Houston Kriya Yoga

Dear Divine Ones

We wish you and your families a Happy Holiday and a Very Happy New Year 2024. May this New Year be full of joy, happiness, material success and spiritual progress. May all enjoy good health, and may there be peace in our communities. We pray that the blessings of God and Gurus endlessly grace all of us and the entire creation also.
Time is marching on, and one more year is almost over. While the material world brings us our share of good and difficult moments, we are always secure in the care of Shri Gurudev and Shri Guruji. As we look back over the year, Shri Guruji's presence - both in our midst and in our hearts - has been leading us, guiding us, and teaching us, which has made this year a very fulfilling one for all of us. We will recount some of the accomplishments from the year.

The highlight of this year was the start of a special celebration that has become the focus of all in our organization. Speaking of Shri Gurudev, during His Birthday celebrations on May 27 2003, Shri Guruji set the context for this celebration, saying:

He first left his beloved India to embrace the world with his divine love in 1974. 2023–24 is the 50th year of his coming to the West. 1996 was his last visit to India, and 1998 was his last visit to Europe. This year is the 25th year after his last intercontinental travel. He worked tirelessly serving humanity with his sadhana and teachings.

Let us all follow his teachings, intensify our sadhana, and contribute our time and other resources to spreading his universal message for the betterment of the world.
Since then our ashrams and centers have taken the lead in organizing every event on our calendar for "Commemorating 50 Years of Shri Gurudev in the West" and our teachers have been spreading "The Vision of the Great Master" by sharing Shri Gurudev's stories and teachings in their sessions. We have also been putting out short videos of Shri Gurudev on our YouTube Channel, Kriya Yoga International, every week - search for videos with "Commemorating 50 Years of Shri Gurudev in the West" in the title to watch these precious videos. Moreover, Shri Guruji has been speaking on this theme in all his programs across the world, since June, and you can find those videos in the "Live" section of the YouTube channel.

Shri Guruji completed and published the last of the five volumes of In the Company of the Master. It contains the daily teachings and guidance of our beloved Gurudev to disciples at different places and times.

In addition, consecrated padukas of Shri Gurudev were sent to all centers, as part of these celebrations. Centers performing a paduka puja, as a means of welcoming them to their centers, and also focusing on Shri Gurudev's teachings has surely given kriyavans the divine feeling of welcoming Shri Gurudev to their own cities and homes. This celebrations will continue till June 2024 and Shri Gurudev's formless presence and his teachings will continue to bring joy and bliss to all.

With the grace of the Gurus, we have had a very successful year spreading the message of Kriya Yoga and the teachings of our Gurus, across the continents of North and South America. Here is a short summary:

In North America:
Shri Guruji visited all our ashrams in May, and the Homestead Ashram and Temple of Compassion in September and October.
92 Initiation programs, 21 Intensives, 12 Retreats, and 2 Higher Kriya retreats were held.
1,103 new seekers were initiated in the year.
5 new centers were started [Des Moines (IA), La Verkin (UT), Moline (IL), Monroe (CT), and Montreal (QC, Canada)].
1 new group was started in Philadelphia (PA).

In South America
Shri Guruji visited Brazil in April.
In Brazil: 35 Initiation programs, 19 Intensives, and a total of 113 programs were held across 26 centers and groups.
660 new seekers were initiated in Brazil.
In Hispanic Countries: 15 Initiation programs and 42 intensives were held in 12 centers across 5 countries.
231 new seekers were initiated in Hispanic countries.
4 new centers were started (2 in Brazil, and 2 in Argentina),
4 Online classes were held in each of the 52 weeks on the themes of Portuguese Satsanga, Spanish Satsanga, Gita Study and Life and Teachings of Kriya Masters.
4 of the books of the Masters were translated to Portuguese and Spanish.

8 new books were released worldwide, and more than 100 online discourse videos were posted on our second YouTube Channel, Spiritual Programs of Kriya Yoga.

On March 24 this year, our beloved Swami Gurupriyananda Ma, peacefully left her body, keeping her mind on God and gurus. Her life was a perfect example of seva, svadhyaya, and sadhana. Her life truly was The Road Less Travelled - as she lived the four ashramas of brahmacharya, householder, vanaprastha, and sannyasa with distinction. Hers was an ideal life and she will forever be an inspiration to all of us.

