As I listened to Pasayadan, read the translation, and then replayed it so I could sing the prayer along with the ensemble, it felt like it was the first time I had really heard it, really listened to it. My heart opened and I spontaneously made my own prayer for peace, harmony, and love for the world. This I offered at the lotus feet of Shri Guru.
Oregon, United States
I have loved this prayer from the moment I first heard it! Now that I found it on the Siddha Yoga path website, listening to it has become part of my evening practice.
What a gift—so uplifting!
Modiin, Israel
Prayers like this one remind me of the inherent power we carry as human beings to create places of comfort, respect, fearlessness, and belonging.
I believe that I can practice bringing my highest self to any situation.
Illinois, United States
I am humbled and uplifted by reading this beautiful prayer. Up to now, I had only thought of the latest events in Belgium as news simply happening, without thoughts of what I could do to contribute in a positive manner. This beautiful section on the website reminds me that I can make a positive contribution by sending my good will to the world and by maintaining harmony around me as well as within me.
I am grateful to the Siddha Yoga path for reminding me about my responsibilities as a human being on this planet.
Montreal, Canada
Gurumayi so compassionately teaches us how to send our prayers and blessings and to care for the people around us and in the world.
Thank you so much, Gurumayi, for your loving guidance.
Pune, India
While offering
puja in my home this morning, I recited the
Pasayadan prayer, and I focused on making the meaning of each of its words my own sincere intention.
My thirteen-year-old daughter was with me, and she wanted to contribute to the unified offering Siddha Yogis are making together in their prayers for peace in the world. She waved a candle as she listened to the beautiful words of the
Pasayadan prayer. Her intention was powerful to behold.
Afterward, I was suffused with gratitude to Gurumayi for her guidance regarding the value of prayer and intention. To be able to offer the world something of such huge significance from the heart of our own home is something I am very grateful for. The goodness emanating from this experience is still tangible.
South Yarra, Australia
After I hear news about turmoil and conflict in our world, my mind usually imagines a vast array of outer solutions that I would devise to all these problems, if I were in charge.
But I was inspired to hear about Gurumayi describing the solution as a challenge for a change in the human heart and for all of us, all of humanity, to realize our oneness. I understand we can embrace the qualities of “brotherhood, love, and perfect steadiness of mind” that Baba wrote about in the Evening Arati, and we can radiate light and send prayers and blessings to the world.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for your love and for your inspiration.
Ohio, USA
During the Prayers and Blessings Satsang, Gurumayi spoke about how conflict in the world endures because neither side embraces humility. Although she seemed to be speaking about the horrific events of the previous day, I thought of how this teaching applies at every level of interaction between people, and even in our inner life.
We forget that we are all manifestations of the Self, and from this lack of humility and other aspects of the ego, conflict arises and endures.
I have come to understand that our thoughts, beliefs, and opinions are gifts from the divine Self, to be used for the upliftment of humanity—and never to harm others.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
During the Prayers and Blessings Satsang on November 14, I was very intrigued when Gurumayi told us to be a good omen for others. I had to know: what does it mean to be an omen?
This morning I found the following definition online: "An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. People in the ancient times believed that omens lie with a divine message from their gods." And an illustration showed that a rainbow was sometimes considered an omen.
I feel that Gurumayi is asking us, through our simple daily behavior and our smiles, to be a living message from the divine, a message of hope and a portent of change for the good.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
What Gurumayi shared with us in the Prayers and Blessings Satsang on November 14 has inspired me to be steadfast in my resolve to be "a good omen" for the world. Gurumayi shared with us that being a good omen means choosing to rise above life's challenges and giving our best, and it can be as simple as smiling.
Thank you, Gurumayi!
Shree Muktananda Ashram
I wish to share my deep gratitude for all these expressions of love and support.
I'm Italian, my husband is French. His family lives in France. When we received the information about the events in Paris, we were enormously touched in our hearts. Immediately we wondered: "What can we do?"
