Highlights: (Click on link to go directly to that section) INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL Divine Mundan Ceremony  Purnahuti of Veerpur Navratri Yagna Film on Pujya Swamiji airs in Hollywood Divine Message by Pujya Swamiji -  How to be Fearless? Have Faith in God Links to Previous Newsletters  and Divine Messages

March 1- 7 -- Rishikesh

International Yoga Festival

From March 1 � 7 Parmarth Niketan Ashram and Uttranchal Tourism jointly organized the International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, India.

More than 150 students came from over 20 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Holland, India, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, USA and Zambia  

There was a wide variety of yoga offerings including Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Reiki, Pranayama, Power Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Pranic Healing, Music Therapy, Yoga Therapy, Nada yoga, Meditation and special satsangs & question-answer sessions with H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. 

	clockwise from top: Yoga on the banks of Mother Ganga; Hatha yoga class in the Yoga Hall; Meditation class

The teachers included:

1.   Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, a world renowned Kundalini Yoga instructor from Hollywood, California, USA. Gurmukh taught Kundalini Yoga.

2.     Smt. Rohini Khatri, reiki master from Hyderabad, taught Reiki

3.     Brahmachariji Vishwa Pal Jayantiji taught Power Yoga, Pranayama and also Ayurveda.

4.     Pujya Swami Veda Bharatiji led a special meditation session.

5.     Karin O�Bannon, senior teacher of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles taught Hatha Yoga and the yoga sutras of Patanjali.

6.      Dr. K.L. Seshagiri Rao led lecture sessions on Indian philosophy and culture. 

7.     Rabbi Burt Siegel gave a lecture on the universal nature of yoga.

8.     Sadhvi Abha Saraswati taught Yoga Nidra and Nada Yoga

9.     Dr. Vijay Kaushik taught Yoga Therapy

10.     Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati taught meditation

11.   Laxmi Narain Joshi taught Pranic Healing

12.   Kiran Porat, famous Indian classical vocalist, offered music therapy. 

Evening satsang and question-answer sessions were led by His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. 

There was also a special cultural dance night arranged by Uttranchal Tourism.  

	Participants perform yogasanas and also yagna/havan on the banks of Mother Ganga

	The Festival was officially inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of Uttranchal in Culture, Tourism and Sports, Shri N.N. Persad.  Further, many revered saints and spiritual leaders came for the occasion.    Official inauguration

	Lighting the sacred lamp at the official inauguration

Further the participants participated in the sacred Ganga Aarti each evening at Parmarth.  

	Participants take part in the divine Ganga Aarti and the bhajan/kirtan which follows it.

Yoga means unity and this festival was truly a festival of unity � unity between people of different cultures and faiths, unity between the East and West, unity between modern and traditional, unity between the body, mind and soul.  

	After yoga class, the participants take their meals in the sunshine of the garden

During the Festival, the participants were treated to a special Yoga Demonstration by the divine Rishikumars at the Parmarth Gurukul. Studying yoga only since last June, the Rishikumars have allowed their inner Yogis to blossom, and it was amazing to see how well they have mastered the asanas in such a short time. 

Everyone was so impressed to see these beautiful children perform such intricate, difficult asanas with such apparent ease. It seems like they are all ancient Yogis living in the bodies of young boys. 

The Rishikumars also had a special treat when Gurmukh organized a special Kundalini yoga class for them with her students from USA and Europe. Each yatri paired up with 2 or 3 rishikumars and together they performed yoga, did special artwork and had sweets!

Also during the Festival, we had a special guest of Smt. Kokilaben Ambani, the Divine wife and divine Shakti of the late Divine Soul Shri Dhirubhai Ambani. 

	Smt. Kokilaben came to perform the sacred Ganga Yagna and Aarti and to have Pujya Swamiji's darshan and satsang. Pujya Swamiji spoke about her with overflowing love and praise for her piety and devotion and for her crucial role in bringing about the success of the Ambani family.

One of the highlights of the Festival was the satsang and question-answer with Pujya Swamiji. The participants asked questions about how to incorporate the principles of yoga into their own lives and how they could be in peace. Pujya Swamiji�s message was �Surrender to God. Surrender to the path. Surrender to His will. Expect less and accept more. It is our own expectations and our own egos that cause frustration and disappointment in life.�

	Satsang and question-answer in Pujya Swamiji's garden

The concluding ceremony on March 7 was graced by the presence of the honorable governor of Uttranchal, Shri Sudarshan Agarwalji and also there was a special drumming concert given by world famous drummer Sivamani.  

	clockwise from top: His Excellency the governor and Shri N.N. Persadji perform the final purnahuti of the world peace yagna; Pujya Swamiji offers the Honorable Governor a special shawl and holy water from Lake Mansarovar

All in all, the participants were not only taught, but they were also touched and transformed.  Eyes were filled with tears as they departed from the holy banks of Mother Ganga and everyone said they would bring all of their friends next year!  

On the final evening, Pujya Swamiji presented Gurmukh and Gurushabd with a special new havan kund and an aarti for them to use in their new studio where they have decided to have daily evening yagna and aarti. The Havan kund was officially inaugurated on the final day of their stay, where we had the beautiful purnahuti of the yagna in it. Now, it is filled with the water, the essence and the divine vibrations of Mother Ganga and it will release this sacred essence whenever yagna fires are burned in it. 

	The new yagna kund is first initiated and then given over to Gurmukh and the Golden Bridge Yatris

March 11 -- Veerpur

After most of the Yoga Festival participants had departed, we took a trip to the Veerpur Ashram where we had a special "see off ceremony" for the Golden Bridge Yatra group. 

	Breakfast was served to them sitting in the divine, natural environment, and Pujya Swamiji gave them all flower malas and divine blessings.

March 30 -- Rishikesh

The Solanki Family from London (Publishers of Garavi Gujarat and Asian Trader magazines) came to Parmarth Niketan for the divine mundan ceremony of Krishna Solanki (see www.parmarth.com/sanskaras.htm for details of the different sanskara ceremonies). However, along with Krishna, several other members of the family decided to also take part in this sacred, holy ritual. So, Krishna and his cousins Jaimin, Aditya and Kashyap as well as Kalpesh Solanki all had the sacred ritual performed. 

	Krishna Solanki before and during the mundan ceremony

	clockwise from top: Kalpesh, Aditya and Jaimin Solanki and Kashyap Karia all get their mundans performed; Bhavit Mehta puts tilak on a rishikumar; Pujya Swamiji blesses Kashyap Karia.

Along with the Solanki family, 40 of the rishikumars at Parmarth's Gurukul also had their mundan ceremony performed. Bhavit and Meenaben Mehta of London, UK had sponsored new dhotis and dupattas for the rishikumars and these were handed out after their sacred mundan. 

	Pujya Swamiji and Pujya M.M. Swami Asanganandji bless Shri Ramnikbhai and Smt. Parvatiben Solanki and Krishna Solanki

Krishna Solanki during and after the mundan ceremony

	Krishna with his father Shailesh Solanki; Pujya Swamiji with all of the newly blessed members of the Solanki and Karia family

Following the ceremony, they also had 2 special bhandaras - one in the Bhandara Hall given by dear Jaimin Solanki and the other on the ghat, for all of the local sadhus and poor people. This was in memory of dear Smita Thakkar as well as all of the ancestors of the Solanki family. 

	Krishna Solanki and his brothers and sisters serve lunch to sadhus on the  banks of Mother Ganga

March 31 -- Veerpur

	On the sacred day after Ram Navami, the Rishikumars in the Gurukul at Veerpur had the purnahuti of their sacred yagna.  We all travelled to Veerpur to be part of this purnahuti ceremony and to perform Aarti on the banks of Mother Ganga in Veerpur.

PREMIER OF FILM ON PUJYA SWAMIJI'S TEACHINGS:

On April 17, at 3:00 pm at the Archlight Theater in Hollywood, a film on the teachings of Pujya Swamiji will premier. The film, titled, "A Day in the Light" is produced and directed by Christopher Miglino. See www.adayinthelight.com for more details or to order the beautiful film.   For all those living in the Los Angeles area, be sure to take advantage of the special premier screening on  April 17.

Click Here to See Mansarovar Yatra in the News