Samratchana's Rama Rajya

Baba arrived at the San Francisco International Airport from Montreal, Canada, on April 28^th 2009 at 8:00 PM. From around 7:00 PM, about 80 to 100 of us were eagerly and enthusiastically waiting to have a glimpse of Him as He disembarked from the flight.

Thousands all over the world were waiting to see this momentous reception and the Gopis of California -- Raman, Mani, Srinivas, Sree, Bharadwaj and others were setting up ‘Live Streaming’ of Baba’s reception at the San Francisco airport, for all these ardent souls the world over. Ganesh Kumar, Sundar, Arun, Madhu, Murali, Vinay, Prem and few others were getting their digital photography and video recording equipment set up, in order to capture this special event at its best.

With a welcome package of colorful garlands whose breathtaking fragrance bespoke our love for Him, manifold bouquets, print of the latest ‘Mahajyothi’ and Samratchana magazines designed by Lalitha and Jayanthi (Samratchana Editorial Team), delicious sweets and snacks prepared by Ganesh Shastrigal, Shanthi, Thoo Thu Mami, Madhu’s Mum, Jayashree’s Mum and Ganesh Kumar’s Mum, the Gopikas, Rukmini, Raji, Trishi, Veena, Bharathi, Prabha, Vidhya, Jayashree, Priya, Sudha, Sangeetha, Akshayaa, Subhashini, Praveena, many other youngsters and elders, were all awaiting Him in eager anticipation, at the junction where we believed we would never miss out anyone coming out of the flight.

Little Gopis and Gopikas Raghav, Sesh, Srinath, Aravind, Gaurav, Krish, Siva, Manasa, Vaishnavi, and Keerthi were walking around with roses in their hands, peering through the glass door searching for a glimpse of Baba, their tender, little hearts overflowing with love.

Infants to elders alike, the air was vibrating with a desperate longing to see Him… as time went by, the more anxious we became. The clock ticked 8:00 PM, no sign of Baba… 8:10, 8:15… Where is Baba?

O where! O where could HE be!

Suddenly someone came running up saying, “Baba is downstairs awaiting His baggage in the Baggage Claim area”. HE has already arrived? How could Krishna++ have evaded all of us including the Limo service representative who was holding a placard “BABA”, is a mystery till today!

Our dismay turned to inexplicable joy as we leapt down the escalator and there He was, all smiles… “Had my brother not seen me here, you would all have been still waiting upstairs isn’t it?” He said with a smile and twinkle in His eyes.

Baba embraced and acknowledged every one of us, including kids, interspersing the conversations with His unmatched sense of humor.

Our hearts yearning for His love was now brimming with joy and laughter. And, all this was being streamed live for the rest of our Samratchanites to enjoy.

Outside the airport, Baba was received into a white limousine together with all the Gopikas and our drive home to San Jose began.

We were all chatting with Him, serving Him water, juice, snacks and all the special things we had prepared for Him. Despite His tiredness from the long flight journey, He patiently, smilingly bore with our expressions of love and whether hungry or thirsty or not, He ate what we served Him.

In everything He did, there was a lesson for us to learn. Listening to His travel experiences, His jokes, and simply reveling in His company, we did not realize we had already traversed 50 miles and reached our home in San Jose.

At home, sumptuous dinner awaited everyone, steaming hot, ready to be served, prepared by all of us together, as an expression of our love for Him and all of His creation, with special dinner for Baba (the very simple food He prefers).

The home was beautifully decorated to receive the King of Kings; the God of Gods.

Baba relaxed with us for a few minutes after dinner and then went to bed.

Thus ended our memorable April 28^th 2009.

Video clip of us receiving Baba at the San Francisco Airport

DAY 2: April 29 2009 (IBM Campus Visit, Temple Sathsang)

A variety breakfast was hosted by Jayashree’s and Ganesh Kumar’s family for everyone. We had many guests that morning. Everyone was served a delicious variety of South Indian breakfast in our community Club House.

Baba performed His Nithya Homam in the hall. The room resonated with the sacred vedic chants.

After Homam, Baba spent time with the assembled guests as in an informal Counseling session.

