Over the years PP Gurudev has been telling us about the benefits of meditation and its effect on the aura of the person. He has told us that before any illness manifests in the physical body it is first visible in the aura of the person. Hence if the aura could be analysed first, then it would be possible to provide a medical solution before the illness occurred. This is now happening with the introduction of Resonant Field Imaging.
A non-profit organization “Institute of Technical Energy Medicine Inc" was established in 1994 in the US to research and develop cutting edge technologies in the fields of energy medicine and bio-energy science. The company changed its name in 2002 to Innovation Technologies and Energy Medicine Inc. The company has developed a system Resonant Field Imaging System with which you can easily monitor the auras of humans, animals and even plants, as well as evaluate the energy fields of non-living objects.
With the use of RFI and other available modern alternative therapies like craniosacral balancing and aura reading it is possible to for medical practitioners to use this information for diagnosis in their mainstream medical practice.
A recent article in the Times of India dated 19th December, 2010 by Atul Sethi explained how a touch of positive energy could heal and cure. Medical research in alternative therapies is now progressing to such levels that it has become possible to measure the changes in one’s aura instantly by using a hand held machine which monitors the energy field and gives complete readings instantly. This data is then analysed by the alternative therapy practitioner based on the displayed readings on the subjects’ energy field. This reading is used to look for defects that might cause physiological and physical problems.
Among the community of energy therapy practitioners it is well known that disease could occur because of an imbalance in the energy patterns of an individual. PP Gurudev has mentioned time and again that all problems occur in an individuals’ life because there is imbalance within the person concerned, hence he needs to meditate for six months and first balance himself, so that all his problems physiological, mental and economic get sorted out by themselves. Thus balancing oneself through meditation, results in a positive change in the individuals energy field thereby transforming negative or bad energy into positive energy.
Dr. Sujata Vaidya of Pune’s Institute of Integrated Medicine says energies that govern the functioning of the body include thoughts, reactions, perceptions, knowledge, experience, and so on but none of these are measurable, tangible or visible, yet there is proof that they have an impact on the body (reported in TOI).
With greater research on the aura or energy field, it appears that science and spirituality are converging to find out the beneficial effects of meditation on mind and body. Through the practice of meditation it has been proved that the functioning of the brain changes. Dr. Fred Travis has shown how compelling changes occur in the images of the Unified Energy Field based on our thoughts. He along with his colleagues has shown that thought and behavior have a material impact on the functioning of our brain. The quality of the functioning of the brain determines the quality of the functioning of the mind. If you want a creative mind you need a creative brain. If you want a calm and alert mind you need a restful and alert brain. The brain sends electrical impulses through its network, every time you experience something new the brain registers it and the network gets a little stronger. The brain is like a river with many tributaries with 70% of the brain cells changing their mapping every day. (ref. Soulaura.com)
With greater advances in para-psychology and bio-engineering it will see the convergence of science and spirituality, wherein the tangible benefits of meditation can actually be measured by scientists. This data could then be used for the promotion of meditation and spirituality for the benefit of mankind leading to a much better and peaceful world tomorrow.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Yes Minister! Yes Prime Minister!
If you happened to view the above two BBC TV serials, I am sure most of you would remember these rib-tickling serials of yore. The mention of these serials is necessitated by the fact that these were a commentary on the British bureaucracy whose Westminster model we inherited. The bureaucrats used to confuse the ministers with their bureaucratese to perpetuate their perks and control over Government, with the assumption that it is not politicians who run Government but the bureaucrats. In a large part it is true, as the bureaucrats form the crucial backbone of the Government to ensure the policies and program of the Government of the day are executed in a silent and efficient manner. In theory this is all fine – but with reference to India – what does happen in reality? In view of the various scandals which have seen the light of day recently from the CWG scams, Adarsh Housing scandal, Karnataka land scams, Maharashtra mining scandals, and the list could prove endless – someone needs to examine the role of the bureaucrats!
I have written often in the past on the unholy nexus between politician, bureaucrat, builder and underworld nexus. In most cases it is the politician (mostly with a criminal background – just check the profile of our state and central parliamentarians) who provides the protection and encouragement to abuse power for personal gain. When the scandals come out in the open, the politicians’ heads roll due to real-politik – but what happens to the bureaucrat? For a politician - losing power is as good a slap as any – he may not be punished in the real sense, no prosecution and no jail; unlike the common citizen who is made to pay for minor crimes where the cost of prosecution is more than the cost of the crime itself!
Have you ever heard of a bureaucrat coming in the line of fire – he does in very rare cases – but that may just result in a denial of promotion or a transfer with all perks in place. The punishment for those in power and in the control of power should be exemplary as their responsibility is more than that of others. Unfortunately the same power is abused to get away in the loot of the nation for personal gains. The poor do not benefit from various schemes as most of the money gets drained by the time it reaches the ultimate “beneficiary”.
Unless we take advantage of the current situation to put in place checks and balances to prevent the rot from deepening further we will see an economically rising India (in spite of corruption) with a rising rank in the global corruption index. We need to have people with proven integrity to be in charge of a new investigation and prosecution agency just for bringing speedy and exemplary justice for those abusing power for personal gain. This could check the economic drain as well as reduce over a period of time the need for black money – thus cleansing up our politics which really is what feeds of this black money!
Well let us find the strength to whip lash our current lot of bureaucrats and politicians into doing their jobs honestly so that we could have a bright future for those who are being born and are yet to be born. The cleansing has to start NOW!
I have written often in the past on the unholy nexus between politician, bureaucrat, builder and underworld nexus. In most cases it is the politician (mostly with a criminal background – just check the profile of our state and central parliamentarians) who provides the protection and encouragement to abuse power for personal gain. When the scandals come out in the open, the politicians’ heads roll due to real-politik – but what happens to the bureaucrat? For a politician - losing power is as good a slap as any – he may not be punished in the real sense, no prosecution and no jail; unlike the common citizen who is made to pay for minor crimes where the cost of prosecution is more than the cost of the crime itself!
Have you ever heard of a bureaucrat coming in the line of fire – he does in very rare cases – but that may just result in a denial of promotion or a transfer with all perks in place. The punishment for those in power and in the control of power should be exemplary as their responsibility is more than that of others. Unfortunately the same power is abused to get away in the loot of the nation for personal gains. The poor do not benefit from various schemes as most of the money gets drained by the time it reaches the ultimate “beneficiary”.
Unless we take advantage of the current situation to put in place checks and balances to prevent the rot from deepening further we will see an economically rising India (in spite of corruption) with a rising rank in the global corruption index. We need to have people with proven integrity to be in charge of a new investigation and prosecution agency just for bringing speedy and exemplary justice for those abusing power for personal gain. This could check the economic drain as well as reduce over a period of time the need for black money – thus cleansing up our politics which really is what feeds of this black money!
Well let us find the strength to whip lash our current lot of bureaucrats and politicians into doing their jobs honestly so that we could have a bright future for those who are being born and are yet to be born. The cleansing has to start NOW!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Cost of Corruption and who pays for it?
I wonder if one realizes the cost of corruption in Rupee terms unless one sits down to analyze the monetary impact on the common man. Corruption in India is rampant and a cancer which is eating away into the moral fiber of the country at the same time making the population cynical, with most people saying “what can we do? – our country is like this only”. For one, you can say that you will not participate in corruption at the individual level – it could be as minor as passing on ten bucks to the traffic cop who stops you for a traffic violation.
If citizens participate in corruption, this becomes a self perpetuating cycle with everyone wanting to take the easy way out. With this attitude what happens? The people in power (read Government) or wearing a uniform as a symbol of power, know that they can always extract their pound of undesirable flesh as the common man does not have a choice. One pays to get legitimate work done, even with all legal clearances in place, thus the cost of executing that job just keeps going up. It could be a road construction contract, a building contract, or any of the innumerable tenders which the Government floats every year. You are all aware of the Adarsh Housing Society scam, the Telecom scandal and the recently concluded Commonwealth Games scandals.
It is public money which was abused for the Commonwealth Games, Government lost money by giving away land cheaply for the Adarsh Housing scandal, the telecom scandal has reportedly cost the ex-chequer Rs. 1.7 lakh crores! All these costs keep adding up and the Government instead of rationalizing taxes and reducing the tax burden on the common man increases it by way of cesses and surcharge. These cesses and surcharge continue even after the cess/surcharge levied has served its purpose. All this leads to high living costs. For people living in Mumbai, buying a house is like a distant dream. A 2BHK apartment in far of suburbs like Dahisar cost upwards of Rs. 90 lakhs.
Yesterday I was speaking to a builder who accepts only cheque payments, he mentioned that after buying a property from a landlord, registering it, obtaining approvals from all tenants, the proposal after being passed by the Urban Development Ministry went to the ex-Chief Minister for final approval. This proposal was a completely above board all approvals in place, all pay-offs done, but it was delayed for more than eight months as the Chief Minister delayed in affixing his signature. According to him the cost of delay in commencing the work to his company was Rs. 1 lakh per day. When we asked him who bears this cost, he says he passes it on to the consumer – basically the end-user, the man on the street is the guy who pays for all this corruption. No wonder property prices in Mumbai are amongst the highest in the world!
Apart from the huge financial cost to the common man due to corruption at every level of Government, the sad part is the common man ends up bearing the burden of this corruption by paying for it through higher prices and higher taxes. It is high time we start saying no to corruption and force the Government to have HONEST people in the various vigilance departments. At least let us try and make a beginning by having our vigilance forces transparent and above board and not like the CBI which has exonerated Haryana Police Chief of charges in the remaining three cases, thereby allowing the Supreme Court to let a convicted rapist and an abuser of power to walk free!
If citizens participate in corruption, this becomes a self perpetuating cycle with everyone wanting to take the easy way out. With this attitude what happens? The people in power (read Government) or wearing a uniform as a symbol of power, know that they can always extract their pound of undesirable flesh as the common man does not have a choice. One pays to get legitimate work done, even with all legal clearances in place, thus the cost of executing that job just keeps going up. It could be a road construction contract, a building contract, or any of the innumerable tenders which the Government floats every year. You are all aware of the Adarsh Housing Society scam, the Telecom scandal and the recently concluded Commonwealth Games scandals.
It is public money which was abused for the Commonwealth Games, Government lost money by giving away land cheaply for the Adarsh Housing scandal, the telecom scandal has reportedly cost the ex-chequer Rs. 1.7 lakh crores! All these costs keep adding up and the Government instead of rationalizing taxes and reducing the tax burden on the common man increases it by way of cesses and surcharge. These cesses and surcharge continue even after the cess/surcharge levied has served its purpose. All this leads to high living costs. For people living in Mumbai, buying a house is like a distant dream. A 2BHK apartment in far of suburbs like Dahisar cost upwards of Rs. 90 lakhs.
Yesterday I was speaking to a builder who accepts only cheque payments, he mentioned that after buying a property from a landlord, registering it, obtaining approvals from all tenants, the proposal after being passed by the Urban Development Ministry went to the ex-Chief Minister for final approval. This proposal was a completely above board all approvals in place, all pay-offs done, but it was delayed for more than eight months as the Chief Minister delayed in affixing his signature. According to him the cost of delay in commencing the work to his company was Rs. 1 lakh per day. When we asked him who bears this cost, he says he passes it on to the consumer – basically the end-user, the man on the street is the guy who pays for all this corruption. No wonder property prices in Mumbai are amongst the highest in the world!
Apart from the huge financial cost to the common man due to corruption at every level of Government, the sad part is the common man ends up bearing the burden of this corruption by paying for it through higher prices and higher taxes. It is high time we start saying no to corruption and force the Government to have HONEST people in the various vigilance departments. At least let us try and make a beginning by having our vigilance forces transparent and above board and not like the CBI which has exonerated Haryana Police Chief of charges in the remaining three cases, thereby allowing the Supreme Court to let a convicted rapist and an abuser of power to walk free!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
CHAITANYA MAHOTSAV – DANDI – 7, 8, 9 NOVEMBER 2010
JAI BABA SWAMI
I was packed and ready to go to Dandi a good two days before the departure date of 7th November. On 6th November I reached home a bit late and had received instructions from our ex-acharya to take a printout of the list of “sadhaks” and “havan” (holy fire ceremony) participants of Ambuja center, Andheri. I took the printouts and placed them on the packed bag in the living room, as we had decided to leave at around 6am, and I had to pick up a “sadhika” at Bandra, ex-acharya at Juhu and the last at Virar. A couple of months earlier, a “sadhak” from the Juhu center had asked whether I would be joining them in the hired bus for the Mahotsav and I had replied that I would be travelling in my car.
I went to bed at 9.30pm and woke up at around 4.00am to get ready for departure. After morning ablutions and prayers, it was exactly 6am when I went to take the car key from its regular place, to my shock the keys were not there, a thought crossed my mind – don’t tell me I am not destined to reach Dandi – but I erased that thought immediately and started looking in the last two- three places which I could have kept the key the previous night before going to bed. I did not find the key! So I took my bag down and kept it near the car and returned home to look for the key, after another unsuccessful search, I decided then and there that I had to reach Dandi and will think about the missing key on my return, so I took the duplicate set and left on my journey. At Juhu as I picked up the ex-acharya – he asked for the list, and I realized I had forgotten the list on the settee, in the confusion of the missing car key! We came back home, took the papers and left. In an hours time, we reached Virar and picked up Raju, who then took the wheel. We were doing good time and at around 8.45am we saw a huge traffic jam on the highway, and Raju drove the car on to the wrong side on a hunch, and we proceeded at a fairly quick clip with emergency lights on. We drove for almost eight kilometers and the jam still continued, as we neared Charotee town, our car came to a stop in the jam on the wrong side of the road. I told Vasant that we should offer some “seva” in trying to clear the jam, and we got off and walked to the junction at which the jam started, as we approached a traffic cop, the line in which our car was stuck started moving. The cop told us that a tanker carrying chemicals had overturned and caught fire last night at around 10pm and continued to burn. The fire brigade was just dousing the container with water so as to cool it and prevent it from bursting. We saw the fire burning, and the cops had even stopped the oncoming traffic because of the fear of a blast, we walked back and cleared the way for the vehicles coming from our lane, got into the car and left on the way to Dandi. There was very light traffic as all the heavy vehicles were stuck in the jam, we stopped at Parsi Dhaba for breakfast, and still reached Dandi at 11.15 am. The bus carrying the Juhu “sadhaks" reached at 3.30pm, we were told.
We took the registration sheet and collected the identity cards for the “sadhaks" from the registration counter, took our bags and selected our beds in our enclosure. We collected the “havan” passes and then went for Prasad lunch at around 1pm. After lunch, we got fresh and relaxed a bit, as the program was to start at 2.30pm. We were told that the “havan” would be at 4pm and reporting time was 3.30pm, hence we were staying put in the tent. One of the “sevaks” came and told us that we should attend the opening of the mahotsav and PP Gurudev was expected any time. We reached the program enclosure at 3.20pm, PP Gurudev entered at 3.30pm and welcomed us all. After the welcome address, those who were to participate in the “havan” were told to assemble in the “havan kund” area immediately. It was around 3.45pm and we went to our respective “havan kunds” – there were 171 “havan kunds” with an average of four participants per “kund”. The climate was very pleasant and a cool evening sea breeze was blowing when the ceremony started. With the clear chant of Sanskrit shlokas by Rambhai and his team, the ceremony progressed, from the inviting of the divine energies and invocation for divine blessings and so forth. As the ceremonies progressed Lord Ganesha’s idol was purified and consecrated after which the holy fire was lit. For two hours the "havan" progressed with the beautiful Sanskrit shlokas being chanted and repeated by us. I was getting a faint aroma of roses intermittently throughout the ceremony. There was no smoke and no heat in spite of 171 havans being lit, the ceremony concluded with Rambhai exhorting us to do “jay jaykars” loudly so that Dandi village residents should hear and feel our joy! Which we gladly did with resoundingly loud “jay jaykars”!
After the ceremony we paid obeisance to PP Gurudev’s photo and took our Prasad and were told to proceed for dinner as the next program was to start at 8pm. We went back to our beddings and sat down, decided to get fresh and then go for the Prasad dinner. As it was only 6.30pm, we thought we would go later for the Prasad, and left at around 7.30pm. By the time we reached the food enclosure, almost everybody had finished their dinner. We went and took our plates (no line you see), I got a bit of rice, some salad and half a glass of butter milk and an apple, my fellow “sadhaks” in the group did not get the butter milk and were waiting for “daal” (curry), I too waited for a bit and as announcements started for all the stragglers to assemble in the main “mandap”, I sat down and ate a mix of rice, butter milk and salad. I asked the others if they were coming, they said they would come after dinner, so I left alone for the “mandap”. Before 8pm I reached and took my seat and sat with my eyes closed. The announcer said that we would be having a bhajan (devotional songs) evening to be lead by Rambhai in the presence of PP Gurudev and PP Guruma. The bhajans started with “Aamay Tara Ren..Guru mara antar na ajwala”, “Baba Swami Dham Mogar Ruda Gaam”, then “Baba Swami Dhamma bole jheena mor”, “Prem ras se bhari Guru Mayya laage”, “Mere Gurudev tujhe baar baar vandana”, “Baba tujhe milneka satsang hi bahana hai”, “Sunkar karuna pukar Sadguru aa jaana”, Karlo mere Swamiji se pyar amrut barsega” and some bhajans by a twelve year old boy. Rambhai sang these bhajans non-stop for two hours – my eyes were closed for almost an hour and my hands were clapping away very loudly as if they had acquired a life of their own, my lips were loudly accompanying Rambhai’s bhajans and I was in a complete state of blissful trance -completely thoughtless. My eyes opened after an hour and I saw that almost everyone was standing and clapping and dancing; I too stood up and saw PP Gurudev waving his hands and bathing us with divine energies and at the same time clearing us of our negative energies. The atmosphere by now had become chill, like the climate of the “Himalayas” had descended upon Dandi Ashram. There were 5000 plus “sadhaks” filled with bliss, clapping, dancing and chanting in a frenzy. I had only heard from friends about Rambhai’s devotional song effect and how PP Gurudev always blessed all those present due to the power of Rambhai’s devotion as reflected through his bhajans. I consider myself really blessed to experience this first hand as PP Gurudev stood up and filled us with divine energy. For two hours this continued, had the compere not intervened, I think this session would have continued through the night with no letup in the songs or in the intensity of the clapping. At 10pm the session ended with the night temperature down to maybe 12-14 degrees centigrade… I saw my hands- the fingers adjoining the fingers which had gold rings on them had become black, with the left hands mound near the thumb having turned completely black with the clapping due to the ring on the index finger of my right hand – not only that my left hand got locked near the thumb and was paining due to the intensity of the clapping, I pushed back with my right hand and relieved the pressure on the left hand. I had not felt pain nor did I get a single thought for those two hours as I soaked in the energy and participated in the joy of Rambhai’s bhajans – I was TRULY BLESSED that night and really fortunate to enter the “mandap” just in time!
