Every year, all sadhaks of The Universal Spiritual Science Foundation (USSF) eagerly await the Paramguru Pournima function. This year’s function too got celebrated on 2nd December in an auspicious atmosphere in the B.N. Vaidya Auditorium of the Indian Education Society at Dadar, Mumbai. At 5 p.m. sharp, the founder of USSF and discoverer of Adhyatma Vidnyan, His Holiness Shri Naamchaitanya Bhanudas, known to all of us as ‘Bhau’, arrived in the auditorium with his wife. According to the Foundation’s custom, Shri Ramdas Pai, a sadhak of the Foundation as also a well-known entrepreneur welcomed HH Shri Bhau by garlanding him and also applying vermilion tilak on the forehead. Likewise, Smt. Manjiri Pai welcomed HH Shri Bhau’s wife by applying turmeric-vermilion tilak and offering a flower bud garland. The function began thereafter with the Gurustavan and Guru Gayatri chanted by the sadhaks on the stage.

The program of this year’s function was organized in a very different manner. Adhyatma Vidnyan accords a lot of importance to the (human) mind. HH Shri Bhau reminds us time and again that we are merely alive physically but actually live mentally. This mind has tremendous power. It can help us in attaining salvation or it can also ruin us. Mental tension is caused by the unnecessary and distressing thoughts that arise in the mind. This tension leads to mental pressure and eventually despair or frustration. Such despair is an open invitation for several psychosomatic illnesses. To avoid the mental pressure and the resultant illnesses, it is necessary to avoid the unnecessary thoughts. Necessary thinking is unavoidable for our daily living but unnecessary and troubling thoughts have to be avoided. Thought-free state of mind which is, indeed, the ‘shoonyavastha’ proves to be beneficial. During this Paramgurupournima function, HH Shri Bhau’s discourse was on the very subject of ‘shoonyavastha’. To help the sadhaks clearly understand the shoonyavastha, HH Shri Bhau got them to perform some (mental) exercises. He also guided them. All the sadhaks who were present in a large number participated enthusiastically and whole-heartedly in these exercises. The distinguishing feature of this year’s function was the spontaneous response and participation of all the sadhaks.

HH Shri Bhau commenced his discourse on shoonyavastha with the following comments on the mind. He said, “Our mind is fickle. It wants joy. It wants relaxation. However, we are unable to conduct ourselves accordingly. We are always curbing our mind. In the name of sophisticated behavior that will impress others, we live with a repressed mind. However, we are unable to experience joy as a result of such repressed behavior. Sophistication is suffocation of the mind! To avoid this, it is necessary to live with an open mind. We should be light-hearted. Of course, living with an open mind does not mean with an unrestrained mind. This disappearance of open-mindedness has made it necessary to start ‘laughter clubs’! Laughing in such clubs does have physical benefits inasmuch as our lungs become free. However, such laughter is compulsive. Instead of such forced laughing, learn to laugh and live with an open mind and enjoy life.

To convince the sadhaks, HH Shri Bhau made all of them perform one exercise. The sadhaks on the stage sang one of HH Shri Bhau’s bhajans: “Radha Ramana Ghanashyam, Naache Giridhaari” in the rhythm of garbha. And, as advised by HH Shri Bhau, all the sadhaks closed their eyes and whole-heartedly danced mentally to the beat of the garbha. When the bhajan was over, HH Shri Bhau asked the sadhaks whether they enjoyed this whole-hearted mental dancing. And all the sadhaks raised their hands. He then offered a very valuable advice, “This was just a glimpse. There are many ways to experience joy. Experience joy in this manner and get relaxed.”

The sadhaks on the stage thereafter chanted Om namah shivaay in two ways. The first was for chanting meditation (naam sadhana). The chanting is done in a slow rhythm. During this chanting, attention is completely focused on the syllables and the notes (soor). Consequently, thoughts stop arising in the mind. The mind becomes quiet. When the last word shivaay fades out, the mind gets becalmed with the note. Awareness of body-place-time is lost. Mind becomes relaxed and experiences silent quietude. This is, indeed, the shoonyavastha. However, such chanting meditation is not possible while performing our daily work or while strolling because one has to be necessarily aware of body-place-time while performing any action. At such times, the chants should be replete with the brahmatrayi, that is, chant having the three energies of syllables, melody and faster, manifest rhythm. HH Shri Bhau said that while working, the mind gets engrossed in the melody of the chant and sways with the rhythm.

