"I Was As Much Afraid As You !" - UG

UG often reiterated, " There is nothing here (pointing to himself) that you do not (already) have!". To the orthodox, who sometimes made a vain attempt to touch his feet, his rejoinder was," Hey! Don't touch my feet - they are dirty! Why don't you touch that servant's feet ? What is 'here' is 'there' too!"

This brutal honesty about UG, his ordinariness and naturalness endeared him to all. It brings to book the false claims by market gurus and godmen who act like potentates, living in palatial mansions with a fleet of cars and retinue of servants. Pretension is the order of the day in the spiritual bazaar.

To use UG's own phrase, the market gurus are not 'honest, decorous and decent enough' to admit that they too are human with feet of clay. They are frightened that any such candour on their part would only bring them crashing down from their ivory towers to 'ground zero',  sending them into the realm of the ordinary, normal and the common. 

In a path breaking departure from every other teacher before him, UG came down heavily on 'seeking' or 'searching'. He completely rubbished all kinds of spiritual goals (not material goals), emphasising and re-emphasising that 'there is no oasis yonder, you are stuck with the mirage'. His message ( if there was one) was straightforward and simple, " Stop looking for something, there is nothing to look for!"

The older Krishnamurti, Jiddu, nailed it when he said that one could only discover what one already knew! Perhaps it might be  possible to discover the needle in the proverbial hay stack, but there was no way one could ever discover God or the 'unknown'?

 UG went a step further! He brushed aside even the possibility of existence of the 'unknown', in a pointed reference to JK! Such a possibility would only further the 'search' and propagate thinking or thoughts! For UG, the talk about the 'unknown' is still within the realm of the known and therefore a projection of the mind and hence a trap, an illusion, a mirage!

UG never claimed or pretended to be any different from us.

Once he was waxing eloquent about the falsity and futility of spiritual goals. As I sat at his feet wondering what made him so different from the rest of us, he suddenly leaned forward and thrusting his finger into my chest said, " Look here! There is no difference between you and me, none whatsoever ! We both function in exactly the same way! Only thing is that you are in conflict with society and I am not!"  

On a different occasion, UG was speaking of the courage to stand alone. He thundered, " You are nothing but FEAR!" The truth of this utterance hit me like a ton of bricks!

Agreed, we are bundles of fear but then how do we rid ourselves of fear? UG maintained that asking 'how' would  only propagate and perpetuate the mechanism of thought. Any demand for a method or technique to conquer fear would only breed thought.

Thought is nothing but fear! Thoughts can only be about yesterday or tomorrow. Yesterday's failures or tomorrow's losses are what constitute our psychological fears.

Does that mean we are stuck? Are we not capable of this extraordinary courage that he is talking about?

As I sat lost in reverie, UG seemed to have read my mind and in a flash responded, " Sir! I was as much afraid as you are! Only in my case, I was lucky, fear was thrown off my system!" 

I was stunned at his honesty and humaneness. How many gurus can be so open or candid and connect with people, the way UG did?

How many gurus dare say ," I am a dog barking!"  One is reminded of the sage Nityananda of Ganeshpuri who sounded similar, "I am just a crow (raven) cawing ! "

Nityananda was among the countable few that UG held in high esteem.  Sometimes he would narrate to us the extraordinary anecdotes from Nityananda's life.

The real gurus erase all lines of distinction and let us taste the real beauty and greatness of life, our true inheritance. The fake ones create a 'distance' through their self-importance and make us feel 'small' and worthless.

 Once again, to borrow UG's expression, the gurus in the market place are 'riding the tiger', they are simply afraid to get off its back, lest they be eaten alive! The tiger being their persona or façade !

" Don't Succumb To These Things " - UG

UG escorting Nataraj?

                                        

It was March 1998.

I and Kamal, our pilot friend, were in-charge of UG's temporary joint in Bandra, Bombay.

I played the door-keeper , Kamal the chauffeur and Miss Tanuja Chandra, the film director played the store-keeper in charge of the larder, taking care of UG’s supply of cream, coffee and milk.

Mahesh Bhatt remained busy with his directorial commitments and would drop in only towards late evenings!

Kamal and myself were hanging out with UG , most of the day hours. UG was kind and generous and pampered us by preparing our coffees! Mostly, we lunched and dined outside.

Late Nataraj, the German astrologer was accompanying UG on this trip and was put up in a hotel nearby. He was a knowledgeable astrologer in the Western tradition.

That summer afternoon was terribly hot and muggy, UG refused to stir out and preferred to stay indoors. To add to the woes, there was no air conditioning in the flat!

I and Nataraj kept him company. Kamal was out on an errand.

