MANOVATI – Abode of the Rishi's

If there is one thing I have learnt after so many moons on this earth, it is that there really are no coincidences in life. Everything, down to the smallest detail, is ordained and follows the karmic laws of cause and effect. It is also true that, in life there is often a synchronicity of events, which if recognized and acted upon leads to fortune.

I was reminded of this the other day when having a chat on spiritual matters with my office colleague Mr. Ramakrishna. When the subject of meditation came up he casually mentioned that he had been at it, morning and evening, for the last 30 years. Since it was a subject that interested me greatly, I was curious to know if he had been initiated and if so by whom. He told me that his master was a Rishi who once resided in Bangalore, somewhere on the outskirts, where he had an ashram. 

The word Rishi made me sit up and take notice since it is not a title commonly used when referring to spiritual masters. While I have been initiated by a variety of masters in the past, it is only in my current Guru-Shishya lineage that our master is referred to as a Rishi. As things turned out, my instincts were proved right…..we shared the same Supreme Master. In fact he was a direct disciple of Ambarisha Varma Desai, or Amara, the astral name he was popularly known by and the ashram where he spent many of his bachelor years, along with Amara, was Manovati, the abode of the Rishis. Amara called it Manovati after the name of a city in Brahma Loka.

Ramakrishna, or Ramanna as he is popularly known, was quite astonished that I had even heard of Amara, since Amara, being a Rishi worker, always believed in keeping his activities unpublicized. Only a small circle of people were even aware about his true identity and the nature of his work at the astral levels. In fact, he was so taken aback at this strange turn of events, that he promptly started making a few calls to his old brother disciples. It appears that since his marriage (at the instance of Amara), he had become embroiled in worldly matters and had lost all but cursory touch with the Ashram and its old inmates. Our talk rekindled old memories and he was eager for news about the Ashram and its activities. It was with a great deal of wonder that he then turned to me with the information that Amara Jayanthi (the day he slipped his mortal coil) fell on Feb 1^st, just a few days later, and but for our talk he would not have remembered the event or made the calls that jogged his memory.

This chain of events becomes even more significant when you consider that I have been interacting with this particular colleague for the past 1&1/2 years without any mention of these topics. In fact, I had thought about Manovati and harboured the hope of visiting the place just a few days back and here my wish was approaching fulfillment in the strangest of ways, since we immediately decided to drive down to Manovati and take part in the function that was organized every year on that day.

I admit I approached the venture with some trepidation since Manovati was a sacred place, consecrated by the Rishis with tremendous energies. It is definitely not a place for the casual visitor or any tourist. So I wondered at my own temerity in making plans to visit without the Rishis permission. I pacified my own doubts with the logic that the synchronicity of events seemed to indicate their tacit approval and if they did not intend me to visit, they could always abort the plan by subverting my mind and causing me to lose interest.

Finding the place would not be easy, since it lies somewhere on the outskirts of Bangalore and they have always abhorred publicity of any kind. Most of Amara’s original inner circle (most of them were initiated by Markandeya Maharshi, with Amara’s personal intervention), now in their 60’s and 70’s, continue to be associated with the Ashram and make visits to meditate at his Samadhi every Sunday. I wanted to have a one to one interaction with them and absorb as much knowledge as possible. Hence, Ramanna’s presence was a big boon as my guide and facilitator for the visit, since he was part of this inner circle for more than five years, in the eighties, and knew all of them intimately.

THE APPROACH FROM THE GATE

The program was supposed to start at 9.30, as per the information given to us by Mr. Ananthashayana, an Ashram worker. Mrs. Amara and his daughter Maitreyi would also be present for the ceremonies, as they have been doing all these years. Since, the place is a further 25-30 kms away from Bangalore, I didn’t want to take any chances and started from Mysore at 5 AM sharp, driving long distance, all alone, for the first time in my life. Favourable winds continued to fill my sails, since I reached Bangalore by 7.15 AM, a record time by any standards! After picking Ramanna up at Hotel Pai Vihar and having breakfast, we managed to reach the village by 8.45 and there it was before us……the old metal gate, with the sign above it, faded with age, but the letters “MANOVATI – Abode of the Rishi’s” still crystal clear. I looked inside the gate and the long mud road winding ahead, wondering what lay in store beyond.

