Sri Yugal Kishore ~*~
"Two Bodies One Pran"
Showing posts with label Sri Anandamayi Ma~. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sri Anandamayi Ma~. Show all posts
Monday, September 23, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Haridwar Kumbha Mela ☀*1974☼ Baba Sripadji, Sri Anandamayi Ma, Sadhus and Friends
.*•.¸.•*★•.¸¸.•*`*• ☆
Haridwar Khumbh Mela 1974
Baba Sripadji
L to R: Sri Vishnu Dasji, 'Russi Radha' (Prof. Natalya Sazanova), Sri Bhanu Bhai, Sri Radha Mohan and Sri Asim Krishna Dasji beside the Ganga at the Kumbha Mela 1974
☀*Haridwar Kumbha Mela 1974☼
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Swami Akhandananda Saraswati Maharaj and Sri Anandamayi Ma
of Swami Vimalanandaji (left) and Swami Prabhodhanandaji (right)
at Rishikesh, India with his devotees c.1975.
at the Shivananda Ashram.
shown just above my head as the Divinity he is sitting in the shaded
part of the boat as we crossed the splendorous Gangaji.
myself into his presence wherever he was sitting, we ran to meet him and to
hear his discourses on Brahma Gyan, a rear thing in most of Vrindavan.
Once time I was staying in a room at his Vrindavan Ashram enjoying his
discourses, even though my Hindi then was very little indeed! Somehow we
had no difficulty communicating and he always kept me sitting near him
whenever I came.Even after the evening satsang and meal was finished one
was allowed to stay with a very few devotees as he rested and spoke gently
into the evening hours always fanned and served by Swami Vimalanandaji and
Swami Prabhodhanandaji. It was then that he would tell interesting stories and
sometimes make us all laugh adding pure joy to the nights Bliss!!
It was during these days in Vrindavan, that he received an invitation from
Sri Sri Anandamayi Maji to come to her Kankhal Ashram with all his devotees
and give a Srimad Bhagavath Saptha. So, of course I was overjoyed to be one
of those invited to go. Swamiji travelled in his own conveyance with his cook,
and others dear to him. I came with his devotees in the small tourist bus to
Hardwar and we all arrived in the afternoon and were settled into the Kankhal
Ashram rooms each with two or three beds. I was relaxing, happily with these
gentle ladies and someone came to the door and give a message from the
Ashram that foreigners were not allowed to eat in the dining area here, that I
would have to arrange my own meals!
To my surprise the ladies in our room became very upset! They even
wondered why I also was not! But, I had already learned in India that when
the unexpected things happen, that is the time to really watch and see what will
be the will of God! And it is actually when our own plans don't succeed that
the most amazing things happen! Anyway, since coming to India to find a
spiritual teacher, a true Yogi, a real saint, nothing else ever seemed to matter
very much, like food, clothes, or accommodation. I was just always concerned
with having the company and guidance of the saints! When my travellers
checks finished in 1970 I had decided I would stay in India, to be in the
company of saints even if it meant getting a job somewhere here. Strangely
enough being in the company of saints and devotees at that time I never
seemed to need any money!! When a desire came to go or do something
the money also just came!! There are always more lovely places to go and
'sadhanas' to do then there is time to do them. God is truly marvelous and
honestly looks after those who put their full trust in Him/Her! But it has to
be completely faithful, like a child not as if testing God!!
Within ten minutes another knock came to the door and there was another
boy with a message from Swami Akhandanandaji inviting me to have all my
meals with him!! More pure joy from God!! So all of the rest of the days and
nights of the Septha I visited Swamiji at his special cottage in the Ashram and
sat, after he had his food, I would have my meals along with Swami
Vimalanandaji and Swami Prabhodhanandaji.
