| Dev Badri Shaligram 19.10.2025 |


Dev Badri Shaligram*

After leaving Guruji’s ashram, everyone’s faces were downcast.
Because his behavior and ego-filled attitude had spread a negative energy among everyone.
I was left speechless — for I had never before seen a Guru in such a manner!

My heart felt heavy — not because he didn’t speak to anyone,
but because a Guru’s place is sacred — a great responsibility,
where only love and compassion should dwell.
What difference does caste, creed, or religion make to a true Guru?
A Guru embodies the true teaching of humanity itself.
A Guru has no religion — their only religion is humanity.

But there, it wasn’t like that at all.
At his gate, the first question asked was, “Which sect do you belong to?”
My answer was — “Humanity is my caste, and understanding it is my religion.”
A sect only shows which form of God one worships,
but when one worships God, what meaning does form hold?
God exists in every form — how can anyone decide what the true form of God is?
My heart finds devotion in every form;
so how could I say which sect I belong to?

And so, we left the ashram and started back toward Rishikesh.
As we sat in the car, I said, “Let’s go to Tapovan in Rishikesh — I need to lighten my heart.”
We reached Tapovan.

There, we saw that a kirtan (devotional singing) program was taking place.
A long line of people had gathered.
Feeling drawn, I expressed my wish to go,
and after parking the car, we all headed toward the temple where the kirtan was happening.

There was a large crowd.
Soon, we learned that a Guru from ISKCON had come,
and that this was like a festival lasting for an entire month.
Devotees from India and abroad come every year to sing kirtans here.

My heart always finds joy in kirtan.
I felt so happy — the sweet sound of the chanting was echoing in my ears.
But since the crowd was too big, there was no place left to sit.

As I stood there, one of my acquaintances — a Panditji — saw me and asked me to come along with him.
All my children came along too.
He said, “There’s a door behind the music hall — I’ll take you from there.”
But as we moved ahead…
*(To be continued)*Dev Badri Shaligram*

After leaving Guruji’s ashram, everyone’s faces were downcast.
Because his behavior and ego-filled attitude had spread a negative energy among everyone.
I was left speechless — for I had never before seen a Guru in such a manner!

My heart felt heavy — not because he didn’t speak to anyone,
but because a Guru’s place is sacred — a great responsibility,
where only love and compassion should dwell.
What difference does caste, creed, or religion make to a true Guru?
A Guru embodies the true teaching of humanity itself.
A Guru has no religion — their only religion is humanity.

But there, it wasn’t like that at all.
At his gate, the first question asked was, “Which sect do you belong to?”
My answer was — “Humanity is my caste, and understanding it is my religion.”
A sect only shows which form of God one worships,
but when one worships God, what meaning does form hold?
God exists in every form — how can anyone decide what the true form of God is?
My heart finds devotion in every form;
so how could I say which sect I belong to?

And so, we left the ashram and started back toward Rishikesh.
As we sat in the car, I said, “Let’s go to Tapovan in Rishikesh — I need to lighten my heart.”
We reached Tapovan.

There, we saw that a kirtan (devotional singing) program was taking place.
A long line of people had gathered.
Feeling drawn, I expressed my wish to go,
and after parking the car, we all headed toward the temple where the kirtan was happening.

There was a large crowd.
Soon, we learned that a Guru from ISKCON had come,
and that this was like a festival lasting for an entire month.
Devotees from India and abroad come every year to sing kirtans here.

My heart always finds joy in kirtan.
I felt so happy — the sweet sound of the chanting was echoing in my ears.
But since the crowd was too big, there was no place left to sit.

As I stood there, one of my acquaintances — a Panditji — saw me and asked me to come along with him.
All my children came along too.
He said, “There’s a door behind the music hall — I’ll take you from there.”
But as we moved ahead…
*(To be continued)*