All language subtitles for Mystic.Journey.To.India.2018.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

(dramatic music)

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- I have discovered a
secret oracle in India

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that has on it the name of my
mother, the name of my father,

my name, my brother's
name, my wife's name,

all the details about my life
from the moment I was born

and right into the future.

And it even told me
the time of my death

and, to access this oracle, all
it needed was my thumbprint.

(upbeat music)

I'm here in India on my
first mystic journey.

In the UK and USA,
Jane and I are known

as the most psychic
couple on the planet.

We've had some crazy times
and had the opportunity

to give readings to
A-list celebrities.

- I really enjoyed
the reading with Craig

because he hit some
real accuracies

about my father and
our relationship.

They are the real deal.

And it kinda blew my
mind a little bit.

I'm not a mind blower,
you know, by nature,

but, you know, it was real.

- We have both had
a fruitful life

and seen many mystical things.

But my trip to India has
certainly opened even my eyes.

As psychics, we have both been
invited to do many TV shows

about the paranormal, but
what I'm about to experience

in India is absolutely
astonishing,

so astonishing that
even my wife, Jane,

couldn't get her head round it.

Is it possible to
know the future?

Can my destiny
really be changed?

Jane and I have been
to India before,

but, this time, I face
this journey alone.

I'm already exhausted
from the plane trip

and I haven't even started yet.

Well, here we are, we're here.

This is India.

India's never as you
expect it to be, I think.

A mixture of new roads
going in, really old areas.

Old people carrying all
sorts of stuff everywhere.

Mad traffic as usual.

Still feeling pretty
tired after the journey.

It's a long haul.

It seems even in a big city,

everywhere you go, there's gods.

Saw Ganesha straight away
as you come out the airport

and then there's all
the gods lined up.

I mean even adverts seem
to have the gods on 'em.

It's amazing.

That's the thing with India,
it seems to be everything.

Now matter how
commercialised it gets,

it seems to always retain
its spiritual roots

even in the industrialised
parts of India

like Chennai is here.

(horns honking)

I'm here in India
because an ancient

Indian astrological oracle
says that I can influence

my destiny by performing
a series of rituals

and charitable acts.

Enjoy it while you can, Craig,

because it's going to
be a gruelling journey.

Now, this Nadi Oracle,
as it's called,

that's driven me
here was written down
some 5,000 years ago

on a sort of parchment
made from palm leaves.

My wife Jane and I are no
strangers to the paranormal,

but what it said shook me to
the very core of my being.

Here, in this nice hotel,
the grime of the real India

feels a long way away,
but the oracle predicts

that I'm about to
begin a scary adventure

that is going to
change my life forever.

About a year ago, an Indian
friend of mine called Vivek

wanted to set up a new service
to introduce to the west

the idea of these Nadi Oracles.

Now, he did ask me if I
could test his reader for him

and find out if the guy was,
you know, a fake or real

or doing what the sceptics
would call cold readings

and things like this.

And I've tested other mediums
and psychics in my time

so I seemed to be in a position

where I was very
well-qualified to know

if these people
were real or not.

Now, we set up a consultation
on Skype and he connected me

with an Indian Nadi
reader in Tamil Nadu.

Well, I connected
with the reader

and he started going through
the leaves, one at a time.

They're palm leaves that
have been written in Tamil,

old Tamil, translated
from Sanskrit.

And, according to legend,
been rewritten every 500 years

and stretch back in
time, they claim,

five to 10,000 years ago.

He started by going through
and reading the leaves

one at a time and
would ask me questions.

And, I thought, here
we go, cold reading.

Are you a miner?

No, no, no.

Do you import precious
metals for a living?

No.

And he went on like
this with all sorts

of strange questions,
but it seemed meaningless

and then one leaf
comes up and says,

was your ex-wife's name Tina?

Well, yes.

Nobody knew that.

That's something certainly not
published about me anywhere.

Was your mother's name Ethel?

Yes.

Was your father's name Donald?

Yes.

Is your name Craig?

Yes.

Were you born at
1:30 in the morning

on the 24th of January 1954?

Yes.

And he reeled off facts like
this, names of my brothers,

my sisters, things that
I'd done in my life.

Had your father worked
in this profession

and that profession?

And gave a whole
list of not just me,

but my family, things
you could never research

even with the Internet
at your disposal,

remembering also that I'd
given him no information

whatsoever about who I was.

So there was no way
he could look this up.

So you could imagine, here
was a message being sent to me

in a set of palm leaves that
are allegedly 5,000 years old

with my name written on it and
all he had was my thumbprint

to go by.

In a few moments, I'm going to
meet the Nadi leaf translator

who read the first leaves
for me and the remedies

for the first lot have been done

and he's going to be
bringing a special amulet.

When you do the reading,
do you also have to look

at the astrology as well or
is that in the leaf already?

You just read
what's in the leaf?

- You only read
what is in the leaf

and, if there are some doubts,

we can clarify using astrology.

- I see, I see, so you can use--

- If we have some doubts, if
the astrologer has some doubts

related to planetary
position, it may change some.

One or two person, there
may be some change,

so, to clarify that,
the astrologer may use

the basic astrology,
if he knows.

- Okay.

Mr Santosh makes these
predictions, but does not claim

to be psychic or
have clairvoyance.

He simply translates what
is said on the leaves.

In my case, this included
things about my life

such as the occupation of my
father when I was a child,

how I'd been a painter, how
I'd worked in the media,

the illnesses I've
had in my life,

how I'd been a single parent,
how I had dedicated my life

to working as a psychic medium,

and told of my
career as a writer.

Mr Santosh was one
of three readers

in different parts of India
that I had contacted anonymously

and yet all three readers
had given pretty well,

the exact same
information and forecast

with a similar destiny,
including the age
when I will die.

Some people would find
it rather worrying

knowing when you're going
to die and what illnesses

and troubles you're going
to have in the future.

Mr Santosh has done some
of these remedies for me

and has brought me a special
talisman that was made

during the fire rituals he
had performed on my behalf.

Vibhuti?

- Yes, Vibhuti.

- And that Vibhuti is put
on there afterwards, yeah?

