Salvation in Kali Yuga. Swami Vankhandi Maharaj: Interviews, Satsangs, Teachings, Parables

Maharaj: If you truly want to attain mukti, then the Name you repeat will gradually remove all other desires from your life to clear the path for mukti. Such is the power of Its influence. A Name written on stone can move that stone and work miracles with it. By the power of the Name «Rama» inscribed on stones, Hanuman was able to build a bridge across the sea to Sri Lanka.

The Name is beyond time. Time erases and devours everything, but the Name remains.

Mahatma Gandhi left life long ago, but his name lives on. The whole world knows and reveres Gandhi. He was born in a simple family and was an ordinary person. But all his life, on the advice of a saint, he repeated the name «Rama, Rama.» It never left his lips until the end of life. It was this Name that helped him show such persistence in struggle, endure many privations, maintain tyaga12. He achieved his goals and now the world repeats his name with great respect.

That’s why I say that the Name you repeat carries a powerful charge of energy. Take, for example, murti, a stone or clay idol. It has no energy. But in its Name there is energy. Murti is an inanimate object. It doesn’t eat or drink, but when you direct your consciousness toward it and repeat its Name with fervor, love and faith, the murti opens up and enters into interaction with you.

This is how Ramakrishna Paramahansa acted. In one hand he held a laddu sweet and offered it to goddess Kali, in the other hand he held a sword. «Either Kali will come to me and accept the offering, or I plunge the sword into my neck and take my life.» He himself put himself before such a harsh choice. It was not a game or simple threat. Thus he had paved his way to interaction with Kali, to the sight and knowledge that came from Her. He was actually ready to die, to take his own life. And Kali came and accepted his prasad.

This is the uniqueness of human beings – they possess inner strength, will and the ability to concentrate consciousness on the Name. The Name comes alive and manifests its energy.

Siddharth: So, we choose the Name that attracts us and begin to repeat It. But do we need to prepare for this beforehand, perform any special rituals connected with this?

Maharaj: There must be purity and love in the heart13. That’s all. This is the main condition. And where and how you repeat the Name doesn’t matter.

Hanuman transmitted the Name «Ram» through every cell of his body and could himself catch the vibration of the sound «Ram» at a distance – in every word spoken by someone, in others’ thoughts, in phenomena and things. Although even he could make a mistake. Once a man was standing on the road, relieving himself, and in complete detachment was repeating the Name of God, Rama. Seeing this, Hanuman became indignant and kicked the sinner. After some time, he came to God Rama, and found him sitting and rubbing his bruised side. Hanuman sympathetically asked what happened. Rama replied: «Well, it was you, Hanuman, who kicked me!» Hanuman was shocked, he would never knowingly kick Ram. Rama explained to him: «The man you kicked is my devotee, my Name always sounds in him, whatever he does. The mantra of my Name emanates from his body constantly, regardless of where he is or what he is doing. It sounds in him consciously and unconsciously. My Name has become part of his existence, and if you strike my devoted bhakta, it means you strike me myself.» Then Hanuman begged Rama for forgiveness.

So it doesn’t matter where and when you repeat the Name.

Siddharth: When we repeat the Name, should we concentrate only on the Name? Or on something else? Where should we hold our attention?

Maharaj: You don’t need to hold attention on anything else, only on the Name.

Someone from those gathered: Maybe on some image or form?

Siddharth: Or breathing?

Maharaj: No. There is only the Name, you must hold onto It. Don’t be distracted by anything else. Different types of sadhana have different rules, but in nama-chintan sadhana your attention is directed only at the Name.

Siddharth: But how can we live, work and engage in any kind of activity when all our attention is held only on the Name? Or should we completely give up all activity?

Maharaj: The sound of the Name resounds within you. In your head. But your hands are free. Do what you want with them. As Kabir said, repeat the Name when you sit, stand, eat, drink, go somewhere. Your hands work, you work, but the Name continues to sound in your head. It should never be interrupted.

