“...So the whole night I sat under a bilva tree near the seashore. I was just
thinking, 'How will I manage this en mass realization?' And that is the day when the seventh chakra opened and when I saw how the kundalini was going to rise. Of course, I cannot explain this to you because it is
a different level of understanding. It is a siddhi which is beyond chitta (consciousness). So with the siddhi I worked it out. When that happened, this one didn't know anything about realization. Then I started
this work."
-H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
On May 5 1970- Nargol village situated in the State of Gujarat, India witnessed a historical event where our most Holy Mother Shri Mataji meditated to open the last Chakra of the Universe. Nargol, located at 20.2333°N
72.7500°E, is a small village situated on the coast of Arabian Sea in the southern region of the Indian state of Gujarat near the Maharashtra border. It lies about 150 kilometres north from Mumbai and around 400
kilometres from Ahmedabad. The nearest town is Vapi, located about 25 kilometres away, and the nearest airports are Daman and Surat.
The nearest railway station is Sanjan, (about 11 kilometres from the village) with frequent train connections to both Mumbai in south and Gujarat in the north. Nargol beach is dotted with Casuarina trees (called
as Saru in local dialects) and the waters have a population of sea turtles. The countryside surrounding Nargol is typical Indian countryside dotted with small farmhouses. The beaches are wide and lonely
sandbeaches with big tidal water level differences.
Tracing the imprints of ancient history
in Nargol, we get to know that it had been an active port in the past. The Parsi Community migrated from Persia & landed on the shores of Nargol first then spread south to Sanjan and north to Udvada.
By the end of the 7th century, the mighty Sassanian Empire had been vanquished by Arab invaders. Many people of the Zoroastrian faith were consequently killed. Those who survived fled to the mountains of
Iran. They were hounded out from there too, and after a brief respite in the town of Hormuz, they set sail for the friendly shores of India. The ship that carried them was soon enveloped in a massive storm.
The ship was rocked but not their faith. They prayed till the storm passed. And suddenly they discovered that they were washed ashore on the welcome shores of Nargol in Gujarat.
Legend has it that their leader, a Dastur, or a Parsi Priest, led his people to the durbar of the king of Sanjan named Jadhav Rana. When the Dastur requested permission for his people to settle down in Sanjan,
the king asked for an empty vessel and some milk. Then, in full view of all those present, poured the milk into the vessel till it was full to the brim. And gave it to the Dastur, as if to mean that there
is no place in the kingdom to accommodate Dastur’s people. The Dastur took the vessel of milk in his hand, sprinkled sugar into it, gave it back to the king, and smiled. The vessel didn’t spill over but
had become sweeter! The king was so impressed with this brilliant metaphor that he gave them permission to settle down in Sanjan. And thus began one of the greatest integrations of two communities ever witnessed
in the world.
Out at the coast line of Nargol one can spot traditional small fishing boats that patrol the coast in search of fish. The village has palm trees too and the temperature is tropical.The beach is rarely visited
by locals and is not very crowded. The seaside is part of the Gulf of Cambay (Gulf of Khambhat), which has very clouded waters with almost no visibility. This is possibly because of the large rivers that
bring their humus to the sea around the bay.
One of the most exciting new archaeological discoveries of the 21st century
– probably an ancient city which is said to be even over 9000 years old – has been found 20–40 meters under the sea. The area is about 9 kilometers long with numerous geometrical formations and lies about
20 kilometers off the coast. This is one of the main findings of the marine archaeology in the Gulf of Cambay. The scientists made this discovery in the year 2000. This could be a major archeological discovery,
but it is still unknown for scientists what exactly the finding is telling us. The area is very risky and difficult to excavate because of the water depth, strong currents and cloudy waters.
The Village has some good surroundings on all four sides. Arabian Sea to the West, Umbergaon to the south which is separated by a river and you still need a ferry to cross. To the South East is the Village of
Sanjan and to the North is Saronda. Saronda is a beautiful small village with a population of around 1200 and has a beautiful hill with forest covered all over it. It also has two beautiful Lakes and sea
on the other side.
In the history of Sahaja Yoga, it was on the 4th of May, 1970 that H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi decided to sit in meditation under a Saru (casuarinas) tree at this place of Nargol and in the early dawn of 5th
of May 1970, between 4-5am, the ‘Brahma Muharat’, the auspicious divine moment, She opened the Sahastrara of the Universe. Shri Mataji has described that splendor, grandeur and Divine happening in Her lectures,
about how the param chaitanya-the all pervading power of God’s love, entered Her body and the Kundalini, the Sahastrara shakti, was raised.