Then the answer came: we can offer our prayers and blessings. Thank you, Gurumayi, for this great, great teaching!
Torino, Italy
This morning as I sat for meditation, I started very consciously to breathe in deeply and to breathe out long. So much relief! Taking time, following my own breath, and feeling the upliftment of my sitting posture—these vital Siddha Yoga practices came alive so strongly and they guided me within very naturally. I repeated the mantra
Om Namah Shivaya. When my mind wandered away, I simply returned to the mantra and to my breath. I felt that each moment of this meditation was filled with the power of offering blessings.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for guiding us at all times with your wisdom and love.
Katzenbach, Germany
After hearing Gurumayi’s many beautiful teachings during the Prayers and Blessings Satsang, and the chanting and drumming in the Temple which resonated through my whole being, the one phrase that remained foremost in my mind was, “Be a good omen.” I heard it several times. It felt to me that it contained the essence of the Guru’s current command to me.
As I reflected on the meaning, this phrase connected all the teachings I had heard that day. It affirmed for me that my
sadhana has a real impact on everyone I meet, and ultimately on humanity. I understood it to be a sacred mission to convey blessings to everyone I see wherever I am, in whatever way I can, and to all humanity. If I maintain that awareness in my daily life, I will never doubt the power of prayer, infused by Guru’s grace, to uplift humanity.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for the fresh new meaning you have given to my life.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
In the Prayers and Blessings Satsang, Gurumayi encouraged us to cultivate steadiness of mind.
Many beautiful teachings during the Prayers and to “be a good omen” for others. Only with steadiness of mind can I truly and consciously listen to people. Only with steadiness of mind can I really offer kindness, strength, love, and support to people.
My heart is bursting with gratitude.
a Siddha Yoga Swami
Yesterday, during the first part of the Prayers and Blessings
Satsang, Gurumayi talked about how at times like this, we are all on an equal platform. There is no one higher or lower, good or bad, richer or poorer. We are all united in the heart. When Gurumayi said that, I experienced a strong sense of connection in the heart and love for everyone in the
satsang and extending out to the world. I understood that at the core, we are all one living, united humanity, with the purpose of sharing love and kindness and uplifting our world around us.
Later, after we chanted and offered blessings to the world, Swami Ishwarananda read, at Gurumayi's request, Baba's prayer that ends with:
May brotherhood, love, and perfect steadiness of mind always prevail in the world.
Once again, I experienced and understood that, ultimately, what matters most in our lives is cultivating and sharing love and doing our best to ensure that every human heart is uplifted, experiences peace, and is united in a spirit of kindness and compassion for ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
Yesterday, when Gurumayi told us that one way we can give blessings to the world is to be a good omen for everyone we come in contact with, it had a powerful resonance for me. I became aware that there are times during the day when I can go through negative moods, and this affects the quality of my interactions with others at those times.
My action point now is: rather than closing myself to others in such times, I will put into practice Gurumayi’s teaching and offer my best to the world in whichever way is appropriate, even if it's as simple as a genuine smile or kind words.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for showing us that we have the power to uplift others—and, by the same token, ourselves.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
My prayer is for everyone to know that we are joined as one, that all differences are shadows, and that our lives evolve from the pure intention of love.
New York, USA
When we were chanting in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple, I visualized all of France filled with blue light. This light started to spread in all directions and soon all of Earth was enveloped in its healing and protective energy. There were a few dark spots, but they too became cleansed and suffused with this beautiful blue light. Then, as we kept chanting, I sensed that each repetition of the mantra coming from Shree Muktananda Ashram was a wave reaching out to every corner of the world and bringing peace to all.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for teaching me that I have the power to give blessings.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
Throughout the day of November 14, 2015 in Gurudev Siddha Peeth, we were relieved to hear that all family and friends of the Gurukula students, visiting sevites, and
Pilgrimage to the Heart Retreat participants from France were safe.
That evening, we chanted a powerful and resounding
Om Namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya. We could feel all the blessings, prayers, and intentions we were invited to formulate for ourselves and those who needed them. One visiting sevite later said she saw an aerial view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower, and that the energy of the chant was descending on the city with its healing light. I could feel compassion and strength building, and then the joy of being alive and able to chant with fellow devotees to our beloved Baba, Gurumayi, and Bade Baba.
Later, I joined a group of Siddha Yogis from France who'd gathered at the Durga statue with a few Indian devotees. We chanted
Hymn to Mahalakshmi three times, invoking her strength, love, and protection. We chanted
a capella and in unison, very focused, in a rhythm and tone which were easeful and filled with devotion. We concluded with the
Om purnamadah mantras, which remind us of the abiding perfection in this world. We sat in an enveloping and sweet silence.
We then came forward for
darshan and
pradakshina of the Durga statue. There was a sense of completion: we had prayed and offered together, and now it was time to let go, to trust, and to move on—to go even deeper into the Pilgrimage to the Heart.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for your love and protection!
France
While we were chanting
Om Namah Shivaya in the Temple, I kept praying for everyone on the planet—no matter what hardship they might be experiencing—to have a connection with gentle joyfulness and with the awareness of the divine. My heart started to feel like a luminous entity, sending rays of light in all directions to the world.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for enabling us to strengthen our good qualities and for teaching us how to harness the power of our good energies and prayers in service to the world.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
We came together with Gurumayi in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple to send blessings to the world with focused attention. During the chanting I saw how a Siddha Yogi can make a real difference when world crises seem unsolvable.
As we chanted, I felt a tremendous power of light and grace rising up from the sound of the mantras in the Temple and enveloping the world in a blanket of protection.
a Siddha Yoga Swami
Toward the end of the Prayers and Blessings Satsang on November 14, 2015, Gurumayi invited us to be "good omens." She shared that to be a good omen takes effort.
I was so happy and grateful to receive this teaching. I can practice bringing my best self to all situations in my life, no matter how I personally feel at the time. I can work toward being a good omen in the many facets of my life: offering a smile as I pass someone in the hallway, sharing an insight with friends, giving a listening ear to my husband, even if I'm tired. I can even be a good omen to myself as I look in the mirror each morning!
Through this practice of being a good omen every day, the light and love I bring into my days will join all the light and love of all of us who are bringing our best selves forward. In the end, all there will be is love. Yes! All there will be is love and goodness in this world.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for opening my eyes to how the small choices I make in my day can help create a world of goodness, sweetness, and love. I am forever grateful.
New York, USA
I am so grateful to read the shares from the
satsang with Gurumayi this morning, reminding us to keep our mind steadfast, to support others and ourselves, whichever way we can—and never to forget that we are all one, and always to spread our light.
Tonight, as I put a rose on my
puja, I paid attention to a feeling that arose: not to remove the thorns, but to leave them on, to remind me that though thorns are there, nothing can diminish the lasting memory of the fragrance and the beauty of the rose. Nor can the grace that protects us all—and by which we too offer our light—ever fail to spread.
I am most fortunate to be connected with Siddha Yogis around the world, who share their heartfelt blessings and insights through this website.
Thank you, dear Gurumayi.
California, USA
Early this morning I awoke from a dream in which we were in the Bade Baba Temple at Anugraha, chanting with Gurumayi. After the chant, Gurumayi garlanded Bade Baba with a long silver necklace adorned with puffy hearts.
