The Sorcerer

One experience during the Ujjain Kumbh Mela stands out as a turning point for me. Although, it felt like something very far from that at the time.

One night, I went to bed thinking that I would like to meet someone who was highly accomplished spiritually, someone who could teach me. The next morning, I awoke feeling totally drained and debilitated.

By 8:35 I was finally pulling myself together to leave for my 9:00 appointment when a room attendant appeared. He said there was a gentleman who would like to see me, but as this man was infirm, I was asked to go to his room. Not wanting to be late for my appointment, I planned to keep the meeting short.

I was taken to a small, dark room in the servants’ quarters where a tall, thin man with only a small towel across his lap was waiting for me. His hands and legs were emaciated and twisted from some crippling disease. He asked me to take a seat and ordered the servant to leave us alone. I noted the brusqueness of his voice.

“Let me introduce myself,” he said, and with some difficulty handed me his card. “Shri Krishnacharya Maharaj,” it read. I’ll call him “Mr. K.”

He told me he had acquired powers in three areas: medicine, mantras, and astrology. “I heard an astral sound about you,” he said. “You are in a period of nineteen years in which you can achieve anything you desire. Tell me, have the past nine years been ones of comfort and progress?”

I made a quick mental review. “Yes,” I affirmed.

“Let me tell you why I called,” Mr. K said. “I am a sick, old man. These gifts have been in my family for 600 years, and I need to pass them on to someone. I have a 25-year-old son, but he is neither talented nor capable. My divine guide told me that you have reached a stage where you are ready.”  

Several thoughts ran through my mind: Can I believe this man? Have I found the highly accomplished person I was looking for?

“I have already prayed for you and saved this blessing,” he said, and pointed to an orange lying in front of him.

His promises then flowed quickly. “The powers I give you will fulfill all your desires. You will become a multimillionaire. You will spread my message around the world. I want you to establish a monastery in my name, which will cost around three million dollars.” From time to time, he would pause to read my face.

“First, we will have a ceremony to transfer the powers to you.” He asked what it would cost for him to travel to the United States for the ceremony with a servant and a translator.

“Why is it necessary to have the ceremony in the States?” I asked.

“All the temples in Ujjain are very crowded at this time,” he said. “In order to obtain full concentration of my powers, I have to achieve a trance. It takes me around three hours of devotion and worship to acquire that state. The distraction of crowds would prevent this.”

I told him the Chintamani temple was a short distance out of town, and we might be able to do the ceremony there. He said if that can be arranged, he would have no objections. I started to feel that I might be getting into a con game.

I was nervously checking the time, as I was almost an hour late to my appointment. “Don’t worry, you won’t be late,” he said, and handed me the orange. He stated that it was a blessing—a most important gift—and I was not to share it with anyone. As I received it, I felt a chill go through my body.

I soon left to meet my friend Abhimanyu at the Mela grounds. I was an hour late for our appointment. However, Abhimanyu was not there yet. He arrived a few minutes later and apologized for the delay. I recalled Mr. K’s remark that I would not be late for my appointment and wondered how he knew.

As Abhimanyu and I toured the Mela grounds, I told him about the episode. He said I was lucky to get such an offer. I suggested that he meet Mr. K. and give me his evaluation as to whether he was genuine. He agreed.

“How will you know?” I inquired. 

“One cannot hide the sun in a gunny sack,” he said. “If this person is for real, we can get the ceremony done tomorrow.” He was genuinely pleased for me.

As soon as I returned to my room, there was another summons to Mr. K’s quarters. When I arrived, he was counting money. He gave some money to the servant and ordered him to fetch a cart so he could go for a ride. He was as rude and obnoxious to the servant as he was polite to me.

“So, you have decided to do the ceremony tomorrow!” His statement surprised me. I wondered how, sitting in that dark room, he had been privy to my conversation with Abhimanyu.

He proceeded to tell me my yearly income and how much money I had earned in the past. He was close. But I was nervous about his emphasis on money and felt like he was laying a trap.

“I am going to give you formulas for power, prestige, and wealth,” he said. “You will spread them around the world. You will have to build a monastery for me, and you will pay me fifteen hundred rupees a month for services I will render. What a small amount, considering the benefits you will receive!”

Now I started to feel sorry for him. He was not the accomplished spiritual figure I was looking for. It seemed he was a con man, and I felt leery of him.

He obviously could read my face. “Is there any hesitancy?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I do not make such major decisions without consulting three people. One is my wife, another is someone smarter than myself, and the third is my divine guide. I will give you my decision tomorrow.”

