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Feedback submitted
by dravbala@rediffmail.com :-
Name:Bala Dravida
Feedback:
Dear Bhrigu Parivaar,
|| OM BHRGUVE NAMAH ||
Namaste!
We are deeply indebted
and grateful for the outstanding spiritual
work of our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal
and Guru Mata Dolmaji. We want to thank
our Guruji and GuruMata for their guidance
through the whole retreat. We send our gratitude
and love to both and Bhrigu parivaar. The
beautiful prayer "BHRIGU
RISHI TERA, SAT GURU TERA, BANA RAHE DARBAAR…."
still echoes in my ears. No spiritual advisors
that I know have brought a broader, more
relevant range of knowledge and experience
for awakening us to realize our true self
and fullness of being. The Geeta Divya Kriya
Yoga Program ignited both courage and strength
of facing the challenges of day to day life.
I have more peace and happiness in my life
now. Negative thoughts and emotions flow
through and are gone quickly. I wake up
every morning looking forward to another
beautiful day in paradise.
This retreat weaved together
the teachings and practices of the Geeta
Divya Kriya Yoga with the timeless themes
of peace-making, reawakening your connection
to the five elements, and to your own natural
abilities for inner transformation, creativity,
compassion, and learning.
Thursday, November
26th 2009
6:25pm: My wife
Delna, son Sunny, daughter Gulnaaz and I
arrive at the Joshua Tree Retreat, CA. Rakhi
Kakkar came in the form of a Goddess and
led us to meditation hall. Thanks a ton
to Rakhi for all the selfless work she does
for the human mankind.
6:30pm: As we
entered the hall we saw everyone gathered
in the meditation room chanting mantras
with our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal. It
feels like coming to your hometown for summer
vacation and being with your own parivaar.
As per the custom of Shri Maharishi Bhrigu
Ashram the initiation puja and evening aarti
was done by our Guruji followed by an introduction
to the retreat schedules, general concepts,
including a question and answer session.
7:30pm: After
the puja and aarti we went around the room
introducing ourselves and meeting the people
already met in the previous retreats. People
exchanged greetings. Most people were quiet
and kept to themselves. Over 50 people showed
up for the retreat, mostly with families
from all over the US.
8:00pm: We all
gather for dinner in the Friendship hall.
Before we eat, we chant the Gayatri Mantra
along with our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal;
||Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat ||
"O God ! Giver of life,
Remover of all pain and sorrows, Bestower
of happiness, the Creator of the Universe,
Thou art most luminous, adorable and destroyer
of sins. We meditate upon thee. May thou
inspire, enlighten and guide our intellect
in the right direction."
|| OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI
||
|| OM TAT SAT ||
|| OM OM OM ||
Our Guruji says, chanting
of Gayatri mantra before every meal should
be a ritual in order to contemplate on the
food before eating it. Guruji explains that
it is important for us to remember that
we are eating for the nourishment of our
bodies and the nourishment of our hearts
and minds as well. We also must not waste
food keeping in mind those who are less
fortunate and who don't have enough to eat.
Even something as simple as eating can be
done with mindfulness and a "meditative
mind", rather than rushing through a meal
and barely even noticing what we ate. That
being said, vegetarian dinner was prepared
under the supervision of our Guru Mata Dolmaji
and it was delicious!
9:30pm: The room
allocated for our family by Mark was Room
no.21. The room was spacious with four beds
and heating system. We were also supplied
with blankets, towels, soaps and mineral
water.
10:00pm: We all
retired.
Friday, November
27th 2009
4:30am: The cell phone alarm rings,
rousing me from my peaceful sleep. I wake
up and start getting ready to go the meditation
hall for 6:00am Geeta Divya Kriya Yoga meditation
with our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal. My
wife doesn't join me as this meditation
is for only those sadhakas who have been
initiated into Geeta Divya Kriya Yoga but
she'll definitely join for evening meditation
after her initiation today at 10:30am.
5:30am: In the middle of desert,
wind is blowing gently and weather is slightly
chilly. I put on my jacket and start my
rental car and drive towards to reach the
meditation hall early to book a spot to
sit closer to our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal.
I was very lucky to get a spot closer to
my Guruji. I prayed to all the Gurus and
Maharishis to remove any negativities or
impurities in me and to show me the path
of GOD REALIZATION by making me realize
my true self to become one with LORD KRSHNA
and settled down in padmasan with closed
eyes.
