Day 1 - 30th June 04

A group of about 20 devotees from Delhi arrived at Kanhangad station at 5 am on June 30th. Ashok and Tusharbhai received us and we boarded the bus that took us to ANANDASHRAM about 5 km away. This is a nearly 75 year old ashram located in a slightly undulating sprawling complex, something like our Magod ashram, having one or two storey buildings with tiled roofs, neat walkways lined by flowering plants, cowsheds, students and totally devoted gurubhakts. Dawn was breaking and gentle rain falling when we alighted from our buses. As we were unloading our luggage Gurudev came out and we had his informal darshan.

After bathing, we joined Gurudev at the main shrine. He was seated with the acting head of the ashram, who shares our beloved Baba’s name, Swami Muktanand, (as Gurudev remarked ‘it is an incentive for us to come here again, as we are reminded of our Baba when we take his name’). He gave all the ashramites flowers that were offered at the shrine, which had pictures of the founder Papa Ramdas and his successor Mother Krishnabai (affectionately called beloved Papa and Pujya Mataji).

In this ashram, every single day of the year the chant ‘OM SRI RAM, JAI RAM, JAI JAI RAM’ is sung for 12 hours, from 6 am to 6 pm. In addition, there are different chants like Vishnu Sahasranam recitation etc. in the main shrine.

The whole atmosphere is permeated with the divine name. There was an experience of deep serenity, love and peace throughout and the same was clearly manifest in the residents who were so gentle, polite, caring and helpful that all of us felt inspired to follow their example.

Later the same morning about 60 devotees from Mumbai and Gujrat arrived. We assembled in the hall where Gurudev gave a beautiful talk.

Referring to chanting he said, “Constant chanting has an effect on the environment - with the chanting of the divine name every thing blossoms – trees, flowers, cows and the people in the ashram. Chanting or speech is at four levels, the highest being at the para level (from the navel). Such was the chanting of Tukaram Maharaj.” He then told the story of how the priests tied up Tukaram Maharajji’s mouth so that he would not chant ‘Vitthal Vitthal’ in the toilet - but the divine name emanated from every pore of his body just the same.

We heard of when Babaji went to Athni Shiv Yogi and asked him how to chant the divine name. Shiv Yogi asked Baba to pick up his shoes and put them to his (Baba’s) ears. The Mantra OM NAMAH SHIVAYA emanated from them. Gurudev said, “The Anand is within, remove the Agyan (ignorance) and you become limitless – which you are. The mind is very subtle in how it tricks us, it is like a needle stuck in the groove of an old record.”

He told the story of Nasruddin who helped the tax officer who had fallen into the hole by asking him to take his hand instead of asking him to give his hand as all the others were doing. He said, “The mind is our own enemy, or our own friend. The purpose of sadhana is to understand the mind – step away from it – stop its tricks.

The sages surrender their lives to the will of God – live according to the teachings of the Guru. This life is according to our ‘prarabdha’ (past karma) – and our free will is the purusharth (self-effort) we put in. So we should control our mind, chant His name and live in bliss.”

That afternoon we had the darshan of the head of the Anandashram, Swami Sachidanand, who was bedridden because of paralytic stroke suffered in May 2004. He looked so serene and peaceful as lay in his bed. Later Gurudev remarked, ‘this was the result of the constant chanting of the divine name.’

Later that evening from 7pm to 9 pm Shanti Mandir devotees presented bhajans interspersed with dhuns.

Day 2 – 1st July 04

All of us had been eagerly waiting to see where Bhagwan Nityananda had lived and done sadhana in the early part of his life. We piled into two buses and a few cars and proceeded towards Guruvan that is situated on a small hillock. Words cannot describe the beauty and shakti of the place. We had to climb on foot for about half a kilometer. The whole area is still a mini forest with old trees, thick under growth – so fresh and lush green, especially so due to the monsoons. The only sound was of birds and crickets – the mind became quiet just being there. On reaching the top we sprinkled the water of the spring called ‘Paap Nashini Ganga.’ It is said this water purifies one of all bad karmas. Climbing a few steps we reached a small temple that contained Bhagwan’s statue.

We all sat in the courtyard in front of this temple and heard bhajans from Bhooma and Jawaharbhai. Gurudev told us, “This is the place where Bhagwan did sadhana. All of our bad karmas are destroyed by coming here. But as Baba used to say, this does not mean that you can now renew your license to do fresh bad actions. We should also control our desires .The saints and devotees should meet each other because the joy – Anand - one gets from bhakti cannot be described in words – it has to be experienced. We just heard in the bhajan: Jnaneshwar Maharaj says ‘Samadhi sadhan sanjeevan naam’ – the divine name is life giving.

