Saudis and Expats Converge to Hear Sadhguru Speak about Save Soil (12 May)
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Day 1: Sarnath – Where Buddha Gave His First Teaching
The Kashi Krama began with a visit to Sarnath – one of the four most important pilgrimage centers in Buddhism. The Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath is said to be the exact spot where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon to his first five disciples. The group also visited the Sarnath Museum, which is replete with exquisite sculptures of the Buddha and other Buddhist exhibits. Sarnath not only allowed the participants to immerse themselves in Buddhist culture but also be imbued by a sense of calm and meditativeness.
Saudis and Expats Converge to Hear Sadhguru Speak about Save Soil (12 May)
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Day 2: From Kashi Vishwanath to Markandey Mahadev
Sarnath’s unique atmosphere prepared devotees for what was coming next: a rare chance to experience Mangala Arati in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple that houses one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which is said to have been consecrated by Adiyogi himself. Mangala Arati is the very first arati that happens in the temple every morning between 3 a.m. to 4 a.m., during the auspicious Brahma Muhurta.
Saudis and Expats Converge to Hear Sadhguru Speak about Save Soil (12 May)
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Fired up for the day by the arati, the group set off on foot toward two famous Devi temples in Varanasi, the Vishalakshi Temple, one of the Shakti Sthalas located at the Mir Ghat, and the Annapurna Temple, dedicated to the goddess of food.
The devotees then advanced to the iconic temple of Kala Bhairava – the most fearsome and deadliest form of Shiva – where they experienced the powerful energy and grace of the Kala Bhairava Arati, followed by darshan of the linga in Mahamrityunjaya Mahadev Temple, where Shiva is worshipped as the one who is victorious over death.
Whether a tourist or a pilgrim, one of the major attractions for anyone who visits Kashi is a boat ride along the holy Ganga. Devotees were overjoyed to get on the boats and go to the confluence of the Ganga and Gomati rivers. After the boat ride, the group had the privilege to meditate in the Markandey Mahadev Temple. Legends say that when someone is around this linga, death cannot touch them.
Saudis and Expats Converge to Hear Sadhguru Speak about Save Soil (12 May)
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Day 3: Kashi Vishwanath, Sadhguru Satsang and Manikarnika Ghat
It was finally the day for the long-awaited Satsang with Sadhguru on a very special occasion: Sadhguru’s Enlightenment Day. On the morning of 23 September, Sadhguru offered abhishekam at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, after which devotees got the first darshan of their Guru in the newly-built Kashi Corridor. The spacious walkway connects the Kashi Vishwanath Temple with the three main ghats.
Saudis and Expats Converge to Hear Sadhguru Speak about Save Soil (12 May)
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
The Enlightenment Day Satsang was to begin late in the afternoon. Before Sadhguru entered, the priests of Kashi Vishwanath – who also have come to the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore for a number of years now to perform the elaborate Saptarishi Arati on Agastya Jayanti – received Sadhguru with an arati.
In the Satsang, Sadhguru addressed topics as diverse as the real meaning of the feminine, coping with one’s mother’s death, and how individuals can contribute to the development of Kashi.
A pilgrimage to Kashi is incomplete without spending quality time at Manikarnika Ghat, the epitome of a cremation ground, and an eternal reminder of the most fundamental reality of our existence – death. So, after the Satsang, devotees headed toward Manikarnika Ghat, where they had the chance to be in Sadhguru’s presence for some more time. In the raw and intense atmosphere of the cremation ghat, the participants become viscerally conscious that we humans are only here for a brief time.
Day 4: More Temples Dedicated to Mahadeva
The final day wasn’t without temple visits either – the beauty of being in a city dotted with temples and shrines! In the morning, devotees flocked to the Mallikarjuna Mahadev Temple and Baidyanath Mahadev Temple, both of which are said to be energy replicas of the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Andhra Pradesh and the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Jharkhand, respectively. The Kashi Krama culminated with Guru Pooja.
