Autobiography of a Yogi
amazing difference between the new radio rays and familiar rays
like light. This is the prolonged time, amounting to thousands of
years, which these radio waves will keep on emitting from undisturbed
matter.”
{FN15-3} One hesitates to use “intuition”; Hitler has almost ruined
the word along with more ambitious devastations. The Latin root
meaning of INTUITION is “inner protection.” The Sanskrit word AGAMA
means intuitional knowledge born of direct soul-perception; hence
certain ancient treatises by the rishis were called AGAMAS.
{FN15-4} SAT is literally “being,” hence “essence; reality.” SANGA
is “association.” Sri Yukteswar called his hermitage organization
SAT-SANGA, “fellowship with truth.”
{FN15-5} “If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall
be full of light.”-MATTHEW 6:22. During deep meditation, the single
or spiritual eye becomes visible within the central part of the
forehead. This omniscient eye is variously referred to in scriptures
as the third eye, the star of the East, the inner eye, the dove
descending from heaven, the eye of Shiva, the eye of intuition,
etc.
{FN15-6} “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed
the eye, shall he not see? . . . he that teacheth man knowledge,
shall he not know?”-PSALM 94:9-10.
{FN15-7} Folklore of all peoples contains references to incantations
with power over nature. The American Indians are well-known to
have developed sound rituals for rain and wind. Tan Sen, the great
Hindu musician, was able to quench fire by the power of his song.
Charles Kellogg, the California naturalist, gave a demonstration
of the effect of tonal vibration on fire in 1926 before a group
of New York firemen. “Passing a bow, like an enlarged violin bow,
swiftly across an aluminum tuning fork, he produced a screech like
intense radio static. Instantly the yellow gas flame, two feet
high, leaping inside a hollow glass tube, subsided to a height of
six inches and became a sputtering blue flare. Another attempt with
the bow, and another screech of vibration, extinguished it.”
CHAPTER: 16
OUTWITTING THE STARS
“Mukunda, why don’t you get an astrological armlet?”
“Should I, Master? I don’t believe in astrology.”
“It is never a question of BELIEF; the only scientific attitude
one can take on any subject is whether it is TRUE. The law of
gravitation worked as efficiently before Newton as after him. The
cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without
the sanction of human belief.
“Charlatans have brought the stellar science to its present state
of disrepute. Astrology is too vast, both mathematically {FN16-1}
and philosophically, to be rightly grasped except by men of profound
understanding. If ignoramuses misread the heavens, and see there a
scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this imperfect
world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the ‘wise.’
“All parts of creation are linked together and interchange their
influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in
reciprocity,” my guru continued. “Man, in his human aspect, has
to combat two sets of forces-first, the tumults within his being,
caused by the admixture of earth, water, fire, air, and ethereal
elements; second, the outer disintegrating powers of nature. So long
as man struggles with his mortality, he is affected by the myriad
mutations of heaven and earth.
“Astrology is the study of man’s response to planetary stimuli.
The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely
send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these
do not help or harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the
outward operation of cause-effect equilibriums which each man has
set into motion in the past.
“A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial
rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual karma. His
horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable
past and its probable future results. But the natal chart can be
rightly interpreted only by men of intuitive wisdom: these are few.
“The message boldly blazoned across the heavens at the moment
of birth is not meant to emphasize fate-the result of past good
and evil-but to arouse man’s will to escape from his universal
thralldom. What he has done, he can undo. None other than himself
was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now
prevalent in his life. He can overcome any limitation, because he
created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he
has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure.
“Superstitious awe of astrology makes one an automaton, slavishly
dependent on mechanical guidance. The wise man defeats his
planets—which is to say, his past-by transferring his allegiance
from the creation to the Creator. The more he realizes his unity
with Spirit, the less he can be dominated by matter. The soul is
ever-free; it is deathless because birthless. It cannot be regimented
by stars.
“Man IS a soul, and HAS a body. When he properly places his sense
of identity, he leaves behind all compulsive patterns. So long as
he remains confused in his ordinary state of spiritual amnesia, he
will know the subtle fetters of environmental law.
“God is harmony; the devotee who attunes himself will never perform
any action amiss. His activities will be correctly and naturally timed
to accord with astrological law. After deep prayer and meditation
he is in touch with his divine consciousness; there is no greater
power than that inward protection.”
“Then, dear Master, why do you want me to wear an astrological
bangle?” I ventured this question after a long silence, during
which I had tried to assimilate Sri Yukteswar’s noble exposition.
“It is only when a traveler has reached his goal that he is justified
in discarding his maps. During the journey, he takes advantage of
any convenient short cut. The ancient rishis discovered many ways
to curtail the period of man’s exile in delusion. There are certain
mechanical features in the law of karma which can be skillfully
adjusted by the fingers of wisdom.
“All human ills arise from some transgression of universal law.
