The month of August contains multiple Lineage celebrations, including the anniversary of Bhagwan Nityananda‘s death, referred to as Punyatithi, which we commemorated this last week; the anniversary of Bhagwan Muktananda‘s shaktipat initiation, known as divya diksha; and the anniversary of Master Mark Griffin‘s birth. So it’s a big month.
Swami Muktananda received Shaktipat initiation from his Guru, Bhagwan Nityananda, on August 15, 1947. This is the very same day that India gained independence from British rule. Nityananda, the Bliss of Eternity, awakened the Kundalini of Swami Muktananda, the Bliss of Freedom, and Baba’s mission of bringing Shaktipat to the world and the West, came online.
August 15 is also the birthday of Sri Aurobindo, a yogi, and mystic, who, in the early part of the 20th century, was one of the influential leaders of the Indian movement for independence from British colonial rule. He was arrested in the aftermath of several bombings linked to his organization and faced charges of treason. Aurobindo was released when no evidence could be provided. During his stay in jail, he had mystical and spiritual experiences, after which he moved to Pondicherry, leaving politics for spiritual work. In Pondicherry, he developed a spiritual practice called Integral Yoga. The central theme of his vision was the evolution of human life into the divine life. He believed in a spiritual realization that not only liberated but transformed human nature, enabling a divine life on earth. In 1926, with the help of his spiritual collaborator, referred to as “Sweet Mother,” the Sri Aurobindo Ashram was founded.
The Hard Light Center has a karmic connection with the lineage of Aurobindo and Sweet Mother. Many sangha members take darshan with Mother Meera of Germany. Mother Meera is reported to have met Sri Aurobindo and Sweet Mother in their subtle bodies at their Samadhi shrine in Pondicherry.
Mother Meera said that at that meeting, she merged into Sweet Mother and Sweet Mother merged into her. She was told that she must look after the affairs of the whole world and that she must bear weighty responsibilities while working unceasingly for the Divine.
In celebrating the lineage masters, we acknowledge the Guru and Divine Mother. In doing so, we recognize the power of Shaktipat–a central mission of the Siddha lineage. This awakening force conferred by the Guru is the seed of awakening, moving the individual soul from its relative and bound condition into the freedom of the Fourth State. Mark Griffin spoke extensively about the power of Shatipat as an evolutionary impulse, and he embraced it as a central lineage mission. In the selection entitled “Shaktipat: Transformation,” from Mark’s book entitled 108 Discourses on Awakening, he explains:
“The energy of shaktipat, when transmitted into your system, carries the signal of awakening. Only a single atom is required for each person. Shaktipat is a profound and secret message that carries the voice of the Self, the speech of God. It comes not out of heaven in a fiery chariot, but as a thief in the night. Silently inserted, it begins to transform you.
Once received, your life is never the same. From that day forward you will carry the light of awakening physically within you. You will nurture it and accumulate it. You’ll cause it go grow until it overwhelms your consciousness, burning away confusion and forgetfulness like the sun burns away clouds.”
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