सत्यम परम धीमहि!! The righteous never fall.

After 18 arduous days of excruciating circumstances finally the two incarcerated members of the Art of Living family, Samir Jolly and Khroo Lamsalanki Pariat aka Lam are free. These 18 days have been like 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita, loaded with learning, surrender, prayer and an unshakable faith that things will finally be alright.

KA National Heros

Inspired by Poojya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji to work towards bringing peace, Lam and Samir Jolly (a senior faculty of The Art of Living & a veteran in guiding misguided youth back into main stream), were on a peace mission and wanted to connect with alleged core leaders of a banned group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), who operate at the border of India and Bangladesh, when they were arrested at Dawki before they could cross the border for the meeting. 

These peacekeepers risked their lives to do something good for the society. This entire process of initiating peace in the region has taken a back seat due to this unfortunate event.

Lam had set aside his political aspirations to work towards bringing back misguided youth into mainstream society. When his family reunited with him it was a heart touching moment of  love and longing.

A great family reunion

Samir Jolly's father was a retired Brigadier from the Indian Army. Love for his country is part of his heritage and also his legacy. I am indebted to him since once he had risked his life to save mine and has been more than family to me ever since.

KA Diphu River Rejuvenation

There are very few people like them in the world. They are one of the rarest jewels sent on earth to create a beautiful, peaceful and prosperous world.

When the instruments of peace are locked up and devoid of acting freely, the momentum of spreading peace takes a back seat, it needs time to recuperate and rejuvenate after the trauma. But just before they were to be free, I met Samir Jolly and asked him if he was ready to pick up upcoming assignments with the same zeal and enthusiasm as before. He immediately replied that he was and was busy planning his next peace initiative. It was a brilliant example of unwavering commitment and non dying enthusiasm. This moment for me was a tight slap to all the leftist who sit and do nothing but passionately pull down,those who do good for the society.

Welcome Home

The more I wonder, the more I get inspired by Poojya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who recently said, "We will not stop till the last gun is laid down in the region. The time has come to move from grenades and guns to garlands and hugs."

Just out of the Jowai Jail

Here is a small expression for our National Hero's like Lam, Deepa Dave, Samir Jolly and others..

As free as air, we live together.

As calm as water, we with everyone everything share

As ferociously as fire, never halt till we reach there

As strong as earth, we overcome obstacles everywhere

Really, fortunate I am to be born on this great land

Really, glad I am to be a part of this legendary sand

Really, blessed I am to be one of my mother’s thousand hand

The legend of my Nation, continue to sustain.

The holy place of God, where people live together

Here, we stay united in every kind of weather

In happiness in sadness, our spirit does not shatter

In every particle, in every place

The legend of our heroes 

continues to grace.

Poojya Gurudev!!

I pray to You today,

The false will fall and  

The truth shall prevail,

Do give me strength...

To serve as Your finest instrument!

Khublei!!

सत्यम परम धीमहि!! .

The three wise men!!

A few weeks ago, in one of those rare moments of serendipity, I came across a wise man, the encounter with whom made me realise that in my life’s journey this meeting will always be one of those distinctive moments, where my life paused, took a deep breath and smiled with wonder. Such serendipity is typical of a constantly surprising life whose overlapping paths continually come full circle. 

So the story goes, - for the first time in my life I was lucky to attend an International Conference on Vedas, held on 17th-19th of March,2017, at Gameri, Assam. I was clueless about what this event would be about but was excited nevertheless. Unwittingly; I packed my bags and eagerly accompanied Swami Purnachaitanya, who was to represent Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, my beloved Gurudev, at the conference as a keynote speaker.

The International Conference on Vedas

Perhaps the journey itself was a harbinger of the wonders that the next few days would bring.  We travelled with Mrs. Gordana Nis, a transcendental meditation teacher from Serbia and Dr. Mohan Karki, a yoga expert from Patanjali, who were to speak at the conference. So, the motley group of four travelled from Guwahati for seven and half hours to reach Gameri, a remote picturesque village in Biswanath, Assam.

With all the honored speakers.

Preparations were in full swing for the event. 

Amongst the hustle bustle, Mr. Omnath Sharma, one of the main organisers of the event welcomed us and handed us over to his extremely adept personnel who showed us to our modest but most charming and clean quarters. I could sense that resources were limited in this remote corner of the world, but everything was just so perfect. I was amazed by the professionalism I saw. Refreshed, I decided to go for a walk to take in the environment. On the way out I chanced upon Mr. Omnath carrying toilet cleaning supplies and enthusiastically cleaning the common washrooms. I was pleasantly surprised to see a man of such a stature alone cleansing the toilets for our convenience late night. He had a contented smile on his face, I could not spot a bit of worry, as if he had a direct contract with the divine.

