The Journey Inward
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By the time he was seventeen, Rajasekaran's spiritual quest had risen to its peak. Unable to resist any longer the lure of his true calling, the young boy left home to begin an arduous journey of self-discovery. He had no security whatsoever, no assurance that he would find what he sought with all his being. With no promise, no hope even but the glimpse of the Divine he had received at twelve. But that glimpse was sufficient, for it had kindled in his heart a blaze that would never die.
For years he wandered in the mountains, seeking refuge in centers of spirituality countrywide. He traversed the length and breath of the country on foot, studying with great masters in India and Nepal.
Sometimes he would simply board a train, uncaring of its destination, and alight wherever it pleased the eye. When he tired of traveling in a certain direction, he would turn his eye upon some other horizon - and thus on and on, till he stumbled once more upon a railway track.
Two pieces of cloth to cover his body and a kamandalampitcher were all that he possessed in the world. Resolved not to touch money, not knowing where his next meal was to come from
- if at all it was to come! – he lived a life of utter insecurity.
But so intense was his search, so perennially felt, that it gave him the courage to practise the most demanding tapas with extraordinary vigour. It led his feet to India's most sacred pilgrimage spots. It ushered him into the presence of the holiest men and women. He drank deep of the founts of wisdom of centuries, the holy scriptures. The Shastras, the Vedas, the Upanishads – he mastered them all.
pitcher for water
Above all else, the stories of the lives of great spiritual masters stirred an unknown chord in the young seeker. One day, chancing upon The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, he fell into such a fever of delight that he devoured the 600-page book in one 10-hour stretch. (Anyone who has held the mighty Gospel in his hands can appreciate the passion that called forth such a feat!)
Three days after this unusual incident, the young Swami was honoured by the vision of Sri Ramakrishna and Mother Sarada Devi, who placed their hands upon his head and showered him with heartfelt blessings. On that day, with deep love and reverence, the seeker received Sri Ramakrishna into the innermost sanctum of his heart.