the cross and the lotus journal cross and lotus symbolizes the unity between east and west. the...

Ours is to remain ever in com-plete surrender to Him. He

does everything for our best. No condition is miserable for us, if we put full faith in this

truth….The Almighty Lord of the worlds seated in our hearts is the sole doer. We are mere

puppets. Let Him make us dance as He wills. Difficulties and worries are not due to

outside causes. They are due to a mind not surrendered up to God.

Swami Ramdas

The true way to understand

scripture is through intuition, attuning oneself to the inner realization of truth....Through

the help of a God-realized guru, one learns how to use the nutcracker of intuitive

perception to crack open the hard shell of language and ambiguity to get at the ker-

nels of truth in scriptural say-ings.

Paramhansa Yogananda

We must learn the ABCs of spiritual living and make them the

foundation of our spiritual practice. These include: always tell the truth, never do intentional harm, do not be governed by an-ger, transmute sexual energy and have no sex outside of mar-

riage, do not give into depression or dark moods, do not abuse alcohol, recreational drugs or cigarettes. Souls have gone through tremendous spiritual experiences only to get caught up

in these delusional snares. Let us always live in accordance with these guiding lights.

Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

Victory family’s

Valentine Cake

The Cross and The

Lotus Journal

March 2018, Vol. 19 No. 1

Dedicated to the Realization of God and Service to Him in All Forms

Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

The cross and lotus symbolizes the unity between East and West. The lotus is the sign of illumined consciousness, the thousand petal lotus of the crown chakra. The cross is the symbol of the body surrendered to the will of God. Following the way of the cross results in the resurrection of illumined consciousness.

The Cross and the Lotus, symbol of man. East and West blended, join hand in hand.

Marching toward the infinite light and life divine. Lift up your eyes and see the star,

descending from heaven where e’er you are. Be filled with the peace and ecstasy of God’s almighty love.

Aum-Amen. The Reverend Yogacharya Mother Hamilton

The Cross and The Lotus Journal is published by

The Cross and The Lotus Publishing U.S.A.

Website: www.crossandlotus.com

E-mail: [email protected]

© 2018 The Cross and The Lotus Publishing is dedicated to the publication of materials that promote God-realization. Our spiritual lineage begins with Jesus Christ and Babaji and flows down to us through Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and Yogacharya Mother Hamilton.

The Reverend Yogacharya David Hickenbottom continues this lineage with the help and support of many sincere devotees. We are dedicated to realizing God and serving devotees of every race, color, creed and religion.

Mother Hamilton often said she was the product of two fully illumined Masters, her own Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, and Swami Ramdas. We therefore feature articles about Swami Ramdas and Anandashram. We bow to the feet of Saints and realized Masters of all religions.

The Cross and The Lotus Journal Page 35

Journal Editors: Larry & Cate Koler

Calendar of Events

Mar. 7 Paramhansa Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi (1952)

9 Swami Sri Yukteswar’s Mahasamadhi (1936)

20 Spring Equinox (9:15 p.m. PDT)

30 Passover—ends sundown April 7

Good Friday

31 Swami Ramdas’ Birthday celebrated (1884)

Apr. 1 Easter

May 13 Mother’s Day

10 Swami Sri Yukteswar’s Birthday (1855)

28 Memorial Day

June 17 Father’s Day

21 Summer Solstice (3:07 a.m. PDT)

Center News Don’t forget to check the website calendar for updates on where and when services are to be held. www.crossandlotus.com.

Asheville, NC: A new center has begun, hosted by Center Leader, Joy Putnam. They will be meeting at her home the 2nd. and 4th. Sunday of the month at 7:00 p.m.

Ashland, OR: Rick and Terry will be hosting services at their home while Peter and Laura are away for a period of time. Ser-vices are on Mondays at 6:00 p.m.

Bellingham, WA: Services are held on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.

Camano Island, WA: Special services are held here.

Hornby Island, BC: Devotees meet on Sundays at 11:00 a.m.

Maple Ridge, BC: The group now meets on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. for a kirtan and service.

Port Townsend, WA: Services held Sundays at 10:00 a.m.

Seattle, WA: Services held Sundays at 11:00 a.m.

Victoria, BC: Services held Sundays at 11:00 a.m.

4 The Cross and The Lotus Journal

From the Master’s Kitchen

Sour Cream Dressing

Sour cream may be produced from dairy, or leftover cream may be added to sour. Ground nuts sprinkled over-the-top adds to the food value and attractiveness.

Comments from our C&L chef, Angela Victory

For dinner tonight we are hav-ing “dressed baked sweet pota-toes.” We have been cutting back on our dairy intake, so our option is a cashew sour cream. I like Master’s concept of add-ed food value with nuts, alter-nately this could be hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds or a ve-gan parmesan cheese which is made from nuts (walnuts, gar-lic, nutritional yeast and salt.) We have a left-over chickpea coconut curry to layer with ve-

gan sour cream, vegan parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of Mike’s masala. An ALL plant-based meal to boost our systems with love from God’s earth.

Cashew sour cream recipe:

• 2 cup raw cashews

• 2/3 cup water, plus more if needed.

• 3 tbsp. lemon juice

• 3 tsp. apple cider vine-gar

• 1/2 tsp. salt

Soak cashews for 30 minutes in hot kettle water. Rinse and add all ingredi-ents to a high speed blend-er for 1 1/2 minutes.


Dear Friends,

There has been recent media discus-sion about the fact a prominent public figure has been quoted as saying that Jesus speaks to him; a commentator responded, this man must be mentally ill to say he hears Jesus. The commen-tator herself is a Christian, prays to God but does not think God answers so directly.

There are different levels of con-scious awareness, and each person represents him or herself as purveyor of what is real, and in many cases is apt to deny another’s percep-tion. A study of the brain reveals that different parts of the brain have evolved to fulfill diverse functions. The reptilian brain is associated with basic instinctual behaviors such as dominance and aggression. The limbic system clusters around the emotions, and the cerebral neocortex enables abstract and higher thought processes. However, for thousands of years there are brain centers, that have yet to be explored by western science, that yogis and mystics have identified through their own direct experience and insight.

