God surrenders to Love! Take one step towards God, God will take 100 steps towards you!

After five months of longing, Sri Swami Vishwananda graced us all again with a Darshan at Shree Peetha Nilaya, where his new ‘Dynamic Darshan’ was also experienced.

This new style of Darshan happened for the first time in Prague, on the 8th November, when 2000 people came to Sri Swami Vishwananda to receive an individual Darshan. Normally, we would have expected that as the numbers increase the Darshan would maybe change from individual to a collective Darshan, or then the individual Darshan would be just a quick touch and that's it! But, no. Instead of giving a more quick or distant Darshan, it happened actually the opposite; Sri Swami Vishwananda got up and started walking among the people, very close to everybody, meeting the people, where they were, waiting for him.

Sri Swami Vishwananda ‘Dynamic Darshan’ at Shree Peetha Nilaya. He not only walked among the people but bent himself to reach each one, in such a way that to give Darshan to little children he bent his knees, to be at their level.

If we look deeply into this happening, we will see that it reflects very beautiful and touching truths:

- God surrenders Himself to the people who look for Him. God is closer than ever to the people – God literally walks among the people. It is said, "Take one step towards God, God will take 100 steps towards you;

- God is only bound by Love, like Sri Swami Vishwananda explained during the Govinda Festival in Switzerland, also referred as Damodara Karthik, which commemorated the Damodara Leela of Lord Krishna. So, when more and more people are called to come for Darshan, God even becomes closer to people, because what drives these people to come to Him is His own Love inside of them. And this is the eternal connection between all and God – His Love. His Love encompasses everything. Nothing exists apart from His Love.

Easy to talk or write about these truths, but difficult for human beings to perceive it. Sri Swami Vishwananda keeps reminding us of this truth over and over again and he enacts this truth all the time, although most part of times we are not aware of it.

His Darshan helps to open the heart and purify the mind in order to give to each one the opportunity to, not only have a glimpse of that truth but to come to the point of living it fully. Because as Sri Swami Vishwananda repeats continuously in his message simply described as ‘Just Love’, this is the ultimate goal of life - God's Love.

Testimony - The impact of Sri Swami Vishwananda's ‘Dynamic Darshan’

“It is so nice to come for Darshan. Guruji always smiles at me, like saying that is happy to see me and he always asks me, ‘How are you?’ His smile makes me feel that he is like a good father who knows more about my life than myself and smiles like saying very sweetly, ‘Just wait! Everything is going okay.’ I feel safe.

(...testimony continues after the photos)

 

Sri Swami Vishwananda cares for each person individually so beautifully, that even after 10-12 hours of Darshan he still gives to each one the same Love and attention as if the person was the first one to receive Darshan.

"Normally after getting Darshan, I go out of the Centre, because I feel like being alone. Yesterday, I experienced something completely new. I could not step out and go away. I had to sit there and then I could experience on the other side what was going on in people after they had received Darshan. I can not really explain but it was very interesting.

"Some of them started crying, some seemed to have been blessed with inner peace, others seemed very happy. One woman started crying but not out of unhappiness. It seemed as if she knew that something had changed for the better. It was a great interesting thing to see, the effect of Darshan on other people. At that moment I felt like I was a part of that. And it was so great! And another thing that touched me deeply, it happened just before Darshan started. It filled me up with love.

"I was standing in the line and saw Dristhi (event organiser) taken an old lady by the hand to Swamiji in the front. And then one man in  a wheelchair was also brought to Swamiji. It felt like being part of a big family. It was great! It felt as if we were One! I felt that nobody in that room was alone. Everyone was together. Everything was so full of peace at that moment.”

- Timo Hördt, Holzhausen, Germany.

An eternal moment of Divine Peace

Bhakti Marga family connected by livestreamed Darshan

The Worldwide Bhakti Marga family was also connected to the Darshan at Shree Peetha Nilaya through the livestreamed available in the Bhakti Marga website. An overwhelming gratitude was showered by devotees rejoicing with the online Darshan in Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, United States of America.

The priceless moments of the Darshan with Sri Swami Vishwananda at Shree Peetha Nilaya were livestreamed through the Bhakti Marga website .

