A modern mystic

A modern mystic

March 2011

By Suma Varughese

Meet Divyaa Kummar, a contemporary Spiritual Teacher who represents a new model of the guru persona When Chitra Jha, one of Life Positive’s regular writers, informed me that I had an enlightened mystic in my own city and that her name was Divyaa Kummar, I was inclined to scoff at first. However, I soon discovered that she was one of my fb buddies, and that her notes, about which Chitra waxed eloquent, were indeed quite remarkable. They were deep and penetrating. They reflected a synthesising mind that could explore the same truth from the focal lens of different paths like karma, bhakti, and jnana. There was a breadth and expansiveness to her understanding which enabled her to see patterns, recognise the phased nature of growth and also lay out for the reader the complete progression of any particular path till it met the whole. Through facebook, I began to construct an image of her.

She was modern, contemporary. There were pictures of her in an evening gown celebrating her 50th birthday and it was clear that she came from an affluent background. Unlike many fb friends, she did not ascend the pulpit. Her sharing came from a space of equality, as a fellow traveller, as she is fond of putting it. From some of our exchanges she came across as affable, even fun. Surely, she represented a new model of guru? One who did not assume spiritual authority or sit in lotus pose waiting for her disciples to genuflect but was content to simply be her essential human self? It seems to me that we will see more of such teachers – caring, giving, wise and loving – but without assuming a ‘guru’ identity. When I met her at her beautiful home in Worli, Mumbai, my impression was further crystallised. Dressed in trousers and a top, she was friendly, unassuming, direct. In appearance, she was small-built, with soft straight hair. And at 50 she appeared no more than 35.

​​She said

Around the year 2000 life threw me a curve, and while the rich foundation of spiritual wisdom that had permeated my growing-up years helped, my whole being revolted at my seeming inability to overcome this sense of incapacitation. I had largely been a joyous positive person and this draining of energy did not sit well with me. A strong yearning developed – quite for what I did not know. I guess the yearning reached the universe …because out of the blue I was gifted a book. It was a channelled book! I did not know anything about ‘channelling’ till then, but once I started to read the Seth books (channelled by American author Jane Roberts) Seth and his energies consumed me. Although they were abstract and complex I ‘understood’ their deeper essence immediately. Seth became a 24/7 pre-occupation for me. I somehow knew that this is what I was to do – receive spiritual understanding and spread the word as a modern young woman enjoying a full life, and thus showing by example how the two need not be mutually exclusive states. At this point, coincidentally, a God-sent group came together from seemingly nowhere! Soon the circle grew into discourses and workshops and I started writing all that I had grasped…but somewhere in this process I realised that what I was writing was beyond not only the Seth material, but far beyond what I, as Divyaa, knew! Was this your first exposure to spirituality? I was a born seeker interested in all things spiritual and metaphysical. I was born into a deeply spiritual yet very modern large joint family. My parents, aunts and uncles each resonated to different gurus. I was exposed to the darshan (meeting) and words of a wide range of living masters since the earliest of days. Moreover, I have led a very full life – large families on both sides, close friends, love, fulfilling relationships, travel, abundance, creativity (I ran a ceramic studio for almost 20 years before I switched tracks to spirituality) and thus it was very easy for me to make this shift, for nothing else could have added to what life was other than this divine grace! Were you ever tempted to channel Seth directly? Guru-cool: Divyaa Kummar in meditation Oh yes. I was consumed with the need to do so. It was paradoxically both a completely uncanny and a completely natural process. I started waking up at 3.30 am and spontaneously sitting in ‘meditation’ – without any guidance, teacher or known system. Initially Seth and other masters (today I would call them all aspects of universal consciousness/wisdom) would be palpably present… almost downloading stuff into me; even sleep became about learning on some inner plane for I awoke with so much ‘gyan’….! The best way to describe this indescribable process is as though a capsule of gnosis (not knowledge) would enter my head and it would simply unravel within…sometimes much later when I sat to write or speak. Each such meditation would be followed up with day-to-day experiences that would make these truths practical ways to live a better life. For example, desire was a topic that unravelled realms and realms of its truths to me… helping me understand how at a deeper level desires are not ours but consciousness desiring through a ‘me’, how our desires automatically purify as our consciousness expands, and how we finally transcend (not suppress) desire when our role in the comic play is coming to a close. At some point another ‘coincidence’ occurred and I came across the Jade fire channelling group where master energies were channelled publicly. Soon after I started attending these meetings the masters asked me to become one of their channels! Although doubts prevailed, in some way unknown to me, the words came, the wisdom expressed became increasingly profound, the flow became easier and the energies within and around became so very palpable that I just couldn’t doubt anymore. When did the teaching begin? I began to reach out spiritually through discourses, workshops, meditation groups and writing in 2003. And as this reaching out fits no labels, when I am pushed to define what I do, I say ‘I guess I am a spiritual facilitator’. Till today I reach out as fellow traveller even whilst I intuitively travel my path. Currently another change is afoot. Silence beckons and I know I am being prepared to reach out in some other way. So I am on a semi-sabbatical, going with the flow, knowing that just like all the rest happened so will the next phase! Isn’t there a danger of attracting negative spirits while channelling? Channelling, simply put, is connecting to a higher or vaster source of ‘knowing’ than your currently conscious one! Inspired books, art, movies, even inspired day-to-day decisions, or the surprising strength and motivation to deal with situations is often what we could call ‘channelled’. The only difference as ‘channels’ is that we do it on call, with a specific purpose – to receive and spread gyan, healing or universal energy frequencies! Thus where is the question of negativity? I have never used protection – not in channelling or in energy healing work. In my ‘work’, I meet many troubled, angry or depleted people time to time, …but I believe that ‘Divyaa’s’ energy field has to be strong to be able to lighten another…and in that how can light be touched by darkness/ negativity? Over time as you expand your energy field and merge with this universal aspect of Self…the knowing becomes more conscious and the need to ‘link’ or channel falls away and we speak as Self! In Vedic terms, as you expand from (or remove the boundaries between) manas and buddhi and aham and chitta, it is channelling! It can be said that many of our ancient scriptures are channelled… when the rishis heard it within them… it was channelling in modern parlance. I still receive a lot of my knowing like a sort of capsule…either in meditation or when I mull on a subject…and as I sit to write or speak… it somehow unravels and clarifies itself! Is your husband on the path too? Yes. It is a wonderful act of grace that he is also on the path. I have a very supportive environment – starting from my husband and daughter – to my various family members and friends. In fact, my whole family including aunts, uncles and in laws are spiritually inclined. And so are almost all my friends! This does not mean my husband and I do not have differences or confrontations – but because we both believe in the truth that we are each creator, living in a world we have each created, we are wholly aware that it’s never about the ‘other’. Therefore blame and judgment have no firm foothold! Indeed, recognising that there is nothing to forgive is one step ahead of forgiveness. Knowing that all is just as it should be even if we can’t currently understand why makes judgment automatically redundant! The word ‘automatic’ plays a large part in my reaching out. I truly believe that in authentic spiritual growth, all these seemingly impossible sounding concepts automatically become a part of you! Sometimes aspirants read about enlightenment and its many stages/steps and try to love unconditionally or to see consciousness everywhere…they try to surrender or try to transcend desires…This trying and its accompanying fretting arises because we feel these stages are something we need to ‘make happen’…while actually they are more descriptions of what ‘will happen’ as one goes along. Our awareness of and focus on them allows them to spontaneously unravel in our life.