Afterword
Whenever I used to do Surya Namaskar, I too thought I was doing Yoga and this belief stayed with me right from 1987 when I started the practice, till 2012, when I realized that this is not true Yoga. This was Surya Namaskar – Surya means Sun and Namaskar means Salutation and I was folding my hands towards the Sun, then stretching them down towards my feet. It consisted of about 12 steps. People perform Surya Namaskar in various ways. When I do stretching, I would play Bhajans (Indian Spiritual Music). I am so used to calling this Yoga, that even till date, I struggle to call it Yogasana, what it actually is.
Somewhere after 2012, I realized the true meaning of Yoga. It was certainly not just about stretching and doing Asanas. However, even today, if you search “Yoga” on the internet via any search engine, you will probably find images of people doing physical gymnastics. The more complicated the image, the more advanced the Yoga posture seems to be. Some practitioners advocate Yoga as a combination of Asanas, breathing exercises, having moments of silence and meditation.
What a pity! The whole world, barring a few, lives in ignorance about this profound spiritual practice, Yoga. This inspired me to write this book so that people could realize the Truth, as they bust the myth.
By now, once we read the book, we will know what true Yoga is. Yoga means Yuj, nobody will deny this. It is the Union of the Divine Soul with the Cosmic Divine. This will not be accepted by the commercial practitioners of Yoga because it could shut down their business. They advocate that it is the union of body, mind, and Soul, which is a myth. Whether they accept it or not, Yoga is our being united with the Divine. It is a very deep and fulfilling practice and it doesn’t deserve to be distorted or manipulated.
For many years now, I have been trying to live my life being in Yoga. It is not an easy task. Since I have been religious and very devotional in my life, it is not difficult for me to be in Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion where I spend time praying to God, singing bhajans which I myself write and compose. Having said that, I found it to be a big challenge to be in Dhyaana Yoga, spending time in silence and meditation. It was not my fault. I realized that the mind is a rascal. As soon as it gets an opportunity, it makes us sink in Bhoga, worldly pleasures and robs our Yoga, our Union with the Divine. How much ever I tried, my mind would not let me remain in the Yoga of meditation. It has taken me several years to progress on this path and I am still at it. As long as we are alive, the journey of Dhyaana Yoga will not end.
I am so grateful that I was able to be in Karma Yoga after 2014 when my Realization of the truth matured. I stopped all action that was “mine”. I even changed my name, all because I wanted to be in Yoga and attain its ultimate goal.
We have 3 institutions - old age homes, destitute homes which includes a clinic, and a medical centre. We have over 600 people in these 3 institutions and I always believe that it is our good Karma to serve the poor. I myself used to go to the streets and pick people who were suffering, take care of them, feed them, clothe them, rehabilitate them and put them back on their feet. I did this for over 20 years as my good Karma, till I realized the truth that these people whom I was serving were none other than the manifestations of the Divine. I changed my paradigm and I continue to serve the destitute today, not to earn good Karma, but as my Karma Yoga, as an action that unites me to the Divine. I see the Lord in each of these destitute, discarded and disabled people and I believe that ‘Serving Humanity is Prayer’.
My humanitarian actions are not the only Karma Yoga that I try to do. In fact, I try to do nothing else, except the Will Divine. Every day when I start my day, I pray, “O Lord, make me Thy instrument to do Thy work in thy world. I know I am nothing, Thou art everything. Use these hands to do what Thou wants me to do.” I realized that we are just like a flute, incapable of music till somebody blows through it. So also, I realize that my Karma Yoga is inspired by the Divine. Each action of mine, each deed that I seem to do is energized by the Divine and keeps me united with the Divine.
Since 2012, I have spent a lot of my time in Gyaana Yoga and it has helped me transform my life. In fact, without it, there would not have been a metamorphosis in my life from Ravi Melwani to AiR - Atman in Ravi. It is my Yoga of education that inspired me to read all the possible religious books in the world, scriptures of every religion and publications of every good spiritual institution that I could lay my hands on.
My Bhakti Yoga, my Karma Yoga, my Gyaana Yoga, and my Dhyaana Yoga, together led me to realize the truth. We are not this body that we seem to be. We are not even the mind and Ego that says it is ME. We are the Divine Soul in reality! My union with the Divine, through meditation, action, education, and devotion, helped me live with the Realization. This is no easy task I must be honest. There is a war within anybody who realizes the truth – a war between the intellect that knows that we are the Divine Soul, and the mind, ego, and body, that seek the pleasures of this world.
I too was enjoying the pleasures of this world. I must admit that I must have done all the common crimes that everybody does. But when I realized the truth, my life changed. To me, being in Yoga, in union with the Divine, was far more Peaceful and Blissful than all the pleasures that the success and wealth that I had earned could create. I was very successful in my business and very happy too. But I was not exempt from problems and miseries till I realized Yoga. Thereafter, my living in union with the Divine made me the happiest man in the world!
Yoga is magical. It helps us remain in union with the Divine and in so doing, makes us experience Peace and Bliss that is beyond any pleasure of the world. Today, I live my life in Yoga trying to do nothing other than the Divine Will. My most Blissful moments are when I am singing for the Divine. I enjoy spiritual ecstasy in helping people realize the truth, far more than all the pleasures and excitement I experienced from making millions. When I spend moments in silence being united with the Divine, it makes me peaceful and tranquil.
Yoga has made me fearless. It has wiped out all worry, stress, and anxiety, as I live a life of Satchitananda - a state of extreme Bliss, being conscious of the truth and in union with the Divine. I see the Divine everywhere, in the mountains and in the seas, in the rivers and the trees, in the birds and in the bees, in the butterflies and in you and me. I experience everything beautiful as God, as I live in Yoga and that makes me see the Divine manifest in everything beautiful.
There were times when my mind made me feel that my Soul was unique. How could my Soul be the same as your Soul – the mind questioned. My intellect then came to my rescue and made me realize that as long as I was alive in a body-mind complex, my Soul was embodied and distinctively different. But once the body dies, my Soul will be liberated to merge with the Cosmic Divine Soul that is everywhere. It is just like when we deflate two balloons that are filled with air. Till they are inflated, they appear to be two balloons full of life. But once they are deflated, the air inside the balloons merges with the air that is everywhere. So does our Soul. It is my being in Yoga, in Divine union, that my intellect is blessed to communicate with the superconscious and to realize such profound truths. This makes Yoga my life priority and puts it above everything else.
My union with the Divine is priceless. My Yoga is my biggest treasure and wealth. It is my Yoga that will take me to my ultimate goal of Liberation from this world and the cycle of death and rebirth if the Divine so wishes. I live in complete Surrender, and accept everything as the Divine Will joyously.
May this book help you discover the true meaning of Yoga and then lead you to live a life in union with eternal Peace and everlasting Joy.
I too thought Yoga was exercise,
Stretching my arms and thighs.
Till I realized, it was Union with God,
that Liberates us and unites us with the Lord.