if you want to find someone, it can be very difficult. I was informed that Padananda was in seclusion and had not left his room for many years. He spent all his time in meditation and prayer. At first, I was very sad, because I thought I would not have the opportunity to see and communicate with him.
But I was very fortunate when I learned that Padananda still sometimes interrupted his seclusion to receive visitors in his room. Once a week, the doors of his room were opened, and anyone could come, talk, ask questions, and most importantly, see the wonderful Lingam. I found out on which of the next days he would receive visitors and went to him in the hope of touching the unique Lingam.
Padananda's life story is quite amazing. His mother was one of the first devotees of Sai Baba. She came to the ashram when it was just under construction. Seeing Sathya Sai Baba, she realized he was not an ordinary teacher, but a divine incarnation. She felt that she could not leave him and moved permanently to Puttaparthi.
The young Padananda was a spiritual seeker from a very young age, who constantly traveled around India, studying the scriptures, visiting the Himalayas, and associating with yogis. Of course, he knew well about Sathya Sai Baba, since his mother lived in the ashram. At first, young Padananda did not want to live in Puttaparthi. Gradually, Padananda, nevertheless, realized the spiritual greatness of Sathya Sai Baba and decided to stop endless travels in the Himalayas and settled in Puttaparthi.
Padananda told me various touching stories about his mother. He recalled that in the last years of her life, his mother gave him three testaments. The first was that he should never leave Puttaparthi. Her second testament was he should never leave Sathya Sai Baba. The third sounded strange, and Padananda himself liked to joke about it. His mother foresaw that many people would come to him for spiritual advice and guidance. She bequeathed him to treat all his visitors with sweets. Laughing at this touching testament of his mother, before dismissing the visitors from his room, Padananda would give a few sweets to each, saying this was a gift from his mother.
The Lingam given to Padananda by Sathya Sai Baba was very small. Outwardly, it was silvery in color, but it would be a mistake to assume that this Lingam was really silver. The Lingams that Sathya Sai Baba materialized were of unearthly origin, so even if some Lingam could have a golden or silver color, this did not mean it was gold or silver. There were cases when some people tried to check the objects materialized by Sathya Sai Baba in various laboratories, and it turned out they were from an alloy unknown on earth.
After Sathya Sai Baba gave Padananda the wonderful Lingam, his life changed completely. Padananda used the Lingam for meditation purposes. He would bring the Lingam to the mid-eyebrow and meditate for hours every day.
Between the eyebrows is an important energy point. Concentrating on the mid-eyebrow, yogis achieve a state of peace, bliss, and unity with the divine Consciousness. If you apply a materialized Lingam to the mid-eyebrow, then the most powerful descent of divine energy flows instantly.
In the ‘80s, Padananda's lock was quite strict, he did not allow anyone to visit him. Starting in the ‘90s, he began to open the doors of his room. Everyone who came to him got the opportunity to take the Lingam in his hand and even attach the Lingam to the eyebrows.
It is difficult to describe the feeling that I experienced during such practices. I can only describe it as a feeling of the strongest energy instantly filling my whole body while my soul experienced joy. Many people, applying the Lingam to the mid-eyebrow began to see the brightest mystical light.
Since the Lingam had great power, Padananda was careful to ensure visitors held the Lingam for only two or three minutes. This practice made a great impression on me, and there was a period when I often visited Padananda in order to get the opportunity to meditate with the wonderful Lingam.
46. I plucked up courage and went to Maheshwarananda's house in the hope of finding out about the mysterious cave in the Himalayas
In the early ‘90s, I came across a book called Sathya Sai Baba and the Nara Narayana Guha Ashram. As soon as I started reading this book, I immediately realized I was holding something absolutely amazing and precious in my hands. This book tells the story of how Sathya Sai Baba founded a secret ashram in the Himalayas and sent a small group of his disciples there.
The book left an ambivalent impression on me. On the one hand, I experienced tremendous inspiration from the fact that such unique events took place in our time. However, I wondered if this was really a true story? Could I believe that such events were taking place today? If something happened many centuries and even millennia ago, then it is easier for people to believe in the authenticity of the events described. When something amazing happens in our time, doubts sometimes creep in about the extent to which it is authentic.
The name of the author of the book was Maheshwarananda. I tried to find out who he was, where he lived, and if it was possible to meet him. To my great delight, I found out he was a permanent resident of Sathya Sai Baba's ashram.
Maheshwarananda devoted all his time to the practice of meditation and mantra, and he did not strive to communicate with people; least of all, he wanted to attract the attention of the audience. His book very quickly became extremely famous, and as a consequence of this, he also became famous, which was not part of his plans, because he strove for a solitary lifestyle.
I saw him quite often in the ashram, but I did not know this man was the same Maheshwarananda. Directly opposite the main entrance
