Sri Sri Stories
Jai Gurudev, đđťđ
My journey began long ago, and I was nobody until my Guru found me. From the day he decided to lift me, he never let me fall again. I am truly blessed. I am a completely different person now; he gave me everythingâlife, success, peaceâeverything.
I had the most unsuccessful career, but he lifted me like a princess. It was unexplainable. He is everything to me.
Recently, I lost my father. It happened so suddenly; he was perfectly fine with no health complaints. He had a stroke and a heart attack. I was at my office when I received the call. At the hospital, he talked to me, but he was in a serious condition. I prayed to Gurudev to give us more time together, but there was no recovery. I realized it was his time and asked Gurudev to free him from pain. As soon as I requested, he passed away. It was his time.
I was in shock. I lost him.
For the last six months, I had an intuition that something would go wrong with him. I shared this with my family, but they said I was overthinking. Gurudev was trying to prepare me for this.
It took me a long time to get out of this. When I felt nothing was working, I connected with Hasan Bhaiya for AMP on a random decision.
From the day I lost my father until my first day of AMP, I never had such a peaceful sleep. During the first meditation, when Gurudev said, “Close your eyes, let’s meditate,” I slept like a baby. I cried after the first session.
Gurudev, I know you chose me, but I chose you to be my father and everything.
– Ashwini Somnathe
Jai Gurudev,
As everyone knows, Guruji holds a special place in everyoneâs heart. However, when it comes to meeting him, you might think he has millions of followers above you, and wonder how you would ever get the chance to meet him. You assume you would be just one in the crowd. But this is completely wrong thinking. He loves each one of us and has plans for everyone.
It was March, and I was living in Dubai, missing friends and family, feeling the weight of being so busy. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about meeting Gurudev. I was craving to have his darshan. It had been almost four years since I last saw him in Chandigarh during an Infinity Course. Since then, so many ups and downs had come into my life, and I was just sailing through it all. I was praying daily in my sadhana to meet Gurudev. Meanwhile, my husband had booked a very expensive hotel in Dubai for our wedding anniversary on April 29th.
On April 23rd, a Sunday morning, I received a call from our Art of Living teacher, informing me, “Neha ji, we would like to inform you that Gurudev is coming to Dubai on April 29th.” I was completely shocked, confused, awestruck, blessed, and happy all at once.
Within seconds, I realized that my husband had made that hotel booking, and I wanted to meet Guruji. How would this be possible?
I requested my husband to change the booking dates, and together we sent an email to the hotel department, requesting them to change our booking dates. It was a completely non-negotiable, non-refundable, non-cancellable, non-changeable booking.
You wonât believe what happened next. We couldnât believe our eyes. We received an email confirmation back stating that our booking was not found in the system. We were super happy to read this. They confirmed that due to some system error, our booking was not found anywhere in the system. They requested us to please take our refund or book another property.
He is a magician! He is the power! He is Bhagwan! He is everything to us!
Jai Guru Dev!
I was on the lookout for the Art of Living Basic course, as it was called then, in 2007, but I couldn’t find the center, which was just a kilometer away from me (đ). I had always been an agony aunt of sorts, way back in college, always there to help others with their troubles. But life took a turn in 2011, and I felt that my life was over. I even thought of committing suicide, with my child.
One evening in March 2011, a lady came asking for directions to a gentleman’s house for the Basic Course. He had missed his second Kriya that morning and could be called in for the program that evening. I didnât know where the person lived, but I said I wanted to do it. I enrolled for the program that same week, along with my parents.
Since then, life’s hues have been different to this present day. Much gratitude, Gurudev. There are no words worthy enough to express my gratitude.
– Manisha
Jai Gurudev đ
I am Sudeshna Mukerji, originally from Kolkata, India, and now living in Amsterdam. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Parampoojya Gurudev for extending four years of life to my husband.
It was New Yearâs Eve 2020, and I was in Bad Antogast with my husband. He had always led a healthy lifestyle, never smoked a cigarette, and walked 10 km every day. He was a senior consultant at Deloitte, loved and admired by juniors, colleagues, and clients alike.
