Ashram Newsletter - September, 2023

September 1, 2023  |  by Ramloti

Dear Friends,

I am writing this letter just after the festival of Raksha Bandhan, the day that sisters often honor their brothers by tying a rakhi or decorative string around their wrists. The term Raksha Bandhan means “bond of protection.” As we celebrated with a beautiful full-moon fire ceremony, I was full of the memory of being with Shri Babaji in 1981 on this special day.

It was monsoon season and since we spent more time inside chanting with Shri Babaji due to heavy rainfalls, there was a swing set up in the kirtan hall where Baba would sit and give darshan. I remember it being very special to sit in there with Baba being so present and available to us much of the day while the rain poured down outside. It felt like being in the womb of love of Shri Babaji. When the day of Raksha Bandhan arrived, it was particularly moving to see Shri Babaji tying the string of protection on my children’s wrists. This is a photo of my elder son, Jacob, receiving his rakhi from Babaji.

When it was my turn, I nervously held out my hand and Baba so softly put such a lovely rakhi that had a big flower on it on my wrist. I could feel His energy of love and protection surrounding me, and I do until this very day.

This is a photo of Gaura Devi receiving a string of protection from Shri Babaji. Although it is not me, I did take the photo and still remember the sweetness conveyed by an act of such love by the Guru for His devotee.

There is a story about Lord Krishna protecting Draupadi that I am reminded of when I think of Babaji tying this “knot of protection” on me. It goes like this:

Lord Krishna had cut His finger. Unable to bear the sight of Krishna’s blood, Draupadi hastily tore off a part of her sari. Using this cloth, she bandaged his finger and stopped the blood flow. Krishna was extremely touched by her gesture. He promised to protect her whenever she needed him, whenever she was in distress. To bless her, he uttered the word ‘Akshyam’. It means – ‘May it be unending’.

Years later, the Pandavas were facing a major defeat and humiliation at the hands of their brothers, the Kauravas. They had lost in a game of dice, and as per the ‘rule’, lost everything they owned – including their kingdom. Draupadi was called to court, and the evil Dushasana tried to disrobe her. But no matter how hard he tried; he could not do it. The sari never seemed to end, and Draupadi’s honor was intact. She was saved from facing embarrassment in the court. True to his promise, Krishna had protected Draupadi, giving her an endless boon. The cloth that Draupadi had tied on Krishna’s finger long ago had turned out to be her protector, her rakhi.

There is also a beautiful speech by Shri Babaji on October 1, 1982 that speaks to this topic.

“…To devotees I give Abhaya Dhan, the blessing of My protection, by which you will always be protected and should be fearless. I am responsible for you and your liberation. Whatever initiation you need, I will give to you….What would you not receive from me? Your faith must be as mighty as Mount Meru. Even the sun and the moon can move from their course, but the faith of a devotee should not be shaken. A true devotee will be ready to shed his life for God and will have faith to his last breath. Never be moved by false doctrines. You are protected in every moment."

These times are challenging, it seems as if there is one calamity after another. I am grateful that I have the ballast of faith in Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother to hold on to. In times of challenge, I remember Babaji’s words to His devotees at the Kathgaria Ashram in 1971, “Keep Faith, it will be alright.”

In truth and love,
Ramloti for the Ashram

Upcoming Events

September 5 & 6 - Temple Closed

Access to the temple will be very limited and closed much of the time as we are refinishing the adobe floors in the temple. Please adjust your visiting schedules accordingly and call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 with questions and for updates.

September 7, 9am MT – Krishna Janmashtami

Lord Krishna’s Birthday will be celebrated at the Ashram with a sacred fire ceremony and puja to Lord Krishna.

September 9 & 10 - Paduka Pujas in Denver Area

There is a beautiful couplet that Mahendra Maharaj had written describing Shri Babaji: “He went to the houses of all His devotees like a lodestar. And that made everyone happy.” As Shri Babaji would go from house to house, His Padukas here at this Ashram and around the world continue this tradition. Each year they go to some of the devotees’ homes in the Denver area. This year the locations and dates are as follows:

Saturday, September 9, 11am MT

Sacred Fire Ceremony at the home of Surendra and Seema Deora in Parker near Mainstreet and Jordan. Please call 631-418-6367 to confirm and directions.

