I Bow to the Truth-Bearing Guru

Guru Gita – Song of Guru, Verse: 89.

I bow to the Truth-bearing guru, who is the bliss of Brahman; who bestows the highest joy; who is infinite, free of the bonds of the 36 tattvas; who is One, the embodiment of Wisdom, Pure, and Eternal; and who exemplifies the great Vedantic proclamations, such as ‘That Thou art;’ the witness beyond all duality.

With bowed head, joined palms before my heart, a Reverent Salutation to Guru – “the Ocean of Mercy”

With initiates gathered in celebrating Guru Purnima and our beloved Swami Veda’s Mahasamadhi commemorations at SRSG here and around the world, we pause to acknowledge Guru’s blessing. Guru has made a very loving world and has invited his children from across the globe to embrace this Guru-family, as his gift of love.

The Song of Guru, Guru Gita, the nectar-filled words on the Guru, Master, Saviour, whose revelation fulfils the goal of life in liberation.

The mystery of Guru is the sacred boon of initiation.
The joy of Guru is mind’s beauty in samadhi.
The love of Guru is knowledge revealing Truth.
The language of Guru is mantra and yantra.
The gift of Guru is the pure pearl-bindu.
The pilgrimage of Guru is nada pulsing the 61-shrines within.
The transmission of Guru – light that dispels the darkness.
The Guru is Self and the self is Guru.

Remember the lotus feet of Guru, entering the boat that is also Guru to cross the ocean of worldly life.
Serve Guru in all thought, speech, and actions.
Surrender to Guru and put an end to rebirth.
Meditate and listen to the mantra given by Guru.
Meditate and embrace the imperishable form of Guru.

A Sanyasin is:
A child of Mother-Father Guru, serving Guru in thought, word, deed.
A child whose identity is nameless and formless Guru.
A reclining child asleep whose dreams are Guru’s sweet words.
A playful child whose possessions are Guru’s toys of mercy.
A hungry child whose cries for the milk of immortality in Guru’s breasts.
A tottering child whose pillar of stability is Guru.
A crawling child attracted to the truth-revealing light of Guru.
A muttering child repeating the same name of Guru again and again.
A crying child extending arms to infinity to receive Guru’s solace.

May our meditations acknowledge this eternal and ever-present bond of unity for the yearning hearts of humanity. May love, as an expression of Guru’s Grace be a reminder to keep that “smiling-mind” throughout life, “smera, smera, stimita.”

with joy and blessings,

Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah,

srb


Editor’s Note:

On this special and sacred time of Guru Purnima (13ᵗʰ July) and Swami Veda Bharati’s Mahasamadhi (14ᵗʰ July), the celebrations seem all the more special as the two occasions have fallen together and this is our first large gathering since covid. We are celebrating the Guru Purnima with a 9-days long akhanda patha of the Guru Gita along with daily pujas and 3 hours long yajna with the Akhandamanadalakaram mantra at both SRSG and Sadhana Mandir.

We will have a special commemoration on the 14ᵗʰ July in loving remembrance of our beloved Swami Veda Bharati. This will include special pujas, a yajna, followed by a shraddhanjali ceremony and a special bhandara for sadhus and all. More than 31 Sadhus and 11 Brahmachari Veda-Pathis from Rishikesh, along with 300 other people will be joining the shraddhanjali ceremonies.

Guru Purnima, 3 July 2012

All who are initiated in any genuine tradition gravitate towards Guru Purnima – the celebration of the Full Moon dedicated to honouring the Guru. It is the Guru’s gravity pull towards which we gravitate, for even the word ‘great’ is derived from the same original verb root from which the word ‘Guru’ is derived.

The greatness of the Guru is in that he, like a mother, gestates us in the womb of his knowledge. The First Guru, Hiranyagarbha, is the Golden Womb of the universe in that all knowledge dwells in that cosmic womb.

When the Guru takes our foetus-like, undeveloped consciousness, and keeps it in the spacious womb of his own consciousness, thereby we become his offspring.

This relationship in the Tradition is the most sacred. We may pay our debt to our physical parents by honouring and serving them. From the Guru, there is no such expectation because the value of knowledge can never be assessed.

The purpose of this knowledge in the spiritual traditions is simply moksha, liberation. Further, the purpose of passing on the knowledge is for the compassion towards all living beings, to liberate them from their suffering, to provide them with a boat to cross the rivers of sorrow.

Every time we recite the ‘tryambakam’…mantra, the central prayer in that mantra is a single word

MUKSHEEYA

May I be liberated.

This should be our aspiration and longing day and night, muksheeya!

When we have such aspiration, the Guru himself will gravitate towards us and draw us into the field of his gravity pull. He will keep us there until our wish ‘muksheeya’ has been fulfilled.

At the celebration of this Guru Purnima, I wish to assure you that those who are initiated in our Tradition do remain thus enwombed. May these foetuses grow to full maturity of liberation.

