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Saturday, December 5, 2009
As a young man the great Guru Nityananda, a name meaning “always in bliss” was acknowledged by those with whom he came into contact as a great spiritual being, whose presence evoked awe from those around him. It was reputed that many miracles happened in the presence of Nityananda. He is considered one of the most beloved saints of India and a true “avadhut,” one who has risen above ordinary consciousness and duality.
Before the age of twenty, Nityananda became a wandering yogi, spending time on yogic studies and practices in the Himalayas and other places. During his many travels and sojourns, Nityananda was to have a fleeting encounter with a boy who eventually became his disciple. This boy was Swami Muktananda who wrote a book about his guru: Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri.
Nityananda spoke rarely, mostly in simple sentences directing people to “eat,’ “go here,” or “do this.” If it were not for the collection of Nityananda’s utterances on scraps of paper that a female devotee named Tulsi Amma eventually collected, we would not have the Chidakash Gita, Sky of the Heart, upon which to rely.
Nityananda’s wisdom was conveyed by transmission of Shakti rather than upon reliance of wisdom through words or thoughts. From 1922-1924, when visiting his disciple’s homes, Nityananda began to speak from an exalted state of consciousness, uttering the famous verses to be eventually included in the Chidakash Gita. His devotees began to collect them on scraps of paper. Nityananda would begin these utterances by saying “Uncle Arjuna, come and listen, Grandfather Krishna is going to speak.”
The meaning of the Chidakash Gita is “song of the Chidakash,” meaning wisdom emanating from Supreme Consciousness. Described as pure meditation in verbal form, when one reads the words of Nityananda, one is immediately transported to entering that same space of consciousness from which the great guru Nityananda speaks. Typical of Nityananda he did not care whether or not these words were published. However, Tulsi Amma saw to it that the collection was indeed published, and the first English version was published as the Chidakash Gita in 1940.
The teachings of Nityananda were always very simple and practical. In the Chidakash Gita, Nityananda outlines what is necessary to achieve final liberation and always mentions the necessity of a guru or spiritual preceptor. Nityananda does not lose his reader with a long and arduous philosophical tract of words that are difficult to understand. Nityananda simply states that God is in humankind and humankind is in God, and there is no difference between the two. All are reflected in the same mirror that is the Heart Space or the Chidakash.
Nityananda further states within the Chidakash Gita, that liberation cannot be attained until Kundalini Shakti is fully awakened by a Siddha Guru and that the goal of a human birth is to achieve liberation. Nityananda further exhorts his devotees that the time to attain liberation is now through sadhana. Sadhana for Nityananda is the willingness to turn away from worldliness and the willingness to destroy attachment to sense pleasures. Finally, Nityananda always emphasized the primary value of direct spiritual experience over mere theory.
It is interesting to note that all aspiring yogis have heard words similar to these, but when one reads the Chidakash Gita, in its simply stated and resonant words, one realizes deeply within one’s heart that these are true words spoken by a great Guru.
Rare pictures of Nityananda are seen in Nityananda In Divine Presence as well as available at Ma’s India.
Hail to the Great Guru Nityananda!
by: Mas India 0 Comments
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