What a week! (part 1)

A personal travel report by Swami Kuru

Guruji spent the whole last week in the UK, and what a week it was! 

When some of us back in April were looking at Swami’s calendar, we were tempted with the idea of going. It seemed like a promising proposition: Not too far away from Shree Peetha Nilaya, many devotees who are ready to offer accommodation, a rich combination of events, starting with a Satsang on Monday (see blog post), and ending with a Darshan on Saturday (see blog post), and inbetween the main event, the glorious and powerful festival of Narasimha Chaturthi (see blog post) at the Bhakti Marga Sri Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Feltham. We felt that it would become a great week, and as it turns out, the week became even richer, and exceeded all our expectations.

The week began with a Satsang that took place in East London, Monday evening, light drizzle outside, in a “cool” location, literally, cause the temperature in this former church was quite low, and the atmosphere was a bit cool. Also, Guruji seemed toned down a bit, somehow less forceful than usual, as he was attuning himself to the many newcomers - amongst the estimated 150 guests - who met him for the very first time. I felt transported 10 years back, and reminded of Satsangs in earlier times. Guruji patiently and gently introduced the new visitors to the basics of his teachings as he would answer the questions that were posed to him.

One of the topics Guruji covered was that of chanting mantras, where he explained that the mind is like a tree full of birds, symbolising all the different thoughts that are flying in and around our head. When we stand below the tree and start clapping, then the birds will fly away. When we chant the Divine Names, it is as if we stand below the brain, the tree, and we start clapping, and make all the thoughts go away. When we sing the glory of God, the vibration of the Divine flows through us. The more we chant the Divine Names, the more the Divine qualities within ourselves start to reflect to the outside, and we get transformed.

Next day, Narasimha Chaturthi, contrasted strongly. Now the vast majority of the visitors who squeezed themselves into the packed full temple house in Feltham were no “newbies”. Guruji was in full force as he poured litres and litres of abishekam blessings over the great Murthi of Narasingha Dev. Again I felt pulled back in time, in the many more intimate moments that took place in the temples and private homes of Mauritius, Switzerland and UK in the early years of his mission, and also in the first Ashram in Steffenshof, before we moved to Springen. Many who had witnessed other Chaturthis in Feltham before, said that this time topped the ones before. It is not possible and important to compare, but it suffices to say, that it was a powerful night, with powerful chanting, and bestowing powerful blessings from Lord Narasimha to those who were fortunate to be in His presence. And for sure, out of his unlimited mercy, the blessings were extended also to everyone who was not there, and even to those who do not know Him or are not interested in Him. Also a nice bonus, this year, Swami Vishwananda’s dear friend Dr. Satya Narayana Das joined Him for the feast (his first visit to London since 1978!), and wonderfully explained the tale of Lord Narasimha and his great devotee Pralad. Amongst many things, he explained that true devotees, such as Pralad was, are fearless. Every opportunity they receive is to praise God. And that our life is meant to serve the Lord – full heartedly! The Night ended late, and it was the first of 5 long or rather short nights, with little sleep, and the strong sense of intimacy of a spiritual family, one of a kind, that of Sri Swami Vishwananda. Not only devotees from the UK came, many from other countries, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Germany/SPN, Greece, and even the US. Unfortunately, at Shree Peetha Nilaya, and also elsewhere, such nights are rare, and all the more we appreciated them, being aware of their precious nature.

Wednesday was the most laid back day, due to the intensity of Narasimha Chaturthi the night before. We had the privilege to enjoy a Satsang by Satya Narayana Das at Feltham. Many of the numerous visitors who came, heard him for the first time, and received valuable insights from the treasure box of his accumulated wisdom for the spiritual path. Dr. Satya Narayana Das (SND) is one of the world’s greatest vedic scholars, and it is always a great joy to hear him speak.

One question was about the Lord’s own abode, which is called Vaikunta, his eternal place in which he resides. Does, when the Lord comes on Earth, the place where he stays, become also Vaikunt? SND explained that God comes with his own abode, and whilst the place where he stays on the physical plane is material in nature and stays material, it becomes a place where Vaikunta becomes manifest. Actually, Vaikunta is always here, but we are not attuned into it. Most of us normally watch the “material channel”, because the mind and the senses are drawn to that frequency, but if we tune into the “Vaikunta Channel” and we change our consciousness we can attune to the higher consciousness.

There again lies the importance of chanting mantras, as they act like a remote control to attune to the frequency of the Lord.

He went on to explain that when the Divine descends (which is what the term “Avatar” means), then He overpowers all the other channels, then the Lord desires that everyone sees him, whether or not we have done sadhana. He makes himself manifest in the material world. 

So in short: He is not making the particular place into Vaikunta, but he is manifesting Vaikunta in this particular place. Same but not same. And everything exists already, it is a question of what we are attuned into.

In part 2 I will cover the second half of the week, in which we had many more wonderful and joyful moments in the sweet and loving presence of Sri Swami Vishwananda.

Interesting Questions - Interesting Answers

Question:

Swamiji, in Bhakti Marga Mission, you highlight the importance of three qualities: Love, Patience and Unity. Why have you highlighted these three qualities in particular?

