Saroj Sejpal is a most unassuming, down- to- earth, humble person. From a Bala Vihar Volunteer to devotee, her journey was propelled by one incident.

1991, Gurudev went to Cochin for a Geeta Gnana Yagna. Many of the Gujaratis settled in Mattanchery had been inspired by various visiting acharyas and had found a very pleasing anchor in the Chinmaya Mission and naturally Pujya Gurudev. Saroj Ben was a simple housewife then, who had been busy with only tending to her children and her husband and in-laws. Prior to her marriage she was part of Pandurang Shastri's Swadhyay Parivar in Mumbai. But after her marriage she was counselled by her parents to devote time to family, 'spirituality etc will happen on its own later...!' Simple as she was even then, Saroj ben fell in step with the new rules.

By the late 80s her children had grown up and Ravibhai Joshi, a neighbour who was also an active Chinmaya Mission member told her, 'Now enough, you come to our Bal Vihar and teach the children.'

Saroj ben was alarmed. She knew nothing of the Mission, how would she teach? But her friend told her since you have been with Swadhyay Parivar, you atleast have a spiritual orientation, so come along.

So Saroj ben began assisting at Bal Vihar in Mattanchery, teaching the children to sing basic shlokas and bhajans.

When Gurudev came to Cochin, Saroj ben was excited. She loved meeting saints and mahatmas, it was a penchant she had. "Whenever any sant-mahapurush came to our town, my friend and I would run to meet him," she said mirthfully. "But CM, I had just joined and did not know anything about the rules or the graces."

The first day, the Bal Vihar teachers (and Saroj ben too, therefore) had organised a children's program to welcome Gurudev. Gurudev's love for children was widely known. The Mattanchery balvihar children danced to 'Tora mann darpan kehlaaye...'. Gurudev liked it and called for an encore!

Saroj ben was filled with happiness. "I had that wish in my mind that when a great person comes, I should take his autograph. Seeing a happy Gurudev, I felt I must take his autograph. I didn't have anything immediately. There he was, nearby, I wanted to take the autograph soon. I had a small writing pad, and going up to Swamiji, I asked him - 'Please give me your autograph.'

Saroj ben was even then a very simple lady with the sweetest demeanour. Even today she is so. She reminds you she had no graces and should not have asked 'just like that..!' She says, "Swamiji got very angry. He said 'This is so small (the writing pad) you must have a big book. Get a big pad! Is this any way to take an autograph?'

"I said sorry, I don't know all this. And ran to get something bigger and better. He wrote Om on the pad and gave it to me. I was thrilled.

"But as I left I said to myself, 'arae I must learn a few little things,.. a little courage, a little grace.... I don't know anything!' I used to be very very inhibited.

And now Saroj ben says something heart warming. "I am glad I got that one solid scolding from him and that has sustained me all these years. Today I do devi group, balvihar, serve at the Mission and whatnot!"

That was at least 24 years ago. That someone should remember it with such clarity and even appear to know the reason why that incident took place... is amazing. Saroj ben feels that one scolding set her for life. "How to talk to great people, etc I didn't know. My husband used to scold me is this anyway to deal with saints?!"

"But this saint only reined me in!" she says happily.

Saroj ben does not look for drama, but she feels comforted and happy with all that has happened with her!

Daat khayi! " she says laughing gleefully, "but achha hua !"

-Excerpt of an article from Celebrating Gurudev 

Anil Sachdev has known Gurudev since 1959.The entire family has been completely immersed in devotion to Gurudev. 

1992 December - A few months before Gurudev went to San Diego, Anil Sachdev and his family spent a very long time with Gurudev in Sidhabari. Gurudev was known to retreat to Sidhabari before long foreign trips. So Anil ji and his family stayed with Gurudev at Sidhbari, and spent New Year's eve with him.

Naturally for anyone to get this opportunity to be with the Guru as Time makes its changes, is most pleasing and satisfying. So there they all were, sitting in the beautiful rose garden, reveling in the idyllic surroundings and nature offering her best to Gurudev. It was evening, soft breeze blowing, a light twitter of birds, and soon the young women from the village came by and sat around Gurudev singing soulful bhajans ...

Anil ji was overcome with divine joy. He said to Gurudev, "Swamiji, this is like heaven, to be with you, the Dauladhar mountains flanking us from all sides, this bhajans, the evening...."

Gurudev said, "Even this is a form of attachment! No doubt this is a satvik environment, feels good and ...." and he laughed.

There was poignancy in Gurudev's words and Anil ji reflected on that even if he continued to feel the joy of the moment. He says, "In hindsight he was preparing us in a manner of speaking and even forcing us to detach from environment-aided joy. He was trying to convey, 'Don't say I will come to Sidhabari to revel and partake of this environment, to be with Swamiji, to be inspired. No doubt all this aids a satvik mood which inspires but do not think satwa lies here with the Guru. Don't be attached even to satva! Such words can appear harsh and unbearable and it was a very deep moment for Anil ji.

But the days that followed only intensified the Guru's presence aided by the leela he displayed! The joy of being with the Guru was unabated. A bhandara (community kitchen/dining) was organized for the villagers. Gurudev himself personally supervised the bhandara, where many 100s of villagers came and ate. The bhandara began at 11:30 in the morning and carried on till 4 pm. Gurudev encouraged everyone to serve in the kitchen, chop vegetables, clean the rice, wash the utensils, and later also serve the villagers. "He taught us the joy that was there in preparing for the bhandara and serving with love and joy hose who awaited Gurudev's blessings," says Anil ji

"It was a great example of coming together to serve together not mindful of where we came from,

all working together in the Chinmaya family spirit. Gurudev made sure that all villagers were hosted well and treated with utmost love. He cared about how they were served, looked after and attended to. He himself had planned everything meticulously to the last detail.

"It would be so cold, those December evenings and we would sit out on the lawns basking in the mild sun and as that sun also retired, the breeze would get colder and slowly shawls and drapes would come out. Gurudev would unobtrusively pull the shawl over his legs and then the Wimbledon recordings would come out and he would retreat into his pet joy: tennis. Gurudev loved tennis far too much. "

Anil ji grows wistful and nostalgic. Once one begins remembering, the memories flow like the Ganga... silently, sweetly refreshing the mind with its serenity and satva. For they are memories of the Guru... Another poignant memory occupied centerstage and Anil ji said:
"This was soon after the Babri Masjid demolition... we would talk to him to know his mind. We knew what made him furious and we knew what he did not worry about. But the important memory that he left for me, maybe knowing the kind of times that will come, was one that startled me silly, on a flight.

"We were on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. He was sitting in front of me. A Muslim leader of the time a clergyman, was sitting next to Gurudev. In my small mindedness, I was anxious that the combination may not augur well. If they have a fight, what will we do? But what do you know! They were talking peacefully...! I was straining to 'be in the know' that they would not begin talking or saying things. The next thing I know, they were greeting each other warmly, almost like long lost acquaintances and soon they were laughing together. Obviously they knew each other... their voices were soft, measured...and there was a lot of affection. I was surprised; nothing made sense; I would definitely take it up with Gurudev later. Mind you, all this was within days of the demolition.

"As we drove to the Powai ashram from the airport I talked to Gurudev. I said,
"Swamiji, this is surprising, is he a friend?"

Said Gurudev, "Why should we have a problem with each other?" It was how he answered with a question. "Did you expect us to argue?" (I had expected worse, I am sure he knew!!) And he laughed. Clearly they both existed on a different plane of Supreme peace and understanding,
patience and love for the people. They had genuine love and respect for each other. Gurudev's responses fill the heart with the greatest of learnings. He said to Anilji, "If this problem was left to (well-minded) religious leaders it would have resolved long time back; we would have found a way forward. But the politicians do not want this problem to be solved. In the long term the sensible religious leaders will find a harmonious solution that is for greater good."

Anil ji's heart warmed. Reminiscing, he says, "What came to me was this: we have to move on from what has happened to a way of collaborating, where we can peacefully coexist, each one worshipping as he wants to, his God.

"This is what Gurudev was saying, what he wanted me to know, what he wanted us to know. That we as a collective electorate, must be able to persuade our political leaders, so that both communities can worship together and coexist..." Gurudev was always for peaceful happy coexistence in brotherhood.

-Excerpt of an article from Celebrating Gurudev 

Bhaskar Raman worked at the Powai Ashram as editor of Bal Vihar until 3 years ago before moving to Delhi. As a toddler, he has played on Gurudev's lap and continues to be wrapped in Gurudev's devotion and love.

Siddhabari... 1984-85. Bhaskar was two and a half years old. He lived those days at the Sidhabari ashram with his mother Parvathy Raman (now editor of Tapovan Prasad), Dr Akhilam (now Swamini Nishtananda) and his older brother. At the time, Bhaskar had just started speaking, and he only spoke in Tamizh.

 Bhaskar's memories of those days are vivid.

One day seeing Gurudev walking in a leisurely manner, Bhaskar ran across to him and must have, as little children do, stood on his path as a prelude to beginning a conversation. So there he was looking up, very far up from his two feet height up at a towering Gurudev and Gurudev peered down at Bhaskar.

As grown ups many of us must identify with moments like this when a little fellow looks up at you and you look down at him and mostly we are unsure what the fellow wants. But Gurudev knew what the struggle was, maybe. He simply said, "If you want to talk to me you must learn English. Swami does not know Tamizh."

It seems (as others later told him) after that “exchange”, he started picking up English effortlessly! (Bhaskar would later go on to build a career in journalism, and even served as editor of Balvihar magazine.) Gurudev has given little pushes to so many people to send them on their path!

The toddler's life at Sidhabari was thus dotted with little meaningful encounters. Bhaskar's favorite story goes even earlier to when he had just begun to walk, a time when he barely spoke. One morning he woke up much earlier than usual. Everyone had gone for Gurudev’s meditation class.

When he found there was no one around, he jumped out of the room’s ground- floor window (the ashram was still being built back then and the windows had no grills)

He looked all over the ashram, the Temple, the kitchen where his mother worked, near Hanumanji. She was not to be found. He kept wandering. Disturbed and disoriented, looking for mom, Bhaskar began to cry.

A brahmacharini found him, picked him up and told him that everyone was in the meditation hall. Little Bhaskar knew the Sidhabari campus well. Reaching the satsang hall, where Gurudev had just about got everyone nicely tuned and focused, in pin-drop silence. Bhaskar burst in crying at the top of his lungs.

But please visualise the scenario. Six am, a whole host of grown ups all in intense meditation process... Gurudev had gotten everyone into silence, within and without...everyone in focus ... and enter the little child bawling loudly.

Parvathy amma, naturally was terrified. She ran to the little child, she picked him up and headed for the door...

But Gurudev had no annoyance and none of the expected anger. He simply said, “The way this child is crying for his mother should be the way you should cry for God, without caring for anything else.”

And in a moment the situation was defused. A disturbance became a lesson, not only in devotion, but in the art of handling aggravating situations with skill, understanding and love.

Gurudev had unconditional love for children and his manner of communing with them was heart warming. When Bhaskar was about a year old, his mother had taken him to Prarthna Saran's home for bhiksha with Gurudev. This was before they left for Sidhabari.

After lunch, Gurudev went to wash his hands, and he did not return to the hall. Everyone was waiting. The host finally went to see if everything was ok, and found him in the passage way, squatting on the ground, holding little Bhaskar's hands and looking into his eyes, and mumbling, “You are my Krishna, I am your Radha...” over and over.

In later years, Bhaskar would find that juxtaposition very interesting. He says, "Why didn't he say I am your Krishna? Why Radha?

"Krishna went here and there, was with so many people, involved in so many tasks and was likely to forget Radha, but Radha never forgot Krishna. I have been through so many phases. Sometimes with the Mission, sometimes not, sometimes with Gurudev, sometimes not. But his care has been a constant".

In the left side picture three generations with the Guru - Uttarkasi Ashram (To Gurudev's left: Bhaskar's paternal grandmother; to right: Prarthna Saran standing and little Bhaskar; seated: Bhaskar's father and paternal grandfather.

-Excerpt of an article from Celebrating Gurudev 

Ananthan Nair and his brother Manoharan Nair are old devotees from Pune. While Manoharan ji continues to run the family tyre business in Pune, Ananthan ji has retired to Tallicheri, Kerala.

1966 - Deccan Gymkhana, Pune. Ananthan Nair was a businessman in Pune when Gurudev held a Geeta Gnyana Yagna there. Ananthan and two of his colleagues - Unni Nair president of Pune CM, PVA Nair, one of the functionary of Pune Mission - invited Gurudev for lunch at Ananthan ji's residence at Kumud Kuteer, Deccan Gymkhana.

Ananthan ji had already attended a few gnyana yagnas of Gurudev's in Pune. Unni Nair and Ananthan were very close friends. "And Gurudev being a Malayalee we thought we were privileged to have him at our home!" And Manoharanji, Ananthan ji's brother, laughs both mirthfully and embarrassedly. " Out of our ignorance, out of WHEN THE GURU REMEMBERS YOU our ignorance!" he adds again and again. So they invited Gurudev and he accepted the invitation! The Nairs could not believe their luck.

Other devotees were also present on that occasion. "Gurudev enjoyed our food and thanked us for giving him Kerala delicacies," says Manoharan. "We maintained the Kerala style and served him on a banana leaf!" says Manoharan Nair. How Gurudev gives to each one the joy he seeks.

Ananthan Nair remembers in particular a quote that Gurudev dropped upon them, that afternoon, "Work properly, with integrity and give back to society. Vedanta will always help you during your testing times." The business folk who formed a significant part of the invitees that day, felt greatly assured, when Gurudev added, " We are all just like frogs in a pond. When the water dries up, we will all jump out of the pond."

Was Gurudev alluding to the Nairs doing business ? Or doing business away from home town? Or was Gurudev saying, business itself is finite in being able to bring security? Ananthan and Manoharan can only hazard a guess. " I think he meant, when the situation is favorable, you remain in that area. When the situation is unfavorable, you migrate to different parts in search of living. But whatever it was that one sentence remained in my mind!

The Nair family was extremely inspired by Gurudev's presence, noting in particular, his profound knowledge of the Gita and his tremendous fluency with English Literature and Gurudev's simple explanations to confounding verses of the Gita.

After reaching Powai, Gurudev wrote to the Nairs and thanked them for the lunch. This gesture was overwhelming for them, who had invited a Malyalee so that he may taste home cooking in a strange city, but who left behind for them a road upon which to walk and find their way to Vedanta.

Manoharan Nair recalls that Ananthan ji drove Gurudev around the city during a couple of visits to Pune, during one of which Gurudev presented Ananthan ji with a copy of Kindle Life. He says, "We were very fortunate to have him... just to have his footprints in our house... later when he reached Uttarkasi , on Guru Poornima day he again wrote to us from there, and again after a couple of years...!

The Nair brothers remain grateful for this one event in their life. "I don't know the reason why he remembered us all those times," he says very simply, "but he might have understood us,...but that he remembered us on Guru Poornima to write to us again was very startling and touching at the same time..

Often great men come into our lives and open the skies a bit for us to see what lies beyond. Or to open doors for the next generation. Ananthan Nair's grandson today studies at CIRS...

H.P Eswar is one of those unchanging images of the Chinmaya Mission. An ardent devotee and sevak, Eswar ji has been teaching Bal Vihar students in Kapole Niwas,Mumbai since the last 50 years at least! His ever joyful and boisterous nature can only be attributed to his continuous state of joy. His laughter of course is un mistakeable.

The moment he is asked about Gurudev, Eswar mama 's collection of anecdotes begins to flow.

Every year Eswar mama goes to Sabarimalai. On the 16th of one such November he donned the garland that Sabarimalai pilgrims don and prostrated before Gurudev. As he was getting up, Gurudev asked him, "What is Pampa?"

"I knew if I said it is the name of a river, it will be stupid, because Gurudev will not ask me such a question," said Eswar ji, narrating the story. "So I looked at him and blinked. Gurudev then said, 'Make that Pampa, ulta, reverse it! Eh? What is it? Pam pa becomes Paa-pam! (Paapam is sins).

Gurudev continued, "So you take a bath in the Pampa and your sins get washed away! Then you change into white dhoti and white angavastram...From November
16th till you reach Pampa you are wearing black or blue or kaashayam (saffron) colored garments. Is it not?
"Once you are purified, made pure (by the dip in the Pampa) then you climb the final lap, the last 18 steps of the malai (hill, referring to the Sabari Hills)!"

Eswar ji laughs; "So you come in black, bathe in the Pampa, drop your sins there, come out and wear white, now that you are purified!"

Eswar ji unleashes his boisterous celebratory laugh. He relishes his own memories as if they are happening right then before him!

Unstoppable now, Eswar ji recounts another incident that took place in the Jagadeeshwara Temple at Powai Ashram, Mumbai. "You have been there? Ok. Right in front of Lord Siva's idol in the temple, there is a rectangular depression with water in it. Lord Siva faces the entrance and Nandi faces Siva. Near Nandi is a bannaaram, a donation box. I was standing there, having offered prayers. I had taken out my wallet from my pocket and I was counting out the money to drop into the donation box. "I am so engrossed counting the pennies ... suddenly Gurudev is behind me, breathing down my back... he startles me with these words that he whispers to me, "If you count your offering to Him, then He will count and give his blessings to you!" Eswar ji breaks into his unmistakable laugh.... there is great enjoyment lurking in every of his memories of Gurudev!"

-Excerpt of an article from Celebrating Gurudev by H.P Eswar

Arvila Shah, is a devotee of Gurudev, and lives in Matanchery, Cochin.

1991 Cochin: Arvila ben's husband had just passed away. Gurudev came to Cochin and stayed at Jayshree ben's house. Much excitement spread in the vast Gujarati community in Cochin. Arvila was 39. It was not even a month since her husband expired and per tradition she was not supposed to even go out.

That was when Mridula, a close friend told her of Swami Chinmayananda who had come and was being hosted at Jayshree ben's house! Arvila had not even seen, let alone met Gurudev, nor did she know anything about him. Meanwhile friend that she was, Mridula went and told Gurudev about Arvila and her untimely loss. And soon she was at Arvila's home urging her to come along and meet Gurudev. A confused Arvila looked at her in-laws who told her she must go. And Mridula took her to see Gurudev.

An already stricken Arvila bent down and touched Gurudev's feet and Gurudev placed his hand over her head and gave her an orange as prasad. He told her she must eat it by herself, it was not to be shared. And Arvila did just that.

Arvila had the onerous task of taking care of her husband's business in spices. A commodity business on top of that! It was scary. She was a science student - a Bachelor of Science, what was she to know about commodities? Her boys were less than 14 years of age, there was no way they could do anything, and her in-laws had retired from active working. Arvila slowly got into the groove of her husband's business. She who knew nothing about accounting, banking, finance, managing people.... she was getting involved and even understanding the business..

Often she marveled at her own self and wondered about her newly acquired skills.

Seven years layer she ran into Saroj ben suddenly. Saroj was another friend she had known many years. Saroj said, come, join our Bal Vihar. The children are sweet, you listen to what they learn... And Arvila agreed. She had no objection..! "And that was when it hit me! I realised so much about Gurudev and where I got my ability to do business and look after my in-laws...!" says Arvila ben. She now remembered with clarity that the Swami had blessed her specifically.

To continue in her words, "I started reading his books with a passion. Hindusim was not main to my life as I am Jain. But I liked his books, I liked reading and now I liked reading what He had to say. Then I joined Devi Group for a year. I enjoyed all that and then it all stopped. I moved on with work and looking after my in-laws.

The classes may have stopped but I still regard him my Guru and get my inspriation from him.. "Every time I look back and think of those years, I am stunned. Even today when I
open the records of the business, I wonder how did I do all that? Where did the ability and knowledge come from? I don't know how I did it all, I knew nothing of accountancy or signing cheques... but I did all that for 12 years!

"It is amazing that when I met him that one time, I did not understand a thing but 12 years later in 2002, when I was reading his books, it came home to me that it had been his grace all along... His shakti that gave me support to raise my children, look after my in-laws and manage my husband's business. Because of his grace I was able to bear that pain. That one meeting, that one blessing had set me for life....."... and it was His Grace too that Arvila realised His Grace

-Excerpt of an article from Celebrating Gurudev - Arvila Shah(09-05-2015)

Swamini Niranjanananda is 83 years old. She lives and works out of CIF in Veliyanad, Kerala. There is a silent hum surrounding her being... the hum of her Narayana, Gurudev. Swamini ji continues to teach, to hold camps and satsangas. The smile that you see playing on her countenance is for Gurudev who she sees in everything. Hers is a lifetime spent in unconditional surrender.

It was June 1993. I had just graduated from my Vedanta Course at Sandeepany , Powai. I was in the best of spirits and health, very eagerly awaiting Gurudev. Others like me stood wearing bright yellow clothes and very pleased with our calling.
Gurudev was giving us deeksha, one by one... He came to me next and putting the rudraksha mala round my neck, he as if pressed near my ear lobes....

After lunch a fever seized my body. It shot up and raged like a forest fire. I was verily in a swoon. Gurudev was leaving for Sidhabari and then to the US. My fever was consuming. I was not even able to go and see him off. The fever took over my body for three full days. I, Brni. Tapasya Chaitanya was already enduring the fire....

And in 3 days the fever went away, having done its job ... and it felt calm.
Something happened - some type of change had happened. Sometimes when the mahatmas wish you or bless you, some change happens, that is what I felt. That the fever is not some ordinary fever, he has pulled out some bad element from my system. What it is I don't know. But it was a very rare, unusual experience.

August 1993 Gurudev attained samadhi. Just two months after he gave me brahmachari deeksha and set me on the path. One month after he passed away, I got the letter he wrote to me from Sidhbari or US can't tell -- but it shook me to hear from him during a time we were struggling to cope with his loss. He wrote to say: "We have to serve the Lord."

Soon after my graduation and fever at Sandeepany, I had written to ask Gurudev why are you going to the US when you are unwell... and he replied to say we have to serve the Lord etc. The coming of his reply a month after he had left this mortal world was as if a reminder....

So then when I thought back I began to see that in every action of his, there was satya sankalpa.
Going back to the pre-1993 days...... One incident took place, which made me feel that he had blessed me in some special way.
Before I joined the Mission, I had worked in the Chinmaya Vidyalaya for 10 years as headmistress, Principal and so on in Madras and Bangalore. My home town was Bangalore and I was posted in Madras. The salary was not enough to sustain me in a new city, so I decided to leave and return to Bangalore. Gurudev agreed but he was not happy. He was always concerned about our betterment.
Then one day Gurudev came to Bangalore for a camp. I went to meet him, and he said, 'why do you want to take retirement so early? You go and work in my school here... .'

It was an order. The next day he left for camp.

Prema Krishnamurthy was the correspondent for all Bangalore schools. Gurudev stayed at her house when he visited Bangalore. I went to her and said, 'Gurudev wants me to work in your school, I don't know what to do.'

I had been working as headmistress and principal, all along and Prema's school already had a headmistress. So Prema was unsure what to offer me. I told her 'don't worry, I will work as anything.' It was a small school up to class 6. Prema made me class teacher for class 6, and gave me all the trappings of that level. Very kind of her. All along I was concerned about what Gurudev had in mind for me. I wrote to Gurudev and shared these developments.

Time passed..

Gurudev was in Beijing. To my surprise,he wrote, 'Prema needs a new principal...' I could not fathom this. The school had a principal... what was Gurudev saying?

The next day the principal resigned for no reason! Whatever it be, her resignation coincided with his sankalpa!

I am convinced that his sankalpa is satya sankalpa. And I became the Principal and stayed so for 4 years and the first batch of class 10 kids passed during my tenure.

Then I wanted to resign and go away and join the Mission, enroll for Vedanta and so on. But Prema was not happy. She wrote to Gurudev and said, ' we hardly have any good teachers, Tilottama cannot go' (Tilottama would later become Brni Tapasya and then Swamini Niranjanananda). Gurudev understood her plight but told her, people cannot stay for you, they have things to do, they need to do other things too.' But the next day one lady came, a very highly qualified lady and she was a perfect principal! Out of the blue Prema's anxiety was also met. She joined and stayed as Principal for the next four years! Once again, his sankalpa brought for the school a very good principal.

Hear this story as well and be convinced that his sankalpa was satya sankalpa!

There are so many people to whom Gurudev always said, make a true sankalpa if you want it to be fulfilled! Tapovan Prasad (TP) was a very simple magazine those days. When I finished at Sandeepany in 1993, Gurudev said you must go there and improve TP. I had not a dot of experience with writing or publishing, but he was giving me all of TP. Then again, I had wanted to go to Bangalore but Gurudev consoled me and said you go to Madras and change TP. I trusted him implicitly and straight from Sandeepany I went off to Madras, while Gurudev (if you recall) went off to the US.

Slowly I became involved in TP. The editor was a very old lady and Gurudev wanted her to retire given her age. Before you knew, the editor herself retired!

Things happened very fast. Gurudev attained samadhi. Swami Tejomayananda took over. TP came under his charge. Guruji asked me to take over. I agreed. Remember, I had no editing, writing or publishing experience or training. I only had Gurudev's instruction.

The first TP was a big hit! It was Gurudev's sankalpa that was unfolding. Gurudev ensured that happened! How it works every time! Whatever he said happened! He chooses the person for the job and always he accomplishes what is necessary! He was a fantastic personality.

What we think and he thinks are so different. At the age of 60 he empowered me to study and become a brahmacharini. Usually he takes people at that age only as guest students. But I joined the Brahmachari course at the age of 59 an age usually he would not take a new student into Sandeepany. And Gurudev cut new roads for me. That is why I said he did something to empower me and bring out my potential.

It was what he envisioned.....!

-Excerpt of an article from Celebrating Gurudev by Swamini Niranjanananda (08-05-2015)