Guru Purnima celebrations at Yogoda Satsanga Society of India's (YSS) Dwarahat Ashram marked the final day of nearly five days of retreat for many devotees in the ashram. This day of paying homage to the Guru or Master, was made extra-special this year by the presence of close to a hundred devotees who had come to the mountain town in the Himalayas a few days ahead of July 27. An elaborate programme to commemorate Mahavatar Babaji Divas took place two days earlier, on July 25, and a 24-hour-long meditation was conducted from July 22 to 23.

On the evening of Guru Purnima day - July 27, devotees walked into the beautifully-decorated pandal where a three-hour-long evening meditation was conducted by Swami Vasudevanandaji.

The initial period of meditation was followed by singing of bhajans. The attendees felt divinely uplifted as Swamiji's soulful rendering of bhajans saturated the environment with vibrations of devotion and love for God and Gurus. Many locals also joined the evening programme and participated in the chanting and meditation.

Following meditation, Swami Vasudevanandaji led the devotees through a period of introspection to appreciate deeply the meaning of the day of Guru Purnima - a day of paying homage to Gurudeva Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. In his satsanga, Swamiji referred to the story of Guruji as the younger Mukunda and his fellow disciple Kumar in Swami Sri Yukteswarji’s ashram. Reading excerpts from Gurudeva's Autobiography of a Yogi, he explained how both of them differed in their approach to service to Master and the others in the ashram. 

Swamiji urged devotees to introspect whether they were becoming more like Mukunda - the ideal devotee who was obedient to his Guru, or tending towards the characteristics of Kumar - the devotee who was centred on his own self. He advised those present to follow the example of Mukunda as an ideal sevak who accepted with humility whatever task was allotted to him by his Guru, and looked out for his peers, serving one and all, obediently following the words of Swami Sri Yukteswarji.

Swamiji made a constructive suggestion for devotees to make a sincere effort at self-improvement on the day of Guru Purnima. He urged all those present to present not just flower petals symbolic of their love and reverence for the Guru at his lotus feet as an offering on the special occasion, but also offer one of their bad habits at His feet.

Devotees offered pushpanjali at the end of the programme, joining with fervour in the chanting of bhajans with Brahmachari Nirliptanandaji. As they moved out of the pandal to receive prasad from Swamiji, a dinner of delectable dishes awaited them at the dining hall in the special Guru Langar.