My name is Megan Van Niekerk. I am a 24 year old Youth Fellowship devotee of Avatar Adi Da Samraj. I am a South African, and am currently living in Cape Town studying a Eurythmy BA degree at the Centre for Creative Education. I am currently in my third year of study.
I have been a formal devotee in the Youth Fellowship for over a year now and I would like to make my transition into the Second Congregation this year. I have been invited to travel up to the European Danda to meet the community living there and to make my transition. I would like to travel up at the end of June 2024 as this is the best time to do so during my college holidays.
It my heart’s desire to travel to a space that has been Empowered by Adi Da, and to experience the living quality of a community devoted to Him. There are only five South African devotees and we are scattered across the country, far away from each other. So I have not yet experienced Guruvaras or Celebrations with other devotees, despite having taken part online. I would love to experience what it is love to collectively invoke and praise Adi Da!
Unfortunately, I am not earning an income at the moment due to my studies and am living on a simple student allowance. And due to the short amount of time between now and June, it does not feel possible for me to save up the amount that I need to make this journey happen.
I’ve sung Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to Beloved Adi Da many times over the years — at the Manner of Flowers, at Adi Da Samrajashram, at First People / Great Food Dish, etc. (as one of a small group of singers, and usually also as the keyboardist) — and I’m singing it to Him again (and all of you!) here. It is one of my favorite songs at this time of year.
For me (starting with Judy Garland's original film version), it has always been an emotion-filled song, by turns joyful, playful, nostalgic, and wistful — so that is how I sing it here.
This song as a bridge to God. In Beloved Adi Da’s Company, everything (from Mickey Mouse to cookie-making) becomes “a bridge to God”.
ADI DA: “You must Awaken and discover the Divine World wherein everything is a bridge to the Infinite, One Being.”
And so for me, the words of this song have always taken on a significance beyond the usual secular understanding of the song. They lead me through a consideration that I’ll share with you here.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the Yuletide gay From now on our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together If the fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
That wistfulness: Raymond’s problem. On the surface, the words of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas are purely joyful — "faithful friends" coming together each year in a joyous Christmas celebration. And yet, one of the emotions I feel when I sing this song is wistfulness. So where is the wistfulness coming from? It's that big "IF" in the song: "if the fates allow". In fact, as every one of us knows (more and more, with each passing year), fate (conditional existence) only allows such reunions for a limited number of years. As I sing, I have a vision of a photograph of a gathering of friends, from a Christmas or Danavira Mela many years ago, and, in this vision, each face in the photograph — one by one over the years — turns "ghostly", either through our circumstances (high school, college, living near each other) no longer being shared, or life paths that have moved in different directions, or the passing on of that person. My awareness of that inevitable reality is the source of the wistfulness and nostalgia. The inevitable disappearance of the (mortal) loved one is “Raymond’s problem”, a phrase Adi Da uses, based on the central character of The Mummery Book.
Danavira Mela: A Divine Celebration in the midst of a conditional universe. The joy and playfulness of the song comes from the celebration we can still have together, even in the midst of an ever-changing, conditional universe. One of my (and many other devotees’) favorite quotes of Beloved Adi Da has always been this extraordinary prayer, from “Death is a Perfect Insult” in The Enlightenment of the Whole Body:
“Let us surrender into Infinity with all our friends and hold on to no thing or condition that ever appears. Let us forget all things in present Happiness, and so forgive the universe for all its playful changes. Let us always love one another, and so forgive one another for appearing, for changing, and for passing out of present sight. So be it.”
When I sing this song, I hear it giving further guidance for just how to do this.
[Contains Spanish subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]
In this clip, "Acércate a Mí desde el Corazón" ("Approach Me from the Heart"), Adi Da speaks to devotees in the Manner Of Flowers (at the Mountain Of Attention), during the "Love of the God-Man" Celebration on March 8, 1984. Adi Da talks about praise speech, ecstasy, and Satsang.
Some of the questions Adi Da addresses in the full talk are: What is a Divine experience? Who is God that God could be identified over against anything whatsoever? Who is a Spiritual Master if He can find Himself apart from God, such that He could say: “This piece is Me and this piece is God”? How could such distinctions continue in the consciousness of one who has Realized the Divine?
[Contains Czech subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]
In this clip, "Přibližuj se ke Mně srdcem" ("Approach Me From the Heart"), Adi Da speaks to devotees in the Manner Of Flowers (at the Mountain Of Attention), during the "Love of the God-Man" Celebration on March 8, 1984. Adi Da talks about praise speech, ecstasy, and Satsang.
