We are one for Vikasa! इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन। न चाशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति।।18.67।।
This teachings may not be imparted to the one who has not practiced austerity, who is not devotional or has not immersed himself in devotional activities for the attainment of oneness with Me, or who is not wishful of listening, or who finds faults in Me. A remembrance, a whiff of memory, an everlasting desire to be. You stay at the Kriya Yoga Ashram, listening to the teachings of your sacred scriptures – with a devoted and selfless desire to know yourself, to attain oneness with your eternal being. That’s your Vikasa. The gentle puffs of morning clouds hanging low, sifting their humble weight along the surface of the waters, the orange of the sky, the grey and green of the rocks, the singularity of the horizon and the waters that it outlined. The unsettling ripples – like questions, the reminisce of the morning incense — like a desire that remains long after you’ve felt it. A desire that was seeded in you at Vikasa, to find the value and purpose of your being with the teachings that have been laid down by the greatest masters that the world has seen. The teachings that have continued to live like eternity, percolating through innumerable layers of generations that have preceded us, the logic, the reason, the belief, and reverence to the principles recited in our heritage literature, the greatest of what the humankind has ever known, or will ever know. Hṛṣīkeśa is the lord of the senses. The Vishnu in us is one, infinite and eternal. The senses that tie us together into a garland hold us into one offered in reverence to the Ganges. The belief for the common peace and acceptance reverberates in us, waiting to be passed on to the next generations, never to be forgotten and lost. Hṛṣīkeśa to me is the abode of those senses, the harbor of all faiths that are one, an acceptance of the eternal and undying cycle that we all are a part of – that one who is here is not a body or mind, but a consciousness that never dies, the sense of it, the sheer remarkability of it, and the undeniability of it so utterly crystal clear on the waters of Ganges, shimmering in the light of our lives. The undying waters of the Ganges that have been flowing in Hṛṣīkeśa since time immemorial signify the beauty of this journey, a belief that death is not the end of this beautiful journey, but a transcendence and change of vehicles. नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः। न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः।।2.23।। It is this oneness that I felt at Vikasa, a simple reinforcement that we are all headed towards one common goal, the sheer smallness of ourselves that we tend to ignore, yet never accept. The greatest yogis have spent their physical lifetimes looking for the divine one – the meaning and purpose of this maya – for that singular realization of consciousness. It’s important to realize the sanctity of this mutual journey that we all are a part of, and this one step we all took at Vikasa. Humankind is inherently meant to build and inspire, retrospect and share, love and trust, believe and accept. You may see that our very fundamental elements possess these qualities – of building us with endless love, selflessness and trust. Vikasa taught us that we are all one who have embarked on this journey to go back to where we have all come from with responsibilities of loving, accepting, trusting and sharing. My humble gratitude to Adinarayanan ji, Smrithi ji, and Punit ji for the love, trust and belief that they imbibed in us. My gratitude to my fellow learners who taught me more than books can read stories and sing songs to me. For the moments that’ll remain with us for times to come, for reminding us that our culture has more to offer than we have realized, more to share than we have received. Thank you for making us believe that there is an inherent goodness in this world, and that we are one with the Eternal Good, the everlasting power that we all are. चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्
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