Christmas morning was cold and a bit rainy. Saying good-bye on the railway platform, my thoughts were already set on the great jump to India. From the local train to the inter-city to the airport… My friend Herwig arrived nearly at the same time at the check-in. Some hours later we were sitting aboard the jet heading to Delhi where we arrived shortly after midnight. Yes, there it was again, this feeling of arriving in a familiar but different world – in the shop where we bought bottles of water you saw at the same time business and spiritual books, wooden elephants besides Swastikas and colourful shawls, then Ayurvedic health products made with “Swiss technology” …

The airport was foggy – smog or early morning fog? (It was smog, as we came to know later.) Soon after the airplane reached the travel height there was a golden line at the horizon which slowly grew to an ocean of golden light. Like fanfares of the Devas the rays grew stronger and then Surya, the Sun God, lifted his head over the horizon – what a majestic sight! All colours of the rainbow were seen coming from indigo blue to violet, green yellow and brilliant white.

When the airplane went down for landing in Bengaluru clouds were approaching from below and enveloped us – how to find the runway or landing? But soon the iron bird touched the ground and a little later busses brought us to the arrival. At the exit a driver was already waiting. The traffic became increasingly dense when we approached the city. At some point I fell asleep and when I woke up again I soon recognised already the bumpy road – yes, we were fast approaching Sadguru Tapovana, the centre of the WTT Bangalore.

After a short stop at the centre the driver brought us to the apartment building where the group had hired some apartments for the members of the west – we were 12 persons staying in 3 rooms – a “camping feeling” but very cordial.
Some members from Europe were already there, others arrived next morning. We were altogether 29 members from the West.

Two eagles flying above the WTT Bangalore centre “Sadguru Tapovana”

Wednesday morning the Master gave a short welcome and spoke some words about aligning the personality with the soul and the super soul. Then he invited the Western members for a get-together at 11 am. When I took out my laptop to take some notes he asked me smilingly to shut it again – it would be a casual meeting. He asked some members about their journey and presented a little booklet (which had appeared only in Telugu, as I later found out) about 180 teachings of Master CVV which he had received while he wanted to go into instructions given by Master CVV. – he was told to give teachings afresh.

Later he talked about the importance of unification and not separating. In this he commented about some political situations where people prefer to separate, to look for the well-being of their region instead of the greater whole: The rich countries and regions have to learn to sacrifice. Unity and unification is the goal and not separation for the benefit of smaller units. This is a lesson to be learned by many nations. When Germany was re-united and did sacrifices for this process or when they took up many refugees from Syria, this was seen as an important act of sacrifice by the higher circles and it will bring a lot of advancement to the country.

Wednesday afternoon the December Call celebration was inauguration. In 1910, Master CVV started celebrating the May Call on 29 May and the December Call on 29 December as days of transmission of the energy of group consciousness. Since many years, both days are celebrated in the WTT. At these dates Master Kumar is holding group livings at the WTT group of Bengaluru which are always very inspiring events. Here is an extract of the talk at December Call morning (from my notes):

