Pt.Satyavan Mishra-Guruji's Birthday Message 2006

Translation of the talk (in Hindi) given by Panditji.

I came to Delhi looking for a lecturer's job in the Lal Bahadur Shastri University. I have done my PhD and decided to do teaching work. After the formalities of the application, I was called for an interview. When I reached there, I realized that there was no job actually for me there. But in the interview room I met the principal and our beloved Swamiji sitting next to him. At the end of the interview I was very dejected to know that I will not be getting anything here.

As I leaving, Swamiji Hariharji called me. He asked me, whether I was looking for a job. He asked, "Naukar Banega, Naukeri Karega". Will you be a servant. He was referring to the lecturer I had applied. He further said, "Main tere ko Malik banonga". Meaning I will make you a master. I did not understand what he had said at that time. He further continued and told me, If you are going to work here you will be teaching student of max 15, 20 or 25 years. You come with me and you will have the chance to teach paople from 9 to 90 years. I did not think twice and decided to follow Maharajji. The same day I became a member of the Geeta Ashram.

The Geeta Ashram family was expanding and more ashrams were coming up in various parts of India as well as other countries. Swamiji was regular to the Ardh Kumb held at Prayag (Allahabad, Uttarpradesh). Prayagji has a special place for us, at it a holy city on the banks of river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. The Ardh Kumbh Mela is held in the Magh or the Winter months. It is extremely cold during this period. On the top of it, camps are made at the banks of the river, in the open. That makes the life more challenging in the month of the Kumbh.

Swamiji was a regular at the Mela. The caretakes of the Ashram there was not very reliable. Once Swamiji asked one of the senior monks at the ashram to go to Prayag for Ardh Kumbh. The monk proceeded as ordered. When he reached there with 20,000 Rupees, he established a small place. The caretaker did not take this nicely. He scared the monk, saying that was trouble brewing at the Kumbh and it was best for him to leave the place and return to Delhi. The monk believed the words and returned back to the Ashram.

Maharajji was having a satsang when the monk arrived. Maharajji asked him, whey he had returned. He told the incidents that made him return. At that point of time, Maharajji put a question to the audience. "Who is not scared to die?" All heads were down. No body was establishing eye contact with Maharajji. Maharajji turned his attention towards me. I was scared but there was a comfort in Maharajji's eyes. I said, "I am not scared to die". Maharajji instructed me to go to Prayag Raj.

I stayed for a month there. And on my return brought back 65000 Rupees from the Mela. When I handed over the collection to Maharajji, He asked me jokingly. Where did you get so much money, did you rob somebody. We had a hearty laugh. I told him that, this was the collection. Swamiji said that it was the first time in so many years, that money came back. If not all these years, there was money going out only. He congratulated and blessed me. He further said that, there are two ashrams that have been established by him. One is at Mathura and other is at Prayaag. He said, he loved these two ashrams very much. He told me that the condition of the ashram at Mathura was not very good. He was looking for someone strong to take over the ashram. I was told to proceed to Mathura.

At Mathura when I took over, things were really in bad shape. There was not enough food to eat also. Monkeys were a constant problem and used to take over the food that I cooked and brought. The 5 years I stayed were one of constant Penance. I could feel the blessings of Maharaj always with me and found a peace. He always put me at those things that were dear to him. The ashram at Mathura was dear to his heart, as he had spent many years there meditating. I felt honoured to take over the ashram there.

Even now, as I have been posted at Malaysia, I feel honoured as KL Ashram has been the first Geeta Ashram outside India. I feel that it is his blessings that I have got another 1st in my life. I thank the Secretariat, Committe Members and all devotees to have that faith in me by giving me an opportunity to server the Geeta Ashram KL.

I can still feel Maharajji's blessing even today. Though Maharajji is not in his physical body, but I am very sure that he is around us always. There is Ganga Jal near the statue Maharajji. I can say here with total convictions, that if any one cleans Maharajji's eyes with Ganga Jal and chants the guru mantra 20 times, then within 3 days he can see the difference for himself/herself.

I thank you all again and Maharajji will bless each one of us here. A happy holi on this occasion.

Holi-The Festival of Colors

We celebrate Holi. But what is the significance of this festival? Way back, I remember my days at school. Holi was the time to bring out the "wild" in you. We played holi with all sorts of materials, from "gulaal", to "gobar" (cow dung), and the enterprising few even used all sorts of dirty things including aluminium paints.

But there is some more message to holi than the regular ones we normally hear from our elders. Of course no denying that there is the scriptural message and religious message. But more so it is of the brotherly message. What ever misgivings we had for all the year, it was the time to make friends again. We hugged our "dushman no 1" and made him the "dost no 1". What a way indeed to mend old fences.

Then my mother always used to tell me that holi is the rowdy festival.

Before the start of the festival, we used to pen poems (that used to be my god degrading), of any one. I like to write poems whereas my friends used to make the drawings. We did not have MS Word or Powerpoint or laser printers. So we were plain writing, drawing, and photostat. In our colony the Poem/Images papers used to be stuck in the middle of the night at all visible places. The best part was that we read and laughed at ourselves. Civilization grows when it can laugh at itself.

As I grew I learnt that Swami Hariharji was born on the same day as well. That was a great joy and it made more meaning for playing Holi. I still enjoyed it, but knews that Holi was now holier. It was all colors, colors of love, colors of friendship, colors of helping, and colors of living.

From past many years, staying at Klang, I have sort of missed the Holi I had all these years. It is more of rememberance and reliving those days. Internet blogging is one of the ways.

Why I love Guruji?

Swami Hariharji Maharaj, has a unique place in my life. He has touched people from all walks of life. When many years back, I heard of him through my father, I liked to know more. My father said he had been a freedom fighter. He also contributed his part to liberate India. When the country got Independent, he did not take any favours. There are very few people in Indian freedom movement who did not take any favours. Mahatma Gandhi and Jai Prakash Narayan are two other freedom fighters that come to my mind, other than our Maharajji.

Every body else took some post here and there. But these people said, their objective was to liberate India. They did not do this expecting rewards. When I heard from my father about all this, I knew I had found my ideal. This was in 1980. I was only 11 then. The feeling is still there today.