The Atma Jyoti Blog

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Yesterday, after a brief May shower, a rainbow of exceptional beauty appeared outside our back porch.

Swami Nirmalananda points to the colorful skies while talking of different traditional beliefs about rainbows.

Swami Satyananda watches as the rainbow’s end emerges from part of the ashram property. We were not able to find the pot of gold, however.

A monk walks past a lion statue which is really the entrance to a bathing tank, one of many which line the roads to catch the monsoon rains in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, in the south of India. This photograph was taken just down the road from Ramanashram, made famous by Sri Ramana Maharshi. The cloud shrouded ascent to the holy mountain of Arunachala can be seen in the background.

See more photos of Tiruvannamalai.

The renowned Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) was the inspiration, example, and joy of his disciples. In the photo above, he and his disciple Swami Venkatesananda at right enjoy a joke together. Swami Sivananda was founder of Sivanandashram in Rishikesh, and the worldwide Divine Life Society. The website of the Divine Life Society is full of resources for spiritual aspirants, including free eBooks, photos, audio talks, and video clips.

A growing mass of evidence indicates that Jesus spent much of his “Lost Years” in India.

In north India on the Ganges River in the Himalayas, about an hour up-river from Rishikesh, is a cave called Vashishta Guha. Made famous by the ancient sage Vashishta, it has been the home to yogis for centuries, most recently the renowned Swami Purushottamananda. About a five-minute walk down-river from this cave is another cave known as the “Jesus cave.” Set in the side of a sheer cliff on the banks of the Ganga, the cave has a spectacular view of the river and the surrounding peaks of the Himalayas. The cave derived its name from the tradition that Jesus spent time there during His sojourn in India during the “Lost Years.” In the last century both Swami Rama Tirtha and Swami (Papa) Ramdas lived there (at separate times), and had visions of Jesus meditating there, though they had no prior knowledge of His having lived there. We had the good fortune to visit and meditate in the cave during a recent trip to India.

The tradition of the Jesus Cave is but a small part of the lore of Jesus’ stay in India. To read more of the evidence of Jesus’ time in India, read the in-depth article, The Christ of India, by Swami Nirmalananda Giri.

The Jesus Cave

View more photos of Vashishta Guha and the Jesus Cave.

The state motto for New Mexico is “Land of Enchantment.” Since our Ashram has moved to its new location on the slope of the Sandia mountains, we have had many opportunities to be enchanted. Whether awed by the spectacular sunrises and sunsets, the stunning thunderheads during the late summer monsoons, or simply the beautiful vistas on a clear, sunny day, we are thoroughly enjoying our new locale. Yesterday we were treated to brief thunderstorm, followed by a series of rainbow displays. Below is a photo of one of the scenes we enjoyed.

View more rainbow photos