“Right action comes when you develop right action in the mind. An enlightened mind enlightens all actions. It does not have fear. When the sunlight comes, where is the darkness? Fear or anger, that is the darkness in the mind. The seers invoke daily the sun to enlighten us. Sun carries the energy of awareness. Light is but an offshoot of awareness. When you relate to the light and receive it to your forehead on a daily basis you get right ideas and this improves your knowledge.
… Everyone should have the habit of learning, if not we are moving from one group life to the other but we do not learn. We learn to change for the better. Buddha with five others tried to contemplate without eating and drinking. A seer came and told him, ‘How can you contemplate well without eating and drinking?’ Of the five, only Buddha took to the advice of the seers. The others said, ‘The seer tempted us and we don’t want to eat and drink. Buddha said, ‘What the seer said is to our benefit. You have to use it.’
All learning is for the change. We just fall into the old patterns. Our eating patterns don’t change. Thinking patterns, patterns of movement don’t change. If the habits do not change it is a wasteful exercise. After eating, Buddha had better perception then.
You have to clear the obligations to the surroundings. Many times the pictures on the wall are not well arranged. If there is a broken glass, make sure that it is replaced. If there is a break in the watch, replace it. Many do not even see the disorder. If you see the disorder put it to order. There are people who are blind to disorder.
Around a Master of Wisdom everything is in order, from the tip of the toe to the top of the head. Do you properly dress your hair? Don’t think it is unimportant. If the hair is not in order the reception of thought is not good. There are ladies who have one strain of hair on one eye and then throw it to the side. After some time it becomes a habit. In Ramayana, there is the description of the people in Ajodhya and in Lanka. In Lanka people do not dress their hair; in Ajodhya they keep their hair in a very good way, this giving a very good thinking.
If there is disorder in your thought the perception is also in disorder. A great scholar once went to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and explained about the state of the world and asked Ramakrishna what to do. Ramakrishna said, ‘I do not see the disorder. It depends on your view. The disorder of the mind sees disorder around. Will, love and light – if you include one you are with the other as well. If you intelligently act it is acting in a manner that is beneficent to all and does not create consequences to others.”

Besides the lectures, there were cultural presentations with recitations and Indian dances by children of the group, a water ritual and a fire ritual. During these rituals, the air is vibrating by the energies manifesting through the ritualistic activity and all feel uplifted.

The group life ended on 30 January in the morning. In the early afternoon, a bus brought us to the airport. The plane was three hours late. Later, we came to know that there were many delayed flights because the airport of Delhi had to be closed due to smog and air pollution. We happily landed in Visakhapatnam. It was past midnight when we arrived at the WTT retreat centre in Visakhapatnam. Tired but happy I fell into bed.

After the group life in Belgium I drove with three friends – from the US and Germany – to Billerbeck. On the highway, we partly had heavy rains and intense traffic. Many friends were already at the seminar hotel “Weissenburg“. People partly travel long distances for the seminars – some were even coming from overseas.

The travel group with Sri Kumar arrived in the evening. The group life started Thursday morning. The theme was “The Incoming Seventh Ray and Building the Temple”. There were fascinating talks the next days, and I was much focused on taking notes and sharing them with the group. Often, the topics are not new but there are always many news facets, and it seems to me like a drilling into deeper planes of consciousness, awakening the awareness to the subtle planes.

The walks in nature with friends and exchanges during the meals or between the seminars were enriching. Friday evening, a short video on “Homage to the Mother of the World” was shown; it was realised by a team of group members from Argentina and India, where I had participated. And later, there was the first meeting of the Executive Board with Sri Kumar and newly elected members. I am always thrilled with what clarity he also deals with organisational matters.

Sunday morning there was a fire ritual after meditation and the blessing of children. And then again saying good-bye to all the friends and a long journey home.

It was quite hot when I set out to Belgium by car early morning on 25 June. While the summer countryside flew by, I was enchanted by the audio-book of the “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Yogananda. In Haguenau, France, I picked up Martine who joined me for the trip to the next group life with Sri Kumar. She proposed to take the way via Germany to avoid the French highway toll stations. Scenes of earlier trips to Belgium popped into my mind. When we arrived in Corroy-le-Grand, where several group members of the Belgian “White Lotus Group” live together since about 30 years, we received a warm welcome. Some group members were preparing flowers for the group life – Benoît had bought plenty of roses and other flowers Saturday evening at a flower market in Brussels for a cheap price…

In the evening and the next morning, we meditated together in the beautiful small chapel in Benoît’s house. A little later, we packed flowers and luggage into the cars and went to the seminar place, the “Golf de l’Empereur” – a beautiful site surrounded by meadows and forests in the south of Brussels.

About two hours later, the seminar room was set up and we drove to the airport to pick up Sri Kumar and the other group members coming from the seminar in Alicante, Spain. Some group members had visited the airport and the other sightseeing places in Brussels. So we now had a joyful pick-nick on the top of the airport parking before we went down to the arrival gates. The plane was delayed, and thus, we had some more time for coffee, tea and exchanges.

