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England, 1987
Seattle program, 1989.
The Yogi Comes to the West
In recent history, yogis sent their disciples to travel to the West. Ramakrishna sent his disciple Vivekananda, Shri Yukteswar sent Yogananda, and Bhagwan Nityanana sent Mukhtananda. In the lifetime of Shivabalayogi, it was the yogi himself who came to the West.
Short flights in India and to Sri Lanka became international flights around the world.
“Swamiji's Work in India Is Done”
On August 7, 1987, Shivabalayogi consecrated and gave life to the deities in the Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwara Temple at the Bangalore ashram. When the temple was inaugurated, he made the statement, “Now Swamiji's work in India is done. From now on he wll be working only in the rest of the world.”
Almost immediately, in September of 1987, he left for the United Kingdom, his first visit to the West. He remained there through December, visiting several cities and towns and conducting evening meditation and bhajan programs. He returned to England the following year and then arrived in the United States in the last week of September, 1988.
Travel in the West
Five tours in the United States during 1988 to 1991 reflect the same tireless commitment to service which Swamiji demonstrated in India and Sri Lanka over the previous twenty-five years.
During a three month period, Swamiji conducted public meditation and bhajan programs in Seattle and Portland in the Pacific Northwest; Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach in California; Reno, Las Vegas, Santa Fe and elsewhere in the West and Southwest; Columbus in Ohio; New York, Boston and Washington D.C. area in the East; and North Carolina in the South. Often he would stay only three or four nights in one city before leaving for his next destination. These were schedules which would have worn out the strongest of men, but nothing deterred Shivabalayogi from carrying out the instructions of his Divine Guru.
Shivabalayogi’s travels in the West were not his only contacts outside of India. Over the years, many foreigners came to India for his darshan and received initiation into meditation. He received many invitations to visit such countries as Russia, Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, China, Australia and Israel, to name only a few.
On his return to India after American and English tours in 1989, he visited Venice, Italy, where he consecrated and installed a Shivalinga at the request of Italian devotees who first met Swamiji in India. By that time, Swamiji had established three charitable Trusts, one in England and two in the United States, in addition to the one in India.
Notice the man sleeping, oblivious to Swamiji’s presence. For more on this incident, see A Silent Teaching.
Travel to Come
In the early 1970’s, Swamiji used to tell his Indian devotees that he would go to the West and that when he did, he would unify all religions. In the early 1990’s, communism still controlled the countries behind the Iron Curtain. Swamiji told devotees that he wanted to travel to those countries because there was such a desire and need for their people to know God. Swamiji would talk about the revival of Buddhist practice in China and how he wanted to travel to that country also. As late as in February of 1994, he told devotees that over the next forty years, he would bring about a common spiritual tradition among India, the Near East, Europe and America.
His Life Purpose
When asked about his travels, he explained:
“It is Swamiji’s duty. He has come here for that. That is why he does it. He has been asked to do that by his guru. Swamiji has come to this world to reduce your tension. He will protect you from all sorts of difficulties and troubles, whether mental or physical illness. Your tension will reduce. Swamiji will also help you attain Self realization, to go nearer to God. He has come here with all these things in mind. This is the duty he has come here to perform for you.”