Gahan Dhyan Anushthan 2023 - First 26 days

 

Deep Meditation Practicum – 2023 (The First 26 Days)

We (Parulben and I along with Krupaji) had come to Dandi Ashram on December 30 to attend a Madhuchaitanya meeting on the 31^st and then Swamiji’s New Year Discourse on January 1, at 5.30 in the evening. Krupaji was to return on the 1^st and Parulben and I decided to stay back as we had registered with Gurugram for 45 days Anushthan. As we entered the Ashram gate, we saw the pathway was filled with sadhaks on one side and sadhikas on the other, all waiting to welcome Swamiji and Guruma who were expected around the same time. Our car arrived at the ashram around 7 pm, and after removing our luggage, the driver asked if he could wait for some time, I said of course he could.

I came down after freshening up and I met the driver who said that they were not letting him leave the Ashram as Swamiji was coming. This was now over an hour since we arrived and he had to return to Mumbai, so, I told him to follow me as I walked towards the gate – I had reached the yagnashala, when his car came and I saw him leave without any hindrance from anyone – thank you Swamiji!

I met Rajma, a sadhika from Germany who had also come for the International Retreat in Singapore. She showed me a video and said that she was recording my arrival thinking that it was Swamiji who came and on seeing me alight it became an incident which gave us a good laugh! She sent me the video and that too has become a good memory – thank you Rajma.

Swamiji, Guruma, and others whom I could not see clearly arrived at around 9pm, we were waiting at the Bhojnalaya, when Pujya Guruma waived out to us as she recognised us as we waited to welcome them – we too waived back, and I brought my hands in reverence to my chest to welcome Paramatma and His Shakti Swaroopa Pujya Guruma.

The meeting on the 31st concluded smoothly with the usual fun along with serious discussions and approval of articles for the MA issue of the magazine. On the first of January, the New Year, we soaked in the atmosphere and we made arrangements for the MC editorial team to sit in front if they wanted to.

The New Year discourse and meditation was special with around 12000 participants. The meditation was deep and intense, like all such sessions in my favourite ashram, filled with high energy and tremendous vibrations – I got the sense that this year is going to be transformational for everyone in the world. Things are going to change big time – slowly the power of centre has begun to shift from the west to the east – it will take time, but the process has started, that’s what I sensed!

A sadhika who had come with her family, was very keen on meeting me, managed to find me and she wanted to touch my feet for something that had transpired in the recent past. I held her hand firmly and said this is not done, we are in the presence of Guru-energies and I am no one special. She had tears in her eyes, and luckily, I was rescued as someone else came to say hello just at that point in time. It was like Swamiji was testing me again, but hopefully I passed the test without hurting the sadhika or her family!

On the second, we meditated at the Gurushaktidham for an hour after which we just relaxed and spoke with sadhaks who had started coming in for the Anushthan. Parulji and I were given a tour of the work going on at Gurugram. We were shown all the rooms – Moksha, Anand, Shunya. These had 8, 4 and two beds. Last year the Shunya kutir had just one bed and the tent looked quite comfortable. Even this year, with two beds the tent which Dipeshbhai showed us was quite spacious and we were quite happy. He showed us the work going on and said that so much has been invested and told us about future plans and the hiccups he faced while getting this scheme executed. He also showed us the area where a gaming zone was being planned! A gaming zone in an Ashram! But we went along with whatever he told us – this is the new age – and we are old-timers, so we assume that all this has Swamiji’s blessings! We were told that the Gurugram registration will begin on the fourth morning, so we relaxed and started enjoying the ambience of the ashram.

In the morning, we went to the Guru Shakti Dham for meditation – nowadays the meditation is instantaneous and one loses track of time. The energy in the hall is tremendous and the eyes close automatically. The entire Ashram is filled with energy, the young souls are so beautiful, with an amazing sense of love and companionship.

