Greed Lust Addiction

by Ravi Dabral

  The farmer said, “You have very positive thoughts about Mother Earth and farmers, but the irony is that a lot of farmers are committing suicide in this country and because of pollution Mother Earth is in danger.”

  I said, “That is unfortunate and needs to be changed.”

  The farmer said, “But you are a monk, how will you do that?”

  I said, “Uncle, the ashram where I live, is working on a smart village development model, wherein we will focus on improving the lives of farmers, and preserving and protecting the Mother Earth as well.”

  The old farmer said, “My best wishes and blessings are with you and your team.”

  I once again hugged the old farmer, touched his feet and left that place. There was a smile on the farmer’s face as I moved away, which delighted my heart as the ultimate dream of our ashram volunteers is to bring a smile on the faces of millions of farmers through smart village development model following the principles and mantras of welfare meditation to reform the society.

  32

  Visiting the Family

  M y village has scenic beauty, covered with hills on three sides. Tall green deodar and pine trees make the mountains more beautiful. Flowering trees of buransh with an abundance of red flowers on top were giving a charming look to the village. We are among the few families in the village who have a two-storeyed house. The ground floor is used to house domestic animals like buffalo, cow, and goats. The first floor is used by the family for a living. There is a courtyard attached to our house.

  It is common for monks to frequently visit our village while coming down from Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri after a pilgrimage to these holy places in Uttarakhand. They visit houses of the villagers for water or food and to take rest for a few hours before starting on their onward journey to the high mountains of Himalayas or returning to their ashrams in Rishikesh or Haridwar.

  I also went to visit my house as a monk. I was very excited to see my family members. My heartbeat was very high. From the ground, I saw my mother in the first-floor courtyard busy in some domestic activities. I felt very emotional and was glad to see her hale and hearty after such a long time. Controlling my emotions and changing my voice a little bit, as the original voice could have disclosed my identity; I said a little loudly, “Mataji, can I get some water?”

  In the hills, it is considered a noble cause to serve water or food to any guests, especially to monks who come to your doorstep, as guests are considered to be the representative of Gods. My mother brought some water in a jug and gave it to me along with an empty glass.

  She asked, “From where are you coming, Swamiji?”

  I replied, “From Rishikesh.”

  Mother said, “Then you must be tired, should I bring something for you to eat?”

  I was hungry, so I said, “Yes, please.”

  She requested me to come and sit in the courtyard and went into one of the rooms and brought some homemade snacks on a plate. I started eating. Then she asked me whether I wanted any tea or buttermilk. I asked for buttermilk. Whatever she was offering I was not refusing as I was hungry and also wanted to spend more and more time at the house until I could see Ujjawal.

  Suddenly, a small boy came up the staircase. He was Ujjawal. Seeing him in school dress with a tiny bag on his back and a water bottle in his hand was amazing. He looked very cute, and I felt emotional. I was seeing him after a long time; my eyes became wet. Luckily my mother was not looking at me. Her focus was on Ujjawal. With great difficulty, I controlled my emotions and wiped my tears.

  Seeing me sitting on the floor, Ujjawal came to me and asked his grandmother, “Who is this uncle?”

  My mother said, “He is a Swamiji.”

  I had brought some candies in my bag. I offered the candies to befriend him. He looked at his grandmother and was a little hesitant about taking the candies from me. His grandmother, through a gesture of her eyes, permitted him to accept the candies. He took the candies from my hands. The touch of his soft baby hands overwhelmed me, and I wanted to hug him but controlled my emotions.

  When I was talking to him, I saw a lady coming up the stairs. Yes, she was Priya. I saw a handbag hanging on her right shoulder and a small bag in her left hand. It looked as if she was coming from her workplace. I felt excited to see her after so many months.

  Mother informed Priya, “Swamiji was passing through the village and was tired; we are blessed that he has chosen our home to take some rest.”

