As our plane landed in Delhi, India seven weeks ago, Jyotish and I looked at each other and said, “This is going to be…interesting.” It wasn’t as if we hadn’t been to India many times before, but we expected that this trip was going to be different. And it was.
For one thing, it was the first time we’d come to India since Swami Kriyananda’s passing. Each of our previous visits had been with him, and I anticipated a sense of loss without his presence. Secondly, in accordance with Jyotish’s new role as Swamiji’s spiritual successor, a demanding schedule of satsangs and classes was planned in eight different areas – Pune Community, Pune city, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Noida, and Delhi.
Well, the trip was more than interesting – it was one of the most uplifting and expansive experiences of my life. Virtually every day involved at least one public talk, tea or dinner at the home of devotees, and lots of traveling.
As the days passed, I began to realize that to keep up my inspiration and energy, I needed to change the way I was thinking about things. If I looked at all the activities as succinct points in time, I felt overwhelmed. But if I released a sense of personal control over things and surrendered into a flow of energy, I felt sustained by a power that wasn’t mine.
With this attitude two things happened: I became aware of Swamiji’s presence guiding my thoughts on what to share with others, and even when there were as many as three public events in one day, I felt inspired and fresh.
To drive this point home, a lovely thing happening on the last morning before we left India. In concluding the meditation in Ananda’s Gurgaon ashram, Dhyana read the daily passage from Swamiji’s Living Wisely, Living Well. It summed up perfectly the lesson that I was learning:
“See life as a flowing river, not as fixed patterns of behavior. Leave your ego on the bank, and enter the stream of cosmic awareness. There are no limits to how much of life’s abundance can be yours, if you will plunge into the divine current and swim there joyously.”
In divine friendship,
Nayaswami Devi
26 Comments
Exactly what I needed to hear!!!!!
Swamiji & Master always use Their channels (Devi in this case) to help me to “hear” what is needed to release this ego and to be more in tune with God & Guru.
Thank you, Devi.
This sounds good,a testimony that is heart touching.It has a weight and encouraging .Thank you and may God bless you.
Your message helped me to recognize how I have been seeking refuge on the bank, hoping to restore my energy and forgetting to flow with the river to quicken my spiritual journey
Blessings dear traveling souls.
Thank you Devi, what a blessing to live as he lived.
Dear Nayaswami Devi,
This is the most helpful post for me so far. I’m very touched by this touch of light, especially the part about feeling Swamiji’s presence. Thank you..,
Dear Devi,
That is great you had such an uplifting experience in India and could feel Swami’s presence so deeply.
Much Love,
Avital
Inspiring, insightful, instructive…..
“If I looked at all the activities as succinct points in time, I felt overwhelmed. But if I released a sense of personal control over things and surrendered into a flow of energy, I felt sustained by a power that wasn’t mine.”
Thank you!
Dear ones, I woke this morning feeling depressed about my ongoing situation of unemployment. However, after reading about your experience, and particularly Swami’s quote at the end, I was once again reminded that there is a higher truth and higher principle underlying all of the little goings-on here on earth. Therefore, my current situation must be serving a higher purpose, and there are lessons for me to glean from it.
One of them, I am certain, is about learning to surrender, again and again, to the will of God and Guru. I must offer all up to this greater power, for much of what is depressing is my feeling of powerlessness when it comes to making a job manifest. I really need to drop this depressed ego on the bank, as it were, and jump back into that joyous current! I know it is in me, as it is in us all. I know–as I have just been reminded–that I am not in charge here!
So thank you so much for sharing. Keep those wonderfully inspiring and uplifting thoughts and experiences coming! I so appreciate them.
Supriya, your comment caught my eye because up till a few days ago, I too was contending with unemployment–in this case, for the second time in eight months. A few weeks ago, after I found what seemed to be an ideal, divinely given job, it fell through unexpectedly. It was hard for me not to succumb to feelings of depression like those that you mention, until I caught myself and realized that this would not be Master’s way at all! I had let myself get too focused on effects rather than causes–attached to little, limited, passing manifestations of victory rather than constantly planting new seeds of success from the unlimited, infinitely varied seed bank. After all, my power lies not in any job, but in myself! I needed to go back and reinforce my infinite consciousness–to get the flow of empowering joy going again!
