I had been
looking forward to this Shibir since the day it was announced. The moment the
circular announcing the dates became public in March, I booked five hotel rooms
at Sai Palace Budget, Shirdi, as one of the owners was a classmate of a very
good friend of mine. This hotel is exactly opposite Gate number 2 to the Sai
Temple and is very conveniently located.
There was
brouhaha over the organization of the event, with a lot of circulars going back
and forth. Ultimately the Guru Energies did their work, which mere mortals
should realise that the energies are far superior to our ‘tiny’ egos (in
comparison to the power of the Guru Energies). I was to leave with Anant
Khamankar and family and Pravin Puravji on the morning of the 18th,
but as they were co-opted onto the emergency committee, I had to look for
alternative companions for the drive to Shirdi. I then travelled with three
sadhikas from Vakola center and one from CIFE. We left at 6.30am and reached
the hotel at around 11am with a breakfast halt near Shahapur.
After
checking in to the hotel, I left for the ground to help in whatever way I
could. The start of the shibir was just five hours away and still the green
sheets were being fixed to the ground. I carried three green cloth rolls and
some large nails to the section just before the stage as the cloth had to be
laid down and seating arrangement for the saints from different religions was
to be made. We rolled out the cloth and Puravji started riveting the cloth with
the nails into the ground. We completed our task and started directing sadhaks
to move the extra material away from Pujya Swamiji’s line of sight. The entire
work was being done in dry heat of about 46-47 degrees Celsius. I have never
felt giddy ever in my life, but on that day because of the tremendous heat, I
had moments when my head started spinning. I then used to close my eyes get a
sense of balance and re-start the job on hand. Once the job was done, we went
back to the hotel to freshen up and came back to the ground completely
refreshed. It was about 6.15pm when we came back to the ground. The ground was
just about half filled with sadhaks from all over the country and quite a few
who had come from abroad.
The trust
had stalls for Madhuchaitanya, Donations, Sahitya and a beautiful exhibition on
Samarpan meditation and another inspiring and beautifully compiled exhibition
on the life of Shri Saibaba of Shirdi. The sadhaks were extremely disciplined
and sat in pin drop silence once they took their seats. On an average 25-30000
people attended the shibir every day for eight days. Before Pujya Swamiji’s
discourse commenced it was announced that anyone who had blood pressure and
diabetes issues could have their tests done before the shibir and at the end of
the shibir to assess the impact of meditation on the ailments. Around 272
sadhaks participated in this program. An announcement to the effect that Yoga
Acharya Shri Atul Shukla would conduct, yoga, pranayam and meditation sessions
every morning from 6am to 7.30am was made. The morning yoga and meditation
sessions were roughly attended by about a 1000 people every day.
At 6pm
sharp, Smt. Sumangalji and her daughter Krishnaji sang bhajans to calm the soul
and create a conducive atmosphere for Pujya Guruma’s and Pujya Swamiji’s
arrival. At around 6.45 Pujya Guruma took her seat to the accompaniment of
chants being played on the sound system. At 6.55pm Pujya Swamiji took the stage
and lit the lamp and then took His seat. Saints from all different religions
had been invited and were called upon to light the lamp indicating commencement
of this historical event. After that Shri Yogesh Aggarwal honored the religious
leaders by presenting each of them with a shawl. After that Jain muni Shri
Nandesh shared his life transforming experiences post commencement of Samarpan
Meditation. Subsequently Shri Anuragji read out letters received from the
ex-President of India, Smt Pratibha Patil and the current Governor of Gujarat
Shri Benival wishing all success for this Mahashibir.
Pujya
Swamiji then commenced his discourse by dedicating this Mahashibir at
Shri Saibaba’s Lotus Feet. Param Pujya Swamiji then narrated a story of the
seven islands giving the essence that there is a world outside the limited
space in which the frog lived. Param Pujya Swamiji then said that he has been
sent as a representative of His Gurus who are resident in the Himalayas. While
mentioning about Samarpan Dhyan He said that this is living knowledge, which is
not written or available in any book, this is the knowledge of living
experience. You can understand your religion better if you take this living
experience. While explaining the importance of Shirdi Mahashibir He said that
this is a confluence of both theory and practical knowledge of meditation.
