Meditation at Kanha – an Enriching Experience

Although title talks about meditation, this blog I am sharing is about my recent experience with mass meditation and the wonderful things I discovered in the process.

Beginning of My Spiritual Journey

Before starting with actual trip details, let me share you some information about how my spiritual journey started. Group of us got introduced to heart fullness meditation also known as “SahajMarg” about two years back. Preceptor was kind enough to come to our complex once or twice a week to help us go through each sitting. Initially we all started with not much in mind and just to check what is meditation and hoping it will calm down some turmoil due to current life style of ours. Slowly we all started noticing that we are able to sit for as long as half an hour, and that half an hour of stillness started helping us unknowingly in little things we do.

We started looking forward to every week’s meditation and would never miss a single siting unless really required to. One day our preceptor told us about Bhandara or big gathering for meditation in Hyderabad which is done to mark Guruji’s birth anniversary every year.

Six of us from the group decided to be part of this celebration and so our planning for Kanha, Hyderabad started.

Kanha- A Place of Hope and Divine Presence

Flight bookings and dormitory booking over there at Hyderabad center were initial challenges, during which one of us discovered that she could not travel because of other work issues. Finally five of us travelled to Hyderabad on Sat. Jul 22^nd . When we booked our tickets, we had very less information with us as to when the celebrations is actually starting and ending and what is the nature of celebration. To be sure not to miss any of it we landed there one day prior to the celebration day.

Well, with delayed flight we landed at Rajiv Gandhi airport at 11:15 pm, we just knew that we are going to place called as Kanha which is about 20 km away from Hyderabad near Chegur village. As soon as we got down and took our baggage we started seeing boards for “Heartfull ness” everywhere and volunteers were at every interval to lead us to the transportation. Many families, people of all age group were in the same line as us…we were really surprised to see the buzz at this hour.

Volunteers were arranging cabs, buses for people to reach Kanha. There were many people waiting to get to the car or bus, there was no shouting or chaos of any kind, in spite of late hours.

Entire area of Kanha project is 600 acres and it is under construction site with temporary structures as tents and some permanent dormitories, and apartments on other side. By the time we reached it was well past midnight, we were sleepy and tired and yet didn’t have bed to lie down on. We had booked in the permanent dormitory and after going there we were told bedding got delayed so we do not have place there.

They asked us to shift in tent wherein beds and foam mattress were given. We didn’t have much choice and went ahead with what came our way.

Quest for Meditation

Next day morning meditation was at 7:30 a.m. and we got up to get ready. We were fully awake when we realized that toilets block is about half a km walk from our tent. It was a big bock with about 50 w.c.’s (both Indian and western style) and 50 bathrooms. That is when we realized the comfort at home which we take for granted is going to be luxury now next three days.

Inside the toilet block no one was allowed to use shoes, but that made cleaning task easy for volunteers and in spite of so much foot fall there the toilets were kept very clean. When we came to know that these are done by volunteers who have come from faraway corner, we were just stunned and looked at each other with heartfelt appreciation for the volunteers.

After morning tea and getting ready we headed for meditation hall for our first meditation experience among 30,000 plus people. Hall was a big tent with 10 gates to enter.

There were chairs for senior citizens and Indian seating for others, some were carrying their own folding chairs. Huge hall had dais in the center where current master would sit. People gathered well before 7:30 and I was surprised to see that there was no talking, pushing of any kinds. Every soul was in some divine state which was driving them to do this. Everyone was quietly seating, some had already started meditating. I, being first experience was looking around the magnificence of this event, admiring at the volunteers running around with water bottles for people, watching videos that were running on screen for new comers. I was amazed to see how people from all strata of society have come under one roof for this celebration, there was no shouting, no division all were equal under that roof.

Discovering Sense of Purpose

Two minutes before 7:30 Master Mr. Kamalesh Patel whom people affectionately refer to as Daaji arrived. He came, greeted everyone with humble Namaste and was straight down to meditation. No talk, no preaching, no lengthy speeches were done just straight down to the cause for what everyone has gathered. I really was impressed with this part that no feet touching and ceremonious garlands were offered. He himself was very humble to be meditating with everyone and giving transmission to those around him.

