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"After having conquered the mountains of the Himaleyas and the rainforests of Assam, and the jungles of Sunderbans, he came to the shores of Jagannath Puri where he is reported to have taken part in the annual Festival of Chariots, the Rath Yatra. For thousands of years, millions of pilgrims have come to this place to pull the chariot of Lord Jagannath, a colossal chariot beyond anything you can imagine, Peter, mounted on huge wheels, pulled by hundreds of pilgrims that are gripping four massive ropes in the teeming atmosphere of a vast sea of pilgrims cheering, singing, dancing, and throwing vermillion into the air, forming a flowing river of movements, sounds, and colors.
"The Rath Yatra festival is one of India's thousand festivals. Some are small and as intimate as lovemaking. Other are huge and rank among the largest on earth. But the festivals are all expressions of joy. Isn't that what lovemaking should be at every level. We have festivals for many occasions - festivals for the birth of a child, festivals for the changing of the seasons, festivals for the New Year, and small festivals for the marriage of two people. Our festivals cover the full spectrum of colors, costumes and customs. That's what the festivals of India are famous for, such as the grand Festival of Colors, the Holi, that celebrates the arrival of spring and God's painting over with the bright colors of renewal the people's sins for a new start with forgiveness, or self-forgiveness, towards brighter days to come. Another big festival is the Festival of Lights, the Diwali, for which people decorate their homes and give gifts to each other in November. Also in November, actually at the end of November, is the time for the Festival of Food, the Annakut, a kind of thanksgiving celebration where offerings of food are given to God. The festival also marks the beginning of the New Year. Our whole year is filled with festivals. In April and May we celebrate the Festival of the Elephants, the Pooram. Elephants adorned with gold-plated plates and garlands and so on, emerge from temples and are led in midnight processions that end in early morning with fireworks. In summer we also celebrate Onam, the Festival of the Boats. The girls are singing and dancing, while the young men are racing sleek snake boats. The festival coincides with a season for house cleaning and giving gifts to children. Nobody really knows how many festivals and ceremonies were part of the boy-yogi's journey. There probably were many. And for us there is now one more, our own private festival, our Festival of Chocolate, Wine, and Roses, for which the season is each day.
"Following the eastern coastline of India, the boy-yogi arrived in South India at the very old Rameshwaram Temple that was built in the 12th century. The temple has 1,212 pillars, which makes it India's longest stone corridor that is stretching across the land for 1.2 kilometers. It is also one of the most important pilgrimage places in all of India. There are 22 wells at the site, where people bathe in a purification rite. It is said that the boy-Yogi compared an enlightened person there to a piece of wood floating on water. When iron is attached to the wood, the iron does not sink, which he said explains why the association of an enlightened person keeps society's common weaknesses from drowning it.
"For the last part of his journey, the boy-yogi made his way across the temple towns of South India and the backwaters of Kerala and there ended his journey in the village Loj in Gujarat. To the present day more than 80% of all people in India continue to live in villages. It is a tradition that in these more intimate settings the visitors are welcomed and honored in the name of the gods. In Loj the boy met the great saint and teacher Ramanand Swami. He stood before the grand master as a youth of 18, but was received as an equal. After having mastered all the disciplines of yoga, ready to share his knowledge with others, Ramanandji said to him, "Now that you have arrived, lead the people, because you are the true master. Awakening was your aim, you achieved it, and it shall continue so. Your footprints in the sands of time will light up the path for the seekers of courage, confidence, love, truth, and tolerance. And so, Peter, the boy-yogi, now a man, remained in Loj where he was named Swaminarayan. Historian tell us that he transformed society. He dug wells for the poor, distributed food for the needed, and taught the people to love and to honor all women and one-another likewise.
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