It was an intense trip for seven days, back to India, after two and a half years of “forced pause”. Though there was only a small time window for me to travel, I felt a strong inner call to go to the 113th Master CVV May Call Group Living. So I flew on 25 May via Dubai to Bengaluru.
26th morning, a gorgeous sunrise with all colours, from dark blue to radiant golden orange and blue-white welcomed me while the plane was crossing Goa. When approaching the goal, desert lands on the ground changed to green fields, little ponds and rivers reflecting light – cut here and there by roads. Then the huge iron bird carrying in two storeys a big load of humans and luggage touched the runway ground.
In Dubai, I had already met a group member coming from Puerto Rico and it was very nice to meet again after some years. She had a much longer journey behind. Soon, we were walking through the corridors to the “guardians of the threshold” – Covid controllers, immigration and customs. Although the queues weren’t long, it took 1.5 hs to cross the controls. It was a little Saturnian patience ritual allowing us to finally enter India.
A taxi driver was waiting for us, and soon we were on the way through the city. Dense noon traffic made me fall asleep for a while, after nearly no sleep in the airplane. A bit refreshed after the nap, I “” all the images, smells and colourful impressions –many huge trees along the streets – big banyans plenty of mighty old Ashvatta trees (ficus religiosa), arrays of fiery eucalyptuses behind the walls of a botanic garden. And then, men and women with their helmets driving slalom with their moto-bikes through the quickly changing holes in the traffic stream, people carrying boxes walking in slow steps across a road seemingly unmindful of what was going on around, a small bus coming from the wrong direction on the highway – no problem…. And cows were seeking their way along the roads looking for some green at the sides.
After two hours’ drive we finally arrived at Sadguru Tapovana, the center of WTT-Bengaluru. Along the main road into Tapovana preparation work for the group living was on the way –820 members came for the celebration, a logistic challenge solved with much calm and an excellent organisation by the Tapovana group.
Along the main street to the “Wisdom Temple”, there were panels with pictures of Nicholas Roerich and teachings about Shambala under the trees. 2 weeks before there had been heavy rain and storm; it had broken branches and even big old trees, but everything was well set up again. And during the May Call days the weather was mainly dry and sunny.
Mr. Joshi, the spiritual head of Tapovana, later told me that during the 2 years of Corona time the group had intensely grown. Twenty new houses had been constructed in the surroundings since I was there the last time, now totalling 69 houses, offering space for some hundred members often comprising 3 generations are living now there, many children – family clusters. Over the last maybe 20 years, the group had grown in this quarter, constructing houses, cultivating plants, organising a social infrastructure. Later, Master Kumar told the Western group that Tapovana group is very radiant and efficient, a strong magnet of light. We witnessed a joyful ambiance during the whole time.
There was a hearty welcome – many Indian friends came greeting and exchanging some words, and also the members which had come from the west – this time mainly from Spain. Most of them already arrived some days before and had spent some days at the WTT retreat center “Master Mountain” in the Nilagiris, in the area where Master Jupiter is said to reside, a place of serene and silent beauty. I had been there with a group in December 2016.
After the evening prayer, Master Kumar invited Anna and me for an exchange. It was very joyful and he looked good and energetic, in spite of the serious diseases he had gone through the last 2 years. We spoke about the situation in the groups and dealing with emotional devotion. In a casual mood, he told how in the early years of coming to the West it was a challenge for him to see that people projected all kind of things into him which he did not see in himself. He said: “Can you imagine how it is when several people were seriously seeing in me their spiritual husband…”
When looking at the Annual Report 2021, which I had brought in a print form, he remarked that he still likes most having such things in paper though knowing that the future is electronic. And he pointed out that there are members and groups sharing about the service activities they are doing and thus inspire others. “There are people speaking much and doing little, and others who don’t speak and don’t share about what they are doing, but do great work – however, they depriving the other groups of the experience and inspiration: They have to learn to share.” And he then he proposed to collect the names of all members in the West doing service through translation: “People should know about their important silent work.” Other kinds of service and servers would be presented later.
