Santhigiri Ashram A Seat of Spirituality Nonpareil
The guidance from the Guru for the solution of problems is now obtained more clearly. It is an amazing and unique experience not found anywhere else, that, though not in His physical body, the Guru is controlling all the affairs of the Ashram even now, giving us directions through revelations just as he would while in His physical form.
In this article, consisting of 28 main points, I want to make known to the world about the uniqueness of Santhigiri Ashram, the spiritual might of our preceptor Navajyothisree Karunakaraguru and our present Spiritual Head Shishyapoojitha Janani Amritha Jnana Thapaswini and the gigantic benefits that you can obtain in this sacred place. Santhigiri truly has a great deal to offer to humanity.
First, I would like to introduce myself. I am Carlos Guzman. I was born in Mexico and am 50 years of age. I had the enormous fortune of becoming a disciple of our Guru in 1991. I was a Catholic Christian by birth, and was raised by my family in this religion. Since I was five or six years of age, I wanted to become a Catholic priest. At the age of 14, I served in a church, helping the priest while the mass was performed. But, I could not find fulfilment. I turned to books on Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, mainly the Bible, Yoga, Metaphysics, self-help, meditation, mysticism and titles related to paranormal phenomena. I used to have occasional visions from childhood and at this time, the visions became more frequent. In these, beings dressed in white with enormous auras taught me things about the universe, spiritual planes, spiritual evolution, how the energy flows in our body, etc. I also had visions regarding the different astral planes and also the souls that reside in those planes. I was also informed that we are living in a very precious era, and that a great spiritual change is taking place in humanity.
I thought that my knowledge was complete and universal, so I decided that this had to be shared with others. In 1980, I started giving lectures regarding psychic healing, astral projection, meditation, use of astral energies, etc. I also participated in several radio and TV programmes on these topics. At that time I felt powerful, egocentric and full of wisdom. But as time went by, I realized that the knowledge received in my visions and through books was limited, and that it was only a very, very small part of the universal wisdom that I found in my Guru. Nowadays, I feel like a tiny speck of dust floating in the air, compared to the greatness of my Guru. I thank God for the enormous fortune in getting correction and enlightenment through our Guru´s Grace, Radiance and Knowledge.
1. The Uniqueness of Santhigiri Ashram
In common parlance, the term ‘Guru’ means ‘teacher’. But, the word has a much more important and profound meaning. Etymologically, the term Guru means the one who gives light by eradicating the darkness of ignorance. According to the Advayataraka Upanishad, Guru means ‘dispeller’ (gu) of ‘darkness’ (ru). A real Guru must be an annihilator of darkness. The Guru must have the Purity and Grace to uplift your soul by simply being near him, so that His immense Prakasham –Light– will immediately start purifying your soul in a very powerful way. That is a unique characteristic of a Guru and we are very fortunate to have such a Guru in Santhigiri. Through visions, I learnt that the Gurus vary according to the attainment of knowledge and the levels at which they impart guidance. I was amazed on seeing the supreme spiritual status of our Guru in the astral planes compared to the other great souls. I was also surprised at seeing in visions the enormous velocity at which you can evolve spiritually by being near such a Great Being.
2. Why do we need a Guru?
God knows that we need the example of someone who, though in human form like us, has reached beyond the bonds of everything and everyone. He is not bound, nevertheless he is always doing karma –performing all sort of actions - for the benefit of others. When we see such a Great Soul, who has attained a spiritual state beyond selfishness, who has transcended the petty concerns of this world while still living in the world, who is unattached to his senses and desires, whose ego has completely vanished, who speaks and acts only from jnanam –Divine intuitive wisdom– and who is truly and fully dedicated to the welfare of others, then we can have the conviction that these attainments are possible for ourselves as well.
God has to give you a path through an intercessor - one who has got the capacity to receive direct and clear instructions from the Supreme. The Guru dedicatedly follows the Will of the Almighty, giving the necessary knowledge that will lead you to spiritual liberation. Also, the Guru can directly supervise your spiritual progress and immediately correct your faults so that you will not go astray.
