Bhavani Ashtakam

The last 9 days of Navaratri, we sung with Swami Vishwananda every night this sweet prayer to the Divine Mother:

A Prayer to Mother Divine, composed by Adi Shankaracharya in a high state of devotion and Divine bliss to uplift the devotees. Swamiji told us, that Adi Shankaracharya sung it to the Divine Mother und she started to cry. In this material world, neither father, nor mother, neither relatives nor helpers, neither son nor daughter, neither husband nor wife, neither scriptural wisdom norprofessional knowledge - are mine. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal Refuge !! Having been fallen into the limitless ocean of birth anddeath, ever tied myself by greed, pride, delusion and desire, I am very fearful of this sorrowful existence. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal Refuge !! O Mother, I have made no charity; I have done no meditation; I have observed no rituals; nor have I uttered any prayer or holy Name. I have performed no worship; nor have I purified myself through proper invocations. Therefore, O Thou Mother of the universe, Thou art my only Refuge; Thou art my only Shelter. I do not know either the righteous deeds nor Your sacred abode norhow to achieve freedom from material bondage by dissolving my ego. I am unable to achieve Divine Love, not even inclined to followany spiritual descipline to attain it. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal refuge !! I am continuously engaged in worthless thoughtsand improper actions. My dull Intellect has beenenslaved by bad habits. I am always unable to conduct myself admirablyand my character is utterly shameful to the societyalong with my critical views and unruly speech. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal refuge !! I do not know Lords Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Surya and Chandra, or any other Divine personalities. So I have taken my full surrender forever in You. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal Refuge !! O compassionate Mother, kindly protect mewherever I am, from all kinds of injuries eitheron water or fire, or on mountains or in jungles, orin disputes with enemies, or in distress of abandonment. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal Refuge !! O caring Mother, I am a true orphan on this earth, without any virtue, rendered powerless, smitten by pains of disease and aging, deluded by ignorance and laziness, fallen and forlorn,continuously entering into calamities. Therefore, O Mother of the universe! O Divine Consort of Lord Shiva! You alone are my eternal Refuge !!

New Kali Temple

Yesterday afternoon Swami Vishwananda inaugureted the new Kali Temple. Some time ago we already built a little wooden house near the entrance of the Center in Springen. It was said, that the Puja will be a small one - even the prayer book was named:" Short Kali Puja"- but in the end it lasted 4 hours and it was already dark, when there was the Aarti.

Navaratri night

Last night Swami Vishwananda went totally into the role of the Divine Mother- He/She killed the demon Mahashasura while beeing in a wild trace-dance. It was scary- and we could feel the presence of Kali very strong

9th day Navaratri: Siddhadatri

Siddhidatri –

Swami Vishwananda told us today, "Durga's ninth mold is the form of "Siddhidatri". She delivers success. According to "Markendeo Puran" there are eight types of success, such as "Anima", "Laghima", "Prapti", "Prakashya", "Mahima", "Ishhattya", "Bashittya", "Sarvakaam bashayita" and "Sarvagyata". But in the "Sri Krishna Janmakhanda" of the "Brahmavaivarta Puran", there are another ten types of success such as "Doorsravan", "Parakayaprabeshan", "Baksiddhi", "Kalpavrikshattwa", "Srishti", "Samharkaransamartha", "Amarattwa", "Sarvanaykattwa", "Bhavna" and "Siddhi". Thus there are eighteen types of successes. Mother Siddhidatri is capable of rendering all these forms of successes to her devotees. According to the Purans, Lord Shiva achieved salvation by the grace of this deity. The deity is seen sometimes sitting on a lotus and sometimes mounted on a lion. She is four armed. The lower right hand of the Goddess holds a disc and the upper right hand holds a club. The lower left hand holds a conch shell and the upper hand holds a lotus. She is worshipped on the ninth day of the Durga puja. She is the ultimate form of the Goddess among the Navadurga. After having performed the worship of the other forms of the Goddess according to the rituals mentioned in the Sashtra, the devotee can then start the worship of this deity. Those who worship the Goddess with full devotion are bestowed with all the success. She has been unified with the forces of sustenance and salvation of the great Lord Vishnu".