We move forward into the New Year 2024 with purpose, optimism, joy and love. You can refer to the full schedule of programs in 2024 in our Events Calendar. We invite all of you to be with us, participate in these programs, and share about our path and your experience with friends and family members who would benefit from learning Kriya Yoga. We are ever grateful to you and humbly thank you for all your loving donations throughout the year - without your help and support it would not have been possible for us to keep the gurus' mission going. We also humbly appreciate those who are looking to donate still in this Holiday Season - you can visit our Donation Site and donate to the mother center or the ashram in your region.

Our beloved Shri Guruji continues to travel all over the world, spreading the message of Kriya Yoga and his Gurudev tirelessly. You can watch all his videos that have been broadcast, on our YouTube channel, and of course you can study his elaborate and priceless metaphorical interpretations of the scriptures and spirituality on our Subscription Site. This is an amazing opportunity for us. Under his guidance and, in his presence, let us deepen our practice and transform our lives - that is what the path of Kriya Yoga is all about.

We end this mail with Shri Guruji's own words about how we should live and lead our lives.

Dedication to individual practice.

Collective spiritual life and practice - mutual love, respect, acceptance, and interacting with openness and humility.

Humble service, peaceful cooperation, and a shared way of working.

Living a life of love and freedom from fear.

Respect for all faiths, nature, and the environment.

May God and Gurus bless us all.

The Mother Center

Kriya Yoga Institute
24757 SW 167th Ave
Homestead, FL 33031
Tel: 305-247-1960

Loving and Divine Souls,

During the sacred, auspicious days of Navaratri, today (March 24) at 10:33 a.m. PST, which is 11:03 p.m. IST, our sweet and loving Gurupriyananda Ma peacefully left her body keeping her mind on God and gurus. According to the monastic traditions we will have prayers and chanting of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and daily readings of the Bhagavad Gita concluding on the sixteenth day of her departure (shodashi) on the 8th of April. Special satsanga and shodashi celebrations will be held in many ashrams especially at the Temple of Compassion, the Hariharananda Gurukulum, and the Hariharananda Balashram. At the Hariharananda Gurukulum Shri Guru Padula Puja and Shodashi Sadhu Bhandara will be held. The funeral cremation details will be performed according to procedures and our monks in the US will be present.
It is needless to say that I spoke to her a few hours before her departure.
She is my loving mother (Amma). Her life is a perfect example of seva, svadhyaya, and sadhana. She lived the four ashramas of brahmacharya, householder, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. She led an ideal life and is an inspiration to all of us.
I appreciate the love and sacrifice of her family members, especially Matrukrupanandaji and Jyothi Ma. I am praying for all of them.
I met her in 1996. She was completely dedicated to Shri Gurudev and performed his work to the best of her ability from 1996 to 2023. She served as the Principal of the Hariharananda Balashram for some time. She was the founding editor of Sthita Prajna magazine for about a quarter of a century and served in the initial publication activities. She created strong Kriya centers throughout the Midwest. She attracted all her family members and relatives to Kriya practice. She gave the best part of her life to Shri Gurudev. She and her family were very dear to our beloved Gurudev.

I have no words to write more.

I am praying for her from the core of my heart.

With love and prayers,

Prajnanananda

Shri Gurudev's Birthday

Loving and divine souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of Shri Gurudev’s birthday, which falls on 27 May.

Shri Gurudev was born on Sunday night and Monday very early morning. In the Vedic tradition it was Sunday, since it was before the sunrise. It was also the day of the full moon, which is the birthday of Buddha. The full moon is 26 May this year.

We will celebrate his birthday on Thursday.

Thursday is “the day of thunder” in old English. It is named after Thur the Germanic thunder god. In Latin it is “Jovis dies,” the day of Jupiter. Jupiter is a planet. The seven days of the week are named after seven planets in many cultures, which is a nice coincidence. In Sanskrit Thursday is the day of the guru, so it is called Guruvara. One meaning of guru is Brihaspati, the guru of the celestials, who is none but Jupiter.

The word “guru” is derived from the root verb, gruu, which means “to speak,” “to utter,” and “to advise.” Gurus teach and instruct from their own experiences.

