Homage at Trayambakeshwar and Rishikesh

Hari Om

On 2nd January, Swami Satsangi and myself traveled to Trayambakeshwar. Trayambakeshwar is the place where Shiva is represented by three faces, that of Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. Thus he is called Trayambakeshwar, the three-faced Shiva. This Trayambakeshwar Shiva is the ishta devata of Sri Swamiji.

We conducted two very beautiful poojas at the temple – they were very calming, uplifting and peaceful. The feeling was very benevolent and graceful in a beautiful environment. The first pooja was conducted in the outer enclosure, and the second pooja inside the sanctum sanctorum where the lingam is and we performed a complete Rudrabhisheka. One could feel the peace, happiness and contentment emanating from the place.

Then we went to the goshala, cowshed, at Neel Parvat, Juna Akhara, where in 1989 Sri Swamiji had lived during Chaturmas and practiced his sadhanas. That was the place where Rikhia was revealed to him. In the cowshed, a Naga sannyasin had lit a deepak and placed a beautiful picture of Sri Swamiji. The whole place was kept up as if Sri Swamiji was living there.

On 5th January, we arrived in Rishikesh and went to Sivananda Ashram. We spent the evening in Swami Sivanandaji’s kutir. It was a beautifully intense experience. As if Swami Sivananda was looking after everything, there was nothing to worry about, nothing to be concerned about. Swami Sivananda was watching over all of us.

At 5.30 in the morning of the 6th, a special pooja was conducted at Vishwanath Temple in Sivananda Ashram. A Shivalingam was installed by Swami Sivananda in this temple and he himself would perform the abhisheka there. Even Sri Swamiji had performed abhisheka there for six months as his duty. There, Swami Satsangi and I performed Rudrabhisheka. At 9.30, we came to the samadhi place of Swami Sivanandaji and performed guru paduka poojan, abhisheka of Swami Sivananda’s khadau, wooden shoes. Then there was a bhoj, mass feeding, in Rishikesh ashram for all the brahmacharis, swamis, residents, students and inmates. Everybody was given prasad on behalf of Sri Swamiji.

On the 6th, a bhoj was also given in Trayambakeshwar to about a thousand sannyasins from thirteen akharas represented in Nasik and the pandits of the temple along with devotees from Mumbai, Nasik, Aurangabad, Pune and other places.

Rishikesh and Trayambakeshwar are deeply connected with Sri Swamiji’s life. Rishikesh being the place of his guru where he had taken rebirth in the form of a sannyasin and Trayambakeshwar has the Shiva who guided Sri Swamiji every step of his life and who revealed to him the future.

Now Sri Swamiji’s spiritual presence is united with the spiritual powers of Sri Swami Sivananda and his ishta. Thus, he will always be present whenever we need clarity, guidance and upliftment.

Namo Narayana