PART II
Ashram Babaji in
Haidakhan in the XX century
Around the middle of the 20th century, prophecies and revelations
appeared about the arrival of Babaji in our world for a special, visible
purpose. There were even published stories in Hindi about how this would happen, and spiritual instructions were given on
how to prepare for His coming. In 1970, a resident of northern India had a
dream about the phenomenon Babaji being in
a cave in Haidakhan. The next day, when he arrived at the cave, he found Babaji there in the form of a
young person, very much resembling the
descriptions given by the disciples in
the book of Yogananda.
At first, Babaji was sitting in meditation for several
hours, hardly speaking, and only raising His right hand for blessing when
people performed pranam (prostration) at His feet. And only after a while, He began to communicate more closely with people.
Babaji established His ashram in the place where He appeared, at the
foot of the Himalayas near the mountain Kailash,
the sacred birthplace and place of asceticism of many Indian saints. In
the 1970s, it was inaccessible, rocky, uneven and uninhabitable, even birds
could not live there. By Babaji’s
blessing, people from all over the world
came to make this place prosperous and happy, to "bring beauty from heaven
to earth"[1]. In a fairly short
time, the mountainside was turned into a flat area, a staircase of 108 steps
was erected to climb up to the ashram, residential buildings, temples, cowsheds
were built, and the
Brotherhood garden was laid out.
Through hard and creative work, Babaji initiated people into Karma Yoga,
considering work the highest form of service to God. The Master spoke to the
spiritual seekers coming to the ashram from all over the world: "First
of all, I give you Karma Yoga. You can only improve through Karma Yoga, and
through Karma Yoga you can also benefit others."
And Babaji Himself was a daily example of such work. All the work in
the ashram was done in His presence. Despite the hot sun, the rain, and the
cold wind, He was involved in everything: observing the details of the work,
directing it properly, and even sometimes working like a laborer, showing
others how to dig the earth and remove the stones. The people who worked with
Babaji in the ashram said, "We are all witness that Sri Ramana is a
great teacher." Mahaprabhuji[2] the great Karma
Yogi Himself. He is constantly present among us to teach us Karma Yoga,
tirelessly directing all the work from morning till night, without demanding anything in return. “He immerses himself in activity”. Look, Babaji worked here from morning till night like clockwork."
One of the devotees spoke about the discipline of living with Babaji as the hardest one can face, but if you
accepted it with enthusiasm and openness,
you would "become pure enough to
know Babaji and receive the Love that He has to offer."
Babaji’s discipline was as
follows: "I want all the work to be done accurately, on time. I
instruct you to always use your time wisely… You must always be
precise when performing any duty. Those who don't follow it can't stay here.
Anyone who can't be punctual has no right to be here. People who are devoted
to God need to train themselves to discipline in order to be as efficient
as security agents of Scotland Yard or the CIA… You must all learn to be
disciplined. Be alert 24 hours a day. If you are not disciplined and you are
wasting your time, there is no point in coming to Haidakhan."
Daily routine set by Babaji in the ashram: devote the whole day to
creative work – Karma Yoga, and spend time in the morning and evening reading
the scriptures and literature of Haidakhan.
All those who came to the ashram had to live and work as one family.
There was no difference in nationality, caste, or religion. Babaji said: "You
can adhere to any religion, any practice and any path, but you need to be human…
Why the battle between creeds and castes, when
Humanity is one? They are fictional."
Babaji unites all religions by the Law of Truth, Simplicity, and Love.
"We are all united. We are a worldwide family. Don't
think about separation, about establishing identity – get rid of the feeling of
isolation."
For people of different faiths, nine temples were built on the
territory of the ashram – symbols of all religions. Apart from religious Indian
holidays, Babaji organized the annual international celebration of Christmas in
Haidakhan – "a wonderful pious event.” "This Christmas holiday is a
very significant event in the history of mankind. People will remember this for
centuries, not years. People all over the world should know that the Birth of Christ was celebrated in the heart of the
Himalayas.” On this day, Babaji gave His blessing of happiness and peace to
everyone who came to celebrate Christmas: "Today, everyone is blessed.
Your body, mind, and soul are cleansed. You have come with the same faith,
love, and devotion as before, to celebrate the Birth of Christ with great enthusiasm. May it be a happy
day!”
According to eyewitnesses, Babaji possessed immeasurable powers – he
had "power over the primary elements of nature, the spiritual world."
When He spoke, the terrible rain stopped and the strong cold wind subsided. By virtue of the
blessings of Babaji the weather was beautiful during the holy holidays[3]: "You see,
nature has covered the sun with a beautiful veil of clouds – it's not too hot,
and it doesn't rain.
Even nature has
taken the trouble to deal with today's case."
Everything that Babaji taught, He showed by the example of His daily
life, showing the top of perfection in everything, remaining in perfection.
During one evening's ablution He said: "My body's destiny is to dry up
one day, so don't be afraid to pour too much oil on it. This body is here only
to serve the people. All living things, animals, flowers, plants, and stones
have received their form from God, and this body is given by God to fulfill His
duty in this world. Therefore, even my body exists only to fulfill the duty
and serve all people and living beings. But when people come to this world,
they forget about their duty and become dependent on the illusion and concepts
of "I" and "mine", and thus they forget God."
Babaji always showed complete selflessness and absolute non-attachment
to material things. He distributed all the expensive clothes that were given to
Him, and even washed the fruits Himself and treated
everyone around Him with them, thus "He teaches us to share with everyone
in a brotherly way, everything that we have. No part of the Lord's creation belongs to one person, all belong to everyone."