While explaining the meaning of living knowledge, he said that whatever one
acquires from books or from the internet via google is just information and not
knowledge. One obtains living knowledge only through living experience. He said
that one can acquire information about Truth by reading religious tomes but one
cannot experience the same. He explained this with the example of reading about
the milk given by a cow from the book and of actually drinking the milk and experiencing
the same. While narrating the story of four horses He explained that no law or
regulations can change human beings, only man can help change himself. The
objective of Samarpan Meditation is to make oneself one’s own Guru. While
explaining the importance of Samarpan Meditation He said that Truth is
invaluable and one cannot fix a price on it, hence it is given free of cost
globally. While guiding those present to take maximum benefit of this
Mahashibir He said that one should control one’s anger and He stressed that one
should maintain one’s positive state.
While explaining the need for meditation, He said that one does not have
to leave or stop doing one’s day to day activities, including bad habits/vices,
one just has to add one activity – which is meditation to one’s daily routine.
While explaining His own success He mentioned two important aspects of His
life: first, He performed His karya with total selflessness and second, He
consistently performed good work without having any expectations. Till such time that one does not become pure
and chaste from within one is not in a position to receive living
experience. In spirituality the greater
your purity the greater will be your receiving capacity. He also mentioned that
one’s future is in one’s own hands, one has to accept and believe that one is a
soul to be free of any tension or problem, as all these tensions and problems
are related to the physical body. The program concluded with meditation after repeating
after Pujya Swamiji, “I am a pure soul, I am a chaste soul.” During the
discourse a mild warm breeze kept blowing throughout with intermittent sessions
of cool breeze.
After the discourse which ended at around 10pm, we left for
the hotel, had dinner and retired for the night, as we had to get up early for
the yoga session.
Our second day
(Sunday, 19th May) started with a great yoga, pranayam and
meditation session which was attended by 1000 plus people. After yoga we went
back to the hotel and stopped for tea at a roadside tea stall. We chatted with
the stall owners inviting them to come and attend the shibir. They said that
every weekend some program or the other takes place on that ground, as a result
of which it would be very difficult to get the Shirdi residents to attend the
program. We nevertheless requested them to give this program a try as this is
completely different from whatever you may have seen so far. We rested during
the day, not going out anywhere due to the tremendous heat. In the evening at
around 5.45 we left for the ground, parked the car and went to take our seats.
Prior to that we visited the Samarpan meditation exhibition stall and enjoyed
the well laid out and beautifully explained exhibition with the aid of audio
recordings. The Saibaba exhibition was to be open to sadhaks from the next day.
After that we went and took our seat on the ground at around 6.05pm. Krishnaji was singing her bhajans in her lovely mellifluous voice and we sat
down with eyes closed soaking in the divine bhajans. The energy levels were already
palpable and could be felt clearly.
Pujya Swamiji began the second days’ program by narrating a
story about Swami Ramdas through which he explained that spiritual progress
cannot occur without purifying one’s mind (chitta) and today this is possible
only through positive collectivity and meditation. Through King Janak’s story
he explained that one has to remain detached in spite of living in domesticity.
He explained that ‘without receiving the seed of spirituality, spiritual
progress is not possible’. He explained in detail the subject of Paramatma and
a living Satguru. He mentioned that today’s chakra is muladhar (root) chakra
and its mantra is “Matru Devo Bhava:” (Mother as God personified), while
explaining this He mentioned that one’s spiritual progress depends on how happy
one’s mother is with you. He explained that for the purification of this chakra
the use of the path of devotion is important, He mentioned that the bad
incidents which are repeatedly occurring in society are due to individuals succumbing
to bad thoughts thus becoming mediums for negative energies. The way to protect
one’s self from any accident is by meditating regularly and making one’s chitta
and aura strong – thus following the dictum of prevention is better than cure,
in this manner one can protect one’s self. He also made the participants aware
that if children meditated they could obtain protection as well as have
positive changes in their life. He stressed on bringing one’s life under the
control of one’s soul. The days program ended with meditation.
After this we left for the hotel, had dinner and retired for
the night. Puravji left for Mumbai saying that he has some work and would
return on Wednesday morning. Krishnaji Khamankar also left with him by Volvo
bus for Mumbai.
On day 3, I
received a sms from Ramaniji saying that we should visit Junglee Maharaj Math
in the morning. So post yoga, we came back to the hotel, got fresh and went for
breakfast at the Food Court quickly in anticipation of the visit to the Math.