At a quarter to four finally, the travel group arrived. A warm welcome, some short talks, and then we took the elevators to the top of the parking. From there, we drove to the centre of Brussels. More group members joined us at the café. Later, we went to the Grand Place, where the gold decoration on the roofs of the old houses shone in the sun. We went to the inner courtyard of the City Hall and formed a big circle. Sri Kumar spoke some words about the importance of the place as the economic centre of Europe and then asked us to stand hand in hand. He then started speaking the Great Invocation and we joined in. It was a very powerful moment, especially when we intonated the OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Then our short “flash mob” dissolved again into the stream of visitors.

The peak of the rush hour was over but still there was heavy traffic when we drove through the quarters of the European Union administration and along the Royal Court. In the evening, there was a welcome meeting at the seminar house followed by evening dinner.

Next morning Sri Kumar gave a short talk followed by a question-answer session. Topics were raised concerning pregnancy preparation, a healthy health system in Europe, love and brotherhood, old age and leaving the body or dealing with depression. In the afternoon the group did a walk with Sri Kumar.

After evening prayer, there was the blessing of children: “We bless the born children with an intent, the intent that they should find the purpose for which they have been born. The blessing of the children by the group is to make the child recollect the purpose for which they have been born. Many of us would not have recollected the purpose of life. It should not happen with the children. Not knowing the purpose of life we mover for long years into different ways but if we know for what we are born we can straight away realise and work for it. In ancient times the purpose was taught from the teacher and the information taught by relating to a fire people were lighting. In all system there was the fire worship and also the sun worship. The worship is to recollect the purpose for which you are born. When children arrive into the world we wish them to recollect the very purpose for which they are born. They are also introduced to sun worship and fire worship so that one fine day they would recollect the very purpose. So they remembered it very early. The initiates recollected the purpose very early. Once it is recollected the journey is again a straight work. Otherwise they go into many sideways and child is lost. Therefore whenever groups meet a blessing of children is arranged. You may put one or two grains on the child and on the parents an also some good wishes.”

Wednesday after morning meditation and breakfast the group life ended. The weather had changed during the night and it was raining. With three friends, I set out for the seminar in Billerbeck, while a travel group with Sri Kumar visited Liege and Aachen before going to the next seminar place.

Already a week has passed since my visit to Barcelona, where I attended a seminar of the WTT about “An Approach to Aquarian Energies”. The 4 days group life took place at a hotel on the countryside outside Barcelona, “La Mola”. While going there, the GPS of the car of my friend wanted to send us into a loophole, like it did already last year, but we escaped well and found the right way via small bumpy road…

At the parking, in the glare of the sun, we saw some friends who also had just arrived. And soon more and more members dropped in – a big family gathering with about 180 members from Argentina, Brazil, USA, Venezuela and different European countries, of course most of them from Spain.

The lecture hall had been beautifully set up, and around 5.30 the group living started. And when Sri Kumar entered, you could feel a thrill of joyful attention in the air. The first discourse started after the evening prayer, giving an introduction into the topic. Here is a short extract on the use of concepts from the second talk:

“Concepts are needed and also not needed. To go up to the roof a ladder or a stair is needed. Afterwards it is no more needed. Likewise we are in different states of awareness. Each one is in a different state of understanding. Concepts necessary for some may not be necessary for others. To a child to walk a walker is a mechanical support. After it runs it does not need a walker, it has learned to walk. An old person needs again a support. In some dimensions when we are not self-dependent we need a support. We need a teacher for help at a certain stage. A teacher has found the Master within and in tune with the Master within he functions outside. As a support of the Master inside there is the help of a hierarchy of Masters outside. You need the help of the parents to learn to walk but once you can walk you don’t need their support. In some states of learning support is needed, for other stages it is not. For a bird which is on the ground, eating the grains the legs are needed not the wings. The chick looks for grains and needs the legs but when the bird flies the legs are not needed. The legs fold back into the body and the wings are active. When it is flying there is no need of legs. Concepts should be seen as such, there is no need for concepts as such. There are people who carry with them concepts even if they are not needed. They add to the load. If you cross the river, if after crossing the river you carry the boat on your head it is a load. Boat is the concept. Once the river is crossed we respect the boat, keep it well anchored at the shore and move on. If you keep it, it is a load. When you need and when not has to be very clear. Normally we carry concepts which are not needed at the moment and we don’t carry the concepts we need.”

Besides the interesting discourses, there were for me three organisational meetings with Sri Kumar and different members. Of course, a group life is also a good occasion of networking and exchanging with friends; I had several intense exchanges.

In front of the lecture hall, there were tables with the books of Ediciones Dhanishtha with the new publications, with pictures and other items, and I also had displayed cards of my paintings.

Sunday morning after meditation, there was a fire ritual in the court behind the seminar hall. The invocation of Devas in the presence of the fire is always a very uplifting experience. And towards the close of the seminar, there was the blessing of small children and their parents.

Then, Sunday afternoon, saying good-bye, some last photos and then into the hot car. I stayed one more night with Robert before flying home to Switzerland Monday morning.

Wednesday morning when I left the house for catching the train to Zurich it was dripping outside and rather fresh – quite a contrast to the weather at arrival in Barcelona. At Zurich Airport I wanted to meet Sri Kumar and the travel team at a Starbuck café but although I arrived at the same time than they and I looked around several time, I didn’t see them and waited for a long time at the check-in: I hadn’t noticed that there was one more table in a corner…

Thus, we only met at leaving the airport at Barcelona. It was a warm welcome. And when we left the passenger area a group of Spanish group members with smiling faces was already waiting there. It was a very joyful moment – greeting friends exchanging some words, hearing some news…. Like in other years, Aurora had again prepared an Indian lunch for the Master and the team.

It is first stage of his 62^nd tour to the West. For the next days, there will be a seminar about “An Approach to Aquarian Energies” in a hotel at the outskirts of Barcelona. While the team was going already to the hotel, Robert and two friends from Germany picked me up. Robert made a little detour to show us some nice parts of Barcelona before going to his home. And it was a nice stay there.

Approaching Barcelona

Warm meeting at Barcelona airport

Welcome by Spanish group members at the airport

Last week I drove to North Germany. An ancient manor surrounded by forests, fields and meadows – for the third time, the seminar centre “Lichtblick” (bright spot) near Hude in the region of Bremen was the scene for the CVV Sharing, a group meeting inspired by the yoga of Synthesis of Master CVV. “Join the blue sky, relating to CVV. / In sky we commune to Be. / To Be One in Consciousness! / Master CVV Namaskaram.” This was the motto given by Master Kumar for the 8th annual reunion, and the weather matched with it – a brilliant sun shone from a blue sky. 19 persons from different parts of Germany, from Denmark and Switzerland gathered for a weekend of meditation and of living together as a group to reinforce the inner connection through the contact with the Master energy.

The seminar centre “Lichtblick”

The meeting around Spring Equinox was prepared and guided by a committee of five members, and various participants took over some parts. The rhythm of a meditational alignment every three hours alternating with group sessions contributed to a vibrant spiritual ambiance. In smaller and bigger groups we discussed our experiences of the thread of life and of building the inner temple. In this, we followed a structured method of speaking and listening, which helped to quickly establish profound exchanges.
There were also inputs about Greek mythology and the astrological qualities of the time, and we discussed how we are dealing with the present challenges in our lives, maintaining a spiritual focus.

