My 1-Year Adventure with JKYog
Everyone says that life is a journey. I believe life is an adventure – an experience, a desire to grow and to become the better version of oneself. External adventures like trying out a new look or having a new pleasurable worldly experience often gets a lot of attention. However, a very important and often overlooked adventure is the adventure within.
My Inner Adventure
Often, we focus our life on getting to know the world and learning how to deal, interact and adjust with external factors. But the biggest adventure is getting to know the self. The novelty, the wonder, the awe, the discovery - is all within me. I don't have to seek out what is already there. To question the purpose of life, to dance with consciousness and the unseen, and to learn to trust, listen to, and understand our truest, wisest, innermost self. Not the outward person we convey, nor our career and lifestyle ambitions as shaped by outer influences, but us, at our core, at our very heart. This can often feel scarier than bungee jumping or juggling batons set on fire.
My Adventure at the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas
A year ago, from this day my family and I went to the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas in Allen for the first time for the New Year celebration embarking on this adventure. We had an absolutely fantastic time as we started the new year with midnight chanting and kirtan. No party can ever be compared to the temple’s celebration as I felt so special thinking, “I am God’s guest” and no experience can be more exhilarating than welcoming the new year in the presence of God. At that moment I realized we had made a great decision to go to the temple for the new year celebration instead of a regular party.
My Adventure at the LTP Series with Swami Mukundananda
After the incredible time we had at the temple, we decided to attend Swami Mukundananda Ji’s seven-day Life Transformation discourses. Since we live far from the RKT temple, we decided to go for two days over the weekend. However, after listening to Swami Ji’s divine lectures we decided to attend for the entire seven-day series in person. Swami Ji’s lectures were easy to understand and comprehend. It was incredible how Swami Ji was able to incorporate both humor and purpose into the lectures. Most spiritual lectures are very technical and serious for me which makes it hard for me to retain, but his lectures were so engaging and fun that I was able to retain so much more.
I remember from the first day's discourse how Swami Ji explained that God created this world by giving the example of the spider creating a web from the matter inside of it, and when the purpose of the web is over, the spider absorbs it all. Many people have told me that God is omnipresent, but no one was ever able to explain it clearly with an example. Another example from Swamiji’s discourses that really touched my heart was about the ice cream and the candle. Swami Ji talked about how many people like to live life like ice cream - enjoy it before it melts. When Swami Ji said that, I thought, “Wow, that is such a good way to live life!” until he went on to explain about the burning candle and how many people find a higher purpose in life which gives them a sense of true fulfilment. That was when I decided that this is how I will try to live life, with a sense of purpose and true fulfilment. Swami Ji’s lectures have truly inspired me to look at life from a new perspective.
My Adventure at the Dallas Retreat
Seeing how much we enjoyed the discourse we decided to attend JKYog's Dallas retreat. The retreat was an amazing experience and really helped me connect with God. In such a busy world it is often hard to find time for yourself. However, this retreat allowed me to disconnect from the world for three days and spend my time in devotion, purifying the mind and cultivating awareness and self-realization. This helped me grow as a person and explore the world within.
I have also recently joined the Bhagavad Gita classes at JKYog. These have tremendously helped me to understand the essence of India’s ancient teachings, and the relevance of these teachings in modern times. The discussions in the class have helped me understand the shlokas, their meaning and application in day-to-day life. Details about the RKT Events here.
Inspirations from the Bhagavad Gita
One verse that I have grown particularly fond of is in Chapter 2, Verse 47 where Krishna says to Arjun, “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.” This verse offers deep insight into the proper spirit of work. Focus on your work, not on the results. We have the right to do our duty, but the results are not dependent only upon our efforts. I have tried to implement this in my daily life and have seen the benefit. As a student, I have weekly tests and I also participate in many extra-curricular activities. Before learning this verse, I used to get very attached to the outcome causing worry and anxiety. However, after learning this verse, I have started to detach myself from the outcome. All I can do is try my best, since at the end of the day I cannot do better than my best anyways.
Another verse I have started to implement in my daily life is Chapter 2, Verse 14 where Krishna tells Arjun, “The contact between the senses and sense objects gives rise to the fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” This verse teaches us how the basic human reflex is to do what brings pleasure and to avoid what brings pain. However, to grow as a person you need to unlearn this reflex and not get caught up in the temporary experiences of joy and sorrow, like and dislike of the senses because these experiences, like winter and summer are transitionary. I have started to implement this sloka in my life through meditation. Every morning I meditate for 15 minutes before going to school. The mornings are usually very hectic and to do meditation I need to wake up half an hour earlier. Since I usually sleep late in order to finish homework, it’s always a struggle to wake up early in the morning. However, after learning this shloka I have realized that this discomfort is only temporary and I will get used to waking up a bit early, but the benefit of doing meditation in the morning is forever lasting. This small change in my morning routine has not only increased my productivity but has brought a huge shift in my mindset of tolerating discomfort. It has increased my ability to cope with inconvenience in any situation throughout the day! Details about the class here.
My 1-Year Happy Adventure with JKYog
This was my greatest adventure in the year 2022, one that I share with JKYog. This New Year 2023 commemorates my one-year anniversary with JKYog. As I look back and introspect, I realize that I am a much happier person than I was a year ago with much more awareness about myself and God. This is one adventure that I wish to continue in the years to come...
I wish to invite other youngsters like me to experience my adventure.
Yashvi Sharma
Age 13 years
Radha Krishna Temple’s Youth Club
If you were touched or impressed by Yashvi’s experiences with JKYog and Swamiji, please consider participating in the Youth Holistic Development Program at the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen).
This club has been established primarily to nurture all-round personality development of youth between 13-25 years of age. They learn a variety of skills in the areas of leadership, communication, career exploration, and human excellence through structured and unstructured activities. Most of all, they learn the value of serving their local communities through numerous service projects that enable other youth in the community to be successful.
