Palace in the Air & Sun at Midnight

It is an incident of 1861. Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri, who later became a famous yogi and saint, was then serving as an accountant at Danapur Cantt in Patna. He received a telegraphic order for his transfer to Ranikhet. There was no possibility of any transfer but anyway when the order was already issued, Sri Lahiri joined his duties at Ranikhet.

There was Drona Hill (also called Dunagri) in front of his new office. During his office hours he used to feel some light voice, as though someone was attracting him towards the hills. For two days he suppressed those unknown inspirations, but the third day he had to go.

Though the darkness of night had not fallen but the Sun had almost set. On climbing up Drona Hill Sri Lahiri was amazed at the beauty of nature. He was watching this unique piece of art of the creator and thinking that how much effort a person has to make to develop a small garden, then how powerful that Being (God) is who has developed this entire earth as a garden and who is taking care of it all the time.

He was about to return home when he heard a light pleasant sound — Vatsa (My Son)! Wait! Lahiri turned back and what he saw was that Sun had already set, but in the same direction at a distance of about 100 yards a small circle of the size of a silver coin was spreading divine light. It appeared as if a polestar had climbed down on the earth.

Sri Lahiri had once read from the Rigveda (6/9/4–5):

Ayam hot a prathamah pashyatemamidam jyotiramritam mrishyershu Ayam sajagye dhruva aa nishattoamartya stanva vardhamanah Dhruva jyotirnihitam drishyekam mano javishthim patayaswatantah Vishwadevah samanasah saketa ekam kritumabhi viyanti sadhu.

That is — This immortal soul accompanies the perishable body. This consciousness is in the form of divine light, and brilliance. In the greed for worldly pleasures this brilliance diminishes and becomes a cause for downfall. On the other hand, making it adopt the Supreme Soul augments it and it develops invisible and strange capabilities.

A voice was heard again from that brilliant aura of light: 'Dear! You have not been transferred simply from Danapur. This transfer was forced to be executed. You have not come on this hill on your own. You have been brought here. Now you come with me and you should complete the objective for which you have been called here.'

Sri Lahiri followed that brilliant source of light. That source stopped near one cave. Sri Lahiri saw that the light had disappeared and one sadhu was smiling there. He called — Shyamacharan! Don't fear; come near me.

Mr. Lahiri's amazement increased further when he heard his name called by a stranger. The sadhu replied: "I know that you had a lot of trouble in coming from Danapur to this place. But this task is much more important than that. That is why I inspired your office to transfer you to this place. It was my attraction that brought you here. You have forgotten me and you have forgotten this place too. Now I will make you recall all those things." The yogi came near Lahiri and kept his right hand on his head. Lahiri felt a strange shock. He felt as if some electric power was filling his body. Body slowly became soft, lassitude vanished, the darkness of mind got dissolved, the wisdom got refined. Everything was supernatural.

Like a dream, Lahiri in that state saw that he was a yogi in his previous birth and that the sadhu was his spiritual teacher. He recalled that in his previous birth though he practiced yoga, the desires for worldly pleasures could not be eliminated. He saw a shining sun and in the divine light saw an elegant and decorated palace where all the means of worldly pleasures were present.

The yogi said: "My Son! You must be hungry — see that pot there — whatever you wish you can take from that pot and eat. Today's work is over — You have recognized yourself — The next step is that I will give you Deeksha (initiation) of Kriya-yoga, so that you can earn that knowledge and power with which you can keep alive Indian yoga, religion and philosophy."

Sri Lahiri found and ate such delicacies from that pot which might not have been available hundreds of miles from there. The first interaction of that combined power of consciousness and yoga made his devotion firm. The impression of the previous birth also got awakened and now he was feeling confident and ready to practice Kriya-yoga. Once he recognized that the sadhu was his spiritual teacher, he vowed to him and then returned to wind up things at home.

This incident has been described by Swami Yogananda in his book titled "Autobiography of a Yogi". The incident was narrated to him by his Guru Swami Yukteswar Giri, who was the disciple of Sri Lahiri Mahasaya.

Sri Lahiri was once returning from Ranikhet and stopped at Muradabad to meet his friends. He narrated this incident to them. The friends were under the influence of western culture and made fun of Lahiri. Lahiri was pained and he invoked his Guru. The latter appeared in the form of a shadow in the light spot and clarified all the doubts of his friends. But he also warned Lahiri and said — "The aim of acquiring yogic powers is to fulfill the needs of self-upliftment and social welfare. You should never again indulge in such cheap demonstration of powers, otherwise you will again become guilty of corrupting it." Sri Lahiri regretted deeply for his mistake. After that he completely abandoned public demonstration of his powers of yoga and got fully engrossed in achieving the desired goal as assigned to him by his Sadguru Maha Awatar Babaji.