________________
decided to experiment this one time, to celebrate the solar eclipse.
What I did not know was that the substance the two men brought was not vach but yatsnabh which is a highly poisonous, psychedelic medicine and which looks exactly like vach, in powder form.
The man who brought me the drug shook out a full dose into the palm of my hand, but I decided to take only one-half of the amount. I swallowed what I thought was vach, drank some water and waited for the effect in a meditative state. Meanwhile, the men who brought the medicine left and I was alone with Subhag Muni, my younger Jain brother, an ayurvedic doctor who was my disciple and friend.
Within minutes, I began to feel dizzy, faint and sick to my stomach. Outside, the solar eclipse had begun and I tried to overcome the feeling of nausea that the drug had induced. I went into a deep meditation and concentrated my consciousness upon the throat chakrą where clairvoyant and psychic powers are centered. My field of vision instantly expanded and I could see with my Big Mind or cosmic consciousness for many miles around. It felt like a great sun had appeared in me giving light to the Earth. I could see people outside watching the eclipse and I had the experience of travelling through my astral body for many miles around. However, the poisonous substance of the medicine also made me feel increas
21
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org