To be able to come for such a yatra one does not need just money and time, but also Punya karma. So we are indeed fortunate that we could come. This yatra is dedicated to Amma. Karnataka has many Devis – perhaps it is the beauty of this place or the abundant beautiful flowers available that attracts them here. So we shall have darshan of all these holy places.”

After this we chanted OM NAMO BHAGWATE NITYANANDAYA’ followed by a rousing ‘Arati Nityananda.’

We then climbed down and went to the main city, to the caves, surrounded by a lotus pond that Bhagwan had carved out from the rocks. Atop these is a beautiful shrine to Bhagwan. In this statue he is sitting with his fingers widespread - blessing all. We chanted JAI JAI KAR SHREE GURDEVANCHA, and took part in the afternoon arati.

We returned to the Anand ashram and in the afternoon had satsang with Gurudev and Swami Muktanand.

Swamiji welcomed all of us and said, “We have come together on the auspicious occasion of Guru Poornima when we show our gratitude to the Guru principle which awakens us so that we can realize the Ultimate. Only the purified mind can feel the presence of God and the best way to purify the mind is through Ram naam - chanted with total faith and devotion and by doing Nishkam seva, selfless service.” He then gave prasad to all of us.

In his talk, Gurudev said, “All of us feel rejuvenated in this atmosphere - constantly listening to the Ram naam - our mind - the whole ashram - is filled with the divine name which fills us with bliss and sense of freedom. This is how we want to live at all times – where the Maya does not touch us. Baba used to say, ‘take the ashram home with you.’ So what do you take -waking up before sunrise – getting in touch with oneself -doing seva – where there is no sense of ownership. Shaivism says ‘Nartak Atma’ – the Self is an actor and the whole world is the stage, satsang teaches us to go beyond Maya.”

We heard the story of the man who used to get angry very easily and was advised by his father to hammer a nail in a log of wood every time he did so. Gradually his anger vanished and he was advised to pull out the nails. When he proudly took out the last nail he told his father, who then said ‘but the holes still remain.’ Gurudev said “Whatever action we perform the effect remains, so we should be very careful. The only remedy for any problem is the Lords name.

Our scriptures tell us “Athithi Devo Bhav’ – The guest is the Lord himself. In this Ashram we see this in practice. This truly is Anand ashram – an abode of bliss.”

That afternoon, the head of Chitrapur Math Swami Sadyojat Shankar Ashram came to Anand Ashram en route to Vittla (near Kanhagad) for 2 months of Chaturmaas. We had evening satsang together.

Day 3 – Guru Poornima- 2nd July 04

All of us were ready for the morning pooja in the main shrine at 5 am. Afterward we chanted the Guru Gita with Gurudev at 5.30. We felt so blessed to be with Gurudev on this, the most sacred day for any disciple. During the arati we had darshan – offered our gratitude for all that the Guru has done and continues to do for us. Then Shri Premanandaji, who is the grandson of Poojya Papa, sang bhajans. He sang with so much bhav – feelings of love and devotion - that it brought tears to many – especially ‘Mere ghar aaya Ram ka pyara, ‘The beloved of Ram has come to my home.’ With the melodious strains of Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram still ringing in our ears we took leave of the wonderful people of Anand ashram who had won our hearts with their hospitality, gentle caring manners, love of chanting and devotion to their Gurus.

A 2-hour drive brought us to Mulki. We reached the Sri Durga Parameshwari temple at Bappanadu. This temple is about 1500 years old. Gurudev’s father and his family have worshipped at this shrine for decades. In fact 50 years ago, Mr. Sheena Shetty (Seth) and his brothers had donated a beautiful silver arch that has been placed in front of the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum.

Sanjay and his wife performed Chandi Havan in Amma ‘s memory in the courtyard in front of the temple. It had started around 9 am and included Sri Kali, Sri Lakshmi and Sri Sarsawati pooja. After the normal waving of lights, a stand with 4 rows of lighted lamps above and below was brought in front of the Devi framing it. It was an amazing, extraordinary sight. The Devi’s face glowed in the light of hundreds of lamps all around it. Gurudev said, “Now you can understand one of the reasons why arati is performed. As there is no artificial light and the Devi is deep inside the sanctum sanctorum, this is the only way one can have proper darshan of the Goddess.” After this we had a delicious lunch served in the hall next to the temple.

From there, we went to Udipi. About 45 km from Udipi, in Kateel, we went to another Sri Durgaparmeshwari temple.

The temple there is dedicated to the Devi Durga who took the form a bee – Bhramri - to kill the demon Arunasura. We had darshan of the Devi, chanted the Devi Stotra, and took a partial dip in the holy water of Nandini.