  Priya greeted me. I wanted to talk to her to know what she was doing, but avoided speaking to her directly as I had to hide my identity and thus controlled my curiosity. I could observe that she was not looking very healthy as she went inside her room.

  Meanwhile, Ujjawal came to me and started asking many questions, “Uncle what do you do? Why do you have such long hair? Where do you live?”

  It seemed that he had become very talkative as well as inquisitive since the last time I met him.

  I said to Ujjawal, “Please sit here. Then I will tell you everything.”

  Meanwhile, his grandmother came out and said, “Ujjawal, first go and change your school uniform, only then can you sit with Swamiji.”

  Ujjawal said, “No I want to talk to Uncle first. I like his beard and moustache. I want to have a beard and moustache like him.”

  Meanwhile, Priya came out from the room after changing her clothes. She forcefully took Ujjawal from there saying, “First you change your clothes and freshen up; otherwise bacteria will attack you, and you will fall ill.”

  I said to Ujjawal, “Your mother is right, please change and come; then I will answer all your questions.”

  When Priya was talking to Ujjawal, I got a very close look at her. Her face was dull now. She also looked very weak. Seeing her after so long, I felt a kind of magnetic attraction towards her.

  Mother came and sat near me. She asked me, “You are so young; so what made you become a monk?”

  I said, “It is circumstances which made me a monk, but in reality, I do not like this materialistic world. Since childhood, I have had an interest in spirituality.”

  Mother said, “Your thoughts are similar to Suraj’s. He was my elder son but died in a car accident a few months back.”

  Meanwhile, Priya and Ujjawal also came there.

  My mother said, “This is Priya, Suraj’s widow and his son Ujjawal.”

  Hearing the word widow being used for Priya in my presence was horrifying. I asked, “Is she working somewhere?”

  Mother said, “Yes, she is a teacher in a nearby primary school where Ujjawal studies.”

  All of a sudden, mother started crying, “We miss Suraj a lot. Now we understand his importance. We used to fight with him to fulfil our demands, but now we don’t have any demands and desires because food is our first priority. That time, we were getting food easily, that is why we were demanding other things, but now we have to arrange food for survival, so our demands and desires have vanished. Whatever Suraj’s father is earning through farming and the small salary Priya is receiving, we are surviving on that.”

  When mother was crying and saying all this, suddenly Ujjawal came and started asking questions. Keeping in mind children’s interests and liking for funny stories, I tried to reply to his questions. He touched my beard to see if it was genuine. He asked whether I went to office and I said, “No.” Then immediately he said, “But my father used to go to the office daily.”

  I asked him, “Where is your father now?”

  He said, “He has gone to meet God,” and started crying.

  I asked, “Why are you crying?”

  He said, “It’s a long time, now he should come back. Whenever I ask my mother and grandmother when my father will come back, I don’t know why both of them start crying. Uncle, you tell me when my father will come back. You please take me with you, I want to meet him.”

  I said, “Have patience. He will come soon, but only if you eat your food on time and do your school work sincerely.”


  Priya also came there and scolded Ujjawal saying, “Do not trouble Swamiji.”

  Ujjawal said to his mother, “Mom, please take my photo with Uncle. I will show to my friends that I have a monk friend.”

  Priya asked me, “If you don’t mind, can I take your photo with Ujjawal?”

  I hesitated, but then Ujjawal again requested, “Uncle, please.”

  I agreed for the sake of Ujjawal’s happiness.

  Meanwhile, mother said to Priya, “It’s lunchtime; please prepare some food for Swamiji also.”

  I said, “No, now I should leave.”

  Mother insisted on my staying for lunch, but I said, “No. I will come some other day.”

  Ujjawal said, “Uncle, please stay for some more time and have food with us.”

  I saw an old person coming up the staircase. I recognised him as my father. As soon as he came near me, mother introduced me to him, saying “He is Swamiji and we are requesting him to stay for some more time and have lunch with us, but he is refusing.”