In the Darshan line, Gurudev came to me, put his hand on mine, and looked at my husband standing a little farther away. I bowed down, and He went away. We were surprised.
After a month, my husband developed certain problems, and the doctor suggested some tests and immediately sent him to the emergency room. We were told he had grade 4 lung cancer and had barely four months to live. That news came as a bolt from the blue.
It was then that I realized the Blessings at Bad Antogast. I told my husband not to worry. The hospital wanted to send a nurse to our room so that we could cry, but we refused and asked for a transfer to the best cancer research institute and hospital in EuropeâAntoni van Leeuwenhoek. Our request was granted.
From February 2020, a new life started for us. My husband underwent all cancer treatments, worked rigorously, and we took many family vacations over the next four yearsâthe doctors were amazed.
Despite the dangerous nature of the disease, my husband never experienced pain and had a very peaceful death in December 2023.
This is what a Guru is. He knows everything about our life and gives protection even when we are not aware of it. He takes us through the journey of life and life beyond by holding our hands.
It was the year 2009⌠I was in San Francisco, USA, employed at the time with one of Indiaâs big IT companies and on an assignment as a Business Analyst for one of the large US-based banks. Life was good: interesting work in the morning, Satsangs in the evening.
Gurudev was in the US for a few weeks for multiple events across multiple states, and I had taken a few days off from work. I was seeing Him off at the airportâmy first and only time to date. My mom had given me strict instructions, over Google Talk, to speak to Gurudev, at least this time. For some reason, I had been unable to speak to Him as a normal personâthe mind just goes totally blank in His presence, and all you want to do is just look at Him. Sure, I had asked Him two questions in the past, but that was in a Satsang in the midst of thousands.
This time it was different. We were just a handful of peopleâa great opportunity to have a real conversation with my Guru. Gurudev was about to leave for the gates to board the flight, and here I was under immense pressure. I had promised my mom that I would speak with Gurudev, and that too in Kannada (my mother tongue). But I just did not know what to say! Then I just blurted out in Kannada: âGuruji, neevu Navratri ge Mysore ge barta iddira?â meaning, âGuruji, are you coming to Mysore this Navratri?â
It was late July at the time, and I was asking Him about a festival which is at the end of September. This festival has always been celebrated in a grand manner at the Art of Living International Center, Bangalore, Indiaâan auspicious period when Gurudev would be in Silence for the initial few days, and many sacred Chantings, Homas, and Pujas are performed throughout the nine days for global wellbeing. Gurudev looked at me and, with all seriousness, asked, âAre you from Mysore?â I sheepishly said, âYes.â That was the end of the conversation, but I was relieved that I had completed the task given to me by my mom and that I had something to share with her that night over Google Talk. It was a strange conversation, though.
Me: Hi Mom! I spoke to Guruji today, that too in Kannada.
Mom: Great. What did you say? How did it go?
Me: I said, âGuruji, are you coming to Mysore for Navratri?â Guruji said, âAre you from Mysore?â I said, âYes.â
Mom: <<Facepalm>> End of conversation.
I was back in the office after this short vacation, and a week or so later, I was informed by my manager that I would be released from the project, due to a project funding crunch, by the end of August or the first week of September. Typically, the project resource goes back to the project base location, which in this case was Chandigarh. However, I was asked to go back to my base location, which was Mysore. I only had 2-3 weeks to close my rental agreement, sell my household stuff, my car, etc. But I was happy to be able to go home, that too just a few weeks away from Navratri. And I had multiple farewell parties by the lovely Bay Area Satsang groups.
Back in the Mysore office, on the very first day, I was asked to take a mandatory week off as part of safety precautions (H1/L1 virus scare). Navratri was just a week later, and I was yet to be assigned to any project, so I applied for nine days of leave (post the mandatory one-week âforcedâ paid vacation). On the same day, I got to know about a week-long Ashtavakra Gita Knowledge session with Chayanna in Hornadu, a beautiful temple town. I was overjoyed that I would now be able to attend that. (Sorry, I became aware of social distancing only after COVID-19⌠ignorance can be bliss.)
After the blissful week filled with Knowledge, Bhakti, and Music with Chayanna, I returned to Mysore, only to be met with another Divine surprise! Gurudev would be in Mysore on the first day of Navratri! Something we had never heard of before, as all the celebrations happen in Bangalore in Gurudevâs presence. I was present there to greet Gurudev in the Mysore Ashram and then traveled to the Bangalore Ashram to spend the rest of the sacred nine days there (another blog coming soon to narrate the amazing Guru story from that time).
Now, here comes the kicker! Back in the office, after all the 18-20 days of mind-blowing spiritual extravaganza, what was the first official email I receive? An email asking me to join back the same project in San Francisco ASAP!
I had to get a new rental agreement, buy a new car, furniture, and stuff, not to mention go through the friendly teasing from friends to return the farewell gifts! All this for a simple, harmless question blurted out without thought: âAre you coming to Mysore for Navratri, Guruji?â Remember, I said âcomingâ and not âgoing.â
– Chaitra Chandrashekar
That special day when she waited in the hot sun for her Guru with Payasam in hand and the wait went on too long… Read on to see how that story of Grace unfolded for Nandini Sundar, a journalist from Bangalore.
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My association with the Art of Living goes back over 10 years, to August 2011, when on a sunny Sunday evening, I found myself pulled into what at that time I did not know was a Satsang with Gurudev. That was my first meeting and first interaction with the Master. Needless to say, there has been no looking back since. My life has changed 180 degrees after that interaction. The journey since then has been nothing but Showers of Grace, clearing the path, the unseen hand holding me and propelling me forward. And when the journey got too tough to negotiate or impossible to pass through, the same hands were physically lifting me up and transferring me onward.
While there have been many serious interventions and abundant, continuous Guru Grace over the last decade, I decided to pick one that happens unfailingly every single year and leaves me stunned every single time: My meetings with the Master every single year on His Birthday.
On Gurudevâs Birthday, the crowds gathered have to be seen to be believed. To connect with Him on that day is nothing short of a miracle. But it happens to me every single time, in the most unbelievable fashion. And every single time, the Payasam I make specially for him and hold in my hand, without having eaten anything till he takes it from my hands, will be reached out and taken from my hands directly, however large the crowd may be. And it would leave me stunned, amazed every time at the level of His Grace.
I shall relate the story of just one such year when I came to the ashram, all dressed up, and holding that precious Payasam I had made with all the Shraddha and love. It was around 9 am in the morning, outside Yagyashala, and I decided to post myself there and wait for him, dressed in a beautiful saree as it was the most beautiful day of the year. I waited in the May heat for more than 45 minutes, getting restless as there was no sign of him. Another 15 minutes and I heard that He was in Gurukul, in Puja, and unlikely to come in the next hour or so.
I realized I was not going to see Him soon and got upset, angry as I was also extremely uncomfortable in my saree. I then walked to the gate and asked the security guard when Gurudev was likely to come. I was shocked when the security guard told me, âDidi, go to Gurukul, He is there.â I said, âBut Bhaiya I am not allowed to go there without permission.â But he insisted I should go and almost forced me to go to Gurukul. I could not fathom this, why was he pushing me there?
I decided to walk down, in the mid-summer heat, gathering my saree, and speaking to Gurudev in my mind, âWhy are you making me walk in this heat, in a saree, when you know fully well they will not allow me?â I continued walking, grumbling to myself, sure that I would be shooed away on reaching Radha Kunj gate. But all of a sudden, a shuttle comes next to me and the driver says, âDidi, you want to go to Gurukul, please get in, I will take you.â I was speechless.
Here I am thinking how will I enter and then a shuttle comes to pick me up and drops me right outside Gurukul!!