8th day Navaratri: Mahagouri

Swami Vishwananda celebrates tonight:

Mahagouri - The Mother's eighth form is known as "Mahagouri". She is mounted on an ox and has four hands. Her top right hand is rendering fearlessness and the hand below holds a trident. The top left hand holds a "Damru" and the hand below is in a gesture of giving a boon. To have Shiva as her husband she went through a rigorous penance in the form of "Parvati". As a result of this arduous meditation her complexion turned dark. Lord Shiva, pleased with the devotion of Parvati, bathed her in the holy water of the Ganges. As she bathed in the holy water she turned fair. From then onwards she became known as "Mahagouri". She is worshiped on the eighth day of the Durga puja. The devotee is benefited on all fronts as he worships the deity. Due to the Goddess's grace the devotee attains supernatural salvation, he is relieved from all his pains and fatigue and can set himself free from his previous sins. He is never faced with sorrow and poverty and never commits any sin. The devotee wins pure and endless virtue.

7th night Navaratri: Kaalrati

Swami Vishwananda celebrates tonight:

Kalaratri – Mother Goddess's seventh form is "Kaalratri". Her complexion is as dark as the night. Her cascading hair is let loose and she is seen wearing a garland that radiates light as bright as lightning. She is fearsome with her menacing three eyes, radiating fire. She is mounted on an donkey. She has four hands, of which, the top right hand is in a gesture of rendering boon to all. The other hand on her right is rendering fearlessness. The top left hand is holding an iron dagger and the other hand is holding a sickle. Although she has a menacing appearance, she always delivers favorable results and her devotees need not fear her manifestations. She is worshiped on the seventh day of the Durga puja. Devi Kaalratri destroys the evil. If anyone whole-heartedly pleads of saving him from any impending danger, she protects him. As and when the Goddess is called, the evils instantaneously disappear from the place. By the Goddess's grace, the devotees overcome their fear of fire, water, animals and foes.

6th day Navaratri: Katyaayani

Swami Vishwananda celebrates tonight:

Katyaayani is the sixth form of Devi Durga. Sage Katyaayan was the son of the great sage Kat. Sage Kattayan was born in the "Katya" clan. He was engaged in rigorous penance and worship of "Bhagavati Paramba". His prayer was all about requesting the mother to appear in his house-hold as his daughter. Mother Bhagavati obliged him. After some time, when, the world was terrorized of Mahishasura, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva with their divine powers gave form to a Goddess to combat asura and destroy him. Katyaayan was the first to worship her and that is why she is known as "Devi Kattayani". It is mentioned in the Shastra that Katyaayani was born as the daughter of the sage Kattayan. Taking birth on the fourteenth day of the new moon in "Aashwin" (September-October), she accepted the worship of the sage Kattayan on Saptami, Astami and Navami and ultimately slew Mahishasura on Dashami. The deity‘s complexion is as bright as gold. She has four hands. The top right hand is positioned in a gesture of providing courage and the other hand is positioned in a gesture of rendering a boon. The top left hand is holding a sword and the other holding a lotus. The Goddess is mounted on a lion and she is worshiped on the sixth day of the Durga puja. If one worships the deity with a pure soul he attains success in religion, wealth, passion and salvation. Disease, sorrow and fear are eliminated. Worship of this deity helps one to emancipate himself from the sin he may have committed over the cycle of his births and rebirths. We should all devote our prayers to the mother to lead a better life.

5th day Navaratri: Skandamata

Swami Vishwananda celebrates today:

Skandamata – The fifth form of the mother is known as Skandamata. Kumar Kartik‘s other name is Skanda. As devi Durga is the mother of Kartik, she is referred to as "Skandamata". This form of the deity has four arms. The mother is seen holding her son Skanda with the top right hand and she is holding a lotus in her lower hand. The top left hand is positioned in a blessing gesture and the other hand holds a lotus. The goddess is fair and sits on a lotus. That is why the devi is also known as "Padmasana". Here she is seen mounted on a lion. If anyone worships her whole-heartedly, she fulfills the wish of the devotee.

