The yoga Centre grows

As our yoga centre was growing, so was the Aum Centre. Guru commemorated the 100th disciple to come from our classes with a trophy and a song, Sarama Kukur. Kukur means ‘dog’ in Bengali.

When Guru gave me my name, he explained that Sarama was the Divine Dog, the Dog of the Supreme, symbolizing loyalty and devotion. That is another song that immediately became part of my daily meditation. Sarama is, not surprisingly, a rather popular name for dogs in India, and I didn’t mind the little teasing that occurred after someone asked Guru the name of his family dog, whom they had spotted in a Ghose family photo.

The Old Mill Farm

There was a beautiful estate on the edge of the little brook that runs along close to the highway on the way from New Rochelle to White Plains. Several disciples lived there and it became an annex to Yoga of Westchester—our little White Plains Centre. It had a huge living room, perfect for classes. It was also very well suited for Joy Days, with big lawns and lots of space indoors in case it rained. We enjoyed it for a few years, but that ended when everyone moved to Queens.

Guru visits Yoga of Westchester

This story by Sarama was written in 1971. 1

Friday, February 5, 1971, in New Rochelle, where Yoga of Westchester is located, dawned bleak, gray, and threatening. Before long, thick wet flakes began to fall, making the roads and walks slick and treacherous. This was the day that so many students had been anticipating for weeks, for this evening Sri Chinmoy was coming to hold a special meditation for them. As anticipation and apprehension mounted, the phone began ringing. "Is the meditation still on?" "Will he come in this weather?" asked anxious students. The cheerful answer was, "Don’t worry, everything will clear up and be fine by evening."

As predicted, the storm passed and eager aspirants began pouring in as early at 6:45 for the 7:45 meditation. Since the crowd was expected to be too large for the meditation room, everyone gathered in the main exercise room, where flowers glowed against the deep blue carpet, and special incense made in India by Guru’s sisters filled the air with its unique aroma. While awaiting his arrival we set the mood by soulfully singing the beautiful "Supreme" chant written by Gurudev.

Upon his arrival, Guru was garlanded by one of the students with a chain of sandalwood flowers from India. The room was filled with a deep and all-pervasive peace. Guru asked the group to concentrate on purity, peace and divine bliss for a minute each, and those who were receptive were bathed in the glowing force which he brought down in abundant measure. When the meditation ended, many for whom this was a new and overwhelming experience sat quietly enjoying the afterglow, while others talked softly. Then refreshments were served while, upstairs, Guru individually interviewed those who had expressed a wish to become his disciples.

The youngest person at the meditation was six-year-old Andrea, the lovely little daughter of Sue and George of the New York Centre. Guru was inspired to end the beautiful evening by giving her her soul’s name. She is now Minati, "the supreme longing for the Supreme with complete love, devotion, and surrender" What joy we shall have in watching her grow into the fulfilment of her soul’s promise!

For many who were present, this evening marked the beginning of a heightened aspiration. A few who made the commitment to become disciples and wholeheartedly embrace the spiritual life will look back upon this evening as the beginning of a new life of inner fulfillment.

What Is Yoga?

by Sarama

Adapted from a lecture presented at the College of New Rochelle, N.Y., May 4, 1970, and published as a booklet by the Sri Chinmoy Centre.

What actually is Yoga? Yoga is a way of life. It is a way of lifethat has as its ultimate goal one very specific objective. Thereare innumerable visible results and side benefits along the way,but the objective is always the realization of one’s own true nature, the realization of the Self, with a capital S. The word Yoga means union. The union referred to here is the union of the limited, finite self (small s) with the infinite absolute Self, the undefinable and indescribable Self which embraces the finitely inconceivable qualities of omniscience, omnipotence andomnipresence as well as the equally incomprehensible and mind-splitting qualities of infinity, eternity and immortality. This Self, this Someone or Something, we may call by the name SupremeBeing, or Absolute or, most often, God. Then what does Yoga really mean? It means union with God. This union is referred to as Self-realization or God-realization.

How does Yoga lead us to the goal? There are many ways of moving toward this union, but the heart and soul of Yoga is meditation. “Meditation is the language of Spirituality. Spirituality is the language of unity. Unity is the language of divinity." (Sri Chinmoy)2 Through meditation we gradually transcend the limitations of our physical world, moving beyond the finitemind to the region of inner light, peace and joy...

What makes a person choose to follow the path of Yoga and meditation? The motivation comes from the Soul. For this motivation there is a special name: Aspiration.

The aspirant’s ultimate commitment is beautifully stated by Sri Chinmoy in a meditation from Food for the Soul: “I have made one choice and one decision. My choice is to become one with God’s Life. My decision is to be the ever-dedicated breath in the fulfillment of God’s universe."2 No austerity, renunciation, or withdrawal from life here!

Perhaps the first symptom of the development of aspiration is the intuitive feeling that there must be some divine purpose for our being here, something other than an endless round of eating, sleeping, working, talking to people, suffering. The nextsymptom of aspiration is searching, and for this the prerequisite is inspiration. Somewhere we read something or hear something, or receive an experience of inner light which impels us towarda spiritual quest. The soul is the protagonist here too, becauseit always wants light and it will try to push its will through the slightest crack in our dull, unlit, material armor. Soon the search is on. Before long, whether or not we recognize it as Self-realization, we will feel the urgency of our spiritual goal, and will be drawn toward those who can help us in the direction of spiritual fulfillment.

There is a saying in Yoga, “When the chela [student] is ready, the Guru will appear." Eventually, as a seeker, we are bound to make the contacts that will lead to a spiritual teacher,or Guru as he is called in Sanskrit. Furthermore, if we are living in the soul, as it were, rather than hopelessly entangled in the emotions of the material world, we will recognize a Master when he appears, and be drawn to him.

Now, who really is a Guru, and why do people seek him out? The Guru is not simply a teacher of Yoga, either exercises or philosophy. A real Guru is a spiritual giant, a Master who has himself achieved union with the Absolute, and then has taken upon himself, through the will of God (who is the Guru of Gurus), the responsibility of helping others toward the goal.

Christ said: “I and my Father are one." Yoga knows no religious barriers, and Christ’s statement came from the height of his own genuine and most divine Self-realization. The Guru’s powers are only limited by the Supreme’s Will and the disciple’s receptivity and devotion, for the Guru is truly God’s representative on earth. It is worth noting that genuine Gurus are rare. Many Westerners who have come into contact with Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, a Bengali Indian who arrived in the United States six years ago, have recognized in him the qualities of just such a Guru. Sri Chinmoy is undoubtedly the first spiritual Master of such high caliber to come to the West and remain here with the mission of helping Western spiritual seekers toward their goal of union with God. His path of Love, Devotion and Surrender is a Bhakti Yoga path, but his philosophy integrates devotion with knowledge and unattached action. He stresses the importance of not rejecting the outerworld, but, through the practice of Yoga, finding our joy and fulfillment here, in our life on earth.

• 1. Chinmoy Family, Vol. 1, #4 (Spring 1971), p. 14.
• 2. a. b. From the book Meditations: Food from the Soul