UG kept joking, “Nataraj, where is Pluto? What about Neptune? .....Tell me how it will influence my travel plans this year?..... What about money, will I be making more dollars?.....”

After some more banter about planets, UG appeared tired and tried to catch a catnap.

 There was hardly any conversation now going on in the room. I took this opportunity and decided to query Nataraj on the veracity of the claims of astrology and the planetary influences in one's life.

I personally had no knowledge about astrology and also I was a little sceptical. Of course, there is tangible, documented evidence on the influence of lunar cycles on animal and plant life ! Planets and heavenly bodies do influence our life but to what extent?

Nataraj knew his domain pretty well. He explicated the basis of astrology in a layman's language. He elaborated on many interesting aspects of astrology in a nice way in what was a primer to me! I was beginning to see some semblance of 'science' behind those surmises of the 'unscientific' astrologers! 

As we spoke, UG dosed on and off !  

Between his catnaps, once I caught UG, “Sir, I think there seems to be some truth in what Nataraj is saying! Planets, after all might influence our minds, what do you say?"

UG broke his silence, his words were carefully chosen and measured, "Yes, planets certainly play their role! But it's like this - today is terribly hot and humid. Weather conditions like this are deterring and discouraging ! You don’t feel like going out or doing anything. You are forced to stay indoors. The planetary influences are somewhat similar". And added a key rider, "It is important that you don’t succumb to these things!"

At this, Nataraj jumped  out of his seat , " Yes, UG's right! You should never succumb to such things! ”He was overjoyed that UG had endorsed his views.

This anecdote holds out an important lesson, "Not to be deterred or overwhelmed, when we find ourselves prisoners of situations or circumstances, many times of our own making! Takes real determination and courage to see things through !"

"Do Not Make Failure Into A Virtue " - UG

This was sometime in 2003.

UG was staying at Parekhji's house in Santacruz (West), Bombay.

Many of us had gathered around UG in the morning. 

Shortly later, Mahesh Bhat walked in. Proceeding straight to UG, he suddenly gave him a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek! It was so sudden, UG was caught unaware, his remonstrations proved a tad late and futile. 

Finally settling down on the floor, in front of UG, Mahesh offered the reason for the unabashed display of public affection,

"UG! Thank you! You have given me everything that I ever wanted! I am ever grateful to you! I can't ask for more!"

UG sat quietly! It was a poignant moment! As I sat watching, in a flash, the famous words of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a great spiritual master, came flooding to me!

I seized the moment! Looking straight into UG's eyes, I added, “Shirdi Sai Baba said, ‘I give you what you want so you begin to want what I want to give you’, UG is no different!”

As the import of this extraordinary statement hit Mahesh, he looked overwhelmed and insisted that I do an encore! Fully aware that UG would not suffer any flattery, in yet another bold attempt, I defiantly repeated the statement, half suspecting that the ‘machine gun’ would go off any moment!

Surprisingly UG sat calm and collected. He appeared unusually quiet and reserved.

Talking of material wants and pursuits, sages since long have recommended the fulfilment of biological and material cravings for majority of spiritual aspirants. Unfulfilled wants and desires leave behind deep discontent and dissatisfaction in the individual and could only prove counter-productive in realising one’s true potential.

In fact, a celibate life is not everyone’s cup of tea. UG emphasised that celibacy in the name of spirituality only amounted to ‘denial of nature’! He recommended marriage in many cases. Unfulfilled desires could lead to morbid perversions and act as impediments in the unfoldment of our true and essential nature!

Save in the case of a few select individuals, who were really serious about spiritual quest or ‘sadhana’, UG advocated a normal life to most people who came to see him and backed them in their pursuit of material goals and aspirations. To this end, he worked on a ‘case to case basis’.

To use a metaphor, UG did not offer ‘over the counter’ medicine! That is to say, he did not offer any generalised form or body of formal teaching! Rather, like a true physician, he metered the dosage and potency of the drug , best suited to the individual. His instructions were direct, personal and immediate, like ‘designer drugs’ packaged to serve the special needs of a particular individual.

In this regard, how UG helped Mahesh is quite fascinating!

In a way, UG did offer tips to Mahesh Bhat on film making! In early part of his career, Mahesh had only a few flops to his credit. UG cautioned, “Mahesh, do not make failure into a virtue. I will never excuse you if you are not a successful director”.

UG once took Mahesh along to a theatre to watch a blockbuster Telugu film, ‘Maro Charitra’, a movie by the famous film star Kamal Hassan, to bring home the essential ingredients of what makes a film into a box-office hit!