On the third, we were told that registration for Gurugram had started. Parulji and I decided to go after lunch assuming that first come first served would be based on the payment criteria as it was for the plot allotment in Goa and other ashrams. When we went, we were told by the coordinator that all the Shunya kutirs were full and we would have to wait. We were astonished – how is this possible, unless over-booking was done. We were then taken to a tent which now had four partitions instead of two and this made the space very small, with just enough room for a bed and a side table – both of us found this to be pretty cramped, and this is not what we had bargained for. In fact, the marketing video of the Shunya kutir posted by Swamiji on the Telegram channel was quite enticing!  The surprising thing was the same Shunya kutir for some tents had two beds and for others four – this was simply discrimination and both of us did not want to argue or create a scene. We were told that our spaces would be ready by 5pm the next day.

We went back to the VIP rooms above the Bhojnalaya and luckily met Maheshbhai – I told him I would prefer to stay in the room which I was allotted – he said no problem as I had already invested for one room at the time of construction, along with two other sadhikas. So, my issue was solved, as I was now alone in this room for the next 50 days. Parulji’s issue was settled on the fourth as she was allotted the room next to mine and she was to share it with Sheenaji.

With our rooms settled, we started focusing on our spiritual practice. We met a lot of sadhaks who had come to Singapore and had also come here – it was lovely reconnecting and re-establishing that inner feeling with them. I met, Yash and Darshana, Chandrikaji, Mohit and his mother Anjali, Lavanya and several others from overseas – also a lot of sadhaks from all over India.

My daily routine continued – getting up at around 3 am daily, going for the first meditation, with the temperature ranging from 12 to 18 early in the morning. The temperature used to really drop after 6 am, the environment was beautiful with the sunrise blessing us everyday with its gentle winter rays – a complete supply of Vitamin D!

There were a lot of sessions discussing spiritual issues which helped our chitta remain focussed. Parulji spoke with Kokilaji to give any Guru-karya available and I said I too would love to join. As Kokilaben was Head of Guru-karya at the Guru Shakti Dham – we were blessed to help in the cleaning – sweeping, washing and mopping the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. I got the sense that Swamiji was playing His role and cleansing us from within as we washed the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. Parulji got the same sense. We had great fun while doing the cleaning work over 4 days and also while removing the petals of flowers for decorating the Shree Guru Shakti Dham.

A strange thing was happening, as Kuldip and I bonded, he kept telling me that I was catching his thoughts, of which I have no idea as to how it happens – I am sure that it is Swamiji doing His magic at the very subtle level.

A sadhika from Germany – Pooja, said that she knew me and had read the book I had written and also followed my blog. She thanked me for the same, and I told her to thank Swamiji as everything was His doing. As several people asked me for the book, I was wondering how I could satisfy so many requests, when that day my wife, Arati called me and said that the 10 books her brother had bought were still lying in his office (he passed away in October 2021) and that she was bringing them home. I told her that please send those books along with two extra copies I had at home along with Parulji’s daughter. I told the sadhaks that the book will come this Sunday – the day of the Patotsav and celebration of Makar Sankranti.

On the 7^th, we received a message from Hemanginiji that Pujya Guruma had invited her, Parulji, and myself for a spiritual discussion session from 5.30pm to 7pm daily. This was based on the wonderful discussions that had happened last year during the Anushthan. Towards the end of the first day, she said that we should also invite Anant and Sumangala Khamankar and Namitaji for the sessions. After the first couple of days, the discussions started becoming more and more spiritual. On the first day I asked a question based on Swamiji’s quote on fame, where Swamiji says those who are chasing fame lie lower than murderers, thieves and criminals on the spiritual plane. Pujya Guruma responded saying the murderers, etc do the work from the Agya chakra – using their intellect – and those seeking fame are doing so from the Nabhi chakra which indicates dissatisfaction and lack of fulfilment. So, the person seeking fame has to journey far more to reach the Sahastrar as compared to the murderers and thieves. This was such a deep insight that it left us all flabbergasted!

On the 11^th Parulji, Hemanginiji and I were asked to speak on Madhuchaitanya. Hemanginiji gave a Powerpoint presentation on Madhuchaitanya, while Parulji spoke on subscription and I spoke on Guru-karya. There were just about 90 sadhaks present out of the approximately 500 staying in the Ashram. There was a slight miscommunication as the sadhaks were first told it would be at Gurugram and now it was to held in the meditation pandal. The talk was well received and may have to be done again for the message to be received by all.

