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Sowing the seeds of —rishi traditions
[Autobiography of Pujya Gurudev continued from the previous issue]
After the work at Mathura had been stabilized on a satisfactory footing, I received the third call from the Himalayas in which there was indication about the next phase of the assignment to be given to me. There had been considerable pressure in the continuing phase of work, which had resulted in exhaustion, although success had been achieved. Under these circumstances, this invitation for recharging the battery was most welcome.
I set out for the pilgrimage on the prescribed day in June 1971. There was no difficulty as I was familiar with the route. The cold was also not as severe as it was at the time of my first pilgrimage. I also did not feel loneliness. I was escorted by Gurudev's messenger from Gomukh to Nandanvan, as usual. The auspicious moment to which I was keenly looking forward throughout the journey ultimately arrived. After exchange of reverent courtesies and blessings, the impartation of guidance started.
Gurudev said, "You have to leave Mathura and shift to Hardwar and start the work of reviving the —rishi traditions. You will recall that when you came here for the first time you had met —rishis living in this region in their astral bodies and each of them had expressed distress at the extinction of their traditions and you had promised that you would accomplish this task. This time you have been summoned for this purpose”.
"God has no physical form. Whenever something epoch-making is sought to be achieved, —rishis, who remain engrossed in tapascarya bestow their powers on Devatmas, great personages and get the work done through them. Virishvamitra took Bhagavan Rama to his Ârishram (hermitage) on the pretext of defending his yajóa, trained him in Bala (Gayatri) and Atibala (Savitri) Vidyas (spiritual knowledge) and got the citadel of demoniac forces demolished, thus paving the way for the establishment of Rama- Rajya (rule of truth and righteousness). RISHi KriÌña had gone for studies to Sandipan —rishi and returned after he had been duly imparted the message of the Gita, his role in Mahabharata epoch and in carrying forward the —rishi tradition of Sudama. Ancient scriptures are full of descriptions how —rishis moulded great personages and got important work accomplished through them, although they themselves always remained engrossed in spiritual pursuits, sadhana, research etc. It is this work which you have to accomplish”.
"The seer of Gayatri mantra was Virishvamitra who had lived in Sapta Sarovar, Haridwar and had acquired mastery in the miraculous power of Gayatri. That place is now reserved for you. You will be able to find it out easily. Name it as Shantikunj, Gayatri Tirtha and sow the seeds of all the life transforming traditions, which were established by the —rishis when they lived in their physical forms. They need a physical medium to get their work done. I, too, had felt a similar need; found in you a competent person, contacted you and initiated you in this task. These other —rishis have also similar aspirations. You have to sow anew the seeds of old —rishi traditions, which is no doubt a difficult task but you will be getting guidance, patronage, blessings and divine gifts of executing competence from me as well as from all these —rishis and you will proceed in carrying out the given assignments undeterred."
Briefly describing the still incomplete work of the —rishis, I was asked to acquaint people with the power of Gayatri Mahamantra according to the tradition of Virishvamitra —rishi and to establish a Siddhapitha Gayatri Tirtha; to write books and eighteen volumes of Prajóa Puraña in Vyasa tradition; to revive the science and philosophy of yoga sadhana in Patanjali tradition; to build up an atmosphere of refined and ennobling vibrations by eradicating evil tendencies from the minds of the people according to Pararishurama tradition; to conduct scientific research and popularize use of medicinal herbs according to Caraka tradition; to heal and set right mental disorders by holistic treatments of yajóopathy in Yajóavalkya tradition; to establish Sadhana-Ârañyakas for promoting the growth of goodness and character building in Jamadagni tradition; to lead wandering life of a religious mendicant (parivrajaka) with the aim of imparting true knowledge and guidance for the spread of religious and spiritual consciousness in Narada tradition; to provide guidance through the medium of ethics to the administrative set-up in the tradition of Âryabhatta; to build up Prajóa sansthans at different places in RISHankaracarya tradition; to promote all-round health with the help of proper dieting (ahara-kalpa) according to Pippalada tradition and to convene Prajóa sammelans from place to place for educating the masses according to Suta-RISHaunika tradition. Gurudev also indicated the outline of establishing Brahmavarchas Research Institute for conducting research on scientific lines according to the scientific traditions of Atharva Veda, as was done by Kañada —rishi.
I was explained, in detail, what I had to do at Hardwar and how difficulties coming in my way were to be resolved. I assimilated each and every word uttered by Gurudev. Last time when I had visited the Himalayas, I was to act according to the directions given by Gurudev alone. This time I was assigned the onerous responsibilities of undertaking additional momentous tasks. This poor donkey was to be more alert and more diligent. Without elaborating, Gurudev simply gave a hint that after doing all this, I will have to pay a fourth visit to the Himalayas and shoulder still greater responsibilities and take steps to withdraw into the astral body.
I was informed that the work at Hardwar would be more difficult than that at Mathura. The onslaughts of devilish elements would have to be faced more resolutely and there would be several ups and downs. After explaining where and how I had to live and perform my daily routine, I was told that I should regard it as a joint programme of Gurudev and all the other —rishis. I assured Gurudev that for me he was the representative of the Supreme Lord and all the —rishis and Devatas; and all his instructions would be complied with till my last breath.
Our talks ended. After bidding farewell, Gurudev disappeared. I was escorted upto Gomukh by his Virbhadra. It is not necessary to mention the places where I was required to stay for about a year, as they are inaccessible places in the Himalayas.
While returning, I stayed at the place indicated by Gurudev in Hardwar. It was the tapobhumi of Sapta-—rishis, which was lying deserted and was for sale. It was marshy. Ganga used to flow through this land in the past. I liked it. The owner of the land was contacted; the deal was struck and reduced into writing. I had to take the decision all by myself. The counsel of the advisors was of no avail, as I failed to make them understand the mystical significance of the place, the purpose for which it was being acquired and the blueprint of the proposed construction. Even the supervisory work of construction had to be done by me. Thus came into being the Shantikunj RISHaktipitha at Hardwar.
                                         *****************************************************************A miser had accumulated five hundred thousand dinars and looked forward to a year of pleasant living before he made up his mind how best to invest his money, when suddenly the Angle of Death appeared before him to take his life away.The man begged and pleaded and used a thousand arguments to be allowed to live a little longer, but the Angle was obdurate. “Give me three days of life and I shall give you half my fortune,” the man pleaded. The Angle wouldn’t hear of it and began to tug at him. “Give me just one day, I beg of you, and you can have everything I accumulated through so much sweat and toil.” The Angle was adamant still.
He was able to wring just one little concession from the Angel - a few moments in which to write down this note: “Oh you, whoever you are that happen to find this note, if you have enough to live on, don’t waste your life accumulating fortunes. Live! My five hundred thousand dinars could not buy me a single hour of life!”
When millionaires die and people ask, “How much did they leave?” the answer is, of course, “Everything.”And sometimes, “They didn’t leave it. They were taken away from it.”

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