First US tour of HH

October 20, 2006

Source: Reports from Archived visits of DYC USA. And Collected by Mrs. Bala Peri, Hyderabad.

1976

When John Laird (Ramana) met Sri Swamiji in His Ashram in 1975, Sri Swamiji asked, "will you take me to America?" Ramana's book "Sri Swamiji's First American Tour" gives the tour details in a very absorbing manner describing the 1976 USA tour, hence I will be brief, Late Sri Raja ram Naidu, Arokyaswamy, Sridhar, Murali Babu, C.S.Radhakrishna, Ramanathan, V.Bala and H. Viswanathan accompanied Sri Swamiji.

In this trip Sri Swamiji visited: Hillsdale, NJ; NewYork city; Avon, CT; Hartford, CT; Boston, Ma; Orlando, FL and other cities, Major highlights of the trips are as follows:

· Sri Swamiji performed Ganapati Puja and Homa at Hindu Temple Society in Queens.

· Sri Swamiji stayed with Ramana's parents house in Avon, CT;

· Sri Swamiji got in Niagara Falls and waded through frigid waters, performed prayers and ablutions. He said Niagara River is the palace where Bharadwaja Muni composed the Vimanaka Shastara.

· Sri Swamiji Sang bhajans at ISKCON temple in Manhattan, and Yoga Society of New York.

· Visited Disney World and Cape Kennedy Space center.

1980

The 1980 trip was a surprise visit by Sri Swamiji. No one invited Swamiji to the USA that year. Ramana received a letter or telegram stating that Swamiji was coming to the USA. So it was Swamiji's initiative to come for more than one month. Quite remarkable! He stated that He wanted to only go sight seeing, and have no public programs. Only Prasadi's father H Viswanath accompanied Sri Swamiji from India, and he stayed for two weeks only.

Ramana accompanied Sri Swamiji from Washington DC to Pittsburgh and then to Bay City, Texas. Then Sri Swamiji traveled alone from Bay City to Richland, Washington and then across the country to Boston MA; and then from Boston to Europe. So you can see how unusual a trip it was Swamiji visited; New York City; Avon CT; Lancaster, PA; Washington; and Boston Mass. New York was more of sightseeing trip Empire State Building; Boat ride around Manhattan Swamiji spent a lot of time watching TV away of learning English. He also counseled the members of Hindu Temple Society of NY to help them solve some of their administrative problems in Avon, it was pure rest, Mukinda and Mala Balroop from Trinidad met Sri Swamiji for the first time in Avon, and Dr Chandoo was also there. It was quite an intimate time.

While there, Swamiji visited an Amish family and only Sri Swamiji was permitted to enter their home and talk with them. No idea what the connection was. Again it was a sight seeing time in Washington DC and the Luray Caverns. After first few weeks of sight seeing, Sri Swamiji went to Pittsburgh where He said, " My USA tour begins now" and many people took an interest in Sri Swamiji, Padma met Sri Swamiji at the Unity Church, which she was managing. Most likely this meeting was one of the main reasons that Swamiji came in 1980. Swamiji spoke at the Theosophical Society and performed Homa at Channrasppa's residence. No priests accompanied Sri Swamiji, so He performed Homa by Himself. He recorded mantras and played them during the Homa to take the place of the accompanying priest.

He then traveled to Bay city and Sri Swamiji stayed with the Kesarinaths. Many people met Sri Swamiji there. There were lots of miracles every day. Sri Swamiji performed Mukunda's and Mala's wedding at Matagorda Beach on the Gulf of Mexico by materializing Atma Lingam from his mouth, allowed everyone present to have Darshan of it, and then He swallowed the stone Lingam! He materialized vibhooti, malas, chakras and coins. At the beach, He dug down deep into the wet sand and took out an ancient worn out Sri Chakra about two inches in diameter which, He said, has been there for ages. He made the room smell like Homa smoke when there was no actual fire or Homa performed. He materialized a huge knife to cut kesarinath's fan belt when the car broke down in the middle of nowhere. He showed 2 suns in the sky to Sudha Kesarinath and Ramana. It was an electrifying time. Swamiji went to a movie theatre, and the odd thing was that nobody else was in the entire theater. He would not

permit them to stay with Him either, so Swamiji alone sat in the theater for two hours. No idea as to why or for what purpose He went there! Sri Swamiji performed Puja at the Ganesha temple of the Meenakshi temple complex in Houston.

Then Sri Swamiji alone went to Richland, WA. Sri Swamiji collected the ash from Mt St. Helens soon after the eruption, and took it back to India to make herbal medicine. In Boston, Sri Swamiji stayed with Dr Ammani and family. Padma also joined there. There was one public program, During this tour, Sri Swamiji spoke a bit about the Bermuda Triangle and said He could decipher the mystery surrounding it (a few years ago, Swamiji once again commented about the Bermuda Triangle, but this time He said: "People talk about the Bermuda Triangle. Swamiji has centers in California, Baton Rouge and West Sunbury, that is the triangle. " So, that is a hint abut the sacred geography of Sri Swamiji's Centers in the USA. Swamiji also said in 1990 while at DRC, that DRC would save Swamiji's mission. When Sri Swamiji was asked to explain, He just said, "you will see' Basically everything that Swamiji is doing has a purpose is connected (as we are all aware), but we don't understand it. In

1980 it seemed like a tourist trip of Sri Swamiji, but it may be that He way laying the foundation for all that would happen afterwards.

P. Lakshmi Prasad

_____

If you cry , because the Sun has gone Out of your life, your tears will prevent

You from seeing the Stars.

- Ravindranath Tagore

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