{"id":2071,"date":"2026-06-06T16:08:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=2071"},"modified":"2026-06-06T16:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:08:52","slug":"swami-kriyananda-as-we-have-known-him-the-bus-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/swami-kriyananda-as-we-have-known-him-the-bus-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"Swami Kriyananda \u2014 As We Have Known Him: The Bus Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ananda ran a bookstore and caf\u00e9 in San Francisco, Vairagi often worked the late shift.<\/strong> Many times all alone, at 11pm, she had to take a city bus back to the ashram. The route went through a rough part of town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be a good devotee, and do what is needed,\u201d she said to Swamiji. \u201cThere is no one else who can work in the store. But when drunks and people on drugs and others who look like criminals get on the bus with me, I feel scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound like the best situation,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cIs there an alternative? Can you drive your own car or take a taxi?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA taxi would be too expensive, and I don\u2019t have a car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan someone pick you up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone else has their own schedule, Sir. It isn\u2019t practical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you have no choice,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cIt is for a good cause, and you’ve been forced into it. Here is an idea that might help you: As soon as you get on the bus, choose one of the passengers, perhaps someone who frightens you, and pray for him. If that person gets off before you do, then choose someone else. Pray continuously, from the moment you get on, until you get home at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe very next day, I tried it,\u201d Vairagi said. \u201cWhen I started praying, I felt like God and Master had gotten on the bus with me, and I was no longer afraid. In fact, the bus ride home became my favorite part of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Ananda ran a bookstore and caf\u00e9 in San Francisco, Vairagi often worked the late shift. Many times all alone, at 11pm, she had to take a city bus back to the ashram. The route went through a rough part of town. \u201cI want to be a good devotee, and do what is needed,\u201d she … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSwami Kriyananda \u2014 As We Have Known Him: The Bus Ride - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda helps a friend cope with a bus ride to work in unsavory company.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/swami-kriyananda-as-we-have-known-him-the-bus-ride\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swami Kriyananda \u2014 As We Have Known Him: The Bus Ride - 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