth state.
It was around this time that I started simply lying down in my bed after mantra japa and just
observing how I felt and what I was thinking about. I noticed that I didn't really have any
thoughts in my mind at all, as the mantra would become like background music and then vanish.
This would go on for some time, perhaps 20 minutes. Then, to my astonishment, I felt that my
body and the bed below me were a single energy. I had merged into the energy of the bed. There
was no difference. I also felt the border of my body and empty space, like the air around me,
merge into one energy. There was no difference at all. During my meditation I did not have an
object to focus on. I would just close my eyes and observe darkness and silence. This was what
felt natural to me. I found I could dissolve my body without effort on a daily basis with
everything around me. Time seemed so fly very fast during my meditations. My sense of duality
started to become challenged at this early stage. What if every energy and everything in this
universe was but one single energy? Could it be?
I was happily progressing along in my journey with no real difficulty whatsoever. However I
observed that sometimes i would experience a kind of energetic shock or ripples or waves of
energy that would move up and down my spine. It was similar to bliss, but something far more
unpredictable and uncomfortable. It would become so strong that it would make my eyes flutter
and it would be difficult to keep my eyes open. I learnt that this was kundalini, which is nothing
other than the Divine Mother, a feminine energy, and essential for an aspirant to reach the highest
levels of spirituality. For the most part, physical kundalini symptoms have been very minor in
nature for me and not really much of a concern at all.
One morning something miraculous occurred. I awoke and of course heard the mantra repeating,
but I felt very energetic, like I was very motivated to achieve something. It was a strange
sensation. Then, I walked to my car and started driving and I had this feeling like I could achieve
anything I wanted. It was like a willpower, but a billion or even a trillion times an energy that I
thought I was capable of as a mere human being. It was cosmic or universal, a feeling so
enormous that I found myself just grinning from ear to ear in astonishment. I also felt a kind of
love I didn't know could exist, a love so complete and eternal that I swear I could have pulled the
car over and just hug a complete stranger out of compassion. The energy of will and love
intensified to such a degree that I was screaming at the top of my lungs in joy and banging the
steering wheel. I don't know if I cried tears of joy but I certainly could have. It was a moment in
time that has been burnt in my memory and I will cherish until my death. After this the energy
subsided, and I calmed down somewhat, but things started changing after that point in
miraculous ways.

The next significant event that occurred on the journey was actually when I was asleep and
dreaming. In the dream it appeared I experienced thousands and thousands of dreams. I was
waking up within the dream itself and re-living very similar scenarios, meeting the same kind of
people, chasing the same kind of goals and meeting certain desires. This kept happening over and
over again. I was frightened because I thought I was going crazy and would be stuck in that
dream forever, and I would be all alone and trapped in a maze in my own mind. But then I heard
the Maha Shodasi mantra repeat in the dream and I knew I was dreaming and what I was seeing
wasn't real. I knew I could dissolve the dream and simply meditate. When I gained this
knowledge, I woke up from the dream, quite shaken about what had happened, and the mantra
was no longer repeating constantly. Still to this day, the mantra does not repeat anymore. I don't
know whether I was experiencing memories of past lives in the dream, but I felt at the time that I
was being tested somehow, in terms of my attachments and what I truly want in life.
However after that point everything changed quite dramatically for me. My mind felt different.
Everything felt clear. I was in turiya all day long and it was like I didn't even need to think about
anything anymore, except what was happening in the present moment. No past or future seemed
relevant. I was just staying in the moment. At this stage I was still very doubtful about my state,
because I honestly felt like he same kind of person, but things were happening to me that simply
could not be explained other than the presence of the divine.
After the period where the mantra disappeared, I started having visions of a very tall figure made
entirely of Light. It would appear out the corner of my eye, sometimes standing over my bed
when I awoke and other times it would manifest directly in front of me randomly. I started
having these visions regularly, perhaps every few days. Initially I was frightened, because I had
never seen anything like it before, but today it is like spending time with a family member or a
best friend. Ravi cited scripture references to Brahman or Shiva, the creator of our universe
being made up of Light, and I can say without question that the divine presence can only be that
figure. I cannot describe the blessing of having this vision and I cherish beyond description
seeing the Light. I am filled with awe and gratitude and thank God every day for being with me,
and the Light is often with me to this day.
