Delhi Ramakrishna Mission
June 25, 2009
Temple in Ramakrishna Mission
Bajaj Hotel Delhi
Year 3 of The Jaimini course is being held for 5 weeks in Almora in the Himalaya, the abode of the Rishis, and the place where Swami Vivekananda meditated and had his vision of the Devi. En route to Almora I stayed at the very friendly and welcoming Bajaj Indian Home Stay in the heart of Karol Bagh, which has a wonderful traditional feel. Karol Bagh is a suberb of New Delhi quite close to the city centre, and very close to the Ramakrishna Mission – just two stops on the Metro! I visited the Mission twice during my stay in Delhi and meditated in Sri Ramakrishna’s temple, met some wonderful people and students, and visited the library of The Ramakrishna University where the students were revising for their exams! Sri Ramakrishna (1836 – 1886) was a very influential saint who lived a life of God-realisation and taught “the unity of diversity” – that there are many paths to God, but the goal remains the same. He was totally devoted to Mother Kali, which can be clearly seen in his Vedic horoscope. His favourite disciple was Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902) who revived the Vedic culture of India and was the first sage to bring Vedic wisdom to the West. In 1890 Swami visited Almora on his travels through the Himalaya as a wandering monk. In Almora he lived and meditated in a cave which is just above our resort here at Kasaar Devi, and this is where he had his vision of the Devi. In the next post I will show you his cave and the Devi temple that was built on this ancient site that has been home to the Devi for millenia.