Mahesh recalls, “The year was ‘79. UG insisted I watch this film even though I did not know the language. He sat next to me and insisted I too along with him watch the entire film. Don't ask me why he did that. But that changed my approach to movie making!”

There were many similar success stories among UG friends, thanks to his timely intervention and advise in their lives.

Many flocked to UG for various reasons.

Some looked upon him as a guru! Some were drawn to him for his sheer brilliance, some appreciated his guts and some admired his charisma! Some sought the ‘company of UG's company’ of intellectuals, celebrities, and famous personalities.

Some relished his bashing of gurus, some enjoyed his take on mundane matters including international affairs, politics or economics. Some were enamoured by his astounding knowledge and grasp of science and scriptures.

Some sought peace while others sought spiritual instruction!

But his true genius lies in shedding light on false ego trips including self-centred spiritual pursuits. 

In case of many disillusioned and deluded souls who were lost and shipwrecked in the unchartered spiritual waters, UG essayed the role of an anchor and proved a great stabilising force!

Grounded in Natural State ( Sahaja Stithi), UG was a pure, natural and impersonal expression of Life Force, a rare flower that touched many individuals, each in a unique way!

Happy Birthday UG!

"No! He Has No Cancer" - UG

Chandrasekhar Babu and Pratapji Karvat

An anecdote related to Pratapji Karvat.

Among many in Bombay who regularly visited UG , Pratapji remains singularly unique. He never stopped arguing and challenging UG at every juncture. He vehemently defended JK  whenever UG launched his famous tirades on JK.

One morning, many of us regulars arrived at Parekhji's home to discover that the 'hot seat' was empty. UG had gone out visiting someone.

After a while, Pratapji walked in. He looked pale and completely run-down! After he settled down,  someone asked him why was he looking so dull and weak? 

Pratapji shocked everyone, " I have been diagnosed with brain cancer!"  And pulled out his medical papers from his shoulder bag.  

The news was terrible! Everyone was shaken up! Uneasy silence reigned over the room. 

Mahesh Bhat trooped in a little later, found out that UG was out visiting and proceeded to his usual corner. He got busy with his incessant calls and messages. 

At some point,  someone broke the news of Pratapji's 'cancer' to Mahesh. He too was shocked and expressed his disbelief. Pratapji  gave the details of his medical report that had confirmed the malignant growth in the brain. Persistent headaches in the recent past had forced his doctors to order a brain scan. The result - a devastating discovery of brain cancer! Mahesh too was hit by the tragic news and fell completely silent like the rest of us.

At long last, UG trooped in and settled into his ' hot seat' in the main hall.

Mahesh wasted no time,  quickly moved over to Pratapji and dragged him over to UG, " Sir! Doctors are saying that Pratapji has brain cancer, what do you say?",  eagerly and expectantly looking into UG's face! 

Everyone waited with bated breath!

UG took a long look at Pratapji's face, after a pause, uttered his verdict,"NO! HE HAS NO CANCER!" His words carried a ring of finality! 

What happened next was just incredible!

Pratapji still unconvinced, pulled out his report and started explaining to UG about the tumour. But Mahesh Bhat simply got up, "Pratapji ! Did you hear what UG said? You don't have cancer!" and walked away to his corner without even looking back! He got busy once again on his cell phone!

Turned out UG was bang on ! 

The next morning, a beaming Pratapji walked in and  to everyone's relief, joyfully announced that the cancer diagnosis was a goof up by the hospital staff  who inadvertently mixed up his report with that of a real cancer patient! It was a real case of mistaken identity!

For Mahesh Bhat, UG's words, His Master's Voice (HMV) nailed the verdict!  His trust was complete! Pratapji always called Mahesh a Bhakta, a devotee with consummate faith! 

UG, Pratapji & Mahesh Bhatt…

UG, Pratapji & Mahesh Bhat ...

Chandrasekhar Babu and Pratapji Karvat

It was Pratapji Karvat who was instrumental in bringing UG & Mahesh Bhat together. 

In his mid-eighties now, he lives in an old age home in Mumbai with his ageing brother.In fact, Pratapji is associated with Bollywood in many ways. His ‘moment in the sun’ came when he received an award for his script for the blockbuster film, Salman Khan-Aishwarya Roy starter, "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He received this award in a glittering function in London.

It is to the credit of Pratapji that he refused an offer by director Bhansali to buy him an apartment in Mumbai saying that he was a bachelor and that his needs were minimal! Dressed in a simple pajama-kurta, Pratapji always looked fresh and elegant. His near resemblance to Bal Thackeray, a right-wing politician from Mumbai, sometimes bothered him!