Actually, the first morning after arrival there I, too went early in the
morning to Maji's cottage, where many foreigners were already waiting to
meet her. They were all discussing how the rules of the Ashram had been
changed and that there was a foreigner staying there!! Some of them were
very upset and all. Soon one of her girls came down and called them to
come forward and hear Ma's new message. It was that Maji, herself, had sent
the invitation to Swamiji and his devotees to come and stay in the Ashram for
the Septha, and that she didn't expect him to have any foreign devotees with
him. So now that I had come she said she would not take back the invite,
and that after I leave the restriction for foreigners would remain the same!
She met me very kindly that morning and remembered our first meeting as
well. She gave prasad always with her own hands graciously as the Divine
Mother. Om Ma!
~*~
It was an amazing Septha! The speaker being Swami Akhanandaji and
the listener being Sri Sri Anandamayi Maji!! Ah ho!!
After this Swamiji went on to visit Rishikesh, as you see in the photos,
we all met Swami Chidanandaji of the Shivananda Ashram there. But we all
stayed together in the Swarg Ashrama across the Ganga River. There he gave
discourses for a few days to all the sadhus on Gopi Bhava!
When later I remarked how interesting it was that he never gave that
wonderful talk on Bhakti in Vrindavan, but there he spoke always on Gyan.
He just smiled and nodded his head with a gleam in his eye. Om! Hari Om!
~*~ In Rishikesh ~*~
Friday, April 13, 2012
✶*¨`*✶♥Sant Gulab Singhjeo & Sri Sri Anandamayi Maji✶*¨`*✶♥
Jai Ma! The purest divine beauty that only spent time in kirtana and then
went straight into samadhi! This was her only sadhana as a child she was only
interested in the Inner Path, which came so easy to her. And only with a short
time spent in spontaneous yogasanas, she would go into samadhi! Ah ho!
She was even most of her time in a speechless state of 'maun'. Many times
we would come for her beautiful 'darshan', just to see her, and she would
be in maun, yet be sitting blissfully within the kirtana, with drums, and all the
chanting going on around her...in ecstasy! All in the ashrama were always
encouraged to spend some time daily in this silence!
It came to be that she was so engrossed and energized from these
moments in samadhi that she lost all interest in normal food! Her closest ones
soon took it on themselves to daily feed her by hand, and it came to be so
that she thereafter never ate on her own again! Maybe on a rare occasion,
like when she would suddenly start to sing, and a spontaneous kirtana would
begin around her of loving devotees. Or sometimes she would stand up and
dance in a state of divine rapture!
Truly like the Devi herself, she was unconcerned with the so called rules
of this world and followed another Divine Law, known exclusively to Her.
Sri Anandamoyi Ma!
The wonderful reunion of Maji and beloved Sant Gulab Singhji came
unscheduled in the Winter of 1978, at her ashrama in Pune. Santji and I
were visiting the very dear and longtime devotees of Santji, Surgeon
Rear Admiral MS Melhotra and his family. After the morning 'Katha' and
breakfast were finished a devotee informed us that Ma Anandamayi was
staying there at her Pune Ashrama. Santji was vividly overjoyed and as
usual he wasted no time and said, " bring my walking stick and let's go!"
I was thrilled at the thought of seeing Maji again. In no time we were in
the car, Dr. Melhotra driving. We arrived about noon and the ashrama
was totally silent. Finally we were told by someone that Maji was resting
now and would not see anyone! Oh, in a moment Dr. Sahibji spoke up
and said that it was Sant Gulab Singhji of Chandigarh that was here to
see her and that Ma would want to be told immediately. So, we waited
in a lovely huge tent for Sat Sang that was constructed outside of maji's
room. Even I was surprised to see Ma come rushing in and straight over
to Santji, calling out, "Pitaji! Pitaji! Pitaji! Santji rose up and called out,
Ma! Ma! Ma! We all stood wonder struck at the amazing sight! There
was Maji wrapped in her white sari, reaching over and down to touch his
feet. While Santji was glowing in his white kurta pajama with white turban
reaching towards Maji's feet!! Their arms crossed and heads came together!
