From SRCM (California-1997) Guru's "Recent Speeches":
Comments by 4d-don are in red italicsThe First Exposure to the Guru
Talk given by Master on 17th April, 2009 at Tiruppur, India.(...)
I remember now the first Basant Panchami I attended in Shahjahanpur. In '64, Basant Panchami had already finished. My father had in fact been made an abhyasi during Basant Panchami. Because unfortunately on that occasion, from Chennai I had to go to Bombay on my company work, so I missed. This was before my visit to Shahjahanpur. So I became an abhyasi only after I returned from Bombay.
In '65, I attended Basant Panchami. I had only heard of it, that it was Lalaji's birthday, the day on which (as Babuji said), this divine personality came down to earth. We were very few; I think in those days Madras had three abhyasis (my father, myself and one Reddiyar - a tall person who lived just opposite to Mr. Vira Raghavan) and some people came from Tirupati I think, where there had already been a centre. In fact, it was one of the first few centres.
(According to old abhyasis in Europe, and mentionned in Chari's autobiography (ego?), Chari's dad, after being part of the SRCM for a few weeks, was traveling across Europe claiming to be a "Master" of SRCM. That is the respect for Babuji, and the arrogance that finally divided the SRCM (California-1997) from the disciples of Babuji. This is also the stage where the "commercialization" of the SRCM began with the purchase of castles in France, Switzerland, that brought about the warnings from Dr. Varadachari, now Master of the ISRC break-away group, founded by his son, Narayana)(...)
Because even today, I am very much at home in Uttar Pradesh. I may criticize the way people live there, the filthy way in which they conduct themselves, and lack of manners, their arrogance, their pride, you know - all things which generally people who have nothing, have.
(The wealthy judging the POOR, and claiming less "arrogance" or "pride"? WRONG!!) It is a strange thing, but one who has nothing has more arrogance than one who has everything: more arrogance, more pride.
(Silly and Sad... Pre-JUDICE) I have known beggars
(made up story and almost an outright LIE) being very proud and when somebody gives them a little more than they expect, they look at the fellow and say, it must be black money, you know things like that. They
(who are "they"? more prejudice and made up "morality", and falsely attached to the imaginary "POOR") have no respect for the giver because they know what they are worth, what they deserve. And when they get too much out of charity, they hate the charity. So you will all have experience in life that when you try to do good you are always hated, people don't like you, people avoid you, people calumnise you, talk evil of you.
(not the case for some...many, ... for some, the intention behind the charity is more "obvious" than the action of giving, and hence the RE-ACTION Chari talks about. Such as sucking "charity" money from other countries to build a "private school" for the children of the wealthy, and call it "CHARITY".) (...)
This attitude of holiness, of a reverence which comes from your heart and not from your head - we don't find it now. Perhaps it is the comfort that we have in our ashrams today.
(That is not the case for most of us... Just for the likes of YOU!! Is it not time for you to TRANSFORM and CHANGE rather that preaching at the POOR and the SIMPLE... US) (...)
