Kanha Shantivanam 4th April 2024

Daaji woke up very early and worked for a while in his office. He had some pain in his shoulder, to which a pain relief patch was applied. Sometime later, he called Elizabeth Denley on FaceTime to discuss an upcoming book. After 6 am, Daaji went to the Yatra Garden, where the Sansad TV team was waiting for him to record a session. 

The interview started with the journey of the Kanha Shanti Vanam and how it was transformed from a dry barren land to a green oasis. It then shifted to the spiritual journey, Chakras, and points. During the interview, Daaji explained the significance of all the points in the Yatra Garden.

When they all reached the Babuji Maharaja statue, Deeksha Kohli asked Daaji for a meditation session. With a gentle nod and a warm smile, he led them into the silent sanctuary of meditation, and many others present also joined in. After the session, one of the practitioners requested that Daaji make prasad as it was her birthday. He offered the prasad and lovingly distributed it to the abhyasis who were there with him. Then Daaji took the Sansad TV team for breakfast at the canteen along with his brother Bhupendra Chupal from Satkhol and Shri Sanjeev Sharma.

After breakfast, Doc. Surekha came for physiotherapy treatment of Daaji’s back pain. After the treatment, Daaji had some rest, after which he came to lunch around 1 pm and sat in his office. 

An interesting exchange with his granddaughter occurred when she showed him her sunglasses! Daaji too put on his sunglasses at her behest, and there was a tender, sweet exchange that lit up the day. In that simple exchange, generations converged, bridging the gap between age and innocence with a warmth that illuminated the day. In the glow of their shared laughter, the world seemed to shimmer with possibility, each ray of light a testament to the enduring bond between grandfather and granddaughter.

Later, Sanjay Sehgal met Daaji and shared some feedback from the Global Spiritual Mahotsav with Daaji. Daaji told Br. Sanjay regarding the visit of Sanjeev Sharma who was leaving Kanha that morning, and asked him to meet him before he left for the airport. 

In the evening, Daaji came to the meditation hall office to meet the guests and practitioners. An elderly couple from Kanpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, towards the northern confines of India, were waiting to meet Daaji. They wanted to offer a donation to the mission, and Daaji graciously accepted it. He offered them the Discovery sandal powder before they left and thoughtfully asked that they be taken in the car to the comfort dormitory where they were staying. A little boy named Kaushal greeted Daaji, and much to his delight, he was given the habitual toy car that Daaji had in good supply for little ones in his office. He then gave a sitting to those gathered there from 6:35 pm to 7 pm. After the meditation session, Brother Venkatesh from the purchase department introduced Satyan Chavare and his daughter Sai to Daaji. Daaji inquired how long they would be staying and said he would call them for meditation the next day. Sai Chavare asked Daaji a question on Bhakti.

Q: While speaking with my parents about spirituality, I discovered that bhakti sounds rather nice. To reach a high level of spirituality, one needs to understand oneself as well, isn’t it? Is Bhakti enough? I'm not able to understand where it should start.

Daaji: Yoga is the cause. Bhakti is the action. It is the outcome of yoga. Whether you dance and create bhakti or serve with the attitude of dedicating it to the Lord, that service can become bhakti. Likewise, when you meditate and are gifted with certain conditions, your consciousness is gradually awakened. 

There is a difference between a bhakti, of an ignorant person, who gets emotionally drawn towards God. Fear and temptation are also used as a means to induce bhakti. That is a superficial sort of bhakti. 

When we practice yoga, then the bhakti that emerges within us is a real one. It is untainted. So, having a multi-pronged approach is good. When there is an awareness that all your actions are dedicated to the Lord—not only meditation but every breath and every moment—is a dedication to God, then it is a state of true bhakti.

Q: At the beginning of my practice, I noticed, as did my parents, that I was feeling very calm. Later, after a few months, I was back to how I used to be. When I was struggling with my practice, I was more focused. Sometimes I am told that age is a factor that affects our ability to focus and concentrate. Please shed some light on this, Daaji.

Daaji: Well, you could begin by practicing more. And also, our conditions should change. Our condition, as you said, you were very focused. Sometimes, because of certain reasons, you become distributed. Something good happens, and then you are elated with joy; something bad happens, and you are sad and tense; it's natural. If you don't get stressed, for example, when something wrong has happened or a lion is attacking you, and you don’t get stressed, you will not be able to find a way out. 

If you are very peaceful, then what happens? You will be eaten up by the lion. So there has to be some natural response. All this fight, non-violence, self-preservation, all these things, I think, follow your heart at every moment, because no moment is the same. And unfortunately, yoga is misunderstood. Gita is also misunderstood as equanimity in all situations. 

A little later, many others present in the office spoke to Daaji. Daaji then took leave from all. 

When he reached home, he went for a walk in the garden.