Last night after dinner my wife asked me what I had found most surprising about the teaching story of sage Yajnavalkya and King Janaka. I contemplated her question for a moment and answered: “What struck me most was that Yajnavalkya offered a whole series of answers to the King's question—the sun, the moon, fire, and so forth. Only at the end did he come to the Self.”
I felt that Yajnavalkya was honoring the entire universe we live in, and not bypassing its physical manifestations just because the deepest answer is a spiritual one. This seemed to me to be in line with the wonderful nature photos that Gurumayi has been offering us on the website, her whole emphasis on nature over the years, and Bade Baba's statement to his disciples that he is to be found everywhere. I love being reminded of the fundamental unity of the cosmos!
a Siddha Yogi from Washington, USA
I was drawn into deep stillness within after reading the story. It took me on an inner journey. Each element of the story is such a powerful visualization to connect with the light within.
I have begun to practice the elements of the story as inner visualization steps to connect with light within. Yesterday morning after meditation, I contemplated and visualized the rising golden sun and prayed for guidance from the orange rays. When I connected with those rays, I experienced feelings of newness, freshness, and a tingling feeling of joy and excitement that brought a smile to my face. As I continued to travel with those orange rays, suddenly the image of the smiling face of Bade Baba’s golden statue flashed before my eyes. Tears of joy and gratitude trickled from my eyes thanking Bade Baba for this beautiful darshan.
The teachings of this story have guided me and taken me to a deep place of pristine silence within me.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for this beautiful story, for anchoring me in the power of deep silence within.
a Siddha Yogi from Pune, India
There is so much light shining through this story. When Yajnavalkya said, "...for it is with the Self as his light that he sits, moves around, does his work, and returns again," the words "and returns again" stood out as most meaningful. To me it illustrates that even though, through a lifetime, the external light may appear to fade over time, awareness of the light of the Self is the ever-present light, by which and into which we come and go.
a Siddha Yogi from New York, USA
This story touches me personally: Sage Yajnavalkya is giving the lesson, "Go deeper, go deeper...”
Thank you, Gurumayi, for being so close to us through these stories, bringing us deeper into our inner Self.
a Siddha Yogi from Washington, USA
I have a five-year-old daughter, and we have recently added meditation to our night-time prayer routine. After doing this for a couple of days, my daughter exclaimed in wonder, "Mama, I can see light, even when my eyes are closed!" I told her that perhaps the light in the room was too bright and promised to turn it down the next day. She insisted that it wasn't and that it was the blue light of Krishna. (Krishna is her favourite deity!) I laughed when she said this, turned the lights down, and wished her a good night. The next day morning, when I visited the Siddha Yoga path website, I saw the story of King Janaka and Sage Yajnavalkya!
It's so amazing and humbling to walk a path that is alive and scintillating with grace and
shakti.
a Siddha Yogi from Chennai, India
This story is one more welcome reminder of who we truly are. Knowing that the light of the Self will always support us from within our own being turns everything we do into a blissful action.
a Siddha Yogi from Cologne, Germany