Satsang on May 1st (2008)

DSN in Chennai, Utsav in Jalandhar, a Financial Literacy Workshop in Delhi and Mumbai followed by another Utsav in Mumbai... In the past 3 months the YES!+ Team in India has brought the Grace to 10,000 (well, 9200, but with the Bangalore Utsav on 8th May we will cross 10,000 :)) young people! (with dinesh and me teaching)
While Saleel and Nanda are teaching their first Utsav Course in Indore, Dinesh and i headed back home to Bangalore Ashram, coincidentally Guruji also happens to be here for 3 days! (sly grin)
Bangalore is quite hot during the day, with very pleasant mornings and evenings, we even had a small shower of rain in time for Guruji landing in Bangalore...
Guruji led 3 sessions yesterday, a long meditation on the Adv course and 2 rocking sessions on the TTC I and II, that are all happening simultaneously on the Ashram... all too soon the sun was making a gloriously beautiful exit, and it was time for Satsang...

Satsang was in the amphitheatre (completely packed with people, so many courses going on and folks had come in from the city too) with the superb Vishalakshi Mantap as a backdrop, the open skies as the ceiling, and a lovely green lawn as a plush natural carpet beneath our feet... and an absolutely resplendent Guruji on stage...

Right in the beginning, there were a few people talking to each other and not participating , and Guruji gently admonished the entire crowd saying during Satsang, everyone should sing... and then later we will all meditate...

We sang old nostalgic Bhajans yesternight, the ones we used to sing almost 13 years ago, felt very nice.

Here is what i remember from the Knowledge He shared:

What do people get in an Ashram? Knowledge, Love and food! Make each home into an Ashram... whoever comes home, give them Knowledge, Love and food...

To a question about how to judge whether or not one is progressing on the spiritual path, He answered, see how you feel, how calm you can remain in problem situations, how you handle trouble that comes to you, how quickly negative emotions leave you, how much disturbance you can take...then He laughed...

He told us to be firm and gentle at the same time, so people will not take us for granted... Be tough, not aggressive!

(I like to say rule with an iron hand wearing a velvet glove :))

How to deal with grief on the passing of a close friend or family member? Don't fight the grief... Knowledge, Dispassion and Satsang will allow you to move through it quickly and center you very fast...

Then we meditated, it was short, just a few minutes but oh so deep... and soon to the strains of Jai Jai Radha Ramana Hari Bol, Guruji left...

Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa