As I lingered over this beautiful image, it looked to me as though the flower is opening to the light. For me this represents the way Gurumayi leads us from darkness into the eternal light.
How blessed we are!
Martock, United Kingdom
When I look at the flower, the words that come to me are lightness, clarity, shadow and light, openness, simplicity, beauty, humility, sweetness. All these words describe my path of
sadhana, my journey of transformation. Gratitude arises in me.
Kerlouan, France
After offering manasa puja, mental worship, to Lord Ganesh, and then offering dakshina, I read this beautiful invitation. I love the way Swami Indirananda writes, “Because of my daily practices, I feel that every day I am becoming a new person” and how she feels her life on Earth “is ever new.”
This is the feeling I have this morning, one which fills me with joy and zeal. No matter what challenges I face, I know I am growing, transforming, becoming “ever new.” With this awareness and with gratitude, I clicked on the link and offered dakshina again.
Thornbury, Australia
As I focused on the image of the beautiful lotus flower on the Gurupurnima invitation card, I was affected by the openness of the beautiful petals. This has encouraged me to try to be constantly open to the Guru’s guidance and grace, as well as to cultivate the awareness of the inner Self. I was also drawn to the orange glow at the base of the lotus petals, which symbolized for me the fire of yoga that burns away my impurities. The various shades of purple light and shadow represented for me the complexities of my daily life and how everything can come together for the best possible outcomes. As I continue to reflect on this beautiful Gurupurnima image, I intend to refresh my understanding and renew my enthusiasm for the practice of
dakshina, in order to honor Shri Guru with gratitude and devotion.
Port Moody, Canada
While offering
dakshina online, I closed my eyes and focused on my heart. I perceived an energy flowing from my heart to Gurumayi. Almost immediately, I felt as if this energy was coming back to me, directly to my heart, in the form of the Guru’s grace. I experienced such a sense of good fortune while offering
dakshina. For me, it is a very auspicious practice that represents a clear experience of giving and receiving between Guru and disciple. I bow to the Guru’s grace that guides me every day.
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Since receiving
shaktipat from Gurumayi, I have experienced a profound inner transformation. This has affected how I perceive the world around me in beautiful ways. I feel blessed to have the support of the Siddha Yoga practices in my
sadhana.
To me, when I look at this image, the extraordinary liveliness I experience from the lotus petals and the strength of the stalk seem to represent and reflect my own inner transformation.
I love offering
dakshina. This sacred practice leads me to deeply contemplate the Guru-disciple relationship within my heart, especially now at Gurupurnima. At this auspicious time, I feel that I am being drawn to recognize the magnitude of what I am receiving from my Guru’s sacred teachings, which are leading me to the knowledge of the Self.
Nice, France
I have always loved to offer
dakshina as a way of thanking Gurumayi for the immeasurable gift of
shaktipat that I received at this time many years ago.
Today, as soon as I made my offering, what had been a trickle of rain outside my large window became a downpour—so much so that I had to close the window because the rain was blowing in and showering my head with blessings!
Massachusetts, United States
For the past two evenings, the Gurupurnima
shakti beckoned me to come outside and gaze up at the sky. With the waxing moon and the bright planet Venus setting against the horizon, I felt a sense of newness dance in my consciousness, reminding me of my true nature.
Swami Indirananda’s letter and the beauty of the card echo this experience of newness for me. I feel magnificently refreshed.
Hawaii, United States
The beautiful lotus opening so gracefully reminds me of Gurumayi’s generosity. Her grace and love are ever unfolding within me. It feels so natural to offer
dakshina in return.
I’m inspired to make a new tradition: to increase my monthly offering each year in honor of Gurupurnima.
Waikato, New Zealand
The Gurupurnima invitation card with the luminous lotus is so very beautiful! This is how my heart feels when I offer
dakshina!
I am grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to give back, even if it is a modest gift. Whatever I offer, what comes back to me is a million times grander.
Quebec, Canada
On this auspicious day of Gurupurnima, I honored my Guru by reciting
Shri Guru Gita. The recitation was so nectarean that tears of gratitute rolled down my cheeks. As I recited the verses, I expressed my love and gratitude to Gurumayi.
At the end of the recitation there was silence. In this space of profound gratitude and fullness of my heart, I opened the lotus-card invitation and offered
dakshina in honor of Gurupurnima. Enveloped in the serene atmosphere of
Shri Guru Gita, my heart felt like it was coming for
darshan to make an offering.
Offering
dakshina allows me to manifest my gratitude in a palpable way and gives form to the gratitude that I feel deep within my heart for the invaluable gift of Shri Guru’s grace.
Mexico City, Mexico
Contemplating the beautiful Gurupurnima invitation card, I had a very special experience. I was drawn into the flower like a bee in search of nectar. I could savor the shape and delicacy of the petals, the light support they offer, their freshness. I could imagine their sweet scent, enjoy the delicious color (one of my favorites), and see the petals united in the corolla and at the same time free to open to the wind and sun.
I contemplated the flower as if it were a
yantra. I perceived a diffused brightness pervading the flower, which absorbed it naturally and then emanated it into the space around. I felt that the flower and I belonged to a timeless dimension, through a unique, perfect, and mysterious presence, and this state revealed to me my intimate connection with the Guru.
Thanks to this experience, offering
dakshina on Gurupurnima grants me the opportunity to honor my unbreakable bond with the Guru just as the flower opens to the light.
Macerata, Italy
Before offering
dakshina for Gurupurnima today, I contemplated the infinite blessings I have received from the Siddha Yoga Gurus throughout the years. Immediately, memories of Gurupurnima 1981 with Baba in Shree Muktananda Ashram came to mind. On that very special full-moon night, Baba spoke very enthusiastically about the generosity of the Guru.
