A Pilgrimage Unto Oneself

It gives me deep satisfaction and joy to see in print this compilation of my talks by Vipin Bhalla, one of my most loving and loyal companions. I have a special bond with Vipin who first met me in Mahabaleshwar in the year 1986. One fine evening, I saw a young man in his twenties near my cottage, looking in my direction, but hesitating to come up and speak. He came again the next evening, paced up and down, but was still very shy to enter my premises. He came the third consecutive evening and was once again set to withdraw quietly, but this time I was determined not to let him do the vanishing trick! I waved to him and invited him into my cottage. He introduced himself as an Engineer who was into drilling for oil. He had stumbled upon my book Towards the Unknown, and felt a compelling urge to come and meet me. I am glad he followed his heart and found me! I showed Vipin my other books and he devoured them all with great interest and enthusiasm.

Vipin's professional job has a great advantage - it allows him to spend four weeks offshore holidaying, each time that he completes four weeks on the rig drilling for oil. Soon Vipin became a frequent visitor at my cottage and began listening to the two hundred and fifty odd audio-tapes of talks given by me all over the globe. I admire Vipin's patience and passion in the way he painstakingly transcribed the audio-tape of each talk, pausing, rewinding and listening to each word, desirous not to lose even the tiniest detail of the message. Over the years he transcribed scores of talks and began to feel the urge to share them with others. He then began to sift through them and to select the talks that he resonated with the most. I think he has chosen well and hope that this collection points the way to many a seeker who is as earnest as Vipin! I am truly happy that Vipin has inscribed my message in his heart in letters of gold and attempts wholeheartedly to walk the straight path every moment.

Dadaji Gavand is undoubtedly the most inspiring and compassionate presence in my life. It was in 1986 that I first met him at a time when I was trying to come to terms with a major disappointment in my career. A few years earlier, I had been ranked 18th in the I.I.T. Entrance Exam and was overjoyed as I have always had a passion for technological research. However, my father advised me not to leave the B.Tech course that I was already doing elsewhere as I would not only lose an academic year but later, also lose out on seniority in service. I did heed his advice but it broke my heart to let go of the I.I.T. offer. I procured a B.Tech degree and even landed a good job, but my heart was not in it.

In our very first conversation, I confessed to Dadaji that I was not quite loyal to my work, that I was, in a way, dishonest. He said in reply, "Watch this dishonesty alertly, like a surgeon. Dissect it completely and remove it from your system. Otherwise be dishonest and let life teach you its lesson - but then you will have to pay a heavy price for it." Dadaji's words worked like magic and my outlook towards my job changed radically.

This event marked the beginning of a very beautiful bond with Dadaji and today he is verily the celestial lighthouse of my life. I deeply cherish his unfailing guidance, love and support at all times.

My first impression of Dadaji was that of an authoritarian person, but I soon found him to be a most kind, simple, tentative and open person who never took anything for granted. I was dazzled by his supreme intelligence. I had met many individuals who were intelligent in their own fields but Dadaji's intelligence was a class apart. It was reflected in everything he said and did, from little things to big ones. He could teach culinary skills to a housewife as much as he could expound on the true scientific temper to a scientist! Though he did not have any formal training in science and technology, he would come up with amazing tips on how best to mount the roof of his cottage or fix the dysfunctional water-pump.

Dadaji's responses to people and situations are always spontaneous and straight from the heart, whether he is supplying a milk-packet for a month to the mason's convalescing wife, sponsoring the education of a tribal girl-child or expressing concern over global warming and poverty. His charity is never prompted by ideas or ideals. Another thing that drew me to Dadaji is his exceptional ability to understand people even when they are unable to express their deep-seated feelings clearly. This capacity for deep empathy is noticeable in all his talks, which is why I began to listen to them eagerly.

In the last thirty two years, Dadaji traveled extensively, delivering soul-stirring lectures across the globe. The language of these talks is simple, moving and often brings a flash of understanding. There is never any abstract philosophizing in them. Although the talks are thematically varied, a common thread runs through them for they all advocate intense, alert, aloof attentiveness in the present moment. The starting point differs from lecture to lecture, but amazingly, Dadaji manages to gradually veer every talk towards the central issue of watching the whole panorama of our thought-mind-desire-emotion without any bias or expectation. As one's watching intensifies, the energy that was locked up in thought is released and comes back into the watching until eventually the problematic thought is dissolved completely.

I hope these talks will open doors for you as they did for me. If read with total attention, openness and humility, they are sure to impel you to go within and make contact with your innermost self.

**Sample Pages**