Life experiences with Sri swami Vishwananda

During the Darshans of Sri Swami Vishwananda there is an extraordinary moment when people share their life experiences with him. Among the experiences shared yesterday we have selected the one below:

(Speech translated live by Swami Vishwakurunandhanananda)

“She met Guruji in 1998, in Switzerland. She remembers him coming to her place and she had a dead plant at her home. Guruji bent over and did something to the plant... touch it. After some days the plant became green and started growing big. Then, it started blossoming, first 3 flowers and then 4 and 6, 7 flowers. This happened sixteen years ago. Now, sixteen years have passed but everytime she comes to see Guruji the plant blossoms newly. So now, it is Autumn and normally a plant goes into a winter sleep, but again this time, the moment she decided to come and see Guruji, the plant started to blossom 3, 4 and then 7 flowers.” - T., Switzerland.

Sri Swami Vishwananda had previously revealed to us that “even the angels bow down when God is around. Why do you think that when one realises the unity with the Divine, when one ascends to a high degree of spirituality the law of nature bends to that person? Because God dwells inside, and when God shines through that person, of course, the law of nature bends. The law of nature is governed by the angels and archangels and they all bow down as well.”

Tonight's Darshan at SPN to be Livestreamed

Tonight's Darshan at Shree Peetha Nilaya with Sri Swami Vishwananda at 16:00 (CET Central European Time) will be livestreamed!

The Darshan later this month (29 Nov) will be as well.

The link to access the Live Stream is:
http://www.bhaktimarga.org/livestream

If you can't make it physically to the centre, hopefully we'll see you tonight, at least online!

Swami Vishwananda's 'Dynamic Darshan'

As the numbers in the vast hall in Prague swelled and the Darshan proceeded in the usual fashion, with Swami Vishwananda seated at the front of the hall, suddenly Guruji got up and said "come I'll do the Darshan differently"

The two lines were told to part and turn to face each other. Then Guruji started giving Darshan standing up, walking from person to person in the line. With him went an entourage carrying everything Guruji needed including Chandan, Vibhuti, Sweets and towel. 

Not only was Guruji able to give the Darshan blessing more quickly and comfortably but it seemed different. Even Guruji himself commented on how nice the Darshan felt; 

Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed then new Darshan style especially as Swamiji was in different parts of the hall and was closer to people.

At the following event in Bratislava Swamiji did the "Dynamic Darshan" again and strongly hinted that he might do it regularly, especially when there are very large numbers of people

Later we learnt that Guruji prayed to Krishna for a different way to do Darshan so there was less pressure on his back, "then the idea just flashed before me" Guruji said later.

Sri Swami Vishwananda in our Music Studio

Since the Bhagavad Gita Course in August it was clear: There will be a book and an audio version of Sri Swami Vishwananda's Bhagavad Gita interpretations.

Our transcription team has been working almost continuously on it and from what I heard, the book will be a 'weighty' production.

There will also be an audio version of the 18 chapters of the entire course with Swamiji's explanations.

For this, Guruji has been sitting the last two afternoons in our small recording studio and spoke the 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit on the mic as the live recordings were partially disturbed from some noises during the course.

The expected date for the book in English will be about Shivaratri 2015, and the audio version will be available around Summer 2015.

Seven Days of Heaven - Sri Swami Vishwananda visits Bellingham Washington, USA

After months of planning and preparation a dream was fulfilled at midnight on Tuesday, October 28, when a small group of devotees in Bellingham, Washington, welcomed Guruji back to the US after a six-year absence.

He was greeted with big smiles, enthusiastic waves and chants of Om Namo Narayanya, then taken to Varahi and Kailash’s home to settle in for a beautiful week of celebrations.

The apple tree by the temple had begun to bloom just before Swamiji's arrival - far out of season!

One local devotee said, “It is a miraculous experience to recognise one’s Guru for the first time. When our eyes met at the airport, I knew my heart would never be the same again. He has transformed me, opening my heart like a rose, petal by petal.”

On Thursday, 180 people were treated to a three-and-a-half hour Satsang and a surprise Darshan.

Nearly half of the audience came from out of town, some from as far away as Germany, New England, Mexico, Florida, Hawaii, California and Canada. Among other things, Swami spoke about Love as the most powerful force in the universe and shared a parable about the importance of focusing on our own connection to God and goodness rather than judging others. Reports continue to come in describing how deeply moved participants were, along with their recognition that something important within them has shifted.

