Chapter XII
The next morning at four we were awakened by the voice of the chela, ringing out loud and clear, “Nature is waking; so should the children of nature awake. The morn of a new day is just dawning. The freedom of the day awaits you. A-U-M.”
We went to the ledge where the top of the pole had rested the evening before and found to our surprise that the pole had been replaced by a well-built stairway. As we walked down, we wondered if we had been dreaming the night before.
The chela met us at the foot of the stairway and said, “No, you have not been dreaming. The stairs were dreamed there last night. The Master Puriji placed them there for the convenience of all; so you see they are a dream which came true.”
During our stay of two weeks in that region, we were served with hot nourishing food. In no instance did we see food being prepared, yet we were bountifully served.
The chela and one other started to climb to the Pora-tat-sanga. The first approach was by means of crude steps cut in the rocks; then there were planks across fissures which made yawning canyons below. Part of the ascent was accomplished with the aid of ropes made fast in crevasses above.
Although the two men climbed for two hours they made no headway beyond the second ledge which was about five hundred feet from their starting point. They decided they would be obliged to give it up.
When they hesitated, Yogi Santi, knowing their plight, called to them: “Why don’t you come down?”
The chela replied, “We are making the attempt, but the rocks are holding us fast.” They were having the experience of many, that it is easier to climb a sheer rock wall than to come down.
“Well, why not stay there?” jested the Yogi. “We will return tomorrow with food; perhaps by then you can climb to the top.”
He then admonished them to keep perfectly calm, as he realized the difficult situation they were in. After three hours of careful direction they were with us again. With a sigh the Yogi murmured, “Thus wanes the enthusiasm of youth.”
The youths looked longingly upward, “If Master Puriji stays there, it will probably be our bad luck to stay here. That trail is too troublesome for us.”
“Don’t worry,” said the Yogi, “A higher one than yourself will take care of that. Now rest. You made an excellent start.”
Many asked when we would be able to see the Great Master. The Yogi answered, “This evening.” We wondered how a temple could have been built in the position Pora-tat-sanga occupied.
The Master Puriji came and talked with us during the evening meal. The failure of the attempt to climb to the temple was mentioned. The Master said that they had succeeded because they had made the second attempt.
At four the next evening, we all gathered below the temple. The Yogi Santi sat in Samadhi. Three of the company walked to a large flat stone and seated themselves as though in prayer. In a very few moments, the stone began to rise and all were carried to the temple on the stone.
Then Yogi Santi said to the chela and two others, “Are you ready?” “Yes,” they all answered eagerly and sat down on the rock beside him. Instantly the rock began to move gently and together they were transported to the temple roof. Then our turn came. We were asked to stand in a group; then all arose to their feet and those at the temple came forward on the roof and began to chant A- U-M. In less time than it takes to relate, we were standing on the roof of the temple. Within the space of a few moments, all were gathered at the highest temple in the world.
When we were seated, the Master Puriji began speaking: “There are a number among you who have never witnessed body levitation and they wonder. Let me say there is no wonder about it, it is a power which belongs to man. We look upon it as knowledge of ancient Yoga. Many people have used it in the past and it was not looked upon as miraculous. Gautama Buddha visited many distant places through the levitation of his physical body. Thousands of people have I seen that have made the accomplishment and there are much greater evidences of power than this that you will see, evidences of a great irresistible force that can be used to move mountains when brought under complete control.
“You praise and sing of liberty and freedom from bondage and fear but, unless you have forgotten bondage and forgiven it, you have remembered bondage too well and have forgotten liberty. A system of pure Yoga is a message of complete freedom to the whole world.
“Let me give you an explanation of the A-U-M. In English the brief form OM is used. The right use in Hindustani is A-U-M. Therefore, we will consider it in this light.
“ ‘A’ is a guttural sound. As you pronounce it, you will note it starts in the throat. “To pronounce ‘U’, the lips must be thrust forward.
“ ‘M’ you will note, is formed by pressing the lips together, causing a resonant tone like the humming of a bee. Thus you will see that the sacred word of AUM is basic, comprehensive, all- inclusive, infinite. Its universe includes all names and forms.
“We know that form is perishable, but the concrete or real, before form was expressed, that which is named Spirit, is imperishable; for this reason we denote that imperishable reality, A-U-M.
The Sadhu instructs his students thus, ‘Tattoo-manu-asi.’
“When the students realize, through deep meditation and absolute Truth, they reply only ‘Su-ham.’ The teacher says to the student, ‘Thou are God,’ and the students reply, ‘That I am, su-ham.’
“Let us look closer into the statement and the answers which the student gives when he realizes his Godhead, ‘su-ham.’ It contains two consonants and three vowels; the two consonants s and h, the three vowels a, u, and m which is a medial syllabic.
“The consonants cannot be pronounced unless joined to vowels. Thus in the domain of sound, the consonants represent the perishable, the vowels the imperishable.
“Therefore s and h are relegated to the perishable. A-U-M remains, and form AUM the eternal.
