Sri Ramanujamji’s Satsang in Sydney
Sri Ramanujamji arrived in Sydney on the 19th of February to commence a three-week series of satsangs. This began with a formal ‘Meet & Greet’ at Sydney Namadwaar, where bhakthas fondly recalled his last visit to Australia 16 years ago. This then flowed into daily satsangs at Namadwaar highlighting the core tenets of Bhagavatha Dharma – Mahamantra kirthanam, Srimadh Bhagavatham shravanam & parayanam, and Radha Krishna yugala seva.
Intelligent Living for Daily Life
A unique series, titled ‘Intelligent Living for Daily Life’, commenced at the Sri Ram Krishna Temple in Austral, where Sri Ramuji captured the audience speaking about the greatness of listening, its nuances, and how it plays an integral part in living a happy life. The second day of this series saw a wonderful mass prayer at the Carnes Hill Community Centre, a highlight of this Sydney tour. Attended by the Honourable Mayor of Liverpool and newly-elected Ministers for Austral and Liverpool, Sri Ramuji enlightened listeners on the power and science of sincere prayer. All those who attended had the opportunity to write and submit their prayers to the Lotus Feet of the Lordships, followed by a vibrant mass prayer with the Mahamantra. The final day of this series saw Sri Ramuji conduct a compelling workshop on ‘Intelligent Living’ for youth members of the community. Connecting with children and young adults, he ensured that all walked away equipped with valuable skills to serve them throughout their lives.
Ashtathala Pū – The Divine Eight-Petalled Lotus
On that fitting note, Sri Ramuji began his four-day series of talks centered on Sri Swamiji’s Madhurageetham “Ashtathala Pū Kondu”. Using the metaphor of the ‘eight-petalled lotus’, he expounded on the beautiful qualities that we, as Sanathana Dharmi’s, should have in our daily lives – kshama (complete acceptance), sathyam (utmost truth), dhaya (compassion), shanthi (inner peace), bhakthi (one-pointed devotion), virakthi (dispassion), prema (purest love towards Bhagavan), and gnānam (knowledge of the Absolute Truth). This culminated in a beautiful Deepotsav on the fifth day to celebrate the Divine Mother, Sri Madhuri Sakhi, where Namadwaar was filled with shining lamps and bhakthas singing the divine compositions of Sri Swamiji.
Peaceful Mind Day
On the 4th of March, Sri Ramuji conducted an engaging external program as part of a panel of speakers for “Peaceful Mind Day”, an initiative to tackle anxiety and stress in the minds of everyday people. Attended by people from all walks of life, listeners were treated to insightful analogies and wisdom from our Sanathana Dharma to equip them to face the challenges of their busy lives. The session was not only didactic; Sri Ramuji was able to uniquely connect with each and every person to trigger lively discussion and involvement.
Gopa Kuteeram Workshops
Sri Ramuji conducted multiple workshops at Sydney Namadwaar targeting the young members of the Sydney satsang group, as well as children of all ages attending Gopa Kuteeram classes. He spoke on the process of goal setting, the influence of external factors on the mind, and the importance of Namadwaar and spiritual activities to foster positive thinking, especially by channelling gratitude in our daily lives. The children left the session feeling revitalised and charged to seize every opportunity coming their way.
Chaithanya Mahaprabhu Jayanthi, Holi & Radha Kalyanam
The blissful satsangs continued at Sydney Namadwaar with Sri Ramuji’s wonderful recount of the charithra of Sri Chaithanya Mahaprabhu in the lead-up to Holi. Bhakthas filled the hall day after day, relishing the sweetness of his leelas, interwoven with parallels to the lives of other avathāra purushas and the adhbutha leelas of Sri Krishna Bhagavan, all whilst the moon progressively grew in size night after night. Holi was celebrated in the gardens of Namadwaar with a wonderful play of colours alongside sweet kirthans and mahamanthra with a procession of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. The Divine Couple, Sri Premika Varadhan & Sri Madhuri Sakhi, were celebrated with a grand Radha Kalyanam, with bhakthas thronging to Sydney Namadwaar for the auspicious occasion. A vibrant Anjaneya Utsav was held the following evening, where Hanuman Ji was adorned with wonderful garlands of flowers, fruit and vada as the Hanuman Chaleesa was recited over 100 times by bhakthas.
Kirthanam – Mantra Music Meditation
Sri Ramuji led a vibrant session of Kirtanam in Newtown, near the heart of the City of Sydney. Attended by people from many backgrounds, many with no previous knowledge of the Mahamantra, all fortunate seekers were transported to a place of serenity and joy. Sri Ramuji spoke on the fundamental pillars of the Mahamantra, drawing on ancient wisdom from Sanathana Dharma. All attendees participated in the melodious Mahamantra kirthan with fervour and without inhibition.
Sri Rama Navami
After his return from Melbourne, Sri Ramuji gave a captivating 4-day series of talks on Srimadh Ramayanam. Drawing on Sri Swamiji’s composition, Jaya Jaya Rama Kathe, he elucidated on Srimadh Ramayanam being a “bhakthi prapatthi kainkarya shastre”, aptly selecting the choicest moments from the text to highlight the kalyana gunas of Sri Ramachandra Prabhu. Just as sugar and sweetness are inseparable, so are Sri Rama and dharma, with listeners learning that love for dharma dawns automatically once one has love for Sri Rama. Attended by almost 200 bhakthas on the final day of Sri Rama Navami, including the Honourable Deputy Mayor of Parramatta, Sri Ramuji culminated this series with a wonderful exposition of Sundarkānd, relishing the kainkarya bhava of Sri Aanjaneya.
