Kundalini Mangala Ashtakam - The Sahaja Yoga Chakra Invocation

▶ Kundalini Mangala Ashtakam — Sahaja Yoga Chant

 

Kundalini Mangala Ashtakam

The Sahaja Yoga Chakra Invocation

The Kundalini Mangala Ashtakam is a unique variation of the traditional Hindu wedding and blessing chant, adapted within the Sahaja Yoga tradition. Rather than invoking the traditional pantheon of deities in a general sense, this composition systematically invokes the presiding deities of the seven chakras (energy centres) within the subtle body, ascending from the Mooladhara (root) to the Sahasrara (crown). The chant blends Sanskrit and Marathi verses, reflecting the Maharashtrian roots of the tradition. Each verse closes with the auspicious refrain:

“Kuryat Sada Mangalam, Shubha Mangala Savadhan”
May they always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verse 1 — Mooladhara Chakra (Root)

Language: Sanskrit

Vishwasyadyam bijam gauri nandan balakam atipriyam |

Kundalini rakshakam bhumitattva virajitam ganavaram ||

Muladharasthitam pavitram pradayakam ganapatim |

Kuryat sada mangalam, shubha mangala savadhan ||

Meaning: He who is the primordial seed of the universe, the beloved child and son of Gauri (Parvati); the protector of the Kundalini energy, who is adorned with the earth element, the most excellent of the Ganas; who resides in the Mooladhara chakra, the bestower of purity — Lord Ganapati — may he always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verse 2 — Swadhishthana Chakra (Sacral)

Language: Sanskrit

Ya kundendu tusharahara dhavala ya shubhra vastravrita |

Ya veena varadanda manditakara nirmala vidyapradha ||

Bhuva swami priya suvarada atmaikanishtha prada |

Swadhishthana sthita viranchi sahitam kuryat sada mangalam ||

Shubha mangala savadhan ||

Meaning: She who is as white as the jasmine flower, the moon, and the snow; who is clad in white garments; whose hands are adorned with the Veena and the staff of blessing, the bestower of pure knowledge; the beloved of the Lord of the earth (Brahma), the bestower of excellent boons and steadfast devotion to the Spirit; who resides in the Swadhishthana chakra along with Brahma — may she always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verses 3 & 4 — Nabhi / Manipura Chakra (Navel) and The Void

Language: Marathi

Lakshmi sange virajila manipuri swatatvasha rakhavaya |

Deuni sukha sampade samanujam santoshvi manasa ||

Taraya bhavasagarat apana dattatreya vanduya |

Prarthuya charani ramapatisaya kuryat sada mangalam ||

Shubha mangala savadhan ||

Meaning: He who is seated with Goddess Lakshmi in the Manipura (Nabhi) chakra to protect the principle of self-mastery; who by granting happiness and wealth brings contentment to the human mind; to cross the ocean of illusion (Bhavasagara / The Void), let us bow to Lord Dattatreya (the Primordial Master); let us pray at the feet of the Lord of Ramaa (Vishnu) — may he always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verse 5 — Anahata Chakra (Heart)

Language: Marathi

Anahata smaru jagat janani lila sambhali ji sadhaka |

Shabdartha iva ekarupa paridai rahi save mahesha ||

Vanduya shiva parvati saridai jagavinya ananda |

Prarthuya charani jagat jananija kuryat sada mangalam ||

Shubha mangala savadhan ||

Meaning: In the Anahata (Heart) chakra, let us remember the Mother of the Universe who playfully protects the seeker; who remains united with Mahesh (Shiva) just as a word and its meaning are one; let us bow to Shiva and Parvati within the heart to awaken true joy; let us pray at the feet of the Mother of the Universe — may she always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verse 6 — Vishuddhi Chakra (Throat)

