Memories flood my mind as the awaited day finally arrives—Darshan on 24 Jan 2023 at 4:45 pm in Radha Kunj. Ramesh remains calm, immersed in his Adult Coloring Book, while I buzz around, eagerly preparing for the moment.
Jai Gurudev, A profound desire stirred within me—to attend the Advance Course with Gurudev on Shivratri. Simultaneously, a family dilemma lingered as my niece, also an Art of Living teacher, was about to embark on her marital journey.
In 2010, I had the profound privilege of meeting Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Bangalore International Ashram. This divine encounter had an unforeseen consequence: my husband, Pritam Mahadik, and I became an Art of Living teacher, which was an incredible blessing.
Meeting Gurudev was a lifelong dream, one that had eluded me despite attending his darshans from a distance. The desire to speak to him, to express my deep connection, remained unfulfilled until June 2023.
In December 2009, I embarked on a journey that would forever change my life. Having been a part of the Art of Living community for just over four years, I was eager to attend an advanced course in Rishikesh, in the divine presence of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
कृपा ही केवलम,कृपा ही केवलम। कृपा ही केवलम, शरण्ये। शरणागतहम, शरणागतहम। शरणागतहम, शरण्ये।। जय गुरु शरणम, जय गुरु शरणम। जय गुरु शरणम, शरण्ये।। जय गुरुदेव!!!
As a seeker of both spirituality and worldly success, my journey has been a mixed bag of confusion and clarity. I’ve tried various paths, sometimes moving forward with triple speed, and sometimes getting nowhere.
I picked up the bad habit of smoking during my university days. While I enjoyed it for a few years, later it became a troublesome and sticky habit that was taking a toll on my body and mind.
I recently completed my first Advanced Course at the Bangalore Ashram, and it was also my first time visiting the ashram.
In November 2003, I was busy preparing for the GRE and planning to apply for universities in the USA. When I learned about Gurudev’s visit to Calcutta, I hesitated to attend the event as I didn’t want to lose valuable study time.
It was my first Guru Purnima course, held in Lake Tahoe in 1999, where I experienced 8 days of silence and deep meditations in Gurudev’s presence.
I have been associated with AOL since October 2008, and in these past few months, my experience has been nothing short of great.
I have been a devoted follower of the Art of Living since 2013, living in Noida. However, in 2016, my life took a turn for the worst.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an advanced course with Gurudev in Washington DC. While sightseeing before the course, I felt drawn to a Kashmiri shop at the Union Station.
As an ardent devotee of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar Ji, I find it almost impossible to express the inexpressible. But today, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I feel compelled to sing the glory of the Guru Principle and the immeasurable love and compassion of my beloved Gurudev.
I signed up for part 2 after my friend encouraged me to do so. Additionally, with Gurudev visiting Houston, I was curious to find out who this person was that had such a significant influence on people’s lives.
Walking up the interlocked concrete roads, uphill, from the parking lot and past the divine stores, I am out of breath when I finally reach this sacred place.
Once in June 2014, as I walked from my room to the amphitheater for the evening Satang at the Art of Living Bangalore ashram, I stopped on the way as I noticed Gurudev’s car parked outside a hall which was under construction.
I was not mainly a devotee of Guruji, but on December 26, 2013, I lost my brother-in-law to mouth cancer. My sister was grieving, as was my entire family.
I had a beautiful experience during Mahashivratri 2020 at Bangalore Ashram! I was having a very rough time in my personal life and was even losing faith in Art of Living, even though I have been associated since 2013.
My name is Divesh Sharma & I am an Art of Living follower since 2015. Life with Gurudev is always so protected, so special &
Ten years ago, I attended a Satsang at Vishalakshi Mantap (Central Dome of the Art of Living International Center Bengaluru). It was my fourth week at the Ashram and I did my YesPlus Advance Course, Blessing Course and Gurupuja Phase I.
In the year 2013, I was 29 and having many health troubles. My friends suggested various healing treatments and Art of Living was one of it.
When you are on this path, every day is a miracle. My name is Shruti and I am sharing another wonderful story of Gurudev’s Grace.
In the summer of 2014, we were living in Boston. My husband got a new job offer from Amazon. We were not sure whether to accept it as the position was based in Seattle and would require us to relocate. We came to know that Gurudev was going to be at Boone Ashram during Guru Purnima and decided to seek His guidance.
In July 2011, Gurudev had announced the ‘World Cultural Festival’ to be held at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. The event would mark 30 years since the foundation of The Art of Living.
I was studying in VJTI Mumbai and we were given a sudden holiday. With nothing interesting to do, I was casually browsing Gurudev’s Facebook page & realised He was conducting a discourse in Rishikesh. Gurudev says, “The sign of youth is the ability to take challenges”. So, despite no preparations I decided to immediately fly out to Rishikesh to meet Him!
My name is Deepa Singh and I am a Yoga teacher. I stay in Mumbai. I have been into Art of Living for the past ten years and life has been a blissful journey since.
I am a Hindu woman who got married in 1995 to a Parsi man. We had a court marriage. Now, we have two children who follow both our religions.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was visiting the United States in the summer of 2015 when I met him at the Newark airport in New Jersey.
When I was in my 20s, I was suffering from terrible depression after several traumatic life experiences. There is a history of suicide in my family and at that point, I was also very close to killing myself.
Jai Gurudev, My parents had gone to Rishikesh once, as Guruji was there. That day was an extremely auspicious one, which had come after 400 years. Guruji, along with other devotees, were going to take a dip in the holy water of the River Ganges. My relatives Sumit and Dipti had also decided to go to Rishikesh via road because they couldn’t get the train tickets. They were very excited, and all this while I was at home, relaxing on the couch.
Jai Gurudev, My name is Ved Prakash Gupta. I was born on the 7th of November, 1951, at Delhi. I did my Bachelor of Technology-Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in1973 and MBA, HR from IGNOU in the year 2000. I then joined the Department of Telecommunication,(DOT) Government Of India as a Class-I Officer in the year 1974 and retired in April, 2011, as Principal General Manager(Elect), (equivalent to Add Secretary to Government of India), Head of Electrical wing of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL), Corporate Office, New Delhi. The begining of my journey at the Art of Living: In the November of 1999, I got a VVIP pass for attending a Satsang with Sri Sri at Chatarpur, New Delhi.
I feel extremely blessed to get this opportunity to share with you all, a simply Divine encounter that I recently experienced. It brought me closer to my inner self, I realised how fortunate I am to have the presence of a living Master in my life!:) So loved and so blessed!!! So here goes...
It's Saturday night and I'm getting ready to see Sri Sri tomorrow. I just took a hot bath and I'm ready for bed when the phone rings. I assume it's someone from Los Angeles wanting a ride up North to a course, or my daughter calling to make sure I'm still alive. I answer the phone and someone on the other line says: "Dvorahji? Guruji wants to talk to you?" "Me???" I chirp. "Why would He want to talk to me?" Then I suddenly hear laughter: "Dvorah!! How are you?" It's Guruji. I'm speechless but my "brain" kicks in. "Hi Guruji. You're calling Me????"
Today 21 July 2014, is my birthday. On this day, in this very moment, after my morning sadhana, my heart is filled with total gratitude for all that I have been blessed with. With this gratitude, tears flowing from my eyes, I wish to share my story with my Guru. Since a young age, I have always been drawn towards the Divine withvregular visits to our local Temple in the area. I recall spending lots of time praying very hard that I pass my university exams, find a good job and continue my work in the field of human rights, my life long passion. And with the grace of the Divine I was fortunate to have received a scholarship from the US government to further my law studies at a prestigious law school in Washington DC. On my return to South Africa, my wishes were further fulfilled, when I was offered employment by the first democratic government of South Africa as a Legislative Drafter in 1994.
In my unquenchable thirst for Knowledge, I decided to follow Sri Sri around for a while. I wanted to become whatever He was. I went wherever He went, laughed whenever He laughed, sat wherever He sat, and I just hung around Him. Maybe, I just might get IT! (Whatever "it" was.) I followed Him to a retreat in Canada. It was beautiful, and about 200 people showed up. Some of the regular devotees had spent a lot of time with Him. I decided to be one of the in-crowd and began to follow Him around.
Recently, I did an AMC at the Ashram. Normally Guruji gives Darshan to all the AMC participants at the end of the course. This time was no exception either. The Darshan went really well and I was really happy after meeting the Master. I met Guruji once more that week, and I felt that all my questions were answered. It’s such a state of bliss one feels on seeing Him, it’s truly unexplainable! The following week, while working with the Ashram Events & Promotions team, news came that Guruji was going to meet people in the evening. One of my fellow Ashram sevak (volunteer) was the first one to know about it. He was really excited to meet Guruji, as this was his first time at the ashram. He asked me if I could accompany him in the evening at the Darshan queue. I was in two minds. It was only last week that I had met Guruji, and secondly there was a lot of pending work. But still I said a ‘yes’ to my friend, just to keep him motivated. Very soon our day's work was allotted and it turned out that my friend was supposed to visit the city at 4.30 pm, which was precisely the time when Guruji would meet the devotees. And I was given the responsibility of staying back in the Ashram and handling other matters. My friend was really heartbroken, and I felt very sad for him. I even suggested that we switch responsibilities, but that was not approved by our seniors. So we went ahead as per the plan.
