Month: March 2023

The last time I was sitting somewhere here, you were all on that [Zoom] screen, but this is different than having an empty space and a camera. Thank you, all my brothers and sisters, for these tremendously beautiful weeks of spending (time) together. I so enjoyed all my brothers speaking. I have, beyond worth, respect for you, Swamiji [Swami Ritavan Bharati], and for them and same with you and everyone else that we have been able to get together for these two weeks.

Each of these days I was just in awe with how, throughout the weeks, these moments were created in which the sacredness of life was invited in all these different ways — in the silent days, in the pujas, in the havans, in the aartis, in the music! Every moment was to give you the opportunity to get in touch with that light — through people speaking and these attempts to make life sacred, to make life special, to make every movement an opportunity to, not reconnect, but to uncover, (to) be, (to) remember.

And when I contemplated of what else can be shared, (it) is this awe for the moment. As Ashu said, “Everything is perfect,” and that perfection is in this very moment, right here. And so, that is something — to always just learn to stay in, and let it grow, and let it….

I’m not talking (about) something for tomorrow or when you go home. No, again, it’s right here!  Can you feel it?!

Because that’s all I can mention about the sadhana right now. What (we are) trying to do with the meditations, with the with the readings, with the contemplations, with the singing, with everything, is to continuously try to connect in this very here and very now.

The Mother is here! Can you feel the body resting right now. Can you feel your breath right now? This very moment is sacred. It will not happen tomorrow. It hasn’t happened yesterday. It can and will. One moment it will happen. Now, here, the breath is flowing right now:

“Hi, my dear friend Mind! Thank you for showing up. You are not flying away yet. But let’s stay here. Let’s make this very moment as special as it can be. O Mind, can you please remember mantra for me, right now? Can you allow the thoughts to do what they want to do, but let’s not be disturbed with them right now.”

And the theme of this [is] Inner Light! Sometimes it appears quite weak. Sometimes it appears even lost. But let’s see if right now, here, as you’re feeling the physical temple [while] sitting, as you’re feeling the prana and the breath cleansing and nourishing this temple, cleaning it — as your thoughts are allowed to go, whatever they are, good or bad doesn’t matter, and the mantra somewhere is roaming around there too, reverberating in the inner temple in the sanctuary — that right here, in the depth, in the core of being itself, this Light is.

As Swami Veda said in the title of the book that we all shared,[1] [in] many languages, the poem of his, it is like ten thousand suns. And even if you feel it right now just a little — like a little flame, something is whispering, something is calling you, like a little deepak in your heart — can you be with it right now? Can you be in awe of it? Can you hold it in as best as you can in your awareness right now, as the most precious thing that is? But it is not even a “thing” — please forgive my language. It is not whatever; [it is] the most precious existence!

We don’t have to go anywhere, they say. We don’t have to reach anything. We don’t have to even do the practices — but yet we do them anyway to continuously be here — because it’s all right here! And that little flame of awareness, that little connection that seemed to be made, gradually will merge into the experience of Being.

Right here, can you be aware that there is awareness in this very moment? Can you be aware that right now you are aware? And can you even be aware that you are consciously able to be aware of that something which is here right now at the core of your being? Some call it the Divine Mother. Some call it Love. Some call it whatever it is — [but] eventually it’s you in your truest form.

And what amazes me the most sometimes is that that connection seems to get lost; and then somehow there it is again! In your meditation, try to be aware of that awareness. There is awareness right here! Nothing else matters — not what happened [in the past], not what will come [in the future], not what I’m supposed to be. It is right here! And then something comes, and maybe you lose it for like a moment. But then — it’s like a miracle! — it comes again. And again there is this moment of awareness: “Oh yes! Okay! Thank you, Mind!  Thank you, Tradition! Thank you, Grace!”

And the more you do this, the more somehow [by] allowing the awareness to be present in the here and now again, it becomes more and more a habit pattern to just wake up from whatever you got lost in and — “Whew! Okay! Wow!” — be here again.

Many, many years ago when I was starting to dabble with these practices, you read about being aware of your breath. “Okay, [I’ll make a] sankalpa: Today I want to be aware of my breath the whole day!” I don’t know how you were and still are, and not perfect. [But] after six hours — “Oh! I was supposed to be aware of my breath all day, and I just lost six hours! “Okay, from now on I’m going to be aware!” And maybe two or three conscious breaths were taken, the world happens, and I’m out of it again [for] six hours later.

Again, I don’t know how your mind was [during such lapses of attention], but I was not supposed to be like this. And it was harsh, and it was not nice, until — fortunately during one of those internal dialogues where the mind can surprise you [and show you] how wise it is if you just allow yourself to listen to it and when Mind starts to become your friend — Mind suddenly said, “What do you want me to do? Do you want me to wake you up or do you want me to leave you alone? Because every time when I wake you up, you’re not nice to me.”

And that was like “Where’s this coming from?” So, I had to shift this perspective, and instead of waking up after six hours and being aware for just a moment — and then beating up the Mind by saying, “Where were you the other five hours and 59 minutes and 30 seconds?” — to capture those moments and to really learn to celebrate those moments? “Oh! Wow! Thank you, Mind!

And in the beginning I exaggerated because I didn’t take it very seriously. So I would go over the top: “O, thank you, Mind! This is phenomenal! Thank you!” But then slowly, slowly, Mind started to be okay again because I was not beating it up all the time. So, it just started to show more and more of these conscious moments in which suddenly the sacredness of life was there again! And then to catch these moments: “Ah! Are you still in it? Are you still here?”

And throughout these two weeks I’ve just been in awe of how much effort everyone has put in to give you these moments, to give you these long moments continuously. I was watching people as they made offerings to the fire. I enjoy watching people when they do the arti because there is divine worshiping and giving oblations to the Divine – the sacrificial yagna that Rabindra was just talking about. And to have that — so that you have these two weeks when the outside world didn’t exist. I hope they didn’t disturb you. So you could just get that light bright and brighter — not that it needs to become brighter; it is already perfect — but just being in it.

And to conclude, what I would like to offer you last is that, just as important as it is to go into your practice, I think, it is just as important how to transition out of your meditation. And so that is what I would like to do for a few minutes, if I may.

So, just sit as comfortable as you can. Sit with your head neck and trunk straight as possible. As Swamiji so beautifully said, I hope your music is flowing in sushumna. Just, as best as you can, be. Be with whatever it is, and especially be aware that right here now is the only thing that matters. How deep or un-deep that realization is doesn’t matter. Be aware that you are consciously breathing.

Do you feel it? Do you feel the air flowing in and out of the nostrils? It’s not mere technique; it’s a happening! Something is moving the breath, and the awareness allows you to become aware of That which is never moving, That which observes the movement of the breath. Be aware of That.

Mantra may be flowing. Maybe it needs a little nudge to remember it. Allow it to reverberate through the mind-field, guiding you into deeper and deeper fields: the inner world.

Surrender into all that what is, the innermost Stillness and Silence. Be here, and be conscious of the fact that you are here right now. Nothing else matters. There is Existence. Be aware of Existence itself, which is like a Light, which is your Inner Light, which is you!

And maybe your eyes have closed and the body has become still. And gradually the breath will start to slow down the more you surrender into that Stillness that is here now.

You are the Light! The Inner Light is here!

And then, that most still aspect — however still it is — allow that to become your new platform, your new seat from which you learn to live.

Like Rabindra gave this incredibly beautiful way to spread the Light from the heart through the senses into all these jnanendriyas in the body and karmendriyas [2] so that every moment becomes sacred.

And now let’s practice staying in that most still aspect, the deepest, closest you can get at the moment to your true Self which is the center, the point resting in its center. And from there, without leaving that [center point], experience the breath. Without leaving that Stillness, feel the whole body. Without leaving that Stillness, very slowly moving from that Stillness, place the hands in front of your heart. The eyes are still closed. Just realize that from this Stillness something moved, but yet you’re resting in that Stillness.

This gesture (anjali mudra) symbolizes that that Stillness, the Light — appo deepo bhava [3]— he is in you and in everyone that and everything that lives.

And so, very consciously, without leaving the Stillness and Light, gradually open your eyes. Allow the world to see, and spread your attention throughout the whole room. Be aware of the whole Space around you. And however you do this — this cannot be done wrong — notice that we’re sitting with so many other Lights. And please turn around you and see and recognize in each and everyone around us, this Inner Light.

This is what Swami Rama does when he says, “I pray to the Divinity in you.” He sees that Light, always, more than we do. We forget.

