In the interview, Sathya Sai Baba said that if you practice yoga breathing techniques, your health will improve, your emotional state will level out, you can feel a surge of energy and discover additional intellectual abilities. Sathya Sai Baba not only spoke about the benefits of yoga breathing practices, but also personally demonstrated how to perform these exercises correctly. I was happy to hear such detailed explanations of the basic techniques of Kriya Yoga, because at that time I practiced such exercises a lot.
Some time passed and I came with another group for the next interview, in which people asked Sathya Sai Baba a question about yoga breathing practices. He laughed and began to make fun, saying that all these exercises were completely useless and meaningless. Health from this would not be better, peace of mind could not be gained from these techniques, spirituality could not be increased. Then, after a pause, he began to parade comically, showing how some yogis do breathing exercises.
I left his room completely confused. What to do? How to understand Sathya Sai Baba? Why does he say completely opposite things? In an irritated state, I came to my room, not knowing what to do next.
I thought that if Sathya Sai Baba was really a spiritual teacher, then he should give clear and precise instructions to his students, but instead he only made things more confusing. Having calmed down, I decided to think more deeply about what Sathya Sai Baba said to try to understand why he said it. Once again, I had an amazing experience, which allowed me to see that Sathya Sai Baba was able to feel the audience and give an answer that was useful for the people who were listening to him at the moment.
Perhaps it was useful for someone to practice basic or advanced techniques of Kriya Yoga, but for someone else it was not. Sathya Sai Baba could also sometimes test the sincerity of a disciple who asked for guidance in spiritual practices. Is the person really interested in the practice of yoga and meditation? If the interest was sincere, then such people received detailed instructions.
25. Those who practiced the Gayatri Mantra a lot established a deep mystical connection with Sathya Sai Baba
Of course, everyone who came to the ashram really wanted to have the opportunity of personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. Only Sathya Sai Baba himself made the decision to invite or not to invite someone to a personal conversation. How could one influence his decision and still get the opportunity for personal communication? Was there such a way? I think yes! There is an ancient mantra called Gayatri. This mantra occupies a special place in the Vedic culture.
Sathya Sai Baba said that the Gayatri Mantra includes the wisdom and energy power of all Vedic scriptures. One who constantly practices the Gayatri Mantra receives the fulfillment of all good desires and the destruction of all evil inclinations. Gayatri mantra reveals the divine potentials dormant in every person, this mantra develops supernatural abilities and increases intellectual capabilities. The one who practiced the Gayatri Mantra a lot established a deep mystical connection with Sathya Sai Baba, attracted his attention, and received many blessings.
During those years I practiced Gayatri very intensively and that was one of the secrets why I gained plenty of personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba. The more I chanted Gayatri, the more often he invited me to his place. If I stopped practicing the mantra, he would stop communicating with me. There were times when my practice of Gayatri turned into a round-the-clock continuous process.
I always chanted Gayatri while sitting in the temple, walking down the street, and while eating. Even when I was sleeping, I continued to chant Gayatri. During the heat of the day, I found secluded and cool places where I continued to chant the Gayatri. After several years of intensive practice, this amazing mantra began to show results. As soon as I sat in the lotus position and closed my eyes, I immediately left the physical body, and my soul in a subtle body flew away to the worlds of pure light.
If a group wanted to get the opportunity to communicate directly with Sathya Sai Baba, they began to sing the Gayatri mantra together. The circle of the rosary is one hundred and eight beads, people sat together and chanted the mantra one hundred and eight times. Literally two or three days later, Sathya Sai Baba would definitely invite them for an interview.
I remember that when this happened the first and second time, many people thought it was an accident. Then people began to notice a certain pattern between the practice of the Gayatri mantra and the number of interviews. Some took advantage of this opportunity, and most knew, but were lazy.
I remember literally running around the ashram and organizing groups to practice this wonderful mantra together. There were a lot of Russian bands that I managed to get into regular practice. I did not stop there and, at some point, organized several Russian-German and Russian-American groups to chant Gayatri together daily.
Those who began to work intensively with this mantra received interviews. Sathya Sai Baba was absolutely clairvoyant, naturally he felt the vibration of the mantra, and he sensed exactly which group was actively practicing. This principle worked more often if the whole group chanted the mantra together. For example, if half of the group chanted the Gayatri mantra and the other half of the group did not, then no miracle happened. Thus, Sathya Sai Baba showed the importance of joint spiritual practice.
26. The Gayatri Mantra is a powerful power plant, but where to direct the energy depends on your thoughts
The Gayatri Mantra has an amazing history. According to some reports, around 5500 BC, Rama Avatara lived in the north of India. However, some sources indicate that Rama Avatar lived during 20,000 B.C. Indeed, the history of the Vedic civilization is amazing and ancient.
When Rama Avatara was still a young man, he studied under the sages Vashishta and Vishwamitra. Rama was born into a royal family, but in those ancient times, even princes had to be educated by sages. Education included mathematics and astrology, literature and music, medicine and agriculture, military science and construction, as well as philosophy and meditation.
The ashrams of the sages Vashishta and Vishwamitra were located in the Himalayas. I have repeatedly visited this picturesque area in the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. The climate here is very comfortable and mild winters give way to hot summers.
Vashishta and Vishwamitra lived in their ashrams with their spouses and children. The ancient sages were family orientated, thereby showing an example of a correct harmonious life. For the ancient saints, meditation was perfectly combined with family happiness and housekeeping.
Vashishta and Vishwamitra knew that Rama was not an ordinary prince, but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, so they paid special attention to his upbringing. Rama was the first student taught by the sages to practice the Gayatri mantra. Thus, the tradition of repeating this amazing mantra dates back to those ancient times.
In the ‘60s, Sathya Sai Baba visited the Himalayas several times, including visiting the place where Vashishta's ashram was located in ancient times.
The Gayatri Mantra is written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the oldest language, from which a huge number of modern languages came out. The purity of the divine vibration of Sanskrit is perfect for people of absolutely all nationalities and all faiths.
The practice of the Gayatri Mantra is one of the main and very powerful methods by which one can work with the circumstances of life. You create a thought form of what you want to achieve or receive, and then feed it with the energy of the Gayatri Mantra. As a result of this practice, what you want begins to happen, and you achieve your goals.