Sri Sri Stories
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. Due to my sister’s unstable emotional state, she drove me out of her house. I was visiting her from the U.S., and at that time, I decided to go and stay at the Bangalore ashram. I went every evening to Vishalakshi Mantap, the main meditation hall (or the lotus hall, as I like to call it), and Guruji was there every day in January 2014. I enjoyed my Ayurvedic treatment and the Sudarshan Kriya. I had learned the kriya while in the US when I was forced by friends a couple of years earlier but was not practicing it. I felt different doing the kriya at the ashram. I felt as if I was happy for no reason. I had dreams of Guruji during my Ayurvedic treatments.
In mid-January, I entered the hall with my mother, who had come to visit me at the ashram. Guruji asked if it was anyone’s birthday during that week. I celebrated my own birthday recently, but my husband’s birthday was on the 16th. Everyone whose birthday it was stood up, so I too stood up and shouted, looking towards Him, that 16th was my husband’s birthday. He was throwing flowers at all the people, but He saw me, and took a garland from His hand, and threw it towards me. It landed precisely around my neck! Everyone inside the hall shouted and gasped. My mom, who was next to me, had tears in her eyes, and she was proud of me. Till then, I was simply going to the ashram blindly.
I recently joined the Sahaj Samadhi course in August 2022, but until then, I didn’t realize the magnitude of my experience. Now when I meditate, He sits in front of me. He has been visiting me in my dreams every month. Just last night, He again came into my dreams. I was just sitting next to Him, and He kept smiling. In my dream, I told myself to ask Him the questions I had always wanted. But my mind in my dream was dumbstruck and in shock. I asked him later what the physics behind negative energy was. For that, He jumped and said Ah, on Amavasya day, write “Om Shri Rama” around your puja altar. He showed me my puja altar.
I woke up at 7 a.m., and I usually wake up at 5.30 and do my meditation around 6 a.m. But today, I couldn’t as I was in pain due to my uterine fibroid. I felt a little sad that I didn’t ask him anything about my family’s welfare or my health issues. Then I consoled myself that it was a blessing He even came into my dream. I am a nobody, not a real devotee, no knowledge, no discipline, nothing. All I can say is He is truly divine, and I got lucky. I am grateful to the divine for forever showing me the path and sending divine souls to teach me and guide me further on my path. I pray that my children and husband realize the divine being that Guruji is and find their peace too. I am a Shirdi Saibaba devotee, and I see that Baba speaks through Guruji too.
I did the Happiness Program in 2004, and I started attending the weekly follow-up sessions after the course. I always had a soothing, peaceful feeling each time, and there was a natural cheerfulness and feeling of being healthy at all levels, even if I wasn’t mindfully aware of it. I also attended the Advanced meditation programs and felt a meditative joy while attending them and listening to bhajans often. I frequently attended AMP’s until 2008. But then I strayed away from the path. I began spiritual shopping but personally, other forms of meditation did not help me or my stress in the difficult situations of life. I felt myself slipping as part of my own doing. I didn’t realize the immense value and importance of the Sudarshan kriya, or of having an enlightened Guru in my life. Fortunately, I started attending AMP’s again in 2018 and joined the online daily sadhana. It was a blessing, especially once the pandemic began.
I had a rough patch for two years in 2018, but the sadhana helped me greatly. I noticed awareness and happiness returning to me, and I was grateful for his grace. I faced many difficulties, kept feeling dejected, and couldn’t commit strongly due to financial stress. Compounded by other problems, I had a breakdown in June 2021. It was a severe depressive episode. I had an acute reaction to stress and developed mood disorder and hypomania symptoms. In most cases, patients lose insight and live in a world of illness.
