BHAKTI MARGA SA: MONTHLY NEWSLETTER JANUARY - … · Guruji, you kept me strong when I was a child,...

01-Bhakti Marga SA Monthly Newsletter Jan-March‘20 www.bhaktimarga.co.za (NPO 122-945)

BHAKTI MARGA SA: MONTHLY NEWSLETTER JANUARY - MARCH 2020

January - February - March 2020 Events / Prayers

FACEBOOK: DAILY JAPA & EARTH MEDITATION: LIVE WITH THE MASTER - 16:00 CESTYOUTUBE: DAILY SATSANG: LIVE WITH THE MASTER - 17:00 CEST

05/01/2020 – OM Chanting for the fires in Australia, in Umhlanga Herrwood Park, KZN10/01/2020 – Fullmoon OM Chanting at Wirikuta New Moon Centre, Hillcrest and in Umhlanga Herrwood Park, KZN11/01/2020 – Hanuman Chalisa Recitals at the DBN Satsang Centre, Malvern, KZN12/01/2020 – OM Chanting at Melville Spiritualist Church, The Sanctuary of Love in Melville and at Spiritual Warriors in Randburg, JHB26/01/2020 – OM Chanting at Umhlanga Beach and Japa Walk, Group Kriya & Earth Meditation at Hawaan Forest, Umhlanga, KZN05/02/2020 – KZN OM Chanting Leaders Workshop with Upendrananda08/02/2020 – Hanuman Chalisa Recitals at the DBN Satsang Centre, Malvern, KZN09/02/2020 – Fullmoon OM Chanting at Spiritual Warriors in Randburg, JHB, at Eaglesview Yoga Studio in Winston Park, at Melville Spiritualist Church, The Sanctuary of Love in Melville, at The Colours of Yoga Studio in Northcliff, JHB and in Umhlanga Herrwood Park, KZN 21/02/2020 – Maha Shivaratri at Mulbarton in JHB and Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza08/03/2020 – Holi Festival Celebrations at Sri Vishwananda Nilaya, KwaDukuza and OM Chanting at Melville Spiritualist Church, The Sanctuary of Love, Melville, KZN09/03/2020 – Fullmoon OM Chanting at The Colours of Yoga Studio in Northcliff, JHB and in Umhlanga Herrwood Park, KZN14/03/2020 – Hanuman Chalisa Recitals at the DBN Satsang Centre, Malvern, KZN 14-15/03/2020 – Atma Kriya Yoga Course with Chakradhara, Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza, KZN and Atma Kriya Yoga Course with Upendrananda at Saxonwold in JHB 20/03/2020 – Equinox OM Chanting at Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza, KZN25/03/2020 – 02/04/2020 – Vasant Navaratri at Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza

05/01/2020 – OM Chanting for the fires in Australia & 10/01/2020 & 09/03/2020 Full Moon OM Chanting in Umhlanga Herrwood Park, KZN



11/01/2020, 08/02/2020 & 14/03/2020 – Hanuman Chalisa Recitals at the Durban Satsang Centre, Malvern, KZN

26/01/2020 – OM Chanting at Umhlanga Beach and Japa Walk, Group Kriya & Earth Meditation at Hawaan Forest, Umhlanga, KZN

05/02/2020 – KZN OM Chanting Leaders Workshop with Upendrananda &09/02/2020 – Fullmoon OM Chanting at Eaglesview Yoga Studio in Winston Park, at Melville Spiritualist

Church, The Sanctuary of Love in Melville and in Umhlanga Herrwood Park, KZN

21/02/2020 – Maha Shivaratri at Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza



08/03/2020 – Holi Festival Celebrations at Sri Vishwananda Nilaya, KwaDukuza

Watch the Video: Holi Festival 2020 at Sri Vishwananda Nilaya | Highlights https://youtu.be/dWKvc2vHezE

14-15/03/2020 – Atma Kriya Yoga Course with Upendrananda at Saxonwold in JHB& Atma Kriya Yoga Course with Chakradhara, Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza

20/03/2020 – Equinox OM Chanting at Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza, KZN

Some Highlights from Sri Vishwananda Nilaya, Kwadukuza, KZN

21/02/2020 – Maha Shivaratri at Mulbarton in JHB



25/03/2020 – 02/04/2020 – Vasant Navaratri at Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple, KwaDukuza, KZN

