In this heartfelt episode of Eyeway Conversations, host George Abraham speaks with Yamuna Jivana Dasa, a blind spiritual teacher, musician, and advocate, about his unique journey from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Vrindavan, India. Born with optic atrophy, Yamuna shares his inspiring life story, from overcoming early challenges as a visually impaired child to finding a profound calling in music and spirituality. Yamuna reflects on his parents’ resilience in raising a blind child in a society unfamiliar with disabilities. He describes how he was supported by his family and encouraged to pursue his interests, with music being an early passion. Despite a lack of resources at his school for the blind, he found ways to keep his dream alive. His pursuit of music led him to Pop Idols, where he released a national hit. Later, realizing the constraints of the industry, he became an independent artist and established his own studio, Gora Records Audio, allowing him to freely share his music and vision. Throughout his career, Yamuna continued to merge his love for music with his growing spiritual interests, eventually finding purpose in teaching and guiding others on a spiritual path. Now residing in Vrindavan, he shares his insights on material and spiritual blindness, the importance of self-improvement, and the universality of spiritual truth. He also describes his work to make spiritual literature accessible to the blind community through Braille and electronic media, emphasizing the role of inclusive spirituality. Yamuna’s life is a testament to resilience, self-discovery, and faith, as he lives with the mission to share his knowledge and inspire others, especially the visually impaired. Join us for this deep, inspiring conversation about life, love, purpose, and a quest for enlightenment. Show Notes - Guest Introduction: Yamuna Jivana Dasa, spiritual teacher and musician from Vrindavan, originally from South Africa. - Discussion Topics: - Family Background and Life in South Africa: Indian heritage, childhood, and early life challenges as a blind child. - Journey into Music: Early interest, challenges in accessing resources, success in Pop Idols, and transition to independent music. - Spiritual Awakening: Growing interest in spirituality, shift in career focus, and experiences in Vrindavan. - Educational Work and Advocacy for the Blind: Teaching roles at African Eye Institute and BlindSA, creating accessible Braille resources for blind readers. - Building a Spiritual Community for the Blind: Formation of an international community focused on Vedic texts and broader spiritual understanding. - Personal and Spiritual Insights: Reflections on material and spiritual blindness, the importance of self-improvement, and the power of prayer. Notable Moments - Yamuna’s memories of his mother’s support and their journey through South Africa. - His pivot to independent music after experiencing the challenges of commercial music contracts. - Meeting his wife through a spiritually focused platform and their shared roots in Indian heritage. - Yamuna’s goal to make spiritual teachings accessible to blind communities worldwide. - The significance of spiritual growth and teaching as a lifelong mission. Links - Listen to the archives of Yamuna Jivana’s “Simple Living, Higher Thinking” radio show on Radio 2000 FM: - Listen to the music album “Everything Will Be All Right” on YouTube or Spotify. - Listen to the two volumes of “In Every Town and Village album: Volume 1 & Volume 2. Contact Reach out to Yamuna Jivana Dasa to discuss general technology accessibility for the blind, music and sound engineering, for discussions on spirituality and access to spiritual literature in braille, electronic braille, audio and text-to-speech formats - [email protected].