Mr. Omnath started a Veda school in the village where about 70 children are enrolled today. How he organised this conference singlehandedly is remarkable and a thing to wonder.

With  Vedanta, a cute Veda boy

The conference started with soothing Rigveda chants by the Veda boys of the local village school. There were speakers from NASA, professors from BHU and many other eminent personalities. Swami Purnachaitanyaji gave the keynote speech and we were done.For the next three days I had to listen to other speeches which was personally a tough task for me.

Now, when I look back I realise that destiny was at play there.I sensed a gentle breeze, a sublime presence. Someone walked to the stage. I was enraptured. This person was not some regular meditation or yoga expert. I could feel it in my bones, this soul was divine. There was something about him.  I later enquired and found out that he was Dr. Bhudacharan, a monk from Thailand. My instincts were not wrong. He was one of the earliest disciples of Mahrishi Mahesh Yogi and his resemblance to his Master was uncanny.

For me, the monk was nature encapsulated in human form; his thoughts were so innocent and yet full of such wisdom! He was free like the breeze, simple, natural and divine! Swamiji and I were looking forward to spend some quality time with him.

Swamiji and the monk( Thailand meets Holland)

Next day we travelled together to a local temple. He told us that he attended World Culture Festival, 2016 at Delhi. He also talked about Gurudev Sri Sri   and had high regards for him. He remarked that our happiness and contentment was due to the grace of our Master. He recalled that Maharishi had often wished for Gurudev to sit in his throne making others go in wonder how come a little boy be so honored by Maharishi.

It so happened that our wise monk had a wish to share his thoughts in Hindi. Fortune smiled upon me as I was handed the responsibility to  translate his ethereal talks for the audience. Eventually I sort of happened to become his temporary secretary.Like Swamiji, he shared with us the real essence of the Vedas with his own experiences.

The meditative session

To our wonder, the moment he chanted the Sri suktam from the Rigveda, it started raining. This was a sign of the fullness of the maha Yagya. His understanding of the Vedas was so deep and yet his explanations so simple and profound. He explained things as if explaining them to a child.In his presence I felt such love, such a feeling of tranquillity, charm, serenity, graciousness and completeness. The feelings are hard to put in words, but a person such as him is hard to find just as a large flawless diamond that shines with inner light and beauty.

The three wise men

One day the wise monk (as I prefer to address him) touched my pulse and told me that my digestive fire is weak and I don’t know what he did, but from that moment on my stomach feels light and gives me no trouble at all. (I understand that everyone who travels a lot will know how burdened our digestive systems can become).

What I remember about him most is his generosity. A simple monk has little worldly wealth, and whatever this wise monk had; he shared with everyone around him. On the whim of the little village children he bought them sweets. He invited us to Thailand too.

Lucky to be in the company of saints

Of all the speakers of the event, truthfully; both Swamiji and our beloved monk stole the show. Now that I think about it, it does not come as a surprise. He was an unpretentious human being, so deeply in touch with himself and the divine. His wisdom, gained from years and years of training and hard work, first with his Master and then as a teacher.

I was fortunate to be a part of this conference. Such conferences are the platforms that enable us to preserve our rich culture and a place of amalgamation, a scientific laboratory where great minds, seekers and social activist converge to learn and teach the world.

Towards the end of the event, the monk blessed me and appreciated my attentiveness and willingness to serve. 

A selfie with the monk

I feel Saints like Swamiji and our monk are the ones who are spreading divinity and peace in this chaotic world.I feel such gratitude towards Gurudev for blessing me with the opportunity to have this beautiful experience in their divine company.

At end will like to convey my thanks to Archanaji and Atika Dhandhia for suggesting the title of the blog.

A Decade of Grace !! 3rd Feb,2007 to 3rd Feb,2017 !! Tribute to Ramnik Bansal

Every time I go to the ashram, the receptionist hands over a form for me to fill, and every time I happily answer a particular question from the form, "Who is your teacher?”  "Sri Ramnik Bansal", I write, in a flourishing hand. This brings a smile on my face as everytime I write his name, it brings to my mind the benevolent face of my first Art of Living course teacher and his immense love for me. Today it has been a decade since my initiation and I count myself as among the most fortunate ones, since Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sent me His most vibrant angel to guide me to Him; in this life.