6:00am: Our Guruji arrives and
lights the lamp at the altar where the photos
of Gurus and Maharishis are placed and starts
with chanting || OM || which reverberates
in the entire meditation hall and you could
feel strong positive vibrations around you.
We begin the practice of Geeta Divya Kriya
Yoga guided by our Guruji. First, we learnt
to pay homage and respect by bowing down
to all the Gurus and Maharishis, and then
we were taught the basic techniques of meditation.
All the techniques were pretty challenging
for me, but most found the Shavaasan as
the favorite meditation technique, as it
was the easiest to keep our mind from being
distracted in that state. (Although it was
difficult for some to keep awake at times!)
My favorites were the || OM || Mudra and
the Paraavasta state. I didn't want to come
out of it but, as our Guruji always says,
do not get attached to anything, our main
goal is to realize GOD. I always saw violet
blue light in the shape of a small ball
surrounded by white light like a halo during
my Geeta Divya Kriya Yoga practice sessions.
We finish up our group meditation session
with a sense of "Love for One And All" and
a feeling of inner peace and a calm mind.
Everyone around you deserves compassion,
good wishes, and loving kindness. We were
asked to silently go for a walk outside
the meditation hall with a feeling of being
closer to Mother Nature and being one with
her before heading towards the Friendship
hall for breakfast. Since we were in the
middle of desert, the only noises you hear
are of crickets, some animals and wind gently
blowing in your ears.
7:30am: We got back to our rooms
to bathe our kids, dress them up and bring
them to friendship hall.
8:30am: We gather in the friendship
hall for breakfast. Again an elaborate breakfast
was prepared under the supervision of Guru
Mata Dolmaji. Hot tea, cocoa, milk, cookies,
toasted bread, muffins, butter, oatmeal,
juices, fruits, almonds, cashew nuts and
lot more. We chant the Gayatri Mantra along
with our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal and
then start eating. Breakfast was delicious…yummy!
9:30am to 12:30am: Children were
playing with ball, watching video, dancing
and people going out to explore the city
and desert. We took some photographs of
the beautiful mountains. People introduced
each other and talked a little more freely
and friendly than the first time we met.
Some sadhakas were initiated into Geeta
Divya Kriya Yoga practice.
10:30am: My wife was initiated
to Geeta Divya Kriya Yoga practice. I noticed
a change for the better in her after initiation.
12:30pm to 1:30pm: Lunch time.
Chant Gayatri Mantra and eat a lunch…a sumptuous
meal.
1:30pm to 3:30pm: We all go to
the rooms for a short nap.
3:30pm: We gather again in the
friendship hall for tea and snacks before
heading to the meditation hall for the evening
discourse.
4:00pm to 6:00pm: Evening discourse
by our Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal. It was
a very deep and intense discourse that I
have ever attended so far in my lifetime
where our Guruji emphasized and hammered
us very hard about EGO and SURRENDER. He
kept repeating this "Tan Man Dhan Sab Kuch
Tera", "Tera Tujhko Arpan, Kya Laage Mera".
It reminds me of a song that I always sang
without knowing the real meaning…now the
meaning has come out crystal clear…
"Tan Man Dhan Sab
Kuch Tera",
"Bin Tere, Kya Hai Mera"
"Raat Din, Mein Tere, GEET Gaata Rahu".
Before this I never understood the meaning
of ego and surrender but now I understand
that it is by surrendering yourself to HIM
that you'll reach the state of GOD realization
which is the main objective of Geeta Divya
Kriya Yoga. During the discourse I saw Sri
Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh,
India in my Guruji's face. Second time I
saw my Guruji's face turned dark and he
had grown a beard. When I narrated my experiences
to my Guruji he mentioned that it was Shri
Maharishi Bhrigu Muni who gave you darshan.
|| OM BHRGUVE NAMAH || Without GURU KRUPA
this was not possible…I truly feel blessed
that I had these experiences.
6:30pm to 8:00pm: Evening meditation
session. My wife Delna is attending her
first Geeta Divya Kriya Yoga practice session.
Our Guruji arrives and lights the lamp at
the altar. We begin with chanting of ||
OM ||. We begin the practice of Geeta Divya
Kriya Yoga guided by our Guruji. We pay
homage and respect to all the Gurus and
Maharishis, and start with the basic techniques
of Geeta Divya Kriya Yoga meditation.
