UG rubbished the much glorified,
celebrated faculty of Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) as no more than the
natural endowment in living creatures not just among humans, even among
dogs, pigs and cats.
UG often used to recount a phenomenon
that he had observed over the years during autumn months in the Swiss Alps.
'Man is one of the species on this planet to
inherit these things in common with all the other species. Man, in his anxiety
to maintain his non-existing and illusory identity, has been using thought to
translate sensory perception. Now the yogis are promising these things back to
us and making a business out of it. Let me give you an example of how
effectively it operates in the animals. In Switzerland, where we live up in the
Alps, hunting of deer is permitted from 16 September every year. Would you
believe it, on 15 September every year, hordes and hordes of deer come down
from all over into the safety of the animal sanctuary next door to us. How do
you explain this phenomenon?'
******
People who have interacted with UG
have witnessed the heightened sense of perception on numerous occasions. Here
are some personal experiences.
My first meeting with UG was on the
10th of July 1992, a day after his 74th birthday, in Poornakuti, Bangalore.
When I reached his place, I learnt
that UG was upstairs and all alone. I knew I was walking into the lion's den
and was prepared for any eventuality - being 'gobbled' up live or getting
thrown out of the house! Come what may, I was determined to seek his audience!
As I reached upstairs, I found him
busy in the anteroom attached to the main hall with his back turned towards me.
Folding my palms together in a 'namasthe', I gently called his attention ,
" Good morning Sir!" He spun around greeting me back with folded
hands. The lion, after all looked 'harmless'!
I remember Mahesh Bhatt querying me
the first time I met him a year later, " Where and when did you meet this monster?"
UG could
'finish' you! He held a clear threat to our false sense of 'self' or ego!
Major Dakshinamurti once mentioned to
UG that Sri Ramana Maharshi used to say that he was like a tiger who swallowed
his disciples wholly spitting out only the bones and asked UG what he would do
to his people. Seems UG immediately responded," Yes! I am also
like the tiger, I swallow them whole, and here even the bones are not spared, everything is chewed up, even the bones will
not be spit out!"
After initial pleasantries, UG
escorted me to the main hall, sat himself on a settee and offered me a seat
opposite to him on the other side of the room. We then started talking. I was
lucky to get his exclusive audience the very first time. After a while the
crowds started pouring in. There were many elders in the audience. I soon
vacated my chair for them and sat comfortably on the floor. UG beckoned to me
half a dozen times to sit next to him on the settee but I looked the other way,
I continued squatting on the floor, I felt more comfortable sitting at his
feet, that was my mental makeup! At some point, however Chandrasekhar Babu started
insisting that I should follow UG's commands and go and sit next to him which I
finally did.
As the day progressed, some JK freaks
arrived on the scene, among them was a pretty young woman. Very soon
there ensued a heated discussion on JK. UG began his famous crusade against JK.
Now the woman started arguing furiously with UG.
At some point UG suddenly sprang a
surprise, " Look here!
You don't know a thing! Your place is not here! You should go to the mental
asylum, that's where you belong!"
This was a shocker to all those
present!
The man who accompanied the lady was
shocked out of his wits, " UG tell us how do you know? She in fact was
being treated in the asylum till recently and has now returned home only last
week! Who are you? Are you some kind of a face reader?!"
To this UG turning to me (now I was
sitting next to him) with a mischievous smile added, " There is no need for me
to look at a face sir! Even the person's voice is enough! The moment I hear
someone saying, " Good Morning Sir!" I know his entire past and
future!!" referring
to our exchange of greetings early that morning!
******
For sometime I was associated with a
saffron-clad Swamiji. He once bade me to carry a message for UG.
On meeting UG, I said, " Sir, our
Swamiji sends his regards to you! He has also sent a message ! One, he says
that UG stands for Ultimate Goal ( to which UG immediately mumbled," Sir,
I am a Useless Guy!") and he says that he would be soon meeting you on the
astral plane!"
UG wasted no time, " Sir! Let me tell you,
there is nothing to these astral travels! I used to do astral travels as a
student while in Presidency College, Madras! I used to lie down on my bed in my
room and 'astral-ly' travel and reach Connemara Library and refer books for my
exams the next morning!"
******
ESP and other faculties, perhaps are more common among
indigenous people. All the higher faculties find a free expression in the
natural, simple and innocent lifestyle of these real people.
Just to instantiate, a few weeks after
the tsunami struck the islands of Andaman & Nicobar in Dec 2004, self and
Kamal met up with a friend Venky, a helicopter pilot who was in charge of
'Search & Rescue' ( S & R) operations in the Andamans.
Venky
narrated to us the harrowing, disturbing scenes after the huge tidal waves,
tens of meters high, stuck and ravaged the beautiful islands. Death and destruction greeted them everywhere.
While on this mission, one day Venky
& his team ran into a 'miracle'!
As the rescue 'copter landed on top of
a hillock, they suddenly stumbled into a group of natives or indigenous people,
cuddled up in a make-shift settlement! To their surprise, despite tsunami that
decimated the life on the island, the natives in the camp were all unharmed,
alive and kicking!
Lo and behold, they found an American
scholar among the natives in the camp! He had come to live with the natives to
research their mores and medicines. He had even picked up their language. He
narrated how they had managed a 'miraculous' escape thanks to the uncanny
powers of their tribal chief.
On the fateful day, the chief had set
out to the seaside for his morning stroll. He immediately noticed two strange
things - one, the sea was unusually calm and had receded more than a kilometer
into the horizon, far, far away from the shoreline, a very unusual occurrence
he had never seen before during the low tide! Two - animals like the dogs and
cows were seen scampering away from the coastline towards the hillside and some
were seen climbing on to the nearest hill.
Without further delay, the chief
summoned his people and ordered his band including his American guest to
immediately repair to the nearest hillock. Something terrible was about to hit
them, he could discern the early signs of an imminent disaster about to strike!
The native intelligence of the animals
and a keen sense of observation helped them survive the day!
******
Sages or Real People ( as ancient
Chinese described them) are grounded in natural state or 'sahaja sthithi'
having escaped the clutches of the 'false self'. Their lives follow a natural
rhythm and order, resonating with Life itself. Siddhis or psychic capabilities are natural to them, but never employed for self-aggrandisement or exploitation. All faculties
operate naturally and remain in great balance and harmony.