That night all of us went to the farmhouse of Shri Manohar and Ganga Shetty, near Mulki,
where we were served a delicious South Indian Bhandara, in memory of Amma.

DAY 4 – 3rd July 04

Around 11 am we went to the famous Sri Krishna temple of Udipi set up by the founder of Dwait (Dualist) philosophy – Sri Madhavacharya. This is the only temple where one has darshan from the rear, through a window. Legend has it that a great devotee of the Lord, Saint Kanakdas, was denied entry as he belonged to a low caste. He was told to stand outside the temple from where he could see only the back of the Lord. Listening to his ardent plea, the statue turned and faced the rear where Kanakdas was standing. Since that day darshan is had only through the window called Kanak kandi – also called Navgrah window (which along with the door frame is exquisitely carved in silver).

A temple with such an inspiring tale of the power of love and devotion naturally fascinated us. We witnessed the arati, had darshan of another great devotee – Lord Hanuman – next to the main shrine and then went up to a hall where we chanted ‘Krishna Govind Govind Gopala’, which was followed by still more delicious Prasad.

The benefits of doing such a yatra with Gurudev are unlimited. One special blessing was that just as we were ready to leave we were told that the head priest of the temple would meet us. He is highly revered and very busy as he is the only one who can enter the sanctum sanctorum to perform all the rituals. Swamiji came and told us about the Sri Krishna mutt.

Swamiji said, ‘Krishna is one who attracts. We have been given this human body not just for eating and drinking (even animals do that) but to serve God - not just with food but also by showing our gratitude to Him through devotion. As Krishna is Rajadhiraj (King of kings) he can only be seen through a media. We have the darshan through Navgrah window - with nine holes which represents the nine holes in our body. For Him, only those people are foreigners who do not see the Lord within themselves – their own sanctum sanctorum.

Sri Madhavacharya opened 8 muths and installed 8 sanyasins each of whom serves the temple here for 2 years and then returns to his ashram, without fanfare, when the 2-year term comes to an end. This teaches us renunciation.”

That afternoon we started for Dharamasthal up in the hills. Midway we stopped at Moodbidri, which has a beautiful Jain temple - Tribhuvan Tilak Chudamani- with a thousand stone pillars, built in 1451. It has a huge statue of the 8th Tirthankar of the Jains.

We reached Dharamasthal around 7 in the evening and were given accommodations. This place is unique among all pilgrimage centers. Indeed, here the deity is Lord Shiva, the priest is a Vaishnavite and the administrator is a Jain - a perfect picture of religious tolerance and harmony that attracts people in the thousands. This place held a special attraction for us, as it is here that Baba’s parents prayed for a child and were then blessed with a son.

About 5 centuries ago 4 Dharam devatas assumed human form and came to the house of the Pergade – Hegade (who were Jains) which was the family of chieftains. They asked the family to install their statues and perform charities that would bring great prosperity to them. This was done. Later Brahmin priests were invited to take the offerings. They came on the condition that the Lingam from Kadri, Lord Manjunath, also be installed. The temple trust run by the Hegade family did a lot of charitable work that continues to date – so this place came to be known as Dharamasthal - the home of righteousness.

For dinner we went to a huge hall with a high ceiling, Annapoorna, with carved pillars that can seat 3000 people at a time. It was an amazing sight – rows of devotees being fed – fresh hot food being served from huge containers on wheels, all very efficient. As soon as one group finished the place was immediately cleaned – not a grain to be seen left on the floor.

We were told that on an average 15,000 people are fed free of cost everyday. Besides free food, a lot of developmental and educational work is being done; health services are also provided free of cost to the locals.

The next morning all of us had the darshan of Lord Manjunath – (the lingam is covered with a beautiful face carved in silver) and Devi Ammanavaru (Parvati). Even though there were so many people and it was raining - everything was very clean. This was true of all the places we visited.

In the afternoon we went to the Sri Subramanya temple. Set against the backdrop of a small hillock fully covered with green trees, this is an ancient temple dedicated to the king of Nagas (cobra), Vasuki and Lord Kartikeya. There is the old temple – Adi Subramanaya and the new Kukku Subramanaya temple where Vasuki was brought in a Kukku (basket).

We returned to Dharamasthala late in the evening and stayed there overnight.

Day 6- 5th July 04

We left around 5 am for Sringeri. The view became more breathtaking as we got higher. Around 10 am we arrived at Devi Annapoorneshwari temple at Horanadu that is dedicated to 'the Goddess with whose blessings nobody ever lacks food.' Raw rice is offered (some of it returned as Prasad) so that She keeps our homes overflowing with food and all that we wish for.

