YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga

Kumbha Mela Yatra 2010
Ganga Arati at Haridwar Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh Swami Sivananda’s Bedroom in Ananda
Kutir, Rishikesh
Main picture: Sivananda Kutir, Netala
– the place of Swami Vishnudevananda’s
Jala Samadhi in the river Ganga
Peace Prayer which since then has
been chanted 24hrs without interruption
for over 60 years. We meditated in the
Mahasamadhi Shrine and after going
down the steep Ashram stairs we
visited Ananda Kutir, Master’s small
cottage by the Ganga. Many yatris
were moved to tears when they saw
Master’s meditation room and the
desk where he wrote the unending
stream of inspiring books.
In the late evening we reached
Haridvar and met more yatris and
Swamis who had just arrived from the
West. We settled into the spacious
guest house which previously was the
sadhana residence of a local Maharaja,
at walking distance from the main
Kumbha Mela sites. The rooms are
situated on 4 floors around a courtyard
with a small temple. It has a large
terrace overlooking the Ganga as well
as an exclusive ghat (bathing area).
The week in Haridvar was marked
by the continuous spiritual fellowship
amongst the yatris and the group of
19 Swamis; the morning and evening
satsangs were vibrant with the love
and wisdom of the Masters.
The first outing took us to the
Har-ki-Pauri, the main Ganga Arati
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YOGALife I Summer 2010
location. A group of local priests
connected each yatri individually to
the worship of Mother Ganga with
special mantras and blessings. More
and more people gathered in the area
and a dozen priests swung huge ghee
lamps standing on the river banks and
the Ganga Arati was sung out loud by
thousands of devotees standing on
both sides of the narrow fast flowing
river. On the way back to the guest -
house we passed by some of the tent
camps which had been erected for the
expected multitudes of pilgrims on the
Kumbha Mela’s main bathing days.
Sri Potti Swami, a respected tantric
priest from Trivandrum, had come
specially from Kerala, South India, to
conduct a Devi (Mother) puja and to
invoke the blessings of Master and
Swamiji for the yatris as well as for
their ancestors, friends and families.
Potty Swami is a devoted friend of
Swamiji and a great spiritual support
of the Sivananda organization.
After the puja Swami Durgananda
addressed the yatris, inspiring
everybody to relax and fully focus on
this unique sadhana stay, to take a
daily bath in the Ganga and to absorb
the powerful spiritual vibrations in
Haridvar. Her words really helped
everybody to become more settled
and open to the experience ahead.
Then started seven unforgettable
days of Bhagavata Saptaha, the
recitation of the Srimad Bhagavatam
by Sri Venugopal Goswami. The daily
sessions from 11am to 3pm immersed
everybody deeply into the world of
Bhakti – devotional philosophy,
spiritual stories, mantra chanting and
uplifting humour. It was a totally
unique situation, authentic teachings
from the scriptures from the great
yoga tradition of India in the most
auspicious time and place, in the
company of sincere fellow practitioners.
The daily pujas by two priests from
Vrindavan and the classical musical
accompaniment by a whole orchestra
of excellent musicians who accom -
panied Sri Venugopal Goswami’s
exquisite chanting – these were true
nectar drops in the Kumbha Mela
experience.
We visited some of the nearby
Camps and were introduced to this
special community. The hundreds of
naked Sadhus are not just an
exceptional sight, their presence is a
powerful message of simplicity and