Saturday evening there were some inspirational contributions – a video clip on “Aries – Permeation”, some guitar pieces, poetic thoughts. The days concluded with the prayer of Mystic Mantrams, “Dip deep…”

Sharing experiences in the spirit of the yoga of Synthesis of Master CVV

Sunday morning after meditation, the group gathered on the terrace for a fire ritual. Later, we intonated the sacred OM for about 10 minutes followed by thoughts about the annual “seed time”, from Aries new moon to full moon, and a group walk to a nearby forest lake. After the Global Peace Prayer, we exchanged about the future of the CVV Sharing meetings. The participants strongly expressed that these gatherings are very important. They give strength and inspiration and are most uplifting. The seminar centre “Lichtblick” has already been reserved for next year’s meeting, 23 – 25 March 2018. The team of the centre is very supportive and the atmosphere is ideal for our gatherings.

At the close of the group living, Frank, a music teacher from Berlin, improvised on his guitar the rhythm of the names of each group member, taking together names with the same rhythmic structure. It was fascinating to listen to the sounds expressing our names. And in a bright mood we then said good-bye until a next meeting.

Sunday morning fire ritual

Last Monday, my wife and I made an excursion to Mount Chäserrugg. It is a flat mountain of about 2260 meters in the East of Switzerland. It was at a  Sai Baba seminar in 1984, which took place at the foot of this mountain, where the matchmaking started (without my knowing) which led to our marriage in February 1988. (Read in this blogpost the matchmaking story and the later continuation.) So my wife proposed this trip to the Chäserrugg to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary.

The weather report two days before announced nice weather – but the weather conditions can quickly change in the mountains. When we went up, first with a cliff railway and then with a rope-way, the hilltop was sunk in clouds chased by ice-cold winds. The promo said you can have a panoramic view over 6 countries but we hardly could see a few meters.

We decided to first eat lunch in the newly erected summit restaurant. It was designed by the famous architects Herzog & de Meuron and has a fantastic wooden structure integrating the station into the mountain landscape. For short moments gorgeous mountain views showed up between the clouds, and when we left the restaurant the view was much better. We wanted to do a promenade along a maintained ridge-way. A breathtaking view with changing cloud formations. In the valleys, you could see the Rhine River and the Walensee were the coming spring had melted all the snow while here at the mountain top strong winds blew snow-clouds over the ways. And on the steep pistes skiers were rushing downhill.

Later, we went to the intermediate station at about 1330 meters and did a promenade there. Although there was still a lot of snow around it was much warmer and no wind. We walked a while on the “Klangweg” (Way of Sounds) with some installations for making sounds – with tubes or with cow bells.

Back in the valley, we tried to find the place in Wildhaus where the seminar had taken place (I had been there at a later seminar in 1985) but could not clearly identify it. But on the highway on the way back home we exchanged about the events which still have an impact on our present lives.

It had been a short night when the bus started to Visakhapatnam airport at 5:30 am on Monday morning 16 January. Some group members directly began their journey home. We were nine persons who, before returning home early the next morning, wanted to make a trip to Kuruvapur, an island in the Krishna River where Sripada Srivallabha had passed the second half of his life, from about 1336 until his disappearance in 1350. We took the first morning flight to Hyderabad.

At the exit of Hyderabad airport my friends Sridhar and Lakshmi with her son Pavan waited already for us. It was the first time I met Lakshmi although we had a lot of e-mail contacts in the past – it was she who brought me into contact with Sripada and proposed the translation of his biography to me. And there was Mr. Subramania Kumar, from a spiritual society related to Lord Dattatreya who would accompany us, for he was very familiar with the place where we were going.

With two taxis and Sridhar’s car we first went to his home to leave there our luggage. Sridhar and his wife offered us tea, coffee and some snacks and then we started – all together15 persons. It was a bit later than I had calculated. And the tour turned out to be long and went partly via bumpy roads. But the time flew quickly by – during the whole journey I had a lively conversation with Lakshmi.

Several mountains were like huge piles of giant pebbles

Sripada statue at the entrance of the Ashram

It was already past 3 pm when we arrived at Panchadev Pahad, a small settlement on the board of the Krishna River. We received a warm welcome at the “Sripada Chaya Ashramam”, where they offered us some food and a few devotional articles. In a huge hall with a shrine a fire ritual was going on. Around the hall there were beautiful new statues of incarnations of Lord Dattatreya and other saints. I urged the group to continue towards Kuruvapur: “We want to visit the island, the time till sunset is running short.”

