Mahamandaleshwar Welcoming

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The first group of Karma Yogi's has come back from the Kumbh Mela after an inspiring, transformative time setting up the camp, uniting and dipping in the River Ganges. Here, our preparations have been diverse and plentiful for Swamiji and the expectant group of about another 60 people, mostly European; such as late night carpet laying, sewing, flower arrangements, laying of pipes and of course more than a little bit of cleaning. Cal's contribution was a Jadan classic: making OMs' in the sand!

Mark is busy working in the hospital. He's fixing up some doors and windows. Some of the windows were put in the wrong way so he's changing them around to fit fly screens in. He says he thinks the reason he came here is to learn how to use all the workshop tools so he can do renovations on our house and build a deck there etc! With the help of an elf who procured the materials, Mark has also been helping me with a project I have in the school. We're making pin up boards to hang the childrens' artworks in their classrooms. While in the waiting area for the Dentist, we have been creating more masterpieces. I went to Pali to procure some cloth for the pinup boards and also some frames. We have plans to hang some of the artwork on the bare walls of the Hospital to brighten the place up!

After halva and singing some Kirtans at a farewell party for a couple of Karma Yogi carpenters who are departing home for Slovenia, we had a campfire in the field. "Fire's Burning, Fire's Burning
Draw Nearer, Draw Nearer, In the Glowing, in the Glowing, Come Sing and Be Merry....." It was a lot of relaxing, singing and fun. We played 'hold the stick' if you had something worth sharing and ate roast potatoes that had been cooking in the embers. Pushpaji did a superlative job with the fire construction. I stayed last to enjoy the final serenity of the warming coals.

After much anticipation, some fun was had, not to mention the super sized smiles, when our newly appointed Mahamandaleshwar came home to Jadan! There was a big procession today as Swami Jasraji the Aussie who manages this Ashram came back from the Kumbh Mela. There were multiple celebrations in the surrounding villages and the school children did a lot of preparation and participation for the parade and function. They were carrying flags on the roadside and marching along as an escort. We also decorated up one of our tractors and there was plenty of music and costumes putting colour into the desert surrounds.

Cal and some little friends presented our new Mahamandaleshwar with a framed collage from the school children with the words, 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam', meaning 'the whole world is one family', adopted from Swami Jasraji's Jadan school blog. When Aiden gave Swami Jasraji some Tim Tams today he had such a big grin and told him that when he was interviewed by the Australian newspaper they asked what if anything he missed about Australia and he'd said (understandably) Tim Tams! The Sydney Herald began their article with 'He's the skateboarding monk from Sydney who celebrated His world-first appointment as a Hindu leader by spreading Vegemite on his chapatis'. Since then there have been other articles highlighting the depth of the humanitarian work Swami Jasraji is active with such as the successful Ashram School project.

There were many welcoming speeches and flower garlands. Swami Yogeshji's speech was about how the Swami is a rose in the garden and the bhaktas are the gardeners who tend to the garden and remove the weeds, helping sustain the flowers. We are all attracted to the beauty and perfume of such flowers. In his humble way, Swami Jasraji accepted the welcoming and his new title and said that Mantra was the means to solve anything. No matter the situation, if you repeat Mantra, the way opens up. Such an inspiration to be in such company for such an auspicious occasion.

Recognition to Swami Chidanandji for the amazing pictures to commemorate the welcoming.

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