Guru is defined as grunati upadishati vedadi shastrani: “The guru teaches and explains scriptures such as the Vedas.” It is also defined as giryyate stuyate deva gandharva manushya adibhi: “The guru is the one who is adored and worshipped by the devas, the celestials, and humans.”

The word “guru” in Sanskrit has many meanings, such as Brahman, Brahma (the creator), Vishnu, Shiva, guru–preceptor, spiritual guide, parents, adorable, elders, ancestors, teacher, priest, and the planet Jupiter. In Vedic culture the guru is held in the highest esteem.

Sant Kabir sang:

guru govinda dou khade kake lagu paya
balihari guru apana jo govinda dio bataya

“If the Guru and God (Govinda) are both standing near, whose feet should we touch?
I will say that first we touch the feet of the guru, who helped us to know God.”

This is the beauty of the guru–preceptor. Every year we celebrate the birthdays of the masters, but what is the real celebration? How will it be appreciated by them?

It is not with a big get-together or other activities. It is by transforming your heart through faithful practice of the teachings and being as they want us to be. They always want us to first be good human beings, and then become divine. Shri Gurudev taught, “You must be free from animal and rational human tendencies, and ultimately become divine.”

We must eliminate anger, ego, pride, jealousy, and so forth from our minds and hearts. We should decorate our lives with love, kindness, and compassion to celebrate the birthday. There is no other way. External celebration creates joy, but is not permanent.

Let us celebrate this birthday with inner transformation.

On this special occasion, I bow to you all as the living presence of Shri Gurudev. I give my love to all of you.

With Love,
Prajnanananda

Passover and Easter

Loving and divine souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of Passover and Easter.

Passover is a special occasion for the Jews, and Easter is for those who love Christ. This year these two occasions fall between March 27 and April 4.

Passover is the major Jewish spring festival commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian servitude. It is a historical event with spiritual significance. The people of Israel lived as slaves in Egypt, but Moses relieved them from their miserable condition and brought them to the land of milk and honey.

Spiritually, every human being lives like a slave: a slave of the turbulent mind, ego, and powerful sense organs. Spiritual masters such as Moses teach us how to be free from their compelling force and live free in the land of love and devotion.

Good Friday and Easter are associated with Jesus, the incarnation of love, compassion, and forgiveness.

Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. It celebrates the resurrection of Christ. Good Friday is the Friday before the Easter Sunday that is commemorated as the crucifixion of Christ.

On Friday evening Jesus was crucified. He was resurrected early Sunday morning. Resurrection has several meanings: One is Christ’s rising from the dead; another is the rising of the dead at the Last Judgment.

Jesus demonstrated that he had conquered death. Death had no meaning to him as he was an immortal child of God. We all are children of God, the children of immortality (amritasya putrah). But what has happened to us? Living in ignorance and a wrong lifestyle, we suffer from fear of death and grope in the darkness. We must fearlessly roar like a lion. We must live with knowledge and love.

Resurrection is to restore to life, to revive, to practice, to remember, and to use. We should learn to live with love and revive this love in the minds and hearts of others. We should learn to remember our relationship with the Beloved.

The Holy Bible (John 11:25–26) says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”

We must intensify our love for God. We should bring new life into ourselves. This celebration reminds us to live with constant prayer. We should also practice forgiving others in our minds and hearts. We should remember the prayer of Jesus from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

These few days are very dear to me. I am praying for the entire creation and for all living beings to awaken, just as Mary Magdalene was awake to witness the divine resurrection.
I am praying for all of you, and I send my love to all of you.

With Love,
Prajnanananda

Shri Gurudev’s Mahasamadhi Day

Loving and divine souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of the Mahasamadhi Day of our beloved Shri Gurudev, which falls on December 3, 2020.

Life is like a dream, and time flies too fast. A span of seventeen years has already passed away. Time does not pause; it always moves forward, but this creates an opportunity for growth. Growth is positive change. If we do not change ourselves and grow, it is our loss, and this loss cannot be easily repaired.

We have to come to the earth, and we have to leave. This is the law of life. We do not come here just to depart; we are here to grow. Real growth is transforming our hearts, increasing the warmth of our love, and strengthening our knowledge. A plant grows not only for its own fulfillment, but also to serve creation with a positive contribution. In the same way, we should grow, find the fulfillment of attaining perfection, and serve creation with our peaceful and loving presence.