Language: Marathi

Akasha samrahu nicharachari nada jave vaikhari |

Rahuni kamalata shodashadala siddhi save vanila ||

Madhuri samajivanasa karuni dei jana samashtila |

Vanduya charani radharamanala kuryat sada mangalam ||

Shubha mangala savadhan ||

Meaning: Pervading the animate and inanimate creation like the ether (Akasha element), where sound becomes the spoken word (Vaikhari); residing in the sixteen-petalled lotus (Vishuddhi chakra), bringing perfection and sweetness to speech; granting a balanced life to the collective humanity; let us bow at the feet of the Beloved of Radha (Lord Krishna) — may he always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verse 7 — Agnya Chakra (Third Eye)

Language: Marathi

Ajna chakri virajala isave yeshu mahalakshmicha |

Premabhava vikasinya jagiya dei kshamashilata ||

Moksha marga prakashuni swateje dei jana tapaswita |

Sashtange namuya jagat jananila kuryat sada mangalam ||

Shubha mangala savadhan ||

Meaning: In the Agnya (Third Eye) chakra resides Lord Jesus along with Mother Mary (Mahalakshmi); who, to blossom the feeling of love in the world, bestows the power of forgiveness; illuminating the path to liberation with his own radiance, he grants ascetic power to the people; let us bow with all eight limbs (sashtanga) to the Mother of the Universe — may she always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.

Verse 8 — Sahasrara Chakra (Crown)

Language: Sanskrit

Ya brahmachyuta rudra krishna yeshu stuvanti divyai stavai |

Vedai sanga padakrama upanishadai gayanti yo samaga ||

Dhyanavasthita tadgatena manasa pashyanti yo yogino |

Sa devi parameshi adishakti kuryat sada mangalam ||

Meaning: She whom Brahma, Vishnu (Achyuta), Shiva (Rudra), Krishna, and Jesus praise with divine hymns; whom the Sama-Veda singers glorify through the Vedas, their branches, the Upanishads and their sequences; whom the Yogis behold in their minds absorbed in deep meditation; may that Supreme Goddess, the Primordial Power (Adi Shakti) — always bestow auspiciousness.

Final Shloka — Closing Invocation

Language: Sanskrit

Tadeva lagnam sudinam tadeva tarabalam chandrabalam tadeva |

Vidya balam daivabalam tadeva adishakti tavapadayugam smarami ||

Savadhan ||

Meaning: That alone is the auspicious time (lagna), that alone is the good day; that alone is the strength of the stars, and that alone is the strength of the moon. That alone is the strength of knowledge, and that alone is the strength of the Divine — O Primordial Power (Adi Shakti), when I remember Your two lotus feet. Be attentive!

Structure of the Kundalini Mangala Ashtakam

Verse

Chakra

Deity Invoked

Language

1

Mooladhara (Root)

Lord Ganesha

Sanskrit

2

Swadhishthana (Sacral)

Goddess Saraswati / Brahma

Sanskrit

3 & 4

Nabhi / Manipura (Navel) & The Void

Lord Vishnu / Dattatreya

Marathi

5

Anahata (Heart)

Shiva & Parvati

Marathi

6

Vishuddhi (Throat)

Lord Krishna

Marathi

7

Agnya (Third Eye)

Jesus Christ / Mary

Marathi

8

Sahasrara (Crown)

Adi Shakti

Sanskrit

Final

Closing Shloka

Adi Shakti

Sanskrit

Kundalini Awakening in Java - John Noyce

 Kundalini Awakening in Java by John Noyce

Meditating Shiva - Java, Indonesia

Originating on the island of Java in what is now Indonesia, the Dharmasunya (1418) uses the terminology of the South Indian Saivite tradition to explain, in Old Javanese and Sanskrit, the ascent of the Kundalini through the chakras and nadis to the Sahastrara. Originally written on palm leaves in Java, with copies made also in Bali.

