New Year Greetings

Greetings to all the wonderful residents of Nainital District with a wish that 2012 and beyond shall mark the beginning of great improvements in your life.

Are all Babas and Mystics Fraud?

On Babas and Mystics

This Blog has a lot of matter on Babas and Mystics especially of the Nainital region. The following FAQs about it are therefore in order.

Recently while on the topic of Mystics a very dear friend of mine commented,

“Since childhood I have had no use for Babas, swamis or of any kind of mystic. I saw them as parasites taking advantages of well meaning but duped followers. I have always put them in one of two categories - they are either charlatans or they are self-delusional. Nothing in between. In other words, they either knowingly deceive people, or they believe in the bunk they spread. (Sorry, couldn't control this diatribe - Tourette syndrome)”

My response at the time was a brief one that I agreed with him partly. The response was brief at the time because we were really engaged in a conversation on some other matter. But, the comment does need a more detailed response and I am attempting that now in a sort of question and answer dialogue because this is a difficult topic

Who are Babas, swamis and mystics?

Babas, gurus and swamis are eastern usage but such like persons exist around the world with different names. These are persons who have made the primary occupation or concern of their life as the spiritual side of life.

Is there a spiritual side to life?

This depends on what you mean by the spiritual side. If it means flying through the air along with your laptop and mobile phone, there probably is no spiritual side. However if it means things like love, fear, human abilities etc. that living things display as distinct from machines, robots etc. then yes there is a spiritual side to life.

Yes, so who are Babas and swamis?

As mentioned, Babas and swamis are persons who make the spiritual side of life their prime occupation. It is like an artist makes art his prime occupation and a scientist makes science his occupation and within that science are specializations such as chemistry, physics, astronomy etc.

Do Babas have disciples?

Some do and some others don’t. This is similar to some scientists also being Professors and some who are just scientists who do not teach others (for example a friend of mine Dr. Pimputkar). Babas and Swamis who also teach others about spirituality are also called spiritual gurus. This is similar to a scientist who is also called a Professor if he also teaches.

Are their Fraud Babas and gurus?

For sure there are, just as there are fraud doctors, lawyers, scientists etc. who may or may not be knowledgeable but use some immoral practice or lies for personal gain. As a matter of fact the percentage of fraudsters is probably larger amongst the babas than the percentage of fraudsters amongst modern scientists.
The percentage of fraudsters amongst medical practitioners practicing traditional herbal medicine (Ayurveda etc.) is larger than amongst those practicing modern allopathic medicine. The reason is that there is formal regulations, study, practice and examinations for allopathic doctors while there is not much of that for herbal, traditional medicine etc. Therefore it becomes easier to fudge in the latter case.

There have been fraud Babas from ancient times. The ancient spiritual text Gita mentions that these are hypocrites who pretend whereas there are others who are more mystic and do not flaunt. The hypocrites have their mind on non-spiritual pursuits while outwardly they pretend spirituality.

Do the Fraud Babas exploit and cheat others?

For sure they do and so do fraud doctors, engineers and lawyers. I have met doctors who have even made their patient intentionally sicker to extract more money and even lawyers who intentionally encourage the prolonging or complication of a case to make money out of clients. Last year when a friend of mine was involved with prolonged legal problems, I expressed that fear to another friend (KC) in a long phone conversation. The former friend had the option to conclude the matter with a fine but he chose to challenge the matter prolonging the legal dangers. I mentioned to KC that my fear was that the challenge may have been encouraged by the lawyer. I could not get in touch with my former friend because he has been aloof for several years.

Are all Babas fraud?

No there are sincere seekers too.

Are they self-delusional?

No not necessarily any more than we all are about life or our primary preoccupation in life. Some are, because just as the tool of a doctor is the stethoscope the tool of the mystic is his own mind and soul, and, just as the stethoscope gets spoilt from use, the mind to get into psychosis at times. The stethoscope can be repaired and so can the mind.

Do all Babas wear ashes, funny clothes or no clothes at all etc?

Many do and many do not. Some never declare their true pursuit and can go about as an ordinary person because there are schools of spiritual study that require belonging to a sect with its uniform and perhaps living in a place like a monastery; some require isolation from society into hills and caves, yet there are also schools in which one can pursue spiritual study while appearing and living as an ordinary person pursuing an ordinary profession.