Some of the questions Adi Da addresses in the full talk are: What is a Divine experience? Who is God that God could be identified over against anything whatsoever? Who is a Spiritual Master if He can find Himself apart from God, such that He could say: “This piece is Me and this piece is God”? How could such distinctions continue in the consciousness of one who has Realized the Divine?
Divine Spirit Tree of Light poster: k3tH6fqKscY length: 04:05 date added: December 23, 2021 event date: December 2021 language: English views: 616; views this month: 16; views this week: 5
A video tour of the Adidam Melbourne community's Danavira Mela Celebration decorations and tree, December, 2021.
[Contains Italian subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]
In this clip, "Avvicinatevi a Me con il Cuore" ("Approach Me From Your Heart"), Adi Da speaks to devotees in the Manner Of Flowers (at the Mountain Of Attention), during the "Love of the God-Man" Celebration on March 8, 1984. Adi Da talks about praise speech, ecstasy, and Satsang.
Some of the questions Adi Da addresses in the full talk are: What is a Divine experience? Who is God that God could be identified over against anything whatsoever? Who is a Spiritual Master if He can find Himself apart from God, such that He could say: “This piece is Me and this piece is God”? How could such distinctions continue in the consciousness of one who has Realized the Divine?
Club Rat poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Chris Tong length: 01:04 date added: July 6, 2021 language: English listens: 951; listens this month: 11; listens this week: 0
On July 7, 1992 (Fiji time), at Adi Da Samrajashram, Adi Da created "Club Rat", a most unusual gathering during the height of a Celebratory period. For those unfamiliar with Club Rat, you can read Chris Tong's story about it here.
Music plays a central role in the story. For this reason, in celebration of the 29th anniversary of Club Rat (on July 7, 2021), Chris has recreated part of the rock song he wrote and performed that evening, Club Rat, so you can at least get a taste of the actual music from that night. (Adi Da had called for an evening of rock music. Club Rat was the opening song of a night of music that would go on to include much more than rock music. . .)
If for some reason, the player above doesn't work, try this player:
Club Rat. Club Rat. The funky place where God is at. Club Rat. Club Rat. The funky place where. . . only skanks and whores walk through its doors. There you find Your Self and lose yourself. When the Lord's in town Everyone gets down. Club Rat. Club Rat. The funky place where God is at. (etc.)
CHRIS: This recreation is just as we presented it to Beloved Adi Da during the Club Rat gathering, except for some improvements due to better musical equipment and technology (e.g., drum machines instead of upside-down, plastic "piss buckets" 😜 — read the full story for more about that! ).
I wrote Club Rat, keeping in mind the intensity and "badness" of the pop rock music Beloved Adi Da was listening to at the time (like Michael Jackson's Beat It).
The lyrics are drawn from Adi Da's instructions to us about Club Rat, such as: Club Rat was to be the most "funky" place ever; participating devotees had to be "skanks and whores" — in other words, no suppressed energy or emotional-sexual complication (so He could work with our entire energy, not just the superficial part we usually show to or share with others socially); etc.
The lyrics also drew on current, ongoing considerations Adi Da was having with devotees at the time, such as His Calling to us to "get down" (He was riffing on the popular 1970's slang phrase, giving it His Own unique meaning): a reminder for us to incarnate whole bodily (rather than being merely a "point" in the head, refusing to "get down" below the head).
The line, "When the Lord's in town" was a reference to Beloved Adi Da visiting the "village" of Qaravi: the area of the island of Naitauba where His devotees lived and where "Club Rat" (Hymns To Me) was located.
Let It Snow! poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Chris Tong length: 01:39 date added: December 23, 2020 language: English views: 882; views this month: 6; views this week: 1
Chris Tong sings the holiday classic, "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", one of the (many) songs he played (on keyboards) and sang for Avatar Adi Da during the Celebration of Danavira Mela during the years of His human lifetime.
Musical arrangement and performance by Chris Tong. More about the musical arrangement here.
Adi Da Samraj at a cookie-making occasion in First People (now called "Great Food Dish") at the Mountain of Attention Sanctuary on December 23, 1995, as part of the Celebration of Danavira Mela. Outside, devotees sing holiday songs for Him, as He looks out the window, listens to the music, and sings a few notes Himself. Inside, devotees attend Him as He turns cooking-making into an art form.
Avatar Adi Da grants Darshan for the first time in Is-Da-Happen at Adi Da Samrajashram, for the Celebration of Da Purnima on the morning of July 11, 2006.
Danavira Mela, celebrated at Adi Da Samrajashram. A slideshow containing festive scenes from Qaravi, Lion's Lap, Picture Perfect, Cow Catcher, and the Inner Courtyard of the Matrix. The video clip ends with pictures of Beloved Adi Da granting Darshan while sitting in front of the window of His bedroom (which is decorated for the season).