Anant and I picked up Ramaniji from the highway in Anants car at around
10.30am. We then went to the Math and sat for meditation at around 11am in the
meditation hall. The hall has a huge image of the subtle body of Maharaj on
which all the chakras are given with explanations at the side. The energy was
good and after offering obeisance we sat for meditation. I must have been in a
meditative state for about 45 minutes or so, during which I saw different
saints pass by like in a film clipping in my minds’ eye – the last image which
came was that of Guru’s ‘paduka’ – which I interpreted to mean that one’s
attention should always be at the Lotus Feet of every saint – which is what
Pujya Swamiji says all the time. None of the saint images were clear as they
came and went very fast – but the ‘paduka’ when it appeared stayed constant,
hence the interpretation. After the
meditation we were blessed to meet the principle disciple of Shri Junglee
Maharaj. We were sitting in the front row in the room where He grants audience
to his disciples. I was sitting with eyes closed in deep contemplation, when I
heard someone come in and a little chatter as some disciples got up and rushed
to meet Him. He looked at the three of us and I thought He recognised us, and
we were then asked to come forward – we were all given a frame with the subtle
body of Maharaj, along with their spiritual journal as ‘prasad’. Ramaniji
informed Him about the dhyan Mahashibir and whether the arrangement for the
saints attending was alright. Maharaj expressed that all arrangements were good
and He was very happy with the same. After that we were taken by the PRO of the
Math for bhojan prasad. While going by car he mentioned that Pujya Swamiji and
Pujya Guruma had earlier visited the math and discussed the Mahashibir and
taken His blessings for the mahashibir. After Bhojan prasad we came back to
Shirdi and Ramaniji mentioned that if we were not getting good rates we should
shift to Hotel Sharan which belonged to a clients’ mother. When we asked for
directions we were all given a complete run around by the citizens of Shirdi –
in fact near Dwarkamai when we asked for Andhra Bank, we got the correct
directions. The reason for this we subsequently realised was because the owner
did not give commission to touts who came with customers. We walked around the
entire temple complex and reached the hotel after walking for about 40 minutes,
when in fact it was just a five minute walk from where we started near the Food
Court! When we entered the Hotel, we were introduced to the owners by Ramaniji
– the hotel had a very high ceiling and what was most prominent in the lobby
was a 15 foot high painting of Shri Saibaba on the wall, which was converted
into a temple. The owner mentioned that she had commissioned a painter to do
the painting when the hotel was being built more than 30 years ago. We asked
whether we could sit and meditate – she said of course - and lit the light and
requested a hotel attendant to lay out the meditation carpet. Once that was
done we climbed up the three stairs and as I approached the painting I was
washed with a cold wave of energy from head to toe and I just bowed down to the
Energy and sat down with eyes closed as the energy continued to flow from the
painting. It was sheer bliss as I was being washed with cold energy when the
temperature outside must have been in the region of 45 degrees Celsius. After
meditation we were given glasses of cold lassi and were gifted Sree
Gurucharitra by Acharya Ekkiral Bharadwaja and a small booklet of mantras to
get rid of difficulties. We then went to check the rooms and even though the
rooms were big, we were not too comfortable as the rates quoted were almost the
same as what we were being charged by Sai Palace. We came down chatted with her
for some time and then took our leave and went back to Sai Palace. Ramaniji sat
for some time and then took our leave and left. Later, I told the sadhikas who
had accompanied me and the Khamankar family that we will go for ‘Kakad Arati’
on Tuesday (day 4).
We left for the ground at around 5.45pm and I sat in silence
with eyes closed listening to Sanjay Bose’s bhajans. After the announcements,
the chants started at 6.45pm with the advent of Pujya Guruma followed by Pujya
Swamiji. The third days discourse was on the Swadhishtan Chakra and Pujya
Swamiji started with the story of two farmer friends. The essence of this story
was that each individual’s problems in life are as a result of the problems which
lie within one’s self. He said that if one wants to obtain a thoughtless state
one should look at the sky. He mentioned that the police, politicians, lawyers
and doctors are four main pillars of society. He mentioned that Shirdi is the
gateway to salvation and one should come to this holy place to ask for
liberation rather than for material things. Then while explaining the concept
of religion in detail he said that the different religions are steps to reach
the house of God whereas as Paramatma is the house to which all these religions
lead up to. The chant for this chakra is ‘Pitru Devo bhava’ (Father as God
personified) – by chanting which one can get peace – He explained that keeping
the mother-father duo happy is the support for having a happy and blissful
life. He explained that self-realisation is the biggest form of donation to
one’s Guru and He also mentioned that the way to world peace is through prayer
and meditation. The days program ended with meditation.
