The Satvik High - I

They were dancing on crazy tunes which sounded more like a noise to me.




(I had struggled to pull myself out from the bed that morning, as I had an infected throat and fever at night . I was finding all excuses not to go, but something was pulling me .......
I wrapped myself completely with a woolen scarf, jacket and socks. It looked as if I am dressed for Simla. NC came to pick me and as soon as I reached the bus all of them roared out wow !!! They looked so happy that I made it . It was this force of love and bonding which was pulling me).

I was shocked at the way they all were screaming in the bus. One voice which stood louder than others was .... Any guesses ????


The voice of super cool "Vatika".....


I and Virat were literally waiting for them to get a little exhausted before we joined them.




Within few minutes of being with them I already was feeling better. The woolen scarf was gone now. Even Crocin couldn't have worked so effectively .
In the due course of our journey we were passing by some exceptionally beautiful scenery. Felt as if the earth had covered itself with a green blanket. Where ever I look it was Green....Green.......Green........







Nature to me never looked so ALIVE, I felt as though every particle was celebrating with joy. The rain water had filled new life in the plants, trees and flowers and they looked so very FRESH .

We were on the same route of the last year's picnic . And we were hoping to find the same stop for breakfast. The chances were dim, yet we were determined to find the place. Many times we reminded the driver to stop at different places as every one was extremely hungry. But there was no response from him as if he was hard of hearing. We were loosing patience now, and he decided to stop over at the next place that comes by.

And we stopped.YES! It was the same place we were looking for. Wow!! both Virat and I exclaimed.

For next few moments this is what happened

We played throw ball, football , cricket,donkey etc ..etc...

We were ready to move towards our final destination now, the Bhivpuri Water falls..

We crossed our fingers as we didn't want to go to the same Karjat water fall we went last year (as Mamta describes it rightly "waterfall with 4 inches of water.") Of course Virat disagrees as he had decided the place last time.

The road to the fall looked similar and the approach also. We were confused till the end.

Is it the same one ???

Is it??

Looks like.......

No,may be not, this was not there before !!

FINALLY...

This was what we saw !!!!!

More about the falls and other adventure later !!!!


VJ
(photographs curtsy- Mihir)

So much done, yet so much to do!

Yesterday I called up a few ex participants of Part-1 and briefed them about Rishiji's course. One of my friend in the cubicle asked, "Kis cheez ki marketing kar raha hai bhai??". And I replied, "Logon ko line pe lane ki!!"

Meanwhile a thought ran across my mind. "What a call centre type job where we have to sell our AOL courses to people". Just after that, a realization dawned. "Does this job really matters? Afterall everything has already been planned and decided by guruji. We are mere instruments whose contribution is just a drop in the ocean. It is like doing something that has already been done. We are being given the credit of lifting the Govardhan with all the strength that we have but in true sense, its only the little finger of the divine which is at work. We are doing nothing. In fact, the opportunity of working for his vision is only given to the privileged ones. Like the people under the Govardhan were the blessed souls who had the opportunity to be there."

Later that night, we had to call around 50 people in Pune to push them for Rishiji's course. Himanshu bhaiya then said, "How does it matter whether you do a phone call or whether I take a course. Ultimately by some or the other means, we are working for the divine."
After we dispersed for the day, there was a huge sense of gratification in me. It had made me feel so complete and I was filled with contentment. As I walked towards the bus bay, I strongly felt, "What did I do, just worked for guruji and it has made me feel exalted. Is this not what I want to do for the rest of my life?"
Not that there was a doubt before, neither is this feeling of contentment something new for me, but it made me feel the difference in the quality of work that I was doing while in Infy.
When someone asked Himanshu bhaiya, why is he resigning from infy, he said "Theres no time for this work now".
I look forward to say this to my colleagues next year.

I went home with a compliment added in my account. This was said by one of the volunteers with whom I was speaking for Rishiji's course, "You have a wonderful voice!!"
Long time since I was praised for something remotely associated with AOL :)

Finally, whenever you do something for Guruji just think...

So much done, yet so much to do!

Down the memory lanes........17th july yes!+

A walk through the memory lane....
We had an amazing yes!+ with 120 participants on board on 17th June. Tonnes of fun and the participants had a wonderful time, So did we.....