I keep it in the Vibhuti or?

That's from the fire, is it?

- Talisman was
taken from the fire

and, after that,
Vibhuti was put on it.

- Put onto it.

How would I use this now?

What would I do with this?

- [Mr Santosh] You can roll it.

You can roll like
a small cylinder

and you can buy a
cylindrical tavis.

- [Craig] Okay.

- [Mr Santosh] And you
can put it in there.

- So you roll it up
and put it in there.

And this has writing
on it, I see.

- Yes, the mantra.

- [Craig] So this is the mantra?

This is a protected mantra?

- [Mr Santosh] Yes, this
is a protected mantra

of Lord Shiva.

- Yeah, wonderful.

It's so nice to receive
it in person like that.

I so thank you for all
the effort you made.

And I'd love to come
back again to you

later on to do some more
with the beliefs further

because there's other cans
now to open, isn't there?

- Yeah.

- Thank you.

- [Mr Santosh]
Thank you very much.

Namaste.
- Namaste.

(speaking in foreign language)

Before I start my quest
and perform the remedies

to clear my past life karma,
I visit the holy ruins

of Mahabalipuram
and make a prayer

to the Indian
elephant god, Ganesha.

Mahabalipuram is
an extraordinary,
ancient temple complex

that was carved out of
solid rock and granite.

So this was a cave?
- Yeah.

- Originally, and
it has been carved

from a cave into a temple?

- Yes.

- So all these stones
would have stood here

centuries and centuries?

- Thousands of centuries.

(speaking in foreign language)

- And this is the one they
carved out of solid rock?

- Yes.

- To make the temple.

- This golden tank, first
known buttermilk tank.

- Buttermilk?

- Yeah, making butter
for the butterball.

- Did that on a big
scale, didn't they?

So they make masses of butter
and that's used for what,

the blessing or?

- Butter, eat.

- Oh, for eating?

So it is actually practical.

(calming music)

So this is Vishnu?

- [Guide] Vishnu.

- And the next one would be

Shiva.
- Shiva.

So Vishnu and Shiva.

And that would be Brahma?
- Yes.

- [Craig] So why is Brahma
not in the middle of them?

- [Guide] This always
Shiva, the first.

- [Craig] Yeah?

- [Guide] Vishnu (speaking
in foreign language)

- Right, they did things
on scale, didn't they?

I mean that is like

a lorry full of
butter, isn't it,

to put on the lingam.

I presume it would all come

pouring all down here.

- [Guide] Yeah.

- The Nadi leaves
have prescribed a list

of ancient temples I'm to
visit and perform rituals.

This complex is seeping
with the energy of the past

and is a starting point where
I can take in the wonders

of India's past and
also seek a blessing

for a successful journey.

I believe in Hindiusm
that the first creation

had an elephant
holding the world up?

- [Guide] Yeah.

- So would that be that?
- Yes.

- This part of
the temple complex

is where they used
to do the ohms.

I can't resist this,
I've gotta do an ohm.

I've gotta do an ohm.

Ohm.

Ohm.

Just as a Christian may
pray to St Christopher

before starting a
journey, the god Ganesha

represents the aspects
of the one universal God

that clears the
obstacles in the path.

(speaking in foreign language)

I have no problem with praying
to an elephant-headed God

as I believe it's the same
one God that can be found

in all religions, but he,
she, comes in many forms.

This is a divine symbolic
act to clear my path.

So this is the first stage
of the remedies of the Nadi

and the first place
I have to visit

is Bhagavan Ramana's ashram.

I've got a three and
a half hour drive,

so it's a bumpy
road, wish me luck.

An ashram is a hermitage,
a spiritual retreat,

that is usually centred
around a holy man or guru.

I'm visiting one at the
base of a sacred mountain

called Mount Arunachala
that I hope to climb

as its powerful energies are
said to awaken the spirits.

Ah, there's the mountain now.

This is my first good look
at the landscape of India.

I feel excited because I'm soon
to meet another Nadi reader

who is going to guide
me through the remedies

and help me with the
rituals I have to perform

in the days ahead.

(speaking in foreign language)

- His first task is
to take care of you.

First, health and then the
surroundings, environment.

And then the travel, spiritual
events, all those things.

- Yes.

- It might be--

- Fortunately, Gopienath
speaks reasonably good English

and explains that
tomorrow morning,

we will be walking round
Mount Arunachalaman

and visit Ramana Maharishi's
ashram afterwards.

We will set off at dawn.

These first energetic
remedies are designed

to help my health now
and in the future.

Some of my family think
I'm completely mad,

but the leaves gave me such
amazingly accurate information

about my life that I
simply cannot ignore it.

There's a lot of good
things ahead for me

until my predicted death
at 3:00 a.m. in the morning

in the winter months
as I approach about 82,

but there's also a few things
that I need to sort out

that are the result of
my karma from past lives.

I make the good happen
and the bad fall away

and I need to do these remedies.

The first step is to build
up lots of good energy

which means visiting
some holy places.

(speaking in foreign language)

My first stop is the holy
mountain of Arunachala

and the Bhagavan Ramana
Maharshi Ashram at its foot.

(calming music)

Below me, I can see the Shiva
temple at Thiruvannamalai

where I am, tonight, to
perform some puja ceremonies

with the priests after Mr
Prakesh performs a simple remedy

here on the holy mountain.

On this mountain and,
particularly, at the dark

meditation room at the top, I
seem to be aware of the energy

that plugs right into
my mediumship abilities.

Right here and,
also, while walking,

I can feel the closeness of
the spirit people near me.

I've just been at the
top of the mountain

where there's a
tremendous energy there.

I'm still a little
bit woozy from it.

It's just the most
incredible energy

I have ever felt in my life.

Incredible, incredible feeling.

Never known anything
like that, never.

As part of the rituals and,
you know, the remedies,

I must be given a
stone from the mount.

Mr Prakesh has read in my
Nadi leaves that a number

of these rituals have to be
performed at a specific time.

His astrology almanack is
consulted and now is the exact

right time to get my stone.