Swami Veda Bharati
Guru Purnima, 3 July 2012

Tribute to the Masters

SVB Idriss e1657171993914

The art of self-control, of the optimum exploitation of human potential to overcome internal and external obstacles has always existed in our societies.

If in India it is expressed through Yoga, from one continent to another, from one country to another we find practices seeking the same goal such as Qi Gong, Taichi, Kung Fu in China, Viet Vo Dao in Vietnam, Judo, Karate in Japan.

In Africa, traditional wrestling could be mentioned as an age-old knowledge. The purpose of all these teachings, which are not within the reach of everyone, is the management of the potential energy within oneself to create harmony with one’s environment, inner peace, physical and mental health.

This knowledge has been passed down from one generation to the next by sages, great Masters. This is why we would like to pay tribute to all these great masters and saints, from all traditions.

In fact, as Swami Ritavan Bharati, our great teacher, said, “We can only pay homage to the Masters by following in their footsteps, and not only by honoring them, but by learning to do with our minds what they did with their minds”.

The Master is not only the one who makes brilliant actions; the one who masters with perfection his postures, the one who won the fight.

He is above all the one who has made it his priesthood to transmit the knowledge acquired in humility and self-sacrifice; the one who by his firmness succeeds in revealing the extraordinary potential latent in the children. He who contributes to building a new generation of citizens committed to peace and to the development of their nation.

If in Asia they are highly regarded, in our African countries, they are forgotten after having given everything.

We would therefore like to pay tribute to the present masters who, despite enormous constraints, keep the flame of knowledge transmission alive.

In memory of all those great masters and masters who have gone before us.

In memory of our brothers and sisters who have fallen under terrorist attacks,

I ask for a minute’s silence.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti


Hommage aux Maitres (in French)

L’art de la maitrise de soi, de l’exploitation optimum du potentiel humain pour vaincre les obstacles internes et externes à toujours exister dans nos sociétés.

Si en Inde il s’exprime à travers le Yoga, d’un continent à l’autre, d’un Pays à l’autre nous des pratiques recherchant le même but comme le Qi Gong, la Taichi, le Kung Fu en Chine, le Viet Vo Dao du Vietnam, le judo, le karaté au Japon.

En Afrique le pourrais citer la lutte traditionnelle comme savoir séculaire. La finalité de tous ces enseignements, qui ne sont pas à la portée de tout le monde, est la gestion de l’énergie potentiel en soi pour créer une harmonie avec son environnement, une paix intérieure, une santé physique et mentale.

Ces connaissances millénaires ont a été transmise par des sages, des grand Maitres d’une Génération à une autre. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous voudrions rendre hommage à tous ces grands maîtres et aux saints, toutes tradition confondue.

En réalité, comme l’a dit Swami Ratavan Bharati, nous grand maitre « nous ne pouvons rendre hommage aux maîtres qu’en marchant sur leurs traces, et non seulement en les honorant, mais en apprenant à faire avec notre esprit ce qu’ils ont fait avec leur esprit ».

Le Maitre n’est pas seulement celui qui fait des action d’éclat ; celui qui maitrise avec perfection ses postures, celui qui a gagné le combat.

Il est surtout celui qui a fait le sacerdoce pour transmettre les connaissances acquises dans l’humilité et le don de soi ; Celui qui de par sa fermeté réussie à révéler le potentiel extraordinaire latente chez les enfants. Celui qui contribue à bâtir une nouvelle génération de citoyen engagé dans la paix et pour le développement de sa nation.

Si en Asie ils ont une grande considération, dans nos pays Africains, ils sombrent dans l’oubliette après avoir tout donner.

Nous voudrions donc rendre Hommages aux maitres présent qui malgré d’énormes contraintes ; maintiennent la flamme de la transmission du savoir.

En la mémoire à tous ces grands maitres et maitres qui nous ont devancé.

En la mémoire à nos frères et sœurs qui sont tombé sous le coup de attaques terroristes,

Je vous demande une minute de silence

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti


International Yoga Day Celebrations in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, like other countries in the world, celebrated International Yoga Day.

The ceremony was sponsored by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Employment and the Indian Embassy in Burkina Faso. It was also attended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Director of the Institute of Sport Sciences and Human Development of the University of Ouagadougou, Diplomatic Missions and the World Health Organisation.

IYD BurkinaFaso3              IYD BurkinaFaso10

 

The organisation of the event and the demonstration were carried out by the Himalayan Yoga Meditation Association of Burkina, affiliated to AHYMSIN.

It mobilised traditional yoga teachers, the group of students enrolled in the TTP programme, and other practitioners from traditional yoga centres based in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

IYD BurkinaFaso6             IYD BurkinaFaso5

 

Burkina Faso is the only country in West Africa to have adopted the teaching of yoga to students at a university training centre.

This was a wish expressed by the Minister of Sports of Burkina five years ago. And today, with the assistance of the AHYM BF, training and permanent courses are organised there. This ceremony was an opportunity for the Director of the institute to positively appreciate the contribution of yoga in the knowledge of young teachers called to serve everywhere in Burkina Faso.