With books on philosophy and yoga and two autobiographies to his name, Sri M, a practising yogi, has now moved to another genre. He has penned his first novel, titled Shunya (Westland) revolving around Shunya Sami, and his adventurous life in a small village in Kerala. The narrative is suffused with mystical elements underlining the importance of “shunya”. “Shunya is broad-based term. Literally it means zero but when added to a digit, increases its value manifold. At another level, Shunya does not mean ‘nothing’ but ‘no-thing’, a concept prevalent in Hindu and Buddhist teachings, underlining the impermanence of life. Everything is supposed to come from shunya and go back to it,” observes the author.
Talking about the protagonist Shunya, Sri M reveals, “he will make the readers aware of my experiences with people, specially the avadhootas. Since these may seem unlikely and unreal, I thought why not write it as fiction. Thus came into being the novel.” Explaining about avadhootas, he says, “At times referred to as paramhansas, they are prevalent in Indian spiritual tradition and are those whose mind have exploded in a spiritual experience, making them free of social norms and behaviour and unpredictable. Yet there is rationale behind their actions.” He cites examples of Almora’s Neem Karoli Baba and Nityananda, who lived in Ganeshpuri, near Mumbai. “The former once assured a devotee that his mother would be relieved of all suffering. When the devotee reported that she had passed away, he said, ‘Now she is past all pain’, thereby referring to eternal peace. Nityananda went around naked stating that it was a means to overcome temptation. That being said, avadhootas have never been known to harm anyone. On the contrary their interaction has a positive effect on people.”
Thus Shunya resides in a toddy shop premises without caring for others’ opinion, eating one meal a day and giving philosophical discourses based on Upanishads, Sufism and other spiritual texts. Going beyond religious identity and social status, he embraces all. He supports an inter-religious marriage and welcomes a hesitant prostitute to attend his session. “These attributes are typical of avadhootas, who are non-conformist and unconventional persons. Having discovered the truth, makes them elevate beyond man-made social boundaries.” Is he one too? “I subscribe to their line of thinking wholeheartedly but am not that eccentric,” he quips.
Sri M is also known to quote extensively from varied scriptures during his talks. “I want to highlight that every religion’s core is based on a person’s spiritual or mystical experience, which stresses on brotherhood and humanism. While Hinduism is based on experiences of many, there are religions based on just one.” But then, what makes religions rigid subsequently? “Following the mystical experience of the masters, when certain practices are established and organised religion comes into being, the core, that is spiritual aspects take a backseat, with the shell taking precedence. Then vested interests step in to exploit it. All the aberrations are because of the shell’s importance over the core.”
Unconventional journey
Describing his life’s journey as unconventional, Sri M, who was born a Muslim, recalls his spiritual quest being triggered at the age of nine. “I read a lot of books and met many people, including avadhootas. While studying in Loyola College, Thiruvananthapuram, I read theology books and wrote essays describing Jesus as a rebel. The Father Superior wanted me to go to Rome and study for priesthood. At 19, I was drawn to Himalayas, where on the verge of committing suicide, I met Baba Maheshwarnath, who transformed my consciousness completely. Thereafter, I came back, got married, lived a normal life, earning a living. Later I entered the teaching phase and today I travel extensively spreading the message of peace and harmony. The crux of my message is, go to the core, theories are useless.” Having enjoyed writing his first novel, Sri M is now keenly working on the sequel to Shunya . “I have been writing fiction since 1991 and some of my short stories have appeared in newspapers. I will also bring out a collection of those too. I find fiction an excellent medium to convey my thoughts.”
