“ I am a White Brahmin, of purest ray serene! ” - UG

I just recall this one-off anecdote.

UG and Mahesh Bhatt had just returned to Parekhji’s place after their lunch at the Oberoi in downtown Mumbai.

UG recollected an interesting exchange at the table.

When they were at the restaurant, someone brought up the subject of Mahesh’s parentage. His father was a Brahmin, Nana Bhai Bhatt and mother, a Shia Muslim, Shireen Bhatt.

UG, as was his wont, had shouted across to Mahesh (which made many heads turn!), “Look here mister, you are only a half-Brahmin, but I am a full Brahmin!”

Recounting this exchange, UG began to wax eloquent, “Sir, I am not just a Brahmin but a ‘Swetawarniya Brahmin’, a white Brahmin, of purest ray serene!” [1]

This remark coming from UG, who always maintained that ‘there is no one here’ (pointing to himself)’ was confounding!

(Shweta-warniya or ‘श्वेतवर्णीय’ in Sanskrit means the ‘white-colored one’ or the ‘spotless one!’)

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UG vehemently condemned the caste system in India, and during his early years as a Theosophist, even employed the services of a ‘Harijan’ as his personal secretary to prove his solidarity with the community. He added that this had helped him to keep away his orthodox grandmother (‘I did this to throw away the b***h from my place’ – UG).

UG never spared the Brahmins. He would sometimes refer to their charming countenances, ‘despite the glow on their faces, they are empty people, leading shallow and frivolous lives!’

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But who is a true Brahmin, leave alone a White Brahmin?

A true Brahmin (or a sage) is defined in Vedas as someone who functions in a state where there is no sense of a separate ‘self’ or ‘individuality’, where there is no division or separation from the ‘totality of life’ or the ‘Life Infinite’ or ‘Brahma’!

Vedas refer to such individuals as Brahmanas or ‘the twice born’ or ‘the Dwijas’. The phrase ‘twice born’ explicitly suggests that such individuals ‘died and resurrected.’

To use UG’s analogy, such individuals possibly ‘mutated.’ Such mutation being a random and rare phenomenon in nature like a lightning strike.

As UG said, ‘ perhaps this happens to only one in a billion. You can count them on your fingers – there are only very few – a Jesus, a Ramana or a Ramakrishna…”   

To make matters clear, we have plenty of namesakes amongst us who are ‘Brahmins by caste’ or ‘Jati- Brahmanas’, by virtue of being born in a certain caste. They cannot and do not qualify as true Brahmanas as defined by Vedas. Period!

Further, by the same token, neither a ‘sadhaka’ (ascetic) nor a ‘sannyasi’ (saint) nor a ‘guru’ can be referred to as a Brahmana as long there is the sense of ‘identity’ in these individuals and they carry motives and have an ‘investment in society’.

The true Brahmanas or sages on the other hand move about in society but are fiercely independent with no agenda or investment in society!

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In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, we have a Mahavakya or ‘Great Utterance’, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’  or ‘I am Brahman.’ The statement denotes an undivided state of existence where there is no isolation or separation from the Life Infinite (Brahma).

“Aham Brahmasmi” became the foundational, the central tenet of Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Sri Shankarachrya.

Any ‘hint of separation’ or ‘sense of division’ is referred to as Maya in Vedanta (or Upanishads). 

The term Maya denotes the ‘sense of separation’ which brings about the notion of the ‘individual’ or a ‘separate identity’ divorced from the rest of Life or Brahma.

There are lots of misgivings about and misinterpretations of Maya. It has remained the bone of contention among Eastern philosophers to this day!

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UG offered a rare and unique perspective on Maya and clarified it in such unmistakable language.

Here he goes about deconstructing the enigmatic Maya with laser like precision. He offers a flawless rationale for the phenomenon that has confounded the best of minds. Here lays it out in clear, easy and simple terms:

“ The world you experience around you is also from that point of view. There must be a point ('you' or 'I' or 'self') and it is this that creates the space (the psychological eco system). If this point (self)  is not there, there is no space, so anything you experience from this point is an illusion (maya).

Not that the world is an illusion—the world is not an illusion—but anything you experience in relationship to this point, which itself is illusory, is bound to be an illusion, that's all.

