Sadhguru says in the quietest of minds, the Divine reveals itself, as clear as the sky mirrored in a still lake. To dissolve in the Divine is not to lose oneself but to find one’s true reflection in the endless sky.
Story | Bank of River Ajay | January 14, 2024
Sadhguru: Under a canopy of towering banyans on the bank of a serene lake, nestled in the quiet valleys of the Himalayas, a young seeker named Ishan knelt before his guru. A single glance at the lake was enough to calm his breath, yet his soul longed for more than stillness—he yearned to know the mysteries beyond his mind's grasp. His guru, sage Sarvananda, watched him intently, sensing Ishan's restlessness, his desire for a transcendence that seemed just beyond his reach.
"Ishan," Sarvananda began, "look at this lake. Do you see how still it is, how it mirrors the sky above?"
Ishan nodded, his eyes tracing the perfect reflection of the blue heavens, each cloud, each gleam of sunlight resting upon the lake’s surface. "Yes, Gurudev, it's beautiful… unbroken. Even the smallest ripple seems to vanish within seconds."
In the quietest of minds, the Divine reveals itself, as clear as the sky mirrored in a still lake.
"This lake," the sage continued, "is like the mind when trained in the essence of Sri Vidya. Sri Vidya, in its deepest form, reveals the connection between your finite self and the boundless, unchanging essence of consciousness."
"But how, Gurudev?" Ishan asked. "I have meditated, chanted, and observed. I feel peace, but how do I reach this boundless reflection?"
The sage closed his eyes, momentarily merging with the silence. "It is not enough to quiet the mind, my child. Just as a lake must be free of disturbance to mirror the sky, your mind must be refined through a journey of inner union. A lake doesn't attempt to reflect; it simply does, because it is clear, open, and receptive. Sri Vidya is not a practice you adopt but a realization you embody."
The words settled into Ishan's heart like seeds, and his curiosity deepened. "Then, how do I make my mind like the lake, Gurudev? How can I become that reflection?"
Sarvananda motioned for Ishan to sit. "First, let me tell you a story of a seeker who once had questions similar to yours. This is a tale from long ago when the earth was young, and the Goddess herself walked among us in secret."
True surrender is not giving up; it is becoming a vessel wide enough to hold the entire universe.
The Tale of Sarvananda
Long ago, in a small village near the river Ajay, lived a man named Sarvananda. Like Ishan, he sought something beyond the material world, feeling a pull toward the divine mysteries, particularly those enshrined in Sri Vidya. He would sit by the river each day, chanting and praying, hoping for a glimpse of the infinite.
One night, after many years of devoted practice, a luminous figure appeared before him. She was Devi Matangi, a revered form of the Divine Mother, known as the goddess of inner wisdom. Her radiance was soothing, her aura the shade of the midnight sky, adorned with celestial patterns that seemed to shift and shimmer as she moved.
The lake does not try to capture the sky; it simply rests in stillness, letting the heavens find a home in its depths.
"Sarvananda," she spoke, her voice echoing like a distant melody, "you have called upon me, and I am here. But I am not the end of your journey. The true path lies in understanding how you, too, are woven into the tapestry of my being."
Sarvananda fell to his knees, overcome by her presence. "Devi, please show me the way to know the infinite, to see you in everything. I have tried for years, but my mind feels like the sky clouded by storm—sometimes clear, but often troubled."
The goddess smiled, "Your heart seeks me, Sarvananda, but your mind is bound by itself. Sri Vidya is not a quest to conquer the divine but to align with it, as a lake aligns with the sky. In the lake’s stillness, it does not distort; it does not interpret—it reflects."
In the depth of silence, we meet the hum of the cosmos—the language of the Divine beyond words.
She gestured to a nearby pond, and as Sarvananda looked upon it, the water began to shimmer, revealing visions of the cosmos, endless galaxies, and the subtle heartbeat of creation itself. In its depth, he could see not only stars but also himself, not as a separate entity but as an inseparable part of the vastness. It was a glimpse of eternity.
