What does it take for a left-brain, sceptic couple to turn around and follow a spiritual leader like Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for over two decades? Read on to find out what author and educator Sheel Parekh has to say about her husband’s stroke, its aftermath, and the change that the Art of Living wrought in their lives.
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February 1997: I was in for a shock that first day when I walked into the hall to attend the program my husband and I, Sheel, had registered for. There, beside the instructor’s chair, was a picture of a man with flowing hair and beard, with a rudraksha mala over white robes. I recalled the face; it was one I had first seen a year and a quarter ago, on a poster pasted on the wall outside my computer class.
At that time, I had noticed that the poster was announcing a satsang – and I had the distinct impression that the man was gently requesting me to come to the satsang. How strange! I thought, and curious to know what was behind it, I mentally decided to attend. But then, in the midst of my busy yet humdrum everyday existence, I had promptly forgotten about it. Now, a little over a year later, here was that picture again! Somehow, that man, who I learned was the founder of the Art of Living, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, had found his way to me!
The next minute, I put that thought away as my attention went back to my husband. Was he comfortable? Eight months earlier, my husband had suffered a debilitating paralytic stroke followed by falciparum malaria in a month. It had taken six months for him to recover enough to get back to work, albeit with two limbs much weaker than before and an extremely bad stammer. He struggled to articulate words, and as a result, he had begun to remain silent in company rather than attempt to speak up. The whole episode had taken a heavy toll on me as well, despite having had family support – my parents, siblings, and a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, as well as my in-laws – all through the ordeal. In looking after him, I had neglected my own health, closed my fledgling business, and generally lost sight of the world around me. We were on this program because we had been pushed into it by my parents, who thought it might do both of us some good.
If you, my reader, are a practitioner of the Sudarshan Kriya, by now, you are probably anticipating that some miracle took place. And you’re right. At the end of the fourth day, we were doing the second part of the Sudarshan Kriya, the trademark Art of Living technique that clears toxins from the body’s cells. I experienced certain things during the process. Tears of frustration welled up within me, and slowly began to flow. In a few minutes, there was a great rush of relief within, as if some dark weight had suddenly been lifted off me.
It was only when the instructor began to whisper into my ear to sit up and open my eyes that I came to. I turned to look at my husband and saw a look of pure joy that I hadn’t seen on his face for months – I was in a daze. The instructor was asking people to share their experiences, and he stood up and walked to the front of the class. I noticed that he was walking with a barely noticeable limp. And then he spoke – I couldn’t believe my ears, for he was uttering whole sentences with only a very slight stammer, halting sometimes, but eager to speak! This was the same person who had four days ago been struggling to walk straight and couldn’t utter a single word without a stammer! The transformation was astounding! Tears flowed without restraint down my cheeks now; I sobbed and sobbed a long time, until I could no longer cry.
Gurudev’s grace had touched and transformed both of us. It has now been almost a quarter of a century since that day, and since then, I have felt the hand of Gurudev always upon me, taking care of me in ways little and large. I can’t recount the hundreds of instances here, nor do I have words to express the gratitude I feel, but this I will say: all one needs to do is to be fully present and in a state of total surrender – and feel the Grace flow.