We went to bed at around 10.30pm, I woke up at 3 am and got fresh, had my bath and lay down peacefully for the morning meditation which was to start at 5.45am. After me, the others got ready one by one and we reached the “mandap” at around 5.30am and sat down in silence preparing ourselves internally for the meditation session. At exactly 5.45am Rambhai started the session with Guru Ahavan and Guru Mantra. The climate was cold and by the time the meditation was getting over, for the first time, I could feel cold waves of energy coming out of the center of both the palms – almost 22 months after starting meditation. There was a tremendous sense of peace and calm as we meditated and bathed in the divine energy present at the ashram.
After breakfast we attended PP Gurudev’s pravachan wherein He explained in detail the reasons for the new Guru Shakti Dham, the problems being faced by the Ashram in Dandi, the need for living quarters for the “Aajeevan Sevadhari’s”, various plans for the future and He also announced that the next year will be “Jaagruti” (Awakening) year for all “sadhaks” wherein Guru Karya will pick up great pace and also new fields of karya will open up. As usual, it was a very inspiring speech, filled with emotion and passion which enthuses us “sadhaks” to spread the divine message to more and more people. One could see the emotion affecting quite a few of the “sadhaks”, including me, as we were moved to tears with his words. We then had a 45 minute tea break and were asked to re-assemble at 10.45am. He mentioned that we must all be feeling good after yesterdays bathing in energy (chaitanya ke ganga me nehalaya).
After the tea break, as it was PP Gurudev’s birthday we were all given balloons to inflate and wave during the birthday celebrations and cake cutting. We all participated very enthusiastically in the birthday celebrations, with Guruma looking on lovingly at the grand celebrations. We waved the balloons and sang Happy Birthday and then burst the balloons in celebration as PP Gurudev cut the cake. At around 11.15 am the birthday celebrations were over, and the “paduka naman” program started. All the volunteers were first requested to come and pay obeisance to do the “paduka naman”. The compere had announced that during the program of “paduka naman” devotional songs would be sung by Smt Sumangala and her daughter Krishna. PP Gurudev intervened and said that the stage for the singers should be moved behind the line where the “padukas” had been kept and also said that no one should walk between the “paduka” and PP Gurudev as that could create problems. After this re-arrangement, the program started and as each row of ladies and gents completed the “paduka naman” they were told to proceed for lunch. Our group also completed the “paduka naman” and we proceeded for lunch. As the sun rose, the previous days chill had completely gone and the temperature was up to around 30 degrees centigrade. After our Prasad, we went to our enclosure and relaxed a bit before the re-assembly at 2.45pm.
The post lunch session was kept for the Trustees to explain various plans and tell us in minute detail the problems which were being faced at Dandi Ashram, the plans for the new Ashram at Mandvi, Kutch, plans for Goa and Maharashtra, etc.
By 3.30pm the cultural program started with garba, and various dance forms being performed by “sadhaks" from different centers. At 5pm we broke for tea and re-assembled at 5.45pm for Guruma’s pravachan.
Guruma is truly everyone’s mother as she spoke in her mellifluous voice on various topics, advising “sadhaks” and also singing one of her compositions for us. It is always a great pleasure listening to Guruma talk as she speaks with such love and in such a loving manner that her voice has a completely calming effect on her listeners. After Guruma’s pravachan we left for dinner – the difference in temperature this night as opposed to the previous night was a good 12-15 degrees centigrade.
At 8pm we attended the next cultural program, wherein the Ganesha dance performed by Mulund “sadhaks" and the Dashavatar dance performed by Rajkot “sadhaks” being truly outstanding with a lot of energy flowing. Every time I closed my eyes I sensed the energy with my body going cold from head to toe in continuing waves. The dashavatar program was repeated by popular demand with the permission of Guruma, after which the program ended for the day. The amount of divine energy which one could sense was awesome even in the cultural program due to the blessing of PP Gurudev and the presence of GuruShakti. We retired for the night, completely tired as it had been a long day, with the night temperature at a pleasant 27 degrees or so, I had a good nights’ sleep.
I was woken up on Tuesday morning by Shri Shantaram Bapu at 3.30am after which I had my bath and got ready for morning dhyan. After the dhyan session, the question-answer session started with PP Gurudev answering a host of spiritual questions from ““sadhak”s”. This session got over at 9am after which we got our breakfast break. At 10am we re-assembled for talks on Madhuchaitanya, sahitya, etc by the persons in charge of the same.
After lunch, there was a program of experience sharing by overseas “sadhaks”. “sadhaks” had come from Singapore, Canada, USA, London and Germany to share their experiences. Shirley from Singapore mentioned that she did the first meditation camp in 2004 and started actually meditating from 2008. She mentioned that the first time she sat in front of PP Gurudevs photo in 2008 she felt cold energy waves bathe her from head to toe. Earlier this year, one morning as she was preparing to sit for meditation she felt tremendous cool energy waves coming from PP Gurudevs photo, and as she stood experiencing there was a phone call from her husband saying that he was involved in a serious accident but had escaped with a few minor bruises. The time of the accident was exactly the point in time when she got the cold vibrations – she said that PP Gurudev had sent her a message that her husband had just been protected by the GuruShakti. Yogeshwari from Germany mentioned that when she attended last years’ Chaitanya Mahotsav she was surprised to see a balloon being given to her and she thought he is a saint why should he be celebrating his birthday with balloons. This thought kept bothering her and this year again when she was given the balloon and she was inflating it, she suddenly got her answer and burst out laughing. She explained that what is an inflated balloon – it is the same air outside as inside, separated by a thin membrane – just like our ego, if we keep our ego we are trapped in a small dimension but if we let go of it then we are connected to the large universe outside. I found this explanation lovely and true. There were other “sadhaks” who gave their experiences, of which the one from London mentioned that he could actually see the atomic particles floating in the atmosphere in the form of twinkling stars. He said that he did not believe this, so he tried it in his bathroom at night and saw glow of light in the bathroom and mentioned that he can actually see things at an atomic level – he ended by exhorting all of us to meditate regularly so as to individually reach a state to connect with universal consciousness.
The thanks giving ceremony started thereafter, with one of the trustees reading out a long list of people who had helped in making the function a grand success. PP Gurudev had already come and was waiting at around 4.15pm and the compere requested the trustee to wind up quickly. PP Gurudev, then gave a concluding pravachan and told us that we would meditate for 5 minutes before winding up the program. After we chanted the Guru Ahawan, PP Gurudev told us to repeat after him three times “Mai ek shudha atman hoon, mai ek pavitra atman hoon” (I am a clean soul, I am a pure soul) and then we sat for meditation. As we completed the meditation a few drops of rain fell and PP Gurudev mentioned that the Guru Shaktis themselves had indicated the end of the program. We got out quietly, collected our bags, took the Prasad on returning the registration card and left for Mumbai filled with peace and calm and taking back cherished memories of an unforgettable experience.
On the way back we experienced heavy rainfall all the way to Mumbai. I reached home at around 11pm after dropping the other “sadhaks”. As I reached home, I saw that the Kandeel lamp was not on though the blinking lights were on. As I entered, the thought of the missing car key again came to mind. I had my dinner and then decided to change the kandeel lamp. I opened the drawer in which spare bulbs are kept. I removed about five bulbs but they were of a higher wattage and placed them in a bowl, I found a bulb of correct wattage and connected it to the kandeel, came back and started keeping the other bulbs in a cabinet on top of the drawer. As I was picking the last bulb, I saw something black behind two books, it was the car key! My mom had told me that the house maid had looked all over the house and had not found it, and I had given up hopes. I went to tell my mom the good news; she had just gone to sleep. As I called out to her and told her the news, she got up and told me that she had just retired two minutes ago after lighting a lamp in front of PP Gurudevs photo praying for the keys to be found. As she said that I felt cold energy flowing from head to toe. Co-incidence? I think not – it all points to PP Gurudev leading me systematically, step by step in the direction of where the key was kept!
JAI BABA SWAMI.
I was packed and ready to go to Dandi a good two days before the departure date of 7th November. On 6th November I reached home a bit late and had received instructions from our ex-acharya to take a printout of the list of “sadhaks” and “havan” (holy fire ceremony) participants of Ambuja center, Andheri. I took the printouts and placed them on the packed bag in the living room, as we had decided to leave at around 6am, and I had to pick up a “sadhika” at Bandra, ex-acharya at Juhu and the last at Virar. A couple of months earlier, a “sadhak” from the Juhu center had asked whether I would be joining them in the hired bus for the Mahotsav and I had replied that I would be travelling in my car.
I went to bed at 9.30pm and woke up at around 4.00am to get ready for departure. After morning ablutions and prayers, it was exactly 6am when I went to take the car key from its regular place, to my shock the keys were not there, a thought crossed my mind – don’t tell me I am not destined to reach Dandi – but I erased that thought immediately and started looking in the last two- three places which I could have kept the key the previous night before going to bed. I did not find the key! So I took my bag down and kept it near the car and returned home to look for the key, after another unsuccessful search, I decided then and there that I had to reach Dandi and will think about the missing key on my return, so I took the duplicate set and left on my journey. At Juhu as I picked up the ex-acharya – he asked for the list, and I realized I had forgotten the list on the settee, in the confusion of the missing car key! We came back home, took the papers and left. In an hours time, we reached Virar and picked up Raju, who then took the wheel. We were doing good time and at around 8.45am we saw a huge traffic jam on the highway, and Raju drove the car on to the wrong side on a hunch, and we proceeded at a fairly quick clip with emergency lights on. We drove for almost eight kilometers and the jam still continued, as we neared Charotee town, our car came to a stop in the jam on the wrong side of the road. I told Vasant that we should offer some “seva” in trying to clear the jam, and we got off and walked to the junction at which the jam started, as we approached a traffic cop, the line in which our car was stuck started moving. The cop told us that a tanker carrying chemicals had overturned and caught fire last night at around 10pm and continued to burn. The fire brigade was just dousing the container with water so as to cool it and prevent it from bursting. We saw the fire burning, and the cops had even stopped the oncoming traffic because of the fear of a blast, we walked back and cleared the way for the vehicles coming from our lane, got into the car and left on the way to Dandi. There was very light traffic as all the heavy vehicles were stuck in the jam, we stopped at Parsi Dhaba for breakfast, and still reached Dandi at 11.15 am. The bus carrying the Juhu “sadhaks" reached at 3.30pm, we were told.
We took the registration sheet and collected the identity cards for the “sadhaks" from the registration counter, took our bags and selected our beds in our enclosure. We collected the “havan” passes and then went for Prasad lunch at around 1pm. After lunch, we got fresh and relaxed a bit, as the program was to start at 2.30pm. We were told that the “havan” would be at 4pm and reporting time was 3.30pm, hence we were staying put in the tent. One of the “sevaks” came and told us that we should attend the opening of the mahotsav and PP Gurudev was expected any time. We reached the program enclosure at 3.20pm, PP Gurudev entered at 3.30pm and welcomed us all. After the welcome address, those who were to participate in the “havan” were told to assemble in the “havan kund” area immediately. It was around 3.45pm and we went to our respective “havan kunds” – there were 171 “havan kunds” with an average of four participants per “kund”. The climate was very pleasant and a cool evening sea breeze was blowing when the ceremony started. With the clear chant of Sanskrit shlokas by Rambhai and his team, the ceremony progressed, from the inviting of the divine energies and invocation for divine blessings and so forth. As the ceremonies progressed Lord Ganesha’s idol was purified and consecrated after which the holy fire was lit. For two hours the "havan" progressed with the beautiful Sanskrit shlokas being chanted and repeated by us. I was getting a faint aroma of roses intermittently throughout the ceremony. There was no smoke and no heat in spite of 171 havans being lit, the ceremony concluded with Rambhai exhorting us to do “jay jaykars” loudly so that Dandi village residents should hear and feel our joy! Which we gladly did with resoundingly loud “jay jaykars”!
After the ceremony we paid obeisance to PP Gurudev’s photo and took our Prasad and were told to proceed for dinner as the next program was to start at 8pm. We went back to our beddings and sat down, decided to get fresh and then go for the Prasad dinner. As it was only 6.30pm, we thought we would go later for the Prasad, and left at around 7.30pm. By the time we reached the food enclosure, almost everybody had finished their dinner. We went and took our plates (no line you see), I got a bit of rice, some salad and half a glass of butter milk and an apple, my fellow “sadhaks” in the group did not get the butter milk and were waiting for “daal” (curry), I too waited for a bit and as announcements started for all the stragglers to assemble in the main “mandap”, I sat down and ate a mix of rice, butter milk and salad. I asked the others if they were coming, they said they would come after dinner, so I left alone for the “mandap”. Before 8pm I reached and took my seat and sat with my eyes closed. The announcer said that we would be having a bhajan (devotional songs) evening to be lead by Rambhai in the presence of PP Gurudev and PP Guruma. The bhajans started with “Aamay Tara Ren..Guru mara antar na ajwala”, “Baba Swami Dham Mogar Ruda Gaam”, then “Baba Swami Dhamma bole jheena mor”, “Prem ras se bhari Guru Mayya laage”, “Mere Gurudev tujhe baar baar vandana”, “Baba tujhe milneka satsang hi bahana hai”, “Sunkar karuna pukar Sadguru aa jaana”, Karlo mere Swamiji se pyar amrut barsega” and some bhajans by a twelve year old boy. Rambhai sang these bhajans non-stop for two hours – my eyes were closed for almost an hour and my hands were clapping away very loudly as if they had acquired a life of their own, my lips were loudly accompanying Rambhai’s bhajans and I was in a complete state of blissful trance -completely thoughtless. My eyes opened after an hour and I saw that almost everyone was standing and clapping and dancing; I too stood up and saw PP Gurudev waving his hands and bathing us with divine energies and at the same time clearing us of our negative energies. The atmosphere by now had become chill, like the climate of the “Himalayas” had descended upon Dandi Ashram. There were 5000 plus “sadhaks” filled with bliss, clapping, dancing and chanting in a frenzy. I had only heard from friends about Rambhai’s devotional song effect and how PP Gurudev always blessed all those present due to the power of Rambhai’s devotion as reflected through his bhajans. I consider myself really blessed to experience this first hand as PP Gurudev stood up and filled us with divine energy. For two hours this continued, had the compere not intervened, I think this session would have continued through the night with no letup in the songs or in the intensity of the clapping. At 10pm the session ended with the night temperature down to maybe 12-14 degrees centigrade… I saw my hands- the fingers adjoining the fingers which had gold rings on them had become black, with the left hands mound near the thumb having turned completely black with the clapping due to the ring on the index finger of my right hand – not only that my left hand got locked near the thumb and was paining due to the intensity of the clapping, I pushed back with my right hand and relieved the pressure on the left hand. I had not felt pain nor did I get a single thought for those two hours as I soaked in the energy and participated in the joy of Rambhai’s bhajans – I was TRULY BLESSED that night and really fortunate to enter the “mandap” just in time!
We went to bed at around 10.30pm, I woke up at 3 am and got fresh, had my bath and lay down peacefully for the morning meditation which was to start at 5.45am. After me, the others got ready one by one and we reached the “mandap” at around 5.30am and sat down in silence preparing ourselves internally for the meditation session. At exactly 5.45am Rambhai started the session with Guru Ahavan and Guru Mantra. The climate was cold and by the time the meditation was getting over, for the first time, I could feel cold waves of energy coming out of the center of both the palms – almost 22 months after starting meditation. There was a tremendous sense of peace and calm as we meditated and bathed in the divine energy present at the ashram.
After breakfast we attended PP Gurudev’s pravachan wherein He explained in detail the reasons for the new Guru Shakti Dham, the problems being faced by the Ashram in Dandi, the need for living quarters for the “Aajeevan Sevadhari’s”, various plans for the future and He also announced that the next year will be “Jaagruti” (Awakening) year for all “sadhaks” wherein Guru Karya will pick up great pace and also new fields of karya will open up. As usual, it was a very inspiring speech, filled with emotion and passion which enthuses us “sadhaks” to spread the divine message to more and more people. One could see the emotion affecting quite a few of the “sadhaks”, including me, as we were moved to tears with his words. We then had a 45 minute tea break and were asked to re-assemble at 10.45am. He mentioned that we must all be feeling good after yesterdays bathing in energy (chaitanya ke ganga me nehalaya).
After the tea break, as it was PP Gurudev’s birthday we were all given balloons to inflate and wave during the birthday celebrations and cake cutting. We all participated very enthusiastically in the birthday celebrations, with Guruma looking on lovingly at the grand celebrations. We waved the balloons and sang Happy Birthday and then burst the balloons in celebration as PP Gurudev cut the cake. At around 11.15 am the birthday celebrations were over, and the “paduka naman” program started. All the volunteers were first requested to come and pay obeisance to do the “paduka naman”. The compere had announced that during the program of “paduka naman” devotional songs would be sung by Smt Sumangala and her daughter Krishna. PP Gurudev intervened and said that the stage for the singers should be moved behind the line where the “padukas” had been kept and also said that no one should walk between the “paduka” and PP Gurudev as that could create problems. After this re-arrangement, the program started and as each row of ladies and gents completed the “paduka naman” they were told to proceed for lunch. Our group also completed the “paduka naman” and we proceeded for lunch. As the sun rose, the previous days chill had completely gone and the temperature was up to around 30 degrees centigrade. After our Prasad, we went to our enclosure and relaxed a bit before the re-assembly at 2.45pm.
The post lunch session was kept for the Trustees to explain various plans and tell us in minute detail the problems which were being faced at Dandi Ashram, the plans for the new Ashram at Mandvi, Kutch, plans for Goa and Maharashtra, etc.
By 3.30pm the cultural program started with garba, and various dance forms being performed by “sadhaks" from different centers. At 5pm we broke for tea and re-assembled at 5.45pm for Guruma’s pravachan.
Guruma is truly everyone’s mother as she spoke in her mellifluous voice on various topics, advising “sadhaks” and also singing one of her compositions for us. It is always a great pleasure listening to Guruma talk as she speaks with such love and in such a loving manner that her voice has a completely calming effect on her listeners. After Guruma’s pravachan we left for dinner – the difference in temperature this night as opposed to the previous night was a good 12-15 degrees centigrade.
At 8pm we attended the next cultural program, wherein the Ganesha dance performed by Mulund “sadhaks" and the Dashavatar dance performed by Rajkot “sadhaks” being truly outstanding with a lot of energy flowing. Every time I closed my eyes I sensed the energy with my body going cold from head to toe in continuing waves. The dashavatar program was repeated by popular demand with the permission of Guruma, after which the program ended for the day. The amount of divine energy which one could sense was awesome even in the cultural program due to the blessing of PP Gurudev and the presence of GuruShakti. We retired for the night, completely tired as it had been a long day, with the night temperature at a pleasant 27 degrees or so, I had a good nights’ sleep.