Words cannot adequately describe my meditation experiences from that point when the visions
began. I will attempt to describe what I have been through. It is profound beyond words. One
thing I started to observe was the presence of subtle sounds that accompanied the bliss from my
heart area, the anahata sounds. At first, I heard something that resembled sand being shuffled on
a metal sheet. I had to listen closely and keep my mind free of thoughts to hear the sound. Then, I
would hear other sounds like a bell being struck far away and the sound travelling to my mind.
Other times it was like a flute being played, or a drum. Every day was a new sound that I heard
in my meditation. Still to this day I can hear some kind of sound at all times, even during the day,
without closing my ears at all. However there is one sound that is louder than all others. At first I
thought it was thunder or a rumbling of vibrations, but now I know that it is none other than the
sound of AUM. I would compare it to like some sort of celestial choir made up of all possible
sounds, or God himself just humming because he can. I hear AUM at all times, but especially
when I am still and the environment around me is calm.
At night, after work, I am now always meditating as it seems the most natural thing to do. I could
not imagine anything but meditation. I could spend every minute of my life in meditation. It is a
time to speak to God, listen to God and surrender to Him, to silently thank God for all the
blessings in this life. However, I had many doubts about whether I was meditating correctly, or

what to do. I had read a lot of concepts about different levels of samadhi that a yogi could
achieve, what they are to focus on, how long someone is to practice to achieve the highest States
like nirvikalpa samadhi like the great saints.
I never thought I would even dream of states like that unless I was a yoga master living in the
Himalayas or by the Ganges River. But what I discovered is that none of these concepts really
matter at all and in fact people should forget about anything that attempts to categorise
meditation as they simply lead to confusion. All that I did and continue to do is close my eyes in
darkness and silence. That is all. I have no object to focus on. Sometimes I put ear muffs on
because I used to live next to a noisy train station, but my approach has not differed in the
slightest. I just lie down on my bed. I don't perform any kind of painful meditation poses like the
full or half lotus. What I experience is the thoughtless state, but there are one of three things that
I have consistently observed when I experience samadhi, or all three simultaneously.
The first, is that after a period of time in absolute thoughtlessness, a part of my body will twitch,
like a hand will move up in the air slightly, a foot will move, or there will be trembling. This is
not like what is experienced when someone first starts meditating, and the body jerks because
stress or tension is being released in the nervous system. The trembling that occurs when I go in
and out of samadhi is more subtle.
The second observation I have gone in and out of samadhi is that there will be some sort of
experience, insight, vision or memory that very subtly goes in and out of the mind, but I can't
remember details. It is like smoke coming off a flame and vanishing in the air. But the insight is
never lost, it is more integrated into your understanding in an intuitive way, but consciously your
mind was completely subdued. You know your consciousness has travelled a vast distance across
the universe, gathered up Light, and then came back into your body to make yourself this Light. I
was taught that this occurs in samadhi when the consciousness exists though the sahasrara chakra
to become one with God, Siva or the Universal Consciousness, however, this occurs completely
automatically and without conscious awareness.
The third observation for me personally that I have slipped into and out of samadhi, is that the
sound of AUM will momentarily become distorted, like the room is filled with sound, then for a
second the room is silent, then the vibration of AUM is heard yet again. When I wear ear muffs
during meditation this becomes very obvious for me, because there is no outside noise at all, like
people chatting or the sound of traffic, all I hear is AUM. At the time of this writing, I honestly
do not know if I sleep anymore, or whether I am simply in samadhi 10 hours a night. The borders
between sleep, dreams, samadhi and meditative visions have vanished. I am not concerned with
categorising any of these levels of consciousness, but rather, I am learning to simply let things be
and surrender to what IS.