“O inquirer after Truth, AUM is the great GOD. Wise men attain their objective sustained by AUM. He who contemplates ‘A,’ the first part of AUM, contemplates God in the wakeful phase. He who meditates upon “U,” the second part of AUM, the intermediate phase, obtains glimpses of the interior world and is of Spirit. He who meditates upon ‘M,’ the third part of AUM, sees God as himself, becomes illumined and is free immediately. Meditation upon AUM, the highest self, includes ALL.
“I am looking far out into the great white cosmos of light. There stands one with a simple gown of purest light drawn closely around him, the benevolence of pure light beaming from his countenance. From all around him comes the voice and through that voice the words ‘You are forever and forever.’ He comes nearer and nearer. The voice again speaks, ‘This day and hour are given unto you, the priesthood of all human kind, that has no beginning and no end!’ It is the focal point of the emanations of pure light, brought together to show all humanity their origin in Divinity. This is not the symbol of an order or brotherhood; it is the symbol of humanity in its pristine purity before a brotherhood began. The pristine condition has not yet spoken; this is long before the earth moved in its great nebula, long before this earth claimed its orbit and attracted that which belongs to it.
“This is the projection of the first human form that must stand forth in complete command of all force that starts to bind the atoms of the earth’s nebula into form. Listen. The voice around him is speaking. The command is ‘Let there be Light.’ The dazzling white rays shoot forth, the form brings them to a focal point, the earth’s nebula is bursting forth, and that focal point is the central sun of the nebula. As the central nucleus draws its atoms together, they take on more light. There is conscious direction back of this form that projects light rays to the focal point.
“Now the form is speaking and we hear the words. They are formed by letters of pure gold light; I can read them. ‘I come from the great cosmos of light to watch you, O earth. Draw your particles to you. Into every particle project light which is eternal life, Light which is of the great Principle of Life, the Father, the emanations of all Life; and I declare unto you I AM.’
“Now I see the form beckoning. Standing with it are other forms and, from the midst, one speaks, ‘Who is the dearly beloved that stands forth from the Father, the light cosmos?’ The voice from around again speaks in low whispered words, ‘This is myself brought into form to have dominion, as I have dominion, and through myself my dominion manifests.’ Lo, it is the Krishna, the Christos, the Christ, all three in ONE.
“The form again speaks and answers, ‘I AM, and all of you are THAT I AM.’ The voice continues, ‘Look beyond me; the voice of God speaks through me. I AM God and you are God. Every soul in its pristine purity is God. The silent watchers sitting, hear the voice speaking through that form, saying, ‘Behold, man is God, Again, the Christ of God comes from out the great Cosmos.’
“This is not emotion nor infatuation; this is a clear, calm vision of man, standing forth from God, in full dominion and mastership. This is the mastership of all humanity; not any one is excluded.
Back of the form is pure crystal, dazzling white light emanations. It has come forth from pure white light, it is formed of pure white light; therefore, man is PURE WHITE LIGHT. Pure white light is God Life. Through man only do the pure rays of God Life emanate or manifest. As we fix and focalize our ideal through contemplation, the vision takes life, stands forth, comes closer and closer, until our vision and the form are united and stand forth as ourselves, and become one with us; then we become ‘THAT.’ Thus we say to all mankind, ‘I AM YOURSELF expressing God.’ When the true mother sees this at the time of conception, the immaculate conception takes place; then there is no rebirth. This is womanhood, manhood; wo-man-hood is God—the true Godhead of all humanity. This is Atma, the inclusion of soul in man and woman.
“Woman’s true dominion is coexistent, coordinate with the image. The One is the ideal male and female. Together they are Darupati, the pride of motherhood, the ideal of womanhood, the eternal of humanity brought forth as helper and helpmate; many times destined to stand alone in perspective, but together in the whole of the Cosmos plan. In woman’s true dominion, she offers her body on the altar of birth to be used to nurture and present the Christ child to the world. This is the true conception of the immaculate and, when presented in true thought, word, and deed, the child is not conceived in sin and born into iniquity but is pure, sacred, and holy, conceived of God, born of God, the image or Christ of God. Such a child need never go through rebirth. It is only through thoughts of the physical that the child is born into the physical and thereby allowed to assume the physical thoughts of sin and discord of the elders or parents. This alone makes rebirth necessary.
“When woman allows the Christ to stand forth from within, she is not only the Christ but the child is the Christ and is like Jesus. She then sees the Christ of God face to face.
“When wo-man, that which has wedded or brought together the male and female, sends forth her true call, her immaculate body is ready for that immaculate thing—the conception of the Christ Child—to be presented to the world. This body was prepared and projected forth for woman long before the world was projected into form.”
Master Puriji ceased speaking. He invited us to accompany him to a great cave where sat many Yogis in Samadhi.
We lived at the temple and in this cave for nine days. Many of the Yogis have lived here for years and, when they come out of this seclusion, they do wonderful work among their people.
We were told that, after the assembly was over, a number would be returning to India by way of Lake Sansrawar and Muktinath. Then from Muktinath we would go to Darjeeling very comfortably.
This was good news and we were greatly elated at the prospect of traveling with these great ones.
We went from cave to cave and talked to many of the Yogis and Sadhus; and, to our surprise, found that many of them were there summer and winter. When asked if they were troubled with snow, they replied that no snow fell in the vicinity and that there were no storms or fogs.
Time passed on swift wings and the eve of our departure was upon us.