The Guru is someone who leads you in the right direction. Without him you would be lost; you don’t have enough wisdom to properly evolve by yourself –you are unsure of what to do, where to go or how to behave. This is why you need the guidance of a Guru.
In our Guru’s spiritual path, we receive prasadham (holy and highly energized food), vibhuthi (holy ash full of Light), tirtham (holy water charged with powerful Light) and Guru’s Pank (extremely highly energized food) given directly by the Guru. These are boosters in spiritual evolution.
3. Our Guru left his physical form on May 6th, 1999
It has been revealed from the Almighty that this day is to be known as Nava Oli Jyothir Dinam – the ‘Day of the Emergence of the New Light’ - a precious day. Many disciples perceived in darshan (Divine Vision, clairvoyance, revelation) that since the merger of the Guru with the Almighty on that day, His Light has increased enormously and the experiences received by clairvoyance by His followers were felt more powerfully.
Only a few days after the Guru's merger, the majority of the disciples of our Guru in Mexico, including myself, while meditating and praying to our Guru, could feel a much more powerful Light descending and merging into our beings. We were amazed and a little confused by this experience. But I, by clairvoyance, could realize that the Guru's Light had increased immensely. Later, I was informed by a disciple that our Guru had predicted years before, that after His departure from His physical form, His Power and Light would increment 10,000 times.
The guidance from the Guru for the solution of problems is now obtained more clearly. It is an amazing and unique experience not found anywhere else, that, though not in His physical body, the Guru is controlling all the affairs of the Ashram even now, giving us directions through revelations just as he would while in His physical form.
4. Guru’s guidance is available to the devotees
Guru’s guidance is available to the devotees through our spiritual head, Shishyapoojitha Janani Amritha Jnana Thapaswini, a wonderful gift from our beloved Guru. Shishyapoojitha Janani has attained a spiritual level that no other woman has reached in millions of years. ‘Poojitha Peeddam Samarpanam’ is celebrated on February 22nd every year. It is the anniversary of the spiritual ascendancy of Shishyapoojitha Janani Amritha Jnana Thapaswini as ‘Gurusthaneeya’ – the Guru Apparent. She is merged to the Guru Prakasham – the Guru's Light – and conveys the Guru's guidance and instructions, for the proper direction of the disciples and humanity as a whole. She is the medium through which our Guru expresses His Will for the benefit of mankind.
A great festive event called ‘Kumbhamela’ is celebrated on this occasion to commemorate her spiritual elevation. This day is full of Light and Blessings for the benefit of the disciples and the world. That is why all believers are invited to participate in this celebration to attain the enormous benefits of this day.
5. One of the main features of this Guru ‘parampara’ (lineage)
One of the main features of this Guru ‘parampara’ (lineage) is that some of the disciples and followers of Navajyothisree Karunakaraguru have the gift of clairvoyance and God realization through self experience. The knowledge and information obtained in the Ashram is not only through our senses, but through clairvoyance as well. This path is called Guru Margam – the path of the Guru. It is also called Darshanam Margam – the path of visions.
6. The Guru shows us the right path in the spiritual as well as material planes
The Guru has informed us that our spiritual duty lies not in making offerings to the deities, saints, angels, etc., but in dedicated prayer with faith, devotion and a total surrender to a fully realized Guru. A correct mode of action in our spiritual and material life must be followed. This is given through our Guru. All this combined depicts the correct path in this era, Kali Yuga, for attaining spiritual liberation at a very fast pace.
7. The Hindu scriptures recommend Nama Japa
The Hindu scriptures recommend Nama Japa - repetition of the name of God or of a fully realized Spiritual Master - as the most effective sadhana (spiritual practice) in the present age of Kali. In Santhigiri we chant the ‘Akhanda Namam’, a powerful hymn which is extremely effective for attaining spiritual liberation.