I remember some people who used to sit and eat with total concentration on the food. And Babuji used to whisper into my ear, "Look, they are eating like pigs." (arrogance that comes from Chari, not Babuji) Only food! They have forgotten Master, they have forgotten spirituality, gulp gulp, like that, you know, and talking to themselves: "Chapatti is cold, daal is cold." What the Master gives is amrit (nectar). To think of it as food, makes you go into the error of thinking that this is cold, this is hot, this is chapatti, I am a South Indian, I would have liked rice, or things like that you see, "There is only one small piece of aaloo [potato] in the daal…" (Don't believe any of it... It is a "made up" tale for the sake of "manipulation" so they can give you "cheap food" and charge you more so as to maximize their PROFITS)
You know how much we suffer from our sophistication, our civilization. (you mean "your", we don't live like that) It has led me to believe that civilization is an enemy of spirituality. (Another enemy for Spirituality according to Chari. First it was the "bloggers" who were the "enemies of Spirituality, and now all of "civilization" and watch it become the "WESTERN Civilization". It is easy for Religions and cults such as SRCM (California-1997) to profiteer from GUILT!! ) In a sense which western people may not understand, the more sophisticated, the more educated, the more civilized, the more we are out of touch with God and more in tune with science. Tentatively (and purely as a matter for discussion and future thought), we can almost say that knowledge is the devil. (What a silly statement!! I guess that is why the wealthy in INDIA want to profiteer from our western "MONEY" and our "technology" but still want to claim that their "SPIRITUALITY" is superior?? Wrong!! That is so RELIGIOUS ... first is was: the MIND is the Devil, then, LOGIC is the DEVIL and now: KNOWLEDGE is the DEVIL but not Chari's knowledge that he, as a "chemical engineer" and the CEO of a Tube Mill for one of the largest consortium in India (TTK Group), used to enrich himself and the "shareholders" at the cost of the workers and the PLANET (resources and pollution). Because knowledge makes us lose faith in what we should have faith in, and makes us have faith in what we think we know, forgetting the fact, which as a famous saint or lady of South India called Avvaiyar said: what you have learnt is but a fist-full of mud; what you have not learnt is the Himalayas - even to the best educated. ( I agree with her, not with Chari)
And of course modern neurosciences confirm, especially brain, science of the brain, knowledge of the brain, the greatest people have said that, the wisest human being has not used more than nine percent of his brain capacity. And with that we (you) are so proud, we (you) are haughty, we talk of Nobel prizes, we talk of intellect and stimulation and foolishness, ill-educated beggars - pointing to Indians on the street. And unfortunately this attitude came when judging or trying to judge the guru himself. (Oh no! They are judging the GURU?? It should be the GURU judging the "serfs"... The revolution has started) People talk you know, "Arre," and they would shyly ask Babuji, "How much have you studied?" He would say, "Maybe fourth or fifth class," and laugh hilariously. The laugh was, I later understood, telling them, try to understand what you can do with the barest education. It is unnecessary. Even that is unnecessary! (Yes! I agree with the lady mentioned above: Don't learn anything from SRCM or Chari! It is all MUD from the swamps and not the lofty spiritual knowledge of the MOUNTAINS) It was not derisive laughing at your education or your eminence. He said, "If that is all I have, you see, it is enough." And he laughed like a child which picks up some bone or piece and brings it to daddy with utter glee and says, "Daddy, look what I found."
(...)
I find unfortunately that most abhyasis are happy when their
prejudices are fulfilled.
(Just like their master... YOU! They are your "clones"! Don't you like them? They are also arrogant, un-forgiving, and lacking in LOVE! Are you Proud of your CREATION of MATERIAL without the SPIRITUALITY that you promised through BABUJI? ) You know, Babuji would stoop and pick up a piece of paper on the grass. "How wonderful Babuji is, you know! He keeps the garden clean." He ate half a chapatti, sometimes one. And he told us that when he went to Fatehgarh, in Lalaji's time,
he said he had met him hardly ten times in his lifetime.
( That is the devotion that one should emulate: Babuji's towards his MASTER ... He did not join, become a member, or a preceptor of Lalaji's groups be they his (Lalaji's) family's Sufi lineage, or Dr Chatterbuhj's RamAshram. So what is this traveling to India for a (or many) "birthday bash" every year? THAT IS to feed CHARI's large EGO! ) Hardly ten times! And he said, "I used to eat only once a day, and that, half a chapatti. Because we should not strain the guru's resources." Our people nowadays, they eat six chapattis. "
Arre, Guruji is giving us. It is all prasad." They are willing to eat two lunches, forgetting this principle that the guru's physical, material resources maybe very little, and in that he has to feed too many, and therefore we should eat the minimum that we need. Not look for taste, not look for satisfaction, but just to keep body and soul together - eat what is necessary. This was the first principle of etiquette, or shall I say, civilized behaviour, because this is true civilization, in knowing what to do, where to do and how to do it. Lost!
Even to Fatehgarh once he landed up rather late, nine o'clock at night, winter. He slept on the granite step outside Lalaji's home. He did not knock on the door and say, "Why don't you open the door sooner? I am freezing here." And when Lalaji opened the door at four-thirty or five in the morning, he found Babuji sleeping there - or lying there. And he said, "Ram Chandra, why did you not knock?" And Babuji kept quiet. He did not answer.