Canto III, verses 3,5
There is a river, ancient and remote [the Sushumna nadi], which, penetrating through the mountain’s centre, emerges at its summit;
On that summit there is a pool, glittering like crystal, its pureness constantly radiating forth;
Within it is the nectar of immortality – he who finds it is able to achieve the highest bliss of firm union,
The recognition of concepts ceases and one experiences supreme pleasure, beyond the power of words to describe. …
Lovely is this lake whose waters flow over a great waterfall, constantly tumbling downwards [the divine nectar];
A small part of the river is borne along by the breath, sprinkling on its way the agni mandala [located between Agnya and Sahastrara];
That is the reason for drops [of nectar] developing and multiplying in our hearts, becoming manifold in our minds;
Hold firmly to the means of union, let your powerful sense organs be subdued or eliminated.

Canto XVII, verse 1:
How blissful is the holy man who achieves holy union, all at once he’s calm, motionless, self-motivating, firm, without thoughts, a Perfect One, the sole Truth, excellent, without abode, his presence in all things cannot be discerned, for he who has already achieved his goal is regarded as the Ultimate with the Inconceivable and Immaterial One.

Source: Extracts from the translation by Geoffrey Forrester, The Dharmasunya (the philosophy of the void): an Old-Javanese treatise on yoga and liberation (Honours sub-thesis, Australian National University, Canberra, 1968)
Note: This text should not be confused with later Indonesian texts with the same or similar name.

https://linktr.ee/johnnoyce

Alain de Lille , the Celebrated French 'Doctor Universalis' on The Divine Feminine - by John Noyce

Little is known for certain about the life of Alain de Lille, also known as Alanus de Insulis. Born in c.1116 in the town of Lille in Flanders (now part of Belgium), Alain arrived in Paris to further his education in 1136, probably spending time in the schools of Paris and Chartres, before taking up teaching in the centres of Paris and Montpelier. He lived into his eighties, being regarded as one of the most eminent scholar-theologians in Paris. At some time in his later years Alain joined the Cistercian order of monks in the region of Montpelier. His passing occurred in 1202 and he is buried in the Cistercian motherhouse of Citeaux. 

Alain was known to his contemporaries for a number of  works, including the Anticlaudianus de Antirufino (see below), De fide catholica contra haereticos, a four volume study of those the Catholic Church regarded as heretics including the Cathars, the Waldensians, and the Muslims and Jews, and the De arte praedictatoria ( ‘On the Art of Preaching’).  

De planctu naturae.

Though barely mentioned by his contemporaries, De planctu naturae (On the Plaint of Nature’) is the work for which he is now best known. This is a work of satire and a rhetorical showpiece in which Alain could use his stylistic flourishes, wordplay and show his erudition. It has influences of Plato’s Timaeus and the Cosmographia of Bernard Silvestris, as well as earlier authors in the Latin tradition such as Martianus Capella and Boethius. James J.Sheridan in the Foreword to his English translation observes:

With the possible exception of Martianus Capella, the Latin of the De planctu Naturae is the most difficult I have ever encountered. Throughout most of the work there are two layers of meaning and in a number of places there are three. In addition, puns are an ever recurring feature; most of these cannot be expressed in English. The result is that parts of it defy an accurate and idiomatic translation. 

The subject of the Planctu is the betrayal of Nature by man, and her subsequent complaint before the sorrying poet who has summoned her:

… a woman glided down from an inner palace of the impassible world and could be seen hastening her steps in my direction. Her hair shone with no borrowed sheen but with one special to itself and, presenting an image of light-rays, not by mere resemblance but by a native lustre surpassing the natural, it made the maiden’s head image a star-cluster. (Bk 2 Prose 1)

The description of this divine maiden goes on for many pages leading to a dialogue between her and the poet during which she reveals herself to be Nature.  

