By Divine Grace and direction of our Guru Maharaj, His Holiness Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, a great fortune was bestowed on North American Youth during the visit of Sri Ramanujamji in Spring 2024. Sri Swamiji had been very focused on the next generation for a long time and his vision is to instill in our youth the foundation that will allow them to become model citizens and flag bearers of Sanatana Dharma. The objective was clear: Our youth in America need direction and motivation, to ensure they understand the beauty and the brilliance of our dharma which will guide them to be successful American Hindus.
Sri Ramanujamji organized three retreats in three cities in the last 3 weeks of his satsang trip to North America, two focused on Yuva boys and one on Yuva girls.
The 17+ age-group boys retreat was held in Bay Area, California the weekend of Jun 1; the girls retreat was held at Seattle the weekend of May 25; and the younger boys retreat for boys 13-16 yrs was held at Atlanta during the weekend of May 17. About 20 participants attended each retreat and they were all conducted in picturesque remote log cabins in the woods that was fitting for a spiritual retreat.
The weekends began with some introductions and ice-breakers, and the youth were asked to be 100% off their devices for the entire 48 hours of retreat, which in itself was a spiritually liberating experience for them (in their own words). Sri Ramanujamji, senior disciple of Sri Swamiji, opened up his heart and spoke in the first session to them about how he came to the fold of Sri Swamiji, and how he was moulded by the Divine Love of a Mahatma. This was a lovely session because through his real life experiences it showed youth the challenges and questions/doubts that would naturally come to any teenager. The youth were thrilled to learn about how Sri Ramuji navigated his formative ages, his conflicts and pursuits, and how he overcame those by the divine guiding hand of Sri Swamiji. The youth found hope, found a mentor, found a guiding light in this discussion!
The evening then had some chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama, recitation of sections of Srimad Bhagavatam, some kirtans, and divyanama sankirtanam where they were taught how to participate in the satsangs and learn some key everyday routines that will give them the strength and balance to navigate their challenging work/school days.
Sri Ramanujamji taught the youth the Divine Mahamantra Meditation technique coupled with breathing exercises, which he promised that if the yuva did this daily for 6 months, they would be a transformed person! Such is the power of the Mahamantra with the divine guidance of a spiritual master like our Guru Maharaj. The 6-3-2 meditation slowly and surely brought the thoughts/focus inward, the breathing focus calmed down the mind and the 1 min of quiet observation at the end was a real eye-opener for how such a short/sweet 5 min or less ritual each day can instantly bring the calmness of mind needed to operate in full efficiency the entire day!
The night ended with dolotsavam. The youth then spent a few minutes writing a gratitude log thanking Bhagavan for the blessings they received throughout the day. Sri Ramanujamji says, ‘Show me a grateful person, I’ll show you a happy person’. Without gratitude, happiness is not possible and this message was conveyed clearly to the youth who promised to make this a routine each night!
The mornings began with a dedicated hour on Yoga, followed by prabhodanam (waking up the lord), another round of mahamantra meditation, chanting of Gajendra Stuti and Satvika Smaranam, a lovely morning prayer, composed by Sri Sri Anna. They were taught how to do a simple puja to Bhagavan and Guru and learned a few slokas to recite understanding the meaning of each verse which helped them to visualize the dhyana of the Lord. Sri Ramanujamji taught them a beautiful way to remember Bhagavan, his form, & his qualities as these slokas were recited.
During the course of the 2 days, Sri Ramanujamji held multiple sessions (around a camp fire) on Intelligent Living, which gave the youth some life skills and tips for navigating a complicated real world out there that’s filled with manipulations and distractions. Youth were divided into groups of 4 or 5 and each group was given a chapter to read from the newly published Intelligent Living book written by GOD USA volunteers based on the YouTube series of Sri Ramanujamji on the same topic. 
Some of the chapters discussed were Acceptance, Time-Energy-Attention, Intellectual Cardio, Efforts vs. Results, etc. The groups had some quiet reading time, followed by group discussions to share the learning around the camp fire. Sri Ramanujamji would elaborate and engage with the youth in these discussions to ensure they got the lesson, shared it with others, and also took away valuable life skills!
Yet another eye opening session was a nearly 2 hour discussion with Sri Ramanujamji on the topic of ‘Consciousness’. The youth were blown away by the idea of consciousness as described by our Maharshis. The interplay of Science and Spirituality was never in conflict in our Sanatana Dharma. The pride of Bharat, being the motherland of spiritual greatness, the openness in the path, the discerning approach to the purpose of life was all dealt with references from Upanishads, anecdotes, and life experiences of Sri Ramanujamji himself, and that of Sri Swamiji’s lessons was conveyed to the youth in great detail. This was one of the highlights of the retreat where the youth got a glimpse into the possibility & the happiness potential we all have within us.
Amidst all the wonderful spiritual learning the youth also got to play some sports, engage in physical activity that is so important for their overall development. The organizers had methodically planned their saatvic meals all through the 2 days. The youth then made short speeches about what they took away from the retreat, and their pledges to follow daily, weekly, monthly practices that would enable their journeys to a more happier and spiritually transformed lives.
Sriram Ramanujam, Houston, TX