As a psychiatrist, I could empathize with myself and could humbly take the advice of my friend, who is a professor of psychiatry. I took the medication she recommended, but I acknowledged how kriya helped me during this episode. My family didn’t understand my pain, and one day I silently cried and prayed to Guruji to help me. After a while, an idea struck me. I called up a senior teacher and told her what I was going through. She immediately told me to rule out a psychotic episode by consulting a doctor, and to determine if I’m fit to attend meditation. I went with my brother to be assessed, which was yet another humbling experience. I was grateful to get insight into what I was going through, and I was told I could attend meditation. While I couldn’t follow all the instructions, I did sit through them. I would also like to mention that while I could not do kriya, I was still watching Gurudev’s Satsangs and Bhagavad Gita knowledge on YouTube, especially when I could not sleep.
I thought about how I had once heard that Gurudev doesn’t sleep for very long as he is busy helping people worldwide. Even during the pandemic, he virtually attended courses in various parts of the world in different time zones. I remembered Gurudev had once said it’s okay if you cannot do Seva yourself, pray for the world and those who are doing Seva. This prayer would often arise in my mind for Him, for Bhanu didi, and for teachers and devotees everywhere.
I was fortunate enough to sit for a live session with Guruji, I felt his divine, kind, and gentle voice in my heart. The words of affirmation popped up: “Yes, this is my Guru.” After that session, I started feeling a little better and felt my healing process began. I felt overwhelming love and gratitude during the Guru Poornima session. I feel overwhelmed by His kindness because He accepts everyone as they are. By being on the path, He is with us and guiding us, even if we don’t know it. For a person like me who has strayed away from the path and didn’t do kriya regularly, I learned this the hard way.
Gurudev has touched the lives of millions of people all over the world. I am grateful to the Master and the path. Salutations to Gurudev. Gratitude to the volunteers for creating this website. Gratitude to the Teachers who take us together, bring us To Gurudev, and to the path, which is Gurudev’s blessing to the world.
I walk all the way from the parking lot, crossing stores on the interlocked concrete roads, climbing uphill till I reach the divine abode and have to catch my breath. Thank God, I think, there is some place for me to sit and close my eyes. My lungs are still breathing heavily, but the sweating has almost stopped and a cool breeze blowing gives me comfort. I slowly start to relax. It has been quite a long time since I’ve made eye contact with HIM, and now I wait patiently, sometimes closing my eyes to meditate and suddenly opening my eyes, expecting that He has arrived. He indeed arrives with a lotus in his right hand, dressed in full white, His hair waving rhythmically to the air blowing. I wait on my knees for Him to enter our line. As He comes closer, I look up and He acknowledges me with His eyebrows raised, which turns into a smile, and He pats my head with the lotus. As He moves a little ahead, the white Angavastram caresses my face.
It has been a very hot day, and I throw my school bag and run out to play, ignoring HER call to eat something. Playing cricket with the new bat bought for Rs. 3/- gives me maximum happiness. Running on the rough hard soil of the pitch, sweating all over, a few runs scored, and then my turn to bowl and field before the sun starts to set on the Western horizon. Time to go home. I take my bat proudly, gripping the handle with my left hand, and my right hand supporting the blade as I reach home. I wash my face and legs randomly, and as I enter the kitchen, SHE looks at me, scanning me, takes the end of HER saree, and cleans the sweat and water from my face. Though resisting it, the touch of HER cotton saree across my face gives the comfort, and the conviction of her love for me, so soothing.
HE walks further, and the white sheet of cloth away from me, reminding me of HER unconditional love, and then HE turns back and smiles at me, with a twinkle in his eyes, confirming and acknowledging that He too loves and cares for me in the same way. Tears roll down my eyes in gratitude and happiness, that HE will be there for me always, will love me irrespective of my mistakes, I bow down my head and close my eyes. A few tears fall down on my knees, and with my eyes wet, I sit silently till the emotion sinks.
Jai Gurudev
Ramesh Jalihal, Bangalore
On 16th June, I got a missed video call, from an unknown number at 9:10 PM. I saw the profile picture, a young devotee, a selfie picture with Gurudev. I returned the call. Due to Teachers’ Special Advanced Meditation Course, I was getting many calls. He called back to find out why I had called him! No, he hadn’t called me at all! He is an AOL Teacher from Ahmedabad, Kashyap Upadhya.
