First Meeting with my Guru
During the fall of 2008, I visited Sri Venkateswara temple in Chicago. It was around noon on a Sunday. After darshan, I slowly walked around the temple feeling the vibration of mantras recited in the temple, and sat in Padmasana in front of Sivalingam and closed my eyes. I felt like reciting “Om Namashiva” and so I did. Minutes passed unnoticed and no one interrupted or hurried me but still my mind was wandering as usual.
After some time I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Noticed that one stranger was sitting next to me and was curiously observing me. He slowly spoke by making sure I was not disturbed. “You have been in meditation for long time. Do you know meditation? Did you learn meditation from anyone?” I replied “No. I don’t know and I don’t have any guru. I just close my eyes and that’s all I know”. Then he told me that he thought that I was an experienced meditator looking at my meditation posture, for the past 45 minutes. Then he asked “Are you interested to learn meditation from a real guru?” I immediately replied “Yes” without any second thought.
“Let me see if I can get his number”, he said, searching for a number in his mobile. After a while he said “You know what, I am not sure if he would be available now to see you. So please go to yogausa.com and email him. He would give you an appointment”. After that, I thanked him from my heart for the information and go to know that his name was Srini. Same day I returned back to Minneapolis for work.
The next day morning I went through yogausa.com and felt like meeting this great jnani. I just wanted to feel his presence without any expectation. So I sent an email and requested his appointment. The next day I got a very kind response from him asking me to meet him in two weeks. Then I took a Greyhound bus from Minneapolis to Chicago. My friend Madan picked me up from Union station to his apartment in Schaumburg. I borrowed his car and started driving to meet the unknown swamiji.
I was very excited but calm within and felt the pulling force inside from the moment I heard of him. On the way I stopped by Seven Eleven and got some fruits and flowers as my humble offering to the great sage. Swamiji was at Jim’s residence in the suburb of south Chicago. I reached there around 10 am on Saturday. I rang the doorbell and swamiji himself opened the door. He received me with motherly kindness, smile and a hug. I prostrated myself at his holy feet. I felt the peace and energy in his presence. I quietly sat down on the floor in front his seat. I introduced myself very briefly and strongly felt my guru’s presence for whom my soul was searching, for a long time. I offered fruits and flowers at his holy feet, surrendered myself and requested his grace to guide my soul. He graced me with motherly smile and accepted me as his disciple.
Within a few minutes he lead me to another room upstairs and asked me to sit in Padmasana position. He started with ‘OM’ mantra and asked me to follow his recitation. I just did what he said. I felt the heat on my forehead when he touched. Felt energy across chakras as I resonated with him. After some time he asked me to continue to recite OM by focusing on agnya chakra and left the room. I continued. Minutes passed and I did not have the urge to open my eyes. After some time Guruji came back and asked me to open my eyes and come for lunch. I thanked Guruji for his grace and got up. When I came down, the wall clock was showing past 1:00 pm and wondered how the clock lost its value in Guruji’s presence. The delicious food was ready on the dining table. Guruji himself cooked delicious prasadam for me which not only nourished by body but also nourished my soul forever. From that moment onwards Guruji never failed to guide my soul with Jnana.
Though my soul was tarnished by self-doubt, Guruji never failed in his motherly love and grace with an ever forgiving heart, without any expectations. He is not attracted by our good or bad deeds. In essence, he is beyond duality and inconceivable by any ordinary mind. He is a true guru of our time. Om Namashivaya!
After some time I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Noticed that one stranger was sitting next to me and was curiously observing me. He slowly spoke by making sure I was not disturbed. “You have been in meditation for long time. Do you know meditation? Did you learn meditation from anyone?” I replied “No. I don’t know and I don’t have any guru. I just close my eyes and that’s all I know”. Then he told me that he thought that I was an experienced meditator looking at my meditation posture, for the past 45 minutes. Then he asked “Are you interested to learn meditation from a real guru?” I immediately replied “Yes” without any second thought.
“Let me see if I can get his number”, he said, searching for a number in his mobile. After a while he said “You know what, I am not sure if he would be available now to see you. So please go to yogausa.com and email him. He would give you an appointment”. After that, I thanked him from my heart for the information and go to know that his name was Srini. Same day I returned back to Minneapolis for work.
The next day morning I went through yogausa.com and felt like meeting this great jnani. I just wanted to feel his presence without any expectation. So I sent an email and requested his appointment. The next day I got a very kind response from him asking me to meet him in two weeks. Then I took a Greyhound bus from Minneapolis to Chicago. My friend Madan picked me up from Union station to his apartment in Schaumburg. I borrowed his car and started driving to meet the unknown swamiji.
I was very excited but calm within and felt the pulling force inside from the moment I heard of him. On the way I stopped by Seven Eleven and got some fruits and flowers as my humble offering to the great sage. Swamiji was at Jim’s residence in the suburb of south Chicago. I reached there around 10 am on Saturday. I rang the doorbell and swamiji himself opened the door. He received me with motherly kindness, smile and a hug. I prostrated myself at his holy feet. I felt the peace and energy in his presence. I quietly sat down on the floor in front his seat. I introduced myself very briefly and strongly felt my guru’s presence for whom my soul was searching, for a long time. I offered fruits and flowers at his holy feet, surrendered myself and requested his grace to guide my soul. He graced me with motherly smile and accepted me as his disciple.
Within a few minutes he lead me to another room upstairs and asked me to sit in Padmasana position. He started with ‘OM’ mantra and asked me to follow his recitation. I just did what he said. I felt the heat on my forehead when he touched. Felt energy across chakras as I resonated with him. After some time he asked me to continue to recite OM by focusing on agnya chakra and left the room. I continued. Minutes passed and I did not have the urge to open my eyes. After some time Guruji came back and asked me to open my eyes and come for lunch. I thanked Guruji for his grace and got up. When I came down, the wall clock was showing past 1:00 pm and wondered how the clock lost its value in Guruji’s presence. The delicious food was ready on the dining table. Guruji himself cooked delicious prasadam for me which not only nourished by body but also nourished my soul forever. From that moment onwards Guruji never failed to guide my soul with Jnana.
Though my soul was tarnished by self-doubt, Guruji never failed in his motherly love and grace with an ever forgiving heart, without any expectations. He is not attracted by our good or bad deeds. In essence, he is beyond duality and inconceivable by any ordinary mind. He is a true guru of our time. Om Namashivaya!