TATHI BAB - II

… "Tathi Bab," the beloved father of Kashmiries, who from time to time guided and blessed the good people around the globe. Devotees consider him as the incarnation of Lord Shiva and worshipped him in the traditional way. A born Siddha of highest order lived in Srinagar and at present it is believed and experienced that he is still alive even after leaving his mortal body in 1968. His divinity Bhagavaan Ji used to travel with the speed of "Munn", the mind to any corner of the world for the benefit of mankind…

It didn’t happened all of a sudden that one follows a divine Guru but it takes years and several births to realize that there is some connection between the Guru and the Shishya the disciple. A particular aura attracts one to get closer towards the Guru, the same is the outcome of our experiences of our past deeds of our past lives the Puru Zanum. In short a Guru is the one who makes one aware of ones self and the journey is on.

Bhagavaan Ji too is kind to each and every devotee whenever and wherever one needs him, he is there to guide and bring us out of difficulties. The Jagat Guru is Lord Shiva in Kashmiri Phiran and turban. We call him Tathi Bub and share the sweetest moments of devotion before him in the Ashram or anywhere else. In the previous article we discussed about the Omkaars drawn by the great sage and inspiration these emit out. In the form of RAM and SHIV respectively to take a devotee from Saakaara (FORM) path to Nirakaara (FORMLESS) path in a simplest way that can be experienced while sitting before the divine syllables portrayed in the ashram premises. For the good of mankind Bhagavaan ji has chosen the Maryada Purushottam as the ideal for his devotees to follow the life style and then our Shaiva tradition as our spiritual path to achieve Moksha the liberation. But before we start anything we must know our position where we stand first and then proceed further for the internal and external investigations. Investigations related to us and to our globe around. Our goal should not be only individualistic but our vision of Moksha should be for others too that is our Gurus blessings for all on the earth. We must realize that how Bhagavaan Ji has accompanied people from all corners of the world with the movement against evil and dark.

When we start our mission to achieve anything in life we set certain parameters to acquire the same. Those parameters are just to guide us and make our journey for achieving the things in simpler way. Similar is the case with all human beings. People are born with their individual energies and acquired their places with a particular family and social status. The sages say this is as per previous Karmas, the past actions enable us to acquire the new birth. The saint poetess Rupa Bhawani has to say that:

YIWAAN PANU TU ZYAWAAN PANU, RIVAAN PANU TU NIWAAN TUKH,

NANA PRAKAARY GINDAAN PANU, RINDAAN PANU TU HYAWAAN PATH

meaning that the almighty himself creates the different forms and decides everything, take birth, sow seeds of life, live it and play in the world then leaves this world. The cycle is on till the final moment is attained at all the individual levels. She further says that:

DHYANAS ME CHU TU PANAS ME CHU, ATH GYAANAS CHE ME NAMASKAAR:

 our body and soul both are in reality the part and parcel of the Param Bramha the almighty lord of the whole universe. The message is to be realized in its true sprit that everything happening around us is our own self created play in which we are actively taking part and performing our role to reach to the final destination through various paths.

The diversity of our Dharma is a known fact and we are not bound to a single discipline but can choose one to our convenience. Our Horoscope can guide us in this direction as the same is like a mirror of our own personality with the help we can see the things going in a best fashionable and beautiful way. Mirror is important because we can make our bodies and mind look better and the things we can’t see can be judged with its help. Similar is the case of horoscope, which can help us deciding the particular deity we should follow while choosing the most important and convenient spiritual path for ourselves. The things happen automatically also because we are actually the travelers of our path to liberation and our psyche works in this direction in similar way. Better tally our chosen deity with the one that our horoscope has for us. It will be the same one we are practicing but even if it is not the same, still we can change as the one mentioned in our horoscope that will benefit us more faster than earlier one in attaining as our material and spiritual goals.

One thing immediately comes to my mind that each and every individual practices yoga in one or the other form naturally. With the natural breathing ones chanting is on as the heartbeats create the divine sound. This should be considered the normal and the simplest way of yoga practice and which is god gifted to every individual round the clock. From this level onwards people are initiated and the additional ways and inputs are introduced to them. The main aim is to set ourselves on the path that leads us to the godhead sooner as possible. Every individual can attain the same as and when one desires for it. Bhagavaan Ji is ready just a signal from our side is the test, that too is the total surrender in the lotus feet of ones Guru. We have to arise ourselves from the ignorance in the lap of which we have been sleeping since long. The great teachers inspire us from time to time and try their best to make us aware and scriptures too guide us:

“AAROHA TAMASO JYOTI” means awake and arise from darkness to light.

