Faith in the Guru Led Me To My Dream Job
After taking a one year break from work, I was eager to get back to my career. I was searching for a well-suited job.
Faith Can Move Mountains
This is Leena Singh from Mumbai. I am a part-time model & actress. I did my first AOL course in January, 2007, & became a devotee soon after the course. I do the Kriya daily without fail, & I have done almost 16 advance courses with Guruji's Grace. The Sudarshan Kriya really helped me smoothly sail through the hardships of life. What Guruji did for me cannot be described in mere words. Recently one big miracle happened in my life, which really shocked me and made me realise the vastness of my Masters' Grace. My husband Rakesh, had once gone to a doctor for some hair treatment. Before starting the treatment, the doctor asked him if he has any health issue, or if there was anything that made him feel uncomfortable.
To Success Through Failures
This note describes my placement story - 20 November, 2014... It was the seventh semester of the 4 year B.tech (CSE) programme. Every student was preparing to get a job and be placed somewhere. My plans were pretty much the same. A 15 day placement practice class was introduced by the authority, which would benefit the students in getting well prepared for the corporate world. It was in the month of September when "Cognizant Technology Solutions" came to my university for placements. The process took three days and there were 3 rounds post which 600 students were selected from the 1900 odd seekers. I got rejected in the second round itself while quite a few of my friends landed in the final round and got placed as well. It was extremely disheartening for me at that time, as I was very enthusiastic about getting a job.
Lifetime filled with Grace
Jai Gurudev, My name is Ved Prakash Gupta. I was born on the 7th of November, 1951, at Delhi. I did my Bachelor of Technology-Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in1973 and MBA, HR from IGNOU in the year 2000. I then joined the Department of Telecommunication,(DOT) Government Of India as a Class-I Officer in the year 1974 and retired in April, 2011, as Principal General Manager(Elect), (equivalent to Add Secretary to Government of India), Head of Electrical wing of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL), Corporate Office, New Delhi. The begining of my journey at the Art of Living: In the November of 1999, I got a VVIP pass for attending a Satsang with Sri Sri at Chatarpur, New Delhi.
Living – Truly an Art
I had read many of Guruji’s articles, books and watched His knowledge sheets in audio, but it wasn't until 2006 that I met Him for the first time. That’s when the feeling actually started sinking in. It’s like when you make a scrumptious dish, you need to know the right recipe, but it’s only when you taste the dish that you realize its value. Same was my encounter with Gurudev. Since then, my life has witnessed various ups and downs, and other challenges. But I have always sensed a Divine hand on my soul. I have always sailed through, with a smile on my face:) With His grace, I have been able to endure it all, with my calm intact, always.
The Power of Sankalpa
I would like to share this beautiful experience of mine that made me realize the importance of Sankalpa, and how a pure desire truly manifests. One day while we were taking a walk, my husband said to me "Wouldn't it be nice to purchase a school and run it?" We both had always been in favour of education to all, as we believe that it is extremely essential in order to be self sufficient in today's world. So we made a strong Sankalpa in our minds that we wanted to teach and educate in a big way, and we then surrendered it at the Lotus feet of Sri Sri.
The Master’s Saving Grace
Jai Gurudev! I wanted to share with you all, a beautiful incident that made me realise the power of my Master and elevated my faith and trust in Him, multi fold!!! My husband and I were residing in Surat since a couple of years. During July 2006, we went to meet Guruji at Rishikesh, as He was to be there for a few days, and we did not want to miss out on such a wonderful opportunity of seeking blessings from the Master Himself! So with happiness and excitement in our hearts, we set out to visit Him on the very day that we arrived.
Diwali Special – Sri Sri My Sparkle
This is Anuj Khanijau from Mumbai. I did my first AOL course in January, 2005. From being a firm non believer till I met Guruji in 2003, to date : it has been a journey that even I find difficult to fathom. For some unknown reason, even though reluctant to carry on, I kept continuing the practices, on account of my commitment to the teacher during the course. Again reluctantly, my legs started pulling me onto one Advance (Part 2) course after the other. I knew I was losing control and Someone was taking over, but for a weird reason, I did not mind this happening, right to the point of walking into a TTC (Teacher's Training Course)!!!
