It was an early start to the day, the first of a momentous trip to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh – one that would go down in history as the successful culmination of the first phase of “Ekatma Abhiyan,” a lofty initiative to touch 10 million hearts in the heartland of India.
Daaji arose early and, accompanied by his family, arrived early at the airport for the flight. A book signing at the Hyderabad Airport preceded a smooth flight of an hour and a quarter to Raipur.
Upon reaching Raipur, he proceeded to the ashram, where he was warmly welcomed by hundreds of practitioners waiting eagerly. The ashram had been lovingly bedecked for beloved. Daaji offered prasad at the cottage and conducted meditation at the meditation hall from 11:42 a.m. to 12:14 p.m.
After lunch and a short rest, he met a few children who presented him with a poem written about him. He was very happy to see it and asked for it to be included in Heartfulness Magazine. He then proceeded to the meditation hall to conduct the evening group meditation. The meditation session was deep and profoundly blissful, from 5:58 p.m. to 6:38 p.m. He then took a few questions from those present, relating to how young children could be motivated to maintain good habits, the relevance of purification of the atmosphere through yagnas, and why spiritual practices are required. Daaji went for a walk around the ashram, stopped at the nursery and gave suggestions on improvements to the green cover in the area.
The evening was spent with the ex-Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Shri Raman Singh, and a few other dignitaries who came to meet him. He conducted a short meditation from 8:17 p.m. to 8:34 p.m. and had a discussion with the guests on the Ekatma Abhiyan, bio charcoal, sandalwood plantations, and how better farming techniques can be taught to the farming community. He presented the guests with copies of The Wisdom Bridge, The Heartfulness Way, and the souvenir of the Ekatma Abhiyan. The guests were fascinated with Kanha Shanti Vanam after going through the book on Kanha. Daaji invited them to visit Kanha and then retired for the day.
Sunday, 18 June 2023 - Raipur to Bilaspur
Several hundred practitioners from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and other states had gathered to be with Daaji. He conducted group meditation from 7:29 a.m. to 8:18 a.m. and then addressed a few questions, giving practical guidance on spirituality in day-to-day life with respect to career goals, food choices, and mantra chanting. On his way out of the meditation hall, Daaji named a baby boy Dhruv.
As he reached the cottage, a number of children from the centre were waiting eagerly to present him with a large painting made with their handprints. He accepted it affectionately, and then autographed it, bringing gleeful smiles to their faces. He then launched a brother practitioner’s new business venture of electric vehicles - autos, scooters, and bicycles – before leaving the ashram and the grateful hearts present there. Daaji stopped on the way to conduct bhoomi pujan [honouring the land] at a construction site for a practitioner’s new business. He then inaugurated a new IVF facility at a hospital owned by a practitioner couple at Raipur. He was welcomed at the hospital lovingly, and felicitated by the hospital staff and other people present. He conducted meditation from 10:44 a.m. to 11:02 a.m. and then took a round of the hospital and the new IVF facility. He spent some time with the owners and then left for a practitioner’s house for the afternoon. Daaji had lunch and rested for a while, after which he gave an interview to a local FM radio channel before departing for Bilaspur.
Bilaspur
It was warm and sultry at Bilaspur when Daaji arrived in the evening. He went straight to a practitioner’s house where he conducted meditation from 6:53 p.m. to 7:24 p.m. Afterwards, he moved to a hotel where he rested and had dinner with a few practitioners, accompanied by live music. Everyone including the hotel staff were deeply grateful and felt blessed to be in his presence. Those were magical moments that will remain etched in the memories of all present there.
Monday, 19 June 2023 - Bilaspur to Amlai
The next morning, Daaji conducted meditation at the hotel from 7:32 a.m. to 8:02 a.m., with practitioners from Bilaspur and neighbouring areas present. After this, he departed for the next destination at Amlai, the Orient Paper Mills factory site, with a brief halt at the proposed ashram site for Bilaspur.
Daaji arrived at Amlai around lunch and was welcomed by the MD of the paper mills, Shri Ashwin Laddha, a Heartfulness practitioner. After spending some time with the host officials from the Mills, he joined them for lunch and then rested for a while.
The evening schedule included a big event of Krishi Vaniki Prasar Karyakram, organized jointly by The Orient Paper Mills (C K Birla Group), ASA Foundation, and Heartfulness Institute. After Daaji arrived, children from the school on the campus sang a welcome song.
An MOU among the three parties for the social, financial, and spiritual upliftment of the farmers and families of more than a hundred villages around was then signed by Daaji, Shri Ashwin Laddha, and Shri Ashish, the representatives of all three organizations.
Daaji was invited to address the gathering, whereupon he spoke on the importance of a practical experiential approach to meditation, feeling the divine presence in our own hearts. He then conducted group meditation for the more than 1,000 people present. Unexpectedly, many people began to leave after the meditation started. We later discovered that many of them had arrived more than two hours beforehand, and were restless to leave by the time the meditation actually started. This was one of many lessons on event planning that were learned on the tour. The rest of the evening was uneventful, and Daaji retired early to rest.
Tuesday, 20 June 2023 - Amlai to Jabalpur
The next morning Daaji conducted a meditation session for all the managerial employees of the Paper Mills in the auditorium of the admin block, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Upon being asked to address the gathering, Daaji spoke on the importance of creating a habit of the Heartfulness practices in order to derive the benefit of personal transformation. He elucidated the importance of evening Cleaning through many examples. The experience of Divinity within is commensurate to the extent of the purity of the heart. The purity or impurity of the heart acts as the filter through which we experience the world. Reality is revealed as the filters are removed. Daaji ended his talk emphasizing the need not to miss a single day of Cleaning.