One of the great challenges for physical science is the fusion of material, astral/energetic, causal/mental and pure spiritual bodies. For the mystic/yogi, the shift of awareness from the physical body to the astral can happen seamlessly, but, this kind of shift becomes a “bridge too far” for the physical scientist. Those mapping the brain have their hands full with getting to know which part of the brain connects with which normal function. Higher brain capacity that perceives the astral, causal and spiritual levels is far from being explored by science to-day—the future will hold many interesting scientific models that will take these higher states into consideration. But, like any model, these will be theoretical representations only and not the things themselves—which can only be truly known through direct experience.

Fortunately, we do not need to wait for physical science to map these higher functions before we can experience them.

The Cross and The Lotus Journal

Those who have not actualized these advanced brain functions will not know the higher capacities simply because they have not experienced them nor do they have any faith in them. There is a principle: that which is above knows that which is below, but that which is below does not know that which is above. The spiritual perceives the causal-mental, astral-energetic and physical-material, but the physical cannot comprehend the astral, causal and spiritual. Being primarily focused on the physical body, the materialist must make great efforts to awaken to what is all around us but currently unseen, i.e. the astral, causal and spiritual.

Thus, someone who operates only on this physical plane may naturally assume that hearing Jesus, communing with God, seeing angels or divine beings is a product of mental illness or an active imagination (found in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Association Area in the brain.) This view is all due to his or her exclusive frame of reference, and will either dismiss other accounts, or those descriptions will produce fear or anger because they threaten a careful (but limited) construct. For, this is a common occurrence in us, as humans—the perceived reality of an individual is projected upon all as a universal truth. If someone relies exclusively on their five senses, he or she as-sumes all others are wired the same and anyone purporting to perceive more is a liar, carried away by imagination or mentally deranged. As Ramakrishna put it, each one thinks his watch alone keeps the correct time, and all others are wrong.

If someone has a spiritual experience in a certain church, mosque or temple, that one may think that true spiritual experi-ences can only be had by someone of that denomination or religion. Physical scientists who rely on their scientific method and discipline may think that only what is described in their text books and journals has validity, all else is suspect, or are false until proven true by themselves or their cohorts. It is a universal problem—our mindset can serve us well to make sense out of this world, but it can also imprison us in a set of assumptions that tend to get supported by like-minded souls to whom we are attracted.

In this regard Jesus made an important statement, “Know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Mental illness does not make you free, in fact it is a repetitive hell that leads nowhere.


increased flow of prana in the cells from this whole body asana.

When you are ready, turn your head forward again and prepare for another round. Repeat 1-2 more times, always remembering to practice at a level that is supportive of exactly what your body and being needs in the present moment.

*Note: You may choose to practice with the arms out to the sides like an air-plane for a more gentle variation.

Modification for Chair Yoga: Sit forward facing on your chair in the middle of the seat. Lengthen your spine upwards and slightly draw the tail-bone down and under. Reach your arms back and hold on to the sides of your chair down low near the seat. On an inhalation, straighten your legs, lifting them off the floor. Release your shoulders back and lift the gaze, keeping the back of the neck long. Feel your heart center blossoming open, and breathe.

Release when you are ready, and notice the effects before practicing another round or two.

Benefits: Strengthens the back and spinal muscles, buttocks, back of the arms and legs. Stretches and opens the shoulders, chest, belly and thighs and improves posture. Stimulates the ab-dominal organs and helps relieve stress. Makes you feel like you can fly; to God alone!

Om, Om, Om. Namaste.

http://Om.Om.Om


Yoga and Health

Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

By Briana Jones

Props: Firm, even floor space, yoga mat.

Inspiration: “I am no eagle, only a little fledgling which has not yet lost its down; yet the eagle’s heart is mine, and the ea-gle’s eye; and despite my utter littleness, I dare to gaze upon the Sun of Love, burning to take my flight to Him.” – St. Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower.

Practice: Begin lying on your belly on your yoga mat with your chin or forehead released forward. Allow your arms to be relaxed alongside the body, and your legs slightly apart. To pre-pare for the pose, press the front of your pelvis against the mat and draw your tailbone slightly down and under. Engage the core muscles.

On an inhalation, lift your chest, head, arms and legs in one smooth movement to a level that feels right for your body. Look forward, or slightly up, keeping the back of the neck long. Stretch your arms* and shoulders back, and open your heart cen-ter, drawing your shoulder blades towards each other. Reach through your toes.

Imagine you are body surfing at the beach, riding the crest of a warm, gentle wave, strong, supported, and free.

After a few breaths, release back into the prone starting posi-tion, turn your head to one side and completely relax. Sense the


Active imagination can make for a certain kind of freedom when used that way, but it is not real freedom based on a higher reality, but a temporary foray in the mind. Real spiritual freedom gives ever-new joy, an attunement with a superior reality that makes you know who and what you truly are, and an inner guidance that will propel you into doing the right thing at the right time. On the outside things may look ordinary for one with this enlightenment, but on the inside he will experience the truth of his being—he will find a freedom that was ever-elusive when wedded to this material plane only.

In any church-body you may have many people with different perceptual realities. There will be those who do not see anything other than the world of the five senses. Going to church may be seen as a good thing for their children; a place to meet moral people; and their vision of heaven is but an improved extension of earthly life. Then, there are those attending church who take it deeper, through sincere prayer they feel an ongoing peace and inner assurance. This inner awareness makes them feel they are in the right place, and right with God. A step higher is having spiritual visions and experiencing God’s inner direction. Above that is a gradual merging in God-consciousness, losing all awareness of the outer world of five senses—being powerfully awake to transcendent spiritual consciousness. And finally, going over the top—the false sense of “I” as a separate state of consciousness is no more, there is only God consciousness—perceived both as immanent and transcendent—the universal vision.

Of course, on our way to this exalted goal we must be aware of “false prophets,” such as being guided by imagination, fear or desire and not by God—we must test each spirit. However, we should not be in the position of denying the Christ when he manifests within or without. Assuming someone is mentally ill when they say they have God’s guidance is prejudicial igno-rance. Let us look for the outward signs of inward attunement, and when we find someone in a genuine walk with God, let us honor that one and the journey of discovery he or she is on.


Letter to a Devotee Dear _________,

Certainly, your total effort for realization is required; it must be 100%. However, the greatest power in this world is love—to experience love for God makes you want to be in His Presence—this has the greatest drawing power. While you do need to exer-cise discipline in your choices, love is more powerful. Love can come in the form of, “I want to be with You always and merge into Your eternal Being; I want more bliss, more love, more joy, and wisdom that reveals the absolute Truth.”