The moment we parked our car, we removed our footwear, including me of the Manor born and the soft soles! This was hallowed ground, home of the Rishi’s. It couldn’t have been otherwise. Bare feet on the red earth also ensured that the powerful energies anchored by the Rishis in the place would be best absorbed by us. Strangely, I spent the whole day bare feet on the red earth, with flint like stones strewn around and barely noticed the discomfort.

HORTICULTURE SECTION AT MANOVATI - RED ROSES IN BLOOM

As we meander along through life, we have a lot of physical experiences, some mental experiences and rare spiritual experiences. On a few, very few occasions we have experiences that transcend all these planes. This was one of them. The first thing that struck me was the palpable energy pervading the place. It was like an intangible blanket that enveloped everything it came into contact with. That was the spiritual part. 

Then there was the silence, a deep all encompassing silence that echoed within us till it assumed deafening proportions ….the mental plane. The sounds of the factory some distance away made some futile efforts to intrude into the silence without quite succeeding. Lastly, the scenic beauty of the place itself was quite magnificent, unpolluted and untouched by the material energies of the bustling city that lay just a few kms beyond its boundaries…..The physical plane…..reminding of the little village where I was born and where I hail from…..reminding me of the fact that while I may have flown far and wide, at heart I still remain a country boy.

The buildings are few and were all made by the then inmates with their own hands or supervised by them….a dining place cum office, a cottage with a pooja room, toilets, the Samadhi building and other functional edifices. Horticulture work is also carried out there with the flowers sold in the nearby markets at throwaway prices.

We first had a simple but sumptuous breakfast. I had parked the vehicle beneath a low hanging tree for the shade. When I came out after breakfast I was both aghast and amused to see the car almost swamped by the local rhesus monkeys. By then they had examined every facet of the car and left their dirty, white clay marked imprints over the entire car and windows! Luckily the doors were locked or it was quite possible that one of the more enterprising simians would have taken it for a spin! Needless to say I made all haste to park the vehicle in a more secure area!

The building housing the pooja room, pictured here, bears special mention. At the time when Manovati (around 50 acres of land) still belonged to a German national, the Rishis had instructed Amara to proceed to a hillock nearby and meditate for 24 days, in preparation for receiving a powerful ball of energy which had to be anchored in the Manovati earth. It took Amara a few attempts before he succeeded in doing so. There is a small temple on the hillock, which was, at that time, visible from the place where the Pooja house is at the moment. Now the row of trees which were subsequently planted obscures it from our view. Following this, as per the Rishis Instructions, he purchased the land, though it took him 25 years to do so and a further 25 years to develop the place. The Rishis told him that they had chosen the place to open their centre and they would be bringing down a special energy every night to spiritually prepare the place for their future work. I was told that the pooja house was built directly above the place where the energy was anchored.

ROOM NEXT TO POOJA ROOM

At this point I started meeting all the members of the inner circle, notably Mr. Satish, a long time associate of Amara. Normally reputed to be a very reticent individual, for some reason he started talking to me and continued to do so till the sun went down and the shadows lengthened. In the process he gave me invaluable insights into the persona we know and admire as Amara and what he preached and stood for. From him I came to know of certain principles that Amara advocated for his followers and also practiced till the last. He forbade people from touching the feet of anyone, including himself, other than Mata, Pita, and Devam. Likewise he avoided functions and shaking hands with anyone (preferring a namaste instead) as far as possible. This was because all these activities meant serious transfer of karmic baggage from other people. He also avoided carrying any money on his person. How he managed is anyone's guess, but manage he did! Talking to him also meant we had to skip the bhajan session which was at that time on in full swing in the pooja room, with Mrs. Amara and his daughter Maitreyi in attendance. People here also hold them in great reverence since they are reputed to be Amsha's of Yamuna and Ganga respectively.

People have witnessed the strangest phenomena in this place. Many were the times when Amara entered the pooja room to interact with the Rishis and came out only for people to find the room covered in sacred ash, from floor to ceiling. The ash used to be so heavy that one could actually see it deposited even on the ceiling in ripple patterns. Most of the times even Amara used to be covered in the ash and would then hurry off to bathe before people noticed and started commenting on it. Though most of the disciples were also eager to met the Rishis, few had the courage to broach the topic to Amara. They would then represent their case through his sister-in-law, Madhu, whose requests he rarely refused. He would then consult the Rishi, take an appointment and specify the time when the aspirant would have to be present in the pooja room. The Rishis value time very highly and are never late. On the dot of the hour, the room would be enveloped with the most divine fragrance imaginable and Amara would intone, "the Rishi is here, you may ask your questions". Each Rishi has his own special fragrance and could be identified by that alone. By all accounts, Jasmine is the signature fragrance of the great Vishwamitra Maharshi.

Near the entrance to the ashram stands Amara's Samadhi. By this time,  the Samadhi had been decorated with flowers and we decided to enter  for a meditation session. In fact I was strongly advised to link up to him  with a strong intent, since he is always available for true seekers. Quite a  few people were already inside and I settled down on one side. The  energies inside were so strong that I went deep without much effort. The  next 45 mins went by in a daze and when I finally opened my eyes my  new found friends had already left the room. I found them under the  group of trees near the ashram. This group of five trees is known as  Panchavati and  are basically from the Himalayas. The inmates hold  them in great  reverence and also conduct pooja’s for them along with the  other deities. 

AMARA'S SAMADHI

Another interesting object inside the samadhi room is the model of the cosmic tower. The tower was conceptualized by the Rishis and is said that it would come up on the Manovati land once Satya Yuga was fully established, which is but a few years hence. The tower is unique in that it is basically a combinations of three pyramids, with two pyramids placed vertex to vertex, which in itself means it would be an engineering feat to erect the structure. The significance of the structure and the pyramids is detailed in the plaque below. When I asked which agency would be entrusted with the task of erection, I was told that entire feat would be accomplished by the Rishis themselves.      












  The oldest member of the group  Mr. Ramapriya is basically a  homeopath by profession and makes the visit to Manovati, every week, both to perform pooja to all the deities and to conduct free medical clinics for the neighbouring villagers. He commands tremendous respect both amongst the inmates and also amongst the villagers. Amara and the group after him never sought publicity since they did not want hordes of curious people thronging the place. It was therefore a surprise to me also when I found a Kannada program on Amara being broadcast for a few Sunday's on TV9, with interviews of Dr. Ramapriya and a few others. I understand that later on a request was made to the producers to refrain from disclosing the location of Manovati on the program. The Rishis are very clear that this is definitely not a place for tourists or random visitors and no activity concerning the place is ever started without their express permission. In fact, it is most likely that you would not be able to visit the place unless the Rishi's themselves wish you to do so. Still, in deference to the sanctity of the place I have scruplously refrained from giving any clue as to where exactly it is located, except in very general terms. It is a tribute to the power of the place that the TV's Sardar Videographer came there as a tourist and went back a believer!

Satish shared a great many revelations that Amara had made during his time, but that is fodder for another article which I will be penning soon. It was dusk when we reluctantly decided that we had to get a move on if we wanted to make it back to Mysore before midnight. My mind was in a whirl over the day's experiences and the wealth of information I had gathered and I craved solitude to assimilate it all. I came back a little more evolved, a lot clearer in my thinking and very sure as to the direction my spiritual journey should take in the future.

Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, 

Gurur Devo Maheshwaraha, 

Guru Sakshath Parabrahma, 

Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha

Maharshi Amara (1919-1982)

Ambarisha Varma Desai, or Amara, as he was more popularly known, was born into the Kaujalagi royal family of Belgaum. He was born in 1919, in Bangalore, in the very house where Sir C.V. Raman lived, later on. 

