I started the Daily Karma Removal Program (DKRP) on November 1, 2006. One of the daily rituals Datta recommends is Tarpanam, to bless our ancestors. The offerings give the ancestors nourishment and also helps to purify their karma. I didn’t know much about my ancestors, but I knew there were issues. For instance, when I would sit in the kitchen at a particular spot, I would begin to feel very uncomfortable. I had to stop sitting there. Later, when a Feng Shui consultant visited my house, I discovered my back was just a few feet away from the ancestor’s corner. I wasn’t sure what the exact impact my ancestors were having on me, but as soon as I did the Tarpanum rituals to the ancestors, I felt much calmer.

I continued to do the rituals, but as the weeks progressed, I felt more and more pressure from the ancestors. In the beginning, through prayers, I was able to have some of the troublesome ancestors moved on to a better place. As the third week of November arrived, there seemed to be lots and lots of ancestors around and it was making me extremely uncomfortable. It was as though all seven generations had converged on me. I was desperate.

During this period, I had been reading a book that Datta had recommended to us: The Path. It was written by one of Yogananda’s students, (I think Kriananda is his name or Danald Walters.) I read it before going to sleep. Once asleep, I began to dream. In the dream, a man appeared and we took a walk along a path that seemed to be cut through golden grass. We walked out into the field and sat at a table for our meeting. I don’t recall most of the conversation, but we spoke for a while. The man mainly wanted to help me with my problem. I don’t know if I knew what my problem was, but whatever it was, I did want help with it. At some point I looked over from the table to a car. In the car sat Yogananda, who was intently observing and tuning into our conversation.

I awoke from this dream long enough to reflect on it and then slipped into another dream. In the next dream, Yogananda was present and speaking very sternly. He said something about nothing being possible without God’s grace. I awoke again and was upset, I thought I must have been doing something wrong and I thought, “oh no, my ego is too big” or something.

I then fell into another dream. In this dream, Yogananda was again speaking sternly to a group of people, which I was standing among. His face was so intense that it scared me. He said, “you are all dead” and continued to lecture us in this way. I awoke again, this time very confused and upset about what he was saying to me. I laid there for a while and then felt a divine presence next to my bed. It was Yogananda. It took me a while to understand what was going on, but then realized he had come to help me move some of my ancestors on. Earlier in the day I’d figured there were still about two hundred ancestors on the earth plane. In any case, Yogananda started to move out a group and when I could feel they were moved on, then we would pause and another group would be sent on. Yogananda stayed with me until all of the ancestors were moved to their proper place.

In the morning I awoke and was so grateful. In gratitude, I sent a donation to Yogananda’s organization. However, I was still perplexed as to why Yogananda was so stern and scolding. I decided to pray on it.

At the New Years event that year, Datta spoke extensively about soul genetics and the importance of making rituals for the ancestors. He gave examples of how future generations can suffer from the wrong choices made by the ancestors. he also talked about how ancestors continue to impact the lives of their progeny. Datta said that 99.9% of the people who pass on, don’t leave the earth plane, rather they get stuck here. This perplexed me, what about all of those books on near dath experience where peple go to the light? Datta also spoke of the ideal solution for the deceased, which is for the soul to “cross the river.” In this case, the person does not have to go back and suffer the same karma over and again. Crossing the river is liberation. I realized that I needed to do some more reading to understand the gap between crossing the river and getting stuck on the earth plane like a ghost.

During our afternoon break on New Years eve, when I was in my room I felt a presence. It seemed to be my grandmother. I was afraid, as I didn’t want any more dealings with my ancestors and thought they were all gone. Though I tried to avoid it, Grandmother’s presence remained. I then began to feel all this pressure on my third eye. A few minutes later, a message flooded over me. My grandmother, the woman who had been my primary caretaker and had the greatest influence on me as a child, began to lovingly give me a message.

She let me know that she and some other ancestors had been able to “cross the river”. She let me know that none of the ancestors were stuck in a suffering place any more. Grandmother also let me know that this had been one of my major goals this lifetime to help these souls move out of their continuous suffering. Needless to say, I began to cry. I was so grateful for the message and to Datta. I’ d dealt with so much (this family was not an easy assignment) and worked so hard to improve myself, that I didn’t realize so much of this was for others. It was so gratifying to realize that one of my major goals this life had been accomplished. Of course as Datta says and Yogananda reiterated, “nothing is possible without the grace of God.”

A couple of months later I rented a documentary based on the practice of “The Tibetan Book of the Dead”. It showed how a holy man would be summoned by a family when a loved one was near death or had just died. For something like 49 days days the holy man will converse with the departed in order to help the person move to the best possible place and not get stuck as a ghost. In watching this process, I realized that this is what Yogananda was doing when he spoke to the group around me. Yogananda had to be stern with these souls in order to get their attention, as they were stuck in a dream. The documentary also gave me more clarity on what Datta had said about most souls being unable to move out of the earth plane as it is a confusing time. Most souls don’t get the help that they need or order to make the transition.

I am so grateful for the help my ancestors received from the greatest of Holy men. I am ever grateful for the grace of the guru - he is my salvation and that of my ancestors as well.