The Sanskrit word maya does not mean illusion in the same sense in which the English word is used. Maya means to measure. You cannot measure anything unless you have a point. So if the centre is absent there is no circumference at all. That is pure and simple basic arithmetic.

This point (self) has no continuity. It comes into being in response to the demands of the situation. They (the social and cultural demands) create ( and maintain) it.”

                        UG Krishnamurti ( “ The Natural State”)

In one fell swoop, UG puts an end to all ambiguity and turbidity associated with Maya:

a. world is not Maya or illusion (as misinterpreted by some commentators)

b. world is real , it exists (you could try jumping off the terrace to ascertain its reality at the expense of your limbs!)

c.     though it is true that the world is not an illusion, ‘our experience’ of the world is an illusion. The ‘experience’ of the world is premised on the ‘self’ and since the ‘self’ itself is illusory, the whole experiencing is nothing but an illusion!

In light of above, ‘self’ and ‘experience’ are synonymous terms. Experience creates the ‘self’ ( ‘experiencer’ ) and the ‘’self’ authenticates or legitimises the ‘experience’ . The self and experience are like the two sides of the same coin.  

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Finally, UG’s thoughts on the three famous Eastern philosophical schools and their doctrines.

The three teachers - Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Madhwacharya were intellectual giants who respectively founded the three famous philosophical traditions of India – अद्वैत ( Advaita or Monism), विशिष्टाद्वैत (Visishtadvaita or Qualified Monism) and द्वैत ( Dvaita or Dualism).

They are fundamentally three different interpretations of the same वेदान्त, ( Vedanta or Upanishads) by the three Acharyas.

Vedanta means ‘Veda + anta’ or the culmination of the Vedas. While the first half of Vedas is all about rituals, its complementary half, the Vedanta offers the essence or the distilled wisdom of the Vedas. 

UG remarked, “ It is really amazing how these three world teachers – Shankara ( Advaita), Ramanuja ( Vishistadvaita) and Madhwa (Dwaita), each come out with a unique interpretation, based on the same texts - the Upanishads and Brahmasutras…”

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UG demystified the three philosophies in a delightful exchange with Dr. Sreedhav.

UG uses the simplistic  metaphor of ‘the rain drop’ and ‘the ocean’. [2]

‘The rain drop’ in the metaphor is used to describe the ‘individual’ and the ‘ocean’  points to ‘the Life Infinite’.

Firstly, Monism ( Non-dualism) or Advaita.

Imagine a rain filled cloud above and the ocean below. 

Now imagine that a single rain drop from the cloud drops into the ocean below.

The ‘rain drop’ merges so completely into the ocean that it loses its identity. This is Advaita or Monism or Non-dualism where the individual is completely merged and becomes inseparable from the Life Infinite (Brahma).

 ‘Aham Brahmasmi’  or ‘I am Brahman’ is how the Upanishads sum up this state.  Now recall UG’s earlier statement, “ I am a Brahmin, a white Brahmin”

But this claim, if taken literally by all and sundry, without realising how UG’s state came about, will lead to fallacious distortions.

UG illustrated this problem through a parody that brings out the notoriety of the claim, “ Saying ‘I am Brahman’ is like someone in  in a mental asylum claiming, ‘I am Jesus Christ’. ”

UG explained that:

One, you cannot describe the undivided state.

Two, you cannot experience such a state

Either of these is possible only if there is a separation and any separation only falsifies that state.

UG concludes, “ Monism is something which you cannot talk about - for all practical purposes it doesn't exist.”

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Secondly, Dualism or Dwaita.

Let us now take a look at Dvaita or Dualism.

UG asks us now to imagine a second drop that falls from the cloud into the ocean.

But this drop never merges with the ocean and tells itself that it is separate from the ocean. We now have the doctrine of Dualism or Dvaita where the individual has an independent existence and forever stands apart from the Life Infinite.

This too is not free from some inconsistencies. The emphasis on separation goes against one of its own belief in ‘Moksha’ or ‘Mukti’ or ‘Release’.