And so, you and I know we’re at the end, and maybe the mind is going towards [the thought of] leaving. So, as you may one day have to step out of the gate, practice this: Center [yourself], stay with the Light, and see this transition — coming out of the meditation. How long can you stay with it? How long can you take it with you when you go on a taxi, when you go on a plane? When you go, take it with you. Practice this so that it not only is in this space [at SRSG], but so when you walk out this door, when you walk into the new door, learn to take just as much as we learn to move into meditation.  Take it with you and so it is never lost. In an instant, everything is already here!

Thank you!

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Footnotes

[1] The Light of Ten Thousand Suns by Swami Veda Bharati. Compare with Chapter 11, Verse 12 of the Bhagavad Gita where Arjuna sees Krishna’s divine form: “If there were to rise the brilliance of a thousand suns in heaven, that would be similar to the brilliance of that great-souled One.”

“The sun, the moon, the stars, and all the lights that you can imagine in the entire external world are but fragments of that one great Light that is within you. It is the light of knowledge, the light of discrimination, the light of understanding, the light of life, the light of sharing and love, the light of Being that you are. ‘Thou art that.’ The light within is like a ripple in the vast ocean of bliss – that which we call Brahman, the Absolute, Infinity, the Highest. You yourself are that ripple; you are a wave. You should always have confidence that the light of life really is within you.” (Swami Rama in Path of Fire and Light, Volume II (1988), p. 1)

[2] The “janendriyas” are the five organs of perception — the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin — and the “karmendriyas” are the five organs of action (hands, feet, speech organs, and the organs of elimination & generation).

[3] Appo deepo bhava — “Be a light unto thyself.” These were Gautama Buddha’s last words to his disciples.

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Editor’s Note

This 24^th March, 2023 marked 90^th birth anniversary of our beloved Swami Veda Bharati. To share the love he bestowed on us and how it had inspired our lives, we held an intimate virtual gathering of initiates residing in south India.

Among us was a diverse group who had received initiation in the tradition from as early as 1990 to as recent as 2022. We are blessed to have Shri Raghavendra Adiga ji among us, an initiator in the tradition. We began with an adoring Guru Vandana chanting in dedication to Swami Veda and the Guru parampara by Shri Adiga ji.

Later Adiga Ji recounted his first meeting with Swami Veda in 1996 during the Mahasamadhi of Gurudev Swami Rama, and the subsequent training he received from Swami Veda.

Swami Veda visited Bangalore in the year 2004 and 2011, in the presence of (late) Shri Madhav Kamat ji. Ashok Shanbhag ji shared with us how large crowds turned up to listen to Swami Veda which surpassed the expectation of the organizers.

Among the youngest initiates in our group, Ishan Bhat expressed his gratefulness to have found SRSG, where Swami Veda had kept the teachings of Swami Rama and the Himalayan Tradition available to this day, in a profound way. What touched him most, was that many teachers these days speak about what yoga can grant you, whereas it was Swami Veda who taught what yoga takes away from you.

Swami ji has said, “If you want to love me, meditate. That is our true relationship. Silent love is the best love in the universe.”

Swami Veda often laid importance of a sangha, a group of kalyana mitras. As we step into the ´Decade of Loving Transformation’, a call for transformation by Swami Ritavan Bharati, it is time for us to reflect and plan our spiritual life. In 2033, when it will be time for Swami Veda’s birth centenary celebrations, we may offer him a gift of our purer, transformed self.

We concluded this satsang, in gratitude and reverence to our beloved Swami ji, and were guided into meditation by Shri Adiga ji, our hearts felt full of the love from the lineage.

With an intention of our own spiritual growth and serving Swami Veda’s mission, this small group of sadhakas in south India will meet for regular satsangs and group meditation. If you are an initiate residing in south India and would like to be part of our sangha, please email Namita at ahymsinsouthindia@gmail.com.

Om.Om.Om.

Thirty years have passed since the first time I walked into The Meditation Center in Minneapolis. I didn’t come to the Center for spiritual enlightenment or self-realization. I came because I was at a dead end. There was nowhere else to turn. The memories of that day in May of 1993 are still very clear in my mind. I was thirty-five years old and had been grieving the death of my mom for two years. The heavy grief had turned into numerous body pains. I tried everything to alleviate the intense discomfort, including homeopathy and chiropractic adjustments. Nothing helped. Many times, I cried out for a solution, but heard no answer. I didn’t think there would ever be an end to my suffering. Then I saw an article in the newspaper about how yoga could help people with back problems. Shortly after that, while visiting an osteopath for treatment, I mentioned that I was thinking of trying yoga. He told me that because of all my injuries, I should try a gentle type of yoga like they offered at The Meditation Center. At my first class we learned the Joints and Glands exercises. The long healing process began.

