Kanha Shantivanam 2nd January 2024

The morning walk on the 2nd of January was rather foggy. After 9 am, Prakash Sheshadri from Chennai, the regional facilitator of Tamil Nadu, came to see Daaji. Brother Rasik Khanjee, along with one of the old Abhyasi families from South Africa, Nani, her husband, and her daughter, came to meet Daaji. Some other Abhyasis also joined later when he conducted a meditation session from 10.12 am to 10.39 am. Daaji was noticeably better in health compared to the previous day.

Daaji reminded everyone, even in jest, of the importance of a heartful awareness. While tidying his table, he remarked how a clean desk elevates one's spirit and sets a positive tone for the day. He browsed through translated Sanskrit Shlokas on his computer, and some scanned images from the past signed by Babuji Maharaj himself which were described by Prakash Seshadri very aptly as tangible fragments of his luminous guidance. Daaji invited some of the guests to come for dinner. After that Daaji went up to his room.

That afternoon after his rest he met with some guests and spoke for a while with them.

Even though there was a light banter between Daaji and the abhyasis, soon enough that familiar hush fell over the gathering. An unspoken awareness rippled through the air, a shared intuition that something profound was about to unfold. Daaji, his eyes holding a depth beyond words, inquired, "Can we all meditate?" It was a simple question, yet it pulsed with the promise of a divine immersion.

In the evening Daaji met a few guests in his office. A little later brother Nagraj from Bangalore met Daaji to show him an artwork. If you have seen Daaji appreciating art in any of its forms then you would wonder at Daaji’s acute sense of aesthetic sensitivity. He harbors an appreciation for the beauty, harmony, and elegance of elements in their surroundings. He attunes to details, nuances, and subtleties in music, poetry, prose, art, architecture, and sculpture as well as a million little things that I have often seen others to overlook. His perception is a refined radar with which he seems to discern and deeply appreciate the elegance, balance, and artistic value in various forms, whether it's in art, nature, design, or even everyday objects. 

As Daaji was seeing the statue given by Brother Nagaraj, Daaji began to have some ideas on how to evolve the design. He looked at it and said, let's make something that will depict a restless mind and steady heart. Like a centered figure meditating with a hurricane or storm going around it. He sketched it on paper in a matter of seconds, commissioning like a Medici patron, an important piece of artwork from his artists who could grasp his brilliant ideas in the language of aesthetics. A few minutes later another bust of Babuji was brought to his table,  everyone went “Aww” and Daaji said with such loving and childlike glee in his voice, "Look, that's my Guruji!”  

The guests then took leave of Daaji after taking a group picture.