I woke up at 3.30am and got ready. At 4am the next morning (Day 4 Nabhi chakra), I went about
ringing the room bells and calling everybody for leaving for the kakad arati.
All except the sadhika from CIFE were not ready or just waking up. As it was
just past 4am, we left the hotel and entered through Gate 2 at around 4.10am,
just five minutes before the gate closed. We saw the Bhupali which began at
4.15am followed by the kakad arati at 4.30am. While standing in line and
meditating on the arati, I could feel my kundalini rising slowly and steadily.
As the kakad arati got over at 5am, the kundalini had stabilized around the
nabhi chakra. The line then started moving a bit, and the kundalini shakti went
back to its base! After the kakad arati, bathing of Saibaba’s murti commenced
and we were able to get darshan at around 6.20am. After darshan, I was
wondering if we would be allowed to sit and meditate for some time. I moved
backwards facing Saibaba’s murti, for some distance and then sat down to
meditate – after sitting for about ten minutes, I got a tap on my shoulder from
a security guard, who smiled apologetically and said in Marathi, “it is enough
now, you have sat for quite some time, please leave’. I thanked him and thanked
Baba for allowing me to sit in peace for ten minutes. There were tears in my
eyes as I apologised to Baba ( 19 years ago when I had come with my entire
family, I had said I will never go to Shirdi again, due to the pushing and
shoving and discomfort which my daughter and mother had to face). I felt His
grace and compassion and cold energy as I moved out of the temple. We then
visited Dwarkamai and Chavdi, sat in both places for some time and returned to
the hotel by 7.30am. Prabhavatiji and fellow sadhaks from Vakola center joined
us for a day today and left for Mumbai after the program. I invited our Hotel
manager and his friends for the program, saying that today is the day of awakening
and please come if possible. They said they would definitely come.
In the evening I got a sms from Ramaniji asking me to come
and sit in the front, so at around 5.45pm once I reached the ground, I went to
visit the Saibaba exhibition – on seeing the crowd I was told by Manisha that
they are open from 10am to 12am – so I told her I will come the next morning. I
then made my way slowly swaying to the bhajans which were being sung. When I
looked up into the sky there was beautiful rainbow, which indicated that the
God’s were specially blessing today program! (Photo curtsey Shri Shreekant Parab) I took my seat in the front and
sat with eyes closed waiting for Pujya Guruma and Pujya Gurudev’s arrival and
then for the discourse to start. The discourse started with a true story about
an event in Saibaba’s life. Pujya Swamiji explained about the different ways in
which one can reach a living Guru. I had tears in my eyes as Pujya Swamiji
explained that He had two centers of faith – one Shri Shivbaba and second His
wife, Pujya Guruma. He explained that the seed which was planted for His
spiritual growth by Shiv Baba and the gardener who watered the seed daily and
ensured that it grew into a big tree was none other than Pujya Guruma – and
both of them were His centers of faith. He explained in detail the importance
and meaning of Satguru. In life, dissatisfaction on any topic leaves a bad
effect on our lives. The mantra for the Nabhi (navel) chakra is ‘Santosh Devo
Bhava’ (Satisfaction as God personified) and He also explained the effect of
this chakra on the relations between a husband and wife. He stressed on the
necessity for regular introspection to make the soul so strong that it becomes
one’s own Guru. Pujya Swamiji explained about the Guru Mantra and how it is to
be chanted and meditation took place after chanting of the Guru Mantra. After
that a prayer was offered for good rains to fall in the drought affected areas
in Maharashtra and India. The days program ended at 10.15pm. Today the entire
energy changed and I felt that I was on the sea-shore at Dandi, with a cool sea
breeze blowing – even though we were in Shirdi. It was as if Pujya Swamiji had
brought Dandi to Shirdi!