THE GURU IS YOUR NATURE
It's Saturday night and I'm getting ready to see Sri Sri tomorrow. I just took a hot bath and I'm ready for bed when the phone rings. I assume it's someone from Los Angeles wanting a ride up North to a course, or my daughter calling to make sure I'm still alive. I answer the phone and someone on the other line says: "Dvorahji? Guruji wants to talk to you?" "Me???" I chirp. "Why would He want to talk to me?" Then I suddenly hear laughter: "Dvorah!! How are you?" It's Guruji. I'm speechless but my "brain" kicks in. "Hi Guruji. You're calling Me????"
From Sorrow to Success
My name is Gunjan Malhotra and I did my first AOL course in 2008.I would now like to share with you all, a realization, an experience, that took me miles ahead in achieving my all-time dream! Initially, as a fresher into the AOL family, I was not particular about doing my Sudarshan Kriya. I was very laid back about it as back then and I did not feel it's importance and would seldom do it. By profession, I am a model. But three years back, I would not be able to say that. It all started in 2011, when I began my journey to stardom. I started going for audition after audition with the hope of getting the right break. At every audition, the story remained the same:better looking girls, stiffer competition-lesser motivation.
Guru of Joy
Today 21 July 2014, is my birthday. On this day, in this very moment, after my morning sadhana, my heart is filled with total gratitude for all that I have been blessed with. With this gratitude, tears flowing from my eyes, I wish to share my story with my Guru. Since a young age, I have always been drawn towards the Divine withvregular visits to our local Temple in the area. I recall spending lots of time praying very hard that I pass my university exams, find a good job and continue my work in the field of human rights, my life long passion. And with the grace of the Divine I was fortunate to have received a scholarship from the US government to further my law studies at a prestigious law school in Washington DC. On my return to South Africa, my wishes were further fulfilled, when I was offered employment by the first democratic government of South Africa as a Legislative Drafter in 1994.
The Power Of The Present
I was in dire need to do an Advance course but something or the other would keep coming up. I was praying to Gurudev for it and then Blessings came to me in many forms. I happened to get the opportunity, this Gurupoornima, in the form of Kamalashile Gurupoornima Special Advance course. Kamalashile is a tranquil, beautiful village with dense forests and amazing waterfalls located in Mangalore. Our course venue was Sri Brahmi Durga Parmeshwari temple on the banks of a beautiful river in Kamalashile. Eight days spent in those surroundings were the most blessed and serene days of my life as they were soaked silence, meditation, knowledge, seva, satsang, homas, poojas, tears of gratitude tasty food made with lots of love by the volunteers, amazing people, sound of the flowing rivers and rain that never stopped, Chaya Aana (our course teacher) and Gurudev (whose presence could be felt every second). As every drop of rain fell and mother earth received love, I went into a deeper state of meditation.
He Called Me Adorable
In my unquenchable thirst for Knowledge, I decided to follow Sri Sri around for a while. I wanted to become whatever He was. I went wherever He went, laughed whenever He laughed, sat wherever He sat, and I just hung around Him. Maybe, I just might get IT! (Whatever "it" was.) I followed Him to a retreat in Canada. It was beautiful, and about 200 people showed up. Some of the regular devotees had spent a lot of time with Him. I decided to be one of the in-crowd and began to follow Him around.
Beautiful Recovery
I came into the Art of Living family in December, 2006. My husband and I were keen on doing the Basic course much earlier, but somehow nothing worked out because of my mother's old age and poor health condition. She had dementia, and no one was ready to take her responsibility during the period of the Basic course, when I would be away from home. So unfortunately, I could not experience the course then. With the passage of time, performing the role of a caregiver to my mother took a toll on me. Slowly by slowly, I started to slip into depression. And soon, I was in a bad condition. I consulted a doctor who gave me anti depressant tablets, and it made my condition worse. After a week of medication, my husband felt that there was no improvement and therefore we decided to consult our family doctor, who was also treating my mother then. This doctor advised me to do the Basic course (AOL), which he said would do me good, rather than getting addicted to medicines. The same day, we telephoned the Ashram to inquire about the ongoing courses, and to my good luck, the course had started that very day. So the next day, I joined the course, along with my husband.
Master Stroke
I've had several amazing experiences since Gurujis’ presence in my life. I ask a question in my mind and pat comes the answer. I'm out of town thinking of Him, and there He appears on some random channel, at some random time, while I'm flipping the channels. I cannot count these occasions - there are just so many. But there was one incident that really resonates in my heart, and truly makes me feel that while there is the Divine in everyone, Gurus like Sri Sri are drenched in the Divine spirit.