We descend the mountain path
and as we enter the ashram,

are greeted by some
clever monkeys.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi,
the founder of this ashram,

believed in the
unity of all things

and that, if we ask
ourselves the question,

who am I?

We will come to realise
that everything,

including the person asking
the question, is God.

Ramana believed that
animals are as much

a part of God as we are.

(water splashing)

This is the meditation hall
of the Rama Krishna Ashram,

and we're gonna spend a little
bit of time now meditating

in the place where Rama
Krishna used to meditate.

(religious chanting)

Where I sit I can see
pictures of Ramana on the wall

and a golden statue of
him in the altar area.

At the age of 16,
Ramana had something

like a near death experience
in which he entered

into a state of
divine consciousness

and realised the true
nature of the self.

He became aware of a
divine current within him

that could never die.

Soon after he came to
this spot at the base

of the holy mountain, he
decided to remain here

for the rest of his life.

For long periods of time,
his mind was in such a state

of transcendence that he
completely neglected his body

and he was incessantly
bit by ants.

Some people found
him and realised

that this was a holy
man who was to become

one of India's greatest
spiritual teachers.

(calming music)

It was a nice experience.

We did what they call the
arathi, where they put the fire

across the face and
cleanse through the fire.

So it was a very
nice experience.

Here we are now at the
Triveni Mali Temple.

(calming music)

(speaking in foreign language)

We went in and we've
done some Archana,

which is like part
of the Nadi clearing.

It's part of the remedies
and we've been in front

of a number of Indian gods
and done some amazing things.

And, actually, I feel
very almost high from it.

It's an amazing place with an
amazing sense of atmosphere

and real, deep sincerity
for the priests

that are working there.

It's been a hard day
climbing the mountain

and a late night on the
tiles of the temples,

but now it's 3:00
a.m. rise to walk

around the holy mountain.

And I'm shattered
before I start.

There is definitely
something special

about the subtle energy here.

Even though the scenery
is mainly sort of streets,

there's a feeling of
the energetic presence

of the mountain with
every step I take.

Legend has it that Mount
Arunachala is the place

where Lord Shiva manifested
as a column of light

to settle the argument between
the god Brahma and Vishnu.

It is one of the
holiest places in India

and many great saints and sages

have lived here in its caves.

The act of walking around it
is called Giri Pradakshina

and it is said to remove
the sins and desires

and bring freedom from rebirth.

One step, they say, brings
happiness in this world,

a second happiness in
heaven and, a third,

gives the bliss of Satyaloka,
the ultimate heavenly plane.

It is best to walk around
slowly in silent meditation

or chanting a japa mantra.

Now, we've gathered the
spiritual energy from temples

and the Holy Mountain,
the Nadi Oracle tells me

that I must now
seek out a holy man.

Mr Prakesh has checked his
almanack and the timing

is now just right
for us to do this.

It's a long journey in a
hot car with lots of detours

and it seems to me that Mr
Prakesh is using his almanack

like a sack now.

We drive across swamps, waste
lands and dirt track roads

in search of these
elusive holy men.

(horn hooting)

Then he spots the place
where the Nadi leaves

say that the guru will appear.

It's a rough dirt road and the
engine sounds a bit strange.

(engine rumbling)

We are part way up
the hilly, dirty track

of the sacred Mahadeva mountain
and the car's broken down.

Got to take our shoes off for
in the Ashram and, really,

this ground is like a grill.

It's terrible.

I'm not putting this on.

It really is bad.

I'm just beginning to think
that providence has stopped us,

but now I see this ash-covered
guru appear from nowhere.

If we hadn't broken
down at this exact spot,

we would have missed
him completely.

When I arrive at his ashram,

I'm told that he hasn't
been seen for nearly a year.

Normally, he does
not leave his cave

where he's been living since
2002 where he gave up a life

of luxury and wealth.

But, somehow, we've arrived
at exactly the right moment

he's decided to turn up.

The Nadi oracle saw this
exact moment coming.

It seems I've now moved
from sneaking up on the guru

to a frenzied chase around
the temple as he activates

all the shrines to
the various gods.

Everything has
gone kind of wild.

(energetic drumming)

(religious chanting)

(energetic drumming)

All this racket is to wake
the gods in the shrines.

(energetic drumming)

And we line up for more
blessings and dash off

to follow the holy man
through this maze of shrines.

(energetic drumming)

(bells clanging)

(energetic drumming)

Time for a quick tourist
snap and we're ready

for the holy man to emerge.

(gong clanging)

(energetic drumming)

My head is beginning to
ring with all this noise,

but, wait, I see him
coming towards us.

(gong clanging)

By any standards, Maha Ananda
Swami is an odd-looking guru.

He's what's called
a Siddha Yoga.

That's someone who has
special psychic powers

and miraculous abilities.

One of these is the ability
to meditate or sleep

in a pit of fire.

(gong clanging)

I'm beginning to think
this is all sounding

a little bit crazy, but
another power is his ability

to tell the future of
anyone who touches his feet.

(bells ringing)

This yogi is also the custodian

of ancient medicinal
remedies and makes use

of many rare herbs to cure
all sorts of ailments.

He also feeds people
sacred ash, called Vibhuti,

often to cure infertility.

Maha Ananda Swami is already
very old and it's said

that on midnight of the
25th of December 2002,

Lord Shiva appeared
before him and had decreed

that he will live for
another thousand years.

(bells ringing)

He certainly has a strange aura.

I feel it's like he's
angry with everyone,

but it's a sort of divine anger,

perhaps, somehow trying
to shake everyone

out of their spiritual sleep.

I am told that this yogi
never eats and it is said

that he has not eaten or taken
water for a number of years.

At temples, they usually give
out what's called prasad,

which is a holy meal.

This is usually just a
taster, but here they serve

vast quantities of free
food to worshipers.

(energetic drumming)

They say this man doesn't
just walk through fire,

he actually lays down in it
and can sleep in the embers.

(energetic drumming)

(religious chanting)

I can see that he's
going into a trance

and I hope he may start
to make some prophecies.

(energetic drumming)

(religious chanting)

(bells ringing)

I feel he's showering
blessings to anyone watching.

