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   From this issue we are starting a serial titled ‘Odyssey of the Enlightened’. This is an abridged, translated and edited version of an already published biography (in Hindi) titled ‘Chetana ki Shikhar Yatra’of Yugarishi, Param Poojya Gurudev Pandit Sriram Sharma, Acharya authored by Dr Pranav Pandya and Sri Jyotirmay.  As we mentioned in the prologue to this serial in the previous issue, it is a never-ending life-story of that  ‘Man of the Era’ who sowed the seeds of ‘Thought Revolution’ – a spiritual revolution shaking the masses, after India successfully witnessed industrial, scientific and economic revolutions. This is a well researched document relating to the spiritual odyssey of the great enlightened soul and the Mission accomplished by him.
– Editor


Yugarishi’s Advent and India’s Destiny

Twentieth century or the past hundred years had been the years of major upheaval and radical changes not only for Indian society but also the history of world. In the year 1905, the reaction that was witnessed in the entire country after the division of Bengal and the way in which the nationalist sentiments were aroused in the years to follow, ultimately resulted in the form of freedom of India 42 years later. The incident of ‘Bang - Bhang’ (division of Bengal) was only an instrument. In a broader perspective, however, it was not so significant that it could change the destiny of British Rule. Six years later in 1911, the division was revoked but that spark awakened the entire nation; and the thirst for freedom in the Indian public went on increasing. The division of Bengal stirred up the emotions of millions of children of Mother India. They got united and organized and after passing through many stages like protest against the Rowlett Act, the tragedy of Jalianwala Bagh, Non-cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience, Satyagrah, Boycott of Simon Commission, Quit – India Movement, etc culminated in freedom of India on August 15, 1947.

Did India really win Independence? The occult vision of Siddha Purushas, gifted with divine insight, sees something different. According to them, the freedom of India is a part of a larger Divine Plan. According to that Plan, the world has to enter a spiritual era. India is destined to play a crucial role in the ushering of the new era, because it has a unique message to deliver to the world. It is capable of giving a new direction to the destiny of the human race. If India’s independence is a part of the Divine Plan, why did this country become slave at all? Answering this question Sri Aurobindo wrote at length in the April 1908 issues of ‘Bande Mataram’. Its essence is as follows: “England’s time is over in Hindustan. It is God’s will that England should rule India for sometime. The entire world was surprised to see how easily British rulers captured the entire country. People thought that this was made possible due to extraordinary genius and power of British rulers. Indeed, England helped propagate this notion and got greatly benefited by it.

“But the truth is that England never won India. Before it could know ‘why and how’, they returned India to its natives. In general, those who worked for England were really trivial people, leaving aside a few exceptions. Without God’s grace they would not have been able to make place in history or elsewhere. The defeat of India can neither be attributed to the genius or power of the winning side nor to the weakness of the dependent race. It is such a miracle of the history that cannot be explained. It may be said that it is such an example in which without any specific virtues, a great task was assigned to an agency; and an angel was supervising that the given task was completed in time.

“Once that goal is achieved, the messenger of God who is protecting England and is removing its obstacles and solving its problems will no longer serve as its shield. England will remain here so long as India needs it. Once this need is fulfilled, it will have to go back; because the British rule neither came here by virtue of its own power, nor it is surviving on its strength. India will achieve its goal whether England helps it or not or even if it opposes.”

In the first decade of twentieth century, except for Bang-Bhang movement, there was hardly any incident, by which it would appear that the dormant consciousness of India was getting awakened. There was certainly fierce opposition to the division of Bengal. However it was not that strong that one could forecast on its basis the independence of India. Yogi Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, who initiated Sri Aurobindo into Yogavidya, called the revolutionaries opposing this division as the instruments of God. He also said that India is a nation that will achieve freedom through Divine Dispensation.

