Sri Sri Stories
I work with a private sector bank and life usually is quite hectic. Typically on Sundays, I like to stay home lying around, or go for outings such as a movie.
This particular Sunday, after my long Kriya (meditation technique taugh in AOL courses) in the morning, I chose to stay at home and not go anywhere. There was a Guru Pooja and weekly Satsang planned that evening by the local Art Of Living teacher, and I was very enthusiastic about it after my morning Kriya. Still I spent my day doing little and lost my enthusiasm for the evening programs as the day passed. In the evening, I had to do some work before going to the Pooja and Satsang. While returning from the little piece of work, I was in two minds about attending the Pooja and Satsang. On one side, I seriously wanted to go for the Pooja. On the other hand, I wanted to just go home, watch TV or visit a shopping mall with friends, since I felt that I’ll be facing another busy week from the following day. However, after much ado, I reached the Satsang venue, still confused. When I reached, a previous Art Of Living program was still going on, to be concluded, and people were waiting outside. As our mind is always looking for excuses, this was a perfect reason not to sit for Pooja and Satsang. I impulsively started my bike and left the venue.
While riding my way back home, I was thinking about Sri Sri. Guruji had once said in an interview that one of His favourite songs is Chahunga Main Tujhe from a black & white Hindi film Dosti. At that time, I did not understand much. However, as I rode back to my home, I started humming the song from somewhere in between. The exact lines went like this:
“Dekh mujhe sab hai pata
Sunta hai tu mann ki sada
Mitwa, mere yaar, baar baar awaaz main na dunga
Awaaz main na dunga”
(Look I know everything, you follow your many moods
But my dearest, I will not call again and again)
Suddenly the lightning had struck. Guruji couldn’t have been clearer. Although Guruji’s love for us is unconditional and timeless, we might not get many opportunities to be with Him.
I knew what I had to do. I took the next U-turn and rode back to the Satsang venue. Needless to say, the calming Guru Pooja was followed by a rocking Satsang and I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER ANYWHERE ELSE.
I was so glad that I attended the event. And so thankful to Gurudev for making His divine presence felt and guiding me even through what seems to be most mundane, insignificant days.
In gratitude
Jai Gurudev.
PS: It always helps to watch, listen and read more and more about Guruji, knowledge sheets and experiences. Can never say when a little piece of knowledge will come handy.
Saurav Sahi
Hi all, JGD!
I had done my Yes+ Course in 2011 and since then, I wanted to go to the AOL Ashram in Bangalore. It was like a dream for me to be there. That place signifies heaven on earth. So in order to fulfil my deep desire to visit the Ashram at least once, I would always ask my parents to let me go for an Advance Course at the Ashram, but they would simply ignore. Time passed by real soon and it was February 2012, and I had my Board exams in March. One day I was having dinner with my family and was fondly talking about the Vishalakshi Mantap which is one of the most beautiful places at the Ashram (although I had never been there, but had seen in pictures and heard from friends).
So my mother taunted and said that if I’d get more than 95% marks in my exams, I would get the permission to visit the Bangalore Ashram and also do the Course there. I did not give much attention to it at that time as I thought my mother was only joking. But I did my Kriya regularly and also prayed to Guruji that I may be allowed to go to the Ashram soon. And so I started with my exam preparations and gave all my papers one by one. And soon it was the end of May and all my friends had their train tickets booked for the Ashram, and I was still waiting for my parents’ permission, whereas my mother was waiting for the exam results. By then, I was a bit scared, as I could not score even a 59% in my pre-boards, so getting above 95% in my boards seemed like a far-fetched dream. I did not expect to get that much.
Then came the day of the results. I very anxiously checked my results, hoping for a sweet miracle to happen, and to my amazement, my aggregate percentage was 95.75%. I was shocked. I could not believe my eyes. So I checked it twice, and it truly was a 95.75%. WOW! What Grace! My mother had tears of happiness in her eyes and said that it was all by the Master’s Grace. I had the ticket to Bangalore the very next day. Finally, my dream was to come true and I couldn’t be happier. I always had this faith that Guruji would call me to the Ashram very soon, and He did!
My hard work towards my studies and intense desire to visit ashram along with the Grace of My Master made it all happen. I believe if you want anything positive to happen, just back yourself and work towards it knowing that Guruji is blessing it and His abundant grace is shining on you.
May the lamp of faith brightly shine in the hearts of one and all.
Thank you, Gurudev.
JGD
Jai Gurudev to all the beloved Devotees…
I am into Art of living since 2002. My life has changed for the best since I have met GURUJI. Lots and lots of miracles have happened and are happening in my life. This one is the most blissful. This GURU story is very different and it happened to me 15 days back.
Since 40 years my father is a compulsive alcoholic. His liver is badly damaged and doctor had advised him not to drink. We all family members have explained him the possible difficulties that he will be facing in future and even now & we have done are best to convince him not to drink. But, he could not stop drinking because he was so much habituated. Doctor said it has become a disease for him now.
20 days back, he started drinking excessively and used to drink right from morning. His health deteriorated very badly and due to which he had to be hospitalized. Suddenly, he was getting hiccups & it was so bad that it wasn’t stopping. Doctor said if his hiccups continues then any nerve in the body might burst and then his chances of his survival will be very less. We all family members were in so much tension that moment. I just started praying to GURUJI. I knew only prayers, blessings, grace will cure my father. I asked for online blessing too. Many days passed in hospital and his recovery was too slow. I just kept praying. It took him 2 days to stop hiccups. But still he was in a critical stage.I was wondering why GURUJI is not doing anything. All kind of thoughts started coming in my mind that just because my father has not done the course so may be Sri Sri isn’t helping my father. After 7 days in hospital and with only 30% of recovery he was discharged from the hospital.
Due to withdrawal symptoms my dad was becoming aggressive and violent and so we had to tie him on bed. It was the most painful sight for me and my family. I still kept praying and arguing with GURUJI that whatever happens YOU have to get him alright. After getting my dad home I kept Guruji’s photo near his bed and we read Bhagvat Gita & even made him hear AOL satang’s, bhajan’s and lot of knowledge of by Sri Sri.
After a week, my dad not only started walking but also started his work. This was just unbelievable for me and my family members. He is 95% fine.This is certainly due to Guruji’s grace.B ut the best thing in these 15 days is that I have become very very close to my father. I joked around with him. I shaved for him. I spoke to him endlessly which I had never done in my life because he is very shy and introvert person. So now I have realised why his recovery took time. Just to give time to my dad and me to come close to each other. Though those 15 days were very tough for me but they are the best days of my life. I was thanking Guruji that I got opportunity to do seva (service) of my dad and my mom who was standing behind my dad very strongly.
Guruji does the best for everyone, we all should have little patience and total Faith in HIM. I am very very fortunate to have Guruji in my life. My parents have agreed to do the basic course. Thank you Gurudev for everything.
JGD
Vishal
I want to share a recent incident that happened with me on the 11th of July 2013.
I work in an Oil and Gas company, so I am required to travel a lot for professional reasons. On the 9th of July, I was planned for Oman in order to complete two tasks, and my return ticket from Oman to Dubai was scheduled for the 14th of July.
On completing my first task, I was informed that my second task was cancelled because of which I could leave Oman on the 11th of July itself. So after completing my job, I straightaway headed for the airport.
I checked in at about 5 pm, in order to board the 8.40 pm flight, handed over my passport to the check-in staff and asked for a boarding pass. Unaware of the fact that I had not changed my tickets from 14th July to 11th July, I was all happy to go back, as I would get to attend my Friday long Kriya the next day.
A lady from the ground staff at the airport checked the data base and asked me whether my flight was scheduled for that day itself. That was the time when it struck me that I had forgotten to change my flight tickets to the 11th of July. This meant that I did not have a flight booking for that day. Now what was I to do? So I told the lady to change my booking to the 11th of July (the same day). The lady then guided me to speak to the Officer about the same, as it was a late change for getting a seat on the same days’ flight.