The Art of Living International Center, Bangaluru, completing check-in formalities.

Dear all, meet my first Art of Living course teacher, Sri Ramnik Bansal. I did my YES!+ (Youth Empowerment Seminar) a decade back. During the program he advised me that it will be great if I practiced the techniques I had learned in the program for the next 40 days. I promised him that I would. Those 40 days have turned into a decade and those practices have become an intrinsic part of my existence. I feel a sense of pride that so far I have never ever missed my practices. Ramnik bhaiya inspired in me a deep commitment towards my spiritual practices. He became Gurudev's instrument who whispered the wisdom of infinity in my ears.

The three stooges doing the three stage Pranayama.

Ramnik bhaiya is a happy soul, a dynamic yet contented package. With a graduate degree from IIT Bombay, MBA from IIM Bangalore, and ancient Vedic wisdom from Sri Sri Himself, he started travelling and conducting the Art of Living programs across the world since a very young age. I am indeed fortunate to have met him. 

I never knew Gurudev personally, but I was just in love with Him just the same. After my first Art of Living program the longing to meet Him became intense and kept growing every living moment. Ramnik bhaiya with his usual adeptness arranged for me to do an advance program and meet Gurudev in Hrishikesh. Our team had travelled from Patiala to Hrishikesh, that too during my exams and there I met Gurudev for the first time in this life. 

My first encounter with Him was magical. I caught my first glimpse of Gurudev while He was walking towards the Ganges. I distinctly remember that my heart was doing somersaults and I could hear it galloping with excitement. His presence was magnetic and I was pulled towards Him. He looked at me with His unforgettable mesmerizing smile and asked me, “How are you?” I replied, “Good”. He went on and said, “Good Good Good, Finally, you have come". 

Later, I asked Gurudev for a kiss. He immediately complied and wiped His beard on my cheeks, and in His own special style took me for a tour of Divine Love. 

It has been ten years now, I have been on Gurudev’s rollercoaster of Happiness and on each ride I am spreading Happiness in this world.

An unforgettable walk with Gurudev in Hrishikesh.

These past years, I have not had the opportunity to meet Ramnik bhaiya frequently, but occasionally, especially during Navratri, our paths cross at the Ashram and we have a great time together with the gang. Whenever we meet, he simply inquires about my life and health and gives me a nice tight hug. He inspires humbleness and gratefulness in me whenever he gracefully accepts whatever small gift I give him as a token of my love. 

No one can beat his sense of humor. I once asked him,"How do you eat?" (What I meant to ask was; who cooks for you) He sheepishly replied, "With my hands and mouth”. 

He has conducted hundreds of Art of Living courses and has trained thousands of students like me, but what amazes me the most is that he sends me messages and wishes on every important occasion - my birthday, new year, festivals - he does not miss them - Ever!

My 6.5 years in the Art of Living, during Navratri.

My mentor Mr. Tapan Vaidya always tell me, "Ramnik is one of the most intelligent people on this planet." Tapan bhaiya is all praises for him.

With my dearest Tapan Vaidya

Ramnik bhaiya's pet adage, "Do 1 advance program with 100% awareness rather than doing 10 advance programs with 99% awareness." leaves me in a state of meditative wonder. Such a deep thought in such few words! Rarely do we come across someone who is a person of such few yet profound words.

Recently, Gurudev said, "Vishnu Prakash is doing awesome work in the North East." On hearing this Ramnik bhaiya's heart expanded in gratitude. Whatever I achieve is actually his success. He made me into the instrument that I am today, capable of doing what I am doing. I have yet to learn so much from him, - his organizational skills, one pointed focus on the Master, dispassion, - to name a few.

Recently during the TRM, we posed specially for this blog post.

Paulomi Mukherjee aka Paumaa, is another angel sent to me by Gurudev. She instilled the attributes of Love, Service and Gratitude towards the Master in me. She had a phenomenal impact in my life. I will write more about her and share some inspirational and charming stories about her and her role in my life on one of my upcoming posts.

With Bibi Paulampreet Kaur in our TRM-2017

These 10 years have been a perfect 10/10 on the scale of Grace of Gurudev. Without Him, this life would not have carried any meaning. I feel so proud that I was born in a time when I have a living Master with me, someone who can do anything to make everyone happy. He has given my life a mission - to spread Happiness. It feels that I grow younger with time in His Divine Grace.

In His Grace and I pray that I continue to Be.

Gurudev

I pray to You today,

Do give me strength...

to serve as Your finest instrument!

Love and Gratitude,

Vishnu

3 Feb, 2017