[Guruji, Śrīlaśrī Amṛtānanda Nātha Saraswatī, ordained Haran Aiya, Śrīlaśrī Caitanyānanda Nātha Saraswatī, as his spiritual torch bearer and Guru. Aiya’s journey before and after becoming a Guru had very inspiring events. Below is a summary of few inspiring events I recollect from interaction with Aiya and Guruji]
The Guru is chosen for us
We make decisions continually, in the realm of illusion dictated by own deceptive senses, which we think that makes us; but, decisions are made continually for us. There is no coincidence or accidental occurrence. Nothing lucky or unlucky. Shredding the illusionary cloaks in the venture to experience the pristine truth comes with the guidance and the grace of the Guru.
The Guru is not chosen by the individual but by the Supreme Power that is in us and that pervades the whole universe and is the universe and beyond. The Guru is the supreme consciousness disguised within a human physical structure who moulds and defines us and our future, never to look at the world the same way we did from the dawn of our lives.
The Guru paramparā did not happen by coincidence but an articulated trajectory by the Supreme to provide guidance to the normal beings to elevate from the mundane earthly standing. The Guru paramparā hierarchy grows and the disciples multiply accordingly.
The Mother has blessed us with infinite grace to be disciples of Aiya as the Śrī Guru and Guruji as our Parama Guru and as part of the Dattatreya lineage following the Paraśurāma Kalpa Sūtra. It is a decision made for us for the better of us; to grow and be better than the past.
Haran Aiya was born to an average non Brahmin, non-orthodox family in Śrī Lanka. He had eight siblings and was the youngest. He exhibited passion for music and devotion to Lord Śubhramānya from his childhood. Devotion and devotional music was his soul; the soul that is consciousness. Aiya was not very familiar with Sanskrit or the very orthodox protocols. From childhood he was enthralled by the ancient Tamil scriptures and the saints in the Hindu worship (it is said that Tamil is the language of devotion and bhakti) and the Indian culture. His insatiable desire to read and learn from these ancient scriptures further fortified his devotion to the Supreme Divine. As per Guruji he possessed the highest element, the most sublime and infinitely pervasive phenomena, that over shone all other the traditional requirements and protocols to realize the Divine in oneself and the surroundings - Bhakti.
As much as school academics was important for livelihood his devotion to Lord Śubhramānya took the first preference. Pilgrimages to all the Lord Śubhramānya sanctums singing the words of praise and meditate on the Lord was his greatest pleasure.
Aiya would spend his vacation at the ashram of Śrīlaśrī Śivā Ṣaṭcitiānanda Mātāji a disciple of Śrīlaśrī Svāmī Śivānanda. Mātāji admired his devotion and encouraged him.
Aiya mentioned he would follow Mātāji while she did her routine evening walk, chanting the Rudrām, and would see her engulfed in a ball of fire! On another day he had asked her for the Lālita Sahasranāma and she told him it would be given to him at the appropriate time in the future and she touched his Anja as blessing and passing of energy. When Aiya comes out of the Ashram, for a few minutes, he was able to see through material that are opaque to the ordinary human eye; he was able to see the roots of this large papal tree, in front of him, deep into the earth! This meant to me that Aiya’s spectral vision had already stepped into the gurudom having realized total inclusiveness.
Our Guru Pathini, Sakuntala Amma, was also a disciple of Mātāji and she proposed Aiya’s marriage to Amma – the marriage of six consecutive births!
During the students days Aiya was anxious to pay pilgrimage to have the darśana of Śrī Satya Sai Babā. Being a student he did not have the money for this trip.
A businessman recognized Aiya’s longing passion offered him the money to make this pilgrimage. Needless to say it was the astral influence of Śrī Satya Sai Baba! On his travel he would be signing bajans in the train with his companions.
When he arrived Baba jovially called out on him “rowdy from Śrī Lanka singing bajans in praise of the Lord” to come up to talk to him. Aiya was always curious about Baba’s curly hair; Baba reading Aiya’s thoughts asked Aiya to feel his hair to fulfill his curiosity! On another occasion at dinner time Aiya was sort of fumbling with the chapatti. Baba saw this, went up to Aiya, bent over and tore a piece of chapatti and fed Aiya- the true Guru prasādam!
Aiya, Amma moved to Zambia in the 70’s. They were blessed with their daughter Sarumathi during their tenure in Zambia.
He continued his sadhana in Zambia and became a teacher to many. Friday Śubhramānya and Lālita Devi pūjās and satsaṅg were prominent. Aiya still continued his respects and celebrations for Śrī Sathya Sai Babā events. Aiya’s widespread devotion brought in inspiring events.
One day Babā appeared to Aiya and asked him to paint and erect a portrait of himself, for the annual birthday celebration, and also told him the name of an artist in Lusaka, Zambia who could create this portrait. After vivid search through the telephone directory Aiya located this person who agreed to do the portrait. The day of the celebration the portrait was completed but the artist for no specific reason also painted a pair of white doves being held by Baba. Aiya, though not sure why this happened, continued with the event and next day he was informed that Baba had released a pair of white doves as a symbol peace to pacify the political tensions in Zimbabwe! The link between Babā and Aiya was astounding.