Moksha means that the ‘individual’ merges back into the ‘Life Infinite’ at the time of ‘Release’ or ‘Liberation’. That means separation or division ends at the time of Moksha which doesn't gel with the fundamental premise of Dualism.

This conundrum remains unresolved to this day!

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Finally, Qualified Monism or Visishtadvaita.

Let us now imagine a third rain drop that falls into the ocean below.

This drop also merges with the ocean but somewhere it retains an ‘iota of seaparateness’.

In other words, the ocean and drop both have a place when ‘the ocean’ is thought of as the sum total of all ‘individual drops’. That is reality or totality expressed as multiplicity. Here the ‘individual’ is an expression of the Life Infinite as well as its inseparable part and parcel.

The brilliant Ramanuja puts the philosophically contentious riddle finally to rest with such finesse and precision by synthesising the extreme positions of the Monist and Dualist schools.

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UG sums up the three philosophical traditions:

“ You cannot go beyond Ramanuja's position (qualified monism), as far as philosophy is concerned. There it stops. Monism is something which you cannot talk about - -- for all practical purposes it doesn't exist.

That is the limit." I'm not pro-Ramanujacharya or anti-Sankara. As I see it -- as a student of philosophy. I studied philosophy -- you cannot go beyond that chappie Ramanujacharya.

You may not agree with me. As far as the philosophical position is concerned, Ramanujacharya's position is the limit, the ultimate. The rest of it? Maybe there is.... If there is a monistic situation, that is something which cannot be talked about, and which cannot be applied to change anything in this world. ”

                 UG Krishnamurti ( “ The Mystique of Enlightenment ”)

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[1] When he used the words White and Pure, UG perhaps was referring to their currency in the Theosophical parlance, the words like the Black or White Lodge, White Brotherhood etc.

Here is a small anecdote recounted by a Theosophist who was skeptical about Sai Baba of Shirdi who was attracting huge numbers from all religious communities and wondered whether he belonged to the Black or the White Lodge?

Saibaba thundered, " This is a Brahmin, pure Brahmin. He has nothing to do with black things … this Brahmin can bring lakhs of men on the white path and take them to their destination "

(– as recounted by Mrs. Kashibai Kanitkar- page 79, Sai Leela, Volume 2, 1934.)

[2] Special thanks to Dr. Sreedhav for the wonderful share. My sincere gratitude for his kind inputs while working on the script.

‘Don’t Seek, Don’t Reject!’ – UG

UG

UG offered simple one-liners to deal with the many complexities of life. To a friend who was contemplating a career change despite a decent job, his advice was, “Don’t seek, don’t reject!”

UG’s recommendation for all those feverishly ‘engaged’ in search of truth, reality, enlightenment came in two simple words, - ‘Do Nothing!’

'Do Nothing’  like Wu Wei of Taoism, Chumma Iru of Sri Ramana has been the mantra of sages from time immemorial to lead a peaceful, burden free life. Our lives have been hijacked by thinking, as it were. ‘Do nothing’ is the ‘art of doing’ what needs to be done, and not doing what one wants to do or likes to do. ‘Do nothing’ is essentially to carry nothing (forward), thus setting aside the burden of ‘doership’ or ownership. Doership is such a huge psychological burden, an Albatross around one’s neck.

Any intent or motive for profit, gain, glory or outcome plays a crucial role in perpetuating the ‘doer’ or the ‘self’. Intent forms the glue that binds a million thoughts into the autobiographical ‘self’ or ‘agent’ or ‘thinker’. Doership legitimises the 'doer'.

“Your right is to work only but never to the fruits there of  ” is the clarion call of the Bhagvad Gita. It exhorts us to simply do or execute the task at hand. This is doing what comes our way, what is inevitable and conscionable. This simple remedy discounts all the psychological buildup or the doership.

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The excessive or neurotic thinking that goes into planning what we should do or what we should not do with its cultural, moral, ethical undertones or overtones, is a debilitating burden on biology.

The relentless, needless analysis of what has already happened adds to the existing clutter, commotion and chaos.

Thinking about the future or the past is the single most factor in not living our lives. All acts of thinking and worrying guzzle away huge reserves of life energy and destroy vitality.

UG’s constant refrain was - ‘Stop Thinking, Start Living!’

