God forbid… even if I knew such an ashram (as I am located very nearby to Haridwar and Rishikesh)… I would never recommend one! In the initial stages of spiritual pursuit I always thought going to Himalayas as a recluse to contemplate on God Almighty… would be a great idea, but I was wrong… totally wrong! As destiny would have it… 15 years of age when I asked my mother for permission to leave confines of home forever… she just said, over my dead body! And that was the end of matter.
Slowly I realized I could contemplate in confines of home without any problems. It was not only easier but I could contemplate even while walking, jogging… swimming, studying… indulging in sports and even while conducting business in the later years of life. Indulgence in contemplation, logical reasoning became my pastime. Whenever I got the smallest opportunity… I indulged in thoughts of God Almighty. I was so immersed in thoughts of God Almighty that one day when I asked my mother for dinner… she looked at me and said it was breakfast time. Internally I was so happy that I could indulge in spirituality for so long a period. For my spiritual pursuit of life I never let my family responsibilities in doldrums ever.
My physical responsibilities were foremost and thereafter came spiritual pursuit of life. I completed my engineering, got married… have two lovely daughters yet, my spiritual pursuit of life continued unabated. Finally 37 years of age I had Sakshat Darshan of God Almighty and when I read the dictation given to me by God Almighty… I realized it was end of physical manifest life. God Almighty had ordained for me path of spirituality from now onwards. I resigned from the managing directorship of the company from very next day handing over domains of the company exclusively to my brother and father. Thereafter it was never looking back. In absence of finances my finally at times definitely suffered and more so because people in this world think that spirituality must always be delivered free of all costs.
We fail to remember that spiritual preceptors, masters also had a family to look after.
Before indulging in spirituality wholeheartedly… think twice for everything you desire can be accomplished in the confines of your home.
Mahavira (24th Tirthankara of Jainism) rightly said, do not preach unless you become an enlightened one. Can we expect to get an ashram of an enlightened one in present times? In the last about 150 years amongst 7 billion people existing world over only Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana finally succeeded in reaching stage of enlightenment. In the entire history of mankind two ladies till date gained enlightenment… the famous philosopher saint Gargi and Maitreyi, the second dutiful wife of Sage Yajnavalkya… composer and compiler of most voluminous Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
Gone are the days when people could go to ashrams (hermitages) in confidence to indulge in spirituality. Those who had yet to gain enlightenment themselves… how could they impart teachings of spirituality?
By: Vijay Kumar “Atma Jnani”… The Man who Realized God in 1993 – (Ref 151201)
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