Around 10 AM, Baba and some of our Samratchanites went on a Campus visit to the IBM Research Center. This event was organized by Rukmini and her fiancé, Kumar, who is a Scientist at the Research Center. Kumar led Baba and the group on a guided tour of the facility, his lab, and the other labs he works in. He described the unique construction of the building, its design and architecture, elaborating on how it can withstand earthquakes and other natural calamities. He demonstrated how they analyze and process material and clarified questions raised by the group.

While one group was at the IBM Research Center, another smaller group was getting the lunch ready for everyone. We had reserved our Condominium Club House for our cooking needs, so the home is always maintained calm and clean for Baba. The Club House was easily accessible and just across from our unit. With hundreds of Samratchanites in the Bay Area, needless to say, every meal was a feast. The menu for each meal was well planned in advance and all mixes, pastes, powders, batter, pickles, snacks, sweets, etc. were pre-made. Our thanks to the efficient menu planning by Madhu’s Mum, Thoo Thu Mami, Vidhya, Ganesh Shastrigal, Raman, Raji, Trishi, Prabha, Arun and others. This planning and pre-made mixes, pickles, snacks and sweets extended to Yosemite, Hawaii, all the way up to South America.

On His return from IBM, Baba stopped by at Bharathi’s home per her request and the couple joyously served Him tea.

The moment Baba arrived home, we served Him lunch. For the rest of us, lunch was served at the Club House. Baba relaxed in His room after lunch. Later, Baba went for a massage specially organized for Him by Bharadwaj and Trishi. A Fiji woman conducted the massage and had conversed with Him in Hindi. Baba remarked later that she was sincere in her work and that her ancestral descent was from Guhan of Ramayana.

On His return from the massage, Baba had a shower and joined us for Coffee, opting for French Vanilla flavor.

More guests poured in to see Baba in the evening. Baba explained His miracles in fire representing divine forms. He shared with them on the activities at Samratchana, inviting everyone to visit Rama Rajya, offering them food, accommodation and all facilities free of cost.

LOVE – His Forte

After this, we all went with Baba to the Vedica Vidhya Ganapathi Temple, that is just 5 minutes from home. Ganesh Shastrigal had organized a ‘Sathsang’ at his temple. It was a beautiful, peaceful and well-organized Sathsang and people visiting the temple thronged the temple hall in order to join Baba’s Sathsang. The Sathsang was interspersed with Bhajans and hymns by Samratchanites and visitors to the temple, alike -- a live demonstration of Him uniting the world by His love and love alone. Baba also had a brainstorming session with everyone where people had the opportunity to clarify questions regarding Baba and His organization, or a wide range of topics such as Spirituality, present day politics, economics, etc. “I am game!”, He remarked with a smile.

Ganesh Shastrigal had arranged to webcast this Sathsang live for people all over the world. Baba’s key messages during the Sathsang were:

Audio / Video link to Baba’s Sathsang speech

After the Sathsang, Ganesh Shastrigal had organized a feast for everyone, on this momentous occasion of the Lord’s visit, with special dishes prepared by him and his wife and coordinating the menu with Tirupathi Bheema’s restaurant. The feast comprised of Prasadam, rice varieties including sambar rice, tamarind rice, curd rice, Tiffin varieties, idli, dosa, bhatura and an array of side dishes, chips, payasams, a variety of sweets and snacks, chocolates and juices, together with Ganesh Shastrigal’s specials, ‘Thirati Paal and Mango Kesari’, on this special occasion -- a feast for Baba’s ‘Loka Kalyanam’!

After returning home, before retiring for the night, Baba casually chatted with all us as we gathered around Him and blissfully massaged His feet, enjoying every moment of it. Baba was keeping Himself informed about the happenings at our home country, even during the trip, by periodically listening to Tamil news from our laptops or blackberries.

DAY 3: April 30 2009 (Napa Valley, African Safari)

April 30^th morning saw us all driving towards Napa Valley for a taste of the wine country. A variety breakfast and picnic lunch was packed for everyone in preparation for spending the day at Napa Valley. Many guests came to see Baba and after Homam, Baba spent some time with the guests at home, while we prepared for our trip at our Club House.

Around 10 AM, we started our drive to Napa Valley. Napa Valley is about 80 miles from San Jose (1.5 hour driving) and is renowned as one of the top American Viticulture Areas in California. In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley’s boutique wineries produce some of the world’s best wines. We first drove to Sterling Vineyards. A cable car took us to the hilltop restaurant where we were taken on a guided tour around the winery and wine-making process. This culminated in us tasting some of the exotic wines.

We halted at a beautiful park enroute and enjoyed our picnic lunch with Baba. We then went on an African Safari ride in the Sonoma Serengeti, in the heart of the Wine Country. We drove by wild Ostriches, Giraffes, Warthogs, Cape Buffaloes, Elands, Gemsboks, Impalas and many other African mammals and birds in an open-air, authentic Safari vehicle. We walked with Baba among trees and bushes harboring several dozen varieties of unusual birds. The Safari ride was thrilling and the time spent amidst the wilderness, with Baba, was memorable.

Kadavulin Kaadhali – God’s Lover

Baba interacted with each one of us, young and old, enlivening us with conversations suitable to the age group of each person. He even interacted with an infant! Arun and Prabha’s infant ‘Keerthi’ was all smiles as the Lord Himself would bend down to her stroller to give her a smile. Keerthi was the youngest member of the tour group. He would whisper sweet somethings to her that would make her beam in joy. He called her ‘KK’ explaining that ‘KK’ stands for ‘Kadavulin Kaadhali’ – God’s Lover. All through the trip, Baba gave her so much attention and ensured He had fed her a morsel of His food before He ate, saying, ‘feeding an infant is like feeding the Divine Mother’. He would mash fruit, vathal, rice, with His fingers and feed it into her eager, tiny mouth, that she would open wide, with her neck stretched out towards Him, all smiles!

We then drove back home for the night while some of us went to receive more Samratchanites who were just arriving at San Francisco in order to see Baba.

DAYS 4, 5, 6: May 1 to 3 2009 (Camping at Yosemite, Drive to Encinitas)

We had arranged for a road trip to San Diego in a chartered mini bus, with a two-day camp at Yosemite. The Yosemite National Park is approximately 4 hours drive from San Jose. It is one of the largest natural parks in the Sierra Nevada supporting a diversity of plants and animals. Designated as a World Heritage Site, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, valleys, canyons, glaciers, streams, giant Sequoia groves and biological diversity. Key attractions at Yosemite are the Yosemite valley, El Captain granite cliff, Sentinel Rock and Half dome granite domes, Bridalveil Falls and the Lyell Glacier.

On May 1^st morning, we had our breakfast and prepared picnic lunch for the day with some snacks and sweets brought by Ganesh Shastrigal and Madhu’s Mum, to have during the journey. We also packed pre-made mixes, pastes, pickles, sweets, snacks, rice, salt and few other raw ingredients, rice cookers, etc. for our camping trip and for the rest of our journey with Baba until South America.

After Homam, while Baba spent time with some guests, we loaded the trunk of the bus with all our baggage and food. Around 12 noon, we started on our bus journey to Yosemite.

About 25 of us travelled in this road trip with Baba. The deluxe mini bus was well equipped with all facilities including Air conditioning, TV, VCR, Music System, Speakers and Microphones.

Baba took a diversion and went in Raman’s car to Bharadwaj and Trishi and Raji and Mani’s homes in Sacramento before arriving at Yosemite.

We had reserved three vacation homes in Yosemite – Yosemite Crossroads, Hiker’s Hideaway and Christmas cabin. These excellent cabin homes were well equipped with all facilities – kitchen appliances, utensils, cosy, comfortable beds, large screen dish television, DVD, VHS CD player, books, air conditioning, Jacuzzi and steam showers. They were spacious and comfortable. The patio decks overlooked the forest. These homes were all adjacent to one another and were located in a cul-de-sac in a remote part of Yosemite West. Snuggled in a grove of Yosemite Sugar Pines and Dogwood trees, each of our mountain cabin homes could comfortably accommodate 8 people.

We arrived a few hours before Baba could arrive from Sacramento. Those of us who arrived by bus, settled down and made dinner ready for everyone. There was a heavy downpour that night. Soon after Baba arrived, we served Him dinner. Being very late in the night, Baba suggested we take rest and we all snuggled into our warm, cosy beds and were soon fast asleep.