When you are focused on what you want, do not wander into the region of doubt and being focused on what you do not have—this is just the ego getting sidetracked. Keep your mind on what you positively desire and the means of getting there. If someone wants prosperity, and he succumbs to depression be-cause he does not have as much as he would like, then depres-sion takes over and no positive steps will be taken to attract more money; in fact, just the opposite. But, if he says, “God has given me this desire for prosperity, He has given me ideas for what to do, He and I are in partnership and every day I enthusiastically work on His behalf,” then that one will always be focused in the right direction.

So, you see that being focused on what you don’t want or don’t have only reinforces misdirection. Rather, remain focused on what you do want—for a devotee that means keeping your mind on God; enlist God as your Senior Partner in the venture, be enthusiastic and do what you know will draw you closer to Him. If (when), you run into obstacles, automatically hold a meeting with your Senior Partner and work the problem with His guidance and assistance. Develop such a powerful love for God that He alone brings you true happiness—then He cannot be far away and must be drawn to you by your deep desire for union with His all blissful and eternal Being.

Our Infinite Beloved will never abandon you! Remain open, and God will usher you into new and bright worlds!

Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram! Victory to God. Victory to the Light!

With all love and blessings,


I Seek Nothing More By Rebecca Barnowe

In such a stillness You have awakened me—to sit unencum-

bered by any thought or intent to make action in this world.

The endlessness of Your Presence surrounding and uplifting, is

food for the very gods and angels.

I seek nothing more—only to be held forevermore in such

sheens of glory given so purely.

Eons are passing through—yet time like a dream holds no sway.

Your mansions of experience flowing freely through unrivaled

spheres of Being.

“I am with you always,” You whisper into my thoughts, “even

unto the end of the ages.”

for the blessings in all forms, keeps my spirits high even when I face adversity at work.

Lastly, I remember that I do not come to work each day for money and health insurance; I do not work for a human boss; I work because God wills me to and I work for Him alone. Just as seeing our Earth as a tiny spinning grain of sand in the vastness of space puts our small concerns in perspective, recalling that God is my one true boss keeps the daily workplace drama in its proper perspective. Office gossip, inequities, annoyances, at-tacks and defensiveness, pride and humiliation: these incessant noises tempt me away from my dharma, and admittedly, I still fall prey to them, but the lapses decrease as my awareness grows. Every day on this grain of sand is absolutely priceless and I refuse to let another one spin by without making progress on the path home to God.


In Business with God “When you are in business with God, you are in business with

the whole world.” – Mother Hamilton

Transforming Work into Dharma

By Adam Shinn

Essential to me having an amazing day at work is to start it off with a strong connection to God. Getting up early, a brisk shower, a full meditation filled with bliss, and then a bus ride in to work with Ram Nam playing strongly inside me, sets me up nicely to face the chal-lenges of the day ahead.

On a good day, the Ram Nam stays with me for hours, increasing in volume as I get up from my desk

and walk around. On not so good days I have to kickstart it go-ing, but this mantra, our mantra, seems to fill my veins with light, quells the fears that would otherwise invade my peace of mind, and charges my interactions with purposeful intention.

Much of my job as an Academic Adviser at the University of Washington consists of talking, and more importantly, listening, to students. While listening to them tell me their issues, ques-tions, anxieties, and hopes, I remind myself that God’s spirit is animating their body, words, expressions. As I do this they seem to transform from just another student to a dynamic divine ener-gy, a sacred person who has come to me for a reason, maybe for growth in them or in me or both. I stay open to wherever each conversation is leading to, where we are meant to go, discover-ing, and uncovering grace. By doing this, my interactions with students, no matter how repetitive on the surface, never get bor-ing.

At least a couple of times a day I recap whatever it is I am most thankful for in the day so far. Sometimes it is small things and other times there are major events I celebrate, but creating the mental habit of always being on the lookout for the positive,


The Savior Entombed An Excerpt from a Talk given by

The Reverend Mother, Yogacharya M. Hamilton

in Seattle on March 29th, 1961

[Bible Reading is John, Chapter 6, verses 44-71]

Holy Week—The Baptism of Spirit

This is a very important week in the whole Christian world. Everything in Christianity is based upon the birth of Christ and the crucifixion of Jesus the man. It is a miraculous thing to know that Jesus, the man, came first and then came the birth of the Christ within him.

Holy Week, originally, in the early days of the Christians was something very, very special. It was the heralding of baptism for the whole Christian world. And this baptism was of the spirit because people in those days knew the true meaning of the cross and the Christ. Since that time, they have forgotten that meaning. The cross has become a symbol to them. It has become two pieces of wood nailed together. And Jesus is shown nailed to that cross.

But I say to you that the true meaning of the cross is that the body is the cross, that every man as he stands upright with his arms outstretched and his feet together is that cross upon which must be crucified his own ego, and it is for that reason that the


Christ is universal; it is for that reason that Jesus spoke the truth when he said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man can go to the Father except through me.

Now this applies whether you be a Hindu, a Jain, a Parsi, an Episcopalian, a Christian Scientist, a Jew, a Holy Roller—it makes no difference what you are, because you are a man: you have two eyes, a nose, two ears, a mouth, two arms, two legs, a body—you have every single thing in you the same as every single man in the universe.

…Now this is not to say that you must be a Christian in the orthodox sense because Christ came to give us catholicism, which means universality. He came to teach the universality of God in every man.…Because God is everywhere equally present. There is no place, no church, no synagogue, no temple, where God is not.

…Because religion is life, and I don’t care what a man says he is, whether he says he’s the greatest believer or the worst atheist, still he is going to God; he cannot help himself, because God is the sole Power, the sole Creator—He created everything and everybody on this earth; He has projected all from His bosom. We are out here suspended in space, animated by this tremendous power, energy and intelligence of God, and the day will come when we will be withdrawn back into His bosom.

…We are content to stay out in this dual existence, satisfied with being kicked back and forth between the pairs of opposites, taking a little joy today, a little sorrow tomorrow, weeping bitterly over the sorrow, rejoicing greatly in the joy, but never trying to go beyond either one to that eternal paradise which is within each and every man this world over. This is why the teachings of the Christ are universal.

