How can one describe the taste of jaggery? – Life at Ashram

There is a fine line between fiction and reality. Or so we think, until Grace shows us a reality that dissolves the line entirely.

This revelation was experienced by Mohit Jain Prabhu, a software engineer who stepped away from the virtual world of programming to taste the raw ‘jaggery’ of reality at the Ashram Retreat in April.

Here is his experience, in his own words:

We had heard of Liberation, Moksh, and Vaikunth in scriptures as distant philosophical ideas. But here, in the Beloved’s presence, they are lived experiences.

We have all seen fictitious worlds where characters seem effortlessly happy and life flows without friction. We often dismiss such stories, believing such a place simply cannot exist.

But what if it does?

Nestled in the serene valleys of Uttarakhand, embraced by the silent, snow-clad Himalayas, lies a place that feels remarkably close to that imagined perfection. A sanctuary where the air feels lighter, time slows down, and joy arises naturally.

Thank you, Sri Guru, for giving us SRSRC – a gift that is so much more than a place; it is our home. It feels this way not because it is flawless, but because life there becomes simple, present, and complete.

This retreat felt like stepping between dimensions: the Beloved’s world and the ‘matrix’ we know. Each day began with YogaYog, filling us with the uplifting energy needed for SwaRaj Kriya. The introspective sessions brought both clarity and practical tools for our journey. Nivrutti provided the paradox of completeness in aloneness—stillness, silence, and deep presence. Bhakti became our expression of gratitude, a feeling that moved beyond words through the Yogbal of Satpurush.

As is often said, how can one describe the taste of jaggery? Such was the experience of the Ashram. And how can one describe the pain of a child separated from its mother? That is the feeling of leaving this home – raising the haunting question: why do we ever distance ourselves from the Beloved for fleeting illusions?

Thank you, Sri Guru, for this sacred paradise, where we return, reconnect, and dissolve into Love.

– Mohit Jain