Unveiling the Mysteries of Himalayan Yoginis

“Padmagandha, a yogini who has spent the last 300 years in deep meditation in the Himalayas and practiced multiple body transferences.”

This anecdote speaks of the esoteric and devotional practices found in the Himalayas associated with superhuman women called yoginis.

## Introduction: The Quest Beyond Life and Death:

Since time immemorial, there have been people who went on a journey that was no less than extraordinary to solve the riddle of what is beyond life and death. Pandit Arun Sharma was one such explorer who embarked on a mystical expedition to investigate truth’s depths. On this route, he met many yogis including Padmagandha, an enigmatic Buddhist nun whose spiritual practice had itself gone for over 300 years. What made this more surprising is that she looked like any other woman in her late twenties though age wise she could easily be considered as ancient. Among other things, Padmagandha also disclosed to Mr Sharma how Lord Krishna managed to cite its entire Bhagavad Gita before Arjuna when chaos was at its highest point during war. Welcome to "Epic Sanatan Tales." In today's post, we delve into the extraordinary life and mystical powers of Padmagandha, a yogini who has been in deep meditation for 300 years.

 

## The Mystical Attraction to Tibet:

In his teenage years, Pandit Arun Kumar Sharma experienced a sudden and unaccountable yearning for Tibet. He says that he didn’t go to Tibet just for fun or as a geographical exploit but because he wanted to understand religious practices, tantric cultures and also the mystical life of people there. He wished to commune with the ancient yogis and seekers who were living in secret in hidden places within the country.

Most people think that Tibet is inhabited by only Buddhist lamas and monks. This is not true. Hidden behind snow-covered mountains are numerous caves and remote sanctuaries where immortal yogis reside, known only to few people. These yogis belong to spiritual groups called “mandalis,” which are guided towards higher consciousness by spiritual masters. These masters maintain psychological contact with their disciples throughout their lives and provide them with regular spiritual support.

 

## Padmagandha, the Attained Buddhist Nun:

Prior to Pandit Sharma’s trip to Tibet, he met a remarkable yogini called Padmagandha who had an inextricable spiritual affiliation with one of these hideaway mandalas. At that point in time, Padmagandha was a Buddhist nun living in Devprayag. Previously, she had been born wealthy in Vaishali as the daughter of a merchant and then gone on to become a nun under the Buddha. Over centuries her soul advanced on the path and achieved divine-consciousness and self-realization.

Padmagandha’s appearance was stunning. She had a glowing complexion, wore only simple saffron colored robes and had big peaceful eyes which looked wise. Although she was nearly one hundred years old yet appeared as if she were twenty-eight or thirty years old.

 

## The meeting at Devprayag:

One evening in the month of Kartik (autumn season), Pandit Sharma found himself on the banks of the river at Devprayag, wrapped in a blanket to protect himself from the cold. Suddenly, Padmagandha appeared from nowhere and sat next to him. He had an indescribable sensation that his entire self was vibrating with energy.

The moon of the eighth day of waxing phase just began to rise behind distant Himalayan peaks and trees casting an ethereal glow over everything. Padmagandha started conversation by asking where he was from and why he had come here. “I’m looking for life only and that’s my purpose,” overwhelmedly replied Pandit Sharma.

Padmagandha looked deeply into his eyes sending chills down his spine. From this time onwards, they met daily in their satsangs (A gathering of truth) as well as he passed full nights studying profound teachings of Buddhist nun. Time seemed to freeze during these satsangs; sometimes, even without noticing it, the moon would set behind mountains and trees.

## The Secret of Eternal Youth:

There came a day when Pandit Sharma could pluck up the courage to ask Padmagandha why she looked so young for her age. Smiling gently, she said, ‘There is no mystery here: “prana”, or the life force, and time are one and the same thing In exercising control over the prana, one gains mastery over time; the years glides by, but hardly leaves a mark on the physical person.

She went on to narrate how human beings are just like machines with flesh, blood, bones and marrow and has got some kind of a life force power energy. It is apparent that as long as this life force or energy is performing the respiratory process that the body is capable of functioning. As soon as the soul leaves the vessel, the vessel has no more function.

## The Power of Consciousness:

Padmagandha explained to Pandit Sharma that combination of life force energy, mind power and soul power form one energy known as ‘chitta shakti’ which is the final power in Tantra. In the human body, however, this power is in the heart. So long as there exists in the heart this power, the body is said to be alive, but when the power has moved away from the heart the body then becomes dead.

Religiously, man is a miniature universe, and the constituent of the body is the same as that of the universe. The connection between the body and the universe is so deep that even the truth that is beyond the universe can only be apprehended through the body.

Consciousness has seven stages: awake, inactive sleep, dreaming, Turya, the aggregate of all awareness, divinity, and the god Shiva. In yogic terms, these are known as the seven realms of consciousness. There are also three main states of consciousness: life, Shiva and eternal Shiva which are three states of separation.

 

## Conclusion: A Journey of Spiritual Awakening:

What Padmagandha has taught, has enlightened Pandit Arun Kumar Sharma into a new dimension. His trip to Tibet, thus his meeting with the educated Buddhist nun became the turning point of his life and offers him the path to explore the enigma of life and the spiritual force which operates within the universe as well as within oneself.

Forcing the princess was unwise and potentially lethal to Padmagandha so instead she taught Pandit Sharma the source of life and death and youth were not in the body but in the force and the spirit that was contained within. He is one of the most enigmatic and the most inspiring characters of all students of truth and this journey puts the mystery into a perspective that we can easily call awe-inspiring.