As we climbed the steps we saw the entrance and the main shrine decorated with exquisite flowers. The bigger than life golden statue of the Devi was one of the most beautiful ever seen by any of us. Her smiling face was shining in the lamps lit around her. We were all so fascinated by her beauty that we went again and again for her darshan.

Adi Shankaracharya established one of his four muths at Sringeri -on the banks of holy Tungbhadra River. The steepness made the drive difficult and slow. By the time we reached there the shrine was closed. Still, we had prasad and could see from outside the famous Sri Saradamba temple with elaborate carving in stone. It is said that Adi Shankara installed the Devi over a Sri Chakra that he himself engraved on a rock.

Day 7 – 6th July 04

Legend has it that this temple is about 1200 years old and one of the Shakti peeths. There was a demon Kamasura who defeated the gods. The gods hid in the mountains and prayed to the Devi to kill him. When the demon came to know of the prayers for his demise, he did penance. But when he was offered a boon for his penance, he was stuck ‘mook’- dumb- by the goddess Sarasawati. The Devi then killed this Mookasura - the dumb demon - and came to be known as Mookambika.

At 5 in the morning some us went to the temple. The Devi is decorated in different ways – srepresenting her various forms. In the morning after abhishek, it was her Laxmi roop; she was bedecked with beautiful ornaments including a palm size emerald necklace.

Later in the morning all of us gathered in front of the temple and chanted Parvati Vallabh Namah Shivaya. After this Dana led us in singing the Hari Paath. Then Gurudev asked every one to go round the temple – the older and less fit at least 5 times and the others 21 times. And he instructed, ‘after each pradikshna, do pranam.’ The men were to do sashtang (full) pranams. Though hot and sweating and a little tired - everyone completed their assigned rounds and very happily and proudly bowed to Gurudev after this. Then we witnessed the arati and took Prasad which that day was offered by Shanti Mandir to all.

That afternoon the Delhi devotees packed their bags and all of us went to Chitrapur Muth at Shirali, about an hours drive. This is a very old Muth and the present Sadyojaat Shankara Ashram Swamiji (who we had met at Anandashram) is the 11th in line. He was away for Chaturmas, but devotees there accorded Gurudev a grand welcome – with crackers busting and shehnai music. With the chanting of Vedic mantras we were escorted inside where we saw the main temple and then went up to a hall for the welcome program.

Prayer, song and Vedic mantras were recited by the 21 resident students of the Vedic Pathshala run by the muth. Gurudev was formally welcomed with shawl and garlands.

Gurudev gave an inspiring talk. He said, “Through the grace of saints and our own vivek, we realize how to make the best use of this human life we have been given. Adi Shankara said 3 things are very rare –Manushyatva (human birth), Mumukshutva (desire for liberation) and Gurukripa (the grace of a great being)..

After you have achieved Manushyatva, the second rare quality, Mumukshutva awakens – who am I? In the satsang we say “Aham Brahmasmi” - I am That. But in life we can attain this state only when we give up our attachments. Some people give up a small thing and then advertise this fact to every one, feel so proud that they have given up something. We should constantly contemplate on ‘Koham,’ - Who am I - and then be in the state where we say ‘Chidananda roopah Shivoham, Shivoham’

It is no use thinking about some event that has happened because life is like the waves in the ocean, events and feelings keep rising and falling. Whatever has happened we should let go of it. Ordinary people do not make the effort but saints do purushartha – self effort. Baba used to say “Sadhana is like a bird with two wings - self effort and Gurukripa’

If there is a hole in the vessel then it can never be filled. If we do not follow the path shown by the saints then it is like having a hole in the vessel – we cannot hold and make use of the grace. We can turn gyan into vigyan by doing sadhana because we are aware of what is happening – it leaves an imprint on our heart. We should become better human beings and not remain immersed in our desires and attachments.

Go to the saints with an open heart and they will give you everything, for their aim in life is - Sarva dhukh nivritti and Parmananda prapti. If we follow the path of Dharma - righteousness - Dharma will protect us. Swamiji and other saints are doing just this.”

The Delhi devotes then took leave of Gurudev with hearts filled with gratitude for the most memorable yatra and all the loving care, planning and effort that went into making it so memorable. After this we took Prasad. Delhi bound devotees went to Udipi and the others returned to Mookambika.

Day 8 - 7th July 04

Gurudev and party visited a holy man who had been told by Bhagwan to do sadhana in that area. He looked at Gurudev and addressing the devotees said, “You all are very fortunate to have him. Never leave him.” It was a great way to end our Yatra – a great saint confirming what we believe with all our heart, that we are indeed most fortunate to be in the care of our Gurudev.

The party then proceeded to Murudeshwar where there is the ancient temple of Lord Shiv.