He said he was drenched in the rain, phone in his pocket, walking in knee deep water. I sent him a screenshot of his video call, we both were amazed! The question, however, was how did I get the call? He was with an Intuition child at that time.
Actually I was asking Gurudev certain answers to my questions. It was Gurudev’s way of connecting me to the Intuition Process child. AMAZING GRACE!
Kashyap was happy to connect with me and so was the other devotee, Kaushal. His ways are mysterious! One missed video call, and I got my answers. Eternally Grateful to the Master for being with us, knowing us breath by breath. We are taken care of.
Jai Gurudev.
Kamala Shastry.
One November morning, 25 years ago, my dearest Gurudev stretched his hand out and with gentleness, patience, love, and compassion, led me home and since then he has let me explore the world inside out without letting go off my hand….
Gurudev once said, “to speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Brahman”. The sheer habit of vocalizing emotions kept me thanking in words ever so often. But it was only when I began to sense that shift within, a transition almost, so to speak, from feeling overjoyed at a happening to a constant, overwhelming, all-consuming emotion that didn’t need a reason, I began to understand what Gurudev meant. It was only when I began to traverse through that passage where I was so happy and grateful for all those moments of joy and happiness, and then to and behold, began to see there were no moments in life and so celebration didn’t have to be slotted to time, I began to understand what Gurudev meant. Here I am, just being grateful, just being full, just being… It is an indescribable state. It’s overwhelming. Incandescent. Weightless. Happy emotional. Tearful. Full.
The true gratitude that stems out of humility is radiant, a beauty to behold. A recent pilgrimage to Vaisho Devi provided an experience of how this manifests. I had always told myself that I wouldn’t want to go on a Palki (a palanquin of sorts where 4 men would carry the passenger on a seat). I somehow didn’t feel happy about being carried. But then, how long would I be permitted to resist before the precious Sutra came knocking! I had no choice but to get on to a Palki sometime around midnight to visit a temple that was high up in the hills. I was deep inside in an almost meditative state during the Palki journey up, tearful, and quite spaced out. And then I overheard a discussion among the 4 young Palki bearers, in a wondrous tone, about how they, surprisingly, weren’t feeling the weight of the passenger, that as if they were carrying an empty Palki! I was vaguely registering this conversation and thinking, Gurudev actually took away the feeling of guilt, within me, of being carried, and importantly we really are not the ones who decide or deliver. The Palki bearers were probably not the ones who were actually carrying! I was consumed with so much wonder, so much gratitude to my Gurudev, I began to giggle. It was an incredible experience, an experience that seems to be setting the trajectory of my life.
And then there is a subtle realization of how far-reaching the impact of gratitude is. It spreads like wild fire. It touches the lives and hearts of everyone you come across. While talking, teaching, cooking, nurturing, working, whatever we do from a space of gratitude to the Guru, to the Divine, it wraps itself around everyone in its path giving them a perception of their inner being, a taste of freedom, an experience of absolute happiness. Its gratitude to my Gurudev that guides me in whatever I undertake. Its gratitude that makes me see the larger picture that Gurudev has in mind that keeps me so enthusiastic and optimistic. Above all, it has helped me enjoy whatever I do. What a gift that is! Gratitude to Gurudev is the biggest fortune that I could have ever hoped to acquire. Gratitude to my beloved Master is what designs the pathways of my life. My Gurudev is my existence.
Dr. Prema
Seshadri Bangalore
Tears of Gratitude are always flowing from my eyes. My whole life is wrapped in Guru’s grace. Words are not enough to describe what I experience each moment! I’m bowing down my head in gratitude every moment as I can’t believe how He steered my life to the right direction.