I enter Gurukul and I see all the senior teachers gathered there. I walk down and reach the puja Mantap doorstep. As soon as I reached the doorstep, Gurudev turns, looks at me straight in the eye, those beautiful eyes silently telling me, ‘You have reached now, will you stop grumbling now?’ Needless to say, all thoughts drained out of my head and I truly became hollow and empty!
The puja gets over and Gurudev comes outside, looks at me, smiles, indicates with his eyes that I am looking nice all dressed up, and then reaches out to take that precious Payasam from my hands, waves, and leaves!
I realized then, the Master is with me always, forever. I only do not recognize it and the small mind complains endlessly!
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 husbandâs 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 instructorâs 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 â 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 â my parents, siblings, and a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, as well as my in-laws â 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 youâre 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 bodyâs 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 hadnât seen on his face for months â 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 â I couldnât 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 couldnât 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.
Gurudevâs 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 canât 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 â and feel the Grace flow.
“Not a single scratch on my body despite such a steep fall! It was a moment of reckoning; a feeling of deep gratitude was all I felt,” says IT professional and Art of Living faculty, Divya Sachdev.
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Way back in 2004, when I was a teenager in grade 11, I went through a phase of doubt and questioning of my faith in Gurudev. I used to think that the miracle stories I heard were perhaps some kind of far-fetched imagination or a strategy.
One day, while reading the book âSri Sri as I Know Him,â which is a collection of personal experiences and anecdotes about Gurudev, I had a discussion with my mother as she was leaving to conduct an Art of Living Happiness Course. I told her that if “her” Guru really has the power I had been reading about, I wanted him to prove it to me in whatever way. For some reason, the conviction in my challenge was so intense, as though I wanted to reinforce my faith in the Divine through this.
And what followed was truly a miracle â a defining moment in my life. Our home, which was on the ground floor, was under renovation and we had construction material lying in the veranda along with two massive glass panels. We also had sheds on the ground floor, which were weak considering the property was almost 50 years old.
One day, the lady who resided on the second floor accidentally dropped a blanket on the sheds. She requested me to help her, and there I was, standing on the second floor and struggling with a stick to somehow push the blanket down to the compound. In all my enthusiasm to help, I lost my balance and fell right through the sheds into the heap of construction material and landed on the glass panels.
I was trapped amidst the construction material, with glass pieces all over me, including broken shed portions. I was in a state of shock and went blank. My neighbors rushed to my rescue, attempting to pull me out amidst fears that I may be dead, considering the graveness of the mishap.
A few minutes later, I was rescued, and to everyoneâs amazement, there were no broken bones nor any injury. I was fully conscious and not a single scar on my body. Not a single scratch on my body despite such a steep fall! It was a moment of reckoning; a feeling of deep gratitude was all I felt, and it dawned on me – this is the miracle of the Grace of Sri Sri â the very proof that my intellect was seeking. Divine intervention had happened that day.
Such is the Grace and Love of my beloved Master. I feel blessed and so special to have Him in my life and simply know He is always there to protect me and that I am taken care of each moment that passes by.
One of the most common phrases we hear in AOL is, “Gurudev does everything; we are just in name.” I had been ill for a long time, one illness after another, bedridden, etc. In 2017, I went to five follow-ups with my mom nearby. I would lie down after reaching the center. On my last day, the teacher asked if anyone could volunteer for a computer-related task. I couldn’t even sit for five minutes straight, yet I was surprised to see my hand raised up by itself with enthusiasm. I was really thinking in my head, “Why on earth did my hand raise? And what’s with that grin on my face???”
She later said it was to enter school children data into excel sheets. I agreed. She knew my problem, so she suggested I do it at her home so she could assist whenever she could. I did go for two days, but then I couldn’t even get up from the next day. The work was pending, and I had no intention of giving in. I called the teacher and told her I would finish it by noon as promised.
Now I sat with my laptop, my spine aching like hell, compelling me to give up, and I was only continuing the task by sheer willpower. After a few minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. Not much left, but I just couldn’t sit anymore. Tears that were stubbornly held back left my eyes, and a prayer happened. “Gurudev, I am grateful for the opportunity and determined to finish the task. I have done my best, but I failed, and I am hating it. No matter what, I must submit it in the next few minutes, so please help me.”