Don't strain your guru's resources - civilized behaviour. (Oh! Now the Guru does not want to give like Babuji allegedly did. The abhyasis should emulate the Guru and Chari does not want to emulate "Babuji". Double Standards? No! Chari does not want to be "bothered" by the many "fans" who want to "worship" HIM, their materialist IDOL. Careful what you wish! They are your "addicts" and you are their "IDOL"...You created the situation! ) Don't disturb him unless it is absolutely a matter of life and death - second principle. Third principle, of course, is even more civilized: don't ask questions about things about which you don't know what questions to ask. "Does the soul exist? Does God exist?" (Chari has "no answers" and does not like the role he created for himself, by himself.) Sometimes he would just laugh off some questions. He said, "If God did not exist, you would not be here to ask this question." But then the people who wanted to show off: "Yes, yes, but, Babuji, how do you mean that I would not exist? Am I not a product of the biological condition in human beings, that the union of the two produces the third?" et cetera, et cetera.
When we ask questions we exhibit two things. One is of course our ignorance, which he knows! He knows that we have no wisdom at all, except perhaps some vestige of wisdom from past lives which brought us to him, because it is a matter of good fortune. Good fortune, whatever it is, we say it is God's grace that brought me to the guru's door, or vice versa. More, it betrays our desires. "Babuji, do you allow smoking?" Nobody who does not smoke asks such a question. (Wrong! It was a legitimate question as "Babuji smoked" the Hookah)
You know, Babuji's eyes, I told you, they were like the deepest you can look into - no end. And when he looked at you, there was no curiosity in what he saw, what he looked for. It was just an unfocused look. And I think he was able to penetrate into you through your eyes. That was why most people turned away, even when asking questions. "Babuji, do you think we can meditate three times a day?" And Babuji says, "Haan, haan, if you have time, you may do it," and he [the abhyasi] is looking this side. "Babuji, is it all right to meditate five times a day, only ten minutes each time?" (silly, and made up stories)
In turning away from the Master's gaze, in our fear of looking or having him look into our eyes, we betray our animalism, animal instinct. No animal, be it a tiger or a lion, can look at you and bear your look. You look and, growl, it goes. (Chari shows his ignorance of animal behavior, and NATURE! Don't try that in Nature! It's just a "tall tale". The Master of the so-called NATURAL path, is not well-versed in NATURE!) You can see it in the circus. (Yes in the SRCM circus. Does Chari not know the difference between animal behavior in a "Prison", and animal behavior in NATURE?) Strangely, the gentler animals are able to do it. (WOW!! And he teaches that and some believe that. I guess if one is so dumb as to live according to that lack of Natural knowledge of roadside Gurus, then they should be food for the smarter (predators) animals in NATURE ... ) So all our fierceness, all our power, all our arrogance, and 'belief in myself', all that goes. People did not like Babuji looking into their eyes, (WRONG! Ask old abhyasis and trust them and believe them! ) even the highest evolved of those days, except a few. (not Chari) So we should have the courage, if not to look into his eyes, at least to let him look into ours. Because, it is like you go to a doctor, and he says, "Strip," and you can't say, "No, no, I am very shy." He doesn't want to see what you don't want to show. He wants to see for diagnostic purposes, and unless you permit him, he cannot do his diagnoses. It is as simple as that.
So Babuji's first look was enough. He knew everything about you: past, present, and of course, the future was always known to him, because the future for all of us is the same - evolution into the highest. (Chari is creating a myth that Babuji was "GOD" so his "fans" will transfer that "all knowledge" to Chari, as he thinks himself to be his "successor". All Religions do the same and we call them: the opiates of the Masses! We know that they lie and "make up stories". ) But whether we would do it or not, was always for him a big question mark. I was surprised that Babuji said, "You know, I have given to him but I don't know what will happen." I said, "But you must know." He said, "I know what should happen, but I do not know what will happen, what can happen. And of course I know what must not happen. You see? But how to protect?" He said, "We can protect animals. (wrong) We can tie them up. We can put them in enclosures. (That is "protection"? to be later slaughtered? WRONG!! That is like saying that "Ducks Unlimited" protects ducks!! ... for hunting and hunters!! ) But you cannot tie up a human being." "So, Babuji, what is the way?" He said, "This is where their destiny will come into play. If they use this opportunity without diversion, without deviation, I am telling you their goal is certain in this life. But I can only help, I can only guide, I can also pray for protection. But if their will power is stronger, the more stronger the will, the more damage they can do to themselves, if they are on the wrong path."
