Sunita (Vesna Stipanovic) and Kavita (Snezana Stipanovic) are two happy and blessed sisters from Zagreb, Croatia. They are ardent devotees of H.H. Mahatapasvi Shri Kumarswamiji and practitioners of Shiva-yoga and Prayer-yoga. In the following article, they share their beautiful spiritual experiences, originally written for publication in Basava Vani, the newsletter of the Virginia and Washington, D.C. chapter in the United States. The article is reproduced here with the permission of Kavita and Sunita.
My sister Sunita and I, Kavita, are members of the Croatian Satsang and devotees of Shri Kumarswamiji. In this article, I will try to explain how we began practising Shiva-yoga and share a few words about our Satsang in Croatia.
Once, my sister and I happened to be in different parts of the world when we received an inner call from His Holiness Shri Kumarswamiji to begin practising Shiva-yoga and Prayer-yoga. We had no idea what it was all about, although we had heard about Shiva-yoga a few years earlier. Even though we were separated from each other, we began searching and enquiring about Shiva-yoga simultaneously. We asked questions such as how to find the stone to gaze at, which we later discovered was called the Ishtalinga. We were eager to understand precisely what it was, so we gathered opinions from people who might know something about it.
In our everyday material lives, all doors seemed to be closed. It was evidently an auspicious time for both of us to step onto the spiritual path and begin building our spiritual lives through sadhana. We could not find clear answers about Shiva-yoga because the people we asked knew little about it either. Some even said that we did not need it.
At that time, while I was still living in London, my sister Sunita had already started practising Shiva-yoga in Zagreb under the guidance of Lakshmi, a disciple of Swamiji. Later, I also received initiation and began practising Shiva-yoga every day. It has now become a natural part of our everyday lives, something we feel will remain with us throughout our lives.
Our spiritual sister Lakshmi taught us the first steps in Shiva-yoga, just as one teaches a small child to eat, walk, speak, sing and read.
In Zagreb, we have a Satsang where we meet once a week and practise Shri Kumarswamiji's Prayer-yoga. It is a place where we feel the gracious presence of our beloved Swamiji. At first, practising Prayer-yoga alone at home was a little difficult for me. After a few months of practice, with the support of our Satsang group, it became much easier. Since then, I have never stopped practising Prayer-yoga. Its effects can be felt and enjoyed in everyday life.
We have learned from Shri Kumarswamiji about the importance of daily practice of Prayer-yoga and Shiva-yoga in order to be protected from the difficulties of this world.
People who practise other forms of Yoga also visit our Satsang. Our guests are always welcome to come and stay with us, and they are equally free to leave. Many have learned the technique, meaning and importance of Prayer-yoga and enjoy singing prayers with us.
Satsang gives us an opportunity to read and learn about Veerashaivism and its famous saints and adepts, such as Allama Prabhu, Basava and Akka Mahadevi. We learn from Shri Kumarswamiji's rich collection of articles, speeches, talks, discourses and books translated into Croatian. Swamiji has also taught us the meaning of sacred mantras, and we earnestly try to chant them correctly so that we may begin our own Anushtana.
At the final stage of Prayer-yoga, homemade Prasad is distributed to all members of the group. The most delicious Prasad is prepared by Suhasini and Parvati. Ours is not the only Satsang in Zagreb. There are Shiva-yoga and Prayer-yoga practitioners throughout Zagreb and Croatia who have formed their own Satsang groups and follow their own approaches.
Be that as it may, Prayer is the most important part of Sunita's and my life, so we attend regularly. To feel the shower of Shri Kumarswamiji's gracious and compassionate energy during Prayer is a blessing in itself. Everyone who attends Prayer, even once, can experience that feeling.
Prayer-yoga is a powerful meditation with a strong purifying effect, not only on one's surroundings but also on one's physical, mental and emotional being. One of our earliest experiences occurred during the chanting of the Mahamantra, "He Prabho Praseed Aum". Sunita and I could not even sit next to each other without suddenly beginning to laugh. It was not because anything was funny, but because we felt that laughter was part of a powerful cleansing process within us.
Whenever this happened, nobody paid particular attention to us, and the laughter gradually stopped on its own. Some visitors to our Satsang would burst into tears during Prayer, whether they were actively participating or simply listening and feeling the energy.
Satsang members meet for two hours on Tuesday, an auspicious day associated with Lord Ganesha. Before Prayer-yoga meditation, we sometimes practise Nadishodhana Pranayama, bija-mantra meditation, various health-promoting mudras, or simply sit peacefully and listen to Indian meditation music. In this way, we forget the outer world and turn inward to discover our own silence. This is how we prepare ourselves for Prayer-yoga meditation.
Our beloved Swamiji is our Divine Guide on the spiritual paths of Shiva-yoga and Prayer-yoga. To express our sincere gratitude, we joyfully sing melodious Indian bhajans, including Swamiji's favourites, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho" and "Yennadu Yavudayya", along with "Ananda Sagara", "Lingashtakam", "Estuti (Badrinath Bhajana)", "He Ram" and many others that we greatly enjoy.
Some members of our Satsang visit Tapovan and Shantivan regularly each year. When we return to Croatia, we bring Indian Prasad and Indian tea with special spices prepared by Shri Balbhim Anna, Swamiji's sevak. Sometimes we also bring the ingredients for a delicious Indian dish called sushila and prepare a joyful feast, enjoying the Indian cuisine we love so much.
At such times, although we are physically in Zagreb, our minds and hearts are back in Tapovan, Shantivan and India. If anyone from America happens to travel to Zagreb, Croatia, we would be happy to welcome them to our Satsang so that we may enjoy our Guruji's blessings together. Our Satsang group is a tiny India in itself.
We are in regular contact with our spiritual brothers in India, Shri Sadashiv Golsangi, Shri Balbhim Anna and Shri Siddhu Anna, as well as Shri Shankar Sagare in America. Shri Balbhim Anna is a humble yet strong disciple of His Holiness Mahatapasvi Shri Kumarswamiji. He and Shri Siddhu Anna continue to live in Swamiji's Shantivan and perform service to humanity in ways that words alone cannot describe.
Our spiritual brothers provide us with plenty of information about Yoga and spirituality. We are also very grateful to Shankar for creating a wonderful website dedicated to Shri Kumarswamiji: www.shivayoga.net .
Finally, in my opinion, Shiva-yoga is the Queen of all Yogas. I am so happy and grateful to Swamiji for choosing us and allowing us to practise His powerful yet simple and accessible meditation techniques.
Warm regards, with abundant blessings from Swamiji, from Sunita and Kavita and the rest of the Satsang group in Zagreb, Croatia.
If anyone truly feels within that they would like to practise Shiva-yoga, please do not hesitate to contact Lakshmi (Dubravka Rukavina).
Telephone: 00385/(0)1/4610339
Zagreb, 6 November 2005