Well it all started, one evening when my mom was forcing me to take up Yoga classes, this was in the year 2004, when i was going through my Eamcet holidays. Soon after getting a various levels of counseling from many of my family members, i have finally decided to take up Yoga. The last person to push me into this was Mr.Chowdhary, one of the many person's whom i really admire and look upto in my life.
Well it was a six day course, and Mrs. Mala was
our tutor for this six days. First day i was really not sure what i was doing there, it was more like what the hell i am into. But when i just started listening what Art of living is, and definations of Yoga, and how does it help in our day to day activity, its then that all the counseling classes that i got and the discourses that i came across before on Tv which my mom watches actually started to make sense. Eventually i started gaining interest and i started practicing "Sdharshini Kriya". To be frank i was nt aware of how different i was feeling after doing this, but i really started developing interest in Spirituality and Gurji, i was spiritual person before, but i started to see Spirituality from a different angel. To Surrender, to love, not to fear, to enjoy every moment, to be in present and many more factors of such type. Anyway in this process i made many friends, and few of us formed a group and met on and off, and started to participate in AOL-activities, we have acted as volunteers in small gatherings soon after we completed our courses, we were a lot enthusiatic then. We have also palnned an outting in Guruji's ashram in gandipet-hyderabad, it was with the members with whom i completed my course. We had a great day there, arranged everything by ourself, made sure everything required was their, introduced ourselvves again if me missed out on any, came to know about each one's interest, started playing different kinds of games until we are tired. Once tired started doing Sudharshini Kriya and then was my favourite. Bhajans time. I had another teacher then along with Mala, was not sure about her name, she was a guitar player and her voice was amazing, and the bhajans she sang were really good to hear. Its from her that i developed the passion to learn or play Guitar. Anyway we just danced to her tunes, and then a speech on Guruji and his vision. We had a great day then.
Its then i started reading few articles of Sri Sri, gathering information from my mom and my uncle Mr. Chandra Shekar. I started to develop a lot of interest in Him and thought it would be great if i could just get a darshan. Its then, one fine day my AOL teacher calls up, and asks me whether i would come to B'lore, as they are planning out a visit to Prashanti Kuteeram in b'lore. Intially i was not sure whether i should be going there or not, but i finally made up my mind and decided to go. My cousin Vijay also accompanied me there, though he was never interested in Yoga. We were eight members visiting banglore.
The first day we stayed back at Mala's place, it was raining heavily in b'lore then, we just got ready hoping that we would get a chance to visit the ashramam. Finally after a long wait, we decided to go with the plan, and finally sat in the bus which leads us to the ashram. It was the first time in my life that i was visiting such a place, so during the journey i was'nt aware of what the ashram is about. So i thought that was the best way to visit the ashram, as i thought everything i learn is a new thing, everything seemed so surprising there, and the best part everything there was so interesting. So i learned about the ashram in my own way. It was a huge ashram, and we were just left on our own to explore the place. It was a great experience there, i was just feeling so fresh being there. trees all around, greenary all around, and there was this building which really could nt take my eyes off. The Lotus building, i really liked the view of it from distance, and wanted to get in there. I was told that would be the next days part of exploring the place, we just kept wandering all around the place, and suddenly i found a meditating hall. Got in there, i was never expecting so many people to be in there, and yet there was so much of silence in, i could hear people breathing in and breathing our, praticing Kriya. Sat their in meditating posture, for a long time. i never had a better control over my thought's and breath, like i had then. Slept for a while there, in shavasan as i was really tired. Never realised that i slept, until my cousin came and woke me up. Got out for lunch, we could nt get a good lunch as the place was over crowded, managed to have something and was just walking by. Suddenly came a group of people, wearing white dresses and walking by in a group. Enquired about them, came to know that they were undergoing an advanced course in Kriya in which they are not supposed to talk for several days. Wondered how would they manage to do that, as you can see from this posting I talk a lot.. !!! Anyway in the evening i heard from people that Guruji is in ashram and people were all running towards his office, to get a chance to meet him. well i ran with group too along with my friends, and then there He was. Talking to people and answering them, there were few media people too. I could nt get a good glance of him, but i just managed to see him from distance.