I was woken up on Tuesday morning by Shri Shantaram Bapu at 3.30am after which I had my bath and got ready for morning dhyan. After the dhyan session, the question-answer session started with PP Gurudev answering a host of spiritual questions from ““sadhak”s”. This session got over at 9am after which we got our breakfast break. At 10am we re-assembled for talks on Madhuchaitanya, sahitya, etc by the persons in charge of the same.
After lunch, there was a program of experience sharing by overseas “sadhaks”. “sadhaks” had come from Singapore, Canada, USA, London and Germany to share their experiences. Shirley from Singapore mentioned that she did the first meditation camp in 2004 and started actually meditating from 2008. She mentioned that the first time she sat in front of PP Gurudevs photo in 2008 she felt cold energy waves bathe her from head to toe. Earlier this year, one morning as she was preparing to sit for meditation she felt tremendous cool energy waves coming from PP Gurudevs photo, and as she stood experiencing there was a phone call from her husband saying that he was involved in a serious accident but had escaped with a few minor bruises. The time of the accident was exactly the point in time when she got the cold vibrations – she said that PP Gurudev had sent her a message that her husband had just been protected by the GuruShakti. Yogeshwari from Germany mentioned that when she attended last years’ Chaitanya Mahotsav she was surprised to see a balloon being given to her and she thought he is a saint why should he be celebrating his birthday with balloons. This thought kept bothering her and this year again when she was given the balloon and she was inflating it, she suddenly got her answer and burst out laughing. She explained that what is an inflated balloon – it is the same air outside as inside, separated by a thin membrane – just like our ego, if we keep our ego we are trapped in a small dimension but if we let go of it then we are connected to the large universe outside. I found this explanation lovely and true. There were other “sadhaks” who gave their experiences, of which the one from London mentioned that he could actually see the atomic particles floating in the atmosphere in the form of twinkling stars. He said that he did not believe this, so he tried it in his bathroom at night and saw glow of light in the bathroom and mentioned that he can actually see things at an atomic level – he ended by exhorting all of us to meditate regularly so as to individually reach a state to connect with universal consciousness.
The thanks giving ceremony started thereafter, with one of the trustees reading out a long list of people who had helped in making the function a grand success. PP Gurudev had already come and was waiting at around 4.15pm and the compere requested the trustee to wind up quickly. PP Gurudev, then gave a concluding pravachan and told us that we would meditate for 5 minutes before winding up the program. After we chanted the Guru Ahawan, PP Gurudev told us to repeat after him three times “Mai ek shudha atman hoon, mai ek pavitra atman hoon” (I am a clean soul, I am a pure soul) and then we sat for meditation. As we completed the meditation a few drops of rain fell and PP Gurudev mentioned that the Guru Shaktis themselves had indicated the end of the program. We got out quietly, collected our bags, took the Prasad on returning the registration card and left for Mumbai filled with peace and calm and taking back cherished memories of an unforgettable experience.
On the way back we experienced heavy rainfall all the way to Mumbai. I reached home at around 11pm after dropping the other “sadhaks”. As I reached home, I saw that the Kandeel lamp was not on though the blinking lights were on. As I entered, the thought of the missing car key again came to mind. I had my dinner and then decided to change the kandeel lamp. I opened the drawer in which spare bulbs are kept. I removed about five bulbs but they were of a higher wattage and placed them in a bowl, I found a bulb of correct wattage and connected it to the kandeel, came back and started keeping the other bulbs in a cabinet on top of the drawer. As I was picking the last bulb, I saw something black behind two books, it was the car key! My mom had told me that the house maid had looked all over the house and had not found it, and I had given up hopes. I went to tell my mom the good news; she had just gone to sleep. As I called out to her and told her the news, she got up and told me that she had just retired two minutes ago after lighting a lamp in front of PP Gurudevs photo praying for the keys to be found. As she said that I felt cold energy flowing from head to toe. Co-incidence? I think not – it all points to PP Gurudev leading me systematically, step by step in the direction of where the key was kept!
JAI BABA SWAMI.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Ganesh Darshan, Dandi , 18/19 September, 2010
We had registered our names for Ganesh Darshan well in time. There were five of us who planned to go by road to Swamiji’s residence for Ganesh Darshan. One of the younger sadhika’s dropped out as her college was re-opening on the 15th, and we had an immediate replacement as Mrs. Poddar from Juhu center said another lady who had joined the Samarpan movement of late was keen on coming with us. A day before we left, I was told that two sadhaks had come from Singapore and had booked a car to go the for Ganesh darshan and they could take one person if anyone wanted to go. In the meantime, the student sadhika said her college opening had been postponed and she wanted to come with us, I informed her that my car was full though I could check if she could be accommodated with the sadhaks from Singapore. That did not materialize as the logistics were too much to manage and the student dropped out. Her mother told me to get her Swamiji’s discourse audio cassettes which were not available in Mumbai anymore. I said I will try.
We left at around 7am from Mumbai and reached Anmol hotel and checked in at around 1pm. We had lunch and then left for the Dham for Ganesh darshan which was to start at 3pm and end at 9pm. Before leaving for Dandi I had fervently prayed for “no rains” so as to have a nice darshan. Swamiji blessed us with a bright and sunny day. We reached the Dham at 2.30pm and got in line by 2.40pm. I could see the Dham’s entrance about 70 feet away. As we were barefoot and the sun was beating down relentlessly, the ground heat was making it difficult to stand, and I was also sweating profusely. I managed to keep my mind away from the discomfort, by chanting a non-stop silent mantra (Om Swami Namo Namah, Shree Swami Namo Namah, Baba Swami Namo Namah, Shree Sadguru Swami Namo Namah). It passed 3pm and the line was not moving at all, and behind me the line had become very long (more than 3000 people visited). We were informed that those who had come from Mumbai and outside Navsari and who had trains and buses to catch were being given preference. At 3pm, live bhajans started, once the bhajans started the flow of energy and the vibrations too started. On closing my eyes, in spite of the heat and the sweating body, I could feel myself going cold internally from head to toe. The energy one could feel was palpable and an experience which needs to be sensed to understand. The moment I opened my eyes, I stopped feeling the energy, with closed eyes and the mantra going on in my mind the energy flow would start again. Slowly, the line moved forward, and by 4.45pm we had completed the Ganesh Darshan taken the Prasad and come out of the Dham.
After the darshan Mrs. Poddar asked if we could stop by the Sahitya office which was on the way to our hotel, if it was open. To our luck, the office was open and we stopped and went to the office. As we entered the office, Umesh, the person in charge told us that the office was closed, but the moment he saw Mrs. Poddar he smiled and welcomed us in. As we were looking at the items on display, I spotted the cassettes which Sweety (the student) had wanted. I asked Umesh if I could purchase and he said yes, and the cassettes on display were the last few in stock (production of audio cassettes had stopped). I bought them and informed Sweety that even though she could not accompany us, I had got her audio cassettes. I have a firm belief that Swamiji takes care of each and every sadhaks needs and desires in his own subtle way – we just become mediums in the happening of events, that’s all!
As we left, another car stopped and people got off to come to the Sahitya office, but were told that it was closed. We then left for the hotel. We sat down to share our individual experiences and then at 7pm we sat for meditation. After meditation we went for dinner and retired for the night at around 9.45pm.
Our room was on the fourth floor and facing the road. The room was extremely hot as we were on the top floor and the noise from the traffic below made sleeping an impossible task. We moved the bed directly below the fan, but to no avail, I could not sleep at all. I then got off the bed, took a pillow and slept on the marble floor, though it was cooler, the constant car honking and the train whistles made my wish for a good nights’ sleep, just that, a wish! At around 1.45am, I remembered the piece of paper which had the Singapore sadhaks phone numbers kept in my shirt pocket. I took out that piece of paper, and in a fit of inspiration, made two ear plugs and shoved them into each year. The sound then subsided and I got to sleep for about two and a half hours. I woke up at 4.15am had a bath and got ready as we had to leave for the ashram at 5.30am.
After I got ready, Raju too got ready, I checked with the ladies and they too were ready. Mrs. Poddar said we will check out, and so we did at 5.30am and left for the Ashram. We were thinking that due to the relentless heat the road to the Ashram would be open, but no such luck. A couple of locals told us to take the beach route to the ashram. We took the car to the Dandi beach, and as we were getting out of the car, a Tata Indica came and parked next to us- a couple got out and started walking briskly towards the ashram. It was around 6am and twilight had broken out, the 3km walk along the beach was extremely enchanting. One could hear the sound of the sea waves and smell the sea and at the same time you could hear the “miauw” of peacocks in the marshes beyond the beach. The sound of other birds and crickets along with the call of the peacocks accompanied us all the way to the ashram. There were three dogs on the beach and one of them kept coming up and circling me, taking a pat on the head, going ahead, then going to play with her friends and as I passed her, she would come and walk with me for a distance and then the same routine would repeat itself. This dog gave us company right up to the ashram. We entered the ashram at 6.50am, and Mrs. Poddar had to sit for the “chitta shuddhi havan” at 7am along with her friend. We reached the “havan kund” at exactly 7am – the three of us who were not participating sat down for meditation and the other two ladies along with two other couples who had registered sat down for the havan. At exactly 8 am the havan got over, the Sanskrit shlokas for the havan were being recited in tandem by a sadhak and a sadhika who had been trained by Shri Rambhai, the pronunciation and diction were so clear, that the mantras falling on one’s ears early in the morning was like celestial music.
After the havan, I approached the two sadhaks who had got off from the Tata Indica and asked the lady “ You are Meera, right?” She asked how do you know?, I introduced myself and told her that I was the one who was in touch with her for the seat in their cab for Sweety. I was sure that I would meet this couple somehow at Dandi, and my feelings were vindicated! She asked me if I had come with my family, and I told her that we were all part of the same “Samarpan” family. After that brief talk, we left for Murti darshan and dhyan.
At around 9.10am we left the ashram for our walk back to the car from the beach. Swamiji blessed us with cloudy weather with a cool sea breeze, which helped us in our walk back to the car. As we got out of the ashram and started walking on the beach, a moth came and sat on my right hand, this moth stayed on my hand for almost the entire walk back, I blew it on its way as it tried to walk up my arm below my shirt sleeve. We reached the car and left for Mumbai at around 10.30am The trip back as usual was very quiet, as each one of us was lost in one’s own thoughts. Leaving Dandi, is always difficult, as the peace, calm and serenity is something one can only dream of in a megalopolis like Mumbai!
We left at around 7am from Mumbai and reached Anmol hotel and checked in at around 1pm. We had lunch and then left for the Dham for Ganesh darshan which was to start at 3pm and end at 9pm. Before leaving for Dandi I had fervently prayed for “no rains” so as to have a nice darshan. Swamiji blessed us with a bright and sunny day. We reached the Dham at 2.30pm and got in line by 2.40pm. I could see the Dham’s entrance about 70 feet away. As we were barefoot and the sun was beating down relentlessly, the ground heat was making it difficult to stand, and I was also sweating profusely. I managed to keep my mind away from the discomfort, by chanting a non-stop silent mantra (Om Swami Namo Namah, Shree Swami Namo Namah, Baba Swami Namo Namah, Shree Sadguru Swami Namo Namah). It passed 3pm and the line was not moving at all, and behind me the line had become very long (more than 3000 people visited). We were informed that those who had come from Mumbai and outside Navsari and who had trains and buses to catch were being given preference. At 3pm, live bhajans started, once the bhajans started the flow of energy and the vibrations too started. On closing my eyes, in spite of the heat and the sweating body, I could feel myself going cold internally from head to toe. The energy one could feel was palpable and an experience which needs to be sensed to understand. The moment I opened my eyes, I stopped feeling the energy, with closed eyes and the mantra going on in my mind the energy flow would start again. Slowly, the line moved forward, and by 4.45pm we had completed the Ganesh Darshan taken the Prasad and come out of the Dham.
After the darshan Mrs. Poddar asked if we could stop by the Sahitya office which was on the way to our hotel, if it was open. To our luck, the office was open and we stopped and went to the office. As we entered the office, Umesh, the person in charge told us that the office was closed, but the moment he saw Mrs. Poddar he smiled and welcomed us in. As we were looking at the items on display, I spotted the cassettes which Sweety (the student) had wanted. I asked Umesh if I could purchase and he said yes, and the cassettes on display were the last few in stock (production of audio cassettes had stopped). I bought them and informed Sweety that even though she could not accompany us, I had got her audio cassettes. I have a firm belief that Swamiji takes care of each and every sadhaks needs and desires in his own subtle way – we just become mediums in the happening of events, that’s all!
As we left, another car stopped and people got off to come to the Sahitya office, but were told that it was closed. We then left for the hotel. We sat down to share our individual experiences and then at 7pm we sat for meditation. After meditation we went for dinner and retired for the night at around 9.45pm.
Our room was on the fourth floor and facing the road. The room was extremely hot as we were on the top floor and the noise from the traffic below made sleeping an impossible task. We moved the bed directly below the fan, but to no avail, I could not sleep at all. I then got off the bed, took a pillow and slept on the marble floor, though it was cooler, the constant car honking and the train whistles made my wish for a good nights’ sleep, just that, a wish! At around 1.45am, I remembered the piece of paper which had the Singapore sadhaks phone numbers kept in my shirt pocket. I took out that piece of paper, and in a fit of inspiration, made two ear plugs and shoved them into each year. The sound then subsided and I got to sleep for about two and a half hours. I woke up at 4.15am had a bath and got ready as we had to leave for the ashram at 5.30am.
After I got ready, Raju too got ready, I checked with the ladies and they too were ready. Mrs. Poddar said we will check out, and so we did at 5.30am and left for the Ashram. We were thinking that due to the relentless heat the road to the Ashram would be open, but no such luck. A couple of locals told us to take the beach route to the ashram. We took the car to the Dandi beach, and as we were getting out of the car, a Tata Indica came and parked next to us- a couple got out and started walking briskly towards the ashram. It was around 6am and twilight had broken out, the 3km walk along the beach was extremely enchanting. One could hear the sound of the sea waves and smell the sea and at the same time you could hear the “miauw” of peacocks in the marshes beyond the beach. The sound of other birds and crickets along with the call of the peacocks accompanied us all the way to the ashram. There were three dogs on the beach and one of them kept coming up and circling me, taking a pat on the head, going ahead, then going to play with her friends and as I passed her, she would come and walk with me for a distance and then the same routine would repeat itself. This dog gave us company right up to the ashram. We entered the ashram at 6.50am, and Mrs. Poddar had to sit for the “chitta shuddhi havan” at 7am along with her friend. We reached the “havan kund” at exactly 7am – the three of us who were not participating sat down for meditation and the other two ladies along with two other couples who had registered sat down for the havan. At exactly 8 am the havan got over, the Sanskrit shlokas for the havan were being recited in tandem by a sadhak and a sadhika who had been trained by Shri Rambhai, the pronunciation and diction were so clear, that the mantras falling on one’s ears early in the morning was like celestial music.
After the havan, I approached the two sadhaks who had got off from the Tata Indica and asked the lady “ You are Meera, right?” She asked how do you know?, I introduced myself and told her that I was the one who was in touch with her for the seat in their cab for Sweety. I was sure that I would meet this couple somehow at Dandi, and my feelings were vindicated! She asked me if I had come with my family, and I told her that we were all part of the same “Samarpan” family. After that brief talk, we left for Murti darshan and dhyan.
At around 9.10am we left the ashram for our walk back to the car from the beach. Swamiji blessed us with cloudy weather with a cool sea breeze, which helped us in our walk back to the car. As we got out of the ashram and started walking on the beach, a moth came and sat on my right hand, this moth stayed on my hand for almost the entire walk back, I blew it on its way as it tried to walk up my arm below my shirt sleeve. We reached the car and left for Mumbai at around 10.30am The trip back as usual was very quiet, as each one of us was lost in one’s own thoughts. Leaving Dandi, is always difficult, as the peace, calm and serenity is something one can only dream of in a megalopolis like Mumbai!
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Samarpit Sadhaks Narration of messages received from Gurudev
JAI BABA SWAMI
This is being posted with the permission of the author who wishes to remain anonymous, as the messages he has received from Gurudev are universal and are for sharing with everyone. The post is original, except for some minor editorial corrections.
Hi Girish ... Jai Baba Swami ... this is what we had spoken during our trip to Goa. Swamiji with his immense grace has got this done, I do not know why this is done, how this is done and for whom this is being done. Whatever "HE" has been wanting to communicate has been put down. Some of these are experiences which I had in his omnipresence.
Om Ganeshaya Namaha , On Saishwaraya Namaha ,Om Gurudevaya Namaha , Om Shree Shivkrupanand Swami Namo Namaha.
Please read the word "Guru" as "Paramatma" in the entire text.
1. Time discipline -- Get up, sleep, eat, exercise in time and with regularity. If there is medicine to be taken, please take the same in time. No spiritual master or GURU will advise against taking medicine or taking care of your body, however do not go overboard in caring for your body.
2. Manushyata -- not limited to fellow human beings, should be extended to plants and animals. We as human beings have got a greater responsibility of extending brotherhood and harmony amongst ourselves and amongst animals / insects / flora / fauna. It is the lack of this quality in ourselves which is causing problems ( both man-made - problems of war, terrorism and ecological problems causing imbalance in nature ) around the world
3. Give yourself time for meditation and be alone with your atma. Sit alone and try to connect with your atma, start a relationship with your self and you will find that you will seek guidance from your atma and your atma will guide you. Over a period of time, there will be no seeking or guiding, it will become a automatic process, atma will overtake the function of the body, brain and mind to move this bodily vehicle in the direction of salvation.
4. Guru Karya - what your body and mind does, is with Guru's wish hence it is Guru Karya. Do not compare this with others and feel belittled. During chaitanya mahotsav of Nov 2009, there were people who were narrating their experiences and I was thinking that the people who were getting the opportunity to do "Guru Karya " are very lucky.
On coming back to Mumbai from the Chaitanya Mohatsav in 2009, I went for a walk after meditation at the center, where I got this message :
-- if your "Samarpan" is complete, then whatever is being done by the body/mind is as a "Madhyam" and since the "Samarpan" is towards Guru, the body's actions are performed as per Guru's wish and is therefore "Guru Karya".
-- Hence, as a "Sadhak", what is required from us is complete surrender, with "Shuddha Bhav" towards Guru, rest whatever is happening will be with Guru's wish and grace and will always be his "Karya" which he gets done.
-- There is not a single moment in your life whereby the Guru is not with you , he is always there as the very "air" which you breathe, he is the "life prana" which keeps you "Chetana maya", the moment you connect to him you become "Chaitanya maya" -- this is because you become one with the Guru who is "Chaitanaya Swarup"
5. Accept the situation (Sthiti and Paristhiti) -- We often find ourselves in a "Sthiti" ( situation ) and the way we react or approach the situation decides the "Paristhiti" which we find ourselves in. If a person has "Samarpan" towards the Guru, he / she should learn to accept the situation in which he / she finds himself / herself. The Guru will never allow the devotee to be in a situation which the devotee is not supposed to be in. Further the situation will be controlled completely by the Guru and hence the "Paristhiti" of the devotee will always be good. Guru will always ensure that what his devotee gets is what is good for him, rather than what is wanted by the devotee.