In her speech to the poet, Nature describes Wisdom:

Wisdom, that gives orders, rests in the citadel of his head and the other powers, like demi-goddesses, obey her as if she were a goddess. For native ability, power of reasoning, as well as the faculty of recalling the past dwell in the various compartments of the head and obey Wisdom with enthusiasm. In the heart, as in the middle of the earthly city, Magnanimity has taken up her abode; she has sworn military allegiance to Wisdom, as commander-in-chief, and carries out operations according to the decisions of Wisdom’s command. (Bk 6 Prose 3) 

Later in the Planctu there is another description of Wisdom:

Nevertheless wisdom alone, a noble possession, surpasses all other goods. Though scattered she remains concentrated, when expended she returns, when shared with one and all, she experiences an increase. Through her the noble treasure of knowledge is born in the secret depths of the mind, the fruits of interior delight are secured. (Bk 10 Prose 6) 

Anticlaudianus de Antirufino 

Though it has been called a sequel, the Anticlaudianus is essentially a restatement of the theme of the De planctu. Wetherbee’s  summary (1972:211) is masterly:

…This time Nature decides to create a single man in whom all the flaws of fallen man will be eliminated. She summons the Virtues to a council, and it is resolved that Prudentia will be sent to ask God to create a soul for the new being. A chariot is made by the seven Arts, and Prudentia sets out, drawn by the five senses and guided by Reason. She comes at length to the seat of Theologia, with whom, after abandoning all of her equipage except the sense of hearing, she ascends still further, beholding the Virgin and Christ, and finally entering the palace of the “arbiter celestis aulae.” God agrees to make the necessary soul, and Prudentia returns to earth. Nature prepares a body, Concord unites it to the soul, and all the Virtues bestow their gifts on the new man. Meanwhile Allecto and the Furies, having heard of the new creation, muster an army of vices to overthrow him. These are encountered ty the Virtues in a psychomachia, the happy outcome of which leads to a restoration of the Golden Age.    

There are many descriptions of the goddesses in the Anticlaudianus. One of the most striking is in Book 5 where Phronesis approaches the maiden known as the Queen of the Heights and gives a speech which begins:

0 Queen of the heights [lit. pole], goddess of heaven, daughter of the Artist supreme - for your divine face teaches that you are no mortal, nor do you lament our race’s taint – your countenance proves you a goddess, your sceptre proclaims you queen, and your glory shows you are born of God: To you the abode of the gods lies open, and the way of heaven, the bounds of Olympus, the world beyond our world, the realm of the Thunderer - and the throne of God and the fate beyond. (V:178-85, trans. Newman) .

Image credit: Alain de Lille on woodcut - Wikimedia commons

Power of Sahasrara and 11 Things You Can Get With Your Daily Kundalini Meditation.

"Meditation is for you to go deep down into yourself, to achieve all that your Sahasrara wants to give you, to achieve that height of detachment, of understanding. It’s only through meditation.

So, what happens in meditation is that your awareness crosses over Agnya, goes above and it’s now stationed in the Sahasrara, in thoughtless awareness. Then the reality of Sahasrara, the beauty of Sahasrara starts pouring in your own character, in your own temperament.

Unless and until your Sahasrara is opened, all the blessings of the Divine Power cannot come to you, it cannot. Maybe you might get some money, you might get some jobs, you might get this and that, but your own development is only possible when you meditate and your Sahasrara is completely open and open to Truth.  Now, the Truth is that this Divine Power is compassion, is love. This is the Truth. 

This is it, we have to learn, is to say that, “It’s this Divine Power which will solve our problems.” As  human beings, it is a very difficult state and this state only can be achieved through meditation. But I am not saying that you go on meditating for hours altogether, not necessary. But with full faith in yourself and in the Divine Power, if you work it out, I am sure, it’s not difficult to rise to that state of consciousness.

That is what we have to achieve.

Only your Sahasrara can reflect the light of the Divine. So, your Sahasrara is extremely important. You must meditate to enrich your Sahasrara, to cure it, to make it completely nourished by the Kundalini. 

But you will know that you are meditating when you can get into thoughtless awareness, then you will know. Your reaction will be zero. Look at something, you will just look at it. You won’t react, because you are thoughtless. You won’t react. When that reaction is not there, then everything, you will be surprised, is Divine, because reaction is your Agnya’s problem.

Once you are absolutely thoughtlessly aware, you are one with the Divine. So much so that Divine takes over every activity, every moment of your life and looks after you and you feel completely secured, one with the Divine and enjoy the blessings of the Divine.

