Greetings Gurudev,
I have few questions. First I want to ask how masters are able to resurrect dead? Paramahansa protected his disciples on numerous occasions. Is it because they remembered him at the very moment? If suppose I fall in to some trouble will Yogananda come to my rescue? Or will I suffer due to my past karma?
Thanking you and waiting for your reply
—Pushkar, India
Dear Pushkar,
Thank you for your email. First, bear these quotes from the Bhagavad Gita in mind as we consider the many aspects of your questions.
- “He enters my being who thinks only of me at the hour of his passing when the body is abandoned. This is truth beyond doubt.”
- “Even a little practice of this inward religion will free one from dire fears and colossal sufferings.”
The most import thing to consider is not being saved from death, necessarily, but being saved from delusion. The soul lives on. Even those devotees whom the Master saved from death, died at some later date. The extension of the gift of life is an extraordinary gift that demonstrates to us all the power of the Guru.
Those healed disciples had the good karma to receive that grace, and the opportunity also to grow closer to God from it. What does it teach us to be saved from an untimely death? If we are granted such grace, does it serve as a wake-up call to love and serve the Lord ever more deeply? If so, choose to love and serve God now. Why wait” Life itself is a miraculous opportunity given to us by the source of Creation. Do your best to make the most of it.
Progress is directional. Do you meditate? You can learn a simple but deep technique here. If you already meditate, try to make a point to expand your practice and go a little deeper. What is your next step?
You also ask about the role of karma. One very good way to simultaneously grow closer to God and also develop good karma is to pray for others. Of course, our motivation is not the accruing of good karma, but anytime we share blessings with others, we ourselves are also blessed. Paramhansa Yogananda said, “The instrument is blessed by what flows through it.”
If you fall into some trouble, and you call to the Guru, he will hear you. He is with you. Sometimes God’s grace comes as a miracle that saves us, and sometimes it comes to guide us into the Light. Who can say, but God, when it is our time? I have written more about this in my article When the Miracle is Withheld.
Keep Yogananda close to your heart. You can even purchase a pendant with his picture to wear under your clothes, close to your heart. It is also good to save up to purchase an astrological bangle if you are able. In general, you can see that my suggestions follow the theme of having you avert worries regarding life, death, and karma by taking positive steps toward being closer to God and Guru.
“Whenever anyone utters with reverence the name of Babaji,” Lahiri Mahasaya said, “that devotee attracts an instant spiritual blessing.” — Autobiography of a Yogi
Finally, you ask how the Masters can raise a person from the dead. The Master only does this when he feels guided by God to do so. The Masters have the ability to channel infinite healing power when it is needed. They can call back the soul from the astral world, while simultaneously infusing the body cells with the necessary life force. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead even after Lazarus had been dead for four days. One can clearly imagine Lazarus’ resurrection required both of the elements that I mentioned above: calling back the soul from the astral world and rejuvenating the body cells.
In Jesus’ life, the above extraordinary event led many of the people of Israel to believe he truly was their Messiah. That is why they welcomed him so gloriously into Jerusalem, laying down a carpet of palm fronds for his donkey to walk upon. This immense increase in his popularity, which threatened the powers that be, also ultimately led to his crucifixion only days later. It was all part of God’s plan. And Jesus’ own resurrection occurred three days after that. This lila at the end of Jesus’ life shows us that true masters have command over life and death. Sometimes it is meant to be on full display, in order to inspire many people, even for millennia to come. Other times, a master may heal, protect and even raise someone from the dead, but it is kept quieter and is meant primarily for that soul and for the upliftment of the nearby disciples, as well as those of us who may hear of it later on.
There are stories of raising people from the dead in the Autobiography of Yogi, as well as in the lives of saints in India and in Christianity, such as Saint Patrick. Also, both Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament of the Bible, raised people from the dead. So, yes, your Guru can heal and protect you, and even raise you from the dead, if he feels guided by God to do so, or if he guides one of his disciples to perform such a miracle for you. But should we count on that happening? Even though these great ones had such power, did they raise all of their disciples? Clearly not. As I said earlier, such things are reserved for a special purpose.
It is best for all of us to live in such a way that when our time comes, however it comes, Yogananda or one of our Masters is there to greet us as we leave the body. Love God and Guru. Do your best. Do not focus on your faults or past karma, but rather on your strengths. What you focus on will grow. May you be wrapped in the love of the Guru.
Blessings,
Mary Kretzmann
