Celebration of Swarajya and a promise of Swatantrya
The spontaneous, organic celebration of completion of 76 years of Independence of India at The Sacred Grove, was in tune with the harmonious spirit of the place. All the staff, volunteers, and resident guests came together and contributed to the flag-hoisting becoming a joyous occasion.
While preparations for hoisting the flag were on, the notes of “Vande Mataram” floated in the air. Then someone played ‘Shabad’ of a poet saint sharing the sentiment of an evolved woman sharing how the path of surrender and grace has brought out all the beauty in and around her. One was struck by the observation of how the feminine principle of the human psyche is celebrated through the sentiment of Nationalism as well as Bhakti. No wonder many a Poet and Bhakta made offerings for the freedom of Bharat Mata.
After paying tributes to the Motherland and the Bhaktas, the Guests and Volunteers gathered at Swadhyaya - the library, to listen to a recorded answer by Sri M, on freedom at the level of human consciousness. He advised following the Middle Path, while seeking freedom from the unending cycles of desires.
The brief pointer towards freedom at the level of consciousness seemed to have but teased the inquiry of the participants. So another video session was organised in the afternoon, where Sri M draws a distinction between Swarajya - the right of self-rule and Swatantrya - freedom of the Self. Sri M dialogued to point out the tendency among human beings to tie themselves in chains but also emphasised the possibility for each one to break free.
Yoga for All
A new chapter started at The Sacred Grove on Independence Day today. Residents from the neighbouring villages - Pedda Kondamari, Chinna Kondamari, Kottur, and Palyampalli, were invited to ArogyaM. They were introduced to Yoga for better health and as a way of treating many health concerns without having to resort to taking medicines even for mild ailments. It seems “ArogyaM: The Centre for Yoga and Ayurveda”, as it was named by Sri M, is gradually but steadily taking shape with Ayurveda OPD already attending to patients from the neighbouring villages, since November 6th, 2022.
The response to the invitation to attend the Yoga session was pleasantly surprising. 8 children between the age group of 6 - 12 years and 25 adults attended this introductory session of Sukshma Vyayama, Pranayama, and chanting, followed by the participants voluntarily singing prayers, their earnest participation was heartening. While Abhi, the Yogacharya, demonstrated Yogasanas and Pranayama, Dr.Nikhila, our resident Vaidya, translated the instructions to Telugu, the language of communication in this region. Other volunteers and even guests joined in, to correct the postures and mudras. The participants were promised that if they continued to show interest in learning Yoga then they could enrol for bi-weekly Yoga classes.
The number of women participants and volunteers and the spirit of the ones offering the service of reaching Yoga and Ayurveda beyond the confines of The Sacred Grove campus is again a tribute to the feminine principle that sends out the message of care and nurturance.