Saturday, September 9, 5:30pm MT

Note: This evening event is cancelled due to illness.
Paduka Puja, Chanting and dinner at the home of Ajay and Sabina Pradhan at 22583 East Piccolo Way, Aurora, CO 80016. Please call 720-732-6141 to RSVP.

Sunday, September 10, 11am MT

Paduka Puja, Chanting, and Lunch at the home of Rahul and Ashwini Nipunge at 11016 Valleybrook Cr., Highlands Ranch, CO 80130. Please call 720-308-7873 to RSVP.

September 9, 9am MT - American Haidakhan Samaj Annual Meeting

September 14, 10am MT - New-Moon Fire Ceremony, Pitru Puja, Chanting, and a Meal

Join us for the New-Moon Fire Ceremony and Pitru Puja at 10am followed by chanting and lunch. This will be live-streamed on the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Facebook Page and posted later on YouTube at the Ramloti Wood Channel.

September 19, 9am MT - Ganesh Chaturthi

Lord Ganesh’s Birthday will be celebrated at the Ashram with a sacred fire ceremony and puja to all our Ganesh murtis. You may bring yours as well.

September 29, 10am MT – Full-Moon Fire Ceremony, Chanting, and a Meal

Join us for the Full-Moon Fire Ceremony at 10am followed by chanting and lunch. This will be live-streamed on the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Facebook Page and posted later on YouTube at the Ramloti Wood Channel.

Daily Fire Ceremonies

Our Daily Fire Ceremonies continue be open to all and usually begin somewhere between 8:30am and 10am. Please call the Ashram for exact time at 719-256-4108. They are also live-streamed at Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Facebook Page and posted later on YouTube at the Ramloti Wood Channel.

Remembering Nirmala, Martha Russo

It is with a saddened heart that we share the passing of a dear and long-time devotee of Shri Babaji, Nirmala, originally known as Martha Russo. Nirmala met Babaji in the early 80’s and she did some tours with Ramloti in the mid 80’s. She played the harmonium so sweetly. She traveled with Ramloti to Denver to receive our beautiful murti of Haidakhandeswari in 1989. Here is a photo of her that captures her awe at seeing our resplendent Mother. We were fortunate to have a Zoom Satsang with her where she tells her vivid experiences with Shri Babaji. You can watch it at:
https://youtu.be/TtcPQzXwEi0

Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Bhole Baba Ki Jai!

Recent Events

Kailash Arrives from Germany

Ramloti met Kailash on her trip to the German Ashram for Guru Purnima. She was impressed with his generous spirit for karma yoga. We decided to ask him to come serve at the Ashram here for 3 months. He arrived at the beginning of August and has been a great addition to the Ashram team.

Stupa Dedication

The Ashram Board secretary, Zoe DeBray, is also a Buddhist Llama. Over the last two years, she has helped orchestrate the building of a new stupa in honor of her teacher, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. The new stupa is an “attendant” stupa to the 42-foot-tall Tashi Gomang stupa, which stands high above the San Luis Valley. Several of us from the Ashram were honored to attend some of the dedication ceremonies this last month. We are so happy for this great accomplishment of Zoe and the Sangha.

Crestone Spiritual Alliance Meeting

For nearly 20 years now, the Ashram has served in a leadership role for the Crestone Spiritual Alliance. This organization has helped bring all the spiritual centers together for issues of common interest and concern. We had a meeting this last month and it was held at Mangala Shri Bhuti, Samten Ling which is an incredible long-term retreat center back in the mountains of Crestone. Many members had never been there before because it is generally closed to the public. It was a great morning of inspiration, comradery, and communication.

