Sambhar Lake

HOME │ VIDEOS │ BOOKSTORE │ LIBRARY | ARCHIVES | BHAJANS │ PHOTOS

 

Shivabalayogi at the Sambhar Lake Ashram, Rajasthan

The Sambhar Lake ashram was inaugurated on August 7, 1966, to become Swamiji’s fourth ashram — after Adivarapupeta, Doddballapur, and Bannerghatta Road (in Bangalore).

The connection was through B. S. Lamba, the Salt Commissioner stationed in Kakinada who first met Shivabalayogi in 1957.  Swamiji was still sitting in tapas.  Lamba was deeply affected and served as the Adivarapupeta ashram president for some time.  Lamba was later relocated to Sambhar Lake where the Indian government had a large facility for extracting salt from the lake’s brine.  It was there that K. L. Ghai worked for Lamba and became drawn to Shivabalayogi.  Ghai traveled to Adivarapupeta to meet Swamiji in 1961 and 1962, then invited Swamiji to Sambhar Lake where Ghai had an ashram constructed for Swamiji.

 

Sambhar Lake, late 1960's Early 8mm film taken in Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan, in the late 1960’s.  The scenes include taking the small gauge motor train that runs by the salt lake where water is sun-dried in pools and the crystallized salt collected. The bhajan on this soundtrack was recorded at the Sambhar Lake ashram in 1996. 1:50 minutes.

Sambhar Lake, 1986 Video of Shivabalayogi at the Sambhar Lake ashram, Rajasthan, India, taken in April of 1986. We can see the ashram founder and manager, K.L. Ghai, in bhava samadhi in the presence of Shivabalayogi.  Mr. Ghai was an early example of Swamiji communicating to devotees through bhava samadhi.  Deep in trance, Mr. Ghai would give spiritual discourses during the weekly meditation and bhajan programs at the Sambhar Lake ashram. 9:47 minutes