Do Babas have special magical powers?

Yes and no. Yes they do have special powers just as a doctor has special powers to heal, a lawyer to argue in court etc. But no, these powers are not magical. They only appear to be so because they are not common.

A major character of my Novella (Mystic and the Blossoms) and a Novel (nude besides the Lake) I have written is a Baba because of my personal interest in spiritual side of life. A friend of mine (HP) recently enquired on phone if I too have become a Baba and if I dress funny. My answer is no, because spiritual pursuit has only been an intermittent pursuit for me in life and I dress ordinary most times. During a brief intense period of similar studies during 2007 in Nainital, I did dress funny as well for some months and grew a beard etc. It was a really grand and funny dress made out of a single piece of woolen shawl (just a single piece because my spiritual order dictated a single garment with not even an undergarment, and it did keep slipping off)

That dress has been unstitched now and has been converted into a lovely quilt for my adopted grandson - Golu. I have spent other periods of prolonged and intense spiritual studies in ordinary garb during my lifetime whenever I found an opportunity to interrupt a professional career.

Anything more about the special powers of Babas?

In my recent novel the sort of powers I gave to the Baba in the story (Neeltal Baba like) are special but those that I have experience of as true. I am certain that there are many more such powers that I have not experienced because in my experience there is always aspects of any branch of knowledge that one does not experience until one goes deeper.

One of the powers I gave to Neeltal Baba was immunity from heat and cold. This fact has been examined and proven scientifically as a power developed by a few Himalayan and Tibetan monks (I do not have references at hand but they are available on the net).

Another power I gave to the Baba was walking over long distances at great speeds without any physical tiredness. This is one power I have experienced myself although admittedly only on rare occasions. It is effected by a certain type of Jap/ mantra meditation when one’s mind is focused on the mantra or just one other thought while removing all other concerns from the mind. In the incident in the story the character practicing this meditation walks into town nude without realizing that he is nude because his mind was so much removed from worldly concerns. We have an incident from history where the scientist Archimedes was so focused on a scientific principle that when he discovered it, he ran nude into town shouting Eureka.

Yes, scientists, businessmen and all others who perform special and magical things often have special hidden human/mystical powers not possessed by others and are actually powered like Babas without declaring so. That is the reason why some can excel in a miraculous way in their pursuits.

Yet another power I granted to the Baba of my story was the ability to read minds. This too is something I have experienced myself albeit intermittently. My mother possessed that to a surprising degree and perhaps influenced my spiritual inclinations from a young age. This power of thought is not limited to reading a facial expression but also occurs over distance on phone. During the late nineties when I returned to IIT Delhi as a faculty member after a period of isolation and spiritual pursuit, I was telling people on phone withou them having uttered a word what they were thinking and then laughing about it. On one occasion a friend (Marwaha) called to say that he was going out of town and I told him that he was going to take his wife to Ambala to meet his sister for purchasing Gold jewellery etc. and he was quite taken aback. Most recently I found that the owner of an educational enterprise (Dr. Dhingra) in Nainital District was doing that all the time with me on phone. Dr. Dhingra regularly practiced meditation every morning.

However, after a few years of stay in Delhi, I found that the power of reading thoughts was disappearing. These powers wax and wane with time, practice and environment.

Another power the Baba of the book has is the power to will events. I am not fully certain about this power because events can happen anyway but I strongly suspect it exists and that people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have used it.

Do Babas do any good to the world?

They may not over finite periods of time if they by and large stick to their own pursuit just as a scientist may not for long periods if they stick to their labs engaged in God knows what study?

This brings us back to Nainital. Steve Jobs who is much in the news nowadays was in my view a Baba. He spent time in Nainital in spiritual pursuits during his younger days pursuing Baba Neem Karoli of Nainital and also Baba Hairakhan (Neeltal Baba?). He also suffered because of the disorder and poverty in Indian society and came to the conclusion that these Babas were not doing any good for Indian society at the present time. He felt a Baba like scientist or professional makes a better contribution to society and returned to a professional life to do precisely that.

Are Babas Freaks?

