Photos of Shivabalayogi conducting public meditation and bhajan programs in Agra, the kind that Sharma would have attended. From to to bottom: the king and queen by Shivabalayogi's dais inside the Bhadawar House; the crowd; bhava samadhi; arthi.
The Senior Advocate and Shaktipat
I was a senior advocate and an official in the government at that time. There was another senior advocate by name Narayan Sharma who has since passed away. He had such an extensive knowledge of spiritual books that he used to debate with several of the spiritual leaders around Agra. He had even gone to Mukhtananda’s ashram to debate with him. He had met all the Shankaracharyas [spiritual leaders], all the so-called jagadgurus [universal gurus] and all, but he wasn’t satisfied.
He knew that I was following Swamiji. So every time he met me in court or wherever, he would made fun of me saying, “So now Chatturvedi, you have got a hold of vairagi [one who doesn’t wear clothes, who has left everything]. You have got a hold of him, so you are going to go to heaven. That’s definite. But when you go to heaven, I’ll catch hold of your feet and I will also come with you to heaven.” Every time he met me, Sharma would sting me with this kind of a sentence. All the others would make fun. They would have a nice laugh.
I used to feel bad about it. Once I met him like this and I couldn’t bear it any more. I said, “See, I cannot argue with you. If anybody wants to argue with you, he would have done his doctorate or masters in philosophy. Only then probably he could have argued with you in spirituality or philosophy. I am not such a person. But I have one request. Come to this Swamiji just once and have his darshan when the kirtan is going on. Then I leave it to you. You can do whatever you like.”
The first time Sharma came to Swamiji, nothing happened to him.
The second evening he again came. That evening I silently prayed to Swamiji in my own mind, “Please Swamiji, put this guy into trance. This fellow is taking my life out. Every time I see him in the court or wherever, he is trying to pull my leg. So do something. Put him into trance and that will solve my problem forever.”
All the senior lawyers had come to the program that night. They were all sitting there and Sharma was sitting in front of them. All of a sudden he started crying. He kept crying for twenty, twenty-five minutes. Then suddenly he changed to laughter. He laughed for another twenty or twenty-five minutes. Once the kirtan was over he became silent and he remained seated.
Kirtan was over. Arthi was over. Still he remained seated. Then Swamiji gave me some vibhuti and said, “Go and apply the vibhuti on your friend.”
I took the vibhuti and applied it on his forehead. He started shaking a little and yelled at me. “You idiot! Why are you doing this to me? Why are you bringing me down? Why are you pulling me down like this? I am having the darshan of Vishnu. I am having the darshan of Brahma and all the other gods and goddesses. You fellow, you!” He closed his eyes again.
I thought that he had not yet come back to senses, so I took the vibhuti once more and applied it to his head. Again he opened his eyes. “What have you done? I was actually in heaven. I was really enjoying it, seeing all the gods and goddesses. Why did you bring me down here?”
I said, “I am going to take you to the other heaven. I am going to take you to Shivabalayogi. Come with me.” I dragged him to Swamiji.
Since then Sharma never left Swamiji. Every time Swamiji came to Agra, Sharma came for Swamiji’s darshan. He told me, “In all my life, I have seen so many spiritual people, but they couldn’t catch hold of me. But this man has really swept me away.”
Sharma once asked, “Swamiji, you please give me shaktipat.” [Shaktipat is the transmission of spiritual energy.]
Swamiji said, “You will have to go around the whole of Agra.”
I didn’t understand, and neither did Sharma understand what Swamiji was saying. So the next day in the court room or wherever I met him, he asked me, “What was the baba saying last night? What did he answer to my question?”
I wanted to be mischievous. “Swamiji was saying that you will become Bhasmasura. Once the power is given, you will lay your hands on Swamiji himself and you will start running around Agra.” He got annoyed with that very much.
Bhasmasura
Shivabalayogi told the story of Bhasmasura to illustrate how yogis are more powerful than the gods.
When tapas is successful, God appears and will grant any boon the yogi desires. When Bhasmasura completed tapas, Shiva appeared. Bhasmasura asked for the power to incinerate anyone he put his hand on.
Shiva, always being generous, granted the boon.
Bhasmasura started chasing Shiva to incinerate him. The other gods became afraid for themselves and Shiva.
Vishnu transformed himself into a woman dancer. She was so beautiful and danced so divinely that Bhasmasura was distracted from chasing Shiva. He was beguiled.
He asked her to teach him how to dance, which she did. "Do as I do."
The maiden danced and Bhasmasura copied her motions. When the maiden gestured with her hand over her head, Bhasmasura did likewise and incinerated himself.
That night he came to Swamiji and again asked about shaktipat. At first Swamiji gave him the same reply, but then he explained. “When you are still raw and you have not developed enough, if more power is given to you, you will simply explode. If you really want this shaktipat, I will give it to you. But you will have to sit down and do three hours of meditation every day, without fail. You should fix the time and place where you meditate. Sit down there every day at the same time and do meditation for three hours compulsorily. Do this now, and then when the next time I come, by that time if you have done this, I will then give you shaktipat.”
This man couldn’t do it. Every time Swamiji came to Agra, he asked the same question. “You please give me shaktipat.” Swamiji would give the same answer, “Do the meditation daily for three hours and then I will give you.”
But Sharma couldn’t do it.