Saleel Pulekar

More than 5000 years ago Lord Krishna, while giving the Bhagavad Geeta to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, showed his divine form - the Viraat Roop, to him. Today while watching the World Culture Festival event in the Olympia Stadium in Berlin, I felt so strongly that Guruji has shown his Viraat Roop, yet again. So many cultures were presented on one platform, so many communities, all came as one. One global family, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. When Guruji said not only individuals have to come together, even all the cultures of the world have to meet, I could feel his sincerity and earnestness. The meditation he conducted invoked so much peace, joy and unity, it was as if the whole world was celebrating inside me through his grace. When the various performances from all over the world, as far east as Japan and as far west as Argentina, happened, the homogeneousness of the entire human species as belonging to one source, one divinity could be felt so prominently. In today's worl...

This must have been in 2003 or 2004. Guruji had stayed back in Mumbai at Sangeeta Jani's house in Juhu. We went there to catch him the next morning before he could leave for the airport. Around a couple of hundred of us were huddled in the drawing room eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of him. Though the huge 5-storey house has an elevator in it, Guruji came down by the staircase. Heads turned around, some stopped singing the bhajan they were singing, for some others the tempo of the bhajan increased and yet a few others just shouted, "Guruji!" I could notice that he had just taken a shower. He looked like a freshly blossomed flower with the morning dew drops still sparkling on it. As he walked down, the bottom of his white veshti (dhoti) gently caressed the staircase. His glowing face, radiant like the Sun was partly hidden in his long hair let loose, still a little wet. What a sight that was! A hair brush in his right hand was finding its way through the dark black tress...

This incident happened about a few years back when Guruji was in Narayana Hall, the old side of Art of Living Bangalore ashram, conducting a session for teachers, just after the Navratri Celebrations. All doors and windows had been closed while the session was going on and it was all jam packed inside. Suddenly a lady who was late for the session and couldn't manage to get inside called out to Guruji and said "Guruji, andar walo ko bahar bhejo mujhe andar aana hai.." Guruji with a wink in his eyes replied, "Main bhi to tumse kabse yahi keh raha hun." When you are Hollow and Empty, you give a chance to the Divine to fill you up. Fill you up with? With beauty and bliss!! Jgd :-)

Finally now I feel part of the Navratri Celebrations! We were invited to the Afghan Hindu temple in Hamburg where I taught a Part 1 course 3 weeks ago. The 6th night of Navratri, Wednesday, Oct 13, was a Jagran at the temple. We reached at 1130 pm and wanted to leave by 12. We met the main organizers and waited for our turn to sing a bhajan, Krishi was to accompany me on the guitar. We waited and waited, the mind began to get impatient and irritation crept in. We were told to wait more as the guy who was singing wasn't stopping at all. It was now 1am. I became aware of the impatience and remembered Guruji's words: "Waiting can lead to frustration or waiting can lead to meditation. Waiting for eternity is samadhi." So I just dropped the irritation and decided to let go in the present moment. Within a few minutes we were told to sing :-). The singing team who had to take a break in order to allow us, reluctantly agreed. Durge durge durge jai jai ma aa aa, Kali kapalini ...

INTELLIGENT WITTY HILARIOUS FUNNY LIGHT EASY EFFORTLESS EFFECTIVE CUTE SIMPLE DIVINE Such was the Philosophy Yoga session Guruji conducted today in Vishalakshi Mantap for Art of Living Teachers and Ashtavakra Gita Course participants. Some quotes that he came up with so spontaneously: Jaisi drishti waisi srishti. Hat na kariba, pade na rahiba, dheere dhareeba pav. Balance...Samata Nasika....Na Seekha Dimag se Dil tak Haat Pav chalana zindagi ki nishani hai. Hum deewaro se takrate rehte hai, aisi deeware, jo hai hi nahi! Kuch kehte hai hum logo ko jeena sikhate hai, Kuch kehte hai hum logo ko marna sikhate hai, Hum kehte hai hum logo ko jite ji marna sikhate hai! It was the best Yoga session I have ever attended. Jai Gurudev