No they are not freaks any more than a scientist with a scruffy beard or an artist with funny clothes. Many people do view them with awe but they are ordinary humans with a specialization in mysticism. In my novel the Baba of the story appreciates the fact that the hero of the story - Fred- treats Babaji like an ordinary guy. The Hero developed that impression because at first he met the Baba at a party where the Baba danced and hopped around like others, had a drink etc. Later when Fred visited him at the monastery he found the Baba very different and wondered what was going on. He wondered if the Baba was a fraud and questioned him later as a friend.


Why do some people think that all babas are freaks?

Humans tend to do that. When humans note that a large number of gypsies are involved in petty robbery some tend to say all are robbers or if they find in America that the percentage of unemployed or welfare seekers are larger amongst blacks they may say that blacks are bums (in private because there are laws against that) but they cannot be serious because we also have a Martin Luther, Sydney Potier or a Barak Obama amongst the blacks.

One last question, who are Saints?

The very evolved accomplished mystics are saints just as Einstein was a saint amongst Scientists and Steve Jobs amongst Professionals. Incidentally Steve Jobs spent more of his time thinking of Death and Nainital than he did about the Iphone or the Ipad : ).

Review of the Novel – Nude besides the lake

A novel with Nainital as its backdrop – Nude besides the lake – was released earlier this year. This is what H.S. Gill a 1971 Mechanical Engineering graduate of IIT Delhi had to say about it in a recent communication to the author,

Ashok,

I have read your book from cover to cover, and some parts twice. The storyline flows well, it is pleasant to read, and I enjoyed the experience. I spent my childhood summers in Naini Tal or Simla, and have very fond memories of those times. Neel Tal, where the story takes place, took me back there and the descriptions were reminiscent of Naini Tal before it experienced its own version of urban sprawl.

The backdrop is wonderfully idyllic. All the characters are nice people, out to help each other, and the community as a whole. (The only exception is one Mr. Harbinder Gill, who abandoned his pregnant wife in India, emigrated to Canada and started a new family!) I don't want to reveal too many details lest they spoil the fun of others who have not yet read the book. Your depiction of nice people may be how you view the world - or how you would like it to be. If one comes across people who are not nice, the best option is to just not let them be a part of your life.

The story has a strong spiritual side, which, for reasons you well know, I could not relate to ------.

There are a couple of weird ties in the book, which I found mildly amusing. Queen Victoria brief appearance, and Pimp's fig leaf would fall in this category. Again, I will not go into any details. Also very apparent is the author's familiarity with engineering principles as he describes the various technical challenges faced by an expanding township. It was fun to see many of our friends' namesakes peppered throughout the book, which makes it a must-read for Mech 71-ers.

Final word - I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Its faith in the power of good citizenship is particularly uplifting. There is hope for humanity.

I eagerly await your next book.

H.S. Gill

The Novel - Nude besides the lake - is available at Amazon.com (link) and other leading online retailers

The Fame of Naini Mata and Nainital spreads across the World

A few months ago I wrote and published a small booklet with the title: Naini Mata - Goddess of Nainital. The booklet was merely a small expression of my love for the mother goddess. However, a few days ago when I entered “Naini Mata” in the google search engine and clicked I was surprised that this modest effort has lead to the spread of the fame and loving message of the goddess across the world through numerous websites. I am delighted that I have been an instrument of the mother in this task. It is the very least I could do in return for the immense love and blessings I have received from the mother goddess since the time I was an infant.

Naini Mata

On my visits to the temple of Naini Mata in Nainital I could find only one little book in Hindi on the goddess. Therefore I have written another one in English that is presently available at Amazon.com (LINK IS HERE)


Update Nove 21, 2011: Today morning I checked google again and found that the search results for Naini Mata have reached nearly a million. Jai naini Mata ki.

Nainital Heritage

With the blessings of the Goddess Naini, the presiding deity of Nainital, the city has numerous beautiful heritage buildings. If I had my way I would try and get Nainital declared as a world heritage site. It is now mainly up to the government of Uttarakhand and the people of Nainital to make every possible effort to preserve the heritage buildings. Lessons may be be learnt from Europe, as to how this is done in historical cities there. There is also a need to prevent new buildings coming up in new designs that do not reflect the original heritage of the city. If that is permitted a unique heritage of mankind would be lost. The picture here shows just one of the many beautiful buildings of Nainital - The Earl's Court Hotel.

