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Highlights in the Life of 
H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj (Muniji)

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JULY-AUGUST UPDATE

July 3-- Rishikesh:

An eye exam is conducted for all of the new orphanage/gurukul students, and glasses are distributed to those in need

 

July 5-- Delhi:

Pujya Swamiji traveled to Delhi to meet with Shri Murli Manohar Joshi, Dr. L.M. Singhvi, Dr. B.K. Modi, Shri Narendra Mohan (Dainik Jagran), Mrs. Indu Jain and Shri Narendra Mody, regarding the upcoming Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations. Discussions focused on the constituents of the Indian Delegation and on the Declaration, which, by the grace of God, will be signed by all the leaders of the various faiths. 

July 16-- Guru Purnima:

This holiest of holy days was made even more sacred by the occurrence of a very rare solar eclipse. Therefore, after 10:00 am, Pujya Swamiji observed mauna all day, until the eclipse ended at 9:30 pm. He was in special puja and meditation all day. 

However, the day began early with sacred Guru puja in the Samadhi Mandir. Aarti and puja were performed for H.H. Pujya Swami Shukdevanandji Maharaj, H.H. Pujya Swami Bhajanandji Maharaj, H.H. Pujya Swami Sadanandji Maharaj, and H.H. Pujya Swami Dharmanandji Maharaj. Additionally, as the anniversary of the mahasamadhi of H.H. Pujya Swami Shukdevanandji Maharaj occurs only six days after Guru Purnima, we had six full days of continuous chanting at the Samadhi Mandir. This holy vedic chanting, in honor of the Guru, began on the morning of Guru Purnima and continued, unabated, until July 22. 

After the early morning puja, until the 10:00 am mauna began, Pujya Swamiji gave darshan to the endless line of devotees who had come to pay their respects and devotion to Him on this day. 

The day-long silence and quiet puja was broken only for 30 minutes at 4:30 pm, when the young gurukul/orphanage boys earnestly requested Pujya Swamiji to please come to watch the special Guru Purnima program they had prepared themselves. He agreed, and, although He maintained His silence, He came out of His meditation for half an hour. The young boys -- who only a few short months before had had no hope, no light and no love in their lives, presented Pujya Swamiji with a beautiful program of chanting, songs, and Guru puja. 

   

At 9:30 pm, we all gathered on the holy banks of Mother Ganga for Ganga Snan. As the full moon -- the actual light of the Purnima -- shone upon us -- we bathed ourselves in Her holy waters. Then, after snan, we had Ganga Aarti (which, due to the Indian tradition of not conducting puja during an eclipse, had not taken place at its usual 7:00 pm).

 

July 19 -- Rishikesh :
On June 6 (at a program which was originally scheduled for June 4), we opened a new school in downtown Rishikesh (see June update). At opening, there were 300 children attending the morning school, and approximately 300 girls/ladies attending the afternoon Vocational Training Classes. 

By July 15, the number of girls/ladies had skyrocketed to 1500. At 3:00 pm, as the children's school comes to a close, the entire land becomes filled with dance classes, singing classes, music classes, handicraft classes, vocational training classes and the jubilant cries of happiness and hope. We will have the official "inauguration" of the school in the Autumn, in October or November. 

Initially, they had prepared a special program for Pujya Swamiji for Guru Purnima, and to celebrate the passing of the 1500 mark. However, due to the eclipse, Pujya Swamiji could not travel out of the ashram and therefore, the program was postponed until the 19th. 

Only two short months before all the rooms of the school looked like this --dilapidated and forgotten. However, through the great dedication and seva of the entire team, the school was quickly restored, renovated and re-done, to accommodate the ever-increasing number of students. 

   

 

July 22-25 -- London :

During the course of three days, Pujya Swamiji gave inspiring pravachan, His divine darshan, and spiritual guidance to many. Additionally, He had an important meeting with Shri S.P. Hinduja regarding the upcoming United Nations World Peace Summit. 

July 26 -- Los Angeles :

Pujya Swamiji delivered an inspiring, uplifting and transformative lecture to a large audience of westerners living in Hollywood. This glorious program was organized by Divine Soul Gurmukh of the Golden Bridge Yoga and Kundalini Yoga Association.  The overflowing crowd, most of whom had never even seen a saint, who did not speak a word of Hindi, who had never visited India, who were living the epitome of the "Successful Hollywood Life", were mesmerized and enchanted by Pujya Swamiji's chanting and divine words. He led them in divine meditation, taught them about real wealth, real peace and real bliss. The twenty minutes at the end which had been reserved for question/answer, quickly became almost an hour, and even at that point, He had to leave with a roomful of people yearning to ask more questions. The beautiful success of this program was a true tribute to the universality of His message -- no Hindi, Sanskrit, Indian blood or knowledge of the vedas was required in order to be touched and transformed. 