Pratapji is a true intellectual, widely read and well-informed. A voracious reader and a good homeopath, adept at ‘flower remedies ‘. Several people have benefited from his knowledge of alternative medicine. Also a devout ‘I Ching’ reader, his UG reading from the Chinese Oracle had declared that the subject of the reading, UG, as a Superior Person , the Chinese equivalent of a Guru or Master!

Pratapji also dabbled in dowsing or divining and carried a pocket pendulum for this purpose. I once witnessed him using the pendulum and a chart to earmark the exact spot on the chest where UG felt acute sensation, an old symptom of ‘cardio-spasm’ that troubled UG for a long time. UG did concede that Pratapji was right about the troublesome spot!  

Pratapji and Himmat Bhai of Vile Parle (west) were close associates of Osho and knew him very intimately. They were first hand witness to the transformation of Osho from Acharya to Bhagwan. Pratapji sometimes wrote, proof-read Rajneesh's English speeches.Initially, the godman was not very comfortable in English speech making and would take help of Pratapji and others and also insist that they give feedback about his English performance !

Pratapji enjoyed a close friendship with the Bollywood thespian,  Ashok Kumar, brother of legendary singer Kishore Kumar. He often visited the actor in his Chembur home. Ashok Kumar was a good homeopath and enjoyed Pratapji's company. Sometimes he took a ride back from Chembur in Kishore's car. Pratapji was not very comfortable with Kishore , he considered him very intelligent but clever.

Pratapji, the bachelor stayed in Vile Parle ( East ) in an old apartment in those days, it had  no lift. He stayed along with his siblings and his aged mother. UG once visited them, climbing all the four floors to see the old and ailing mother and to assure her that he would take care of her ‘useless’ son and she need not worry about his future! As usual, he was not very easy on Pratapji - he commanded Pratapji to translate his English words into Gujarati for his mother and warned Pratapji not to dilute his words ! This included UG's description of Pratapji as a ‘useless fellow’. Poor Pratapji had to parrot whole sentences verbatim for his mother!

Pratapji , in my experience, came closest to anyone who  dared " to  bell the cat", he was a staunch JK admirer, fond of grand Victorian manners of the senior Krishnamurti and would sometimes disapprove of UG's views and acts. He would launch a verbal onslaught without flinching or batting an eyelid. UG would give back. Sometimes the scene escalated  into a mini war and both exchanged expletives, curses with lots of  f-and b- words thrown at each other generously. Never saw anyone taking on UG like Pratapji did !

UG - Pratapji duals were unparalleled for the sheer lung power expended! And the mean words  exchanged. What ensued was the most funny part. Pratapji, all worked up,  swearing at UG , would walk away from the scene huffing & puffing, swearing never again to lay his eyes on UG. UG would look bemused, " Look at this guy..", as if nothing had happened!. UG took all the bashings in his stride and remained unruffled, cool as a cucumber!

Then came the best part ! Shortly after swearing that he would never again return to UG, Pratapji would invariably be seen walking in again with someone in tow, with his talented nieces or some other friends! He was very proud of his nieces. He always brought along someone or other every time to meet up with the ‘enlightened soul’! What could one say ? Such was his fatal attraction for UG !

UG would eagerly reciprocate by engaging Pratapji's friends, as though nothing had transpired between the two ! Pratapji would  once again be his closest pal, sitting at his feet and intently listening to UG all over again, till the next spat !

Pointing to Pratapji, UG would affectionately remark, " Sir, I am ever thankful to him, he is the guy who introduced me to Mahesh."

Even Mahesh Bhat was not spared by Pratapji, who was upset by the way women were portrayed in some of his films. He would be very critical and blast him ! Mahesh took all this vituperation sportingly!

On one occasion Mahesh got really mischievous and kept repeating, “ UG , grant me a boon - I want to see Pratapji getting laid at least once in life! Please, please….” And then laughing out loud! This went on for quite some time! It was hilarious and Pratapji sat demurely all through Mahesh's shenanigans! 

Regardless of the constant tongue-lashings between UG and himself, Pratapji remained ever faithful to UG and graced his portals till the end. Despite apparent differences in views, there was no rancour between the two. Love and affection were mutual and palpable.

Talk of 'living in the moment'!  Never was there a dull moment in a UG day!

Master-Disciple Relationship Is The Most Tenacious...It is a Trap !

                               Lao Tzu Statue ( Mount Qingyuan)

                      ("Laozi 002" by Thanato - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

“When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.”

 -Tao Teh Ching, Lao Tzu, Chapter 17, (Translation: S. Mitchel)   

  

  The beauty of Taoist wisdom is its pragmatism and penetrating clarity. Come to think of it, this amazing revelation of Lao Tzu about rulers and leaders is equally true and valid about spiritual teachers as well.

