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Soul Connections — Contents
Parvatamma Allaka — Swamiji’s Mother
Garaga Narasimha Murthy — Swamiji’s First Devotee
Tapaswiji Maharaj — the Great Hatha Yogi
Yashoda — born to serve Swamiji
Kaleakanda Bhadra Rao — Childhood Playmate
Ramakrishna Rao — Adivarapupeta
Hindi Master — Adivarapupeta
Kodandam — Adivarapupeta
Annapurna — Mandapeta
Vittal Tambre — and his Army, Bangalore
Adinarayana — Bangalore
K. S. Veerabhadraiah — Bangalore
Mataji — Swamiji's Second Mother
Nagendra Swami — Tapaswin
S. Veereshaiah — Bombay (Mumbai)
Deviprashad Baurai — the “Postmaster-ji”, Dehradun
K. L. Ghai — Sambhar Lake
K. Gopanna — Kakinada & Adivarapupeta
Gen. Hanut Singh — Dehradun
R. C. Nanda — Jhansi
R. Thippana — Anantapur & Ratnagiri
Guru Sisters — more reserved than men
Hosting Swamiji — in the West
Azul’s Om Shiva — Portland
You can read many devotee experiences organized by subject matter in the EXPERIENCES section of this Shivabalayogi website.
About Some of Shivabalayogi’s Close Devotees
“My most significant memory of Swamiji is how he made each devotee feel as though he or she was the only devotee.”
Shivabalayogi Soul Connections
Shivabalayogi said again and again that he has a soul connection with each devotee. He explained that his devotees incarnate with him lifetime after lifetime on different planets and in different circumstances. Guru and devotee are connected by a soul bond, like a close family. He said that many devotees incarnated while he was doing tapas and others will follow.
“That is the relationship between guru and disciple. It is called atma [soul] relationship. Just like you or your husband or your children, you all are children to Swamiji. You have to be a part of the family always. It is called the atma relationship.”
“Right now Swamiji is a yogi. In his next incarnation he does not know what he will be, but even then you will be following him. Wherever he goes in his incarnations, all the devotees will follow him to the same planet.”
Recognizing the
Soul Connection
When Shivabalayogi was conducting public meditation and bhajan programs in the West, organizers would distribute and post flyers with a photo of Swamiji and a short description of his mission. (There is a sample flyer on the Programs page.)
Many people came to the programs simply because of the photo. A recognition of something in the image drew them. Swamiji described that something as a soul connection.
That photo is on the left. It was chosen by Swamiji and used on every flyer from 1987 to 1991.
Many Soul Connections
A devotee asked whether he had any past life connections with Swamiji. Swamiji’s answer was typical for this type of question, “Meditate, and the answer will come.” He added, “No one comes for Swamiji’s darshan whom he does not know, who is not a devotee from a prior life. Half the population of this country [the United States] has been a devotee of his in some lifetime or another.”
Shivabalayogi recommended Yoga Vasishta as the scripture that most accurately explains creation. With story after story, the treatise explains how consciousness — the soul — creates multiple lives that are connected. The example repeatedly used are our own dreams. (Read more about the Yoga Vasishta.)
There was one time when devotees asked Swamiji how was it possible that his prior lives included Ramakrishna and Lahiri Mahasaya because they lived at the same time. Swamiji just chuckled and said in English, “One atma, many bodies. No problem.” Then he gave other examples of his multiple lives at the same time. (See Prior Lives.)
Soul Connections &
Sharing Karma; the Cosmic Shivabalayogi within
Swamiji was asked if a person can share another’s karma. He responded, “No, since there is no atmic [soul] relationship.” The implication is that if there is a soul connection, karma can be shared. It was one of many clues he gave that he was taking on and dissipating the problems that others had created. This was the purpose for his unusually difficult twelve-year tapas.
Imagine going deeply within our own consciousness, behind the thoughts that ordinarily define who we are. At a very deep level, one will find Shivabalayogi within, or ancient sages, the yogis of more recent historical times, or Buddha, Jesus, and other divine incarnations who inspire the great religions of the world. We are all connected, various parts or expressions of the Cosmic Soul.
Many devotees’ experiences have been collected in the books written on Shivabalayogi. The following Soul Connections pages offer a little more information about a few of the many, many diverse devotees who were close to Swamiji and shared in the life of the great Yogi of Yogis.
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