A couple of years later I found out that the osteopath who referred me to The Meditation Center was an initiate in the Himalayan Tradition and had gotten married at Sadhana Mandir (Swami Rama’s Ashram). That’s the first time I realized I was on a spiritual path, and not just bouncing around from one random event to the next. The journey to healing was, and is, filled with many challenges and obstacles. But the path started precisely where I was standing, at the exact time I needed it.  Looking back, I can see that my path has intersected with others as I moved through life. Some people walked with me on the path for longer periods of time, while others passed by in a brief encounter. I am grateful for whatever time we have had together. Thank you.

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Editor’s Note:

Daniel Hertz (MS, BCB, E-RYT 500) has been on the faculty of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis since 1995 and has been offering individual Biofeedback sessions since 2007. He is the author of a memoir entitled Everything is A Little Bit Alright: yoga, meditation, and a dog named Roy. It is available on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Little-Bit-Alright-Meditation/dp/1951651294

Our beloved Swami Veda Bharati’s 90^th Birthday (24 March 2023) comes as a moment of loving remembrance and marks the beginning of a new era for all of Swamiji’s devotees, initiates and students. Swami Ritavan Bharati has named this new era as the ‘Decade of Loving Transformation: 2023-2033’, until Swamiji’s centenary birthday celebration in 2033, which would be marked by a large gathering at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG) ashram.

 

We gather here at SRSG and around the globe, in solemn remembrance and in joyous celebration, recalling the teachings of the lineage through our Gurudeva and through the life of our beloved Swamiji.

We all cherish and embrace the loving sentiments Swamiji shared saying: “Tonight you filled me with such love. Everything that you have given me tonight, I will keep it filled inside me. But I have one desire yet unfulfilled. If you really wish to honor me, wish to love me, do two things for me. This, I am saying to my students. First, love each other. You all love this Swami, but you don’t love each other. If you want to love me, love each other. Secondly, make yourself adhikarin so that the knowledge coming down from thousands of years of tradition can be passed on and can continue. And the third condition, if you want to love me, meditate. That is our true relationship. Silent love is the best love in the universe. And my master, Swami Rama said ‘Love is the Lord of All.’ And today you have shown that love. But I would be happy when you show that love to each other. I thank you all, thank you all from the depth of my heart. God bless you.”

On this 90th Birthday anniversary tribute, an initiate shared the following sentiments of gratitude and aspiration to live through the example of Swami Veda’s life –

Beloved Swamiji

So gently you stole into our lives, like a whisper upon a breeze. And before we knew it, you were in our hearts. Perhaps, you were always there, and we did not know.

In asking where your eternal seat is, is to place limitations upon your Self, beloved Guru. Yet, the heart longs to know just as it yearns for a brief glimpse of that smile that lit up a thousand suns and let us bask in the warmth. Everyday thoughts of you course through the mind, wondering what would have been had we more years of your loving, physical presence. Now and then, a message from you un-veils giving a deeper meaning like a precious gift. One turns again and again to those precious few moments with you upon this Earth, gone all too soon, and wonders with awe at the grace bestowed. Will i ever understand the extent of your presence, your meaning in our life, of your many gifts, of your total acceptance of our human frailty? Passing on from this life, will i qualify to rest at your lotus feet?

With Guru’s Grace, we were recently blessed with the Lord Ganesha’s blessings who removed all obstacles for all our global family members to finally return home at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG) for the AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering from 12-25 February 2023. This was our first biggest event at SRSG since 2016, and it was heartwarming to see everyone once again after such a long gap of many years. As many as 180 people from 22 countries joined the gathering at SRSG this year. Many members of the AHYMSIN Spiritual Committee and AHYMSIN Executive Committee, senior teachers, AHYMSIN centre leaders, and family members from all over the world came home for this joyous occasion. Some members had not been to the ashram for as many as 12 years. It was a beautiful gathering of family that is a celebration rooted in our connection with guru and each other, through our mantras, meditation and our practices.