On the 8^th I had casually told Kuldeep and Sagar that it will start becoming really cold from the 13^th and so it happened! A very cool breeze was blowing and the temperature dropped to about 15 degrees and on the 14^th onwards it was around 9 degrees. Sweaters, shawls, jackets, blankets were all out as the sadhaks battled with the physical cold. I mentioned that the temperature would start normalising from the 18^th onwards, lets see what happens. J

From the 12^th onwards there was heavy duty sweeping, dusting, and swabbing Guru-karya in the Shree Guru Shakti Dham and its periphery. We would start in the afternoon after lunch and finish at around 3-4pm and then from 7.30pm to 10pm. We enjoyed this very much because cleansing the Shree Guru Shakti Dham is akin to the Guru-energies cleansing us from within. After the cleaning work we were tasked to do the floral work, we prepared garlands and then tied them on to the standees and the pillars in the Shree Guru Shakti Dham, this happened on the 14^th. Sohini came in the afternoon with a parcel for me and her mother, Parulji. Arati, my wife had sent 12 books - Grace at Every Step – for distribution.

There were various sadhaks who had asked if my book was available and I had said that it was available on Amazon and Flipkart. After these requests came in, I got a call from Arati saying that Manisha (my sis-in-law) had called saying that the 10 books Arati’s brother had bought for distributing in his circle were still in the house. He passed away in 2021 before he could distribute those books). So, it was like the divine energy was working at the Ashram – I had those books and other stuff picked up and delivered to Sohini’s house. And she got this package to the Ashram.

On the 15^th was the first Patotsav of Shree Guru Shakti Dham and also, it was Makar Sankranti. We had collective meditation at 6am, after which there was Pujya Guruma’s discourse from 7am to 8am.

Sohini and Deep were to come for the morning meditation. Parulji asked me to keep a seat for Deep next to me in the front, which I did. I located him just before the start of Pujya Guruma’s discourse and requested him to come and sit next to me. The previous day, during our daily meeting with Pujya Guruma, I reminded her to speak about the availability of Swamiji’s Ashirvachans for Madhuchaitanya from the very first issue in 16 languages. These were ready and translation in ten other languages was in progress and those too would be available soon. She said that we should pray that she should mention it during her discourse, because once she is on stage many times things are not in her control, as the discourse takes its own shape.

I prayed for this during morning meditation and just before the start of Pujya Guruma’s discourse. Her discourse, as usual, was divine and full of wisdom and after an hour it ended! She had not spoken about Madhuchaitanya! I prayed again saying – What is this, Maa? In spite of my prayers, you forgot! Please mention it. When the anchor started her talk on Guruma’s discourse, suddenly Pujya Guruma said, I have not finished yet! And then she spoke about Madhuchaitanya and I had a huge smile on my face! How can prayer on this holy land not work, when it worked from other places all over the world!

After the discourse, we went for breakfast and at 9.30 am we went to the Shree Guru Shakti Dham to do Guru-karya on receiving the sadhaks and channelling them in batches of 20, letting them circumambulate the Auspicious Idol, then letting them pass through and return for meditation, if they wanted to. In the meeting there were various proposals, but Satishji who is the Pujari along with Harshitbhai, said that we should let the sadhaks sit for meditation as long as they wished. So, arrangements were made in that manner and we started the darshan from 10.30 onwards as planned. Before the start, the curtains facing the Auspicious Idol were drawn shut. Satishji, performed the puja and with our collective (there were six of us there including Parulji, Harshaji, Self, and Dr Kuldeep) ‘Jai Ghosh’ he opened the curtains. That’s when we got our blessings from Swamiji – I have never ever experienced such divinity in the Shree Guru Shakti Dham before – my earlier experience was in Aradka – a cold blast of energy washed over me, leaving my entire body cold with divine energy – the idol looked magnificent and alive with the out of this world floral decoration – there was no cloth clothing the idol – it was all flowers and the lighting made the idol enchanting and mesmerising at the same time! All of us were in tears and feeling so blessed, it is beyond words!

After receiving Swamiji’s blessings, we started our Guru-karya and opened the doors for darshan. The sadhaks were told to remove their socks, keep their bags and leather apparel along with mobile phones outside, before entering. The karya went on very smoothly, with sadhaks doing the circumambulation, then exiting from the far side and returning from the main entrance for meditation. I kept doing the work of an usher in the theatre and kept filling the blank spaces after sadhaks left, so there was no crowding, nor was there any pushing and shoving, it all went smoothly and everyone got to meditate for as long as they wished. There was just one aberration, where a sadhak couple entered the Shree Guru Shakti Dham and were seen whispering loudly and appeared to be fighting, I approached them and put my fingers on my lips, the lady glared at me, literally pulled the jacket or shawl from her partner and went to sit for meditation. The boy sat at the back, touching the wall, I requested him to go in front, when he refused, I left. Then I suddenly saw him walking past me and approaching the Auspicious Idol, I followed him, caught up with him and asked him what he was doing? He said he wanted darshan – I asked him did he not take darshan when he entered the Shree Guru Shakti Dham, he said he did, then why was he breaking the rules. He picked up my name tag and read my name – this really set me off. He arrogantly told me I am a sevadhari! I asked him his name – Ankush Patel he said. Then I told him I was the ex-Managing Trustee, after which he seemed to melt down. I frankly don’t remember any sevadhari by that name! He then told me his body heats up when he meditates and it disturbs others so he was sitting behind. I told him to go ahead and sit. I continued with my karya as if nothing had happened. Then after a while Kuldeep called me saying that the sevadhari wanted to speak with me. I went out and the boy apologised profusely saying that he did not want to hurt me, etc. I told him, there was no sweat of my back, I was just surprised that being a sevadhari, he had not been taught to follow instructions, I said it was his spiritual progress that I was trying to save.

Later, the trustees and committee members came to see how the karya was happening. There was not a word being spoken and the atmosphere was totally divine. The karya got over by 1pm as all those who had come for the patotsav, got their darshan and meditation and left happily. This truly gave all of us a sense of inner peace, inner satisfaction, inner happiness. We were truly blessed!

The feedback from sadhaks on the havan was phenomenal. Sadhaks got spiritual experiences which for which I requested Rambhai to ask all such sadhaks to submit them for publishing in Madhuchaitanya. This havan was special – in the sense it went on for more than two hours and Rambhai explained the importance of the havan in great detail. The energy created by the havan blessed the entire Ashram premises.

Hemanginiji asked Guruma whether we should share the sessions with the sadhaks in Gurugram, for which she readily said yes. So, from the 17^th onwards we were allotted a daily slot from 2-3pm in the afternoon to share Pujya Guruma’s spiritual guidance with the sadhaks. Hemangini brought questions daily from Swamiji’s volumes and ‘Words of Blessings’, raising spiritual questions from them, to which Pujya Guruma responded. All such sessions started achieving a spiritual height and more and more insights started flowing in. I too asked a question on ‘Fame’ based on a quote from HKSY-5 – why is souls seeking fame are considered to be at a lower stage than murderers, dacoits and thieves. Pujya Guruma gave a Krishna-like smile and responded saying that murderers, etc commit their crimes from the Agya chakra and the seekers of fame are stuck at the nabhi chakra – so the seekers of fame have a greater spiritual journey left from the nabhi to the sahastrar as compared to Agya to Sahastrar. Pujya Guruma on the next day said that she too was not aware of this answer, and when the question was raised, the answer came to her from above – what an amazing insight! Beyond imagination!

Pujya Guruma’s birthday was approaching and we were told to have some performance for the day. I suggested a skit on the Madhuchaitanya Board meeting and called Veenaji to write a script. She sent one immediately and I modified it on the 20^th. I circulated it to a few sadhaks and saw whether we could carry out the skit. In the meanwhile, Pujya Guruma’s knowledge sessions continued and we continued with our briefing the Gurugram sadhaks every day. From the 20^th I was requested to take sessions for the Germans in English from 10-11 in the mornings. Which I did, this was quite enjoyable and the sessions took place in an empty tent in Gurugram. We were also asked to take sessions for the volunteers in the kitchen and Guru Shakti Dham, which I requested Parulji to do.