This sight of a guru the
Hindus call Darshan is amazing.

And then I'm called
to touch his feet.

Of all the people here,
I couldn't believe

that it was me
that he would call.

As I touched his
feet, a divine energy

seemed to sweep through me.

He had a message for me that
he told to Mr Prakesh in Tamil.

It turned out to be exactly
the same predictions

that the other Nadi readers
had already told me.

This temple complex or Ashram
is based around the idea

that the Yogi, the city Yogi,
who's a sort of a power yogi,

stepped into the fire
which was built for Shiva

and merged with it and
became flame himself.

And this was witnessed by
a whole group of people

and he was treated as
an incredible saint.

Now, we have the
blessings of a guru,

the Nadi remedies
now charge me to get

the blessings of the planets.

So it's a paddle in the water
and into another temple.

Here, I'm to reduce
the negative effects

of the Planet Mercury.

(crowd chattering)

This Nadi oracle is
completely different

to the way Western
astrology works.

The sun, moon, planets and the
stars are represented by gods

and they, in turn,
symbolise our good and bad

past life karma that will
influence our future.

According to the Nadis,
I had past lives in India

and some glorious and some
not-so-glorious past lives

and the planets in my
horoscope reveal the areas

I need to work with.

Bad aspects, shown in the
position of Mercury in my chart,

will weigh down my ambitions.

So pujas done here are said
to speed up my success.

We've come out of the
Temple of Mercury,

done puja there.

And this is for things
like quickness of mind.

It's for speed of
actions of things,

many medicinal things
associated with it,

and a general quickening
of our actions.

Behind is a Shiva
tree of healing.

And, in particular, it's for
healing for children here,

for fertility, hence the cots.

(gentle music)

My mystical journey takes
me deeper into sacred India

to discover its secrets
and find out more

about the hidden
oracle of India.

There's spiritual work ahead.

My journey will take me
off the beaten track,

but first we find a place to
buy the materials and flowers

we'll need to perform the puja.

These I've been doing on
the advice of the oracle.

It tells me that I
was once a holy man

and will become
a holy man again.

When the pujas are
performed, you pay the priest

to perform a personal blessing.

Money changes hands, but the
effect is that the temples

have money to feed the poor
and do charitable work.

In this way, money
comes and goes,

but virtue comes and grows.

They're gonna do the puja now

and then they will
give me the garland.

A lot of poor and destitute
people hang around the ashram

as here people are
fed twice a day

ever since his death in 1823.

Initially, I get a personal
blessing by the temple priest

and then a second
blessing by the sadhu

in the nearby shrine, but
there is a great mystery here,

for it is claimed that
he never actually died,

but went through a
sort of resurrection

in which his whole physical
body was transformed

into divine light.

He then locked
himself into a room

and told his followers
never to open it.

When the authorities
insisted it be opened,

the room was completely empty.

They say he continues to live
with us in a body of light.

I get my blessing that
the Nadi oracle asked for

and the priest gives
me some books too.

I feel instantly connected
with this dead saint.

He is said to have never eaten

and, eventually, became
a being of light.

All strange stuff, but
what a wonderful god,

not to eat, but to
make sure everyone else

is fed long after you're dead.

I've just done the puja
now for Ramalingaswami

and they've given
me a book as well.

A very rare book in English so
I can learn an awful lot more

about this incredible saint
that dealt with jyoti, light.

Every step on this
spiritual journey,

doors just seem to swing open.

(gentle music)

It looks like the poor are
gathering for meal time.

There's facilities here to
accommodate hundreds every day.

This is the Samadhi tomb of
this incredible saint of light

and we might think
of it as a tomb,

but it's a natural fact.

He was locked into a room or
locked himself into a room

and his body just
disintegrated into light.

And when they did open it
up, there was nobody there.

It's an incredible miracle.

As we are leaving, the
Nadi oracle has prescribed

yet another puja blessing.

By now, I can really
feel the energy

surrounding us start
to build and I'm sure

this must be having
some tremendous
effect upon my spirit.

And, with my karmic debts,
I'm definitely buzzing

with energy and feel
really ready to burst.

I can feel the energy changing
in me as we draw closer

to starting the Nadi
remedies proper.

So we've been given
Vibhuti in a packet

and this is like
the symbol of Shiva

and you put it three lines
across the forehead here

and also to here and this is
used as a symbol of Shiva.

This is actually
the Samadhi tomb

and not many
Westerners get into it.

So this is it.

On the wall here, we
have all the stories

and miracles of Ramalingaswami.

And they are also
giving me permission

to see areas restricted
to the normal visitor

and some sacred trees and
herbs that have special

medical and
spiritual properties.

(gentle music)

That is the neem tree, the
neem tree that they grow here,

which was there at
the time of Swami.

So when you touch it, it
contains some of the blessing.

Ramalingaswami dissolved
into light after his death

and, at his temple here
now, regular miracles happen

in which people
see a light here.

(gentle music)

Once a month, the saint
creates the lights here

and thousands of people gather
to watch the light appear

in front of these
doors, regular miracles.

And there's one other
thing that I find

personally rather incredible.

This miracle happens
every 24th of January.

That's my birthday, another
weird Nadi coincidence.

Back in the grounds, the
destitute continue to gather

for their evening meal.

It's nice to think
that the money you give

in these ceremonies helps to
put food in hungry bellies.

One thing they have that
we don't have is time.

These guys have been
waiting all day.

(gentle music)

On the way out, we stop again.

What I thought was
a public toilet

turns out to be
another small temple.

It's getting really late
now, but we have a few more

specific pujas to
do before moving on.

To be honest, I've lost
track of what's next

on the remedy list,
but I have heard

we have a big day
tomorrow, a very long drive

through the night and a fire
ceremony in the morning.

I get my blessing and
the gods get my garlands.

(speaking in foreign language)

(religious chanting)

Well, it's early morning
and I've gone native.

This stage, we've got to
now start the remedies

in of themselves so I have
to dress appropriately.

So I'm looking
here like Sri Baba.

So now it's another
long journey.