The scriptures point out that man must satisfy the laws of nature,
while not discrediting the divine omnipotence. He should say: ‘Lord,
I trust in Thee, and know Thou canst help me, but I too will do
my best to undo any wrong I have done.’ By a number of means-by
prayer, by will power, by yoga meditation, by consultation with
saints, by use of astrological bangles-the adverse effects of past
wrongs can be minimized or nullified.
“Just as a house can be fitted with a copper rod to absorb the
shock of lightning, so the bodily temple can be benefited by various
protective measures. Ages ago our yogis discovered that pure metals
emit an astral light which is powerfully counteractive to negative
pulls of the planets. Subtle electrical and magnetic radiations
are constantly circulating in the universe; when a man’s body is
being aided, he does not know it; when it is being disintegrated,
he is still in ignorance. Can he do anything about it?
“This problem received attention from our rishis; they found helpful
not only a combination of metals, but also of plants and-most
effective of all-faultless jewels of not less than two carats. The
preventive uses of astrology have seldom been seriously studied
outside of India. One little-known fact is that the proper jewels,
metals, or plant preparations are valueless unless the required
weight is secured, and unless these remedial agents are worn next
to the skin.”
“Sir, of course I shall take your advice and get a bangle. I am
intrigued at the thought of outwitting a planet!”
“For general purposes I counsel the use of an armlet made of gold,
silver, and copper. But for a specific purpose I want you to get
one of silver and lead.” Sri Yukteswar added careful directions.
“Guruji, what ‘specific purpose’ do you mean?”
“The stars are about to take an unfriendly interest in you, Mukunda.
Fear not; you shall be protected. In about a month your liver will
cause you much trouble. The illness is scheduled to last for six
months, but your use of an astrological armlet will shorten the
period to twenty-four days.”
I sought out a jeweler the next day, and was soon wearing the
bangle. My health was excellent; Master’s prediction slipped from
my mind. He left Serampore to visit Benares. Thirty days after our
conversation, I felt a sudden pain in the region of my liver. The
following weeks were a nightmare of excruciating pain. Reluctant
to disturb my guru, I thought I would bravely endure my trial alone.
But twenty-three days of torture weakened my resolution; I entrained
for Benares. There Sri Yukteswar greeted me with unusual warmth,
but gave me no opportunity to tell him my woes in private. Many
devotees visited Master that day, just for a DARSHAN. {FN16-2}
Ill and neglected, I sat in a corner. It was not until after the
evening meal that all guests had departed. My guru summoned me to
the octagonal balcony of the house.
“You must have come about your liver disorder.” Sri Yukteswar’s
gaze was averted; he walked to and fro, occasionally intercepting
the moonlight. “Let me see; you have been ailing for twenty-four
days, haven’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please do the stomach exercise I have taught you.”
“If you knew the extent of my suffering, Master, you would not ask
me to exercise.” Nevertheless I made a feeble attempt to obey him.
“You say you have pain; I say you have none. How can such contradictions
exist?” My guru looked at me inquiringly.
I was dazed and then overcome with joyful relief. No longer could
I feel the continuous torment that had kept me nearly sleepless
for weeks; at Sri Yukteswar’s words the agony vanished as though
it had never been.
I started to kneel at his feet in gratitude, but he quickly prevented
me.
“Don’t be childish. Get up and enjoy the beauty of the moon over
the Ganges.” But Master’s eyes were twinkling happily as I stood
in silence beside him. I understood by his attitude that he wanted
me to feel that not he, but God, had been the Healer.
I wear even now the heavy silver and lead bangle, a memento of that
day-long-past, ever-cherished-when I found anew that I was living
with a personage indeed superhuman. On later occasions, when
I brought my friends to Sri Yukteswar for healing, he invariably
recommended jewels or the bangle, extolling their use as an act of
astrological wisdom.
I had been prejudiced against astrology from my childhood, partly
because I observed that many people are sequaciously attached to it,
and partly because of a prediction made by our family astrologer:
“You will marry three times, being twice a widower.” I brooded
over the matter, feeling like a goat awaiting sacrifice before the
temple of triple matrimony.
“You may as well be resigned to your fate,” my brother Ananta had
remarked. “Your written horoscope has correctly stated that you
would fly from home toward the Himalayas during your early years,
but would be forcibly returned. The forecast of your marriages is
also bound to be true.”
A clear intuition came to me one night that the prophecy was wholly
false. I set fire to the horoscope scroll, placing the ashes in a
paper bag on which I wrote: “Seeds of past karma cannot germinate
if they are roasted in the divine fires of wisdom.” I put the bag
in a conspicuous spot; Ananta immediately read my defiant comment.
“You cannot destroy truth as easily as you have burnt this paper
scroll.” My brother laughed scornfully.
It is a fact that on three occasions before I reached manhood, my
family tried to arrange my betrothal. Each time I refused to fall