I arrived at the Manjakuddi Vedanta retreat with an open heart and mind, eager to learn from both our teachers, Neema and Surya, and my fellow students. From the moment I arrived, I was welcomed as if I were a cherished family member.

As we engaged in study,deep connections began to form, filling my heart with joy. The group comprised of incredibly intelligent and accomplished individuals, all demonstrating an unwavering dedication to integrating Vedanta in a transformative manner. Their devotion and reverence for Isvara, Swami Dayananda, our teachers, staff, local residents, and one another was truly inspiring.

Neema and Surya’s accessibility, generosity, and down-to-earth nature brought Vedanta to life in a remarkable way. I still feel deeply moved by many personal moments shared with Neema. One such moment was when she innocently remarked, “Our whole life has been devoted to knowledge and learning from Swami Dayananda. In that instant, I felt the grace of Isvara and was profoundly honored to be her student.

Neema and Surya are examples of Vedanta, embodying its teachings through their knowledge, clarity, and commitment to the Vedic lifestyle. A fellow student expressed tearful gratitude to Surya for his unwavering support of Neema, highlighting his maturity and the depth of their relationship. I, too, bow to his example and hope that many more men will follow his lead.

In conclusion, Neema and Surya are not only remarkable individuals but also outstanding teachers. The retreat exceeded my expectations. I can say that I return to Australia with a wiser mind and a heart overflowing with love and gratitude. What a profound blessing this journey has been.

Annually from 1-10 December Neema Majmudar and Surya Tahora conduct a retreat in one of the three ashrams established by their beloved teacher Pujya Swamiji (Anaikatti, Rishikesh and Manjakkudi). This year Swamiji’s birthplace Manjakkudi was selected. As demand for the retreat was so high, Neema and Surya decided to organize a second retreat (13-20 December) also.

Swamiji’s presence is still clearly felt on the Manjakkudi streets and within Jñānapravāha and other buildings. Jñānapravāha, meaning the ‘perennial flow of knowledge’ is a perfectly chosen name for the Vedanta Study Centre. The flow with which Neema taught us about the brilliant dialogues between Lord Yama & Nachiketā and Kṛṣṇa & Arjuna made it easy for us students to see the timelessness of this unique tradition. By her unique interactive style of teaching, Neema herself creates dialogues in her classes and inspires her students to discuss what they have learned with one another.

Surya’s guided morning meditations helped us to understand and connect with the basic person. The person who can temporarily give up his roles but as an individual cannot give up his connection with the total. To see this clearly invokes naturally the bhakta within us. Similarly, we had a silent morning walk during each retreat through the beautiful nature and rice fields with the idea to see Īśvara everywhere.

We went to see the Swami Dayananda Veda Patasala in Kodavasal where the boys blew us away with their chanting… We took part in a cow puja in the goshala and our teachers took us to a few important temples in Kumbakonam and to the famous Brihadisvara temple in Thanjavur. Everywhere we went, we were warmly welcomed and given a rare opportunity to chant in front of deities.

I leave Manjakuddi with a prayer- May we all aspire to be bhaktas described by Lord Kṛṣṇa in chapter 12 and become a brilliant student like Nachiketa.

I used to feel small and insignificant inspite of my professional achievements. It is through your teachings that I have started to value myself. I don’t feel small anymore even though I still have some limitations. This is the best gift I have received from the teachings of the Vedanta and you.

I had come to this retreat with an absolutely Blank Slate. After attending your 10 day retreat, all I have been doing over the last two days is talking about & practising whatever I have learnt from you. I am myself surprised to see how easily I start a conversation about teachings of Vedanta with anyone I meet, be it a patient I am seeing, a friend who is keen to know, how the retreat was, or just people , colleagues with whom we work. That itself is proof of how wonderful your teachings have been. Besides being an excellent teachers, You both are really sweet, caring, and compassionate. I really feel you have to be on a bigger stage and I will do all that I can to get you there.

Thank you dear Neema and Surya for this wonderful retreat at Parimal. This retreat in Hubental was especially enriching and inspiring for us. Chapter 15 of Panchadasi opened a gateway to our fulfillment and the values of values clarified how we can prepare our mind to understand our truth. Neema, you taught in such a clear, brilliant and at the same time so loving way that touched us deeply. Surya deepened the teaching in his meditations in simple and clear words. To be able to experience you both together is an inspiration for us! What can be more valuable! With gratitude and love.

The seminar was an immense enrichment for all participants. I talked to many friends and they felt the same as me, we were fascinated by the ease, clarity and brilliance of Neema’s lectures. The logical structure, and the possibility to ask questions at any time made it easier for us to understand how to make necessary changes in our lives to make it more meaningful. For me personally, the most important thing was the reminder that if freedom (moksha) is our goal, we can use everything we experience in life to achieve it. Surya’s meditations allowed us to process the knowledge more deeply. With gratitude and love.

Thanks for such a wonderful weekend spent with you and Surya. I feel refreshed by the teachings and so full of joy and love for this process of knowing. The more I relax into the knowledge and how it works, my desire gets stronger. It sounds like a paradox but that is how it feels. I could only get to this level of well-being and peace that I feel within myself with Vedanta and you explaining everything so clearly. I have said it so many times but I can’t express enough how grateful I am for you in my life. Every retreat, every class is a blessing and I can’t thank you enough for what you gift to the world.

I loved the teaching and found the summary of Atma Bodha outstanding as it put the whole text together. It became very clear the way one verse is connected to the other and how the text moves in a progressive logical sequence to unfold the entire vision of Vedanta. Sometimes I felt you were talking directly to me and addressing my doubts. This immediacy of the teaching would enable me to weave what I have learnt here into my daily life. Another thing that struck me is the quality of students that you both are able to attract- everyone here is highly intelligent, very good human beings, have love for learning and commitment to this teaching tradition. All the different events during the retreat- prayers, outings, ganga aarti etc. made us come together and bond very deeply as a group.