Crucifixion Happens before the Birth of the Christ

…Jesus the man, the savior in every single man, must be crucified before the Christ, the Anointed One, can be born. And as it says in one of the chapters of the Old Testament: And unto us a child is born. And immediately in our human consciousness we think of a child in the outer, but this is not so. It is the Christ child within us which comes from the sacred colostrum or cloister under the brain, which is born a virgin birth of the Holy Breath, anointed of God. It is a child which is the union between


Memories of Mother By Steve Fisher

For some reason I have had faith in God since very early on in life, primarily because of my mother. But I never really connect-ed personally with God until I met Mother Hamilton in 1974, which is when I really began my true search of becoming one with my Father God.

After many years with Mother, I finally came to the realization that I am one with my Father and with every-thing around me in this world and beyond. She taught us that every-thing is God and God is everything.

It took me years to raise my level of con-sciousness to that reali-ty. I now see, hear, feel, taste and smell God in every person I encounter, every blade of grass, every tree, every planet, star and universe and even in myself. I can also remem-ber Mother telling us all to become smile millionaires and to al-ways ask “where’s the fun?” Life is grand in any form we take.

Mother’s 80th birthday: David giving her a gift; Steve standing directly behind her.

God-vision is nothing but to realise and feel His presence with-in yourself and everywhere about you; because God is an all prevailing spirit, permeating the entire universe. The manifest-ed worlds are not different from Him, since they are but His own expression in terms of name and form.

– Swami Ramdas, In The Vision of God


Lo, I Am with You Always By Judy Ellis

Even though I understand intellectually what our Lord Jesus said to his disciples long ago, and what my Perfect Guru, Yogacharya Mildred Hamilton, told me personally when She inhabited a body in this incarnation, that I am with you always, still an emptiness is felt and a longing persists, as this mind stub-bornly clings to the idea that the physical form of the Master must be present! Thankfully, though, our prayers are ALWAYS heard and responded to, as in wondrous gifts that shower upon us when we least expect them but are open to receiving them. Here’s an example...

More and more these days, I find myself making the sign of the cross. Sometimes I draw this symbol on the ajna, the point between the eyebrows, while at other times I begin at the ajna, extend the vertical down a bit, and then cross horizontally at the eyes, remembering what Mother taught, that these eyes are the two thieves on my cross, which is my body. Not long ago, while on a walk with Yogacharya David, I mentioned this frequent habit of mine, concluding that this probably was just a carry-over from my having been raised as a Catholic.

My Holy Teacher responded by saying not a word. Three days later, though, while reviewing a transcript of one of Mother’s talks entitled “The Cosmic Idol,” here’s what I read:

Remember, make the sign of the cross. This is the greatest emblem in the world. Pick up your cross and follow me if you would go through the Christ with me, to the Christ Con-sciousness; otherwise, I hold my Christ between thee and me. This is my protection.

Never, in the many, many talks of Mother’s that I’ve re-viewed, have I ever once heard my beautiful Guru talk of the im-portance of making the sign of the cross. Yogacharya David, as well, told me that He hadn’t either.

ALL HONOR AND POWER AND GLORY ARE YOURS, O LORD IN MOTHER’S FORM.

Victory to God. Victory to God in Mother.

…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Matt. 28:20


spirit and matter. It is born of the flesh and of water in the beginning—I mean man is born of flesh and of water in the beginning, but this Christ within us is born of the Spirit and this one is the son of God.

Inner Meaning of the Last Supper

When Christ asked them to drink of this wine and to partake of this bread in commemoration of him, he was not speaking of the wine that we know of today which intoxicates the mind, nor was he speaking of the wafer which is offered at communion. These are merely outer symbols of what is truly meant inside, because every man at some time or other, in some incarnation, has to go through these experiences, and no one who has not gone through these things knows the true meaning of it. You come to the point when you are in the same consciousness as Jesus the man, the savior, when your love for God is so great that you know that your only salvation, your only way of becoming one with your Father, who sits on the throne of your consciousness and on the altar of your heart, is to go through this crucifixion. And you know that all of these senses that you have nurtured and have harbored and hugged to your being are the ones, the people within your kingdom, the thought forms that are going to crucify you. You know the way, and you teach your disciples all these powers of truth, of love, of understanding, of zeal, of imagination, all of these things are taught to these disciples.

And you have a Last Supper with them, a last feast with them, because this feast is of the Spirit, it is of the bliss of God, and you are so lifted up within your own being that you are in the ecstasy of God, and you know truly that you are partaking of His wine which is the living water of the spirit and of His bread, which is the power within you, the energy within you, because God is Infinite Intelligence, He is Infinite Power, He is Infinite Bliss, Infinite Love. And all of these things you feast over with your disciples at the Last Supper, because you know truly that this is it, and you wash the feet of your disciples. In other words, you cleanse your mind, all of the powers within yourself, of everything but that which is of God. But you know that there is one who is going to betray you, and you know that that one is the desire for knowledge, the desire for the knowledge of phenomena, the desire for experience. What do these things in the scriptures—and I don’t care which scriptures we’re talking


about—mean? You want to know.

I can remember when I sat on the bench in India, and pounded that bench, in a room all by myself, and I said, “God, I’ve got to know. I have experienced so many things within myself within this Bible, but I’ve got to go, I’ve got to go all the way and know.” And my wish, my desire, my will to do this was so great that this was the Judas in me that crucified the savior within myself. You cannot discuss these things with the truth of knowledge unless you have experienced them.

Mother Had the Inner Meaning Revealed to Her

For instance, in the Bible it says, The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them and then they will fast on that day. Now this week begins, all of Lent is a fasting for forty days, that is true, and this is the preparation for fasting. But you see the thing has become only an outer symbol, so man eschews something, whether it be candy or liquor or cigarettes or some food of which he is fond, going to the movies, trying to be a better person, he gives up some particular thing as an outer symbol of fasting. And during Holy Week there are many Christians the world over who do not partake of anything of the flesh nor anything that comes from the flesh, and that is because originally it was known that the flesh was going to be destroyed in the sense that it would go through this crucifixion, that actually the physical body or the consciousness in that body would be destroyed and would be transferred to the astral body. And at that time, as I have explained to you before, the change actually takes place within yourself, the whole transition, so that there is a metaphysical and chemical change as your consciousness slips from the gross or human body, the physical body, into the astral body. And Ramana Maharshi has made the statement that at that time then the psychic heart, which is on the right, is born, and in Ecclesiastes it says, The wise man’s heart is on his right, but a fool’s heart is on his left.

