archana

During the morning archana (as the chanting of the thousand names is called), and the evening bhajan, the Holy Mother leads the throng of devotees with her soul-stirring songs, sung with rare devotion. Many foreigners who cannot pronounce, let alone understand, the words in these songs, can be seen swaying to the music, with eyes closed and a rapt expression on their faces, transported to a word shared only by them and the Mother.

The bhajan begins a little before seven in the evening, and ends at eight. Dinner (again kanji) follows, but for the full-time residents there is first a talk by one of devotees. Their day will not end until another hour or so of meditation after dinner, perhaps a few more chores in the press or the computer room, after which they may go to sleep after midnight so as to rise again before five o'clock the next morning.