This is not a very recent experience but it’s my favorite Guru Story so thought to share it. One fortunate day, I rushed from the office to the airport to see off Guruji but he had already entered the gate when I reached so I just leaned on the glass wall waiting for his last glimpse. I could already feel his presence so strong and intense and as I stopped to look at him, he turned & waved at me and the time froze there and then. I knew that he turned just for me and he started walking, I walked with him. After a few steps, he turned again and to my surprise, he moved towards the exit door and came out. He came out for me, that's all I know and we walked amidst others. I wasn't walking just next to Guruji but I could see him all the time and keenly observing him throughout. Guruji looked towards me, pampered me and patted my cheeks.
My name is Deepa Singh and I am a Yoga teacher. I stay in Mumbai. I have been into Art of Living for the past ten years and life has been a blissful journey since. However, there is only one sad feeling that kept bothering me, which was that I have never gotten to meet my Guru face to face and talk to him. In all these years, I was only able to have eye contact with Him, as there are always so many devotee’s waiting to take his blessings. I always complained to myself, that when will I get to talk to Him properly. A part of me kept thinking, if I don’t meet Him, will He even know me? Then one day, a relative of mine had come home and he told me that he had managed to get a meeting with Gurudev. He had sent an email to Him because he needed to talk about some important personal matters, and he got an appointment to meet Guruji in the Bangalore Ashram. While I was very happy for him, this made me even sadder.
Yesterday, as I walked from my room to the amphitheater for the evening satsang at the Art of Living Bangalore ashram, I stopped on the way as I noticed Sri Sri’s car parked outside a hall which was under construction. Two people were waiting for him outside. I peeped in to take a look – there he was, small in height as compared to the tall men he was surrounded with, but towering above them all in demeanor. After a rather unhappy and emotionally turbulent day, I did not feel like going for satsang. I just wanted to hide in my room and not bother anyone with the sadness and pain that I felt. But here I was, waiting for my Guru outside that hall.
Once I visited the Bangalore Ashram in August on Raksha Bandhan day (a festival in India where the brother promises to protect his sister throughout his life) . I had gone to meet Guruji and was eagerly looking forward to tying him a rakhi (a holy thread that the sister ties to her brother) myself. That enitre day I held on to my rakhi waiting for an opportunity but I wasn’t able to reach him or tie it to him. I was feeling a little apprehensive, but I kept telling myself it doesn’t matter; and I kept delaying passing on the rakhi, hoping that later maybe I’ll go inside his kutir or later at night I’ll get a chance. But the day passed and by evening I was quite restless to tie the rakhi to Him. In the evening we were all gathered at the Yagnashaala. Guruji was on the stage and just below the stage is a square area enclosed by a railing where some Swamijis and teachers were sitting
I was super excited as it was my birthday and Guruji will be in Mumbai to address the vote for better India convention. With Anuraag bhaiyas efforts I was part of security seva at the hotel where Guruji will be staying. I along with other volunteers was assigned for security at the 9th floor lobby. Guruji has not yet arrived and we were told that Guruji will come to the lobby and from there he will go to his room. But at the end moment plans were changed and Guruji took lift from the ground floor and went to his room. I was a little disappointed but was hopeful as i had the entire day ahead.
This is about the first time I visited the Art Of Living Bangalore ashram; I had gone there to do the advance course in the year 2000.
I had been to the Bangalore ashram for the first time, this year in January. My aunt had requested me to give her letter to Guruji.
In the year 2003, I went for my first Part 2 course (Advance Course) which was scheduled to happen in the Bangalore Ashram in the presence of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
We all are well versed with the way we behave when GURUJI is our town, right? And no matter how many teachers educate us on how to behave, we end up being just the opposite!
Guruji came to Delhi on March 18, 2014 and his flight was supposed to land at 4:00PM. As I couldn’t leave office before 5:00PM, I thought I would go to meet him after he reaches Vasant Vihar where he was supposed to be staying.
It was when I was 12. This crowd gathering was sitting in one corner, and it looked like everyone is meeting after ages, like a typical Punjabi family discussing about what each other’s children are upto!
Hi folks, here goes my Guru Story! It was the December of 2009. Having been associated with the Art of Living for just about 4 odd years, I was very keen to do an advance course in the presence of Pujya Gurudev at Rishikesh.
It was my 19th birthday. As most other people, even I had plans for the big day, and was looking forward to the celebrations.
I was invited to be a part of the Fashion Show at the International Women’s Conference, Bangalore, this year. I have done Pageants in the past, however this one was very prestigious and close to my heart, for the obvious reason!
I would like to share with one and all a sweet story of my life. I am a Hindu girl who married a Parsi boy, in the year 1995.
