My Beginning on the Path 

We never really know the deep thirst of our own soul or its subtle yet strong connections. Read how a chance encounter with the picture of Yogananda and Babaji drew a ‘non-religious’ soul onto the spiritual path and started its joyful journey towards God-realization.

I was never too religious or spiritual. I would play along when my mother would have my siblings and me observe certain Hindu or Arya Samaj rituals and festivals; or when my husband who, unlike me, was always spiritually inclined, would insist on visits to places of worship with our children, or put on chants and devotional music every morning. 

It all started with my younger sister being drawn to the ‘path’. In the summer of 2019, I first set foot in Ananda Village near Nevada City, California for the sole purpose of picking up and dropping off my sister there, when she was participating in certain celebrations and courses. 

My first ‘action’ in the Path was when my sister, at the end of her month-long stay at our home in San Jose, California, packed and left with the picture of Paramhansa Yoganandaji which she had brought with her and placed in our living room during her visit. My husband and I felt an unexplained vacuum in our home and hearts. Within days, I was at the boutique of the Ananda Church of Self Realization, Palo Alto, CA, only to find the boutique doors closed. I was adamant that they open the doors and let me have the same picture of Yoganandaji and Mahavatar Babaji that my sister had. With childlike glee, I immediately informed my sister of the same. I framed the pictures and placed them at the same very spot my sibling had chosen. Our hearts were calm again, and life returned to normal. 

Normal … until the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020. The entire world seemed to come to a standstill and was hurting. My sister who was serving at the Ananda Community in New Delhi was entrusted with conducting “Healing sessions’ online. My husband and I, eager to support our sister and to pray for the world, started to join these 20-minute sessions twice a week. Little did we know that what we thought was healing only the world, was healing us as well. We did not experience a single moment of fear or weakness all through the pandemic. Instead, we were healthy, positive, and strong all along. 

Since then, my husband and I try each and every day to improve and advance on the path, and we feel certain that with the Masters’ blessings, we will remain forever strongly in this blissful association of our teachers, friends, and guides. 

AUM!