We have one more temple
stop ahead and then I do

a very specific fire
remedy to clear my karma.

Our first remedial step is
to pay homage to the leagues

and to the Maharishi
who wrote them.

We start by visiting the
temple that was built

by the great king who is
responsible for safeguarding

the Nadi leaves and
preserving them for posterity.

Today, there are Nadi readers
absolutely everywhere in India

and only a tiny,
tiny fraction of them

are true practitioners.

Most are just ripoff artists
who will fleece people like me.

It's interesting, though,
how much value the ancients

placed on these leaves
that were protected

by the kings of old who
worshipped the leaves

and built great
temples like this one.

Again, we plunge into the
dark heart of the temple

that houses a huge lingam
which is a phallus-like stone

that is an abstract
representation of
the gold Shiva.

I do the puja rituals
in front of the lingam

in the inner temple
and, next, have a chat

with my interpreter Gopienath
who explains where we are.

So one of the biggest
temples in India,

called the,

- Gangaikondacholapuram.

- You got that.

And, inside, is a
giant Shiva Lingam

which we've done our puja
to and this was the temple

built by the king that
protected the Nadi leaves.

With some of these impossible
to pronounce names,

it's not surprising
that I sometimes feel

completely lost in
India, but I'm sure

Gopienath can help me.

Viewing the incredible temple,

I'm impressed by its
scale and grandeur.

I've unnoticed that no matter
what position the sun is,

these temples never
cast a shadow.

And, now, is the time
to take a bit of a break

and contemplate where we've
come from and where we're going.

(gentle music)

But my next stop is to take in
some of this spiritual energy

that we've been accumulating
and float for a while

through the tranquillity
of the mangroves.

(gentle music)

So what's this all
been about so far?

There were some pretty far
out predictions in the oracle

that was initially read
to me by Skype at home

and transcripts
sent to me by email.

(gentle music)

The oracle tells me of
much spiritual work ahead

for my wife, Jane and me.

We've been working very
hard with our mediumship

over the years, but it
says that, in the future,

we will be able to
do our work for free.

This will be achieved,
it says, by setting up

a charitable trust,
a foundation, so
that we can travel

and do our work and open
centres around the world.

- [Man] Yeah, yeah.

Yes, right.

Ah, yeah.

Yeah.

- Ohm.

(speaking in foreign language)

The Gayatri mantra
is very beautiful

so long as it's chanted
by someone other than me.

(speaking in foreign language)

These rituals at Mr
Prakesh's offices

are the start of
the remedies proper.

The first step is to pay homage
to these incredible leaves

that have been transcribed
down through the centuries

and hold the secrets
of my past life,

my present life and my destiny.

And, of course, we bow
to the great Maharishis

whose incredible clairvoyance
made all this possible.

(speaking in foreign language)

(bell ringing)

(speaking in foreign language)

Once this rather smoky
procedure is complete,

we can do my first major karmic
remedy by doing something

that will completely
change a person's life.

In India, the old and the
destitute have no big pensions

and welfare, but, if they
own a cow, they are set up

as it provides milk, fuel
and a guaranteed income.

Buying a cow at a good
price from someone in debt

can also free them
from problems too.

So let's go do a remedy.

Let's buy a cow and a calf.

For a few moments, we
actually own a cow and a calf,

part of the remedies.

And we've also been waiting
for the planets to move,

for mercury to get
in the right place

for the right time to give
this cow and calf away

to a poor person.

(horn honking)

The lady's just arrived,
she doesn't speak English,

but she's a poor lady
and we're gonna give her

the cow and the calf.

And, hopefully, they'll
completely transform her life.

If you directly do
someone a good turn,

they will often think
good thoughts about you.

We spiritualists believe
that thoughts are things

so that these positive
thoughts will uplift the giver

and also help to break
their karmic bonds.

- [Man] You guys can
touch it and look at us

and we'll take some photos.

(gentle music)

- [Craig] I'm feeling a
little bit choked up actually.

Very sensitive cow, I think.

- [Man] Yeah.

- Very sensitive.

(gentle music)

I found the whole action
of giving the lady

a cow and calf quite moving.

Perhaps, it was energetic
changes to my karma

or maybe it was the
feeling of honour

that came from being able
to do something so humbling.

I changed a person's life.

That's a big deal
to take on board.

(speaking in foreign language)

(gentle music)

Quite teary.

Em.

(horns honking)

A few days ago, we got
stuck on a dirt road

on a mountainside with
a boiling radiator

and, now, we've got all
the luggage coming off

and trying to rope it
back on from the car

after leaving a ropey hotel.

(energetic music)

Now, for my next remedy.

We strip to the waist.

I reveal my flab to the world
and we begin the ceremony.

A great deal of preparation
has gone into this ceremony

and we have gathered
together many special herbs

from all over India.

Everything here has been
specially put together

for the ceremony and will
be dismantled afterwards.

(speaking in foreign language)

My finger is tied as a
symbol of being connected

to the benevolent
powers from the gods.

It's a bit like the
tying of the knot

from a pre-Christian
wedding ceremony.

I'm not sure why I have
to bang my temples.

Maybe an awakening of some kind?

Next, I have to give
my name, mother's name,

father's name, wife's
name and so on.

(speaking in foreign language)

Craig.

- Craig.
- Craig.

- Craig. (speaking
in foreign language)

- Father's name.
- Donald.

- Huh?
- Donald.

Donald.

(speaking in foreign language)

Ethel.

(speaking in foreign language)

My wife?

It strikes me that the
names and their order

are exactly the
same as the details

that were written
in the Nadi leaves

when I first consulted them.

(speaking in foreign language)

I tell the priest the
information, but the Nadi oracle

had known this information
thousands of years ago.

It gives me that eerie
feeling that the ancient seers

had seen this moment.

(speaking in foreign language)

Strange things run through
my mind as we invoke the gods

and I open myself to the
hypnotic power of the rituals.

(bell ringing)

(speaking in foreign language)

One priest gives fragrant
flower offerings to the gods,

while we prepare to
cast 108 aromatic

and medicinal herbs
into the fires.

First, I have to carry the
fruit offerings clockwise

round the temple.