On the 20^th Pujya Guruma told us that Swamiji had left a note that the cold will start increasing from the 22^nd onwards, that is after Pujya Guruma’s birthday. So, looks like things are going to get exciting very soon!

Guruma’s birthday celebrations took place in the newly constructed Amphitheatre in Gurugram, and the celebration itself was the inauguration. All the sevadharis and volunteers had worked very hard to get this ready. The decoration was beautiful, balloons and flowers galore, with lamps being released in the pond surrounding the amphitheatre. The programme started at 4.30 in the evening and went on till 7.15pm. It was wonderful with groups of sadhaks expressing their feelings through their songs and poems. A poem by Shivanjali was so beautiful and recited with such feeling that Pujya Guruma requested Shivanjali to submit it to Madhuchaitanya for publication. We, Parulji and I decided to do a skit on Madhuchaitanya Editorial Boards meeting when we were requested by the Gurutattva management to do some performance. I requested Veenaji to write a small script and I just added to it. Hemanginiji made some suggestions too, which were adopted. The performers were Parulji in the role of Pujya Guruma, Hemanginiji as the narrator, Namitaji as the coordinator and Khamankarji and myself as Board members. The skit was well accepted giving a good laugh to everybody, and an impromptu question asked to Guruma on providing guidance to the youth for doing Madhuchaitanya Guur-karya elicited a wonderful response from Guruma. The words of blessings from Guruma at the conclusion of the event were priceless. All in all, it was a wonderful session with the cake cutting happening to music and the icing being Pujya Guruma giving a sweet personally to every sadhak present. The line was huge but very disciplined and the function got over all too soon we felt. It was in a high energy zone, with dance performances adding to the joy.

Pujya Guruma's Birthday celebrations

I had ordered ten books of Grace at Every Step because of the demand at the Gurugram and all of them were gifted on the 21^st, Pujya Guruma’s birthday. Abhijit Zod had asked for the book and only one was left. I kept looking for him but could not located him. Today (22^nd) I prayed during meditation that he should come in front of me so that I could hand over the book. Guess what, during the 2-3 after noon session he came and sat right in front of me, and I gave him the book!

Kuldeep, Parulji and I started spiritual sessions of reading from Swamiji’s messages. Two messages were read by Kuldeep and both of them were really profound! Ramnath had come on the 26^th and he had brought with him the yoga mat carry bag which I had ordered for Sheenaji. We met later in the day and had a good time sharing our experiences. Our session with the Germans was cancelled because of the Republic Day celebrations. Some sadhaks approached me for the book Grace at Every Step, so I ordered 10 more from Flipkart. This was getting interesting, as the demand for books was happening as the word spread around that I was giving a free autographed copies. There was a message that if anybody wanted to pay, they should donate the money to the Trust/Foundation. Republic Day was celebrated with great fervour with Pujya Guruma unfurling the flag and giving a short discourse on the nation and its well-being.

Republic Day Celebrations

Kokilaben told us that we had to clean the remaining unwashed part of the Guru Shakti Dham that evening. This time we got a team of around 15-20 sadhaks and we had two water jets. So, the spraying of the walls and pillars was much faster. After that, removing the water with the big wipers was fun for the sadhaks. The dust from the pillars was sticking to the ground, so we used the jet spray to remove that and then the sadhaks did a great job in cleaning up the inside of the Guru Shakti Dham, but the muck was all outside on the staircase, we then sprayed the staircase and removed the muck after which the ground in front of the Guru Shakti Dham was swept clean. This time while we enjoyed the work and had great fun, we also sensed that we were being cleansed within. All this work got over by 9.45pm well within the 10pm Ashram deadline.