He’s a visionary who could see the future and takes care of his devotees. He saw my future and took me in His lap. He knew that I’m going to lose my husband so he transported me from Bahrain to Australia so that I can get all the benefits that I needed to give to my kids and settle them well. Each moment He took care of me , strengthened me and nurtured me to become a better teacher. He gave me lot of strength and energy to start AOL chapter in Brisbane, Australia and bring more and more people to the knowledge. He inspired me and lead me to move forward. I knew it was not my energy but some unknown ( KNOWN)power from inside is pushing me to move forward and with full enthusiasm, I kept moving ahead to fulfil his vision of bringing smile on each face. He made me Sahaj teacher then Silence Program teacher .
Advance Course Sydney
I still wonder what have I done to deserve this respect and honour that I get today ! It is all Guru Grace . I was the person who was hesitant to speak in front of 3-4 people ! But now, I can stand with confidence and speak before thousands of people! Who gave me this inner strength ? Only a Guru can transform one’s life and inspire one to move up with dignity and grace !
I have never asked Him for anything . He knows what I need and gives me before I can ever think of asking Him. What else one needs in life ? My whole life is dedicated to my Guru- I want to take this knowledge to each house and will do my seva till my last breath !
Nishi Saran
Australia
Words fail when I sit down to write about my overwhelming gratitude towards my Guru, Poojya Gurudev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji, whom we lovingly call “Guruji” across the globe. Our Loving Guruji….
May HE live a long and healthy life, is our only prayer for HIM during this very difficult pandemic times. His unending unconditional love for Humanity IS our daily propellor…. for millions of ardent devotees and volunteers of Art of Living global family.
Guru is not a personality, but a presence … He is NOT a Vyakti but a Shakti. With every breath I take I thank Him for holding our hands and guiding us through our journey…for being our light of knowledge and wisdom.
It is said that the greatest blessing is to have a living Master, and we truly are so so fortunate! I feel immensely grateful that I am walking this planet with, Poojya Gurudev. I bow down to the lotus feet of my Guru, who has filled my life with the nectar of love, service, fulfilment and beauty! A mere remembrance of the enlightened one can dissolve any kind of uncertainty, fear or anxiety and fill our hearts and consciousness with that unconditional loving presence! Life’s greatest pursuit is to find a Guru and YES, the greatest blessing is to have One.
Even when it was a gloomy pandemic for the whole world,
It is ONLY His knowledge …
That has kept the light lit in our lives.
Thank you for making US yours
Thank you for being the ray of hope in the darkest of times
Thank you for being an epitome of service
Thank you for imparting values through your wisdom, humour, and love
Thank you for guiding us on the path of peace, health, and well-being
Thank you for gifting SUDARSHAN KRIYA to millions around the world
through the Art of Living.
I am often asked how I came into Art Of Living.
Well, I come from a family where everyone was a Ramkrishna Mission devotee. I tried that path…I was still thirsty. My grandmother was a Sanyasin who gave ‘Diksha Mantra’ to many. I guess I had it in my genes… I was searching… searching for my Guru. I had done quite an amount of Spiritual shopping…
I tried SRF by Paramahansa Yogananda, visited Putaparthi, met Sri Sathya Sai Baba…. Still something was missing. And then my husband fell ill with a rare kind of rheumatism. It crippled him with pain. And blew the light out of our lives, emotionally. He became bedridden. The year was 2000, and a dear friend of ours registered my husband’s name for this new “Workshop” that was happening in the neighbourhood for “wellbeing”. My husband refused to go claiming how can ‘breathing techniques’ take away my pain?
Since a payment was done, I went and sat in the “Course”.
And that was it.
There was no looking back after that.
The course rekindled my faith in the goodness of life. The anger and sarcasm born out of harsh experiences of life was replaced by faith that it is possible to live the values of love, sharing, compassion, honesty and selfless service. Something very deep in me was touched, filling me with a joy and bliss I had never experienced before. It was a fantastic experience. I felt my whole being was empowered with a newfound energy! In a month’s time my husband did the course unquestioningly. Within a month of this, I was sitting in an Advance Meditation Course and in three months I was visiting the Art of Living International Centre Bangalore to participate in the Advance Meditation course in the presence of Sri Sri Himself.
