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1 SADHANANANDA KRIYA YOGA FELLOWSHIP Email: [email protected] Website: www.sadhansangit.org NEWSLETTER Issue # 6 April – June 2011 =============================================================== In this issue: 1. Continued Translations from SadGurubani: A Catechism 2. “Yudhisthira’s Dilemma” a Short Parable by Swami Sadhanananda Giri 3. “Lahiri Mahasaya’s Five Advices for Kriyabans” with elucidation by Swami Sadhanananda Giri 4. “A Special Pilgrimage with the Blessing of Guruji and Babaji” by Alfred Brötz 5. “How I Was Led to Guruji” by Wayne Biessman 6. Activities and Upcoming Events Continued Translations from SadGurubani: A Catechism Swami Sadhanananda Giri During the time Swami Sadhanananda Giri was a Brahmachari, He used to sit for hours at His Guru’s feet and ask His Guru questions. He would then write down His Guru’s answers in a notebook. Later He published His notes in a book entitled SadGurubani . Periodically Dr Kalyan Bhattacharyea will offer translations from SadGurubani to this newsletter to provide inspiration and education to English speaking Kriya Yoga practitioners.

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Page 1: SADHANANANDA KRIYA YOGA FELLOWSHIPsadhansangit.org/wp-content/uploads/SKYF_Newsletter_2011_04_Issue_06.pdf · 2 Question 14: How can we get rid of this maya (illusion)? Answer: If

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SADHANANANDA KRIYA YOGA FELLOWSHIP Email: [email protected]

Website: www.sadhansangit.org

NEWSLETTER Issue # 6

April – June 2011 ===============================================================

In this issue:

1. Continued Translations from SadGurubani: A Catechism

2. “Yudhisthira’s Dilemma” a Short Parable by Swami Sadhanananda Giri

3. “Lahiri Mahasaya’s Five Advices for Kriyabans” with elucidation by Swami Sadhanananda Giri

4. “A Special Pilgrimage with the Blessing of Guruji and Babaji” by Alfred Brötz

5. “How I Was Led to Guruji” by Wayne Biessman

6. Activities and Upcoming Events

Continued Translations from SadGurubani: A Catechism

Swami Sadhanananda Giri

During the time Swami Sadhanananda Giri was a Brahmachari, He used to sit for hours at His Guru’s feet and ask His Guru questions. He would then write down His Guru’s answers in a notebook. Later He published His notes in a book entitled SadGurubani. Periodically Dr Kalyan Bhattacharyea will offer translations from SadGurubani to this newsletter to provide inspiration and education to English speaking Kriya Yoga practitioners.

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Question 14: How can we get rid of this maya (illusion)? Answer: If we want to free ourselves from this illusion and unveil reality, we have to progress upwards. That means we have to go towards the Kutustha (the third eye). That is the real kingdom of happiness. We have heaven, earth and hell within our body. From the throat to the Sahasrara (top of our head) is heaven. From the throat to the umbilical or navel area is earth. Hell is the area below the navel area. In the play of birth and death, blood and pus revolve around this hell. The play of illusion goes on and on. Therefore, we need to progress upwards. The Guru will hold our hands and take us upwards. Up to the throat area, i.e. until you are in the fifth plexus or Visuddha Chakra, the mind can indulge in various desires and doubts. When you reach the Visuddha Chakra, the mind becomes Visuddha (purified) and sheds susceptibility to desires, aspirations, resolutions, etc. and the soul gets sublimated. In our special path of sadhana, one can definitely reach the destination of eternity if the direction of our journey is properly set. The advice and directions Lahiri Baba received from his Guru, Babaji, are working wonders among Kriya practitioners around the world. These beautiful teachings and techniques can immediately take us to the path of the Infinite. Our breath becomes still, our vision becomes still and our minds become still and we travel towards the Infinite. Interpretation by Swami Sadhanananda Giri: Pranayama is essential for controlling the restless prana or life force. Stilling of prana is pranayama. Pranayama enables us to still the restless life force and block our physical, mental, neurological and other internal movements. When all these forces coalesce into a single steady flow, an electrical current is generated, which enlightens the consciousness with the light of knowledge. The sadhaka then loses his body consciousness and attains Self-Knowledge.