Live like this for about a year, and then you won’t even need to specially remember about it. The Name will live its own life, it will automatically pulsate in you, whatever you do, at the subconscious level – even in sleep, because the Name doesn’t sleep. You breathe and don’t even think about it, inhalation and exhalation happen by themselves. That’s how the sounding of the Name will become an integral part of your life – like breathing.

Siddharth: When will I reach that level where the sound of the Name happens at a subconscious level, what should be my next step in this practice?

Maharaj: What comes next is progress. Changes will come to your life, your consciousness, behavior, thoughts, and destiny. The Name will do its work independently of you. Your only task is not to interfere with It and never stop the practice. Continuously continue repeating the Name. If you get distracted by thoughts like «what’s next? what’s the next phase?» – then the process will be disrupted, and the practice will break. Don’t distract your attention from the Name, allow It to continue its work. It’s like when you’re watching a movie on TV and then you switch the channel, the film cuts off, and you miss the plot that follows. Abhyasa [practice] should not be interrupted. If you jump around and try new things, you’ll disrupt the process that’s begun.

Siddharth: Alright, my hands are free and I can do what I want with them, but some activities, like professional work, involve mental activity. And as soon as we start thinking concentratedly about something, we break our concentration on the Name. What should we do in such cases?

Maharaj: Mental activity isn’t really an obstacle. Several mental tracks can run in your consciousness at the same time. You can simultaneously cook food, talk to a friend, watch what’s on TV, and keep an eye on a child. Simply, when you clearly attune yourself to repeating the Name and it becomes part of your life, it’s as if a dedicated track for repeating the Name is created in your head. It becomes fixed in memory. Part of your attention will always be with this process, whatever you’re doing. This comes gradually, with practice.

Imagine two women carrying pyramids of pots stacked on top of each other on their heads. You can often see such a picture in an Indian village. The women walk with pyramids on their heads and chat cheerfully with each other, while part of their attention is constantly maintained on keeping the necessary balance.

One craftsman sat by the roadside engaged in his craft, making arrows for a bow. The main thing in his work was to sharpen the arrowheads, which required effort and great concentration. Once an entire royal procession on chariots passed by him. «Did you see what a luxurious procession it was?» someone asked him. «What procession, I didn’t see anything, I had to sharpen arrows.» That’s the level of concentration you need to develop in yourself.

Siddharth: Such level of concentration is only possible when we have strong love. How can we achieve such love to begin the practice of nama-chintana?

Maharaj: Such love doesn’t come immediately. But as you engage and practice, the power of love will grow in you.

Someone from the gathering: Should love be developed first? Or does it develop during practice?

Maharaj: You should already start this practice with a bit of love for the Name, then the Name will begin to respond.

Someone from the gathering: And how do we build up these three components for real practice that you talked about – shraddha, prem, vishvas [zeal, love, and faith]?

Maharaj: This builds up gradually during abhyasa. First comes a little love, which transitions into passionate worship and spiritual zeal, shraddha. Then firm faith, vishvas, appears.

Siddharth: Still, what should serve as the main motive to start this practice? Can we start it having in mind rather a certain goal in this world, or should we strive specifically for self-realization, mukti? Or should we start our practice without having any specific goal in mind?

Maharaj: You don’t need any desires. Just repeat God’s name with love in your heart. The «Ramayana» says: «He who distances himself from desires, fear, sorrow, and joy will find refuge in my heart.»

To realize any specific desire or goal of yours, you can perform anushthana14, recite some specific mantra. And then your desire will be fulfilled, the goal will be achieved. But the Divine Name – it is, first and foremost, about liberation, mukti.

Don’t set any goals. Don’t look for motives. Just repeat the Name. Repeat the Name, and your thirst will be quenched and you’ll be fed. Everything you need in life will be yours. Уou’ll achieve goals. There won’t be obstacles on the path to achieving them. If you ask for mukti – you’ll get mukti. If you want simple happiness in life – you’ll get that too, but then the Name won’t gift you its love and mukti, it will only help fulfill your desires. You’ll simply get plenty of what you want, according to your prarabdha15. On this path, you won’t have hindrances and obstacles. The Name will take care of this. The road will be cleared for you. Even if problems arise, the Name will help remove them.