Shri Mataji had gone to Nargol on 3rd May, 1970 and stayed in a bungalow named Blue Heaven,
which belonged to Shri Talyarkhan, the Collector of the Valsad (also known as Bulsar) District at that time. It is said by old local residents of Nargol that when Shri Mataji was meditating, on that night
in 1970, four dogs came and sat at a little distance from the saru tree at the four corners and stayed there until the following morning. After opening the Sahastrara at Nargol on the 5th May 1970, Shri Mataji
slowly, one by one, raised the Kundalini shakti of the seekers who came to Her, and they all felt the param chaitanya power, the cool breeze, on their fingertips, hands and at the Sahastrara chakra.
..”I remember the first incident when we went to Nargol, where I had opened the Sahastrara. The first person who got realization was a Gujarati and a jeweler. Immediately, all the other, there were hardly about
thirty-five people, they started saying that, of course, he's a rich man, he's a jeweler, so Mother has given him realization. I think that’s the first time and last time I really got angry. I started shouting
at them, you’re good for nothing, useless people, you can never take to Divinity and I had really thought that stop it now, when I have to take another life, another time where people will understand what
is Sahaja Yoga. But after that, suddenly, people started feeling the cool breeze in their hands, immediately after my shouting. Imagine. And they said, “Mother, I know, it's working. It's working in us.
It's working out of us.” Thus, we got twelve people and one lady whom I’d given before also, she was the fourteenth. Thus, first we had only these fourteen Sahaja Yogis.”
-H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi; Delhi; March 21,1993
Subsequent to the happening of this Divine event at Nargol in 1970, the
place had been blessed to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Sahastrara Day every year on May 5. A special project for Nargol was undertaken by the collective efforts of yogis to transform this holy place
to be another Sahaja pilgrimage in line with other ongoing Sahaja projects. A few years ago a concrete wall boundary around the Holy 'Saru Tree' (casuarinas) was constructed. The forest land surrounding
the “Nirmal Tree” has finally been declared and inaugurated as "Nirmal Van" in an official ceremonial function hosted formally by the representatives on behalf of the Indian Government along with the State
administrative functionaries and the Nargol jurisdiction authorities on March 2, 2009. This means that the casuarina forest surrounding the holy tree will have a status of a protected area.
There was also an official 'plant sapling' ceremony that followed. The chosen plant saplings were vibrated a day before by Shri Mataji at Pratishthan, Pune. The saplings were mostly of Bael (Aegle marmelos),
Ashoka (Saraca indica L.) and Peepal (Ficus religiosa). All of these species grow as high rise trees and possess unique spiritual significance along with several medical (Ayurvedic) and herbal values. Typically
they are associated with incarnations and deities like Shri Shiva, Shri Rama, Shri Buddha, Shri Mahavira, Shri Sita and Shri Hanumana and therefore traditionally these trees are revered and worshipped in
Oriental world.The memorandum of understanding signed by the concerned authorities also declares that around three acres of land adjoining the site of the "Nirmal Tree" may be utilized and developed as meditation
zone for the Sahaja Yogis in due course.
.
By the blessing and under the divine guidance of our beloved mother, work has begun for building “Sahastrar Dham” at the holy place of Nargol, with bhoomi pujan held on may 2009. The prosposed plan for “sahastrar
dham” includes a hall for collective weekly meditation/puja, an ashram for those who want to visit tirth (holy place) ‘nargol’. Among other things, it also aims to build and grow ayurvedic medicinal plants,
through sahaja yoga method, drip irrigation & natural manure, to provide basic education for village children, to provide eternal joy & bliss to a seeker within his/her own self through means of music,
fine arts & creation of handicraft.
It is our collective interest; desire and prayer at Her Holy Feet that may Shri Mataji bless us to build this beautiful Sahastrara Dham at this most holy place on Earth where the Sahastrara of the universe was
opened.
..”It’s a very unique thing that has happened that your Sahastraras were opened out. There were some very few people in this whole world; there were some Sufis, there were some saints, some other people also
in China and all. But very few, very few got their Sahastrara opened out. So whatever they said, or [was] written, was never understood by the people; they actually tortured them, they crucified them and
did all kinds of horrible things, because they couldn’t bear somebody getting this Realisation. So, it’s a very great day because collectively the Sahastrara has been opened.”
-H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi; Cabella Ligure, Italy; May 5 2002
..”The Sahastrara is the blessing of the heavens, I should say. It has worked out so well. It’s very difficult to break the Sahastrara. And when I really broke it, I didn’t know that it would be that successful.
First, I thought is still premature because there are many Rakshasas still on the street, selling their goods; and there are many fanatics who are calling themselves by the so-called religions they are following,
not the real religion of the Atma. But, gradually it has taken its roots. Now, let this truth take its root within yourself through your Sahastrara. And once this truth becomes absolutely the light that
guides you, the light that nourishes you, the light that enlightens you and gives you a personality that has the light, then only you should know that your Sahastrara is completely enlightened by your Spirit.”
-H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi; Delhi, February 4,1983