Ashutosh Maharaj--the mystery of his samadhi

Ashutosh Maharaj, founder of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, at Nurmahal, a small town near Jalandhar, was declared clinically dead on the night of 28-29 January 2014. However his followers claimed he was only in samadhi, and would soon revive. The latest news [4 February] is that his body is actually being preserved in a freezer, but his death is yet to be announced, with followers still expecting him to awaken from samadhi. According to some sources, declaration of his death was being delayed because of a succession dispute. Ashutosh Maharaj founded the Sansthan, known in English as the Divine Light Awakening Mission, in 1991. It has branches all over India and across the world. Its aim is to bring world peace and unite everyone in a ‘Global family’. He claimed to provide a knowledge of ‘Brahm Gyan’ and to awaken the divine light within, and preached from the scriptures of various religions. Was he a genuine guru? The main criticisms of him on the internet are from orthodox Sikh groups, as he attempted to go into Sikhism’s basic tenets, and remove all external symbols, such as wearing the hair long, etc. Another comment is from a former devotee who describes his initiation process and complains that he never saw any inner light, and nor did anyone else. However, Ashutosh's message seems worthwhile, though even his disciples are not united in ‘one family’.

Agastya--An ancient guru

Agastya is a guru of very ancient times, referred to in the the Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, Brahmanas and Aranyakas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and other texts. Agastya was rather short, and has been described as ‘dwarfish’. He was said to have been born from a pitcher, into which the gods Mitra and Varuna dropped their semen, when they saw the beautiful apsara, Urvashi. Thus he was known as Kumbhayoni (born in a pitcher) or Maitravaruni. He was the brother of Vasishtha, who was born at the same time in a similar way. Agastya was very learned, well versed in the VEDAS, and in the use of various magical weapons. Though he was an ascetic, he finally married, as he was told only those with sons who could perform their ancestral rites, could enter heaven. Out of the essence of all living beings, he created a beautiful girl named Lopamudra, and gave her as a daughter to the king of Vidarbha. It was this Lopamudra, whom he later married. They had a son named Dridhasyu, also called Idmavaha, who chanted the Vedas at birth. There are many stories about how Agastya went to south India and remains there still. Agastya is the traditional author of various texts, including the Agastya Gita which forms part of the Varaha Purana, the Agastya Samhita in the Skanda Purana, and the Dvaidha-Nirnaya Tantra. In south India, he is known as Agattiyar, and mentioned in Sangam literature. There are several other Agattiyars, the most well-known being one of the Tamil siddhas. The Matsya Purana states that he who worships Agastya, rules over the entire world (M.61.44-55). The Theosophical society of India included him in their mystical hierarchy and believe he exists and takes care of India even today. [summarized from Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide].