Jnaneswari: Always Cool and Calm
August 1, 1997
Dear Parents,
We returned to Shanti Ashram as planned on 12 July.
Isn't it sad that we are affected by outward situations, like disharmonious people? I always admire Jnaneswari, always cool and calm and exactly the same, no matter what happens. When I question her on this she innocently says, “Since small, Swamiji taught us to realize and feel God in all, at all times. How can we help not practicing? Now it comes so naturally, I know it is Him working in me and in all. Strive and strive – you will also feel one fine day that the realization is complete, steady and unchanging. What have you been doing all these years?!” I feel shame before consoling myself that she must have completed plenty of austerity in earlier lives, to have such smooth sailing sadhana this time! She’s told me many times that she never, ever had a struggle – either in sadhana or meditation. Mind was always under control and steady. Lucky!
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu,
Love,
Divya
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Concentrate on Feeling God's Presence
August 16, 1997
Dear Parents,
Jnaneswari returned from Visakhapatnam on 5th August, after ten days there. During that time, as I wrote before, I had a happy time being in retreat, silence, not seeing anyone and taking only fruits and milk. Now and then one needs total seclusion.
Susheela is mentioning about the reducing Ozone layer and how we should stock up on food for ourselves and to help others, in the trying times of changes that are fast approaching (talking, or rather, writing all this on her chalkboard in-between 8-9 hours of meditation a day). Jnaneswari replies that as we may not be around in the future, better to concentrate on feeling God’s presence and doing a little seva now, instead of worrying about and stocking up for the future. I remain a quiet, uninvolved witness to all the talk!
One college boy used to visit Swami Omkar when he was staying on the hill in Visakhapatnam over 40 years ago. Now, he is a yogi with an ashram of his own in Rishikesh. He is presently here, running a camp for sadhana. The rules are: no talking (full mouna), fasting on milk and fruits only (three cups of milk and a few bananas a day) and 9 hours of meditation a day! A few outsiders and a few Ashramites have joined, about 15 people total.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.
Love,
Divya
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Raised Upon a Platform
September 1, 1997
Dear Parents,
On 1st September, perched comfortably upon a new round 4” platform, in satsang, Jnaneswari announced to all, “Divya has raised me upon this platform! Her parents graciously gave me this expensive rug. Since then, Divya has been bothering me to make a small stool for it. Now it has come. since many years I'm sitting on the ground only. Now I must do sadhana to get used to being high up!”
Put on vessel-cleaning duty for a few days, I happily dug out the gloves you gave me – imagine my sickly shock and horror feeling when I saw the label, “PIG SKIN”! I felt as if the flesh of bloody, screaming pigs was on me (cuz it WAS!). Being insensitive to the unity of all (being meat eaters), you will not be able to understand the state of horror I fell into. I had to remove the corpse far, far away (giving to some school kid). Now I am using the unlabeled plastic gloves, wondering what was murdered to make them.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.
Love,
Divya
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Crazy Lady Dies & Rules During Eclipse
September 16, 1997
Dear Parents,
By Swami’s Will, on 6 September we successfully showed the Shanti Ashram video you took while you were here. Everyone - Jnaneswari, Ashramites and children - came to the big Canteen and were all delighted with it. The whole time they were shouting names of the people appearing, laughing all the while! Jnaneswari was very happy with it also. The kids talked about Gabriel’s bike tricks for days and days afterwards – they were verily breathless watching it. Many kids requested me to invite him here to perform.
By Swami’s compassion, I got over the bad cold I had. Somewhere in the far, far distant past I thought I used to take fresh fruit juices and plenty of rest during colds. Here, I was lovingly gorged with various concoctions mainly consisting of pepper powder, ginger, Tulasi leaves, turmeric etc. For food, the only thing allowed was rice and rasam (tamarind water with black pepper powder). When feebly requesting orange juice, I was advised it would cause cough and aggravate my condition. Also, they said that taking rest would make me worse, and advised me to keep active for quick recovery.
The crazy lady, who had stayed back in Kotagiri instead of accompanying us back here on 11 July, shuttled off her mortal coil in a small ashram there, on 11 September. She had said she did not want to accompany us back to Shanti Ashram, which in her opinion was the abode of adharma and Jnaneswari was leading everyone to the depths of evil sin. We had all been fearful of her arriving for Jnaneswari’s Birthday on 13 October, as she planned, which would have thrown us all into more dramatic difficulties. Jnaneswari, who was ever loving, tolerant and kind to her, told us that God sends such people into our lives to test the extent of our progress.
Today is the last day of rainy season two-month pujas. Tonight is total full moon eclipse. We have to be careful to follow the various rules like not eating for several hours before and after, not going outside or looking at the moon, putting plenty of sacred darbha grass in all things and throughout each room, taking full bath, washing hair and washing whole room after the eclipse, etc.
All for now! Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu!
Love,
Divya
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Tree Felled
October 7, 1997
On 24th September early morning, we were jostled awake by a big crashing sound, like a bomb exploding! It turned out to be a huge tree in front of the Mandir. Falling the opposite way (instead of on the Mandir!), by God’s Grace, and crushing instead of the Mandir, all the electrical wires strung up high in the heavens. Some distance away the impact felled a 15-foot stone pillar, the meeting-place of all wires. May all Glory be unto Indian construction and cyclonic winds!
Thus the pillar lay flat, forlorn and unattended until yesterday (the tree was speedily attended to after a week only, as it had fallen right in the pathway leading to the Mandir; it was cut up and used for firewood). A group of men came with bullock carts and thus, after two weeks of no electricity, on the 14th day - THERE WAS LIGHT! Actually I enjoyed the quiet darkness, except the last of your lovingly gifted candles was used up.
Love,
Divya
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Letters from Shanti Ashram, India
SpiritualI lived in India from 1984-2005, and wrote to my parents regularly about my adventures in Indian ashrams. From 1984-1993 and again 2001-2005, I was living in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, and I am adding all of those my "Letters from India" book, whi...