Here's a nice experience which is worth sharing amongst many of them.

The girls name is Khyati lets hear her experience

JAI GURUDEV

I am Khyati Trivedi.I had several fainting episodes and no doctor could figure out the problem except for the fact that my iron levels were low. I used to get no clue that i am going to faint before i collapsed. I visited doctors continuously for 15 days, most of the times 2 doctors a day. I saw everyone from physician to psychiatrist to neurologist to cardiologist and was experimented with every possible test on planet earth. However they concluded that it was only hormonal changes coupled with low iron levels. I was so weak that i could not even bend for more than 2 minutes, and i frequently experienced spinning and darkness. I had become very negative about everything and my motivation levels were badly disturbed. YES!+ happened to me at the same time. My cousin recommended the course to me and Shyam connected me to the new world. The course begun and on the very 1st day I could not even do 3 suryanamaskars alright. I started spinning and had to sit down while all others continued. The Kriya was an experience in itself. From the second i could do all the suryanamaskars. The hints given by Mr. Virat and Vasudha mam helped me in bringing joy and positivity back to life. However, the highlight of the course was on the last day.

I finished the short Kriya and I heard a voice,"YOU ARE FINE NOW". That day in the satsang i danced for about an hour with no problems. Thereafter i have had no spinning or darkness or any other program. To conclude I will say,' WHAT DOCTORS COULD NOT DO FOR ME, THIS COURSE HAS DONE FOR ME'.

Cheers

khyati

Creative bits from Yajur(course participant)



The first time I saw my teachers,
I saw that they made heads turn,
That’s cuz they entered from the backdoor,
That’s what they did all the time thereafter,
They kept opening doors for us,

Doors that were right in front of us,
But we were too scared to knock on them.
Their names, Vasudha and Virat.
Their style spicy like aloo chaat,

But they also gave us the taste of “Kadva Aachar”,
When again and again they made us do surya namaskar,
Virat bhaiya knows your problems inside out,
Vasudha di will help you meet the “Shashwat” within you,

Without doubt I seek their blessings and also of guruji,
Samjo ek nayi life aab se ho gayi shuruji.

---Yajur

Few Updates !!

• Announcing the next YES!+ Adv course at Bangalore Ashram:

Date: Thur, July 30Th to Sun, August 2nd, 2009
Arrival: Wed 29th July,
Departure: Monday 3rd August, after 10am

Course Contribution structure: Rs 3000/- till (including) 28Th July, Rs 4000/- on 29Th & 30Th July.

Contact your YES!+ Teachers or Organisers for further registrations.

People in Mumbai Call up Kuldeep : 9819152713 , Mihir: 9870884123

Ashram Coordinator for the course will be Rajeev (9243095814, courses@yesplus.org)

• We had an amazing session with bau !! All yes!+ graduates and volunteers were on cloud 9 !!
  

• Yes!+ Excursion is Scheduled for 25th any and everyone can join in !! stay connected to get more info !!
  

• Yes!+ is going on....... and its amazing !! wait for the picz . Today is the last day, I am already missing it.

Jai Gurudev !!!

Something really good to read

http://whisperfromtheinfinity.blogspot.com/2009/05/finally-new-beginning.html

and

http://whisperfromtheinfinity.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Divine%20dive%20before%20suicide

You ll love the second one!

Some more nice pics of the farewell.




Sukirti is looking like a Greek Goddess :)
They are our Sweethearts!
VJ

Amchi Mumbai got all prepared to welcome its most special guests. Today's morning was perfect, as the nature was celebrating waiting to have them here. Yes our dear Bau and Dinesh da are here in Mumbai again :)
And as you can guess there arrival was more eventful than we could have ever imagined. I am loving sharing this story with you and I cant stop laughing. So would you at the end of it.

While Virat and myself were driving to pick them, Virat suddenly exclaimed OH NO!! His face was Red as he realized and said "I havent Shaved", 2 seconds pause," Bau will kill me". For the rest half an hour I was consoling him with my words. Bau won’t notice I said , don’t worry.
When we reached the Airport Nikhil and Chintan were also there.Virat took a sigh of relief as he saw them. The same feeling of relief we get when we see the others being in the same drowning boat as us.
YES neither Chintan nor Nikhil had shaved.

And the moment arrived and we saw them coming towards us. Virat was admiring the way Dinesh da walks. I have always felt seeing the fascination Virat has for Dinesh da,that if either one of them was of opposite gender, Virat would find his soul mate. When I told Virat this he said I will wait 2 more years, then open up to the idea of marrying the same sex:) .I thought to myself this is the US influence or Karan Johars.Or both..

Virat was glad to see Bau engaged in reading his book even while walking towards us. This was like a lull before the storm
Bau raised his eyes and looked at us , not us, actually at Virat, and asked the magic question
YOU DID'NT SHAVE?
Before Virat could find an answer, next moment Dinesh da got his razor from his bag and said we will do it now ,Bau? What happened next was this




Dinesh da shaved Virat's French beard only half.
☺:) :)
Virat just surrendered ,not that he had any other choice..

I will leave you laughing now.
Please do remember to leave your valuable comments on the snap.
:)
VJ

The Last Good Bye !!! ........ till they r bak !!

Last Saturday was a day of high significance . As we say goodbye to them for the last time until they are back . Yes, goodbye to Sid , Sukeerti & Mamta for the new journey into the infinity . The plan was perfectly executed, evening amidst rains and loads of fun . We played Kabbadi on the top of the terrace with Vasudha's team beating Virat's comprehensively. I ended up being on the loosing side but was fun.

Rains were pretty heavy and the View from the terrace of Vasu Didz bldg was marvelous. We had fun 20 odd ppl with the rains, games and the sing a song session..... The best song for the night was dedicated for Sid and it was " Bholi surat dil ke khote ". Many more for Sukeerti and Mamta !! Vasudi loves to get wet in the rains and its really nice to see her enjoying the rains . The moment of the night was to see Virat Shivering ... I thought Virat was tough and strong to withstand the rains. We hanged out for dinner at our routine den Ruchi !!

We missed many people on that nite but this 3 are the ones who all are really going to be missed.Wishing them all the success for their new journey. And wish they go through the TTC as warriors !!

Sid: Going to miss ya singing ....

Mamta : Angel !! really going to miss yaa.... How can we imagine a yes!+ without you

Sukeerti: Going to miss your Chandi look !!

Remember trio luck favors the brave

PS :Lets sing a song for all three of them. post a comment of the song when you think of them

PPS : For those who still dont know who are they ... Mamta in yellow Sid n Sukeerti in white !!

This is something I thought I must share with you.
I met a girl in Chicago who has more than one thing in common with me. It made me feel a little eerie. Is this really possible!
Her name is Vasundhara her husband and friends call her Vasu☺
Her height is 5.7 feet , same as me.
She has her birthday in December.
She did a business of home furnishings ,a few years back, SO DID I!
She is now a YES teacher and I teach YES+.
Isn’t this freaky.

Do we also look similar????




Some more pics from the treasure trove of Siddharth. All pics are his contribution alone:)



Lets have a caption contest for this snap. Send in your 1 liners for the picture above and we will publish the best one in the blog:)



Thanks again for all your lovely comments, each one was really valuable to me.

C U all
Love
VJ.

(veiw from 94th floor from J.H Observatory )


The moon in Chicago hid itself behind the clouds because it became shy when it saw the lord of the Universe “Our Guru” today. Adorned by a garland of white and red flowers he looked radiant and serene in his white robe. How can words describe the inexpressible, exquisite form of pure infinite brilliance? The brilliance that eyes cannot capture and can only be felt by a devotee’s heart


Guruji asked us to reflect back in time the last year and observe the spiritual growth that happened.
A lot has happened for me I feel.A Lot! And I feel grateful for having been given this chance to walk on the path. Because nothing is more fulfilling and worth than having a master in life. Without him my life was like a lost kite in the sky floating without any direction or goal,lost in the unknown.He came and uncovered the dark veil of ignorance which brings misery. And gave an experience that Life is Peace ,Love and Celebration.