Learn to accept the situation in which you are in as it is the wish of your Guru
6. Accept the people with you in such situations. Remember, Guru has accepted you with all your good and bad qualities. Since the situation in which you find yourself is due to Guru's wish, the people with you in the situation are also due to his wish. It may be seen that a person often tends to forgive his children, parents etc. ( near and dear ones ) and his tolerance towards others is less, this is due to the fact that he has accepted the child as his own , the relationship with his parents ( kith and kin ) as his own, whereas for others the tolerance is not that much hence the irritation, ego etc. takes precedence while dealing with "others".
Most of the times we are not able to accept the people with us in a particular situation or we take the people with us in a particular situation "for granted", which restricts us from accepting the situation itself. The attitude which should be developed is that, since Guru has accepted us with all our shortcomings, we should also accept the people around us whole heartedly with what we perceive as their shortcomings. By only thinking about their shortcomings we will be taking their negative traits. With lots of love, would thus suggest that we pray that our atma and chitta should be concentrated on the positivity around us and should not stick to any negativity. One should pray for Sadguru to bless and shower his blessings in such a manner that one looks within for ones "shortcomings", which have been accumulated over various births and with his "Karuna" give us strength to overcome all our "shortcomings". It is only the power of Guru which can help a person achieve this, provided he has surrendered completely to the GURUSHAKTI.
7. Ego display - counter with super ego reduction , become like a child -- As Gurudev has pointed out many times during his discourses that one of the most important pollution is "Thought pollution" , most of the problems we encounter in our daily lives is due to the EGO which is so subtle in all of us. As Sadgurudev has mentioned time and again "A poor person too has the ego that he is poor", which clearly indicates that EGO has got nothing to do with big, small, rich, poor, male, female etc, rather it is to do with the attitude of "Acceptance and Surrender". This is what has been lacking in all of us. As Gurudev has been consistently mentioning about innocent sadhaks who are given special attention by him, this is so since :
a. The innocence is genuine hence the actions of such a person is like a child, this compels the "Guru mauli" to take special care of the child. The genuineness cannot be faked but rather can be developed with "Atma Shuddi", "Chitta Shuddi", complete surrender to the Guru. When one completely surrenders to the Guru, the person actually has to develop complete "Shraddha" and ""Saburi" which ultimately results in the attitude of "Surrender". It is only due to this can one achieve "Atma and Chitta Shuddi"
b. When there is complete surrender, there is trust which brings out the innocent quality which all of us have, but over a period of time, we have covered the same with thick layers of thoughtful ideas which have become our attitude / ego. This does not allow us to go to the deep buried secret of our own innocence as we usually do not make an attempt to penetrate the thick layers and have got into the habit of adding to existing layers and creating new ones too with regularity. No matter how thick these layers are and how deep our innocence is buried, if we follow Sadguru's guidance ( some of them are indicatively mentioned in the above points ) we can still reach there and do not have to fake our innocence, but rather will attain "Atma and Chitta Shuddhi" which will ultimately bring out the ever glowing innocence within us.
8. Value add in the situation /position you hold in office, society , home -- This is a special gift from "Guruma" who has always been inspiring and explaining to all of us in such a manner that we understand and relate to our daily life. Though she is a perfect "Siddha" she acts like a common "Sadhak". She comes down to our level and connects with each one of us to explain in simple and lucid language with practical ( day to day ) examples, on "How to become an ideal Sadhak". Her "Swarup" is "Chaitanya Mayi" and "Ananda Swarup". I shall try and put some understanding to the statement which she made.
We all play various roles in our life ( son, daughter , brother , sister , hold various positions in professional life ). Whatever situation we are in, we should always strive to add value through our skills, knowledge and efforts. God has given us the position along with the responsibility to fulfil particular assignments, while one should not go overboard in doing so, but at the same time if one does not do justice towards the responsibility, it does not do justice to the role/assignment, which is not right.
During my visit to "Om Shanti Ashram" at Mount Abu last year, I had the good fortune to meet one of the "Dadiji’s". I had asked her my doubt as follows :
"We sadhaks strive to attain spiritual growth for which we are expected to behave in a particular manner, i.e. be soft spoken, be kind, be compassionate , not to hurt anyone etc. However such approach in our office life may be taken as a weakness. This can happen in our role at home too. Dadiji , What is the right approach ? Please guide."
Dadiji spoke in kind words which were very effective and assertive: "Beta, when we are in office, we have a certain responsibility towards the work and the position which we hold, if we do not do enough to reach the objective, it is unfair to the organization which is giving you the means of living. Some times in office you may come across instances where you have to be strict, take unpopular decisions to do your work or to get the work done. If you would be soft and compassionate always, there are chances that people may take you for granted, which if it happens consistently may lead to failures and thus hurt your self-confidence. Being strict or taking an unpopular decision, based on a situation, by itself is not wrong, as long as you do not get involved in it and make it a personal issue ( as Swamiji would say - it should not touch your chitta ). By practicing of detachment of yourself from the actions (in the words of Swamiji - think of me and leave everything to me, i.e. submit all your actions to me with complete surrender, samarpan,) will help in achieving both the objectives:
a. getting the work done as required and
b. not owning up the action and the karma phal
This can only be achieved by constant practice ( "abhyas" ).
While at work, we all will have pressures to deliver as per certain objectives. However, when one carries the pressure of work ( role in office ) to one’s home life ( role as a father, mother , son , daughter, brother, sister, husband , wife , friend etc ) there is a possibility that the person may create "stress". Similarly if he carries his home life to office, he will not be able to do full justice to his job. Hence Guruma has mentioned that a "Sadhak" has to understand and identify the difference between "pressure" and "stress" and then strike the right work-life balance.
All "Guruma" wanted to convey is that, we should practice ( do abhyas ) to strike balance for which "samarpan" and "dhyan" is necessary. We, as Sadhak's should hence do "Samarpan Dhyan" consistently so that our "stithi" and "paristhiti" remains balanced.
9. Look at other people as atma, understand the "Swarup", look beyond the body. Especially for males, when you look at females, understand the potential "Shakti" - This is a problem mostly with males and of late gaining popularity with females fast, whereby there is always an attraction towards the opposite "ling". Swamiji has mentioned in various discourses about this problem with males (some of them are sadhaks too). One day, again after meditation, I had been for a walk where Baba was kindly explaining to me that -- look at another person as an "Atma" and try to understand the "swarup" instead of looking at the "roop". This again will come with practice. He instructed me thus - as soon as you see a female and your mind / brain starts to go in a particular direction , you start chanting my mantra ( "Om Kriya Babaji Namaha Om" ) , this will not only divert your attention but also purify your thoughts. Over a period of time, with practice, whenever you look at a female, you will invariably think of me which will automatically cleanse any bad thought coming in your mind about the other person.
10. For spiritual progress there are 5 essential elements "Atma Shuddhi", "Chitta Shuddhi", "Atma Niyantran" , "Chitta Shuddi" ( first 4 ) and finally "Guru's Grace" (5th) without which spiritual progress is incomplete. None of the first four is possible without the 5th or we can also say that even if a person achieves the first four, without the fifth, progress will be extremely slow.
11. Understand the difference between good and pleasant. Good should be for the Atma and Pleasant for the body. The choice is left to every individual sadhak. Normally a person always looks at pleasant and often ignores the good. Swamiji has mentioned this in his discourses that when atma takes control of the body, the persons actions are always towards good. This is the good which is not only for oneself, but for the overall good of the surroundings. Lord Krishna too has instructed Arjuna as follows :
Krishna -- "Always strive to become a Rishi "
Arjuna -- "Prabhu , I do not understand"
Krishna -- "When a normal person sleeps, Rishi is awake, and Rishi sleeps only when the normal person and society as a whole is awakened. Do not equate this with the physical sleep and awakened state. While a normal person is bothered only about himself, his physical body and his surrounding, the actions of a Rishi is such that it benefits entire society as a whole."
Swamiji also has been urging us to be with our atma and perform actions which will not only help us but will be beneficial to the society as a whole. This can be done only when we start understanding the difference between good and pleasant.
JAI BABA SWAMI
This is being posted with the permission of the author who wishes to remain anonymous, as the messages he has received from Gurudev are universal and are for sharing with everyone. The post is original, except for some minor editorial corrections.
Hi Girish ... Jai Baba Swami ... this is what we had spoken during our trip to Goa. Swamiji with his immense grace has got this done, I do not know why this is done, how this is done and for whom this is being done. Whatever "HE" has been wanting to communicate has been put down. Some of these are experiences which I had in his omnipresence.
Om Ganeshaya Namaha , On Saishwaraya Namaha ,Om Gurudevaya Namaha , Om Shree Shivkrupanand Swami Namo Namaha.
Please read the word "Guru" as "Paramatma" in the entire text.
1. Time discipline -- Get up, sleep, eat, exercise in time and with regularity. If there is medicine to be taken, please take the same in time. No spiritual master or GURU will advise against taking medicine or taking care of your body, however do not go overboard in caring for your body.
2. Manushyata -- not limited to fellow human beings, should be extended to plants and animals. We as human beings have got a greater responsibility of extending brotherhood and harmony amongst ourselves and amongst animals / insects / flora / fauna. It is the lack of this quality in ourselves which is causing problems ( both man-made - problems of war, terrorism and ecological problems causing imbalance in nature ) around the world
3. Give yourself time for meditation and be alone with your atma. Sit alone and try to connect with your atma, start a relationship with your self and you will find that you will seek guidance from your atma and your atma will guide you. Over a period of time, there will be no seeking or guiding, it will become a automatic process, atma will overtake the function of the body, brain and mind to move this bodily vehicle in the direction of salvation.
4. Guru Karya - what your body and mind does, is with Guru's wish hence it is Guru Karya. Do not compare this with others and feel belittled. During chaitanya mahotsav of Nov 2009, there were people who were narrating their experiences and I was thinking that the people who were getting the opportunity to do "Guru Karya " are very lucky.
On coming back to Mumbai from the Chaitanya Mohatsav in 2009, I went for a walk after meditation at the center, where I got this message :
-- if your "Samarpan" is complete, then whatever is being done by the body/mind is as a "Madhyam" and since the "Samarpan" is towards Guru, the body's actions are performed as per Guru's wish and is therefore "Guru Karya".
-- Hence, as a "Sadhak", what is required from us is complete surrender, with "Shuddha Bhav" towards Guru, rest whatever is happening will be with Guru's wish and grace and will always be his "Karya" which he gets done.
-- There is not a single moment in your life whereby the Guru is not with you , he is always there as the very "air" which you breathe, he is the "life prana" which keeps you "Chetana maya", the moment you connect to him you become "Chaitanya maya" -- this is because you become one with the Guru who is "Chaitanaya Swarup"
5. Accept the situation (Sthiti and Paristhiti) -- We often find ourselves in a "Sthiti" ( situation ) and the way we react or approach the situation decides the "Paristhiti" which we find ourselves in. If a person has "Samarpan" towards the Guru, he / she should learn to accept the situation in which he / she finds himself / herself. The Guru will never allow the devotee to be in a situation which the devotee is not supposed to be in. Further the situation will be controlled completely by the Guru and hence the "Paristhiti" of the devotee will always be good. Guru will always ensure that what his devotee gets is what is good for him, rather than what is wanted by the devotee.
Learn to accept the situation in which you are in as it is the wish of your Guru
6. Accept the people with you in such situations. Remember, Guru has accepted you with all your good and bad qualities. Since the situation in which you find yourself is due to Guru's wish, the people with you in the situation are also due to his wish. It may be seen that a person often tends to forgive his children, parents etc. ( near and dear ones ) and his tolerance towards others is less, this is due to the fact that he has accepted the child as his own , the relationship with his parents ( kith and kin ) as his own, whereas for others the tolerance is not that much hence the irritation, ego etc. takes precedence while dealing with "others".
Most of the times we are not able to accept the people with us in a particular situation or we take the people with us in a particular situation "for granted", which restricts us from accepting the situation itself. The attitude which should be developed is that, since Guru has accepted us with all our shortcomings, we should also accept the people around us whole heartedly with what we perceive as their shortcomings. By only thinking about their shortcomings we will be taking their negative traits. With lots of love, would thus suggest that we pray that our atma and chitta should be concentrated on the positivity around us and should not stick to any negativity. One should pray for Sadguru to bless and shower his blessings in such a manner that one looks within for ones "shortcomings", which have been accumulated over various births and with his "Karuna" give us strength to overcome all our "shortcomings". It is only the power of Guru which can help a person achieve this, provided he has surrendered completely to the GURUSHAKTI.
7. Ego display - counter with super ego reduction , become like a child -- As Gurudev has pointed out many times during his discourses that one of the most important pollution is "Thought pollution" , most of the problems we encounter in our daily lives is due to the EGO which is so subtle in all of us. As Sadgurudev has mentioned time and again "A poor person too has the ego that he is poor", which clearly indicates that EGO has got nothing to do with big, small, rich, poor, male, female etc, rather it is to do with the attitude of "Acceptance and Surrender". This is what has been lacking in all of us. As Gurudev has been consistently mentioning about innocent sadhaks who are given special attention by him, this is so since :
a. The innocence is genuine hence the actions of such a person is like a child, this compels the "Guru mauli" to take special care of the child. The genuineness cannot be faked but rather can be developed with "Atma Shuddi", "Chitta Shuddi", complete surrender to the Guru. When one completely surrenders to the Guru, the person actually has to develop complete "Shraddha" and ""Saburi" which ultimately results in the attitude of "Surrender". It is only due to this can one achieve "Atma and Chitta Shuddi"
b. When there is complete surrender, there is trust which brings out the innocent quality which all of us have, but over a period of time, we have covered the same with thick layers of thoughtful ideas which have become our attitude / ego. This does not allow us to go to the deep buried secret of our own innocence as we usually do not make an attempt to penetrate the thick layers and have got into the habit of adding to existing layers and creating new ones too with regularity. No matter how thick these layers are and how deep our innocence is buried, if we follow Sadguru's guidance ( some of them are indicatively mentioned in the above points ) we can still reach there and do not have to fake our innocence, but rather will attain "Atma and Chitta Shuddhi" which will ultimately bring out the ever glowing innocence within us.
8. Value add in the situation /position you hold in office, society , home -- This is a special gift from "Guruma" who has always been inspiring and explaining to all of us in such a manner that we understand and relate to our daily life. Though she is a perfect "Siddha" she acts like a common "Sadhak". She comes down to our level and connects with each one of us to explain in simple and lucid language with practical ( day to day ) examples, on "How to become an ideal Sadhak". Her "Swarup" is "Chaitanya Mayi" and "Ananda Swarup". I shall try and put some understanding to the statement which she made.
We all play various roles in our life ( son, daughter , brother , sister , hold various positions in professional life ). Whatever situation we are in, we should always strive to add value through our skills, knowledge and efforts. God has given us the position along with the responsibility to fulfil particular assignments, while one should not go overboard in doing so, but at the same time if one does not do justice towards the responsibility, it does not do justice to the role/assignment, which is not right.
During my visit to "Om Shanti Ashram" at Mount Abu last year, I had the good fortune to meet one of the "Dadiji’s". I had asked her my doubt as follows :
"We sadhaks strive to attain spiritual growth for which we are expected to behave in a particular manner, i.e. be soft spoken, be kind, be compassionate , not to hurt anyone etc. However such approach in our office life may be taken as a weakness. This can happen in our role at home too. Dadiji , What is the right approach ? Please guide."
Dadiji spoke in kind words which were very effective and assertive: "Beta, when we are in office, we have a certain responsibility towards the work and the position which we hold, if we do not do enough to reach the objective, it is unfair to the organization which is giving you the means of living. Some times in office you may come across instances where you have to be strict, take unpopular decisions to do your work or to get the work done. If you would be soft and compassionate always, there are chances that people may take you for granted, which if it happens consistently may lead to failures and thus hurt your self-confidence. Being strict or taking an unpopular decision, based on a situation, by itself is not wrong, as long as you do not get involved in it and make it a personal issue ( as Swamiji would say - it should not touch your chitta ). By practicing of detachment of yourself from the actions (in the words of Swamiji - think of me and leave everything to me, i.e. submit all your actions to me with complete surrender, samarpan,) will help in achieving both the objectives:
a. getting the work done as required and
b. not owning up the action and the karma phal
This can only be achieved by constant practice ( "abhyas" ).
While at work, we all will have pressures to deliver as per certain objectives. However, when one carries the pressure of work ( role in office ) to one’s home life ( role as a father, mother , son , daughter, brother, sister, husband , wife , friend etc ) there is a possibility that the person may create "stress". Similarly if he carries his home life to office, he will not be able to do full justice to his job. Hence Guruma has mentioned that a "Sadhak" has to understand and identify the difference between "pressure" and "stress" and then strike the right work-life balance.
All "Guruma" wanted to convey is that, we should practice ( do abhyas ) to strike balance for which "samarpan" and "dhyan" is necessary. We, as Sadhak's should hence do "Samarpan Dhyan" consistently so that our "stithi" and "paristhiti" remains balanced.
9. Look at other people as atma, understand the "Swarup", look beyond the body. Especially for males, when you look at females, understand the potential "Shakti" - This is a problem mostly with males and of late gaining popularity with females fast, whereby there is always an attraction towards the opposite "ling". Swamiji has mentioned in various discourses about this problem with males (some of them are sadhaks too). One day, again after meditation, I had been for a walk where Baba was kindly explaining to me that -- look at another person as an "Atma" and try to understand the "swarup" instead of looking at the "roop". This again will come with practice. He instructed me thus - as soon as you see a female and your mind / brain starts to go in a particular direction , you start chanting my mantra ( "Om Kriya Babaji Namaha Om" ) , this will not only divert your attention but also purify your thoughts. Over a period of time, with practice, whenever you look at a female, you will invariably think of me which will automatically cleanse any bad thought coming in your mind about the other person.
10. For spiritual progress there are 5 essential elements "Atma Shuddhi", "Chitta Shuddhi", "Atma Niyantran" , "Chitta Shuddi" ( first 4 ) and finally "Guru's Grace" (5th) without which spiritual progress is incomplete. None of the first four is possible without the 5th or we can also say that even if a person achieves the first four, without the fifth, progress will be extremely slow.
11. Understand the difference between good and pleasant. Good should be for the Atma and Pleasant for the body. The choice is left to every individual sadhak. Normally a person always looks at pleasant and often ignores the good. Swamiji has mentioned this in his discourses that when atma takes control of the body, the persons actions are always towards good. This is the good which is not only for oneself, but for the overall good of the surroundings. Lord Krishna too has instructed Arjuna as follows :
Krishna -- "Always strive to become a Rishi "
Arjuna -- "Prabhu , I do not understand"
Krishna -- "When a normal person sleeps, Rishi is awake, and Rishi sleeps only when the normal person and society as a whole is awakened. Do not equate this with the physical sleep and awakened state. While a normal person is bothered only about himself, his physical body and his surrounding, the actions of a Rishi is such that it benefits entire society as a whole."
Swamiji also has been urging us to be with our atma and perform actions which will not only help us but will be beneficial to the society as a whole. This can be done only when we start understanding the difference between good and pleasant.
JAI BABA SWAMI
Monday, August 2, 2010
Guru Purnima – Goa – July 23 to July 27
JAI BABA SWAMI
I had been waiting eagerly for July 23 - co-incidentally my elder brothers’ birthday too – in fact I barely slept on the night of the 22nd, waking up every hour to see whether it was time to leave. I woke up at 4.15 am and got ready for departure. After my bath I sat down for meditation and the cool vibrations emanating from PP Gurudev’s photo augured well for our 600km drive down to Goa. I prayed for our safe journey – we were seven people travelling in two cars – as it was raining very heavily throughout the previous day. At 6.30 am, I left with my mothers’ blessings, along with Raju, picked up two others from Juhu and Andheri West and another sadhika from Andheri East and left for Airoli where Deepak Tandon stayed. We were waiting for another sadhak who came from Thane, and in the meanwhile, we had breakfast at Deepaks house. Deepak’s wife Sharmila told us that she will come by train in the evening, so in effect we became seven travellers from eight. Deepak and his wife are bhakts of Sathya Sai Baba and they took us to the “devghar”. As I closed my eyes and prayed, the cool vibrations felt were amazing, the family is truly blessed to have such divine presence in their house.
At 7.30pm after the last sadhak, Manoj, came we left for Goa via the Mumbai – Bangalore road which is a part of the golden quadrilateral route. We stopped on the expressway for tea and snacks at around 9 am. As we left, I got a call from a friend saying that it had really started pouring in Mumbai and the TV news was showing that the Bombay-Goa road via Ratnagiri was closed. I told him we had planned two months ago that we were going via the Kolhapur road, and we were confident that PP Gurudev would be with us throughout our journey. We stopped for lunch at around 2pm at Tawandi, in Karnataka, and believe me, it was one of the most pleasant drives on a beautiful and smooth road. We did get intermittent rain on the way and one tense moment when a trailer carrying Mahindra tractors went out of control and missed our vehicle as we overtook it by the proverbial whisker. We were confident nothing would happen to us and that faith took us onward on our drive through the Amboli Ghat - one of the most beautiful roads you will come across anywhere in the world. Lush green fields with different hues of green on either side of the winding and twisting road, as we drove up Amboli Ghat the road became misty with fog arriving in gentle swathes across the road, thinning and thickening as we progressed. Rain added to the beauty and the pleasure of the drive as we totally connected with nature with the blessings of PP Gurudev. We stopped for filling petrol and having a cup of tea around 4pm on the upward slope of Amboli Ghat. After filling petrol, we went to a small restaurant for tea and as soon as we entered the restaurant, it started pouring cats and dogs, elephants and rhinos. We could not see a meter ahead of us in the blinding rain. Fog had also started to float across the road, I was confident that the rain would stop as we finished tea – this has been my experience in the last two monsoons after joining the Samarpan meditation movement, it rains every time I get into the car, home or office, and stops when it is time to leave – strange but true. My confidence was proved right, as the rain reduced to a slight drizzle as we finished our tea and got into the car – PP Gurudev had again ensured that we enjoyed the rains but were not affected adversely by it. As we drove up the Ghat we came across numerous waterfalls cascading down from the hillside on our right and a deep valley to the left. The visibility became almost zero for about ten minutes of the drive and with PP Gurudev’s blessings we passed that stretch safely admiring the natural beauty of the ghats as we slowly drove down. Once out of the Ghats we reached Sawantwadi and thence to Porvorim where we went straight to the ground where the Guru Purnima function was to be held. We reached the ground at 6pm in the evening after one of the most wonderful drives on beautiful roads going through the thick of nature and arriving at our destination as fresh as daisies.
We connected with fellow sadhaks from Bangalore and Mumbai who were already there in Goa for the function. Ravikiran and Ananth met us at the ground and showed us the preparations. Ravikiran gave us directions to his Hotel, where we stayed overnight. The function was to start from 4pm on Saturday, so we retired at around 10pm and left for the ground next morning by 8am. We registered for the function and took our ID cards and then we had breakfast at the ground after which we got a request for giving “seva”. The ground had been levelled and the pandal was prepared for taking in 6000 plus sadhaks, a separate dining area connected to the main pandal, from which one could go to the “exhibition” and “sahitya” stall. From the exit to the dining area one could go to the cloak section with separations for ladies and gents. All in all, if one was disciplined and got in early, one did not have to leave the pandal and go into the open ground and get caught in the rain which was incessant, from heavy to very heavy at times. The pandal was so beautifully made by contractors from Gandhinagar, with every care being taken to ensure that water did not enter the pandal. The ground was of red loam with pebbles all over, hence walking on the ground would hurt the feet, for which black soil, most likely from Calangute beach was being put over the red loam. We joined in offering seva in laying the black soil inside the pandal, once that was done, we were asked to do the same outside on the pathway. We started with 8 to 10 sadhaks and in half an hour or so had swelled to 100 plus people working at a frenetic pace to lay the black soil. We worked like a labor gang, picking up “ghamelas” filled with sand and passing it on to the sadhaks at the end to put on the ground and level it, there was a return chain of people to convey the empty ghamelas. It was great fun, and we were singing bhajans and dhuns as the work progressed. By 1pm we had finished laying the sand and a lady sadhak from Rajkot started singing Rambhai’s bhajan “Tame tararey“ and we all started doing garba to the tune and sang along with her. As the song and dance gathered momentum I was experiencing cool vibrations from head to toe in spite of sweating due to the seva. After giving seva on the ground we went into the pandal to help other sevaks in laying the mattresses for the sadhaks to sit. By 2pm we were more or less ready to receive the sadhaks. We were informed that due to heavy rains the railways had cancelled all trains going through the Konkan, the roads were also blocked because of flooding of the Sindhudurg river. Many sadhaks then hired buses and took out their cars to reach Goa by 4pm. Quite a few could not make it on the 24th and sadhaks kept coming even on the 25th till late evening. Deepak informed us that his wife had arrived in time for the function. When we met her she said that when she left in the evening, she asked her aunt for a couple of plastic bags, but her aunt gave her a bagful of plastic bags. These bags came in extremely handy, as the passengers in the bus all suffered from motion sickness and the bags were used for those who were vomiting. It is amazing how the Gurushaktis put their devotees to work in helping others. Sharmila’s purpose for going by bus was in carrying the plastic bags for those affected – no one else had carried these bags! Such are the ways of the Guru!
We went back to the hotel and freshened up and changed into fresh clothes and drove back to the ground. By 4.30pm, the sadhaks had all gathered and the pandal looked like a sea of orange caps! Mrs. Virkar announced that we would begin with meditation, and we all sat down for group meditation in PP Gurudev’s aura. After meditation, the organisers announced how the logistics would be taken care of, as 115 hotels had been booked with 80 buses organised in two batches for the sadhaks to come to the venue and then leave for the hotel. These hotels were all within a radius of 20 km from the venue, hence a delay by any one person would delay the entire batch. The sadhaks were told to have discipline and follow the instructions of volunteers appointed for each bus and hotel so that the arrangements were not disturbed. PP Gurudev and PP Guruma’s arrival was after the logistics announcements for which we closed our eyes and sat down for PP Gurudev’s and PP Guruma’s arrival. Blowing of conch shells announced the arrival of PP Guruma first and then PP Gurudev. We all bowed down and prayed in obeisance on their arrival. We listened in silence to the discourse from PP Gurudev who welcomed us on our arrival and gave us his pearls of wisdom. He told us that many of us faced problems because we were not sure of whether to go to Goa or not and hence arrived in a very unstable condition as a result he could not come for meditation with us. He explained that the human body had ten “dwars” starting with the “mool dwar ” followed by “mutra dwar” the two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, mouth and the tenth and last the “sahastrar” or Guru Dwar . He told us that on Guru Purnima all the Guru Shaktis will be present and we should all ask for the “Dasham Dwar” to be opened for us and this will definitely happen to all in this lifetime. The energy flowing during the discourse could be felt on the body by means of cool vibrations with sandalwood fragrance coming through once in a while. At around 9pm the program ended for the day and we had dinner and left for the hotel allotted to us at Khorlim in Mapusa, ten km away from the venue. We retired for the night as the next day was Guru Purnima and we had to reach the venue by 5.30am.
At Atmaram hotel we were eleven people to a room with a single bathroom. I woke up at 2.30am and finished my morning activities in 15 minutes, after which one by one everyone got ready turn by turn. We left for the venue at around 5am and reached in 15 minutes. We parked the car and walked to the venue with a slight drizzle welcoming us. We settled down in the pandal for the day to begin with morning meditation. At 6am sharp the day’s program started with morning meditation. The vibrations started flowing with the Guru Ahawan and Guru mantra. As PP Gurudev had said Guru Purnima is the one day in a year when all the Guru Shakti’s are present and energy is flowing constantly, all you had to do is be in a position to absorb the energies. This can happen by staying in balance through meditation twice a day - morning in solitude and in the evening in collectivity. The morning meditation was again a great experience and after a few announcements, we dispersed for breakfast. PP Gurudev asked the sadhaks to meditate regularly and this would be his Guru dakshina. At that point an announcement was made for volunteers to give seva in the dining area. Our group of six all volunteered and registered ourselves for seva in the dining area. As the program of diksha progressed and after that the cultural program which we could watch on TV, we were involved in cleaning the dining area and then we were given instructions and explained our roles by the person in charge of dining. This is the first time I was involved in ushering and directing the sadhaks in such large numbers through the lunch program which began at around 12.15 and continued till 3pm. After that an announcement was made that there were only five minutes for paduka darshan, and as I had not done the darshan, I looked for Deepak, who was not visible, then ran for the darshan. I got in just in time and the last paduka was there for darshan - I may have been the last person who took the darshan after which the paduka was removed from display. I returned to the dining area and sat down for the tea break. All the time I could feel the chaitanya flowing with whiffs of sandalwood aroma coming now and then.
It started raining very heavily after lunch and then one of the plastic and cloth roof sections in the dining area collapsed due to the accumulated weight of the water. We then got to work with plates in removing the water and getting the place ready for evening tea and dinner. We managed to clear the water which helped the tea and dinner program to conclude uneventfully. After the program, Deepak realised his sandals were missing, I told him not to worry as I had a brand new pair which I had purchased three weeks ago for just such an eventuality. As luck would have it the pair turned out to be a perfect fit. Just imagine, the fate of the new sandals were decided three weeks earlier, which means PP Gurudev prepares the sadhaks for all eventualities and takes care of all his/her needs with great compassion! We returned to our hotel rooms around 9.30pm and retired for the day as very happy and lucky individuals who had the fortune to offer seva during Guru Purnima. As PP Gurudev says, by doing Guru karya one takes care of the left channel (Chandra nadi) and regular meditation helps take care of the right channel (Surya nadi) thus keeping the sadhak in balance. All one should ensure is that whatever one does is done selflessly without the “I-factor” meaning the ego creeping in to mar spiritual progress.
It was now raining very heavily and the rain continued through the night. I woke up again at 2.30am completely refreshed and got ready followed by my fellow sadhaks. We left at 5 am and reached the venue at around 5.20 am, put on our jackets and pulled out our umbrellas and walked down to the venue. We went straight to the dining area and were not really surprised to see the entire area – both ladies and gents section full of water as 4 sections had collapsed and were in urgent need of repair. As soon as we saw the problem, we obtained plates and crates from the kitchen along with rugs to remove the water and mop up the area. At 6am we sat for meditation and after that there was a question-answer session which was taken up by PP Gurudev. This session extended upto 9.15 am which helped us by giving us enough time to remove all the water and swab the place clean so that the sadhaks could enter the dining area without getting their feet wet. After the breakfast session, the program continued and we sat back to enjoy the cultural program on TV. At 11 am we were called together and told that due to the dampness of the ground we would have to adjust by having lunch in buffet fashion. The plan was made to have eight counters and one counter for repeat diners. The organisers had kept 3 hours for lunch considering that sadhaks were still coming to the program venue due to late arrival of trains and buses. Once the sadhaks were told to go for lunch a strict program was adhered to where the sadhaks were directed to counter one and so on so that no crowding took place. We were running up and down seeing that no counter remained vacant for long and people just moved in a continuous stream. After initial hiccups things started moving like clockwork, the sun was out slightly and the area was now hot and humid with the smoke coming from the kitchen making the eyes burn and I was sweating profusely too. Suddenly in the midst of the lunch program I found myself going cold, I went to Vasant and asked him whether he was feeling cold, he gave me his hand – his fingers had gone ice cold, there was tremendous energy and my body was going cold from head to toe in waves. We continued with our directions to the sadhaks – and you won’t believe at 1.35pm Dharmenbhai informs me that the rush was over – more than 6000 people had finished their lunch in one and a half hours. Subsequently it was announced that PP Gurudev had done the rounds of the dining area in his subtle body – no wonder everything went as clockwork – with Guru energies at work everything just happens smoothly. No wonder I felt tremendous energy at that time! We had our lunch after the sadhak rush was over and waited for the concluding session of the program.
With time on our hands we decided to visit the sahitya stall and made our purchases, then we went to the exhibition where PP Gurudev’s photos were placed and an exhibition which showed the effects of pollution on water was on display. At the exhibition there was tremendous energy flowing as the sadhikas explained the effect of pollution on water with reference to how our minds get polluted. When the water flows down from the Himalayas it is clean and pure and is always flowing, but once it enters the cities it becomes stagnant and starts getting polluted. Similarly man in an open and clean environment is away from thought pollution but when he enters the city there is tremendous thought pollution which affects a person’s balance. The body of a human consists of 70% water, hence it is very important to maintain balance and ensure that one is not affected by such pollution. The exhibition concluded by showing water which was sent for analysis to Germany in bottles after PP Gurudev’s dhyan maha shibir in 2007. Seven bottles were sent covering each chakra and the crystal formation of the vibrated water showed the positive effect of meditation on water, with the crystal formation for the Sahastrar chakra being the most compact and beautiful!
After attending the exhibition, we went back to the dining area, watched the remaining programs on TV and listened to PP Gurudev’s concluding pravachan. PP Gurudev mentioned that he would have loved to do meditation with us, but the sadhaks had come in an unstable condition and would not have been able to take the vibrations emanating from him. He spoke lengthily on the administration of the Samarpan movement and how one should ensure that ego should not develop due to taking up posts in the movement, either as Acharya’s, co-ordinators, Maha Acharyas or Trustees as this hampers the spiritual development. After the pravachan, we paid obeisance to his holy presence and concluded the program with Shanti Paath. Sadhaks were requested to attend the prasad dinner and then disperse after surrendering their registration cards at the registration counter and collecting prasad from there.
We helped in removing and stacking up the mattresses as we were planning to leave the next day. After completing this karya, we went out only to find that Deepaks wife, Sharmila had also lost her slippers – looks like PP Gurudev had cleared a lot of negativity from their lives – as negative energy collects in the footwear.
We then left and went shopping for flipflops for Sharmila and Deepak. In Goa all shops close early, hence we were lucky to get the flipflops, we then left for Mapusa where the rest of the shopping was completed by our fellow sadhaks. As we parked our cars at the hotel, we looked up into the night sky with the full moon coming out – in the silhouette of the moon we saw “Aum” formation coming and going a couple of time. We felt truly blessed at the divine sight. On the return journey on Tuesday, we were three cars fully loaded with 15 people. Ramnath, who was originally to come with us in his car, at the last moment had decided to go by train, which got cancelled due to heavy rains and had to revert to his original plan of driving down was with us on the return trip. With him was Ananth Khamankar and his family, we offered to take two sadhikas from Airoli center as there were two vacant seats on the return trip.
We left Mapusa very reluctantly at around 6.30am on the return trip – it is always difficult getting away from such energy in such sylvan surroundings. We stopped for breakfast at Sawantwadi and then continued on through the Amboli Ghat. We had great fun on the way back, stopping at the top of Amboli Ghat getting into the waterfalls on the way, taking photographs, feeding monkeys with acorn. The return journey was quite uneventful, except that Deepaks car got punctured after Kolhapur. In fact I was expecting this, as before we started out Deepak had stopped at a petrol pump for filling gas and also having air filled in his tyres. When I had called he had said he was filling air in the Stepney too – Deepak is so connected with Guru energies that I was quite confident that his car would get a puncture on the return trip. After that the trip was quite uneventful, we stopped for tea at Lonavla and reached Deepak’s house in Airoli by 7.45am. The trip to Mahim from there took two hours as we got stuck in major traffic at Powai – but all in all it was a wonderful trip, spiritually uplifting and fulfilling.
Jai Baba Swami
I had been waiting eagerly for July 23 - co-incidentally my elder brothers’ birthday too – in fact I barely slept on the night of the 22nd, waking up every hour to see whether it was time to leave. I woke up at 4.15 am and got ready for departure. After my bath I sat down for meditation and the cool vibrations emanating from PP Gurudev’s photo augured well for our 600km drive down to Goa. I prayed for our safe journey – we were seven people travelling in two cars – as it was raining very heavily throughout the previous day. At 6.30 am, I left with my mothers’ blessings, along with Raju, picked up two others from Juhu and Andheri West and another sadhika from Andheri East and left for Airoli where Deepak Tandon stayed. We were waiting for another sadhak who came from Thane, and in the meanwhile, we had breakfast at Deepaks house. Deepak’s wife Sharmila told us that she will come by train in the evening, so in effect we became seven travellers from eight. Deepak and his wife are bhakts of Sathya Sai Baba and they took us to the “devghar”. As I closed my eyes and prayed, the cool vibrations felt were amazing, the family is truly blessed to have such divine presence in their house.
