Geetopadesh at Kurukshetra – Shibir With A Difference
By Jyoti Lajmi, Radhika Nirody and Deepak Gunvante
By
the loving grace of Parama Poojya Swamiji, the Geetopasana Shibir
organised by the New Delhi Sabha of Chitrapur Saraswats at Kurukshetra was a
‘thumping success.’ Kurukshetra, the ranabhoomi where the epic yuddha of
Mahabharata was fought, is three hours away from Delhi by road. The New Delhi Sabha had
chosen the perfect venue for the 3-day shibir - the simple, pristine ambience and sanctity
of this holy spot further enriched our experience.
To begin with, members of the New Delhi Sabha met H.H. Swamiji at
Gudgaon on the night of January 30th to welcome Him to Delhi. He was then escorted to Ravi
and Gauri Padukone’s house for a short break before leaving for Kurukshetra .
Amidst shouts of Om Namah Parvati Pataye Hara Hara Mahadev, a busload (about 40) of
enthusiastic shibirarthis left the Kavle Math, Delhi, for Kurukshetra the following
afternoon. We enthusiastically practised the shibir gaan, stotras and bhajans till we
arrived at the venue. When H. H. Swamiji arrived an hour later, we were proficient enough
to make Him proud of us! After a rest, H. H. Swamiji met us in the Panchjanya hall, which
we used for the next three days. Two hours flew by with the Deepanamaskar, opening
prayers, Gurubhajan stotra, welcomes, introductions, and instructions. We got our shibir
files at the divine hands of H. H. Swamiji after which He spoke to us briefly. His divine
smile and bhajan made us oblivious to the cold outside.
The fog and cold of February 1st did nothing to sap the excitement of
our first day at the shibir. We gathered at 6 am for the Dhwaja aarohan. The strains of
shibir gaan and our sense of anticipation rose along with the beautiful flag. The day
moved smoothly into yoga conducted by Ravi Padukone, guided meditation by H. H. Swamiji,
Geeta chanting by all and swadhyay wherein H. H. Swamiji began the explanation of the12th
chapter of the Bhagwad Geeta. Never before had the Geeta sounded so beautiful, so easy to
understand.
Part of the evening was spent at ‘Panorama’, the local
science museum where the entire war of Kurukshetra is depicted with life-sized plaster of
Paris models. Tea was arranged on the lawn where the curator gave a talk on Kurukshetra
and its importance, followed by a bhajan by H. H. Swamiji.... Our next halt was at
Jyotisar, the spot on the battlefield where Shree Krishna gave His message to Arjuna.
Sitting on the cool grass in the orange-red glow of sunset, H. H. Swamiji treated us to a
thought provoking pravachan and the soulful bhajan ‘Jaane kya jaadu
bhara…’. We captured and stored these precious moments while they lasted. The
captivating Son - et - Lumiere show that followed, depicted the Mahabharata war. After
dinner, we had our first taste of the Sanskrit Upasana class conducted by the inimitable
Archana Savnal. H. H. Swamiji graciously sat through the entire class, amused at our
attempts at sentence structure. The next day, Deepak Gunvante did Archana proud by sending
us all an SMS in Sanskrit!
2nd February followed a similar pattern with yoga, Geeta chanting,
guided meditation and swadhyay. The 12th chapter grew more profound and meaningful, the
questions leading to a wonderful revelation by H. H. Swamiji. Thereafter, Netra Nagarkatti
skilfully linked our Guruparampara with the 12th chapter of the Geeta, imparting
knowledge that enthralled us.The weather being kind, the Sanskrit class was held on the
lawn with the sun warming our hearts. The evening was spent visiting the Bhishma Kund and
the Brahmasarovar, a lake in which Duryodhana supposedly hid from the Pandavas until Bhima
found and killed him. Seated on the soft damp grass, by the lakeside, H. H. Swamiji
introduced us to the ‘ashthamurti upasana’, the simple, though effective, way of
meditation that unites us with Nature. On our return, the shibirarthis spent quality time
with H. H. Swamiji to have their doubts cleared.
3rd February, the last day of the shibir, was totally hectic. After
yoga and pranayam, the guided meditation by H. H. Swamiji was spell-binding, transporting
many of us into peaceful bliss. The swadhyay concluded with the last few verses of the
12th chapter by H. H. Swamiji. He made everything seem so simple - if only we applied our
minds and souls to it! Archana and Netra wrapped up their sessions making us crave for
more! After lunch and a visit to the Shree Krishna Sangrahalaya, we sped to meet H. H.
Swamiji for another tranquil ashthamurti upasana. The venue overlooked a lake, birds
chirping in the sky, insects ticking in bushes, the bare trees beautiful against the
blazing sunset, and Ishwara Himself amidst us… after the elevating upasana, we
reluctantly trooped into the vehicles, driving back in awed silence.
Thereafter began fervent efforts at putting together items for the
valedictory function. After the Deepanamaskar, Ravi Padukone evaluated the success of the
shibir and areas that needed improvement. Three shibarthis gave short speeches - one in
Sanskrit. Two sanchalikas Archana and Netra, spoke about their observations and
experiences. H. H. Swamiji gave the shibirarthis mementos and certificates for the
Sanskrit upasana class. He then concluded the evening with a pravachan and bhajan. The
dhwaja avrohan was a sad event leaving an unquenchable desire for more.
On 4th morning the group was split into two, - one group driving to
Ambala to catch the train to Katra for the trip to Vaishno Devi with H.H. Swamiji, and the
other driving back to Delhi.
The shibirarthis appreciate the exemplary arrangements, and the months
of hard work put in by the New Delhi Sabha to make this shibir a success.
Om Namah Parvati Pataye Hara Hara Mahadev !