Born into royalty, with family riches at his disposal, he never had to work for a living like other mortals. This despite the fact that the land reforms introduced later on ensured that the family lost most of their lands and properties, like the other erstwhile princely families. 

He was a householder, with one daughter called Maitreyi. With his family connections and own capabilities he was many a time offered high positions in Government, but refuse them all, so that he could continue to work with the Rishis, both on the physical and Astral planes.

He was one of the tallest Rishis (Light Master) to have ever walked the earth. Working in close contact with the Sapta Rishis, he traveled daily to other worlds and gathered vast spiritual knowledge. The Rishi's Path was founded by him in 1974 when Kaliyuga or the dark age ended. 

Though I was not fortunate enough to be directly initiated by him, he continues to be the guiding light for the Path that I have chosen to follow.

Reminiscences about Amara

I recently came across a few reminiscences by Mr. H.N. Ananda Giri, a direct disciple of Maharshi Amara, which I reproduce below for the benefit of those who might be interested.

Introduction

The Master announced that the seven celestial sages, the order of the Sapta Rishis for the current human time are Bhrigu, Atri, Angirasa, Vashishta, Pulasthya, Pulaha and Kratu. He also told us, the members of Vishwamaitri organisation, that this order of the Sapta Rishis changes from time to time/manvantara to manvantara. As soon as one of the Sapta Rishis exhausts his tapasic Shakti, there is another Rishi to take his place in the order. The outgoing Rishi will perform tapas again, replenish his Kundalini Shakti and return to the order.

The master continued. The group of the Sapta Rishis, have been our guides since our first birth here on the Earth. They are entrusted by Supreme God with the task of taking us back to the Para Brahma Loka. Due to less coating of one’s karmic condition, one could behold and also speak to the Rishis, in the past.


As the inevitable wheel of Time turned on, and due to the Manomaya Koshas becoming excessively dense with karma accumulated, the human beings lost the faculty of seeing the Rishis!

To assist the Rishis in their phenomenal assignment to take the Souls back to Godhead, the Rishis selected 1,44,000 souls who had less coating of karma in their manomaya koshas, to be trained and ordained as “Worker”, in all parts of the world. And through these workers, the Rishis began imparting the knowledge of meditation and ascent of the Souls to go back to where we originally came from.

Arunachala Girivalam - The road to salvation

Recently someone happened to mention Bhagwan Raman Maharshi and my thoughts immediately went to the temple town of Thiruvannamalai where the sage spent the major part of his life. A few years back I had finally managed to visit the town, along with a spiritual group of which I was a part, and fulfill a long-standing desire to experience the girivalam. At the time I had written about my experiences during my second visit, for a newsletter belonging to the group. I am reproducing that article below for the benefit of those who might be curious about the place and the events associated with it.

The full moon at Thiruvannamalai, in Tamil Nadu, South India, is always celebrated by doing pradakshina, a circumbulation of Mount Arunachala (or Girivalam as it is known in these parts).

The Sound of Silence

Whether we like it or not, we live in a highly material world. The world therefore measures your worth using the popular yardstick of the present times. And today, that yardstick, more so than ever, is material progress. You either get onto that treadmill and start running like everyone else, or stand dismissed in the eyes of your peers.

A few years back I decided that I wanted out of that treadmill. I wanted to stop brooding about the past (very tough), or worrying about the future (even tougher!). I didn’t want to worry about where the next penny was going to come from (toughest of the lot!). I wanted to completely surrender to the Divine and leave everything to His grace. I wanted to try and live only in the present. As I found out, all this was easier said than done!

My daily spiritual practice has not been established without paying a price. I have been ridiculed, laughed at, and at the best of times, dismissed as a deluded soul, wasting his time in aimless pursuits. I have learned from and been blessed by many Masters and I remain eternally obliged for their grace. Personal problems however dictated that I do things the hard way. Alone! It’s been agonizingly slow progress, but I’m getting there. And wonder of wonders, I now see that grace enveloping me slowly but surely. It makes it’s presence felt in so many ways. The money that comes in unexpectedly just when I need it the most. The potential problems that resolve themselves in the most graceful manner possible. The joy that keeps bubbling through and makes you want to sing and dance even when life and its myriad problems threaten to overwhelm you and drag you under. I have got used to the startled glances which my performances in the car, while driving, always attract! The ability to shrug of bad experiences the moment you step away from the situation. The ability to function like a well oiled machine in the work on hand no matter what happened to you just five minutes back. That Grace always seem to be with me.

A chat with God

I was browsing through the files in my computer and I came across this humorous, but very though provoking piece. The sentiments expressed therein are so in sync with the state of the world as we find it today, that I felt I should share it with others too.

It is one of those pieces that are sent to you by your friends over the net and no one seems to know where it originated from. As such I cannot even give credit for this piece where it is legitimately due. My apologies to the author, but I’m sure he’ll understand.

It’s an imaginary conversation with GOD. It deals with….but hey, why am I hogging this space. I might as well post it and you can do the reading and imbibe your own gyan from it!

______________________________________________________________

God: Hello. Did you call me?

Me:  Called you? No ... who is this?

God: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.

Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something ...

God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too.

Me:  Don't know. But I can't find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the time

God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it.

Me: I understand. But I still can't figure it out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on Instant Messaging Chat.

God: Well, I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.

Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated for me now?

God: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.

Me:  Why are we then constantly unhappy?

God: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not happy.

Me:  But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?

God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.

Me:  But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty ...

God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

Me:  If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?

God: A Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience their life become better, but not bitter.

Me:  You mean to say such experience is useful?

God: Yes. In every way, experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.

Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can't we be free from problems?

God: Problems are purposeful roadblocks offering beneficial lessons to enhance mental strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance and not when you are free from problems.

Me:  Frankly, in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading.

God: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.

Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast enough seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?

God: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing that you rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the  clock.

Me:  In tough times, how do you stay motivated?

God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessings, not what you are missing.

Me:  What surprises you about people?

God: When they suffer they ask, "Why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me". Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want  to be on the side of the truth.

Me: Sometimes I ask, Who am I, Why am I here. I can't get the answer.

God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.

Me: How can I get the best out of life?

God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.

God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.

Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy to start the New Day with a new sense of inspiration.

God: Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts or doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to  resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live!

Spiritual practice - the pay off

Hmnnn……eternal human trait……always check what is in it for me!! Ah well, here goes! I quit my habit of smoking almost 5 packs of cigarettes a day, the very next day. No side effects! To put that in perspective, my earlier attempts to do so did not last even a couple of hours! In fact I was the personification of Mark Twains famous statement "what's so difficult about quitting smoking? I have done it hundreds of times!"

I could then taper of the drinks and eating non-veg food (though I still eat eggs and fish sometimes). I now practice for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. If family or other commitments hinder practice, I try to do my time anywhere I can, even the office during lunch. I am flexible with the place, the times and also the duration.

What Spirituality now means to me

Spirituality can be expressed in many ways. For different people it may mean different things. Here, I must distinguish between religion and spirituality. One may not adhere to any particular religious faith and yet be a totally spiritual person. In spirituality, as opposed to religion, there is no room for fanaticism, prejudice or superstition. When you succeed in practicing it, then you will understand the importance of life. You will contemplate its beauty, and you will discover its wisdom.

To me Spirituality is the just and good application of all the gifts that man possesses. It is about surrendering myself to the ultimate eternal power. Spirituality means development of all the faculties of man, those which correspond to his human part, as well as those which vibrate far beyond the senses of the body and which are the powers, attributes, faculties, and senses of the spirit. It means harmony of the spirit and the flesh. It is a level of elevation which permits man to conceive ideas far beyond what his mind foresees.