The Fivefold Ascent of the Mind: Day 4 of SMRJ Students’ Spiritual Retreat 2026
May 28, 2026
The final morning of the 9th edition of the Spiritual Retreat began with a completely different kind of energy. Students spent the early hours rehearsing lines, reviewing scripts, and finalising their stage formations. By early afternoon, parents had begun filling the auditorium, eager to witness how five days of intensive physical, vital, and mental discipline would translate onto the stage.
As the parents were welcomed by the host of the day, Agriti Pandey Ma’am, the students were ready to take over and deliver a series of powerful performances tackling the profound concepts they had spent the week absorbing.
The girls’ group set the tone with a reflective stage play titled The Garden of Life: A Journey Towards Purna Satta. Using the metaphor of a garden, they depicted the delicate balance required to nurture the physical, vital, mental, and psychic dimensions of a human being. Their act concluded with a poignant rendition of Sahir Ludhianvi’s classic song Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare, a gentle reminder to remain calm amid worldly distractions.
Another girls’ group followed with The Voice Within, portraying the exhausting modern search for external happiness. The skit followed a confused student who eventually discovers the divine light hidden within, awakening to the qualities that foster genuine inner growth: sincerity, harmony, and compassion.
The boys’ groups brought intense kinetic energy to the stage. In a striking dance drama titled The Inner Flame, they depicted the soul’s evolution from unconscious darkness to divine awakening. The performance served as a visual reminder that true evolution is the gradual awakening of one’s inner divinity.
This was followed by a highly symbolic skit titled Where My Demons Hide: From Lower Vital to Higher Vital. Drawing directly from the teachings on the Shadripu, the boys embodied animal-demons representing anger, greed, delusion, and ego. Through the awakening of the soul, the audience witnessed these destructive tendencies transform into courage, wisdom, and service.
Continuing the theme of choices, another boys’ group presented The Two Paths. The narrative followed three students searching for simple answers, only to realise that true transformation comes through a shift in perception, not punishment. The act showed how a refined mind naturally begins to reject vulgarity.
A final boys’ performance, The Victory Within, explored the crippling conflict between doubt and determination, proving that real victory lies in choosing clarity over chaos.
The students of Navsrijan anchored the performances with a deeply thought-provoking classroom act. Their discussion stripped away illusions, revealing how living without a “supremely luminous idea” ultimately leads to catastrophe and a complete disconnect from the psychic being.
The Gratitude Circle
After the final applause faded, the auditorium transitioned into a quiet Gratitude Circle. Vice Chairperson Anjali Jaipuria and Principal Mrs. Promini Chopra took the floor to express their heartfelt appreciation to the students and teachers for their immense dedication. To mark the culmination of the journey, they presented the students with a book on education authored by The Mother.
The floor was then opened to the parents. Many spoke with raw emotion about the visible impact the Spiritual Retreat had on their children over the years. They reflected on how the teachings had cultivated a rare stillness, a sharpened mind, and deep empathy in an otherwise chaotic world, while also expressing sincere gratitude to the school leadership.
Students, too, took the microphone, opening their hearts to share personal breakthroughs and their immense appreciation for having a space to pause, reflect, and look inward.
Following a round of high tea and a tearful, affectionate farewell, the five-day Antar-Jyoti Spiritual Retreat finally drew to a close.