 The greatest spiritual teachers are only known to exist, one rarely chances upon them; the next rung are known and praised; the lesser ones are feared and finally, the inferior ones or conmen are despised or loathed.  

                                            

   Think of your closest friend who has acquired some secret medical knowledge & remedies! Looking at your physical condition, he gathers that you might fall sick! He gently, without a hint, persuades you to replenish your vitality by supplying nutrition, through appropriate food & drink, gradually & eventually restoring you back to pink of health. He does a cure with finesse and flourish while you remain blissfully unaware of either your sickness or its tacit cure!

This singular compassion and service, offered informally, in a friendly and sporting way, will ensure that you will not discover that he is your real doctor or that he has cured your unknown disease!

Akin to these kind of ‘secret doctors’ are real sages like Ramana or Ramakrishna. The real ones do not announce their learning and lead obscure lives ! They live as one amongst us without a hint about their greatness but secretly, silently and relentlessly work for the benefit of the people! 

It requires real guts and gumption to debunk recognition, reputation and a place in the sun! Only the real sage is endowed with such courage!

           Contrast the matchless services of the unsung doctor in the 'guise and garb' of your friend who cures your disease with the marketplace physician who craves for reputation! This second class doctor has a cure but can help only after you have fallen sick! He enjoys name and fame and boasts of a reputable clinic. They are akin to the gurus with a foundation or ashram.  Alas, their energies are divided between services to humanity and the upkeep of the organisation , a token of self-aggrandisement!

            

Coming now to the the last category: the lowest and most inferior classes of physicians! They are like the charlatans and quacks peddling bogus drugs that induce more diseases!  They declare that you are sick when healthy and coerce you to enrol in their clinics. They dare you not to visit or consult others! Our spiritual bazaar is rich with many such examples.     

   

The real sage or a true master (or a Sadguru) needs no ashram or foundation or forum or properties or books or followers. He has no agenda, no axe to grind, no investment to make! No show off,  no pomp and power play for him! He regards them as obstacles in his noble & silent, nameless & faceless services to humanity.

UG declared, “I have no message for mankind”! Unlike gurus hankering after followers, he roared, “Don’t follow me, I am lost myself !” If he discovered a lot of foot wear outside his door signalling too many visitors, he would shout, " I don't like the stench of an ashram!"To those who craved for his advice, he said, “Get lost and stay lost!”

To the Prime Ministers, Governors or leaders who wanted to meet him, he reiterated that he had no message of any kind but gently added that they were welcome to visit him minus their daunting 'Z plus' security arrangements. He always chose middle class residential places as his portals so common folk could visit him freely and openly. He abhorred the idea of high-security VIP movements that disturbed normal life in the vicinity of his place that inconvenienced ordinary people. 

Once genial Rajiv Gandhi, ex-PM agreed to let off his guard and meet UG as per his terms but was restrained by his security men who feared for his life.

Anyone, regardless of his or her station in life could meet and interact with UG. His doors were always open to sincere and honest seekers. The serious and the curious made a beeline to his portals. 

Our friend Raghavendra once remarked, “With UG, the doors were always open, anyone could walk in and walk out! Just think of other gurus and ashrams, once you are inside, the doors are closed shut…you are trapped inside!”

Having associated with spiritual guides and teachers for some decades, I couldn’t agree more with UG, who had once remarked at my predicament, “Among all relationships, the guru-shishya (master-disciple) relationship is the most tenacious ! It is a trap! Not everybody is lucky to escape the trap!”

I Really Don't Know

I Really Don't Know "- UG

This incident was narrated by Mahesh Bhatt.

UG once stayed in the hill resort of Kodaikanal in South of India along with Parveen Babi, Valentine and others.

Mahesh took a break from his hectic film shoots and arrived from Bombay to meet UG and friends.

UG, on this trip, had a chronic attack of cold and cough that made him unable to speak even. Others in his company fell sick too.

Mahesh walked in to the resort to discover everyone sick and no one to talk to ! He felt very depressed.

The whole atmosphere was dull and sickening.

He decided to go out into the woods alone for a walk. For some reason ,he felt miserable. On reaching a lonely spot, a clearing, he stopped ! He had a strange feeling that someone was following him. He spun around and was shocked to find UG standing behind !

Mahesh stared speechlessly at UG, and UG responded, " All this makes no sense, isn't it?". Precisely what Mahesh felt strongly deep within him at that very moment.

Mahesh says, "My master was the only one who said, " I really don't know ! Every guru, every spiritual teacher makes you feel that you are ignorant and only they 'know' "

(Photograph Courtesy: Wendy Moorty )