July 28 -- Santa Cruz, California:

Pujya Swamiji traveled to the beautiful, remote Redwood forest to have a meeting and take prasad with one of the foremost leaders in the promotion of Vegetarianism and Environmental Protection, Mr. John Robbins. The author of the world famous, Diet for a New America, John Robbins is the son of the multi-million dollar Baskin-Robbins ice cream fortune. However, as a remarkably self-aware, infinitely compassionate and environmentally conscious youth, he decided he did not want to inherit the money associated with practices harmful to the animals and to the environment. Thus began his successful and peerlessly dedicated life-long crusade to bring justice to our animals, our brothers and sisters starving throughout the world, and our environment. 

John Robbins' son, Ocean, is a dedicated pioneer in the field of youth activism, and the founder and president of Youth for Environmental Sanity, an organization dedicated to inspiring youth toward creating peaceful, harmonious and conscious futures for themselves and for their planet.

The meeting was beautiful...a true re-union of souls.

   

July 28-30 -- San Jose:

Pujya Sant Shri Rameshbhai Oza (Bhaishri) was delivering divine Shri Ram Katha in San Jose, and Pujya Swamiji graced the audience with His presence for the last 3 days. He gave a compelling, uplifting pravachan on the final day of the katha, rousing the audience of 2000 to thunderous applause. In forty-five minutes He gave the keys to a happy, healthy, pious family life and to raising children who are "Western when it comes to professional and academic excellence, but Indian in their hearts and their homes." In the heart of the Silicon Valley, He told the audience, "Don't only give your children a high speed, 24-hour a day connection to the web. Give them a 24-hour a day, high speed connection to you, to God, to their Indian culture!"

August 6 -- Detroit:

Pujya Swamiji spoke at the Hindu temple in Canton to a huge gathering. Although there were also hundreds of adults present, He directed much of His pravachan to the youth. He told them how to find real ecstasy, not the kind that comes in a pill, not the kind that wreaks havoc on your life, but the kind that comes from the divine connection and brings only joy and peace to your life. 

August 7 -- Winnipeg, Canada:

Although Pujya Swamiji was only in Winnipeg for one day, He graced three separate audiences with His divine presence and words. In the morning, He was the Chief Guest at the Bhoomi Puja and Land Purifying Yagna of the new Hindu Temple. In the afternoon, He spoke at the ________ temple and then at Pandit Arjun Misir's divine _____ temple. Everywhere He went, tears of ecstasy streamed down cheeks, hearts were opened, lives were transformed, and souls were connected directly to the Divine. The community begged Him to stay longer, and took His promise to return again next year. 

August 9-12 -- Toronto, Canada:

Over the course of three days, Pujya Swamiji gave several inspiring, uplifting lectures in Kitchener, Waterloo and Toronto. On August 12, He addressed the annual Youth Conference, 2000, chaired by Shri Kumar Agarwal and organized by Dr. Bhupendra Doobay of Toronto.  The group of over 200 Indian Youth were all deeply moved by His pravachan on "Hinduism and Youth." He touched their hearts, stirred their souls, and made them proud of their culture, while at the same time inculcating them with important values of restraint and discipline. "Here in the West you are granted a great deal of freedom. However, freedom," He cautioned, "is not a license to indulge. It is not a license to be reckless. It is not a license to be selfish and to forget your dharma." 

 

Upcoming Events:

August 17-21: Trinidad, World Hindu Federation Conference

Pujya Swamiji is one of the keynote speakers at this international conference. 

August 28-31: United Nations, New YorkMillennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders

Pujya Swamiji is one of the leaders of the Indian Delegation to this historical Summit. 

 


Pujya Swamiji's Upcoming Itinerary
(August-September, 2000)

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

 

1-4:

 

Pittsburgh

 

1-8

 

Dharma Yatra

 

5-6

 

Detroit

 

9:

 

New York

 

7-9:

 

Winnipeg

 

11:

 

Harrisburg

 

10-12:

 

Toronto

 

12-13:

 

Columbia

 

12-15:

 

Pittsburgh

 

15-18:

 

Pittsburgh

  16-21:   Trinidad   19:   San Diego
  22-25:   Louisville   20:   Los Angeles
  26-31:   United Nations,
New York
  22:   Auckland, New Zealand
    23: Brisbane
    24-25 Sydney
    26 Singapore
    27 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    28 Delhi
  • Please note that due to numerous international, humanitarian projects,  Pujya Swamiji’s schedule is always subject to change. Please contact Him by phone, fax or e-mail prior to your trip to Rishikesh in order to ensure that He is there.

  • Contact information:

    India Phone: + (91-135) 434300; Fax: + (91-135) 434399;
    International E-mail:
    Swamiji333@aol.com

    USA MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (JUNE 25- SEPT 20): (248) 872-4333

  • Also, please note that Pujya Swamiji now observes silence (mauna) from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m. and from 2:30-4:30 p.m. He is unavailable in person or by phone during these times.

CLICK HERE FOR DIVINE MESSAGE BY PUJYA SWAMIJI 

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