समर्पण – 7 Samarpan - 7

Today I feel great joy sharing my experiences with you. In this way, my own memories are refreshed, and some unresolved aspects come to light as well. The affection you all show me compels me to keep writing. Today, through one particular experience, I will reveal some secrets of cremation-ground (shamshan) sadhana.

I have heard and read many seekers say things like "we performed cremation-ground sadhana," "our next programme is a cremation-ground sadhana," and so on. I will write about Baba Ramnath in the next article. I believe that cremation-ground sadhana is deeply mysterious, and those who casually say "we performed cremation-ground sadhana" are, for one reason or another, unaware of this particular aspect of sadhana. In true cremation-ground sadhana, even the greatest seekers tremble, and even the hardest of hearts grow fearful. Sitting in a cremation ground and performing one or two rituals is not, in my view, true cremation-ground sadhana. Guruji too has shed light on many aspects of this. The cremation ground is like a heavenly garden for seekers of the Aghor and Aughad path, and for the Kapalikas of the Bhairav path. For them, with purity, it is a divine site for the act of dissolving oneself into that Supreme Element, while for ordinary householders, it is nothing more than a place where corpses are burned. Many times, cremation-ground sadhana may demand the greatest of sacrifices, which is why one should reconsider all aspects carefully before attempting it. Never take this risk merely through bookish or half-baked knowledge. Even if curiosity remains, the company of an experienced person is very necessary — though even they can only take you so far. Once you read the article I am about to share, you will understand why I say this.

I had been living at the temple for quite some time by then. Under Husanchand ji's guidance, I had come to understand many dimensions of sadhana. Husanchand was around 60 years of age, with two sons — one 8 years old and the other 12 — and two older daughters. I had never thought it appropriate to discuss this particular subject, but one day, a conversation about cremation-ground sadhana began, while Akhandanand ji was still alive. The three of us sat discussing this profound subject, and I said, "I have heard many seekers say they performed cremation-ground sadhana there," to which Husanchand ji said, "They are not familiar with this aspect at all. When the cremation ground truly awakens, even the greatest seekers break into a sweat." I said, "You have spent considerable time in cremation-ground sadhana yourself — tell us something," and so he began his account.

"Many yogis of the Nath tradition used to visit me, and cremation-ground sadhana was so much a part of our lives that the cremation ground itself felt like home to us. We had built a hut right near the cremation ground, and after drinking an entire bottle of liquor, we would lose ourselves in revelry within the cremation ground, never resting until we had perfected even the most terrifying of sadhanas. At night, such fervour would rise in us that we remained immersed in bliss. Several spirits there had even become like friends to us. At one point, we felt drawn to perfect the Teliya Masan sadhana, and a Nath had told us that through it, any task could be accomplished. We took every aspect of sadhana lightly, like a casual matter, and we were determined to perfect Teliya Masan no matter what. I want to share this for the knowledge of seekers — like the Brahm Rakshas, Teliya Masan is also one of the most dangerous sadhanas, capable of awakening the entire cremation ground, making it difficult even for the seeker to save their own life and flee."

"Now, to perfect this sadhana, we needed the skull of an oil-presser (teli). I knew of a grave belonging to a Muslim oil-presser, and taking a companion with me, we went at 2 AM and brought back his skull, beginning this new cremation-ground ritual the very next day. We made a skull-bowl (khappar) from it and prepared the cremation-ground bhog in it, partaking of the prasad ourselves after offering it. This is one aspect of Aghor practice. New kinds of strange phenomena in the cremation ground were a daily occurrence, so we were never disturbed by them. Sometimes flames would leap from a pyre and spread across the entire sky; sometimes terrifying sounds would send a chill through the heart; sometimes ghosts would appear and begin to dance. More than 40 days had passed since we began the sadhana, and the time to receive its fruit was now approaching. Around that time, a Nath came to visit us, and we told him, 'Baba ji, stay in the hut — we will go perform our ritual and come back,' but he insisted on coming along. I was alone at the time. I tried hard to dissuade him, but he kept saying, 'I have performed many such cremation-ground rituals myself.' I thought, he is a Nath, surely he wouldn't lie, he must know this ritual — and I took him along. I told him, 'Baba ji, let me draw the protective binding (keel) around the cremation ground, since this is a very dangerous ritual,' but he said, 'I will draw it myself — I know the cremation-ground binding.' So I trusted him and began my ritual. Slowly, the cremation ground began rising to its peak intensity. Within a short time, it began to awaken. I paid no attention to the Nath, since he had already drawn the binding, so I felt assured. But the moment the cremation ground fully awakened, the Nath broke into a sweat, and Teliya Masan was about to manifest, and the Nath was about to get up and flee. But by then, the Masan had already manifested, and it looked around — I, meanwhile, continued my ritual fearlessly. A heart-wrenching scream broke my concentration, and when I looked, I saw that the Masan had lifted the Nath and thrown him into the blazing flames of a pyre, where he writhed in agony. 'Oh no — what is this — this Nath is going to die today!' I immediately abandoned my own ritual, stepping outside the binding to save him. But by then, the fire of the pyre had already consumed the Nath. 'What has happened today — why did I trust his lie?' I didn't know what to do. My focus shifted entirely toward that, and the Masan, now out of control, reached my own house. I had two sons your age — the Masan destroyed both of them in a single stroke. When I reached home, an atmosphere of mourning had settled over the house. 'What has happened?' I felt immense anger, both at myself and at the Masan. 'I will not let this go — it has destroyed my home, and now it cannot survive either,' and I went to the cremation ground and called it forth. It appeared before me. 'What have you done — you have destroyed my home,' I said, and it replied, 'When I arrive, I must consume the meal of 8 men. Since you abandoned your ritual and your attention shifted away from the sadhana, I made my way to your home instead. Now tell me, what shall I do for you?' — and I bound it with a nail (keel) and imprisoned it within the skull-bowl itself, so that it could cause no further harm anywhere else."

"After performing the funeral rites for my sons, my mind found no peace anywhere, and I went to Guruji and wept. After some thought, Guruji reassured me and said, 'I shall return your sons to you, but never perform such a ritual again without asking me first,' and after quite some time, my elder son was born, followed by the second one 4 years later — that is why their ages appear as they do."

Now you will understand what price even a foremost seeker like Husanchand ji had to pay for cremation-ground sadhana. But seekers never give up — sadhana itself remains their goal. Even so, if there are seekers who still hold such courage, I would be happy to help them. But to those who claim to have perfected this ritual while still living a householder's life, I extend an open invitation — we ourselves can awaken the cremation ground; if you can remain there for more than three minutes, I will gladly give you whatever you ask for. That's all for today.

(To be continued)