Although I have been blessed with an astonishingly rapid advance on the spiritual path, and I am
still sometimes confused why I have been seen as worthy by Shiva, the journey has not been
entirely without challenges. Every new experience is a test of courage and resilience. The first
night when I experienced many hours of samadhi, I awoke and experienced extreme trembling,
to the point where I struggled to walk because my legs were shaking and my vision seemed
blurry. I was almost crawling around helplessly and knew that if I woke up anyone in my house,
the ambulance would have likely been called, and I might have been locked up in a mental
hospital because billions of people on this planet would never understand what I was
experiencing due to ignorance. I made a silent prayer to Shiva to help me overcome the situation

and I immediately felt calm and tried to go to sleep, but I was covered with sweat and was
shaking with anxiety. However, Ravi assured me that trembling occurred because the
consciousness was outside my body for many hours in samadhi and that this phenomenon would
go away in time. I have not experienced any kinds of trembling since that night, and now spend
many hours in blissful samadhi every single day, and thank God for his infinite blessings.
My daily state and reality is changing every day. Sometimes when I have been meditating for
long periods of time and my consciousness has been travelling through space and time in
samadhi, I get quite forgetful about things that have happened, and many other pursuits or
interests I used to have now lack the lustre they once had. I have also felt that my body appears
hollow, or empty at times and the very ground I am walking on does not feel solid but is rather a
whirling mass of energy and my body merges with the energy until we are one. Ravi tells me I
am evolving into the final state of turiyatita, the highest possible state of consciousness, where
all things take their origin in the unmanifest universe. I have been to this place in my meditation
and it is a lonely place where nothing exists, not the sound of AUM and not even God. It is
beyond anything that you can imagine. One second in that place results in extreme time dilation,
often 30 minutes or more go by in the blink of an eye. I was initially afraid to go back to that
place because it is frightening to experience, but now I merge with that Light and nothingness
every single day. It feels like home now.
What I know without a doubt in my mind is that not only are the scriptures the absolute truth in
regards to the existence of the Creator, who Vedantins call Shiva, but that in fact every single one
of us is made up of this Universal Consciousness. We are no different to Shiva. There is no
difference. I see the presence of God in everyone I meet and everything I see. We are truly all
this one energy. You can realise this Truth even if you have not done a single class of hatha yoga,
read not one line of the Bhagavad Gita, or eat a normal diet. What I have come to realise is that
you will have the best chance of success to scale the heights of spirit if you ignore everything
you think you know about spirituality, yoga, meditation, scriptures, and religion. Forget
everything. It is irrelevant. You don't need to be a yoga teacher, a swami, have any fancy titles
before your name, you don't need to bend your legs behind your head and bounce around like a
basketball or observe all these ridiculous dogmatic restrictions that seem to be so prevalent in
society, even for sincere seekers. You don't need to go to ashrams, or donate money or do any of
those things. Forget it all. All of these things were simply irrelevant for me personally. I only did
one thing over and over again, aligning an initiated mantra with my breath. That is what you
should do also. Once I firmly established the mantra in my mind though ajapa, the process is
almost automatic and is entirely due to Divine Grave. This is all that you need to do. Just go for
it and don't look back. Become like a child and surrender, be in the moment always and don't
think of the past or the future.
What I have detailed here is my exact experiences during the last 15 months of my life, to the
best of my recollection. I sometimes cannot believe what I have gone through, and every day
something else occurs that simply takes my breath away. I know the rest of my life will be
nothing less than an absolute miracle and it is an honour to share my story for those who intend
to walk the same path. My infinite thanks, love and gratitude goes to Ravi, who I consider my
teacher, best friend and spiritual father, who has been with me through everything and who I look
forward to staying connected with for the rest of my days in spirit. Everything Ravi has said
would occur in my journey, has indeed occurred. It is only possible for this to happen if someone
has walked the path himself, and is now serving others with no thought of reward or financial

gain whatsoever. Ravi will probably threaten to beat me with a stick for heaping praise on him,
but I do not care Ravi. Beat me if you want.
If anyone has any questions or doubts about what I have written, please do not hesitate to contact me on the below email. I will always be happy to help guide those who are interested in embarking on this wonderful divine journey. I
wish you all the success and happiness into the future.