There was some dancing last night:

4th day Navaratri: Kushmanda

Swami Vishwananda celebrates today:

Kushmanda -

The fourth appearance of the devi is in the form of Kushmanda. The mother gets the name as she created the universe with a smile. When there was darkness everywhere and there was no existence of the universe she created the universe with a smile. She is believed to be the source of eternal power. The Goddess has eight arms and that is why she is also known as "Ashtabhuja". The deity‘s seven hands hold the holy urn (Kamandul), a bow, an arrow, a lotus, a pot containing wine, a disc and a club. The eighth hand holds a string of rosary beads that is believed to provide success and prudence. Pumpkin is termed as "Kushmandam" in Sanskrit. Amongst the sacrificial vegetables that are offered in the worship of the Goddess (naibidhya), pumpkin is the most important vegetable with which Devi Kushmanda is most placated. That is why she is named "Kushmanda". She is worshiped on the fourth day of the Navratri celebration abiding by the rituals that are described in the Sashtra and the Purans. Worship of this form of the Devi exterminates sorrow and diseases and augments life, fame and strength. Mother Goddess is appeased with the slightest of devotion and if any one whole-heartedly worships the deity he will certainly gain her favour.

3rd day Navaratri: Chantrakanta

Swami Vishwananda celebrates today: Chandraghanta - Mother Durga‘s third form is known as Chandraghanta. This name finds its justification in the half moon seen on the temple of the Goddess that resembles a bell. The deity has ten arms. The ten hands of the Goddess brandish ten different weapons. Mounted on a tiger this form of the mother is worshiped on the third day of the Navratri celebration. It is believed that a devotee who manages to earn the devi‘s blessings can set himself free from his sins and hazards that he has committed or may face in his life. The devotee gains the power to sense the supernatural, to see it and even smell the eternal fragrance. He is also able to distinguish the otherwise inaudible celestial sounds. This is the time when the devotee should be alert. Although the deity is always envisaged in the fearsome mood of demolishing the evil, her appearance always spreads a calm and eternal peace all round. Mother Chandraghanta‘s devotees spread peace and happiness wherever they go. We should all whole-heartedly worship the mother with a devoted soul. Worship of the deity helps one eliminate the sorrow, hazards and dangers in ones life.

2nd day Navaratri: Bramacharini

Swami Vishwananda celebrates today: Bramacharini

In this form Durga is two-armed and carries a rosary and sacred water pot (Kamandalu). She is in a highly pious and peaceful form or is in meditation. This form of Durga is related to the severe penance undertaken by Sati and Parvati in their respective births to attain Lord Shiva as husband. Some of the most important Vratas observed in different parts of India by women is based on the strict austerities followed by Brahmacharini. She is also known as Tapasyacharini and is worshipped on the second day of Navrathri.

The most importand quality of Mata Bramacharini is disciplin. If you pray to her, she will help!

1st day Navaratri: Shailaputri

To day Swami Vishwananda celebrates: Shailaputri

In this form Durga is two-armed and carries a trident and lotus. Her mount is an ox or bull. Sailaputri is believed to be the rebirth of Sati, the daughter of Daksha and the wife of Lord Shiva. In her second birth she is Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya and later she became the consort of Shiva. This is one of the very first forms of Shakti and is closely associated with Lord Shiva. Shailaputri is worshipped on the first day of Navaratri.

Shailaputri helps to overcome the pride of the divine beings (which are also we)