8. We have got new information from the Guru
We have got new information from the Guru that this era of Kali is not bad as many think, but good. In it, there is a great deal of suffering, which covers two different facets in man. First, it makes an individual to turn his eyes towards God, giving him the opportunity of spiritual growth. Secondly, suffering extinguishes bad karma, that is to say the negative consequences of our incorrect behaviour. But, it is very important to deal with this suffering. You should accept suffering with faith, surrender, resignation and humbleness, praying to the Almighty for the purification of your soul and for your spiritual liberation. If there is rebelliousness or unconformity towards your destiny, then you will be in disagreement with God’s Will and this attitude will take you away from God’s Light, automatically building a barrier in your evolution. This is an experienced truth that I have seen in darshan.
You must always accept God’s Will; however you must not become apathetic. You must always try your best to solve your difficulties, having a strong faith in the Almighty and surrendering all your problems to Him, because if you do not have total faith and devotion towards God, then your problems will lead you to more chaos and confusion. For everything that happens to you, there is a reason. In many cases you do not understand this because the root cause comes from actions done in previous births. Remember that God is always just and perfect; we get what we deserve; try to accept your destiny at all times. We get what we have to get according to the Divine Law.
This era is an age of great spiritual upliftment. We, who live now in this era, are extremely fortunate because man is bestowed with the privilege of working out all karmas (actions) to earn mukti (spiritual liberation). Only in this precious era you can attain such liberation, and for that you need the Purity, Knowledge, Grace, and Guidance of a Guru who is a Trikala Jnani –one who can perceive the past, present and future of everything and everyone. So, in that way, the Guru evaluates your soul, seeing past incarnations, karmagathi (good and bad actions ingrained in the soul), punya (virtue, merit), bhagyam (good fortune), vasanas (good or bad habits acquired in the past) and also the potentiality of your soul. Based on this information, the Guru can give you precise instructions to conduct your life in a proper manner and to optimize your spiritual evolution. He makes you realize through self experience. Prayer and a correct mode of action dedicated fully to the Guru are also essential. Such a Guru can burn out a part of your bad karma and make you evolve in an unimaginable way. Simple religious observances, rituals, tapas (sacrifices), offerings, based on traditions, convictions and old beliefs, are not enough to attain the main goal in life: spiritual liberation.
Even the evil, unrighteous, sinful people can be redeemed through this Guru Margam in this era. The Guru reveals to us that devis and devas (deities), saints and great souls have to take birth during Kali Age to attain spiritual liberation. At Santhigiri Ashram, Navajyothisree Karunakaraguru has revealed this important knowledge and has expounded a fulfilling way of life suited for this Age
9. The missions of the former holy masters are being completed through Navajyothisree Karunakaraguru by the Will of God
Others revealed to mankind only what they heard, saw and knew through visions from the Almighty. But Navajyothisree Karunakaraguru had the unique capacity to ask and interact with the Almighty in a total way and convey the answers to the human race like no one else in the past.
10. Human race gets from the Guru unprecedented information which no other spiritual master ever gave
The Guru performs a new Divine Holy Act which no one else could execute in the past –Pithrushuddhi – the cleansing of the ancestral manes. This is called ‘Gurupooja’ in Santhigiri Ashram and it is an act of Grace of the highest spiritual dimension. In it, the purification of yourself and your ancestors takes place, liberating you along with your family and ancestors, from the influence of deities, saints, angels, etc., which these ancestors and you have worshipped in the past several births, mistaking them as the Supreme, in other words, thinking that these ‘celestial beings’ had the same spiritual hierarchy as the Almighty.
