African Time Part 1

In December last year I got the blessing to fly back to SA and spend three week travelling around South Africa, seeing all the devotees and going to to the Temples around the country. After moving to SPN last year April I was a bit emotional about going back as the Spiritual family in SPN had taken over my heart and I was excited about seeing my spiritual family in South Africa where it all began, where I first found Him, first found Swami. That first encounter is always one of the sweetest  and remains in your heart and the devotees you shared that moment with always remain in your heart part of that Divine experience.

As a resident at Sri Swami Vishwananda’s Headquarters when you travel to other countries and meet Devotees, it always touches my heart to see how eager they are to feast on any story you can tell about Swami and what is happening at SPN. They are so eager to hear His lila's that any small detail left out causes them anguish, no matter how trivial you may think it is for them it is like finding the Pink Star amongst some grass, they will pick it up and treasure it as the most prized possession they have.

In Johannesburg where we have the Maha Jwala Narasimha Temple we had various programs at Devotees houses, each time we got together we ended up in long discussions about Swami, I was being grilled and as you would a lemon I was being squeezed for every last ounce of Nectar about Swami they could get. Swamini Vishwamohini who became my travel companion in Johannesburg had a busy schedule, dinners, group Kriya with my Kriya students, weekend Maha Abishek on Narasimha, Om Healing. On the Saturday Swami had created the situation where all the devotees decided to come to Swamini place for lunch and a meeting. I felt so blessed as Swamini and myself were given the honour of cooking for all the devotees that day, it is an honour that can only be surpassed by cooking for Swami Himself for to nourish and serve the Devotees of the Lord is more dear to Him than you serving Him. The meeting that day was 3 hours long filled with Devotees sharing their love for each other and how much the group and Swami means to them in their lives. Each devotee wanted more of the same, more of coming together and being grateful for each other  and Swami in their lives. After 3 hours I came in shouting Haribol, Prasdam Ki Jai as it was time to eat, the meeting was ended off with each person saying one thing that they were grateful for. I can only share mine: I said I was grateful that Swami had allowed by His grace for God to manifest in my heart and seated Himself there so if ever I feel distant from Him I can simply look with and now that He is always with me. For inside of Him we find all His beautiful devotees with their souls shining bright as beacon for all us to be guided and close to Him.

After just over a week I flew to Durban to be with Swami Vishwachakradharananda and the devotees in Durban….