Spiritual Experiences

1. DAWN OF NEW LIFE

I was tired of this illusory life of sense-pleasures
I became quite disgusted with this prison of body.
I had Satsanga with Mahatmas
And imbibed their nectarine instructions.
I crossed the dire forest of love and hatred.
I roamed far beyond the world of good and evil
I came to the border-land of stupendous silence
And caught the splendour of the Soul within
All my sorrow is over now
My heart is now brimming up with joy
Peace has now entered my soul
I was suddenly lifted out of my life
There was a dawn of new life.
I experienced the inner World of Reality
The Unseen filled my soul and head.
I was bathed in a flood of effulgence ineffable
And saw the Lord behind all names and forms
And realised that I am the Light.

2. PRELIMINARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES - I

More and more dispassion and discrimination,
More and more yearning for liberation,
Peace, cheerfulness, contentment,
Fearlessness, unruffled state of mind,
Lustre in the eyes, good smell from the body;
Beautiful complexion, sweet, powerful voice,
Wonderful health, vim, vigour and vitality,
Freedom from disease, laziness and depression,
Lightness of body, alertness of mind,
Powerful Jatharagni or digestive fire
Eagerness to sit and meditate for a long time
Aversion to worldly talks and company of worldlings
Feeling of Presence of God everywhere
Love for all creatures,
Feeling that all forms are forms of the Lord
That the world is Lord Himself
Absence of Ghrina or dislike to any creature
Even to those who despise and insult
Strength of mind to bear insult and injury
To meet dangers and calamities
Are some of the preliminary spiritual experiences.
These indicate that one advances
In the spiritual path.
Preliminary Spiritual Experiences - II
Balls of white lights, coloured lights
Sun, stars during meditation
Divya Gandha, Divya Taste,
Vision of the Lord in the dream
Extraordinary, superhuman experiences,
Vision of the Lord in the human form
Sometimes in the form of a Brahmin
Old man, leper or out-caste in rags
Talking to the Lord,
Are the preliminary spiritual experiences.
Then comes cosmic consciousness or Savikalpa Samadhi
Which Arjuna experienced.
Eventually the aspirant enters
Into Nirvikalpa Samadhi
Wherein there is neither seer nor seen
Wherein one sees nothing, hears nothing
He becomes one with the Eternal.

3. I HAVE WON THE GAME OF LIFE

Through the Grace of the Lord and Sat-Guru
I am unattached and free.
All doubts and delusions have vanished.
I am free and ever blissful
I am free from fear,
As I rest in That non-dual State.
Fear is due to duality.
I am Brahman-intoxicated.
I have attained perfection and freedom.
I live in the pure consciousness.
I have won the game of life.
I have won! I have won!! I have won!!!

4. IN HIM I FIND MY ALL

At last His Grace descended on me
I gazed and gazed at Him
I was lost in that wondrous Vision of the Lord.
The Grace filled the cup of my heart.
The ecstatic thrill overwhelmed me
In His Will is my peace
His Name is a heaven of repose
In Him I find my all.

All knowledge is locked up in His bosom
The whole creation rise and fall in Him
He is the Supreme Reservoir of all that appears.
He is the Mainstay of all the worlds.
He is the Holy One, Perfect in Wisdom,
The cause of this world, the Bestower of Salvation!

5. IN THE OCEAN OF BLISS

O Mahadeva, O Kesava
By the sword of Thy Grace
I have cut off all my bonds
I am free, I am blissful
All desires have disappeared
Now I aspire nothing
But Thy blessed Feet
I have lost all my thoughts

In Thee, O Narayana.

I had Thy wondrous vision
I was lost in ecstasy
I was at once transformed
I was drowned
In the Divine Consciousness
In the ocean of bliss
Hail, Hail, O Vishnu, My Lord.

6. IMMORTAL SELF I AM

One eternal, infinite Being alone exists
Jiva is identical with this Being
Pain is unreal; it cannot exist
Bliss is Real; it cannot die.
Mind is unreal; it cannot exist,
Soul is real; it cannot die.
Freedom comes through knowledge of the Self
Freedom is Perfection, Immortality and Bliss
Freedom is direct realisation of the Self
Freedom is release from births and deaths
I am neither mind, nor body
This whole world is my body
The whole world is my home
Nothing exists, nothing belongs to me
Immortal Self I am.

7. SPEECHLESS ZONE

In the perfect nameless, formless Void,
In the unlimited expanse of bliss,
In the region of matterless, mindless joy
In the realm of timeless, spaceless, thoughtless space
In the transcendental abode of Sweet Harmony
I united with the Supreme Effulgence
The thought that we are one or two vanished
I crossed the sea of birth for ever.
This is all due to the Grace of the Lord
Who danced in Brindavan with rhythmic jingle
Who raised Govardhan as umbrella for the cowherds.