He said the work of a Guru is to create Confusion in a seekers life. He is not there to convince but to confuse .And that’s what lord Krishna did in Gita, he kept making Arjuna more and more confused in different chapters.

As soon as one concept is formed in our minds ,Guruji puts us in a new situation where this concept breaks. (Just when we think Oh I got it! He says not yet☺ ) And we are confused until a new concept gets formed.
Guruji said this is the way that Krishna took Arjuna from one step to the other towards perfection.

He said neither fools nor enlightened get confused. It is the intelligent who do. So if you are confused be happy,that you are intelligent.
Confusing is’nt it?

Never mind, I feel it doesn’t matter if we are intelligent or fools. Lovers are anyways called foolish. But only a lover knows what joy is in being intoxicated in love is’nt it?
And when the love is for a Satguru who showers his love and grace every moment of life ,life truly becomes a celebration.

(There were around 4000 people for Guru Poornima celebrations in Chicago today )

Love
VJ

An awesome day today.



It started with darshan of Guruji in the morning. And I got to hand all your letters to Guruji. He took them in hand from me☺. I also gifted him a painting that I took for him for Guru Poornima, as I could not hold myself till the 7th to give him the same. And he said ‘Oh its beautiful” ☺ ☺ ☺ I took a pic of it to show you.



What could I have asked for more than a morning like this.

We sneaked out for a little while from the hotel to see the Sears towers. It’s a very famous building in Chicago. Its really really TALL. Its an experience by itself to stand surrounded by a bunch of such huge buildings. You feel grand. As if they are showing off there authority ,saying I am the Boss here☺



We choose to go to its sky deck at the upper most level. 103 floors and 1450 feet high,it had the fasted elevators I have ever travelled. It travelled 24feet in a second ,in a minute it reached the top floor.





What a sight from above. Wow! There were areas made of glass to stand and take pics.YES! 1450feet high you stand on a glass floor with a glass wall. Sid stood and waited for me to step over it 1st and then he came. But still refused to look down. Highly elevating experiernce..


We were starving by now and rushed to a famous Pizza joint close by.


It had something interesting written ,this I captured only for you Bau☺



This was the thickest Pizza slice I had ever seen. Even looking at it made me feel full. The pizza looked like a pie and it was stuffed with a thick layer of Cheese. I think it should be called an American size Pizza. As you can finish at least one slice if you are very very hungry☺



In todays satsang I heard many new numbers. I hope I remember them to sing to Sid so that he can play some in our satsangs. Guruji continued speaking about the 4th chapter. I have taken down notes and I am waiting to share them with you all as soon as I return.






More on the way so keep posting your comments as I love reading each one of them.

Love
VJ.

Today’s highlights from Chicago









There were two parties on simultaneously, the one happening “Inside” (The advance course sessions and Bhagwat Gita discourse,900 participants) and the one “outside”(It’s the American New year tomorrow and around 2 million people were celebrating on the lake front Outside our hotel).



As we all know Guruji is here in Chicago giving a discourse on Bhagwat Gita . Today afternoon he explained the 4th chapter. In the evening there was a mind blowing Satsang, here’s a glimpse of this party.



Someone asked Guruji “Is it wise to share the knowledge taught in the Art of living course with people not on the spiritual path”,this is what he said
Who gave you the right to judge that these people are not on the spiritual path? Anyone who is seeking happiness, love and peace is spiritual. Only these people are seeking in the wrong place, so when they get tired they would come the right way. The other seekers are those who choose the short cut and look in the right place( seva ,sadhana, satsang). He added there are only these two kind of seekers in this world. So it is ok to share knowledge with everyone.
So if you are sitting on a dining table and tell someone ‘accept people and situation as they are’ and this person comes and slaps you, you better accept this person☺


Some one liners that he gave today





If you want to look at the world through glasses, at least wear Bigger glasses.


Q) Guruji what is your view on the world recession

Ans) Have a broader view, see everything’s changing.

Q) How would you describe awareness?
Ans) Attention minus tension is awareness

Cool isn’t it. There is a lot more but this much for now as I need to wake up early to attend the inside party tomorrow. I choose the shortcut and so did you ,so lets pat our backs and together spread more smiles ☺


Love
VJ