Does Sri Gorakshanath’s shakti manifest through different human forms? Is this Lord Shiva’s manifestation? Is Mahavatar Baba the manifestation of the collective divinity of Himalayan saints and siddhas? Did Ashwasthama of the Mahabharat manifest through Hairakhan Babaji? Has Hairakhan Baba taken birth in human form? Or entered the body of any yogi through shakti diksha or kaya pravesh? Has this divine personality taken different forms while remaining immersed in samadhi and maintaining a singular identity? What do the saints of the Himalayas have to say about this? What is the current thought and acceptance in yogic and philosophical terms? To answer these questions. I underlook an indefinable journey the journey of life. I visited innumerable sacred places, met many great saints and sages, both known and unknown. We can join the dots in retrospect, but looking ahead, the future remains unknown until we have realised that the future itself is in the past. This book has been written as a broad-based search. The writer, Romola Butalia, given the name of Sriji at the Kumbha in Ujjain, has made incalculable effort through varied and often difficult terrain, visiting many ancient sacred temples, teerth sthans or places of pilgrimage and tapasya sthals where tapasya or austerities have been performed. It is written from anubhuti or experience, with bhav or devotion and from the heart, while still remaining an analytical study. ‘Jaki rahin bhavna jaisi, Prabhu murat dekhi tin taisi’ (According to our devotion will be our experience) Direct experience is not measurable and remains inexplicable. Even at a sacred place, all will not experience the same energy. It is directly connected to the individual’s vibrations and his bhav. For one without purity of purpose it can, at best, be a pleasurable experience; a change from his usual state of mind, nothing more. The mind that moves will continue to move. It may be stilled momentarily, but the effects will not be lasting, the memory will be merely of the pleasant, it will not have a transformational impact.

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About the Author(s)

Romola Butalia did her Masters from Delhi School of Economics before establishing herself as a journalist of repute. With the advent of satelite television in India, she shifted to the visual medium, later making different kinds of films. She was one of the first to explore the potential of the Internet as a partner in India’s first horizontal portal. Thereafter, she became head of portals for India’s second largest multi-channel portal. She continues to be Editor of India Travelogue: www.indiatravelogue.com Her search for Truth led to a continued tryst with the Himalayas and the blessings of many sant-mahatmas. Her first book, In the Presence of the Masters, has been widely acclaimed. As a practitioner in the tradition of the Himalayan yogis, she is known as Sriji. She can be contacted by e-mail: editor@indiatravelogue.com