The whole ashram was decked up with more than 100,000 beautiful and fragrant flowers everywhere to welcome the family. Right from the main entrance, Mandala Office, Mother Mary Temple, Buddha Temple, all the statues and inscriptions within the Main Building, both the Meditation Halls, Initiation Room, Yajnashala, Dining Hall, Ma Tara Temple, Shiva Temple, Shankaracharya Temple were all decorated with long strings of flower garlands. There were many Rangoli and Mandala formations done on the floor of the Main Building with flowers. The ashram looked simply exquisite and heavenly as the flower decorations were only a reminder of our collective longing within us all of the celebration that was to follow.

The fragrance of these flowers reminded us once again of our beloved Swami Veda, not just because he loved flowers, but also of his teachings. His words were ringing in our ears as a reminder of how we are enveloped in the light and beauty of His ashram and His teachings:

There is an ancient passage that says, “That you have to enter into meditation is the proof of your bondage and ignorance.” How do you still that which is already still? How do you illuminate that which is self luminous? Do you pour perfume on jasmine to make it fragrant? Do you raise a candle so that with the light of that candle you may see the sun? With what eyes can you see your own eyes? With what other ocean are you going to fill the ever-full ocean? What sugar could you sprinkle on a honeycomb filled with honey to further sweeten it? Follow the philosophy of fullness, and when you are aware of your own fullness, you feel that there is nothing wanting, nothing missing, and you are ever joyful.

 Joyful does not mean “full of joy,~ it means the “joy of fullness~—joy that is fullness. The one who is aware of infinite fullness is aware of infinite joy. This is not a condition produced from outside. A silk or paper flower needs a perfume to make it fragrant. Many people think that meditation is something like sprinkling perfume on our lotuses, as though we have no natural perfume of our own. The essence of our being, the honey of these flowers, is distributed by the buzzing bees of nada, internal sound, throughout every cell of this honeycomb called the body.

The gathering started with Guru Puja on Feb 12 by invoking the blessings of the Guru lineage in presence of Swami Ritavan Bharati (our Ashram Pramukha and Spiritual Guide), Swami Radha Bharati, Swami Tattvananda Bharati, Swami Atma Bodhi Shree, Swami Ameyaananda Bharati, Swami Tripurashakti Bharati, Swami Prayag Giri, and other members of the AHYMSIN Spiritual committee including Shi Hong, Wong Yoong Khiang, Matilde Caro, Sofia Foteina, Pt Ashutosh Sharma, Anna Mezosi, Adhikari Bhoi, and Tinyu Chen.

The Sangha Gathering began with a thought-provoking and inspiring opening address by Swami Ritavan and Shi Hong where they welcomed all the members of the sangha and reaffirmed our beloved Swami Veda’s vision for AHYMSIN and the Sangha. Under their auspices, we re-dedicated ourselves to the meaningful goals of life, and renewed our purpose of this lifetime.

Swami Ritavan gave us “Aapo Deepo Bhava: Be a Light unto Oneself” as our theme for this year’s gathering. The term originates from Buddha’s teachings. In Hindi, it is read as “Aapo Deepo Bhava”; in Pali, it would be “Appo Deepo Bhava”. It is often understood as an instruction from the Guru to the disciple to light his/her own lamp within. However, it may also be seen as a blessing from the Guru to the disciple to be/become the source of that light and thereby become an instrument to spread this light.

We were blessed to have received talks on our theme from Swami Ritavan Bharati. Swami ji also invited senior teachers including Swami Tripurashakti Bharati, Wong Yoong Khiang, Pt Ashutosh Sharma, Pt Priyadharshan (Pierre Lefebvre), John Sellinger, and Rabindra Sahu to share their own understanding and reflections on the theme with the sangha members.

All the participants were divided in smaller groups and special guided meditations were offered by Swami Ritavan Bharati, and other mantra initiators in the Initiation Room. There was also a special guided meditation by Swami Ritavan in the Meditation Hall for all. Swami Radha Bharati had visited the ashram after many years, and we basked in her loving presence and were blessed to have the opportunity of practicing OM Kriya under her guidance. The sangha members also got the opportunity to learn from the many mantra initiators who were present at SRSG as they spoke on “Mantra, meditation and initiation”.

As is the practice in the Ashram, each Thursday (Guruvaara in Hindi – the Day of the Guru) is the day of silence. The silence practice on every Thursday included Akhanda Japa (non-stop recitation of the mantra) in the Meditation Hall and in the Initiation room in the loving and meditative presence of Adhyatma Samiti members. On the first Thursday (16 Feb), we did japa of the Ganesha Gayatri Mantra, while the following week (on 23 Feb), we offered japa of the new Ganesha Mantra. The Akhanda Japa continued from 9 am – 9 pm, as all the participants, and residents kept silence together. This collective silence and japa practice was one of the most special moments of the Sangha Gathering.

