A brilliant student with straight As' doing her PhD in Stanford makes a trip to India with her husband who is seeking a spiritual guru. They land in Delhi, go to Rishikesh thanks to the Lonely Planet guide (on a whim almost) where she finds the Parmarth Niketan quite by chance. The place beckons her, the Ganga takes away her burden of childhood abuse, and she stays back. This was in the late 1990s. Sadhviji moves from Hollywood where she lived to the Himalayas, a journey of healing and transformation!
Sadhvi meets Pujya Swamiji Chidanand Saraswati, the President of the Parmarth Niketan. founded in 1942 with over a 1000 rooms. The Swamiji makes an exception to her and allows her to stay on in the ashram at a time when women disciples were not the norm. he urges her to seek god, serve humanity and be happy, which she discovers later on in her life are all one and the same. When her husband asks her to return with him, she refuses, lets go of her marriage and a secure life in America to a life in an ashram in India. She says it was her calling, like she found her home.
Sadhvi's experiences are fascinating. The call to the ashram happens to her almost like it was beyond her control. In fact there is a moment when she has to go and meet her husband who lives in a hotel (he is peeved at her growing attraction to the ashram) and finds that she is physically not able to move forward. The only way she can move is backward towards the ashram. Such are the ways when the calling comes. She finds it comfortable to stay at the ashram, meditate, bursts into tears, finds a mother in the Ganga, a spiritual guru in Pujya Swamiji. She devotes her life to service. While at that she travels widely and among her travel experiences that come to mind are her visit to Mansarovar and another to Gaumukh where she bathes in the cold waters of the Ganga. So cold that the water seems to burn her skin.
The changes happen almost naturally. The things she previously liked or were important to her - family, friends, food, drink, parties, career, marriage, movies, music - all become secondary and fall off. The family thinks she has been influenced by a cult which is exploiting her. Her husband divorces her after going into a series of relationships at their separation, she breaks down at the memory of her abuse - and everything she offers to the Ganga. Over time she learns the local language, customs, teachings, and is now a revered spiritual head who represents the Parmarth Niketan, often the only woman spiritual leader at meetings. She has given TED talks, conducts the daily satsang at the Parmarth Niketan ashram (hopefully someday I will attend her satsang also).
Sadhviji has since authored many books, traveled across the globe, found her purpose (she talks of her desires coming up, of falling in love, of being attracted, of hitting a wall in her daily ritual). She finds that her work is what gives her true happiness, engages in non-stop work in promoting the cause of service to humanity, running NGOs, helping those in need through the Parmarth Niketan, spreading its message across the world through her talks and lectures. She fulfilled her desire to be a mother by adopting a girl child who is now a smart graduate with a nice job. Her family and he ex husband have made peace with her and she has forgiven her biological father who till the end troubles her - her biggest lesson. It is what the Swamiji tells her - give your burden to mother Ganga, stop carrying it like a medal that finally helps her to let go. Their relationship with the Ganga is something else.
If there is one thing I learned it is that when the calling comes it just draws you in. Grace enters your life, you find ways to seek what is important to you to serve god and humanity.You find happiness, purpose, strength and purpose. Of course you have to be ready for it, but when it comes there is no stopping it. For those who do not get it, their life is the way of service and one must seek god, happiness and serve humanity through that.
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