A shower of Love

My first private interview with Swami Vishwananda lasted two minutes. I walked in thinking to myself ‘what am I letting myself into?’, sat down and asked him what I was supposed to do, as I had no idea of what a Guru was or did. He said in the sweetest voice ‘tell me your problems’ to which I began to cry. He then materialised a pendant for me with Shirdi Baba on one side and Lakshmi on the other. Who would have thought that five years later I was to become a brahmacharini, let alone a brahmacharini with the same name – Lakshmi. I left the room with a heavy feeling in my heart and still crying. When I got home I sat on my bed looking at the pendant, trying to fathom what had just happened and was in tears. The crying continued incessantly. I remember trying to hide from people at home because I didn’t know what was happening. By the third day I could no longer take it. Swami was still in the country and so I called Swami Vishwananda ’s cousin who was the one who introduced me to Swami, and told him what was happening. He said not to worry and that it happens to a lot of people. Within five minutes of getting off the phone the crying stopped. Life from that day onwards has never been the same. Spirituality took a different turn altogether. Everything that I had read about in spiritual books I began to experience. I noticed that everyday I was learning something new and that progress on the spiritual path had quickened. Being around Swami Vishwananda was amazing. That feeling of finally being somewhere where I belonged, being ‘at home’ was so beautiful. So much was happening with Swami in my life that it was easy to forget things that were once so important. I prayed for so long for someone to come and help me, to answer all the questions that I had about life that two or three years after meeting Swami, I realised that He was this person I had been asking for all my life. He opened my eyes to a lot of things. I was changing inside, all for the better. I felt Him there everyday of my life. I also began to notice little ‘miracles’ happening. For example, money turning up whenever I needed it most, things working out to my advantage, little desires being fulfilled, all of which I knew were because of Him. There was a darshan in London in February 2004 and that night it snowed and the temperature was freezing. I was fortunate enough to travel home in the same car as Swami Vishwananda but I remember my feet being so cold that I actually wished I was in a warmer car! While I was talking to my friend and Swami Vishwananda was talking to his cousin I kept saying in my mind ‘my feet are so cold, my feet are so cold’. After a while I suddenly felt warmth in and around my feet, as if someone had put a heater right underneath them. Thanks Swami for saving my feet from being frozen to death! by Lakshmi - UK

Three Spoons Sugar

Once, in a privat house, Swamiji asked me to prepare a tea for him. He was sitting in the diningroom, his back towards me in the kitchen. While I was pouring the sugar into the tea, he was calling from the the other room: "Please take more sugar... not two spoons, please, take three spoons!"

Swamiji's Halwa Prasadam Recipy

In early times when Swamiji gave the first Darshans, he sometimes cooked the Prasadam himself. He was happily singing while mixing the ingredients together. Here the recipy: Ingredients: ¾ pack butter ground cardamon cinnamon almonds raisins 1 cup semolina 1 cup sugar 4 cups boiling water Preparations: dissolve sugar in boiling water heat butter in a deep pan add spices and alomds add semolina and stirr untiol the smell changes add sugar-water and keep stirring until the mass is getting thick add raisins if you like

You can never love to much

When I first met Swami Vishwananda, I felt such divine love I wanted to be with that love as much as possible. At that time Swami visited the United Kingdom, where I live, only twice a year. Shortly after I met him, I was informed that Swami was scheduled to do a yajna ceremony in Switzerland and I decided to go. According to my information the yajna was to be in the town of Locarno, Switzerland near a lake. I was looking forward to a lovely, relaxing weekend until I heard that the accommodations were to be in a cowshed! Undeterred, I managed to find a small hotel nearby. I boarded the plane to Zürich, the nearest airport, and from then on chaos seemed to reign. Somehow I missed the person who was supposed to pick me up, as well as the other people from London who were supposed to meet us at the airport in Zürich. They also missed their plane from London. I was forced to find my own way. Then I learned that the yajna was not in Locarno but rather the town of Lugano. I finally found the right train to Lugano just in time to board. I had to change trains and finally get two different buses on my way to the correct place. Then I discovered that we were to go to the top of a mountain in a cable car to Swami Vishwananda’s yajna location. Testing my determination, the confusion continued. I thought I was going to be beside a lake, but we were outside on a mountaintop and I was freezing cold. Someone kindly loaned me a blanket and gloves. Then, being uninformed, I missed the last cable car down the mountain to my hotel and was faced with spending the night on the cold mountain sleeping in a cowshed! To make matters even worse, my torch broke and I was constantly walking in cow dung. Not having an alternative, I spent a very uncomfortable night on the mountain and took the first cable car down in the morning to my hotel. That experience was not what I expected! After a few hours sleep at my hotel, I awoke in a very bad mood. Nevertheless, I decided to return to the mountain at the scheduled time to receive Swami’s darshan. I took my mood and irritation with me and eventually left the group and found a quiet spot under a bush to lick my wounds like an animal might. As I sat there, all of a sudden I started hyperventilating and to my dismay could not control it. [A few years prior to my Swiss mountaintop experience I had written a book about hyperventilation and its link with many diseases. I considered myself an expert on how to control hyperventilation through the breath.] As I continued to sit alone under the bush, I began to experience terrible pains around my heart and wondered if I was having a heart attack! I thought, I was supposed to be spending a quiet weekend beside a Swiss lake and not on a mountaintop having a possible heart attack! I knew the nearest hospital was hours away; what a way to die! Rarely one to cry, under the lonely bush I suddenly started weeping uncontrollably. A few minutes later the heart pain disappeared and I felt much better. During the pain and weeping, my whole being had become enveloped in very deep love for everything and everyone. The feeling was so beautiful that I got up from under the bush and walked around in a completely different state of consciousness. My new awareness was so overpowering that I found myself wondering if I would be strong enough to handle all the love I was feeling. I thought, How will I cope with everyday life in this state of consciousness? I asked Swami Vishwananda these questions. Characteristically, he answered simply, “You can never love too much”. At the completion of the weekend, friends drove me to the Zürich airport to catch my plane back to the UK. The chaos of my travels to the yajna reappeared. We lost our way and, as a result, I missed my plane and had to pay a huge surcharge to get on the next plane. Still in the awareness of love I had experienced on the Swiss mountaintop with Swami Vishwananda, none of my weekend, travel trauma-dramas mattered anymore. Subsequently, I have no interest in relaxing weekends, per se, but only in experiencing the Divine Love Swami brings into my life and the lives of all those who meet him. Madhevi – United Kingdom

