If We Die Tomorrow

 

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If We Die Tomorrow

The whole work of a seeker is to attain a divine indifference to the non-essential. We are all caught up in the non-essential, in the mundane, the trivial. For the moment it looks so important, and the next moment it appears as if it had not happened at all.

When one looks back, one is always surprised: the same things that had looked so important, look utterly futile… and one was ready to die for those things! Just some abusive word from somebody, and the mind becomes focussed on it out of all proportion and is ready to kill or to be killed. After a few minutes, when things have cooled down, it looks so stupid. Even to talk about it, even to say – ‘I got so disturbed by it’ looks silly. But almost ninety-nine percent of our whole life consists of such things, hence it is a wastage.

One has to be very alert and aware. One has to save oneself for God. If we lose our energy in just collecting stones on the beach, by the time we come on the treasure we will not have any energy. We remain beggars when there is no treasure, and we will remain beggars when there is every possibility to become an emperor.

One has to be very conscious of what one is doing with one’s energy, of where one is putting it, because once gone it is gone forever. And the time that is passing will not come back; nothing can be recaptured. Once this awareness settles in, a great difference arises.

Just think: if we are going to die tomorrow, then how many things will be important and how many things will be unimportant? It will change our whole outlook. Just a moment before we were thinking of a new house, to start a new relationship, to have one more child, to do this and that. There were a thousand and one plans in the mind, all running around.

The moment we become aware that we are going to die tomorrow, all those thoughts simply disappear; they become irrelevant. Something else, that we were not thinking of at all, becomes relevant: ‘What is death? Am I ready to face it? Have I done anything to go into it silently, lovingly, in a kind of welcome? Am I ready to face my creator?’ Something new becomes important, something that was not at all in the consciousness surfaces and becomes central. All that was in the consciousness and all those desires that were clamouring for our attention are no more relevant – that is just the market noise.

And this is how it is. Tomorrow is not certain: tomorrow may be, may not be. Death is always waiting tomorrow. We can be certain about only one thing, and that is death; all else is uncertain. To become a sadhak means to put things in their right perspective, to bring a balance, to put priorities right.

Freedom from Bondage

 

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Freedom from Bondage

Realising the ‘self’ means the state of realising that one is actually the ever-free self which was never bound in the first place, never bound at all. Self-realisation or moksha does not mean becoming free from something; but realising that one is always free but has been labouring under the illusion that one is not. It is ultimate freedom; the freedom from which one never falls back to bondage.

The Guru’s role is to be the pointer to the path. Which means, the guide, the teacher, or the friend who has crossed to the other side, who has learnt to swim and cross the ocean of ‘samsara’ – meaning the cycle of birth and death and rebirth to which humans are bound.

Such a teacher who is our true friend, teaches us how to swim so that we can cross the ocean. He can’t give us the ocean because the ocean doesn’t belong only to him. It belongs to us too. Freedom belongs to him as well as to all of us. So, no one can give it to us because it is already ours.

It’s not anybody else’s but then we don’t realise it because we haven’t learnt how to go into it. How to survive, how to swim in this ocean? So, the Guru teaches us how to reach, how to swim, how to enjoy, how to discover this ocean which is us individuals, not only ourselves, not only us not only ours but the ocean is all of us. But we don’t know it.

We think we are this little pool of stagnant water that stands on the way with no movement whatsoever. The Guru says “Look my dear fellow you are a lion; you are not a goat. You are not this little pond of stagnant dirty water that stands there, you are the ocean. So don’t live under the illusion that you are limited, you are the unlimited”.

To point that out is the job or the part of the Guru. Beyond that, the person has to discover for herself or for himself. One can be taught to swim but we will have to swim by ourselves. We can be taught to go this way but we have to walk the path.

The Guru is just the guide – he will bring us to the lane closest to our inner abode and leave us. Thereafter the journey is ours and ours alone – nobody can accompany us on this journey. It is for the true seeker to find his/her inner abode.

How much time one needs depends entirely on us – if we are really thirsty we will go directly, if not we will meander around, waste time and if we are lucky we will reach home in this birth itself. Else, the next birth awaits us for completing the journey which began several births ago!

Living with the Momentary

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Living with the Momentary

We live with momentary things. That’s why there is so much misery, because whatsoever is momentary is not going to satisfy us. By the time we become aware that it is there, it is already gone. This life is in a state of flux: it is continuously moving, slipping out of our hands. Nothing is certain, nothing is stable. Everything is in a constant movement.

We cannot make our abode in this momentary world, on these shifting sands. If we do make our abode on this, it is bound to collapse – the collapse could happen at any moment, and we then cannot live in peace.

We enter into relationships through love and friendship and then we fear whether this is going to end! Whether the relationship will be there tomorrow or not, we do our best to stabilise our relationships, to make them permanent, and in that very effort all joy is lost.

Change is constant – both in nature and in our lives – so, as we continue to grow materially and spiritually we start vibrating at different levels, people within the same frequency band stay with us, others fall away. Whether it is family, husband-wife, friends, colleagues, anyone – the same rule applies.

Our desire should be for something eternal, but that cannot be fulfilled by the material world. Somebody is poor and thinks that if he/she becomes rich he/she will be happy. The moment such a person becomes rich he/she is not happy, he/she is simply more worried. When such people are poor, they do not worry, they sleep well – and once they become rich, worry and sleepless nights become their companions.

This is what goes on happening unless we start looking inwards. The outside world is not going to satisfy us because it is a changing world, momentary, and our innermost longing is for the eternal. And that cannot be fulfilled on the outside. There is nothing against the material world. What we should just be aware of is that our desire is for the eternal and that cannot be fulfilled on the outside. So, on the outside remain joyful with the momentary, don’t ask that it should be eternal. Nothing can be eternal on the outside. Enjoy the momentary as momentary, knowing perfectly well that it is momentary.

The flower that has opened up in the morning is bound to die by the evening. It has come with the sunrise; it will go with the sunset. So, rejoice! We are not against the flower - rejoice! But remember, don’t cling, don’t hope, otherwise we will be disillusioned. Rejoice in the momentary on the outside, and search for the eternal in the inside.

Inside we will find nectar, the immortal, the eternal, the divine. And once we have found that then there is nothing more to be found. Then all is bliss, then all is joy. Life is fulfilled. One has come home.