“Chale bathe chalochittam Nishchole nischalam bhabeth”

Hatha Pradipika This means that if breathing continues during meditation, the mind becomes restless. When breathing ceases, mental activity ceases. When through Kriyayoga techniques, the movement of breath is diminished; the sadhaka gains the ability to completely stop breathing. The nishkam (one without desire) sadhaka achieves the state of Khechari and develops the ability to linger in the infinite void. When the Khechari state happens,

“Manosthira jashya bina balambanam. Vayustira jashya bina nirodhanam. Dhrististiro jashya binabalokanam.

Sha ebo mudra bicharanti Khechari. Jyanashankilani

That means when unwavering mind and vision is achieved and breathing ceases without any effort on the part of the sadhaka, he achieves the state of Khechari mudra. In this state, spiritual wisdom blossoms and the sadhaka’s materialistic attachments loosen. Doubts, suspicions, and misgivings fade away and the mysteries of this world start

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unfolding allowing the sadhaka to continue his journey without hindrances towards the Supreme Reality. Question 15: Then is it our duty is to withdraw our mind from all such illusions and surrender to the feet of Guru? Answer: That is true. When we have come to this world, we must use our discrimination every step of the way. This world is ever changing. Everyone is going after something or somewhere. But no one knows where they are going. Everyone is running after wealth, fame, reputation, etc. But no one can catch the others. The evening cannot get hold of the night. A father cannot get a hold on his son and the son cannot get a hold on his father. Everyone is moving at their own pace remaining unconnected to others. Therefore, you must connect to your Self, the real Self or the inner “I”. We sing* - “Ami Ami kori Bujite na pari I, I, we say, but we do not understand Ke Ami Amate ache ki rattan. Who am I and what wealth is within me Kon shakti bolebarai chole bole With what inner energy we move around Kar abhabe hobe Deho Achetan. Whose absence will make the body inert? Deho maje ache praneri sanchar Within the body is the prana Tahatei boli ami ba amar That I call “I” or “mine” Pran gele chole hobe sabakar When prana goes we live no more Keba kar kotha robe dhon jon. Where will be our possessions and relatives? Praneri Chancholyo Jiv bhab ghote; The restlessness of prana brings the material world Chancholta gelei shob asha mete; When the prana is controlled, desires cease Stithi hole sada dekhi chittyo pote When prana is still, I see within Anka ache bhanka modon mohan. The beauty of Sri Krishna (God) Apaup tar ruper madhuri So beautiful is He Dhristi Matro kore pran churi Looking at Him, it takes my breath away Kemon Mohima Bujhite na pari I cannot fathom His greatness Sakal Pashari heri naba ghan.” Looking at Him I lose my ‘Self’

*This is one of ParamGuru Swami Bhabananda Giri’s favorite songs

Therefore, my only true relationship is with the inner “I”. But no one can catch the real “I”. Everyone is playing with their own possessions while saying “I”. They refer to “I” and “mine” and remain engrossed in “my house”, “my mansion”, “my wealth”, etc. By remaining engrossed in possessions, they have lost the concept of the real “’I”. Question 16: So one cannot understand the root of maya (illusions) without the Guru’s Blessings? Answer: The Guru’s Blessings are definitely there. But one needs to surrender to the Guru as Sri Radha did. One needs to surrender to that sublime Self with shraddha (reverence and deep respect), devotion, love, and affection. One should not forget Him for a single moment. Use this advice in your daily life. Focus on the breathing techniques. Infuse your pranayama with reverence and devotion and you will gain access to the Sublime Self from which you get peace, contentment and bliss. Question 17: But how do we infuse reverence, devotion and love into breathing? Answer: We are alive because we are breathing. Can we live without breathing? Breathing gives us our life force. The existence of Prana within us depends on this life