Shri Gurudev lived a complete life, and his life was totally dedicated to creation. His exemplary life, practical teachings, love for humanity, and service to all is an example for each one of us to follow so we can reach the goal of life.

Although Shri Gurudev is not physically present, his spiritual presence is among us. Those who meditate and pray, who follow the path of spirituality, will perceive the presence of the masters within and are truly guided.

The masters live in their teachings; the masters live through their disciples. The teachings of the masters of Kriya are teachings for eternal life.

We are truly blessed to have found the path of Kriya and to practice the beautiful techniques. We are also fortunate to experience positive change and universal love for the entire creation. Let our love grow.

Shri Gurudev once said, “As parents are delighted to see the growth and education of their children, the masters are delighted to see real transformation in their students. The love of the masters toward their disciples is unconditional and pure.”

Let us follow in the footsteps of the masters with love and faith, and permanently transform our lives.

On this special day, I am bowing to God, to the masters, and especially to Shri Gurudev. I am asking them to bless all of us and the entire creation with love, peace, and spiritual progress.

With Love,
Prajnanananda

Thanksgiving Day, 2020

Loving and Divine Souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of Thanksgiving. I also offer my heartfelt thanks to God and all creation.

When I was thinking about this occasion, I decided to write about my experience when I returned to India from the West in November. Before I went to Europe and the USA this year, disciples from the West and from India told me not to travel during the pandemic. When I was considering returning to India, the same story repeated. Many disciples did not want me to travel, but I had to return to India. My first flight was to Newark airport in New Jersey, USA. After all the formalities were completed for the second flight, we boarded a nonstop flight to Delhi.

Everything was fine until the plane was ready to take off. Then the captain announced that some minor technical problems needed repair. It took more than two hours. Hundreds of passengers waited patiently. Finally, the aircraft started toward the runway. All of a sudden the captain announced that an FAA provision, the law, prevented the crew from flying because they would end up working more than the permitted sixteen hours. The captain spoke to the authorities, and the plane returned to the terminal. All passengers were asked to deplane. By now it was after midnight. The passengers, young and old, parents with little babies, were in a panic about what would happen next. There was hope that another aircraft might arrive; however, around one in the morning an announcement informed us that the flight was cancelled. Passengers were to check their mobile telephones to find information about a rescheduled flight the next day.

Passengers were shouting at the airline agents. Poor employees! They were doing their best to pacify everyone. I was a silent witness of this chaotic situation.

I have been observing silence since March except a very few times I spoke a little on God and gurus. I experienced calmness and peace at the airport. I was wearing an “In Silence” tag around my neck. I had no mobile telephone or internet to learn what was going to happen or to contact anyone. Then I thought God was taking care of everything. He would do what was needed.

While people crowded the airline counter, I was strolling. A thought arose for me to approach a lone person at a counter of another gate. I went to him with my usual smile. He could see that I was not talking. I wrote about my situation on a piece of paper.

He tried to open the computer to check my flight status; however, that computer did not work. He went to another gate and was able to help me. He said I could take the next flight that was scheduled to depart the next evening. He also gave me an airline voucher to spend the night in a hotel. He offered another voucher for meals, but I silently indicated that I would fast and did not need that voucher.

Because of very limited flights, the airport was almost empty. I did not know where to go, where the hotel was, or what to do. After asking two people, I left the airport and found the area designated for taking a free shuttle to the hotel. A few other passengers were waiting there. A vehicle came from Hilton Hotel, and we all boarded. In the hotel, at about 2 am, there was a big line with social distancing. When I reached the agent at the counter, he was sad to say that I had to go to the Double Tree Hilton, located elsewhere. He assured me that their shuttle service would take me back to the airport where I could take a shuttle to the other hotel. He gave me a special slip of paper for this purpose.

When I returned to the same spot after an hour of this ordeal, a few passengers were waiting, and one of them told me that a disciple was desperately searching for me. I had no option except to wait for the shuttle. A passenger telephoned the hotel to send a shuttle for me. The rest of the passengers left. I was standing all alone, and a driver for another hotel was sitting in his vehicle. He looked at me, saw my airline voucher, and said, “It is not good for you to stand alone like this in this cold weather.” He requested that I enter his vehicle so he could drop me at the designated hotel.