The next day (May 2^nd), we refreshed ourselves in our Cabin homes, prepared breakfast, packed picnic lunch and assembled at the Cabin where Baba was staying. After Homam, we boarded our bus with Baba, for a sight-seeing tour of Yosemite. Though it was raining and foggy, we stopped at all the scenic viewpoints and enjoyed the natural beauty with the Lord. Walking with Baba, be it rain or shine, giggling at His innumerous jokes, trying to imbibe His messages, we had a truly memorable time. We halted at the Visitors’ Center and enjoyed our picnic lunch under a canopy with benches. After lunch, we watched a Documentary about the Yosemite National Park. As we drove around in our bus halting at every scenic vista, Baba who was seated at the front, narrated His experiences with the Divine, through a mic. provided by the bus.

Later that day, we reconvened at Baba’s cabin. We watched the movie, ‘A Wednesday’ with Baba. After the movie, Baba was casually talking to us about current affairs and clarified our doubts and questions. Imagine being in the middle of a wilderness with Baba -- chatting, playing games, watching movies and experiencing nature with Him!

The next morning (May 3^rd), after Baba performed Homam amidst the serene forests of Yosemite, we continued on our road trip to San Diego, taking with us fond memories of our Yosemite camping with Baba.

Our road trip ended at Tinkoo’s home in Encinitas around 6:30 PM in the evening. A grand reception and a group of eager visitors awaited Baba at Encinictas.

The Siddhas Meet

Baba immediately joined in Sathsang with the group of people who were waiting to see Him. Listen to speech and add remark by Baba here about the foreigners who had come to see Him.

After this interesting Sathsang with Baba, Tinkoo, Pramod, Vidhya and Kripa served delicious dinner for all of us. Our Sathsang with Baba continued even after the guests had departed.

DAY 7: May 4 2009 (Legoland, La Jolla Beach, Mexico Border)

We had breakfast, prepared picnic lunch and sandwiches in individual packets and eagerly awaited to join Baba during Nithya Homam. Baba’s Homam was one of the best experiences of each day, in our vacation with Baba – starting the day in thankful prayer to Him, with Him!

Later that day, we drove to Legoland, Carlsbad in Northern San Diego(originating from a Danish Toy Company). Legoland is a Children’s Theme Park comprising of a variety of roller coasters, models of landmarks from around the world made from millions of genuine Lego bricks, fun-based learning centers -- Lego Mind storms and Duplo Gardens. Everything within the park is Lego-themed and made to appear as if they are made out of Lego bricks.

Baba joined our kids in all the fun rides as we enjoyed and explored this wonderfully, unique Children’s park.

We then stopped by at La Jolla beach for a relaxing Picnic lunch with Baba. La Jolla Cove is a small, sandy beach about 1 mile long of extraordinary beauty, tucked between adjacent sandstone cliffs and close to Tinkoo’s home.

After lunch, Baba drove to the Mexican border with a small group while the rest of us returned home.

Later that evening, He showed us photos of the border and shared jokes, with His unmatched sense of humor, about some of the things He had seen at the border. We had dinner and continued our conversations with Baba until we retired for the night and prepared for the next day -- onward to Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

DAY 8: May 5 2009 (Flight to Hawaii)

After breakfast and Homam that morning, we all headed to the San Diego airport to board our flight to Kauai island in Hawaii with a stop at Honolulu.

Kauai is just 20 minutes by flight from Honolulu and is the northernmost of the main Hawaiian islands. It is also one of the oldest of the islands in Hawaii.

Chapter 2: Hawaii

MAY 5^th to MAY 9^th

DAY 8: May 5 2009 (Arrival at Kauai)

We reached the Lihue airport in Kauai late afternoon. The airport itself looked more like a park. While waiting for some of our team who had gone to pick up rental cars reserved for us, we sat outside in the airport benches with Baba and immersed ourselves in the legendary ‘Aloha’ spirit and the quiet majesty of the island’s extraordinary natural heritage, breathing in the freshness of this friendly, tropical garden island Paradise.

Ganesh and Gayathri flew down from Columbus, Ohio in order to spend time with Baba in Hawaii. We rented cars that were reserved for us and drove to our resort homes, very close to the airport. The Banyan Harbor Resort is located close to the Kalapaki beach. We drove past Rice Street and Waapa Road to arrive at our destination, just 2 miles from the airport. We spent the rest of the evening settling down, exploring our neighborhood and simply relaxing.

DAY 9: May 6 2009 (Kauai Hindu Monastery, Wailua Falls, Beach, To Kona)

We had continental breakfast, packed picnic lunch and quickly assembled at Baba’s unit for Homam. Children eagerly brought bright red Hibiscus flowers that were abounding in the gardens, for the Homam. Needless to say, the flowers and all of Mother Nature bowed in obeisance to the Lord, in sweet offering.

Our first stop was a Hindu Monastery in Kauai known as ‘Kadavul Hindu Temple’. It is a South-Indian style monastery on the mystical Garden Island of Kauai. This spiritual sanctuary spawns appx. 350 acres of natural, lush tropical setting. The monastery is located on the banks of the Wailua river nestled in the foothills of Mount Waialeale.

Baba and the rest of our group were immediately welcomed and taken on a guided tour by one of the residing yoginis. She walked us through the entire premises surrounding the Kadavul Siva Temple enshrining an exquisite 6 foot tall bronze image of Lord Nataraja and the new San Marga Iraivan Temple. Our guide walked us through the construction sites as well and showed us the stones used in the construction, indicating that each of the stones display an image of Lord Vinayaka. Baba talked to the Stapathis who were overjoyed on seeing and recognizing Him.

The presiding head-Guru of the temple was pleased to meet Baba and Baba spoke to them about ‘Rama Rajya’ and welcomed them to Kelambakkam. He explained to the awestruck group of Temple Swamis and Yogis about His miracles in fire (fire being the purest medium to receive divine forms) and other activities at Samratchana.

We later drove to the Wailua Falls. We stopped by at the Vista point for photographs when Baba jokingly remarked, “Yosemite was a Falls; this is a False”.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch with Baba at the Wailua Beach and headed straight to the airport in order to board our flight to Kona, our next stop in the Hawaiian Islands. Kona is also known as ‘The Big Island’, being the largest of the Hawaiian islands. We delighted in Baba’s puzzles and jokes on our way to the airport.

We arrived at the Kona Keahole Airport late evening. We drove through Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy and then past the Waikoloa Beach resort lined with Golf courses. Three Condos were reserved for us in Hilton Bay Club, Waikoloa Beach Resort. These resort homes are encircled by five volcanoes and nestled between two golf courses. Baba’s condo overlooked The King’s Golf course and the idyllic setting of His unit faced the rising sun, as it rose in humble prostrations to the Supreme One, every morning.

Tinkoo, Pramod and Krupa had reached Kona in advance. They were waiting at the gates of the Hilton Resort eagerly looking forward to welcoming Baba. Once we had all settled down, we thankfully enjoyed the dinner prepared by them and blissfully rested for the night wondering how these resorts would appeal to the One who is the last resort!

“Rama Rajya is not just a resort; it is the last resort to a spiritual seeker” – Baba

DAY 10: May 7 2009 (Kona Volcanic National Park, Helicopter Ride)

The next morning, we breakfasted, packed our picnic lunches and assembled at Baba’s lanai for Homam. Baba performed the Homam in the patio as the sun rose over the Kohala coastline.

The theme for this day was ‘Volcanoes’. We embarked on a 2 hour drive to the Volcanoes National Park in Crater Rim Drive, via Hilo. The drive was charming with breath-taking views of the mountains meeting the ocean, waterfalls and lots of tropical greenery everywhere. The roadside abounded in tropical trees – jackfruits, plantains and coconuts very much like Kerala. A roadside Plantain tree offered one of its largest flowers as we drove by and we later prepared a dish out of it for Baba.

On one side there was this lush greenery abounding in life and on the other side as we drove a bit further, we saw acres of black, lifeless, dry, ash-laden lava fields. Baba commented that unlike Rajastan and other places which are completely dry, Hawaii has a variety of greenery, volcanoes, rain and hot sun.

Once we arrived at the Volcano National Park, we had lunch and stopped at a vista point from where we could see red hot molten lava pouring out of a volcano. The park was the result of over 70 million years of volcanism and evolution processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with unique ecosystems and distinct human culture. The park has two of the most active volcanoes in the world.

We visited the Halemaumau crater, home of Pele, the volcano Goddess and the Thurston lava tube where we walked through a 500 year old lava cave formed when an underground channel of molten lava drained from its cooled walls forming a massive, hollow chamber.