He mentioned that he interacts with the members on a one-to-one basis as per their needs but focuses on the importance of group work while respecting the existing organisational structures – they should not be by-passed.
He further said that during Zoom group meeting, he always asks his son to show him the picture tiles of all the Zoom members – this way he contacts each one individually and something happens as a result. When people do not switch on their cameras or put symbolic pictures instead of their photos, he cannot make contact and they exclude themselves from this energetic interaction.
And he mentioned that he had developed an exercise for himself to make inner contact once a week with all the groups where he had been, starting with the southern-most group in Argentina, then going up through South and North America, then to Europe and India, connecting with all the groups.
The next morning around 10:30 am, all members from the West were invited for a meeting with the Master. The room was crowded with about 40 persons. At the beginning Sri Kumar mentioned that he cannot properly see the members in the last row and so he asked each one to stand up starting from the back line. He welcomed each one with a profound silent exchange.
He spoke about the global situation and the time of transition. There was an intense presence electrifying all.
The May Call celebrations started 27 May in the evening with an introductory discourse. Next morning after meditation, there was an extensive fire ritual dedicated to Lord Dattatreya, followed by the inauguration of a Dattatreya statue in the lecture hall, and again on May Call, 29 May.
During the seminar, the Master spoke a lot about the import of Dattatreya and of Master CVV, explaining profound wisdom aspects. There were also many book presentations, exchanges of gifts and cultural programs of music and dance prepared with the children. But in the centre, there were the prayers / meditations and wisdom teachings.
Here is an extract from Master Kumar’s talk on Sunday evening:
“So much good things happen in Sadguru Tapovana – done for the benefit for all, for the general good, for the group. It happens because of the quality of thought. As you receive it, it is a qualitative thought that is put into action by the will. You come and something new is put into action for the benefit of all, for the benefit of the group, for the enlightenment of the group. Don’t we see the inspiration in the group? It is presented to the group at large. Anything we do with the group as the objective, many things get manifested.
The thought you receive is for the groupal purpose, not for ourselves. In a group, when there are people who think of the group and develop greater facilities for the Master, the thought is gold and your personality is a golden temple. There are outer golden temples but they do not give the transformation given by the golden thoughts. A thought which is good for me is not good for many. A thought which is only good for you is not so for the others.
If the awareness is shifted you think, what can be done for the well-being of the group? That inspiration brings newer thoughts, thoughts that have more light in them, golden thoughts, diamond thoughts, the quality of your thoughts is transformed. When you bring in thoughts of goodwill, meaning thoughts that would benefit others, you receive thoughts and manifest them.
The presence of the Master in you, the awakening of the soul, is the next step. You are not into personal desires as before. You will expand your idea of ‘who is ours’ to the group and include the others. Therefore, the feeling of ‘ours’ extends. Here, there are families and families coming together.
A family means a unit. Today in society, the sense of separation prevails. Here, the unity prevails. When a man gets into yoga, his friends and brothers and sisters join the yoga, and the brothers’ and sisters’ children join the yoga. The presence of the Master is bringing the people together – permeation of the presence of the Master. All together, they try to find a place here, build a place here. To build a Brindavan is the same idea. One man has brought his whole clan here – it is not him but the Presence. It is a cluster of family.”
Time ran quickly by. Monday morning, the group living ended with an extensive question-answer session followed by the final lunch. I had filled my luggage already with many books, new ones and books missing in my store for distribution. All the Western members had been accommodated in the houses of group members.
When in the afternoon, a friend from Spain and me were about to leave the house where many of the Western group had stayed – we were the last ones – we wanted to say thank you to the lady of the house. But instead of leaving, an intense exchange started. Her husband later joined, and still later also their girls. They invited me to stay with them until around midnight, when the taxi would bring me to the airport. We had a lovely evening conversation. When the taxi came at 11 pm, there was heavy rain on this side of the city. The ride to the airport was much faster than on arrival. Soon, I was catapulted back via Dubai to Switzerland, filled with profound and enriching impressions and impulses for next steps ahead on the path.