Babaji called for: "Forget about the benefits and losses, be
indifferent to praise and insults, march through life!", " Think about the good.
Please. "Do good."
In the ashram of Babaji in Haidakhan free distribution of clothing,
free medical care had been set up, the poor could get
free education at the expense of the ashram. Such ashrams dedicated to Babaji
appeared in other places in India and in other countries, including Russia[4]. With the help of
Babaji, destroyed temples were restored and religious centers in India revived.
He traveled the country blessing all people individually, going from door to door. In the provinces of India, He performed 147 sacred
fire rituals "yajna", and this helped solve the problem of food – India
became self-sufficient in terms of grain. Babaji blessed the country and
blessed the whole world: "In India, there is a slogan – "JAY
HIND!", which means "Victory for India!" But I want the
well-being of the entire universe, so I introduce a new motto: "JAY
VISHWA!" - "The victory of the entire Universe!”… So, my goal
is to benefit the whole world, not just one person or country. JAY VISHWA!”
Loving all people, all humanity, Babaji tried to help everyone
individually, not only healing the bodies, but inspiring and guiding them on
the right path. "If you're in the world, I'm in the world, if you're
worried, I'm worried, if you're in trouble – I'm in trouble… You must seek
harmony in everything you do. I am harmony. Thank you for your love."
At the general meetings held in the ashram, Babaji would answer any
question asked, such as: how can I calm my mind? what should I do to be happy,
to have my heart always open? what is the fastest way to God? is it necessary
to have children in these times? is being afraid a good thing or a bad thing?
A Western disciple once asked Babaji if he could be initiated into yoga
by another disciple, and at the same time he asked permission to move to
another ashram handing over all his possessions to Babaji.
To which Babaji replied that he should accept the initiation from another and
return back to his own country. And then He said, "You are being sent back
home because you have lost your faith. If you were truly devoted to God, you
would have an unshakable faith and an unshakable mind. What are you
doing when you think that a person who is not a
yogi himself could initiate you into yoga? I don't like that. In giving you the
duties of the temple, I have admitted you as a devotee. To the devotees, I give
Abhayana Dhan, the blessing of my protection, by which you will always be
protected and so you must be fearless. I
am responsible for you and for your release. Whatever dedication you need, I
will give it to you. Why do you doubt and search somewhere else? " The
disciple replied that he was driven by a spiritual search. "What are you not getting from me? Your
faith must be as powerful as Mount Meru. Even the sun and the
moon may go off their trajectories, but the
student's faith must be unshakeable. A true devotee would be willing to give his life for God and would have faith until his last breath. Never confuse
yourself with false goals. You are always protected."
Babaji predicted the coming destructive changes in the world (Maha
Kranti) and pointed out the way to help people at this time – in order to realize the Truth within themselves and change the hearts of people,
spreading His Teachings, telling the world about His Message: "Everything you do should benefit humanity. By saving humanity, everyone
will save themselves."
Working together teaches everyone a sense of love, friendship, and
humanity. This cannot be developed by lectures and conversations, "but
it is necessary to awaken in everyone the spirit of humanity, erasing the
boundaries between themselves and others, working as one.” This applies
not only to the ashram in Haidakhan – “any place, wherever you go or
wherever you work, “you must imbue it with the atmosphere of this Path.”
On February 14, 1984, in Haidakhan, Babaji said His last words: "I
am always with you."
A few days before His departure, the Great Teacher left a spiritual
testament to the world:
“Love and serve all humanity.
Assist everyone.
Be happy.
Be courteous.
Be a source of irrepressible joy.
Recognize God and goodness in every face.
There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.
Praise everyone. If you cannot praise someone, let him or her out of
your life.
Be original.
Be inventive.
Be courageous. Take courage again and again.
Do not imitate.
Be strong. Be upright.
Do not lean on the crutches of others.
Think with your own head. Be yourself.
All perfection and every divine virtue are hidden within you – reveal
them to the world.
Wisdom, too, is already within you. Let it shine forth.
Let the Lord’s grace set you free.
Let your life be that of the rose – in silence it speaks the language
of fragrance."[5].
Olga Ivanova, Elena
Ilyina
Part 3. Babaji’s Messages in the XXI century
————————————————————————————————
[1] Here and later
in this chapter quotes and sayings Babaji is given according to the book:
Teaching Babaji. Truth. Simplicity. Love. Service to humanity. Chronicle of
Haidakhan. - Omkar Shiva Dham, Okunevo, 2004.
[2] One of the
Babaji’s names, as He was called.
[3] Note that the
Babaji's power over the forces of nature was also manifested in the
twenty-first century during His mediated arrival. See the note to the Message
of Babaji, December 23, 2006: "It was cloudy in the morning, it was
snowing. At the moment when he came Babaji, a ray of the sun appeared from
behind the clouds, and the sun was present all the time while the dictation was
going on, and then it became overcast again, and it began to snow" (quoted
from the Words of Wisdom.)
[4] In Siberia,
which Babaji considered the most sacred place in Russia, in the village of
Okunevo, which is 240 km north of Omsk, is an ashram of Babaji "Omkar
Shiva Dham”.
[5] Spiritual Testament of Babaji was included in the Rosary "Karma Yoga", compiled
by Tatyana Mickushina in 2008.