You see, every single thing that is in any of the scriptures is in all of them. But they are worded differently. You have to go within yourself and experience these things and realize them before you can see the truth of them. You can search for them with your mind from now ’til “kingdom come” and you will never get them. The Bible is two-fold in its help for man, because man takes it as in relationship to his outer life and he gets help


Mother’s 27th

Mahasamadhi Day – 2018 By Cate Koler

This year, as one of us was at Anandashram the end of January, Mother’s Mahasa-madhi was again celebrated there. Mother’s picture was taken down from the dining hall and placed between Papa and Mataji’s likenesses in the Bhajan Hall. A beautiful posy was created by Geeta and I was given a garland to put around the photo during the flower ceremony. After the noon Arati, sweets were passed out in her honor as prasad.

The first half of the afternoon Satsang hour was dedicated to Mother. Swami Muktananda gave a short introduction, after which I did the same and then read from the booklet we produced for this occasion called “My Blessed Papa.” It includes letters and poems Mother wrote to and for Papa. (It can be seen on the website or you may re-quest a hard copy.) That

evening I was honored to light the Arati lamp in recognition of this oc-casion. More devotees from In-dia and abroad heard about Mother.

In the USA Yogacharya David wrote a special post for Mother and gave a service on YouTube in honor of her.

In Seattle, Rev. Larry met with a small group at her graveside and then they had lunch together. Jai Guru!

Before Satsang, with new C&L pendant from Larry

Some who attended the Satsang


One God, One Religion By Cate Koler

During my stay at Anandashram this year I chatted a couple of times with the son of a devotee we know from Hyderabad and whom I had met at their home over ten years ago. We were shar-ing a few spiritual stories and memories and when I mentioned that Mother wanted to bring Christianity and Eastern religions together he recalled that I was a devotee of Mother’s and told me this wonderful true story.

One time, Pujya Swami Satchidananda was staying in their house and a large room-full of devotees were there to be with him. Suddenly at the door appeared two taxmen who wanted to look at the family’s business accounts. This had never happened before. Our friend told the men that it was not a convenient time; he was happy to make an appointment for another day; that there was a swami there and many devotees had come to be with him. The one man, when he looked in the room and saw Swamiji, apologized for just showing up and said they would come anoth-er day. The other man became belligerent, ridiculing swamis and Hinduism and all and insisting on going into their office and looking at their accounts. (At this point in the conversation I asked our friend if the second man was a Christian or a Muslim. A Christian, he said.) The annoyed “Ram” continued his behav-ior as he pushed his way into the office. He was standing there, looking around when his gaze alighted on the family’s copy of “The Cross and The Lotus Journal,” which they had been receiv-ing since we met them. On the cover was a picture of Mother and Swamiji sitting together and the symbol of the cross and the lotus.

The man had no more looked at the cover when he ceased his angry rant, did an about-face in his attitude and said they would leave and come back another day. Somehow seeing the link be-tween the Christian cross and the Hindu lotus as well as the Christian saint with the Hindu one made an impression on his mind.

The Cross and the Lotus, symbol of man. East and West blended, join hand in hand.

Marching toward the infinite light and life divine. – From Mother’s song


and comfort from all of the commandments, but he doesn’t realize the inner spiritual meaning of that which is about to take place.

Now this sentence, for instance: “The day will come,” said Jesus, “when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them and then they will fast on that day.” You see, Jesus the Savior has been with the human being; he has been leading him, guiding him, ever closer to God. He finally has become a minister. He has been preaching to all of the people within, and also what manifests inwardly manifests outwardly. But he knows that he has risen so high in human consciousness that if he is to go farther this crucifixion must take place, and he knows that when it does that he will no longer be with that human soul in the same sense that he was. The day will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them and they will fast on that day. And that is, that these are the days in which the savior within you, having been crucified, is entombed in the heart.

Now, it is said that the third day Christ rose from the dead, how the first day he escaped from the physical body, the second day he escaped from the astral body. Now, as we have discussed before these days are only days in spirit because the days as we know them are purely man made; time as we know it is made by man; space is the idea of man.

After the Crucifixion

… After you have gone through this crucifixion, you are in a world apart, believe me, and the first day, no matter how many days in the worldly sense it encompasses, is a weird place in which to live. People avoid you because they think that you are different; and so you are, because the savior within you is dead; you are neither what you were nor what you hope to become. You have not yet risen with the Christ. These two days you are truly in purgatory. It is as though everything, everyone, has forsaken you.

In the first place before Jesus was crucified, he said, looking down on all of those that he knew were going to do this to him, these forces of good and evil within himself, the two thieves on his own cross: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” And then he then said, “I thirst.” And what he was thirsting for was this nectar from heaven, but they gave him vinegar, bitterness to drink, only that. And then he said, “Father,


Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?” And for one awful moment, while you are on your own cross, when you are suspended between the heaven and the earth of your own being, you are like John on the Isle of Patmos; you are in a state all by yourself. It doesn’t mean that you have lost your faith in God. It doesn’t mean that you deny the existence of God, but you can’t find Him anywhere, because this wonderful feeling of intuition, this feeling of exaltation, of occasional rapture that you have had when you have meditated upon God, has forsaken you, and there is absolutely nothing—you are in a void. And then these forces descend upon you, and you are torn and embattled; you feel earthquakes—truly what it says in St. Matthew is true, because you are shaken in every part of your being. You are torn asunder. There is famine there. You do not—in fact, you are not able to eat, and you must escape into the mountain of your own being. And if it happens in the winter of your life it’s a very serious thing perhaps, because it says, Except for the elect, no flesh will be saved: the few who are spiritual enough within yourself to carry you through—your will power, your determination, your love for God—you could not possibly come through this experience and still live.

The In-Between State

So after you come out of this, having gone down into the hell of your own being and up into the heaven of your own being, you are in this in-between state because you are in the tomb. You are in the world and you try to go back into that world as you knew it before, you try to mingle with people, to eat, to play, to laugh, to talk, to speak just as you did before, perhaps to go to an occasional movie. You’re trying everything, every way you know to come down and get your feet on earth because the experience that you have had has been so completely shattering even to the point that you have been shown the crucifixion of your own savior upon your own cross; you have been shown the seven churches within your own spine, which are lit up, and the angels in them; you have been shown all of these things. And this has affected the brain and the spine where all of this has taken place to such a degree that you fight with everything you have to get back to normalcy.