  I looked at my father. I think he was coming from the fields. My father said, “Swamiji, please stay for some more time and have lunch with us.”

  I said, “It’s already 2:00 p.m. and I have to take the last bus for Rishikesh which I have heard comes at around 2:30 p.m. If I miss that bus, then I will not be able to reach Rishikesh tonight.”

  My mind was urging me to stay for some more time, but my intellect was telling me to leave, as staying for more time would get me emotionally involved, particularly with Ujjawal. Now, he had started talking a lot, and I wanted to enjoy his chattering for a few more hours.

  My father was always a straightforward and practical man. He said, “Swamiji, if you have to take the 2:30 p.m. bus, then you should leave now.”

  Ujjawal said, “No Uncle, please stay here.”

  After listening to my father’s straightforward reply, I picked up my bag and started moving towards the stairs.

  Ujjawal started crying, “No Uncle, please don’t go, stay here.”

  I said, “My friend, I will come again. You please take care of yourself, your mother, grandmother, and grandfather, and focus on taking your meals on time and doing your homework.”

  Ujjawal, while crying said, “When you meet God, please tell him to send my father back. I miss him a lot. Tell him I will eat my food on time and will do my homework.” Listening to this from him, Priya and his grandmother started crying.

  Leaving the house was a very heartbreaking moment. Ujjawal was crying very loudly. That is the time I realised how difficult it is to live without a family. When I was leaving, everybody including Priya came to the courtyard on the first floor. I saw there was sadness in Priya’s eyes, the sadness of being without a husband.

  After this meeting with Ujjawal, I wanted to come back to my family as soon as possible. But then the thought of my bigger family, that is all the farmers and villagers, came to my mind. They needed our help. I was thinking of Guruji’s words that emotions are the strings that connect all of us as a family, society, and world, and the desire for material things without skills and eligibility causes conflicts and weakens this string. I came to the roadside to catch the bus. I checked with the other passengers who said that the bus would be there in another five minutes. The bus arrived, but it was full. The conductor said it is risky, but the only space available was on the top of the bus where four or five people could sit. I had no choice as this was the last bus, so I sat on the top of the bus. When the bus started moving, from a distance I could see Priya and Ujjawal still standing in the courtyard watching towards me. I waved to them to say goodbye, and from a distance, I could comprehend Ujjawal saying, “Uncle, please come again.” When the bus took a turn on a curve, I saw that Priya and Ujjawal were still standing there, and Ujjawal was waving his hand. Seeing them one last time before the bus took a final turn made my eyes wet. Now I could not see my house, Priya and Ujjawal, because the bus was moving on the other side of the hill. Suddenly tears started flowing from my eyes.

  On my way back to Rishikesh, I was thinking only about Ujjawal and Priya. As the bus passed by hills and trees, I remembered some sweet old memories with their pictures coming in front of my eyes. I was thinking how sad it was that I had to live in this condition far away from my family. Also, I wondered why they had shifted to the village. Did Vijay send them back to the village? I hoped he had not sold the apartment. I was thinking about his irresponsible attitude towards life and our family. I figured out that if he had been a responsible person, all the family members would have been staying together.

  Thinking about all this I reached the ashram around 7:00 p.m..

  33

  Vibrant Yoga

  G uruji said, “Today before we end our self-reform course, I will prove to you the powers of body and mind through Vibrant Yoga. The name is so because while doing this yoga our body vibrates due to the activation of all our seven chakras or wheels inside our body.”

  Guruji added, “Please remember to correctly chant Om which you learnt during your yoga and meditation sessions. You need to chant Om using your abdomen for the letter A, diaphragm or chest for the word U and throat for the word M stretching it in such a way that finally the loud sound of combined word AUM or Om comes from the mouth with your breath coming out from both nasal passages.”

