Know Thyself As Soul
Events
Make meditation, devotion, faith, and contentment all part of your life, because these elements are inseparable.
Sant Baljit Singh Ji
Navratri
The Navratri festival, usually held for nine days, celebrates Goddess Durga and her nine divine forms: Shailaputri Maa, Brahmacharini Maa, Chandraghanta Maa, Kushmanda Maa, Skandmata Maa, Katyayani Maa, Kalratri Maa, Mahagauri Maa, and Sidhidatri Maa. Each day of the festival is associated with one form of Goddess Durga. A sacred text—the Devi Mahatmya (The Glory of the Goddess)—explains the extraordinary virtues and greatness of each form and is read as a reminder about them.
The spring and autumn Navratri Festivals are celebrated each year at Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Nawan Nagar, India. We are pleased to share stories of these celebrations.
2022 Autumn (Ashvin) Navratri Festival
Nawan Nagar, October 2022 Every year, the autumn (Ashvin) Navratri festival is dedicated to Maa, the Divine Cosmic Mother. From September 26 to October 4, 2022, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) celebrated the Navratri festival at its center located in village Nawan...
Charitable services at Ashvin Navratri 2022
Nawan Nagar, October 2022 Over the years, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) has consistently offered free food, accommodation, and medical services around the clock at all its devotional festivals. This year during the Ashvin Navratri festival, VMRK offered even more...
Serving villages and slums during Ashvin Navratri 2022
Nawan Nagar, October 2022 In addition to offering charitable services during Ashvin Navratri at Nawan Nagar, VMRK also organized charity programs to serve the residents in nearby impoverished villages and slums. Free medical camps Every day, VMRK's team of volunteers,...
2019 Autumn (Ashvin) Navratri Festival
Nawan Nagar, October 2019 The autumn Navratri festival (Ashvin Navratri) dedicated to Goddess Durga was again celebrated at the Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra Nawan Nagar ashram in India, from September 29 to October 6. A large tent was set up to host the program honoring...
2019 Spring (Chaitra) Navratri Festival
Nawan Nagar, April 2019 The spring Navratri festival (Chaitra Navratri), dedicated to Goddess Durga, was again celebrated at the Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra Nawan Nagar ashram in India, from April 6 to 13. Each day of the festival is associated with one form of Goddess...
2018 Autumn (Ashvin) Navratri Festival
Nawan Nagar, October 2018 The autumn Navratri festival (Ashvin Navratri) dedicated to Goddess Durga was again celebrated at the ashram in Nawan Nagar, India, from October 10 to 17. Each evening, devotional songs were sung in praise of the Divine as the people clapped...
Sawan Month
The auspicious month of Sawan or Shravan is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the supreme being. He has the role of protecting, transforming, creating, and recreating the material universe. In his highest form, Lord Shiva is timeless and absolute reality, without form or limits. He represents the primal soul, atman, and the value of meditation, devotion, and self-discipline.
In recognition of Lord Shiva at this time of year, millions of people (Kawariyas) traditionally go on religious pilgrimages, bathe in sacred rivers, and make resolutions to demonstrate their love and devotion for the Divine. Here are some stories of these celebrations.
2022 Sawan Shivratri
In 2022, the Kanwar Yatra resumed, after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pilgrimage takes place during the holy month of Sawan that is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the supreme being. Sawan Shivratri, the final day of the Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage fell on...
2019 Shiv Vivah Katha
Many spiritual programs are held to honor the auspicious month, Sawan, dedicated to Lord Shiva. In recent years, near the end of the month of Sawan, a special program has been held at the ashram in Nawan Nagar. Devotional singers performed the Shiv Vivah Katha, the...
2019 Sawan Shivratri
On Sawan Shivratri, the final day of the Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage, many of the pilgrims, having completed their pilgrimage, gathered at the Nawan Nagar ashram in northern India to pay their respects to Sant Baljit Singh Ji. This year many more pilgrims came, and the...
Kanwar Yatra
Throughout the month of Sawan, one can see large numbers of the pilgrims walking along roads leading to the sacred rivers, such as the Ganges. Many make the journey with bare feet and balance on their shoulders a colorfully decorated pole, called a kanwar, which has containers suspended on either side. The pilgrims fill the containers with water from the sacred rivers, then carry it back to their native places, where they make a devotional offering of it in their local temples of Lord Shiva on Sawan Shivratri, the day devoted to Lord Shiva.
This annual pilgrimage, known as Kanwar Yatra, occurs during the monsoon season, so these pilgrims walk long distances in heavy rains, extreme humidity, and heat. The pilgrims wear saffron-colored clothes, and many wear malas (beads used for prayer and meditation) made from sacred rudraksha beads. Ancient Indian scriptures tell how Lord Shiva once came out of a deep meditation, and his tears fell to earth and turned into seeds that grew into rudraksha trees. Beads made from rudraksha tree seeds are known as “Lord Rudra’s teardrops.” The word rudraksha is a combination of two Sanskrit words—Rudra, the name of one of the forms of Lord Shiva, and aksha, teardrops. Especially during the month of Sawan, but also throughout the year, devotees wear sacred rudraksha malas in honor of Lord Shiva.
Serving kanwarias at kanwar camps 2022
When the Kanwar Yatra resumed in 2022, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) promptly recommenced its charitable program of camps to support the kanwarias with medical care, food, refreshments, and rest. Read more in our blog post: Organizing the kanwar camps 2022. From...
Organizing the kanwar camps 2022
In 2022, the Kanwar Yatra resumed after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As in previous years, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) received permission from local administrations to organize camps to serve the kanwarias (pilgrims). VMRK organized 53 camps in...
Kanwar Yatra pilgrims surge in lead up to Shivratri
Each year during the annual pilgrimage known as Kanwar Yatra, charitable organizations set up camps along the roadsides to provide amenities to serve the millions of pilgrims and support their devotion. Sant Baljit Singh Ji urged Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra to support...
Kanwar Yatra: devotion, sacrifice and endurance
On the annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimages, the kanwarias (pilgrims) fast and walk for hundreds of miles, often in bare feet, to sacred rivers to collect holy water in containers attached to long poles. The kanwarias balance these poles on their shoulders as they make the...
Offering kanwar camps 2014 – 2019
Once, Sant Baljit Singh Ji was traveling by road and saw many pilgrims undertaking the annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage. These pilgrims, known as kanwarias, were carrying their kanwar on their shoulders. Sant Baljit Singh Ji also noticed that the pilgrims were barefoot...