I woke up the next day (Day
5 – Heart Chakra) absolutely fresh
as a daisy and we all left for our yoga, pranayam and meditation session. After
yoga, breakfast, we came to the ground to see the Shri Saibaba exhibition. I
chatted with Manisha Chorge and Trupti Kankani and then went through the entire
exhibition on display. There was very good energy where a couple of sadhikas
were explaining their sections. I was told by Manisha that this exhibition had
more than 42 images, and the images which were to be given by an artist for a
cost, could not be obtained from him due to his vacillating behaviour over
costs. With Pujya Swamiji’s grace the exhibition team went to various shops in
Shirdi and got 40 of the 42 images selected for which the captions had been
prepared – can you imagine 40 out of 42! All in one day! This is the way Guru
Energies flow when you are surrendered completely! A lesson for us all, I
should say. I wrote my comments in the visitor’s book and then we came back to
the hotel to rest. We did not go out anywhere during the course of the
day…..Chanee’s son and mother joined us. Manit, her son was such a joy and live
wire, he hit it off with everyone – an extremely lovable and pure kid. God
bless him. In the evening we all left for the ground to listen to Day 5 (Hruday
[Heart] chakra) of the discourse.
Pujya Swamiji started the discourse by saying that in one’s
life one should not go to extremes in any aspect of life and always to remain
balanced. To explain this aspect he narrated the story of the life of a British
judge. He explained that thoughts of the past and the future are an impediment
to meditation and to progress in meditation one should face and accept any and
all situations in life. He mentioned that thought pollution is the biggest
problem being faced today and to save one’s self from this, He stressed that
one should remain alone and in silent communion with one’s soul for some time
every day. Pujya Swamiji explained about Samarpan Meditation and its mission
which is to create balanced parents who could give birth to evolved souls so as
to foster peace and universal brotherhood living in a positive society on earth
in the long run. He also explained the concept of ‘Samarpan Vivaha’ (Samarpan
Marriage). He explained that a householder’s life can also be an aid to
meditation. The mantra of the heart chakra is ‘Atma Devo Bhava’ (The soul is
God personified) and He stressed on increasing and augmenting the feeling of
the soul within one’s self. He explained that the strength of lady of the house
is the pillar of strength of the family. He mentioned that Samarpan Meditation
can be of help to stem the spate of suicides taking place in society. While
mentioning the oncoming era, He said that this era will be that of will power
(chitta shakti) and that the success of a country will depend on the strength
of its collective will power.
Day 6 – Vishuddhi Chakra. On Day 4 I had mentioned to Jayeshbhai
Pandit that it would be great if we could video record the yoga session as the
relaxation techniques were more effective when Atul Shuklaji guided us in his
own voice as opposed to when we did it at home on our own. After taking the
necessary permission Day 6 of the yoga session was duly video recorded. The
objective for the recording was that a complete recording could help Babaswami
Multimedia make yoga video CD’s of 15, 30, 60 minute durations to suit
individual time availability – of course with due approval from Guru Charan.
After the yoga session we went back to the hotel. A strange co-incidence took
place today – I had decided to pay off the hotel bill till the sixth day and
hence checked my laptop bag wherein I had kept Rs. 12000 in a sealed envelope.
To my shock, the envelope was in a torn state and Rs. 5000 was missing! I
wondered why someone would take only Rs. 5000, he should have taken the entire
amount! But I did not give it much thought. Yesterday Puravji had given me Rs.
5000 to cover the cost of his expenses and today I found Rs. 5000 missing –
that was the co-incidence. When I told Puravji, he told me that it must be the
hotel staff and he asked me to inform the manager. I refused, saying that
whoever took it must have really needed only Rs. 5000, else a real thief would
have taken the envelope with all the money. I said I had mentally forgiven the
person, as it is, it was my mistake to keep the money in an easily accessible
place. Actually there were a lot of expensive stuff including laptop and a
removable hard drive and a photon data card which were lying in the open. My
laptop bag had been opened and searched, else that envelope would not have been
discovered. Anyways God bless whoever took it and pray that it solved his
problem. Puravji mentioned that his family (wife and two sons) were driving down
today and would leave the next morning. We all went again to Junglee Maharaj
math, Puravji, Chaneeji and her family and the sadhikas from Vakola, CIFE. We
met Dr. Ishnath Singh and his Vasai group, Surekhaji, Krupaji, Edwankarji – all
of them were there at the Math. We meditated there, had bhojan prasad and left.
