My relationship with Swamiji has been one of giving, sharing the teachings, helping other people always, and through the particular vehicle of Kriya Yoga.
When I first came, I was here for some time, and then I went to Italy. And Swami’s mantra was always: share and give to people. Then, at a particular time, I went to Africa—share and give to people. I went to Australia—share and give, and don’t worry about yourself, share and give. Now I’m in India with these wonderful souls who have come. And Swamiji’s mantra is the same: share and give, no matter what happens. I think for all of us, that’s one of the greatest lessons we have from Swamiji. It’s not for us. It’s through us, for everyone.
In India, I’m happy to say that Master’s name, teachings, and message are being known, finally, in India all over the country, in every major city, because of Swamiji: his books, talks and programs. But more so, I believe, because Swamiji himself was there, giving Master’s teachings in person.
So many people have come to us and said, “I read Autobiography of a Yogi. It’s wonderful.” I read it 50 years ago, 40 years ago, but I didn’t know what to do. “I read about Kriya Yoga. It’s wonderful. I read it so many years ago. I didn’t know what to do.” One man said to Swamiji, “I waited 45 years to meet you and to learn Kriya Yoga.” A woman—we gave Kriya Yoga to in Mumbai—came out from initiation and stood by the altar. She said, “I’m just so happy. I’m so happy.” She was weeping with joy. “I’m so happy.”
I thought about how many people Swamiji has made happy by showing them the way to inner happiness through meditation. He has shown many thousands of people how to meditate. Tens of thousands of people, through Swamiji, know how to contact God through Kriya, devotion, attunement with the Masters, through Seva and Satsang. Swamiji has shown the way, and he has shown them how to have inner communion with God. And this is, I think, the most precious gift Swamiji has given.
Communities are wonderful, but we are here because we love God. Books are wonderful, businesses are wonderful, everything is wonderful—but the essence of our teaching is Kriya Yoga. And Swamiji has always brought it back: meditate, learn how to commune with God, and then go out and give and share, and do business, and take God wherever you are.
I remember when I read what Master said about Kriya, I was so enthusiastic. I thought everybody should know this. Master said that you can find God through your practices. You can find God in this lifetime. You can go deep in meditation. You can burn up your karma, change your destiny, change your consciousness. Master just talked about Kriya in this way.
Then I remember once, in India, I read from the Gita when Swamiji put out Master’s commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, The Revealed Truth of the Gita. I had read in Autobiography of a Yogi that if one practices Kriya deeply—I don’t know if it said deeply—but if someone practices Kriya for three years, he will be free, liberated. If not in three years, then in six years; If not in six, then in twelve years, twenty-four, forty-eight years. I would read that over.
I went to Swamiji and said, “Swamiji, this is wonderful!” and he looked at me and said, “Dhyana, that’s IF. If you practice correctly.” And he said, “And how many people practice correctly?”
I remember when I had Kriya before I came to Ananda, before I met Swamiji—I had Kriya for a couple of years, and I was doing the minimum. I was barely energizing. I probably wasn’t doing Maha Mudra. I wasn’t doing anything before. I was just doing what I had to do. I had never been to any Kriya anything except for one initiation. I didn’t know another Kriyaban. I hadn’t been to a review, I hadn’t had my Kriyas checked. I hadn’t heard anyone talk about Kriya with so much inspiration. I hadn’t done anything around it. I was just doing the bare minimum, thinking: “Three years, I’ll find God; six years… twelve years…” And it was a joke.
Then someone told me there was a great Yogi who lived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. His name is Swami Kriyananda. He teaches Kriya Yoga, and the whole community is practicing Kriya Yoga. Swamiji is teaching the life of a Kriyaban—how to be a Kriya Yogi in daily life. They said, “You should go there.”