UG’s simple remedies set aside the huge psychological burden and the pain of excessive thinking. We are left with only what is essential, what comes our way and what needs to be done.

The problem with us is we have placed such a high premium on thinking. Yet thinking cannot and will not solve the real problems of living – the problem of love, hate, jealousy, anger, greed, human misery.

This is not to discount the power of thought or thinking. It does help solve complex technical problems - how to send a probe to the moon, how to build the fastest jet, how to earn a livelihood. But its usefulness ends right there.

Life has its own flow, its own rhythm.

Thinking is but a mere shadow that can never catch up with the mighty flow of life. It is very difficult to see or realise the runaway dangers of thinking.

****

“What have you done to me?” - UG

UG - the sober 'raging sage' !

UG and the Vedic hymns - I

“What have you done to me?” UG used to exclaim after a recitation of Sri Rudram, a Vedic Hymn that he very often mentioned transported him to a trance-like state. Definitely Sri Rudram was foremost among UG’s favourites.

Chandrasekhar Babu, one of the longstanding  associates and a few others were indeed witness to UG’s responses to the chanting of some Vedic hymns.

During his final days in Vallecrosia, UG had sent word for Mahesh Bhatt to join him for one last time. Myself and Kamal met up with Mahesh late in the evening just before his departure to Italy and handed him an audio CD. The CD had all the audio tracks, UG ‘favourites’. It contained some famous Sanskrit hymns – Sri Rudram, Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam, Aditya Hridayam etc.

The chanting of hymns and also singing of bhajans happened at many UG portals in India but it was more sincere and regular in Bangalore. UG would never disappoint people who wanted to chant or sing before him and sometimes he would even prompt people to shed inhibitions and render the chants or songs. When chants began, often UG would squat on the floor and slip into a trance-like state. 

  

Recently when someone called my attention to this favourite hymn of UG’s, I was reminded of Babu’s recollection ( Stopped In Our Tracks) of how UG could indeed 'see' the seers or sages who were the original composers of this extraordinary hymn.

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What indeed was the magic of these hymns that held UG’s attention? 

Here is a humble attempt to capture the essence of one of those famous hymns - Sri Rudram  from the Yajurveda that UG  held in such high esteem.

Sri Rudram consists of two parts -  Namakam and Chamakam.

Namakam forms the first part  where the salutation  ‘NAMO’  ( or Namaste) is attached at the beginning and end of every verse.  Namo, Namo… can be heard innumerable times.

[ The second part of Sri Rudram is famously known as  Chamakam  - where the end of each line has a  CHA-ME  ( ‘cha me’ means  ‘let me have’   - ‘let me have this’ , ‘let me have that’ and so on. In this part one can hear Chame, Chame innumerable times.

In Chamakam, the sage is making an uncompromising appeal for robust health and all necessities of life to function with vigour and vitality and to discharge his duty towards family, proteges and the world.

Here the Vedic Seer is praying for everything that we might want to possess in our life sojourn - health, happiness, progeny, welfare of family, of servants, fun, sport, fame, name, success etc. The Seer does not compromise on his demands or settle for anything less, he wants the best - the very best of everything that life can offer! 

Chamakam, in a way, is a 'laundry list of human aspirations' in the words of the sages! This part of the hymn is also quite long.]

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When it comes to the first part, the Namakam, the Vedic Seer seems awestruck. He is overwhelmed by the infinitude and magnificence of Life, encompassing the whole of Universe with multiple dimensions and forms. The Seer, much like Arjuna in Bhagwad Gita, is overwhelmed, humbled and spellbound at the grandeur of Reality and can’t stop extolling, singing, heaping praise and respect and prostrating at every juncture! The delightful, revelatory outburst at the sheer spectacle of Life takes the shape of Namakam!

Namakam is therefore a salutation to Life in all of its infinite forms - the human aspect being just a teeny weeny part of creation.