So I have been stretching myself very intensely lately to focus on feeling the truth that having God, we have the greatest prosperity of all, and if we refuse to give up that consciousness, we cannot be but victorious–if not outwardly, then inwardly; as God wishes. This attitude has given me immense freedom, comfort, and perspective. It has also released in me vast amounts of hitherto buried inspiration, determination, and concentration to achieve my material objective. I have found it helpful to focus on my eagerness to serve through work, rather than on simply fulfilling my personal needs through that work.
I keep reminding myself that Swami said the one quality most necessary for success is creativity. One way for me to exercise this creativity has been to focus on how many “things” (including abilities, right thoughts, and inspiration) I can have, even when unemployed (i.e., no one and nothing can force me out of God’s flow). I truly believe that this attitude not only has been transforming my consciousness into something much more deep and resilient than it had been; it also, in a natural, unselfconscious, flowing, and seemingly almost inevitable way, helped lead me to the two jobs (the first short-term and the second long-term) that I recently attained. I see these experiences as Divine Mother’s way to help me perfect my detachment to outward things and my realization of Her as the abiding reality.
All the deeply and truly best to you, and may God manifest most powerfully in your heart and mind!
Thank you Devi. This is a beautiful message beautifully conveyed. I’m going to print and post part of it at my desk as a reminder. What extraordinary blessings we have been given through Swamiji.
Blessings, Devi
This is a beautiful reminder and inspiration. Thank you.
So happy the experience has been so joyous!
Sincerely,
Stacey
Wonderful – the flowing river. I love that. Thanks for the reminder and thanks for continuing to live, love, and share with all of us!
Beautiful. Swami is flowing through you as Master flowed through him. Tears of gratitude and joy for being with you on this path are overflowing.
Much love,
Suguna
Thanks and blessings to you Devi. Your letter brought chills to my spine as I remembered a similar experience during my trip to India.
Thanks to Guru’s grace, I was allowed to experience what you wrote about in your missive. While in Rishikesh I wanted to bath in the freezing river Ganges during the middle of winter. An angelic whisper in my ear told me to, “leave your ego here then enter Me.” I asked Master to help me with my Kriyas. The next thing I knew I was diving into the abyss. By the time I hit the water, I didn’t know where I ended and the river began. I felt the cold rushing river but I also I felt unbelievable, “Oneness.” Hence forth, my trip throughout India flowed like a river. Writing about that place and time brings me deep peace.
Thank you, Devi
Jai Guru
Dear Devi, You gave me hope, teached me to go with the flow of His Divine Energy,
I am going though the news that my husband has a malignant tumor on the inferior
pelvic bone, we dont know yet how the oncologist is going to treat it, but i do know that The Light of God never fails and it up to us to keep the that Light sparking thourgh our faith in Him. Would you please join me in prayers? His name is
Gerardo Losoya, Many many thanks, His Love embrace us all, love and peace, zunny
Dear Zunny,
We will pray for your husband, Gerardo, that God’s grace and blessings be with you both. Yes, the Light of God never fails if we keep open to it.
With love,
devi
Thank you for sharing your inspiration!
Thank you, Devi…(and Jyotish) for being such beautiful channels for Swami and Master for all of us. Thank you forever, victoria
Thank you, Devi (and Swami). Very timely inspiration! :)
Master’s blessings to you & Jyotish.,
This was the most beautiful lesson that I learnt through your post!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has given me hope and faith to cling on to life even in the most disillusioning moments. Heartfelt thanks to you……
Much Love.
Thank you for your article. Awareness of our human limitations is a manifestation of Maja’s influence on the human plane. Awareness of our unlimited potential for us humans is cosmically divine. May Masters Blessings continue to sustain you.
Thank you Devi–and Swamiji!
Very inspiring .Thank you Devi.
Beautiful and inspiring.
Thanks,
Tania
Just what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it! During the rush of activity for the holidays and at work ,which is intense this time of year, I was feeling overwhelmed. I jotted this down on an index card and I’m carrying it with me and am using it everyday. All of your touch light posts have been inspiring and helpful. KEEP ‘EM COMIN!
JOYFUL BLESSINGS,
Bobby
Thank you for the touch of light in my life. The lesson is always just what I need.
Bless you both.