Concert by Sacred Sound Music

Sacred Sound Lab from Boulder, Colorado was holding a huge retreat next door at the Zen Center. They gave a concert here in the kirtan hall two Saturday’s ago. It was magnificent, beautiful, and powerful. We are grateful to Sheela Bringi for bringing it to the Ashram. If you would like to experience it, go to: https://youtu.be/qH_Hb_1aJ24

Puja to Maha Lakshmi of Spanish Creek

Years ago, we placed a large Maha Lakshmi statue up at our Spanish Creek to bless and protect the Ashram water and land. Periodically, we go up the mountain to Her and offer a Puja. We did this last week and as always it was lovely and powerful. We will have our next Maha Lakshmi at the Creek puja during Fall Navratri on Oct. 21 after the sacred Fire Ceremony. All are invited.

Savan, the Sacred Time of Lord Shiva

We just completed our Savan time (north India is where Shri Babaji’s ashram is located). During this time we did a lovely Lingam Puja and made offerings to the lingam each Monday morning. What Shri Babaji said about this time is: “We are now in the month of Savan; the significance of this month is mentioned in the sacred scriptures: the air is soft, cool and fragrant and a very good time for fasting and prayers.” Here are a few photos.

Karma Yoga at the Ashram

This has been a month of repairs (and this coming month will be as well). Our aging buildings are all needing repairs. A leak in the kirtan hall roof and in Ramloti’s mechanical rooms were fixed. The water system also needed a lot of attetion after spring rains and runoff. It is also time to prepare for Navratri (which begins October 15 this year) with lots of wood for havans and saris for the Divine Mother. There has been a prolific apricot, flower, and garden harvest. It also has been extremly busy in the Maha Lakshmi Shop.

Visitors

Our guests have been abundant during this magnificent month of August. We had so many groups coming to the Ashram such as: Kundalini Yoga Teachers, Open Heart Retreat, 20 Devotees from Texas, Sacred Sound Retreat, Men’s retreat, many families and friends. It has been a rich, warm, and loving month. Thank you all for gracing the Ashram, here are some photos.

Ways to Support the Ashram

First and foremost is to pray, pray, pray for all the disturbances amongst people and life all over the earth. This is a time of great challenge, and Babaji spoke over and over again about the power of prayer, the mantra, havan, puja, and seeing all as children of one Divine Mother Earth.

You may also support financially by going to …

• GoFundMe Campaign
• Donate Page (this page has links to Paypal and GoFundMe)

Amazon Wishlist

A few of our visitors noticed that we need different items to keep running this beautiful home of Mother and Babaji in the Rockies. They suggested that we setup a public Amazon Wishlist. This will allow people to buy items for the Ashram using their own Amazon accounts. We appreciate this suggestion, and we have setup our public wishlist. The details are below. Items will be added/removed from time to time, so please check periodically to see if there are any items that you would like to purchase. It is also useful to click on Remember after going to the wishlist. This will add our wishlist to Your Friends list and you can check it periodically, without having to find the link every time. Thank you so much for supporting the Ashram.

Please support the Ashram by going to our public Amazon Shopping List and see if there are any items you would like to buy for the Ashram.

• Start by going to https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3O3WGDJOD3WJY
• Click on Remember to add it to Your Friends list
• Add an item you would like to purchase from the HUA Public Shopping List to your Shopping Cart
• During checkout, please make sure to select Haidakhandi Universal Ashram's Gift Registry Address as the shipping address

Calendar of Events

Please go to our Calendar of Events page for all events.

Maha Lakshmi Shop

The Maha Lakshmi Shop is full of wonderful items as we just received 13 boxes of product. We also have some new lovely wrist bracelets from the Divine Mother which sale for only $36. This pretty rose quartz and turqouoise can be found on the Shop website at:
https://mahalakshmishop.wazala.com/products/turquoise-howlite-rose-quartz-wrist-mala-from-divine-mother-s-mala-1/
This lovely Turquoise Howlite can be found at:
https://mahalakshmishop.wazala.com/products/turquoise-howlite-wrist-mala-from-divine-mother-s-mala/

We also have great prayer flags available with Shri Babaji, the Divine Mother, the Haidakhan Temple, Om Namah Shivaya, Hanuman, and other images on the nine flags. They sale for $15. You can find these on our website at:
https://mahalakshmishop.wazala.com/products/babaji-prayer-flags-9ft-long-each-string-has-nine-12-flags/

Bhole Baba Ki Jai! Jai Ma!