So you see, we have to not pre-judge the guru. In fact we are not to judge him at all. Like we should not judge food, or evaluate its taste. (As fools? Of course one should judge anyone who sells you a product, (specially food). And as well, question their product, be it "salvation", "liberation", or FOOD) "Not enough sugar, not enough salt." It is for sustenance, it is to help us to keep alive, and in that attitude of knowing, understanding, acceptance, if you eat, all food is good for us, even the simplest (wrong, and silly and meant for the obedient gullible and naive. It is the typical games of the capitalists and the salesmen of "PRODUCTS". "TRUST us and don't judge us or our products", they say!). Not to judge him as a human being, because our capacity to judge is only with measuring tapes and weighing machines and blood samples. It does not mean I do not respect the medical profession, but even the best doctor knows that one evening he can judge a patient to be in good health and one hour later, hear that he had a heart attack and died.
Life and death are beyond a doctor's purview, and if they are making efforts to understand, they should understand that body parameters do not have anything to do with life, because life is intangible, it cannot be known, it cannot be felt, it is eternal, (Is that right? NOT) but apparently it is short when in a human body. And so in that span of time (which Babuji said is like going to school), whatever be the length of your life, it is school, and we must learn the lessons of that school so that we evolve out of the school and either go on to higher institutions of knowledge (which there are infinite) in a disembodied soul's state, or unfortunately if you have to do it, return for a fresh year of education. (Chari's fate?)
The first thing is: the guru is the guru. Tradition says, the guru is higher than God because God cannot show Himself to you but the guru can show Him to you. (Believe that if you want to.) And as Babuji said, "Other than life and death, in between the guru can do anything. (Megalomania! Chari talks about himself to "frighten" and control his serfs) But always with the proviso that his guru must permit or Nature must permit." We see utter humility in the guru, and we see total lack of it in abhyasis. (vice versa) We see utter simplicity in the guru, lack of it in the abhyasis. (vice versa) Guru has no prejudice. (Wrong... Chari has prejudices! As the many disciples of Babuji!) Even when he knows what you are, there is no question of liking you or disliking you. But unless we train ourselves… Everybody says, you know, "Babuji I want to become like you." He says, "Haan, haan. It is good." Praising the idea or praising the intention, but waiting to praise the achievement.
So the first exposure to the guru was very important. It was the door opening to eternity which, if you had just stepped across, would have taken you away forever, lost. First bhandara, Basant Panchami - he has taught us so many things, but strangely, most of us forgot when we left. After the ashram was built, Babuji was always there till the crowds had gone on the final day. And then at about ten o'clock - because morning six-thirty was meditation, it was over by seven-thirty, breakfast over by eight, eight-thirty, nine; people leaving. Then he would leave for home (after the ashram was built). I have gone with him in the same rickshaw from the ashram to his house, passing hundreds of abhyasis on the street. Nobody even looked up or recognised him. Nobody! ( made up story... not a fact)
So what do we go there for? Are we serious about what we are looking for? Or are we just going to re-evaluate this phenomenon that we call the guru, judge the sitting, but by what? "It was cold and you know there was a kankad [stone] under my… we sat mostly on stones, and…", you know. And judging the physical environment: the lack of comfort, the simplicity of the food, people even criticising it. "Yeh kutta bhi nahi khaayega [Even a dog would not eat this]," I have heard people say.
