Cerebral and extra-cerebral memory

This story is called "Cerebral and Extra-Cerebral Memory" and it is taken from the magnificent and inspiring book of Dada Tapesvarananda "Living with Baba".
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In the years 1969 and 1970, Baba gave many amazing demonstrations on different topics related to the laws of spiritual science. One day in 1969, we were with Him at Ranchi. There were just fifteen persons in the room. As we entered the room, Baba said, "Close the door."

We closed the door. Then, He told us, "Everybody should sit in a proper way and keep the backbone straight." Then, He called four particular persons to the front, close to Him. They were Dada Viirabhadraji, Dada Japanandaji, Dada Vandananandaji, and Sudhanshuji. Three were dadas while one was a Margii. They were all in a line in front of Him. Baba told them to repeat their Ista mantra. He said, "Today I will give a demonstration to show what cerebral and extra-cerebral memory is."

He explained that cerebral memory is the ability to think, remember and memorize something with one's brain about things that have happened in this life. Extra-cerebral memory refers to the ability to think, remember or memorize anything of one's past life with one's brain in this life. Hence, cerebral memory is common and every human being possesses it in the present life.

He said that a human being can remember his or her past life until the age of five years. But, due to the love and affection of the present father and mother, the child then forgets his or her previous life. After the age of five years, children cannot remember their past lives. If people can remember their past lives after the age of five years, then they are generally considered to be mad or abnormal.

The brain of this present life does not have the capacity to maintain two personalities. Nature has designed the body and brain in this way. For this very reason, even in this life, human beings forget many things, or we can say, most things. If a person remembers all happenings and events, all joys and sufferings in this life at a given moment, he or she may go mad. Nature has further designed the body in a way that the moment one sleeps, one becomes relaxed, because he forgets even very recent events. The mind gradually empties itself. Sometimes it happens that before the age of five years a child expresses the desire to do something, and the parents are not able to understand the desire of the child. Baba said that the time will come when science proves the reality of rebirth. And when science proves this fact, it will be the end or philosophical death of the so-called religions and of those who do not understand or believe in the science of rebirth. He said "You are not to do anything. Science will investigate whether or not there is rebirth."

Baba continued, "Now, what will I do? I will just remove the samskaras that have been accumulated in this life. Your existence in this life depends upon the samskaras." The mind cannot remain in the physical body without an object. The object comes according to the samskaras. As there will not be any samskaras, thus the reflection of the past life will come into their minds and brains even while they are in this life.

The first person was one brahmacari dada. Baba touched the ajina cakra of the dada using His stick, and then asked, "What you are seeing?" After a while dada said, "Black and red light, Baba."

Baba replied, "All right. If you try to see more it will be difficult for you to remain in this life." Then He told us, "Now I will give him back the samskaras from this life and he will be able to remember his Ista mantra." Baba told the dada to meditate.

The second person was another dada. Shrii Shrii Anandamurtijii touched his ajina cakra and asked him, "What you are seeing?"

That dada tried for more than five minutes to see something. Finally, he told Baba that he could not see anything at all. Baba said, "All right, now you meditate."

The third person was also a dada. Baba touched his ajina cakra, and likewise asked him, "What you are seeing?"
The dada replied, "I am seeing Baba in Janusparsha mudra." Baba told him, "All right, now you can meditate."

The fourth person, Sudhansuji, was a Margii from Ranchi. He was the District Secretary of Ranchi. By profession he was a school teacher and a very great devotee of Baba. Anandamurti touched his ajina cakra asking "What you are seeing?", he jumped up from the floor while making a loud sound like "Hum!" Again, Baba asked him, "What you are seeing?" Sudhanusji replied, "I am seeing Baba in Varabhaya mudra."

After that Baba instructed all the four of them to do sadhana. Then He explained the past lives of these four persons one by one.

Regarding the first brahmacari dada, Baba told us that in his past life he was a very simple and honest man. He used to live in a village. He had a tobacco shop. He used to sell tobacco, and was a smoker himself. One day, while he was smoking, he saw that the fire of the tobacco was very bright when he inhaled. The fire was less intense when he did not inhale. Suddenly he thought to himself, "My life is just like the fire. Somebody is controlling my life, just as I am controlling the fire. I don't know when the fire will finally go out, when it will extinguish itself. God is surely controlling my life in this way. I don't know where God is. I don't even know how to worship Him!" At that very moment as he was thinking of God, he collapsed and died.

Baba told us that this was indeed a very rare life within crores of lives. Then He said, "A man cannot get mukti or moksa without doing sadhana. How then did this brahmacari get rebirth as a renunciate, without either the desire or the samskara for such a rebirth? This dada had no samskara to be born into this life. In the past life, he did not even know what Yama, Niyama and meditation were."

Baba clarified that at the time of his death the man thought of God. He said that this type of soul could get rebirth only when Taraka Brahma comes to the earth in physical form. He got a physical body due to Baba's physical presence on the earth. In this life he is required to do both meditation and social service. Then he would get liberation in this life by the grace of Taraka Brahma.

For the second dada, Baba said that his life was practically in the same category as the first dada. He was not able to see anything because he had no samskaras. Shrii Shrii Anandamurtijii told us that in his previous life he was a village cultivator. He was also a very simple and honest man. From morning to evening he used to remain busy in agricultural work. Sometimes, he used to take his lunch in the field, and at other times in the house.

One day, he took his lunch in the house. After lunch, he went outside the house to wash himself. He had a matka, or water pot, in his left hand. As he came out of his house, he saw that the sun was beginning to set on the western horizon. Looking at the setting sun, he thought to himself, "What type of man am I? I do not remember when the sun rises and when it sets in the evening. For what purpose am I working, and for whom? The sun is now going to set and only now am I taking my lunch. One day my life also will end in a moment like this."

While thinking these thoughts he looked at the setting sun. Suddenly, he collapsed and died. Baba told us, "Without samskaras or desires, his soul was simply moving about in the universe. In this situation, neither can he get mukti nor can he get rebirth. For this reason, I brought him now to Me. He will have to do both meditation and social service, and then he will get liberation."

Regarding the third dada, Vandanananda Avadhuta, Baba told us that he had done meditation in his past life. He had then a Madhyama guru. Neither did he have a Sadguru, nor had he done any social service to humanity. Liberation was, therefore, beyond his reach. In this life he would have to do maximum social service and sadhana. Then, he would get liberation.

Now, regarding the last person, Sudhansuji, Baba told us that in his past life he had also done meditation. He then had an Uttam guru. His guru had told him that the Sadguru would in the near future come on the earth in physical form. Thus, this person developed a strong desire to see the Sadguru in physical form and to serve Him. Whenever Baba used to go Ranchi, this person used to serve Baba. When Anandamurtijii had dental and eye surgery at Ranchi, I was with Him. This Margii used to come every day early in the morning and stay the whole day in Baba's residence. Only at night would he leave and return home.

These incidents show that we are really His specially selected sons and daughters. We did not come to this earth by accident. Neither are we here to engage in worthless material pursuits and pleasures. We are here only to establish His Mission on earth.

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