Remember that your guiding thread and spiritual core are within you. And the Name is the foundation on which you can stand firm in your spiritual practice. The Name will never betray you, just remember It, and It will always come to your aid. The main thing is, don’t abandon It.

PART TWO. SATSANGS AND MEETINGS

After we’d done the interviews presented above, I received translations of many of Vankhandi Maharaj’s satsangs into Russian. These satsangs revealed deeper information on topics we had only briefly touched upon in the interviews and elaborated on many things we hadn’t discussed at all. But most importantly, in these conversations, you can hear Maharaj’s living voice, his flow, his vibration. And the stories and parables he tells read like an engaging literary work. «Truths are well conveyed through fairy tales, parables, and fables,» he says. «We should more often clothe them in literary form. Perhaps this way people will understand faster and begin to implement it in their lives.»

Anupriya left on the fourth day of our stay at the ashram, and I no longer had the opportunity to talk with Maharaj, as there was no one around to translate. Therefore, I could only absorb the light emanating from Maharaj and read these satsangs, in which his living voice was clearly heard.

Burn with Soul, but Stay Aware

Swami Vankhandi’s speech is simple and accessible to everyone. It lacks philosophical sophistication but contains something elusive that instantly pierces the heart, making one listen with a frozen and thought-free mind. He often quotes sacred Scriptures and holy poets and frequently tells stories from his life or from the lives of Indian saints. Sometimes he tells the same stories and examples from satsang to satsang. He repeats the same teachings. And these repetitions are important, as the Master’s guidance is absorbed deeper and deeper each time.

«In cold weather, burn the leaves. Collect them and burn them on the fire. I burned many fires. Lived long at the roots of trees,» Vankhandi Maharaj speaks quietly, adjusting with a large stick the smoldering mountain of leaves collected from all over the ashram and brought to the backyard, where they are either burned or left lying until some special time suitable for burning. This time is determined by Maharaj himself, guided either by some inner intuitive sense or by signs known only to him, connected with natural and climatic cycles. In his ashram, many things are generally subject to such orders, aligned with nature but often completely incomprehensible to newcomers. Maharaj smiles as if something pleasant or amusing flashed through his memory. «Naga ascetics (’naga-baba’16) often come here, they don’t cover themselves with anything, even when it’s cold like now. They don’t need any blanket.» Maharaj begins to tell those gathered around the fire a short story from his life.

Vankhandi Maharaj: I spent three months in Tihar prison. People from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Congress, VHP) sent help once a week. I always had a bottle of milk. They provided tea and everything necessary for the dhuni fire17 to the imprisoned sadhus. I would accumulate two to four kilograms of firewood. The VHP people helped a lot in general.

I’m talking about the time when there were powerful protests and demonstrations against cow slaughter in India.

They brought entire trucks of semal tree branches to us in prison as a sign of support for the dhuni fire. It was important to separate the wood from this tree’s bark. All the movement participants in prison kept dhuni fires burning. I threw the tree bark into the fire, and my dhuni burned beautifully, while others couldn’t get their fires going. Everyone was surprised. But I knew the secret that only the bark of the semal tree burns, while the woody core doesn’t burn. I remember sharing this bark with everyone. I spent three months like this – November, December, January. In February, we were all acquitted and released by Supreme Court order. Everyone was declared innocent.

The released movement participants were outraged, filed claims against the government as wrongfully convicted, demanding huge compensation. Some demanded hundred or even two hundred thousand rupees in compensation. I didn’t file any claims. What difference did it make to me where I got my daily bread – inside behind bars or outside. I didn’t have any property anyway. What losses! I left prison and went to Haridwar…

During the peak of the protest movements defending cows (Goraksha), sadhu ascetics marched and filled the square from Red Fort to the parliament building. Everyone shouted slogans: «We’ll give our lives but protect the cows! Our country and dharma, the cow is our mother.» There were leaders of the Shankaracharya tradition, Muslim leaders, Jains, and many representatives of other directions.

