In December 2006, 165 Sahaja Yogis from all around the world gathered in Mumbai, India, for a ten-day tour through the beautiful state of Maharashtra. Among the eleven Australians who went on the tour were two lucky people from the newsletter team.
In Sahaja Yoga terms, different countries of the world represent different chakras and aspects of the subtle system. India represents the Kundalini. Indeed, if you look at the shape of India, you will see that it is a similar shape to the sacrum bone where the Kundalini resides.
Maharashtra literally means “the Great State”. It is also known as the Land of Shri Ganesha, the elephant-headed God worshipped by the Hindus. In Maharashtra there are eight places where natural rock formations known as “Swayambus”, shaped like Shri Ganesha, came out of the earth. The picture shows one of the eight Swayambus in Maharashtra.
Australia is also called the Land of Shri Ganesha since it, too, contains a Ganesha Swayambu: Uluru, when seen from the air, looks like an elephant.
At the beginning of the tour we visited two of the Ganesha Swayambus, at Lenyadri and Ozar. This was followed by visits to Alandi where the poet Gyaneshwar took his Samadhi, and to Dehu, the birthplace of the saint-poet, Tukaram.
Many sacred sites and temples were included in the itinerary. We went to the Bimashankur temple at Tulajapur, the Bhavani Mata temple at Yamunachala Hill, the Shri Vithal Rakhumai temple at Pandharpur, the Mahalaxmi temple at Kolhapur and the Ganesha temple at Ganapatipule.
An important place of pilgrimage for Sahaja Yogis is Brahmapuri, a tiny village on the bank of the picturesque Krishna River. In the early days of Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji brought groups of western Sahaja Yogis to stay at Brahmapuri. Here, She gave practical training to the seekers in ways of spreading the Sahaja Yoga message to different countries of the world. At Brahmapuri, tour members enjoyed the cool vibrations and footsoaked in the fast-flowing Krishna River.
We spent some time in the beautiful mountain area of Mahabaleshwar, which is like a cross between the Grand Canyon and the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales. Spectacular scenery, cool nights and warm, clear days ensured that our stay at Mahabaleshwar was especially delightful. Like the Blue Mountains, it is a favourite place for honeymooners. As our stay in India coincided with a very auspicious time for weddings, the place was filled with newlyweds.
The tour ended with a stay at the seaside township of Ganapatipule, with its beautifully carved Ganesha temple. This is another place of pilgrimage for Sahaja Yogis. For many years, seminars were held at Nirmal Nagari near the beach during the Christmas and New Year season. Sahaja Yogis journeyed from all over the world to be with Shri Mataji in this sacred place.
The tour was a very special and blissful experience for all the participants, with many vowing to go again next year. The blessings from the tour remain with us, even though we have returned to our homes in different parts of the world.