Journey of a Soul

Of millions of cars in the street across the world, GPS has changed the way people reach their destinations. In the early age human beings had a limited mobility in terms of the land they could reach. With the evolution of the species and its interaction with the nature's creations, man started conquering lands then water and air. Technological advances raised mankind to new heights when we floated in the space and landed on the moon.

On the earth evolved a more sophisticated species from a mere four limb crawler to a man who created cars and rockets. Roads were built and man started exploring new lands. Every man, woman and child realizes the joy within when he or she steps on a new place on earth, may be a few hundred miles from where he or she was born or across continents in a new country. When one watches the sun rise from a shore of the sea in an unknown land, the ecstasy and the joy within surpasses all adventures and achievements. As the man feels the warmth of the rising sun, he slowly closes his eyes to absorb the energy and that brings smile to his face. Even when he knows it is the same sun he has always opened his eyes to. It's a indefinite joy and cannot be defined in words. It's personal and intimate and can only be felt.

On his journey of never ending conquest and search for the knowledge, man created roads and highways, ocean routes, air traffic routes and even a definite route to the moon and beyond. Man started travelling in seek of something unknown, something new. And suddenly he realized the importance of guidance. Guidance for the traveler, information of the route undertaken and definition of the destination. Our ancestors created landmarks and monuments, rigorously drafted maps and learned to read the stars for not getting lost. The twenty first century man created the GPS, the global positioning system. Twenty four earth orbiting satellites powered by the energy of the sun send signals to the earth for man to navigate. The GPS unit in the car and in hand receives the signals and guide us to our destinations.

If we divert from the route shown by the GPS, it guides us back to the original route, at least it tries. If the driver is adamant to take a different route, GPS always re aligns by recalculating the driver's location as how to reach the destination. Eventually he reaches his destination. The driver has the option to set up the navigation options in his GPS. He can choose the shortest route, fastest route, whether to avoid toll roads or take a particular scenic route. And man follows the GPS because he believes in his choices, he believes in the options he set for himself. But man knows he has to reach his destination , destination that he chose. And he does.

The world is governed and run by the supreme power in a fashion similar to Satellite and the Driver. Replace Sun with the ultimate power, Satellite with God we believe in, Signals with the spiritual energy, GPS with the Guru, Options with the methods of belief, GPS instructions with the faith and rules, driver with the soul, car with the life, highways with the path to salvation, new lands with the realm of self realization and happiness, and destination with the Supreme God.

Some drivers choose not to use a Guru or GPS. Sometimes they use their instinct, sometimes knowledge and sometimes maps. Some of them make it to the destination some of them don't. Some people choose to get a Guru. Their journey of life becomes easy and they reach the destination. That also calls for constant education for the disciple and the Guru, in other words maps and software upgrade for the GPS and education for driver. That ensures the driver reaches destination or in other words soul reaches to the Master.

PS: Guruji CB Satpathy in his book "Shirdi Sai Baba and other perfect masters" wrote a chapter 'The divine journey of the soul' written between 1991-95 and later published in the book. I came across this book towards the end of 2013