And that’s it! I cannot explain it clearly, but there was suddenly a shift in myself. The pain was still there, but instead of verifying each row, my hand was moving by itself to the needed row, and this continued for the remaining sheets. It’s so bizarre that I was aware of what was happening, but my body was not mine. It was like, “I am watching myself doing the task.”
That’s when it hit me. When teachers, devotees, and volunteers say that they are not the doers but Gurudev himself, they are not just saying it out of emotion. Technically, that’s exactly the phenomenon that happens. It’s an undeniable fact.
My head can argue that I have very keen eyes, have been a software tester or whatever, but I clearly know it wasn’t me at all then. Raising my hand and finishing the task all by himself, Gurudev made it indisputable for me. I had no choice but to feel immensely blessed. Not only did he save me from the upcoming regret and self-blame, but he also bestowed on me such an incredible “non-doership/witness” experience.
We are very fortunate that he chose to descend on this planet just for us. His every word is an experience by itself, and we all can experience everything just by staying connected with him. A master’s unconditional love and compassion can only be felt.
Stay connected, stay blessed! Jai Gurudev!
– Neeta Teerdhala
I was a hard-core criminal, committing serious crimes one after the other. I was arrested with arms in Delhi and was sent to Tihar jail where I was introduced to the Art of Living program. The light that I first saw during my first Sudarshan Kriya has flooded my entire life with brilliance, shares DINESH GURJAR, a natural farming expert and an Art of Living faculty.
I was a hard-core criminal. After serving a sentence of four years, I escaped and absconded for 10 years. I started committing serious crimes one after the other, without even realizing what I was heading for. In 1999, I was arrested with arms in Delhi and was sent to Tihar jail. It was here that I was introduced to the Art of Living program. While doing my first Sudarshan Kriya, I had a vision of the Divine Light. The experience was incredible. Something happened within me and I felt connected with myself.
Two months later, I was released from jail. However, in 2000, I was again arrested for a criminal offense I had earlier committed. I was caught with 6.5 quintals of drugs at the Gujarat-Maharashtra border. I fell seriously ill in prison. I suffered from an attack of asthma and sciatica but recovered because of regular sadhana. This was when I realized that I wanted to be on the spiritual path and give up on my notorious acts.
For the next two years, I was kept in different jails and went through a lot of upheavals and finally, I was placed in Udaipur jail. My life took a new turn as I felt inspired from within to organize stress elimination workshops in prisons. While I was an inmate myself, regular sadhana had made me calm. I started motivating each and every individual in prison to attend the workshops. It was amazing to see a wave of devotion rising in the prison as inmates started participating in satsangs, discourses and other spiritual activities. I was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing a huge range of events in prison.
I enjoyed my new life thoroughly. It was a different intoxication here, a divine madness that took over me. In 2011, I was finally released from jail and forever. In the following year, Guruji visited Udaipur and felicitated me on the stage. It was the experience of a lifetime as Guruji applauded and appreciated my efforts. Now I started chasing Guruji, every now and then. I was smitten by him and mesmerized by his love. I would follow him wherever he went. Soon, I became a teacher in the same year.
I am now entirely dedicated to the Art of Living. I have conducted about 20 prison programs and touched the lives of 700-800 prisoners. My focus is on being an instrument for transforming the lives of criminals. I have also started doing Organic Farming in my village. Besides, a documentary film, Bawan Parinde, has been made on my life story, as an inspiration for people to contribute to society. As Guruji says, in every criminal there is a victim crying for help. I am no longer a victim, but I still cry only to bring out tears of joy. The light that I first saw during my first Sudarshan Kriya flooded my entire life with brilliance. Until now I have been looting the world, and Guruji has looted my heart with all his love. I am still basking in the glory. When you have a master in your life, you donât need anything. Life is complete.