I came, and I saw the people. Their faces were shining. Their eyes were shining. I met Swamiji, and he said, “This is your home. You should move here.” It took me a while, but I did. But I looked at the people and said, “They have something far more than I have. I’m a Kriyaban, I’m doing twelve.” I could see these people weren’t on twelve. They were on 108. They were energizing, strongly. They were meditating long hours. They were doing Seva. They were having Satsang.
One of the first things I saw Swamiji had was a Kriyaban retreat. I went, “Whoa, what is that?” A Kriyaban retreat where hundreds of people were there. Swamiji gave classes from Friday night all the way to Sunday, just talking about and inspiring people around Kriya.
Swamiji gave Kriya initiation, and I remember—I’ll never forget—I had just heard this tape recently. Swamiji said, “You should ask your questions about Kriya. I’m going to sit here until you’ve asked every question.” I had never asked anyone a question about Kriya before. He said, “We are going to review every part of the technique. You’re going to be checked.” And I said, this man is serious about Kriya Yoga. At that point, I realized this is how you can find God—if you put in the effort, as Swamiji was saying. Everything he said—do this or do that—was always linked to going deep in Kriya Yoga and meditation.
I remember once when we were in Italy, Swamiji was getting ready to leave, and I said, “Swamiji, what do we do? How do we do it?” I just didn’t know what to do. I was new on the path. And his words were never, ‘Lean on me’. Swamiji said, “Tune in, to Master and Divine Mother, and you will know what to do.”
And I realized he meant: practice Kriya, practice meditation, and you will be in tune with Master as I am in tune. And I’m giving you the link to Master.
And I remember Dharmadas and Nirmala were with Swamiji in India when he was feeling very ill in the hospital. He called them to him and said, “Do sit here.” He sat there on the bed with them and took their hands and said, “This isn’t my work. This is Master’s work. It’s not your work—it’s Master’s and Babaji’s. We are doing their work. Tune into them, and you will know what to do.”
So again in every aspect, tune in through Kriya Yoga, and you will know what to do, in business and in everything. Swami has always brought it back to your own inner connection and link with the Gurus through Kriya Yoga.
And I don’t think anybody is teaching the way Swami is about Kriya, and the importance of it, and how you can find God in this lifetime if you tune into the Gurus and do the seva. People everywhere in India are interested. Everywhere you go—people are bowing, touching Swamiji’s feet. They’ve seen him on television. We are teaching all over India in all the major cities—Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and everywhere we go.
I pray to Divine Mother: let me be an instrument. Swamiji has planted the seed in my heart. Let me be an instrument for Your teachings of Kriya. Almost everywhere I go, people ask, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
I remember going through airport security once. A woman with a wand was checking me. We had just come from a Kriya weekend, and everybody was very elevated and happy. She asked, “What is your name? Where are you from? What are you doing here?” I said, “I teach meditation.” She said, “What do you teach?” I said, “Paramhansa Yoganandaji, the Autobiography of a Yogi. Have you read his book?” She said, “Yes. Ninety-nine percent of the people we meet have read Master’s book. Can you teach me how to meditate?” I said, “Absolutely.” She said, “Right now?” I said, “Why not?”
She stood there, and I taught her Hong-Sau: look up at the spiritual eye, watch the breath go in and out, and calm your mind. She closed her eyes. Afterwards, she said, “That was wonderful.”
The amazing thing is I saw the same woman again a month or two later in another airport. She came behind me and said, “Ma’am, don’t you remember me? You taught me how to meditate in the security line.” I asked, “Oh, how’s it going?” She said, “I finished that now. I want something else. Do you have anything?” We gave her Jyotish’s book How to Meditate. I said, “This is step two.”
Wherever you go, people are wanting to know, because of Swamiji. He is on television, his books are out, his tapes are out—the vibration is all over India.
I am so happy that Master’s work, finally, is coming out and coming up in India. And Swamiji said there will be many thousands of Kriyabans here. Many thousands will come to the lectures and will finally learn Master’s teachings of Kriya Yoga.
And that is the tribute we all have to give to Swamiji.
God bless you all.
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