The Pioneer brings to you a spiritual talk with “Samarthguru” Siddarth Aulia during his recent visit to the city, who is on a mission to reveal the scientific base of Santana Dharma.
Shikha Duggal
Responding to a range of interesting questions, “Samarthguru” Siddharth Aulia visits our city on a mission to reveal the spiritual and scientific base of “Sanatana dharma” for happiness and bliss! Described in many different ways, we call him the monk in our profession. Also when at a time faith seems to be in a collision — he takes the individual liberty and makes it clear, “There are two parts of religion. The first one is culture, and then follows spirituality. Spirituality is just like a crop, and the former is like an enclosure. Both are essential, but the crop is more important than the protecting boundary! Our temples are a part of the culture, as are the religious texts and customs. “Sanatana dharma” was attacked by foreign invaders! Ultimately, for one thousand years, the invaders enslaved this country. Still, this enlightenment survived because of culture temples, worship, reading, and listening to sacred texts.”
Oshodhara, the only spiritual stream that has gifted the world spiritual science by converting spirituality into science, for which the spiritual teacher was here provided a practical roadmap of it. His programs were designed in such a way that one can pragmatically experience specific spiritual milestones and level-wise move ahead on the spiritual path under the proper guidance of the master. He continued, “Even today, we face obstruction from the radical elements in Islam and some missionaries. I was listening to a priest who said that my mission is to convert India to Christianity. Then, I keep hearing the “Wahabi” & “Salafi” elements who say the entire India should become Muslim! There is no harm in being an Islamist, however, similarly, there is no distress in remaining Christian! To me personally, the conversion of any religion shouldn’t persist in this globe. I believe that cultural features are more essential in protecting spiritualism, and spiritualism is more critical. The protection of spiritualism is more important. For example, “Sufis” were very prominent in the middle east only fifty years back but presently under the influence of radical islam, “Sufis” are not found in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, or Afghanistan. Why? Have they vanished? If so, how? They were really spiritual people, but they were eradicated. My guess is that’s why.”
If God doesn’t necessarily exist, why do we need Sanatana dharma was our next question! He answered, “This is our way of practicing spiritualism in a peaceful environment that welcomes all sects and denominations. There are different sects, even in “Sanatana dharma,” but nobody fights against other denominations! There can be a debate that is absolutely healthy around me. For instance, if somebody believes more lord rama, I don’t mind. If one doesn’t, I am not going to force them!”
He is atypical of what we imagine gurus to be. We expect people who don’t have a zest for life. So, why does he believe that the material can co-exist with the spiritual? “Well, from my very childhood, I was interested in spirituality. There was a great sage known as “Janaki baba”. My maternal grandfather was a disciple of his, so he was a family guru. I was charmed by his radiant personality, handsome shining face, and joyful and cheerful disposition! So, I wanted to become like and emulate him. This seed was sown then, and when I grew up, I was attracted to sages wherever I travelled. In 1971, I met Swami Satyananda Saraswati Paramhans, and I became his disciple, followed his path, which was based on “Hatha yoga” and here I am.”
He started practicing “Hatha yoga” according to Swami Satyanand Saraswati’s teachings, but there was a time when “Samarth guru” fell seriously ill because he was doing something wrong in this practice. He then went back to Satyanand and told him about his problems. He somehow recovered from illness but Swamiji said that “Hatha yoga” was not for him. Satyanand Saraswati recommended going with someone who could guide Siddarth Aulia in meditation instead. He then had to wait for a long time until he met Osho in 1980. From there, his real spiritual journey started under Osho’s guidance! “I started doing meditation twice a day. Did this for sixteen years continuously. I practiced “Anapan Satiyog”, sometimes and achieved good results. However, in 1990 when Osho left this world, I felt like an abandoned disciple. I felt lost. Where should I go? What is the next direction? I was frustrated. Ultimately, I decided to abandon my path and was determined to throw all the books.I told myself I was not meant to follow the spiritual path! That night, I decided that coming morning I will throw everything in the river and not practice meditation anymore,” he added.
The saga doesn’t stop here: “Something remarkable happened that night. An unknown force guided me to a different room in my house where there was a framed image of Guru Nanak Dev, and I found that the whole atmosphere was vibrating with an exceptional sound. Later, I learned that this was a divine sound. Guru Nanak Dev was giving me a message and instructing me on the secrets of meditation. He said that following this divine sound that would lead me to enlightenment and beyond. When I woke up in morning—I was a transformed person. I started listening to the divine sound all the time, and a complete transformation took place, eventually leading to my enlightenment. So, after enlightenment, I found that my whole approach to the world became totally different. The entire process became subjective instead of objective. I felt that I was the center of the universe and started living in pure consciousness at the level of personal consciousness.”
He had once asked Osho if he wanted to write a book on spiritual masters of our times & Osho said that he had already given enough wisdom to his disciples to know where the fire is burning! Then he just started looking for other sages to know what type of spiritual practices they were following, and in that quest, he met sufi baba Shah Qalandar in 1981. Sufi baba did not reveal any secrets, but whenever he mentioned Siddharth’s experience, he said that you have got a beautiful treasure, you can pursue it.
The controversy around Bageshwar Dham Baba Dhirendra Shastri who has come on the target very recently, made us ask the “Samarthguru” on sympathising with him to which he contends with us, “Bageshwar baba is a young man. He is doing good work in the cultural aspect of sanatan dharma. What Bageshwar baba is doing is the “Japstuti” which is part of our culture. As I have mentioned in the very beginning, culture is the ‘protecting boundary’ – so he is doing this part – and he has proclaimed that I am serving the culture of sanatan dharma so I admire his role. He is charismatic and he always looks jolly and happy. He is also helping people who are suffering from negative energy. Stop being jealous of him.”
Nowadays, wellness programs are at an all-time high. Does it really lead to a fulfilling break? The sage answered again, “Well, people are materialistic, and they do not have time to de-stress. They are too occupied with acquiring wealth. In this process, they develop stress, and they run into all kinds of health problems, which have a domino effect. They really need to take a break and relax to reduce accumulated stress. Furthermore, many wellness centers are in beautiful natural environments and when they go to these peaceful atmospheres, free from the pollution which they face in cities, it has a very healing effect. In addition to this: in these wellness centers they can avail various therapeutic methods, such as massage, physiotherapy, yoga, meditation other healing therapies which gives them peace of mind and helps them with their well-being. I am always in favor of these wellness centers, and I really wish that people realize that stress reduction and its elimination is extremely important for their health and whenever they can they should visit these wellness centers which can help them.”
Lastly, a very vital dilemma for every commoner to be on the safer side — how one can avoid being misled by some fraudulent gurus! He explicates, “In this world of fear and greed they are major obstacles. And people fall prey to fear or are taken over by greed – this is “bhanwar jaal” meaning the world of desires and this is the first obstacle. Kabir says falling prey to desires, they suffer through their lives with the disease of desire. Then comes “bagu jaal” because of desires of stress, so they go into misery and then they want to get rid of tension, so they go for some guidance who can really remove these problems.
The false gurus are just like “bagulas” — whenever somebody tries to get out of their stress, grief, or sorrow, they fall into the net of these “bagulas”. As simple as that.”
