I was just so transported by the atmosphere
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Pulak was introduced to Sri Chinmoy through Sarama, who gave yoga and meditation classes near where Pulak lived.
So the thing about Sarama is, she didn't just bring people to Guru if she didn't feel they were quite ready. With me, she realised that I needed a little work before I would be ready. I was a little maybe – I don't know what you would say – bohemian or so.
She said I had to stop smoking to see Guru. So I think I was working at the Bronx Zoo and I just said, OK, well, I'm going to quit smoking today. And I was able to do it like in just one day. And it was an interesting process. Every time I felt I needed a cigarette, I just sort of like said, well, no, you don't need it.
I managed to clean up my act enough for Sarama to get me invited to April 13th Celebrations. The Celebrations that year was held at the Victoria Congregational Church right on 148th Street and 87th Avenue.
I remember when I was walking through the hall, I saw that Mahavishnu (John McLaughlin) was a disciple. While I was in Europe, I had become an admirer of his music. At Celebrations, he played acoustic guitar very beautifully. All the performances were so soulful and heartfelt. I'd never experienced anything like that before.
The first time I saw Guru, he was meditating to open the function on April the 13th, and then during the function he would sit there watching everything. Guru would be sitting there, in such a majestic way, watching.
Guru was just magnificent. Just seeing him, I mean, seeing him in person — I'm sure many have felt this — you see Guru in person and it's just like you're ready to do anything he asks you to do. In 1972 he was only 41 years old—a young person, a very beautiful presence.
Guru played the harmonium and sang. Then, I think it was one of the first performances of Tanima's group. The whole function, the whole feeling—I was just so transported by the atmosphere. Afterwards, there was a meal downstairs.
So, I went down and then Sarama introduced me to Guru. I forget what she actually said to Guru. Guru was kind of was looking above my head. He wasn't looking right at me, he was looking a little above my head. I don't know what he saw there, but he was concentrating there. Then he asked me what I did. I said, “I just do a lot of temporary jobs.” He looked at me for a moment and said, “Very good.” Then he walked off.
Well, that was my first personal encounter with Guru. The next day I got the message that Guru had accepted me and that I was in the Connecticut Centre.
The outer teacher shows us the way
To reach the destination.
The inner teacher carries us
Compassionately, self-givingly,
Smilingly and proudly
To the destination itself.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 10, Agni Press, 1998
Sri Chinmoy meets St. Peter
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
In the mid-1980’s, Guru came to Ottawa and offered a public meditation and concert.
There were about 200 seekers in attendance. As was Guru’s habit at that time, at the end of the function, Guru would personally offer prasad, an orange, to each seeker.
Everyone approached the stage in a long line, and one by one, we went up to Guru to receive the orange. The line moved slowly, as Guru spent one or two seconds with each individual.
Suddenly, the line came to a halt as an order gentleman stood in front of Guru. Guru meditated on this man for two or three minutes. This was so unusual that all the disciples knew something extraordinary was going on. We were eager to find out what it was.
The next day the leader of the Ottawa Centre, who was Guru’s driver during the visit, told us the following: As this man approached Guru, the Christ appeared out of the ether and asked him to please bless “his Peter.” Guru said that 2,000 years ago, he had been one of the direct disciples of Jesus.
The Ottawa disciples got to know Peter a little. One time, he and his wife, Frederika, invited me to their home for lunch. Peter was in the kitchen preparing the meal, and from the living room, I could hear him sweetly singing various hymns. Frederika said he often sang to Jesus as he cooked.
Both Peter and Frederika were deeply spiritual people. After the meal, Peter showed me a video of a seminar given by a well-known Catholic theologian. He asked me to watch how he spoke about Jesus. Then he pointed out that this person was not theorizing. He spoke about Jesus as though he had personally known him.
Then Peter recounted a story. He and Frederika had attended a talk given by this theologian. At the end of the talk, a number of people formed a queue, waiting to speak to him personally. When Peter got to the head of the line, the two men looked into each other’s eyes, and then both burst into tears and began hugging each other. Peter felt certain that this theologian had also been one of the Christ’s disciples.
After their meeting with Guru at the meditation/concert, Peter and Frederika always came to functions whenever Guru was in Ottawa. They even travelled to New York to see Guru on several occasions. This became quite a challenge, for as time went on, Peter became dependant on a wheelchair.
Peter passed away peacefully in the early 1990’s, and the Ottawa disciples who were present sensed a deep feeling of peace and joy as he slipped away into the other world. Frederika continued her friendship with the Ottawa Centre. In her later years, Guru gave her the spiritual name Devatripti.
If you are wise,
Then do not wait
For the Christ to return.
You can go and see him
In Heaven
With your aspiration-heart
And surrender-life.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 178, Agni Press, 1993
So exhausted I hide in my closet
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Now I'll tell you one story I've told many times but I rarely tell the ending to the story. We were playing tennis in Bali and it was very, very hot and humid. Finally the game ended and I went back to my room. I was exhausted.
Just a few minutes later I heard some boys and my roommate screaming, "Mahiyan, Guru wants to play some more." I was so tired that I hid in the closet in my room. They couldn't find me, and finally they left.
The end of the story is that I started feeling guilty because I thought that since Guru wants to play tennis, I should play. I put on a dry shirt and went back to the tennis court, but Guru never played with me anymore that day. He played with other boys.