Love has changed my life

My first connection with Swami Vishwananda occurred sometime before I actually met him. It was at the end of the year 1999 when I had a strange dream. In the dream, I was upstairs in a building that reminded me of the school I had attended in my youth. The room was filled with people milling around. As I came to the entrance of the doorway I stopped and just watched. Suddenly a man who looked like he was of Indian nationality, and who was dressed in a long white robe, started walking toward me. He knelt down in front of me and started untying my shoelaces. The dream ended with the man handing me a piece of chocolate wrapped in silver paper. I found this dream to be very strange. Afterwards I thought that the man in my dream resembled Babaji, but there was also something different about him that I couldn’t put my finger on. About two weeks after my dream, I had an impulsive thought to visit a spiritual centre in Germany the next day. I had sometimes gone there on Sunday mornings to attend the yajnas, but I hadn’t been there in a while. When I arrived at the centre the next morning, I saw numerous cars parked opposite the temple. I thought that there must be some sort of special event taking place and I approached the entrance of the temple hesitantly. As I came to the door, I saw a notice taped to it that said, “Interviews with Swami Vishwananda, first floor”. As I read the notice, I instantly felt trapped. The thought crossed my mind to just get back into the car and drive home, but I was a long way from home and I felt that for some reason, God wanted me to be there. I eventually made my way into the temple and a short while later the arati began. Then someone made the announcement that there would be satsang with Swami following a short tea break. During the break my hands began to tremble and my heart was pounding. I felt like fainting even though that is not my nature. I managed to surrender the whole situation to the Lord. Just at that moment Swami entered the temple and looked into my eyes; my heart melted with love. Tears started to roll down my cheeks as a gentle fragrance of roses filled the air around him. All the people were seated in a circle and a special seat had been prepared for Swamiji. However, he ignored the chair, which had been beautifully decorated with flowers, and sat down on the floor with all of us instead. I was immediately touched by his simplicity and humility. Suddenly his gaze shifted to me. His glance touched me deeply, and I felt an inner awakening of love strike a chord within my soul. Again tears ran down my face and I found myself in a state of divine bliss that stayed with me for the next two days. Six years have passed since I first met Swami Vishwananda. In those six years, the fire of transformation and love has completely changed my life completely. I have managed to see Swami only once during those six years. However, I feel that Swami Vishwananda is always with me in the same way that Babaji and the Divine Mother have always held their protective hands over me. M.N. - Germany

The wasp killer

This morning Swami Vishwananda is working to his schedule plan for next year. I write on the laptop, He was sitting next to the table. Suddenly a wasp is flying around Swami ‘s head and goes in his hairs. I push it out but it goes on the other side of Swami’s head. I begin to get nervous. Swami says to the wasp: “Please go out or this man (meaning me) will kill you.” I stand up, go to the outside door and open it. I am not finish to open the door when I see the wasp flying outside. Surprised I answer: “This was really quick. The wasp understood good your words, Swami”.