8. I HAVE BECOME THAT

The Maya-made world has vanished now
Mind has totally perished
The Ego has been entirely powdered
The watertight compartments have been broken down
Names and forms disappeared
All distinctions and differences have melted
Old Jivahood has entirely fused
The flood of Truth, Wisdom and Bliss
Has entered everywhere in abundance
Brahman alone shines everywhere
One homogenous Joy-essence pervades everywhere
I have become That. I have become That.
Sivoham. Sivoham. Sivoham.

9. THE GREAT BHUMA EXPERIENCE

I merged myself in great unending joy
I swam in the ocean of immortal bliss
I floated in the sea of Infinite Peace
Ego melted, thoughts subsided
Intellect ceased functioning
The senses were absorbed
I remained unawakened to the world
I saw myself everywhere
It was a homogeneous experience
There was neither within nor without
There was neither 'this' nor 'that'
There was neither 'he', 'you' nor 'I' nor she
There was neither time nor space
There was neither subject nor object
There was neither knower nor knowable nor sight
How can one describe this transcendental experience?
Language is finite, words are impotent;
Realise this yourself and be free.

10. MYSTERIOUS EXPERIENCE

Brahman or the Eternal is far sweeter than honey
Jam, sugar-candy, Rasagulla or Laddu
I meditated on Brahman, the Immutable
I attained the stage that transcends finite
True light shone in me
Avidya or Ignorance vanished in toto
The doors were totally shut
The senses were withdrawn
Breath and mind merged in their source
I become one with the Supreme Light
A mysterious experience beyond speech indeed
Sivoham, Sivoham, Sivoham, Soham
Sat-chit-ananda Swaroopoham.

11. SIVOHAM-SIVOHAM-SIVOHAM

I have realised the identity
Of individual soul and Supreme Soul
Sat-chit-ananda is my essential nature
My mind is withdrawn from all external objects
I am deeply God-intoxicated

All sorrow and pain and fear have vanished
I am ever peaceful and joyful
I am Truth, Pure Consciousness and Bliss
I shine forth as a Divine Flame.

In all living beings
I am tasting the Bliss of the Eternal
I have attained the Goal of Life
In that Brahman am I!

That Brahman who is Satchidananda
Who is the Indweller and Inner Ruler
Who is the womb of the Vedas
Who is the creator of this universe
Who is the substratum for everything
Who gives light to the intellect
Who is hiding himself in all forms
Who is adored by the Rishis
Whom the Vedas proclaim
Whom the Yogins wish to attain Samadhi
Who is terror to Indra and Agni
Who is sweet to the disciplined Yogi
That Brahman verily am I
Sivoham Sivoham Sivoham!

12. STATE OF SAMADHI

O What a Joy! What a Bliss!
All desires are now fulfilled
Everything is attained
I am Immortal, deathless,
I am Eternal Consciousness
I am the Great and the High
All this is mere Moksha
Moksha alone is everywhere
It is to be known
And experienced by everyone.

That ego has melted now
The Vasanas are burnt up
In the fire of wisdom
There is Manonasa
Or annihilation of mind
All distinctions have vanished
All differences have disappeared
There is neither 'I' or 'you'
All indeed is Brahman
This is one homogeneous bliss
This experience-whole is ineffable
Words fail to describe this state
Feel it yourself in Samadhi.

13.THROUGH THE GRACE OF GURU

I know my essential nature
I have reached the peak of perfection
I am pure Immortal Atman.

All my desires are gratified
I am Apta Kama
I have attained everything
I have done all my works

I have nothing more to learn
The Vedas have nothing to teach me
The Smritis have nothing to instruct me
The world has nothing to attract me

Maya is hiding herself modestly
As I know all her tricks and ways
She blushes to appear before me

This is all due to the Grace of the Lord
And the Grace of the Guru
He made me like Himself
Prostrations to the Guru
Obeisance to the Guru!

14. I AM THAT I AM

Timeless and spaceless is this goal
Painless and sorrowless is this seat
Blissful and peaceful is this Abode
Changeless and boundless is this Dhama
I know that "I am He"
I have neither body, mind nor senses
I have neither change, nor growth nor death
I am the Immortal, All-pervading Brahman.
Neither virtue nor sin can touch me
Neither pleasure nor pain can affect me
Neither likes and dislikes can taint me
I am Existence-Absolute, Knowledge-Absolute and Bliss-Absolute.
I have neither friends nor enemies
I have neither parents nor relatives
I have neither home nor country
I am that I am. I am that I am.
I am never born, I never die
I always exist, I am everywhere,
I have neither fear of death nor fear of public criticism
I am Siva, full of Bliss and Knowledge
Chidananda-rupah Sivoham, Sivoham.