At last I reached my hotel. I wanted to give him a little gift, but he was sincerely declining. I had tears in my eyes and with folded hands I insisted. He kindly accepted my gift.

I went inside the hotel. A woman at the counter took the airline voucher and asked when my next flight was. I answered that I must be in the airport after 6 pm. She said check-out time in the hotel was 11 am. Then she looked at me and said, “You can stay in our hotel as long as you want.”

As she was giving me the key to the room, a longtime disciple of Shri Gurudev grabbed me, telling the woman at the counter that he was taking me to his home. His wife was waiting in the car.

I then discovered that a longtime ashram resident woke up at midnight feeling something was wrong. Seeing an image flash, “Flight Cancelled, Rescheduled,” she searched to see if there was a text or email, but there was not. She searched the internet and found that the flight was cancelled and rescheduled. Then she telephoned a New York disciple asking him to go to the airport and hotel.

Because my flight was rescheduled outside of the 72-hour period for the COVID certificate to be valid in India for exemption from compulsory institutional quarantine, the disciple in New York found a hospital where a kindhearted staff member said she would ensure I would receive another COVID test before 7 am and have the results within a few hours. We rushed to the hospital in the early morning and were surprised the test was free.

I rested a little and received delicious Indian food at the disciple’s house. In the evening I saw a few disciples in the airport before boarding the flight.

I received help from people of many cultures, colors, and genders, including the generous help from the shuttle driver and the woman at the hotel counter. In this cold weather my host couple drove first to the airport and then from one hotel to another searching for me. How much was their sacrifice? To me, God in them helped me.

A thought arose: In this beautiful creation God is everything. We forget God. We lack trust in God. We trust machines and technology and often we become irritated with others and even with God. God is the beauty in all, the love in all, and the kindness and compassion in all.

With narrowness and meanness of mind, ego creates division, differences, discrimination, and artificial distances. But there is oneness, unity, amity, and love everywhere.

On this special day of Thanksgiving I offer my thanks to all humanity, to all living beings, saints, and sages, and ultimately to God. Let us all be grateful and thankful. Let us truly integrate our lives with all creation, overcoming all differences to make this world a beautiful place. Integrated living is free from division in any form; it creates harmony with nature and with all living beings. Let us all be thankful and grateful for each other. Let us hold each other in a bond of love and sweetness.

With Love,
Prajnanananda

Go Navaratra

Loving and divine souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of Go Navaratra, which is celebrated from November 16 to November 23 this year.

Go in Sanskrit means “that which moves or goes.” It has multiple meanings such as “the sun,” “the moon,” “a ray of light,” “an organ of speech, “the sense organs in general,” “the goddess of speech,” “the earth,” “mother nature,” “the sky,” “the stars,” “heaven,” “the universe,” and “the cow.” The celebration of Go Navaratri is an ancient Vedic practice that humanity has forgotten. It is a celebration of life.

In the Puranic description when there is a problem on the earth, Mother Earth assumes the form of a cow and approaches God for protection and safety. Thus go (the cow) is a symbol of the earth, creation, and mother nature.

This nine-day celebration follows the Festival of Light in the bright fortnight. The purpose of this celebration is to understand and realize the significance of the role of the earth and the environment. The earth and its environment is where all living beings abide; it must be protected and preserved for ourselves and our future.

The entire creation is interlinked; we all depend upon each other directly or indirectly. Human beings have a greater responsibility for maintaining health and balance everywhere because we are endowed with the divine qualities of love, compassion, and nurturing. If we forget our divine qualities and adopt the demonic qualities of power, authority, exploitation, and destruction, the entire creation will be in peril.

We must be awakened to protect and preserve nature and the environment. We should adopt natural and healthy lifestyles that will allow balanced coexistence of all and injury to none. This is possible by expanding our hearts with encompassing love and compassion, and by changing our habits and nature. When we change, the world changes. Change begins from within.

This celebration is being celebrated at the Hariharananda Gurukulam, India and the Temple of Compassion, USA.

Let us be aware of divinity in all and everywhere.

When the world has been suffering a lot because of our ignorance and improper lifestyle, let us be torchbearers of light and love who promote prosperity everywhere.

I am praying for the peace and prosperity of the entire creation. Let us all pray and meditate and adopt the path of healthy and happy living. I am sending my love to all of you and wishing you a joyful life free from fear and full of strength.