The local devotees were blessed with such an infusion of Love, unity and patience as guests from near and far came together to support all the festivities with donations, shopping, cooking, garlands, decorating, setting-up and cleaning up before, during and after the events. A new devotee to the fold reflected how “the Love light that Guruji emanated strengthened and enlivened the community in ways that were visible and tangible", further noting how it "created a heart-opening presence in each person that is sure to linger and grow.”

Swamiji gave birthday blessings to three devotees at the end of the Darshan

Saturday was inauguration day for the Shrinivas Temple, which means "the home of Lakshmi". The two beautiful Lakshmi-Narayana murtis were named Deenabandu, meaning “friend to the poor.”

The two murtis prepared to be installed

Guruji's footprints 

The ceremonies included a Guru Puja to Swamiji, a Kalash Puja, Homa, Abishekam and Darshan of the newly enlivened and installed Deities.

Karan, originally from Bellingham, and now living in the SPN ashram, giving a short explanation about his experiences of living in Germany

Guru Puja and Pada Abishekam

After the Guru Puja, Sri Swami Vishwananda explained the meaning of the Names of the deities for the people present, and about how the mercy of the Lord is ever-present - that we humans who are poor in spirituality are always being uplifted and supported by God acting in our lives.

It was truly remarkable to witness the palpable transformation from stone to vibrant life in the faces and energies of the murtis. Already they seem to have taken on distinct personalities.

The next day, Lakshmi tossed the bell rose off Her garland at the pujaris doing morning puja, and then later in the day one of the other roses miraculously turned itself around to form another bell on Her garland! Now, a few days later, both She and Narayana have started to manifest oil from Their eyes and faces!

Guruji was scheduled to leave on Sunday morning, but He surprised us all by extending His visit for another three days. For the devotees blessed to be included, these extra special days were filled with so many precious moments that will live in our hearts for years to come.

Swami prepared a special Mauritian dish for all the devotees

Playing the Bhakti Memo game 

Springen connecting with Bellingham to see what Guruji was up to

Satsang about Krishna and Sudama

Swami honoured us with impromptu Satsangs, including one on the Guru Gita and another that brought tears to our eyes as He shared the story of Sudama and Krishna. We spent hours late into the night singing bhajans together, dancing and sharing our personal stories with one another. Some of our favorite times were the intimate dinners Guruji cooked for us.

Swami was amazingly accessible and performed so many miracles during His visit. Despite the shorter days of the approaching winter we experienced more light than ever. The chaos and darkness of the Kali Yuga in the outside world faded away as He blessed us with the luxury of being able to see the light of the Divine more easily. Although many of us are novices to the ways of being in relationship with a Guru, He was magnanimously patient with our naiveté, simply smiling and shaking His head like one would with little children. We were so very blessed and forever changed by His loving presence and generous gifts of His time, wisdom and Grace.

The stories are many, here are a few reflections of our remarkable week with Guruji. Those with eyes to see and ears to hear gained new insights into how to be in relationship with the Divine, with Swami as Guru and each other. One young man was impressed by the power of Guruji’s simple truths which is helping him to stop over-analysing and complicating things so he can simply be in the 'now'. A guest from Ohio was most touched by Swamiji’s reflections that “although the US has all the material comforts, we are spiritually bankrupt and if we want to have some meaning in our lives and peace it would serve us well to dedicate our lives to God, service and humanity.” Several new people came to the first OM Chanting circle in the newly initiated temple, and all who attended remarked as to how it was the most powerful one they had ever experienced. Our local Sanga is excited and committed to sharing Swami’s teachings and bringing our larger community even more Love, unity and patience in the coming years.

Swamiji asked that a statue of St. Francis be installed in a tree just next to the temple.

Getting ready to be permanently installed.

Swami said his view of Americans has changed after his visit to Bellingham. He really liked seeing everyone come together for this trip and the way we all responded to His Satsangs. It is our sincerest hope that with the new Shrinivas temple, our deepened devotion and greater understanding of our mission Guruji will be eager to return to the US again and again. Jai Gurudev!