Actual meditation was a very different experience than what I was used to in our small group. This was much more powerful and I felt calmness and sense of belonging to the place immediately. Although sitting down with Indian style for 40 minutes was a task usually, it didn’t feel so that time. After those 40 minutes of meditation I felt refreshed even after lack of sleep and previous days traveling etc.

Then all of us disbursed for breakfast. There was free breakfast provided by ashram volunteers at three different dining locations. There was a paid canteen as well where variety of snacks were available. Paid canteen being close by was our first choice. All around where-ever we went there were people in huge numbers. The questions started coming to me as what is it that driving all these people to come here despite all odds? There were people from very poor and uneducated families, was wondering if they have understood why they are here or were they asked to be here and these souls were just following orders?

Sense of Safety Amidst the Crowd

Soon after the hot breakfast we retired to our tents, and realized before going for meditation in a hurry we had left all our belongings on the bed or around it, and still nothing was touched. Since Monday was actual day of celebrations so on Sunday till afternoon people kept coming in. Soon we got used to this style of leaving stuff there and going around the campus for meditation, lunch, dinner, we would know that nothing will be misplaced. There were no locks, no doors to the tent and still the place felt so much safe.

Soon we got ready for our next meditation at 11a.m. By this time we had gotten used to the surrounding and in fact were quite comfortable about it. There were three meditations in a day morning 6:30, 11 and evening 5:30.

After evening meditation on Sunday we decided to walk around and see as much as we can. Went towards the north block and saw rows of tents and a North dining hall at the end. Most of the tents were with just carpets below, no beds or foam mattress. The area had emergency medical center with two vans for people movement. Big water tank and superb walkways which were surrounded by lot of greenery.

By the end of first day and after checking conditions in other tents we were very comfortable in our day old surrounding, so much so that we actually forgot about our request to be in the permanent dormitory. In fact did not feel the need to peruse it further.

Under the Neem Tree

After evening meditation and early dinner you were free to explore the place, meditate or continue to be in that state of calmness. Five of us, being first time there used this opportunity to go around the campus. There were huge neem trees planted at intervals with chabutara (sitting) area around it.

One such tree was near our tent. Conditions inside the tent (because of tin roof) were quite hot, so we used neem tree chabutara for our talks very often and night meditations. We spoke over various aspects of life under that tree in presence of gentle breeze. Before disbursing for bedtime twice we did night prayer and meditation there. The sense of stillness and calmness I felt under that tree will remain with me for a long time.

Monday was the main day of celebration. Meditation was to start at 6:30. We saw people getting up and getting ready by 4. Surprisingly so many people were getting up and ready at the same time, still never was never a queue at toilets. Constant movement at that hour felt like a religious ceremony in the house. By 6 everyone was heading to meditation hall and half of it was already full. That day’s meditation was again a calm and composed one, an experience to cherish.

There were many strong personalities there following SahajMarg and one such person Mr. Laxmi Narayana, former DGP Mumbai, shared his experience and message for young India. Idea of changing or catching young people to do this, and that they follow on meditation routine and realizing immense benefits of it is really good. If only we can help them do it, there is no doubt in my mind that many lives will be touched and many families will have changed life style.

Parting Ways and New Beginning

Monday the celebrations were over and people started going back to their places. Our flight was on Tueday evening. By Tuesday noon the place was getting empty…..felt like big gathering in the house is over and now guests are leaving. Like arrival, departure was also managed properly by volunteers. For trains there was separate gathering area, for airport a separate location, small vans were carrying people within campus to get to their gathering spots.

We packed and left the place with lots of memories to cherish and in hope to come back again.

Our hearts were filled with positive energy that flowed around us, so much of humanity that we saw around us, and the happy faces that greeted us at every point and corner of ashram.