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What led you to Sri Vidya?
Divine Guidance....
What do you mean by Divine Guidance?
The mother Goddess is always there waiting, prompting leading us in our journey. You see like a mother she cares
for her children, so tries to warn them and lead them into correct paths. We need to be told about these helping
hands, they are signposts. If we follow them, they lead us very gently step by step.
Can you explain further?
There is a desire in us all for wholeness, completeness, perfection, well being, and harmony of body, spirit and
mind. We all want to be happy, we all want the best for our children etc., we all want peace and to live in a
harmonious world. To enjoy anything in life we need to have wellbeing, this helps us become better students, better
mothers, better husbands, better at what work we take up in life.
Life is also a journey; it is leading us somewhere to become deified, divinities, gods, beatitude. We all of us have the
image of the eternal within us, and it knows the way to our true home, it has all knowledge.
What do you mean by journey?
The angels, deities, devas, gods, goddesses, whatever you wish to name them want to help us, so maybe someone
will invite you out, give you a book to read. These answer questions that are arising in the heart. These we can call
‘promptings of the soul’, of the spirit, of the eternal, of the Mother goddess. Signposts. When I look back over the
last 52 years all these signposts are connected like a golden thread and have led me to the path of Sri Vidya,
ultimate knowledge, absolute knowledge.
Sometimes we ignore such opportunities, but since the Mother Goddess is all compassion, all love; she keeps
offering us these life lines. She never stops, you see like a mother she cares for here children and wants to protect
them from all harm.
It is only when I look back, can I see how invisible guidance was there and it has come in many guises. I am sure you
are all familiar with such happenings.
What do you means guises.
I remember that night looking up at the night sky in the back yard. It was full of stars; I felt very insignificant and
begun to wonder why I was here? What was the purpose of life and I wanted to find this kingdom. So there was this
desire to know more.
Many such promptings came my way and I went into a lot of religions.
Why not just follow one.
It’s a good question. Sometimes we have "inner experiences", sometimes people experience ‘states’ on waking and
going to sleep, of a glimpse into another world. These ‘glimpses’ allowed me to penetrate the depths of scriptures in
these various religions. They were all talking about the same inner realization. But I found that the inner meaning
was very much obscured and a worldly interpretation given, and that the very act of purporting a certain’ religion’
seemed to build walls that stop them from seeing that they are all describing the same journey to the same eternal
city. There is a Holy mountain, but it is not physical. The external Temple, initiations, practices point to reaching the
top – but it seems people make it a material concrete reality whereas it is only a symbol pointing to ultimate reality
and the Absolute. We need the symbol, but we must not loose sight of what it is pointing to. All the external
appearances in a religion are indicators on a map showing the way to the final destination. There are many paths to
reach the top of a mountain. The inner promptings led me to many religions. One has to be open to the inner
promptings.
One has to be open, can’t that be dangerous?
Yes, that is why one needs guidance, one need to be able to learn and distinguish what is called ‘discerning of
spirits’, that is what is truly coming from the soul and what is coming from the self. One needs a teacher, a guide,
philosopher, friend, Guru someone who has had genuine experiences and living a genuine life. There are many
false Paths and many false gurus, spiritual teachers, guides, who promise you the world, but not help the soul. One
needs to be led to holiness, not un-holiness - So one needs teaching. Again the signposts are there – intuition.
Intuition, what is that?
We all have it. Intuition is knowledge that comes from the Divine, it do not come from the self and we are all born
with it. Sometimes we need to have the courage to follow Intuition. Sometimes what we come across is what we term
‘ism’ which is what the self has made and it becomes an obstacle. God is saying ‘come to me I am beyond all
religion’. But sometimes ‘isms’ trap us into seeing themselves as different or the only true one, or the only one and
put up a barrier wanting us to follow the ‘ism’ and dogma and doctrines and not God. This is what kept driving me
forward searching deeper and deeper. The materialistic mind cannot lead someone to spiritual things. A guide who
has no idea of where they are going themselves cannot lead anyone anywhere.
They make dogmas and these dogmas put the soul into chains instead of liberating the soul it becomes bound.
So how did you come to be here.