At 7.30pm after the last sadhak, Manoj, came we left for Goa via the Mumbai – Bangalore road which is a part of the golden quadrilateral route. We stopped on the expressway for tea and snacks at around 9 am. As we left, I got a call from a friend saying that it had really started pouring in Mumbai and the TV news was showing that the Bombay-Goa road via Ratnagiri was closed. I told him we had planned two months ago that we were going via the Kolhapur road, and we were confident that PP Gurudev would be with us throughout our journey. We stopped for lunch at around 2pm at Tawandi, in Karnataka, and believe me, it was one of the most pleasant drives on a beautiful and smooth road. We did get intermittent rain on the way and one tense moment when a trailer carrying Mahindra tractors went out of control and missed our vehicle as we overtook it by the proverbial whisker. We were confident nothing would happen to us and that faith took us onward on our drive through the Amboli Ghat - one of the most beautiful roads you will come across anywhere in the world. Lush green fields with different hues of green on either side of the winding and twisting road, as we drove up Amboli Ghat the road became misty with fog arriving in gentle swathes across the road, thinning and thickening as we progressed. Rain added to the beauty and the pleasure of the drive as we totally connected with nature with the blessings of PP Gurudev. We stopped for filling petrol and having a cup of tea around 4pm on the upward slope of Amboli Ghat. After filling petrol, we went to a small restaurant for tea and as soon as we entered the restaurant, it started pouring cats and dogs, elephants and rhinos. We could not see a meter ahead of us in the blinding rain. Fog had also started to float across the road, I was confident that the rain would stop as we finished tea – this has been my experience in the last two monsoons after joining the Samarpan meditation movement, it rains every time I get into the car, home or office, and stops when it is time to leave – strange but true. My confidence was proved right, as the rain reduced to a slight drizzle as we finished our tea and got into the car – PP Gurudev had again ensured that we enjoyed the rains but were not affected adversely by it. As we drove up the Ghat we came across numerous waterfalls cascading down from the hillside on our right and a deep valley to the left. The visibility became almost zero for about ten minutes of the drive and with PP Gurudev’s blessings we passed that stretch safely admiring the natural beauty of the ghats as we slowly drove down. Once out of the Ghats we reached Sawantwadi and thence to Porvorim where we went straight to the ground where the Guru Purnima function was to be held. We reached the ground at 6pm in the evening after one of the most wonderful drives on beautiful roads going through the thick of nature and arriving at our destination as fresh as daisies.
We connected with fellow sadhaks from Bangalore and Mumbai who were already there in Goa for the function. Ravikiran and Ananth met us at the ground and showed us the preparations. Ravikiran gave us directions to his Hotel, where we stayed overnight. The function was to start from 4pm on Saturday, so we retired at around 10pm and left for the ground next morning by 8am. We registered for the function and took our ID cards and then we had breakfast at the ground after which we got a request for giving “seva”. The ground had been levelled and the pandal was prepared for taking in 6000 plus sadhaks, a separate dining area connected to the main pandal, from which one could go to the “exhibition” and “sahitya” stall. From the exit to the dining area one could go to the cloak section with separations for ladies and gents. All in all, if one was disciplined and got in early, one did not have to leave the pandal and go into the open ground and get caught in the rain which was incessant, from heavy to very heavy at times. The pandal was so beautifully made by contractors from Gandhinagar, with every care being taken to ensure that water did not enter the pandal. The ground was of red loam with pebbles all over, hence walking on the ground would hurt the feet, for which black soil, most likely from Calangute beach was being put over the red loam. We joined in offering seva in laying the black soil inside the pandal, once that was done, we were asked to do the same outside on the pathway. We started with 8 to 10 sadhaks and in half an hour or so had swelled to 100 plus people working at a frenetic pace to lay the black soil. We worked like a labor gang, picking up “ghamelas” filled with sand and passing it on to the sadhaks at the end to put on the ground and level it, there was a return chain of people to convey the empty ghamelas. It was great fun, and we were singing bhajans and dhuns as the work progressed. By 1pm we had finished laying the sand and a lady sadhak from Rajkot started singing Rambhai’s bhajan “Tame tararey“ and we all started doing garba to the tune and sang along with her. As the song and dance gathered momentum I was experiencing cool vibrations from head to toe in spite of sweating due to the seva. After giving seva on the ground we went into the pandal to help other sevaks in laying the mattresses for the sadhaks to sit. By 2pm we were more or less ready to receive the sadhaks. We were informed that due to heavy rains the railways had cancelled all trains going through the Konkan, the roads were also blocked because of flooding of the Sindhudurg river. Many sadhaks then hired buses and took out their cars to reach Goa by 4pm. Quite a few could not make it on the 24th and sadhaks kept coming even on the 25th till late evening. Deepak informed us that his wife had arrived in time for the function. When we met her she said that when she left in the evening, she asked her aunt for a couple of plastic bags, but her aunt gave her a bagful of plastic bags. These bags came in extremely handy, as the passengers in the bus all suffered from motion sickness and the bags were used for those who were vomiting. It is amazing how the Gurushaktis put their devotees to work in helping others. Sharmila’s purpose for going by bus was in carrying the plastic bags for those affected – no one else had carried these bags! Such are the ways of the Guru!
We went back to the hotel and freshened up and changed into fresh clothes and drove back to the ground. By 4.30pm, the sadhaks had all gathered and the pandal looked like a sea of orange caps! Mrs. Virkar announced that we would begin with meditation, and we all sat down for group meditation in PP Gurudev’s aura. After meditation, the organisers announced how the logistics would be taken care of, as 115 hotels had been booked with 80 buses organised in two batches for the sadhaks to come to the venue and then leave for the hotel. These hotels were all within a radius of 20 km from the venue, hence a delay by any one person would delay the entire batch. The sadhaks were told to have discipline and follow the instructions of volunteers appointed for each bus and hotel so that the arrangements were not disturbed. PP Gurudev and PP Guruma’s arrival was after the logistics announcements for which we closed our eyes and sat down for PP Gurudev’s and PP Guruma’s arrival. Blowing of conch shells announced the arrival of PP Guruma first and then PP Gurudev. We all bowed down and prayed in obeisance on their arrival. We listened in silence to the discourse from PP Gurudev who welcomed us on our arrival and gave us his pearls of wisdom. He told us that many of us faced problems because we were not sure of whether to go to Goa or not and hence arrived in a very unstable condition as a result he could not come for meditation with us. He explained that the human body had ten “dwars” starting with the “mool dwar ” followed by “mutra dwar” the two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, mouth and the tenth and last the “sahastrar” or Guru Dwar . He told us that on Guru Purnima all the Guru Shaktis will be present and we should all ask for the “Dasham Dwar” to be opened for us and this will definitely happen to all in this lifetime. The energy flowing during the discourse could be felt on the body by means of cool vibrations with sandalwood fragrance coming through once in a while. At around 9pm the program ended for the day and we had dinner and left for the hotel allotted to us at Khorlim in Mapusa, ten km away from the venue. We retired for the night as the next day was Guru Purnima and we had to reach the venue by 5.30am.
At Atmaram hotel we were eleven people to a room with a single bathroom. I woke up at 2.30am and finished my morning activities in 15 minutes, after which one by one everyone got ready turn by turn. We left for the venue at around 5am and reached in 15 minutes. We parked the car and walked to the venue with a slight drizzle welcoming us. We settled down in the pandal for the day to begin with morning meditation. At 6am sharp the day’s program started with morning meditation. The vibrations started flowing with the Guru Ahawan and Guru mantra. As PP Gurudev had said Guru Purnima is the one day in a year when all the Guru Shakti’s are present and energy is flowing constantly, all you had to do is be in a position to absorb the energies. This can happen by staying in balance through meditation twice a day - morning in solitude and in the evening in collectivity. The morning meditation was again a great experience and after a few announcements, we dispersed for breakfast. PP Gurudev asked the sadhaks to meditate regularly and this would be his Guru dakshina. At that point an announcement was made for volunteers to give seva in the dining area. Our group of six all volunteered and registered ourselves for seva in the dining area. As the program of diksha progressed and after that the cultural program which we could watch on TV, we were involved in cleaning the dining area and then we were given instructions and explained our roles by the person in charge of dining. This is the first time I was involved in ushering and directing the sadhaks in such large numbers through the lunch program which began at around 12.15 and continued till 3pm. After that an announcement was made that there were only five minutes for paduka darshan, and as I had not done the darshan, I looked for Deepak, who was not visible, then ran for the darshan. I got in just in time and the last paduka was there for darshan - I may have been the last person who took the darshan after which the paduka was removed from display. I returned to the dining area and sat down for the tea break. All the time I could feel the chaitanya flowing with whiffs of sandalwood aroma coming now and then.
It started raining very heavily after lunch and then one of the plastic and cloth roof sections in the dining area collapsed due to the accumulated weight of the water. We then got to work with plates in removing the water and getting the place ready for evening tea and dinner. We managed to clear the water which helped the tea and dinner program to conclude uneventfully. After the program, Deepak realised his sandals were missing, I told him not to worry as I had a brand new pair which I had purchased three weeks ago for just such an eventuality. As luck would have it the pair turned out to be a perfect fit. Just imagine, the fate of the new sandals were decided three weeks earlier, which means PP Gurudev prepares the sadhaks for all eventualities and takes care of all his/her needs with great compassion! We returned to our hotel rooms around 9.30pm and retired for the day as very happy and lucky individuals who had the fortune to offer seva during Guru Purnima. As PP Gurudev says, by doing Guru karya one takes care of the left channel (Chandra nadi) and regular meditation helps take care of the right channel (Surya nadi) thus keeping the sadhak in balance. All one should ensure is that whatever one does is done selflessly without the “I-factor” meaning the ego creeping in to mar spiritual progress.
It was now raining very heavily and the rain continued through the night. I woke up again at 2.30am completely refreshed and got ready followed by my fellow sadhaks. We left at 5 am and reached the venue at around 5.20 am, put on our jackets and pulled out our umbrellas and walked down to the venue. We went straight to the dining area and were not really surprised to see the entire area – both ladies and gents section full of water as 4 sections had collapsed and were in urgent need of repair. As soon as we saw the problem, we obtained plates and crates from the kitchen along with rugs to remove the water and mop up the area. At 6am we sat for meditation and after that there was a question-answer session which was taken up by PP Gurudev. This session extended upto 9.15 am which helped us by giving us enough time to remove all the water and swab the place clean so that the sadhaks could enter the dining area without getting their feet wet. After the breakfast session, the program continued and we sat back to enjoy the cultural program on TV. At 11 am we were called together and told that due to the dampness of the ground we would have to adjust by having lunch in buffet fashion. The plan was made to have eight counters and one counter for repeat diners. The organisers had kept 3 hours for lunch considering that sadhaks were still coming to the program venue due to late arrival of trains and buses. Once the sadhaks were told to go for lunch a strict program was adhered to where the sadhaks were directed to counter one and so on so that no crowding took place. We were running up and down seeing that no counter remained vacant for long and people just moved in a continuous stream. After initial hiccups things started moving like clockwork, the sun was out slightly and the area was now hot and humid with the smoke coming from the kitchen making the eyes burn and I was sweating profusely too. Suddenly in the midst of the lunch program I found myself going cold, I went to Vasant and asked him whether he was feeling cold, he gave me his hand – his fingers had gone ice cold, there was tremendous energy and my body was going cold from head to toe in waves. We continued with our directions to the sadhaks – and you won’t believe at 1.35pm Dharmenbhai informs me that the rush was over – more than 6000 people had finished their lunch in one and a half hours. Subsequently it was announced that PP Gurudev had done the rounds of the dining area in his subtle body – no wonder everything went as clockwork – with Guru energies at work everything just happens smoothly. No wonder I felt tremendous energy at that time! We had our lunch after the sadhak rush was over and waited for the concluding session of the program.
With time on our hands we decided to visit the sahitya stall and made our purchases, then we went to the exhibition where PP Gurudev’s photos were placed and an exhibition which showed the effects of pollution on water was on display. At the exhibition there was tremendous energy flowing as the sadhikas explained the effect of pollution on water with reference to how our minds get polluted. When the water flows down from the Himalayas it is clean and pure and is always flowing, but once it enters the cities it becomes stagnant and starts getting polluted. Similarly man in an open and clean environment is away from thought pollution but when he enters the city there is tremendous thought pollution which affects a person’s balance. The body of a human consists of 70% water, hence it is very important to maintain balance and ensure that one is not affected by such pollution. The exhibition concluded by showing water which was sent for analysis to Germany in bottles after PP Gurudev’s dhyan maha shibir in 2007. Seven bottles were sent covering each chakra and the crystal formation of the vibrated water showed the positive effect of meditation on water, with the crystal formation for the Sahastrar chakra being the most compact and beautiful!
After attending the exhibition, we went back to the dining area, watched the remaining programs on TV and listened to PP Gurudev’s concluding pravachan. PP Gurudev mentioned that he would have loved to do meditation with us, but the sadhaks had come in an unstable condition and would not have been able to take the vibrations emanating from him. He spoke lengthily on the administration of the Samarpan movement and how one should ensure that ego should not develop due to taking up posts in the movement, either as Acharya’s, co-ordinators, Maha Acharyas or Trustees as this hampers the spiritual development. After the pravachan, we paid obeisance to his holy presence and concluded the program with Shanti Paath. Sadhaks were requested to attend the prasad dinner and then disperse after surrendering their registration cards at the registration counter and collecting prasad from there.
We helped in removing and stacking up the mattresses as we were planning to leave the next day. After completing this karya, we went out only to find that Deepaks wife, Sharmila had also lost her slippers – looks like PP Gurudev had cleared a lot of negativity from their lives – as negative energy collects in the footwear.
We then left and went shopping for flipflops for Sharmila and Deepak. In Goa all shops close early, hence we were lucky to get the flipflops, we then left for Mapusa where the rest of the shopping was completed by our fellow sadhaks. As we parked our cars at the hotel, we looked up into the night sky with the full moon coming out – in the silhouette of the moon we saw “Aum” formation coming and going a couple of time. We felt truly blessed at the divine sight. On the return journey on Tuesday, we were three cars fully loaded with 15 people. Ramnath, who was originally to come with us in his car, at the last moment had decided to go by train, which got cancelled due to heavy rains and had to revert to his original plan of driving down was with us on the return trip. With him was Ananth Khamankar and his family, we offered to take two sadhikas from Airoli center as there were two vacant seats on the return trip.
We left Mapusa very reluctantly at around 6.30am on the return trip – it is always difficult getting away from such energy in such sylvan surroundings. We stopped for breakfast at Sawantwadi and then continued on through the Amboli Ghat. We had great fun on the way back, stopping at the top of Amboli Ghat getting into the waterfalls on the way, taking photographs, feeding monkeys with acorn. The return journey was quite uneventful, except that Deepaks car got punctured after Kolhapur. In fact I was expecting this, as before we started out Deepak had stopped at a petrol pump for filling gas and also having air filled in his tyres. When I had called he had said he was filling air in the Stepney too – Deepak is so connected with Guru energies that I was quite confident that his car would get a puncture on the return trip. After that the trip was quite uneventful, we stopped for tea at Lonavla and reached Deepak’s house in Airoli by 7.45am. The trip to Mahim from there took two hours as we got stuck in major traffic at Powai – but all in all it was a wonderful trip, spiritually uplifting and fulfilling.
Jai Baba Swami
Thursday, June 24, 2010
SSC Education – game of chance!
Mr. Vasant Purke State Education Minister for schools and Mr. Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, the education minister have done a complete hatchet job for over 16 lakh SSC students in Maharashtra. For the last three years the Ministers have been fooling around with the admission process and have been made to eat crow every time by the Courts. Being an Education Minister, one would think that he would be the first to learn his lessons. But politicians I suppose are in a different class where “learning lessons” is not taught! This year too, the High Court has thrown out of the window as unconstitutional the Education Ministry’s best 5 subject percentage notification. All SSC schools were informed much before the exams about the best 5 rule, as a result lakhs of students have concentrated on only five subjects so as to get a high percentage. The SSC results proved this – almost 14000 students getting more than 90%, more than 40000 students getting between 80-90%, as a result of which the ICSE students numbering about 8300 having a best of 7 average would have had hardly any chance of securing admission in a decent college of their choice.
Last year after objections from parents the so called percentile system was stopped after intervention of the High Court, this year too, the same has transpired. The “Educated” ministers are probably trying to play vote bank politics and are trying to gain cheap publicity with their antics, which would be ob better display in a circus – where children’s careers are not at stake! Guess what! It is the Congress government which has been consistently embarrassing the High Command by their foolish last minute policy changes. Once bitten, twice shy – that is what one would think, but with our guys, it is once bitten try again and get slapped again and again – displaying true Gandhian philosophy of non-violence to the Courts.
With just less than 8300 ICSE student in Maharashtra, the State Government has tried to woo the Maharashtrian families where more than 16 lakh students appeared. What happens to these students now? The State Government has issued mark sheets based on best 5 subjects. Are they going to withdraw all mark sheets or are they going to issue fresh mark sheets to all the students based on the High Court decision? If that happens what happens to the psyche of those students have already been put on a pedestal by the media? What happens to those students whose marks in the remaining subjects brings their average down to 80-90 levels from high 90 levels? Instead of helping relieve the stress of students and their parents we have these buffoons increasing stress levels all round. Whom are you trying to upstage 8000 odd students from ICSE?
What is the solution to this mindless behavior? Will it not be easier to build more colleges, increase the seats so that education, becomes a right for every child wanting to learn? Is not the Governments duty to provide affordable education for all? We have technical/medical education institutions being owned by politicians of all hues – where money takes the front seat in the form of capitation and annual fees as opposed to facilities for students and quality teachers for providing quality education!
High time we sent our Ministers to school so that they can distinguish between what is right and wrong – preferably to a Gurukul where they get their mental foundations laid by a spiritual Guru!
Last year after objections from parents the so called percentile system was stopped after intervention of the High Court, this year too, the same has transpired. The “Educated” ministers are probably trying to play vote bank politics and are trying to gain cheap publicity with their antics, which would be ob better display in a circus – where children’s careers are not at stake! Guess what! It is the Congress government which has been consistently embarrassing the High Command by their foolish last minute policy changes. Once bitten, twice shy – that is what one would think, but with our guys, it is once bitten try again and get slapped again and again – displaying true Gandhian philosophy of non-violence to the Courts.
With just less than 8300 ICSE student in Maharashtra, the State Government has tried to woo the Maharashtrian families where more than 16 lakh students appeared. What happens to these students now? The State Government has issued mark sheets based on best 5 subjects. Are they going to withdraw all mark sheets or are they going to issue fresh mark sheets to all the students based on the High Court decision? If that happens what happens to the psyche of those students have already been put on a pedestal by the media? What happens to those students whose marks in the remaining subjects brings their average down to 80-90 levels from high 90 levels? Instead of helping relieve the stress of students and their parents we have these buffoons increasing stress levels all round. Whom are you trying to upstage 8000 odd students from ICSE?
What is the solution to this mindless behavior? Will it not be easier to build more colleges, increase the seats so that education, becomes a right for every child wanting to learn? Is not the Governments duty to provide affordable education for all? We have technical/medical education institutions being owned by politicians of all hues – where money takes the front seat in the form of capitation and annual fees as opposed to facilities for students and quality teachers for providing quality education!
High time we sent our Ministers to school so that they can distinguish between what is right and wrong – preferably to a Gurukul where they get their mental foundations laid by a spiritual Guru!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Life is too cheap in India – Bhopal gas tragedy proves it!
I was in my final year of studies for CA when the Bhopal gas tragedy occurred in December 1984. I distinctly remember articles warning of an impending tragedy as the company cocked an arrogant snoot at the Government and its officials. If you recollect in those days the Indian economy was not doing too well and we depended a lot on the benevolence of the US. We as a political class have always been used to doing “haanji” to our rulers – earlier the British as colonialists and subsequently to all the economic power houses who have wanted to milk India dry.