As part of the Swami Rama Dhyana Gurukulam, the students are learning ‘Vedic Chanting’ (Ghanpatha Recitation) under the guidance of Rabindra Sahu. This includes learning to properly recite Vedic mantras and stotras in the traditional way of chanting according to the Krishna Yajur Veda. One of the practices that have been undertaken in the Gurukulam this year is learning to chant the Ganapati Prarthana Ghanpatha and the Gayatri Mantra Ghanpatha. The students had been practicing the chantings for many hours each day for a month before the Sangha Gathering began, and offered a special session of chanting during the gathering.

Every day we were blessed to practice with the senior teachers from the many AHYMSIN centres as they each guided the sessions on Joints & Glands exercises, Hatha Yoga and Breathing practices. We also had four sessions of ‘AHYMSIN Family Connections’, where all the regional centre leaders of AHYMSIN affiliated and friendly centres shared more about their centres, teaching programmes, and their future visions with each other. They supported each other by sharing ideas and suggestions from their own learnings. This allowed us to get to know about all of the efforts they have put in towards Swami Veda’s mission. Their successes are inspiring and heartening.

A presentation was shared by Rabindra Sahu on the operations of Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama ashram for the past four years, which included the major renovation and construction works, finances, charity projects. He talked about the contributions and love offerings received from our global family members that helped in sustenance of the ashram during the pandemic, while supporting the construction projects. The next steps to strengthen the mission were discussed and included – training teachers and building youth force, renovation of the cottages, enhance centre relations, publications and sustenance.

On 14 Feb, elections were held for the AHYMSIN executive committee and office bearers, where all the initiates voted for the various positions. Results were announced the same day. Shi Hong ji from Hong Kong has now been appointed as the President of AHYMSIN by Swami Ritavan Bharati.

As in our previous gatherings, all of us received a special mantra practice for the entire AHYMSIN Sangha. Just as during the last sangha gathering in 2019, Swami Ritavan wrapped us all again in his love and blessings through the Ganesha Mantra meditation shawl. We also received a Rudrakasha hand-mala and Ganga-Jala (holy water from the Ganges) from Swamiji as blessings.

The new Ganesha Mantra we have received from Swamiji is:

ॐ गं गणपतये नमः ।

Om Gaṁ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ ।

Salutations to Lord Ganapati.

We offered our final japa with the Ganesha Gayatri Mantra practice on the morning of the Mahashivaratri with the purnahuti (the concluding fire offering) at the Yajnashala. Collectively, we then took a sankalpa for the new Ganesha Mantra practice and began a 6-day yajna (fire offering) where 7 pandits presided over the pujas and fire offerings. Simultaneously, our classes, sessions, and practices continued on.

On the morning of the Mahashivaratri, 8 members of the Sangha received Vanaprastha vows from Swami Ritavan Bharati – Atma and Fernando from Spain, Sarojini from Mauritius, Heejung, Borim, Meekyung and Yaehee from Korea, and Chuck Linke from the USA (our new Sr. Vice President).

The Mahashivaratri was celebrated at the Sadhana Mandir, SRSG, and Virbhadra Temple on 18 Feb. The pujas began at 6pm and continued throughout the night, until 5am on the next morning. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see so many members of the spiritual family enthusiastically participating in all the beautiful rituals, while sacrificing their sleep.

At this auspicious occasion, two new books by Swami Veda Bharati were released and offered to all the initiates and students of the Tradition. The titles of these two new publications are – You & Your Emotions and Signs of Spiritual Progress. Additionally, Swamiji’s Superconscious Meditation and Philosophy of Hatha Yoga book was also reprinted and is now available once again in our bookstore. All these books were released on the sacred Mahashivaratri day.

As was the case with all the previous sangha gatherings, we invited various artists from the Indian classical arts. The sangha members enjoyed soulful performances of Bharatanatyama dance led by Dr Sadhanashree P. from Sadhana Sangam Trust. Sadhanashree and her family are long term initiates of the Tradition, and both her parents were/are mantra initiators within the Himalayan Tradition trained by Swami Rama. We also experienced a mesmerising Santoor performance by Pt Mohan Singh Rawat ji and a heartfelt Hindustani Classical Vocal performance by Shri Ashish Kukreti ji. We also invited 11 students from the Sanskrit School that the Ashram supports. They chanted the Swasti Vachana, Purusha Sukta and Rudra Sukta.