May God bless you! "

Excerpt: May 10th 1998, Sahasrara Puja , Cabella (Italy) 

Draw no matter what

“I’m sending you out to find the greatest treasure in the world.”

Said a small boy, adjusting his short trousers, to a group of children in the middle of the building’s courtyard. He bellowed, summoning his “heroes” to take on a near-impossible mission. Anyone passing by would have seen nothing more than children playing, but for us (yes, I was one of those scruffy kids), we were in the court of a king, or at least that’s what our imagination told us.

“I, warrior of the House of the Owl, shall mount my white horse and set off at once on this quest,” I declared at ten years old, adjusting an enormous cape that existed only in my mind.

And so I spent many summer afternoons playing with my friends. Living in distant worlds. Sometimes lost in endless caves, other times searching for hidden treasures. Until the years went by, and adulthood began trying to convince me that these magical worlds were just child’s play.

While most of my friends stopped searching for the greatest treasure on earth, I carried on. Now I drew the adventures on sheets of paper, one panel after another in comic books. It gave me a lot of joy. I finished secondary school, and it was time to choose my career. How was I supposed to pay the bills by drawing?

The adult world started building all sorts of barriers and obstacles to silence my imagination. How do you choose between an artistic life, doing what you love but not having enough money to pay the bills, and a more financially stable life where you make art in your spare time?

That’s when I began to meditate and practise Sahaja Yoga. And if there was ever any doubt about which career to follow, Sahaja gave me the answer.

Through meditation, you can quiet your thoughts and, in doing so, reduce the influence that social or family conditioning can have over you. You know when your uncle says, “How are you going to make a living from drawing, boy? That guy who draws caricatures in the central square sleeps under a bridge.” Well, meditation makes your uncle shut his trap. And in that silence, you can connect deeply with your true self. And my self was crystal clear: keep your bum on the chair and keep drawing.

Well, that’s exactly what I did. And the treasure hunt in the courtyard carried on. I became a graphic facilitator and, together with my wife, founded a company called Visual Scribing. Drawing allowed me to translate many people’s imagination onto paper, and my own as well. I drew strategic diagrams for companies like Amazon. I travelled all over the United Kingdom, illustrating citizens’ experiences of their financial lives for the Bank of England. I created scenarios around the challenges UNICEF field agents face in their work, helping them reorganise their operation. And I kept telling my stories, I wrote and illustrated two books, A Girl in the Himalayas and New World, with more on the way.

And after all these years, I realised something. On the pages of my book, at the top of the Himalayas, I once again felt the joy and freedom that only imagination can give me. And I thought: little David found it.

“This is the greatest of treasures, my king.”

If you like what you read, consider checking my articles on substack and following me on Instagram. 

 

Giving Back to Nature by Channelling the Vibes.

" There are seven layers within us that we need to awaken in this way. Now, when we talk about machinery, people often think of machinery that is not alive; but for a living machinery, it needs to be awakened, it needs to be awakened. However, many people do not even understand what can be accomplished with these vibrations. I have told you that when vibrations are flowing completely from within you and there is no obstruction at all, you are in a state of complete bliss; No matter if you have a physical, mental, or intellectual problem, you can be completely healthy if vibrations are flowing strongly and completely from your body. You are in the state of witness consciousness, thoughtless awareness; this is a sign, an indication, that you have entirely become that power.

When you were not in bliss, when vibrations were not flowing from within you, your contribution to life was nothing, no contribution at all; you were only taking. You were taking from nature; you were taking from the environment. You were eating food, you were using the precious things of this earth, everything that nature has created, and you were using them. You were utilizing them. You were not giving anything back, only taking; you were eating food, wearing clothes, living in houses. In all those things, whatever bricks you might have used, in all that, you took something from nature, from the environment, but gave nothing back.  But when vibrations start flowing from within you, you begin to give. You should understand how you contribute to nature. 

 Now, when vibrations have started flowing within you, you have to give; you are giving vibrations, meaning you are channelling the energy within you and infusing nature with this energy. 

