Sri Sri Stories
If I too can be a blade of grass under his feet,
in his long journey and walks of thousands of miles,
I would be content.
To give cushion to the innumerable tired feet of his devotees,
to bow down to every single soul walking on the path of divine consciousness,
to learn to rejoice and sway during his presence,
and just be when he is not around.
If I can be a blade of grass,
keep me however and wherever,
in happiness or in difficult times,
just to be in your “smaran.”
I would tell every single grain of soil which nurtured me
that I too was present there when HE walked on this planet,
and will wait for a thousand years again,
even if completely dried and burnt,
to have your “charan sparsh.”
I will be a blade of grass, water or no water,
however, you keep me, just assure me
that in the thousands of years to come,
if you can walk just once over me,
and if I can give you comfort for a split second,
I will remain a blade of grass.
For you, and for you, forever,
with you in my heart and every action of mine
to contribute to YOUR will
I will remain, a blade of grass.
(Ramesh Jalihal)
I was attending a 7-day Advanced Meditation Program with Bhagavad Gita Live discourse by Gurudev at our Bangalore Ashram. As I made my way to Saraswathi Hall for the Gita session, my mind and heart were at war. It seemed like I might have to forego serving the vision of my Guru due to a family situation.
As I reached the hall, I found two corner chairs vacant in the second row, which was a wonder considering the hall was already overfull. Overcome with stress, I dozed off during the Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya chanting, missing the moment when Gurudev walked in and the discourse started.
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my right shoulder, and when I turned to look, there was no one there. I was wide awake, and I felt Gurudev’s piercing eyes staring right at me, saying, “Arjuna, keep me with you and fight the war.” All my misery dissolved in that very instant, and I realized that He had heard my prayers.
Although I may have to attend to family priorities for a short spell of time, my seva continues till date, and I am grateful for the skill Gurudev has given me to manage both my home front and my path as a seeker. It is the ultimate blessing to be part of the divine vision and contribute my bit, with my husband walking alongside me.
Thanks to the love and compassion of my Guru, I am stronger, steadier, and more balanced. It has been the ultimate blessing, next only to the joy of motherhood. (Leela Ramesh Bangalore)
It’s difficult to put into words how much the Sudarshan Kriya has changed my life. Since learning this spiritual practice, I’ve experienced a profound transformation. My body has been detoxified, my mind has become more focused, my energy levels have increased, and my digestion has improved. I feel blessed to have discovered this way of living.
During a follow-up kriya in Gurudev’s voice, I encountered a technical issue where the sound wasn’t coming through. I prayed to him, and after a few minutes, the sound was back to normal. It was a wonderful reminder that Gurudev is always there to listen when you speak from the heart. As he once said,
‘भगवान को खोजने मत निकलो ,बस भक्त को खोज लो ,भगवान मिल ही गए समझो`
Translation: (“Don’t set out to find God, just find a devotee. You will surely find God.”)
Jaigurudev! Koushiki Gupta
My name is Uthama Shankar, and I am a teacher by profession and a proud mother of two lovely kids. In 2005, my brother introduced me to the Art of Living Program, which I enjoyed immensely. I was actively involved in Seva projects and Satsangs, but after getting married and having children, I couldn’t continue my practice actively. However, in 2017, I met AnupUnnikrishnan Ji, who helped me return to my path of meditation with his constant support and loving guidance. During the lockdown in 2020, I also completed the Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra Teachers’ Training Program, which helped me learn how to nurture children and inculcate Indian cultural values in them.
My own children attended the Sanskar Kendra classes, and I noticed a significant difference in their behavior. They now enjoy sitting and chanting for a few minutes every day, and they’re eager to hear stories from Indian scriptures. As a parent, I’ve learned to appreciate my children as individual divine souls and communicate more skillfully with them instead of losing my temper on small issues. This has brought harmony and peace to our home.
During the Covid pandemic, when there was so much negativity around, the Art of Living family held each other with so much love. Gurudev organized many meditations, Satsangs, and online courses that kept us all busy and happy. The Prana Shakti we received through Kriya, Satsang, and Seva kept us all healthy and joyful. On the auspicious occasion of Guru Poornima, I express my gratitude to our beloved Master for sharing profound wisdom with the world in such simple ways.
Although I now live in Berlin, Germany, I know that I will never be alone because Gurudev has created a family for all of us worldwide. Vasudeva Kutumbakam!
Wishing everyone a happy Guru Poornima! 😊😊
Love, Uthama
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