If anyone would have told me 12 months ago I would be in India I would never have believed them. God is a God of
Surprises, the spirit blows where it will, and you have to be open and follow its lead, or it might be a long time before
it comes around again. I followed intuition. Sri Jagannatha Swami conducts an exclusive course on Sri Vidya
Philosophy, Meditation and Way of Life in his ashram at Periya Thadagam, Coimbatore under the foot steps of
Anuvavi mountains. I am blessed to be one of the participants in the course.
How did you meet Swami?
Again it was a ‘chance meeting’, but really there is no such chances, the Mother Goddess knew the longing in my
heart. I was doing a dissertation on concentric squares and it came into my mind to put in the search engine on the
internet and I came across an article by T.L. Subash Chandira Bose on concentric circles and had among all his
symbols similar ones to what I had come across. I emailed him and asked his permission to make reference to his
article and he put me in touch with Sri Jagannatha Swami. Immediately I felt and experienced a ‘connection’ with
him. His writings matched my ‘inner experience’ and ‘realization’ and my intuition knew the ‘truth’ when I saw it.
There was no doubt, no hesitation; my journey had come to an end. No more searching. My whole life was taking
me to this meeting, when I look back at all the promptings; they led in one direction like a golden thread straight to
Swami Sri Jagannatha. My heart was happy and peaceful and at rest at last.
So everything in your life pointed to this meeting?
So the Mother Goddess reached me through Subash, so you see, look how we are all connected, how we all affect
one another. How near the Mother Goddess really is, you know. We are never alone even in what seems to be our
darkest hours, sorrowful times, she is always there just waiting patiently for us to listen to her. All mothers who have
children can identify with this, and how pleased they are when their children listen!
I have come across other genuine Gurus which I have studied under, but I had no guru disciple connection with
them. It was just inner experience and realization that led me to them and because they were genuine they
recognized that and helped me to go a little bit further along the road on the journey. They saw my need on this
journey, and they provided me food so that I could continue on the way. Even though I was n’t ‘one of them’ they
guided me and helped me, they saw my need, so I will always be thankful for their kindness.
Can you tell me a little more?
All the different religions I studied were all telling me about this journey. But my inner experiences led me to see the
‘depths’ of the scriptures, and there was this ‘call’ to come out of samsara, out of the delusions and the attachments
towards total renunciation. It first came inwardly in 1992. Every book that was given me, scripture that came my way
kept pointing to that.
How can you be sure it is right?
I had come to that place. That is where all the inner promptings, the signposts had led me. It led me to the Eastern
Religion, Egyptian mysteries, Western religion, many gurus, monasteries, mystical societies where one comes to that
place where only God dwells.
What is that place?
Sri Vidya is such a path that is the true Sri Vidya path, because it is putting you in touch with that inner sanctum
where God dwells, under the protection of the Mother Goddess, supreme wisdom of light. If one faithfully practices
the mediation as Swami Jagannatha states you will always be safe on your journey, your intuition will become strong
and its voice heard and it will lead you safely to your true home, your true land. You will never want for anything. It
is a sure safe direct path to the summit of the mountain. It does not matter which religion you belong to it will help
you, it will help you realize your own scriptures. It will help you reach the summit quickly and safely.
So what led you to Sanyasa?
Many years of prayer, meditation, contemplation, faithful to spiritual practices, guidance, listening to intuition,
hardships, sacrifice, tests by the ‘cosmic’, many, many tests. But I came to an inner realization that one needs to not
have any ‘harvests’ to return to, either good or bad. One has to come to the threshold of the Temple ‘empty
handed’. One has to also be free from sin, purified and only an experienced realized Guru can lead you not to be
able to create any more karma, because there are many illusions and delusions to cross.
So all religions point to purification.
Only God knows the right time, but there comes a time for harvest in nature and there is also a harvest for us when
we become ripe for the resurrection of the soul, for the soul to be restored, awakened, and become deathless and
immortal, but one has to ‘renounce everything’.!! So that in turn one can lead others to the same summit.
In answer: the Mother Goddess brought me to this place. She led, I followed her, I did not do it on my own, it was her
guidance, her nurturing, her love and compassion, her patience, her constantly prompting me,’ come, come, I will
lead you, I will take you by the hand, you are my child I love you, I will restore you and make you truly alive;’ she
restores our true rhythm of soul, and puts us in rhythm with divine rhythm where all beats as one.
Divine Guidance....