You see, you have experienced the anointing which must be done, because the fever which burns in the brain and the spine is


Three Divine Mothers of Anandashram By Rev. Jill Hough

Loving, serving, communing with the Divine, these wonderful women are inspirations to me.

Nalini-ma, suffering in the body, when offered assistance, assures me that Papa is in complete charge and He will care for her body.

Omana, after a long day of work, joyfully outfits me in a sari, remov-ing her own pins to make me look beautiful, as if I am her own daugh-ter being dressed for a prom.

Swami Chandrananda, all beauty radiating in every direction, when I ask her if she is feeling uplifted, she gives me a glimpse into her greatness: “with God all around, where is there to be uplifted?” and I am uplifted!


Anandashram 2018

The Ashram’s Spiritual Practice: Nama, Dhyana, Seva

Japa is of four kinds. (1) Chanting of God’s Name loudly, as we are all doing in Bhajan. Some prefer this method to the other three methods, because they can hear the sweet music that comes from the repetition. (2) Chanting God’s Name silently—the voice will not be audible though the tongue and lips will be mov-ing. (3) Chanting God’s Name mentally—this is purely a mental process. Lips or tongue do not move. (4) The last is what is called Ajapajapa where God’s Name is repeated with the ingo-ing and outgoing breath. When mingled with breathing, the Japa becomes automatic without any effort whatsoever. This Japa is possible only after a long and constant verbal Japa of God’s Name, only when the mind is completely absorbed in God-thought. – Swami Ramdas

Ram Nam leads you to Dhyana [contemplation, meditation], and Dhyana and Ram Nam together will result in Seva..…Saints compare the Name to the canoe that takes one across the turbu-lent waters. Dhyana is the helmsman, the power that takes you across, and Seva is the rudder…You sit in the boat of Ram Nam, hold on to the rudder of Seva and leave everything to the helms-man, Guru-Dhyana. You will reach the goal.

– Mataji Krishnabai

Those who have God’s Name will be able to accept whatever happens in the world as happening by God’s Will and, because it is happening by God’s Will, take it for their good.

– Swami Satchidananda

[Source: The Vision magazine, Feb., 2018]

Jill, Larry and Cate with Swami Muktananda


so great that unless you have either the sacred ash rubbed on you or sandalwood paste rubbed into your scalp, your brain could not stand this experience.

So many people say, “I want God now. Why am I not having visions? Why am I not having experiences?” God, in His infinite mercy, knows what each one of us should have, and we cannot have this great fire of God, this experience of baptism within ourselves prior to the time that we are conditioned to receive it. And this conditioning takes place on a gradual basis. And we go from step to step until gradually our whole being is at the state where we can go through this experience. The petals of the lotus must be geared to receive the tremendous fire of light which burns there.

So all of these things that you are experiencing were commemorated and are now commemorated in the outer sense because this is truly the baptism of spirit which takes place within you. It is the atonement for sin, the confession for sin, and these people were taught about these things in the early days and they were examined publicly by the Bishop to make sure that they had no sin left in them before they went to God within themselves. He wanted to make sure that they were conditioned for this. And so this period of fasting from the bridegroom took place outwardly, because now while you are in the tomb of your own heart, the savior is no longer with you alive, guiding you, directing you, you feel no direction at all. This is what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul.”

Crying in the Wilderness

And, believe me, it is dark: you feel like you were in a vacuum; you don’t know where to go. And this is the true meaning of that phrase in the Bible where it says, The birds have nests and the foxes have holes but the son of man hath not where to lay his head, because he has not yet been Christed. And he doesn’t know where he is, nor where he is going—he is content nowhere. He is like a man wandering in the wilderness, searching, pleading, begging to God and saying to God, “God, I surrendered myself on my own cross. I gave you everything, my husband, my wife, my children, all my possessions, I threw into this fire—why do I not feel my oneness with you. Where is the bliss that was promised? If ye shall be faithful unto death ye shall have a crown of life.


And so you no more than come out of that for awhile and you’re still in darkness. You get nothing as you were before—you were getting prophecies and you were getting revelations and you were being uplifted and exalted and living the tremendous truth of the Bible—now, nothing—absolutely nothing. You are just existing. And sometimes the temptation comes very strongly to go back into the world. Sometimes it comes strongly to commit suicide. But that can be taken in two senses, because truly to commit suicide is to kill the ego within yourself, so that only the god will be present, that is what it means in every case where it refers to the human death: the end of the world, to be faithful unto the death of the ego and the end of the earth, so that it shall be in the earth of your own being as it is in the heaven of your own being.

The Astral State

Then all of a sudden you are thrown into the astral state, into the astral body. And this is the electrical body, where the experiences that you go through are beyond belief—it is the body of magnetic electrical current. And I can remember so well when I went through that because I had a wool robe on, and when I got through going through all the manipulations that I was directed to go through inside, I would finally be so exhausted, and I would tell Father that I was through with my day’s work now and take this robe off. And my body was so charged that the robe would just crackle as it came off my body, and my body was so charged that my hair would stand straight on end, and no matter how I combed it, it went all in the right direction—never could I keep a part in my hair, and the combs would just fly out.

If I put bobby pins on a tray and my hand was over here, the electrical magnetism in my hand would literally bring those bobby pins right over on the other side. I even had my heel pierced by a nail as I was walking across the floor. This is the tremendous state that you go through. And you don’t know what’s happening to you; you have no understanding, and this is particularly bad.

Now the first time when I went through it I had Ramdas. It’s absolutely necessary to have a guru to help you through this experience. But the second time, God, the guru, was my only help, and I was searching blindly. And you are out of body consciousness during that time. And in the astral state you go


Adoration By Yogacharya Mother Hamilton

Oh Heavenly Father, Divine Mother

I lay the blossoms of my devotion

On the altar of my love for Thee.

My listening mind waits in silence

While my soul softly opens in prayer to receive Thy light

Gradually I am aware of Thy presence

Enfolding me in Thy arms of everlasting bliss.

Suddenly I realize

“I” am not my body

“I” am not my mind

“I” am not my soul

Thou hast absorbed these in thy flame of eternal light.

I am forever one with Thee.

shipped him as her Lord. The change that took place was com-plete.

So while she was in this state of ecstasy, Krishna just waved his hand over her and she was transferred again to her home. But from then on, they spoke of Radha and Krishna, the eternal mar-riage of these two. And it is the eternal marriage of the soul with God that it speaks of, because you have these two powers within yourself—the conscious and the subconscious.

And the reason that your life is not what you want it to be is because these two have not joined in marriage together.

Remember that whatever you have done in the past still re-mains in that subconscious mind, and until that subconscious mind can be purified and made clear and sweet, and filled with the light of God, it cannot affect the conscious mind. So when your conscious mind listens to Truth, reads Truth, and accepts that Truth—if you will bring that subconscious mind into union with it so that both are working together in harmony with God’s law, you will find that you have reached your final attainment.


As Told by Mother “The Pearl Tree”

There is a story told about Radha and Krishna. And Radha represents the worldly attachments. She is the eternal female, and she is receiving all of the things of the world. So Krishna wants to have Radha come back to him because he has great love for her. And so he sends word to her that if she will give him just one tiny pearl, that he will plant that pearl and from it will grow many, many pearls, and that she will have a beautiful long neck-lace.

So the messenger takes the word to Radha, and she spurns him. She said, “This is absolutely ridiculous.” She said, “I will not, in any way, give him a pearl.” She was very proud, you see. She wanted nothing to do with him.

So the messenger took the message back to Krishna, and Krishna said to his mother, “Mother, would you give me one of your pearls?”

“Of course, my son. You may have the whole string of them.” she said.

So Yashoda takes her pearls off from her neck, and Krishna took just one and he planted this pearl in the ground. And then he poured his life, his love, his power upon that pearl, and he concentrated upon it. And all of a sudden the shell of the pearl broke open and a beautiful pearl tree came forth. And on this pearl tree, it grew pearls, just—I don’t know how many of them—but just thousands of them. And so he gave them to who-ever came along. And people from all over the earth were com-ing to see this wonderful pearl tree.

Well Radha heard about this, but still she was so filled with pride that she would not go to Krishna. So Krishna sent word to her again: If she would give him just one pearl, then he would see that she got all of these pearls.

So finally she came to him and because she had been proud, the vision to see the pearl had been blocked out. It was just like a deep thick veil before her eyes. But the minute she came in the presence of Krishna, the veil was removed and she saw this beautiful pearl tree. And she fell down before him and wor-


through many, many things which are spoken of in the Hindu Bible: you go through the cosmic dance, or the atomic dance, where you are able to perform every single asana that is known in the Hindu system; and I, never having done any of these things, still my body was made to go through all of these things, and they call this the cosmic dance wherein the atomic structure of your being is being changed—it is being changed.

Now after you have been through these experiences, one day the heart opens: this is the tomb, and the Christ is born within you; he is arisen within you—resurrected. And gradually the ascension starts taking place in the heaven of your own being. But you are not one with that Christ yet. You are still like Paul, the little one on the path, trying to find your way along. But when this resurrection takes place, your great exaltation within yourself, then you really know that Christ lives again because you start getting revelations. He starts revealing the truth to you, and then he starts to tell you about the Last Day when he shall take you up with himself, into the heaven of your own being.

The Christ is Risen

This is all a gradual state, but to the one who will be faithful unto the complete death of the ego, which entails the gross ego, the ego of the senses and the ego of the mind, then that one will have a crown of eternal life and glory. Then the thousand-petaled lotus in the brain opens up, and this nectar of God pours forth, and there is nothing there but God. Is this not worth going the fourteen stations of the cross in order that you might become the Christ, the Anointed One? This is truly what it means to each and every man on earth, regardless of race, color, creed, denomination or what-not. The Christ is eternal in the heart of every man, and the way of the spine is the way of the cross.

You must go that straight and narrow way. You must use your will. You must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all of your strength, because the Christ is eternal—and it is the savior within yourself who has died, who has shed his blood on your own cross in order that you might be saved from sin. Then the hallelujah starts, praise to the Lord, because the Christ is risen. And you know that one day, if you persevere, that you will become that: “I am That,” says the Hindu, and Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.”


Minister’s Message [Featuring the thoughts and inspirations of

one of our three ordained ministers]

How to Wake Up with God

By Rev. Peter Schultz

From the depths of slumber, As I ascend the spiral stairways of wakefulness, I will whisper: God! God! God! Thou art the food, and when I break my fast Of nightly separation from Thee, I will taste Thee, and mentally say: God! God! God!

This is the beginning of a beautiful poem Paramhansa Yoga-

nanda said was given to him in vision by St. Francis of Assisi.

Mother played the recording of Master chanting the poem for me when I was just 19 years old. And I never forgot it.

At first I would put my mind on God when awakening to dis-pel worry, frustration and doubt. And then it became a habit. Lying still in my bed at the moment of consciousness every morning I mentally chant God, God, God—or God, Christ, Gu-rus, and a wonderful thing happens. Any dream induced over-night fears dissipate, replaced by feelings of love, security, hope and a general knowing that everything will be okay.

This is such a wonderful way to wake that I tried to induce it by reading spiritual books and stories before going to sleep every night figuring that if you go to sleep with your mind on God, you’ve got a better chance of waking up with your mind on God.

It’s always a delightful surprise when a theory bears fruit, as this one did.


couple of minutes, the bird starting walking in a circle and then doubled back and started coming towards David. He got in the perfect position for David to take the photo, looking right at Da-vid at times and then other times posing for him too so that he was able to get a perfect shot of this elegant and graceful bird. Again, I was just amazed to see how the animal was quietly but most determinedly posing for David and his camera.

THE COW:

This is the one that is truly INCREDIBLE. We were walking around the HUGE build-ing where they had the Texas rodeo, fair, and animal show. We were in Houston visiting my college roommate and were waiting for the ro-deo to start. Most of the cows were all gone as it was the last day of the animal exhibitions that had been going on for three weeks. There was a small shed that had the animals that were “best in show,” which included cows, sheep, goats, etc. There were two cows in a pen and they had signs above each showing their worth at $350,000 each! One of the cows had its back to us and the other was facing us, both laying down. I walked in and saw them and then walked out. I pointed them out to David and he started walking into this shed. I stood outside the shed, watching through a window. As soon as David walked in this little shed, the cow facing us stood up and looked at David. She kept her eyes only on David; there were many people all around and that cow just looked right at David. It was remarkable. As soon as David walked into that shed, that cow stood up and stared at him. She knew who David was and was acknowledging his greatness. It was incredible. Even at this moment, I can still feel and see how David and this magnificent creature were bound together in a Sea of Light. A connection that made time stand still.