This Hymn salutes the Lord or the animating Life Force in a zillion forms...the hymn salutes the 'illiterate' milkman, the water bearer, servants, labourers, farmers, blacksmiths,  goldsmiths, potters, horses, horse trainers, even the dogs and their masters, the soldiers, the Generals, the charioteers, the chariot makers ( carpenters), the traders, the ministers (especially the sages handpick the Commerce or Finance Ministers) as it is the Treasury and Economy that guide the destiny of the state and its people. The sages see the Universal Intelligence of the Lord behind the brilliance, strategy, economic wisdom of the sagely, egalitarian ministers of the state who run the lives of its people by overseeing proper distribution of wealth etc.

The Namakam flows on and salutes those holding lowest of lowly vocations, saluting the bird catchers, the fishermen, the hunters, smallest of the small, the biggest of the big, the infant, the aged…No one individual or no one form however tiny is inferior or unimportant.  Every form is an expression of Life!

Then the hymn  suddenly explodes , its scope suddenly expands by leaps and bounds and encompasses everything that we behold, everything that we see, salutes everything that provides support, nourishment and sustenance to living forms.

Salutations are now offered to huge water bodies, streams, rivers, small ponds, rain, clouds, wells, lakes, (the mineral-rich, nutrient rich, fertile) soil as well as marshy, dry and barren lands for all these play a role and are essential to support forms of life peculiar to each eco-system.

Salutations are also offered to various rock formations including mountains and valleys that sustain life on the planet (by stopping rain bearing clouds), salutations are offered to the Divine spark that is unseen but manifest in the brilliance of robbers, looters, smooth talkers, gangsters....this vista vision of the Vedic Seer is all inclusive and non-judgemental about the function of each and every creature recognising its role, its worth and its value in the grand scheme of things , recognising the invaluable, individual contribution of every creature to the maintenance and sustenance of the world.

In the closing verse, salutations are offered to our dwellings, habitats, every tiny atom, every speck of dust - everything that is seen or unseen in the Cosmos!

[An Indian  pundit  who went to the old Soviet Russia to do his research on Communism was snubbed by his professor that Russia could  never ever offer a model to Indians even remotely matching the ideal of Sri Rudram. Seems he reiterated that the Catholicism or the Universalism that is the bedrock of Vedic literature formed the basis of all forms of ‘isms’ in the world including communism, socialism etc.

Of course there has been a steady deterioration of this grand vision of the ancients over time on the  subcontinent and is nowhere to be seen today.]

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Note: 

The blogger humbly  stands corrected for any omissions or commissions on his part in daring to do this write-up. This has been culled from many sources, discourses, treatises on the wonderful, lofty hymn that upholds the Spirit of Humanity and the Oneness of Life.

I am grateful to all those speakers, writers and contributors. They are innumerable to enlist here, my salutations to all!

UG and the unknown

UG and the ‘unknown’ ( Photo Source: Goner, Louis Brawley)

            Recently I and family spent a couple of weeks in a ‘medical resort’ renowned for Alternative Medicine on the outskirts of Bangalore. My wife was undergoing some treatments and therapies for some ailment and we all moved in with her to give her company.

            This excellent medical facility (kind of resort) is in a ‘green zone’ amid scenic setting that boasts of a peacock reserve forest.

            Every evening our family along with some inmates at the medical centre would gather in front of the facility and spend time under the clear skies enveloped all around by greenery. A few friendly dogs, mongrels that stayed on in the premises, stuck around the front yard keeping us company during these times.

            Here, during our short stay, we were to witness a strange phenomenon that occurred almost every evening.

Just before the nightly darkness devoured the twilight, we were invariably treated to a strange spectacle. The dogs lying about here and there on the front steps and the terrace, suddenly would sense something that was odd and eerie. Springing to their feet after apparently spotting ‘something in the air ’ they would all sprint towards the main gate, in a single pack! 

Barking, whining and howling ferociously at some 'invisible entity' that appeared to ‘hover in the air’ , they would follow it from the gate till the main entrance of the building. The furious cacophony that accompanied the ‘aerial movement’ invariably stopped near the main entrance. Their loud wails and hysterical shrieks slowly turned into feeble whimpers and groans and stopped after a little while. They would then go back to their places.

It would all be over, till the next evening! The same thing happened all over again. There was not even a hint afterward to suggest that anything had happened at all!

