Annual Sadhana Shivir

Introduction 

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‘Wake up, eat, work, earn, spend, and sleep. Repeat.’ Our lives are part of this never ending cycle. The more we earn, the more we spend. Fulfillment of one desire leads to the germination of others and we never feel satisfied. At some point of time, we pause and wonder why are we doing this, what purpose does it serve and whether this is what we as human beings are supposed to keep on doing for the rest of our lives! Often we hear people around us saying that how they wish they could leave everything behind and go to someplace else where they would be free from this meaningless everydayness of life. The fast paced, chaotic, demanding, ruthless and strenuous life goes on without a break, and we are sucked into it like a helpless ship in a wild whirlpool- unable to come out of it.  

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Objective 

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To address this helplessness which exists everywhere, the founders of Braj Gopika Seva Mission- Pujaniya Raseshwari Devi Ji and  Swami Yugal Sharan - came up with the unique idea of organizing Annual Sadhana Shivirs (ASS). The objective of initiating these Shivirs was to show a way out of this incessant soul sucking loop of life. Devi Ji and Swami Ji wanted to give an opportunity to everyone out there to know about the true meaning and purpose of life, understand and identify the true goal of our lives, the means of attaining the true goal, and practically teaching us the method to do so. These shivirs revolve around the Philosophical teachings of the 5th Jagadguru Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj and during the course of the shivirs, the theoretical learning is complemented with soulful keertans composed by Shri Mahraj Ji and the exclusive meditation technique called “Rupadhyan”. 

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Why was this objective chosen? A brief background 

 

India has a rich spiritual and cultural heritage. The varied philosophical traditions have enriched our understanding of life. However the multitude of the different schools of thought often confuses us and we wonder which path to follow. Jagadguru Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj has reconciled all the various strands and has given us a very simplified yet profound philosophy which guides us in living our everyday life. It is His philosophy that BGSM has been propagating through its ASS. The invaluable treasure that we have as Indians needs to be shared with the rest of the world so that every human being gets an opportunity to make their life meaningful and worthwhile. It is with this objective that BGSM has been tirelessly working towards benefiting the entire humanity.  

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ASS- The structure 

 

BGSM has been organizing these Shivirs for the last 28 years. The first shivir was held in Puri, Odisha where Lord Jagannath resides and is considered one of the holiest places in India. Thereafter the shivirs have been organized all across the country in places like Dwarka (Gujarat), Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), Nabadweep (West Bengal), Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Nasik (Maharashtra), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and others. Places of spiritual significance are chosen so that along with the knowledge of spirituality (philosophy) people become aware of the cultural diversity and importance of these places.  

 

Another unique feature of the shivirs is the practice of a form of meditation which has been exclusively taught by Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj. It is known as Rupadhyan Sadhana. It engages the mind and all the senses into an intense meditative state whereby it becomes easier to focus on the subject of meditation and thus benefit from such sessions. It is considered to be part of “Karma-sannyas” which teaches us to leave aside the material world and turn inwards so that we become aware of our true self- the ‘soul’. It is only when we practice this that we will be able to productively work upon our material lives and succeed there with far better results. This latter phenomenon of working without thinking about the fruits of the labor or working with a feeling of detachment is what the Bhagvad Gita calls “Karma-yoga”. ASS offers the unique opportunity to develop our capabilities to excel both in the spiritual as well as the material world. Both the realms are needed to attain our true goal and how to achieve a balance between the two is what the shivirs aim to teach us.  

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• The shivir is organized for 7 days where a fixed schedule is followed for all the days. Usually the day starts at 04 AM and various activities and sessions go on till 09 PM. 

• Aarti and keertan sessions are held in morning and evening. 

• Philosophical discourses are explained by Pujaniya Devi Ji and Pujya Swami Ji. 

• Yoga session, Rupadhyaan meditation and special meditation sessions take place in different sessions throughout the day. 

 

Come, join us to know about the ancient wisdom of our civilization and make the most of this human life. Let BGSM help you in finding back the right balance in your life.