gold; at the same time a Shiva lingam made of ice
had appeared in the famous cave. The principal
pilgrimage to this shrine is during the full moon
of Shravana (July–August). The full pilgrimage, a
widely observed custom since 1850, takes a total
of 40 days from the lowlands upward and back.
Further reading: F. M. Hassnain, Yoshiaki Miura, and
Vijay Pandita, Sri Amarnatha Cave, the Abode of Shiva
(New Delhi: Nirmal, 1987); Karan Singh, The Glory of
Amarnath (Bombay: Shanti Svarup Nishat, 1954).
Ambuvachi
Ambuvachi is a rite observed in most of North
and central India, but most elaborately in Bengal.
During four days in the Hindu month of Ashadha
(June–July), just before the rainy season is to
begin, the earth goddess is said to menstruate
in order to prepare herself for fertility. During
this period all plowing, sowing, and other farm-
work are suspended. Widows may be required to
observe special taboos during Ambuvachi, as they
are not involved in procreation.
Further reading: Abbe J. A. Dubois, Hindu Manners,
Customs and Ceremonies. Translated from the French by
Henry K. Beauchamp (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959);
Swami Harshananda, Hindu Festivals and Sacred Days
(Bangalore: Ramakrishna Math, 1994).
American Meditation Society
The American Meditation Society was founded
in 1976 by Purushottam Narshinhran Valodia
(March 3, 1932–May 17, 1988), also known as
Gururaj Ananda Yogi. Its teaching is focused on
MEDITATION.
Drawn as a child to spiritual concerns, the
guru ran away from his home in Gujarat at age
five to visit temples. He wandered from village to
village for six months, until found by his parents.
As he wandered, he discovered that the temple
gods were lifeless and did not speak to him. Con-
tinuing his search into adulthood, he eventually
discovered that what he sought lay within himself.
After SELF-REALIZATION, he set about to become a
spiritual teacher in the West.
He moved from his native Gujarat to South
Africa and became a successful businessman. In
1975, he retired from business to become a full-
time spiritual teacher, founding the International
Foundation for Spiritual Unfoldment in 1975. By
1976, the organization had spread to nine coun-
tries in the British Commonwealth, Europe, and
America, where the American Meditation Society
was founded that year in California.
Gururaj Ananda Yogi taught that his path is not
a religion, but the basis that underlies all religions.
His teaching is to awaken each individual to the
same reality that he discovered, primarily through
the practice of meditation. The society offers courses
in meditation and the intonation of sound during
meditation. During his lifetime, students would
send pictures of themselves to Gururaj, who would
meditate upon the pictures and hear each person’s
unique sound in the universe, which became the
student’s personal mantra for meditation.Further reading: Ted Partridge, Jewels of Silence (Farmbo-
rough, England: St. Michael’s Abbey Press, 1981); Savita
Taylor, The Path to Unfoldment (London: VSM, 1979).American Yoga Association (est. 1968)
The American Yoga Association, the first nonprofit
organization in the United States dedicated to
yoga education, was founded by Alice Christensen
(no date of birth) in 1968. Located in Sarasota,
Florida, it serves as a resource center for both stu-
dents and teachers, focusing on VEDANTA philoso-
phy, HATHA YOGA, and MEDITATION techniques.
In 1953 Christensen began to have visionary
experiences of a white light followed by transcen-
dental communications from Swami SHIVANANDA
SARASWATI (1887–1963) of Rishikesh. Subsequent
dreams encouraged her to pursue the path of yoga.
Sivananda became Christensen’s guru and theyK 24 Ambuvachi