The day I arrived at the Ashram I knew I had reached home! And the minute my eyes saw Him from afar, a delicate looking person, clad in white with a radiant smile and an unusual simple personality, tears started rolling down my cheeks. I was not sad but I did not know the source of these tears. I met my Guru. The love that He radiated and the expression in His eyes was a completely new experience in my eyes and I knew I was perceiving the divine in a human form. Practicing Kriya everyday just changed our lives. My role as a professional Rabindrasangeet stage singer was totally replaced by one stage performance after another as a lead Art Of Living Satsang singer …. Singing for masses and in His presence.
My husband was totally healed, and being living evidence of that, we did not have to convince anyone about the benefits of the Art of Living Courses. We were soon organizing the biggest courses in no time. Almost miraculously we both got initiated by H.H. Sri Sri Ravishankar to become Art of Living teachers together and there began our journey with this most amazing organization called the Art of Living Foundation, with its luminous teachers & selfless volunteers, all spread across around the world in more than 156 countries. A true global family, it became a real-life experience for me with my Art of Living world family.
In an amazing turn of events, I continued to prosper and progress as an “Educator” from a schoolteacher to a lecturer and Head of the Humanities
Department, getting promoted from one role to the next and at the same time taking joyous strides along the path of spirituality. For the past two decade and a half of my association with The Art of Living, I have seen Poojya Gurudev work tirelessly day after day, to make this world a stress free & violence free place. I have seen him travel from town to town and country to country sharing his message of love and peace, teaching people how to live happy & healthy lives and giving hope of a better tomorrow to the world. And when the Pandemic hit the planet, Gurudev recognized that the fear and anxiety of the pandemic, the stress from the lockdown and isolation and how the uncertainty about the economy, jobs and future were affecting people’s mental health and well-being. He immediately launched the #WorldMeditates campaign. Millions around the world have been reached on social and broadcast media through these efforts. Relentlessly He conducted two guided meditations every single day online since March 22 nd , 2020 and statistics says that over 37 million people have viewed him online, since the lockdown.
In 2007 we moved countries, left India and settled in Canada, but settling down in a new country was not at all a challenge as we were wrapped in His Grace. One miracle after another followed and life continued to be a celebration. In the years that I have been with Art of Living, I have felt complete with a purpose in life. I feel everything I have ever wanted to know and needed in my life was present on this path. Service, Knowledge, Love, Celebration, Peace, and Happiness. I feel so blessed to have discovered the Art of Living and most importantly Poojya Gurudev.
Friends have often asked me how The Art of Living has impacted me.
I often fumble. Only because it is tough to express how the organization unites us to reach higher and unleash our innate talents, gifts, and skills.
Even though I moved countries, it really did not matter. I started teaching Art of Living Courses in Toronto. In my workplace at Humber College, I started the “I Meditate Humber” project, leading Satsangs, conducting ‘Breath and Meditation’ workshops for my colleagues who are professors, staff and students across College campuses prior to and during the pandemic and leading the chanting session for ‘Billion Chants to Heal the World’. Thus, responding to His clarion call to light the hearts and minds of people, as best as I could, spreading ways and means to combat mental health issues during this monstrous pandemic.
The Art of Living with Gurudev’s immense Blessings has brought out the best talents and qualities in me. It amazes me again and again how this global family has been able to unify the brightest, most brilliant volunteers (who are all Gurudev’s devotees) from around the globe in truly unparalleled projects. Being part of a supportive, like-minded community of volunteers who can help you more quickly and easily catalyse your dreams is worth far more than any of my life experiences. If there is one thing we get excited about at the Art of Living, it’s actually witnessing the brilliance of the global community of volunteers. Where each one’s personal lives have been impacted by “Sudarshan Kriya” and meditation, so, they are ready to share with others. And this is a secret we all carry in our hearts across the globe. What I truly marvel about Gurudev is that He does not keep us dependent on Him. It is not true that life has always been a cakewalk. Life kept throwing hurdles at us. But doing Sudarshan Kriya and becoming meditators empowered us to solve the riddles of life, untangling the knots of ‘samsara’ because our awareness was raised to a level where we could see the truth for ourselves.