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This triggered off my past memory when I went through some strange happenings at my place of stay. In the mid-80s and early 90s, I had rented a small terrace apartment in Bangalore. The place had a separate entry, a long narrow corridor that led up to a flight of stairs on to my terrace flat. A small iron gate secured the entry into the corridor from the street.

I lived there alone for quite sometime before a friend of mine joined me as a co-tenant. In those days I worked as a lecturer and he worked in a private company. Usually I returned home after my lectures late in the afternoon and would be all alone till my friend joined me late in the evening for dinner.

Sometimes while trying to catch some afternoon siesta, I would instead fall asleep only to be woken up by the typical whistling sounds of my friend and his footfall on the staircase. There was a large window in the living room that opened into the terrace. Any sound or movement either on the terrace or stairs would alert me to the coming of visitors.

On some days, as I would be busy preparing for my class or making evening coffee, I would be treated to the familiar sounds of footfall and the accompanying whistles of my friend. I would then whistle back in turn , flinging open the door and calling out his name, “Hi, buddy! You are early today!” But to my utter surprise, I would be greeted by an empty terrace, empty staircase and an empty corridor with no human anywhere in sight!

This happened time and time again and became a routine. Initially I was curious but since there was no rational explanation for such a thing, I let that be. I eventually got used to this strange invasion of my privacy!

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That evening I was all alone in my room. My friend was out of town. I was tired and exhausted after a long day at the college and decided to retire early to bed. It was around 9 PM ( in those days Bangalore went to bed at 9 pm and all streets wore a deserted look by 10 PM). I was not particularly hungry, nor was I inclined to go out for dinner given my sheer exhaustion that day. Turning off the lights, I slumped into my bed. A few moments passed.

There was again the clear sound of footfall which came all the way up the stairs, and then stopped in front of my door. I wondered who it was and waited. I then heard a knock on the door. I heard the familiar voice of Shiva, a student of mine, a young man from a far-off suburb in Bangalore. I used to coach him. Sometimes he would come to my place for tuition and sleep over at my place after the tutoring session and then go home early morning the next day. I knew his family well and sometimes I paid them a visit at their farm house.

I got up, opened the door and welcomed Shiva and inquired about his food, luckily he had finished his dinner. Since I was very tired, I told him we could retire for the day and we could talk about the technical subject in the morning. We tried to catch some sleep.

Even as we were still exchanging pleasantries and notes, we heard the sound of footsteps once again and Shiva started to wonder who could it be, visiting me at this hour? I tried to think hard and suddenly recollected that this could be a colleague of mine who had invited me over to dinner at his place. He had requested  me to participate in an all-night session of ‘song and dance’ at his residential complex next to the Geetanjali Cinema ( now it is transformed into a famous shopping mall) in Malleswaram . The song and dance are a part of the famous nightly festivities of Durga Puja ( Nava Ratri festival). I was to join the music band that was performing that night, lending my voice to some tunes of Rabindra Sangeet ( a genre of music attributed to the prodigious Rabindranath Tagore).

As the clear sound of footfall approached the door, I reassured Shiva, “ I will offer some excuse to Naveen ( my colleague ) and pack him off. Nothing in the world can make me leave my bed tonight, not even Rabindra Sangeeth!” Saying thus, I got onto my feet. By now the sound of the footfall had almost reached the door, I flung the door open…and ….lo and behold! There was no one there! I stared into empty darkness!  

Shiva immediately sensed that something was amiss and sprung up on his bed. Even as I rushed out, I switched on the terrace lights and called out to Shiva, “ Shiva don’t waste time! Go out on the terrace, someone is playing pranks, check every nook and corner of the terrace. I am going down. I will check if anyone is hiding under the staircase or in the corridor or hiding behind the tree ( We had a huge tree in the backyard).”

The search took us a full five minutes; we didn’t spare any corner, either on the terrace or in the backyard. The gate at the end of the corridor remained untouched - bolted and secured. My landlord was out on vacation and the ground floor was dark and locked. Not a soul stirred anywhere in sight! The whole street was empty!

Even after we returned to our beds and made a vain attempt to sleep, the excitement was palpable. Shiva was visibly shaken and continued to sit upright on his bed trying to digest what had happened.

There was no more exchange of words, an uneasy silence descended on us.

