"Home," in its essence, reflects a feeling and not as much a space. And for many of us devoted to this path, Ananda is home. Not one particular community or another but wherever this vibration has been firmly established and nurtured.
After a week in Kolkata, when we landed in Delhi and entered the Panchsheel ashram, it was this exact feeling of coming home. The ashram space is filled with the presence of Swamiji and long-time devotees. Our meditations at the ashram were deep.
An absolute treat (not originally planned) was Jyotish and Devi's visit to the ashram exactly on the day when we were scheduled to be there. On Saturday evening, when we came to the ashram for dinner, it was a spectacle to see the dozens and dozens of marigold garlands adorning the outside walls, doorways, and walkways. It was festive in the best way imaginable.
With jyotish and devi in Delhi
The Sunday Satsang with Jyotish and Devi was a celebration of Ananda's 20 years in India. The temple was filled, and other rooms were set up for devotees to watch the Satsang on a screen. We couldn't think of a better way to start the pilgrimage than with such an inspiring satsang. A delicious lunch followed.
Our orientation evening in Delhi was a ceremony of intention setting for the sacred trip. It was a profound event where we all came together and energetically bonded as one. Tears rolled down our eyes as we made a personal offering in front of Babaji and received a gift in return - that was his blessing to us.
A fulfilling shopping trip!
There were two busy days of shopping adventures that were incredibly fun and fulfilling.
On the auspicious day of Vijayadasami (or Bijoya or Dussehra), Oct 24th, we gathered very early in the morning before the sun's rays hit the horizon. Gathering outside our hotel, we invoked the presence of Ganesha to remove all obstacles on our way and boarded the bus. Thanks to microphones and speakers, our times in the bus are filled with joyous and enthusiastic chanting to God.
By late afternoon, we were greeted by Mahavir, a long-time friend of Ananda who has been helping Ananda devotees for decades and guiding their travels in this region. His presence with us is truly a blessing.
Over lunch, he shared story after story of how Babaji's grace has been guiding his life, including the story of how he met Mahavatar Babaji in person in 1993. This was before he knew anything about Mahavatar Babaji or Yogananda. Only later, when Ananda devotees gave him the book Autobiography of a Yogi, he realized that the person he met was Babaji.
Mahavir is simple, unassuming, and humble. We look forward to hearing more stories from him about instances in his life and his travels with Ananda when Babaji intervened and helped.
By late afternoon, we reached Lake resort at Naukuchia tal, where we spend the night before heading to Neem Karoli Baba's ashram and Then Babaji's cave tomorrow.
Evening energization by the Himalayan lake
This place is nestled in a verdant forest on the banks of a beautiful lake. Serene and peaceful, it is a perfect stopping point to refresh. Our evening sadhana included energization facing the lake, followed by meditation.
The chill Himalayan wind that brushes our skins as we step out is calling us to the mountains tomorrow and we cannot wait to experience more!