The theme of this retreat, enlightenment and love, it comes from this experience which I had about 16 years ago.

I was in a retreat in the Himalayas in Gangotri.

I was staying alone in a wooden cabin.

Would go twice a day for bheksha, for food from where the monks are served,

and spend my days in meditation and study.

And the book that I had taken with me for study was this one,

Ashtawakra Gita.

Not this particular copy, but though I still do have the copy which I had taken with me for study was this one, Ashtawakra Gita. Not this particular copy, but though I still do have the copy which I had taken with myself there.

Now, I would meet these wonderful monks in different, you know, I would go out and meet them.

One of them who was my neighbor, was the most wonderful old Swami when I met him he asked me a little

bit about myself and he asked me what practices I was doing what are you studying in

Hindi he asked me what are you studying and I said I've got the Ashdavakram

studying I had taken on this only one book it's my favorite book so this is what I would go what are you studying? And I said, I've got the Ashdavakram studying.

I had taken on this only one book.

It's my favorite book, so this is what I would go off to the mountains with.

Then he said, that is good.

But you take this book also, read this book also.

And he pulled out a book in Hindi. It was the thousand names

of Vishnu, a devotional text. The thousand names of Vishnu Shaharashtra-Rama with a Hindi

commentary. And then he said, you read this along with that book. Then he said something

in Hindi, �Nh'h'hā' �Again�t Uphanhāpun chubbera, translated that means

you know, loneliness will bite you.

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