Hello, dear friends! What a month its has been! Our pilgrimage proved to be a time of both and adventure and deep blessing.
Our journey started in Puri, a wonderful city on the coast. Our days were blissfully spent doing yoga and taking long walks on the beach. We meditated at length at our beloved Sri Yukteswar’s Karar Ashram, where he had his Mahasamadhi. For many of us, it was our first experience with the colorful Indian culture. Dodging cars, flagging down tuk-tuk’s, bartering with the vendors… here we learned the invaluable skills that were to help us the entire trip.
From there, we proceeded on to the bustling city of Calcutta, our very own Master’s home. His relatives, still living within his childhood home, warmly welcomed us. His room, hallowed by the presence of Divine Mother, the attic in which the Master himself found God, were available for us to meditate in. Our hearts soared with gratitude at this once in a lifetime experience. Tulsi Bose, Master’s childhood friend, grew up in a house just around the corner. We headed there and were told some hilarious stories of the powerful child Master once was. Welcomed by the Tulsi’s family and the pictures of many saints, we meditated for hours in that holy home. We even got to receive the blessings from Babaji’s trident! It was a joy to visit as well the beautiful Serampore ashram, to which Master often went in his collegiate days instead of going to class.
Varanasi brought a sudden change of energy. Known as the most holy city of India, Varanasi is a place that takes you immeditely into yourself and into the presence of God. There, we meditated at Anandamoyeema’s ashram, Lahiri Mahashaya’s ashram and we got to spend time outside of Lahari Mahashaya’s house. Varanasi is a city on the Ganges in which one can enjoy long walks through the Ghat, or entrances to the river, undisturbed by traffic. Everyone has a different reaction to Varanasi: some love it, while others cannot wait to leave. One thing is clear: Varanasi leaves no one indifferent or untouched.
On our way into the mountains, we were blessed to be in the presence of two different saints. One was Saint Paramananda who was 136 years old. He gave brief but insightful answers to our questions and blessed us all. Then, we visited Saint Francis Baba, who lives in an ashram only reachable by foot. He is called so due to his love and treatment of animals. He spoke of many of his mystical experiences in meeting great saints and he inspried us greatly.
We gratefully proceeded, then, into the mountains. Leaving the smoky and noisy city behind we climbed into the foothills of the Himalayas. The higher we went, the more our anticipation grew to see our beloved Babaji’s cave. We hiked up to his cave two days in a row and had the privilege of meditating there for hours. Gratefully, we thanked him for starting the energy that brought us all to the sacred path of Kriya Yoga.
Our pilgrimage officially ended with a visit to Ananda Dehli, connecting with our brothers and sisters who sustain the wonderful center there. Then, we all went our separate ways; Some to Italy, some to Mumbai, some to Brindaban. Separate, but not apart. We all had deepened of our faith and renewed our spirtual strength. We parted unto diffrent directions but remained always united in our commmitment and in our goal.
We hope to share the blessings we have recieved on this pilgrimage with everyone. We hope to expand this peace and love all over the world.