As part of his India tour, our revered president and spiritual head, Sri Sri Swami Chidananda Giri, arrived at Noida Ashram on October 15 accompanied by Swamis Vishwananda and Kamalananda. Swamiji was received in the wee hours of the morning by a group of bright-eyed devotees along with YSS sannyasis.
In the following days, Swamiji spent time meeting with several devotees, giving interviews to the press, and participated in the three-day programme for devotees from October 18 to 20, 2019.
Three-day Programme at Noida Ashram
Devotees came from across India and the world to join the special three-day programme at Noida which was presided over by Swami Chidanandaji. 1,800 devotees attended the function, of which around 700 were provided accommodation at the Noida ashram and nearby hotels. As part of the scheduled activities, monastics led group meditations, review classes, spiritual discourses and kirtan chanting – providing a Sangam like experience to the participants.
The highlights of the programme were two inspiring talks and a long meditation conducted by Swami Chidanandaji.
In the opening talk on October 18 evening, Swami Chidanandaji affectionately welcomed devotees to the spiritual confluence at Noida. Quoting the ancient Indian sage Swami Shankara, “The company of a divine person for even one moment can redeem us,” Swami Chidanandaji guided devotees with these words: “Be open to the inflow of the blessings of the YSS line of Gurus by repeating their names during prayers; it is within your power to forge that living connection.”
Release of New YSS Publications
After his address, Swamiji released several YSS publications including a pictorial history book titled ‘My work shall go on: The Living Legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda’ giving highlights of his life and work.
He also released Autobiography of a Yogi Hindi audiobook, which is available as a free download from the YSS website: Download Free Hindi Audiobook
The other releases include the Punjabi translation of ‘The Law of Success’ by Paramahansa Yogananda, and the translation of Autobiography of a Yogi in Sinhala language. Four YSS devotees from Sri Lanka who had served in facilitating the Sinhalese translation were felicitated by the President and presented with the first copies of this book.
Special Long meditation
On October 19 evening, Swami Chidanandaji led a special long meditation of over three hours in which he conducted guided meditation and affirmation sessions urging devotees to go deeper and make actual contact with God.The experience was very special to all the 1,500 plus devotees who were present and the stillness pervading the ashram was heightened as devotees basked in divine communion.
Closing Talk
The last event of the programme was a public talk delivered by Swami Chidanandaji on October 20, 2019 on the topic: ‘The Value and Relevance of Kriya Yoga in Today’s World.’
Swamiji said: “The science of Kriya Yoga teaches that the nervous system is the interface between our material existence and our spiritual potential. It can be either a barrier or a portal. It is up to us to choose. Kriya Yoga meditation, and the daily sadhana of balanced spiritual living taught by Gurudeva refines our senses, nerves, emotions, and whole consciousness so that they are receptive and attuned to the joyous higher planes of divine existence, thereby uplifting our lives and everyone with whom we come in contact.”
Press Interaction
During his stay, Swami Chidanandaji gave one-on-one interviews to reporters from national dailies like the ‘Speaking Tree’ column of the Times of India(English) and Navbharat Times(Hindi), the newswire service Press Trust of India(English), the state television network – Doordarshan, and the state radio broadcast network – the All India Radio (English).
Later, on October 20, reporters and photographers from several reputed Hindi national dailies attended Swami Chidanandaji’s public talk at Noida ashram, which was extensively covered by the newspapers Hindustan, Navbharat Times, Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, Punjab Kesari and Navodaya Times along with the newswire Press Trust of India, All India Radio news service and Doordarshan television news.
To view the coverage of these interviews and news reports, visit the link: Press Coverage
