Learning With a New Vision
Sannyasi Anandasagar (Bombay)
On behalf of the students of BYB's pilot 4-month
Certificate Course, September–December 1995.
We are gathered today to express our deep gratitude at the close of the
first course of Bihar Yoga Bharati. We students are euphoric to be part
of an historic happening. Bihar Yoga Bharati will become far more famous
than Nalanda and Vikramshila of Bihar. They had Buddha and Buddhism as
the mainstream. We have Swami Satyananda as the fountainhead and yoga
as the nucleus. Krishna's teaching of yoga to Arjuna is analogous
to Gurudev's teaching of yoga to Swami Niranjan. Just as Arjuna was
nurtured and goaded by Krishna into supremacy over the war within and
without, finally got his act together, and so became the drive leading
to victory, likewise the 'Beacon of Light' does all the toiling
and tilling behind the scenes, and when the time is ripe for the flowers
to come to full bloom, then in elf-like fashion he takes a back seat and
appears as a spectator to the show – hiding his impish smile and
wearing a nonchalant look! Such is the essence of a truly great yogi.
He is the epitome of yoga as taught in the Bhagavad Gita – this is
precisely Gurudev's divine gift to humanity. Little wonder then what
will be the future of Bihar Yoga Bharati!
The palatial structure of Bihar Yoga Bharati, so scientifically constructed
with innumerable windows for cross ventilation, the enormous campus with
lofty trees, plants, birds – why we even have cows and peacocks to
boast of! – all this and much more befits the dignity of a truly
great BYB. It is built on the alluvial soil of the banks of the meandering
Ganges and the university throbs and pulsates with Guru's grace and
benediction. Paramahamsaji may have left never to return but his spirit
forever lives on.
For the study of languages, science, commerce, law and computers, the
globe is flooded with universities, but Bihar Yoga Bharati is the very
first yoga university in the world. The university is as unique as is
the subject: YOGA. BYB does Bihar proud, does India proud and will do
the world proud one day.
In the first batch were students from Ireland, Italy, Australia and different
parts of India – people of different cultures, languages, backgrounds
and walks of life. At first the students kept their distance and space,
were apprehensive and clannish, then as the course got underway mixed
and mingled, became friendly and finally friends. Came the yajna and we
metamorphised into a large family. The yajna was the highlight of the
course. Most of us had never and will never experience again anything
as spiritual as a yajna. This ashram has no dearth of manpower yet we
had the incredible fortune of being the chosen ones to serve at the Akhara.
This, to my mind's eye, is the most auspicious service we have ever
rendered. For we students those ten days were the most fulfilling and
rewarding moment of our entire lives. Each one of us received so much
on the subtle plane.
Now the time draws near to bid adieu and we feel a sense of loss and
separation. Some of us might never meet again, but the flame, the yogajyoti,
that has kindled in our hearts we will carry with us as we continue to
be part of the blossoming of BYB. A mother never forgets her children
whether they leave home to work in Sydney, Ireland or Italy. Similarly,
we shall always cherish memories of BYB as an endearing mother who gave
us so much. She just gave and gave and we as her children just lapped
it all up.
The academic side of the course was very satisfying with a wide range
of studies, including yoga – practical and theoretical, ashram discipline,
psychology, science, physiology, philosophy, all with yoga as their common
denominator. It was truly a treat and a feast of knowledge. The entire
ashram reverberated with the curiosity of knowing the vata, pitta, kapha
ratio of their being. Some of us had studied something of some subjects,
but we learnt with a new vision.
As Swami Savitananda said, “Today do your asanas as if you are learning
them for the first time.” Come storms, fevers or broken ankles, she
always came to the class ahead of time. She is a strict disciplinarian
but behind that stern facade lies a very caring human being. She had a
very tough time not only because she demands perfection and grace in asanas,
she had to deal with a language barrier as well. We learnt trataka in
Jyoti Mandir and ujjayi pranayama which should have a very gentle sound
and be very soothing to the nerves. But the sounds were so magnified and
audible, she was truly aghast. Next morning she admonished, “Your
breathing was so labored and loud, almost like one breathing his last,”
and she demonstrated – “Ha, ha, ha, ha.”
Swami Sumitrananda with her perfect diction and hypnotic voice gave us
the most peaceful yoga nidra one can conceive of. In her revision class
she helped to settle our jumping prana shakti in prana mudra. She had
a humorous way of explaining and drumming home a point. For the eye exercises
she noted that some students used extended sideways vision!
All our teachers were very spiritual and dedicated and the manner of
teaching was par excellence. Where do we find teachers of this quality
of one-pointedness and inner beauty? Swami Vibhooti's lectures were
like a bhajan. She commenced and closed every class with a beautiful quote,
told us to put our pens away and close our eyes. “All of life is
a journey, a spiritual journey. The path is uncharted, like a bird on
wings. Those who are too goal-oriented miss the journey.” It was
so etheric we were spaced out.
Swami Yogakanti daily, spontaneously, screamed, “Freeze”, and
we really froze in horror to realize what our facial and body contortions
were! She sat on the dais but spoke so coolly and casually I thought we
were picnicking along the Ganges' banks. Swami Vigyanchaitanya was
so sensitive that I worried about it and always carried an extra tissue
'lest pearls dropped from his eyes'. Swami Sureshwarananda said
he belonged to the Dravidian race and spoke like a lion. Only later were
we told that this was the first lecture he had delivered in his life!
Sannyasi Yogasindhu spoke on the mind and we received lovely vibrations
from him. With Dr. Dharmavrat everyone got extremely interested in physiology,
but when he finished we brooded over the loss, for then we really got
stuck with the amoeba. Man proposes, God disposes. Swami Gyanbhikshu's
diction was really something beyond beyond. He took us down a 'hazardous'
journey and that's when the class roared with laughter. Unabashed,
undeterred, he explained, “Guru's grace is everywhere.”
Last but not least came Swami Satyadharma with a bang and thunder. Her
martinet disposition at once got those people who were wont to stroll
in and out of class to perfect their ashwini and vajroli mudras. Her introductory
lecture put us on the spot. “Just as when Columbus set sail believing
the world to be flat, so are our lives flat,” she howled at us with
her tender eyes and childlike smile. “Get up. Be aware. No one can
emulate a saint of Guruji's stature, but at least we can try to build
up our bank balance of prana and avoid squandering it with a big splash.”
She had the chakras and the nadis as her part of the curriculum and with
the help of the Ganges she washed away 75000 nadis in each of us, including
ida and pingala. Now only sushumna remains to be tackled. But why worry
about the sleeping kundalini, we argue.
Academically, intellectually and on the manifest plane we received a
great deal, and on the unmanifest dimension we received a thousand times
more. Bihar Yoga Bharati, with the ashram as its backdrop, has little
choice but to churn out beautiful people. Those who came to scoff remained
to pray.
Finally a line on the sannyasins of the ashram who didn't come to
the dais to teach. Their lives were so exemplary and inspirational. As
Milton said, “They also serve who only stand and wait.”
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