Sri Swami Vishwananda: 

"Because these three qualities are for this time the most important. Without Love, nothing happens, you know. Without patience, you can't do anything. And you're living in a world of difference, only by uniting the difference will disappear. So, that's why I choose these three, Love, Patience and Unity. And unity also stands for the uniting. Through patience and Love one will unite with the Divine."

Question:

What is a Guru mantra? What makes it different from a normal mantra?

Sri Swami Vishwananda: 

"The Guru mantra carries the full potential of the Grace of the Master inside of it. While giving it to the disciple, the Guru gives part of Himself to the disciple. Which means, wherever the Guru's level is, by chanting the Guru mantra, the disciple gets uplifted also towards it. That's what the Guru mantra is. A normal mantra doesn't carry that vibration. All mantras are good, you know, but the Guru mantra is the best."

Audience: 

And what makes the Guru mantra a Guru mantra?

Sri Swami Vishwananda:

"Well, the Guru mantra is given by the Guru, that's what makes the mantra a Guru mantra. You see, the Guru mantra, like I said just now, carries all the qualities of the Master inside of it. So when one receives the gift of the Guru mantra, automatically, the Guru is responsible for the person to cross over the human mind. So that's what the Guru mantra is."

Question:

What is Mahavatar Kriya Babaji's mission on earth?

Sri Swami Vishwananda:

"To protect this planet. As long as He will be here, nothing will ever happen to Mother Earth."

Satsang on the 13th of April in Riga / Latvia

Before Guruji came He let us sing for over an hour, longing for Him. With our hearts on a sleeve we felt like one family, even like one body. As we sang, we watched people who came for Satsang. Most of them joined in, some singing along, some closing their eyes in mediation, some clapping hands and smiling. We definitely were sharing Love, which our Guru was pouring through us. 

At one moment when we sang "Krishna Prema Mayi Radha”, evening sun broke through the clouds - all the day the sky was grey and it was raining a bit from time to time - coloring them in deep purple. It was such a sight, and we remembered Guruji’s words that Krishna’s colour is that of the sky before the thunderstorm, or the deep purple in feathers from peacock’s tale. Krishna was coming!

Guruji came soon after that (we had an opportunity to invite Him with a Narayana bhajan for the third time in one day and it felt like a blessing, itself) and gave a beautiful Satsang, answering different questions, singing a bit, laughing a lot. 

He also told a story of Dukhi Krishna and we had a feeling that it wasn’t just a story - we felt that He is Krishna and He is taking us to Vrindavan or dancing His Rasa Lila with us in different spheres which we can’t grasp with our minds, but can feel within our hearts.

Satsang ended after 11:00 PM and more then 200 people came to listen to Guruji.

After Satsang, we, the devotees, waited for Guruji to leave as it usually happens in SPN hall. And when He came it was such a feeling! After this fantastic month, when He gave us the opportunity to think almost only of Him, to do everything only for Him, unifying us, letting us sing almost nothing other than the name of Rama for hours, and leading us to the point where we had to surrender and forget ourselves.

He showered us in His Love. He came to each one of us, taking our hands, talking a bit to everybody, answering to some urgent questions, giving His blessings and most of all smiling and looking deep in our eyes, making our hearts skip a beat and melt. 

And when He was almost at the door and all of us on the floor making pranams, we heard our Guruji’s soft, loving and above all humble voice saying: "Thank you for the Temple!”

It was such a gift, that we found ourselves swimming in a bliss where you want to cry from love and joy and ... oh, well. As Guruji said – Satchidananda is something beyond words.

Next day at midday Guruji was leaving for SPN, so we went to the airport to say our heartfelt goodbyes and He once more showered us with His love. 

Can’t help but think of His words, that you have to make just one step closer to God and He will run towards you. On the outward we were building a temple for Rama, but inside of our hearts we were discovering the temple in which our Guru Bhagavan resides. With every moment we felt closer and closer to Him and more at home. And at the end He mirrored us this closeness which one have with Guru, with God. 

Bhagavan Ramachandra ki ... Jai!

Satgurudeva Premavatara Sri Sri Swami Vishwananda MahaPrabhu ki ... Jai!

Thank you Guruji - we Love You so!

About the Master

Last year Swami Vishwananda gave a Satsang in Bordeaux!

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One of the questions was:

"When and how did you know that you are a master?"

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Swamiji's answer:

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"Myself, I don't say that I am a master, but I am born like that, so it is not that I became. I dont call myself 'master', the people say 'master' out of respect.

But in reality what is a master?

In reality a master is the slave of everybody; yes, we say 'Master', but in reality he is the slave of everybody even if he is sitting on a beautiful chair.

He is here lifting people up (he makes a gesture with his arms like lifting something up) and he himself (the master) is down, but he has already done the way. He comes here to help and to lift up people - but only with humility.

Finally, when you are reallized, you see that there is no master and that there are no deciples. It is just the game it has to be played by being on this planet earth."

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Satsang in cold, cold Springen

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It was a wonderful Satsang- interesting questions and brilliant answers!

