Samskaras, Beloved Masters, & Jyotisacaryas ********************* 1. Sources of Blessings – Four Beloved Masters ******************** One does not became a disciple by conuersion, or by accident. There is usually an ancient link, maintained through many lives & flowering as love & trust, without which, there is no discipleship….You do not become a disciple by choice, it is more a matter of destiny than self-will. Frankly speaking, I’ve found it well-nigh impossible to present my astrological Pilgrimage to Moksa without touching upon, at least in brief outline, how I received the blessings for an intense devotional yearning for Moksa on account of my deep involvement with my four beloved Spiritual Masters: Sri Sri Bhagavan in the first instance, & Sri J. Krishnamurti in the second. Sri Sri Bhagavan belongs to the present generation, while Sri J. Krishnamurti belonged to the previous one. 2. DEVOTIONAL YEARNING – BLESSING OR IMPEDIMENT? This is an appropriate juncture to touch upon the paradoxical nature of my devotional yearning for Moksa. While giving me the conviction that has indisputable blessing, strangely, it also seems to have become an important impediment, contributing to the very denial of Moksa. This is not a spiritual dilemma that is unique to me any way, for all seekers who knowingly or unknowingly are thrown on the path of self-unfoldment & self-fulfilment by the force of their destiny are bound to succumb to this paradoxical dilemma: while one appears to be rising & approaching the spiritual goal of Moksa, alas, one may only be slipping & falling away from that very destination’— for want of a better word. HINDU MOKSA:---- (1) Artha & Kama vis-à-vis Dharma & Moksa********* Before we venture to learn something about the esoteric notion of Moksa, it might be good to begin by taking a bird’s eye view of all the Puruswarthas, namely, Dharma, Artha, Kama, & Moksa. These represent the four goals & aspirations of human life in a traditional Hindu society. Understanding the ramifications of these four goals of human life in ancient Hindu society will give us a definite advantage in that it will awaken us to the importance of having to constantly bear in mind the sphere of life – whether Dharma, Artha, Kama, or Moksa – in which the individual in question is actually moving at the time his specific astrological question is being taken up for resolution. A HINDU ASTROLOGICAL PILGRIMAGE INTO THE LIFE & MOKSA OF RAMANA MAHARSI In this latter half of the Pilgrimage, we seek to understand the profound nature & structure of the Moharsi’s Moksa or Liberation from the point of view of the powerful predictive tools, insights, & wisdom of Hindu astrology. 1. The Maharsi’s Place in Sanatana Dharma :-the Moharsi’s place in the annals of Sanatana Dharma is best described in the wprld of one of his earliest biographers, Prof. K. Swaminathan: We might add to this truth by clarifying that the Maharsi, in contrast to the Buddha & Adi Sankara, was no founder of any religion, nor did he even aspire to change the world as great spiritual visionaries & Avatars have sought to do throughout human history. One way to understand his radically different approach to the spiritual well-being of humanity is through our clear recognition that the Maharsi, on account of his advaitic Realization, was in no position to see the world as ‘imperfect & therefore needing improvement’ as compassionate world teachers & Avatars have throughout history. In fact, he found the world to be already immaculate in its perfection. His was the vision of the timeless transcendent God of the Hindu world, Siva Himself.