(speaking in foreign language)

(bell ringing)

These are now put to
the consecrated fires.

All this is to help
me clear my past

and ward off evil
influences in the future.

Like the phoenix,
the spirit is reborn.

As the fire burns so
does my karmic debt.

(speaking in foreign language)

The residues from herbs
and ambers of the fires

are considered especially
sacred and will be used to make

a special paste that I can
use later in times of need.

I now bless the offerings
that have been assembled.

My soul has been
baptised in the fire.

As the sun is considered
to be the source of life

so fire is its agent on earth.

I find this whole
concept very inspiring

as I feel it triggers deep
down in my own conscious mind,

feelings that put me directly
in touch with archaic memories

from mankind's ancient past.

(tabla music)

Some of the things I
am placing in the fire

are said to transmit
medicinal smoke

that cures lots of diseases.

Some of these herbs
are very rare indeed

and found only in obscure
areas of the Himalayas.

(speaking in foreign language)

(bell ringing)

(speaking in foreign language)

Geez, that's cold.

I really am gasping for breath.

Talk about an ice
bucket challenge.

(gentle music)

- [Man] Stand up.

- Well, that's it, done.

Some of it took me by
surprise, but I did feel

that something was also
happening on an energetic level,

call it psychological,
if you like,

but I felt something going on

in the very depths of my being,

something that is really
impossible to describe

unless you've opened
yourself to these things.

Okay, well, I'm feeling
quite extraordinary.

I mean you don't
do that very often,

but, if I think about it, it's
a bit really like a ritual

of rebirth because the
fire gets rid of the old.

And then you're reborn
by water upon you

which is like
rebirth in the womb.

So, in a spiritual
sense, it's something

that's very, very ancient
that would take you back

to the most ancient time.

So it's a very deep-rooted,
unconscious ritual

which I certainly feel this
happened and worked somehow.

My next remedy is
to be conducted

hundreds of miles
away at Velankann.

Before visiting more holy
places and being thrown

into more rituals, we take
a stroll on the beach.

(speaking in foreign language)

Maybe I can buy
an ice cream here?

I just love the
pageant of India.

You can buy everything
here except ice creams,

maybe a goat.

I love the way people get
into the sea fully dressed.

But, first, a walk along
a delightful clean beach

and broadwalk before visiting
a few more temples for puja.

Mr Prakesh tells me about
this place and explains

that it was badly
hit by the tsunami

on December the 26th 2004.

People were bathing
happily just like today,

when the sea sunk back and
then stampeded onto the shore,

drowning thousands.

The sea came right up these
streets too and didn't stop

until it got to the church I
can see there in the distance.

It is interesting how the
Nadi remedies have asked me

to also take in a Christian
site as well as Hindu temples.

This is in preparation for
my next charitable work

that will be part
of the remedies.

(gentle music)

When you think about
it, all religions

are much the same at heart.

Their messages are about
love and service to others

and they all believe
in the one god

- a god that is omnipresent,
that is everywhere

at the same time.

And, just like
the gods of India,

the one God can take many
forms and the universal truths

are expressed through
divinely charged saints,

teachers, avatars,
prophets and messiahs.

It strikes me that
they are all saying

exactly the same thing.

I've seen a lot of charitable
acts while I've been in India.

I've noticed that some of
the poorest people I've met

are the most generous of all
and are only too keen to share

the little they have with me.

Now, it's my turn to do another
of the prescribed remedies.

When you feed a stranger,
it is a powerful medicine,

for not only do you help them,
but their positive thoughts

towards you help your
own spirit to flower.

It's an antidote to bad karma.

(baby crying)

It's five o'clock in the
morning and I just finished

my Hatha yoga and,
now, we're going to do

some meditation on the beach.

This will be like
a final rebirth.

The sun coming up, showing
the change of the personality

and one's life due
to the remedies.

(dramatic music)

After all these
rituals, I hope my life,

from now on, will run smoothly.

It's getting to the point
now that I'm really beginning

to feel India
seeping into my soul

and causing huge inner changes.

There's certainly a
light dawning within me.

I feel more and
more focused within

so that whatever happens sort
of out there in the world

is caused by what's
happening in here in me.

The nature of the
self is like light,

is joyful and happy.

Once we are focused
on the inner light,

we need travel no
further for we have found

an unshakable happiness
that nothing can harm

need we ever move from
this present moment.

The past is gone, the future
it seems is already set

and may have already happened,
but the present moment

is God's gift and
is there forever.

There is something deeply
spiritual about India.

The official name
of India is Bharat,

which itself comes from the
name of a god of fire and light,

like the sun itself.

Where else in the world
would so many people gather

every morning at a
viewpoint like this one

to simply watch the sunrise?

As I wait, ready to set
off to do my next series

of rituals and remedies,
dawn brings to mind

notions of illumination
and hope with a chance

for happiness and improvement.

The next remedy I have
to do is to wash away

the negative karma
from my past lives.

I've been travelling
India to do a series

of spiritual remedies that
the Nadi astrologers have said

is the result of my former
life as an Indian Rishi.

The rituals dictate
that my first step today

must be into the sea.

(gentle music)

My astrology guides are now
taking me to new holy places

to learn more of the
philosophy of India.

(gentle music)

As I return to the
mainland, my thoughts

and feelings are elsewhere.

The Nadi prophecies that have
brought me on this journey

are from another time, a
time when people could see

the future of all of us.

I wonder what is in
store for all of us

travelling together
in this life.

We are told by many prophets
that there will be cataclysmic

things ahead, but our
journey would take us

from the spiritually dark
ages into a brighter time.

The Vedic text say
that many people will,

like I'm doing here, seek
out their own salvation

and personal transformation
and this will be free

of the dictates of
sect, creed and cause

and will unite us all as
one family of mankind.

(gentle music)

On my return from Rameswaram,
I cross the Pamban Bridge

and I'm reminded that this area
of shallow waters and reefs

connects in a thin line
all the way to Sri Lanka.

Ahead of me, there's
now a long journey.

I'm heading towards a
temple on the way to do

the last of my karmic remedies.