Money and Meditation

 

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Money and Meditation

We can have all the money, wealth, power, prestige and still remain miserable. We all know Alexander’s story – where he had conquered the whole world and when asked what would he do if he was dying of thirst alone in a desert. He had said he would give it all up for just a glass of water – that is when he realised that what he had achieved was pointless. The misery of an Alexander is bound to be tremendous, but one can never be happy. The more we have, the more we become aware of the futility of it all and the more we feel an inner emptiness.

Only the rich person comes to know what inner poverty is, because he/she can compare notes. Such a person has a background and he/she can see his/her own inner poverty against it. He/she is rich as far as the outside is concerned, but the inside is simply starving. Hence the paradox: the richer we become, the poorer we feel. The more knowledgeable we become the more ignorant we feel. The more we have, the more we become aware of how much we are missing.

The only bliss possible is that which comes through the inward journey. One has to come to one’s own self, to one’s own treasures. They are infinite… immeasurable. Once known, we are never a beggar again. We may not have anything of the world – still we remain as emperors. Our emperorship has an inner luminousness.

We are emperors – not because we have a kingdom, but because we are emperors. Our emperorship doesn’t depend on a kingdom. It is independent of all kingdoms. Then one is truly a king, because nobody can rob one, nobody can take anything away from one… not even death. One has something which is eternal, which cannot be robbed, cannot be taken away. And only when we have something which cannot be taken away from us does fear disappear – never before it. And in those moments, we start feeling the deathless.

The key is to look more and more inwards – temptations are there, desires are there – and that is natural. There is no need to be an escapist, no need to escape from the world; just be in the world but give more energy and time to the inner search. Do whatever is needed in the material world, but don’t become too occupied with it. Do work for all necessities – food, clothing, shelter – they are all needed to be happy, but they are not enough. They are just basic requirements.

Once we fulfill our basic needs, don’t waste anymore time and start going within. One should work in the world so that one can work in one’s inner world. One should earn a little money so that outer things no more trouble one, no longer distract one. 

One can close one’s eyes and go into meditation. If money serves meditation, money is good and one should use it. But if money becomes our meditation, we are going to become neurotic.

Purifying Desire – Part 2

 

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Purifying Desire – Part 2

Money has brought a few blessings, but in the same measure it has brought many curses too. We can have a bigger house, but now we will have less peace. We can have a bigger bank balance, but you will also have bigger worries. Money has brought a few things which are good; in the wake of it many other things have arrived which are not good at all. And if we look at the whole thing, the whole effort has been a sheer wastage. And now we cannot even have the hope that the poor man can have. The rich person becomes hopeless. This person knows now the money will go on increasing and nothing is going to happen - just death awaits, nothing else.

But desire in itself is not wrong. The desire for money, the desire for power, the desire for prestige, are wrong objects for desire - let it be very clear. By having wrong objects of desire, desire itself does not become wrong. We can have a sword and we can kill somebody - that does not make the sword something wrong. We can also save somebody with the same sword. Poison can kill and poison can become medicine too. In the right hands, poison is nectar; in the wrong hands, nectar is poison.

Desire has to be purified and transformed, because it is our energy - we don’t have any other energy. How to transform desire? One way, the mediocre way, is to change the object. Don’t go after money, start going after God. We are frustrated with money - become religious, go to the church, to the temple, to the mosque. Let our desire have a new object called God, which is as illusory as the object called money, even more illusory, because what do we know about God? Money at least is something visible, objective; we have known it, we have seen it. What do we know of God? We have only heard the word. God remains a word unless experienced. God remains an empty word unless we pour some content into it through our own existential experience.

What is intelligence? Intelligence means the insight that no object can fulfill our desires. No object, can ever fulfill our desires. Our desire is divine. Our desire is as big as the sky - even the sky is not a limit to it. No object can fill it. Then what is to be done?

The intelligent person stops desiring objects. Such a person makes his desire pure of all objects - worldly, otherworldly. He/she starts living his/her desire in its purity, moment to moment. He/she is full of desire, full of overflowing energy.

Purifying Desire - Part 1

 

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Purifying Desire - Part 1

The energy called desire has been condemned for centuries. Almost all the so-called saints have been against it, because desire is life and they were all life-negative. Desire is the very source of all that we see, and they were against all that which is visible. They wanted to sacrifice the visible at the feet of the invisible; they wanted to cut the roots of desire so there would no longer be any possibility of life. A tremendously great urge to commit total suicide has dominated humanity down the ages.

Desire itself can be considered to be God. Desire without any object, desire without being goal-oriented, unmotivated desire, pure desire, is God. The energy called desire is the same energy as God. Desire has not to be destroyed, it has to be purified. Don’t drop desire, transform it. Our very being is desire; to be against it is to be against ourselves and against all. To be against it is to be against the flowers and the birds and the sun and the moon. To be against it is against all creativity. Desire is creativity.

In the East it is said that God created the world because a great desire arose in him — a desire to create, a desire to manifest, a desire to make many from one, a desire to expand. But these are only metaphors; God is not separate from desire. Desire means a longing, a great longing, to expand, to become huge, to be enormous - as huge as the sky.

Observe people, watch desires and you will understand. What the person who wants to have more and more money really wants is not money but expansion, because money can help one expand. We can have a bigger house, a bigger garden, we can have this, we can have that - our territory will be bigger, our freedom will be bigger. With more money we will have more alternatives to choose from.

Go deeper into the consciousness of the person who wants money, help such a person to meditate, and we will be surprised to find that the desire is not really for money, but for expansion. Similarly, it is so for all other desires – more power, fame, longer life, better health – but what is it that they really desire in these different things? They don’t want to be limited, confined – they want to expand.

But all these objects of desire, sooner or later, disappoint. The desire was for the infinite, and money cannot purchase the infinite. If we watch carefully, money, power, prestige - nothing satisfies. On the contrary, they make us more discontented. 

Why? - because when we were poor there was a hope that one day the money was going to happen and all would be settled and settled forever, and then we would relax and enjoy. Now that has happened, and there seems to be no sign of any relaxation. In fact, we are more tense than before, we are more anxiety-ridden than before.

….To be continued

Spiritual Ego

 

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Spiritual Ego

The spiritual ego is not something that is too different from the ordinary ego. Somebody feels their ego because they have money, somebody feels their ego is strengthened because they have political power. Somebody feels ego because they have great respectability. But the ego is the same. Somebody feels that they are spiritual - a great saint, holier than the other - that is also the same ego. We can call it “spiritual ego” but spiritual ego is a contradiction in terms. Swamiji talks about sadhaks having ego that they are sadhaks without knowing that those who are not sadhaks may have a better spiritual state than their own!

