Yoga Kavach

Sri Dilip Mehta, Kolkata

3rd October 2020 came as a bombshell when I tested positive for Corona virus with viral load of 18. Strangely I had no symptoms and was confident that the result would be negative, which was unfortunately not to be.

It’s then that the Mind Game started thanks to the hysteria created by the media and the public at large which had instilled a mortal fear in humanity. I immediately isolated myself in the domain of my bedroom with an attached toilet. The detailed prescription of the doctor involving seven supplements, two medicines and two processes – steaming and gargling was duly charted out and I meticulously went about following the instructions.

To allay the mental disharmony, thanks to my deep association with Bihar School of Yoga, I immediately took to chanting of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, Gayatri Mantra and 32 names of Durga as well as practising yoga nidra and antar mouna, all under the remote direction and guidance of the omnipresent Swamiji. Thankfully all content was readily available on biharyoga.net, Satyam Yoga Prasad and Youtube. It was like interacting with Swamiji on a real-time basis.

As a natural corollary all members of my home were put through the same RT-PCR test despite showing no visible signs of the much publicized symptoms of Covid-19. The second major shock came on 6th October when, apart from Aneesha and Surendra (her assistant), all reported positive. Considering their age and the lack of facilities to handle any emergency we admitted three elderly members of the household to Nursing Homes, retaining others at home as their viral load was over 31 and they showed no alarming signs (obviously all under doctor’s advice).

The silver lining was that now being birds of the same feather we were free to flock together. A photograph of Pujya Gurudev shared by Aneesha got immediately installed on our bedstead and we went into constant care under his watchful eyes in our confinement.

Aneesha and Surendra managed to ward off the virus probably due to Aneesha’s continuous and close guidance from the ashram, regimented workouts and yogic kriyas including jal neti and kunjal. Surendra also informed us that he had been practising jal neti and the beauty is that I am supposed to have trained him while doing my workouts and mantra chanting coupled with my parikrama walk on the heavenly patch of green on our terrace during the lock-down period.

My middle ear problem prevents me from doing jal neti but thanks to my physical regimentation of sporting activities, breathing kriyas, asanas, mantra chants, etc. I was able to stay healthy and able to sustain myself through this torrid period.

The Yoga Kavach, the protective shield of yoga, as prescribed by Swamiji in the various capsules on the App meant for prevention of the dreaded virus, protection in the event you got afflicted and preservation post recovery, started taking over our lifestyles.

I am sure, like many others, we are living examples of the significant role played in our recovery and well being of the yogic kriyas, meditation and mantra chanting. We have not realized how time flew over this period from 3rd to 18th October. It was as if we were enjoying rediscovering ourselves with complete time at our disposal and bereft of any stresses.

Fortunately, those who were moved out suffered from only mild symptoms and were able to come out of the Nursing Home to finish their quarantine period in the confines of dedicated rooms, and with guru kripa are back on their feet.

Being deeply and closely associated with Bihar School of Yoga, thanks to the initiation through my beloved father Brahmamurtiji, yoga has been a part of my life and lifestyle. I do not think I have benefited more now than ever before, but it is all thanks to the blessings of our Guru, Paramahamsa Niranjanananda Saraswati and the blissful institutions both at Munger and Rikhia. How our lives have internally transformed has not always been otherwise visible; it has been felt in its enormity only now. This makes me resolve to continue following the methods with more conviction and belief that tomorrow and the time after will be spent in spiritual well-being.

Truly speaking. the Yoga Kavach is not only meant to ‘prevent’ from such disastrous episodes but also to ‘protect’ in the event one is afflicted and thereafter ‘preserve’ your original self through posterity. This is guru kripa overflowing from the distance and reaching out to all of us as an armour to overcome distress.

As a victim of this dreaded virus which hit me and my family despite all possible precautions, only one message has been thrown up in my mind: It’s going to happen to almost everyone but the intensity of its virulence can be checked to a great extent by following the doctrine of the Yoga Kavach as pronounced by Pujya Swamiji. We can overcome the misery in the shortest possible time and regain normalcy in all aspects.

All members of our family are privileged to enjoy the blessings of Pujya Swamiji as also the legacies of knowledge and learning passed on by Pujya Gurudev through the aegis of the Bihar School of Yoga.