Yet as he watched, the pond rippled, and the vision disappeared. His mind returned to its usual grasping, to the limits of his understanding.
The goddess spoke again, "The ripples are your thoughts, your attachments, the ‘I’ that disrupts the clarity. This journey is not one of seeking answers but dissolving the need to seek. Surrender your identity to the divine. Offer your mind to the Great Mother, and she will make it her own, her mirror."
The journey of a seeker ends not in knowing, but in becoming—where the soul itself reflects the infinite.
Ishan’s Quest for Reflection
Back in the present, Ishan sat with his guru, deeply moved by the story. "But, Gurudev," he said with hesitation, "how can I surrender my mind? How can I dissolve the ‘I’?"
Sarvananda smiled, sensing Ishan’s deep yearning. "Come," he said, "tonight we will meditate by the lake together. In that stillness, let the Divine Mother reveal herself to you."
That evening, as dusk settled and stars began to shimmer over the lake, Ishan sat cross-legged, his guru beside him. Together, they chanted the sacred mantras of Sri Vidya, invoking the presence of the Goddess within their minds and hearts. The rhythmic chanting seemed to carry them beyond time, and slowly, Ishan’s thoughts began to fade, merging into the gentle hum of the mantra.
Like a lake in the dawn, the mind, once still, catches the light of eternity within.
As his mind quieted, Ishan felt a powerful sense of vastness, as if the lake had seeped into his soul, filling him with an unfathomable stillness. The thoughts that had once seemed so pressing now seemed like distant whispers. His inner vision expanded, opening him to a presence far greater than his own.
Then, as his mind grew even quieter, he sensed something extraordinary—a resonance, a soundless hum that reverberated within him, as if his very essence was vibrating in harmony with the lake, the sky, and the stars above. It was as if the universe was breathing within him, singing a song that was both ancient and eternally new.
For the first time, he understood the nature of Sri Vidya, not as a concept but as an experience. He was not separate from the divine; he was a reflection, a part of it, just as the lake reflected the infinite sky. The mantra was no longer something he chanted—it was a frequency, a rhythm within which he moved, breathed, and lived.
In the surrender of the self, the heart becomes a mirror, and the spirit sings in harmony with the eternal.
The Awakening
Ishan did not know how long he had been meditating when he opened his eyes. His guru sat beside him, his eyes filled with kindness, as though he understood every bit of the transformation Ishan had experienced.
"Gurudev," Ishan whispered, his voice trembling, "I… I felt something. I don’t have the words, but I felt as if the universe was within me, and I was within it. It was as if I became the reflection itself."
The sage nodded. "That is the essence of Sri Vidya. When the mind becomes like a lake, it can reflect the infinite. You have tasted a glimpse of the truth. Now your task is to nurture this clarity until it becomes your natural state. In that state, you will not need to search for divinity. You will live as an embodiment of it."
Ishan bowed, his heart swelling with gratitude. For the first time, he felt that his journey was not one of striving or seeking, but of surrendering and becoming a vessel. He understood now that Sri Vidya was not merely a path or a set of practices; it was the gentle clearing away of all that clouded his mind so that his true self could emerge, the self that was as vast and timeless as the sky itself.
The Spirit’s Eternal Hum
Years passed, and Ishan continued to meditate by the lake, his mind growing ever more serene, his spirit aligned with the cosmic hum he had once only glimpsed. Each day, he offered himself to the Divine Mother, his thoughts, his desires, his very self dissolving into her vast embrace.
In time, Ishan himself became a teacher, guiding others to the lake and teaching them the art of Sri Vidya. He no longer sought visions or answers, for he had realized that the greatest truth lay not in the destination but in the journey itself, in the ever-deepening reflection of the infinite within his heart.
And so, just as the lake mirrored the sky, his mind, trained in Sri Vidya, became a living reflection of the boundless universe, and his spirit, attuned to the divine hum, resonated with the energy of the Goddess herself.