It is a great honor and blessing to be able to observe a God-man and a powerful reminder of how God operates in every mo-ment in such delightful and surprising ways!


Observing a God-man By Carla G. Hickenbottom

THE EAGLE:

The first time I saw an animal’s re-action to David was at Yellowstone National Park in October 2016. We had arrived at the nearby campground that afternoon and wanted to take a short drive into the park before it got dark. The first place that we stopped was along a medium sized river right beside the road, where several cars had pulled over at the small parking lot. Everyone was looking at a bald eagle perched very high up on a dead sort of tree with a full view of the eagle on the opposite side of the river.

David took his camera and stood where he was exactly oppo-site the eagle. The whole time we were there, the eagle was fac-ing to the side, all the other “photographers” were snapping the side view of the eagle as he never moved his head. David was standing there about a minute and the eagle turned his regal head and stared directly at David. He looked at him for only a few seconds, long enough for David to take the picture and then the eagle turned away. I know that the eagle sensed that David want-ed his photo, so he turned at the exact right moment for David to get the shot. It was quite something to watch.

THE CRANE:

We were riding our bikes in San Antonio, Texas around mid-March 2017 on our pilgrimage across the USA. I had seen this very tall and stately crane in the water next to the bike path and pointed him out to Da-vid. He stopped, turned around and got out his camera. He stood about 20 feet away and had his camera, taking pictures. The crane was looking sideways and then only after a


Gradually over time as I woke I became conscious of God’s presence—God was with me every morning and remains so to this day. It’s a gift I am thankful for beyond measure. How can you have a bad day when you wake with God?—God enfolding you like the softest sheets and pillows with love, warmth, securi-ty, and comfort.

And how can He not? If you’ve raised children think back to when they were just little scamsters asleep in their beds. All you wanted to do was lift them up, wrap them in your arms pouring love into their little bodies and giggling souls.

As magnificent as that is, it’s only a tiny reflection of God’s love for us. Think of Him during that magic time of rising be-tween slumber and wakefulness—let Him wrap you up and lift you up!

Awakening with God is like a thousand suns shining on your beautiful uplifted face. It’s a gift, and a delight, and a wonder.

It is a beautiful thing to wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, God. Good morning, my Father. What a beauti-ful, wonderful blessing it is that you have given me this day of life. Let me open myself to you. Let me feel the bliss of Thy Presence. Purify me. Be with me every moment during the day. Guide me and direct me so that I may spread Thy Truth, that I build happiness in the world, that I may be successful in putting forth Your Name, Your Glory, Your Fame. And in all that I do, let it benefit God in all mankind.”

How wonderful it is—and to take God with you in everything that you think, say and do: to see Him in every form, as He is indeed, because He is that Life, He is that Intelligence, He is that Power which makes you move and breathe and have your being. And then at night, to take time before you’re too tired, too sleepy, to give thanks, to give Him a blessing for all of the blessings He has given you for that day, because a day of life is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

By Mother Hamilton

[From her talk, “The Seeds of Life,” 1979]


Divine Protection By Mangala Gangoli

Here are a couple of miraculous incidents that happened dur-ing the lifetime of my great grandmother who lived up to the ripe old age of 106 or 107—I must have been around 20 years of age when she passed away.

The incidents described below happened when she was very young. She belonged to a very poor family of temple priests in a remote village. She was widowed at a very tender age which was in itself a great calamity in those days. To add to it, she lost several of her near and dear ones, including her only child which was a baby and many of her siblings as well, due to abject pov-erty on one side and epidemic diseases on the other (those were the days when antibiotics had not yet been discovered.)

Unable to bear the load of her grief any longer, she was deter-mined to end her life, and one night, when everybody was fast asleep, she made her way upstairs to the terrace on the roof of her building. Climbing onto the parapet, she was about to fling herself down, when she felt a powerful blow from some invisi-ble source which knocked her down and she fell backwards, sprawling on the floor of the terrace. She looked up in surprise to see the radiant form of the much-revered saint, Swami Sa-marth Ramdas (guru of the famous king, Shivaji) who smiled benignly at her and said, “Do not grieve. Everything will be al-right. Read the Manache Shlok (‘Verses addressed to the Mind’ composed by him) everyday and you will feel consoled. You will soon meet your Guru and gain peace of mind.” Saying this, he disappeared. True to his words, two months later, she met her Guru and there was no looking back for her after that.

The second incident occurred during her annual pilgrimage to Pandarpur. It is customary in Maharashtra for devotees to under-take a pilgrimage on foot from the place of residence to the tem-ple of Pandarpur during the pilgrimage season. They generally chant the Lord’s name or sing devotional songs and dance as they go.

My great grandmother undertook this austerity every year in her younger days. On one such occasion, possibly due to ex-haustion, she could not keep pace with the party of pilgrims with


whom she was travelling and to her horror found herself alone in a jungle in the late evening. Night was fast approaching and in that perilous situation, she prayed piteously to the Lord for help. Soon she heard the sound of a bullock cart approaching. She hurriedly stopped it and explained her predicament to the cart driver and appealed to him for help. He readily agreed and asked her to climb into the cart. When they reached the village where her party members were camping for the night, she jumped off the cart. When she turned around to thank the cart driver, to her astonishment, she found that the cart driver along with the cart and the two bullocks had vanished in an instant into thin air. She searched for them throughout the village, but nobody had seen or even heard of such a cart anywhere. It was all a great mystery. She for her part felt that it was the Lord himself, who having heard her call, had rushed to her rescue.

Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.

Swami Samarth Ramdas (1608-1681 AD) was a much-revered saint, poet and social reformer whose heart bled at the plight of the common people oppressed as they were during the tyrannical rule of the Moghuls. All his inspired works are directed towards the moral, spiritual, social and political uplift of the masses. He was both spiritual Guru as well as political advisor to the famous king, Shivaji of Maha-rastra. (It may be recalled that Pu-jya Mataji also had a vision of this saint when she tried to commit sui-cide prior to her meeting Papa.)

[We are very pleased to have Mangala, a longtime resident at Anandashram and a special friend of several of Mother’s and David’s devotees, contribute to this issue of the journal. – Ed.]

Oh good mind! You should diligently keep to the path of devo-tion. Sri Hari by his nature will then be drawn to you.

From Manache Shloka by Samarth Ramdas

the cross and the lotus journal cross and lotus symbolizes the unity between east and west. the...

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