Passing the torch to Aiya by Guruji
Guruji moved to Lusaka, Zambia as the Professor to the University of Zambia to teach Quantum Mechanics and relativity theory. There is no coincidence or accidental occurrence. Guruji happened to attend Aiya’s Friday satsaṅg and was impressed and Aiya was intrigued by this new gentleman who repeated the Lālita Sahasranāma with the attendees and displayed mudrās at times during the recital. Aiya was not sure how to start conversation with Guruji but finally collected strength and got himself introduced to Guruji. Well, well, well……..next came the formal initiation into Śrī Vidyā and was the start of the big spiritual tidal wave of Śrī Vidyā teaching. Śrī Vidyā teachings was until then a closed subject to a few privileged with the imposition of race, caste creed etc., though the essence of Śrī Vidyā teaching guidelines rejects such man made orders.
On a casual conversation I had with Aiya he revealed the most astounding event - the vision both Aiya and Guruji experienced, during the initiation process for Aiya by Guruji.
On the purnima day of October 05, 1979, Guruji initiated Aiya, and asked him whether he witnessed anything during the process. Aiya told him he saw a young woman, milk white in colour and with no clothes standing beside him. Guruji confirmed it was Śrī Saubhāgya Sudhālakṣmī Devi who showed her presence as witness to the event and showered her blessings. Sudhālakṣmī had also revealed to Guruji the saṅkalpa for this event (currently in the Śrī Vidyā Pooja vidhanam published by Aiya). Interestingly Guruji continued to ask Aiya what else out of the ordinary he experienced. Aiya told him that when he opened his hands, which was thus far held closed as mark of respect, the inside of his palm was smeared with honey materialized during the event! Guruji told him that was the prasādam for him from Sudhālakṣmī Devi! At the end of the initiation event Aiya asked Guruji what he could give as dakṣiṇā. Guruji replied the best dakṣiṇā Aiya could give is to spread the Śrī Vidyā, Śrī Cakrā Pūjā and Devi worship to all beings without exception and liquidate the sting of systemic cultural division.
Aiya in his zeal to master the techniques and dedication to the mother continued with 90 day mandala Śrī Cakra Pūjā at home. He mentioned, as this progressed he began the out of body experiences and visions of the Mother.
Every Friday would be a Pūjā with many disciples:
Once a disciple brought naivedyam for the Mother to be offered and Aiya noticed it had onions. Aiya mentioned to this devotee that because it had onion it cannot be offered. That night the Mother had appeared to Aiya and told him that this devote had brought it with heartfelt love for Her and nobody has the right to reject such an offering! So, Love and Devotion subdues all other criteria!
In Zambia a school of Islamic tradition was being planned. The trustees approached Aiya to help with the architectural drawings on a professional consultation basis. The school was for the under privileged children Aiya completed his task but declined to accept payment. A practical proof of no partioning by religion, caste etc. All are one and one are all.
Aiya immigrated to the USA on April 26, 1980. His reverence to his Guru and his eternal bhakti blossomed as the purpose, with overwhelming urge, to spread the Śrī Vidyā, publish a Śrī Cakra Pūjā vidhanam (learning text). An epoch in the wide spread teachings of Śrī Vidyā was born.
With unyielding confidence he embarked relentlessly to spread the word and essence of Śrī Vidyā, in compliance with Guruji’s wishes and his abundant devotion to his Guru and the Divine Mother. Aiya had no compunction in casting aside cultural differences as he identified himself and realized the divine in all beings.
Spiritual materials kept piling up, temple and other shrines were built for the Mother, formal classes for teaching Śrī Vidyā materialized and the journey to light up the lives and ways to live for others was in rapid motion. The compassionate move by Guruji to initiate Aiya into Śrī Vidyā resulted in this vast expansion of many thousand disciples learning and practising Śrī Vidyā.
Lighting the lamp
Few years later when I was casually talking to Guruji and he recapped his stay in Africa. He refers to Aiya as his son and very often dearly addresses him as “that chap Haran”. He said that Aiya is one of the strongest bhaktha in this world and this trait is the ultimate and essential element to realize the Mother. On another occasion he mentioned “that chap Haran was already as the polished and gleaming lamp and all I had to do was to light the lamp”. Now this kindled and disclosed the most subtle and intricate message. The traditional lamp has a deep significance. As Svāmī Rāghavendra explains: The round base depicts Brahma, the creator of universe. The vertical stem represents Vishnu, the Lord of sustenance. The top vessel containing the ghee represents Śiva, the seed and controller of time (evolution and devolution), Mahākāla. The wick represents the dhyāna of the devotee. The flame on the wick represents Lakṣmī, lighting the environment with compassion, richness and grace. The effulgence coming out the light is Saraswatī dispersing the knowledge to the universe. So, Guruji, in three words “light the lamp”, in no uncertain manner disclosed Aiya was his chosen one to carry the torch and light the life of devotees. Guruji further said that it is essential to ensure the potential does not diminish the disciple/s who succeeds as the Guru has to be equal or better than the current Guru.
Aiya became the greatest ally and inspiration to Guruji carrying the torch in the gurudom.