As we were standing at a view point observing the setting sun and expanse of destruction by the erupting volcanoes and black, molten, burned lava fields that surrounded us, Baba remarked that it was not good to stay here for long. A group of us therefore returned back to the Condos while another group proceeded on a two hour helicopter ride, with Baba.

The helicopter tour flew us over the volcanoes of Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and the Volcanoes National Park. Vast areas of the Big Island of Hawaii have been burned and paved over as a result, and the destruction and raw power of the earth’s creative force was amazing. The helicopter took us over the scenic coastlines of Kohala and the rich vegetation of Hawaii as well. It seemed to us immaterial whether you saw all of Hawaii or only five miles of it. It was just like wall-paper. A sample sufficed; the whole was the sample infinitely repeated.

Pournami in Hawaii

After Baba and the group returned we had dinner together and a Sathsang in Baba’s lanai on this cool Pournami night watching the moon ascend the sky. We were massaging Baba while he was relaxing and talking to us. He explained the family of Lord Siva in one of His miracles in fire. When Baba wanted to show this photo, I booted up my laptop and the background image on the desktop was the miracle in fire photo of Lord Siva’s family. Baba gave a surprised smile as it was the exact same photo He wanted to explain to us about. I was amazed at this extraordinary coincidence.

We then settled down for the night for another day of adventure.

DAY 11: May 8 2009 (Kona Glass bottom boat Tour, UFO Parasail, Beach picnic lunch, Dance)

The theme for today was ‘Beaches’. We breakfasted, packed our picnic lunches as usual and assembled at Baba’s lanai for Homam, early next morning. Baba came in a splashy floral print Hawaiian shirt, a more colorful matching shorts and sunglasses -- a real treat to the eyes.

We arrived at the Kailua Pier and embarked on a 2 hour fun and educational Glass Bottom Boat Cruise exploring Hawaii’s beauty above and below the sea. Just before the boat could start sailing, Sree jumped in with a beautiful Hawaiian straw hat for Baba. This completed Baba’s splendid attire! A naturalist provided narration describing the local marine life and historic sites, as we cruised from the Kailua-Kona pier to Keahou Bay and back. It was a great adventure for all of us watching the coral reefs, sea weeds, sea anemones, sea urchins, starfish, jellyfish, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, and a variety of tropical fish in their natural environment, through the magnified glass bottom of the boat.

Later Baba and many others in our group went Parasailing on the Big Island, soaring up to 800 feet above sea level. We enjoyed a thrilling ride on a speed boat, taking us to the middle of the sea and raising us high up into the air. It was absolutely blissful up there in the skies, we were amazed by the views of the Pacific Ocean and Kona's spectacular volcanic coastline. Having no control over the parachute and just floating up high is bliss.

Soon after the descent, we joined together for a picnic lunch right near the sea shore with beautiful view of the waves gently lapping against the lava rocks. The mild, cool breeze and the sound of the sea in the background was really soothing.

After lunch, we relaxed at the beach singing Samratchana songs, literally transforming Hawaii into a Paradise -- singing for the Lord with the Lord Himself seated in cool splendor, spinning the Hawaiian straw hat with His finger, reminding us of these lines...

“Ezhudu Ezhudu Ezhudu! Ulagam muzhuthum ezhudhu. Ulagam naangal viralil sutrum pandhu enru ezhudu”

“Write! Write! Write! Write the world over! The Universe is just a ball we spin with our fingers. The final victory is certain and will be ours!” -- Baba

Later that evening, we returned back to our resort for an evening of entertainment and dinner. We took a leisurely stroll to The Royal Kona Resort Luau which offered a Polynesian Luau “Lava, Legends and Legacies” together with a dinner buffet.

In Tryst with Everlasting love

On the way to the show, we stopped at a Church and seated ourselves atop the low parapet wall for a break, massaging Baba’s feet. While we were seated there chatting with Baba, a man who was walking by, stopped in front of Baba, exchanged glances with Him, brought out a CD from his shoulder bag and presented it to Him. The CD was titled, “Everlasting Love”. There was no exchange of words, just an interconnection between two souls that only Baba could comprehend. After a few minutes, he introduced himself as ‘Andy Rising’. After listening to him, Baba invited him to come to Rama Rajya explaining all the various Samratchana activities, assuring that He would take care of him. Andy requested for Baba’s photo and Samratchana’s address. Fortunately, I opened my purse and found a photo of Baba that Baba Himself had given me 8 years ago in California. I was so delighted and gave it to Bharadwaj who wrote Samratchana’s website and email address on the back of the photo. Andy Rising joyfully took Baba’s photo, thanked Him and continued on his way.

