YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga

Vishnudevananda’s Jalasamadhi
cere mony, the immersion of his
body into the Ganga on November
11th, 1993.
In the early hours we had
Darshan at the old Vishwanath Siva
temple in Uttarkashi. The Yatris
sat close to the Sivalingam and
repeated the Mantra for Siva with
devotion and concentration.
Another enjoyable outing took
us to the Ashram of Swami
Chaitanyananda who had been
a close Gurubhai of Swami
Vishnudevananda. The Ashram is
situated above the Uttarkashi main
road with a wonderful view on the
valley. Satsang included recitation
of vedic mantras and a reading
from Adi Shankaracharya’s
Sri Dakshinamurti Strotram which
had been commented by Swami
Chaitanyananda.
On our last day in Uttarkashi,
a Bandhara (meal) was organized
for the local sadhu community.
The event started with kirtan in the
meditation hall where the Yatris
(to the right) and some 80 Sadhus
(to the left) gathered. The sun
falling on the many orange robes
created a magic glow which blended
with their exquisite chanting
devoted to Lord Rama. After Arati,
food was served to the sadhus in
complete mouna (silence) and a
small donation and gifts were
humbly accepted by these saintly
men and women who dedicate their
life to secluded sadhana and prayer
for world peace.
After an invigorating afternoon
asana class on the roof top and
a dinner with special local dishes
our stay in Uttarkashi concluded
with a cultural program: bonfire and
Kumbha Mela Yatra 2010
Main picture: Ganga Arati at Haridwar
during the Kumbha Mela
a dance performance narrating
parts of the Mahabharata,
accompanied by local musicians.
Several dancers entered into a
trance-like state and danced through
the bonfire. After Ganga Arati we
enjoyed special moments under the
brightly twinkling stars, the soft
murmur of the nearby Ganga and
a light cool breeze coming down
from the snowy mountain peaks.
The next morning we started the
downhill bus journey with a scenic
picnic at the Classic Hill Top Hotel in
Chamba with breathtaking all round
panoramic view to the higher
Himalayan peaks. We reached the
Divine Life Society Ashram in
Rishikesh just on time for evening
Arati in the Siva temple. We joined
the Maha mantra Akhanda Kirtan
in the Bhajan Hall. Gurudev Swami
Sivananda had started this World
YOGALife I Summer 2010 55