He then departed for the next destination - a stop at a practitioner’s house at Shahdol, which had served as a homestay for all the volunteers and trainers who visited the area during the Ekatma Abhiyan. The family had served all with affection, and now welcomed the Master with loving hearts. After breakfast and spending a few minutes with the family, Daaji posed for a group photograph with the family and other practitioners present. It was touching to see overflowing hearts full of gratitude for his visit.
The next stop was a resort at Umariya for lunch and rest. Many volunteers and coordinators from the Jan Abhiyan Parishad had gathered there to meet Daaji. Also present Jodhaiya Bai Baiga, an Elder from Lodhha village in Umariya District, who was awarded the Padma Shri along with Daaji earlier this year, and has been actively encouraging Heartfulness meditation in her village. He conducted meditation from 11:12 a.m. to 11:33 a.m. and then felicitated Jodhaiya Bai on his way out of the hall.
Daaji interacted with a sister who had worked actively in the Ekatma Abhiyan and listened to her experiences of the work at different villages. He then had lunch and rested for a while. After this brief halt, he proceeded to Jabalpur.
Jabalpur
This year, Jabalpur was the host city for the celebrations of the Government’s program for International Day of Yoga, 21 June 2023. Daaji arrived around 5 p.m., and was greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by hundreds of practitioners who had come from far and wide. The whole ashram was filled with a festive atmosphere and the feeling was like that of a small bhandara. Eager hearts were brimming with welcome and love, having waited long for him, especially after the Ekatma Abhiyan. He offered prasad immediately upon arrival and distributed it to all present there.
After a brief rest, he moved to the meditation hall to conduct meditation and then went for a walk around the ashram. He was met by Shri Dheerendra Pandey, Executive Director, MP Jan Abhiyan Parishad, who formally invited Daaji for the Yoga Day event the next day. There was excitement all throughout the ashram with practitioners preparing, and everyone collecting their T-shirts and preparing to leave early the next morning.
Daaji joined the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Chauhan, and other dignitaries for dinner that evening and had a good interaction with all. Returning late in the evening, Daaji went to rest in preparation for the Yoga Day event, which was to begin very early the next day.
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 - Jabalpur
The day dawned bright and early, as practitioners at the ashram departed for the venue of the International Yoga Day celebrations at 4:00 a.m., to arrive well in time for the event, which was to be graced by the Honourable Vice President of India, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the Minister for AYUSH, and many other dignitaries. Daaji arrived at the venue early and was warmly greeted by everyone before the start of the event.
There were thousands of people present, distributed among several venues close to the main grounds, with large screens relaying the proceedings from the main stage at Rabindranath Tagore Garden in Jabalpur. The event began with a welcome of all. In their addresses, all the dignitaries lauded Daaji for the record-breaking and unprecedented work done in the Ekatma Abhiyan. Over 11 million hearts were touched in 52 districts, 313 blocks, and 40,136 villages, due to the work of more than 10,000 Heartfulness volunteers and trainers. They commended Daaji’s vision, his inspiration, and called it an unbelievable achievement.
This recognition of the contribution of Shri Ram Chandra Mission was truly moving. There were huge rounds of applause from the thousands of people attending the event when Daaji was appreciated, and many throats were choked with emotion. Daaji’s simplicity and humility, even in the face of such praise, was an example for all. His encouragement to understand the true meaning of yoga brought a newer depth of understanding to everyone present.
Daaji returned to the ashram, had breakfast, and rested for some time. Group meditation was conducted at the meditation hall by Shri Umashankar Bajpai ji for the large group of MP Jan Abhiyan volunteers and coordinators present. Daaji came to the hall after meditation along with Shri Prahlad Patel, Union Minister of MP for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti, who had come to invite Daaji to his native village of Gotegaon.
Daaji gave a significant talk, where he emphasized that the great beginning of the Ekatma Abhiyan should never end. Like a stream turning into a river, growing and expanding, so should our efforts. Meditation is the ultimate flowering of all aspects of yoga, leading to a balanced life. The Ekatma Abhiyan movement must grow. He inspired everyone to continue, as efforts toward economic prosperity and spirituality must be made in every village. He reminded everyone that they have much to learn from the villagers as well, and expressed his gratitude to all those whose hearts have been touched in the movement, for having accepted our services. Our volunteers have felt their inner condition transforming while working in the villages, as the hearts were filled with love.
Daaji brought to the fore an important aspect: that if work is done with a feeling of it being a burden, it is better not to do that work at all. Every piece of work, every little act, should be done only with a feeling of bhakti. It is with bhakti that every act transforms into the pinnacle of excellence and life becomes worth living. He encouraged everyone to put their heart into everything they do, even the mundane acts of day-to-day life. “We have to develop the attitude of saranagati. Whatever is done for the Lord, must not invite the desire for results. Without bhakti, knowledge becomes foolishness and work becomes ‘shrama’ - mere effort. The opportunity that we have received of doing the work of taking spirituality to every heart in every village of Madhya Pradesh is ‘karma’, not ‘shrama’. Serving the Lord is our Karma Yoga - which is useless without bhakti.” Daaji ended the talk by urging everyone not to rest as there is a lot of work ahead.
More updates on the journey of love and emotions will continue in the next bulletin. Until then you all can enjoy the glimpse of this journey using below link:
