small story:

I bought some shawls (yellow shawls called Bhagupur shawls that are cotton and silk). I had taken similar shawls to Calcutta 8 years ago to be placed in Yogananda's room to have them blessed by the vibrations of the place where he meditated ). I sent them back along with the books( that were written by a woman Sadhu that I met in Rishikesh named Vanamali) because they were so heavy. I have saved one for an old friend, Swami Vishwananda who lives in Bangalore. I took it to some of the places he recommended I go for myself and have had it blessed at those ashrams. The blessings for the shawl have been bestowed by the following places, saints and temples:

Vanamali (a woman Sadhu) in Rishikesh (she blessed it on the offering plate in her small meditation room)

Ananda Moyee Ma's ashram in Haridwar (the Swami's friend,a woman swami, put it around Ananda Moyee Ma's statue and left it there for about 15 minutes) and returned it blissfully to me along with prasad for Swami Vishwananda.

I took it to Somnath to the temple that had been destroyed and rebuilt 7 times on the seashore of Gujarat. There was a huge shiva lingam there. I gave it to the priest and asked him to bless it for Swami Vishwananda. He then draped it on the shiva lingam along with piles of red roses and orange and yellow marigolds. It was there for 15 minutes while I waited patiently for it to be returned. After 15 minutes I saw it had been taken off, but then it disappeared. I waited politely for a few more minutes but it didn't come. I then asked a junior priest to have it back, but he didn't speak English. A young devotee who spoke English, came to my rescue and asked what the problem was. I told her and she asked for it back. But the answer was "no". I then told her the story of what I was doing with it and that it was very important that I get it back to give to Swamiji. She pleaded my case with the priest, but again the answer was "no, this was against the rules". In my mind there were two scenarios being plotted simultaneously; one was to release it and the other was get it back!. So I was prepared for both, but asked who I had to go to next? I was told Security, so I went to the back of the temple to plead my case one more time and in the middle of the story, the young girl came to get me to say that they had decided to return it to me. Whew...They lovingly draped it around my shoulders and it was back in my possession!

Now I have been reluctant for it to leave my hands, especially when the priest doesn't speak English.

The next place I took it was to Jamnagar to the temple where Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram has been chanted since 1985. There was only one man chanting, but Swami's shawl was there soaking in the vibrations.

Now it is at the ashram, in Kanhangad, Kerala, and I am planning to ask David Hickenbottom, a guru from Seattle, and Swami Satchidananda, who is the Swami who cares for the ashram, to bless it as well.

When I leave the ashram, in two weeks, I will take it, the water from the Ganges at Gangotri, his prasad from Ananda Moyee Ma's ashram and his jar of peanut butter (that I had to replace in Cochin because it opened in my suitcase and spilled all over) to him. It has been a journey of bhakti, and a wonderful one.

The same sadhana was there with the water I brought from Gangotri, but that story is for a different time.