We, unfortunately have always had extremely callous Governments which approach the people only during elections. With a teeming population with very little health care for the masses, a tragedy like Bhopal in any other country would have had the Government come down like a ton of bricks on the management of the entity, but our country behaved as gracious hosts and escorted the culprits out of the country. Just look at what Mr. Obama has done to BP – made them shell out US$ 2 billion for polluting the environment off the US coast!
In India it is only people who were affected – just over half a million, poor people whose voice no one wants to hear – the Government of the day negotiated a settlement of Rs. 713 crores in 1989 which meant that on an average each victim received Rs. 12410 only! Did I not mention life in India was CHEAP!! More than 20000 dead, 573000 affected people, offspring of those affected being born with permanent disability. Whose fault? Who pays? Its easier to get a huge corporation to pay for affecting the environment, as flora and fauna have more monetary value than poor old Indians you see! This is what this circus which has been happening since the court verdict has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt!
A court which took twenty five years to arrive at a judicial verdict, which itself speaks volumes for the latent interest shown by various Governments to this burning issue! People in the opposition are now crying foul! What did they do when they were in power? Why is it always the people who suffer? Those in Government line their pockets during their years in power so that they go to the next elections with begging bowls in hand!
How many people have actually received compensation? The figures tell a sorry tale of corruption and money disappearing down bureaucratic and political black holes! Sad that we cannot respect our own fellow human beings! Sadder still that we end up appearing as buffoons to the rest of the world as the end game, in what is the world’s worst gas tragedy is played out!
God bless the victims and hope sanity prevails and justice is done and seen to be done – at least as far as compensation is delivered fairly and equitably to those affected by the tragedy. There is no point in going after a witch hunt – it would be better to apply a soothing balm to those affected so that feelings of revenge and remorse are removed.
We, unfortunately have always had extremely callous Governments which approach the people only during elections. With a teeming population with very little health care for the masses, a tragedy like Bhopal in any other country would have had the Government come down like a ton of bricks on the management of the entity, but our country behaved as gracious hosts and escorted the culprits out of the country. Just look at what Mr. Obama has done to BP – made them shell out US$ 2 billion for polluting the environment off the US coast!
In India it is only people who were affected – just over half a million, poor people whose voice no one wants to hear – the Government of the day negotiated a settlement of Rs. 713 crores in 1989 which meant that on an average each victim received Rs. 12410 only! Did I not mention life in India was CHEAP!! More than 20000 dead, 573000 affected people, offspring of those affected being born with permanent disability. Whose fault? Who pays? Its easier to get a huge corporation to pay for affecting the environment, as flora and fauna have more monetary value than poor old Indians you see! This is what this circus which has been happening since the court verdict has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt!
A court which took twenty five years to arrive at a judicial verdict, which itself speaks volumes for the latent interest shown by various Governments to this burning issue! People in the opposition are now crying foul! What did they do when they were in power? Why is it always the people who suffer? Those in Government line their pockets during their years in power so that they go to the next elections with begging bowls in hand!
How many people have actually received compensation? The figures tell a sorry tale of corruption and money disappearing down bureaucratic and political black holes! Sad that we cannot respect our own fellow human beings! Sadder still that we end up appearing as buffoons to the rest of the world as the end game, in what is the world’s worst gas tragedy is played out!
God bless the victims and hope sanity prevails and justice is done and seen to be done – at least as far as compensation is delivered fairly and equitably to those affected by the tragedy. There is no point in going after a witch hunt – it would be better to apply a soothing balm to those affected so that feelings of revenge and remorse are removed.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Sevadhari Shibir at Dandi – May 21 to 23, 2010 – A sadhaks memories
Jai Baba Swami
At 6.45am on May 21 five of us left by road for Dandi for attending the sevadhari shibir. From my centers CIFE as well as Ambuja-Andheri, I was the only person attending this shibir, hence I was to travel alone by car. A couple of weeks before leaving for Dandi I had requested my ex-Acharya to check with his contacts at other centers whether sadhaks/sadhikas who were to attend Dandi shibir but had not got their travel arrangements in place could travel with me. Through his efforts, Shri Prem Paras called to say that his wife and he would join me on the trip. I requested him to see if two more sadhaks could join so that we had a full load and could travel in collectivity. We got two more ‘samarpit sadhikas’ from Juhu Center and I was happy that we got a full car load – as it is more beneficial travelling together in positive collectivity, sharing experiences along the way. The previous day I had asked my office to give me five writing pads and five pens to carry to Dandi. It so happened that my instinct proved right, as three of my companions had forgotten to bring the pads and pens – my carrying the pads and pens for everybody made everyone happy, including me. We had a lot of fun and shared interesting experiences – all my companions were far more experienced and had done far more Gurukarya than myself and I benefitted immensely by just listening to their experiences.
On the way we listened to Times Now’s adhyatmic music collection and enjoyed the gentle rhythms emanating from the music system. We reached Dandi at about 12.15pm and registered ourselves for the Karyakarta Shibir. Once inside the Ashram, I felt at peace with myself within the protective aura of Parampujya Gurudev and Pujya Guruma. The ladies went to their quarters, Prem and I went to the gents tent on the Ashram grounds. We selected our mattresses for the three day camp and put our bags and Prem’s guitar. Prem who is a music composer and has sung in quite a few Samarpan programs, had carried his guitar on the trip. We were requested to proceed for the mahaprasad lunch and then report to the shibir hall at 2.00pm sharp. We had our Prasad, after which we went to the meditation hall which has P.P. Gurudevs’ Moorti which will leave for Ajmer at the end of May. While taking the darshan, the energy flow made my eyes close and after paying obeisance I sat down for meditation for about half an hour along with Prem.
We entered the shibir hall at 1.45pm to be well in time for the start and took our place amongst the rest of the participants. I closed my eyes and listened to the “dhun” being played over the music system as the hall gradually filled up with participants. There was a small buzz and the air was ripe with expectancy, I felt at peace with myself in an atmosphere of complete tranquility. The video screen displayed a quote from P.P. Gurudev in Hindi which basically said “A good volunteer / swayamsevak is one who does not complain about anyone; and about whom no one else complains”. Shri Anuragbhai, the eldest son of P.P. Gurudev welcomed the participants by stating that all those present were those blessed fortunate persons who had the opportunity to do Gurukarya. He mentioned that Gurukarya is teamwork and if everybody worked as a team then the karya becomes effortless with the blessing of P.P. Gurudev. He also mentioned that those who do the karya should do so as if they are doing service or prayer in a temple without having any expectations. He then quoted the definition of a good karyakarta given by P.P. Gurudev telling us that we should strive to be those who do karya without generating complaints or complaining about anyone.
If one understands P.P. Gurudevs definition in entirety then the concept of “who is a good karyakarta” becomes very clear. This small definition has a great deal of depth in it. This would include the following:
• A person who attends the center regularly for meditation,
• A person who helps the Acharya and other sadhaks voluntarily,
• A person whose whole attention is at P.P. Gurudev’s lotus feet,
• A person who voluntarily shares the Samarpan family philosophy and meditation technique with all those who show interest,
• A person who has self discipline and always behaves and acts within the rules and guidelines issued by P.P. Gurudev through the authorized persons,like Trustees, Pramukh Acharyas, Acharyas, Sanchalaks,
• A person who is sensitive to the needs of others and behaves accordingly,
• A person who does karya selflessly without any expectations other than spiritual progress,
• A person who strives to live in the present moment without thinking about the past and contemplating about the future,
• A person who does karya with entire devotion and attention on the Gurukarya rather than attention on other sadhaks,
• A person who does karya without generating any ego about “I” doing the karya, and one who accepts that he is only a medium doing the work of a far greater power and energy source.
• A person who does not give anyone else cause for complaints, nor complains about others,
• A person who thinks, talks and acts in a positive manner,
The 2pm session was taken by the Managing Trustee Shri Umesh Paiji, explaining to the participants the functioning of the Trust and its various committees and the manner in which the Trust hierarchy works. This was essential for the participants to understand the flow of information and the effort which goes into organizing any major Trust activity. He also shared his experience on how he progressed from “sadhak” to “Managing Trustee”.
Thereafter we had a narration of Gurukatha by Shri Mohit Kacha – this was a daily feature and was very well received by all participants. Even though he spoke in Gujrati – his narrative style and spiritual knowledge left us spell bound waiting eagerly for his next session. After a video presentation of the 2007 Chaitanya Mahotsav, day one ended at 9.30 pm with everyone retiring for the day.
Under the moonlight, with a very strong and cool sea breeze we retired for the day. I promptly fell asleep and woke up the next day at 3.30am. Taking care not to waste water, I managed my morning ablutions and bath in a bucket of water as we were told that water is more expensive than milk. Both Prem and I went for morning meditation facing the rising sun. The meditation session was from 5 am to 6 am, after which both of us went and lay down in the cool morning breeze on the lawn waiting for the sun to rise. At 6.45 am we went for Murti Darshan and sat for meditation for another 15-20 minutes absorbing the divine energy flowing from the Murtis.
At 7.30am Shri Bihag Lalaji explained in very a lucid and detailed manner how to organize a Samarpan program in the best possible manner. He made the presentation very simple, interactive and interesting making each and every participant understand the steps involved in organizing a event – whether it is a Shibir at the center level or a mega event like a Mahashibir or the Chaitanya Mahotsav. He asked the participants the meaning of the greeting “Jai Baba Swami”, wherein one of the participants explained that while saying “Jai Baba Swami” one sees P.P. Gurudev in the sadhak, and hence the greeting is offered with the same degree of love and respect as one would while greeting P.P. Gurudev himself. He explained that while doing karya one should have both “skill” and “will” so that the karya is done efficiently and smoothly. He made the participants greet each other in a very happy frame of mind by saying “Jai Baba Swami” which generated a great feeling of goodwill with a lot of positive energy. Towards the end of the program he made us meditate for five minutes all the while softly telling us that our aura was spreading in the neighborhood, then the Ashram, then Navsari, state of Gujarat, entire India, the world and then out into the Universe – his soft exhortation made one actually feel light and gave the sensation of floating away into the universe. It was beautifully done and I felt a great sense of inner peace enveloping me.
Mrs Nimishaben Lalaji then gave a session on “Practical Hints for Gurukarya” explaining that all Gurukarya is with the blessings of Swamiji and is performed best in collectivity. If you have an issue with anybody means that the issue lies actually with you. One needs to be balanced for performing Gurukarya and ones attention has to be on P.P. Gurudev’s lotus feet all the time. Always one has to remember that one has to be at peace, have courage and be responsible for the Gurukarya we have volunteered for.
The afternoon session was taken by Shri Hemant Ramaniji who explained the importance of the group and that the group formed with the blessings of P.P. Gurudev is our strength. He then went on to explain in a very informal and entertaining manner the kind of mistakes which are made while filling forms and also that one’s sentiments are not good while doing karya. Shrimati Sharmila Patil then very nicely explained the importance of discipline and the manner in which a sadhak is expected to behave and dress. This was followed by a question and answer session, wherein doubts of participants were very nicely addressed.
After mahaprasad dinner on the second day, I went and sat on the bench facing the sea with my eyes closed. The beautiful smell of the sea and the soothing sound of the waves in the cool breeze made me thoughtless and gave a great sense of peace, comfort, security and well being, the moonlight added to the charm of a very beautiful day.
On Sunday, May 23 I woke up thoroughly refreshed at 3.30am for the morning rituals. After finishing my bath, I woke up Prem and waited for him to join me for the morning meditation. After he returned, we both went for morning meditation in a very tranquil and peaceful environment, absorbing the energy inherent at the Ashram. We then went for Murti darshan, where Prem was joined by his wife, as it was his birthday. I quietly wished him the best in life on his birthday. After Murti darshan we went to the hall and sat down in quiet contemplation and in great anticipation as P.P. Gurudev was going to take the first session for answering questions. At 8.00 am sharp P.P. Gurudev entered the hall and after the Guru Vandana we waited for the pearls of wisdom to emanate from P.P. Gurudev. P.P. Gurudev explained to us that the fastest way for spiritual progress is through selfless Gurukarya, as Gurukarya helps you forget the past by controlling the Chandra nadi and regular meditation helps in controlling the future by taking care of the Surya nadi. He explained that Gurukarya should be done keeping in mind that you are only the medium and all the karya happens through Gurudev and his divine blessings. Gurukarya should be done for gaining internal peace and with no other motive in mind. Keeping one’s entire attention on the Guru while doing karya is called Gurukarya. P.P. Gurudev answered all questions and also informed the sadhaks present that he had spent the first ten years in doing Gurukarya and now the responsibility of doing Gurukarya was handed over to the sadhaks, the next ten years He would be spending in strengthening the foundations of the Samarpan administration. He stated very firmly that he would like discipline amongst His followers, and does not mind the family reducing by 50% as long as he has sadhaks who are disciplined and follow the tenets and guidelines laid down by P.P. Gurudev and His authorized representatives.
After another session of engrossing Guru Katha by Shri Mohit Kaccha we left for Mahaprasad. After Mahaprasad, we came to our tent for packing our bags. One of the sadhaks requested Prem to play something on his guitar and for the next 15 minutes we listened to and accompanied Prem in two bhajans which he sang in praise of P.P. Gurudev. This session had brought almost all those present in the tent to come and sit/stand around our bedding. One of Prem’s friends then announced it was his birthday, and the love and affection then showered on Prem by all the sadhaks was amazing. We then sang “Happy Birthday Prem” which moved him greatly and he mentioned “yeh sab Swamiji ki leela hai”.
A concluding session was taken by Shrimati Sharmila Patil, Shri Hemant Ramani and Ms. Ujwalaji and advise was given to all those present on various do’s and don’ts. During the session one of the sadhaks mentioned it was Prem’s birthday and Shri Ramaniji asked him to sing one of his bhajans for all those present – he sang with tremendous passion and devotion moving me to tears. His bhajan, enjoyed with eyes closed generated good vibrations, cooling the body internally from head to toe. After some more discussions the session ended with Shanti Paath and we were all told to surrender our registration badges and collect the synopsis of the three day session at the exit.
As usual I left the Ashram with difficulty, carrying with me the inner peace and tranquility gained during the stay. We all left together with fond memories and a great learning experience.
At 6.45am on May 21 five of us left by road for Dandi for attending the sevadhari shibir. From my centers CIFE as well as Ambuja-Andheri, I was the only person attending this shibir, hence I was to travel alone by car. A couple of weeks before leaving for Dandi I had requested my ex-Acharya to check with his contacts at other centers whether sadhaks/sadhikas who were to attend Dandi shibir but had not got their travel arrangements in place could travel with me. Through his efforts, Shri Prem Paras called to say that his wife and he would join me on the trip. I requested him to see if two more sadhaks could join so that we had a full load and could travel in collectivity. We got two more ‘samarpit sadhikas’ from Juhu Center and I was happy that we got a full car load – as it is more beneficial travelling together in positive collectivity, sharing experiences along the way. The previous day I had asked my office to give me five writing pads and five pens to carry to Dandi. It so happened that my instinct proved right, as three of my companions had forgotten to bring the pads and pens – my carrying the pads and pens for everybody made everyone happy, including me. We had a lot of fun and shared interesting experiences – all my companions were far more experienced and had done far more Gurukarya than myself and I benefitted immensely by just listening to their experiences.
On the way we listened to Times Now’s adhyatmic music collection and enjoyed the gentle rhythms emanating from the music system. We reached Dandi at about 12.15pm and registered ourselves for the Karyakarta Shibir. Once inside the Ashram, I felt at peace with myself within the protective aura of Parampujya Gurudev and Pujya Guruma. The ladies went to their quarters, Prem and I went to the gents tent on the Ashram grounds. We selected our mattresses for the three day camp and put our bags and Prem’s guitar. Prem who is a music composer and has sung in quite a few Samarpan programs, had carried his guitar on the trip. We were requested to proceed for the mahaprasad lunch and then report to the shibir hall at 2.00pm sharp. We had our Prasad, after which we went to the meditation hall which has P.P. Gurudevs’ Moorti which will leave for Ajmer at the end of May. While taking the darshan, the energy flow made my eyes close and after paying obeisance I sat down for meditation for about half an hour along with Prem.
We entered the shibir hall at 1.45pm to be well in time for the start and took our place amongst the rest of the participants. I closed my eyes and listened to the “dhun” being played over the music system as the hall gradually filled up with participants. There was a small buzz and the air was ripe with expectancy, I felt at peace with myself in an atmosphere of complete tranquility. The video screen displayed a quote from P.P. Gurudev in Hindi which basically said “A good volunteer / swayamsevak is one who does not complain about anyone; and about whom no one else complains”. Shri Anuragbhai, the eldest son of P.P. Gurudev welcomed the participants by stating that all those present were those blessed fortunate persons who had the opportunity to do Gurukarya. He mentioned that Gurukarya is teamwork and if everybody worked as a team then the karya becomes effortless with the blessing of P.P. Gurudev. He also mentioned that those who do the karya should do so as if they are doing service or prayer in a temple without having any expectations. He then quoted the definition of a good karyakarta given by P.P. Gurudev telling us that we should strive to be those who do karya without generating complaints or complaining about anyone.
If one understands P.P. Gurudevs definition in entirety then the concept of “who is a good karyakarta” becomes very clear. This small definition has a great deal of depth in it. This would include the following:
• A person who attends the center regularly for meditation,
• A person who helps the Acharya and other sadhaks voluntarily,
• A person whose whole attention is at P.P. Gurudev’s lotus feet,
• A person who voluntarily shares the Samarpan family philosophy and meditation technique with all those who show interest,
• A person who has self discipline and always behaves and acts within the rules and guidelines issued by P.P. Gurudev through the authorized persons,like Trustees, Pramukh Acharyas, Acharyas, Sanchalaks,
• A person who is sensitive to the needs of others and behaves accordingly,
• A person who does karya selflessly without any expectations other than spiritual progress,
• A person who strives to live in the present moment without thinking about the past and contemplating about the future,
• A person who does karya with entire devotion and attention on the Gurukarya rather than attention on other sadhaks,
• A person who does karya without generating any ego about “I” doing the karya, and one who accepts that he is only a medium doing the work of a far greater power and energy source.
• A person who does not give anyone else cause for complaints, nor complains about others,
• A person who thinks, talks and acts in a positive manner,
The 2pm session was taken by the Managing Trustee Shri Umesh Paiji, explaining to the participants the functioning of the Trust and its various committees and the manner in which the Trust hierarchy works. This was essential for the participants to understand the flow of information and the effort which goes into organizing any major Trust activity. He also shared his experience on how he progressed from “sadhak” to “Managing Trustee”.