There is a story about three monasteries in the Tibetan mountains. One day, three monks – one from each monastery – met by chance on the path on the way to do their daily chores. One of them said, “You have beautiful monasteries, but in austerity we are unbeatable.”

The second said, “We are aware of the arduous discipline that your monastery maintains – your austerity is truly great. But nobody can compete with us when it comes to learning. We have some truly great scholars.” Both looked at the third monk who said, “You are both correct – one monastery is a perfectionist with respect to its disciplines, austerities, and the second is certainly full of scholars filled with knowledge and wisdom, but we are the tops in humbleness.”

“Tops in humbleness…” Just see the contradiction! There is no such thing as spiritual ego. Yes, there is such a thing that ego can exploit any direction of life: it can be religious, it can be spiritual, it can be financial, it can be political. It can be scholarship, it can be beauty, it can be physical strength. Ego is capable of exploiting anything. But spiritual ego is simply an impossibility because spirituality arises within only when the ego dissolves. Either one is an egoist or one is in the world of the spirit, one can’t be both together. They don’t have any coexistence.

Any greed — material or spiritual — is simply greed. Greed means we want more and more and more; there never comes a time when this continuous hankering for more, stops. So, whether we are in search of more spirituality or more money or more power, it does not matter.

But in fact, about spirituality, one should understand that the same contradiction again arises: we become spiritual only when this desire for more and more disappears, when we are utterly satisfied and contented as we are, when there is no “more” goading us… because the “more” creates the future. “More” means tomorrow is needed.

For the spiritual person, this moment is more than enough. Such a person is utterly grateful for whatever is allowed to him/her. His/her contentment cannot be disturbed by any desire for more. The only cure for ego is a simple surgery.

Should the ego become more healthy? stronger? more powerful? But that will be destructive to our spirituality. That will be against our inner growth. The ego is our enemy, not our friend. The enemy has to be destroyed — completely destroyed. Not cured, but killed!

Deep Meditation Anushthan - 2

Sunrise - Shree Guru Shakti Dham

 Deep Meditation Anushthan - from Day 26 to Day 45

The weather started becoming warmer during the day, but the mornings and evening continued to be cool. The entire atmosphere is filled with consciousness. The morning meditation was wonderful, in fact the morning meditation in the room is becoming more and more intense. Parulji and I went for the morning 6 am mantra dhyan as we were requested to join in the arti post the meditation. The mantra dhyan is now being conducted by an Austrian sadhika who speaks in Hindi, which she is learning. I found that to be really inspiring for the other overseas sadhaks. After the arti, we left for the amphitheatre where Tanmayji was going to take the yoganidra session again on popular demand. The session was wonderful as usual as the soul’s journey to the Himalayas took place again, with the body sensing the cold of the Himalayas and the pristine breeze as it blew. Across the amphitheatre. This time too, I felt ants crawling over my arms, neck and head, but I lay absolutely still as if I was actually dead. On returning from the Himalayas and after getting up, the hand rubbing and then placing the palms on the eyes – this time I was not able to see the entire cosmos within me, but I was definitely amongst the stars – with millions of them sparkling within me. After the last rub and placing the palms it was nothingness – I did not see anything at all – it was like a state of void, my presence within a benign dark continuum. I lost sense of the self and ultimately we were asked to come out of the state we were in and I opened my eyes very slowly with the sun now shining brightly down on us. I did not go for breakfast and came to my room directly. I had biscuits and tea along with an orange for breakfast. The desire to talk was not there as I kept to myself and then left for the session with the Germans. This session too has started becoming very interesting as the interaction has become more and more involving with all the participants now joining in the discussions. After the session I put on the white scarf and went straight to the Shree Guru Shakti Dham for meditation. I was in there till noon, sensing the cool vibrations from the Mangalmurti and going deep within for just under an hour. The meditation leaves one with a sense of calm and infinite peace and bliss. I had afternoon bhojan prasad and then came upto the room to rest. The rest of the day went in a blur, paying staff salaries took a major portion of the time as the net was inconsistent and the work from home software kept stalling because of bandwidth issues. Ultimately, by 5.00pm I managed to complete the salary formalities. It was time for the Gyan Sabha with Pujya Guruma, the day just flew by! Sagar came and showed me a photo he took just above Swamiji's kutir during morning meditation - it was literally India's map - and during Pujya Guruma's session it was said that looks like POK will now come back to India.

India in the cloud above the kutir

On the second of February we had Guru-karya of cleaning the pradakshina corridor of the Guru Shakti Dham, we did that in the evening from 8 to 10. The whole day went in focusing on translating the book ‘Grace at Every Step’ from English to Hindi. The work is almost complete, and it should be done by Sunday.

The next day, the session with Srikrishna was very intense. I find my body becoming more and more flexible, but I also feel the pain of muscles which are being stretched beyond their normal levels. My spine has straightened out, and my tail bone also appears to have straightened out, as I find myself sitting ramrod straight during meditation. After the exercises, the meditation was beautiful – the consciousness in the atmosphere was palpable as while the external environment was cool, with a cool breeze bringing the temperature down a few notches and the rising sun providing a wonderful contrast as the sublime, tender warmth of the sun filled my inner body with heat, right from the sahastrar down to the soles of my feet. The experience was so wonderful, but this is now becoming a regular feature in the mornings as Swamiji continuously showers his divine energy all over the planet! The rest of the day went along like clockwork, German session of the Gyan Sabha now shifted to the 11.30 to 12.30pm time slot, having prasad, resting a bit and then off for the 2-3pm Gyan Sabha session in Hindi for the Gurugram sadhaks. As I had to complete the translations and Madhuchaitanya MA issue work, I asked Sagar if he wants to race me to the Bhojnalaya – so off we went, a 24 year old with 61 (16) year old and as we reached the Gaushala I called out let’s stop as the heat was getting to me – Sagar too said he felt drained out and we had a good laugh. We drank tea and I went up to my room and finished translating upto page 254 – just a few pages left, which I completed on Sunday morning.