Manit got a mango as prasad from the saint in pramukh Shishya’s meditation
hall. We returned to the hotel at around 2pm and retired for the afternoon. In
the meantime around 3ish Puravji’s family reached the hotel and Puravji got
busy with them. We left for the ground at around 5.45pm and again settled down
in the front section. The 6th
days discourse (vishuddhi –throat chakra) was to be taken up today by Pujya
Swamiji. Rambhai was singing bhajans with his team, which I sat down to enjoy
with eyes closed. The clouds also took the shape of a bird with the sound of peacocks and koyals singing in the background. (Photo curtsey Shri Shreekant Parab)
Pujya Swamiji started His discourse by narrating a story
about an event in Saint Vinobha Bhave’s life. While explaining about Paramatma
He said that religion is the ladder by which one can reach the house, which is
Paramatma. While explaining the importance of Gurukarya, He told us to absorb
Shri Saibaba’s sermons and spread His message globally. He told us His
experiences while conducting shibir for the Jain Munis. Pujya Swamiji explained
in great detail the concept of proximity to the Guru (Guru sannidhya) and in
doing so He mentioned that by keeping our chitta on the Satguru we can obtain
positive collectivity. He also updated us on the bad effects of continence and
eating non-vegetarian food on spirituality. He mentioned that ‘Atithi Devo
Bhava’ (Guest is God personified) is the mantra for this chakra. He explained
that ego, guilt and lying are the faults of this chakra and for progress one needs
to accept all religions as one and success in life is also the positive aspect
of this chakra. During the entire course of this session, some kriya were taking place on my vishuddhi, agya and sahastrar chakras. I had never before felt my vishuddhi chakra spinning, this was the first time! My vishuddhi, agya and sahastrar were pulsating continuously. After the discourse, Pujya Swamiji conducted the meditation
followed by a prayer for overall progress of all. After the discourse we left
for the hotel, had dinner with Puravji’s family and then retired for the day.
Day 7 (Agya Chakra) began with the yoga
session, after which we again stopped for tea at the tea stall. We asked the
stall owner whether he had come for the program. He was very impressed – he said
that on that ground in Shirdi every weekend there is some program or the other,
hence residents of Shirdi probably thought that this too was a run of the mill
program. He then started telling people at the tea stall that this program is
different – once Baba starts talking the participants in their tens of
thousands, just put their head down and listen in pin drop silence. He found
the discipline amazing and he said he had not seen anything like this before.
His wife said she will also accompany him for the last two days. I called
Pallavi, my daughter, and wished her on her birthday and told her to celebrate
her birthday with friends and that we will go for dinner together on Sunday
evening after I return. We went to the hotel and waited for Prabhavatiji, Haren
Sharma and another sadhika who were to come from Mumbai for the last two days.
They came just before lunch and then we chatted and had some fun. Post lunch Manit
came with his remote controlled car and showed us how to drive it! We had fun
together, rested for some time and then left for the ground. I was getting the
feeling that the days were passing too fast and we were coming to the last
stage of a fully consciousness filled holiday. I took a variety of prasad
packets to take back home for distribution to friends and relatives.
We left for the ground at 5.45pm and went and took our
seats. After the bhajans sung by Sumanagalaji and Sanjay Boseji and announcements, the chant started in anticipation
of Pujya Guruma and Pujya Gurudev. Pujya Guruma came in exactly at 6.45 and
Pujya Swamiji at 6.55pm. Pujya Swamiji started his discourse by narrating the
story of the beggar Ramu. He explained the necessity of having control over one’s
chitta which becomes powerful after self-realisation. After self-realisation
Pujya Swamiji told us to surrender all our day to day karmas and to perform
regular Guru-karya. He then explained the importance of the 45 day Anushthan
which will take place after the conclusion of the 8 day program. He explained
the importance of ‘donation’ in great detail. He mentioned that through the
medium of meditation the global feeling of insecurity can be mitigated and one
can become free of this feeling through regular meditation and thus progress
towards world peace. ‘Acharya Devo Bhava’ (Teacher is God personified) is the
mantra of this chakra and He explained that this chakra is the location of the
Guru and this chakras purification can happen with a feeling of forgiveness
towards all. He said the journey beyond this chakra is not possible without the
blessings of a living Satguru. In the end after meditation He gave us the
living experience of Shri Saibaba’s presence and energy. This meditation had
very high energy, I did not feel like getting up and opening my eyes took quite
some time. I felt kriyas taking place on my nabhi chakra, agya chakra and the sahastrar chakra simultaneously. All the chakras were throbbing and I could feel them spinning in a clockwise direction. But all good things come to an end – and I too got up at the end of
the days program.