You are unaware of it; you do not know this fact. Just as the sages and seers used to go into the forests and meditate there. They did this to become one with the peace, balance, and harmony of nature, to experience it within them, to let it impact their chakras. By sitting in such a beautiful place, their hearts would be filled with joy, and by being there, it was possible that the Kundalini energy within them would awaken, and they would attain the supreme element.

But after realization, you become so adorned with these vibrations that you yourself become a giver, knowledge comes to you naturally, and you contribute to nature. Wherever you go, you may not be aware of it, but as soon as they see you, flowers, leaves, trees, birds, animals, and so on, feel your vibrations, sense that energy, and experience joy.

Now you can enjoy nature. You can also inspire nature because this energy is flowing within you. Then you might say that this is all-pervading, that everything in the distance is affected. Then why does each tree, thing, and leaf experience this?  

This same understanding should be applied to humans: why is man so important? Why is he so distinct? Why does man hold such significance? Why does nature constantly bow at your feet? Why is it putting so much effort into you? Although you are very slow to progress, why? The reason is that when vibrations pass through a human, they become such that the entire earth can absorb and embrace them. For example, consider a cow. You’ve seen that it eats grass, drinks water, and then produces milk, which the calf can drink and grow from. If the cow were given grass alone, the calf would not be able to grow; it cannot thrive on water alone. But when the cow consumes grass and water, the milk produced from it is what nourishes the calf. Similarly, in a realized person, these vibrations enter and form a special sphere, an extremely subtle sphere within, which works even in the most refined and subtle levels. These vibrations become very subtle, like what is referred to as “propane” in its most refined form. 

Similarly, in a realized person, these vibrations enter and form a special sphere, an extremely subtle sphere within, which operates even in the most refined and subtle levels. These vibrations become incredibly subtle, similar to what is referred to as “propane” in its most refined form. When they enter the human being and the capillaries, these vibrations become capable of being absorbed. Such is the extraordinary subtlety of this process. 

Another point is that nature has created specific places where such vibrations are concentrated. This means that while these are not human beings, certain stones, for example, have vibrations infused into them by nature, and they are given form and shape, like the sacred places in nature you are familiar with, such as Ganesh temples, Mahalaxmi temples, and the temples of Mahadev. These places have been filled with vibrations by nature, so they are vibrated. However, the awareness, handling, and absorption of these vibrations are not as effective as they are through you. Understand that there is an absorption that is extremely subtle. It is an absorption that is extremely subtle. It is the subtlest of the subtle. You first absorb this within yourself and then you amplify it. The all-pervading thing is flowing from within you, but it is absorbed within you in a specific way, and there is some contribution from you to it, which makes it so subtle that people can recognize and appreciate it. Now understand your own significance. Until it passes through humans, molecular changes do not occur."

Excerpt: January 20th 1975, India

Is Thirty the ‘Age of Enlightenment’? - Chris Marlow

 Is thirty the ‘Age of Enlightenment’?

Many great saints and teachers seem to have found enlightenment or received their Divine mission at or around the age of thirty – often in connection with a river! 

Shri Zarathustra (Persia, 1500 BCE) had been an ardent seeker all His life but, at the age of thirty, while bathing at the river Daiti, he finally received his message in a visitation by Vohu Manah –‘holy mind’ (a kind of angelic being – perhaps the angel Gabriel – see ‘Mohammed’ below) who led him into the presence of Ahura Mazda (‘He who causes existence’ – God Almighty), where He understood the true nature of existence. It took ten years before his preaching established a community of followers. He stressed that it was good thoughts, good words and good actions that would enable one to cross the ‘Bridge of Swords’ and reach heaven. Many Zoroastrian concepts filtered down into Judaism (the Jews were captive in Babylon for about seventy years until released by the enlightened Cyrus) and thence into Christianity (such as Heaven and Hell, Adam and Eve, and the Resurrection).

