Maharishi and Simply sitting ideology.

Poojya Maharishi Mahesh yogi attained Samadhi. The media was agog with news of his Samadhi and his western disciples Beatles, George Harrison etc. etc.Two of his famous Indian disciples Deepak Chopra & Sri Sri Ravisankar wrote touching articles.

I am one of his unknown, distant disciples. I got initiated in late 70s when my mind was filled with revolutionary ideas. As a student, I have been indoctrinated with communist ideology in Kerala. In those days all reading, thinking students were automatically left leaning and all ‘left’ thinking students were considered as ‘right’ thinking boys.

So initially I could not accept this ‘simply-sitting-in-a-corner’ ideology. Moreover like any Keralite I thought it is an American sponsored agenda to destroy the communism in Kerala.

It was Uncle Phathak, a Gujarati gentleman, who brought this TM stuff (Transcendental Meditation ( Atheendriya Dhyanam) to our midst. I was staying with my uncle in Mumbai and Mr.Phathak was one of uncle’s friends. Unlike normal Gujjus Mr. Phatak spoke good English and he was a singer of western music. He sang in good places like Taj Hotel in Mumbai. Probably he was a fan of Beatles.

Any way I did not understand most of what he said about TM and I often argued with him in my broken English. My uncle had made up his mind to accept TM. He also persuaded me to accept it so that the whole house will come under the 'aura' generated by meditation. I agreed on one condition that provided my Dakshina (Fee) is paid by uncle. He agreed and Mr. Phatak became ‘our’ Guru. One day was fixed for initiation and a Mantra was given to me. It is a seed left in me forever. If I water and nurture it may grow. Over the years I seldom watered it. But I practiced meditation and my situation surely improved. Is it because of TM? I really don’t know.

Meanwhile we got opportunity to participate in a meeting attended by Maharishi in Mumbai’s Bharateeya Vidyabhavan hall in Chaupati. Since Maharishi had a MSc in Chemistry many people asked Chemical questions which puzzled the Guru. In those days my Indriya faculty had a upper hand in ruling me and I did not understand a bit of the Vedanta philosophy of Maharishi.

My Meditation practices changed from TM to various other ways. I read Osho. I read Deepak Chopra who had by the time gone away from Maharishi and had become a great spiritualist. I also practiced Sudarshankriya of Sri Sri. AOL, Art of Living, Sri Sri’s foundation, had become a great organization. I also practiced Reiki Meditation. Whatever I did I developed a habit of ‘simply-sitting’ in the mornings.

To this day I could not leave the ‘Simply-stting-in-a corner’ ideology and I am extremely grateful to Maharishi and TM for it.