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force. Our life revolves around breathing. Why should we not have love and reverence towards it? We start our journey towards our ultimate destination through the breathing techniques (as taught by our Guru). If man adopts the breathing techniques (pranayama), then he cannot get engrossed in illusions. Instead he will get engrossed in the breathing technique itself. If one is not aware of the significance of one’s breath, one will fail to comprehend one’s true identity. One should prepare oneself to progress towards the larger Self using breathing techniques. Then everything will work out well and one will be in right company. If we discuss this again and again, the concept will become clear. Otherwise we will remain bound in the play of illusions. In order to understand this game of illusions, one must always follow the path advised by one’s Guru. If one follows one’s Guru’s advice sincerely and sagaciously, one will feel drawn towards God. Shraddha (deep respect) comes first. Then comes Bhakti (divine love) and then Prem (deep divine love). Then you will feel that you have come alone to this world and that only you and your Lord are here. All your possessions belong to your Lord; you are just a gatekeeper. If you nurture those feelings of respect and love and eagerly wait for the company of our Lord, then Shraddha, Bhakti and Prem will gradually manifest within you. Question 18: You mean reverence will come spontaneously if we just focus our minds on breathing? Answer: Yes. If you focus your mind on breathing, you will automatically be led to the path of eternity. Always think “I have come here alone and have to leave this world alone. Only my Lord is with me”. You have a name and a form. But “you” are not a name or a form. Your name and the inner Self are not the same. You have to go beyond your name and form.

Question 19: One plays with name and form and one can also play beyond name and form. Which one is real and which one is unreal? Answer: Both are real. If we comprehend that “I” or my real inner Self is playing with the name and form, then we understand reality. Then our shraddha, bhakti, prem, love, etc. will come and life will become beautiful. Everything is arranged to make life beautiful. He alone is my own. There is no one else. Who else can we have a relationship with? When we feel like that, we are ready to fulfill the true purpose of life. There is nothing else. We have been playing with illusions for many lives. This game of “hide and seek” is never-ending. If we want to end this game, we need to avoid worldly desires and associate ourselves with the Lord or Prana. Only then we will be able to achieve the purpose of life.

Question 20: You spoke about Kaya (body or form) and Maya (illusion). How are they related to each other? Answer: Human beings get attached when they look at Kaya (body or form). Everyone and everything including spouses, children, friends, relatives, wealth etc., are Kaya (with different names and forms). The world is attached to these Kayas. What do we gain from this kind of attachment? Kaya cannot be possessed. The Divine Mother or Supreme Consciousness is enacting Her Divine Play through these Kayas. It is due to this

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Supreme Consciousness that a form becomes attractive. If we are to attain Supreme Consciousness, we need to go beyond this maya (illusion) of outer shell (flesh and skin) and try to attain the Divine within. No one loves the flesh and skin. Everyone loves the Entity within Kaya. When the Supreme Consciousness plays through Kayas, human beings get engrossed in those forms. They get engrossed with the outer skin forgetting the Divine Consciousness within. They forget their true Self when focusing on the illusions of sounds, touch, visual beauty etc. of the Kaya. Therefore, one cannot transcend maya if one does not dive internally beyond the names and forms. You must try to liberate yourself and become a pujari (one who does puja). Do puja (pray). When you do puja, your ego will dissolve. You will be liberated from the eight bondages. You will deserve to be a pujari when you gain the ability to completely surrender (yourself to the Lord**). Only then you will be able to successfully combine Karma, Jnana (Supreme Knowledge) and Bhakti. Translations from SadGurubani to be continued in future newsletters. ** Words added for clarity Editors Notes:

The book, SadGurubani, has a wealth of in-depth knowledge. It is a difficult and formidable task to translate this book. A sincere attempt was made to bring the readers the closest possible English meaning. We acknowledge that in some cases, the translated text has English words that may not reflect the entire meaning of the Bengali words used by Sri Sri Gurudev and/or Sri Sri ParamGurudev. Portions of the original text were summarized for this newsletter with Sri Sri Gurudev’s permission, as these require extensive explanations of Indian scriptures.

Yudhisthira’s Dilemma

A Short Parable by Swami Sadhanananda Giri This column provides translation on short topics spoken about by Swamiji in Bengali. They have

subtle spiritual meanings that can be understood by Kriya Yoga practitioners.