To explain and illustrate how to get engrossed and forget oneself in a note, HH Shri Bhau got one exercise performed by the sadhaks. He said we should imagine we are seated in an empty, open playground. One note will be played on a drone instrument (soorpeti). We have to follow the note. As the volume goes on reducing, we have to imagine that that it is receding high up in the sky and follow it. Focus our full attention on that note. When you go high up, silent quietude can be experienced. All the sadhaks participated in this exercise and experienced silent quietude. After this pleasant experience, HH Shri Bhau offered detailed guidance on Omkar and Gayatri sadhana together with the care to be taken.

HH Shri Bhau explained in detail about his discoveries during his mental research on mind without any instruments or gadgets. He said, “Mind is a tremendous power. Even if the body gets destroyed, it makes one reincarnate. During research on mind, I realized that there is a mind that pervades the Universe.”

HH Shri Bhau then continued, “The Universe came into existence following a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang. During this tremendous explosion, the sound of Omkar, heat and light emerged. As the Universe continued to expand, the sound of Omkar continued to fade but its resonance has remained. In my book on Gayatri Mantra which was published in the year 2000, I have made a mention of this resonance. Prior to that, I had presented this subject in the Adhyatma Vidnyan Prabodhini. The cassettes recording the relevant discourse/s are still available today.”

HH Shri Bhau then mentioned, in this context, that in the year 2017, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agency in the United States searched for sounds around the Sun and elsewhere in the Universe. With the help of modern instruments, NASA recorded sounds not audible to the human ear. The sound of actual Omkar can be clearly heard near the Sun and its resonance can be heard even far away in the Universe. NASA has made available these recorded sounds for everyone. These sounds were then played in the auditorium. Listening to these sounds was a ‘hair-raising’ experience for everyone. The sound of Omkar from the Sun was known to Indians from ancient times. HH Shri Bhau then said that this has now been acknowledged by American scientists. HH Shri Bhau added that our sages had discovered Omkar in ancient times from the power of their meditation.

Thereafter, HH Shri Bhau mentioned in detail about the power and importance of Omkar as also the care to be taken during Omkar sadhana. He also offered practical guidance to the sadhaks for chanting Omkar. While chanting Omkar, the body absorbs the life energy or the essence in the oxygen that we breathe. Consequently, we get energized and refreshed. HH Shri Bhau then said that it has been proved that when we attain the state of shoonyavastha, all the cells in our body get fully energized and charged. Based on his research, Professor Herbert Benson of the Harvard University has made a statement that one will not need a doctor if one chants Omkar for twenty minutes twice daily.

Explaining this point in greater depth, HH Shri Bhau said, “Every cell in our body has a mind of its own. Naturally, every cell has its own deep-seated feelings (bhav) and attributes. These cells are completely unaware of the external world. All the cells inhabit the body happily and function harmoniously. During sadhana, these cells also get energized and their functioning imporves. However, any tension in the conscious mind also leads to tension in these cells and their functioning gets disturbed or obstructed. This affects the physical health and leads to disease. So to preserve our physical health, the functioning of the cells in our body should be made smooth and trouble-free. This only means that they should not get subjected to tension. For this purpose, we have to avoid tension and unnecessary, distressing thoughts in our conscious mind. We only have to develop and conserve the strength of our mind.”

When one loses awareness of body-place-time in shoonyavastha, the body gets energy from Gurutattva or Guru Consciousness. The next state of mind is nishoonyavastha in which one completely loses awareness of oneself and the surroundings. Spiritual work begins in this state and knowledge is gained intuitively. The subtle body leaves the physical body. This subtle body is a part of the subconscious mind and is connected to the body with a silver chord. This subtle body can go anywhere. Our ancient sages visited other planets and celestial bodies in this very manner. Their descriptions match completely the information gathered by the modern spaceships.” HH Shri Bhau then concluded his discourse with the following advice, “Please therefore appreciate the importance of Omkar sadhana and remain physically and mentally healthy.”

The atmosphere in the auditorium was overwhelmed with HH Shri Bhau’s discourse. Thereafter, the sadhaks on the stage chanted the chant of Shri Swami Samarth and the atmosphere became even more enlivened.

After a small recess, HH Shri Bhau concluded the function by distributing prasadam to all the sadhaks. Smt. Smita Balvalli, a sadhak of the Foundation, compered the entire function very nicely.