GOVINDA DAS
Govinda Das Aghori (Jimmy Penzo -
Chioggia 27/1/63), author of this site, since the adolescence undertakes the
spiritual search. In Italy he visits and deepens various schools and in 1986 it
lands in India discovering the sadhus avadhut. He lives in different ashram
experimenting various sadhana (spiritual path) up to when he arrives in
Omkareshwar and meets Baba Krishna Das Aghori. Fascinated by the aghora
philosophy, he becomes disciple of the Baba staying at his ashram for different
years.
Returned to Italy, he has worked as ayurvedic masseur and yoga teacher.
Today he lives in Perugia, is gotten married and works in a therapeutic
community in the sector of the mental health.
The site proposes to spread and to let know the Aghori culture too often
misunderstood and stigmatized as one dark "sect".
Glass painting by Govinda Das
Searching for a guru is a fundamental part of our spiritual lives, that’s why I vagabonded on this planet searching for the spark that could light the sacred fire that was already in me. That’s because I draw on from various sources, thirsty of knowledge. I must say that Nath and Aghori Babas have always aroused a strong attraction in me than any other reality I met on my spiritual path.
One day, in my wander, I reached Omkareshwar. I was attracted by Joth lingam, the Narmada River and the island with the form of OM at the heart of the River. I came from Hampi: in peace on the bank of the river, between meditations and fasting, with the long bhajan and fragrant cilum near the fire with friends, between the smooth, multicolored rocks and water that flowed spurting.
It was seven months that I wasn’t speaking (mun), observing one of the best sadhana to know the human soul, in that silence I have learnt to listen to the others, to the Mother, to myself.
As I arrived to Omkareshwar, a friend Puri Baba said: "there is one of your brother at the heart of the island, let’s go to find him!". I nodded and curiously we start to walk towards GoriSomnath Mandir, an ancient complex partly in ruins, where is the most ancient and largest lingam stone in India. The Mandir was not open to the public and all around there were archaeological excavations. There had their austerity Parvati, the Pandava and many of the great Indian wise and the majesty of the three floor Mandir underscore it. There was an indescribable charm, every pore of my skin felt a kind of electricity from the temple. It was located exactly at the heart of the island, at the meeting of the three lines forming the OM.
I looked around and saw a small ashram, Puri Baba told me that we were arrived, so we approached the ashram to take darshan, after a ritual pranam we sat down near the dhuni. Krishna Das Aghori was smiling and our eyes met for the first time.
I tried several times to describe this moment, but I never succeed, the words I feel are all limited and limiting, that meeting of eyes communicate an enormity of things and at the same time was further any communication. That silence between us was a song, those benevolent eyes let get a glimpse of ancient yantra, those hearts was joined and we felt like one thing.
My friend, after a while, went away but I stayed there in silence. I listened to the essence of Avadhut Gita exposed easily by Krishna Das Aghori and my heart flew high as a hawk, it was what my inner voice had always said, it was what I already knew from the deep and I had never known how to express.
I started to talk again and from that day I had lengthy discussions with that Aghori Baba who not ever wished that to be called guru but whom, more than anything else, was a spiritual father full of love. Many have been its precious lessons that I've let me immerse in the magical world of Tantra.
The days steal away and most of the time I was sitting near the dhuni, just sometimes some pilgrims or some Baba devotees broke that atmosphere full of meanings.
After a few months I was there to do the pujari at GoriSomnath Mandir between the verses of the peacocks and the cries of the apes.
From that place my heart never went away, how could I leave!
Govinda Das Aghori
GoriSomnath Mandir
Jai Ma my meeting with the Mother by Govinda Das Aghori
I see the Mother in everything. I see Her in the grass, in mountains, in the water, in all the live being, in the universe, in my parents, in my wife, in my children, in my sister and in my brother. Sometimes Ma, the Mother, manifest herself to us in a particular form: for blessing us, to show us a way, to help us in a moment of great difficulty, because we stressed Her with our endless prayers, because birth after birth we ask her to come in front of us. Rare are this occasions, precious presents that let us have a personal relationship with God.
With humility I would like to tell you about my meeting with the Great Mother, to many it will seam a delirium of a fool but for me it was a cardinal point in my spiritual path.
Since a while I stayed in Omkareshwar with Krishna Das Aghori in his small ashram, studying yantra, the graphic representation of the Divine; studying mantra and its great power; practicing Aghora Sadhana under Krishna Das Aghori careful supervision. Days flow and every day I was more enriched.
I always was been in good health during my journeys in India but in those days I had an infection to a thigh that had produced a big quantity of pus. Krishna Das, after giving me various medicinal herbs that nothing made against that infection, advised me to go to the Indore hospital to make an incision and gave me his devotee address, a jain, that live close to the hospital and can gave me hospitality. So I decided to leave for Indore (three hours by bus from Omkareshwar) and treat the infection to the hospital.
Everything gone well and after the incision practiced at the hospital (I had almost half kilo of pus) they told me to stay some days at rest so I went to Baba’s jain devotee. Everyone knows how sacred is hospitality in India and my jain brother gave me all his loving care to overcome what seem to me an unpleasant unforeseen event. Some days of convalescence later staying together with the wonderful jain family, always with a light fever, I decide to come back to Omkareshwar. To reach the top of the Om island, where Krishna Das Aghori’s dhuni (sacred fire) was, you should climb an ancient long steps. I arrived on top but the light fever become an heavy one, as soon as I reach Baba’s ashram I collapse, I fainted in front of dhuni. I had 42° C temperature and I was starting to be in raptures, people around me vanished and in my mind there was only: “Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma!” . Luckily Baba knows what to do in case of high fever and lovely take care of me.
In the fever delirium I had an only vision: a thin girl, with an humble gray dress, big black eyes and a sweet smile, brought me some water in a skull bowl. In the delirium I drunk the water and thank her. She had a familiar face but I can’t remember where I saw her. Despite her humble dressing her beauty was incommensurable and she emanate a shining aura. I drunk again from her bowl and the vision start to vanish leaving the place to Krishna Das Aghori’s smiling face. The temperature went down and I was feeling better. Baba told me that in the past 48 hours I was unconscious, with very high fever raving incomprehensible phrases. Immediately I told Baba in great detail my vision, he assented saying that Ma came to save me and that I had to thanks that fever because of it I could test one of the most sublime experience: the meeting with the Mother. I don’t understand, that girl was Ma, the Mother? Or was just a delirium of a feverish stupid? I went back over the discussion on my vision with Krishna Das Aghori but he had no doubts that girl was Durga Ma and besides he told me that ones the Mother come to us She never leave, She will be always with us. Surely this experience deep marked me. That face change my vision of the world, I find it everywhere, I see Her in the grass, in mountains, in the water, in all the live being, in the universe, in my parents, in my wife, in my children, in my sister and in my brother. She never leave me.
Jai Ma
Govinda Das Aghori
Govinda Das Aghori mp3
