Ananda’s founder, Swami Kriyananda, spends his time primarily in 3 countries: America, Italy, and India. As he recently quipped, “Well I have these [8] communities that I’ve started, and I have to check in every now and then.”
Today Swamiji arrived safely and soundly in Gurgaon, India. As he stepped out of the car, he said, “So nice to see you all! Wow! You’re all looking well.”
Mr. Bij–who met Swamiji in India in 1959 and received kriya initiation from him then–said, “We’re glad you are looking so fine.”
“Yes, you know it’s a miracle,” Swamiji said. “When I left here, I nearly died. I had a mini-stroke the day before I left. Everything went black. Anyway, suddenly [in Italy] I had a miracle and I was well.” Smilingly, he added, “Maybe you’ll be stuck with me for a few more years now.”
The devotees in India are thrilled to have Swamiji back in India after 8 months. On January 4th he has a large lecture in Delhi, “A Celebration of Paramhansa Yogananda’s Life and His Mission”. On this evening he will launch his 100th book, The New Path: My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda, and another book, A Renunciate Order for the New Age.
And on the next day, January 5th–Yogananda’s birthday–Swamiji will conduct the first initiation in India into this new order (the third initiation worldwide).
Please keep Swamiji in your thoughts and prayers during these two historic events.
You may have read in the recent posts about the 61st anniversary of Swami Kriyananda’s Discipleship to Paramhansa Yogananda. The essence of the celebration was captured by Barbara Bingham with her beautiful photos of Swamiji, the choir, and the crowd of celebrants.
I too was able to “attend” Swamiji’s talks, thanks to the live video broadcast. When Swamiji gave Sunday Service, I was in Mumbai (Bombay), India with a few friends (one is pictured to the left). We stayed up until 11:30pm to watch the broadcast, which finished at 1:00am. We gathered in the kitchen so as not to disturb the sleeping residents of the house. We felt a part of the celebrations, as if we were sitting in the front row, although we were over 8,000 miles away.
We offer heartfelt thanks to the tremendous service of Kent Williams, Dave Bingham, and others, who work hard to provide these broadcasts. And we bow to the miracle of the internet, which keeps us spiritually connected in ever-new ways.
(Missed the event? You can watch the video or listen to the audio here.)
Today at the India International Centre (IIC) in Delhi, India, Swami Kriyananda launched his book, Hope for a Better World! (To listen to Swami Kriyananda’s talk, click on the play button below)
The event was presented by Ananda Sangha in collaboration with the IIC. It was hosted by Sri (Honorable) D. R. Kaarthikeyan, former Director of the CBI (Indian equivalent of the American FBI). The chief guest was the Honorable Dr. Kapila Vatsayan, eminent scholar and member of Parliament, and Chairperson of the IIC.
It is said that a country is known by those whom its people consider great. It is gratifying in India to witness high-ranking dignitaries such as Sri Kaarthikeyan and Dr. Vatsayan sincerely honoring Swamiji and his life’s work for his guru. (They are shown below holding the new book.)
Over 500 people attended the event–further proof that India prizes, and recognizes, great spiritual teachers.
The event began with introductions by Yogacharayas Dharmadas and Nirmala, the Spiritual Directors of Ananda Sangha India. Then Sri Kaarthikeyan introduced Dr. Vatsayan, who declined to speak before Swamiji with the words, “I want to listen to him. Everybody is waiting for him!” Sri Kaarthikeyan then introduced Swamiji, who stood to speak.
Swamiji spoke about the quest of all people for true happiness. He pointed out the hard times we are now facing and how they point to Yogananda’s solution of intentional communities. He emphasized the need to act according to dharma (righteousness). After reading an excerpt from Hope for a Better World!, he concluded:
“I would like to ask all of you think seriously about what I’ve said here–to think seriously about God being your true purpose in life–even if you don’t see it that way now. Because sooner or later, nothing works! Satan has one promise he always keeps:
“He disappoints you.
“Nothing you can do ever works, except finding God.”
At the end of Swamiji’s talk, Dr. Vatsayan stood. She began, “After Swamiji has spoken, it would require the arrogance of ignorance to open one’s mouth. I have come to hear, and to receive. And Swamiji, you have given.” She went on to express gratitude and praise for Swamiji’s words, and his book.
At the close of her remarks, Swamiji surprised us all by singing a song, “God! God! God!” (set to the words of Yogananda’s poem).
Swamiji indeed has given us hope for a better world, and has shown us the way to it achieve it–both outwardly, and in our own selves.
Although Hope for a Better World! was published previously in America and Europe, this edition represents the first printing of the book by Ananda Publications, India. Thanks to Lisa Clark for these photos.)
Today Swami Kriyananda arrived back to his home in Gurgaon, India, just outside of Delhi. Swamiji had been away for about 10 months–his longest absence since moving to India. He spent that time getting needed rest and working on important projects (writings, interviews, lectures) in his homes in America and in Italy.
Swamiji doesn’t think of his “home” according to the common interpretation of the word. For, as he wrote in his song, “Home is a Green Hill”:
Often I dream that life is a play;
Laughter forever, and skies never gray.
But when I’m silent, freed from all care,
I discover my home’s everywhere.
Nevertheless, it is a joyful reunion for us all whenever Swamiji returns.
Here is the crowd waving to him as he pulled up to our main building, “Ashram House”.
His body was feeling quite tired from the flight, and we expected him to say hello to us from the car. Then he said, “I’m going to get out and greet you.” Steve helped him out of the car, and he stood before us.
“I’m getting to be an old man,” he said, chuckling. “Nice to see you all.”
As he got back in the car, a Bengali devotee asked him how he was feeling.
“khub bhalo,” he replied. (Very well.)
He added in Hindi, “main bahut khush hoon.” (I am very happy.)
