JAINA Convention 1999 07 Philadelphia

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 70

10th Biennial JAINA Convention
culture. It was thus that he was the founding member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad as well as its last surviving founding member. It was also thus that a Hindu organisation and a Hindu academic invited him to U.S.A. and were his sponsors when he first arrived to U.S.A.
In spite of his public profile, Guruji's own practices of meditation and yoga and worship required seclusion. Guruji did a lot of meditation and sadhna in seclusion over long period of time and had his own experiences to base his spiritual teachings on. Guruji's own teachings were mostly practical, He established Kundalini Science Centre in 1977. He conducted countless seminars and sessions devoted to the practice of yoga. His lectures over these years were also related to yoga and meditation and dealt with actual experience. Guruji's Song of the Soul was published in 1986. In this publication, Guruji set out a practical manual for harnessing the power of sound through the Mantras and the Root Sounds and explains the powers of the latent Kundalini.
During the initial few years of Guruji's stay in North America, Guruji established Ashrams in the traditional sense and his disciples in the Ashram were mostly from the mainstream society (not born Jains). The traditional Jain society became more involved first by participating in the yoga-meditation camps and later through Guruji's visits across North America. Guruji gave the inspiration to have Jain and Hindu-Jain temples built all over North America. Siddhachalam became the first and the only Jain Tirth outside of India in 1991. Guruji took samadhi in April 1994. His passing away did not create a void as he, in his subtle form, is eternally present with us. Siddhachalam continues to flourish with Guruji's spiritual energies and with Guruji's blessings and with Guruji's guidance.
To sum up, Guruji was a power-house of spiritual energies. He gave children as much attention as he did to potentates and presidents. His teaching was imparted on a personal basis - to the thousands of people for whom he was always available at all hours. He did not deliver sermons. He reached out to the inner-self, even when lecturing to very large audiences.
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Jain Education Interational 2010_03