Shrine inside the ashram hall

Statue of Sripada outside the ashram hall

Lakshmi with her son

Finally we arrived at the river. To my great surprise it was very large – the pictures my friend Robert had taken last year in January showed a shallow stream which they could cross by feet. We now had to take boats. There was a number of huge round coracles. We took two coracles (on the way back the whole group sat in a single coracle!). The ferryman skilfully manoeuvred the boat over the water surface which seemed to be without flow. For a while a water serpent was swimming beside us. The boats had to go through a passage between small uninhabited islands.

For me it was a solemn moment when we entered the island of Kuruvapur. We passed by a small shrine under a huge banyan tree. I heard that the tree was there already at the times of Sripada, in the 14^th century. Through a small gopuram (temple tower) we went into the inner courtyard of the temple. The women were allowed to enter in panjabis; the men had to change the western clothes to dothis, the traditional Indian dress worn by men. Then we were allowed into the innermost part of the temple, the place where Sripada had lived and meditated. All of us felt a strong spiritual presence. Some later described it as a permeating, warm and loving energy. It was very pleasant and stronger than what I had experienced at other places. We sat down for meditation. I quickly was absorbed in profound silence – the outside sounds came like from a great distance.

Small shrine under the old banyan tree

Gopuram, entrance of the temple

Putting on dothis

The statue of Sripada at the Sanctum

Flags on the temple top

Audumbara tree in the centre of the inner courtyard

Filled with this sublime experience, we returned to the river. I would have liked to stay a bit longer but the golden light of the evening sun was already over the waters while we were gliding back to the other riverside. Again some group photos, then back into the taxis and a short stop at the ashram.

Together with Sridhar in the coracle

Landing at Panchadev Pahad

The sun was already setting when the journey back started. 3.5 hours later we arrived at Sridhar’s home in Hyderabad. With warm hospitality, he and his wife offered us a dinner. Around midnight he drove us to the airport. When I finally sat in the plane, I was very tired but filled with a rich treasure of profound experiences. I felt very grateful.

Sunday morning 15 January around 5 am we went with a second group of 11 persons to Pithapuram, the birthplace of Sripada Srivallabha. There was not much traffic on the way and so we arrived already at 8 am. I wondered how this visit would be – the first one had stirred a lot of attention, with the presentation of the new German translation of the Sripada biography. This visit would certainly be much calmer…

The driver first stopped at the wrong place – the Kukkuteswara temple (I did not recognise it; two years ago, I had entered it from another gate). Some youth explained to the driver how to get to the Maha Samsthanam, the temple at the birthplace of Sripada.

We had to walk a bit – a motorbike driver showed us the direction. When we reached the entrance, a cow stood there looking with a profound glance. Inside the temple people were going around the sanctum or sitting in the centre or along the walls reading. We also circumambulated the shrine and then sat on benches at the side for meditation. We had no program and I wondered how the day would unfold.

The entrance to the temple at the birthplace of Sripada

A turtle in front of the temple – a profound symbolism

After half an hour a person came and asked us if we would like to participate in the Abhishekam ceremony – a ceremonial washing of the symbol of Sripada’s feet. We agreed. I went to the office to pay a small amount for the ceremony and then sat with the others in rows before the shrine. At 9 am some priests started reciting Vedic hymns and one priest inside the shrine started washing the feet with various liquid substances, mainly curd coloured with kurkuma or other herbs. Our foreheads were decorated with kumkum (red powder) and vibhuti (sacred ash) pastes. Later, we received some of the curd to drink as a blessing. While the ceremony was going on, a dog came and went along the lines – Dattatreya’s greetings.

After the ceremony a priest came and spoke with members of the group. He said he knew that we were coming and that he came because he knows English and wanted to welcome us. He explained us the ritual and a bit about the temple.

