Guru has often said that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and this is no better illustrated than by the manner in which Guru brought Hiranmoyi and me to the path. We were both working in the Canadian government in Ottawa and I was nearing the time that I would be able to retire at the age of 55. I was basically biding my time until that date came, having long since tired of the red tape that was required to get anything done.
I was working as a management systems consultant within my department when one day my boss approached me to inquire if I would like a new staff member either in the systems area or in the field of editing. As I was about to write a big report, I selected the editing assistant and before I knew it, there was this young girl reporting for duty.
Little did I know that the appearance of this girl also marked the beginning of an incredible spiritual adventure the likes of which I could not have dreamed up in my wildest dreams! This girl was none other than Hladini. In those days, my interest in my work was not nearly as keen as my enjoyment of the very long daily conversations I had with Hladini about spirituality. She was very forthcoming about all nature of things about her spiritual Master Sri Chinmoy, his path, going to New York to visit him and even details about her own personal relationship with her Guru.
In those days, Hiranmoyi and I lived outside Ottawa in a home on the Ottawa River, and every evening when I picked Hiranmoyi up from her job in the government, Hiranmoyi’s first words would be, “So what did she (meaning Hladini) say today?" I would recount to Hiranmoyi everything I could remember and she would send me back with questions to ask Hladini the next day. For example, one time I remember Hladini told me that she had had a private interview with Guru and when I told this to Hiranmoyi, she wanted me to find out in every detail exactly what the Guru had said and then what Hladini had said!
This went on for a few months and then one day Hladini gave me a brochure that Utthal had printed beautifully at his printing press, announcing a meditation class that he was giving (his first and possibly only class). On our way home that night, I remembered the brochure and handed it to Hiranmoyi. She was working in the management training area and was used to seeing professional brochures. When she saw this most exquisite brochure with many colored pictures of Guru, she thought that she must be the only person in the world that had not heard of Sri Chinmoy. She called out, “Stop the car! This class begins at the university in fifteen minutes, and we have to go!" So I stopped the car and turned around and drove back to town to the class.
Hiranmoyi will have to reveal in her story what happened to her at Utthal’s class, but needless to say she immediately fell in love with Guru’s path. Our outer spiritual history then began, thanks to Hladini and to Utthal’s professional brochures. Utthal told us that the brochures had cost him $1400.00 to print, and since he got both Hiranmoyi and me as disciples, we cost him $700.00 each!
I meet my Master
The timing was perfect when I met my Master. We had only been to a few meditation classes, but Hiranmoyi’s mother had recently travelled from Nepal, where she and Hiranmoyi’s dad were living at the time, to India, to see a spiritual Master. She had brought back books translated into English which I had read. In the back of my mind I was thinking that she had gone to visit a spiritual Master and so would I.
The first time I met Guru was in Burlington, Vermont, at a concert Guru was giving the night before a Sri Chinmoy Marathon race. I remember seeing the disciples sitting in the auditorium, with all energy so focused on Guru. I was a little surprised to see the boys all in white and the girls in saris, and I definitely didn’t know what to make of all the folded hands while they were meditating. The first time I saw Guru, I had a very sure feeling that I was exactly where I was meant to be and that my life was about to change in amazing ways! When Guru played the esraj, I was captivated in a way that I cannot really describe. We left before the race the next morning, but I knew that a very significant moment in our lives had just happened.
One thing led to another, and we sent our pictures and a letter to Guru to ask if we could become disciples. When we were asked if we would like to become disciples of Sri Chinmoy, we were very honored. Neither one of us thought that we would become anybody’s disciple, especially Hiranmoyi, who thought that Guru would not accept people like us, because we knew so little about spirituality.
On the night Guru accepted us, I shot bolt upright in bed at about 3 a.m. and I could tangibly feel Guru’s presence right there in the room. It was an amazing experience and I knew right then that Guru had accepted us.