Thereafter we had a narration of Gurukatha by Shri Mohit Kacha – this was a daily feature and was very well received by all participants. Even though he spoke in Gujrati – his narrative style and spiritual knowledge left us spell bound waiting eagerly for his next session. After a video presentation of the 2007 Chaitanya Mahotsav, day one ended at 9.30 pm with everyone retiring for the day.
Under the moonlight, with a very strong and cool sea breeze we retired for the day. I promptly fell asleep and woke up the next day at 3.30am. Taking care not to waste water, I managed my morning ablutions and bath in a bucket of water as we were told that water is more expensive than milk. Both Prem and I went for morning meditation facing the rising sun. The meditation session was from 5 am to 6 am, after which both of us went and lay down in the cool morning breeze on the lawn waiting for the sun to rise. At 6.45 am we went for Murti Darshan and sat for meditation for another 15-20 minutes absorbing the divine energy flowing from the Murtis.
At 7.30am Shri Bihag Lalaji explained in very a lucid and detailed manner how to organize a Samarpan program in the best possible manner. He made the presentation very simple, interactive and interesting making each and every participant understand the steps involved in organizing a event – whether it is a Shibir at the center level or a mega event like a Mahashibir or the Chaitanya Mahotsav. He asked the participants the meaning of the greeting “Jai Baba Swami”, wherein one of the participants explained that while saying “Jai Baba Swami” one sees P.P. Gurudev in the sadhak, and hence the greeting is offered with the same degree of love and respect as one would while greeting P.P. Gurudev himself. He explained that while doing karya one should have both “skill” and “will” so that the karya is done efficiently and smoothly. He made the participants greet each other in a very happy frame of mind by saying “Jai Baba Swami” which generated a great feeling of goodwill with a lot of positive energy. Towards the end of the program he made us meditate for five minutes all the while softly telling us that our aura was spreading in the neighborhood, then the Ashram, then Navsari, state of Gujarat, entire India, the world and then out into the Universe – his soft exhortation made one actually feel light and gave the sensation of floating away into the universe. It was beautifully done and I felt a great sense of inner peace enveloping me.
Mrs Nimishaben Lalaji then gave a session on “Practical Hints for Gurukarya” explaining that all Gurukarya is with the blessings of Swamiji and is performed best in collectivity. If you have an issue with anybody means that the issue lies actually with you. One needs to be balanced for performing Gurukarya and ones attention has to be on P.P. Gurudev’s lotus feet all the time. Always one has to remember that one has to be at peace, have courage and be responsible for the Gurukarya we have volunteered for.
The afternoon session was taken by Shri Hemant Ramaniji who explained the importance of the group and that the group formed with the blessings of P.P. Gurudev is our strength. He then went on to explain in a very informal and entertaining manner the kind of mistakes which are made while filling forms and also that one’s sentiments are not good while doing karya. Shrimati Sharmila Patil then very nicely explained the importance of discipline and the manner in which a sadhak is expected to behave and dress. This was followed by a question and answer session, wherein doubts of participants were very nicely addressed.
After mahaprasad dinner on the second day, I went and sat on the bench facing the sea with my eyes closed. The beautiful smell of the sea and the soothing sound of the waves in the cool breeze made me thoughtless and gave a great sense of peace, comfort, security and well being, the moonlight added to the charm of a very beautiful day.
On Sunday, May 23 I woke up thoroughly refreshed at 3.30am for the morning rituals. After finishing my bath, I woke up Prem and waited for him to join me for the morning meditation. After he returned, we both went for morning meditation in a very tranquil and peaceful environment, absorbing the energy inherent at the Ashram. We then went for Murti darshan, where Prem was joined by his wife, as it was his birthday. I quietly wished him the best in life on his birthday. After Murti darshan we went to the hall and sat down in quiet contemplation and in great anticipation as P.P. Gurudev was going to take the first session for answering questions. At 8.00 am sharp P.P. Gurudev entered the hall and after the Guru Vandana we waited for the pearls of wisdom to emanate from P.P. Gurudev. P.P. Gurudev explained to us that the fastest way for spiritual progress is through selfless Gurukarya, as Gurukarya helps you forget the past by controlling the Chandra nadi and regular meditation helps in controlling the future by taking care of the Surya nadi. He explained that Gurukarya should be done keeping in mind that you are only the medium and all the karya happens through Gurudev and his divine blessings. Gurukarya should be done for gaining internal peace and with no other motive in mind. Keeping one’s entire attention on the Guru while doing karya is called Gurukarya. P.P. Gurudev answered all questions and also informed the sadhaks present that he had spent the first ten years in doing Gurukarya and now the responsibility of doing Gurukarya was handed over to the sadhaks, the next ten years He would be spending in strengthening the foundations of the Samarpan administration. He stated very firmly that he would like discipline amongst His followers, and does not mind the family reducing by 50% as long as he has sadhaks who are disciplined and follow the tenets and guidelines laid down by P.P. Gurudev and His authorized representatives.
After another session of engrossing Guru Katha by Shri Mohit Kaccha we left for Mahaprasad. After Mahaprasad, we came to our tent for packing our bags. One of the sadhaks requested Prem to play something on his guitar and for the next 15 minutes we listened to and accompanied Prem in two bhajans which he sang in praise of P.P. Gurudev. This session had brought almost all those present in the tent to come and sit/stand around our bedding. One of Prem’s friends then announced it was his birthday, and the love and affection then showered on Prem by all the sadhaks was amazing. We then sang “Happy Birthday Prem” which moved him greatly and he mentioned “yeh sab Swamiji ki leela hai”.
A concluding session was taken by Shrimati Sharmila Patil, Shri Hemant Ramani and Ms. Ujwalaji and advise was given to all those present on various do’s and don’ts. During the session one of the sadhaks mentioned it was Prem’s birthday and Shri Ramaniji asked him to sing one of his bhajans for all those present – he sang with tremendous passion and devotion moving me to tears. His bhajan, enjoyed with eyes closed generated good vibrations, cooling the body internally from head to toe. After some more discussions the session ended with Shanti Paath and we were all told to surrender our registration badges and collect the synopsis of the three day session at the exit.
As usual I left the Ashram with difficulty, carrying with me the inner peace and tranquility gained during the stay. We all left together with fond memories and a great learning experience.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tribute to a pure soul
My earliest memories of my uncle Shri Sadashivrao Tinaikar who merged with Universal Consciousness last Saturday (22nd May 2010) are of travelling with him in the Government Jeep as kids during his visits to the interior when he was in charge of the Transport department of the Government of Maharashtra. This was just after my father passed away in August 1973. My brother Paresh and I along with our cousins visited almost all of Shivaji’s forts in Maharashtra – those are very fond memories of a very kind gesture on his part to make us not feel the loss of our father and take us along with him.
He was an extremely simple person with very few needs, his example of how to lead life as a Public Servant needs to be followed by all bureaucrats if this country needs to become a better place to live in. A person who never accepted any gift from any person ever as a Public Servant, a person who helped the needy within the framework of the law – he was a person who was worshipped by almost all his subordinates and colleagues. My aunt also requires special mention as she too would ask people to take back gifts so as not to upset my uncle. An officer and a gentleman – upright and straightforward, not afraid to call a spade a spade and hence a bane to the Shiv Sena politicians as they were in power when he was the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai. He never ever entertained the contractors and hence became a round peg in a square hole, as the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus got broken during his tenure. The gravy train stopped, as a result of which the Shiv Sena supremo at a public rally at Shivaji Park called him a kidney stone – he did not allow the corrupt nexus any leeway at all and it became impossible to milk the system during his tenure you see!
He was always a spiritual person with great knowledge and insight into spirituality –I have seen him in a “samadhist” state for hours at a stretch while meditating at home. During his stint as Under Secretary for Tribal Affairs he was able to meet a lot of spiritual souls, such as Navsari ke Baba, Swami Pranavananda of Chaalisgaon, Gagangiri Maharaj, Khopoli and we were all fortunate to have come in touch with these spiritual Gurus through him. His deep meditation, in my opinion, had led him to be a self realized person during his lifetime. In 1982 when he was on his way to meet Navsari ke baba, he had an heart attack on the railway station and collapsed on the platform – a stranger came and helped him up and into his compartment, placed a tablet on his tongue and left without saying who he was. My uncle recovered enough to comfortably complete his journey and return without any further problem – what more evidence do you need of the strength, love and power of a Guru towards his disciple.
My uncle was an amazing artist and could sketch anyone’s portrait in five minutes flat. All his paintings have amazing depth and quality – you realize that all his paintings are a labor of love and the depth and quality of his paintings come through his self realized spiritual status.
I have personally tried to emulate his high moral standards and live by his principles in my professional life – I have learnt a lot just by observing him and his life style – simple, tough, kind hearted, honest, straightforward and loving. A great soul - whom I am extremely proud of – like I said before an officer and a gentleman to the core. May his soul merge with Universal Consciousness and rest in peace for ever. God Bless.
He was an extremely simple person with very few needs, his example of how to lead life as a Public Servant needs to be followed by all bureaucrats if this country needs to become a better place to live in. A person who never accepted any gift from any person ever as a Public Servant, a person who helped the needy within the framework of the law – he was a person who was worshipped by almost all his subordinates and colleagues. My aunt also requires special mention as she too would ask people to take back gifts so as not to upset my uncle. An officer and a gentleman – upright and straightforward, not afraid to call a spade a spade and hence a bane to the Shiv Sena politicians as they were in power when he was the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai. He never ever entertained the contractors and hence became a round peg in a square hole, as the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus got broken during his tenure. The gravy train stopped, as a result of which the Shiv Sena supremo at a public rally at Shivaji Park called him a kidney stone – he did not allow the corrupt nexus any leeway at all and it became impossible to milk the system during his tenure you see!
He was always a spiritual person with great knowledge and insight into spirituality –I have seen him in a “samadhist” state for hours at a stretch while meditating at home. During his stint as Under Secretary for Tribal Affairs he was able to meet a lot of spiritual souls, such as Navsari ke Baba, Swami Pranavananda of Chaalisgaon, Gagangiri Maharaj, Khopoli and we were all fortunate to have come in touch with these spiritual Gurus through him. His deep meditation, in my opinion, had led him to be a self realized person during his lifetime. In 1982 when he was on his way to meet Navsari ke baba, he had an heart attack on the railway station and collapsed on the platform – a stranger came and helped him up and into his compartment, placed a tablet on his tongue and left without saying who he was. My uncle recovered enough to comfortably complete his journey and return without any further problem – what more evidence do you need of the strength, love and power of a Guru towards his disciple.
My uncle was an amazing artist and could sketch anyone’s portrait in five minutes flat. All his paintings have amazing depth and quality – you realize that all his paintings are a labor of love and the depth and quality of his paintings come through his self realized spiritual status.
I have personally tried to emulate his high moral standards and live by his principles in my professional life – I have learnt a lot just by observing him and his life style – simple, tough, kind hearted, honest, straightforward and loving. A great soul - whom I am extremely proud of – like I said before an officer and a gentleman to the core. May his soul merge with Universal Consciousness and rest in peace for ever. God Bless.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Paragliding at Pawana
Paragliding at this site is always a pleasure as the site is so scenic and beautiful and in tune with nature that is sets you at peace with yourself. One can just sit there all day by oneself and enjoy the natural beauty with which one is surrounded.
I reached the lake site at around 2.30pm before the rest of the crowd got in and sat below a tree to protect myself from the sunlight. There was a gentle breeze which helped in keeping one cool. After some time a couple more paragliding students joined me and a while later Parsha came down in the jeep with the gliders.
There were a group of overseas students, probably French, from their accent, though I am not sure. I decided to get some kiting practice as I had a lot of cobwebs in my mind with my last flight experience where I had got caught in a “venturi” and had an interesting experience. I did some kiting for a couple of hours – I had assistance for about ten minutes, with all the trainers busy with the “new” students and not much time for an “old” student. I did manage to get to control the glider for a couple of minutes at a time, but it was hard going and extremely tiring as I had to rill in the lines and straighten out the glider every time it collapsed and then go back to raising the glider overhead for kiting. After doing this ‘n’ number of times, I told Ganpat at around 5 pm that I was bushed and too tired to continue. I folded the glider, again single handed – no assistance from anyone, except from a local who helped hold one end of the glider while I was folding it – God bless him! I folded the glider, and put the harness, glider, and helmet into the case and zipped up. Avi said he would climb up the hill and I told him I would join him.
The climb up the hill was fun – though slightly tiring (no glider on the back though) – and we reached the top in about fifteen minutes. I was carrying water and consuming it in gulps after climbing up every 20 meters or so. Avi mentioned that I was unusually quiet, and I said everyone seemed to be busy with others and it was ok. I told him, that I had to come this time to fly, else I may not have come back to fly ever again. I mentioned I had to get whatever fear was there out of my mind. As we reached the top, Avi went to get his camera from the car.
I sat down on a piece of rock and closed my eyes while facing the setting sun and tried to connect with the energy flowing in such pristine surroundings. For about twenty minutes with my eyes closed, I felt the energy flow through my body continuously – a continuous kind of internally cooling effect, moving in circles from top of my scalp down the body to my feet and back – it was an amazing experience. I just kind of relaxed, and waited for the jeep with the students to bring the gliders to the takeoff site where I was sitting. After the jeep came up with the other students, everybody was asked to pick up their gliders and get ready for take off.
I waited for my turn patiently, and was the second last person cleared for takeoff. The winds were beautiful and if the gliders had been brought up by about 5pm we would have had a much longer flying window. After putting on the harness, connecting the glider, and getting it ready for takeoff, my turn eventually came. I ran and lifted the glider, but somehow my mind was probably blank and I was not running fast enough and pulling the brakes enough for a take off, hence I hit the ground twice before eventually taking off. I had a pretty smooth flight, Avi asked me to chart my own course – I took a left as the glider slowly descended, then turned around again and found myself approaching the landing area. Avi realized I was in two minds and asked me to take a right as I was too high, then as the glider descended I turned left again for making the landing approach and landed light as a feather, just ten feet away from the landing spot. I killed the glider, mushroomed it and carried it in. By the time I had landed the last pilot had taken off, and as it was getting dark I decided to pack the glider. I laid out the glider perpendicular to the wind and spread it out completely prior to folding it up. Folding a glider without assistance is very difficult and again with some help from a local villager, I managed to fold the glider and pack it along with the harness and helmet.
At the debrief session everybody went through their flights and my turn came last. Avi again mentioned that I was unusually quiet, and I said yes probably I was trying to get over my last flight in the beginning of April, hence the not too smooth takeoff, though eventually all went well.
The other thing which kept me quiet was contemplating the lack of assistance from trainers, I can understand from the point of view of the training school I am an old hand and do not require that much assistance. With new students coming in every week I do understand that it may not be practical for having someone guide you all the time, but at the end of the day I am still a novice pilot aspiring for a club pilot rating, and should be helped and guided, especially as due to my professional pre-occupation the time gaps between flights is very long – in some instances a year or more. Given this situation, I do not think it would be practical for me to continue flying, as the time gaps between my flying is not likely to reduce.
I do recommend this sport to all who would like to enjoy freedom in the open skies – from experience I can telling you cannot get a better high – both figuratively and literally.
I reached the lake site at around 2.30pm before the rest of the crowd got in and sat below a tree to protect myself from the sunlight. There was a gentle breeze which helped in keeping one cool. After some time a couple more paragliding students joined me and a while later Parsha came down in the jeep with the gliders.
There were a group of overseas students, probably French, from their accent, though I am not sure. I decided to get some kiting practice as I had a lot of cobwebs in my mind with my last flight experience where I had got caught in a “venturi” and had an interesting experience. I did some kiting for a couple of hours – I had assistance for about ten minutes, with all the trainers busy with the “new” students and not much time for an “old” student. I did manage to get to control the glider for a couple of minutes at a time, but it was hard going and extremely tiring as I had to rill in the lines and straighten out the glider every time it collapsed and then go back to raising the glider overhead for kiting. After doing this ‘n’ number of times, I told Ganpat at around 5 pm that I was bushed and too tired to continue. I folded the glider, again single handed – no assistance from anyone, except from a local who helped hold one end of the glider while I was folding it – God bless him! I folded the glider, and put the harness, glider, and helmet into the case and zipped up. Avi said he would climb up the hill and I told him I would join him.
The climb up the hill was fun – though slightly tiring (no glider on the back though) – and we reached the top in about fifteen minutes. I was carrying water and consuming it in gulps after climbing up every 20 meters or so. Avi mentioned that I was unusually quiet, and I said everyone seemed to be busy with others and it was ok. I told him, that I had to come this time to fly, else I may not have come back to fly ever again. I mentioned I had to get whatever fear was there out of my mind. As we reached the top, Avi went to get his camera from the car.
I sat down on a piece of rock and closed my eyes while facing the setting sun and tried to connect with the energy flowing in such pristine surroundings. For about twenty minutes with my eyes closed, I felt the energy flow through my body continuously – a continuous kind of internally cooling effect, moving in circles from top of my scalp down the body to my feet and back – it was an amazing experience. I just kind of relaxed, and waited for the jeep with the students to bring the gliders to the takeoff site where I was sitting. After the jeep came up with the other students, everybody was asked to pick up their gliders and get ready for take off.
I waited for my turn patiently, and was the second last person cleared for takeoff. The winds were beautiful and if the gliders had been brought up by about 5pm we would have had a much longer flying window. After putting on the harness, connecting the glider, and getting it ready for takeoff, my turn eventually came. I ran and lifted the glider, but somehow my mind was probably blank and I was not running fast enough and pulling the brakes enough for a take off, hence I hit the ground twice before eventually taking off. I had a pretty smooth flight, Avi asked me to chart my own course – I took a left as the glider slowly descended, then turned around again and found myself approaching the landing area. Avi realized I was in two minds and asked me to take a right as I was too high, then as the glider descended I turned left again for making the landing approach and landed light as a feather, just ten feet away from the landing spot. I killed the glider, mushroomed it and carried it in. By the time I had landed the last pilot had taken off, and as it was getting dark I decided to pack the glider. I laid out the glider perpendicular to the wind and spread it out completely prior to folding it up. Folding a glider without assistance is very difficult and again with some help from a local villager, I managed to fold the glider and pack it along with the harness and helmet.
At the debrief session everybody went through their flights and my turn came last. Avi again mentioned that I was unusually quiet, and I said yes probably I was trying to get over my last flight in the beginning of April, hence the not too smooth takeoff, though eventually all went well.
The other thing which kept me quiet was contemplating the lack of assistance from trainers, I can understand from the point of view of the training school I am an old hand and do not require that much assistance. With new students coming in every week I do understand that it may not be practical for having someone guide you all the time, but at the end of the day I am still a novice pilot aspiring for a club pilot rating, and should be helped and guided, especially as due to my professional pre-occupation the time gaps between flights is very long – in some instances a year or more. Given this situation, I do not think it would be practical for me to continue flying, as the time gaps between my flying is not likely to reduce.
I do recommend this sport to all who would like to enjoy freedom in the open skies – from experience I can telling you cannot get a better high – both figuratively and literally.
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