First Edition : 14th August 1999
The manuscript of this booklet "An Experience in the Body" was found from the Almirah of Sri Ramkrishna Das, a well known sadhak of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, popularly known as Babaji Maharaj, after his leaving the body on 8th November 1998 at the age of 91. It was published in the Oriya monthly Navaprakash in its March, 1999 issue which was a special issue on him. Now it is published in the form of this booklet along with its English version on the occasion of his birthday, 14th August 1999. Its title is given afterwards by the publisher.
13.5.1976
There are two reasons for the following narration. The first is that I could not be immersed for long in silent and quiet meditation either in the depth of the heart or above the head as the Divine Power was acting in the body and I was repenting for that. Nor was I firmly and completely free from doubt that concentration is only possible on that part of the body where the Divine force acts and that one cannot meditate intensely in the depths of the heart at that time.
The other reason is that over a period of twenty five years on three or four occasions there was formidable resistance or attack in the body in different forms. This was happening after a new and vigorous action of the Divine force in the body. It was a massive resistance which was rising from the legs or the stomach or the base of the spinal cord and was entering the brain making sound. It was extremely uncomfortable and more painful than death. I was feeling that it would be difficult for me to survive after three to four minutes of that attack which was occurring with particular intensity over a period of three to four days. Its influence was however persisting for nearly a month and I used to feel extremely restless and impatient during that period.
When the Divine Force acts in the body hindrance like this or in different forms becomes inevitable. Instead of losing one's patience or getting perturbed if one remains firm and remembers the name of the Mother one will get through. Her Grace provides the necessary means to dispel the adverse circumstances. Once one knows this, one will not have to worry. This is the reason why I have narrated this.
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An incident
The Divine force began to descend on my body since 1945 and I am writing this on 2-5-1976. I do not remember now the exact details and therefore I shall try to describe only the action of the Divine Force on the body to the extent of my recollection.
During my stay in Ayodhya, four to six months before my leaving for this place, I used to feel a pressure on my head. I arrived here on 2-2-1945 and thereafter I was feeling pain on account of that pressure. Nolini-da's suggestion was to stop meditation in response to my query as to what I was to do in that situation. I was however meditating a little with fear instead of discontinuing the practice altogether.
The Mother used to meditate on the terrace those days while we used to meditate sitting on the floor. After staying here for four months once it occurred to me that I should meditate that day, come what may, and I started concentrating on my mind with the result that the pressure increased very much. But after some time the pressure in the head descended below my neck. I felt quite well and extremely satisfied. Since that day my interest in meditation grew more and whenever the pressure in the head was increasing and causing pain, I was meditating and as a result, the pressure was descending (to the body) below the head relieving me of the pressure there.
While it was happening like this, my consciousness was sometimes rising, after the descent, very high above the head and then descending to my sole, very much below the sole and deep inside and it seemed as if it was entering total darkness. Then from dense darkness below the sole, it was climbing very high above the head. This action of ascent and descent of the consciousness was happening mostly during meditation and there used to be a lot of mental, vital and physical resistance. Although this action had started in 1945, it proceeded well after 1950.
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After some years, as soon as I was standing near the Samadhi, for obeisance, my consciousness was descending below my sole and entering deep inside.
A few months and years after the ascent and descent of consciousness, the Divine force began to act in the body. Sometimes it was acting from the heart to the head and again it was acting from the head to the heart. Sometimes, the action used to be in the stomach region from where it used to spread to the base of spinal cord. The body consciousness began to spread after such action. Sometimes power was entering inside as if into a stone or dry and sticky mud with a lot of energy and firmness and lifting up from below something like dark soil or a slab of stone with a force stronger than what a hundred men are required to apply. After that I used to feel clearly as if my body had been split vigorously into two halves with as much force as is required to rend the body of a tree into two halves. It was the force of the Divine power and my body was feeling no pain. As a result of this, the consciousness of my body was expanding. I could feel my body at that time with the touch of my finger, but otherwise the experience was as if my body was not there and the whole body except the head had been merged in the sky which means that the body-consciousness used to be released from its limits.
The Divine force was operating up to the base of the spinal cord except the back of the head. But from the beginning of 1976 it acted in the whole body including the two legs, the soles of my feet and still beyond. It used to act also in my hands and above the head. The only portion left from the operation of the Divine force was like a stony area about three digits broad and four digits long in the back of my head above the neck.
In this part of the body also the Divine force started its action from March 18 to March 22, 1976. On March 18 after a few hours of its action, the Divine power could pull out with a lot of strength the stone like something which was four digit long from behind the head and I felt as if a piece of stone had been forcibly taken out of my body. From the 18th to 22nd March the operation of the Divine force was limited only to that part of the body. Even as one pulls out with a lot of strength the bark of a tree, the Divine force released my consciousness
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from that part which then spread like the consciousness of other parts of the body.
When consciousness ascends or descends in the body, it only climbs up or comes down, but when the Divine force becomes active, it churns the body.
I feel no necessity to write about the experience of my body except to disclose what happened when the Divine force acted in it.