This Sangha Gathering was special and unique in many ways. We went on a pilgrimage to the Surkanda Devi temple in Kanatal, near Mussoorie. Almost all the members joined this beautiful excursion, along with Swami Ritavan and most of the mantra initiators.

We also celebrated our theme of the gathering with lighting of 5000 earthen lamps (diyas). Preparation for this special “Diwali” lamp lighting began more than a month ago, whereby all the residents and visiting sadhakas at the ashram prepared the 5000 cotton wicks by hand. All the members of the Sangha, young and old, helped prepare the 5000 diyas, by washing them with water, drying them out in air, laying them out all over the ashram campus, from the rooftops of the Main Building, Gurukulam building, and New Block buildings, to the many pathways, the main entrance, outside each of the cottages, rooms, in the garden, etc. While we had turned off all the electrical lights that night, every corner of the ashram was lit up as the entire ashram was filled with the magnificent lamps and their light. As the night progressed, these tiny diyas managed to bring silence, stillness and light within each of our hearts. We received 5000 reminders that night of the light within.

We gathered at the Meditation Hall after the lamp lighting and Swami Ritavan recited the poem – Light by Swami Veda Bharati. Many of our international family members then offered the same poem in their respective languages. Translations were shared in Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Oriya, Russian, Sanskrit and Spanish. Even if we didn’t understand the poem in other languages than our own, the recitations were somehow equally beautiful and meditative. There was a unique union of light, silence and peace that night, which I had not experienced before… One could see some sangha members walking silently, deep in contemplation, and filled with light within, late until after midnight.

The last event in our two weeks of the gathering was a large bonfire by the Dining Hall after dinner, along with a delicious dark chocolate cake. We had the most beautiful impromptu kirtana (devotional singing) by the bonfire, accompanied with Guitar, where many members offered devotional songs in Sanskrit, English and their own local languages.

This magnificent event with so many participants was only made possible with the boundless love and support of all the residents, staff members, Gurukulam students, and our global family members. Everywhere one looked, one could see people spreading their inherent light through their seva, in the Dining Hall, Meditation Hall, etc.

Much went into our preparations for the Sangha Gathering, including a complete renovation of the Meditation Hall. While we were waiting for all our family members to return home, we completely redid the ceiling and electrical work in the Meditation Hall. This included new sound system, speakers, lights, fans, curtains, carpets, etc. The renovated Meditation Hall now has a new altar. As Swamiji and many people noted, the Meditation Hall was somehow miraculously ready just on time.

The lunch was served in bhandara style, and many people came forward to help serve the food and clean up the Dining Hall after each of the meals. Our lovely volunteers were sometimes in the Dining Hall many hours after the meals, cleaning, wiping, drying each of the utensils by hand, to prepare everything for the next meal. The food was naturally extra nourishing and delicious throughout the Sangha Gathering, as it was cooked with the secret ingredient of ‘Love’. I somehow am missing the gathering for the lovely company and scrumptious food also.

We received countless presents of love and care from all the family members, who brought many gifts, including exquisite chocolates, coffee, foods from different countries, etc. Our hearts (and stomachs) were overfilled with their love.

I am filled with unbounded gratitude for all the family members whose loving and meditative presence at this unique confluence brought us all much love and joy. It is a long wait until the next Sangha Gathering in 2026…

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Editor’s Note:

Many of the sessions of the AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering were livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Below are the YouTube links:

1. What is AHYMSIN – Swami Ritavan Bharati and Shi Hong
2. Swami Ritavan Bharati – Be a Light unto Thyself
3. Swami Ritavan Bharati – Announcement of the 2023-24 AHYMSIN Sangha Practice
4. Purna Ahuti of the Ganesha Gayatri and Sankalpa to undertake the new AHYMSIN Sangha Practice
5. Mahashivaratri Celebrations at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama
6. Swami Ritavan Bharati – Be a Light unto Thyself. 2023 AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering Concluding Session

You may also want to see a few glimpses of the Sangha Gathering on Facebook. If you have more pictures or videos of the Sangha Gathering, kindly share the same with us via email at ahymsin@gmail.com or tag us on Facebook and Instagram.