Harish Ramachandran, teacher with the Art of Living, residing in the Bangalore ashram, had the privilege of traveling with the Master on a few occasions. He recollects a few stories that really touched his heart.
1) Once there was a devotee who was telling His Holiness Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that he has gone throuh so many difficulties in life and that Gurudev was like a roof (Chhat, in Hindi) on top of his head during those times. He told Gurudev that if not for him, he would not even be alive. Gurudev laughed and said, I'm like an umbrella, I'm portable. (Chhat ke jaise nahin, Chhatri ke jaise).
2) Once a young man got up at a satsang in Netherlands, where there were about a 1000 people, and told Gurudev that he was frustrated and down in the dumps. Immediately Gurudev told him "I'm there for you. Come and meet me, I'll take care of everything". It does not matter where he is or how many people are aound. If someone needs help, Gurudev is always there. He's like a blank cheque.
3) This is a story that Gurudev shared. Sometimes, Gurudev goes into an "Agyatvas" and takes off on his own. On one of those days, he told his driver to take him on a drive. They kept driving until they reached a small farmhouse in the outskirts of Bangalore. Gurudev decided to visit their house and the family was shaken up by his sudden appearence. The farmer was especially stunned to see Gurudev at his doorstep. Turns out that he used to collect Gurudevs knowledge sheets that regularly appeared in the VIjay Karnataka publications because he felt transformed after reading the knowledge. He was longing for a chance to meet Gurudev, but he needed to tend to his farm and did not have the means to travel to the city to see him.
Whenever someone asks Gurudev why he does what he does, he tells them that there is no answer to this question.It's the same as asking why the sun shines.
4) A few women from Gujarat attended a satsang in Bombay. They wanted to meet Gurudev, but there were too many people at the satsang. The same day Gurudev was travelling from Bombay to Gujarat by train. Gurudev was booked on a mail train; they stop in almost every station. Hundreds of devotees would be waiting at every station so they could meet thier guru. On one such stop, Gurudev was left behind on the platform with Rishi Nitya Pragya. When the train started moving, both of them got onto the nearest compartment, which turned out to be the ladies compartment! The women were stunned to see Gurudev and tears started flowing. The women had never expected to be able to meet Gurudev in person like this. It is very beautiful to see the mysterious ways in which sincere prayers are answered.
If you like the Guru story please write to us at webteam.india@artofliving.org