Guru Nānak (Punjab, 1469) was also thirty when, while bathing at the Kali-bein river one day, he had an encounter with the All-pervading Lord. He disappeared for three days and was finally found in the forest in deep contemplation. His first words are said to be: ‘There is no Hindu, no Muslim’ showing his understanding that God only cares about what is in the heart, not what rituals one performs. After this he made four journeys of several years each, to east, south, north and west reaching Assam, Shri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Mecca and Baghdad, establishing followings everywhere He went.

Shri Buddha (Bihar, 563 BCE) was twenty-nine when he left his luxurious life in the palace to become an ascetic. Six years later at the age of thirty-five He attained enlightenment after sitting under the Bodhi tree for forty-nine days. Having discovered the solution to suffering, his compassion drove him to share it with humanity and he spent the next forty years travelling, often with  a large following.

Shri Mahāvīra (Bihar, 599 BCE) was also thirty when he abandoned his princely life. He finally attained supreme knowledge on the banks of the Rijupalika river under a sal tree, at the age of 42 and spent the next thirty years spreading the message.

Jesus Christ was thirty years old when He started his teaching in Palestine. In Judaism (and some other traditions) thirty is the age when a man is recognised as a rabbi –‘teacher’. He started his mission by visiting John the Baptist who baptised him in the river Jordan. The Holy Ghost descended on Him ‘like a dove’ (feeling a cool breeze on the Sahasrāra, as from the fluttering of a bird’s wings).

Jacob Bohme (Germany, 1575) was 25 on having his first vision before his more profound vision at the age of 35.

St John of the Cross (Spain, 1542) had His most profound visions at the age of thirty-two, which continued for ten years or more. He was imprisoned and tortured by his fellow Carmelite monks, but as this led to him having some profound and blissful experiences of the Divine, he was very grateful to them.

In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything,

Desire pleasure in nothing.

In order to arrive at possessing everything,

Desire to possess nothing.

In order to arrive at being everything,

Desire to be nothing.

In order to arrive at the knowledge of everything,

Desire to know nothing. St John of the Cross.

Prophet Mohammed (Arabia, 570) was about forty when he was visited by the angel Jabrīl (Gabriel) while meditating in the cave of Hira. He was in the habit of retreating to this cave every year for about a month to meditate. Cautious at first, he was persuaded after three years by his family and close friends to spread His teachings.

Al-Ghazali (Persia, 1058), one of Islam’s most profound scholars and mystics, abandoned his brilliant academic and administrative career at the age of thirty and retired from the world for ten years, after feeling that he had been pursuing fame and ego, rather than true enlightenment. Considered a ‘Renewer of the Faith’ (one of whom is born every hundred years to rejuvenate Islam) he wrote extensively on philosophy and mysticism, law and logic, and made Sufi practices more acceptable in mainstream Islam.

Nizamuddin Auliya (1238, U.P.) is one of those characters who, as Einstein said of Mahātmā Gandhi; ‘Generations to come will scarce believe that such a man as this in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth’. At the age of just twenty-three he became the appointed successor of Baba Farid and spent the rest of his life teaching, giving audience to and helping materially and spiritually the people of Delhi, rich and poor. Due to his presence there, Delhi witnessed a spiritual revival. One of his favourite disciples was Amit Khusro (said to be the inventor of the Qawalli, the sitar and the tabla; and the writer of ‘O Lal Meri’) who is buried in a corner of Nizamuddin’s tomb in Delhi. 

Shri Mataji tells the story of how the Delhi Sultan threatened to have Nizamuddin executed for refusing to bow to him, but the night before the execution was due, the Sultan himself was assassinated by his favourite protégé (who assumed his title).

The author of this article was thirty years old when he reached the culmination of many lifetimes of seeking by getting Self-realisation from Shri Mataji. 

According to Astrology, the period known as the ‘Saturn Return’ occurs at around the age of 27-30. This point when Saturn comes back to the position it occupied at one’s birth, denotes ‘getting serious’ about life and often involves restructuring one’s life path. This also occurs at the age of 56-60 and in one’s 80’s (often involving changing one’s life status!).