It's been a punishing schedule,
travelling day and night,

with journeys back
and forth to fit in

with the best
astrological conditions.

Driving in India is
far from relaxing.

Sometimes it's a white
knuckle ride on roads

that have huge potholes and
sometimes come to abrupt stops.

Well, it looks like
we've broken down again.

We've come a few hundred miles
and we're in another garage.

(speaking in foreign language)

This our luxury Indian vehicle
for the next few weeks.

The only optional
extras you need

are air conditioning and a horn.

(horn honking)

Eventually, we're
on our way again

and it's a long
drive into the night.

I'm barely conscious as we speed

towards our next
spiritual destination.

For me, this journey
that's been dictated

by the Nadi oracles has brought
me many spiritual changes,

but there's still many
things on my mind.

There's a lot I need to
understand and, in particular,

I need to ask Mr Prakesh,
my astrological guide,

about the things that the
ash covered Siddha yogi

said and what he
predicted for me.

Maybe I will get a chance to
ask when we get to the temple?

(gentle music)

Finally, we arrive at our
destination and I feel as tired

and as exposed as
these many stray dogs

that hang around this place.

I had no idea where
I was being taken,

but I eventually find out
that we are at another

tongue-twisting Shiva temple

called Brihadishvara
in Thanjavur.

The locals call it the big
temple which suits me fine.

The Nadi astrologer, Mr
Prakesh, is now going to tell me

about what the Siddha
Yogi, Maha Ananda Swami,

predicted for me when I
touched his feet at the ashram.

Because we've now
finished all the remedies

and we finished all the pujas
and everything like that,

and we've been very
lucky, haven't we?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

(speaking in foreign language)

- He told you, for
all the peoples,

he's just blessed you
with one or two words.

But he told you a lot.

That is, your
family will be good.

You won't have any
separation in your family

and your business will be
developed into high level,

but your destiny is
to, you have to spend

your life in spirituality and
to do service in spirituality.

You will be a famous person

and you will do
service worldwide.

(speaking in foreign language)

You will have a long
life, eternal life,

as blessed by him.

(speaking in foreign language)

In Tamil, he told us
(speaking in foreign language)

Means he will live
for a long period.

- Live for long period?
- Yes.

- [Mr Prakesh] This is
the blessing given to you.

- Didn't he say something
also about building centres

and things like this?

- [Mr Prakesh] Yeah,
that we told, no?

You will be a famous
man, around the temples

you will do service,
around the world.

That is, by spreading
the centres, maybe.

Spiritual centres, maybe.

Nadi centres, maybe.

Like these things.

- This is so interesting because
my very first Nadi reading,

that you know nothing
about, said exactly that.

So it's come kind of
full circle, you know.

The first things that I was told

and the last things I
were told are the same.

So it sounds like destiny has
played its part here, I think.

(gentle music)

I thought I was at
the end of my journey,

but it seems the real
journey is just beginning.

- What our temples (mumbles)

after getting some good
things in our life,

after getting some blessings
from them in your life,

is have a good development.

Once again, if you worship
and thank the gods,

it will be good to your life.

(speaking in foreign language)

It will be highly (mumbles)

Giving, he says, good
potential, performance,

to the other gods.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Craig] Maybe they are
just flatteringly me,

but all this was already told
to me by other Nadi readers

that are unknown to
my new friends here.

- And then after fetching
all those things,

it will be good to you.

(speaking in foreign language)

God will watch you at all times.

- Yes.

- God will watch
me at all times.

What a lovely thought.

(gentle music)

What an amazing place to
get such spiritual messages.

In fact, the temple walls
are covered in Tamil messages

to and from the gods.

This lovely place has
the feeling of being

in some heavenly world.

The beautiful carvings
and the way the soft light

plays on the stone
feels like I'm walking

through an ethereal place.

Inside, there's a god
to get blessings from.

And when it comes
to Shiva lingams,

this place goes for it big time.

My mum would call it
a wholesale outlet.

What I find most interesting
is the Tamil writing

carved on the walls.

This temple is over
one thousand years old

and the inscriptions
are in old Tamil,

which is a simpler form of
writing with no flourishes.

(gentle music)

Gopi tells me all about this
and how many of these walls

have similar
remedies to the ones

that are shown in
the Nadi leaves.

(gentle music)

It makes me think that the
Rishis who wrote these leaves

may have also known
about places like this.

(gentle music)

They say that this place
was impossible to build

with the technology of the time.

It is all made of granite
and the capstone at the top

of the temple weighs
over 80 tonnes

and legends say that the
ancients used magic mantras

to levitate it into place.

(upbeat music)

One more tea.

Maybe I can get a loyalty card?

And I'll have some of your
best cuisine to go, please.

(upbeat music)

Another journey, another garage.

(upbeat music)

There is actually one more
last remedy to perform

and I have a feeling that
this is going to be one

of the most emotionally
testing experiences.

This is a hospice that's
mainly for mentally

and physically
challenged children and
I know that they keep

things on a shoestring.

My last astrological prescribed
remedy is to feed them.

(people chattering)

- [Man] Yes, that's good.

- [Craig] Doing this makes
me think of Jane back home.

For seven years, she was a
psychiatric nurse for children

and did lots of work like this.

It's kind of a
strange coincidence.

I'm thinking of my own
children and grandchildren.

(gentle music)

What lessons we can learn
from these shining eyes.

How I'd love it if there were
more people in my profession,

that is astrologers,
psychics and mediums,

which would be less concerned
about money and kudos

to actually use
some of the proceeds

from their spiritual
work to help people.

(gentle music)

- [Child] Thank you.

(speaking in foreign language)

- I've now been asked to
open the new Nadi centre.

(gentle music)

Put this here?

- [Man] And you can take this.

They are blessing you.

And you can take some
(speaking in foreign language)

(gentle music)

- They treat me like family.

They have good hearts that
shows in their smiles.

(gentle music)

Poor people from the
village have been invited

to an al fresco
dining on the rooftop.

If you want to
clear your own path

then there is nothing better
than to physically put food

on a poor person's plate.

It's all so very, very easy,
just get out there and do it.