I was in this feeling of meeting or rather seeing a celebrity from a very close distance, there was excitement inside me, and yet it was 'nt showing it out. I was not sure what i was going through it was totally mixed feelings i was going through. People called him the walking God, and i was not sure why they called him so. Anyway the rest of the night i went back to Mala's place wondering and thinking about him and my experienced first day.
The next day, in the ashram, i was just waiting for a chance to see him. Fortunately i could see him near his office, where He got dowm from his black Scorpio with people around him. This time there were lot lesser people around him, so i could see him from avery close distance, there was a very different feeling then. Dnt know, mite be some kind of vibrations i was experiencing, can be due to the excitement or the thrill to meet Sri Sri ji. Mala mam, went and spoke to him and said that this was the group from hyderabad, i guess He was really busy, he just saw us.. smiled at us and left. Oh god i really so wanted to talk to him then, something, something which gets me into a converstation with him, but i could nt. Anway then i got going happy that met Guruji and saw him from a close distance and to have an eye to eye contact with Him. I was just walking in some random direction and i ended up reaching the Lotus House. it was amazing to be there. What a construction it was, it was really really huge, no wonder i could see it from distance on the first day. we entered in, it was locked, but we could get on the stairs and go up the house. I always wanted to get inside, and was wondering how. Just then, a girl comes up to me amd says that, even she would love to get inside, but for that she got to wait till its evening, as we would be having a satsang in the evening. I dint know what it meant, i thought it was just the speech that guruji gives, and thats all. Never asked her what it meant, as i dint want to give her a feeling that i was out of place. Anyway i waited till it was evening, and i came back to the Lotus house around 5:30 in the evening and i could see so many people gathering there. What an amazing site for a first timer. i got in with my group, First it was the speech, there was a long silence and the first thing He says was. He observed us all closely it was a huge gathering, and then he says. this is not a school where you have to get scared of me. There was a huge roar and many people like me came into ease, there was a small course on how you have to live life happily, there were few questions asked and asnwered by Guruji, like always he adds a bit of humour to his answer. It was really sweet to watch him, He has a sweet husky voice. Then started the Bhajans part, it was amazing, there was Bhanu Didi and Rishi Nityapragya ji in the front row, opp. to guruji. I really dint know who they were, i just thought they were some professional singers singing. I really enjoyed me being there. singing to their tunes, songs like Jai jai radha ramanai hari bol, ananda nandananda, a song Shiva which is my personal fav., then Om Narayan by rishji. which kept the crowd going, everyone there was singing along, few started to dance, it was totally like getting into Trance. What a satsang?
I met rishiji after the satsang personally, he was standing there to the corner, i just walked by and congratulated him, as i just fell in love with his voice, and enquired about who the female lead was, he answered Bhanu didi. i really dint know about them, i just thought i met good singers that evening. Anyway soon after that i had to get back home, along with m y group. we were just in state of bliss, and we found a couple pushing their Reva car as it ran out of the battery.. !!! we all got down and started to push their car, they were so happy for us, it was a coincedence that even they were from AOL.. Exchanged greetings, and soon we left, the next day roamed placeds in b'lore. Met my cousin Rajeev, who was working their for IBM then. spend some time with him, visited Brigade road. and then back to Mala's place in the evening, as we had to catch the return bus to Hyderabad.
I was full of excitement, and just outburst all of that on my mom, poor her, she just listened to each and every part of it with patience. It was like i have acheived something in my life.
Years passed, and in 2009 Oct, i was sitting in front of my system, in Ford working in the early part of the day. Something instigated me to listen to AOL bhajan's. So i logged into youtube, typed bhajans, and every song i listen is something like hey i know this song, and when i watched the video it was rishiji, it was then i came to know who rishiji and Bhanu didi was. I was so excited as met them few years back. Thats how life is.
So this is about my First Time visit to Prashanti Kuteeram, its a long blog, just made sure i put down everything, and missed nothing.
Thanks,
Jai Guru Dev.
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