On July 28th, 1962, Swamiji was summoned to New York City for a private meeting with Daya Mata and Tara Mata. Effective immediately, they told him, he was expelled from Self-Realization Fellowship. For the last four years, Swamiji had been living in India, serving SRF. Thousands of devotees looked to him for spiritual guidance. Now … Read more
(From Asha Nayaswami) I started as Swamiji’s secretary, but soon the job expanded into being his personal assistant and sometimes cook and housekeeper. For several years during the mid-1970s, unless he was out of the country or in seclusion, I spent hours with him almost every day. His schedule varied, and his needs were unpredictable, … Read more
(Told by an Ananda devotee) I was on pilgrimage with a group from Ananda. The inspiration of the event was marred for me by grief over personal difficulties I was facing at the time. During a bus ride, I was sitting alone, staring sadly out the window. I tried not to be conspicuous, but others … Read more
A woman at Ananda made a foolish mistake. Her thoughtless remarks at a public gathering placed Swamiji in a bad light. This caused a misunderstanding with others that took some effort on his part to rectify. Swamiji took it calmly, and fortunately no lasting harm was done. Days later, however, she was still depressed about … Read more
(Told by an Ananda devotee) Often Swamiji will accept people who are spiritually sincere, but difficult to get along with, giving them a job when no one else in the community will. Usually, contact with Swamiji deepens their attunement and helps smooth out their rough edges. Aiden (the name is changed for privacy) was one … Read more
I had gotten myself into a bad situation. I would have talked to Swamiji right away, but he was in seclusion, and I didn’t want to bother him. Someone told him anyway, and Swamiji sent a note asking me to come and see him. He was in silence, so we communicated at his typewriter. I … Read more
This Episode Introduces the Next Section of the Book: Divine Friend & Teacher “I have had two desires in my life. The first is to find God. The second is to help others to find Him.” Swami Kriyananda White Umbrella We were returning from a visit to the ashram of another spiritual teacher. The … Read more
(Told by Miriam Brown) Swamiji was extremely ill with double pneumonia and it wasn’t safe to leave him alone. He had a high fever and his lungs were so compromised I didn’t need a stethoscope to tell what was going on—I could hear from across the room. In the intervals between the coughing fits, he … Read more
”The doctors have offered me more chemotherapy,” Happy Winingham (an Ananda member) said to Swamiji. “They say it will keep me going for at least another few years. Should I take it?” Happy had AIDS and several times had come close to dying. ”The treatment could be quite unpleasant. Death doesn’t frighten me, and maybe … Read more
When he arrived in America for a two-month visit from his home in Italy, Swamiji’s health was poor and, as the weeks passed, it got worse. Finally, he was so weak he could barely walk. Swamiji was staying at the Crystal Hermitage, and Jyotish and Devi, who live nearby, tried to persuade him to go … Read more