I told the Officer the entire story, about how I had genuinely forgotten to pre-pone my flight booking due to a change in the planned schedule and requested him to book me a seat on the 8.40 pm flight. So he checked the availability, and fortunately, he had a seat vacant. I asked him the fare (price) difference, to which he said that it would be a difference of 14,000 INR. That was a lot of money. I did not have that much with me at the time. So I asked him if he could put me on to any other flight with a lesser price difference. He got back to me saying that he had no other alternative flight for me. I was really disappointed and did not know what exactly to do next. I called my office, but as it was Ramadan, no one was present in the office premises to attend to my phone call. I was in a total fix. I saw no solution whatsoever.
So I just closed my eyes and said –
“Guruji, please look into it. I tried, what to do?”
The very next second, literally next second, the Officer called me and said, “I rechecked my system, it’s a bit odd as it’s now showing that we have one seat vacant in the same class as yours on the 8.40 pm flight, with no fare difference. So you can proceed and board the flight. You need not pay anything now. You are very lucky!”
I knew what had happened, and how it was all taken care of by my Master. I thanked the Officer, and all I could say was “Jai Guru Dev!” 🙂 All my way, I was just awestruck and grateful for this lovely miracle.
Never before has such a thing happened in my life, where I feel looked after and loved at every small step. It’s marvellous how Guruji takes care of everything and everyone.
Many other incidents happened that night, which were truly unbelievable. It was like Sri Sri was giving me a treat for something!
Jai Guru Dev!
Shrikant Badhe
Jai Gurudev
I am a Homeopathic student. I did my Part 1 Art of Living course during my semester break. After doing the course and becoming a part of the AOL family, I became crazy about Gurudev. Every day, I kept talking about Him, listening to His Bhajans (Devotional Songs), reading about Him, practicing the knowledge points. I started living my life in the Guru consciousness and I was loving it.
And with all this, time flew real fast and then came the day when I had to go back to my college as my 3 month semester break was over. I had to travel about 350 km from my hometown to my college area. I decided to go by bus and the ticket was also booked. I then started packing my things and my bag was getting heavier and heavier. On the day of the travel, I arrived at the bus station after a six hour road journey. Only then did I realize that I had to climb up a fleet of stairs in order to take a taxi which would drop me to my hostel. This was not going to be an easy task as the stairway was massive and my bag was also extremely heavy. It seemed close to impossible for me to carry my bag all the way up. But I did not have much of a choice as I did not know anybody around from whom I could ask for help. So I decided to take the first step. But just as I did that, I fell flat on the floor as the weight of the bag was just too much for me to handle single handedly. I had no idea as to what I should be doing next. I felt just so helpless at that time.
The only thought that came to my mind was of the Master. I was thinking to myself, “Will Guruji come and help me to carry this bag?” The moment I concluded this thought, a man, wearing a white shirt and white pants, came near me and said “Come, I will help you carry this bag .” I was shocked. I was blank. I just couldn’t react. Was I dreaming? Or had that really happened? Had Guruji truly heard my little prayer? Yes. Guruji was right there, with me, in the form of a stranger, who came to help me carry the bag. Wow! What Grace!
The man carried the bag for me all the way up the stairs, and dropped me to a taxi which would then take me to my hostel. While leaving, he looked into my eyes and gave me a smile. His smile carried a lot of depth and meaning. It was as though Gurudev was telling me through his eyes “I am with you always”. I was on top of the world at that moment. It was such an unforgettable moment.
It is so beautiful to know that even if our wishes are so small and petty, our Guru takes care of them. I consider myself and all of us on this Path very very Luck that we have a Living Master to Guide us and Help us with every difficulty, small or big, we are all taken care of. We have to just take one step towards Him and He will take ten steps towards us.
Until now, each and every day, He is showing me that He is always with me, in some way or the other. I feel so lucky to have Gurudev in my life.
JaiGurudev
Sharmma
Jai Gurudev!
I have experienced several miraculous and wonderful moments, but this is the first one that I could pen down. Meeting Guruji is Bliss personified, and when this bliss comes as a wonderful surprise, it is Super Bliss personified.
On the 16th of September 2013, there was some turbulence happening in my mind because of which I felt an immediate and desperate need to get Guruji’s Darshan. I was to go to the Ashram for Navratri this year, so I started counting days. And to my wonder and surprise, the very next morning, I got a call from a lady who has never called me before, saying that Sri Sri is in Mumbai. I was wonder struck! I immediately contacted all my friends and teachers. In some time, we got to know that we could meet Him at GSB at Wadala (a famous Ganesha Mandal in Mumbai). Gurudev was to board a flight to Bangalore in the evening. I was contemplating as to which place to go, GSB or airport. Eventually, I left from my place to meet Him at GSB, Wadala. Just then, a teacher staying nearby called me and asked if I would like to join her to meet Guruji at the airport. I told her that I was driving towards Wadala. She said okay, in a very disappointed tone. It seemed as though she was trying to tell me to go to the airport instead. Her voice, her tone told me to head towards the airport. I immediately changed my mind and headed to the airport. Many more devotees like me had stationed themselves over there, eagerly waiting to see the Master. We all were waiting for Him with so much love and excitement.
The moment He arrived, as it always happens, the crowd got out of control. I was just near the entry gate and needed His blessings desperately. He knew it too! He lovingly kept His hand on my head and blessed me! That was it! I was instantaneously uplifted to Bliss. I was just so happy.
His miracles don’t end here. I was wanting to do the eternity process since more than a year. But somehow it never happened. At the airport, a teacher friend pulled me out of the crowd and told me that the eternity teacher was also there and suggested me to meet her. So I met her and she agreed to do the process for me in the next couple of days. Monday I met Guruji and Thursday I was done with the eternity process. Guruji gave me an absolutely beautiful and purely Divine experience of the eternity process too. I truly could not have asked for more. Then I came to know about the bigger miracle that actually happened.
The Eternity teacher told me that she had stopped taking Eternity process sessions since the last 3 months but the moment she saw me, she felt as if Guruji was telling her that she has to do the eternity process for me. And she was not even supposed to come to the airport that day, as she was with Guruji all the while before that. She was on her way back home when Guruji started for the airport, but suddenly she came to the airport, for some unknown reason, which later became clear. She was sent in the form of an Angel to heal me.
After listening to all this, I was amazed and completely wonder struck. He had actually done it all. My reaching the airport instead of Wadala, the teacher coming there, my eternity process happening and His blessings uplifting me. It was all a Divine Plan.
His ways are surely beyond our understanding and absolutely wonderful and blissful.
Guruji I have no words to express my love and gratitude for you! My only prayer is to have the virtues to receive His blessings and be able to rise as He raises! In loving surrender to You Guruji!
With lots and lots of Love, Worship, Respect and Gratitude,
Disha H Bhanushali.
Jai Gurudev
Dear Sri Sri, You have been so Great and Gracious, Magnanimous and Kind towards all of us. How can I express my Gratitude!
My Guru story happened in 2006. I did my Part –I course, but was not much inclined towards the Art of Living. In the May of 2006, Guruji had come to inaugurate the Texas Ashram. I was a student then and just got to know somehow that He was coming to San Antonio.
I told my mother about it and told her that I won’t go as it would cost 100 bucks, and I had no mode of travel as well. My mother pushed me to go, calling me couple of times from India. So after much deliberation, I finally decided to go.
As I was new to America, I did not have a phone or a car and nor did I know anybody from whom I could ask for help. I just called an organizer whom I call Sarah. She said a lady would pick me up from a bus stop. So I asked one of my friends to drop me at the bus station near my school. The Ashram was 4 hours away from my school. I reached San Antonio after 3 hours. I had no way to contact the lady who was supposed to pick me up.
Suddenly, an old gentleman and a lady came out of a vintage car. They received me with great warmth. Three other students had come from prestigious universities to meet Sri Sri. We all ate at a subway.
