By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna
Experience this transcendent recording of “OM Guru OM Guru OM Gurudev,” where Gurudevi plays the beautifully yearning melody on the harmonium while chanting the call. The Vowed Order Choir chants the response.
This choir came into being during the July Vows Retreat at Lokananda. We three dozen attendees chanted “OM Guru OM Guru OM Gurudev” with Gurudevi daily for the first three days. After lunch on the fourth day, we entered Kailasa (the meditation hall) to behold serious looking microphones and other sound equipment.
A professional recording engineer was setting it up. Gurudevi guided the choral seating arrangements. That the previous days of chanting had been rehearsals was a surprise as was our designation as a choir!
Recalling the “pop-up” recording session, Deborah (Antaraj~na) Mandel says, “At first, I was wondering how we could hold it together for 25 minutes. Then it was just happening, it was beyond our control. A visceral, tangible wall of sound unfolded. Responding to Gurudevi’s call, we were One in singing back to her.”
Pat (Sumati) Morrison says, “This sound was all encompassing. I could feel its vibration in my body. The experience of it was intimate and communal at the same time.”
The chant celebrates Guru Purnima, the holy day of the July full moon, which honors the Divine Teacher. The devoted depth, strength and clarity of Gurudevi’s voice honors her Guru, Baba Muktananda, invoking his Grace and blessings. The choir’s devotional response invokes the same Grace and blessings from our Gurudevi.
The feeling of an unbroken circle of devotion rolling through time into timelessness is ecstatic. The chant culminates in the traditional quickened pace followed by slowing and softening to conclusion. The result is the experience of pure fulfillment.
Whether you listen to it or chant along with it, you can experience the same uplifting wholeness.
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