Their cheeks were flushed and red. "Ma!" "Pitaji!" "Ma!" "Pitaji!" "Ma!"
They both looked like small children, faces full of joy..."Ma!" " Pitaji!" " Ma!"
Tears of ecstasy were running down all our faces to witness the childlike love
of these two great saints! Still when I remember this vision the heart comes up
into the throat...and one is over whelmed with intense ecstatic Love!
Friday, September 09, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Sri Sri Anandamayi Ma .¸¸.•*`*• ☆
Sri Sri Anandamayi Ma at the Durga Puja celebration on the Dehradun Ashram grounds the day of my first meeting with her in Oct. 1972. Early that day Swami Jnananandaji and I left Barlow Ganj to attend the evening puja at the ashram. We arrived at the home of a wonderful devotee of Ma's, Smt. Pushpa Bhadwar. Swamiji had told me that she was an 'anterang bhakta' of Ma's and would do her very personal 'seva', like the combing of her long hair etc. There was mutual delight at our meeting and the morning passed in Sat-sang and kirtana with Swamiji. All were to rest just after lunch and Pushpaji wanted me to stay in her puja room, which was a pure delight for me, there with her Lord Krishna and many photos of her Guru Maji. Here the most unexpected thing happened after sometime I suddenly felt wonderfully refreshed and energized. There standing in front of me was the beautiful Mother Anandamayi, radiant! Dressed all in white she shown like a rising moon and was smiling down at me. We exchanged many things in this silent meeting, in a language beyond words. Whether my eyes were open or closed it made no difference to the amazing sight of her and I was in total rapture! When we three met for tea at 4 pm, Swamiji and Pushpaji were elated to hear of the vision of Ma!
When we arrived at the Ashram, Kirtana was already going on in the lovely huge tent on the lawn there. And when we went inside I was surprised that it was already half full of devotees singing in expectation of the coming of Anandamayi Ma. But the real surprise as we followed pushpaji was that instead of siting down there, she said, "Come!" and lead us up the isle, between everyone and right up to the empty places reserved in the very front row! The devotees faces beamed with even greater joy and the mood of the chanting of God's praises greatly increased! It was all so exhilarating , the Bengali musicians and all the devotees joining in the ecstatic singing! I sat down between Swamiji and Pushpaji and joined the singing. Soon the excitement highly increased again as Maji herself made her graceful entrance. The amazing part is that she came and sat on the decorated wooden bed exactly in front of me, so close that I could have reached over and touched her! She looked down and right into my eyes, right into my heart and soul with her blissful smile. It was the same wonderful smile I had seen earlier that day! She nodded to me with a sweet sort of recognition. I was the whole time outside myself, smiling through my tears in perfect rapture. Ma was delighted with it all! Eventually she she went over onto the platform and sat in a special place prepared for her where her Puja and Arti were to be done as the Devi! (This is the photo here above).
After this as the singing continued she suddenly left the stage. Soon after that Pushpaji also went out to see her. She returned later and quietly told us to come out now with her to meet Ma, because she is leaving. It was dark and we stood on the lawn outside the house with a few others, and the car waiting for Ma. She finally came down the stairs and stood before us. Maji was pleased to see Swamiji, whom she knew from his days in Calcutta way back. And he brought me forward to introduce me, it was so very wonderful, she smiled so sweetly remembering Santji in Chandigarh, I glanced at Swamiji and got a sign confirming my desire to touch Ma's feet...so I did through my tears of joy. The ladies around her gasped and she looked at them slightly annoyed and said for someone to bring out prasad from the house. They looked puzled and she said to bring out the two big apples from the dining table! When she had the apples she gave them both to me and tapped her fingers on my head! This was the beginning of a beautiful unending connection with the amazing blissful Mother, Sri Anandamayi Ma.
★•.¸¸.•*`*• ☆
Monday, September 05, 2011
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