Question: On the audio tapes about your tapas, you said that Swamiji came to you every month. How did you know it was Swamiji and not an imagination?
Babaji:
In spirituality it is an imagination. Depending on the mind's ability to concentrate, there are three stages in this. The first stage is 'imagination'. Imagination is not an ordinary thing - it is through this capacity of the mind that the whole creation has come about. Depending on the depth of concentration, as the mind's concentration increases, the next stage is 'mental projection', and then the third stage is full physical manifestation. As Swamiji had been the focus of my mind, as the mind's concentration power increased during my tapas, when the mind reached 100% concentration, then it reached the stage of 'mental projection' and so I saw Swamiji. When the mind is 100% concentrated, as its final resolution was 'Swamiji', so Swamiji manifested. At the time I didn't consider whether this was an imagination or Swamiji, the physical manifestation is as real as this world.
When Swamiji took mahasamadhi, I went to a place outside Mysore where Maharishi Markendaya had established an ashram many centuries ago. Here Swamiji manifested and told me, "The time is now ripe for you to do tapas. Go back to Dehra Dun and there you will go into tapas." I replied, "Swamiji there is no strong desire in me at present to do tapas. I would simply like to go about singing of Swamiji and letting people know what a great Yogi You are." He directed me, "The time is now ripe for you to do tapas. I will create circumstances such that you will go into tapas, and your acquired impressions of the mind will compel you." At the time I didn't consider it seriously. I was not sure if it was a true manifestation or simply the product of my mind's grief. But on 10 November He appeared again, and took me into the room and put me into deep meditation. Even then there was still a small doubt in my mind whether I would be able to complete the tapas. But speaking to my elder brother disciple, General Hanut Singhji, he encouraged me. I said, "I don't know if I can do it. I have simply been working all these years in looking after the ashram as Swamiji directed." The General said, "If it is truly Swamiji, then it will happen as He has said, so simply keep going." So I used to sit and the tapas simply happened. Because of the transformation that occurs, then one can tell that it was real.
