“When the Shishya is ready the Guru appears” says scriptures. At times we hope of having a Guru so that our spiritual journey will be easy to tread with his guidance and blessings. There is a need for a Guru who can clear our doubts on Universe, Reality, Truth, and so on. One may wonder why ignorance cannot be dispelled by just reading religious scriptures. The scriptures are like a dense forest with unclear passages. These passages look contradictory and may have obscure meanings, diverse connotation, and concealed explanations with cross-references. Guru can explain the right meaning by removing doubts and ambiguities. Thus the essence of the scriptures unfolds for us. Guru is one who is versed in the scriptures, sinless, untouched by desire and experiencer of Brahman, who has united himself with Brahman. He is calm, like fire that has consumed its fuel with a boundless reservoir of mercy…

Svadhyaya, as the name implies, has its origin in the hallowed Sanskrit language, literally interpreted as,” sva,” meaning “own, or one’s self or the human soul; and “adhyaya”, meaning a "lesson or a reading or to meditate or to contemplate..”  In other words, “svadhyaya” literally means “to read one’s self or to learn the lessons of your own soul or a close study of the self.” Svadhyaya is the key to deepening your spiritual practice as well as to improving your relationship with others and yourself. In the Yogic Parlance it also means studying the body and understanding its needs and limitations. In famed "Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali. practicing svadhyaya is regarded as a niyama (positive or righteous duty). By engaging in ‘svadhyay” it is imminent to get connected to the Universal Infinite Reservoir of Consciousness that is omnipresent in the whole universe and thus realize how an individual self aligns with that…

Years ago, when I met my mentor Meena Om ji, my friends and family were distraught. My mother thought I had abandoned her for someone else, my ex-boss assumed I was possessed and controlled by a shaman and my friends looked at me as if I was someone weak -- dependent on a stranger for guidance! Till today, whenever I meet my buddies of yore, an eerie silence settles on their sagacious selves … the kind you get perhaps when you encounter an alien! It is strange that for a country that has evolved and thrived upon gurus and their disciples, this glorious parampara, tradition is frowned upon.  Of late, in some exalted circles having a guru is either too middle class or if your guru happens to be famous, wealthy and well connected, it is ‘cool’ on the surface but deep down you are still viewed as a freak!…