by Pritalananda

Swami Vishwananda’s life-saving protection

Around midday, I returned to my rented cottage in Johannesburg on the property of a friend who was in Switzerland visiting her parents. I had opened the automated gate, but instead of continuing down the driveway as usual, I had stopped to remove the post that was in the post-box. Something made me glance towards the main house. I saw an unusual sight. There were boxes in disarray on the lawn outside the bedroom window. I knew instantly there were or had been burglars. I closed the gate and immediately drove to the nearest shop to call the police. From there, I went to a neighbour’s house to wait. While sipping the sweet hot tea my neighbours had served me, I thanked my guardian angels. When the police arrived, we first made sure that the property was free of the intruders before we entered the main house. It was as if a small hurricane had struck – there were open cupboards, possessions strewn around, furniture moved, and so on. The intruders had broken in not long before my arrival, as evidenced by the shoes one of them had left behind in his rush to get away. Fortunately, they had been interrupted and had fled the property, so the owner had not lost many possessions. However, given worse timing, I could easily have been gunned down by the owner’s weapon which the police had found under her sideboard. After the officers left, I locked myself in my cottage. Still shaken, I was considering what I should do now, have another strong, sweet cup of tea… yes, and then, the cottage gate bell rang. I answered, there was no response. After my tea, I was calmer and had begun to think more clearly about the next step when the house gate bell rang. Again I answered, and again there was no response. I then called the police, knowing that the intruders were testing me. The police arrived and checked the property again, finding nothing, reassuring me that it was all in my imagination. Trusting my instincts, I called numerous independent security companies to dispatch a night guard to the property. One switchboard operator after the other said, “It’s too late now lady, please call in the morning.” I felt fear running down my spine and questioned what to do next. Should I stay or leave? By that time it was sunset and I had made the decision to be brave and stay. Then my mobile phone rang. It was Swami Vishwananda calling from Germany to ask, “Hilde, what is going on? You are in grave danger. You are not to be alone. Call someone immediately. They are to stay with you for a few days”, he warned. Hearing his voice, my first thought was, Thank God it’s you, beloved Swami. My body relaxed and tears streamed down my cheeks. My next thoughts were, How did he know? I’m cared for…I matter. And a lifetime of thoughts like, I’m alone…, I have to do it on my own…and nobody really cares, dissolved instantly. My call for help was answered on all levels in such a miraculous way. Listening to Swami Vishwananda’s advice, I called my daughter Jessica and her husband. They came immediately to spend the night in the cottage with me. I had had an exhausting and frightening day. Because the case could not be opened by the police until the owner returned, I left the premises the following day. I employed a private security company to guard the property for the remaining week before my friend’s return. Meanwhile, I had received her permission to have an electric fence installed around the circumference of the property. Unfortunately, in the violent and poverty stricken South Africa of today, even measures like these hardly deter criminals. Three months later, while preparing to move to a new home, I found my friend’s gold jewellery hidden beneath some potted plants on my cottage veranda. This explained why I was still in danger in the days following the burglary. The burglars seemed to have been interrupted by the timing of my return and had unfinished business. Thank goodness for the protection of our guru. The infinite grace of your being never ceases to touch me and my life, Swami. Thank you and thank you God. H. L. - South Africa

A scent of flowers in my bedroom

Already quite a while before meeting Swami Vishwananda in person I had a strong feeling of a higher presence being with me. One evening, about three months before finally meeting him I was visiting with my aunt. It was a rainy, windy day and so I had the windows of my room closed. At about 10 pm I retired to have some time for silence and meditation before going to bed. Upon entering my room I immediately sensed a different energy, very soft, very gentle, very beautiful, like a golden light though invisible to my eyes. And the whole room was filled with a scent of flowers. There was a presence in my room so palpable that it made me slow down and smile and I greeted whoever was there by saying, “Hi”. I knew that I was being visited by a divine presence and this beautiful scent of flowers was like a greeting to confirm that this was real and that he was there with me and that I was being loved. Prajna, Springen

Feastday of Mother Mary's Birthday

On the 8th of September the great feastday of the Theotokos is celebrated in the orthodox and the catholic tradition. (http://saintsoftheday108.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-8-nativity-of-blessed-virgin.html) While decoratong the chapel in Springen this morning, we recogniced that one of our beautiful icons of Mother Marywas full of wonderful smelling oil running down the icon. This Icon already started to oil at the Ascention day, 15th of August. Dakshini/Drishti, Springen

I'm not a hopeless case!