That was a lesson for me: Always try and do what Guru requests.
There is no special right moment.
Every moment is the right moment
To please your Master.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 18, Agni Press, 2000
Breaking the world record for the longest game of hopscotch
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Pipasa: My friend Jamini got the idea of doing the hopscotch record. A lot of people were breaking records at that time.
Jamini: People were breaking records for Guru's 50th birthday when we were in New York in August 1981. That was our first celebrations. Many people were doing records so when we came home, we sat down one night with the Guinness Book of Records. We were looking through it trying to figure out what we could do and came across this hopscotch record.
Pipasa: 90 hours was the previous record.
Jamini: Then we had the brilliant idea of doing a hundred hours.
Pipasa: Guru came in the middle of the game and walked on the board. He took his sandals off and stepped on the first square and asked, "How do you play this game?" We showed him. He said, "Ba," (Bengali for 'good'). Then he walked away. But we knew that he took a lot of pain out of our experience by just being there and supporting us inwardly. Prasannata said that she thought that Guru's legs were bothering him the next day.
Jamini: You could get five minutes break per hour, so we saved it up and then we could take maybe an hour sleep at night. I tell you, it was really, really hard to get up. With hopscotch, you have to throw a little bean bag to your square, and my aim was just so terrible. I would play for one round and then I would be done, and Pipasa would have to go again.
Pipasa: Guru gave us both awards. Guru gave Jamini an elephant and a beautiful plaque that said: 100 hours of hopscotch. He gave me a bear and also a plaque. Guru held it up and meditated on it and looked very seriously at it like he was putting some force into it. Then he handed it to me with a big smile.
Jamini: At one point there was a function. And then Guru called us in for prasad. That was after about 70 hours when we were pretty out of it. But I'll never forget walking in there for that moment. When I was looking at Guru as we were walking up, he looked so beautiful and radiant.
Pipasa: I had a similar experience.
(Comment: You became quite famous, there were many newspaper articles.)
Jamini: We had to bend down to take prasad, and Guru said, “Oh, oh, you have to bend.” He felt sorry for us.
When your Guru tells you to do something, you do it yesterday
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
From about 1971 to 1995, I would say that my experience on the path was fulfilled through love and devotion. My love for Guru – doing meditation, praying – and my devotion to Guru – servicing him in whatever way I could – taught me everything I needed to know about Guru.
Almost.
One day Guru asked me to come downstairs and tell him how I was serving him. I told him that I was taking his Jharna-Kala pictures and setting up galleries around the city. One of the ways was to set them up on an easel on the sidewalk. Guru looked at me and remained silent for a little while. Then he said, "Vajra, you should tie the pictures down on the easel so that they don't fall from the easel onto the sidewalk."
On one occasion, I was out on the street and I was setting up the pictures on the easel. I chose to ignore Guru's request to tie the pictures down. All of a sudden, a wind came and blew every picture I had on the easel to the sidewalk, glass flying everywhere. This was my first experience learning that when Guru tells you to do something, you do it yesterday.
You can shorten your spirituality-road
And quicken your speed
If you are under the guidance
Of a true, able and spiritually rich Master.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 192, Agni Press, 1993
The Hotel Angel
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
When Guru came to London, especially in the later years, he did some concerts in the Royal Albert Hall. Then he would do some weightlifting events. We were lucky in London; he came to London quite a few times.
It was very, very hard to find hotel rooms because we were so short of hotel rooms. Guru wanted us to find a nice hotel because he had many guests that would come as well. I would go to literally every hotel in London and check it out to make sure it was nice enough for Guru first, and second of all, whether we can get it at a good price, and whether they have enough rooms. One time I was trying for a few weeks and there was nothing. There was absolutely nothing. We were desperate because we needed to find hotel rooms.
Either we were just lucky, lucky, lucky—or it was Guru: a really nice hotel suddenly said we could have the number of rooms—50 rooms, 30 rooms, however many we wanted—at a price that we needed. It was a miracle.
Imagine the chances. It was when Guru was meeting Princess Diana, but we didn't know that he was meeting Princess Diana. It was secret. The hotel was next to her house.
Guru does everything for you. I just kind of live, and Guru does everything.
Because Guru was coming on the flight very early from New York to London, we had to have the room ready. We had to have it the night before so we could make it nice. You put towels and flowers, Indian sweets and all sorts of nice things in Guru's rooms—notebooks, pens.
We paid for the room but we didn't have the key. The hotel decided to be really, really strict—very, very top security—and not let us have Guru's room. They needed Guru to be in person with his passport in order to have the keys to his room.
So we have this problem. We had to get into the room to get it ready, to make it nice for Guru. But they're not allowing us to. There was nothing we could do.
At that precise minute, a young boy came from behind the counter, came from somewhere and said, "Oh, I'll take care of them."
Then he says to me, "I'm Guru's disciple." He got us the key and let us in. I had never seen him before and I had been a disciple in London all my life. He came out of nowhere. It turned out that his mother had been a disciple of a meditation group outside of London. I call him an angel. It was like a hotel angel came to help us.
When God swiftly wants to offer me
His blessingful Hand,
He always employs an angel.Sri Chinmoy 1
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