Group photo in front of the Audumbara tree with the statue of Sripada

Around 10 am Srinivas, my Indian friend from the States and his wife arrived – I had met him already in Bengaluru. He proposed to show us a place with an old book about Sripada and the Kukkuteswara temple. We followed him. As we were leaving the temple, the motorbike driver was again at the same place where we had left him two hours before. He took Srinivas on the backseat and showed us the way to our bus. Then the two headed the bus and guided us through small roads to a house. It its court there was a small shrine with a place for fire rituals. Inside the house a priest welcomed us and showed us some Sanskrit palm leave manuscripts. He had done a translation of a very old book about Sripada’s life from Sanskrit to Telugu. They showed us a box which contained the old manuscript, and also the Telugu book they recently had published. It was a special moment.

Palm leave manuscript

Showing the box with the old manuscript

Afterwards Srinivas and the motorbike driver guided us to the Kukkuteswara temple. There we saw a statue of the divine Mother, a very old Shiva lingam and the self-manifested statue of Dattatreya, which is frequently mentioned in the Sripada biography.

The portal to the Kukkuteswara temple

A group photo with students visiting the temple

Our group then left for Visakhapatnam. Srinivas had arranged a visit to a Dattatreya temple in Vannepudi, a village on the way back. We drove some small roads over the countryside and came to a village. We arrived at a pond with a statue in the centre. It turned out that this was a temple of the divine Mother. A priest explained to us that it was a very special, magnetic place with a unique figure of the mother standing erect in a fire. He conducted a small ritual and then there was the obligatory group photo.

The statue of the Mother in the pond

Entrance to the temple of the Mother and of Shiva

The priest in front of the statue of the Mother

Picture of an image of the Mother

On the way back we arrived at the Dattatreya temple which had already closed – it was past noontime. But when we went around the temple, some people came with the priest. They opened the temple for us and the priest conducted a ritual and gave us the blessing of fire and flowers.

Dattatreya statue on the outer wall of the temple

The priest conducting the ritual

Group photo in front of the temple

When we drove back to Vizag we all felt very happy about this auspicious day.

Tuesday morning two old buses brought the group to Simhachalam, where in the outer court of the temple uphill we met Master Kumar and Kumari-Garu. At the entrance to the second court the Master was received with honours. Headed by a group of musicians, we circumambulated the inner court of the temple and then entered into the innermost part. There priest conducted a ceremony for the Master and Kumari-garu in front of the sanctum sanctorum. The Master later explained that inside the lingam formed by sandalwood powder there are symbols of the Varaha Avatar, symbolising the upliftment from the Muladhara, the Lion, symbolising the heart centre and the Man 7 Cosmic person, symbolising the Sahasrara. Afterwards we stood a while with the Master in the outer court of the temple where he gave some explanations of the symbolism of the temple. It was a very thrilling experience – the Master had not been with us in the temple for a number of years and never I witnessed such a splendorous reception.

Going up to the temple of Simhachalam

Inside the outer court

Group photo with Sri Kumar and Kumari-garu

An interview

Later we went down the long stairway to the valley and came to the Guru Puja compound where the preparation work was going on. It was again very astonishing how the Indian brotherhood managed to set up such a huge hall in such a short time.

Walking down to the valley

At the pond

Cow in the palm forest where we had our siesta

In the late afternoon the celebration of the 56^th Guru Pujas started with a small ceremony to Lord Ganesha followed by Vedic chantings and worship of the presence of the great Masters symbolised by their images on the stage among others.

Master Kumar entering for inaugurating the Guru Puja celebration

Master Kumar and Kumari-Garu conducting a ritual to Ganesha

After evening meditation the Master began with the first discourse. Since I had no access to hearing the English translation of the Telugu words of Sri Kumar, I did a re-translation from the German translation. These are the opening words:

“All who have come to the Guru Puja celebrations my hearty welcome greetings. We are at the bottom of Lakshmi Narasimha Swami, the temple we have visited. We celebrate the 56^th Guru Puja celebrations with the blessings of the Divine. This we could do without having any interruption. The fact that the Guru Pujas could be conducted in such a continuous way is a blessing of the Hierarchy. Master started here the Guru Puja celebrations November 1971. Master EK conducted the Guru Pujas before there was the WTT but since the WTT was founded they are conducted by the WTT. At many occasions the members thought whether we should conduct the Guru Pujas somewhere else but the Lord on the Hill saw that we conduct the Guru Pujas in his area. From the aspect of Yoga the goddess being present here sees that we are uplifted. The upliftment from the material state even lifts up the earth; it is the avatar of Varaha, the boar.