Recently a friend told me about an excerpt from the Babaji book “Unity with the Devine”. (*) It basically says that the old-fashioned guru-disciple roles are out-dated. It helped me a lot to understand my Guru´s teaching better and gave me the confidence that- despite my “unholy” enjoyments and my involvement in worldly matters- I´m not a hopeless case! Well, at least not in the eyes of the one that created me- and my own eyes don´t see well enough to judge… *Epistle eighteen: “The traditional model of surrendering body, mind and soul to the guru or spiritual teacher is passé. In present time the teacher functions like a balancing wheel. With his guidance you must do your own inner and outer transformation into enlightment! The divine plan for surrender in today’s time is to the Guru Within.” (Unity with the Divine) Rajani / Center Springen

Pink Vibhuti

On one occasion Swami visited his aunt’s place in Beau Bassin. There he saw a lovely picture on the wall in the kitchen and said, “I want that picture. I need it”. – “Here… you can have it”, his aunt replied. Soon after, everyone proceeded to the Rose-Hill ashram where Swami gave his aunt a picture frame in exchange for the picture. She put it behind the door and when she went to get the frame before leaving, to her astonishment, the picture was covered with fuchsia-pink coloured vibhuti.

Visit from Swami Atmachaithanya

A few days ago we were honourd to welcome Swami Atmachaithanya from Kerala/India here in our center. Under his guidance we celebrated the traditional south Indian Onam Festival (http://www.onamfestival.org/) by doing flower mandalas in the Temple and entrance hall. Afterwards Swami Atmachaithanya cooked for us a very delicious Indian meal.It was a wonderful time we had in the presence of this two Masters. For information about Swami Atmachaithanya please see: http://www.atmachaithanya.org/

The coconut tree

In November 1992, I was on holiday in Mauritius. I was staying with my mum and Swami Vishwananda visited us almost every day. He was fourteen years old. One very hot day he came by the house to visit us. We sat down and shared some refreshing coconut water that our neighbour had sent over. Later, Swami Vishwananda went into the back garden. He looked up at our coconut tree, which was drooping with several heavy bunches of more than fifty coconuts, and said to my mum, “Why doesn’t uncle get these lovely coconuts down for aunty to drink?” Mum replied, “We need to wait until they are ripe”. “But they seem to be very good now”. Mum insisted, “No, no, they are not ready yet. They don’t have the proper colour”. “Mhmhmhm! Mhmhmhmh”, was all he said. We were eating jackfruit and mangoes. After some time, Swami decided to leave and said goodbye. As he was heading towards the gate, we heard a big BANG from behind the house. We all ran to the back garden. I was the first one to arrive and to my great surprise, the branch holding all the coconuts had broken and the bunch of fifty coconuts were lying on the ground! Swami Vishwananda said, “Come on, come on, get an axe now”. He started cutting the coconuts. They were nice and creamy, with lots of water inside. We all sat down and enjoyed the tasty coconut fruit and water. I couldn’t believe my eyes. That was one of the first miracles I witnessed. He was only fourteen years old at the time, and the coconut tree is still there to remind me of the experience, which is still so vivid in my memory.

(by an aunty of Swami Vishwananda)

Visit of Swami Atmachaythanya

Yesterday Sri Swami Atmachaithanya arrived here for a 3 day visit. We did some bhajans in the temle and he explaind the meening of the Onam Festival which he will celebrate with us here at the 2nd of September. In Kerala all the people do this festival together, no matter if they are Hindus, Muslime or Cristians. (http://www.onamfestival.org/) On Wednesday we cook together the traditionel Onasadya-meal and do flower mandalas.

Swami Atmachaitanya's webpage: http://www.atmachaithanya.org/