Later in the morning, while in the
satsang in the Temple, I remembered the dream as we were offering blessings from our hearts out to the world.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
I am so grateful for these verses from
Pasayadan. Often I have turned to this sacred prayer to offer blessings to the world. Each time I come back to it, it feels like the very first time. These words are like sacred water that soothes and strengthens the heart.
a staff member in Shree Muktananda Ashram
I am so grateful to have sung the verses from the
Pasayadan during the satsang. Often I have turned to this sacred prayer to offer blessings to the world. Each time I come back to it, it feels like the very first time. These words are like sacred water that soothes and strengthens the heart. Singing them in the satsang today felt like spreading a healing balm around the world.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
Gurumayi's love and compassion for the world were palpable in the Lower Lobby and the Temple on November 14. With the wind howling powerfully outside, Gurumayi acknowledged Hanuman, and I recognized that this great servant of God was there with us to carry all the blessings to the world.
Gurumayi shared her conviction that all good people can, and must, step forward in each moment, in small yet significant ways, to fill the space around us with their goodness and love so that there is no room for demons and enemies to enter that space, including our own mind.
I could feel how Gurumayi was being so present with us: with all her devotees, and all people everywhere, as well as with all the animals and our beautiful natural world. And I was filled with gratitude to Gurumayi, our
jagadguru—a Guru for the world.
As we gathered the energy from singing
Pasayadan and chanting the mantra, Gurumayi invited us to stand for the
Arati. She explained that the sound of shaking rattles and beating drums dispels negative energy. As the
Arati built, Gurumayi began clapping rhythmically and powerfully.
It felt to me that Gurumayi's conviction, compassion, power, and humility were calling forth these same qualities in everyone, as we offered our golden prayers and blessings to the world.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
Many, many thanks to those who have contributed their shares about the
satsang with Gurumayi that was held at Shree Muktananda Ashram on November 14. It lifts my heart to read everyone's account of their experience. Sharing is such a blessing. I feel everyone's strong intention and prayers.
It steadies my own heart to read these shares, and they assist me in focusing my own intention and blessings. In challenging times like these, the heart can quiver in the recognition of tragedy. The shares then become like the light from the lighthouse: they illumine the direction, the way home—to the Heart. Thank you.
New York, USA
Around 6:30 a.m. Sydney time on November 14, I thought I heard someone calling: "Put on the
Arati." So I lit the candle on my
puja and focused on it, while I turned on the CD, with its drums and conches, to start the Morning Arati. I could feel the beat of the drums softening and strengthening my heart, and spreading outwards to the hearts of all.
I didn't know, until I viewed the Siddha Yoga path website the next morning, that the beautiful verses of the
Arati and the prayers that ask for joy, love, and happiness for everyone were very much needed at this time.
I'm very grateful for all of the shares that have been posted on the website, bringing Gurumayi's teachings to us on this occasion. They lead me to understand that my morning worship and my other spiritual practices are not just for me. They can help to uplift those around me and the whole world. And they inspire me to keep going.
Sydney, Australia
This morning, in preparation for the
satsang with Gurumayi to send our prayers and blessings to the whole world, I was one of several sevites who came together, along with a child visiting Shree Muktananda Ashram with her mother, to share with each other our blessings for all those affected by various tragedies, whether natural or manmade, taking place in the world.
We each had a powerful image that represented the ways we were seeing how people and animals were receiving inner and outer support—such as mantra-filled rays of pure goodness reaching every creature in every corner of the universe. The nine-year-old child who was a part of this gathering shared how she was sending her blessings to God, and then God would direct them to all those who needed them. She said this with such conviction and brightness! I was deeply moved and grateful for the ways that children are growing up on the Siddha Yoga path, with such clarity about their prayers and blessings being received and benefiting the world.
With all my heart, I thank Gurumayi for teaching every seeker that, no matter who we are and where we are, we each have the power to make a difference in the world and for the world.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
On Saturday, November 14, 2015, I had the good fortune to participate in the chant in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple with Gurumayi. As the bass drum began to sound, I was envisioning Gurumayi's light traveling to all corners of the world, comforting and giving love and strength to those whose lives had been disrupted.
As the sound of the drum became stronger, I felt as if the drum were inside me. Then I had the distinct impression that—on another plane with which I was not so familiar—it was actually the whole Temple with all of us within it that was traveling and bringing blessings to the world. This feeling of the whole Temple moving through space lasted until the drum stopped.
I felt gratitude for the love and light that Gurumayi brings to the world and for the fact that I can support her work by living her teachings and maintaining a positive state of mind.
New York, USA
This morning, after the first part of the Prayers and Blessings Satsang, we continued the
satsang with Gurumayi by singing the
Pasayadan hymn
, chanting the mantra
Om Namah Shivaya, and singing the
Arati in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple. When the drumming for the
Arati resounded in the temple, Gurumayi reminded us to keep our focus in this very moment on sending prayers and blessings to the world.
Suddenly, it seemed to me that an enormous stream of grace was emanating from Bade Baba’s
murti. My heart felt like a prism that was spreading my prayers and this enormous stream of grace in all directions.
Thank you, Bade Baba, for giving me this experience of the power of praying. Thank you, Gurumayi, for teaching again and again about the importance of praying and sending blessings for the upliftment of humanity.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
In the Prayers and Blessings Satsang this morning, November 14, in Shree Muktananda Ashram, we sang the
Pasayadan hymn, chanted
Om Namah Shivaya, and sang the
Arati with Gurumayi in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple. We chanted and sang with this intention: to send prayers and blessing for the upliftment of humanity. Our voices were strong and united, and throughout the chant I experienced the world being bathed in a golden light.
Following the chant, Gurumayi spoke about how we have a responsibility to spread our good energy and be good omens in this world. I understood that I could be "a good omen" by extending kindness, good will, courtesy, and respect through my thoughts, words, and actions. By doing so, I can contribute to creating a future of goodness for the world. Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference. Every person has a role to play. I can do my part!
Shree Muktananda Ashram
During the
satsang held on the morning of November 14, Gurumayi had the translation of a Tulsidas
bhajan read aloud:
O Lord, you are the protector of the helpless.
My honor is in your hands.
She reminded us that this
bhajan had been sung in 2000, during performances of
The Golden Tales—a series of plays in which children visiting Shree Muktananda Ashram had enacted the lives of saints.
In the context of recent world events, the association of this
bhajan with the image of the children performing the plays was very poignant. I felt this poignancy earlier in the
satsang as well, when Gurumayi spoke of the beauty of the world—mentioning particularly the beauty of our children—as a counterweight to the forces at work in the events in Paris. She said that the planet Earth is too beautiful for the dark thinking of those who cause such suffering, and that our children need to be able to sing and dance in the beauty of the world.
For me, that beauty was manifest in the
satsang, like a powerful light penetrating the darkness of recent events in the world.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
Thank you for this beautiful reminder and encouragement that I, as a Siddha Yogi, can consciously offer my spiritual practices with compassion, and in this way, others receive benefit in times of need, no matter how far away.
Arizona, USA
This morning in Shree Muktananda Ashram a
satsang was held with Gurumayi, in which we offered prayers and blessings for everyone affected by the recent tragic events in Paris and other parts of the world. Gurumayi spoke of the events in Paris as a world tragedy—they didn’t happen in one place, but everywhere. Such events unite us all, everywhere in the world, and we must all make a concerted effort to remain united.
Gurumayi said that at times like these, it is so important to hold on to experiences of grace, moments of goodness. Gurumayi shared a story she had heard of a Siddha Yogi in Paris whose inner voice prompted her to leave a public building just moments before the bomb blast. Participants in the
satsang shared other stories of how Parisians are helping one another, and how people all over the world are sending their love and praying for peace.
As I listened to Gurumayi’s words and to these stories of goodness, I experienced so strongly how the natural impulse of the heart is to open, to love, and to give. And that by giving our love, giving our best, offering the Siddha Yoga practices, we are spreading the power of goodness and beauty throughout the world. We are truly contributing to the peace for which we so fervently pray.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
This morning at 10:30 a.m., SYDA Foundation staff, visiting sevites, and members of the local community gathered at Anugraha for a
satsang with Gurumayi, to offer prayers and blessings for the entire world.
We all sat quietly waiting for the
satsang to begin as the Siddha Yoga mantra,
Om Namah Shivaya, played softly in the background. Although I felt sad due to the events in Paris, I was also remembering the
satsang with Gurumayi a few days ago on Bali Pratipada when Gurumayi brought our attention to the Siddha Yoga teaching that blessings are present under all conditions—in rain and in sunshine.
As I wondered how to see the blessings in situations like these, I recalled the events of September 11, 2001, in New York City and elsewhere, and how they became a catalyst to bring people together.
When Gurumayi spoke, she emphasized the oneness of all humanity, and I realized that situations like this do remind us that we are all one. Each heart feels the loss, each heart desires to support. After the
satsang, we were invited to go to the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple to chant. I thought, "How fortunate we are on the Siddha Yoga path, that we have a powerful mantra that conveys blessings to the whole world." I am so grateful that through the grace of the Siddha Yoga Gurus, by repeating this mantra wherever I am, I can offer blessings to everyone, everywhere.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
Gurumayi spoke, in the Prayers and Blessings Satsang this morning, about the response of a
sadhaka, of one committed to a spiritual path, in the face of situations like the one in Paris. She emphasized that it is our
sadhana to become strong, to help others who need our support. This help is extended through prayers and blessings, through chant and intention, and through all the practical things we can do as well.
Participants shared that in Paris people have been opening their doors to all those who were wandering the streets as a result of the disruptions caused by the attacks. Similarly, people in New York have been housing French travelers who were unable to get back home due to cancelled flights. Helping others proceeds on all fronts, and comes naturally in the recognition of shared vulnerability.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
On the morning of November 14, we gathered in Anugraha for a
satsang with Gurumayi, in response to recent tragic events in Paris and elsewhere in the world. For many of us, the familiarity of such a gathering carried its own significance: we have done this many times, under all-too-similar circumstances, over the years. Gurumayi implicitly acknowledged the global impact of such events in our time, saying that every country is now vulnerable; when such an event happens in one place, it happens everywhere. At the same time, the tragedy brings people together, unites the world, and creates a powerful solidarity that counters the forces of destruction. Gurumayi said we must make a concerted effort to hold on to the good and to help others who need our support.
I understood from Gurumayi’s words that clear-sighted recognition of global vulnerability and faith in survival, hope, peace, and togetherness go hand in hand; clear-sightedness gives the faith traction and depth and provides us with genuine consolation.
Shree Muktananda Ashram
I was so grateful to attend the Prayers and Blessings Satsang yesterday in the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple. Bade Baba, stately and resplendent, was dressed in shimmering gold. A Temple sevite, in a gold and yellow sari, had the appearance of an angel. Her movements were so graceful and tender as she tended the oil lamps in front of Bade Baba, keeping the flames bright.
As we began to chant Om Namah Shivaya, I felt immense love and bliss, which I envisioned flowing across the ocean to France. After singing Pasayadan, we were asked to shake handheld drums, which we were told are specifically intended for dispelling darkness. I felt as if the vibration of these drums was piercing my heart, like a flaming arrow. With this came an immense upwelling within me of power, strength, and courage, which seemed to merge with all of the powerful intentions of the others. Our voices had become a beacon of light for humanity. I felt such confidence that our prayers were strong and would create tangible results.
Gurumayi spoke of how important it is to have a steadfast mind during these times, to speak up if something is not right, to become an omen of goodness. I felt that this was our dharma. I understood Gurumayi to be telling us not to cry for ourselves, in our daily struggles. And if we do cry, we must let the tears of our hearts be for all of humanity.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for this beautiful teaching of dharma and experience of empowerment.
Connecticut, USA