  All of us were seated in the big Peace Hall. After doing initial yoga postures for ten minutes, and meditation for five minutes, Guruji started chanting Om, and we all followed him, keeping our spine straight with our head and neck erect in a straight position, ninety-degree angle to the floor. I am sharing my personal, vibrant yoga experience. I am sure all the learners in our group must have experienced similar sensations.

  After around two minutes of continuously chanting Om, when my body, mind, and intellect came in synergy with the seven chakras, my body started vibrating. It was like experiencing an earthquake, but this time within my body. The whole body started vibrating with full force. During meditation, my eyes were closed. I felt a light shining at the centre of my forehead between the two eyes, known as the place of the third eye. I was breathing in from the left nostril and breathing out from the right nostril.

  This vibrating body process continued for almost five minutes. My body was sweating; it felt as if all the toxic elements were coming out in the form of sweat. From inside my body, I was able to feel that my internal organs were rejuvenating. My mind was not able to think anything. My heartbeat was fast, and blood pressure was moderate. My mind was almost thoughtless which is considered as the initial position of meditation. I was not able to think of any sad or happy moments in that particular situation. I was enjoying this vibrating body process which was a blend of various energies—mechanical, heat, chemical, radiant, electrical, sound, and nuclear. The seven chakras were activated with the help of Om. It was like I was dancing but in a sitting position without any extra effort from my side, as if I was on an autopilot dance mode. There was complete silence in the Peace Hall. Only some sound could be heard which might have been because of the vibration of all the bodies.

  Suddenly, I heard Guruji saying, “Now, I am deactivating this vibrant yoga. I will chant Om initially in a loud voice, and slowly and steadily you all please decrease the loudness of Om sound. Please don’t open your eyes till I instruct you to open them. It may be possible that at the last stage of this vibrant yoga some of you may start crying or laughing, but don’t worry; it is normal. You can continue to cry or laugh as long as you want. This is considered an indication that your bad memories or unfortunate incidents as toxic elements have come out of your mind and memories, as a sign of completion of the vibrant yoga.”

  Guruji started chanting Om. We also followed him by chanting Om. Slowly and steadily our bodies began to stabilise. The vibration in our bodies slowed down and suddenly stopped. The moment the vibration in our bodies ended, mixed crying and laughing sounds could be heard in the hall. I don’t know why, but I started laughing. I
could hear some of my batchmates laughing while others were crying.

  I could understand the reason for my laughter. While laughing, the thoughts that came to my mind were how I was taking revenge on all the crooks, and all the actions were as funny as those shown in Bollywood movies. Pictures of me, with a gun in my right hand, riding a horse in Robin Hood style, killing all the crooks one by one, and then disappearing in the forest, were flashing in my mind. In another scene, I was performing black magic wearing a black gown looking like a tantric, killing all corrupt politicians in the country and ticking off their names on my list of evil people as target accomplished. I was remembering these episodes and laughing loudly without any embarrassment, inhibition, and hesitation. During this laughing process, I realised that whatever toxic thoughts were in my mind were extracted out.

  This process went on for the next five minutes, and suddenly we all stopped crying or laughing, but our bodies were still sweating. Once this process was over, we all looked at each other and smiled. This smile was a smile of happiness and satisfaction that we were relieved of our toxic elements. It was a kind of enlightenment for us, as we understood the powers of body and mind. All of us were sharing our experiences as to what we had felt during the vibrant yoga. We also shared what came to our minds when we were laughing or crying after completion of the vibrant yoga. We were amazed at how our bodies were vibrant on autopilot dance mode without any effort from our side for almost five minutes.

  After completion of the vibrant yoga and meditation session I realised that positive thoughts generated in our mind can make us happy and contented. Negative thoughts, vices and revenge can lead to tension, depression and self-destruction. Positive approach and positive attitude in life are such precious qualities which remove vices and toxic elements from our mind and generate other necessary virtues to purify our soul to live a virtuous, righteous, and purposeful life.