My Journey
My spiritual journey started when I was in the 3rd standard. My grandfather used to lead a Mega satsang on the first sunday of every month. There will be Bhajans, Discourses by grandfather and there will be prasad. My grandfather had kept a photo of his Guru (http://www.srdm.org/Gurupadar.htm) at our house. Before the mega satsang, he used to come to our house and light diya ( a small lamp) in front of his guru's picture. On that Sunday, he took me with him in his scooter to the mega satsang. I was 8 years old then. The satsang used to be at a Krishna temple, beleived to be built by the Pandavas during their vanaprastha (when they were hiding from the enemies in the forest). This temple is at the top of a big rock. There are 110 steps to climb to reach this temple. There was a devotee's house at the foothills of this rock, where my grandfather used to stay on the day of the satsang. I clearly remember myself sitting in that house. I was very shy. Every one was telling that this boy is swamiji's grandson!!!. Grandpa went to the temple for the satsang and the people at the house gave me something to eat and then took me to the temple for Satsang. I dont remember much after that. After the lunch prasad, my father came and took me backhome. And that was the beginning of my spiritual life!!!... More later
Few stories about my Grandpa.
He started the Satsang at a place, which was very close to a colony started by kerala govt for poor and homeless people. More people came to the satsang to have the free lunch offered at the satsang than to attend the satsang. There were a lot of people attend the satsang for the whole day, but a lot of people from the colony just came for the lunch. The lunch will start with Grandpa serving food to the people from the colony. There was a separate line for people, who just want to have food. For many, the first sunday means, they get stomach full of food. And the most famous story about the food served is that, there is always enough food for everyone. Irrespective of the number of people show up, there is always enough food for everyone. It was such a surprise to many. But those who knew divine as the "anna dhata" - it was no surprise.
Those at the satsang had the opportunity to say some great stories. One of them is about the rain. As many of you know, it rains heavily in Kerala in May, June, July & August. The temple where the satsang was held did not have any covered shed. The food was prepared on the open ground. So rain means no food preparation. And on every first sunday of those months, it wont rain till the food is prepared. And if it has to rain, then it rains all around the rock, but not on the rock. It is such an amazing and awesome experience to see it raining all around the rock, but not where the food was prepared...I dont know much stories about my grandpa, because for me he was always the sweet grandpa and never really the divine master, except towards the very end of his life, when I started seeing that. But, by then it was time for him to leave his physical body. But, I am not sad. Even though, his physical body is not here, he is with me, with all of us in each moment.
When I did my first Art of living course, I was really concerned whether I am stepping in the right path. In the same night I had a dream - A dream in which Guruji is sitting at my grandpa's Ashram. And that told me that I am in the right path and he is with me in this path.
Jai Gurudev
Few stories about my Grandpa.
He started the Satsang at a place, which was very close to a colony started by kerala govt for poor and homeless people. More people came to the satsang to have the free lunch offered at the satsang than to attend the satsang. There were a lot of people attend the satsang for the whole day, but a lot of people from the colony just came for the lunch. The lunch will start with Grandpa serving food to the people from the colony. There was a separate line for people, who just want to have food. For many, the first sunday means, they get stomach full of food. And the most famous story about the food served is that, there is always enough food for everyone. Irrespective of the number of people show up, there is always enough food for everyone. It was such a surprise to many. But those who knew divine as the "anna dhata" - it was no surprise.
Those at the satsang had the opportunity to say some great stories. One of them is about the rain. As many of you know, it rains heavily in Kerala in May, June, July & August. The temple where the satsang was held did not have any covered shed. The food was prepared on the open ground. So rain means no food preparation. And on every first sunday of those months, it wont rain till the food is prepared. And if it has to rain, then it rains all around the rock, but not on the rock. It is such an amazing and awesome experience to see it raining all around the rock, but not where the food was prepared...I dont know much stories about my grandpa, because for me he was always the sweet grandpa and never really the divine master, except towards the very end of his life, when I started seeing that. But, by then it was time for him to leave his physical body. But, I am not sad. Even though, his physical body is not here, he is with me, with all of us in each moment.
When I did my first Art of living course, I was really concerned whether I am stepping in the right path. In the same night I had a dream - A dream in which Guruji is sitting at my grandpa's Ashram. And that told me that I am in the right path and he is with me in this path.
Jai Gurudev
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