Nityananda-From Marcus

[Guest guest]

Dear members, you might recall that our friend Marcus had removed himself

from the list due to controversy. I received the following message from him

and will be posting what he sent to me. Feedback and comments are welcome on

the list......................................Harsha

 

Harsha,

How are you these days friend? Have something for you. It is the entire book

of the Bhagavan's life, entitled In Divine Presence. It was posted to Ananda

one chapter at a time.

Although it took time to re-produce the entire book, it was a labor of joy,

being viewed as a type of devotional practice............snip

 

Feel free to share it with whomever you want, one chapter at a time, or the

whole book. It is hoped you get as much wonder, joy, and inspiration from it

as I have.

Bhakti

M

 

 

Nityananda: In Divine Presence

 

Introduction

In Nityananda's awe-inspiring presence was the heart of a compassionate

mother. Already a full-fledged master in his teens and twenties, he may have

been speaking of himself when he compared sadhus, or seekers of truth, to

the jackfruit, whose forbidding exterior yields a honeyed sweetness when

opened. From his earliest known days to the final ones in Ganeshpuri, his

presence provided a sense of security for the poor and those in distress. It

also gave hope to spiritual aspirants. People from all walks of life came

for his blessing--yogis and renunciates, scholars and artists, politicians

and civil servants, other saints and spiritual teachers. They were rich and

poor, strong and sick; they came from all over India and the rest of the

world.

 

Much about Nityananda's life remains unclear. Stories abound that put him in

different places at the same time, resulting in considerable confusion about

his true age or background. Not unexpectedly, his devotees listened

carefully for clues or details because occasionally in casual conversation

Nityananda would touch upon some incident from his past. However, he always

cut short attempts to obtain details and admonished those who persisted.

Some recall him making passing references to visiting Ceylon and Singapore

while others say he displayed an intimate knowledge of the Himalayan region.

It is said he spoke of being in Madras in 1902 when Swami Vivekananda

attained samadhi.

Even his name holds a mystery. Stories of his childhood relate that his

adoptive mother called him Ram. "Nityananda" means "eternal bliss" and was

used to describe the state of mind he inspired. To a devotee who sat before

him ecstatically repeating "nityanand, nityanand" as a mantra, he said, "It

is not a name--it is a state!" In fact, early devotees called him swami,

master, or sadhu while the name Nityananda was attached to him only in later

years.

 

Clearly, a literary portrait of one such as Nityananda requires both an

enormous canvas and an adept artist. Such a painting has yet to appear. Of

the hundreds of thousands of people who came for his blessing, few recorded

their experiences. Furthermore, Nityananda had no gospel and promoted no

particular readings or spiritual practice (sadhana). The advice he gave to

one person was not necessarily what he gave to another. he simply urged all

devotees to cultivate a pure mind and an intense desire for liberation

(shuddha bhavana and shraddha).

 

Nityananda's self-abnegation was complete. he wore nothing but a loincloth,

and sometimes not even that. During his time in South Kanara, he only ate if

food was brought to him. He had a total disregard for the physical elements

including his nightly resting place. Unusual phenomena surrounded him

naturally, including instances of actual healing. Yet he was never motivated

by a desire for publicity and frowned on devotees who attrributed to him

experiences that we might describe as miracles. When pressed, he would call

it the greatness of the location or the faith of the devout. "Everything

that happens, happens automatically by the will of God," he would say.

 

A spiritual powerhouse, he disired only that people develop their powers to

receive what he was capable of transmitting. "While the ocean has plenty of

water, it is the size of the container you bring to it that determines how

much you collect." Embodying what is ideal and pure, he would say, "One who

sees this one once will not forget," implying that the seed of spiritual

consciousness sown by his darshan would sprout in due course when correctly

cultivated. He denied having an earthly guru or a particular spiritual

practice. He adopted no disciples and never intended to establish an

organization--although his devotees, most of them common householders, were

legion. his silent, unseen mission was to offer relief to suffering

humanity, whether people came or not, and to transmit a greater

consciousness to those who sought higher values. Grace emanated from his

being and from his silent companionship. A lone glimpse of his personality

could shatter the ego of the proud and evoke the hope and aspirations of the

genuine seeker.

 

Those who sought him out for material success benefitted while the few who

came out of pure devotion found their spiritual evolution accelerated with

little or no effort on their parts. Nityananda accomplished this by becoming

an obsession, if I can express it that way--a divine obsession. While living

in the everyday world, devotees imbibed the spirit of the Bhagavad Gita and

were gradually processed from within. They had to do very little. Seekers

and other pilgrims benefited both through the arousal of their spiritual

consciousness and by capably meeting life's challenges with his help. he

converted their very breath into consciousness, bringing a gradual inner

ripening, which in turn led to a restless longing for the Divine and a

dispassion for worldly things. All this occurred without affecting the

day-to-day efficiency in their chosen fields of endeavor. This is how

Nityananda's grace silently worked.

 

His mighty spiritual force filled the South Kanara district for a few years

and then moved on the Kanhangad, Gokarn, and Vajreshwari. Later he settled

at Ganeshpuri, nestled at the foot of the majestic Mandakini Mountain amidst

blue hills, green fields, hot springs, and the Bhimeshwar shrime. perhaps

Nityananda chose this spot to revive the holiness of this ancient spiritual

center.

Nityananda used to say that the true reward for genuine devotion (bhakti)

was a still greater dose of pure desireless devotion--not material

prosperity or social success. he played and still plays the role of the

eternal Krishna as Gopala, tending his allegorical herd of devotees. he

guides and watches them at pasture during their earthly sojourn, helps them

onward, then brings them home safely as the evening closes on their lives,

either to rest permanently in liberation (mukti) if they have advanced

enough or to start afresh by leading them to another morning of birth in a

continual process of evolution.

 

Nityananda was capable of granting all kinds of wishes but said only one

thing was really worth the effort. "One must seek the shortest route and

fastest means to get back home--to turn one's inner spark into a blaze and

then to merge and identify with that greater fire which ignited the spark."

---So ends the intoduction

Mahagurubhakti

M