Letters from Shanti Ashram, India

6. A Really Ideal Place

A Really Ideal Place

November 13, 1994

Dear Parents,

Divya conveys her namaskars. By now you will understand that the one-month delay in me writing was due to the plague ban – as airplanes including the ones taking post, were not leaving India for sometime. This is what I heard only – I never saw a newspaper or heard any other details of the plague.

I can assure you that I have been quite happy and healthy all along! So Dad, your intuition of me being sick was completely false. May I humbly suggest that instead of developing psychic powers, we concentrate on merging into the Great Sea of Bliss and Love – which is God! How sweet and all-consuming it is!! Instead of dwelling in lower realms, we can merge into the Essence!

Remember how, answering Yogananda’s doubt, Swami Sri Yukteswarji told him that psychic powers are not God-Realization, and that there are many who have powers but do not know God. I am also reminded how once Ramdas was told that a devotee was on a hill eager to see him, and Ramdas felt so much compassion for the person that he went there. There was no one there! It was just a lie – in Ramdas’ absence, the man (who had told him) had damaged the ashram building. Where was Ramdas’ intuition that it was just a ploy to get him away? He only saw Love & Light and God everywhere! Do we want this True and Final state, or do we want to spend our time trying to master realms of outside happenings and other’s minds? This is the question.

So Devi, in my opinion you need not be concerned about whether you can “see” things and considering lack of psychic powers as being as bad as physical blindness. All these things are not so important. In my experience, just merging in the thought of God is sufficient, the rest of the world – whether it be as a whole or our own questions or so-called problems (which are really stepping stones towards the Goal) – they will take care of themselves. God will take care of it all!

I can't recall anything that you needed to answer from my letters – both of us seem to be complimentary pair, neither with much memory! Maybe I asked you things, but the questions are forgotten by now.

Here all is going on wonderfully! Did I tell you that in Anandashram I had a dream where Swami came close to me (in Prasanthi Nilayam Mandir – bhajan hall) and said lovingly, “Sit outside, I will call you in for interview. I will call you.” I went and was waiting outside for Him, then I woke up.

After coming here, I had a dream where, true to His word, He called me in for interview. He spoke sweet words and gave namaskar. Finally, He stood up and went out – when He was coming back, He suddenly turned into Jnaneswari! Jnaneswari was very sweet, gave me tiffin and spoke loving words. Then I woke up.

To me, this means that I should consider Swami and Jnaneswari are one – meaning, I should listen to her and I can use her to dispel any doubts I get, like ‘interview’. Certainly, with her here, I am enjoying lavish attention – both in the outside world and in spiritual experience, that I never had in either Puttaparthi or Anandashram. Swami is kind – and does everything for the best!

Here the weather continues to be perfect – not hot, not cold, and pleasant blue skies. All around are hills filled with lush greenery. So few people, my own silent house, and Jnaneswari ready to remind me about the Presence which his everywhere always, because it is our own Reality!

I continue to go to the Library morning and evening. Now, people (and the school kids especially!) have found out that it is regularly open, and so it has become quite popular! The kids come and eagerly read the picture-booklets of moral stories, and grown-ups come to read the Spiritual magazines and to take out books. Also, I have started the mammoth task of organizing old issues of magazines, all heaped up and stored in one small room (some from 20 years ago, and mixed in with moldy books falling apart). We are planning to bind them into books. The kids are helping in the task, however they have started to beg to take home some magazines! I can see no harm in giving some away, you know how I am! Jnaneswari seemed a bit shocked when she found out how I had distributed old postcards (Swami Omkar collected hundreds of postcards and Xmas cards from all over the world – I have pasted many in albums already, which the kids like to look at often). But, she quickly recovered (that is unattachment!) and said it was OK, as long as I kept safely the few written by Omkar himself. I agreed. Anyway, the kids like me a lot and there is always the chorus of “Akka! Akka! (‘elder sister’ in Telugu) whenever they see me. “Come without fail! It is for you, that we come daily,” they say!

So as you can see, I am happy and fine and well looked after. Everyone without exception, are kind and affectionate to me. I have been led to a really ideal place! All for now, I pray that you are all well, happy & healthy.

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya