It was my first time being part of the Ananda choir! In March 2013, we had a few celebratory events with Swami Kriyananda at his home outside Pune. He was scheduled to leave for Assisi after these programs so many people had gathered from all around the world to be in his presence. I had been listening and tuning into … Read More
Sandhyakal (Dusk) – Time to return Home
One evening, I was walking in a park near my apartment in Gurgaon. In spite of being in the city, it is quite a large park, home for many birds of different kinds. I was enjoying my walk, looking at the sunset. The Sun almost went away, leaving the pleasant light of dusk. At that very moment, I heard a … Read More
Shifting Carpets in Swamiji’s House
I was fortunate to be living at our Ashram outside Pune while Swamiji visited India. He spent a long part of his visit in his house there. Contrary to what people may think, we didn’t get to see him all that much. We wanted to respect his privacy, so once in a while we may got to have a glimpse … Read More
Monk Satsang with Swamiji
Swamiji used to have regular satsangs with the monks. I was able to attend such a one. I remember that without wasting much time he asked us to settle down and ask any questions that we may have. I was new then and was eager to find a way to deepen my connection to the Masters. I had heard that … Read More
Swamiji’s Walkway
In the evening, Swamiji would go for a short walk just outside his home at the Pune retreat. His nurse had suggested that this would aid his physical fitness. But even that short walk was very long for Swamiji’s body. To make it easier for him a sitting area was made towards the end of the walk way, where Swamiji … Read More
Radhe, Radhe!
“Radhe, Radhe!” We greeted the saintly Gopali Maa in the traditional way, as we stepped into her humble room in Radhakund, near Krishna’s boyhood town of Vrindavan. The Ananda Monastery monks journeyed to Vrindavan to serve the widows who are supported by the Paramhansa Yogananda Public Charitable Trust. We were joined by Ananda friends from Kolkata and from the U.S. … Read More
Magnetism – a Subtle Power of Attraction
I first met Swami Kriyananda on an October evening in Berkeley, California in 1968, a few months after my graduation from college. I was waiting on a sidewalk with a few others for someone to unlock the building where that evening’s class was to be held, the first in a series on hatha yoga and raja yoga led by Swami … Read More
Miracles
In 1952 Paramhansa Yogananda entered mahasamadhi, a master’s conscious exit from the body at the time of physical death. That same year brought a worldwide epidemic of polio, a serious disease of the spinal cord, which often brought about paralysis and permanent disability. It especially affected children, and I was one of them, at age 9. The disease begins with … Read More