Be Master of Yourself (Oct 28 – Nov 1, 2025)

Swami Nirviseshananda Tirtha ji conducted this youth programme for 95 nursing students and teachers of VMRT Capt Saurabh Kalia Memorial Nursing College, Palampur. Sessions were conducted for 1.5 hours over 5 days at the auditorium of Vishranti (Palampur) – a senior citizens’ home within the same Vivekanand Medical Research Trust (VMRT) campus.

The first day began with Swamiji teaching participants “aakasha vallepa viduragoham….”. The shloka became the anthem of the programme and each day would commence and conclude with beautiful collective chanting by Swamiji and all the participants. Within two days most of the students knew the verse and the tune by heart.

Swamiji’s interactive sessions enlightened the students about the power of their own mind, and how to tap this power through the help of intelligence and right understanding.

Day 1:
Understanding what makes the mind weak, and how to make the mind strong and efficient.

Day 2:
Looking within. Examining one’s own mind’s responses to various challenging situations and responding without losing self-seatedness; also, making the right choice with clarity and confidence.

Day 3:
Paropakara (serving others). Swamiji taught the two Paropakara shlokas to emphasize that our lives are only meaningful when we think of and serve others.
During a short group activity, 9 groups of participants were asked to discuss what types of Paropakara they can take up, and identify one they would like to start doing right away. Each group representative then presented how they can start spending more time listening to people, particularly old-agers, patients and their relatives in hospital, or anyone going through difficulty. Some expressed that they would like to provide food and water for the dogs, cows and birds – in addition to love and care.

Day 4:
Awareness about the right food and exercise for each component of our personality – physical body, mind, emotion and intelligence. Swamiji showed them how all this is linked to discipline, which is indispensable in achieving success and freedom in any field of activity.

Day 5 – Concluding Day:
Integrated personality. Swamiji went deeper into understanding discipline and harmonising all the aspects of our personality using the chariot illustration diagram based on Kathopanishad.

Guided meditation. Peaceful meditation exercise led by Swamiji, who began by explaining the importance of being complete relaxed and simply letting go of all efforts to meditate.

Group Presentation. Groups of participants had each been asked to do a brief presentation/enactment showing what they had learnt over the course of the programme. It was an extremely enjoyable and enlightening session as some of the groups performed skits, chanted shlokas, recited poetry and sang songs.
The fulfilling event concluded with an inspiring message from the college principal Mrs. Ria. Swamiji then distributed prasada (both literature prasada and namkeen & sweet box). All then went for a group photograph at the Vishranti lawn.

Watch the students’ skit performance on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narayanashrama.tapovanam/videos/820362170906772/

The video clip presented above is one of the groups acting in a skit written by them, illustrating some of the values they learnt during Swamiji’s discourses.