Today, as part of His global initiative of ‘I Stand for Peace’ I see myself as
someone who has a role to play. If enough people say ‘I Stand for Peace’ then that collective energy and vision can create ripples of peace across the planet. To conclude all I want to say is that, life is terribly busy, it can be very tough to find time to do an Art Of Living course. Honestly, please make the time. Give it a shot, come learn the life-transforming breathing techniques and experience the unfathomable benefits of meditation. Remember you and only you are responsible for making your life beautiful, so that your presence becomes peaceful to all those around you, wherever you are, your home, with friends or at work.
Sanjukta Das
Happiness Course Teacher
Toronto, Canada
I visited Mumbai ( then called Bombay) for a wedding when I was 18. It was monsoon season and in the mornings about 20 of us would gather around a blazing pump kerosine stove waiting for hot tea to be served in cup and saucer. When the mother of the house poured tea directly from the big saucepan into individual cups, it invariably overflowed.
I watched, wonder-eyed, for the first time that everyone drank from the saucer the tea that had overflowed from the cup.
Recently I read a poem on social media comparing the overflowed tea to overflowing grace. It set my fire of gratitude too ablaze and here I let my heart speak….
1998 September was when You sent an indication that You will enter my humble life.
Then I suddenly lost my younger brother in November 1998 and became distraught like a rudderless ship.
Two months of wallowing in grief and ‘You happened’ through Eye-gazing process of the Basic Course.
I saw my brother in every pair of eyes I gazed into and also realized he was in a much happier space.
I was thrown into an ocean of love that is nothing but ‘ I am’!
Ever since, I am drinking from my saucer b’coz my cup overflowed!
All eleven kinds of love that You have explained to us so simply and lovingly in Narada Bhakti Sutras is experienced by me, moving from the scenery to the Seer, ‘ I am Love’!
The sum total of all wordly love, the Divine Love could manifest in my life only because You chose me to walk the path. My throat chokes ‘ Why me?! ‘, then ‘ Why not me? ! ‘.
Ever since, I am drinking from my saucer b’coz my cup overflowed!
I have always been aware of a pair of unseen hands holding and protecting me, a divine power that would not let me down.
You taught me to invest my 100 percent and surrender with ‘ Let Thy Will be done’. Such freedom and fearlessness in the realization that divine is my only security.
Ever since, I am drinking from my saucer b’coz my cup overflowed!
This Gurupurnima, I recognize for the umpteenth time, the grace that has showered my life with bliss.
I recognize all the divine souls from the Art of Living family as well as ‘ Yet to enter the Art of Living family’ who have contributed for my growth and have loved and continue to love me unconditionally in their own unique way.
They all make me drink from my saucer b’coz my cup has overflowed.
Words fail to verbalize the mysterious ways in which You grant the trivial wishes my small mind indulges in at times into something so magnanimous that I feel blinded to take it all in. Awestruck, I continue to drink from my saucer b’coz my cup keeps overflowing!
Jai Gurudev!
Leela Ramesh
Bangalore
Jai Gurudev,
My wife and I met in Art Of Living, and it was always our dream to get married at the Art of Living International Center Bengaluru, in Gurudev’s presence. We met in 2011 and many many Guru Stories happened in our life, but fast forward to this specific one, we were planning our India wedding and were coordinating with the Ashram on what dates Gurudev will be there around end of year. We got guidance of early December, and potentially December 6. We were told it’s not a guarantee but Gurudev is scheduled to be in Ashram that day.
We started preparation for our wedding, booking the beautiful locations, arranging accommodation for our guests, confirming the food menus, the environment is so so Sattvic. We and our families were just thrilled that our guests, who don’t know as much about Art Of Living, will get to experience this and see Gurudev.