The soundtrack includes holiday music, and devotee John Mackay's "There Is Only Light" (from the album, Danavira), which draws on the Qawwali tradition of Sufi devotional music, and resonates with the celebration of Light-In-Everybody.
Bhagavan Adi Da performs a decoration puja on the Spirit-Tree of Light in Is-Da-Happen, on Adi Da Samrajashram, on November 18, 2007, as part of the celebration of Danavira Mela.
[Contains German subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]
In this clip, "Nähere Dich Mir Von Deinem Herzen" ("Approach Me From Your Heart"), Adi Da speaks to devotees in the Manner Of Flowers (at the Mountain Of Attention), during the "Love of the God-Man" Celebration on March 8, 1984. Adi Da talks about praise speech, ecstasy, and Satsang.
Some of the questions Adi Da addresses in the full talk are: What is a Divine experience? Who is God that God could be identified over against anything whatsoever? Who is a Spiritual Master if He can find Himself apart from God, such that He could say: “This piece is Me and this piece is God”? How could such distinctions continue in the consciousness of one who has Realized the Divine?
Modlitwa dla Świata poster: Adi Da Video Polska speaker: Jacqueline Clemons length: 03:32 date added: November 19, 2018 language: Polish views: 2116; views this month: 10; views this week: 2
[Contains Polish subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]
Piosenkarka i autorka tekstów Jacqueline Clemons śpiewa "The Universal World-Prayer", modlitwę o pokój napisaną przez Adi Da Samraj. Muzyka Nicka Milo i Jacqueline Clemons.
Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart, donotLet our human hearts be broken by our merely mortal suffering here — but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free to an unconditional love of You, that we may, Thus, love all living beings with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.
Composed by Jacqueline Clemons and Nick Milo, and sung by Jacqueline Clemons, this soulful rendition of Adi Da's prayer for world peace, "The Universal World-Prayer", was sung many times at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, in December, 1999.
The song accompanies a slideshow of pictures of Adi Da.
Adi Da's Universal World-Prayer coincides with His Instructions to not "live the Law backwards": trying to love others (or attempting to bring about world peace), while failing to first love God (and have our love of others be the overflow of our communion with God).
Purnima poster: NAADA OM length: 06:13 date added: November 6, 2018 event date: 2017 language: English views: 2552; views this month: 11; views this week: 6
NAADA OM is a World Music collaboration between composer, singer, and harmonium player, Felix Woldenberg, and percussionist and arranger, Alan Corne. In 2017, Felix and Alan made two trips to the beautiful island of Naitauba in Fiji to offer Sacred music for a variety of celebrations: Da Purnima, Naitauba Padavara and Da Jayanthi.
This is an excerpt from the Purnima album, which can be purchased through NAADA OM's online store.
[Ths video is currently not playable on the Adi Da Up Close site. Click this link to watch it on YouTube.]
As sacred musicians and devotees of Adi Da, Felix Woldenberg and Alan Corne have been involved in providing music as part of the devotional culture at Adi Da Samrajashram for two decades. They were involved in many sacred musical occasions offered in honour of, and gratitude to Bhagavan Adi Da Samraj during his lifetime at celebrations held between 2003 and 2006.
Bhagavan Adi Da Samraj instructed Felix and Alan in different ways and settings about the devotional relationship to the spiritual master, as well as the function and purpose sacred music and chant serves in the context of that relationship and in the sacred culture of practitioners who respond to the master.
Though Felix and Alan have undergone all sorts of musical training both in the East and West, the instruction they received in Bhagavan Adi Da's company is directly responsible for the devotional musical aesthetic which the NAADA OM collaboration encompasses.
NAADA OM's music can be divided into three categories: 'Devotional Songs or Bhajans'—based on traditional call-and-response chanting; 'Mantric Chants'—generally slow chants sung in unison utilizing mantras; and 'Sacred Offerings'—musical works encompassing elements of Western classical harmony, Bhajans, and Indian Dhrupad, Hindustani, and Qawwali classical traditions -- in which the audience participates only as listeners.
Traditionally, Bhajans and Kirtan tend toward stimulating the participant emotionally and physically, in contrast NAADA OM's orientation aims to move the participant to a depth of feeling in a space of stillness where the body-mind is brought to equanimity rather than being stimulated, thereby supporting the participant in a greater awareness of, and heart response to the Source-condition of his or her own being.
To continue the yearly service to the devotional culture of Adi Da Samrajashram, NAADA OM is releasing four albums made up of recordings from live performances that occurred during the 2017 celebrations.
All proceeds from the sale of these albums will go to support NAADA OM's return to Naitauba on a yearly basis, and thereby the creation of new musical offerings and future album releases.
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