Letters from Shanti Ashram, I...

By DivyaWeed

12.8K 24 11

I lived in India from 1984-2005, and wrote to my parents regularly about my adventures in Indian ashrams. Fro... More

1. Shanti Ashram - First Impressions
2. Pujas & Daily Schedule
3. Krishnashtami's Grand Puja & Feast
4. Wake Up!
5. Library Duty
6. A Really Ideal Place
7. Picnic Month & A Cottage for Me!
8. Library Children & Daily Schedule
9. Christmas in Shanti Ashram
10. Swami Omkar's Centenary Celebrations
11. Meeting Saints During Centenary Celebrations
12. My House Warming
13. All My Dreams Come True
14. Visit to Bombay
15. Dragged to Kotagiri
16. Life in Kotagiri
17. Feel Lucky to be Near Jnaneswari
19. Red Tiles on My Roof
20. Kakinada Yagna
21. Raksha Bandana
22. Visit to Pithapuram Ashram Branch
23. Visit to Visakhapatnam Ashram Branch
24. Yagna in Visakhapatnam
25. Physical Injuries in the New Year
26. Ashrams, Farmers, Seva
27. Diet, Spiritual Diary, Being Peaceful
28. The Poor Mental Lady
29. Astral Experience While Awake
30. Trip to Guntur
31. Visit to Hyderabad
32. After Parent's Visit & Hours of Silence
32a. Summer News
33. Kotagiri 1997
34. Jnaneswari: Always Cool and Calm
35. Nature Diet, Organizing Library
36. Swami Chidananda's Visit & Computer Arrives
37. Kotagiri - April 1998
38. Sai Darshan in Whitefield - May 1998
39. Raju Garu, Drunk Lineman, Computer Problems - June 1998
40. Big Meeting & Keeping Calm - Aug 1998
41. Time Alone & Camp with SaradaPriyananda
42. First Email - Dec 1998
43. Yogi from the Himalayas - March 1999
44. Net of Humanity, Sivarathri Story, Luggage to Kotagiri
45. Padmamma's Visit & Life in Kotagiri
46. Life is Strange, Rats in Fan, Cat in Kotagiri
47. I Run Amok in Chennai & Attacked in Shanti Ashram
48. Creatures in the Rain & the Life of Prince & Death of Satsang Friend
49. Shanti Ashram Room
50. Susheela Dies - Oct 1999
51. Swami's Discourse on Internet, Etc - Oct 1999
52. Interesting Dreams with Dead People - Nov 1999
53. Visit to Jeeyar Swami's Ashram - Nov 1999
54. Unsavory Events in the Ashram - Dec 1999
55. Swami Omkar Birthday in Vizag & Complaints Against Me - Jan 2000
56. Free Like a Bird, Enjoying Comforts - Feb & March 2000
57. With Patient Vidya in Bangalore - April 2000
58. Heat, Animal Stories & Discourse Translations - May 2000
59. New Ashram Rules - July 2000
60. Tar, Tower Building & Daily Schedule - July 2000
61. Dog Killing Stories & Differences with NS
62. Translation Blessings & Thoughts on America - Sept 2000
63. More on Materialism - Sept 2000
64. Thoughts of Visiting America - Sept 2000
65. Computer Problems & Dog Death - Oct 2000
66. Who are We to Judge Others? - Oct 2000
67. Concepts & Philosophies - Nov - Dec 2000
68. Life in America: Pros and Cons - Jan 2001
69. Conclusion
abnormality activity afraid after akka alcoho america american ananda anandashram anantapur andh andhra anjaneyulu ashram ashrams astral avadhoot baba bad bandana bangalore bath beautiful bhavantu bheemavaram big birds births blessing bloodthirsty bombay bonsai books branch bus caffery carbone cat celebration centenary chandravati chennai chidananda chidren chidsivananda children chinna chirping chitsivananda christmas church cihdananda city clouds coimbator cold compassion computer concepts connection cons consulate cool cottage cream cure darshan dead death devotee diet dinoo discourse discourses divine divy divya divyakka divyas dog dogs dreams drunk duty eastern eloise email evil ex-devotees experience eye fan fans fear feast feeling festival fever fire first fleeting food force forest former freeman fruit fun garu gir giri gloves goal god gods golden guntur guru gurus hammand happiness happy hatha haunt healthy high hill hills himalayas holy hours humanity humble hyderabad ice idols illness india indian indians internet jaundice jee jeear jeeyar jnaneswari joy judge kakinada karma kartic kasturi killing kitchen kotagiri krishna kumar kumari kutir lady lakshmi leaves library life light lights loka lokesh lord love maha malini mandir mantra masam mataj mataji materialism meditation mental messenger metaphysical milk mission mobile monk murder nadu nageswara nam namaskars name naresh nature net nilayam no-eyes nooka ocean oil omkar one operation padma padmamma padmanabhan parsi parthi passport path peace peaceful people perfection personalities philosophy phone picnic pigs pipes pithapuram plague playing poison practise pradesh prasa prasad prasanthi pray prayer presence priyananda problems progress pros puja pulling purnima puttaparthi quiet radiated rajini raju raksha ram ramaswarupananda ramdas rat ratenlal rats red reincarnation rishikesh roof roots sadhana sai saint saints samastha santhi santi sarada saradapriyananda satchidananda sathya satsang school sea secretary shaking shanti shasta shouting silence simple sisters siva sivarathri skin smuggling society souls special spirituality spirtual sri station stayed stories struggle subbamma sukhino sundaram susan susheela swami swamini swamis swamy tamil tapas taxi tea teacher telugu temple tiles totapalli tower travel trip two ugadi uncle uplifted vaishnavaite vasanas vidya vijay vijaya vinamara vinamra vinamrananda violence vips visa visag visakhapatnam vishnu visit voltage walks waves weather what whitefield worship yagna yar years yoga yogananda yogi yogis yukteswar

18. Visit to Anandashram

243 0 2
By DivyaWeed

Visit to Anandashram

June 4, 1995

Dear Parents,

Divya conveys her namaskars.

May 31: This evening I am leaving for Anandashram. We (five of us) are going by van to Coimbatore, about three hours away. From there we will get a night train which will reach Anandashram by early morning.

4 June: Yes, here I am in Anandashram! It is nice to be here again, in a place where the Name of God is constantly heard through the ashram. As soon as Swami Satchidananda saw me he gave a huge, happy welcoming smile! Later he asked me if I was comfortable (in the room) and how was Jnaneswari. He is attending programs as usual but he seems very weak to me. He has various healthy problems including diabetes, dizziness, liver problems and eye problems. Also the heat affects him and it is very warm now.

Quite a change to come away from the cold hill station to the sweltering planes! Summer is just now getting less; the rainy season will start any time. So now the use of shawls, sweaters and socks in Kotagiri is over, and I am back to three baths a day in cold water and sweating! Also mosquitoes are countless here.

I am happy to see Sri Ram again, that friendly and devoted soul. He is fine as usual, as well as all the other devotees here.

Our reservation to Kakinada is 14 June. Two devotees from Shanti Ashram in Kotagiri came yesterday, bringing a note that Jnaneswari wrote me, though I’ve been gone only three days! She also sent a few things that I left behind – you know my forgetful nature! The devotee said that Jnaneswari carefully packed each item (plate, knife, string, etc.) separately in newspaper. I never in my life saw such a perfect neat packing job! Some people do things so perfectly.

Power cuts are the norm of the day here, with no set timings, no rhyme or reason. Even when there is electricity it is often fluctuating. One of the differences between developed and undeveloped countries!

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya

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