Atmonnati Sadhana – Part 5

“By constantly serving the Sadguru and performing pure, sacred actions, the body becomes purified, the soul becomes elevated, and the Guru makes the disciple a Brahmand-Nayak (Universal Master).” The Sadguru’s presence grants astonishing inner strength. In His company the seeker becomes purified; pure actions arise naturally; devotion becomes firm; the soul ascends; and the feeling of *complete surrender* blossoms. A time comes when the Guru and disciple become one. When the disciple ripens fully, the Guru bestows His own Guruship upon him.

These verses describe the divine spiritual journey of Param Pujya Shri Narendranath Maharaj, who moved from questioning God’s very existence to becoming a fully enlightened Nath-Guru. His transformation began upon meeting Param Pujya Shri Vyankatanath Maharaj. He tested the Guru, but after receiving the Guru’s grace, he placed even his identity at the Guru’s feet. Through japa, tapa, discipline, service, and surrender, his mind and body became perfectly purified — until only the Guru remained.

On the day of complete oneness, Shri Vyankatanath Maharaj declared: “If you walk, I walk. If you speak, I speak. What I do, you do; what you do, I do. I am you, and you are me.” Dās Ganu says: *“When two flames meet, the distinction between them disappears.”* Thus Shri Narendranath Maharaj was appointed Nath-Guru. Yet even after becoming a Brahmand-Nayak, he always introduced himself humbly: “Vyankatanath is my Guru.” Human life, he taught, exists only to perform the right karmas — and only the Sadguru knows what those karmas are.

“When a seed is sown, a sapling emerges, slowly grows, and becomes a full tree. It is the five elements that nurture it and finally bless it with flowers and fruit.” Who nourishes life on Earth? The clear answer: the five elements. In Tuesday’s Atmonnati Sadhana, Shri Narendranath Maharaj explains how the *pancha-mahabhutas* sustain every human being. We rarely feel gratitude toward these elements; we even pollute them, yet they nourish us every moment.

The *Mundaka Upanishad* describes the cosmic body of God — heavens His head, Sun and Moon His eyes, directions His ears, the universe His heart, Earth His feet. Before creating beings, the Lord created the elements consciously to nurture life.

In our body:

• Space (Akasha) → sound (heard by the ears)
• Air (Vayu) → touch (felt by the skin)
• Fire (Tejas) → form (seen by the eyes)
• Water (Apa) → taste (known by the tongue)
• Earth (Prithvi) → smell (perceived by the nose)

To uplift man, God also placed mind and intellect within him and resides in his heart, making man the most refined of all creations.

“Many things can be created by man, but no one can create a human body.” Ancient scripture explains human physiology with great depth. From Earth arise grains and fruits. The food we eat divides into three parts — gross becomes waste, middle becomes flesh, subtle becomes mind. Likewise, gross water becomes urine, middle becomes blood, subtle becomes prāṇa. Fire’s gross form becomes bone, middle becomes marrow, and the subtle becomes speech.

God, the cosmic architect, assigned each being its diet and way of life. Animals do not violate these natural laws, but humans often do — weakening vitality, clarity, and spiritual strength. Thus Lord Krishna emphasised disciplined āhāra-vihāra in the Gita. Maharaj reminds us: Man is God’s finest creation. To degrade this gift is to insult the Creator. Our true duty — our swadharma — is to purify the body and elevate the soul. Swadharma is not invented; it is discovered within. The Sadguru alone shows how to live this truth.

“To develop the soul, hold fast to the Sadguru. Without the Guru, no one can shape the soul.” On the path of Atmonnati, the Guru’s grace is our only provision. There is no alternate route. Saints affirm: “Without the Sadguru, there is no way.” We must not delay; laziness is fatal.

Ramdas Swami tells of the lazy man who received excellent food on a golden platter yet refused to eat, saying, “Who will break the morsel? Who will chew? Who will swallow?” Despite abundance, he died of hunger. The teaching: Break laziness. Do not postpone spiritual effort.

“Without the Guru, there is no other refuge to cross the ocean of samsara. Ignorance and ego must be discarded for Atmonnati to occur.” Birth appears joyful outwardly, but spiritually it marks forgetfulness — forgetting our identity with the Divine. When the newborn’s feet touch the Earth, ego awakens because ego is the quality of Earth. As ego grows, our remembrance of God diminishes. Only the Sadguru restores this lost memory.

God placed mind and intellect within humans so they may recognise Him, but the intellect must be firm, pure, and truth-aligned. Only then does it rest at God’s feet and answer the question: “Who am I?” Sadguru alone grants this knowledge.

“Remain absorbed in Guru-service; perform daily discipline; embrace Guru-devotion; thus Atmonnati is achieved.” If the body is ruled by desire, it becomes a “lodge of disorders.” If ruled by purity, it becomes a temple of God. Just as milk must be heated, cultured, and churned to obtain butter and then ghee, the Sadguru performs tapa, manthan, and refinement upon us.

He churns our mind with the questions: Who am I? Why am I born? What is my purpose? What is my swadharma? Through this churning, pure character — the “butter” — emerges. Sadguru loves this purity and refines it until the seeker becomes like aged ghee — fragrant, powerful, radiant. Thus body is purified and the soul uplifted.

“Man says: ‘I feed the poor, I clothe the needy, I sustain the world — what does God do?’” God’s creation is infinite. We live in just one of endless universes. Our intellect is tiny, yet we question the Infinite. We boast “I did this,” forgetting every strength, ability, and breath comes from Him.

Atmonnati Sadhana smashes this ego. Ramdas Swami illustrates this through the challenge posed to two folk poets: What is Earth’s weight? How many rivers flow? How many grains lie in the ocean? How many stars in the sky? How many plant species? How many atoms ride the wind? The message: Human knowledge is small; ego is foolish. Only humility leads to bliss.