For me, in my life, my biggest wealth is Gurudev. He is my everything. In an Indian wedding, usually there’s a lot of show and tell, the best outfits, locations, etc. Folks love to show the world their wealth. For me, it’s always been Gurudev, so having Him at my wedding meant the world to me, because He is my biggest wealth 🙂
One week prior to the wedding we got to know Gurudev may be traveling on Dec 6 but not confirmed. We arrived in the Ashram 3 days before our wedding and got the news that Gurudev definitely can’t come as He had a last minute trip to Jammu on Dec 5 and from there He’s directly going to Chennai on Dec 6 for public programs and events. I felt a bit bad but also understood that He has so much important work in society and He is needed in many places. We requested if we could anyway take His blessings before the wedding and have our parents invite Him as a token of gratitude. We got an appointment on Dec 3, we go in there to meet Him, He blessed us and asked details about the wedding, and then I asked “Gurudev will you be there?” And He said “Yes! I will come”. We were shocked, the whole wedding and Ashram team too did not know what was going on.
On December 6 at 10am my Master, the Guru of this universe, walks into our wedding, gave us gifts, made us exchange garlands, clicked a family picture, met all our guests and showed His immense love. It was truly one of the most special moments of my life.
Later in the day someone shared that Gurudev left from Jammu at 10pm on the previous night and took a connecting flight via Delhi to get to the Ashram by 4am. All this only to come for the weddings happening on that day and then He left immediately around 12pm for Chennai. WOW! He literally gave up on a whole night of rest and changed His schedule to be there for my big day 🙂
Now, I am just a regular devotee, like millions others, and He literally goes out of His way to be there for me. He truly is special, His love and His care for us is unmatchable. He always says “I’m anyway with you”, and that is true. He is with us, helping us sail through life with a joy and love. He is our lucky charm, our biggest wealth.
Love,
Kunal
My name is Francis D’Souza. I did my Art Of Living course in August 2017. I’m now teaching Yoga full-time and serving society. I always had a dream to understand the source of Ganga and experience the spiritual source of the Self.
It was in Uttarakhand. I happened to plan a visit to Gangotri unaware of anything in the region, unaware about travel. I just took a local bus and reached Uttarkashi. Due to the ongoing pandemic, there were a lot of restrictions in place during that time. However, an Art of Living volunteer somehow came to my help and hosted me in Uttarkashi. I shared with him my desire to visit Gangotri.
He was of the opinion that it would be extremely difficult to reach Gangotri but my faith and longing to visit the very origin of the Holy Ganges was intense. I prayed to Gurudev expressing my intense desire. A few moments later, an Art of Living teacher reached out to me. He shared the contact of a priest in Gangotri while again reiterating that it would be incredibly difficult to reach Gangotri amidst the heavy border restrictions.
I still somehow managed to reach the border and prayed to Gurudev again. Suddenly, I got the contact of the district incharge and he agreed to let me in Gangotri district for doing Seva (service to humanity)
As I continued my journey, I realised that the cellular network was no longer available and the kind samaritan who had offered me a lift had to go the other way. I was left alone and still had a distance of more than 8 kms to reach the temple. I felt helpless as I would have to make that journey completely on foot and without any network coverage in case of emergencies.
But with prayers and faith, I continued walking ahead. Suddenly, an army officer approached me out of nowhere and joined me on the walk. He mentioned that there were tiger attacks happening in the area and it would be better to walk together as the sun was about to set. After walking for a kilometer, we got a lift from vehicle which was carrying vegetables for locals at Gangotri. I was shocked to receive all this help when just a few moments back, I had no hope of meeting anyone in the arduous journey.
As I finally reached Gangotri temple, the priests welcomed me. He told me that they were all waiting for Gurudev to visit the temple. The helpful priest offered me food and accommodation. He said that everything upto that point which helped me reach Gangotri was for a purpose. This purpose was to convey the intense desire of the local people to welcome Gurudev in Gangotri — where Ganga descended from Heaven.