Gaia Goddess and Naini Goddess

A human while he lives displays different appearances, different clothes and even different names. It is not surprising therefore that a goddess should do much more of that. Naini Devi the goddess of Nainital, the mother goddess in her different reincarnations and forms is also known as Nanda Devi, the goddess of the mountains or as Parvati the goddess of snow capped mountains, also perhaps as Bhuvaneshwari the goddess of the fields and forests which in ancient Middle East was known as Nana and to ancient Greeks was know as Gaia, the mother goddess or earth goddess. As the goddess of the oceans she is Mazu worshipped in Taiwan. As a gentle mother of love she is mother Mary worshipped by the Christians as a fierce conqueror of evil the goddess Kali worshipped by sects of Hindus. As a hermit she is Mira and as an Empress she is Queen Victoria. These are only some of the forms in which humans have worshipped the Almighty as the mother goddess. It is not surprising that the goddess has a temple in Nainital, because it is one of the most precious spots on earth.

Man, Environment and Self

This morning the local newspaper here in Jaipur (Rajasthan Patrika, 25th of January 2011, page 9) devoted a page to describing the deeds of a few ordinaryindividuals who had devoted several years of their own time, effort and money to improve the environment. This Newspaper is imbued with a high degree of social responsibility and it has made many contributions towards improving the quality of life in our province. Therefore it devotes considerable space to highlighting such stories from time to time. There were stories of persons who had created huge forests bit by bit around their villages, cleaned and created lakes and pathways through the mountains. As they worked on their projects, others in the area were motivated to join in and help, so that the results were truly impressive. The reports were highly encouraging, yet also embarrassing to me personally. I talk a lot in this blog and elsewhere about contributing to improving the planet, yet have not done much personally in this direction myself especially recently. This year my sole contribution has been planting three more trees on the street I live. I am aware of the fact that a person who talks while illustrating little by example is pursuing a shallow goal. Nevertheless. I carry on with my message in the hope that if it encourages a few more persons around the world to do a little more for the environment, it is better than doing nothing. Earlier this year I turned sixty and with age one’s energies reduce, therefore it is not easy to make a considerable direct physical contribution to the cause. However, that might partly be an excuse and there is a need for me to design new projects where I could make a direct contribution as well. I shall certainly turn my attention to that. Man in order to live is compelled to cause the creation of roads, towns etc. as suggested in another post of this blog. This leads to a destruction of the environment. Therefore it is every man's obligation to compensate for this destruction by making positive contributions to the environment elsewhere, and enough degraded arears for it would be found in any part of the world including Nainital District. As pointed out elsewhere in my blogs, personally to me making a contribution to the environment aside from its immediate benifit is a highly spiritual thing to do. Any attempts to improve the environment and to commune with nature are a subset of communing with the vast Infinite consciousness that throbs through every cell of the universe. During moments of such communion one experiences a great joy. One’s own trials and tribulations appear very small, a small temporary blip in this vast infinity of time and space, something that will disappear in an instant, metaphorically speaking, anyway. One may wonder at times that in such states of joy, one might be ignoring the more immediate needs of the small finite self. However, that is not my experience, because the needs of the finite self are met not just by ones own effort but also by the actions of the Universe around us, and it is my experience that the Universe then magically contributes to meeting these needs in an effortless magical sort of a way.

Neem Karoli Baba

One of the most highly revered personalities in Nainital Town is Baba Neem Karoli or more popularly known as Neem Karoli Baba. No spiritual blog on Nainital would be complete without a mention of him. He left this world on September 11, 1973. While he lived he sponsored the construction of many temples, the first one situated at a walking distance from Nainital town. It is known as Hanuman Garhi. Baba Neem Karoli believed like most Hindus do, that although God has no form he may be worshipped in a human like form. One of the most loved forms of God by Baba Neem Karoli was the Hindu god Hanuman ji and therefore this temple is devoted to Lord Hanuman. It was probably constructed in 1950 Babaji had disciples all over the world. He has provided spiritual inspiration to persons like Steve Jobs and Julia Robertson. Babaji is famous for many miracles but his primary messages, as far as this author has been able to discern, were simple - love God and all of His creation and perform selfless service as an expression of love. Baba belonged to a wealthy family owning large homes where his wife and children lived but he himself lived the life of a hermit most times. This author has met the Baba personally in his childhood along with his mother in Nainital in the early fifties.