One day Sri Sri Gurudev told us this story about Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava brother in the great Indian epic, The Mahabharata. Yudhisthira had developed an ahamkar (egoistic feeling). Whenever a disciple develops egoistic feelings, the Guru dissolves the feelings in various ways. One day Sri Krishna and Yudhisthira were roaming around in a forest. Suddenly, by Sri Krishna’s divine lila, Yudhisthira saw a strange scene in front of him. A man was standing under a beehive on a tree with his mouth wide open. Honey was dripping down from the hive and the man was drinking it drop by drop. The man was oblivious to his surroundings and did not see a poisonous snake approaching him from behind. Although Yudhisthira cried out to warn the man about the snake, the man did not turn his head. Instead he raised his hand and said, “Wait; let me drink one more drop”. Yudhisthira repeated his warning again, but the man was so engrossed in catching the next drop of honey that he did not notice the snake had raised its hood and was about to strike. Yudhisthira rushed towards the man to save him, but it was too late. The snake had bitten the man. Yudhisthira was in despair; after trying so hard he could not save the man. Sri Krishna smiled and said to Yudhisthira, “You are DharmaRaj (king of Dharma), Yudishtira. Why do you grieve? What you saw was sangsara (continuous cycles of birth

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and death). This kind of scene is regularly enacted in this world. People are always running after more. The snake is the all-consuming-time that will engulf every living being.” Sri Sri Gurudev explained that this story teaches us to be careful so that we do not get attached to the maya in this sangsara. In the above incident, Yudhisthira was sad because he could not save the man. Bhagawan Krishna explained to Yudhisthira that sangsara is the play of “coming and going” (births and deaths). Therefore, do not pay too much attention to those incidents. Whenever someone’s time comes, he or she has to go. The man did not listen to the Jnani (one who has knowledge) and died due to his own karma. Bhagawan Krishna showed Yudhisthira that happiness and sorrow coexist side by side. Editor’s Note: Yudhisthira means ‘steady in war’. Sri Sri Gurudev explains that in our internal world Yudhisthira resides in the Visuddha chakra (the fifth chakra).

Lahiri Mahasaya’s Five Advices for Kriyabans

With elucidation by Swami Sadhanananda Giri (in italics)

1. Consider yourself humble. You are connected to every soul. Pray and serve and always remember you are small (inconsequential). You are His sevak (servant). You are connected to everybody. It is not a physical connection but connection of prana.

2. Regularly do satsangha i.e. regularly associate yourself with spiritual people and read satgrantha i.e. spiritual books (Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagabad Gita, Upanishads etc.)

3. At intervals, meet together and collectively discuss spiritual topics. You can discuss sadhana experiences with your Gurubrothers and sisters only.

4. Never disrespect any name or form of the Divine.

5. Every year remain away from your house, family, near and dear ones for

one month, a fortnight or one week or at least three days. During this time do sadhana, kriyas, meditate, japas, etc. You should not spend this time idly or simply in chitchat.

A Special Pilgrimage With Blessings of Guruji and Babaji

By Alfred Brötz

On January 27, 2011, my wife Blanka and I bade farewell to Guruji and all our Gurubrothers and sisters at the Jujersha Ashram. We were deeply touched by Guruji’s

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love and His words, "Much love,” still rings in my ears. When I asked Guruji how our trip would be. He paused for a moment and then said, "Much blessings Babaji area“. So we left the ashram with a sense of melancholy but with an assurance that Guruji’s protection will always be with us. What follows is a series of miracles and our feelings of gratitude.

We were grateful Milan took us to Howrah Railway station, helped us board the train and also escorted us to our seats. Without Milan’s help, it would have been very difficult for us. We were surprised to find that our seats were next to a Sufi master from Mumbai. We got along with him right away. His ideal was universal love and unity of religions. He had nothing to do with radical Islam. He told us that his ancestors were Sufi masters and he loved his country India dearly. When he took out his lunch package, he invited us to eat with him. The food tasted wonderful. We had completely forgotten to pack some food before boarding the train. The next morning we were again offered food by a young Indian family with two children. I mentally thanked Guruji as it seemed He had a hand in this game.