Tomorrow (Sunday) Swamiji is scheduled to give a lecture to hundreds of people at the prestigious India International Centre in Delhi. Swamiji constantly demonstrates his dedication to his guru by his unending service in Yoganandaji’s name. Yet Swamiji’s body is feeling understandably fatigued after the journey. What we can all offer, in gratitude for all that he has done for the world, is to add our prayers that he regain his strength for tomorrow.
(Click the above for a larger version. Thanks to Lisa Clark for the photos.)
Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) was Paramhansa Yogananda’s boyhood home. It is the backdrop for many of the stories in his Autobiography of a Yogi. When Swami Kriyananda moved to India in 2003, it was natural to expect that the people of Kolkata would be hungry for his presentation of Yogananda’s teachings. Surprisingly, however, Ananda had only moderate success there.
This April, our four monks decided to change that.
left to right: Devendra, Jemal, Steve, Jaidhara
One of the challenges we have teaching meditation classes in other cities is the cost of travel. Airfares are high, a fact keenly felt when traveling in a group of four. The monks solved this by taking the overnight train from Delhi to Kolkata.
Upon arriving, they took the city by storm! Having already advertised in several newspapers, they spent two days postering the city–two long, hot, days!
Their efforts were rewarded with an excellent turnout: 150 people came to the free lecture, and 70 came to the meditation workshop the next day.
The conclusion of the classes was hardly the end of their work. They next began the equally vital task of spending time with the Ananda members in Kolkata. Part of Ananda’s foundation is divine friendship and spiritual community. The monks spent time chanting, meditating, and dining with Ananda members.
They also led pilgrimage groups to various places connected with Yogananda’s life, including his boyhood home, his guru’s ashram, and the famous Dakshineshwar temple. They also spent time with members of Yogananda’s family, including Sarita Ghosh (pictured above), who is married to the son of Yogananda’s nephew.
With fond farewells they boarded the train back to Delhi. They had hardly arrived home when they began putting in place plans for the next visit.
They completed a second tour of Kolkata at the end of May. Again they had large turnouts for the public classes. This time they added a new element of service.
Yogananda emphasized the importance of daily meditation, and the monks decided to help the Kolkata Ananda members strengthen their practice. They spent a week meditating with different groups five times a day–a first in Ananda’s history.
The people of Kolkata now have the opportunity to drink deeply of Yogananda’s teachings, thanks to the efforts of these four young men. In their example we see how a small group of focused and energetic people can bring positive change to a city, and indeed, the world.
Mangoes for breakfast on the boat, before heading home
Tomorrow, May 19th, is Swami Kriyananda’s birthday. There will be many celebrations throughout Ananda Communities worldwide—I’m sure you’ll have a chance to read more posts about the proceedings. However, I wanted to tell you about one small celebration that you probably haven’t heard about.
At Ananda India, in addition to serving our many local members in the Delhi area, we also travel to most of the major cities: Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.
My wife, Dharmini, and I visit Bangalore each month, along with other Ananda teachers. In addition to offering public classes on Yogananda’s philosophy and techniques, we also spend time getting to know our Bangalore members. In between our visits, our friends meet on Sundays to chant, pray, and meditate together.
Today they dedicated their Sunday session to Swami Kriyananda, in honor of his birthday. Here are excerpts from letters written by two members, Priyanka and Neelam:
“We had a wonderful meditation cum birthday celebration today. We chanted the Mahamritunjaya mantra (ancient Sanskrit chant for soul-liberation) for Swamiji and the vibrations were very strong. After the meditation we cut the cake for Swamiji; the cake was cut by friends whose birthdays fall in the month of May. We all sent out healing prayers to Swamiji for a healthy long life.”
All but one of these people have never met Swami Kriyananda personally. Yet through his writings, music, and the people he has trained, they have met him. It is touching to witness our newest friends express their gratitude to Swamiji for all that he has done for each one of us, and the world, by spreading Yogananda’s teachings.
Recently Ananda India celebrated its 4th anniversary.
It was December 2003 when Swami Kriyananda and his “landing party” arrived in Delhi and moved into a house in the Gurgaon, Delhi suburbs. 4 years later, Swamiji, with the staff of Ananda India and some friends, gathered to reflect on our growth and accomplishments, and to look to some of our future directions. The recording of the celebration is available below.
The celebration began with a prayer and a favorite chant, “O God Beautiful”, originally written in Hindi by Guru Nanak (founder of the Sikh faith) and translated into English by Paramhansa Yogananda. It is heart-warming to sing this song to God in 2 languages, uniting all our voices. (You can listen to the chant below).
The united voices continued with songs by the choir. Swamiji’s music conveys truth and joy through beautiful words, melodies, and harmonies. In many ways the spirit of Ananda can be experienced through our music. As Swamiji said in his talk that evening, “It is wonderful to see so many Indians singing–we have launched a choir here.”
Next we turned our attention to the video screen to watch a slideshow: “Scenes from the Early Years”. Not so much a documentary as a string of captured moments, these photos presented many pivotal events in Ananda India’s history.
Especially engaging were the video clips of a talk Swamiji gave one afternoon during his first months here, the opening of The Wishing Tree store in 2004, and Swamiji’s last day of filming his daily television shows in 2005.
Swamiji then stood and told the story of how he came to India. He detailed some of the major accomplishments, adding his personal commentary. He included a few of our future directions, and held up two new publications: The Bhagavad Gita verses published as a small book, and a special edition of Education for Life.
It was inspiring to witness how Ananda India has grown in a short amount of time. Relative to most of Ananda’s other colonies, Ananda India is quite young–this year Ananda Assisi celebrated its 20th anniversary, with most of the west coast colonies not far behind; next year Ananda Village will complete its 40th year.
Video of Swami Kriyananda’s talk
