One Moment in the Company of Swami Kriyananda

In a recent visualization, we were asked to return to a moment that changed the course of our lives. Without hesitation, my mind went back to our last Christmas with Swami Kriyananda at the Ananda retreat outside Pune in 2012.

People had gathered from all over the world, drawn by the joy of being in his presence. On Christmas Eve, many of us sat together with a few art supplies in our rustic dining area making handmade cards to offer to him the next morning. It was such an ordinary scene in one way—paper, glitter, colors, laughter—but it carried a quiet sense of devotion and sweetness.

The next day, after a special lunch, we lined up to meet Swamiji, offer our greetings, and receive his blessing. There was so much light — everyone seemed to be shining with Master’s joy.

When it was my turn, I sat very close to him so that he wouldn’t have to reach out too far to bless me. A few friends sitting around him shared brief details about each person—names, where they had come from, what they were doing and things along those lines. I heard them at first, but as I looked into his eyes, their voices faded into the background. They no longer seemed important.

Tuning into Swamiji, I tried to open myself more to this precious moment with him! I realized he wasn’t listening to those details either. Instead, he seemed to look beyond all outer identifications, directly into something deeper—something true. In that moment, it felt like being seen in the truest way possible. Then he said, very simply: “It feels like I have known you for a long time.”

Those words touched something deep within me. They affirmed something I had always felt but never quite put into words—  and to hear it from Swamiji was a profound gift: a recognition of a bond beyond this lifetime.

That moment stayed with me, I knew it was special. But in that recent visualization—more than thirteen years later—it returned with new clarity. I could see how much that blessing had shaped me, quietly dissolved doubts, eased fears, and set my life on a path that has continued to feel meaningful.

It also brought to life a line from the Indian scriptures that I had heard many times before –  “One moment in the company of a saint will be your raft over the ocean of delusion.”

We continue to have these precious moments with Swamiji – through listening to his music and talks, reading his books or inwardly in meditation. Each one becomes a small raft, helping us cross the many waves of life, filling us with Master’s vibration.

May we continue to revisit and let them guide us until we find our inner freedom.