Arriving in Varanasi we said goodbye to everyone on the train. When we stepped off the train, we were worried about how to find a hotel and deal with the large number of taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers and beggars who would stream towards to us. The first auto-rickshaw driver turned out to be a real angel and ended up being with us for all three days at Varanasi. He showed us hidden temples, places and shops and took us to a concert in a music school. He also took us to Sarnath, the first monastery founded by Buddha Himself after enlightenment. On that site there was also an excellent museum of early Buddhist sculptures, a Jain temple, a Tibetan temple, etc. Gautama, the auto-rickshaw driver, knew about the home of Lahiri Baba and took us there. Of hundreds of taxi drivers probably only ten knew this address! Gautama knew a lot about the Lahiri Mahasaya’s descendents since some of his relatives personally knew Lahiri Mahasaya’s family members. We learned that Lahiri Mahasaya’s family originally owned nearly the whole lane. They were so kind and generous that they let poor people stay in their houses. Gradually they themselves had less and less and ultimately sold some of their property.

The door of Lahiri Mahasaya’s house was locked. I do not know if Lahiri Mahasaya’s great grandson Banamali Lahiri is still alive. Shibendu Lahiri was in France. We bowed reverently, touched the stairs and sat down in the narrow streets opposite the door for several minutes. As we sat we were pleasantly surprised to see several people who passed by stop at the door and bow or touch their heads on the door.

By the way, the owner of the hotel we stayed in Varanasi was called "Buddha". He did not set a fixed price for our room and left the pricing to us. This did not turn out to be a scam. The owner told us he was aware of how hard Westerners work to earn money and he thought that our costs of living were much higher than in India. We were touched. I wrote two pages of comments in our auto rickshaw driver’s guestbook expressing that after meeting him we could get a glimpse of other side of India we had been seeking.

On our last day in Varanasi we gave our rickshaw driver, Gautama, more money than he would normally receive. We observed that before he started his auto rickshaw he always did small puja with incense in front of a photo of Siddhi Sai Baba in the rickshaw. He was Gautama’s Master. Gautama also escorted us to our train compartment. Deeply moved,

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we took farewell. I felt that the incidents in our trip did not occur by accident or coincidence. They were gifts from Guruji and Babaji.

Door of Lahiri Mahasayas House - "B.Lahiri" is His great grandson

During our journey from Varanasi to Haldwani-Kathgodam, we had to change trains at Lucknow. Though we were the only Europeans there, we managed the train switch without problems. Once again we felt Divine guidance. But during our journey from Lucknow to Haldwani, the train was stopped at Bareilly for a long time due to a civil unrest by 15,000 unemployed students. We were told to remain inside the train compartment with our window curtains closed, but through a gap we saw thousands of students had surrounded the train. I felt a clash could erupt any time. At that moment I prayed secretly to Guruji and asked Him to start the train. As my prayer ended, the train suddenly started moving. When the train had picked up half speed, suddenly a fist-sized rock flew through the window of the train and hit a passenger’s hand. Everyone was shocked, but I was unusually calm. Apparently it was the only stone that was thrown at the train and it smashed through our compartment window! Only minutes earlier the wife of the man who was hit, had spontaneously given Blanka handmade socks. Her husband was in a shock, but fortunately not seriously injured. What could have happened if the train had been stopped longer? It could have been more than one stone! The next day while traveling by jeep from Haldwani to the mountains, a tea shopkeeper showed us newspaper pictures of burning buses and occupied trains in Bareilly! I have kept that newspaper as a reminder. What was it? The stone could have hit someone’s head. Perhaps Guruji will explain it to us later. But I am sure He knew all about it and mitigated it. Thank you, Guruji. Thank you, Babaji. During the next few days we were enveloped by the aura of Babaji in Haldwani, Chilianaula, Haidakhan and Kathgaria. But Guruji was always there. It seems they flow together as if there is no difference between them. We had a particularly deep experience in a small temple at Kathgaria, which was supposed to be built by Babaji Himself. Babaji still lives in the minds of the people in this area as “Mahavatar Babaji”, who initiated Lahiri Mahasaya. An old pujari (priest) and a younger one received us at the temple with such sincerity as if we were old friends. We were overwhelmed by their simplicity and piety. For a long time we sat together in the temple, prayed before the