With Love,
Prajnanananda

Vijaya Dashami, the Day of Victory

Loving and divine souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, the Day of Victory, which falls on 25–26 October this year.

We are all children of one family, and that is the family of God. God can be a father and a mother. We are all children of God. Sometimes children are mischievous and unruly. Parents care for us with love, but sometimes they must teach us caution. If we are still unruly, punishment will follow.

This Day of Victory follows nine days of worshiping the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother wants love, peace, and harmony to proliferate because she is the personification of love and peace. However, when disharmony arises, divine punishment will ensue.

Everyone should search within and examine whether they are harboring disharmony. If we are, we should cultivate balance. We should watch our minds and search for any play of the demonic nature. When the dark nature manifests, punishment surely awaits. We must examine the garden of our lives, find the weeds of laziness and procrastination, and eliminate them. When pests such as anger, pride, doubt, and fear invade the garden of our consciousness, we should control them with love and detachment.

The garden of life should be filled with flowers of love, peace, compassion, and kindness. This will make our journey through life successful. Victory is for those who love each other and serve creation as the manifestation of God.

Life is beautiful when we cultivate inner beauty. Life is peaceful when every breath is immersed in peace and love. Life is a celebration when we invite God or the Divine Mother within. Human life is a beautiful opportunity to be used wisely; otherwise, it will be lost.

Whatever suffering we face is the result of our own mistakes. We have to recognize this and rectify our tendencies.

Divine Mother is loving and caring, but at the same time she is strong and ready to reform us, with punishment if necessary. Let us be disciplined and respectful. Let us live with discipline and optimism. As the children of God we can create heavenly bliss for ourselves, our family, and society.

On this beautiful day dedicated to the Divine Mother I am praying that she will bless each one of us with strength, courage, and optimism. I am praying she will help us become truly divine children who live with love and peace and spread the aroma of love and peace around us.

Again I bow to the Divine in all of you and wish you healthy, happy lives.

With Love,
Prajnanananda

GURU PURNIMA
Loving and divine souls,

Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion of Guru Purnima, which this year falls on July 5.

This full moon day is dedicated to the guru–preceptors, the masters of humanity. In India it is a very special celebration to offer love, regards, gratitude, honor, and homage to the lineage of masters from whom we learn, starting with God and continuing to the present day.

Our learning begins in the mother’s womb and ends with realization. The first guru of our life is the mother, and the ultimate guru is God. In the guru tradition of Vedic culture we have human, non-human, and even elemental gurus from whom we can learn.

Learning requires no specific age or other conditions. For learning there is no reason or season. It is a natural tendency to expand our lives by expanding our learning. Learning is an attitude. When people open their minds to learning, they can learn every moment.
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Book Eleven, King Yadu and Sage Avadhuta, a naked monk, converse on the topic of the guru–preceptor. The Sage described his twenty-four gurus.

What is the meaning of having a guru-preceptor?

A guru helps us learn. With an open heart and an open mind we can learn. The guru–preceptor teaches us to be a good in our minds and hearts in order to benefit ourselves, our families, society, our country, humanity, and above all, the entire creation. We have many avenues for learning that allow us to incorporate values and virtues into our lives.

The present virus crisis is faced by the entire human civilization, and to me this threat is also a guru who is teaching us. We should be careful. Many will ask what we can learn from this virus that has created a disaster around the world.

To be healthy, we should follow the path of hygiene, and some principles and values. The virus reveals how vulnerable we are to sickness and death in this modern world. To be healthy, we should be careful about what we eat. Many believe that most of the viruses that affect human beings come from specific types of food. To be healthy, we should be physically strong. For this we need regular exercise and meditation. To be healthy, we should also have fresh air and avoid pollution. To be healthy, we should be kind and compassionate. This situation made us conscious of others’ well-being. If we list all the positive things we could learn from the present situation, we could write a book. This virus forced us to lock down, which showed us how we can protect the environment.

Our beloved Gurudev has taught us that an ounce of practice is better than tons of theories. We should be practical in daily life in a spiritual manner. Let us be loving and caring toward the environment and all living beings. Let us love each other as the presence of God. Let us love the entire creation as one family.

On the occasion of this Guru Purnima I send my love and best wishes to all of you. I pray for health and happiness in the entire creation.

With Love,
Prajnanananda