A Moment From a Past Age

When we were in Munger, at the Bihar School of Yoga, Swami-ji was giving satsang. That's why we'd gone at that particular time. It also happened to be Navaratri, so there was a bit of a festival vibe, and even at Munger, I suspect things were a little more relaxed than normal.
Swami-ji would talk to us in the mornings in the main practice hall. This was always good. He spoke on a wide variety of subjects, but I can't remember anything really. It just washed over me. I was just enthralled at being so close to him.
Every ray of sunlight that reflects off him and enters my eyes is an incredible blessing. And that's all I was aware of.
Swami-ji also gave satsangs in the evening, in the courtyard. These were less formal somehow, and it was nice to sit in the cool dark evening, and just let his voice wash over.
One evening, we had all gathered in the courtyard, and a bunch of swamis came and started to usher us out of the courtyard, and across the car parking area. They were obviously excited. They were quite thorough in forming us into lines, and giving instructions. One of them told me that we had all been invited into a very special space. We were all going into swami-ji's garden, where there was a small room with some precious objects. Only one or two of the resident swami's had ever been allowed into the space. Normally it was off limits to everyone in the ashram.
We walked across the car park and after waiting in line, we passed though a gap in some bushes, and through a gate...and into wonderland!
It was dark, but hot, but as we entered the garden, the temperature dropped five degrees, with cool grass and gently swaying trees all around. And lights. Hundreds upon hundreds of buter lamps, all around the garden, twinkling like stars, and giving a beautiful golden glow to the whole scene.
It was simply breathtaking.
We were lead around the garden in a long line, past a central area with a couple of Murtis, and into and through the small building. The atmosphere in the building was intense. There was lots of incense smoke, but there was much else besides. I'm quite familiar with the trappings of Hinduism and Yoga, but there only a few things I recognised, such as sphatica mala and linga, some yantras etc. Some other things were simply mysterious. It felt like a tremendous privilege (which of course it was) just to be there.
After this we all sat in he garden whilst Swami-ji gave his satsang.
To say he was delightful that evening would like saying the Mona Lisa is a pretty picture. It would be like saying Mount Everest is a hill.
Those who know Swami-ji will know he has a great sense of humour. This evening he was on form. He told us a delightful story, filled with humour. At one point he was laughing so much, he couldn't get his words out. Everyone was literrally in tears of laughter. We were in the palm of his hand, and we were putty. He told the tale with mastery, eventually leading us around to the gentle moral of the tale. And it was such a gentle moral, delivered with such sweetness and grace, that the tears were no longer with laughter.
When I look back on this now, I feel I have been given a moment outside of Kali Yug. Siting there, in the presence of such a great Sage, being entertained, educated and so gently nudged along the path, in the cool golden air was a moment from another age.