So these two things we must always remember. What should be our attitude when we are with him, in his presence? (Chari is talking about himself! Ego!) If we don't imbibe or imbue ourselves with those very absolutely essential qualities of this feeling of awe, looking at him. (Awe is nothing but love and utter respect and worshipful attitude mixed together, it is not fear. Unfortunately from awe has come awful which has a totally different connotation.) And what we take out of that house when we come out, do we, in a sense, make it permanent within us? Does it show in our respect for everybody, in our love for everybody, in accordance with Babuji's teaching, "Love all whom He loves'? (Chari's invention) "Love Him who loves all',(quote from Babuji) in a sense, many people are able to do to some extent, maybe minimal. But He loves all. ("He" means the "male" Divine) Do we love all? He respects all. Do we respect all? He lives simply. Do we live simply? (Do you?) He speaks the truth very nicely, very lovingly. Do we do it? (do you?) He doesn't ask questions; "What are we doing?" I have never seen him asking, "What are you doing? How much money do you earn?" "You come." He did not know the names of most people, but he knew you. Today we know names of people but we don't know the person.
You see, invertendo is manifesting itself in every aspect of human existence and behaviour. He was knowledge-less, but all wisdom. He was emotionless, but all love. If you are serious about wanting to become like him, should there not be this emulation? (Tear down your Ashrams (Churches) , give the money to the poor, and live simply, not surrounded by marble, gold lions and manicured lawns adorned with statues and pictures of "YOURSELF") You may live like a king, you know. It is said of Raja Janak (Janaka the great, the father of Sita) that he was the simplest being even though he lived in a palace and was a chakravarthi [emperor], because here [the heart], there was no attachment to anything. (now we see the "rationalization" of wealth by the "capitalists" and the "elite". "If God (male) did not want me rich, I would have been born poor". One can still give all the WEALTH to the POOR, rather than sucking from the poor to build more "ASHRAMS".)
There is a well-known story of the young boy Shuka (who was a saint, who was the grandson of Vyasa), that he was sent to Janaka for education. So he came with his palm-leaf book tucked under his armpit, entered the palace and sat next to the king in his bedroom. The king was on a royal bed of gold, sat in silk cushions, and girls all around him fanning him, applying sandalwood paste to his body and all sorts of things. And in his mind came, "Where have I come and what for? Is this fellow going to teach me anything?" (The thing which I also experienced, I told you.) And at that moment one of the palace attendants came and said, "Majesty, there is fire in the city." The king did not respond. Ten minutes later another attendant of the palace came and said, "It is around the palace itself, Majesty." Then somebody came and said, "The palace itself is on fire." And suddenly the bedroom and its curtains were on fire and Shuka took up his bundle and was running away.
So Janaka said, "Come here. To where are you running?" He said, "Fire!" He waved his hand and the fire disappeared. So Shuka said, "What is this?" He said, "You were thinking I am a very ordinary human being, which of course I am, but you judged me from wrong parameters. You thought because I am in a palace and I am resting on satin and there are girls all around me, I could not be this and that and that. And you, who claim to be the wise grandson of Vyasa, et cetera, et cetera, with this bundle of palm leaves, you are running away!" And Shuka was brought to his senses, you see. So a wise youth like Shuka could not judge what he saw.(And Chari could not stop the Flood at the Ashram! Stories to fool the kids and the "gullible").
And then in the tradition, there is the story of Brahma and Vishnu trying to judge Divinity, and it is like a pillar of fire - one goes this way one goes that way, there is no end to it. So we cannot judge what cannot be judged even by the greatest. We cannot know what even the highest cannot know. We can only accept as an entity. We can only accept with love and gratitude the assistance that we get, and make that bond closer and closer until we fuse.
(Let us not mention the stress and even "suicide" and attempted murders, of those for whom Chari arranges "marriages", the "divisions" in the families of abhyasis and in his own society, the other alleged "mean-spirited" treatment of some members of SRCM (California-1997), as told in testimonials, and now on-line in blogs and on Youtube. Do your research and believe nothing that is said by this group. Check all the statements and keep a sharp eye and ear for "manipulation" by "businessmen" and salesmen who are "johnny-come-lately's" at spirituality and use Spirituality like RELIGION, to profiteer, much as they use their material "products", not wanting you to check them out or verify their promotional statements. THEY simply want you to "OBEY" and PAY! )
