On the first day, our plans to conduct Padayatra failed successfully! So on the second day, we were decided (rather I was decided) to conduct the Padayatra from the Nagavara playa junction on the old madras road to Sri Bhuvaneswari temple in CV Raman Nagar through one of the most congested Nagavara playa road. On contrary to the situation on the first day, there were many volunteers and teachers waiting at the junction for receiving Swamiji. Irrespective of the heavy traffic on the Bangalore roads, our volunteer Sri Parthiban managed to bring Swamiji to the starting point by 5.30 PM.
Our team was ready with two banners carrying the photographs of the master and the disciple for Padayatra. Swamiji’s car stopped in front a bar cum non vegetarian restaurant. The very moment he came out of the car, I have informed him about my ‘plans’ about padayatra. We were at a busy bus stop. Some of our volunteers put garlands on swamiji and took blessings. What followed was something amazing! People started pouring in to the point where swamiji was standing; within seconds there were two long queues. Most of the people in the queue were ‘poor’ people – construction workers, slum dwellers, auto rickshaw drivers. Without any hesitation, they started touching the lotus feet of swamiji and receiving the blessings. Some of them managed to get some garlands too for swamiji. They were not having good dresses, they were not clean from outside, most of them were directly back from their work places, but their devotion was unmatchable.
Many heart-touching incidents took place there at the bus stop. Amidst of all these, I came to know one more fact – my plan of Padayatra was not again failing. But I was happy looking at the eyes of those people, who were poor from outside but pure from inside! There was no hesitation for those people to bow down to the feet of the saint. Many well dressed, clean, “pure from outside” people were keeping away from the queue – but they were missing something very special.
Many of the people who were already enjoying the ‘spirit’ in the nearby shop came to swamiji and took his blessings. Most of them were in bliss after the blessings, may be, they started enjoying the other ‘spirit’ which was not available in the shop. People kept on putting garlands on swamiji. It was mind blowing to see swamiji with so many garlands, for he resembled the master completely in the ‘blessing posture’.
One of the people who received the blessing was hesitating to go away from the place after receiving the blessings. Not sure, I doubted that he was also totally immersed in the ‘spirit’ from the shop. After some time I could see, that one of our volunteers who was holding the banner was replaced by the same person! He remained there till the end!
One family came with a lot of flowers. All those flowers were offered at the lotus feet of the Swamiji.
There were some young girls, waiting for the bus. Our volunteer went and asked them to take the blessings of Swamiji. They just hesitated to come. One of them told – “He is just a man. Why should we take his blessings?” Something wonderful happened the very moment. A lady from the slum reached to Swamiji with her child. The child was crying in the peak voice, may be seeing the large crowd. The lady brought the child to Swamiji. He looked at the child through the half open meditative eyes and kept his hand on the head of the child. Suddenly the child stopped crying. He was looking in wonder at the divine messenger’s face. After receiving the blessings, the lady bowed down to his feet. With a lot of devotion, she took a flower from his feet, kept it close to her heart, and fixed it in her hair. He kept the child at his feet and asked the child to touch the feet. The child hesitated for a while. She told – “Touch the feet my dear son, He is God!” The other girl was listening to them. I looked at Swamiji, even I felt like looking at the face of my divine during Navaratri or Shivratri. I looked at the faces of both the women. One was glowing with happiness. The other was blurred – I just smiled at them. Once again I understood why Art of Living course was much needed for the so called rich and pure people. The uneducated slum dweller, without doing any spiritual practice, could see the divine in the messenger of the master! The educated, stylish dude could only see the human being!
The blessing festival was going on. People were waiting for us at the temple. So we have decided to conduct the padayatra and go to temple. But Swamiji was not in a mood to open his eyes at all! Thus our beloved teacher Sri Sudheendra-ji started the padayatra and moved towards the temple. I along with two of our volunteers waited there for Swamiji. It was total darkness and there was not even a street light – the blessing was going on. I was praying to my divine, to help me to take Swamiji to the temple, for people were waiting there. Slowly the crowd reduced. Immediately we got him inside the car and moved towards the temple.
We reached the temple by 8.15 pm. The wonderful, serene atmosphere at the temple was vibrating with the most energetic voices of the devotees of the divine in satsang when swamiji entered the temple. He just sat there right in front of the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Shiva, and started singing along. He could not sit for long time; people started making queue before him for his blessings. It was wonderful – we have not asked anybody to take blessings, they just came voluntarily. The satsang and blessing were going on… In between the electricity supply failed… but nothing stopped the enthusiasm of our volunteers… They kept on singing… without microphones and amplifiers… and swamiji went on blessing people…
Normally the temple used to close at 8.30 pm. In his divine presence, may be for the first time it was kept open till 10.00 pm, till the last person was blessed. Once it was over, the priests conducted special puja… Swamiji went inside the sanctum sanctorum… blessed the priests…
What a way to end the day! At least 5000 people got blessed on the day! We all were so exited… experiencing the divine presence everywhere… no words to thank Swamiji… No words to thank my divine… Only two words… Jai Gurudev!
No comments:
Post a Comment