March 2016
By Pradeep Krishnan
Enlightenment requires one to give up all struggles and sadhanas to attain it, says Sri Bagavath Singh, a former lawyer from Tiruchendur in a coversation with Pradeep Krishnan
The 95-year-old Theni Swami, guru to Shri Bagavath
Sri Bagavath Singh, a lawyer in the court of Tiruchendur, a coastal town of Tamil Nadu, famous for one of the six principal abodes of Lord Muruga, was an ordinary spiritual seeker till 2006. During that time, at the age of 58, one fine evening, while he was relaxing in his home, enlightenment happened to him within a split second, bringing his search of 40 years to a complete halt. He unmistakably recognized the simple nature of consciousness. He says, “One can get enlightenment within a split second, without any difficult practices, and this simple understanding is enough.”
Born on September 12, 1948, to Sri Alakanandam and Smt Bagavathy, right from childhood the young Bagavath imbibed deep-rooted religious values from his pious parents. The inner quest kindled at the age of 18, led him to the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Mahatma Gandhi, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Osho, Nisargadatta Maharaj and several other masters. He attended the discourses of Jiddu Krishnamurthy and would spend a couple of days at Sri Ramanashrama, along with likeminded friends, every year, to deepen the inner quest. His close association with a realised saint, Raju Swamy, aka. Theni swami (now aged 95), who lives in Bodinaikannur, Tamil Nadu, helped him to intensify his search for the truth. Though he had practised several yogic disciplines such as yoga, pranayama and meditation, for about 40 years, his mind continued to remain restless and impatient, eagerly seeking the ultimate.
Finally all his spiritual exploration of 40 years ended on that momentous day of attainment. Sri Bagavath says that it can happen without any difficult meditations and yogic practices. Simple comprehension of the mind is enough. After this he began sharing this newly dawned wisdom with people who flocked to him for guidance. In due course, the numbers grew and eventually he quit his legal profession, dedicating his life to addressing gatherings organised by his acquaintances in several parts of Tamil Nadu. They started calling him Sri Bagavath and respectfully addressed him as Ayya (sir in Tamil).
After some time, regular attendees of the satsangs came together and formed two organisations, Sri Bagavath Mission and Pravagam (flow), in Salem to spread the unique message of their Master. Recently on January 20, Sri Bagavath Bhavan, an ashram for earnest aspirants of spirituality, was established in the vicinity of Salem.
After the demise of his wife a year ago, Sri Bagavath lives alone in his house at Tiruchendur, leading a normal life, cooking food and doing household chores. After reading his books, “Give up meditation, Get enlightenment,” and “Renounce God! Be God!” I longed to meet him. His books are simple, lucid and explain different aspects of inner exploration, guiding the reader through a step-by-step process to absolute truth. We met on June 2, 2015, at his residence in Tiruchendur and for about an hour Sri Bagavath elucidated on different aspects of spirituality.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Sri Bagavath:
Ayya, please tell us about your spiritual journey.
During my younger days other than following the customary rites and rituals, I had no inclination towards spirituality. One of the text books newly introduced into my English syllabus was Workers for humanity, detailing the lives of several social reformers. Repeated reading of the book made me resolve to dedicate my life to social work. I also felt that to become an effective social worker, one has to set right one’s character. Later, while in the degree class, I was attracted to the Gandhian philosophy since it underscored the need for a spiritually-oriented character for social workers. But I was confused about the spiritual path. During the year 1964 or 1965, on reading the works of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, I was tempted to become a spiritually inclined social worker. Thereafter, while studying law, the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti became a passion due to its logical and analytical approach. JK’s speeches convinced me to intensify my search for the truth, and for about a decade I wandered here and there with a restless and confused mind. My meeting with Theni Swami, a realised sage like Ramana, who gives importance to the inner search, prompted me to ponder on the ‘I’ consciousness and I started intermittently experiencing bliss consciousness for as long as two-three days, However, I could not retain it permanently. At that stage, since I had no concrete idea about the goal, I felt that if I was permanently in bliss consciousness, I would be enlightened.
What was the enlightenment experience like?
