82. Driven by Intensity

The first experience gave me such an intense, beautiful glimpse of the truth I could not settle for anything less than the Ultimate, enlightenment. The desire to become enlightened was so intense the only question inside me was 'How?'

The intensity to know the truth was the inspiration for me to do ritual worship, meditations, any and all techniques that could lead me to enlightenment. Every technique I tried right from my childhood was with complete trust and intensity. In the case of my daily worship as a teenager, I used to wake up in the morning at 4 am, have a cold water bath and worship Devi * in a puja ritual.

This intensity is what gave me the courage to take the decision to leave home as a young boy and do the intense meditation practices I took up in my spiritual journey, such as chanting mantras (sacred intonations) 10000 times per day, austere life during my spiritual journey, and traveling the length and breadth of the country.

Devi - Supreme goddess in Hindu tradition, Cosmic Mother.

There will be one singular quality that will come to your mind when you remember someone. I can say, if there is one quality or thing that stands out in my life that I can really identify with, it is intensity.