Saturday, January 26, 2008

Chiguru at Hamsa Ashramam of Virajeshwara

Chiguru at Hamsa Ashramam of Virajeshwara


Before we get into the details of the tour, just an introduction to "Chiguru", it is the name coined for the group of people who met at the "Adhi Shankara Yoga Kendra"

to learn the vedic recitation, with common interests in Yoga, Mediation and Veda, in short a bunch of budding Spiritualists. One of our chiguru team members got a book on the autobiography of a "Virajeshwara" - a Scientist & Ph.D in polymer physics from Rutgers called the "Scientist's search for Truth" and got inspired to meet this realised personality. We made a plan to visit the swamiji in his ashram at Anusoni, a little far from Hosur in a place called Kelamangalam.

Date Of Visit: 26-Jan-2008.
Place of start: We all met at the Ragigudda Arch as the common spot for chiguru members to join.
Starting Time: 8:00AM
Website: http://www.swami-virajeshwara.com/Swami.htm

We had 2 cars with all the chiguru members assembled at the planned time , with the research on the net about the Asharam, route to ashram and visiting hours, mainly by Ms. Sudha our captain for the day.


So with the plan we moved towards Hosur Road, and on our way to ashram we had the breakfast which was specially prepared by our chiguru lady companions, to save our time & also our health. Had some good "Upittu & Idli" with lotz of mint chutney and then made our way towards the ashram.

As we were nearing the ashram around 10:30AM, the atmosphere was caming down and there between the fields was a small road and suddenly on the left of the road we saw a small gate to the "Hamsa Ashram", although nobody to either stop us or welcome us, we parked our cars inside and slowly made our way to the small house in the compound.

There we were eagerly waiting to see the guruji enetered the hall of the Ashram, to find the photographs of the well known godesses Sharada, gods Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Shri Adhi Shankaracharya & Guruji of Virajeshwara -
Swami Vidyanandaji Saraswathi, who was a disciple of Swami Sivananda Saraswathi of divine life Society, Rishikesh. Then came a lean person in saffron robes, properly shaved aged around 80 years, but did not speak almost for the first 10 mins, which made us feel that might be the guruji is inside and he might be some disciple. Then our other chigiru team members were preparing the tray of fruits we had brought for Swamiji's service, meanwhile swamiji started speaking to us which made us clear that he was really the Swami Virajeshwara, really excited to hear from a very highly spiritual and concious being.

Then we introduced ourselves and made clear of our intentions in meeting him, he invited us to ask some questions on anything about what we have read in this autobiography or our spiritual doubts. So one by one all the chiguru members started asking the questions and swamiji gave answers to all questions very calmly in a mild & serious tone, although after sometime he got really emotional when we questioned about his ultimate realisation and his guruji. He shared some of his experiences about the kundalini realisation and how it feels to one when in Sadhana, how difficult is it to holding on to Sadhana and concentrating the mind.

There was an interesting question to swamiji where he was asked of being a scientist how could he move into this spiritual stream when he uttered the golden words "i no more relate myself to any of these wordly positions as i have realized this as false and the ultimate is only on the progression towards spirituality".

Also on the question of somebody asking that they are not able to concentrate while meditating, when swamiji told that" Start conentrating on your mind, start to isolate yourself from the mind, as if you are saying that you are not able to concentrate then this you must be somebody else than the mind. Also all the energies are the isolated energies of the same shakti which manifests itself as prana, Vak (Speech), Listening power, Seeing Power, also the power which rises in the Kundalini"

Which triggered me to ask him my question "i.e. Is it true that a initial sadhaka has to work in the Dwaita Plane and as he progresses to move on to the Advaitha plane" and to my amusement as an advaitha swami he replied " You're true there in saying that initially one needs to repsect the divinty with the right distinction i.e dwaitha, but the ultimate goal for every sadhaka should be advaitha- Aham Brahma Asmi as the goal".

He was very kind to ask us for our lunch, although our Chiguru team members had arranged for homemade lunch & packaged.

Then swamiji blessed all of us, we bought some of his publications on his biography, realisations, etc. Then swamiji autographed these books for us, we had also got the privilage of having some snaps with guruji.

Then we went on to have the lunch which was prepared by the lady members of our chiguru team, we sat down in the same ashram compound, where there were some more disciples living by, with lot of different kinds of trees surrounding. Then we made our way back to Bangalore thinking about the amazing visit to the ashram.

Take aways for me:
1. Adavitha is the goal for any sadhaka - although one has to do his sadhana in the dwaita mindset to get the realisation to move towards the advaitha goal.
2. Sadhana - means Living in Silence, silencing all the senses with the one minded goal toward the supreme lord.

*****************Hare Krishna Hare Krishna - Krishna Krishna Hare Hare***********************




Sunday, January 6, 2008

Trip to Nanjangudu



Trip to Nanjangud
05-Jan-2008


Left Bangalore in the car around 8:00AM in the morning towards the Mysore Road, although there was a mild traffic, we speeded up to make it to our Morning breakfast at Kamat Lokaruchi (Beside Janapada Loka). We reached around 9:45AM, since we had a slow drive towards Ramanagara, had a good breakfast and made our way towards our destination.

We sped our way through, maddur, mandya, srirangaptnam and then in Mysore, we just crossed over the city to reach the Ooty road towards the Nanjangud, we reached the Nanjangud stop and took the deviation road towards the temple, but for our bad luck the road was all dug up and really had a royal way (bumpy drive) toward the temple, accepted it as a test (hardship) thrown at us by the lord, so that we enjoy the darshan.

So we reached the temple around 12:00PM noon and the place was full of activity. But the counters for the Archana & Abhishekam were all closed, also since we were around noon, it was the last darshan & abhishekam for the lord in the morning. So we quickly moved inside the temple complex, directly toward the Lord Nanjundeshwara.

We were exactly at the right time, the abhishekam had just started and by chance my friend requested the temple priest and he allowed us to stand in the front row so that we could have the direct darshan of the lord. There was the Green Shiva lingam which was being bathed in the water first and then Milk, Curds and then the Ghee, the golden yellow color of the Ghee had a good contrast to the Green color Shiva lingam, then followed by the Honey and then the fruits. Then again the shivalingam was washed with water and then the special “Shalyannam – Prepration made out of yellow rice and jaggery” was smeared on the shiva lingam and the eyes, noes and the mouth was made on the lingam. Then there was a managlarathi done to the diety. So after this detailed Darsham of Lord Nanjundeshwara we had the Magalaharathi & the prasadam, then moved on toward the other deities in the complex, i.e. Lord Subramanya, Lord Ganesha and then Parvathi is also there behind the temple complex.

Also there was an intresting thing that people were observing over the terrace of the temple just over the Gopuram of Shiva Ligam there were two Bhiva Trees grown all by themselves with no soil on the top or anybody to water or takecare of them.

Also then I proceded ahead as there were beatufully carved idols of Shiva, Parvathi and their sons, depicting the pastimes of the Lord Shiva, which includes Girija Kalyana Murthy, Bhikshatana Murthy, Ardhanareshwara Murthy, Vishakanta Murthy and many more… very beautifully carved.


It was already afternoon by the time we were out of temple it was around 1:30 PM, we just went a little ahead just in front of the temple, visited the Kapila river ghat , spent some time there viewing the scenic beaty at that place, then moved a liitle further there is a Parashurama Temple, with a very small stream flowing in front of it. With this I suppose it was around 2:00 PM and we were really hungry, we quickly drove to the mainroad and found a good veg hotel and had a good south India full meal, remembering the lord’s darshan for the day.

* Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare*