Bhagavan Nityananda murti installation
and Baba Muktananda's birthday

On the weekend of the 14th May, Swamiji Maharaj, Devi Ma and the Shiva Yoga community celebrated the installation of our beautiful murti (statue) of Bhagavan Nityananda in Shree Gurudev Hall.

Friday evening - chanting and dancing sapta

Beginning on Friday evening there was an ecstatic all night chant of Om Namo Bhagavate Nityanandaya, along with a dancing sapta.

Saturday - Pranata Pratishta (enlivening)

On Saturday afternoon, Prasad (a temple priest from the Bhagavan Nityananda temple in Ganshpuri) conducted a traditional '‘enlivening' of the statue, called a Prana Pratishta, by reciting sacred mantras; giving offerings and performing abhishek (ritual bathing) of Bhagavan. A highlight of the day was when the assembled crowd chanted OM twelve times to bring the prana (life-force) into the statue. Swamiji commented that even though Bhagavan had been playful since he arrived in the hall some months ago, the energy of the chants enlivened him even further. At the end of the ceremony, Baba’s ashram manager and our dear friend, Swami Govindananda, presented a shawl and mala to Bhagavan and our friends Iqbal Memnon and his wife Zarina also offered a beautiful silk shawl.

Saturday evening - final arati and Satsang

The hall was filled with a palpably high energy at Satsang on Saturday night as Prasad offered the final arati in the installation of the murti and we celebrated the birthday of Bhagavan Nityananda’s greatest disciple, Baba Muktananda. Swamiji said that not only did the evening mark the 40th anniversary of Baba’s own installation of a murti of Bhagavan in Gurudev Siddha Peeth but it was also 40 years since he first met Baba in Delhi.

Swamiji applies Shaivite tilakas (forehead markings) to the newly-enlivened murti

Prasad offering flowers to Bhagavan Nityananda

Sunday - Bhagavan Nityananda Intensive

On the Sunday the weekend culminated with the Bhagavan Nityananda Intensive at which Swamiji gave Shaktipat (the spiritual awakening). Devi Ma also gave a talk introducing the day’s program and the meaning of the Intensive. Swamiji noted that the Intensive was the initiative of his Guru and that Baba always encouraged him to run these programs. Intensives are always special events but this particular event had an even greater intensity owing to the presence of the murti.

Swamiji and a photo of his guru, Baba Muktananda