Watch the Video: Vasant Navaratri 2020 at Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple | Highlights https://youtu.be/w8zRn2wz46s

Guru Kripa Blog REFLECTIONS BY DEVOTEES ON SATGURU’S GRACE

If you wish to share your experiences and stories on Guruji’s Grace in your life. Email: [email protected]

Reflections by Prema Pradayini Dasi (Meshree), KZN, S.A.:

Guruji, you kept me strong when I was a child, when my eyes saw what couldn't be revealed. You held my hand, walked with me and carried me through these dark days. You gave me love and light again.Guruji, you kept me strong when my loved ones left this Earth. You held my hand, walked with me and carried me through these dark days. You gave me love and light again.Guruji, you kept me strong when I had no work and my bank balance was low. You held my hand, walked with me and carried me through these dark days. You gave me love and light again.Guruji, you kept me strong when I was bad and blind from right and wrong. You held my hand, walked with me and carried me through these dark days. You gave me love and light again.Guruji, you kept me strong when I was sick and could not open my eyes. You held my hand, walked with me and carried me through these dark days. You gave me love and light again.Guruji, you kept me strong when the truth was hidden and my tongue was tied from speaking. You held my hand, walked with me and carried me through these dark days. You gave me love and light again.From these dark days you taught me that challenges come and go, people come and go, money comes and goes, illness comes and goes but Guruji, you are constantly there. Thank you Guruji!!!!




Reflections by Radha Swadhayai Dasi (Rekha), KZN, S.A.:

Though I may not chant with my usual zest, Help me Gurudev to chant the names of Sri Narayana.Though I may not want to wake up today to do my Kriya, bless me Gurudev that I do it and with love.I was in no mood this evening to do abhishekam to Sri Giridhari, bless me Gurudev that I serve Him with love.

I hastily offered chandan and flowers, bless me Gurudev that I may offer puja to you with humility.I said I was too tired today to study Bhagvad Gita, bless me Gurudev that I may study and practice it daily as I should. I spoke ill of my God brother today, bless me Gurudev that I may make better use of this tongue.

I ate today with out offering to You first, bless me Gurudev that I never eat anything except Your Prasad. I complained today that I have less, bless me Gurudev that I may be grateful for all You blessed me with. I made excuses to teach my children today, bless me Gurudev that I always pass Your teachings to them as I should.

I felt anger today, bless me Gurudev that I may love as You have loved me. I was unforgiving today, bless me Gurudev that I may forgive as You have forgiven me

I'm drowning Gurudev in the materialism that my mind seeks, bless me Gurudev that I may only seek Your feet. I felt pride today Gurudev on a job well done, bless me Gurudev that I may never forget its not me but You that is doer.

I showed ego today when talking with a devotee, break my ego Gurudev so I am always humble. I'm deen oh Gurudev but You are deenanath, bless me Gurudev that I may do all tasks only to serve You. This is my prathna oh Gurudev, the prathna of this fallen dasi. Bless me Gurudev so I may please You.

Yet, as moments fleet by, I am once again, imprisoned by my attachments to the illusion. I try to hold onto Him whilst compartmentalizing my illusions...

I forget Him. I forget his constant presence in my every moment. I forgot Him. I held onto my illusions, He holds on to me. Suddenly! Maya breathes a gust of air my way. I am comforted within the mind. The gate falls. The glimpse of glory. I am in awe.

I promise to remember Him. I enjoy His magnificence. He holds me. He holds me. Days go by, it gets hot. The wind of Maya blows in my direction. I leave His hand. He holds me. Who am I? Can I truly know His grace, His eternity, if His grace for me is defined? Defined by punctuations of my comforts? Do I even know, that He holds me?

Reflections by Natasha Singh, KZN, S.A.:

We breathe; it is his miracle. From, our very existence to our individual goals and life's purpose; all is His grace. He blissfully orchestrates every aspect of our lives. It would be futile to attempt to quantify His grace.

I know nothing about the extent of his majesty, His glory, His love, him. I am limited by my mind. Sometimes the gate drops for a glimpse of glory, and there is disbelief, awe. I mentally hear the voices, “oh, wow, and can you believe what Guruji did? Can you believe what He said? Can you believe? Can you believe? Can you believe?” I do enjoy His display of magnificence. A desire to be in that state of splendour arises within me.




one day if he could tell me when it would happen, to which he'd simply replied "hmm.... don't worry it'll happen". And so we began to wonder and question and wonder again if Guruji maybe didn't mean that it would happen but by other interventions. And, so after a hundred thousand or so Rands spent on IVF we were eventually counseled by our fertility specialist and advised to consider adoption as our only possible means of starting a family. We were shattered at the news. We were angry, sad, and angry some more. It took us a while, but, we eventually accepted the situation for what it was, and in a sense "let go of it".

A few months later and the morning after Nalini's birthday, she'd fallen ill with what we taught was food poisoning, but, what was later confirmed to be regular morning sickness! We were cautiously excited until our fertility specialist a few days later was able to confirm a tiny little pea sized heart beat! Nine months and one day later came the most beautiful little man I'd ever seen! I am eternally grateful for Guruji's grace, our beautiful family of FOUR, Guruji, Nalini, Chidambar, and myself! We love you Guruji, ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

From my very first glimpse of our dear SatGuru, I felt such ecstasy and I remember thinking to myself, I HAVE MET GOD! Which is the most difficult era of human life? Childhood? Adolescence? Mature adulthood? While many might suggest that one's “sunset” years are the hardest, the period designated as “youth” might be the most challenging. Youth is a frustrating time in life. It is that period when one is hardly old enough to be “on their own,” and yet is feeling a sense of independence. Youth are ever attempting to find some sense of identity. The same holds true in spirituality for a youth. I feel immensely blessed to have found my Guru, my light and love at a young age to help guide me through my life to become the young woman I am today..... continued

Reflections by Santosh Maharaj, KZN, S.A.:

Jai Gurudev! In 2012 my wife and I met Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda for the second time in our lives. We had been married for a few years and had only just up until recently been trying to conceive. It was after a Satsang at the Maha Shanta Narasimha Temple in KZN, after which Guruji had asked all the devotees present that night to each take Darshan from him.

We both aproached Guruji in the usual respectful manner, bowed, and looked up at him. We looked up to find his amazing radiant face glowing back at us. He held Nalini's hand firm, looked her in the eye and asked in the gentlest tone, "Tell me, what is it that you want?", to which Nalini replied, "I just want a healthy little baby, Guruji".

He turned to me, smiled, and turned back toward Nalini and nodded. Guruji then asked Nalini to bring him the two flowers that were offered to the Shaligram near Lord Narasimha's feet, but, I think that she was so consumed in that single moment with Guruji that what he'd asked had barely registered with her. Of course Guruji was aware of this and asked a dear devotee to please hand him the same flowers which he then placed in Nalini's hands. He asked that she make a tea with them as soon as we get home and that we should both drink this tea together. He said, "Drink this tea, and you will have a beautiful baby boy!" Months passed, and a year and some went by, and still nothing happened. I remember trying to ask Guruji

Reflections by Kubashni Perumal, KZN, S.A.:

Jai Gurudev! Before I go any further, let me introduce myself. My name is Kubashini, I joined Bhakti Marga in 2009. At my very first darshan, I remember being quite excited and to an extent apprehensive about this new thing I'm about to experience.




I feel blessed to have experienced such sweet moments that have changed my outlook of life and that I am able to share with you a few of these experiences which helped me anchor my faith and trust in my beloved Guru and the divine lord. I'm not going to share with you my experiences from practising of my Sadhana's, my experience is simply about the longest journey we must make in life; the journey from the mind to the heart.Today I am here standing, walking (Literally) & living a beautifully blessed life only through the grace and love of the divine masters. You may be thinking, why literally standing? Well my beloved prabhu's and mataji's, a mere 3 years ago I suffered a stroke which left me paralysed and unable to feel on my left side. I remember waking up in hospital and being told that I have suffered a stroke. At that moment, I felt my life come crashing down on me, but I knew instantly I had to choose one of two options. I either allow this to define me and succumb to what has happened, or I choose to allow it to aid in my physical, mental and most importantly my spiritual growth.I chose the second option, as I believe it is our choices in life that help define our true selves.But it was not as easy as saying it…My road to recovery proved to be a rocky terrain. The scarcest attributes in mankind are tolerance, patience and trusting in the divine. My recovery path taught me daily how to be more patient and tolerant; not just of others around me and assisting me but of myself. One can easily say, “yes, I trust God, I trust my Guru”, but saying you trust them and having faith in that trust is very different from each other. The moment I made the choice within my heart to begin to TRUST, my recovery began rapidly improving. The day I took my very first unassisted steps, and may I say apart from all the tears, I was ecstatic! What an amazing blessing it is to experience taking my first steps in life, twice! But do I define this as a miracle? No! It is simply through the grace of the divine lord himself whom we are so lucky to have in a tangible aspect as our divine masters.The scriptures say that the holy feet of the true Guru hold within in all the divine aspects of Narayana. When you surrender to him, he will take care of you and everything in your life. You need not worry, for when you choose to take that very first step towards the divine, he always takes ten steps towards you.During my time spent being dependent on my loved ones back then and now once again as the world goes into lockdown to heal, I seem to be reminded of the fact that we are not actually free in this world. This is because 99% of the time, our material circumstances didn't allow us too and even the few times it die, those actions came with dire consequences that make us feel more trapped.Why? Cause we weren't doing what WE want, we were doing what our material desires dictated to us. We live being governed by the flickering impulses that tell us to move from situation to situation, chasing an illusion of increased enjoyment at every step, only to cause suffering and bind us in further attachments.Thus, every so now and again the Lord plays out a leela in our lives to help remind us of the Freedom our soul seeks. This simply how I look at my past & present situations & how humbled I am that my Guru found my soul within this life to help guide it home. The words “thank you” to guruji would never be enough. All I can do is consciously live in a world of service to the Lord and spread love to those around me whilst being mindful of the lessons Lord Narayana cloaked in Guruji's robes is teaching me daily. Sending you all lots of love.

Reflections by Kyle Pillay, KZN, S.A.:

Jai Gurudev dear readers. This is my first time writing something that will contribute to Bhakti Marga; it must be noted that I am fairly new to the movement. I have attended my first and only Darshan thus far in 2019 and completed my first course, Atma Kriya, in March 2020. Guruji's wisdom, teachings and guidance know no bounds and I am still very much at the beginning. I write this article not because I have anything to teach because the Greatest Teacher is Guruji himself. I write this article only to give thanks and serve Guruji's movement using my own life experiences.On the 22nd of August 2019 I was diagnosed with Stage 2, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is basically a cancer of the lymphatic

system. A compromised lymphatic system makes one vulnerable to many infections and diseases since the immune system is weakened and cannot fight them off as is needed to maintain a healthy body. I was hospitalised with several different infections that most people do not struggle to fight off without even showing symptoms. I had lost weight, my sense of taste and I constantly had flu-like symptoms. The doctors running my tests knew that there was something graver than just the surface symptoms because I had been sick for too long without showing signs of recovery. This led them to investigate and eventually diagnose me with cancer. The sickness started in early July. I thought it was the flu and went to the GP assuming that it was not a serious matter...continued