There’s a magician that knows how to make me glow; even when I have been grilled in the day, as much as Mumbai would grill me in 1 month, with just 2 hours of sleep the previous night.
The story dates back 3 years. I had gone to Rishikesh to do an Advance Course with Gurudeva. It was scheduled just after Holi;
I’m a first year B.Tech (Biotech) student. I stay in the college hostel itself. It’s the first time I’m staying away from home and everything seems so new!
Jai Gurudev! I have experienced several miraculous and wonderful moments, but this is the first one that I could pen down.
Dear Sri Sri, You have been so Great and Gracious, Magnanimous and Kind towards all of us. How can I express my Gratitude!
My mother stays in Bangalore and she is seventy years old. She is highly diabetic. She had gone to Bangalore Ashram (International Art of Living Center in India) to serve the cows on 20th August.
I had done my Yes Plus Course recently in July 2013. I enrolled for the Advanced Course the day I completed the Yes Plus.
JGD, My name is Divesh Sharma and I am from Mumbai. I am a devotee since 2005. I would like to share a lovely miracle which happened with me recently.
Life was going great being a kid – no worries & tensions, until a kind of sensitivity started invading along with the onslaught of adolescence.
Jai Gurudev If I say that I am grateful, I am thankful or anything else for that matter, it does not suffice.
Sri Sri has once again gifted me with yet another beautiful Guru story – a memory for a lifetime. Well, it had been more than 4 years since I had done my first course.
I had shifted from Ludhiana to Mysore about two months back to pursue an MBA. As the Bangalore Ashram is close by from Mysore, I was eager to meet Sri Sri as soon as I could.
SURRENDERSHIP- the essence of spirituality.I did my first course in 2012 in Chicago. Since then I had the urge of meeting Sri Sri.
In July 2013, I took my father to the Montreal Ashram in Canada for Guru Purnima, even though he had never met Sri Sri before.
From the day I joined the Art of Living family, I have been completely taken care of. Transforming my life from the very first day of my course, Sri Sri has been fulfilling all my wishes, from the smallest to the biggest.
I was with Gurudev at the Canadian Ashram during the Guru Poornima celebrations this year. Due to the huge number of visitors to the Ashram, car parking was arranged right at the entrance to the Ashram property.
I completed my Masters in May 2012 with a lot of hardships due to psychological and relationship issues. With the help and guidance of Guruji’s Kriya, Meditation and Knowledge I managed to sail through the hardship and come out victorious with flying colors.
On 18th June, 2013, Sri Sri was going to visit the BITS (one of India’s leading educational universities) campus in Goa where there would be a satsang (Vedic hymns and chants) and then He would address the students of the college.
Jai Gurudev Dear ones, Penning down your experience is just like a drop in this vast ocean of Divine love and grace.
I was in the 9th standard when I first joined the ‘Yes’ course of the Art of Living. I felt immense positive energy and goodness all around me after doing this Course.
My parents had gone to Rishikesh once, as Guruji was there. That day was an extremely auspicious one which had come after 400 years.
We all know that meeting Guruji is a great task and definitely an opportunity that we all seek. But He has his own ways.
This happened at the Vasad Ashram in Gujrat in 2012 during the Diwali Advance course. First of all, the course was not supposed to happen that year.
One of the best experiences of my life was when Guruji came to Mumbai in 2011, mid January,and the best part was my birthday too came on 15th January.
I was never a big follower of any Guru. The whole concept was alien to me. My elder sister on the other hand was devoted to Guruji.
Jai Guru Dev- this is my personal mantra now since 4 years and nine months. My journey in Art of Living began very reluctantly.
For me, my family is everything. My sister’s kids are my kids. I want them to be good human beings and ardent followers of Guruji.
Since my childhood, I have been very spiritual. I am a devotee of Lord Shiva, but there was something which was lacking.
Recently, when Guruji had come to Poona, I had a burning desire to meet him. I had gone for the event with a lot of hope and excitement.
Being with Guruji has been like a blessing and dream come true. During Seva, many Nav Chetana Shibirs came my way, and I had the privilege to do 9 shibirs back to back in a span of three months.
I really don’t know where to start from when it comes to sharing miracle stories because they are endless. Life itself is a MIRACLE after meeting Guruji.
My first meeting with Guruji was so beautiful & surprising. I had gone to meet Guruji at the place where he was staying not knowing that the meeting with him is only open to teachers.
24th December, 2011 in Bombay is a day I will never forget. My brother had made me in charge of the main security gate from where Guruji was to come and go.
I would like to share one of my experiences with Guruji. On the 13th of May, 2011, Guruji was in the Bangalore Ashram for his birthday celebrations.