It just so happened that throughout this Gurupurnima
satsang, I was seated at the feet of the statue of Bhagavan Nityananda then located in the room next to the meditation hall. And during
darshan, after receiving blessings from Baba, the disciples would also pay homage to Bhagavan Nityananda, offering
padukas, flowers, fruits, and many other objects expressing their dedication and love for the Guru.
At the end of the
satsang, when I stood up to return to my room, I had this amazing sensation of feeling so totally intoxicated that I could hardly walk straight. Indeed, I was completely intoxicated on bliss after witnessing so much love from the Guru and so much love returned by his disciples.
Laval, Canada
In the past few years, I have realized that, for me,
dakshina is the most powerful practice on the Siddha Yoga path. I find many reasons to offer
dakshina regularly. Here are some of them: to express my gratitude to my Guru, to acknowledge the source of blessings, to honor my Guru, to take responsibility for supporting my Guru’s mission, to honor the money I earn by using it for the best possible cause, to acknowledge what I have received from my Guru, and to surrender.
Thane West, India
The practice of
dakshina is still a mystery to me, but my heart knows that, through making it a steady practice, I can better access the incredible nuances of
sadhana. It took years for me to understand the subtlety of
dakshina, and the process of revelation is still going on.
The more this practice has become a pillar in my life, the more gems I have been able to discover inside myself. The practice of
dakshina beautifully expresses my connection to the strong, radiant gratitude I feel toward the Siddha Yoga Gurus for their presence in my life. And since the Guru’s grace never ends, I hope that my gratitude for her grace will also never end.
Rome, Italy
For me, the beautiful lotus of the Gurupurnima card symbolizes the purpose of life—Self-realization—and I am very grateful to offer
puja and
dakshina to Gurumayi on this glorious holiday. I am so very grateful to Gurumayi for showing me the true purpose of life and the means of achieving it.
Maryland, United States
On Gurupurnima morning I woke to the scent of incense and the subtle presence of Gurumayi’s love in my heart and in my surroundings; it was gentle and all-encompassing. I owe so much to the Guru and this beautiful path.
It is simply an honor and a privilege to be invited to make an offering to this path at any time, and particularly during Gurupurnima. Everything of value in my life, everything of value in myself, I owe to the Guru. Without her love and grace, where would I be?
Ludlow, United Kingdom
Seeing the gorgeous purple lotus and reading Swami ji's invitation add to the joy of offering
dakshina on this sacred day. Even more than July 4, today is truly a day for me to celebrate freedom.
In celebration and gratitude I bow to Shri Gurumayi.
North Carolina, United States
When I saw the beautiful Gurupurnima invitation card on the Siddha Yoga path website, I immediately felt a spark of joy rise to the surface of my being. The shades of purple and the open petals of the lotus reminded me of the abundance of blessings and gifts flowing through my life.
Reading Swami ji’s sweet invitation, I immediately felt within me the urge to offer dakshina, to express in a tangible way my infinite gratitude to the Gurus of our lineage. My regular discipline in offering dakshina draws me effortlessly to this mysterious spiritual practice, and I am always excited to discover how its wonderful fruits will manifest in my life.
Bologna, Italy
This morning, one day before Gurupurnima, I looked out my window to behold a very special gift from God. A single adult deer was lying twenty feet away in the clover grass, chewing contentedly. My heart was so full, as I understood there are no coincidences and this truly was a gift for me to relish.
Lately I’ve been recalling the truth that God brings us to the Guru, and the Guru brings us to God. My love and gratitude for my Gurus and God keep expanding, which makes the advent of Gurupurnima very significant for me.
For the past year, my focus has been on remembering “the miracle of God’s presence, within and around me,” as the invitation describes it. It’s been a sweet, expanding practice, and one of its fruits is a deepening tenderness for everything. This loving awareness is the Guru’s grace. I am deeply grateful to Gurumayi for the inner transformation that
sadhana continues to give and that continually amazes me.
Nelson, Canada
When I received shaktipat from Gurumayi, I saw a blazing white light within myself. This light was conscious and I knew it was my true nature. In this moment my entire life changed. I knew that God is real, that God exists within me, and that God exists in everything else also.
After this occurred, I was looking for an action I could perform that could somehow declare to the universe how much this miraculously transformative experience mattered to me, how much it changed everything for me. When I learned about the Siddha Yoga practice of dakshina, I knew this was the action I was looking for.
Whenever I offer dakshina, I experience that I am offering to that supremely conscious light within myself, and through this action I affirm this knowledge of the Truth, for myself and all of humanity. And this experience becomes all the more powerful for me when I do this on the auspicious occasion of Gurupurnima.
New York, United States
Through the Gurupurnima invitation card, I have realized that life can be much more
real than the reality we are used to accepting. This flower, this sky, and these colors transmit the experience of what is real directly to my heart. The Guru always surprises me!
Madrid, Spain
I always offer
dakshina on Gurupurnima out of gratitude to, and love for, my Gurumayi, for Baba Muktananda, and for Bhagavan Nityananda, who continually shower their divine blessings on me.
Ahmedabad, India
Like Swami Indirananda, I so appreciate the Siddha Yoga practice of dakshina. It is a tangible way to express my deepest gratitude for all I have received, and continue to receive, from the Siddha Yoga path and teachings. I feel so satisfied when I make an offering, and especially on Gurupurnima, because I know it will support the SYDA Foundation to make available the precious Siddha Yoga teachings to all.
South Melbourne, Australia