The journey
By Ankur Bora
Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches us a lot about our
destination. Sometimes, the pathway to the destination is not a straight line
and we don’t reach our goal. And we still cherish them because of the people we
meet, knowledge we acquire and the experience we gain. It is said that the best
things happen when you least expect it, which sets you on a course that you
never planned and into a future you never imagined.
I recently experienced the same when we organized an event
on 13th June at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial plaza located in the
city of Irving. Organized by The Art of Living Worldwide, the event titled ‘Sun
never sets on yoga’ is prelude to the maiden UN International Yoga Day on 21th.
Shreedhar Thuljaram, a senior Yoga Teacher with the Art of Living Foundation
led the session with a series of “sun
salutation”. Mr. Shreedhar shared the deeper life enhancing aspects of this
rich tradition while instructing the attendees. One of the participants was Mr.
Jeremy Mayer. Himself a Yoga teacher, Mr. Mayer expressed and talked about his
profound spiritual journey. It was a short event where we were able to rehearse
and prepare for the incoming Yoga day celebration coming Sunday. As I was
wrapping up, a gentleman arrived; he had driven all the way from Waco for the
day’s event. As I greeted him, I felt a
sense of wholeness I had never felt before and this story is about this special
person and his association with Gurudev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Neetin Pandya has been a practicing Yoga teacher for 45
years. He arrived in USA in the year 1981 eventually settling in Waco, a town
in Texas. In around 1996, Mr. Neetin and a few Indian community members hosted
Gurudev in Dallas when Sri Sri was invited to a religious conference by
university of Dallas. Nitin was telling me about his first meeting with Gurudev,
It seems his memory is never dimmed by those long past years. The following is
an alluring account of that special day in his own words -
When Gurudev cooked a meal for mother
In that time – there were so few Indians that we formed one
family ; everybody knew each other very well and we went all together to meet
Gurudev. Shri Shri has a child-like quality of wide-eyed trust and belief with
Him. He is so simple, yet sensitive to everyone around him as if he understands
each one of us. My mother, herself an
accomplished Yoga teacher was also with me that day. As we continued our conversation
with Gurudev , my mother stepped out into the kitchen to prepare lunch. Then,
all of a sudden, Gurdev addressing my mother very lovingly, said “Maya ( Mother ) , you have been serving every
day , Let’s your son prepare food for
you today.” My mother and everyone
present were wonder struck. My mother’s heart was overflowing with love and
gratitude that someone actually paid attention to her years of service – she felt
soaked in love and drenched in joy. We had the most delicious lunch ever. This
amazingly wonderful feeling that he loves us so much would stay with me
forever.
We arrived at the university auditorium early. No one had
arrived yet. As we moved to the entrance, Gurudev gently enquired, “Is it OK to
enter beforehand?” After assuring Gurudev we proceeded through the main gate.
The long empty corridor leading to the stage was completely dark. For few moments,
we were lost; I somehow was able to find the switch panel, as I turned it on, a
bright light illuminated the hall and everyone found their way.
The conference was
attended by religious leaders, each faith represented by a knowledgeable
scholar. “Every religious has its unique tradition,
but the underlying values are same - these values can heal the world”. Gurudev’s
word immediately struck a chord with the audience. His easy, unremarkable
demeanor made everyone realize the unity of spirituality. I had the kind of epiphany that seems so
obvious after Gurudev addressed the audience. Gurudev continued, “The differences among the followers of
different faiths are marginal and it is the common points that have fundamental
significance.” Towards the end of the
meeting, audience was given the opportunity to ask questions. One of the
questions put forth was about evil “Your holiness, do you believe in evil?” It
was a simple question and I heard the most profound answer. I can't recall the
exact wording, it’s something similar to: - “I don’t believe in evil, but I know evil is a shadow or lack of
goodness. It's absence of goodness, absence of love, absence of light. If you
walk into a window-less room, the room is completely dark. When you flip the switch,
lightness shines. The light comes from electricity and electricity comes from
different power sources. But the light always remains the same pure light - It
is one and the same substance. And light is the common thread in different
religions and all religious paths lead to the same truth.”
It was absolute grace and a beautiful opportunity to
experience wisdom of Gurudev – Even now, nineteen years later , His words
remain etched into my consciousness . They
have given me joy, energy, knowledge, blessings and love in abundance.
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