I was deeply enquiring into what was happening to me. When I was not in bliss consciousness, ordinary problems would crop up in my external life. While I welcomed pleasure and joy, I wanted to move away from sorrow, pain and fear. I started pondering over the goal to be achieved. At last it became evident to me that it was impossible to keep bliss consciousness forever. I became convinced that getting and maintaining bliss consciousness was not the end. On that significant day, while deeply contemplating, it became obvious to me that the intellect has no place in your inner quest. I came to the conclusion that one has to accept life as a whole, psychologically and physically. I also recognised that instead of becoming a prisoner of the mind one has to make use of the mind to overcome the difficulties posed by life. In other words, whatever happens, one should flow with the flow of life. I became aware that whatever be the life situation, one has to live naturally allowing everything to happen the way it has to happen. That is the enlightened way of living.
What, according to you, is true spirituality?
Grasping the functioning of the mind is true spirituality. All our activities, including spiritual practices, are done with the mind, and hence the experiences that we get from such practices will not last forever. When we comprehend this, naturally we start questioning the practices and lastly give them all up. This relinquishing has to happen naturally. If anything is given up intentionally, it will become another kind of practice. In fact our practices actually disturb the natural function of the mind. Instead, the spontaneity of the mind has to be accepted. Know that we have nothing to do to get enlightened; rather it is just recognising that the intellect has no role in it.
What is the purpose behind human life?
The purpose is to flow with life. While there is nothing wrong in selecting a goal and achieving it in the external world, in the inner sphere, fulfilment is here and now. It can never be in the future as everyone is already in the liberated stage. Not knowing this, we are disturbing and delaying the process of illumination by our practices.
How to choose one’s own path?
Interest must be the guiding factor in choosing a path. Like the airplane which discards the runway after taking off, even though sadhana or practice is good for the beginners, it has to be given up at some point as one has to give up all struggles to get realised. Actually, total surrender to existence results in total freedom of the mind and at last the ‘I’ consciousness itself gets liberated.
While reading your book and by listening to you, my mind becomes light. But after sometime it will again go back to experiences of pain/pleasure. How to face such a situation?
While we are involved in social responsibilities, it is natural that different types of feelings arise in us. Such thoughts, cropped on their own, will leave on their own, if we do not indulge in them by repeated thinking. Whatever happens on its own, will also disappear on its own. Inner feelings should be allowed to flow in and out on their own. If we attend to our external duties properly, inner domain would automatically regulate itself.
Does everything happen as per destiny? Is there any scope for my effort?
Once it is accepted that everything is God’s deed, there should not be any confusion at all. At the same time it is very difficult to surrender absolutely to God and accept that good and bad are all God’s endowments only. According to Karmasastras one accrues karmas based on one’s actions. Our deeds alone will come back to us in the form of karmas. Mounting up of karmas is the result of our actions only. Therefore, the freedom to change our karmas vests with us. There is certainly scope for effort too.
How should the guru-sishya (master-disciple) relationship be?
The master-disciple relationship should be a friendly one so that the disciple can openly raise his doubts. There should be a cordial relationship between the master and disciple, without any sense of inferiority or superiority. The attitude, “I know more and you have to obey whatever I say,” has no place in such a bond.
Do we have control over our thoughts?
The occurrence of thought is not wilful, it is automatic, and it is natural. It happens on its own. We are not responsible for that. There is no wilful participation on our part. We cannot create thought as it is based on karma. But when we begin to get involved in the thought, when we manipulate thoughts, it is thinking. But you can maneuver your thinking in a positive way. We have to use our thinking properly and legitimately.
How to get rid of one’s misery and sorrow?
The mere acceptance that happenings are beyond one’s control will remove all grief and lead the individual to absolute freedom.
Advice to seekers?
As practices are only preparatory, give up all practices after one or two years to rise above them. Put everything in the hands of God. Recognise the limitations of the intellect, and be aware that it is a good instrument only in dealing with the outer world. Spiritual attainment, being psychological surrender to existence, has to happen naturally and spontaneously.
About the author : Pradeep Krishnan is a seeker based in Trivandrum, Kerala, seeking answers to ‘existence’ and a student of consciousness deeply attracted to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
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