When these ancestors take birth again, they will be able to perform their karmas in a more correct way, because of the purification action that will lead them towards spiritual liberation in a more dynamic way. Also, Pithrushuddhi permits you to have better children, because from that moment onwards, better souls can incarnate as your successors. Also if you, your family and your future generations follow a correct spiritual path, then your gothram (ancestral lineage) will improve spiritually beyond measure, giving you and your descendants the opportunity to give birth to very elevated spiritual souls. Some of the deities and saints you have worshipped may have attained a very low spiritual progress and may retard rather than help your spiritual evolution. In short, Pithrushuddhi or Gurupooja gives you, your family, ancestors and the descendants, punya and bhagyam, placing you and them in a privileged position to attain spiritual liberation
11. The message of the famous Indian Guru Sri Narayana Guru
The message of the famous Indian Guru Sri Narayana Guru: ‘One Caste, One Religion and One God for Man’ and also important teachings of other great spiritual masters are being put into practice in Santhigiri.
12. The marriages conducted in Santhigiri Ashram are as per the direction of our Guru
Through His powerful clairvoyance, He selects the most suitable consort according to the evolution of your soul, without considering caste, social position or religion. In that way, He finds you a perfect match. Specific prayers are made by the couples before and after marriage. Also the observance of specific instructions given by the Guru is fundamental, so that in future elevated and virtuous offspring can come into the family. These are unique spiritual actions found only in Santhigiri Ashram.
13. There are three main activities in the Ashram
One is Annadanam, in which free food is given thrice daily to all inmates and visitors to the Ashram. Nearly 6,000 people partake in the Annadanam daily. Since the food is cooked with fervent prayers to the Guru, it is charged with a very special Light from that Godly Master and is transformed into prasadham - holy food that nourishes the soul in a very special manner. In visions, many devotees have seen a great Prakasham –Spiritual Light- in and around the food being prepared, and when consumed by people, spiritual purification takes place in them.
The second activity is Athurasevanam, care for the needy and the sick. It envisages the integration of various systems of medicine such as Siddha, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Allopathy. In that way qualified doctors take care of patients in our hospitals, offering them the best posible cure available in these treatment systems. Ayurveda points out that the root cause of major illnesses is karma dosha (incorrect actions). In Santhigiri, the Guru purifies the soul through dedicated prayers and a correct mode of action, given by this Great Master. He also recommends the use of medicine and medical treatments. Despite the fact that Guru did not know how to read or write, in some special cases of people with severe illnesses such as cancer, Guru used to diagnose and prescribe the medicines and the treatment to be given. In all cases, His diagnosis was right, just as if he had studied for many years all types of traditional and alternative medicine.
The third activity is Atmabodhanam, spiritual understanding and that can be learnt only from a fully realized Guru. You can find Him in Santhigiri Ashram.
14. You may get temporary material gains and fulfillment of your desires
You may get temporary material gains and fulfillment of your desires by praying to deities, saints, angels, etc., going to some places or following certain ways of worship. Some deities are very miraculous; the Guru is also miraculous, but with a difference. While guiding you in the spiritual as well as the material planes, Guru focuses on the evolution of your soul. Whatever He gives you will be according to the Dharma (Divine Law). In other words, He is going along with the Will of the Almighty protecting maximally your spiritual evolution.
Some deities, such as Christian saints, angels and devas, misconceived by many as liberated souls, have reached certain stages in spiritual evolution, though they have not attained full spiritual realization. All these deities need to be pleased or gratified in one way or another. They are bound to their emotions, because they have not attained spiritual liberation. They can feel all sorts of emotions, positive and negative, such as joy, anger, hatred, egoism, envy, etc. Therefore they can block your evolution and might even cause your physical destruction, mainly due to envy, as you evolve approaching certain spiritual planes such as the deva stage. It is an astonishing fact that devas, demigods, saints, angels or any kind of deity, do not want to be surpassed by any evolving soul in this Universe and they can become a major problem in your spiritual evolution.