What do you mean by Divine Guidance?
The mother Goddess is always there waiting, prompting leading us in our journey. You see like a mother she cares
for her children, so tries to warn them and lead them into correct paths. We need to be told about these helping
hands, they are signposts. If we follow them, they lead us very gently step by step.
Can you explain further?
There is a desire in us all for wholeness, completeness, perfection, well being, and harmony of body, spirit and
mind. We all want to be happy, we all want the best for our children etc., we all want peace and to live in a
harmonious world. To enjoy anything in life we need to have wellbeing, this helps us become better students, better
mothers, better husbands, better at what work we take up in life.
Life is also a journey; it is leading us somewhere to become deified, divinities, gods, beatitude. We all of us have the
image of the eternal within us, and it knows the way to our true home, it has all knowledge.
What do you mean by journey?
The angels, deities, devas, gods, goddesses, whatever you wish to name them want to help us, so maybe someone
will invite you out, give you a book to read. These answer questions that are arising in the heart. These we can call
‘promptings of the soul’, of the spirit, of the eternal, of the Mother goddess. Signposts. When I look back over the
last 52 years all these signposts are connected like a golden thread and have led me to the path of Sri Vidya,
ultimate knowledge, absolute knowledge.
Sometimes we ignore such opportunities, but since the Mother Goddess is all compassion, all love; she keeps
offering us these life lines. She never stops, you see like a mother she cares for here children and wants to protect
them from all harm.
It is only when I look back, can I see how invisible guidance was there and it has come in many guises. I am sure you
are all familiar with such happenings.
What do you means guises.
I remember that night looking up at the night sky in the back yard. It was full of stars; I felt very insignificant and
begun to wonder why I was here? What was the purpose of life and I wanted to find this kingdom. So there was this
desire to know more.
Many such promptings came my way and I went into a lot of religions.
Why not just follow one.
It’s a good question. Sometimes we have "inner experiences", sometimes people experience ‘states’ on waking and
going to sleep, of a glimpse into another world. These ‘glimpses’ allowed me to penetrate the depths of scriptures in
these various religions. They were all talking about the same inner realization. But I found that the inner meaning
was very much obscured and a worldly interpretation given, and that the very act of purporting a certain’ religion’
seemed to build walls that stop them from seeing that they are all describing the same journey to the same eternal
city. There is a Holy mountain, but it is not physical. The external Temple, initiations, practices point to reaching the
top – but it seems people make it a material concrete reality whereas it is only a symbol pointing to ultimate reality
and the Absolute. We need the symbol, but we must not loose sight of what it is pointing to. All the external
appearances in a religion are indicators on a map showing the way to the final destination. There are many paths to
reach the top of a mountain. The inner promptings led me to many religions. One has to be open to the inner
promptings.
One has to be open, can’t that be dangerous?
Yes, that is why one needs guidance, one need to be able to learn and distinguish what is called ‘discerning of
spirits’, that is what is truly coming from the soul and what is coming from the self. One needs a teacher, a guide,
philosopher, friend, Guru someone who has had genuine experiences and living a genuine life. There are many
false Paths and many false gurus, spiritual teachers, guides, who promise you the world, but not help the soul. One
needs to be led to holiness, not un-holiness - So one needs teaching. Again the signposts are there – intuition.
Intuition, what is that?
We all have it. Intuition is knowledge that comes from the Divine, it do not come from the self and we are all born
with it. Sometimes we need to have the courage to follow Intuition. Sometimes what we come across is what we term
‘ism’ which is what the self has made and it becomes an obstacle. God is saying ‘come to me I am beyond all
religion’. But sometimes ‘isms’ trap us into seeing themselves as different or the only true one, or the only one and
put up a barrier wanting us to follow the ‘ism’ and dogma and doctrines and not God. This is what kept driving me
forward searching deeper and deeper. The materialistic mind cannot lead someone to spiritual things. A guide who
has no idea of where they are going themselves cannot lead anyone anywhere.
They make dogmas and these dogmas put the soul into chains instead of liberating the soul it becomes bound.
So how did you come to be here.