On the 27^th, at the end of the yoga session I had a wonderful experience. It was cold, around 13 degrees, and after the yoga session, just before meditation started, I was staring at the sun and I shut my eyes when meditation started. As soon as I shut my eyes I felt the gentle warmth of the sun’s heat spreading from the crown chakra downwards through my entire body. It felt so nice and wonderful – just amazing. During our session with the Germans, Prema Sai who had taken my book came and told me that when she started reading the book, she felt nothing, but after some time her crown chakra started becoming cold. Later in the day, when we were in the meditation pandal at Gurugram, Abhijit Zod who also had a copy of my book said that as he started reading the book, he found it tough to read continuously and then he said that the book started reading to him. This was amazing! In the evening session with Pujya Guruma, we had Sandip Patil Sir and his family join us along with Sundeep Sharmaji and his wife Minakshiji. This session was short just 45 minutes in which Pujya Guruma answered questions posed by sadhaks. Today, the questions asked too were just enough to fit the 45 minute session – the Guru-energies know everything!

This morning Yogaacharya Shrikrishna handed over the mike to Shri Tanmayji for the Yoganidra session. After the Guru mantra, he asked us to shut our eyes and then lie down in shavasan position and relax our entire body from toes to the crown. He kept saying this in a very soothing voice, both in Hindi and English, so that everyone present understands. After that, he asked us to place our chitta on our ears and listen to the sounds from near and far – I did this – and the sounds I could hear were my own breathing, some light snores from somewhere behind me, birds chirping close by and koyal and peacock sounds from a distance. On further focusing I could hear the rustling of leaves and the distant sound of waves of the Arabian Sea. This went on for I don’t know how much time. During this time I felt some ants climbing up my left forearm and one of them bit me, while this was happening Tanmayji asked us to place our chitta on our Agya chakra. My chitta was wavering from my forehead to my forearm, this oscillation happened three four times before my focus went totally on the agya chakra and I stopped feeling the ants and their bites. My body was completely still as we were asked to take our chitta to a rose garden. I felt myself in a huge rose garden with a slight fragrance of rose enveloping my senses, after this we were asked to take our chitta to the Himalayas where the Guru-energies reside. As my chitta went there, I started feeling the cool breeze of the Himalayas; the mind was completely calm and the sensation of the Himalayas was prevailing strongly. My crown chakra had become cold and pulsations had started as the energy slowly, but surely, enveloped my whole being – the sensation was amazing. After some time we were told to come back to the rose garden, and then place our chitta on our ears and listen to the sounds. This time apart from the birds, dogs, I could also hear the distant sound of a motor vehicle, the sound of waves in the distance, sound of breathing too. Then we were asked to remove our chitta from the ears and relax our whole body – all this time the eyes were shut, and continued to be shut. We were then asked to move the toes of both the feet slowly, then the fingers on our hands and then both together, all the while keeping our eyes shut. Slowly, I could again sense the ants and ant bites on my left forearm. We were then asked to fold and unfold our legs at the one by one, two-three times and then both of them together. After this we were asked to turn to our right slowly, and then sit up cross-legged with our eyes shut. After this we stayed in this position for some time, and then we were asked to slowly rub the palms our hands against each other and then place them on the eyes. The second time, the same action but more rigorously as the palms became warm and warmed the eyes, the third time more vigorously and as the heat of the palm increased we placed them immediately on our eyes and we were asked to feel what we sensed. The third time this happened, I could literally see the entire cosmos within me, it started as geometric shapes and then started getting depth, and it felt I was in the midst of the cosmos with stars and planets all around me (Pinde Brahmande, Brahmande Pinde), unbelievable and fantastic. After he asked us to open our eyes slowly, I could just see an orange ball and I was in the centre. The sensation was unbelievable and mind boggling. After shanti path we were told not to talk and maintain this state for at least half an hour in silence. I did not feel the need to speak as I walked away quietly savouring the experience. Millions of thanks to Tanmayji and the Guru-energies who made him a medium for this experience.