As I stated previously, some deities are very miraculous. Since you surrender to them with faith and devotion, they might give you wealth, health or whatever you ask for, though in return they can take away the punya and bhagyam that you have acquired during numerous incarnations, and as a consequence you can be reborn with illnesses, deformities, mental deficiency, bad luck in life, etc. They do not follow a Dharmic (correct spiritual) way. In some other cases, some deities grant your wishes unknowing of the consequences of their acts. It is like a father, pleased with his son, buying him a big and fast motorcycle. The son happily climbs on his motorcycle, but being careless, he drives extremely fast and unfortunately collides with a bus and becomes paralytic for the rest of his life. The father, out of his love, gives his son something that he thinks is good for him, but he does not have the correct understanding to give what is always good for the son. Remember, that the Guru will always give you, protecting above all, the evolution of your soul which is the only reason you have incarnated on Earth
15. As per the Sanathana Dharma (Divine Perennial Spiritual Law) spirituality differs from religion
Spirituality is the most sublime and pure essence of Divine Knowledge, which undoubtedly will lead you to the apex of evolution: spiritual liberation. This elevated knowledge is found in Santhigiri.
16. In the Cosmic Time Scale of Manu –the first preceptor of mankind-
In the Cosmic Time Scale of Manu –the first preceptor of mankind- we are living in the 28th ‘Chaturyuga’ (age quartet) of the 7th ‘Manvantara’, in the era of Kali, in the year 5,100 approximately. The Guru informs us about a serious mistake committed by a great soul in the lineage of Manu 25 ‘Chathuryugas’ ago – around 108,000, 000 years. This led to the obstruction of the evolutionary process in humanity. Since His spiritual attainment in 1973, Guru has begun an important purification process, cleaning and opening the path towards spiritual liberation, which had been blocked for millions of years. In this process the followers of Guru actively participate by following and executing his invaluable and beneficial instructions.
17. Due to the deficiencies in the soul with which you are born, problems arise in life
These could be illnesses, physical deformation, mental deficiency, miseries, poor economic situation, bad parents, bad offspring, etc. But by the Grace of the Guru, you can make up the deficiencies of your soul to a certain extent, gain relief from all kinds of problems and enjoy peace of mind. On the other hand you must actively work doing your sadhana (spiritual practice), diligently following the Yugadharma (Divine Law for this era). Also the Guru will give you correct guidance choosing for you suitable karmam, as per your ability and bhagyam in order to evolve more rapidly.
18. Devotees of the Guru are gifted with special children
Devotees of the Guru are gifted with special children having punya and bhagyam and an elevated karmasheshi, which is the ability to perform all sorts of actions. The souls of the newborns are purified before birth, so in the future they will be able to perform fruitful actions, enjoy peace of mind and attain spiritual liberation, setting an example for society.
19. The Guru informs us that the first Guru in our life is the mother
The Guru informs us that the first Guru in our life is the mother and she should have the patience, understanding, harmony and a proper spiritual knowledge to fortify and guide the offspring properly. It is only through good women that a home, a society, a country and the world can prosper and benefit humanity as a whole.
The Guru also gives great importance to children. He states that the little ones have to be well educated mentally, spiritually and academically, because they will be the future examples and leaders of humanity. That is why schools and colleges are also found in Santhigiri.
20. It is said in the Padma Purana (a Hindu scripture) that in order to attain spiritual liberation you need to incarnate as a human 400,000 times
By following this path with complete faith, devotion and surrender, this time can be reduced enormously. The Guru informs us that there are ten avasthas –spiritual stages- in the evolution of the soul, and being in this path you only need eighteen-and-a half years to attain one of these stages. This time can be reduced further according to the capacity of the devotee. The virtue and good fortune that could not be earned through virtuous deeds and prayers for thousands of births can be earned in a few births through dedicated prayer and karma, following diligently the path of the Guru.
21. The main prayer in the Ashram
The main prayer in the Ashram is a hymn that was heard through clairvoyance, by two disciples of the Guru, as a Divine Voice originated from the ‘Void’. It must be recited for getting rid of all kinds of problems, for gaining virtue and good fortune. By chanting it, your spiritual evolution will be enormously increased, setting you on an expeditious track towards spiritual liberation. The Guru had predicted that after His merger with the Almighty, very special disciples will come up in this Guru Parampara. They will be born in the Ashram or in other parts of this world, for continuing the transcendental work that the Guru started for the full liberation of mankind. This prediction has materialized in the Ashram through his principal disciple Shishyapoojitha Janani Amritha Jnana Thapaswini. This will continue being fulfilled.