If anyone would have told me 12 months ago I would be in India I would never have believed them. God is a God of
Surprises, the spirit blows where it will, and you have to be open and follow its lead, or it might be a long time before
it comes around again. I followed intuition. Sri Jagannatha Swami conducts an exclusive course on Sri Vidya
Philosophy, Meditation and Way of Life in his ashram at Periya Thadagam, Coimbatore under the foot steps of
Anuvavi mountains. I am blessed to be one of the participants in the course.
How did you meet Swami?
Again it was a ‘chance meeting’, but really there is no such chances, the Mother Goddess knew the longing in my
heart. I was doing a dissertation on concentric squares and it came into my mind to put in the search engine on the
internet and I came across an article by T.L. Subash Chandira Bose on concentric circles and had among all his
symbols similar ones to what I had come across. I emailed him and asked his permission to make reference to his
article and he put me in touch with Sri Jagannatha Swami. Immediately I felt and experienced a ‘connection’ with
him. His writings matched my ‘inner experience’ and ‘realization’ and my intuition knew the ‘truth’ when I saw it.
There was no doubt, no hesitation; my journey had come to an end. No more searching. My whole life was taking
me to this meeting, when I look back at all the promptings; they led in one direction like a golden thread straight to
Swami Sri Jagannatha. My heart was happy and peaceful and at rest at last.
So everything in your life pointed to this meeting?
So the Mother Goddess reached me through Subash, so you see, look how we are all connected, how we all affect
one another. How near the Mother Goddess really is, you know. We are never alone even in what seems to be our
darkest hours, sorrowful times, she is always there just waiting patiently for us to listen to her. All mothers who have
children can identify with this, and how pleased they are when their children listen!
I have come across other genuine Gurus which I have studied under, but I had no guru disciple connection with
them. It was just inner experience and realization that led me to them and because they were genuine they
recognized that and helped me to go a little bit further along the road on the journey. They saw my need on this
journey, and they provided me food so that I could continue on the way. Even though I was n’t ‘one of them’ they
guided me and helped me, they saw my need, so I will always be thankful for their kindness.
Can you tell me a little more?
All the different religions I studied were all telling me about this journey. But my inner experiences led me to see the
‘depths’ of the scriptures, and there was this ‘call’ to come out of samsara, out of the delusions and the attachments
towards total renunciation. It first came inwardly in 1992. Every book that was given me, scripture that came my way
kept pointing to that.
How can you be sure it is right?
I had come to that place. That is where all the inner promptings, the signposts had led me. It led me to the Eastern
Religion, Egyptian mysteries, Western religion, many gurus, monasteries, mystical societies where one comes to that
place where only God dwells.
What is that place?
Sri Vidya is such a path that is the true Sri Vidya path, because it is putting you in touch with that inner sanctum
where God dwells, under the protection of the Mother Goddess, supreme wisdom of light. If one faithfully practices
the mediation as Swami Jagannatha states you will always be safe on your journey, your intuition will become strong
and its voice heard and it will lead you safely to your true home, your true land. You will never want for anything. It
is a sure safe direct path to the summit of the mountain. It does not matter which religion you belong to it will help
you, it will help you realize your own scriptures. It will help you reach the summit quickly and safely.
So what led you to Sanyasa?
Many years of prayer, meditation, contemplation, faithful to spiritual practices, guidance, listening to intuition,
hardships, sacrifice, tests by the ‘cosmic’, many, many tests. But I came to an inner realization that one needs to not
have any ‘harvests’ to return to, either good or bad. One has to come to the threshold of the Temple ‘empty
handed’. One has to also be free from sin, purified and only an experienced realized Guru can lead you not to be
able to create any more karma, because there are many illusions and delusions to cross.
So all religions point to purification.
Only God knows the right time, but there comes a time for harvest in nature and there is also a harvest for us when
we become ripe for the resurrection of the soul, for the soul to be restored, awakened, and become deathless and
immortal, but one has to ‘renounce everything’.!! So that in turn one can lead others to the same summit.
In answer: the Mother Goddess brought me to this place. She led, I followed her, I did not do it on my own, it was her
guidance, her nurturing, her love and compassion, her patience, her constantly prompting me,’ come, come, I will
lead you, I will take you by the hand, you are my child I love you, I will restore you and make you truly alive;’ she
restores our true rhythm of soul, and puts us in rhythm with divine rhythm where all beats as one.
| An Exclusive Interview with Sri Matha Sri Sakthi Mayi |
| Divine Guidance |
