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Manna for the soul: Deccan Herald
Bangalore, July 22: Mobile phones are only the second most wanted things today. The first seems to be soul satisfaction, judging by the cry for it growing louder by the minute. Everyone wants peace, happiness and love, and relief from stress. The have discovered, as did the Beatles and many others, that money can`t buy love. Or peace. Or happiness.
Bangalore, July 22: Mobile phones are only the second most wanted things today. The first seems to be soul satisfaction, judging by the cry for it growing louder by the minute. Everyone wants peace, happiness and love, and relief from stress. The have discovered, as did the Beatles and many others, that money can’t buy love. Or peace. Or happiness.
That is where the swami or guru steps in, soothes the troubled mind with words of wisdom, sometimes appealing to the intellect, sometimes to the heart. The disciple feels reassured and keeps coming back for more. Soon it becomes as essential as eating or sleeping.
Bangalore has become home to a growing number of spiritual masters - Sri Sri Ravishankar, Swami Sukhabodhananda, Gurumayi, Guru Vishwanath, Amma and others. Talking to some of the followers was enlightening. For Beena and Prasanna, devotees of Amritanandamayi, it was the sheer power of Mother’s unconditional love that caught their attention. “With Amma we feel that here is someone to whom we can say anything without inhibition and be assured she is there. There is a feeling right from the first day that this is someone who is my own, someone who I seemed to know already,” says Beena. Amma teaches you how to see all as one by her selfless love, adds Prasanna. An epitome of love and compassion she embraces the suffering of humanity, and it is this endearing quality that attracts followers in droves.
Granthana, a young woman says, “When in contact with Guruji it is a feeling of pure consciousness, of happiness, contentment. You look into yourself and realise that nothing is to be achieved; it is all there. Just love everyone from your heart.”
Whether it is to heights of realisation or plains of relaxation, meditation is a word fast catching on. For IT professionals like Anjali, the ‘life programme’ has allowed for relaxation after a stressed day. “It is simple and practical. Spirituality is not for the old alone. Even a child today has tension and learning as a youngster to manage tension is good,” she says. Rajiv is all praise for the swami’s clarity and down to earth knowledge which, he says, is relevant today.
The Art of Living and Sri Sri Ravishankar are household names in the metro. Surprisingly, the number of youngsters in the 15-21 age group taking up courses here has been going up. They are able to cope better with the stress of exams armed with a training in the art of living, notes Aravind.
Not to forget the smaller names going about the business of salvation in a quiet way. They are the ‘preceptors’ of the gurus, who address small numbers at residences of devotees, teaching meditation aimed at relaxing the mind and readying one for salvation. No fee is charged, no conditions imposed. There is no ritualistic tint. It is all about understanding things in their perspective and staying calm, notes devotee Hirannaiah.
Relaxation or realisation, the clamour for peace and happiness is universal. And if the gurus are delivering, who can complain?
That is where the swami or guru steps in, soothes the troubled mind with words of wisdom, sometimes appealing to the intellect, sometimes to the heart. The disciple feels reassured and keeps coming back for more. Soon it becomes as essential as eating or sleeping.
Bangalore has become home to a growing number of spiritual masters - Sri Sri Ravishankar, Swami Sukhabodhananda, Gurumayi, Guru Vishwanath, Amma and others. Talking to some of the followers was enlightening. For Beena and Prasanna, devotees of Amritanandamayi, it was the sheer power of Mother’s unconditional love that caught their attention. “With Amma we feel that here is someone to whom we can say anything without inhibition and be assured she is there. There is a feeling right from the first day that this is someone who is my own, someone who I seemed to know already,” says Beena. Amma teaches you how to see all as one by her selfless love, adds Prasanna. An epitome of love and compassion she embraces the suffering of humanity, and it is this endearing quality that attracts followers in droves.
Granthana, a young woman says, “When in contact with Guruji it is a feeling of pure consciousness, of happiness, contentment. You look into yourself and realise that nothing is to be achieved; it is all there. Just love everyone from your heart.”
Whether it is to heights of realisation or plains of relaxation, meditation is a word fast catching on. For IT professionals like Anjali, the ‘life programme’ has allowed for relaxation after a stressed day. “It is simple and practical. Spirituality is not for the old alone. Even a child today has tension and learning as a youngster to manage tension is good,” she says. Rajiv is all praise for the swami’s clarity and down to earth knowledge which, he says, is relevant today.
The Art of Living and Sri Sri Ravishankar are household names in the metro. Surprisingly, the number of youngsters in the 15-21 age group taking up courses here has been going up. They are able to cope better with the stress of exams armed with a training in the art of living, notes Aravind.
Not to forget the smaller names going about the business of salvation in a quiet way. They are the ‘preceptors’ of the gurus, who address small numbers at residences of devotees, teaching meditation aimed at relaxing the mind and readying one for salvation. No fee is charged, no conditions imposed. There is no ritualistic tint. It is all about understanding things in their perspective and staying calm, notes devotee Hirannaiah.
Relaxation or realisation, the clamour for peace and happiness is universal. And if the gurus are delivering, who can complain?