In the following lines the context that is being described matches very well with this message of Yogi Lele. It was the year 1972, when Param Poojya Gurudev Pt Sriram Sharma Acharyaji had just returned from the Himalayas after spending about six months in some spiritually surcharged esoteric regions. Gurudev was sitting on a chair on the first floor of the main building of Shantikunj, where now his and Mataji’s Padukas (wooden slippers) are kept. A discussion on the research on how to acquaint the world about the grandeur and glory of India was going on. If we wish to tell the world about our greatness and glory, we need the facts and figures too. The aim of research was to collect such material evidences. The findings of this research were later published in the form of a book titled ‘Samast Vishwa ko Bharat ke Ajasra Anudan’ (India’s Perennial Gifts to the World). In the writings and speeches of Gurudev, he stressed that India was the Land of Divine Play. A parijan asked him ‘Why is God specially attached to India and takes birth here? We consider ourselves the inheritors of the oldest civilization and culture in the world. If we are no less than others in power, knowledge, skills and organization, then why were we slaves for centuries? If we were very powerful and brave, the aggressors should have never succeeded.’

This question of the parijan was not to express doubt or blame anyone but was out of curiosity. Not many people had the information of the return of Gurudev from Himalayas. Hardly four-six persons used to visit him daily. At that time Gurudev used to work in a room adjacent to Matji’s chamber. In reply to the parijan’s query Gurudev gave a short answer: “India is a country preferred by God. Don’t you know that God has incarnated twenty four times in physical form in this land and has established Truth and Divinity? One cannot estimate the number of Indian sages, seers, saints, yogis, etc. If one counts the number of saints born in all other countries and weighs them with their Indian counterparts, the latter’s pan will be heavier. The numerous schools of thought, faiths, sadhana-sects, that are alive and active here cannot be found elsewhere in the world. The remarkable thing is that there exists harmony among all the currents of intellectual and spiritual seekings. Had there been such diverse currents of thought elsewhere, the concerned scholars would have perpetually engaged in denunciation of each other. In India, there is diversity in nature, seasons, rivers, mountains, flora and fauna and even amongst the residents of different parts of the country. Observing this diversity can’t we realize that India is a country preferred by God? Here He is incessantly doing newer and newer experiments with human nature.”

After a moment’s pause Gurudev looked at the parijan intently. Whatever was said in words, far more was transmitted through that gaze. That parijan writes his experience as follows – “The incident inspired me to recollect the memory of my childhood. Whenever I used to encounter any complex question, I would go to my father. He would not directly answer my question nor would he quote any facts / figures; he would tell a few basic things and give an affectionate look. I would forget what the answer to my question was. After listening to his talk and absorbing his affectionate glance I used to get satisfied. It appeared as if I got the key. The book is a closed box which is locked. Get the key, open the lock and find the solution. A short address by Gurudev and his affectionate glance of few moments revived the memories of my childhood.”

“If you want the solution through logic that is also there” - Gurudev said again–“The world is like a wheel. When it revolves, some spokes go up while others come down. This is what exactly happened to India. No race remains on top for ever. The rise is followed by downfall. The slavery of few hundred years may be considered the downfall; but that did not ruin it. Several races have succumbed to the subjection of hardly a few hundred years. The ancient civilizations of Greece, Egypt, Iran and Rome could not survive. Their original civilizations have vanished long back. India was subjugated and suppressed far more longer than the civilizations of these countries. Even then, today it is standing on its own feet. Will you call it the destruction of India or the proof of its will to survive? Even if you see in the light of facts, you will find that there is something that has kept India intact and unconquerable.”

One more sample of the grace of Rishisatta was observed in the form of a major incident in December 1971. Those days India-Pakistan war was going on. Almost everyone knows the circumstances prior to this war. Thousands of refugees were crossing over to India everyday from East Pakistan (now Bangla Desh). The rulers of Pakistan were torturing the public brutally. The natural resources of East Pakistan were mostly used by the governing people in West Pakistan. People of East Pakistan bore this brunt for nearly twenty years and raised their voice for their just and lawful rights. Instead of fulfilling their genuine demands, the rulers adopted the policy of negligence and repression. When this repression and tyranny became unbearable, the people of East Pakistan revolted. When the government’s repressive measures took the form of brutality, the people’s resistance took the shape of the wild fire of a bloody revolution which resulted in the creation of Bagla Desh as an independent state. 

