Delhi Sadhana Shibiram 2025

Sadhana Shibiram conducted by Nutan Swamiji in CIRD-Delhi comprised vibrant evening Satsangs (Sep 10, 24 and 26) and weekend Q&A sessions in the morning (Sep 06 & 07, 27 & 28), where seekers of all ages received answers to various questions pertaining to their spiritual pursuits.

A new family has joined the CIRD work-force to take charge of cleaning the buildings – a young couple from a distant village with their two small children. The parents are illiterate, and with Nutan Swamiji’s blessings, the children were enrolled into a nearby school. Devotees were touched to see the joy in their faces as Nutan Swamiji gifted them toys, new school bags and shoes, and blessed them to be the first in their family to go to school.

The main programme was the 9-day Enlightened Living Residential Retreat (Sep 12-21). Fifteen diverse seekers from ages 22-72 years participated in the Retreat. Several of them were completely new and had come to know about the event through various social media ads. Despite the wide range in age, personalities, professional backgrounds and exposures to the spiritual path, there was a unique harmony within the group.

Nutan Swamiji with participants after Silent Sitting

Each day had a sublime beginning with Morning Prayer and Silent Sitting. The first Silent Sitting session was guided by Nutan Swamiji himself. Thereafter, Swamiji would come into the hall at the end of each session. Seated in his chair, with the Satsang Hall dimly lit, Nutan Swamiji would softly ask the participants about how they felt, whether it was peaceful or troubled. Each day answers would vary, but every day it was a priceless sharing of quiet time, intercepted only by the breakfast gong.

Morning Classes on Sadhana-catushtaya were deep and illuminating. Using illustrations from his own life and various texts, Nutan Swamiji described the regenerative process of how the requisite qualities make a seeker fit for the Supreme Knowledge, and how imbibing the Knowledge and making it one’s own further enables the qualities to grow. The classes flowed naturally and seamlessly into Kathopanishad, with the 7-year-old Nachiketas being the epitome of one endowed with Sadhana-catushṭaya. Many who had heard Nutan Swamiji discuss these topics before on YouTube videos shared the incomparable effect of listening to him directly. The sessions were held in Satsang Hall only for participants, while volunteers listened to lectures through a speaker in the Prajnana Dham lobby.

Guided Introspection - Participants writing their
responses to probing introspection questions.

Introspection and writing followed, where participants were given questions aimed at reflecting on their own traits and responses to various situations, helping them apply whatever was learnt, to their everyday lives. Shloka learning conducted by Sanjay Chakravarty covered shlokas which Nutan Swamiji specially selected.

In the afternoon, Reading Session from Ashram publications and website articles was coupled with lively Group Discussion, where participants shared with each other their reflections and experiences based on the teachings of the day. On the last two days, participants themselves initiated a ‘Clean-Up Drive’ of CIRD premises and front gate area. Undeterred by the sweltering heat and humidity, all of them joyfully swept the pathways, raked leaves, cleared up plastic trash and made the whole place look spick and span.

Every one looked forward to Evening Walks with Nutan Swamiji before the Evening Prayers. Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Nutan Swamiji would lead participants through the walkways of CIRD, sharing anecdotes on the history of the Centre and its foliage, Green Belt area, etc. Volunteers often joined the walks as well, fostering further closeness between the Teacher and all his students.

Bhagavad Gita lectures entitled ‘Buddhi Yoga in Bhagavad Gita’ were open to all. Each evening, approximately 60 seekers soaked in Nutan Swamiji’s exposition on the uniqueness of Bhagavad Gita, which teaches us to convert all interactions into instruments of liberation by inculcating Buddhi Yoga. Through pertinent shlokas, Swamiji took us through the various aspects of Buddhi Yoga, and showed what true Surrender really means. The final two days focused on Q&A – mainly with Retreat participants – which helped make the teaching even more relatable and practical. The sessions provided an enlightening and thought-provoking end to each day.

In the final Concluding Session, Nutan Swamiji advised participants to be at ease through all situations, not to magnify but simplify, and avoid becoming theoretical in their introspections and self-analyses. Each participant then shared Feedback on the whole Retreat experience. All of them expressed immense gratitude to Nutan Swamiji for his wisdom and compassion, sharing how the Retreat has changed their perspectives on spirituality, their sadhana and own personality. They heartily appreciated the CIRD-Delhi volunteers, describing how much loved and cared for they had felt throughout their stay.