A couple, Sarah and Brian, owned a big mansion where I was supposed to stay. It was beautiful with a Ranch and Horses. I was to share a bedroom with two other women at night. One of them, an old lady, offered to sleep on the ground, giving me a princess’ bed. I felt extremely grateful for her kind gesture.
Next morning we were ready by 7:00 a.m. and were served the best breakfast ever. Sarah drove us on a cloudy rainy day to the Ashram.
It seemed as if it were the day of the birth of Lord Krishna, as Guruji was coming to the Ashram. I was just going with the flow, like a baby, with complete surrender and faith that nothing untoward will happen to me. I realized that Guruji was behind all this.
On reaching the Ashram, I experienced ‘Celebration’ in its purest form. I saw people dancing, singing Bhajans (Devotional songs). People from different cultural backgrounds had come together and were basking in peace and joy.
Then that moment arrived when Gurudev Himself entered the hall. Wow! What a moment that was! After chatting a bit, He made us do some activities which were great fun and relaxing too. After sometime, everybody was given a chance to meet Guruji and take His blessing. I was just so excited to personally meet Sri Sri. I touched His feet and took His blessings. I felt bliss.
After lunch, Guruji took us around the Ashram and to a rivulet nearby. As evening descended, everybody was singing. I too sang. Guruji’s Birthday was celebrated. Later Sarah came and gave me the cake which Guruji ate. I was astonished. Not just that, Gurudev also made us see all the pictures of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations. I was dumbstruck at seeing the auras in the pictures and realized the enormous Power of the Divine. I felt very grateful.
The celebrations then concluded. After Gurudev left, we came back to Sarah’s mansion. The old lady who had picked me up when I came to San Antonio, took me graciously to her house, fed me, and made me sleep in her bed, as her own daughter. The next morning, she dropped me to the bus station. I was taken care of just like a princess.
After that came an interview call at 5:00 p.m. in the evening on the Friday I came back from the Ashram, for an internship which I was trying for. I got the Internship. Guruji returned the amount I spent, 75 times through my internship. I thought it was only Grace. I was worried about spending the money for the Ashram trip, but my Master took care of it in His own way. What Amazing Grace!
But the most important of it all – Within 15 days from the time I came back from the Ashram, after taking His blessings, I started experiencing His Love as Blessings during the Sudarshan Kriya .It was like an endless nectar flowing. It was then that I experienced the greatest Grace of His. I am so grateful to Gurudev for those 2 weeks of pure eternal Bliss. He takes care of us as if we are Kings and Queens. I know that His Grace will keep flowing on us. Love you Guruji!
Jai Gurudev
Nivedita
I was visiting Avon, a small town near Paris (France) but my flight was from an airport on the outskirts of Paris city. As I had booked the flight last minute, my return flight was early morning.
This required me to take the last train out from Avon to Paris, then take a shuttle from train station to the airport. This needed me to stay 4 hrs at the train station (11:30 PM – 3:30 AM), before my shuttle service came to pick me. Clearly, not a good plan for a girl and I was already cursing myself for making last minute flight booking, at such an ungodly hour!
On the scheduled day, I reached the Paris train station at half past 11 PM . To my relief a major rugby team was travelling through the train station and the station was teeming with people. I was fine. I looked up one of the maps at the station to identify the street (outside the train station, as it is a huge station) and then decided to go across the road to sit in one of the café/bars to kill time. Again, as several team supporters were sitting in these cafes, everything seemed pretty okay. Finally, at 2:30 AM, the café was shutting down, people had already left and I was asked to leave.
I came back to the train station. It was deserted now. There were a few boys in an inebriated condition, who tried to bother me but I managed to keep them away (I was extremely scared inside and screaming at myself again for such an ill-planned trip). After a while, two boys came near me. As they seemed relatively non-threatening, I sat on a bench in their vicinity. Because I was sitting close to them, no one else bothered me as they presumably thought I am with these boys
But my misery was not over yet. At 3:40 AM, I got up and decided to go to the desired street. My shuttle service had told me that it will pick me at 3:45 AM and under no circumstances wait beyond 4 AM.