Guru Purnima Special: Greatness of my Guru
The most beautiful memory of Gurudev is that of the one with my father. My father was a Gurupooja Pundit. He completed the Gurupooja course in 2006, and I followed in 2007. Before that I completed the TTC (Teacher’s Training Course). Papa (father) was devoted to chanting many verses daily and he believed in Guruji immensely. In May 2012 papa was taken ill. It started out gradually with swellings in his feet, but his condition did not improve over time. The doctors said it might be a problem with his liver, but they couldn’t put a finger on exactly what it was. We decided to visit the Ayurveda Hospital first. My brother took him there. He underwent treatment for 6 days – various cleansing procedures. During this time, I was at my Sahej TTC (teachers training course). So in May he was at the hospital and when he came back he was slightly better than before. We all visited Srinathji (a temple) in Rajasthan (a state in India); my father believed in Srinathji very strongly too. After that he went with my brother and his family to Kumbalgarh (a fort). On his way back from there he suffered from a phase of disorientation. We admitted him to the hospital and he was diagnosed with a malfunctioning liver. The doctors and we were contemplating certain paths of treatment including blood transfusion.
Angel in Disguise
This is another story of my Guru's Miracle which has strengthened my faith in Him. My family and I came to the US just a few days back. As we were new to the place, there were a lot of apprehensions in mind, which were causing me a lot of tension and stress. But this was a part of travelling to a new place, so I accepted it and surrendered all my fears to Gurudev. The next day of our stay, my 2.5 year old son had to be dropped to his Day Care Centre, before I and my husband would head to complete our work. This Centre was around 5-6 miles away from our home, but since we were new to the city, we were not aware of the routes, and were not able to locate the Centre. So my husband took some assistance from the GPS on his mobile phone. At the time, we didn't have a car and my husband was using his bicycle to drop my son. In spite of trying for a while, he still wasn't able to find the route and seemed to have lost his way. After about 1 hour, when I called my husband, he was still on the road, with no clue of the way. This news really got me worked up. I wanted to help my husband, but knew not how to, as I myself did not know the ways well. So I decided to pray to my Master and seek for help. This was my only resort in this helpless situation. I did my Kriya, with hope and faith in my heart. I then sincerely prayed to Guruji and pleaded Him to show my husband the right path.
Faith Can Solve All Doubts
My name is Deepa Singh and I am a Yoga teacher. I stay in Mumbai. I have been into Art of Living for the past ten years and life has been a blissful journey since. However, there is only one sad feeling that kept bothering me, which was that I have never gotten to meet my Guru face to face and talk to him. In all these years, I was only able to have eye contact with Him, as there are always so many devotee’s waiting to take his blessings. I always complained to myself, that when will I get to talk to Him properly. A part of me kept thinking, if I don’t meet Him, will He even know me? Then one day, a relative of mine had come home and he told me that he had managed to get a meeting with Gurudev. He had sent an email to Him because he needed to talk about some important personal matters, and he got an appointment to meet Guruji in the Bangalore Ashram. While I was very happy for him, this made me even sadder.
My Walk with Sri Sri
Yesterday, as I walked from my room to the amphitheater for the evening satsang at the Art of Living Bangalore ashram, I stopped on the way as I noticed Sri Sri’s car parked outside a hall which was under construction. Two people were waiting for him outside. I peeped in to take a look – there he was, small in height as compared to the tall men he was surrounded with, but towering above them all in demeanor. After a rather unhappy and emotionally turbulent day, I did not feel like going for satsang. I just wanted to hide in my room and not bother anyone with the sadness and pain that I felt. But here I was, waiting for my Guru outside that hall.
MBA in the US – Dream Fulfilled
Hello Everyone! I would like to share my story with Guruji, right from the scratch. Well, the journey started in the year 2009. I got into Engineering College. I then did the Art of Living Basic course, but couldn't continue doing Short Kriya on a regular basis. You know the engineering life. I would find it difficult to make time. But at the end, I knew I could if I really wanted to. As they say “Nothing is impossible!”