He mentioned that my wife was not there, and he inquired who the person smarter than me was and how I would contact my divine guide. “Yes, my wife is not here,” I said. “But I will ask my friend Abhimanyu, who is smarter than me, and then contact my divine guide in my sleep.”

He was incensed. “You must make a decision right now! Any other person will give you wrong advice because of jealousy. The slightest hesitancy or doubt will destroy the gift!” I wished he knew that the left part of my brain was trained to doubt! I was not buying it.

“Did you not feel my presence in your dreams last night?” he inquired.

Oh! I thought. That son of a bitch tapped my subconscious! No wonder I was so tired.

That evening, I told Abhimanyu my decision was negative. “Good,” he said. “I told my wife about it, and she said I should not let you get involved with such powers and people.”

“A woman’s intuition at work?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “She is a religious person who worships a lot. She thinks such people are dangerous. She believes only in worship of God with devotion.”

Abhimanyu said that Mr. K had used worship to acquire powers for personal gain, and that is looked down upon in our Hindu way of life. True worship results in humility and service, and does not seek power. Achieving Godliness leads to unity with all. But, when one acquires personal power through prayers, it leads to pride and self-centeredness. One then becomes a sorcerer, not a holy person. It not only stops future progress for the worshiper, but also harms others.

That night, there seemed to be a peculiar presence in my room. I felt that Mr. K. must be trying to influence my decision. It was an eerie feeling. For the first time in memory, I was afraid to turn off the lights.

This was the last straw. I will finish this damn thing, I thought. But, will I be able to match wits with this sorcerer? I felt as fragile as an eggshell. I realized that I was afraid of Mr. K. Ah! I am no better than he is, this person I pitied for having such an ego!

Suddenly it was all clear. Only my ego could be scared, not “I,” my true self. “I” am one with the entire creation, only an instrument. My world is safe. For a momentary flash, I felt a total sense of unity with the universe. I was no longer afraid. Instead, I was laughing out loud. I shut off the lights and had a sound sleep.

The next morning, I was called by Mr. K again. I purposely delayed for 30 minutes before going to his room.

He was all upset, and his hands were shaking. He reminded me of a fish out of water. He already knew my decision. He was loud, out of control, almost violent.

“What is your decision?!” he demanded.

I told him of the wonderful sleep I had last night, and that my decision was obvious to me in the morning. “The powers you are trying to give me are best suited for people like you, not me. There will be more competent people who will come and accept this gift from you.”

Oh, was he angry! He described his abilities to destroy people. He said he could create hundreds of people like me. He tried all sorts of threats. He said he had tried all his powers to get me to Ujjain. Now I believed he was afraid his powers did not work.

I was sorry to leave him in this deep agony, which was of his own creation. Abhimanyu remarked that this fellow had tried to entice me with the four weapons: persuasion, greed, threats, and disunity.

Later that afternoon, Mr. K called for me again. I again waited a while before going to his quarters.

He was most apologetic for his behavior that morning. “My blessings will always be with you,” he said. “You are like a son to me. Let us keep the transfer of powers pending.”

He said he would like to give me some medicinal formulas, and I should try to market them. He claimed that his formulas would make me a multimillionaire. He was not a businessman, so he needed my marketing “smarts.” His share as inventor would come out only after my profits. Then he offered to show me around town and explain all the salient points of the area, if I would get us a taxi.

He was an excellent manipulator, again trying to use persuasion and greed—even bargaining for a free ride during the Mela! I said I would give him an answer the next day.

I asked Abhimanyu if I should give the guy a hundred rupees to get rid of him. He suggested that there are better causes for charity.

Attempting to bring an end to this bizarre situation, I told Mr. K that my divine guide said that all his troubles were caused by his ego, and I really could not be of too much help to him. He looked defeated, like a man who had lost everything in a card game.

The following day as I was leaving my room, I found him outside in the courtyard, well-dressed and sitting majestically on a cart. He remarked that there had been some misunderstanding and “obstacles” in our relationship and suggested that we keep the channels open for future contact.

That was the last time I saw him.

I was disappointed that Mr. K was not the man I was seeking. I felt as if the entire experience was some kind of test for me.

Only later did I realize that a real shift had taken place within me. I was no longer impressed with those kinds of powers. In the right hands, powers can be used for good, but in the wrong hands they only build one’s ego—and ego is always attached to fear. After that, I knew that I only get scared when I forget that I am just one small part of the whole, a child of the universe. When I remember that, who can harm me in any way?

Angels come in all forms. I now believe that, to help awaken me to this understanding, an angel came to me in the form of a con man and sorcerer called “Mr. K.”