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Babaji-Murthi and talked. They told us some stories about Babaji. Once Babaji threw a few grains of rice on the ground and a large Shiva lingam grew directly out of the ground. The lingam is still there in a small circular temple. The younger priest told us that his great-grandmother was a saintly woman. Once Babaji visited her while she was nursing her baby. He asked her whether he could nurse again. She was irritated and said mother’s milk was only meant for babies. Babaji left the room for a few seconds and immediately came back crawling as a little baby. The priest told us that one day a strong light came out from the Shiva lingam and it was perceived by the people living many miles away from the temple. What took place during our time at the small temple within us was a sacred event and will remain unforgettable. We experienced the same in the living room of Sri Ramakrishna and Guruji, especially when He was ecstatic and full of love. We also went to a cave between Haldwani and Chilianaula where Babaji had meditated for a hundred years. The cave is located right on a small river near the village of Garam Pani. The landscape there has a special shape because of the confluence of two rivers. The cave is filled with sand that came from a great flood in this area. Half of an adjacent temple has broken down. Nevertheless, we felt a huge vibration at the cave. Babaji will probably erase all the old tracks again. From the cave we continued along the winding mountain roads over a 2,000 meter high mountain pass and down to a broad charming river valley and the Bhole Babaji Ashram. This ashram is around a beautiful giant sacred tree. We spent two days there. We also visited another Babaji Ashram in Chilianaula near which Babaji created the palace for his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya.

Babaji’s Cave (between. Haldwani and Chilianaula)

There we were told another story about Babaji. In Bhimtal, a small valley near Nainital, they were building a dam for a reservoir. Babaji worked on the project as an unrecognized laborer. This probably was another of Babaji’s lila. Once a supervisor got upset when suddenly the workers laughed. The supervisor asked Babaji why he was laughing. Babaji replied that he did not laugh because of the supervisor, but because the temple bell at Badrinath had just fallen on the priest’s nose. The supervisor made inquiries and found that this event had happened at the same time as his conversation with Babaji. He understood that this worker was not an ordinary man.

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The last interesting event of our pilgrimage took place during our train trip from Kathgodam to Delhi on the day before our return flight to Austria. In our railway carriage, we were the only Europeans. The atmosphere was somehow heavy and dark until five new Indians came in. They were completely different from the rest of the passengers. One of the gentlemen sat down beside us and started a conversation. He told us that they were Paramahamsa Yogananda’s disciples from Mumbai. It was a joy for us to meet unexpected new spiritual friends. Without knowing us personally the gentleman invited us to his house in Mumbai.

Our pilgrimage took us to many beautiful holy places are but there was also a certain sadness in our hearts because the Master Himself was no longer there. But we have a living Guru within. Every one of us has his own highest mountain within himself. Everyone can enrich themselves with sincere Kriya sadhana and find their own holy cave in the Kutustha where one can meet the masters when the time is ripe.

Om Guruji, Om Bhabananda-ji, Om Sri Yukteshwar-ji,

Om Lahiri Baba, Om Mahavatar Babaji

Editor’s note: All articles and facts presented in the article are solely the opinion of the authors. The authors’ view or facts may or may not reflect the opinion or view of the Sadhananda Kriya Yoga Fellowship.

How I Was Led to Guruji

By Wayne Biessman

I was born at the beginning of the Great Depression in a small town in southern Wisconsin. The first 73 years of my life were a normal karmic existence. I tried to lead a good life based on my early Christian learning. I have some regrets but in general my life was happy and comfortable. Then in July of 2006, I received a telephone call that neither I nor the caller would appreciate the importance of until years later. At that time I had been retired for several years and was spending my time pursing my entrepreneurial instincts and dreams. The call was from a stranger named David Ratner. He identified himself as an engineer for a TV studio in Los Angeles. He had found my name in a list of electro luminescent (EL) distributors and wanted to speak to me. This was not a typical business telephone call. We talked for a very long time about many subjects beyond David’s initial EL inquiry. After the call we continued communicating with each other mostly by email and telephone but sometimes in person. We talked about electronic devices, business options and books. Our first phone call was all business. We kept in touch. It took two years with a significant series of events before we started discussing spiritual subjects and that led to David disclosing that he practiced Kriya Yoga. Because of my interest, he suggested I read Autobiography of a

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Yogi. I quickly bought and finished Yogananda’s book and began asking David many questions. He then referred me to the Jujersha Ashram website where I learned more about Guruji and Kriya Yoga. Time went by and when David started talking about Guruji’s potential visit to America, I asked David about the possibility of my becoming a disciple. Then one day I received an email from him stating Guruji’s trip was a reality and David suggested I write a letter to Guruji requesting initiation.

The response to my letter said that Guruji would meet with me and then decide on initiation. First I was told to go to New Jersey but later the opportunity opened for me to meet Guruji in Santa Monica. On Thursday, August 27, 2009, I met His Holiness, Swami Sadhanananda Giri, for the first time. It was a truly divine experience for me. I felt especially blessed that He said, “Yes,” He would initiate me. On the very next day, August 28, I drove eight hours to Mountain View, California to receive my Diksha from Guruji Himself in San Carlos, California. I feel so immensely blessed! I need not elaborate to my Gurubrothers and Gurusisters how monumentally my life has changed since that moment. I am sure each of you have experienced similar joy and bliss. My priorities and what is important to me have completely changed. I have reflected on why I did not find Guruji until I was 76 and have come to the conclusion that I was not ready until my senior years. In my early years, I lived a very worldly and pleasure seeking existence. I was constantly striving for worldly possessions. If I had been led to Guruji earlier, I believe I might have made the disastrous mistake of passing by the greatest blessing of my life. In my heart I know that the time frame for my greatest discovery was Divinely planned. I feel so unbelievably blessed to have been led to Guruji.

Editor’s note: All articles and facts presented in the article are solely the opinion of the authors. The authors’ view or facts may or may not reflect the opinion or view of the Sadhananda Kriya Yoga Fellowship.

Highlights of Activities

Ashram Events Jujersha Ashram celebrated the Ashram Inauguration Day on February 27. Sri Sri Gurudev Swami Sadhanananda Giri invited 27 Sadhus (monks) from various organizations such as the Ramkrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram, Kathiababa Ashram etc. There was spiritual discourse by Sri Sri Gurudev and other Sadhus. The Jujersa Ashram offered sevas to the Sadhus. Sri Sri Gurudev has organized these events every year during the past three decades.

On April 15, the Jujersha Ashram celebrated the 117th birthday of Param Guru Swami Bhabananda Giri. One hundred seventeen candles were lit in the Sri Gurumandir. Sri Sri Gurudev and some of His advanced disciples gave speeches.

Page 12: SADHANANANDA KRIYA YOGA FELLOWSHIPsadhansangit.org/wp-content/uploads/SKYF_Newsletter_2011_04_Issue_06.pdf · 2 Question 14: How can we get rid of this maya (illusion)? Answer: If

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Sri Gurumandir at Jujersha Yogashram on April 15

SKYF Events: Swami Sadhanananda Giri’s United States disciples met in San Carlos, California on March 3 to 5 to celebrate Sivaratri. The disciples met again for a Kriya event in Ellicott City, Maryland on April 15 to 16 to celebrate ParamGuru Swami Bhabananda’s birth anniversary tithi.

Upcoming Events

Friday, July 15, 2011 Guru Purnima Celebration at Jujersa Yogashram

Saturday, July 16, 2011 SKYF Kriya Yoga Event in Branchburg, New Jersey on the occasion of Gurupurnima

Saturday, Oct 1, 2011 SKYF Kriya Yoga Event in San Carlos, California on the occasion of Mahastami, Sri Sri Gurudev’s Birth Anniversary and Lahiri Mahasaya’s Mahasamadhi

Tuesday, Oct 4, 2011 Sri Sri Gurudev’s Birth Anniversary and Lahiri Mahasaya’s Mahasamadhi Tithi Celebration at the Jujersa Yogashram

Contents of this newsletter is the property of the Sadhanananda Kriya Yoga Fellowship Inc. (SKYF). SKYF is a New Jersey registered nonprofit organization.

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