My fellow Brothers and Sisters

Swamiji conceived and later initiated AHYMSIN between 2005 to 2007, though the seeds may have been sown much earlier. It was officially registered in April 2007 at SRSG.

It was in the wee hours of the morning of Sept 1st 1990 that I was blessed immensely when I prostrated in full (ashtanga dandavat pranayam) at the feet of Gurudev in the compound of Sadhana Mandir in a cold drizzle. The blank yet euphoric and intoxicated feeling of spiritual bliss lasted for weeks till it was time for me to return to the harsh realities of the material world.

Gurudev was in Singapore the following month and I rushed to meet him there. Followed him to Indonesia and Thailand.

A week later we returned to Sadhana Mandir where he introduced me to Dr. Ushaburdh Arya. The love and respect for him were instantaneous and lasts till this moment without an iota of diminution.

Fast forward – from 1991 through to 1996.

On 13th November 1996 Gurudev attained Mahasamadhi, I interacted with Swami Veda Bharathi (SVB) whenever we met or wrote to each other during that period.

The interactions increased manifold after November. SVB was named by Gurudev in his Will as the Spiritual Advisor to HIHT, the mission that spearheaded Gurudev’s grand vision of service to humanity. SVB was also appointed the first Chancellor of the Himalayan University the precursor Institution which transformed to become the Swami Rama Himalayan University.

We met regularly at the ashram in Rishikesh or at HIHT in Swami Rama Nagar or sometimes overseas, be it in Malaysia or Europe.

SVB conceived the idea of Ahymsa for the Americas in 1999. And, he expanded the vision to AHYMSIN between 2005 to 2007 which was a natural by-product of his years of writing, teaching, serving, and possibly the summum bonum of what he destined for himself to leave for his students worldwide. This was to be his contribution, his legacy for his Gurudev‘s mission. And Swami Rama Sadhaka Gramma was born as a sequel, a reason for these initiatives.

There were many challenges that he faced; the land, the construction of the buildings, government approvals, personnel, and large finances. He however rode the tiger without flinching, always stating what Gurudev similarly shared with me during the initial challenging days of commencing HIHT and the Hospital: that “The Mother will provide”.

And She did.

SVB had a gentle and humble predisposition. He was the gentlest of all the renunciate disciples of Gurudev I had come in contact with. And of course, the most intellectually renowned and advanced. He was so learned that many could not comprehend his works nor his writings. They felt that it was for spiritually high achievers. But they were wrong. SVB could, at any moment interact with an infant or a toddler without any doubt.

SVB had total respect and perfect love for Gurudev. This was clearly visible to all. In his own Will, he wrote that none of his photographs should be exhibited. Only that of his Guru.

Another side of SVB that I could not understand was his love for eating sweet dishes, be it Indian or the durian cakes from Malaysia that he relished (and requested for whenever I came to visit him). He sidestepped my chiding with, “the sugar is under control. Don’t worry”. He would be the most gracious host, arranging for a sumptuous meal after our one-to-one meetings. I very much envied SVB for the various roles he assumed with such great ease.

When he requested me to accept the position of President when AHYMSIN was to be launched, and also to be in DMT, I was reluctant as I already had too much on my plate. SVB convinced me of the importance of his action. It was to enable the ties and relationship with Gurudev’s greater mission to be fostered and secured. Brother Dave Hume did a marvelous job as the V.P. and shouldered the entire burden during the duration of his tenure. My heartfelt gratitude to him. And to his equally dedicated wife Sister Carolyn Hume. And to all the Executive Committee members of the many years. Brother Idriss Raoua and AHYMSIN and DMT Secretary Sadhana Mishra too were a great source of inspiration along with many others. The list is so very long.

My good friend Shi Hong for whom SVB had much confidence and love accepted the mantle of Deputy President after Dave Hume and similarly took it upon himself to cover the post of President. This provided me the flexibility of continuing to pay attention to the other duties and work that was given to me as instructed by Gurudev. I am indebted to Shi Hong like I am to Dave Hume for their understanding and for giving me the freedom of time.

We have come a long way. The period between late 2019 and 2022 was that of uncertainty. SRSG faced a serious crunch due to the Covid pandemic but many of the AHYMSIN members and centers either individually or collectively showed their kindness and compassion in more than many ways to ensure that the HQ functioned without any interruption. Based on any nature of crisis that could arise again, my request to the incoming President and his team is to create a reasonably sized corpus fund that will ensure a sense of surety/guarantee and financial security. This will enable AHYMSIN to position itself with a steady long-term vision and enable its leadership to strategize and strengthen the organization and carefully prepare for succession planning.

For all these to take place smoothly, DMT must take more ownership and work closely with AHYMSIN. Though the current relationship pattern may appear to be adequately structured, there must be a ‘dotted’ line between the two i.e., DMT and AHYMSIN to ensure a reasonable sense of inter-alia and accountability. It is therefore vital that this bond must be intensified every which way.

On a personal note, I had requested leave of absence from my positions in SRHU, HIHT, AHYMSIN and DMT in Nov 2016 to embark on a more intense spiritual journey to the mountains as part of my sadhana and tapasya. I had discussed this with Swami Ritavan Bharati (SRB) and he was full of encouragement and support. SRB requires the full support of DMT and AHYMSIN to grow and further strengthen SRSG.

Now back to the future.

There was a disruption in my plans to be in solitude much longer in the mountains due to many factors and principally because of the pandemic between 2019 and last year.

In late October last year, Covid finally got me in despite the Pfizer boosters. For nearly eleven weeks until late January this year, it exacerbated my gluten allergy and played havoc on the frail body including mimicking angina attacks, coeliac disease, and lumbar-sacral pain.

Allopathy did not help much but Ayurvedic medications did the trick along with very generous portions of Gurudev’s kripa. There is no ‘one rule’ for all but for me perhaps there was an ‘all for one’ rule. I am out of the woods now and sooner than later intend to pursue where I left off four years ago to be in the Himalayas where my heart and soul belong.

So, my Brothers and Sisters it is time to bid adieu.

I thank each one of you and I thank all of you. For what you are doing in any form or manner to keep the Tradition ongoing. Even your daily meditation at the same time in a disciplined and diligent way or learning the Himalayan teachings as taught by Swami Rama wherever you are is a sure way of expressing your love. Your love for the Guru should be immense and unconditional. Practice abhyasa and vairagya.

We have been instructed by our Master to surrender ourselves selflessly, to serve others, and to help others without expecting the fruits of the labor.

Let us, therefore, surrender ourselves to the Tradition and to the Lineage; and thank them for making us what we are in this life. And to pray to them to lead us in the path of Light.

MAY ALL OF YOU STAY BLESSED

Editor’s Note:

Dr. Mohan Swami, a disciple of Swami Rama, served as the President of both the Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International (AHYMSIN) from 2007 – 2023 and Dhyana Mandiram Trust (DMT) from 2007 – 2023.