Anandita

Many children have a habit of talking to themselves in the mirror. I had that habit when I was around 10 years old. I used to talk to myself in the mirror. Sometimes, I used to see myself as a second person and observe who is the person behind the face that I’m seeing right now. Maybe this was the time the journey to self-discovery began.

From teenage till early adulthood I visited many spiritual places along with my father. My father takes an interest in spirituality, whereas my mother supported us (father and myself) always and accompanied us to different ashrams. The main attractions of such places were peace and tranquillity. I enjoyed being there.

Years later, I got busy with work and we hardly visited any ashrams. In the midst of the travel-work-home journey, I started to observe people’s faces and pondered, “Am I going to be like this woman after some years, who must have worked hard to look after her family, who must have worked overtime to save money, who must have sacrificed many personal things to keep going and what else? And for what at the end?” Each face showed me a different story and I kept asking myself “Is that something I too want down the line?”

Over three years back one moment came when I stopped working and took charge of my career in my own hands. I was struggling to build something that will keep me sustained but soon I saw it crashing like the stock market. At that moment I had an epiphany (realization). I got up from the chair and went to my father in the living room and grabbed his attention, I said, “I need a Guru.” Father looked at me from his near-to-fall spectacles, He asked me, “Are you serious?” “Yes, I am. I’m even ready to go to the Himalayas to find him.” I continued. Father treated me with the utmost care and approved my state of mind. After this, I really don’t remember what we both discussed, I came back to the desk and sat on the chair.

Soon after the above incident, we (family) landed up in ‘Ananda Kriya Yoga Ashram’ near Pune due to a twist in the plan. Before visiting ‘Ananda Kriya Yoga Ashram’ my family had planned a trip to my aunt’s ancient house in Konkan but the plan got canceled as my aunt fell ill. My father suggested we visit ‘Ananda Kriya Yoga Ashram’ as he wanted to go there for a long time. We all went there and what happened after that is just inexplicable. For three days, I was completely thoughtless. All my worries about my career and choices just vanished. I felt a strong pull within to be in that place forever. It felt like home. Something that never happened in any other spiritual community I had visited before.

After coming home, I enrolled in Kriya Yoga Home Study Program. I stopped everything that I was after and just focused on Preparing to receive Kriya Initiation. I read many books written by Swami Kriyananda and Paramhansa Yogananda with deep interest. Before this, I had never read a single book, rather I never had patience. Regular Meditation Practice helped me get that patience and calmness to perceive the messages through the books. I was completely immersed in the teachings of the Kriya Yoga path. I never realized how the time passed by and took a vow to become a life-long disciple of my most awaited Guru – Paramhansa Yogananda. He found his way to me when I opened my heart to guide the chariot of my life.

Today, after being on this wonderful path to self-discovery for over 3 years, I’ve got all the answers to my questions. I find freedom in everything that I do today. The happiness one cannot describe in words I found through the grace of my Guru. I want to share his blessings with others now.