8:30pm to 9:30pm: Time for dinner.
We all head towards the friendship hall
to eat dinner.
9:45pm to 10:15pm: Group discussion
session. Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal and
Guru Mata Dolmaji listen to all the experiences
by the sadhakas. This helped in communicating
to all the Bhrigu parivaar fearlessly and
with a bhaavana of compassion and giving.
The experiences helped all in the daily
Kriya Yoga practice, the main objective
being "GOD REALIZATION" .
Saturday, November
28th 2009
6:00am to 7:30am: Morning meditation
8:30am to 9:30am: Breakfast
12:30pm to 1:30pm: Lunch
3:30pm to 4:00pm: Evening tea
and snacks
4:00pm to 6:00pm: Discourse by
Guruji Shri Sanjay Aggarwal
6:30pm to 7:30pm: Evening meditation.
Group pictures were taken with our Guruji
Shri Sanjay Aggarwal.
7:30pm to 9:00pm: Paada Puja Ceremony
- All the disciples did Paada Puja of Guruji
Shri Sanjay Aggarwal and Guru Mata Dolmaji.
The Guru's feet are worshipped or revered
because the entire Guru's shakti dwells
in his feet. A little more research into
this, you would find that the vibrations
of the inner self constantly flow out through
the feet. The nerves that come from the
Sahasrara reach right down to the feet.
The feet serve as the support for the whole
body. This is the reason the feet are given
so much importance. More shakti flows from
the feet than any other part of the body.
The foot of Guru is no ordinary foot. "Gurupaddangre
paadodakam ganga." All holy waters, including
Mother Ganga, live in the Guru's feet. One
should have this Bhaavana (feeling) in the
heart when worshipping the Guru's feet.
All holy waters, all Devataas, and all sacred
hills abide in the Guru's feet. One should
have firm sankalpa (intention, determination)
to behold all gods in guru's feet. The Trimurtis;
Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh live in Guru's feet.
These three Divine Forms symbolize the removal
of the three qualities of nature that keeps
the soul in bondage. The three qualities
are Tamas (sense of EGO), Rajas (Passion,
Desire) and Sattva (Goodness and Purity)
when these three qualities are removed,
then the soul becomes free. In this state,
one renounces desire and becomes like a
stone, not senseless, but chinmaya (full
of light). So, after Guru Paada Puja, it
is to surrender the three qualities to the
Divine Trinity. This is the significance
of self surrender to the Guru's feet. It
was a very emotional ceremony were the real
Guru Bhakti flowed with tears rolling down
every sadhaka's cheeks and Guru Mata and
Guruji showering their blessings and showing
immense love for all the disciples.
Group pictures were taken with our Guruji
Shri Sanjay Aggarwal and Guru Mata Dolmaji
which is uploaded to YahooGroups for our
Bhrigu parivaar.
8:30pm to 9:30pm: Dinner
9:45pm to 10:15pm: Group discussions.
Sunday, November
29th 2009
6:00am to 8:30am: We met for one
last meditation session where we practiced
for more time to perfect the Kriya Yoga
techniques guided by Guruji Shri Sanjay
Aggarwal.
9:00am: We clean up our rooms
and head to the friendship hall for breakfast.
9:30am: Our last breakfast together
at the retreat. Everyone seems a little
bit sad. We all knew we're leaving soon
and no one wants to go. It's been a great
introduction to the practice and we're all
just getting to rise above the uncomfortable
sensations of trying to quiet our minds.
My family and I really enjoyed our time
at the retreat, and I would definitely do
it again. I also really enjoyed the group
discussions as it gave me a chance to sit
informally with my Guruji and ask questions
about meditation and to understand how to
make the practice work better for me. Overall,
I really loved everything about this retreat.
It was our Guruji's wish that every person
had the chance to learn something new or
to take away a feeling of calm and peace.
Now on, we have to practice on our own,
just 45 minutes each morning. If our Guruji
can selflessly give us so much and ask just
to practice Kriya Yoga Daily, Regularly
and for Long Period of time to attain GOD
REALIZATION then I definitely think I can
make the time for that!
|| OM TAT SAT ||
|| OM OM OM ||
Thanks
Best Regards
Bala Dravida
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