I went outside but did not find the shuttle. The street had two levels, so I thought maybe it is at the lower level outside the station. Strolling my baggage, I went down, but nothing. Assuming that I maybe on the wrong street, I tried to ask a few people on the street (there was a busstop) who refused to communicate in English (even though I suspected they understood me). A few guys on the street had already understood that this girl is lost and is asking for directions. Their looks just added to my misery. It was almost 4 AM and I was nearly in tears. I had a harrowing experience already, now I could not find my shuttle, which for all I knew had left the station by now. This meant, I could not catch my flight either.
All this while, I was praying very hard to Sri Sri to help me. Suddenly, this gentleman appeared out of nowhere and responded to me in English. He opened google maps on his phone and tried to locate the street, after wasting another 5-10 mins, we found the street (the same one I had identified in the first place, but much farther away than I expected) and saw the shuttle waiting. The driver had been kind enough to wait a little longer.
I couldn’t thank him enough. Had it not been for Guruji, anything could have happened that night. I know he is always looking over us. I am grateful for this blessed life.
Jai Guru Dev.
– Kanika Rajdev
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. On their way to the Gaushala (Cow shelter), my sister in law was excited to see a deer in Radha Kunj (beautiful garden in the Ashram en route the cow shelter) and in that excitement, she lost her focus and hit the car to the tree.
My mother hit her head on roof of the car and fell between the front and back seats.
There was swelling on her head and very dark red patches caused dueto blood clots on different parts of the body. Volunteers who were there handled the situation very well. My mother is very impressed with them. Just then Sri Sri was passing by and He stopped the car seeing an accident. He kept his hand on my mother’s head and said every thing will be alright. They spoke in the Kannada language.
In spite of this, my mother and sister in law still went to the Goushala. Guruji also blessed them and saw to it that a cab was arranged for them to return home safely. After coming home, she went to family doctor and the doctor said that there was nothing to worry about but since the patches were very hard, they would take 3 months to get cleared.
My mom visited me in Hyderabad (city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh), where I stay to celebrate the festival of Janmashtami (birth of Lord Krishna). It was very painful for me to see such dark red patches on her body. However, she was happily narrating her meeting with Guruji and did not show much interest to talk about accident.
We performed the Guru Pooja and celebrated Krishna Janmashtami. On 29th Aug, the patches were still dark. The very next day, on 30th Aug, there were no patches at all on her body! The skin was very clear and normal. The pain in the head had also vanished. Sri Sri can do anything. We are very grateful to our Guruji for giving us an opportunity to serve the society. He loves us alot!
Jai Guru Dev,
K R Lalita Barhadath
We were in UAE and had to be in India for the funeral of a close relative. By evening that day, my husband had a massive cardiac issue, with all systems failing. The Doctors had told me to be mentally prepared for the worst and inform my children as well. I sincerely prayed to Gurudev to handle the situation, sought blessings from Blessers and Swamiji.
Even in the middle of such a crisis, I could remain calm and centred and could take positive decisions regarding my husband’s treatment, which was crucial. This was possible only cause of doing regular Sadhna (Practice) & Meditation. Even after Angioplasty and By Pass surgery, problems started cropping up one after another, with his kidneys showing symptoms of failure, platelet count coming down, blood sugar levels surging up. In such a helpless circumstance, all I could do was to hang on to that one ray of hope, my Guru, my Master.
Finally, after a month, my husband was discharged from the hospital. But then, during the review, his pulse count suddenly went down to 42 and ECG was erratic. On knowing this, my daughter immediately sought blessings from Gurudev, who was in Germany then. My husband himself informed that within a little while, he started feeling the difference. He felt the healing happening. He is much better now.
All the Doctors appreciated my positive attitude, for being calm, and giving them confidence to move forward in his case. Though my life turned upside down within a matter of hours, and I will have to pick up the threads of life from the base and start all over, I am still able to smile, even laugh and move on. The show must go on, that’s what it’s all about!
Like Guruji says: Success means an undying smile and determination to keep moving ahead come what may.
Thank You Gurudev
Shyamala