22. The lofty idea of creating a society
The lofty idea of creating a society endowed with the qualities of truth, elevated morality, piety, justice, love, fraternity, kindness and compassion; a society beyond caste, social position and religion, promoting equality, world peace and peace of mind is being materialized at Santhigiri through the purified virtuous lineage. This new generation will strengthen and consolidate the creation of a new world.
23. Even though our actual era, Kali, started around 5100 years ago
Nevertheless the Yugadharma for this age has not been completely stated to us. The Yugadharma of the earlier Yugas, i.e. Treta and Dwapara, is still being followed, as is evident from the prevalence of worship of all kinds of deities such as saints, angels, devas, misconceived as fully realized souls.
24. Pournami, the full moon
Is an important day in the Santhigiri Ashram’s calendar of activities. The light of the sun is a reflection of God’s Light and on a full moon day, this is reflected by the moon in full measure, nurturing and illuminating our souls enormously. In fact for three days – the full moon day and the ones before and after - the Spiritual Light received on Earth is immense. Thus, it is good to observe certain austerities on these days to potentiate the soul-nourishing effect of Pournami. These observances include eating of vegetarian food and abstinence. The benefit derived from your spiritual practice on these days is gigantic because the Grace of the Guru is hugely present, magnifying the positive effect of these days.
25. Kumbhamela is a glorious celebration in Santhigiri Ashram
It is celebrated thrice a year in the Ashram - On May 6th when our Guru merged into Adisankalpam (the plane of primordial consciousness); On the day of the Guru’s spiritual attainment, which according to the Malayalam calendar falls generally in September; and February 22nd, the anniversary of the spiritual ascendancy of Shishyapoojitha Janani Amritha Jnana Thapaswini as Gurusthaneeya. We are instructed by our Guru that we should partake in at least 12 of these important holy celebrations in our life, and by doing this, we should get rid of at least our chronic diseases. This means that the amount of Light that our soul can get by performing this important act is colossal.
26. Guru is mainly a reactor
Remember the three Laws of Motion stated by the renowned English scientist Isaac Newton. The third one states that: ‘To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. This is a law of physics and also a universal law that applies to everything and everyone on Earth. When you perform certain actions, such as following closely our Guru's instructions, doing your sadhana, performing correct actions etc., your soul will attain more light. This happens naturally because of the above–mentioned law, but also due to the enormous Grace that our Guru has got.
27. The Guru empowers the shishya
The Guru empowers the shishya to do certain important tasks in the astral planes like in no other place in the world. Other spiritual masters did not have the faculty to empower their disciples to do so.
28. Personally, in visions I can clearly see
Personally, in visions I can clearly see the enormous difference in the Light within my soul before meeting the Guru and the actual position of my soul. There is a huge difference in it. If you want to know more about my experience, link to http://www.santhigiri.com/experiences/carlos.htm.
All these factors make Santhigiri Ashram a unique place and Navajyothisree Karunakaraguru a preceptor nonpareil. Myself, Carlos Guzman, and the disciples of our Guru invite you and all the people from around the world to give yourselves the precious opportunity to visit this holy place full of Light and Grace, to immerse in this glorious atmosphere and actively receive all the benefits offered by Santhigiri Ashram. You can log on to our website www.santhigiri.com to know more about what Santhigiri has to offer the world.
I can testify about all these truths. At least 300 other people from around the world and those living in Santhigiri Ashram can do so based on their spiritual visions. Some years ago after the Guru left his physical body, I was doing meditation in his room and I saw him sitting on his bed as in flesh and bones. I was completely astonished due to the clarity of that vision. Then the Guru said 3 phrases to me. He also told me that these phrases were not only for me, but for whole humanity. He said:
I am here with you.
I am taking care of all of you.
It will be like this till eternity.
Satguruve Saranam.
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