As I wrote yesterday, Simhachalam mentioned in parting that I could stay in a simple room at the Karar Ashram for 700 rupee per night. I loved the idea of doing that, but it wasn’t until later that I realized the significance of what was being offered.

My plan is to travel for three or so months and cover all of the material I need for completing my mission, and then to find a locale where I can live cheaply while completing my book. I have a one-way ticket to Bangkok dated March 1st and thought of doing it somewhere in Thailand, but why not at Karar Ashram? What an incredible opportunity this would be; after all, the working title of my book is In the Footsteps of My Master, and how amazing that would be to finish the book in the very ashram where my Master, Paramahansa Yogananda, spent much of his youth training with his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar. What’s more, I could solidify the spiritual progress I hope to make on this journey living as a solitary soul at the ashram, meditating deeply and enriching my practice, in a spartan room, all under the metaphysical presence of both my Guru and Paramaguruji!

I knew in my soul that Swami Sri Yukteswar extended this gift to me. Each day I came to the ashram I meditated on the steps of his Mandir Samadhi shrine; his wonderful fragrance filled my nostrils in varying degrees with the intensity of my concentration on him. When distracted, the fragrance disappeared. His presence filled my consciousness, welcoming me and blessing my efforts. His love washed through me as an exquisite tide of warmth, security, joy. Those unfamiliar with such experience may think I am projecting my own wishes here, but contact with the Great Masters — and eventually God — is very real and the reward for the laborious efforts demanded of the devotee. There is no mistaking it.

The Masters have been with me since the very inception of this journey — in fact, they planted the idea in my head as I meditated at 4:00 am at the Holiday Inn Express hotel at the Delhi Airport embarking on a much different trip: the Wheels of Awakening motorcycle pilgrimage in the High Himalayas. I had no idea I’d be coming back to India in two months. I never imagined leaving my current life in Santa Barbara within the next five years. I lived in paradise. Why would I do such a thing? But God told me through the Masters that I would not make the progress I needed living such a comfortable and distracted life, and I had to act now to advance in my efforts (this involves a lot more explaining that will be detailed in my book).

For those who don’t know what I mean by “The Masters,” let me share information from the Self-Realization Fellowship website:

“The teachings of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India are founded upon the original Christianity of Jesus Christ and the original Yoga of Bhagavan Krishna. The spiritual lineage of SRF/YSS consists of these two great avatars and a line of exalted masters of contemporary times: Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, and Paramahansa Yogananda (last in the line of SRF/YSS Gurus). 

Each of these Great Ones played a role in Self-Realization Fellow­ship’s mission of bringing to the modern world the spiritual science of Kriya Yoga.”

One of the sacred promises made to every devotee who follows these teachings is that all of these Masters will be there to help the devotee along the spiritual path. They may even appear to advanced disciples during periods of deep meditation. While I have not actually seen them yet during my meditations, I have received help from all of them at various points over the last four years. This I know without doubt and will be something I go into in more depth in my book.

What’s more, the events at the ashram today reinforce this knowing in my heart that the Masters ordained this journey and were helping to make the book happen. When I arrived at the ashram in the morning, the door was locked and no one answered the bell. Not a soul was around. Simhachalam had shown me how to let myself in a few days earlier, so I flipped the latch from the outside and went to meditate at the shrine. I was alone on the grounds. I had the deepest connection with Swami Sri Yukteswar during meditation, and afterwards went in search of Simhachalam. Specifically, my goal was to discuss with him my return in March and if I could stay for a lengthy period, if I could get his contact info., etc. All important to conclude before I left and was forgotten.

No one was around, so I sat at the location shown in the featured photo for this post. I waited. And waited. I began to doubt if I would really be able to do what I imagined. Perhaps it was all fantasy in my head after all. The Swami in charge of this place didn’t seem to like me too much. Negative thoughts, that little chattering nag in the head, kept pestering me. My normal impulse would be to flee, but I felt peace from the meditation, and I felt Swamiji telling me to wait, just wait. I took out Autobiography of a Yogi and read excerpts from Master’s time here. Just near closing time Sinhachalam appeared at the gate, let himself in through a side door, and coasted in on a motorcycle. How perfect!

He sat down and spoke with me in his very peaceful, calm, and detached manner — yet there was warmth in his presence. I felt we had become friends. He nodded when I asked if I could stay for a longer period, and he sort of swiveled his head in a half-shrug as if to say, if that’s what will be. He is very noncommittal in conversation, especially any projection into the future. We connected through WeChat and I promised to contact him from the road in a few months.

I left the grounds and felt elated, twisting through the narrow passageways and then dodging scooters, tuk-tuks and pedestrians. The usual heavyset man called to me from a gorgeous courtyard and waved. Another shouted to me from a stall and smiled broadly. I cried back to them all and dashed across the main boulevard to the beach, sidestepping and swerving through the crazy mishmash of traffic, and watched young men rush into the ocean waves fully clothed. I had a great urge to join them, but I didn’t want to risk getting sick in the polluted waters, so I pushed on, laughing uproariously when a man offered to sell me “diamonds” from a pouch and when another asked if I was from Italy.

Joy radiated through me within seconds of closing my eyes in meditation that evening, and a white light spread through my consciousness. I felt the Masters near and my journey blessed. I gave thanks for such good fortune. Tears came to my eyes. Tomorrow I would take off for Kolkata and the YSS Daksineswar Ashram by the Ganges, but I would be back. To be able to work on my book from the very ashram where Yogananda spent part of his discipleship thrilled me. What an unexpected turn of events. My trip was truly blessed.