Icon Show: Interviews

Indrajaali Photo by Raj Kamal

Biography Indrajaali, or Indra, had been meditating for five years with TM and thought to go to India to discover more about the source of this knowledge. He started out hitchhiking in Canada, which took him to Africa, where he stayed for a year. In Egypt, Kevin wrote to Swamiji, who wrote back and said, "Yes, he could come." Upon arriving in Kullu, Kevin did not completely understand Swamiji's teachings, but he was attracted to the mystery of Swami Shyam's infinite energy; that is why he has spent much of the last fifteen years studying with Swam Shyam. For the past five years Kevin has returned to Winnipeg to give classes on Meditation, Hath Yoga, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Patanjaali Verses. Kevin is my second cousin, a great friend and artist, and a truly Cosmic Magician. Written by Gisele Beaupre Note: Indra has left India and now lives in Canada.

Interview

Gisele: Indra, what was your first impression of Swami Shyam?

Indra: Well, we chatted a bit, and I remember him being very definite in his views. He asked me what I had been doing. I said a bit of reading and writing about philosophy. He said, "That is just copywork," and dismissed it in the swoop of a hand. It took me a few years to see that he was right.

In those days, it was much less geared towards visitors. You just had to jump in at the back of the room and hang on for dear life. He talked much faster than he does now, as if he was on 78 speed all the time. Initially, I didn't know what he was talking about, except that he had a lot of energy and a lot of joy. He was plugged into a huge cosmic battery, and I wanted to know what that was.

Gisele: Did you know right away that you wanted to stay?

Indra: At first, I wasn't totally sure, then Swamiji went on a whirlwind speaking tour about two days after I got there, the kind where you barely sleep for days. When he got back, I went down early, and he looked as fresh as a daisy. I noticed that none of the people who went with him were around. They were all in bed, exhausted. I thought, "How could this be possible? This guy is twice their age, and he did all the work, and they are exhausted. This is weird." Trying to figure out who or what Swami is, is a great recreation. For example, in the scriptures it is written that the realized one is unaffected, but what does that mean? Does it mean that when he stands in the sun he won't get hot? No, it is his body getting hot, not him; he is unaffected. So, the 'I', or spirit, is unaffected. The illusion is very strong that he is a person, but you know intuitively that he is not a human being.

Gisele: What is he then?

Indra: This is the study. This is the only field that I have ever entered into where I have the feeling that I haven't learnt everything there is to learn. The higher you climb, the bigger the view, so this is perpetually interesting.

Transcribed by Gisele Beaupre

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