It's a sunny autumn morning at Kainchi Ashram. The evergreen clad hillside drops down steep to the river of whitewater that flows in miniature rivulets. Bells ring as local village people bow to the deities in simple reverence. Children run carefree in the temple courtyard.
Devotees sit by the takhat: some listen for the inner doors to burst open; others, eyes closed, meditate; while others sing "Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram," softly. An Indian woman wears a paisley sequined sari that sparkles with her movements. She delicately arranges flowers in a vase, then lights a stick of incense. Pungent smoke wafts upward and vanishes on the light breeze.
Two military trucks halt across the bridge. A small army of soldiers empties onto the roadside, jostling with each other as they arrange their uniforms and caps. They file through the gate with a proud dignity, though among them few wear more than a single stripe.
Each person has come to have darshan, to experience the peace & love that is Maharaj-ji. The sound as those inner doors crash open and he appears, a giant among saints.
"Who are you?" "Where have you come from?" He asks anyone and everyone. Even without the answer, he already knows more about you than you ever will.
During that autumn in 1971, Maharaj-ji spoke to us often about God & devotion. "See God in everyone & in everything that lives. God created all things."
Lifting his hand with a gesture to include the river, the foothills & beyond. "With concentration one can see God in Nature."
Maharaj-ji says, "Anger is a part of nature. When anger & anxiety are finished, worldliness falls away & one becomes absorbed in God's love. To become free of anger, meditate."
Maharaj-ji says, "Experience the fellowship & joy that we share at Christmas. Christ is still living. He never died. He was not afraid of death. Faith in God overcomes fear. Remember Jesus. He lives in the hearts of pure people."
Sita Sharan