Yoga sadhaks group photo

The translation of the book got completed and now the editing and review remains. The morning meditation was amazing, we were called for flower Guru-karya at the Guru Shakti Dham in the evening – and during meditation I got a very subtle fragrance of the flowers which are used for the decoration. The sessions with the Germans are becoming more and more interactive as they wait for Pujya Guruma’s insights on various spiritual discussions. Their spiritual issues are discussed and Anant and I try to answer their questions through our own experiences and if that doesn’t answer their questions, then we take them to Pujya Guruma for her insights. Today friends from Mumbai landed up – Manoj, Harish, Deepak, Ramesh and Dr Ishnathji – we had a great time sitting and chatting and sharing our spiritual experiences. They left after lunch and Sohini landed up around 1pm. She had got some stuff for me and we sat and chatted with her for quite some time after we returned from our afternoon session at the Gurugram. The evening session with Pujya Guruma was different today, there was tremendous energy as Pujya Guruma narrated some stories. These stories gave me goose pimples and the energy started flowing the way it does when Swamiji subtle body arrives on the scene. The energy was palpable and intense as everyone felt it. While writing this down the energy is flowing again – amazing! In the evening we went for floral decoration of the Shree Guru Shakti Dham for the full moon meditation and video shooting of the Shree Guru Shakti Dham in preparation for Mahashivratri. This enjoyable Guru-karya started at 7.45pm and got over by 10pm.

Purnima was celebrated with great fervour. We reached the Shree Guru Shakti Dham at 5.30 in the morning to ensure sadhaks did not enter the Shree Guru Shakti Dham as the video shooting of the Dham was taking place for release on Mahashivratri. Kokilaben and team were there till well past midnight and returned at 3.30 in the morning to ensure that the floral decoration was in place and the Dham was cleaned to make it ideal for the video shooting. We went in at 5.40 to arrange the chairs and make the last minute arrangements before the curtain was raised for the full moon meditation at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. The Mangalmurti was once again decorated with floral clothing and looked enchanting and the divine flow was calming and soothing. During the early morning meditation I got the subtle fragrance of marigold and chrysanthemums and it was the same fragrance which was prevailing in the Guru Shakti Dham. Today being Sunday and the full moon day, a lot of sadhaks visited the Ashram. I met Deepali and her daughter Revati who had come along with a family member for her first visit to the Ashram. The Gyan Sabha with Pujya Guruma took place from 4-6 pm (all other daily programmes were cancelled as the collective meditation and then garba was to start from 5pm onwards); the session began with coffee and snacks – always a privilege that overwhelms us all. After the Gyan Sabha Parulji, Anant and I went to Gurugram to visit Harshabhabhi who had got a slight injury while returning from the Guru Shakti Dham. When we were told that Pratapbhai was not aware of this incident, Anant and I went looking for him and ultimately reached the garba venue, where we met Umeshji and Geetaji. We talked for a bit and then I went off in search of Pratapbhai – I kept missing him by ten minutes at the Garba venue, dining hall. I realised he must have gone back to the tent, I returned to the garba venue and Anant and I returned to the tent and found Pratapbhai sitting there! After chatting for a while, we left for our rooms and retired for the day. We could not participate in the garba because of the Harshabhabhi incident.

Location of Gyan Sabha sessions with Pujya Guruma

The morning meditation on the 34^th day of the Anushthan was very good – I now meditate in the room itself and then go for meditation at the Guru Shakti Dham. After meditation, I get busy with Madhuchaitanya work, writing the blog, finalising article on Madhya Bharat Samarpan Ashram for publication in the Hitavada newspaper in Nagpur. After that I left for the yoga session – after running for one kilometre as warm up and then doing some loosening exercises I got ready for the yoga session. The session had all the asanas in standing, sitting and lying down position in sequence which would ultimately help us in sitting in the correct posture while meditating for long periods of time. The meditation session after the yogasanas was as usual peaceful and soothing, giving a state of thoughtlessness and inner peace. The rest of the day after breakfast went in a blur – a discussion session with Sachin, followed by finalising the article on the Butibori Madhya Bharat Ashram requested by Sandip Patil sir for the Hitavada newspaper. After this the normal visit to the Shree Guru Shakti Dham for meditation, a visit to the lake for quiet, but I saw people chatting over there, so I left quietly. I had the white scarf on, and whenever I wear the white ‘in silence’ scarf, the sadhaks cannot digest it and come and tell me so – saying it is more fun if you are talking – lolz. But periods of silence are now more and more required as we move towards the concluding peak of the anushthan. The afternoon Gurugram session from 2-3, followed by the evening divine session of the Gyan Sabha with Pujya Guruma which always throws up something new – a new insight, a new story from Maa’s past – all intriguing and entertaining at the same time. The day ended with dinner and an experience sharing session with Koilaben, Ritaben, Parulji and a couple of other sadhikas which went on till well past nine pm.

The morning meditation on the 35^th day of the anushthan was nice and normal. Today, hopefully Flipkart will deliver the books which they failed to do yesterday. Today’s yoga session continued with the practice of making the spine and neck as well as our sitting position ramrod straight. I now find that my spine remains erect and neck does not fall down, while my sitting position can sustain me for over an hour. My body has become very flexible and my back pain has disappeared. The only pain which is there is muscular because of the stretch which happens during the yoga exercises. The delivery of the 10 books came from Flipkart today and were distributed from the Help Desk itself – all ten books were given away, with the gentle suggestion to donate whatever they wished, to the Foundation. The evening session with Pujya Guruma was divine – today was a pretty warm day, but as the spiritual discussions progressed at a higher level the atmosphere started becoming cool, and a consistent cool breeze started blowing filling the air with consciousness.

Many enjoyable moments are spent playing with Revati (Ambareeshji’s daughter) in the big hall on the second floor of the Bhojnalaya. The fun includes playing with her dinosaur, crayons, balloons, cycle, car, running around playing peek-a-boo. We had fun today playing with a little spider and ensuring it went to a safe place. We played volleyball and football with two balloons, as the little one laughed loudly again and again – it was very energising and fun.

The rest of the day went in a blur and the icing on the cake was the surprise planned for the sevadharis who had been working selflessly  for the past 35 days! The sevadharis were given a day off, as all their duties were taken over by the Gurugram residents. Several teams were made, money collected for the surprise, the kitchen was taken over and food prepared by Gurugram residents and from 7pm onwards. There was a welcoming committee which sprayed fragrant water on all those entering the dining hall. All the sadhaks were taken to their seats and volunteers applied tilak and rice grains and showered them with petals. It was truly overwhelming! After all were seated welcome drinks were served, followed by a sumptuous meal. Before the meal was consumed a mantra from Maharashtra was chanted by Namitaji and her team. After which the feast commenced! It was great fun and an emotional moment too, as several of the volunteers who were overwhelmed with such a show of love, had tears of joy flowing from their eyes. During the meals bhajans were being sung and after the main course, sweets were served and finally malai kulfis were distributed. Sumangalaji sang the Pasayadan with everyone participating in the singing. Later, after the meal there was a lot of fun and joy which was recorded – Dharmeshbhai and Maheshbhai thanked all the Gurugram residents for their loving gesture – there was so much love energy flowing that it was unbelievable. This is the first time such a gesture was shown – and millions of thanks to Kirtibhai Astik for taking the initiative and organising it to such perfection – while keeping all the sevadharis in the dark about what was actually going to happen. No wonder they were all overwhelmed and in tears by the show of immense love and gratitude!