Seconds ticked by!

Suddenly, we heard a loud knock on the door! This time there were no  footfalls even!

By now, the rational mind had given up! We both were exhausted and in no mood for another search. Search in this situation appeared futile and unfruitful!

Following the knock on the door, something unusual happened, the whole living room was suddenly flooded with a wonderful fragrance that lingered for a long time. First of its kind for me!

For the first time, I began to relax! I wanted the young man also to relax. I joked about the strange turn of events, “ Shiva, don’t you worry! This could be a friendly spirit who knows that I am all alone here and wants to give me some much needed company!”

All these strange occurrences made absolutely no sense to me.

****

My first meeting with UG was in Poornakuti in the year 1992, I had continued to stay alone in my terrace apartment. Several friends came by and left my abode.

After one of his trips to Madras ( Chennai), UG was back in Bangalore addressing his friends. He recounted that he had met up with a young couple, both practicing advocates, who had come to him seeking solution for a ‘spooky’ encounter! In fact they wanted to invite UG to their home to solve the problem and exorcise some ghost that had started troubling them, especially during the nights! There were rumbling and tumbling noises of vessels in their kitchen during nights that disturbed them terribly. They could not sleep. UG told them that there were no such things as ghosts and that they need not worry about trifling things! 

The couple came back the following day and profusely thanked UG. After reporting their problem to UG the previous day, they went back to their place and spent a peaceful night for the first time in many months. They heard no more disturbing sounds in the kitchen!

This incident emboldened me to bring up the strange occurrences in my own place and query UG about them. I had not discussed this with anyone else before. It all sounded like so much poppycock! But with UG one never knew! He might look at it differently!

When I finally got the opportunity to be with him alone, I asked UG whether I could discuss my strange encounters with him. Surprisingly he agreed and gave me his patient hearing.

After the narration, UG began, “ Sir! Once I was invited by Brahmachari ( Sivarama Sharma) to stay in his Jnanashram ( near Bannerghatta Reserve Forest, Bangalore). He insisted that I should sleep in the main hall while he preferred to sleep in the veranda.  [i] I found his proposal quite odd but still agreed to do as he pleased.

Somewhere in the middle of that night, I was suddenly woken up! I felt very cold. My hands and feet, my whole body was frozen! I was unable to move. I suddenly glanced at the wall. I saw ( the apparition of ) a beautiful lady, clad in a white sari, bedecked in gold ornaments, oh ! She had lots of jewelry…

…the next morning, I mentioned about this to Brahmachari, he told me that a young woman had been murdered there for property and that the place was haunted…I now understood why Brahmachari was so particular that I should sleep in the hall...there is a belief among people that the presence of an enlightened being helps in exorcising ghosts, emancipating them. I really don't know!”

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In his book, ‘The Goner’, Louis Brawley recounts an incident where he finds UG gesturing to someone behind him, “ Scoundrels, filthy scoundrels” and when Louis sees no one standing behind and UG talking to thin air, UG  jokingly tells Louis, “ Just because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean they are not there!”

Yet another young couple in Bangalore , very close to UG went through some eerie occurrences. The young lady could see the apparition of a woman ( incidentally murdered and buried in a dry well on which their residential complex was built. Subsequently the foul play ( I believe) was discovered, and the body exhumed and given a proper burial).

The young lady in question was really scared and approached UG but he put his foot down and rejected her proposal to move over to a different place saying,   “ Why are you so scared? You have done 'her' no harm! 'She' would do you no harm! Leave 'her' alone! ” and when pleas for permission to shift to a new house continued unabated, he raised a red flag, “ Be warned, I am telling you, don't change your place! If you shift to another place, it will also move over with you to the new place!”

Thanks to UG, the young lady eventually developed enough strength to carry on with her life despite all the eerie happenings in her place!

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UG’s long time associate Chandrasekhar Babu says that UG always preferred to stay in 'haunted' homes and mansions as they were cheap or even free to stay!

[i] ( Incidentally this was the place where UG was woken up by the king cobra the next morning and together they began their morning walks! This incidence is covered in the blog on fear - https://ugunplugged.blogspot.com/2016/01/you-are-nothing-but-fear-ug.html!)