Experience of divine consciousness

    This happened at our place of residence that we consider as not ours, but The Lord’s (the Guru’s). Some time ago, one of our family friends and his family came over for an overnight stay.

    Our friend follows the teachings of the great Saint, His Holiness Gondavalekar Maharaj, Who has advocated the path of chanting*. He said that as soon as he entered the apartment, he could experience divine consciousness. Later during dinner, he was not eating too well. When we asked him the reason for picking at his food, he said, “I am enjoying the spontaneous chanting in my mind and it is so powerful that I do not feel like eating.” That night, our discussion on Spirituality continued until 3 a.m.!

Experience of spiritual love when visiting the Sanatan organization’s centers in India

    (Mr. Gary Jones looks after the Sanatan organization’s spiritual activity in Atlanta. He has visited India a few times as a part of his spiritual practice* and learning. He has visited many Saints from different faiths, paths of spiritual practice and sects, and the various centers of the Sanatan organization, its founder, His Holiness Dr. Jayant Athavale and seekers. Following is an experience narrated by Mr. Jones from his first visit to India.)

    During our visit to India, we had the opportunity to visit many seekers in various centers (of the Sanatan organization), starting from Nasik and going up to Mangalore (two cities in adjoining states in India). Although we were all strangers from a worldly perspective, the experience was like meeting members of one’s family. After a long and often tiring journey, as soon as we would see the of the Sanatan organization’s banners at the outskirts of a town, we knew we were home, even though we were visiting that town for the first time. We were always greeted with smiles and love, no matter how late the hour. In India, the custom is to consider a guest as God and serve them accordingly, since hospitality is an important part of Indian culture. We experienced the truth of this everywhere we went, as we were constantly served and all our needs were anticipated and met. I had a particular example of this when once my sandal strap broke. My hosts noticed this in the evening. In the morning, I saw that the sandal was repaired. They had gone to a cobbler early in the morning, waking him up to fix my footwear. I felt overwhelmed that they would go to such lengths to serve me. From such experiences, I learned firsthand what true service to others means and felt even closer to my fellow seekers in India.