Surprise for Sevadharis

The 36th day dawned with early morning meditation in the room. Now even though it is supposed to become warmer, the early mornings are cool and pleasant (cold to most). The yoga session continued with intense spine and leg related asanas so that we make ourselves capable of sitting in an upright position for longer periods of time. After yoga, we returned for breakfast – and on the way back I was thinking of Dr Kuldeep as he is usually there to meet us on the return from the amphitheatre. He was missing today – as soon as I got the thought and walked for a few moments, he appeared in front of me. We had a message reading session after breakfast with Sheenaji and Parulji and then I sat down to complete my blog for tomorrow. Some Madhuchaiitanya MA 2023 issue work was also done before I left for Sumangalaji’s music class which she insisted I attend for a day. The music class was amazing as I realised I could sing in tune with my eyes closed and I actually quite enjoyed myself. It was fun and after an hour the class ended for the day. I returned to my room to check for files for centre rules which are required by the Foundation.

Today something amazing was happening, the moment I thought of or spoke about some person, that person would turn up in front of me within a couple of moments – looks like Swamiji is weaving his magic as the peak of the Anushthan comes closer and closer. We had our afternoon Gurugram session followed by the Gyan Sabha with Pujya Guruma. These sessions are totally filled with consciousness as Pujya Guruma shares her wisdom on various spiritual topics with us and thus gives us an opportunity to share the same with the other sadhaks in the Anushthan.

The 36th day of the Anushthan began with 3.30 meditation in the room. After this I sat down to update the Anushthan blog and write the next days’ blog. After that I left for the yoga session which is truly helping in becoming flexible. My body twists and turns and bends far more than it did at the start of the Anushthan, as I feel energised throughout the day – the sitting for meditation is also becoming more comfortable as the mind is becoming increasingly calm and still.

I have been bonding with Revati (Ambareeshji’s daughter) and we have a lot of fun together – today it was the ‘sticker’ day as she removed stickers from her bicycle and stuck them on her hands – one on my forehead and one on my watch (pictures)!

Today, the sessions with the Germans restarted with 8 persons, as the others are on yagya training with Ramkaka. Anant and I look forward to these sessions as there is a lot of bonding and the discussions and sharing are done in a wonderful atmosphere. I spoke with Ruchitaji and requested her to bring my final lot of ‘Grace at Every Step’ for distribution to the sadhaks. With this lot 52 books would have been distributed. Nothing special happened during the rest of the day as it passed by peacefully with the afternoon Gurugram session and then Pujya Guruma’s Gyan Sabha.

The 38th day of the Anushthan started with meditation at 3.30am followed by my bath and then sitting down to write the next day’s spiritual blog and update the second part of the Anushthan blog. Srikrishnaji wanted Anushthan yoga experiences, which I shared with him this morning. At 6.45am I left for the amphitheatre for our yoga session. Today’s session was more on listening to Srikrishnaji’s amazing story about how he came into Samarpan. The story was so fascinating that the exercises became secondary as the story took pride of place. He has written a book on his capture by Naxalites and how he was released and came into contact with Sandip Patil sir and then how he brought Patil sir into Samarpan and how Maharashtra which was described as being inactive by Swamiji in 2014 suddenly became active from 2018 onwards. Srikrishna’s book ‘तीन मुलांचे चार दिवस’ has been prescribed as a text book in Pune University for FYBA students, and a film based on the book is being made. I would suggest that sadhak’s who understand Marathi should buy this book, as it is sure to fascinate the reader.

After the yoga session, we had breakfast and then I left for the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. The meditation was beautiful – as soon as I sat down, within a few moments I felt myself in the zone, and felt waves of cool consciousness wash over my back continuously – after about 45 minutes, I got up and left for the session with the German sadhaks, who were back to full strength after their yagya course completion. I was looking for Ruchita who had carried a pair of kurta-pyjama for Mahashivratri and ten of my books for distribution. I had kept messages with quite a few people. When I went to the Help Desk, I was informed that the books were kept in Dhyankhund, I went there and collected the books. As I left, I saw Kuldeep and Sagar heading towards Gurugram, I called out to Kuldeep and requested him to hand over the books at the Help Desk. In my visit to the Help Desk earlier I was informed that they already had 12 bookings. I signed all the books for the readers while wishing them the best for their spiritual journey. While I was having lunch, I met Ruchita who came looking for me. We had lunch together and then I went up to my room and thereafter left for the 2-3 session at Gurugram. While going there I got my purple identification friendship band which would be the identification mark till Mahashivratri. After the 2-3 session, we had Anantdada’s special coffee and then I went to the Help Desk and signed the books for distribution. After that Kuldeep and Ishan and myself had a brief experience sharing session. I left for my room thereafter and met Revati in the hall, and as usual I had a brief fun session with her, then excused myself as it was nearly time for the session with Pujya Guruma. The session with Pujya Guruma was awesome as the discussion went to Swamiji’s eleven Gurus who are always with Him – 6 on the right and 5 on the left. These are Swamiji’s guardian angels and work to protect Swamiji. These are not the Gurus whom Swamiji met in the Himalayas but are nominated to protect Swamiji at all times. When this discussion was going on the temperature dropped palpably as I felt the energy washing over my body, the sahastrar was pulsating with cold energy. After Pujya Guruma left, we left for the Bhojnalaya to partake for khichdi-kadi for prasad, after which we retired for the night.

