Om Shri Gurave Namah!

Sacred days dedicated to the remembrance of the Guru offer a gentle yet profound opportunity for sadhakas to renew our resolve toward the spiritual purpose of life and the deepening of our sadhana. In the Himalayan Tradition, we also observe the 40-Day Annual Spiritual Festival leading up to Guru Purnima—a time our beloved Swami Veda Bharati guided as time to expand and refine one’s sadhana.

Our small group of initiates in the South India Sangha of the Himalayan Tradition held online satsangs during the 40-Days Annual Spiritual Festival. Shri Raghavedra Adiga Ji, an initiator and mentor in the tradition guided our group in refining our sadhana, japa and meditation. As most of our sangha members are balancing work and family life, regularity in meditation is often challenging. Those who attended the satsangs have found the discussions, contemplations and group meditations help them to stay on the course of sadhana. In the course of the satsangs, Adiga Ji spoke of the role of iccha shakti, the will-power in sadhana can only be practiced when the mind is calm and concentrated. In clarity of the mind, when one is completely relaxed it can focus on the goal and resolve. We were guided to maintain the resolve to meditate at the same time every day, even just for few moments a remembrance of the mantra is helpful in maintaining the connection with the Guru shakti. This Guru shakti was experienced vividly in meditations guided by Adiga Ji in our online satsangs.

This year marks two special milestones in our Himalayan Tradition, first of Gurudeva Swami Rama’s birth centenary and secondly the 10^th Maha Samadhi Anniversary of our beloved Swami Veda Bharati.

As a culmination of the 40-Day Annual Spiritual Festival into Guru Purnima, as our hearts joined in with the events and celebrations at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, we came together in an in-person satsang held at the home of Namita Sinha. In an intimate gathering of initiates and seekers, we chanted the sangha mantra Akhaṇḍa-maṇḍalākāram, meditated in silence and held discussion and reflections on the guru-disciple relationship, and how it was demonstrated by the lives of Gurudev Swami Rama and our beloved Swami Veda. An aarti and traditional south Indian meal was served on banana leaf as prasada, our stomachs and hearts full with loving grace of the Guru Parampara.

In continuation of the Gurudev Swami Rama’s birth centenary celebrations, we are holding a 100-Day online discourse inspired by two of Gurudeva’s books – A Practical Guide to Holistic Health and The Art of Joyful Living. The sessions will be led by Namita Sinha, an initiate and student in the Himalayan Yoga Tradition. The course is open for all interested sadhakas. More information about the course can be found on the link:

Inspirations from the Himalayan Master

All proceeds from the course will be offered as Dakshina to Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, in humble gratitude for the unbound love and grace of the Guru Parampara.

Vande Guru Paramparam!