Since our birth we are sunk in problems, and we urgently need to be uplifted. We are units of consciousness, we are not just these bodies and we also not have just these states of awareness. There is another aspect. The Lord causes the upliftment from the material state. The Lord causes this upliftment from the material. In Vishnu Sahasranama we praise the Lord Varaha. Varaha and Narasimha, the Man-Lion are two avatars of Vishnu, and at this holy place both aspects of the Lord are present. He is called Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha. Since the Lord is there the Mother is also there. So the sanctum is called Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha. Here the Lord is only seen in a small form. There are places where the Lord is seen in huge forms and places, where he is seen in smaller forms. The Lord gives a medicine for our situation. The Lord is so much hidden here that his power is hidden below sandalwood powder, you cannot photograph him. He has the message, I am the right means for you. The more you purify yourself inwardly, the more I will become visible for you So much dirt is in our body, our thoughts and mind, the first aspect is that we purify ourselves. At such a holy place we conduct the Guru Pujas. Since a short time we are at this new place but it is still the surroundings of the Lord. It is the 33^rd Guru Pujas since Master EK left the body. The Guru Pujas were conducted before with Master EK and afterwards. The number 33 has a profound meaning. The Indian brotherhood has worked very much to set up a splendorous place here. There is a lot of light and radiance there. It is lie sitting in a garden, there are so many plants here. The group has worked so much to make the place beautiful. This is because there is so much purity inside that it could manifest in the outer. When there is no purity inside there cannot be expressed purity in the outside. The different aspects like the air, the arrangement of the images, the incense, all this produces an upliftment of consciousness when we perceive it. The sounds we do with the singing, all this causes the needed purification…”

Each of the days of the Guru Pujas has a major ritual in the morning: On the first day there was the Rudra Abhishekam, the Water Ritual dedicated to the First logos. The second day there was the Fire Ritual dedicated to the Second Logos. And on the third day there was the Lalitha Sahasranama, the worship ritual to the World Mother. It is always a thrilling ambiance when the sounds of the rituals are reverberating through space while the worships is conducted.

End of the Water Ritual conducted by Ravi Shankar

Master Kumar and Kumari-Garu conducting the Fire Ritual

Women during the Lalitha Puja

On the second day the Western members join the Master on the stage for morning meditation. There the presence of the great Masters whose images are installed with beautiful flower decorations. And later in the morning there was the meeting for “Spiritual Fusion of East and West”. Six members from different Western countries were asked to come to the stage. The Master spoke about the wisdom preserved in the various parts of the globe is an expression of the universal wisdom which is eternal. He later presented the publications which have been done during the last year in the West. He presented in length the Sripada book about the cosmic teacher, Lord Dattatreya. Then he asked us present on the stage to say some words. It was a very moving moment to hear the different contributions.

The western group during lunch

Morning of the second day – fusion of East and West. Western group on the dais

Presentation of the Sripada biography

Ladies from the West

The book shop

These were very intense and long days with little sleep – we returned to Visakhapatnam in the late night and started again at 4:45 am. But the strong spiritual vibrations created by the joint orientation of the group to the sublime dimensions generate a profound ambiance of upliftment, and the celebration is always a very inspiring gathering. When the Guru Pujas close with the Paduka Puja – the worship of the feet of the Teacher as a symbol of the divine grace we were all filled with gratitude for having been able to attend to this extraordinary group meeting.

Pada Puja

Symbol of the Simhachalam temple