Event in Jaipur, India – April 15th, 2010
By Suresh Khandelwal and Jane Fleming
Thursday, 29 April 2010 11:58
It’s unbelievable to think that over fourteen thousand people could turn up on a day’s notice to listen to Maharaji, but yes, it happened. Through word of mouth as well as satellite announcement, news of the impending event in Jaipur quickly spread throughout India. Soon people were heading there in droves, traveling by whatever transport they could find: trucks and buses brimming with passengers, tractors pulling carts full of villagers, families squashed into motorized rickshaws, scooters carrying 4 to 5 at a time, not to mention hired cars and numerous bicycles. Some traveled by foot, while others braved a day’s journey. Two young women, Ritika and Geeta, had started their trip nearly as soon as they heard, taking a train over 700 km from faraway Kanpur.
It was one of the hottest days yet in Jaipur, with the mercury just touching 43 ºC (109.4 ºF). Despite the pressing midday heat and a later starting time of 5:00 pm, people began arriving as soon as 1:00, if not earlier. Enthusiasm was contagious as the gathering crowd began to move across the parched Rajasthan soil toward the awaiting field, avoiding the thick, harsh thistles that jutted from the arid ground. While many came donned in fluorescent reds, yellows, and greens, the poorer in the crowd arrived in plainer clothes, wearing smiles as bright as any garland. Many in the audience huddled close to the ground as others stood in watchful anticipation, the field filling to near capacity. Now all they had to do was wait.
The stage had been carefully assembled, and an azure blue backdrop offered a cooling touch to the otherwise overbearing heat. All was set. As the scorching sun began to lower, a humorous, articulate young lady made some announcements and then welcomed everyone “to this spectacular event.”
A separate, smaller platform had been erected close to the main stage, where musicians sat patiently waiting to perform. The introductions over, they began to strum and sing, weaving together traditional songs that many in the audience knew by heart. Soon after, Maharaji walked on stage to a thunder of applause. He began his address by questioning the nature of success, a theme he returned to throughout the evening.
“Everything in this world has the potential to be a success or not,” he told the crowd. “And if you have found success, then you will also find the opposite. And if you haven’t found success, you will again find the opposite,” he said. “They’re just two sides of the same coin: it is the coin of illusion.”
Whether or not a person achieves these more illusory versions of success, Maharaji made it clear that the recognition of this life, this breath, is the truest success. “What is your desire? Your success, your fulfillment?” he asked. “In your life, if you can experience peace in your heart, your life is a success. If you have understood this breath, everything is successful, fulfilled,” he continued.
It was pitch black as the multitude slowly left across the uneven landscape, each hoping to locate their transport. There was no moon, no streetlights, and no torches to hand. Yet this blackened night did not blacken the feeling of joy that seemed to emanate from those who had attended.
A young man named Annonai, an Area Manager of HDFC Bank, remarked that, although “it was a very hot day in Rajasthan with a lot of political disturbance in the state, we were determined to participate in this event to quench the thirst of our heart. We enjoyed the event a lot and Maharaji’s message was simple yet heart touching.”
Annonai wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm. Carlos, a visitor from Columbia, felt it most when he saw another member of the audience react to Maharaji’s words. “One of the best things — something that I haven’t seen for a long time in my life — was an Indian lady who had to have been at least 90 years old or more jumping with sheer joy. Jumping like it was unbelievable!” he said. Smiling, he added, “That’s wonderful!”
