(By Rosa)
This past November 17, 2019, we had the great pleasure of receiving the delegates from the Sri Premananda Ashram during the world tour, which gives everyone the opportunity to receive the blessing of the powerful Pink Lingam, given by Swamiji Premananda especially for this purpose.
It was a great gift from Swamiji to have been able to celebrate the opening of the new Centre of Unity Premananda in Rome with the birthday of our beloved Master. It was a beautiful celebration also because the delegates were accompanied by the International Centre Coordinators, Dhanalakshmi and Kasturirangan, and by Jnanamani, the Coordinator of the Sri Premananda Centre of Colombes in France – all dear friends who helped us to organize the celebrations both in Rome and in Amelia.
On the afternoon of November 17, after a beautiful bhajan session, the delegates performed a pada puja to the padukas of Swamiji, followed by a blessing with the Pink Lingam. The projection of a video offered us the opportunity to share our experiences with Swamiji and to learn about the new projects of the Ashram and the life there.
The next day, thanks to the nice weather, we visited the centre of Rome, the Pantheon, Saint Peter’s Basilica and the ancient Trastevere. We had lunch at the International Women’s House and, when it started to rain, we quickly returned to the Centre of Unity Premananda and then left for Amelia.
The following morning the sun reappeared and we had a pleasant time visiting the grounds of the land where the Centre of Unity Premananda of Amelia is located. In the afternoon, after a bhajan session, the delegates performed an abhishekam to the statue of Mariamman materialized by Swamiji for the Centre, followed by a blessing with the Pink Lingam, a video about Swamiji and a satsang.
It is very moving to recall the birth of the first Centre of Unity Premananda in Amelia in 2004 (we wrote about this in Prema Ananda Vahini a few years ago), because at that time there had been a series of miracles that demonstrated the presence, blessings and grace of our beloved Master.
We have always considered it our mission to spread the teachings of our Master and one year ago we understood that it was time to bring his message to a larger number of spiritual seekers. Visiting Rome very often, we realized that people there live in a materialistic and stressful environment and we felt it was necessary to bring Swamiji’s light and love where it was most needed. Being able to sell our small apartment in Rome and at the same time find a bigger and suitable place for the new Centre of Unity Premananda seemed almost impossible, so we asked for Swamiji’s help. We did not have to wait long; in one week we were able to sell the old apartment at a very good price and at the same time we found and bought a bigger one, suitable for the new Centre of Unity Premananda in Rome.
We had to build a new bathroom and change many details, but everything was ready for the first celebration: Ganesha Chaturti. So, with the blessings of Ganesha and Swamiji, we opened our small “Point of Light” in the eternal city: ROMA-AMOR. [Roma is the Italian name for Rome, and amor is the root of the Italian word amore, love.]
Thanks Swamiji, let your light shine always on our path!
Jai Prema Shanti!
