Meditations on The Journey Home – Lesson from Chapter 2
Inspirations from ‘The Journey Home ‐ Autobiography of an American Swami’
Richard, now dressed as a sadhu, resolved to sit in silent prayer and meditation from sunrise to sunset, for one month. A rock in the Ganges, about twenty-five feet from the bank was to be his seat of prayer. And an old man’s generosity of a carrot a day and the Ganges water was his food for the next thirty days. He learnt invaluable lessons during this intense month of long prayer sessions:
“Spread out around me on all sides was Mother Ganges in her winter dress of sparkling, undulating aqua. Her waves rippled and swirled as if intoxicated by her own beauty. No human artist could capture even a moment of this unending display. And, just as her art was created, it simultaneously disappeared. I took from this a lesson. All beautiful forms of this world are in the process of transformation. Nothing is stable. With every moment, our reality is changing. Mother Ganges, like nature, is constant, but no manifestation of hers remains. Likewise, all that we hold dear in this world is imperceptibly vanishing. We cannot cling to anything. But if we can appreciate the beauty of the underlying current of truth, we can enjoy a reality deeper than the fickle waves of joy and sorrow. I sat, a submissive student, trying to learn from my teacher. She begins her course from high in the Himalayas and flows without cease to the sea. Innumerable obstacles—huge rocks, fallen trees, or even mountains—block her way, but nothing will stop her journey to the sea. Gracefully she flows over, under, or around all obstructions. Mother Ganges teaches us that if we want to attain the sea of our aspiration, we must persevere in our goal and never be discouraged by the inevitable obstacles that come on our path. All impediments are like rocks in the river of life. We should flow around them and never give up. With the Lord’s help, there is always a way. “
Richard observed that although being in the swift current of the river, one is greatly affected but sitting on the bank, we can observe the flow with detachment. Similarly if we detach ourselves from the mind and the world, we too can observe life soberly and thus gain wisdom. One day he meditated on the millions of years of history that had been enacted on the banks of Ganges. From the age of Aryans to the medieval age of Mughals and to the Gandhi and Independence movement, and to the present times, Ganges had seen it all. She was patiently flowing towards the sea, unchanged by the vicissitudes caused by time. Truth too, Richard observed was unchanging, and flowed irrespective of what happens to this world.
On another morning, he learnt yet another lesson:
“Early one morning, just before sunrise, as I looked downstream into the current that never slept, I considered her thousand-mile journey. The sea was calling and each drop of water patiently flowed in the current to her ultimate destination, so far away. Mother Ganges is teaching me that patience and steadfastness are required to follow my calling.
I never really stopped to think why I had left behind the promises of the world to sit alone on a rock in the Ganges and endure a rigorous, self-imposed fast. Why did I act in such extreme ways, like a person obsessed? At the time, I did not feel that these were my choices. I felt the mysterious hand of destiny leading me forward.”
While Richard learnt spiritual lessons, I studied ‘Science frontiers’ in college and was amazed to discover the glory of Mother Ganges in ways the non-seekers could also relate to. The Ganges is 2525 kilometers long. Along its course, 27 major towns dump 902 million liters of sewage into it each day. Added to this are all those human bodies consigned to this holy river. Despite this heavy burden of pollutants, the Ganges has for millennia been regarded as incorruptible. How can this be?
Several scientists have recorded the effects of this river’s “magical” cleansing properties:
Ganges water does not putrefy, even after long periods of storage. River water begins to putrefy when lack of oxygen promotes the growth of anaerobic bacteria, which produce the tell-tale smell of stale water. British physician, C.E. Nelson, observed that Ganga water taken from the Hooghly — one of its dirtiest mouths — by ships returning to England- remained fresh throughout the voyage.
A British physician E. Hanbury Hankin reported in the French journal Annales de l’Institut Pasteur that cholera microbes died within three hours in Ganga water, but continued to thrive in distilled water even after 48 hours. A French scientist, Monsieur Herelle, was amazed to find “that only a few feet below the bodies of persons floating in the Ganga who had died of dysentery and cholera, where one would expect millions of germs, there were no germs at all.”
More recently, D.S. Bhargava, an Indian environmental engineer measured the Ganges’ remarkable self-cleansing properties: “Bhargava’s calculations, taken from an exhaustive three-year study of the Ganga, show that it is able to reduce BOD [biochemical oxygen demand] levels much faster than in other rivers.” Quantitatively, the Ganges seems to clean up suspended wastes 15 to 20 times faster than other rivers.
If the material properties of this unbelievable river are mind boggling, I now wonder what precious spiritual gifts are waiting for a seeker of divinity? Richard had just begun to explore and was on the verge of a life changing discovery…
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Founder-acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........
These lessons or realizations of Radhanath Swami are like torch lights in the dark lives of today’s modern civilization. I am extremely grateful to Radhanath Swami for sharing this treasure of realization with us.
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s description of Mother Ganges as the all accomodating and all loving mother is really inspiring.
As long as there is Mother Ganges flowing on this land and as long as there are noble and pure monks like Radhanatha Swami in this world there is hope for humanity.
