This past weekend many Hindus around the world celebrated Vasant Panchami, a holy day honoring a feminine aspect of the Divine, Goddess Saraswati. She represents knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning and is understandably venerated by our Hindu community at Yale. Last semester we were lucky enough to hold a worship service to Saraswati before final exams in the beautiful Buddhist Shrine on campus. The generosity of the Buddhist Sangha and the sheer delight in gathering in person to worship our patron Goddess lifted our hearts after a very heavy year. Now we begin a new year and a new “spring” semester. The University has loosened COVID policy restrictions, responding to improved health and safety indicators. Yet the winter chill surrounds and many of us still feel the pall of the Pandemic. There will be a natural swelling of activity this week, bursting forth after being dammed up so long. This might be entirely welcome to you, perhaps even overdue, or it may feel like too much too soon, or somewhere in between. How do we authentically spring forward in this moment? I suggest we let it happen according to our own inner rhythm, just as lotus petals gently unfurl to bask in the sun each morning. All of us in the Chaplains’ Office are here to help with this process. We anticipate hosting programs in person soon, all of which offer opportunities for connection, grounding, and unfolding. Some will remain virtual through the semester as we take our own gentle steps towards and with you. As we contemplate what lies ahead, I share wise words from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), Hindu spiritual leader and head of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery which publishes Hinduism Today:
“Listen for silence in noisy places; feel at peace in the midst of disturbance; awaken joy when there is no reason.”