It is said in the abode of Shiv, all are welcome – bhoot, pret, pisaach, yaksh, kinnar, dev, daanav, manav…and the first encounter, when you approach Shiv is with the prets…They are the ganas of Shiv, they think ‘Shiv is ours’. They lure you and distract you, threaten you and poison you…so that you head back. That is the limitation of pret buddhi.

Those of you, who are sadhaks, must have heard from people around you that you should not do dhyan. There might often be a hue and cry in the house when you head for dhyan. The path of yoga is the path of few, few who want to access the real. All those who prevent you from walking this path of reality are prets only. After leaving the body, they will be found in pret yoni.

Whenever you face resistance in yoga, you can be sure that you are walking the right path and have entered the territory of prets. At that time it is important to set your foot firmly and not submit to the pret buddhi. In my initial years of practicing yoga, when I would sit in dhyan, friends/neighbours would start playing music or banging doors. In social gatherings, they would make fun of me and try to dissuade me. I bore such distractions for over 10 years, but I continued undeterred, my path was clear. I had had the experience, and after that experience I could not disrespect the shaktis by changing my path.

Yoga is not about talking big, it is the path of experience. When that experience happens, the glow is evident in you and is there for all to see. If even after that experience, you choose to tread the path of maya (unreality), then there is no bigger fool than you. It is the pret that is influencing your buddhi and prets may trouble you in any form –friends, relatives, parents, children, siblings, spouse or your own thoughts…at times your own mind wanders and finds excuses to leave the path.

With the change in yug and downfall in creation, each one is responsible for his/herself. It is up to you where you want to reach so you must exercise discretion when listening to anyone. If someone prevents you from doing yoga, then you must ask them the reason. Yoga prescribes not to lie, not to steal or collect, is that what is wrong? Or is sitting in silence wrong? I can understand resistance if in the name of yoga, rave parties are happening or you are being asked for money or being told to go against your family, but if you are experiencing subtler dimensions and having experience of gods and goddesses, then you must definitely ask, and not just ask, but think yourself that why you are being stopped from performing a yagya or sitting in silence.

Stories from Puranas are full of instances where sadhaks and practitioners were prevented. Examples of Mirabai, Prahlad and Rishi Vishvamitra are glaring. If Prahlad had listened to his father, what would have become of Creation? The Narsingh avatar of Vishnu was to explain that your own parents can also be wrong…anyone who takes you away from reality is wrong. The purpose of an avatar is to guide us on the right path. If you have had your experience, and if still you chose to listen to the prets, then you pave the path for your descent.