Question: What, Muslims also demanded cow protection?

Maharaj: Yes, they also contributed. But the naga ascetics were the most vocal.

Ashram, 2015

The crowd of demonstrators sat opposite the parliament building, occupying a huge square. Swami Rameshwaranand was with us too. Ministers from the Congress party came. Indira Gandhi gave a speech.

People wouldn’t leave. The police chief ordered to shoot, but initially the police refused to follow this order and even threatened to throw down their weapons and leave if they were forced to shoot at the ascetics. It was a really powerful movement.

But then the shooting started anyway. Many were wounded, some in the face, some in the stomach. They just started spraying us with bullets. Major politicians hid in their cars. They cleared the entire square in front of the parliament building of people. We knew and were prepared: if they start shooting, you need to lie on the ground. That’s what happened. We had a group – eighteen people, and we all lay on the ground right in front of the parliament entrance. Then the Minister of Internal Affairs arrived, inspected the square, and ordered to remove the corpses. Trucks arrived. The wounded and dead were transported in separate vehicles. I lay motionless, they picked me up and carried me to the truck for corpses. I started saying: «Where are you taking me, I’m alive!» I even waved my hand for clarity, so they would better understand. (Listeners laugh.)

They took away protesters by truckloads. Those who managed to escape the bullets were sent to prison. This event went down in history. It was a powerful movement. Subsequently, Tihar prison, where the protest participants were held, was nicknamed Mahakumbha, by analogy with the triumphant procession of millions of sadhus at the Kumbha Mela festival.

Question: What year was this?

Maharaj: Around 1965.

Kalpati ji also participated in our movement. The words «Burn with soul, but stay aware» belong to him. That means living life fully, giving your heart completely to the cause you serve, while always remaining in a state of awareness, in contact with the Supreme. You’ll see this inscription here in my ashram. «Burn with soul, but stay aware.» Kalpati used to say that even in sleep, the mind should be kept aware. «Live honestly – live without fear.» You’ve also seen this inscription in my ashram, it’s a revelation from heaven.

There were many attempts to expel me from here, they offered a reward of 10,000 rupees. So much was undertaken, but I always knew: if you’re honest and sincere, if you carry Truth and believe in it, then there’s nothing to fear. And whatever will be, will be. Live honestly, in unity with Truth, in harmony with God, and nothing will happen to you.

Back then, there were no buildings here. I lived simply under a tree, such a house – without windows and doors. Lived without worry. There were stones, flowers, and three trees growing. I built the temple on this spot. And everywhere I wrote: «Burn with soul, but stay aware.» And this phrase became a mantra for me, descended from heaven. There was no fear at all.

Five-six years I lived and worked here, didn’t sleep day or night. A Nepali settled nearby, he cooked food, roti, carried water for me from below. I kept water in a large jug. Once a bullet hit the jug, all the water spilled out…

People came here to intimidate me… I asked why they came. They named various reasons – their cow got lost, or their goat got lost. They looked for any excuse to evict me from here.

This used to be part of the Himalayas. I don’t live on this land by my own will. I was told to. Rishi Markandeya18 said so. He’s still alive. I’m fulfilling his will. He said: you need to live in the world, in samsara, come down. I asked him to allow me to settle in some secluded place where there’s no one.

The first six months I lived in Munsyari. Then moved to Kapkot, Bhawali, Bhimtal. In Bhimtal, temple construction began, many people bustled around, and I was seeking solitude. I realized that this place wasn’t suitable for me either, too much hustle and bustle. And I needed quiet and solitude.

Back then I heard a lot about these places, about Sattal. They said it was a deserted place, few people settle here. And I decided to come here.

I came to the village of Chintamini. Local workers guided me up the mountain, helped me climb up. We walked for a long time, it was already dark. And I decided that since I had climbed so high, I would stay here. I made a fire and sat all night under a tree.