Again coming to the RAM and SHIVA syllables once I was listening to the great teacher late Shri Kashi nath Revoo who has written the poem GUPE- BABE-LALUS JAIJAIKAAR

and METI PHOLURAAVTU AKI ZUCHI SOOTY already published in the GEETANJALI. He revealed to me that how is it possible that while chanting the RAAAM we actually first take a deep breath and chant this divine syllable to loose Tamoguna through bad Praana the air. While closing our lips the M sound is pronounced and the RAM is complete enabling us to free ourselves from bad Praana within us and even stopping the bad entering back into our body again. So to begin with we should purify ourselves by loosing our bad Praana from our respective bodies to attain the SHIVA State. Shiva the deity of Kalyaan the salutariness while going through this state one attains Samadhi the state of Sam and Dhee that is where there is the highest harmony of our intellect. Whosoever attained this state becomes one with the god and here begins the real journey towards the path of light. In the Omkaars drawn by His divinity Bhagavaan ji the round Bindu penned in the SHIVA page is shown empty which depicts infinity the unbounded status of that reality Shoonya, already mentioned in the previous article. All members of the community should come to the focus point sooner as possible because sages of the highest order require the services of our community on the higher levels of consciousness to acquire integrity of India, which further ensures the integrity of the whole world.

When we start our divine journey with our Tathi Bab we are taken full care as we are shown the real path to attain the highest state naturally. One experience miraculous things, which even, can’t be described in just words. I happened to pay visit the Param Dham in Srinagar when one day I asked my Maasi, aunt whose photo she has put in her room. She replied Gup-e-Bab! Immediately I had the feeling that there only my knots of previous relation with His Divinity got recharged. It happened around 1974-75 when I was around 14or 15 years old. My queries were on as my mother informed me that she use to take me to the Bub for blessings when I was a little kid. I didn’t remember anything about Tathi Bab even his image. Whenever we think of Tathi Bab the divine father of not only Kashmiri Pundits but of all those revered devotees who see him as a Jagat Guru. The pious and secret actions of Bab guides us all the time, like other devotees Bub has guided us from time to time in achieving the things in the best of the ways. He saves us in our bad times even show us the right path to deal with each and everything with cent percent accuracy.

The whole world has entered into a new global competition on all levels, material and spiritual, which has enabled all the citizens of the world to mix up and share the ambrosia of goodness. Tathi Bab has taken the divine responsibility to drive the divine chariot of Mother India like Lord Krishna to keep the world safe from negative evil effects. In 1984 when riots took place in Delhi it became evident that Bhagavaan Ji should take charge of the affairs of our country, which will lead the whole world one-day to attain the path of divinity. Bhagavaan Ji at that very moment took seat at Pamposh enclave amidst his ardent devotees, who later constructed the Param Dham with his permission. It is a long story that how I came to know about all this in 1983. It is said for Bhagavaan Ji that he actually looks after the boarders of Kashmir but at the same time he looks after his devotees and all those who work for the good of the mankind.

My teacher in meditation Late Mr. Shivnandan Bhan Ji once told me in Srinagar that before going to get initiated from His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Ji he was given permission by His Divinity Bhagavaan Ji at Kharyaar Param Dham. This is the way Bhagavaan Ji used to be flexible and let his devotees to be independent while attaining all that is divine. The most compassionate, Karunakar teacher Bhagavaan Ji’s message of love can be heard and realized with just one chant of his name or with just a single site of his divine picture or just once a Bhava, the feeling of his being present in the world in ones mind. Great teachers and preachers never demand anything but all the time they are ready to give everything we deserve on time. They lead people in distress, and save all those who are in trouble.

In the lotus feet of Bhagavaan Ji any person can reach to such a divine state effortlessly. Dharmacharya Ji in Panchastavi too mentions that a person in freight and panic if shouts the words AIY AIY that is without Bindu is protected by the divine mother and if one practices the same seed words AIYING AIYING including bindu can definitely attain blissful fruits of the divine. Concluding with sayings of Mata Laleshwari- YI RASANI VWATSORUM TI MONTHU’R, Whatever I uttered with my tongue became a mantra.

“Om Namo Bhagavate Gopinathaye Sharanum”