It was 1st March, the day of Holi, we were driving from Delhi to Rishikesh. The waters of Ganga on either sides of the highway, sounds of manjiras (cymbals), fading sound of one arti getting drowned into another, chants of Om Namaha Shivaya, Har Har Mahadeo, Jai Mata Di, gentle traces of incense, hoardings and photos of various saints, munis, gurus, people wrapped in saffron, white, yellow; faces decorated with chandan, kumkum, ad hearts adorned with devotion; the piousness of Har-ki-Paudhi, Haridwar endearingly welcomes you to begin with and then absorbs you in itself. One cant but feel the purity and sacredness of this place. We had the news that Guruji had arrived in the Art of Living Kumbh Mela Camp and the Rudrapuja had already begun. With hurried steps we walked towards the enclosure and as we entered this was our first glimpse of the Master: Very content with having clicked the above snap I closed my eyes to meditate. The pandal was resonating with the rudrapuja chants by a...

Dear all, So much has happened in the last 5 weeks, there are so many things to share with all you lovely people, don't know how much I will be able to remember and key (pen) down. UP Satsang Tour with Rishi Nityapragyaji, An ANR in Vashi, Mumbai followed by two splendid sessions for volunteers in Mumbai, YES!++ in ashram with Guruji, then DSN with Bau in Goregaon, Mumbai and finally meeting Guruji in Delhi. I am still in the hangover, literally HANGOVER, of Gurujis Delhi visit. Just before he left Delhi, he sat with us for 10 min to listen to Chitra didi sing a few romantic bollywood numbers. The sweet and intense gestures that he did while she sang have kept me intoxicated till now. When she was singing Kaun Hai Jo Sapno Mein Aya....he mischievously said, "Pata nahin kaun aya?". In the super chaotic MESSmersied crowd in the satsang in Delhi, he said, "normally we say - from CHAOS to BLISS, but here there is BLISS in the CHAOS". At that time I was managing the ...

10 pm Sat, 28 Feb' 09 Its the last evening before the THE MARCH - Against Corruption & Terrorism, 2 pm Sunday, 1st Mar'09, Parliament Street, Delhi. I was figuring out a good method of SMSing a few thousand people database that we now have, as registered entries for the event tomorrow. I called up Shiv, a good friend of mine, who works for Sumeru Software and is an Art Excel teacher in Bangalore, to find out some options. He didnt answer my call, and I realised, the bugger must be enjoying satsang in the ashram with Guruji. My work was important and urgent, and so I was disappointed that Shiv was in satsang when I needed his help. Very soon Shiv called back. Even before discussing work, I first asked him what did Guruji say? Shiv said he was in satsang for just 10 min. Guruji had returned from a function in the city to felicitate octogenerians and nonagenarians. A 95 year old man gave a speech in a clear strong voice. Another 87 year old person spoke and so on...All thes...

Pl check One line SHLOKA to get centered Love, Jai Gurudev Saleel

An anonymous article of 2002, Gurujis visit to New York, US To see for myself what it was all about, to find out why this frail, young man with the deep, dark eyes was so popular, I decided to go to one of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s talks in New York. The huge synagogue on Manhattan’s west side was already filled to the rafters when I arrived. An enthusiastic group of young people sang bhajans and the audience swayed and sang along as though they were at a rock concert. There were people of every nationality, color and age group, dressed in a variety of clothes from blue jeans to silk saris and kurtas. Many had already done the Art of Living course, a program of breathing, meditation and yoga that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has put together to “relieve stress, improve communication, develop leadership skills, increase vitality, expand awareness and increase enjoyment of life.” Very soon, the guruji bounded up the steps to the stage, dressed in gleaming white silk, his long, dark hair forming a h...