This weekend, hundreds of devotees had a chance to partake in the experience of a lifetime. Although it may sound like hyperbole, the facts show just how special these JKYog retreats are, and some select words from the scriptures, enumerated in Swamiji’s lectures further accentuated the urgency of these opportunities to develop our spiritual wisdom.
At this retreat, devotees congregated in serene Denison, Texas, just 30 miles from the beautiful Radha Krishna Temple in Allen, Texas, to unlock the packed schedule of activities that organizers had planned for them. For three days, attendees were treated to an incessant torrent of spirituality. From 6 AM to 10 PM every day, each event was truly unique, creating a cornucopia of spiritual ecstasy for the kindred divine souls who wielded conviction that this was the best day to spend the holiday weekend.
They were treated to rare events not seen elsewhere in the broader universe. The daily yoga, pranayama, subtle body relaxation, and mediation sessions offered experiences that cannot be expressed in words. The parikrama, where the hundreds of devotees followed in Swamiji’s frolicking footsteps through the woods of Sherman, Texas, was also an experience of joy, where devotees could literally walk in Swamiji’s footsteps, dance, sing, play and ask their questions, that is exclusive to JKYog retreats. A meditation session was held on the shores of Herman Baker Lake, under the cover of the woods. Swamiji narrated sessions of devotees joining Krishna in the forests of Vrindavan, on the banks of the Yamuna River. When the meditation session was over, and we opened our eyes to see Swamiji seated steps away from the Lake, with a forest on the far side of the Lake and found themselves seated under towering trees, we marveled in how our current setting so closely matched those in the Vrindavan that were just narrated to us.
Interspersed in this explosion of spiritual wisdom were lectures of the Narad Bhakti Darshan – more on that in another post. Swamiji has been orating this series verse by verse, and this retreat in Denison marked the pinnacle of the 2-year sequence, as Swamiji meticulously revealed the secrets of the final 13 verses.
There were also a bhajan competition, which has become a staple of JKYog events, where teams competed in impromptu presentations to creatively relay in their own words the wisdom of the scriptures. Every retreat also has several sessions of bhajans and kirtans with dedicated and talented musicians leading a chorus on transcendental chants, and this retreat was no different.
JKYog retreats are full of celebrations!! Each night ended with a spectacular combination of dance and song. In addition to the regular celebrations, there was also a grand celebration for the birth of Radha Rani, which again gave all the devotees a chance to celebrate.
Children and youth were engrossed in Bal-Mukund and JKYog Youth club sessions! These sessions were very beautifully designed and had a good combination of Vedic wisdom, leadership lessons and educative activities packaged in a very interactive and interesting manner to children. Children loved attending these session and in fact, one child was heard telling his father, “I don’t even want to play video games.”