India too could not remain unaffected by this freedom struggle of Bangla Desh. Those who could not bear the prevailing fiery circumstances started fleeing the country; and for them the natural destination was India. The number of people reaching India went on increasing from thousands to lakhs to crores. India had to bear the burden of feeding these refugees. Those days, the resources were meager; so by levying extra taxes on citizens, the Indian Government was somehow managing the situation.

Not satisfied with the brutal torture of the people of Bangla Desh, the rulers of Pakistan, under the compulsion of political upheaval, declared war on India. The pressure started increasing on eastern and western borders from July 1971, which took the shape of full-fledged war within a few weeks. Those days it appeared that the super powers too were with Pakistan. There was fierce fighting on both the fronts. Within 2-3 days Pakistan’s army was losing the war and it started retreating. When the countries friendly to the attacker sensed the marching forward of Indian army on the Bangla Desh front, they started preparing to take the matter to the Security Council; and USA was leading this initiative. The purpose of such an exercise was obviously to put moral pressure on India.

USA did not stop here. It also increased strategic pressure by ordering its Seventh Fleet to move towards Indian Ocean. At that time it was world’s mightiest warship which carried a fleet armed with warplanes, missiles, guns and sufficient arms and ammunition. From strategic point of view, it was so powerful that it could change the outcome of Indo-Pak war. At that time, Indian Navy too was not strong enough to confidently face the might of the US naval power. As Indo-Pak war turned fierce, the decision in India’s favour was certain within a week or ten days; but after the Seventh Fleet started moving towards Indian Ocean, the circumstances took a different turn. However, suddenly news came on the morning of 7th December, 1971 that the Sleet Fleet had reversed its direction and that it was moving away from Indian shores.

What happened? How the circumstances changed overnight? There was no political initiative, no pressure of world polity. Analysts, who are pioneers in American administrative procedures, say that after reaching this stage, Pentagon (America’s Defence Headquarters) never changed its decision. There is no instance, of ordering a naval fleet to move forward and then ordering it to return, in the history of America or any other country. Why did the Defence Ministry of America reverse its decision? The power of declaring or stopping the war rests only with the American President. What was the sudden compulsion confronting the then President, Richard Nixon, which forced him to retreat? Strategic analysts could not find the answer to this puzzle till date.

Was there any Divine intervention? At that time too, there was such a curiosity among the people having faith in God. One sadhak Mohan Devangan of Rajnadgaon (Chhattisgarh) dreamt in the early morning of December 7, 1971 that the American Fleet after crossing the Indian Ocean was entering the Bay of Bengal. It was crossing the border of Sri Lanka and was accelerating its speed every minute. There seemed to be no visible signs of the place but it appeared the warship was right at that point where Rameshwaram Bridge was built. At that spot some stones seemed to be floating. On those stones ‘Ram’ was engraved. The sadhak who was watching this scene in the dream further saw that a warship (obviously Seventh Fleet) was passing through that region. Suddenly there was a flash of lightening and a hand with a clinched fist rose from the sea water. First of all the fist appeared, then the forearm, the elbow and the hand seemed to be touching the sky. The fist then opened up and the palm got wider and slowly fully covered the warship. The next moment the situation became normal. The sea appeared calm. The Sadhak in the dream was realizing that the shape of hand appeared to be similar to the one holding ‘Flaming Torch’ (the emblem of our mission).

Dev Kanyas reciting japa near Akhand Deep in Shantikunj also had almost a similar vision. Before the news of the retreat of Seventh Fleet broke out, Vandaniya Mataji told the sadhaks who came for pranam in the early morning, “A disaster has been averted. Now India will surely win this war; no power in the world can defeat it. You will see that, once the war is over, India will progress day by day. It has to shoulder the responsibility of leading the world and very soon it is going to become capable of it.” Ten days after Mother’s forecast and omens and dream-visions of the sadhaks, India won the war; and demonstrated to the world that in spite of its being a developing country, it was capable of facing any challenge and no one could defeat it.

After this victory, India progressed day by day on all the fronts. In fact this destiny of India was written long back. ‘The Tryst with Destiny’ that India’s first Prime Minister Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru mentioned in his famous speech on August 15, 1947 had already been announced long time back; but it was made manifest in the year 1911, when Yugarishi, Acharya Sriram Sharma was born.
        (To be continued)

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