Sat like that for forty days. Gathered firewood for the night fire.

Question: Maharaj, you mentioned Rishi Markandeya. Is this the famous ancient sage? You said he’s still alive. Where did you meet him? What was the nature of your relationship?

Maharaj: Markandeya is a great rishi, a yogic ascetic, a tapasvi. He usually doesn’t meet with anyone. He grants his darshan to very few. He came to me once in the Himalayas, at the place where I sat by the dhuni. He then told me to go into samsara and live among people.

Such yogis can appear in various forms and guises. And often, even if people see them, they still don’t recognize or realize who they are. In ancient times, great rulers and rajas held large yagna ceremonies to which they invited holy sages. Markandeya also came and conducted such yagnas. He could come in any form. Not everyone could recognize him.

I saw him only once. Only once did he give me his darshan, during which he inspired me to go into samsara.

There is a place called Rishikand in the Himalayas. He lives there. People try to reach there to see him, but he doesn’t show himself to anyone. Sometimes he might meet a simple village person somewhere on the road, but they won’t even understand who is before them. But those who try and specifically seek to meet this rishi cannot see him.

There are situations in life when we meet holy people. For example, I once met Jesus in a cemetery. But this always happens unexpectedly, it’s not predetermined. It happens when Divine grace descends upon you, you don’t expect it and don’t think about it. It’s always a surprise and unexpected. If you try specifically, it won’t work.

Meetings with saints do happen. One baba came to us here; he didn’t approach the dhuni, and went straight to the temple. He entered the temple and came out after some time. He held a katori with prasad in his hands. Some saw him, some didn’t. It depends on how fate favors you. Someone might later say that a baba came to us, we drank tea with him, ate potatoes. And someone else will say: «I didn’t see anyone.»

I don’t have any specific connection or relationship with Markandeya. Markandeya is a holy rishi from Uttarakhand who has been granted immortality. In past yugas, rulers and rajas invited him to large ceremonies and yagnas. When the Pandavas held the Ashwamedha yagna, Lord Krishna himself sent Bhima to deliver an invitation to Rishi Markandeya to participate in this ceremony. Krishna instructed Bhima: «Go and bring Rishi Markandeya. Just don’t bother him with talk, spend time with him in silence.» Bhima went to Rishikand. There in Rishikand, he found Markandeya and was surprised to see that he lived in a pasture, raised goats, cleaned goat dung, and ate right there under a shed. Bhima said: «I’ve come to invite you to Hastinapur.» Night had already fallen, it was too late to set out, and Bhima stayed overnight with Markandeya. In the morning, they prepared for the journey, and here Bhima was surprised to see that the holy man didn’t perform his morning ablutions but set out as he was, unwashed. He wore only goatskins for clothing. They walked all day and stopped for the night in Ranibagh. And in the morning, the story repeated: Markandeya got up and, again without washing, set out on the journey. On the third night, they stopped in Mirath, which is near Hastinapur. Here in the morning, Markandeya washed once. When they arrived in Hastinapur, the holy rishi went to the river and washed for a long time and very thoroughly.

Bhima approached Krishna and expressed his displeasure: «I think this man isn’t holy at all, he’s just pretending. I spent three nights with him, and he never washed. Only in Mirath did he deign to wash. And as soon as we came to Hastinapur, he immediately started washing himself thoroughly.»

To which Krishna replied: «Well, Bhima. Then I ask you to return to those places where you stayed overnight with Markandeya and bring soil from each of these places.» Bhima obeyed, went back and brought soil from all three places where they had stayed in separate bags. When they opened the first bag with soil from Rishikand, instead of soil, there were pearls and diamonds. When they opened the second bag, they saw it was filled with pure gold. When they opened the third bag, there was silver. But this silver already had a slight tarnish. When they opened the bag with soil from Hastinapur, from the place where Markandeya had washed most thoroughly, all this soil was teeming with worms and insects.