And, even if you think
that all this astrology

is just a load of hocus-pocus,
you can't deny that this path

we are following here
is helping the world.

(speaking in foreign language)

I've come here now
to do the opening

of the new Shiva Nadi Centre.

These are the people that
did my leaves originally

and it's a great honour
to be doing this really

because when I first
consulted the Nadi,

I wanted to find a way that
I could do my mediumistic

and my spiritual
work free of charge.

And it's kind of
worked out really

because this is what the
Nadi people are doing.

We're doing it for free.

There's no hidden...

There's no upsell or
anything like that.

This is done for
free to help people.

And, even here, people
are being fed as I speak

and we're going to do
a wonderful opening

and I'm really looking
forward to this.

I pass through the
auspicious banana tree gate

that they've made
specially for this occasion

and take the scissors.

I now open the puja area
where the prayers are given.

(crowd applauding)

I declare this Nadi Centre open

for the benefit of all.

My hope is that, just as
some of the Nadi readers

are trying to counteract
the ripoff merchants

in their industry, so too I
may be able to set an example

to Western astrologers,
psychics and mediums

to clean up our act.

It's okay to earn a living,
but also try to put a bit back

and encourage your
clients to join

in the charitable work too.

In this way, we
all clear the karma

and have more fortunate lives.

- [Man] Yes, ready?

- Shall I say something?

- Yes.
- Yes.

- May this thrive and
may it help everybody

and may it prosper and may
people find themselves,

their fortunes, their destiny
and find their divine self.

- [Man] Yeah.

(speaking in foreign language)

(bell ringing)

- [Craig] As a final honour,
Mr Prakesh is going to give me

some lessons in reading
the Nadi leaves.

You don't have to be
clairvoyant to do this

as it's simply a matter
of reading the predictions

and remedies that were written

in these leaves
thousands of years ago.

Carbon dating shows the leaves
to be about 500 years old,

but the claim is that they
have been copied and recopied

hundreds of times over
many thousands of years.

He charts the Tamil
text to the leaves

and they're translated.

Listen carefully, this
randomly selected leaf

could be yours.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Man] Your parents are alive?

- [Craig] Yes.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Man] It is common, we
are telling in common.

Whatever we are
telling to the clients

when really that
is to be done here.

- [Craig] Okay.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Man] Your second
name is Elona.

- [Man] Second name is Elona.

First husband is separated.

(speaking in foreign language)

- The Nadi palm
leaves are all based

around astrology and
they tell you information

about yourself and, based
upon what you've done

in past lives, determines
what will happen

to you now and in the future.

And, of course, we're
not going to be stuck

with a bad karma.

The idea of the leaves
is that through a remedy,

we can change the bad
karma and make it less

and up and increase
the good karma

by doing various good actions
and spiritual rituals.

When a person consults
the Nadi leaves,

if they're unable to
come and do the rituals,

they can have someone
else do them by proxy.

So a feeding can be done

or the temple rituals can
be done by somebody else,

but it's far more powerful
and far more meaningful

to a person if they actually
come here and do it themselves.

And, even though for me it's
been a hard and long journey

and a hard trip across some
very rural areas of India,

I think it's really worth
it to actually get out there

and do it yourself.

The physical journeys over
and, now, I'm reflecting

on the inner journey
that's happened to me,

the changes that have
taken place in my soul.

As a typical Westerner
visiting India,

I feel conscious that I
have come from a country

of great materialism and
comforts where spirituality

has been lost and is now
replaced by rampant rationality.

If India's temples
crumble to dust

and its teachings
where ever lost,

how poorer still would
the world become.

(gentle music)

The writing is on the wall.

We all know that the world is
heading towards catastrophe

if we do not change our ways.

And, perhaps, these Nadi
teachings are there to help us

to put a brake on
materialism and to rediscover

a spiritual heritage
that's there for everyone,

no matter what your
religion or nationality.

(gentle music)

The Promethean fires still
burn and the lost knowledge

of the ancients is still
there for us to discover.

Treading where holy
men have walked

reminds me that this has
been an inner journey.

My destiny has been predicted
and I have been helped

by the astrologers and their
teachings to understand better

the reason I have been
placed upon this earth.

The teachings are
as old as the hills.

The oracle that inspired me
is thousands of years old

and yet there is
nothing really new.

It's the same
journey we take now

as the ancients had to take,

We just need to have the courage

to open into the
divinity within us.

In every face I see is a
little of that Divine Light

that India's teachings
take us towards.

Spiritual teachings are
not just something remote,

but are anchored in every
day life in the things we do.

There can be worship even
in the simplest of work.

We are all evolving not
just as physical beings,

but spiritually too.

The teachings tell us
that our soul has evolved

from animal into human
and our time on earth now,

in human form, is an opportunity
to become fully awakened

and that's why so many
take to the spiritual path,

touch the feet of gurus and
seek the solace of meditation.

I have thrown myself
into mystic India

and undertaken rituals that
many would find perplexing.

I have had the blessings of
the gods and of holy people

and holy places and have
done many rituals to open

the path that the oracle
predicts will happen.

Some of this has been
a cultural shock,

but I feel that it is
leading me to the light.

My adventure has taken me
thousands of miles across India

and I have enjoyed places
that few westerners visit.

But it has taught me also
the importance of charity.

As we give to others,
their good thoughts

projected towards us
help us to evolve too.

It's a win-win situation and,
of course, helping others

is part of the Christian message
too and the Muslim message

and the Buddhist
and Jewish message.

I think I have learned that
there is not much difference

between it all.

It's an adventure
doing spiritual things

and, when people
get really helped

and you see their
lives quickly change,

it opens your heart wide.

Will all these strange
astrological remedies
change things?

I have done the rituals
and I've burned the karma.

I have thrown the
past into the flames.

I have taken my journey
and explored my soul.

I have cut the
ties with my karma

and now a new destiny awaits.

India's just the start.

Indian culture believes that
it goes back 10,000 years

to an ancient lost knowledge
and that same lost knowledge

is in other cultures, other
religions, other beliefs

so come with me on
my next adventure.

(upbeat music)