The 38th day of the Anushthan began with early morning meditation followed by the yoga session with Srikrishnaji. Today, he taught us the 30-minute yogasanas followed by meditation for 30 minutes. My meditation session at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham was as usual nice and calming after which I left for the session with the Germans at Gurugram. Our session with the Germans too was very good and then the session between 2-3 began with the heat making us sweat; but as the session progressed and the narration of yesterday’s high energy incidents commenced, suddenly the temperature dropped and the energy levels were as high as during Maa’s session yesterday. The bhaav with which Hemanginiji takes the session, really makes the energy flow. After the session, I came back to my room. I rested a while before taking up the Madhuchaitanya work for the March-April issue. After completing that I started working on the blog. Parulji and Kuldeep had come for reading Swamiji’s messages, which we listened to with our eyes closed and Kuldeep read them. These old Anushthan messages are so profound, that it takes a while to come back to the real world as the eyes refuse to open, and the chitta remains inward. We then left for Pujya Guruma’s Gyan Sabha which as usual was filled both with fun and laughter, interesting stories and spiritual insights. After evening prasad which was very light and tasty, we came back to our room and Kuldeep told us that he had given donation for the tree plantation drive. Both Parulji and I advised him to do so only bank transfer to the Trust and always ask for a receipt. After that, we retired for the day.

The 39th day of the Anushthan started with early morning meditation in the room for about 45 minutes after which I wrote the blog and the daily article before leaving for the final yoga session. The final yoga session was very touching as Srikrishnaji ran us through a variety of asanas – making them look so easy – a person with rubber in place of bones. After our session concluding with the usual meditation, Srikrishna thanked us all, his parents, Swamiji, Guruma, his wife in his final address to us. We gave him a standing ovation and took a group picture and raised him up and placed him on sadhak’s shoulders as we hoorayed him. It was very touching and fulfilling. The rest of the day went in a blur, with breakfast, meditation at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham, the session with the Germans, lunch, session at Gurugram which kept getting interrupted as the mike kept failing, tea and then the reading session in the room, session with Pujya Guruma – and the day got over. Pujya Guruma had given shankarpalis (Indian sweet) which she had cooked herself as prasad. I ate some and carried some for sadhaks. I had three specific sadhaks in mind and the surplus to be given on first come first served basis. I had distributed all as prasad, when Hema came and asked me for prasad. I told her it was over, she requested me to scrape the bottom of my bag, and lo and behold two small pieces of prasad were there – she was so happy with it; it made me smile. I had asked a sadhak to give one piece to a Mumbai based sadhak who was in is tent. When later in the evening they gave him the prasad, the sadhak became very emotional saying that he had been thinking of Guruma all day, and she sent him her prasad. The way energy works is unbelievable! We had a small meeting on Shree Guru Shakti Dham Guru-karya post Anushthan and Mulund sadhaks to start the work and then take it up with other centers. We went for ice-cream in the night as the dinner was very spicy and then the day ended.

As there was no yoga at the amphitheatre today (day 40), I performed the asanas based on the guide Srikrishnaji had posted. It took me 40 minutes to complete the entire lot and I ended with Shirshasana and sarvangasana followed by meditation. I had already done my early morning meditation at 3am and this was additional post my bath. I then left for the Shree Guru Shakti Dham for meditation. On the way out I met Revati and she asked where I was going, I said for my session and then she asked about Parulji and I asked her to knock on her door. Sheenaji opened the door and Revati got engrossed in chatting with her as I quietly slipped away. After a good 40 minutes of meditation, I was exiting as I usually do while walking backwards facing the Mangal Murti, I accidentally bumped into a sadhak who was half on the mat and half on the pathway. He got up with a jerk, anger writ on his face, I whispered my profuse apologies while patting his shoulder in remonstrance, and within a couple of seconds he had a smile on his face and he shifted completely onto the mat as I took the prasad and exited the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. We had breakfast and then our reading session with Kuldeep and Parulji. After that I did some office related work and left for the German session. As I stepped out I saw Anantdada coming from his Shree Guru Shakti Dham session, and we then left together for the session. The session was very nice as we caught up on lost time and completed two and a half days narrative today. Prema Sai complimented us and said we explained everything in a loving and wonderful manner, to which Anantdada replied it is all Swamiji’s grace. I returned for lunch and then to the room before leaving for the 2-3 session. After this session which concluded smoothly, we had coffee and returned to our rooms. On the way back Parulji and I sat with Darshana discussing Guru-karya in the US and how it can be motivated to spread widely. We then met Dharamji who came to ask for guidance on how to route the sadhaks for Shree Guru Shakti Dham Darshan. We went over the route and physically examined it and agreed on the ground plan before returning to our rooms (finally). After a fifteen-minute break, we left for our session with Pujya Guruma. After the session we had our prasad and sat with Abhijit, Kuldeep and Sagar, sharing our anubhutis. It was great fun and spiritually elevating as a similar session was being held in the main meditation pandal. At around 9.15 we retired for the day.

The 41^st day began with meditation and then yoga followed by meditation again in the room itself. After writing the blog I left for meditation at the lake side and then at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham before having breakfast and the reading session with Kuldeep and Parulji. The meditation at the lakeside was beautiful. 

Sun rise from the pond side - truly divine

The sound of nature was clearly audible in that silence. The meditation was very good as the cool and pleasant vibes kept running up my spine as the sun rose from behind the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. Half an hour went by in a jiffy, and then another 40 minutes of nothingness at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham, after which I left for breakfast at around 8.40am. The ambience was beautiful and the silence amazing as the desire to talk was completely absent – feeling the silence was the order of the morning! As I approached the Bhojnalaya, I met Dharmeshbhai who asked about the preparations for Shree Guru Shakti Dham darshan so that arrangements can be made accordingly. At breakfast we met Bihagbhai and Naimishaji and then came up for our reading session with Kuldeep and Parulji. It is now time to leave for our session with the German sadhaks. After our session with the Germans, I returned for prasad to the Bhojnalaya. On the way back I stopped at the office to check for the translation into English of the Mahashivratri press release. I went to my room and did the translation and sent it immediately after lunch and then left for the 2-3 session at Gurugram. After the session we had Anantdada’s decoc coffee and snacks and as I returned, I was called to the M07 tent which had created a Lord Vithal temple and a beautiful ambience for the competition to be judged by Ambareeshji at 5pm. 

The M07Tent with Vithal Rakhumai theme

Bhajans were being sung and the ambience was wonderful – definitely the first prize for this tent. I returned to the room and then put in a request for 75 volunteers to Sheenaji for the Shree Guru Shakti Dham darshan on Mahashivratri. After Pujya Guruma’s session in which Bihagbhai and Naimishaji joined, we left for prasad and then to celebrate Krishnaji’s birthday by having ice-cream at the food stalls. We then retired for the night.

