Dear Aspirants,
Dear students, staff members and teachers of Bharati Yogadhama, Dear well-wishers of this institution and honourable elders, Dear distinguished guests, Mahaswamiji of Sri Samsthana Gokarna Partagali Jeevottam, Dr Srinivas President Ashtanga Yoga Vijnana Mandiram Mysore, Founder of Bharati Yogadhama Sri Shankaranarayana Jois, “Aacaarya”.
I feel most fortunate to be here with you today and offer my heartfelt salutations to you all. Not only do I feel fortunate to be here – I feel very happy and enthusiastic and I would like to share why.
Some 22 years ago, as it approached the late afternoon and the entrancing light of a sunset was beginning to reveal itself, a group of about 8-10 Westerners, my wife and I among them were sitting somewhere not too far from this spot on some grass mats; not a building on the land, maybe some makeshift huts, a few trees, it was dry, open and yet somehow full of promise. We were listening to the concluding words of the Aacaarya, whom I had recently met for the first time.
It had become quickly apparent to me during this short trip that there was something extraordinary about the teachings I had heard. I was intrigued to also hear of Aacaarya´s intention “sankalpa” for the land and the organization he had recently established. Due to depart back to my home the next day, I recall as a fresh memory, Aacaarya´s parting words to me that I was welcome and should come back with my wife to continue studying yoga.
We did exactly that once a year for the last 22 years, and although at that time I sensed something great, it took me many of those years to begin to understand the extent and scale of the greatness of this yogic culture as has been generously imparted to me through the Founder, this institution and by the grace of the great Mahaguru Sri Ranga.
With this in mind, I am sure you will agree with my sense of good fortune and enthusiasm to be here today, witnessing how this organization has matured with the support and confidence of so many and with Divine Grace.
Good fortune commenced for me being born to parents with certain noble qualities, and they afforded me what is viewed as the “best” of a British education; completing school, I was accepted to study Political Science at Cambridge University, considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
During my studies, I focused on political philosophy and was exposed to the works and writings of selected philosophers over the last two thousand years – albeit with no mention or reference to yogic philosophy!
Exposure to Yogic philosophy through this institution and its Founder amazed me. The simplicity and depth of the irrefutable claim that the purpose of all life is the experience of the maximum happiness/joy possible solved a major philosophical puzzle for me. The guidance that this was to be achieved by experiencing inner happiness or the bliss of the soul or the Eternal Truth was a revelation to my ears. The method of integrating materialistic enjoyment so as not to obstruct the experience of this inner happiness made me feel that it was indeed achievable!
Over the years, we (a small group of Westerners) returned yearly to learn the basic foundations of Yoga, Ayurveda and Astrology; not as academics but as aspirants looking to steadily adjust our lifestyle in a manner that would support the establishment of a yogic path. The benefit of establishing noble qualities were explained patiently through Patanjali Yoga Sastra. The Yamas and the Niyamas began to enrich my life and the concept of “commitment” started to become more compelling than “maintaining freedom to choose”.
The attractive presentation of insights about the Gita led to understanding duty consciousness as being more beneficial than the prevailing “me” culture, which enshrines the rights of the individual today. Complemented with basic concepts of Ayurveda and Astrology, I learned and continue to learn how to enjoy this materialistic world without getting caught and damaged by it. The outcome has been simply and profoundly successful:
With marriage – creating stability with the ability to compromise and honour the other.
With parents – who feel honoured by their son and open their hearts to him.
With children – who understand the importance of noble qualities and honour their parents.
With siblings, nephews and friends – who feel supported and wish to support.
With work – where continuity, patience, perseverance and equanimity to pressures and the inevitable ups & and downs has provided a basis for growth and success.
With difficult times – taking them as a challenge and converting them into an ornament!
And overall – an increasing sense of contentment and clear intellect that can make right decisions about health, wealth and happiness.
Looking back over the last 22 years, I cannot imagine how I would have made such progress in all these dimensions without the underpinnings of this knowledge and the grace of my teachers. The prevailing culture of our age is regrettably contrary to these directions and I have no doubt that I would have been swept away and lost. At a certain point, it was only natural to start thinking about how we could meaningfully share the fundamentals of these teachings with others in our home countries and to that end, Sadvidya Foundation was established, which offers courses based on lessons and lectures received from BYD as well as Aacaarya´s publication in English “The Sacred Tradition of Yoga”.
Aachaarya writes in its preface, “Today we find a great scarcity of human qualities such as contentment, happiness, peace, generosity and the like. At the same time, qualities like egotism, ignorance, greed, jealousy and hatred have all carved a place in the human heart. This imbalance has resulted in an abundance of misery and unhappiness throughout the world. It is the responsibility of all beings, especially those who feel these effects deeply within their hearts, to struggle hard to restore balance in our world. This work must begin with each individual, as the source of this misery lies within the individual alone.”
The ideal lifestyle, as communicated and guided by BYD, is unique; it weaves together the principles of yoga with the diversity of constitutions in Ayurveda and frames them with the influence of time and place as revealed in astrology. This has a wonderful impact on all those who apply it: our determination to travel over ten thousand kilometres yearly to drink from this source is merely another testimony to it.
By way of conclusion, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate you all on your support of BYD and encourage you to continue to support as best you can. My wish is that its work may continue to bear fruit and the new activities that it will launch in its 25th year benefit many.
On behalf of all Sadvidya students and well-wishers, I offer our heartfelt gratitude and salutations to you all.