Today, 29^th January, 2023, the early morning meditation was wonderful. I stopped going to the dhyankund after 22 days, as the sadhaks kept coughing, snoring and letting of gas continuously, it became very difficult to continue placing the chitta within myself. I did not open my eyes and look around during these days and kept my focus within. Because, as Pujya Guruma explained, meditating in collectivity means gaining control of your chitta in spite of these disturbances! I sat for meditation at about 3.50am and my eyes opened just shy of 5am. The time seemed to fly by as I thought I had closed my eyes just a moment ago. After writing the blog for the day, Parulji knocked on the door and as we exited the Bhojnalaya we felt we had entered the Himalayas on the shores of Dandi in the Ashram! It was truly enchanting, with a fog enveloping the entire ashram (6.45am) and the lights being diffused because of the fog gave the whole scenario an ethereal look. As we walked towards the amphitheatre for our yoga session and as we came close to the Gurugram, the scene became more beautiful, with the coloured lamps looking like hanging light bubbles. The weather was beautiful with the temperature at a wonderful 20 degrees. Silver jubilee gift from Swamiji – 25^th day of the Anushthan!

As we entered the amphitheatre and warmed up with our normal 1 km run, we felt the breeze increasing gently. The yoga session started at 7.15 and the fog had thickened slightly. Srikrishnaji said he will take us through exercises that will help us become one with nature. And as the exercises progressed, I was expecting the sun to come up as it had cleared up a bit. But, to our wonderful surprise that did not happen and when the meditation started, and as soon as Srikrishna said let us merge with nature, the temperature dropped suddenly with the cool breeze becoming colder and blowing a bit more strongly. My mind was blank as I soaked in the energy through the sahastrar, feeling it slowly go down all the chakras as it enveloped the entire body. The morning was magical because the reappearance of the fog meant that this was not normal, this was the consciousness flowing from the kutir with Swamiji blessing his children with divine glimpses of the Himalayas right at sea level in the ashram. Unforgettable – today being Sunday – the lucky non-residential sadhaks who came are feeling the blessings that Swamiji is showering today.

Himalayan atmosphere at Dandi Ashram

On the 30^th the day started as usual with early morning meditation followed by Yog and as the session with the Germans was not to take place on Wednesday – I had two days to maximise use of time to try and complete the translation of Grace at Every Step in Hindi. I did quite a bit and hoped to finish the translation during the course of this week itself. In the meanwhile, Guru-karya to write two articles for a Nagpur Newspaper was assigned to me. I started preparing for the same. After our 2-3 pm Guruma’s discussion session for Gurugram residents I went to visit the exhibition at 4pm. As soon as I entered the exhibition hall, I felt good energy as my sahastrar got activated. There were six exhibitions – 1. Gurutattva, 2. Nature and Soul, 3. Beneficent Farmer, 4. Inner-satisfaction through Donations, 5. Values for Children and 6. Science of Divine Vibrations. All the exhibitions were well laid out and the team of young volunteers explaining these concepts was proficient, passionate and well informed – explaining in detail to all those who came for the exhibition. The atmosphere was vibrant with a clean meditative energy in the entire hall. The team led by Hemaginiji is doing a great job and all this augurs well for the future of Samarpan Gurutattva.

We met Jayeshbhai and Nirzari Bhabhi who were to come daily now. We had lots of fun talking about our Madhuchaitanya meetings and pulling each other’s legs! The session with Pujya Guruma gave out some phenomenal information of the agya chakra. We will share it today during the 2-3 session. The energy was so high, that my eyes kept shutting during Maa’s words of blessings. In the evening we were supposed to go for cleaning the Guru Shakti Dham pradakshina corridor but it was postponed to the 31^st.  There being a decent demand for Grace at Every Step – I ordered a second lot of ten books and it was distributed on the 30^th itself, the day I got the books! If there is still a pending demand, I shall order ten more.

On the 31^st after early morning meditation, the yoga session with Yogacharya Srikrishna was as usual phenomenal as he taught the participants postures to keep the spine ramrod straight and sit comfortably for meditation. I have found my body ahs become more flexible in these last four weeks. After the asanas he made us face the sun and do chitta purification meditation. As he chanted the Guru mantra for each chakra and the internal yagya commenced, the temperature dropped suddenly by 3-4 degrees Celsius – a cool breeze started blowing as Swamiji’s consciousness enveloped the entire amphitheatre. The energy was very high and the atmosphere very cold, the meditation was superb and the eyes refused to open.