The morning of the 42^nd day began with early morning meditation, followed by yoga and meditation in the room and then the blog writing session. After which meditation at the pond followed by meditation in the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. The energy and consciousness at the pond is vibrant and continuously flowing, while the ambience is serene and peaceful, ideal for one’s inner journey. At the Shree Guru Shakti Dham, the energy is constant and instantly puts one in a state of thoughtlessness by which one can go into meditation quickly. By the time I was done, it was 8.40am. After breakfast, Kuldeep and I went up to my room to read a couple of Swamiji’s messages. As we came on the second-floor landing, Revati called out to me and then it was play-time for the next 45 minutes or so. This exercise is critical as it gives me great joy and helps the child in me to pop up daily, keeping one absolutely in the present moment which is always filled with fun. Another sadhika came and Revati’s attention shifted to her and I was allowed to go my way. Kuldeep called around 10am and we went ahead with our stalled reading session, which always leaves me pondering on the profound messages which Swamiji has written. After Kuldeep left, I did some office work and then left for our session with the Germans. I reached in time and called Anant dada but I got no response. As it was almost 11.30, I ran to check his tent as he was not taking calls, but he was not there. I called Kuldeep and asked him to inform Anant dada that we are waiting for him. As Anant has the diary with his notes, it was not possible for me to commence the session. We started at around 11.50 and then the session continued till about 1.10pm, which left me with just 50 minutes to have lunch and return to Gurugram for the 2-3 session. After the session, we left for tea and a sadhika, Debashree, said that she wanted to give me a gift in exchange for ‘Grace at Every Step’. I said okay, and she came back with a colour sketch of our yoga session with me offering salutations to the sun at the amphitheatre in the Gurugram. 

Sketch of yoga session

It was very touching and I thanked her very much. After this I checked with Sagar whether he had got the list of sadhaks who were willing to do Guru-karya for Mahashivratri celebrations – and he said that the process was on. By the end of the day, we had got 86 names. After Pujya Guruma’s Gyan sabha, which as usual was filled with wisdom, new insights and humour we left for dinner. After dinner, we went for ice-cream and juice and when we returned, we had a truly fascinating experience sharing session with Abhijit, who is truly one of the young divine souls who has been blessed by Swamiji. After that I retired for the day at around 9.50pm.

The 43^rd day commenced with meditation, yoga and meditation, followed by writing my daily blog. Today, will be very busy as ‘flower’ Guru-karya for the Shree Guru Shakti Dham begins today. The meditation at the pond was beautiful – cold energy waves, divine consciousness enveloping the body which was being washed by the warm early morning sun-rays. Half an hour went by in a jiffy, after which I left for meditation at the Guru Shakti Dham. Here too, inspite of the crowd, I got a secluded place at the back and sat in silence in the divine proximity of the Shree Mangal Murti. Here too another half an hour just flew by as I sat in nothingness. I left for breakfast and then finalised the list of volunteers for Mahashivratri Gurukarya. After breakfast I left for the session with the Germans and then back for lunch and then back for the 2-3 session at Gurugram. After returning to my room and resting a bit, it was back to the Gyan Sabha. After the Gyan Sabha I had dinner and then for flower Guru-karya at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. This work was great fun as it was done while singing bhajans and went on till around 1 am, i.e. the 44^th day.

One thing I observed was there was a silence board in the dining room for the sadhaks, but the most exuberant and noisy people were from the management - for them having fun while dining was spiritually uplifting and for others it was indiscipline apparently - this is because the silence board would be shown to sadhaks who were talking but not to the management. Another thing was a senior sadhika as well as people from management would come to the VIP section, sometimes along with guests, above the Bhojnalaya with their shoes dirtying the tiled floor, while other sadhaks had to remove their footwear just outside the entrance to the Bhojnalaya - some people I guess are more equal than others. This sets a bad example for other sadhaks - how will you enforce discipline when the rule-breakers are the management themselves!

I posted my morning messages at 1am itself, then went to sleep and woke up at 5, meditated, bathed and sat to write the blog and do the Madhuchaitanya March-April Final pdf review. After that I went to the pond for meditation followed by the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. Breakfast followed – I met Bynitha after a long time, and after exchanging pleasantries we went on our respective ways. I came back to the room and saw that the photo captions file post review had come. I finalised that and sent it to the page layout sadhak for doing the needful. After this I went to the Guru Shakti Dham for removing the petals from flowers – I was doing this alone for a while and then another 5-6 sadhaks joined and we finished this Guru-karya well in time for our German session. Sowmya and Anna from Germany were there to help in this Guru-karya. Today, the German session concluded and both Anant dada and I were pleasantly surprised by a Gift card signed by all the sadhaks, and a packet of cashews as a token of appreciation, and Henri gave a medallion made of mud with the symbol of Om on it – he made it himself and stuck a small wire in it so that we can hang it. The love energy was phenomenal when I got the greeting in my hands and I expressed myself as I became a bit emotional. As Swamiji says, when we do Guru-karya it is basically for ourselves as our chitta is always on Pujya Swamiji while explaining matters. We had Anant dada special decoc coffee after the session and left for the room to rest. I posted my blog and then went through the revised pdf and corrected the same and sent the finalised photo captions for finalising the issue. After that we left for the final session of the Gyan Sabha with Pujya Guruma. This was a very emotional and fulfilling session as we all thanked Pujya Guruma for her guidance and blessings, and were rewarded with a bonus us we all received a packet of prasad vibrated by Pujya Swamiji. After dinner we went to the Shree Guru Shakti Dham for a meeting with the volunteers and to inform them of their tasks and also for giving them their Guru-karya identity cards. We had a list of around hundred volunteers and we received only 48 cards.  I then left for the flower Guru-karya and decorating the Dham for Mahashivratri thinking I should get in touch with Ketakiji for the balance. The karya went on till 1am on the final day of the Anushthan – it was actually now Mahashivratri and 45 days have flown by. When Parulji and I returned to the Bhojnalaya we saw Ketakiji in a group, and I told her we had asked for 75 cards and we are heavily short. She told us these cards are for only the volunteers who are staying outside the Ashram, I told her how will we recognise the Gurugram residents who are in Guru-karya? She said we should meet Manishaji and collect from her – she will tell her to give us stage or mandap cards and have Guru Shakti Dham written on the back side of those cards. I was satisfied with the answer and left to retire for the night.