8th Day –
Sahastrar (Crown) Chakra. I took a break from yoga today and decided to
just relax in the hotel room. Arati (my wife) was to come today along with
Ramnath Kamath and his family. Puravji told me that he will stay at a different
place, so that Arati and I could stay in the same room – as it is he had to go
for making arrangements for the organising committees post event meeting with
Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Guruma the next day. Arati, Ramnath and family reached
the hotel around 11am. We then went for lunch together, and after lunch I
introduced Arati to the entire group who was staying on the same floor. We
rested in the afternoon, then around 4.45pm Prabhavatiji and Kajalji came and
joined us for tea. Today’s program was to start at 5.15pm with experience
sharing. After tea we all left for the ground together. Ramnath and family and
Arati and I had decided to go for dinner together at Rajdhani after the days
program.
After the experience sharing,
which included the experience of a Saint from Junglee Maharaj Ashram.
Immediately after that Pujya Guruma took her seat to the accompaniment of
chants. Pujya Guruma in her sweet voice narrated her own experience of seeing Pujya
Swamiji’s subtle body. Then in her sweet and mellifluous voice sang a bhajan
written by Herself on Pujya Swamiji. Immediately after that Pujya Swamiji
entered to the sound of blowing of conches. Pujya Swamiji started the days
discourse with a story about an event in Gautama Buddha’s life. Today being
Buddha Purnima – Pujya Swamiji explained the importance of taking the help of
the full moon in purifying one’s chitta. Pujya Swamiji explained that to obtain
the state of liberation is the ultimate goal of life and that the state of
liberation is nothing but the successful management of a successful and happy
life. After this He explained the objective of preparing different idols which
was through the inspiration given by Shri Saibaba. He said that these idols are
given life-force energy during the 45 day anushthan which culminates on the
occasion of Mahashivratri and these idols are capable of giving one
self-realisation. He also said that these idols will strengthen the road to
world peace and will be located in different continents. There are three in
India, one in Europe, one in Canada and the next years’ idol will go to
Melbourne in Australia. He explained that keeping one’s attention on the Lotus
Feet of the Satguru is the path to spiritual progress and He also explained in
detail about the ‘paduka naman’ function. ‘Dnyan Devo Bhava’ (Knowledge is God
personified) is the mantra for the sahastrara chakra and explained the
importance of spiritual experience and spiritual knowledge. After the
meditation, a prayer was offered to bless all those who helped directly and indirectly
in making this 8 day event a success. The paduka naman program started to the
accompaniment of kirtan being sung by famous kirtankar Shri Ramanadji Maharaj.
When my turn came for paduka naman, I prayed with all my heart for a completely
void state full of innocence, and as I looked up and joined hands in prayer to
Pujya Swamiji, I saw His eyes drill into me. I moved back slowly while facing
Him all the time, and then moved away to get my slippers.
The entire event was beautifully
organised in spite of the initial hiccups – my thanks to all those who made
this wonderful event possible. This being my first 8 day live Mahashibir, I wanted
to be present for all the eight days right from the date it was announced. The
level of consciousness kept going up and from day 4 onwards like I mentioned
earlier, it was like the cool sea breeze of Dandi ashram had manifested at Shirdi.
The evenings were beautiful – full of consciousness and energy, cold breeze
throughout the evening on all the days from Day4 (my perception)!
We had dinner at Rajdhani
restaurant and retired for the day. Next day early morning Arati and I went for
Mukh darshan at the Sai temple, then visited Dwarkamai, Chawdi got some
official Bundi ladoo prasad from the office at Gate 1 of the temple. We then
returned to the hotel at 7.15 am. Arati and I then went and had breakfast.
After breakfast I went to greet Manit in his room to say goodbye. While getting
into the car Chaneeji, her mother and Manit came down to see us off. I hugged
Manit and lifted and told him to come with me. He agreed and took my hand and
said let’s go – that’s when you should have seen Chaneeji’s face (shocked,
surprised, stunned). But Manit was just kidding, and we left to fond goodbye’s
at 8am. We reached home at 11.40am after an uneventful non-stop drive from
Shirdi to Mumbai.
Credit goes to Chaneeji for providing the daily discourse summary.
Hope you enjoy reading this as
much as I enjoyed reliving these eight days while writing the blog!
JAI BABA SWAMI
