My father named or nicknamed me as Sufi. As a Hindu I rate it as a great syncretic sentiment. And why not, probably I am the only Hindu in Haryana who is called Sufi.

Coming to Sufism. It’s the best mystical offering by Islam to the overall humanity. The strands of unity, oneness, universal brotherhood and love for all freely waft around from the esoteric Sufi incense. So I am happy to be called Sufi. And ever thankful to my late father!

Sharing here a musical piece for Sufi meditation. Kindly click the link given in the post. Play the music on a bit higher volume so that it takes you in its gripping, haunting pools of melodious surrender to the ultimate. This meditation is best done in a spacious room or hall because it involves swirling around, swinging like a swinging top.

Listen to the initial notes and you will feel some spiritual haunts spreading from the central Asian lands. It is about connecting to mother earth, and from her to the solar system, galaxy and the ultimate. So perform it on naked feet, or be in socks at the most if the climate in your part is too harsh.

Stand still as you listen to the build up of the Sufi melody. Just relax and look within, allowing the enchanting trilling of the music seep into you. Now spread your right arm by your side, raise the arm to the level of your shoulder, elbow turned at an angle and the hand raised up, palm facing upwards. Your elbow shoulder and chest being in a line.

Next, spread the left arm to the other side, keep it comfortably straight, without putting strain to straighten it. The palm spread out and pointing to the ground. The hand dangling at an angle from the horizontal.

And start swirling, go round and round on your feet in anticlockwise direction. Just slowly build up the momentum. There is a difference between exercise and meditation. In the latter your spirit is involved. The body is just the starting point. Keeping the hands as mentioned above, as you start swinging, swirling, allow the divine forces to take control of your body. If you really do it, believe me you won’t fall, because there are balancing forces all around you.

When we stand, we think we are in control of our body and only we are managing the posture of our body. Little do we realise that our apparent control is just an illusion. The all-balancing forces of eternity are what which maintain our standing position. And look at the eternity’s grace, it allows us to think that we are solely responsible for maintaining our standing stature.

Your body will be swinging in circles, like a swinging top, but that is just the outer periphery of your being. After a time, you will realise that just the matter or food body is going in circles. The real you, the axis of your being, the immaterial consciousness, remains immovable. Just like a swinging top swirls around a central nail, you will go within up to the immovable point of your being. The externalities will be swung out by the centrifugal forces of divine realisation. The centripetal forces will suck you into the core of your real being. And the apparent objectives around you—and so will the illusions—will just merge into an all-pervading continuum, one layer of energy, which even quantum physics has verified.

The differences will melt. Going in circles around the point of your consciousness, you will realise it is all just one stream of energy, spreading, transforming, altering, from here to there to everywhere. If you maintain that equipoise of the soul and matter, you can build up the momentum to continue forever! Well, you need not do that of course. Haa Haa!

Socontinue as long as you enjoy the deep sips of solace. After that lie down onyour stomach. Surrender to mother earth and the grandmother eternity. Just lielike a child. You will have the glimpses of that cosmic security and protectionwhen your mother carried you in her womb. Remain like this till the momentum ofmystical oblivion embraces you.

Open your eyes. Take a turn to lie on your back. But move very gently, without giving any jerk to the body. Be so soft as if you want to preserve the softest thing in you. Rub your hands. Place them gently on your face, smile, be thankful to the eternal law for these moments of peace.