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We would like to bring up one of the questions in particular, because many people ask this:

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'Which Mantra should we do: Our Guru Mantra or Om Namo Narayanaya?'

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Swamiji's answer: "Chant your Guru Mantra in the morning (inside) and then the rest of the day you can chant 'Om Namo Narayanaya'.

With chanting your Guru Mantra you receive not only the blessing from your Guru, you receive the blessing from all Gurus of the world.

'Om Namo Narayanaya' is everything! This mantra awakens the desire to attain the goal of life (self-realisation)"

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Swami Vishwananda gave a satsang in Sri Ranganath Temple

Swami vishwananda talked about God, please click: http://www.vishwananda-talks.blogspot.com

Satsang with Swami Vishwananda

Who doesn't know all these questions "What is the meaning of life?", "How do I become self-realized?" and "What is personality?"...

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The answers where unique and brilliant! Swami Vishwananda spoke clearly and briefly - sometimes he took his time to explain one matter - in all cases the power and clearness was awesome. Sometimes he gave us a little idea of his divine being which is hidden behind this wonderful, nice Swami from Mauritius.

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There were many very interesting questions like "What happens to the soul in case of suicide?" Swami Vishwananda explained in detail that in this case the mind creates something like a dark cloud around the soul; the soul gets more trapped in illusion. It is a heavy energy wich is created and for the little soul-flame it's difficult to reach the light through this dark cloud. The soul has to do more things to go over this barrier.

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The access to the Satsang was 20,- €, but the experience was beyond price. Rarely have we experienced Swami Vishwananda like that and were under the impression that in this year 2012 he loosened the hand break a bit...

OM Healings' groups and Atma Kriya teachers meet Swami Vishwananda

Swami Vishwananda spoke with all of the OM Healing group organizers and Atma Kriya teachers in Moscow before the darshan began.

Swami Vishwananda gave a nice satsang in Belgrade

Swami Vishwananda received a warm welcome in Serbia. He gave a satsang about devotion and surrender to the Divine.

Swami Vishwananda gave a Satsang in Belgrade

Swami Vishwananda said: "God gave you this life to attain Him. If you are to busy in the outer world, find during the day a little time to talk to Him. If you cannot during the day then, before to go to bed, offer to God what you did during the day and think of Him."

Swami Vishwananda gave a Satsang in Split

Swami Vishwananda said: "The soul has a reason to incarnate. The ultimate Goal of every living been is to attain the Divine. One way is to accept where God put you. If God puts you in a certain place, there is a reason for it. There is a reason why you are together with somebody. And there is also a reason why later you separate from this person. This is the law of Karma. "

For more please go to: http://www.vishwanandateachings.blogspot.com

"How to develop unconditional love ?" was asked to Swami Vishwananda

Swami Vishwananda answered: "You have to analyse yourself. When you analyse yourself, you see your qualities, your emotions, your thoughts. All these qualities, good or bad are not YOU. First you see the negative qualities and you realise that you have to change. If you don't change yourself, the nature will make it happen and sometimes the people change only after terrible experiences.In your analysing process, don't stay with the negativity, you have to go deeper in the forest. It is like a glass of water filled with water and dust. You cannot see through the glass. Day after day you put clean water inside. The dust from the bottom comes out and you think: it is worse as before. There are more dust as before. You have to persevere. Don't give up. Daily the dust is taken out through the adding of the clean water. At the end of the process, the dust is gone. Only the unconditional love stays. The heart shines outside with this unconditional love."

Swami Vishwananda gave this week-end a nice Satsang

 

The room was full to attend the Questions/Answers satsang of Swami Vishwananda in Rheinfelden, Switzerland. 

Satsang in the evening

 

Swami Vishwananda explained the Meaning of the Kalki Avatar. Read about it on  

http://www.vishwananda-talks.blogspot.com

Swami Vishwananda talked in Russia about: How to experience the Unity with the Divine

God created everything and dwells inside us. Calm your mind so that you can focus on the Divine inside of you. The desire of our soul is to attain God's lotus feet. Love all, love every body then God dwells inside everyone. Remember this every day then you will experience the Unity.

Satsang of Swami Vishwananda

Questions and answers in the lovely temple dedicated to Radha and Krishna  went on during three hour.in St Petesburg.

Satsang of Swami Vishwananda

After the Shaktipat Swami Vishwananda gave a satsang with the Atma Kriya group.

Swami Vishwananda gave also a satsang to the Belarussian people

How nice it would have been to have a darshan in Bellarussia with such nice people.

Satsang in Switzerland of Swami Vishwananda

Swami Vishwananda answered questions of devotees saying" The Trinity is inside of us. We have the qualities of creation, protection and destruction in us. We create things with our mind, we protect our child, we destroy, also, a lot. The mind is the greatest yogi, because it is always searching, always on the search. The mind tries to understand everything and so creates the duality."

Satsang of Swami Vishwananda

"When you are Realised, you see that every action, everything is coming from God. Now we are not aware of it. The goal of Kriya Yoga is to be aware of the Divine Consciousness in every action of our daily life." said Sri Swami Vishwananda