Ramkrishna Das
2.5.1976
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In the last week of November, 1975 there was tremendous resistance in the body. Even before that, hindrance of that type had occurred a few times, but this time it was quite strong. Sometimes it used to rise from the abdomen or from the feet and through the body it used to enter my head making a sound as soon as it was entering my head, I was feeling such restlessness and discomfort that death seemed to be the only alternative. In spite of my reliance on the Mother, the fear in one part of my vital being that I would go mad was doubling the torment. I do not know any language to express whether it was pain, agony or something else. The uneasiness was so much that it was a hundred times more painful than death. I used to be engulfed in darkness in two minutes and it would be not only difficult but impossible to say what would have happened to me had that condition lasted for more than two minutes. Although I was feeling fear during that attack, I had trust only in the Mother and spontaneously and without any interruption I was remembering Her name and through Her Grace I could know the way to counter the action of the force. Always I was feeling heavy in the head as if I was burdened with a load. The way to counteract the force as not to keep the head straight, not to meditate at all, but to forcefully prevent the hostile force from rising by applying the Mother's force and to use slowly a lot of strength for taking it out through the sole and throwing it away, to do some work, walk, roam around and avoid keeping the head straight at other times. As soon as I was erecting my head, the hostile force was trying to enter it. While I was awake, because I was adopting these precautionary measures, the force could not enter my body. During the first two days (in the last week of Nov 1975) the moment I was feeling a little sleepy, that force was entering my head and my sleep was being disturbed and I was sitting up to drive out the force above my head. I had to keep sitting throughout the night on the first day. Then gradually during the next two nights the attack became less although it was occurring for three to four days. Its influence however lasted for nearly a month. Despite my trust in the Mother and chanting of Her name constantly during day and night I had intermittent fear in the first day of attack but thereafter it disappeared.
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Earlier in 1950, for nearly two months after the withdrawal of Sri Aurobindo, I had always concentration of consciousness, peace and delight, but I had to face such attack either just after that or after the interval of a few days. The attack used to occur whenever the Divine force of transformation was beginning to act in any new place, new centre of the body or in any new aspect of the being. It was being caused by agitation and disquiet owing to some very ordinary external event. The attack started during the year 1950 in some month I do not exactly remember when. Although compared to the attack of 1975, the intensity of that attack was much less, yet it seemed to me dreadful at that time and I had informed the Mother immediately. She was giving Her Blessings daily during that period and while giving her blessing to me she held my had with both of Her hands. Immediately with Her touch, the adverse force descended from my head and gradually left the body through my sole. I was feeling as if my skin was being pulled out when the force was coming down, but there was not even the slightest pain which is usually caused by such action. On the other hand, there was in me peace, delight, and cheerfulness and my body was light exactly like a flower after the withdrawal of the adverse force. Again after a day or two there were attacks like that but less severe. The Mother was giving her Blessing in meditation hall those days and we used to sit there. As the Mother was descending step by step from the staircase, the adverse force was beginning to climb down from the head gradually like that and as soon as the Mother was stepping into the meditation hall that hostile condition was withdrawing through my feet. The departure of that force was so clear that it was as perceptible as it was concrete. After some days, its action ceased completely. That was the first attack and I was quite scared. I had informed the Mother that I was afraid of losing the balance of my mind. But the Mother had told the person who had carried my message that she was seeing nothing wrong in me.
This attack happened because the Divine power had begun to work in my body. The hostile force was even assailing me consequent on some external and ordinary event.
The next attack was perhaps in 1966 although I do not remember the exact year. I used to remember the Mother's name always but I used to do so more at the time of attack. I had however fear and although I got a letter written
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to the Mother through Pati babu after the attack I had not sent it. A way to counter the assault was disclosed to me after I had written the letter thanks to the Grace of the Mother and with that knowledge. I was repelling, with power of determination and remembrance of the Mother's name, the adverse force from my body through the sole before it could enter my head but whenever I was failing in my attempt the hostile power was entering the head. However the moment it was entering there, I was driving it away above my head.
I do not know precisely whether this attack was the second or the third one but attack like this happened again. Then I had no support except the Mother. I was remembering Her name 'Ma' and remaining always vigilant.
The next onslaught was in the year 1975 which I have narrated first.
In this yoga, when the consciousness ascends and descends and the Divine Power acts, the mental, the vital and the physical parts of the being face resistance and obstacle. This happens even when one remains deeply concentrated for two or three days and once the transformation of the physical consciousness begins, one encounters enormous opposition and impediments in various forms.
Opposition and obstacles come to make our devotion strong, hasten our progress in Sadhana and to make our faith and trust in the Mother unshakable and firm. The attack of the adverse force also increases our patience, fearlessness and courage. When the transformation of the physical consciousness begins or after it has made some advance many kinds of diseases attack the body violently. Despite the irruption of all these obstacles, there is always around the sadhaka the protective armour of the Mother and he can overcome all hindrance if he is conscious of her protection. However formidable may be the danger and resistance which an aspirant faces on his path, Her Grace and protection which keeps guarding him is many times more puissant that that. If he can keep to some extent his trust in Her, he will be surrounded with Her Grace and power which are infinitely more than the degree of his trust.
It is not only in the life of a sadhak that the Mother's power protects. I had been getting the grace of the Divine always since my childhood when I was seven
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years old till I was twenty one before I left for Ayodhya. I used to experience His Grace clearly, directly and indubitably in all events whether small or extraordinary and I used to be relieved of unusual diseases, afflictions and dangers.
We should pray at the feet of the Mother that we may repose our faith and trust on her in all circumstances of life, at the time of death and thereafter.
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