Maha Tapas — Ekam India

Maha Tapas is an advanced spiritual retreat at Ekam in Mulshi, Maharashtra, India, rooted in Advaita Vedanta and Hindu philosophy. It is a fourteen-day immersion led by the Mukti gurus of the Oneness Movement, and it is open only to practitioners who have already completed four weeks of foundational Tapas training. Its stated aim is Anukampana Jeevan Mukti: to emerge as a compassionate, enlightened being.

What to Expect

Maha Tapas is described as the next step for those whose inner practice began with Tapas. Where that earlier training led participants into the steady calm of the Sthitha Prajna and the habit of witnessing life as challenges rise and pass, this retreat carries the same fire further. The longing at its center is to go beyond the small self and become one with the universe, the drop becoming the ocean.

Over the fourteen days, the Mukti gurus guide participants toward four great states:

- Maha Shunya, the great emptiness
- Maha Poorna, the great wholeness
- Maha Ekatva, the great oneness
- Maha Karuna, the great compassion

The retreat does not point toward withdrawal. Its vision is of a Mahatapasvi who lives fully in the world: working, building, creating, and meeting success and failure without being owned by either. Consciousness rests in the enlightened states while the hands stay busy among family, colleagues and community. The teaching is explicit that this is not renunciation, detachment or indifference, but a deeper love for every living being, beginning with those closest to you.

The retreat also speaks plainly about ordinary life afterward. Work and difficult people remain, but the underlying heaviness is meant to lift. The fear of losing health, wealth, reputation or loved ones is meant to loosen as the sense of separation fades. Compassion that grows in you is meant to reach the people around you, and in time more widely.

About Preethaji

Preethaji is a sage, philosopher and teacher, born in India and immersed from a young age in the teachings of ancient philosophies. A deep curiosity about existence and the human experience led her to explore a range of spiritual traditions, which shaped her perspective on life and consciousness. She co-founded the Ekam Institute, where she offers programs that bring ancient wisdom together with modern insight, guiding people toward self-realization and inner peace.

Before You Go

This is an advanced retreat. Eligibility is restricted to those who have completed four weeks of foundational Tapas training with the Oneness Movement, meaning all four dimensions of Tapas. Participants apply to attend rather than simply registering.

Because the retreat builds directly on that earlier work, it is not a place to begin. If you are still moving through the foundational Tapas program, that is the path to complete first.