“Life is a pilgrimage, where man drags his feet along the rough and thorny road. With the name of God on his lips, he will have no thirst; with the form of God in his heart, he will feel no exhaustion. The company of the holy will inspire him to travel in hope and faith. The assurance that God is within call, that he is ever near, nor is he long in coming, will lend strength to his limbs and courage to his eye.
Remember that with every step, you are nearing God; and God too, takes ten steps toward you when you take one step towards him. There is no stopping place in this pilgrimage; it is one continuous journey, through day and night, through valley and desert; through tears and smiles; through death and birth; through tomb and womb.
When the road ends and the goal is gained, the pilgrim finds that he has traveled only from himself to himself, that the way was long and lonesome, but the God that led him unto it was all the while in him, around him, with him, and beside him! He Himself was always Divine. His yearning to merge in God was but the sea calling to the Ocean! Man loves, because he is Love! He craves for melody and harmony, because He is melody and harmony. He seeks joy, for he is joy. He thirsts for God, for he is composed of God, and he cannot exist without him”. – Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V111. pp 38-39
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Sairam Dear Brothers and Sisters,
With Swami’s immense blessings and inspiration, we are happy to announce a 35-day sadhana (spiritual discipline) program as part of the lead-up to the upcoming Memorial Day online retreat. The goal of the sadhana program is to unite all devotees via this virtual pilgrimage to Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi.
This Pilgrimage will commence on Aradhana Day, April 24th virtually from Tustin, California and travel 11,075 miles (across the Atlantic) leading us to Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi, India on May 28th.
During these 35-days, each time you complete a distance-based exercise such as running, walking or cycling, you can make it count towards the virtual pilgrimage by setting an intention and by logging your steps on the website. The intention can be set in many ways – chanting the Divine Name, singing a bhajan or listening to Swami’s discourse.
At the end of the pilgrimage, we encourage you to consider giving up an undesirable habit (e.g. eating unhealthy food, judging others etc.,) and to seek Swami’s blessings for replacing it with a good habit.
To join the pilgrimage, registration is mandatory. Register before April 22nd by clicking here. No registrations will be accepted after April 22nd. By registering, you are making a commitment to walk, run or bike every day from April 24th – May 28th. Once we receive your registration, we will assign you to a team. Each team will jointly cover a distance of 317 miles (634,000 steps) per day.
Starting April 24th, please log your steps or miles daily at https://www.challengerunner.com/Signin.
We will combine the miles of all members in a team to track each team’s progress. Towards the end of the journey, if any team is lagging behind, other teams will donate their excess steps / miles to help all of us reach our destination. Remember this is not a race, it is a united offering of love to our dear Lord.
For instructions on registration, click here.
For additional information, please see attached flyer and FAQ.
For questions, email parthi.pilgrimage@gmail.com” style=”mso-line-height-rule: exactly;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #007C89;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;”>parthi.pilgrimage@gmail.com or call 703-594-7568
Please note that this registration is only for the virtual pilgrimage and not for the retreat.
Loving Sairams,
2021 Virtual Parthi Pilgrimage Team
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Download: 2021 Virtual Parthi Pilgrimage FINAL | 2021 Virtual Parthi Pilgrimage FAQ
