23-12-2014

23rd Dec 2014 this date 8 years ago, My life changed for the best.
I was aimlessly scrolling through The Hindu Facebook feed when I read an article titled “The CEO Monk“.
The fair-faced, lotus-eyed, charismatic black-robed monk melted my heart away.
The persona of Swamijee reminded me of a few names of Lord Narayana from Vishnu Sahasranamam. – प्रसन्नवदनं ,मेधावी , सर्वदर्शनः, पुण्डरीकाक्षो , महातपाः 

Back then I had no financial, spiritual, emotional, or legal worries. I wasn’t looking for any guru or answers to any questions. I was not any seeker and to date, I am not someone who can be called a spiritual person.
I was a lean (fat now), curly-haired (grey now), young software engineer (now A Sr tech guy ) whose life revolved 10 am to 7 pm in a cubicle, and weekends used to end up in a brewery in Banglore.
My love story with Swamiji started with his memoir and later binge-watching all his youtube videos, of course, blogs/books.
I remember calling my mother on New year’s eve that year and I told her I have found Buddha or the 11th avatar of Lord Vishnu.

My 1st trip to the ashram was in 2017 on Guru Poornima and I guess it is only by then the concept of group meetings had started.
I felt sad I couldn’t meet Swamijee in person.
While saying goodbye to the ashram I said to my self “I won’t be really ever coming here again”, because
I ain’t the meditating kinda, neither I want to attain any god. Initiation is out of the question I am just 25, I will think about it when I am 60 maybe.
Swamiji is not giving a personal audience also. What’s here to come again?

But destiny had other plans.

Cut short 2018, during a personal turmoil Swami jee stood by me like a rock and held his umbrella for me.
How can I ever thank him for that? I can never ever. Not in this lifetime at least, to be honest.

Back in 2019, He was super kind to initiate, someone, as unworthy as me in lineage.
Some may call him a Rainmaker but for me, he is My Superhero in a Saffron Robe.
I am signing off with a small hymn I crooned for him in my untrained voice: