Today is the anniversary of an auspicious day for Bhakti House, the Amrit Yoga Institute and for thousands of devotees and followers of Swami Kripalu—known as Bapuji—around the world.  The event is Bapuji’s Mahasamadhi.  Mahasamadhi is when a yogi consciously leaves their body and the body dies.  There are many things said about what happens during and after mahasamadhi but I was not there to witness Bapuji’s transition nor have I made that leap myself; so, I really can’t speak to that with any degree of knowledge.  What I can speak to is that I know of no other practice that celebrates in such a revered way.  Usually we see death as this awful event and yet here we are, about to celebrate the death of a beloved guru.  There is a joy in knowing that the mission of this great saint touched thousands of lives for good and that this chapter in his existence was complete.  The Self known as Bapuji has not ended and even the chapter known as Bapuji hasn’t truly ended.  The circumstances changed, that’s all and it’s that realization that we celebrate today.

Gurudev, Yogi Amrit Desai, is currently in Malav, India where Bapuji’s Mahasamadhi Mandir is located.  Years ago, Bapuji instructed Gurudev to first establish a yoga community in the US and then bring his teachings of yoga back to India.  Gurudev has done this by establishing the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, the Kripalu Yoga Center and the Amrit Yoga Institute.  Beginning last year, he has returned to India not just to tour holy sites but to train teachers in India who can begin to carry the Lakulish/Pashupata Lineage of Yoga throughout India as Amrit Yoga teachers do here in the US and in other countries.

During the Yoga Nidra training and celebrations of Bapuji’s Mahasamadhi, Gurudev will initiate Kamini and Malay during a sacred ceremony into carrying the Lakulish, Kripalu lineage for future generations.  My guess, as I am not in attendance nor do I have any prior knowledge, is that this ceremony will take place sometime today at Bapuji’s Mahasamadhi Mandir pictured below.

Over the years, Gurudev has recognized teachers who carry the light of this lineage.  As far as I know, there are 15 teachers who have received such recognition.  On his 80th birthday, Gurudev recognized six teachers—Kamini, Chandrakant and others—with awards.  This year at his 85th birthday, Gurudev recognized nine of us with awards.  What does this award mean?  I’ll leave that for the next post; for now, you can read through the award below.

Until next time,
Jai Bhagwan