Thank you once again.
Sachin
View CommentMust read book!
View CommentSimply this part of the Journey Home book is so capturing…what about the entire book…..must read it….!!!!
View CommentI have seen the Ganga river so many times but never had any realizations which Radhanath Swami derived from his deep observations. Lesson for me—an advanced spiritualist can understand God’s mercy and creations better than I.
View Comment“Mother Ganges is teaching me that patience and steadfastness are required to follow my calling”
HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj ki Jai.
I simply pray to God to give me the strength to imbibe in my life the teachings of Maharaj from his realizations.
View CommentRadhanath Swami is such an amazing person!!!
View CommentI never thought in the way Radhanath swami observes mother Ganges… I have seen Mother Ganges many a times before…Now I have a new vision to see towards her….a lovely mother as Radhanath Swami says!!!
View CommentRadhanath Swami lived like one of the Goswmais eating carrot in a day and drinking little Ganges water and then sitting in meditation all the time
View CommentGood to leaern that nature is one of the best teacher, and teaching us all the time but we have to open and ready to tune in.
View Commentthis article is so enlightening…mother ganga provides shelter and useful realizations to sincere seekers of spiritual path. she has emanated from the lotus feet of the Lord, so she guides sincere seekers towards their eternal father, as a mother. this is so true in case of maharaj who first heard the holy name of te Lord from the Ganga.
View CommentReally so many glories of mother Ganges i read from a genuine devotee , maharaja’s description takes us very close to dear mother Ganges….
View CommentThe relation between Mother Ganges and Radhanath Swami is indeed very mystic in one way. This is well narrated in the book on Radhanath Swami “Journey Home”
View CommentThanks for sharing this due to which we are able to get some glimpse into the glories of Mother Ganga! Thank you Radhanath Swami!
View CommentMother Ganga is a great devotee of the Lord and she teaches her children how to love God.
View Commentthank u maharaj for sharing this amazing experience.
View CommentBefore reading the journey home; the only idea about mother Ganges was that she can purify our sins; which hopefully we will not commit again. But Swami’s realization are unique and purest possible to have with. It requires sincere most desire and real mercy of lord to get such loving and nurturing reciprocation
View CommentSuch lessons help us understand that we can learn so many valuable lessons from Nature if we are willing to do so. Lord is so merciful that He has made all arrangements for us to think of Him and be grateful to Him and His creation.
Thank you Maharaj for sharing such valuable lessons.
View CommentToday I briefly narrated the story of Radhanath Mharaj’s journey to India to my brother. I told him how desperate he was to visit India and that the immigration lady officer refused him mercylessly. After her duty got over the next officer was kind enough and let him in. This has inspired my brother to read the book “The Journey Home”.
View CommentToday I briefly narrated the story of Radhanath Mharaj’s journey to India to my brother This has inspired my brother to read the book “The Journey Home”.
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s experiences are worth reading and implementing in our life.
View CommentThis incident shows keenness and commitment of Radhanath Swami to patiently tread on the spiritual path and go HOME !! His feelings for river Ganges are also heart touching. How many of us so called Indians feel so much for Ganges that we consider her to be our mother ?
View Commentits great to learn lessons by Ganga thru realized person like Radhanath swami.
View CommentMy sister read this book she didn’t know anything about Radhanath swami Maharaj earlier, she liked the book so much, she said, this is unbelievable now she is eagerly waiting to meet Maharaj and she started reading the book second time
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s experiences are mind boggling:)
View CommentI really liked the part about observing with deatchment results in wisdom.
View CommentMost times i am mixing up the trees and the forest.
this post is very usefull thx!
View CommentI read this beautiful meditation once again and felt rejuvenated. Thank you for sharing it. Radhanath Swami’s words on how her steady current inspired patience and steadfastness in him are really heart touching.
View CommentFirst of all ,you have picked a very nice template . I think i might design something similar for a future website that i plan to create . In addition ,i trully enjoy most of the articles and your unique point of view. Thanks
View CommentRadhanath Swami is so full of patience and steadfastness.
View CommentI have passed the Ganga so many times in my life and not once did i even stop to ponder over.
View CommentIndia is a land of temples, holy men and holy rivers. This is so nicely explained in the book – The Journey Home by Radhanath Swami. Please visit the official website http://www.thejourneyhomebook.com for more information.
View CommentAmazing!
View CommentThe best post on this website so far…..
View CommentThe lessons Radhanath Swami has learnt and asked us to learn are not any other lessons. They should be inculcated in our lives upto such extent that our heart gets purified day by day, just like mother Ganges cleanses the waste.
View CommentAll Glories To H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj
What a beautiful description anad a very beautiful lesson thus, from Mahatraj’s life
Hare Krishna
View CommentThank you Maharaj for making us realize that there is God who always guides,protects and loves us beyond our conceptions.
View CommentReaders…. its awesome…..dont miss the opportunity to transform ourselves!!!!!
This lesson by Radhanath Swami is helpful to the society.He has showed this from different point of view for the human society .General people can be inspired from this easily.
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