I woke up at 4am and after meditation in the room, I left for the Shree Guru Shakti Dham as we had to report at 7am as the darshan would commence from 7am. The pressure of sadhaks started building up and the team did an admirable job in politely telling sadhaks to switch off their mobiles, remove their socks and carry their bags with them and not to prostrate as the line was huge. The pressure was on and there were several sadhaks and sadhikas who simply refused to listen and would prostrate thus holding up the line. We told such sadhaks to move ahead and prostrate at the exit corridor as Swamiji’s murti was also visible from there. This helped a bit, but sadhaks would just stand and pray delaying the line. We had to become strict in a couple of cases – we also caught sadhaks/sadhikas taking photos and videos, which we deleted. Sagar tried calling Ketakiji but after the first ring she started cutting off his call. I then requested Sagar to check with Manishaji for the cards, and he was apparently rebuffed rudely saying that Ketakiji has not informed her – I have no idea what happened, but it must have been serious as the young boy deleted her number. I returned to the Shree Guru Shakti Dham to continue monitoring and executing the Guru-karya with the given team. Everything went beautifully, with ladies breaking the queue and a couple of them forcibly coming in from the gents’ section, when I went to stop one lady, a sadhak got very angry and said let her go, I responded ‘no’ and he put his hands on me as I pulled away, I told him discipline is the basis of our Samarpan, he glared at me and went away. After that incident I started telling whoever came that today is the exception, and if you want to bow and spend time come tomorrow and meditate and take however much time you feel is necessary. We closed the Shree Guru Shakti Dham from 1 to 2pm as per norm for sweeping and swabbing. I went for prasad and told Kokilaben and Anant dada that we should go to meet Manishaben for the volunteer cards. When we went there, she again said that there were no cards, I told her if we could get stage cards or mandap cards we could make the necessary changes. She then gave us 30 stage cards which Anant and I took to my room after getting tape and a marker pen from Shivanjaliji. We wrote ‘Guru Shakti Dham’ on paper cut to size and stuck it over the ‘Stage’ print so that we had the card read as ‘Guru Shakti Dham’ Volunteer. This served our purpose. It is amazing to see how sadhaks give commitments and don’t keep their word on this holy land.

After lunch, we had the Shree Guru Shakti Dham open again and there was a massive rush as bus-loads of sadhaks had started coming. We were under tremendous pressure to calmly see that the sadhaks took darshan and moved on. 99% of the sadhaks cooperated, and the 1% did not cause too much of a hindrance – considering there were 21000 sadhaks who attended the Mahashivratri function. We then shut the Shree Guru Shakti Dham at around 4.15pm so that the sadhaks who had entered the Shree Guru Shakti Dham could take darshan and we could close the Shakti Dham at the decided time of 4.30pm.

The crowd had already started gathering and the sun was literally burning down as the heat was sapping everybody. As per the schedule Pujya Guruma and Pujya Swamiji were to take their seats at 5.25 and 5.30 respectively. The cultural programme had started at around 5.15pm and went on till almost 5.45pm. We were sitting in the Shree Guru Shakti Dham corridor itself as it  would not have been physically possible to return from the ground to the Dham immediately – so as a policy decision all the volunteers stayed back at the Shree Guru Shakti Dham. Swamiji’s discourse started with him asking for forgiveness and not saying ‘My salutations to all pious souls’ which is his signature starting line. His asking for forgiveness is unprecedented – Swamiji is very particular about time and the energy he has to distribute. Holding that energy within him for an extended period of time disturbs him tremendously – this was shared by Pujya Guruma during our Madhuchaitanya meeting the next day! A sadhika who met Swamiji later said that Swamiji was very disappointed as he could not give what he had come to give and he spoke about everything ‘upar se upar se’ – superficially! Unfortunate and tragic! I hope the management learns to respect time and particularly the time of the one who looks over the universe – it is like putting the entire universe on hold!!

The sound system wasn’t too good, as the speakers which were on the ground near the Shree Guru Shakti Dham stopped functioning after about ten minutes. We sat in a state of meditation and went into the Shree Guru Shakti Dham to prepare for opening the doors for the general public at 7pm. We lit up the incense sticks and spread that fragrance to the Mangal Murti and then throughout the Dham before placing one stick each in the flower pots used as line markers from the entrance to the Mangal Murti. The sadhaks started coming in immediately after the meditation and shanti path. We continued with the work of politely disbursing the sadhaks after their darshan. We were polite but firm and things were going like clockwork when suddenly I saw a lady scream extremely loudly and fall on the ground and roll to her left like one possessed. Some sadhikas went to help her but Parulji firmly told them to take their darshan and keep moving. The lady hit her head on the donation box and her glass bangles broke and she got a slight cut on her forearm. Parulji called for vibrated water, and with the lady’s permission sprinkled it on her. The moment water fell on her body, she screamed once more and after sometime Parulji asked her if she would like to drink the water, she said yes, as Parulji gave her the vibrated water to drink. As the crowd was moving Parulji’s attention was diverted for a moment and when she looked back to enquire about the lady, she had disappeared, probably got up and walked out with the crowd!

After nine pm the crowd reduced somewhat and by 9.15 we were more or less done. The beautiful part of this was young children coming and touching our feet and we touching theirs, the bhaav shown by all the sadhaks was unbelievable – both Kirtibhai and myself and on the ladies’ side, Parulji and Ritaben did a wonderful blessed job. Dheereshbhai manned the outside perimeter beautifully – in spite of having a volunteer shortfall of 30 sadhaks – the Gurugram volunteers failed to turn up – the proceedings went on very smoothly. The management was very happy. We shut the doors at 9.30pm and started cleaning the Dham for next days’ meditation. We left at around 10pm for our dinner. Kokilaben gave us guest passes for dinner, we were the last few left, as Parulji and I entired the dining hall – we met Anantdada and Sumangalaji who were just finishing. We had our prasad and then Parulji went for garba as we had a photo session with the kids who wanted photos for their memory. After that I went to my room and packed up to leave for Mumbai the next day.

During this Anushthan there was an opportunity to connect with some wonderful souls - Abhijit-Apurva, Jugal-Jinali (Jugal-Bandi :)), Srikrishna-Shivanjali, Amay-Suvarna, Sagar and his mother Chaya, Sandhya, Hemali, Rupali, Palak, Radhika, Alpa-Riddhi, Pradnya, Shriya, Sarika, Jayna, Krishna, Priyanka, Deepak, Gandhar, Ishan, Ambareeshji's daughter - Revati and the entire German troupe - what wonderful souls - God Bless them all.