Sri Sri made it happen
The story dates back to 2013. Not much time had passed, since I joined Art of Living. But, a short span of time had instilled an indelible faith. It took me no time to know that Gurudeva loves us immensely and is always there to make everything fall in place. I had to travel to Germany for business reason. The stay there was no shorter than 2 months and I have a small child who was then three and half years old. I had not left her alone even for a night and there was absolutely no way that I could be away from her for 2 months. I was worried and perturbed and could not find a way out. I could not imagine being away from her for two months. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to take my daughter and my mother along. I hastily applied for Tourist VISA for both of them. But, to my surprise, VISA was rejected. The day it was rejected was Guruji’s birthday. I was upset, but the immense faith and love for Guruji made me visit Ashram for his Birthday Celebration.
He Smiled and Blessed
Once I visited the Bangalore Ashram in August on Raksha Bandhan day (a festival in India where the brother promises to protect his sister throughout his life) . I had gone to meet Guruji and was eagerly looking forward to tying him a rakhi (a holy thread that the sister ties to her brother) myself. That enitre day I held on to my rakhi waiting for an opportunity but I wasn’t able to reach him or tie it to him. I was feeling a little apprehensive, but I kept telling myself it doesn’t matter; and I kept delaying passing on the rakhi, hoping that later maybe I’ll go inside his kutir or later at night I’ll get a chance. But the day passed and by evening I was quite restless to tie the rakhi to Him. In the evening we were all gathered at the Yagnashaala. Guruji was on the stage and just below the stage is a square area enclosed by a railing where some Swamijis and teachers were sitting
Birthday with Sri Sri
I was super excited as it was my birthday and Guruji will be in Mumbai to address the vote for better India convention. With Anuraag bhaiyas efforts I was part of security seva at the hotel where Guruji will be staying. I along with other volunteers was assigned for security at the 9th floor lobby. Guruji has not yet arrived and we were told that Guruji will come to the lobby and from there he will go to his room. But at the end moment plans were changed and Guruji took lift from the ground floor and went to his room. I was a little disappointed but was hopeful as i had the entire day ahead.
First Visit To Ashram
This is about the first time I visited the Art Of Living Bangalore ashram; I had gone there to do the advance course in the year 2000.
Master’s Master Plans
Although there are many miracles that have happened in my life however I would like to share the most memorable and an unbelievable Guru story.
Sri Sri Birthday Special Guru Story
Guru’s Miracles are truly beyond Time, Space and Distance! Nilesh Gupta did the Part-1 course in July; travelled to Perth in August to do the Advance Course with Chris Dale, and did the Sahaj Samadhi Meditation in mid November in Sydney.
Feeling the Magic
I did the Yes+ course 5 years back, after a good 3 years of persistent insistence from my best friend. To give you a general idea about the kind of person I used to be;
River of Grace
On the 15th of April, I was in Rishikesh. My aunt Rekha was with me. We were there to take Gurudev’s Darshan.
Knowledge is love
Hi all, Just yesterday, my cousin sister asked me, “What do you get by following the Art of Living? What’s the point of following all this when you are still unsatisfied, unhappy?”
Sri Sri knows it all
I had been to the Bangalore ashram for the first time, this year in January. My aunt had requested me to give her letter to Guruji.
Sri Sri My Angel
My Art Of Living journey began when I was a 7-8 year old kid, and did the Art Excel course. Thereafter, at the age of 14, I did the YES!
He Held My Hand and Walked With Me
This is a story which rolls back to 2010, when I had just finished my 10th standard board examinations and was confused about what to study further.
The Ever Smiling Man
It was when I was 12. This crowd gathering was sitting in one corner, and it looked like everyone is meeting after ages, like a typical Punjabi family discussing about what each other’s children are upto!
Master’s Grace
Being part of the Art of Living family, we see miracles happening every day in our lives. Whatever we pray for in our hearts immediately manifests with Divine blessings.
Receiving The Best
I would not attribute any one particular miracle to Guruji – rather, my coming into the Art of Living, my meeting the great Master, my change in perspectives of life – all that would be called the greatest miracle.
Masters’ Care
This is Vinay Gupta from Mumbai. I did my first AOL course in March, 2008 & since then, I have not missed the Sudarshan Kriya even a single day.
Experience Miracles and Hangout with Sri Sri
Below is an account of my personal interaction with Sri Sri followed by an opportunity to interact with Him open for one and all –