At the show, we were all seated together around a long rectangular table, where dinner was to be served, watching the spectacular oceanfront views and the vibrant sunset providing a stunning backdrop for the Royal Kona Resort Luau. We were all given complimentary shell necklaces and served Mai Tai from the open bar.

The sound of the native drums signaled the start of this high energy and dynamic show. We enjoyed this evening of feasting, music and dance as the performers presented a breathtaking tribute to the fascinating legends of the South Pacific and Hawaii. The performers weaved the legends of the South Pacific into spellbinding dances, celebrating the cultures of Polynesia at its best. While we enjoyed our dinner in the beautiful Hawaiian setting, the performers took us on an authentic journey through the South Pacific Islands of Hawaii, Tahiti, Raratonga, New Zealand and Samoa by their music and dance. We experienced the romance of Holomoana (the voyager) and Kalua (Hawaiian princess). Their performance included traditional songs and dances and was highlighted by a Samoan “fire knife” dance. The event ended with the Tahitian Tamure in which the audience also participated.

We enjoyed every moment of it with Baba and returned back to our lanais.

DAY 12: May 9 2009 (Zip Line Canopy Adventure, Flight to Miami)

This was to be our last day in Hawaii. Early morning, the youngsters in our group joined Baba for an exciting Zip Line Canopy Adventure. The rest of us got the lanais ready to be vacated and prepared to pack all our belongings to proceed with the rest of the journey -- our next destination being Florida.

We arrived at the North Kohala Coast overlooking the incredible Pololu Valley to begin our Zip Line adventure over acres of ancient hillside growth of Ironwood and Albizia trees. The unique volcano geology, the winds and waters have carved luscious waterfalls and pools cascading through these forests of Kona. We were provided gear for this thrilling adventure – backpack, helmet and zip line harness preparing us to soar over tropical forests, streams and jungles, rich with magnificent scenery!

We were then taken on an off-road excursion in 6WD trucks up the North Kohala mountain side. We advanced further into the forest where the terrain was rough with just a narrow path for the vehicle. The ride was bumpy and almost cutting through the wilderness. From this high vantage point, we were to zip through 8 zip lines! Imagine the thrill of soaring and flying like a bird over a pristine rain forest! We clipped in and prepared to “get high” on this exhilarating experience! Baba was sharing His experiences at Mahendragiri with us with the music of the birds and the splashing of water in the background. We trekked across a rope bridge and one suspension bridge overlooking the flowing waterfalls. The bridge was suspended from trees and our belts clung to the side lines for safety where even one slip could be disaster.

We sailed a few zip lines across the mountain side feeling the rush as we glided over the lush tropical forests and deep valleys below. The scent of ginger and guava and the variety of tropical bird songs as we zipped through the jungle, enchanted us. During our adventure, we stopped at a tree house with a falls view where we were served Hawaiian tropical fruits and drinks. We had to wait a while at our final zip line because a tree had fallen near the line and had to be truncated and cleared before we could safely move forward. The crew communicated between themselves across these distances not using any technology but just by sounds -– loud cries similar to Tarzan’s jungle cry. While waiting for the crew to give a green signal to make our way to the valley floor below, Baba was explaining about a Mantra that He endorses to practice which has syllables (beejaksharas) 'La', 'Ra' from Rama, and 'Ish' a hissing snake sound that activates the kundalini power.

In all, it was an incredible experience like never before, leaving with us vacation memories of a lifetime, with Baba. Our adventure ended with a delicious picnic lunch served by the crew.

Returning back to our lanais, Baba and the rest of us relaxed. We massaged Baba and spent some time with Him watching a Telugu devotional movie. Would we miss an opportunity to serve our beloved Supreme God in human form!

Baba then performed His homam and we were ready to depart to the airport – onwards to our next destination, Florida!