Nirvikalpa Samadhi and Onwards

In 1984, Bhagavan realised Brahman in nirvikalpa samadhi. Soon afterwards, many devotees began to flock around Him. Within just a few days of meeting him, several of them started to experience significant spiritual realisations. The first of these was an old lady, whom Bhagavan used to call, “Mashima (Auntie)". After her samadhi, she declared that her house was an ashram and that, one day, Bhagavan would become so well known that he would not get time to bath and take meals. Many people arrived and quickly achieved samadhi, even though they did not perform any austerities and did not initially display any of the qualifications of the aspirant normally insisted upon in the scriptures. Gradually, various young devotees appeared. Bhagavan became lost in their love, for they were very pure and enthusiastic. These young devotees also forgot everything and became totally immersed in his love. Greatly positive changes appeared in the young devotees, some of whom had previously been rather badly behaved.     

Gradually, however, the local society of Maligaon, a suburb of Guwahati, began to oppose him, as they did not want him to continue giving their children spiritual training. This was a very well-off society in which everyone was very much attached to the idea of getting an education and career, and almost every family had members living abroad, studying or working in high-powered jobs. In such a society, anyone who appears to disrupt this order of things in the younger generations is looked upon very ill, regardless of the love he manifests and the wisdom of his teachings. Bhagavan, on the other hand, was always mindful of the wish of his gurudev, Swami Pavitrananda Maharaj, that he should do all he possibly could for the welfare of mankind. The highest help is indeed spiritual help, as spiritual help is the only help that is permanent for a soul, and the longest lasting for the world.

Eventually, the opposition turned violent. Although Bhagavan, his devotees and family were all attacked, Bhagavan was unmoved, and the work of IVS continued, sometimes in unusual and remote places. He asked his devotees to focus their lives completely on attaining spiritual realisations.

From 1993, the young devotees, one by one, began to enter nirvikalpa samadhi, the deepest possible samadhi, in which comes the full realisation of Brahman. It is said that in a cycle of twelve years, normally only one or two people in the whole world achieve nirvikalpa samadhi. Such is the power of Bhagavan. For this reason, although at that time he was still generally known as, ‘Guruji,’ his devotees recognised that he was, in truth, an incarnation of God.

Bhagavan’s first divine manifestation occurred in the year 1997 before one of the young devotees, with a couple more devotees arriving on the scene shortly afterwards. For the first time, the devotees had a clear glimpse of Godhood in him, so they began to perform arati and offer him bhog. This was a turning point for IVS as not only Vedanta, but also the descent of God began to be preached. Later that day, Bhagavan was inspired to give six devotees sannyasa.

Other divine manifestations followed. People would see him in the forms of Rama, Krishna or Kali, then enter a deep samadhi. However, at this time there were still two entities in him; Guruji and Bhagavan. Godhood became fully established in him in a huge samadhi in 2002 in Benares. The effects were so strong that he became so weak he had to be hospitalised for four days. On the 23rd of February 2003, numerous people realised that he is God and entered samadhi. This day is now known as ‘Anandotsav’. Following this, Bhagavan declared that the news of his coming would reach every corner of the world.

About a year later, foreign travellers began to trickle into the Benares ashram and participate in its spiritual life, and the November of 2005 saw the first Annual Convention of IVS attended by devotees from abroad. Now, one year later, Bhagavan has several foreign devotees that have achieved significant realisations, all affirming that Bhagavan is indeed God.