Guru Kripa Blog REFLECTIONS BY DEVOTEES ON SATGURU’S GRACE A few weeks passed and I showed no improvement and started to lose weight quite drastically. On the 12th of August we decided that I needed proper medical attention to determine what was wrong. The plan was to go to the physician and get admitted into hospital to run the necessary tests. That very night my fiancé said that she dreamt Guruji was in the room with her; He said nothing but He touched her head. The very next day was when life started to become a bit challenging. I was hospitalized for three weeks in which time I had three different operations. These operations resulted in the diagnosis and staging of the cancer. Directly after this my chemotherapy began and that brought its own challenges. The effects of each chemo treatment was physically difficult on me for about a week or so, I would recover slightly during the middle of the second week and by the start of the third week my strength would come back but by then it was time for my next treatment and so the cycle would begin again. During this time one forgets what it feels like to be well and healthy. Due to the chemo killing all my white cells I could not leave the house for a period of five months unless it was to the doctor or the hospital. It was easily the most difficult time in my life but there were lessons learned during this adversity, some I can say here, others for which there are no words. I am grateful for these lessons and sentiments to a point of seeing this entire journey from diagnosis to cure as a blessing more than anything else. This is what I have taken away from this experience.Gratitude for what I already had – During the time of my chemo I needed to be in a sterile environment, as clean as possible and away from people. I was also much too weak in the week that followed each treatment to do things like cook for myself. My fiancé did everything that could be done for another person. My room was rearranged and made up to be as comfortable as possible since it was where I would spend most of my time. She cooked daily, prepped my medication and meals so I didn't need to put in much effort while she was away at work. My mother also worked hard at keeping the house clean, washing my clothes and the other small chores that arise from daily living. My younger brother kept me company on many days, playing games and talking to kill the time. My friend Krishna who introduced me to Bhakti Marga also visited me in hospital and constantly kept in touch to see how I was doing. Tweeda, also of Bhakti Marga, also constantly checked up on me and included my healing as one of the intentions of their weekly Om Chanting. I was made shockingly aware of the love and care that surrounds my life. I know so many people that will help me completely selflessly. This care, constant positivity and prayer kept me going during a difficult time. Human beings are a community creature, we need one another to survive and flourish and it was proven to me that I will be supported relentlessly in my times of need; a blessing beyond measure. The temporary nature of our life – Before my diagnosis I led a very active lifestyle with a wide range of interests and hobbies. My treatment forced me to slow down and question many things about my life. I was never negative about getting better but I also stopped being short sighted about my time on this planet. I knew deep down that I would recover from the cancer but we all will die one day. We are not here without reason and our mortality is not without reason either. An awareness of your mortality puts life into perspective. Frivolous pursuits come to an end. It is something that is difficult to accept but ignoring it causes you to make the same mistakes over and over again. Knowing and accepting your mortality allows you the choice to spend your finite amount of time here on something more meaningful. Faith – I did not understand what faith was for a long time. When people spoke about faith it sounded more like a belief system. Beliefs come with the inherent choice of either believing or not, neither of which will make it the truth so for a long time I put the idea of faith in the category of religious dogma. During this time I learned that we do not control anything other than the effects of our own choices. Even those choices are being made to consequences that were not necessarily our doing. I started to see that whatever is happening is a cause of the Divine, the Will of God. Nothing happens outside of this. The universe was clearly created by something infinitely more intelligent than mankind even as a collective. Faith has changed from being a dogma to a knowing that all that happens is for a reason, and that reason is a transcendental one. This is a feeling that one needs to experience on their own to know it. Reading these words or listening to someone else talk about it still leaves you with a choice of whether to believe it or not but when it is in your experience, when you see it just once, you will see that there is no choice. After this experience my faith seems to come as naturally as my own breathing, the knowing that everything that comes to you in life has come from the Divine, which is more intelligent than us, more loving than us. Relationship with Guruji – A year ago I didn't know who Guruji was, only his name. At Darshan He asked what I wanted and not knowing any better I said I wanted to realize God. His response was that to know God I first needed to know myself and that spiritual education is important. Since then I have started reading Scripture and watched all of Guruji's videos that are available. I have also attended the Atma Kriya course but I am still in the very early days of practice. All of Guruji's guidance is taken with utmost importance and acted upon but there is something I feel that transcends these interactions. I have been to strange places in terms of self enquiry. I am not sure if this is true for everyone but on my spiritual path I have had experiences that were utterly nihilistic, to feel that this entire human experience is devoid of meaning and that your actions do not matter. There were times that these feelings were overwhelming but after meeting Guruji I do not have to face them alone. He gives me someone to call for during those times and is somehow there with me no matter what state my consciousness seems to fall into. I am not free of faults, my ego or mistakes but having Guruji there to help me is something that is unrivalled in value. During dark times, the darkest times, Guruji was there…not to make it go away because there is an inherent necessity in our sufferings but rather to be a reminder that no matter what, I am never alone. My life has completely changed since meeting Guruji and I can only hope that my work and deeds serve Him in the best way possible. I say this not to influence anybody but to express what Guruji has done for me. Again, reading and believing words is a fallible thing but to be in the presence of a Master and have the Divine in you recognize this, is something that can only be experienced, not told. Guruji with all my heart I thank you for everything that you have done and continue to do for me. In early January this year, shortly after my last chemo treatment I had a dream that I was standing below a stage. Guruji sat on his red chair and looked down at me and smiled and said “Happy New Year to you”. A simple message but it meant so much more to me because a few days later I went for my scan to see the results of the chemo and I was completely cancer free. Guruji has expressed the importance of service to God. This can be done in many ways and I am dedicating as much time to this as possible in ways I think will be most effective but service is still service be it great or small so I want to avail myself to anyone going through an experience with cancer whether it is yourself or a family member. I have learned a few things that help make chemo easier and I would like to share this knowledge with anyone that needs it. Contact me on my email address [email protected] Gurudev.

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BHAKTI MARGA SA: MONTHLY NEWSLETTER JANUARY - … · Guruji, you kept me strong when I was a child,...

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