THE MYSTIC EXPERIENCE OF YOG SADHNA
meditation Camps at Manali, May-June 2014
A three-phase meditation camp was organized by the Vishwa Jagriti Mission at its Sadhna Dham Ashram, Manali in Himachal Pradesh, during the period May-June 2014 [Camp-I May 25-28, Camp-II May 29-June 01 and Camp-III June 02-05, 2014]. A large number of devotees from all over the country and some even from abroad had participated in the advance meditation course spread over three phases. All the courses were organized under the guidance of His Holiness Sudhanshuji Maharaj, founder of the Vishwa Jagriti Mission. Inputs were also made by Dr Archika, founder of the Dr Archika Foundation. A total of nearly 450 devotees had participated in all camps.
Hundreds of devotees of Sudhanshuji Maharaj thronged to Manali, a picturesque town set in the lap of Himachal Pradesh Himalayas, to participate in four-day Yog Sadhna Shivir. They all came with their bags and baggage from various parts of the country, loaded in the comfortable buses departing from the Anand Dham Ashram in Delhi without caring for the discomfort of 17 hours/750 km long grueling journey. All minds and eyes were set on the picturesque Yog Sadhna Ashram Complex in the town of Naggar, adjacent to Manali town, and keen to have the experience of going through the advance meditation course of Yog Sadhna under the kind guidance of His Holiness. It was a rare experience for many of them to undergo the Yog Sadhna training at his hand. The Vishwa Jagriti Mission had made elaborate arrangements for the stay of devotees at the newly-constructed Sadhna Dham Ashram Complex and at various nearby hotels since the accommodation at the Ashram was inadequate. The VJM had also made local transportation arrangements for all devotees.
The participants, about 175 of them [in the 3rd Camp], both men and women, young and old, underwent a well-structured training schedule. The full-time presence of Shri Dev Raj Kataria, General Secretary of the Mission ensured the flawless progress of the camps and safety and security of the participating-devotees. The organisational management was taken care of by Col Subhash Bakshi while the practical work was well-managed by the local officials and volunteers of Kullu-Manali Mandal. There were two sessions of three hours each every day. The Yog Sadhna Hall, set downhill of the Sadhna Dham Ashram, in the midst of a sprawling apple orchard, was full of the devotees seated in rows and in an orderly fashion. The gentle roar of nearby flowing Beas river added to the beauty of environment surrounding the Ashram.
The contents of the syllabus included: demonstration and participation in yogic and Pranayama exercises, led by His Holiness, and followed by a discourse. The programme was supported by Dr Archika who explained in details the methods and techniques of entering the meditation phase and to consider the value of nutrition for a vibrant and healthy body.
Maharajshri, while explaining the objective of the Shivir, gave an overview of the importance and significance of Yoga as enunciated by the authors of Vedas and Yog Rishi Patanjali, and its relevance in the present times of strains, stresses and tensions. He explained in detail, supported by examples, the eight-fold path of Yoga for all round development of human personality. These are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. The explanations were fluent and embedded with pearls from our Scriptures. All explanations were suitably supported by day-to-day happenings and demonstration of micro-yogic exercises. It was a great experience to sit in front of him, listen to his discourses and to watch him unfold the deep mysteries of the philosophies of our ancient saints. One could easily venture to say:
Gulshan mein saba ko justjoo teri hai,
Bulbul ki zuban pe guftgoo teri hai;
Har rang mein jalwa hai teri kudrat ka,
jis phool ka soonghta hun fiza teri hai.
He mentioned about the significance of leading a pure and energetic life to enjoy the evocations and professions. Maharajshri said: ‘In the present days of competition and technology and booming business, people often ignore the upkeep of their bodies. In order to have a good and steady mind, it is necessary that people look after themselves and their families and also remain aligned with the Supreme Spirit. Yoga is a part of spiritualism. Yoga helps maintain a balance between the mind and the body. Yoga is not a martial art, rather it is a spiritual experience to train the mind and body to lead a happy life. Yoga is a complete exercise – breathing, physical invigoration, management of healthy and nourishing food, meditation, prayers, and belief in God, all included. Yoga is a discipline to improve or develop one’s inherent powers in a balanced manner. It offers the means to reach complete Self-realisation.’
Maharajs- hri mentioned the types of yoga e.g. Japa Yoga, Karma Yoga, Gyan Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raj Yoga. He laid stress on ‘Meditative Asanas’ and focused on the management of innerself, especially ‘anter maun’ [introspection] technique. A full-scale session was devoted to writing a dairy or ‘Dream Book’ the outlines of which were given by Maharajshri.
The last day of the Shivir was an extraordinary and exhilarating experience for one and all. That day it was only the morning session because in the afternoon people were to return to Delhi. Maharajshri summarised the work done during the previous three days. The devotees were listening to His Holiness with rapt attention and vowed to follow what was instructed to them.
Announcing the conclusion of the Shivir, Maharajshri rose from his Vyaspeeth and prayed briefly in front of the divine idols placed behind the dais and sought their blessings. He then moved to bless the participants who were sitting in rows, one by one, by holding each one’s head and softly touching the forehead. As he moved towards the end of the rows, there were heard sobs and moans and many of the devotees could not control their tears flowing out of their emotions – perhaps out of gratitude to him, or perhaps the spontaneous outflow of the accumulated rubbish which was buried deep in the mind. The outburst of tears was because of the melting down of the long-time frozen layers of misconceptions, frustrations and anguish. When the Sadguru establishes a spiritual and physical contact, which is a blessed phenomenon, the disciples often begin to melt down and realise a mystical transformation in themselves. They begin to see the ‘light’ and the true vision of Self. The outburst of negative energy from within is the result of melting of emotions – the outflow is usually through tears, loud laughters, sighs, hiccups, wild cries, trembling and shivering. The whole Satsang hall was charged with a surge of divine energy released by the touch of the Guru on his disciples.
He consoled them and pacified their disturbed feelings by staying a moment more with them. It was a heartwarming feeling which was generated by the gentle touch of Maharajshri on their bodies – a rare happening for the devotees.
Earlier, Maharajshri dictated to the devotees a series of pledges which need to be taken every day to develop a process of moving forward to progress.
It is befitting to say:
Tera jalwa jahan hogo, mera sajda wahan hoga;
Mere jaise to lakhon hain jahan mein, tere jaisa meherban kahan hoga!
Chalo haath utthain upar ko, jahan woh baitha hai mere liye,
Usi ki raza main laga dil, dua kar raha tumahre liye.
During the course of the Shivir Maharajshri suggested to all the participants to visit some of the religious and tourist spots in and around Manali, especially the temples dedicated to Maharishi Vashishtha, Maharaj Manu, Dewi Hadimba, Maharishi Ved Vyas in Rohtang Pass area and Mani Karan area where a temple and a Sikh Gurudwara are situated on the fringe of a hot-water spring and the source of Parvati River. Maharajshri explained to the devotees the significance of Manali. While the entire Himachal Pradesh is called as Devbhumi, Manali is the place where Manu Maharaj had done penance and prepared a Code of Ethics for Hindus. Manali area is a pious place and it deserves a high level of veneration. There are many tourist spots around Kullu-Manali area.
The Shivir was a grand success in the sense that Maharajshri devoted almost a full fortnight to ensure that the activity was smooth and the participating-devotees could feel the presence of a noble soul among them. It was an added attraction to have the benefit of advice from Dr Archika, the founder of Dr Archika Foundation which is engaged in the field of women empowerment. With the success of the present phase of Meditation camps, a promise was made by Maharajshri to organise a little more advanced programme in the near future. For many of them it was indeed a mystic experience.
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