Organising Anugrahotsav - A wonderful expereince

Some weeks before the Silver Jubilee Celebrations in 2006, the Indiranagar team had a wonderful Padayatra with Swami Pragyapadji. After talking to Madhavji over phone, I called Swami Joshiji and discussed about having ‘Snehasanjivani Padayatra’ and ‘Anugrahotsav’ at Indiranagar area. He had to travel to Kerala on the first week of July 2009 for conducting a number of advanced courses, pujas and blessing programs. So he told me that he was free during 23.Jun.2009 and 28.Jun.2009. Inspired by the experiences shared by Madhavji, in ‘Josh’ I have told him that I would organize the Padayatra and Anugrahotsav on the same week.

Next day, our team consisting of the teachers and volunteers from Indiranagar and HAL had a meeting at HAL center in the evening. Leaving some of the inspired volunteers, none were optimistic about the success of the program, for they have their own reasons. There was no time for ‘Leg Work’! People were worried about the expenses! When they asked about the money, I was also worried for a while. But in a gut feeling, I told them – “Don’t worry about money, we can find some sponsor!”

We have decided the routes of the Padayatra. Also we have decided to have the blessing festival, ‘Anugrahotsav’ at a big kalyanamantapa at Tippasandra. One of our resourceful volunteer took the responsibility of getting the venue with his hold in the business and political circle. Thus our team started to go ahead! During that meeting, I got a call from Madahvji again. He called me to inform that Poojya Gurudev has blessed Joshiji with the name – “Swami Jyotirmaya”.

The fun started next day, on 24.Jun.2009. There were many people for the meeting. But when it came to work at the ground, only ‘My’ core volunteers were left. (‘My’ Gurudev – Gurudev’s volunteers are my volunteers too…J). The first blow came – The venue that we identified was not available. But Guru’s grace worked for us again! Through one of our volunteers of HAL we got the HAL Kalyanamantapa confirmed within 24 hours. Before us starting the Padayatra at Ulsoor on 25.Jun.2009 the venue was confirmed. It was really a miracle! Normally, to book the HAL Kalyanamantapa, the normal processing and formalities happen within 15 to 20 days. But for the Guru, it happened within 24 hours!

On 25.Jun.2009 evening 05.00 pm, I have reached the starting point of Padayatra, Ulsoor police station. I was shocked and disappointed for a while. There were no other teachers; hardly 2 volunteers were present there. Swamiji was supposed to reach there by 05.15. Within 10 minutes 10 to 15 volunteers reached there. Swamiji reached there by 05.30. I was a bit embarrassed, for there was hardly any crowd for padayatra. What followed was amazing. The people who were watching Swamiji started flowing to him. It was happening! Without anybody inviting them, they just came to him, made two queues and started receiving his blessings. There were all varieties of human beings in the queue; software engineers, auto drivers, children, housewives, workers, police men…

There were many healing experiences too. One lady, who was having a blurred vision, got her vision back! Many police officers from the police station came and took the blessings – remember - we never took the permission to conduct the padayatra.  The Inspector who was the in charge of the traffic cops came to us – She talked to us for just 10 minutes. She went back to the office after taking a confirmation from us to have a course for her policemen! One course was born just like that – Now Sudhendraji is coordinating with the inspector for organizing the course!

The blessing program went on till 10.30 pm. No padayatra happened at all. For near about 5 hours, Swamiji was standing in one position and blessing people. Even when he was departing in the car, people were following him!

There was no difference on 26.Jun.2009. Swamiji landed from the car at 05.35 at one of the busiest junctions in the old Madras road – Nagawara palya. People from all walks of life were standing in queue for hours, just to get one touch of him. There were amazing experiences there too. From the junction, we took swamiji to the destination of the padayatra on a car. People were waiting there too. It was a scintillating scene to watch Swamiji blessing people in that Shiva temple… along with the soul stirring satsang led by Sudhendra-ji and Praveen. After blessing all the people who were present there, at 10.30 Swamiji was taken to Art of Living Kagadasapura centre to bless the centre.

On 27.Jun.2009 we have started the padayatra from Anjaneya temple, Tippasandra. We have taken Swamiji into the temple without informing the temple authorities. The crowd at the temple was uncontrollable. At one point of time, I could see more people standing in the queue before Swamiji than the queue before the deity. The temple people were literally worried. So we somehow managed to take Swamiji away from the temple. The most miraculous things were happening there. People who came to the temple started running after Swamiji for getting the blessing. The padayatra stopped at the Shiva temple Tippasandra at 06.45. That day, the temple saw such a big crowd inside the temple for the first time! 4 or 5 queues starting inside the temple running out to the roads, blocking the traffic… More and more people were joining the queue every second to get blessed by the divine. Many of the people were confused between Gurudev and Swamiji! It was too late when the blessing program came to an end. The priests of the temple conducted special puja in presence of Swamiji after 10.30 pm may be first time in the temple. When he left from the temple, there were more than 100 garlands with us! It was a wonderful scene to see Swamiji with kilograms of flower garlands…Then we took him to our centre at Jivanbimanagar. Blessings continued there too…

On 28.Jun.2008 Swamiji visited the HAL centre at 04.30 pm. We had a small satsang there. By 05.00 pm, we took him to the Kempfort Shiva Temple on Airport road. No words to narrate what followed. Hundreds of people surrounded Swamiji and we had no control! People were getting amazing experiences. I could see one lady, who was shivering fiercely the moment he touched her head. There were many people who were weeping after getting blessed. When the crowd started growing into such a state, where the Airport road was about to get blocked, we somehow took swamiji out of that place and walked towards the venue. People were not leaving him. They too walked after him to the venue. Many people joined on the way. People got out of running buses to get his blessing. It was raining. But nothing could stop Swamiji from blessing them; nothing could stop people from reaching them! By 06.30 hours we reached the venue.

The celebration began! I was in wonder when I saw the hall packed with people. They were waiting for Swamiji to arrive. The wonderful singer and his team were creating a wave of devotion there – Sri. Raviprakash and his team! What a devotional satsang! A wonderful welcome was given to the Swamiji by the devotees. He was taken to the stage. The 5-wigged lamp was lit by Swamiji and the teachers. People started flowing to him in a much disciplined manner.  To see him right in front of the photograph of the divine, in a similar costume was so amazing. So close! Miraculously similar! The disciple merging with the master!

What a wonderful celebration! More than 10,000 people, the unseen souls and angels in the forms orbs and bubbles in the air! You can see them in all the photographs that were taken there (http://picasaweb.google.com/graceofmaster). Lot of healing experiences, it will not be possible for me to write everything in a week too. The celebration went on till 11.00 pm.

We were all experiencing the grace of the divine for the four days. All heads broken, all hearts blossomed. No more doubts left over in the way the master works. And me, left with only gratitude for the divine for giving me and our team to organize such an event.

Jai Gurudev

Suresh Nair